Sun in Gemini, Mercury retrograde, Saturn Re-enters Scorpio



The current of a river flows down from its source towards sea level. Rivers themselves move in one particular direction, but the water that makes up the river moves in a complex and intricate dance. Water molecules on the surface are heated by the sun, and evaporate upwards. Water winds its way around land masses, whirls around rocks, settles in pools, and forms eddies that swirl at various speeds. These myriad motions set everything astir, causing the cooler water below to rise up and mingle with the sun-warmed water above. Animals traveling within and through the water introduce further layers of unpredictable and changeable motion. In one sense, there is no constant direction to a river.

There is, however, constant and irresistible movement in a river. Anything that enters the river is subject to its motion. One either actively resists or succumbs to its flow. This month, seek out those pools of rest, and see if you can notice the motion hiding within the still points of your life. Listen for the music that fills the silence. Catch your breath, and notice whether you have been fighting or flowing with the current.

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Sun in Gemini: 5/21/15 - 6/21/15
The Sun’s transit through Gemini marks a time of transition from spring to summer. At this point in the year, we have fully awoken from winter’s dream. Our minds are alive and curious, and there is much to be curious about - nature is active, exploding in color, life and movement. We want to explore every little bit of the world we encounter. We say, “YES,” to life, to people, to new things, and under normal circumstances, we are not so concerned - yet - with how it all fits together.

This year, however, Gemini is somewhat inverted and sideways. We enter this flitting-about time with Mercury, the ruler of Gemini, just barely moving backwards after his recent retrograde station on 5/18/15, and with the Sun in a tense T-square, conjoined with impatient Mars, square dreamy and dissolving Neptune, and opposite Saturn, the planet most associated with delays and a slow pace. Hence John Muir nicely summarizes the wisdom of 2015’s solar month of Gemini: “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”

How do the pieces of your life reflect the whole?
What is the “ocean” the river of your life is flowing towards?
Which elements of your life - the “water” of your river - are dissipating, evaporating, caught in eddies?
How can you surrender to these various flows -
- the overarching movement to the ocean?
- and the losses along the way?

Mercury Retrograde: 5/18/15 - 6/11/15
Mercury begins his retrograde motion close to the Moon and sextile Jupiter. This ties our heart and our beliefs into the questions Mercury poses during this Gemini retrograde, which underscore the ways our perceptions shape our life.

How do your perceptions color your feelings?
How do your feelings color your perceptions?
How do your perceptions shape your beliefs?
How do your beliefs shape your perceptions?
What is the flow of your mind? - dissipating, directional, swirling in vortices?

Mercury completes his retrograde motion in sextile to Venus. Meanwhile, the Sun sextiles Uranus (illuminating & energizing insight), and Neptune stations retrograde (exact on 6/12/15).

What do those sticky moments in relating with others reveal if you let go of the need to be right?
How does compassion influence your perceptions?
How does forgiveness influence your ability to relate with others?
How will you integrate the insights of the past few weeks into your life, relationships, & art if you’re an artist?

Saturn re-enters Scorpio: 6/14/15 - 9/17/15
Saturn - the planet that teaches us our true responsibilities by showing us our limitations; the planet that pushes us to try harder and find our grit by imposing setbacks; the planet that rewards our efforts and reminds us of that which we’ve neglected; the planet that insists that boundaries are freedoms in disguise - re-enters Scorpio shortly after Mercury moves direct. Scorpio implies some kind of death-and-rebirth process, so you can be sure you’ll be letting go of something. It won’t be easy, but it will come with the reward of rebirth into something truer, more appropriate to who you are now, and ultimately more sustainable.

Saturn transited through Scorpio from October 2012 through most of December 2014. Now that he’s retrograding, he’s dipping back into Scorpio until autumn of 2015. You may notice a revisiting of themes that came up for you in December of 2014 over the next few months. This is your opportunity to resolve those issues.

