May 2009

Changing Values, Changing Goals Conversations with the Moon The full moon of May takes place on Friday, May 8, at 9:02pm Pacific Time, in the lunar sign of Vishakha. For this next lunar cycle, the focus is on goals. What goal has captured your attention lately? Picture yourself attaining your goal - does it feel joyful? Is it true to who you are today? Does it line up with your current values? In answering these questions for ourselves, we have the dynamic, creative energy of a Venus/Mars conjunction and the painstaking, methodical energy of a Saturn/Mercury square. We'll each do some playful dreaming around our goal, at the same time as drawing up budgets and timelines. Write this day/time into your calendar: Sunday, May 24 at 5:12am Pacific Time. Sunday of Memorial Day weekend is when the New Moon in the lunar sign of Krittika takes place. We'll each be able to take stock of our material possessions that weekend, and trim the fat (i.e. taking clothes to Goodwill; examining your cellphone contract and making sure you're not paying more than you need to.)

Planning & Scheduling Living in Accord with the Seasons Mercury is retrograde in the sign of Taurus from May 7 - 30, receiving a square from Saturn until May 24: reconnect with old friends, edit papers, review contracts. Build solid conceptual frameworks through writing, rewriting, and rewriting. Venus exalted in Pisces until May 30: On the whole, we are interested in beauty, and maybe even the idea of "life as art." Mars moves into his own sign of Aries on May 24, (joined by Venus after May 31,) and stays there throughout the month of June. We all want some action, and some physical release, just in time for summer. So get outside and play! Jupiter briefly tours the sign of Aquarius, from May 1 - July 30, forming a touch and go opposition with Saturn, which fully completes its cycle two years from now in May 2011. The United States learns that to lead is to serve. Jupiter is also closely conjunct Neptune, for the months of May, June and July, signifying a strong, idealistic optimism about the economy. In general, people may tend to want to escape during this time, into imaginative technological spaces like the movies and the internet. Saturn has been retrograde since the first of the year, and turns direct on May 17, in the last portion of Leo: May 17 - Sept. 9, 2009 is a period of proving oneself in a chosen field of expertise or leadership. This summer is not a time to rest on your laurels. Continued success in your field will require persistent effort, humility to admit when you're wrong, and strength of character to course correct when necessary.

November 2008

It Takes A Village Conversations with the Moon The full moon of November takes place on Wednesday, November 12 at 10:19pm Pacific Time, in the vedic lunar sign of Krittika. Once upon a time the demons had wangled their way into control over the heavens. So the gods asked one of the most powerful among them, Shiva, for his help. Shiva was unable to act on behalf of the gods directly, but he did promise to produce a son who would restore justice. The demons learned of Shiva's promise and set out to destroy this child of Shiva. So Karttikeya was sent into hiding, and there, was fostered by the seven wives of the seven seers. (Sound a little like the Moses story?) When Karttikeya was old enough, he destroyed the demonic forces and gave the heavens back to the gods. So goes a story from the ancient Indian classical texts called the Puranas. The seven wives are collectively represented in the sky by the constellation we in the west call the Pleiades, (called "Krittika" in vedic lore.) There's more energy available around this full moon, for discerning mental analysis, especially the kind that questions its own assumptions. Write this day into your calendar: Thursday, November 27, 8:55am Pacific Time - the New Moon in Anuradha. This new moon day is a time to celebrate friendship. Anyone you send positive energy to, will benefit: your best friend, your lover, your mother, your president, your president elect.

Planning & Scheduling Living in Accord with the Seasons The Sun and Mars travel together in vedic Scorpio for most of this lunar cycle, highlighting our human fascination with power. Mercury joins Sun and Mars in Scorpio from Nov. 20 - Dec. 9. Leaders make demands. Those in power express themselves with force. Venus joins Jupiter in vedic Sagittarius from Nov. 8 to Dec. 3. Venus forms an exact conjunction with Pluto on the night of the full moon - expect to see Obama's popularity be an international obsession. Also expect to see all those with popularity use it as a platform from which to proselytize their views. Here in the United States we like to think we are isolated individuals and that our actions have little consequences other than for ourselves. These next few months will bring increasing evidence of the contrary. On election day, Saturn and Uranus squared off in the first of three oppositions. The next two come in Sept. 2009, and in Jul./Aug. 2010. Expect to see big clashes between those who would spread wealth and those who would keep it in the hands of a few, over these next two years. Watch our understanding of money change.

Salman Rushdie on Stories "Those who do not have power over the story that dominates their lives, power to retell it, to rethink it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change, truly are powerless, because they cannot think new thoughts." ~Salman Rushdie

November 2007

The Power to Burn Conversations with the Moon There's a full moon on Saturday, November 24th at 6:30am Pacific Time, in the lunar sign of Krittika. This part of the sky symbolizes that side of human affairs which requires great discernment in getting to the truth of things. "La lumiere sortant des tenebres" - meaning, the Light coming forth from the Darkness - is good guidance for this full moon. Fire can be both destructive and constructive, depending on how it is employed, with what intent, and with what force. Nobody gets off the hook in this life from coming into contact with fire, so it's vital to understand how to exist in it when you encounter it. Metaphysically speaking, the spiritual alchemist uses fire to 'transmute' base metals into gold. In our human life, this alchemical process requires allowing whatever keeps you separate from Life, from Love, to drop away. In order to do that, you have to actually See the situations of your life from the point of view of Light itself.

Planning & Scheduling Living In Accord With The Seasons We have a big ol' cluster of planets in the vedic sign of Sagittarius this December. On December 20, we'll have Sun, Mercury, Jupiter and Pluto all hovering around in the same Sagittarian part of the sky together, opposing a retrograde Mars. This could be an explosive time. Anyone with key points of the chart in Sagittarius and Gemini will feel the issue of authority bubbling up - (your own authority and others'.) You'll likely hear a lot of strong and unapologetic, maybe even forceful opinions, around this time. Mars continues to be retrograde in Gemini until the end of January. Many of us will be shifting our alignments with projects and people and ideas. This retrograde period can signify a time Saturn and Ketu (the south node of the moon) travel together in the vedic sign of Leo this month, creating seemingly fated realities coming up to be dealt with. All those with planets in Leo may feel the pressure of authorship over our own lives. Saturn turns retrograde in Leo beginning December 19, grabbing the hands of time and ushering us through our Leo life lessons. Express yourself and re-connect with your own joy so as not to create dis-ease from any stagnancy. Venus enters her own sign of Libra on December 1st, making this a month of social enjoyment, social harmony, (on the surface), and aesthetic and artistic loveliness.

catharsis raw trauma blown out to white hangs as an entrance, as my coy refusal gags the possibilities of admitting my mortal same-ness, suspending the nerve that registers the fracture, exiting sideways now, fumbling through the un-laddered catharsis of hauntingly available freedom In honor of Saturn conjunct Ketu in Leo