What in your life - relationships, careers, projects, places, etc. - is in a stage of death?
What renewal do you foresee following those losses?
What is your core truth - the “source” of your river? How can you be truer to that “source”?

The river flows to the sea, but the water that makes it up may become mist, fog, a cloud, enter a lake, or recede into an aquifer before it ever reaches the sea. Once that water does finally reach the ocean, it may enter through another river. In the words of the great healer, Hippocrates, “There is one common flow, one common breathing. All things are in sympathy.” This is the time to surrender to that flow.

Coming Soon:
Next month’s report on the solar month of Cancer will offer insights into the overall thrust of the summer. Feel free to like and repost this report as you see fit. Until next time, wishing you a heart-ful month. Thanks for reading,

Sun in Taurus, Mercury retrograde


It’s time for some riddles.

#1, Pretend our minds our mushrooms. Our perceptions, then, are mycelia, extending through the world around us, the conversations we engage in, and all the other information we take in. Our memories and dreams are also mycelia, and thus our mushroom minds span through various layers of time - past, present and future - as well as various layers of reality - material, emotional, mental and creative. Like mycelia in the forest, our mental mycelia simultaneously digest and weave a web throughout their environment. The questions, then, are where does the fruiting body - that thing we visualize when we think of the word “mushroom” - show up, and what form does it take?

#2, Can your mind travel over, under, around and/or through matter?

#3, Does matter have a mind of its own?

This month, the impalpable mind collides with the material plane. Keep your ears open, and you just might hear the din of that impact. Below, you’ll find clues to help you unravel these riddles.

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Sun in Taurus: 4/20/15 - 5/21/15
The operative word during the solar month of Taurus is “matter” in all senses of the word. Taurus is firmly rooted in the substance of reality, enthralled with what can be perceived through the physical senses, and utterly devoted to relating to everyone and everything it perceives. That covers the physical matter aspect, but then there’s the question of...

What matters to you?
What do you love to do, eat, read, listen to, and smell?
Where do you love to be, and how do you like to get there?
Whom do you love to be with?
Do you love yourself?
Do you believe you matter?

The sun’s yearly transit through Taurus also marks the height of spring, when the natural world is in full bloom. It’s a great time to remind yourself you are a part of nature, which brings forth the obvious questions of...

What part of you is blossoming right now?
What parts of your life - work, relationships, projects, etc - are blossoming right now.
The flowers of spring are followed by the fruits of autumn, unless, of course, you nip something in the bud. Fertilize and prune as you see fit.

Full Scorpio Moon: 5/3/15
The moon culminates in eagle-eyed Scorpio, opposing the Sun in Taurus, and thus offering a deeper perspective on what truly matters. Jupiter squares both of the luminaries from Leo, creating a tense, fixed T-square in the heavens.

What blossoms bring you the most joy?
What blossoms bring you the most attention, praise, and abundance?
What is your relationship with those various blossoms?
What blossoms need to be cut from your rose bush so the others can thrive?

Also on the day of the full moon, Mercury (mind) opposes Saturn (matter), and is about to enter the fore-shadow of his retrograde. It’s time to take your... 

pre-Mercury retrograde precautions:
Get your cars and bikes tuned up.
Back up your phones and computers.
Finalize travel plans.
Take note of any issues that start brewing in your communications and perceptions.
And above all, get ready to be flexible.

Mercury Retrograde: 5/18/15 - 6/11/15
About 20 hours after the new Taurus moon, Mercury stations retrograde in his home sign of Gemini. New moons impart an internal focus, and Taurus is a sign that appreciates slowness and stillness, all of which mingle well with the apparent pause of the solar system’s speediest planet. The more you can let go of your familiar perspectives in the three and a half weeks of this retrograde, and open your mind to allow space for new perspectives, the smoother things will go for you.

What do you perceive?
How does that shape what you believe?
How does what you believe shape what you perceive?
How does this create a closed loop of belief and perception?
What happens if you allow yourself to notice things you don’t normally notice?

In the words of cosmologist, Carl Sagan, “Somewhere, there is something incredible waiting to be known." What is that something for you? Can you find it? Open your ears. Open your eyes. Open your heart. Open your mind.

Coming Soon:
Next month’s report on the solar month of Gemini will offer insights into Saturn’s re-entry into Scorpio and other surprises. Feel free to like and repost this report as you see fit. Until next time, wishing you a heart-ful month. Thanks for reading,

Vernal Equinox 2015 & Two Eclipses



Let’s say you’ve been running a marathon. Let’s say that the whole time you’ve been running this marathon, a giant, slobbery monster with big, nasty, jaggedy teeth and long, horrible, razor-sharp claws has been chasing you, forcing you to run faster than you were prepared for. Just as your legs feel unable to hold or move your body any further, your lungs won’t hold much air anymore, and you think this is the end, the monster gets distracted by one of their friends. The two of them go off to a bar together. You really don’t care about the marathon anymore, and as you’re about to collapse on the spot you see the finish line. Something snaps in you, and now there’s nothing that will keep you from reaching that finish line. You continue on with renewed vigor.

Just then, nine trillion tons of mud fall from the sky, directly between where you are and the finish line. You’re in knee deep mud, and now you’re ready to give up again. But then you hear that monster and their buddy come stumbling out of the bar. When you turn to look, you see they’re pointing at you. They start off in your direction. You look back at the finish line, and notice that it is no ordinary finish line. A sign indicates it is also the gateway to a monster-free zone. You run as fast as you can through that knee deep mud, hoping that the drunk monsters won’t be able to keep up with you. This month, although you may feel you’re being pushed at both from behind and from in front, keep moving ahead.

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Saturn Stations Retrograde: 3/14/15
Feeling hung up? Saturn, the planet that slows things down even when he’s moving at normal speed, is currently standing still in Sagittarius.

What is in a state of suspension in your life right now?
What is this teaching you about your relationship with surrender?
Are your philosophies in alignment or clashing with the philosophies of your culture?
Are you compromising your beliefs too much to work within society’s constructs?
How can you work within the constructs of society in a way that upholds your beliefs?

Uranus Square Pluto, Exact: 3/16/15
For more information on this transit, please follow this link to last month’s report.

Full super solar eclipse in Pisces & vernal equinox: 3/20/15
A full solar eclipse is one of the bigger to-do’s in the realm of astrological events. This one also happens to occur while the moon is at perigee - the moment when its monthly orbit brings it closest to earth. When the moon is both at perigee and syzygee, as it is on this day, the moon and sun pull extremely on the waters of this planet. On the days around this major astronomical and astrological event, you may find it helpful to think to yourself, “Over half of my body and the body of every other person on this earth is being jerked around by some humongous objects up in space. Over two thirds of the earth itself is being jerked around right now too.”

What is the dream I am meant to embody?
Is there anything I need to surrender or surrender to in order to realize my truest and most whole self?
How can I accept the inherent imperfections of reality in contrast to that most perfect dream?

A few hours later, the Sun enters Aries, thus marking the vernal equinox. Equinoxes are both shifting points and brief moments of balance between light and dark.

What do you perceive to be your light? What are its characteristics?
What do you perceive to be your darkness? What are its characteristics?
What happens when you love and accept both your light and your darkness?

Sun in Aries: 3/20/15 - 4/20/15
Why does a baby bird bother to hatch? It’s perfectly protected inside that egg, kept warm by its parents’ body heat. Scary as it is to be out in the world without armor, that baby bird would die if it didn’t tear its way out of that shell. By the time a chick breaks out into the world, it has no room to grow, and no more nourishment to sustain it within that egg. The chick hatches because it chooses to live - only to find its tiny, feeble self utterly vulnerable and at the mercy of nature. The elements, timing and luck interact in their capricious ways to either make or break our little fledgling friend. This is the essence of Aries. From the dream-state of Pisces, we emerge into the struggle of existence, and we tap into the excellence and courage that is required that we may continue to exist.

Are you here, now? Why?
In what do you wish to excel? What is required of you to do so?
Is there any way that you hold yourself back out of timidity? (Hint: This is the shell you’ve outgrown)
Courage means to act from the heart - What does it feel like to act, speak, and decide from your heart?

Total lunar eclipse in Libra: 4/4/15
There are times when the cosmos turns up the volume, and this is one of those times. The Sun (consciousness) is conjoined with Mercury (intelligence, perception), Uranus (insight) and the dragon’s tail (sign in need of sprucing up) in Aries (courage), all opposed by the Moon (emotions & heart-tugs) and dragon’s head (sign in need of accentuation) in Libra (balance). Meanwhile, Pluto (rebirth that can only occur after death) squares both ends of that opposition from Capricorn (appropriate goals). There’s the equation. Here are some questions to help you make sense of it all:

What is out of balance in your life, your relationships, your work, etc?
What would bring you more into balance?
What do you need to let die so that there is room for new life?
What is inspiring your heart these days? How can you effectively act on that inspiration?

Jupiter stations direct: 4/8/15
After all that, here’s some encouraging news to conclude this month’s report. Jupiter, the bolsterer of faith and bringer of opportunities, will be switching back into the great cosmic forwards gear. It’ll be a few weeks before he’s back up to speed, but in the meantime, pay attention to what events and shifts occur in your life around the days of his station.

What have you been re-visioning since early December 2014?
How have your beliefs around those projects/experiences shifted since then?
How is your belief in yourself, your vision, and your own creativity these days?
How can you develop more charisma around what matters most to you?

In the meantime, here’s some wisdom from Winston Churchill: “When you’re going through hell, keep going.” Keep pushing, friends. Breakthrough is imminent.

Thanks for reading,

Uranus square Pluto, Sun in Pisces

 
The riddles of reflection are action through stillness, and generation through receptivity. When we reflect on an experience, we are not actively engaging in the experience. Instead, we are attempting to perceive it from new angles. The roots of the word, reflection, mean “to bend back,” as still water bends light in such a way that objects are mirrored, rendering their appearance - and our experience of those objects - changed. Choppy water, on the other hand, breaks up the reflection, making the reflection of the object difficult to perceive, and thus leaving us to look directly at the object itself, without the bend of fresh perspective. Mercury’s direct motion, the final exact pass of Uranus square Pluto, and ramping up to a solar eclipse make 2015’s solar month of Pisces an excellent time to allow action to arise from stillness, to allow creativity to arise from receptivity, to bend time, to refract light, to reflect.

A note from the author:
Dear reader, if you find these monthly reports helpful, please consider making a donation or scheduling a private consultation to support the continuation of this work. Thank you.

CLeaning up Mercurial Messes: 2/11/15 - 3/3/15
After a three-week retrograde, Mercury stationed direct the morning of Wednesday, February 11th. Give the guy a week to get back up to normal speed, and then you can heave your post Mercury retrograde sigh of relief. Mercury will be traveling forwards through the shadow of his retrograde through the rest of February and into the first few days of March. In the next few weeks, you’ll receive opportunities to act on the insights you received during the actual retrograde (1/21 - 2/11).

What “A-ha!” moments have you had in the past few weeks?
What communities are you connected to? Do they expand & energize you?
What have you learned about the interconnectedness of our species in the past few weeks?
What role/s do you play in that interconnexion?

Sun in Pisces: 2/18/15 - 3/20/15
The constellation of Pisces: two fish swimming in opposite directions, an image of ambivalence. Like all things, ambivalence can be healing or destructive, depending on how and when it is applied. The second riddle of this month’s report is this: Ambivalence arises from strength, but can cause weakness.

The roots of the word, ambivalence, literally mean to be strong in two conflicting ways. One fish taps into its own strength to swim upstream against the current, while the other fish, in swimming downstream, taps into the strength of the current itself. In the Pisces solar month, we must both find our inner strength to face the challenges of reality, and simultaneously let go and allow reality to guide us. To do the latter, we must first engage the former - i.e, face reality and then give into it. Otherwise, we run into the danger of the Pisces shadow - not looking at life’s actual flow, escaping, and manipulating others (other people, other substances, other stories, etc) into making the current “nicer” for us.

Pisces is a water sign, and in astrology, water symbolizes emotions. As demonstrated by water’s reflective abilities, we receive a clearer image from calm waters. Sometimes we need to feel those stormy, choppy, swirling and wild emotions, but our perspective is inherently unclear in those moments. Tranquility breeds clarity, but there is a fine line here - healthy water is always moving, even if its movements are subtle. For truth of perspective, aim for a serene flow.

In what direction are your life’s events & opportunities guiding you?
What are your responsibilities in these events & opportunities - What can you change?
In what ways do you need to let go, and give in to what is - What can you not change?
What brings you to an inner calm and quiet?

Saturn square Neptune: Reality and dreams in the boxing ring
This Pisces solar month begins two and a half minutes after the Aquarius new moon, imbuing the whole month with a sense of our interconnectedness, and with a contemplative quality, which is further accentuated by a square between Neptune, strongly placed in their home sign of Pisces, and Saturn in Sagittarius. That tender (or tenderizing) aspect shatters illusions, making the need to accept reality and the responsibilities that come with it - while still maintaining your faith, hope and vision - all the more pressing. At this time, it is essential to let go of regrets, what-if’s, and should-have’s. Let your past actions and decisions dissolve into the past. This will free them to help you move forward from where you are now. The wisdom of this configuration is this:

Hindsight is not always 20/20.

We can color the past with the rosy lenses of false perfection. Reality is now, and if you look honestly, you will find both suffering and peace in each and every moment - past, present and future. Acknowledge and respond to both your current suffering and your current ease, and above all, work to manifest your dreams into this earthly timespace, and then accept their inevitable imperfections.

What work is required to manifest your dreams?
What are the first steps you can take on that manifestation journey?
How can you weave your dreams more fully into the fabric of humanity?

Another Aquarius Lunation Begins: 2/18/15
Two Aquarius new moons in a row and a Mercury retrograde in Aquarius mean it’s time to think about our interconnectedness. We live in an individualistic society, which can obscure the inherent interdependency of humanity. The fact remains, however, that we are a species.

The biologist, E. O. Wilson has observed that ants - a species whose colonies work as an interdependent whole - are a major evolutionary success, as evidenced by their many centuries of life on this planet, while the success of humans - a comparatively new species - is yet to be seen. Ants also have an extreme hierarchy that mirrors our 1% vs. 99% global economic disparity. This is the evolutionary strategy of a species without compassion. With both Aquarius and Pisces highlighted this month, we need to consider innovative possibilities for our species that are compassionate in their interdependency. Aquarius can envision egalitarian methods. Pisces teaches us that each and every one of us is both capable of giving and worthy of receiving compassion. The questions here may be a bit tough, but soften your heart with some self-forgiveness and self-love first, and then give them a try.

What happens in your heart when you hate your “enemies?”
What happens in your heart when you love your “enemies?”
How are you reliant on the people & communities you dislike?
How are they reliant on you?

Uranus Square Pluto Exact: 3/16/15
The final of seven exact squares between Uranus and Pluto occurs on Monday, March 16th. For a thorough report on the overall timing and thrust of this configuration, please read this article. “Final exact square” does not mean that after March 16th we’ll be skipping through the garden with the conflicts of the gods behind us. Uranus and Pluto move slowly, and will maintain a pretty tight square throughout 2015, and will slowly move out of this configuration for another couple years after that.

Because Pluto deals with transformation on the death and rebirth level, this last year of the closest passes of Uranus’ square invites a transition from the death phase to the rebirth phase. Consider what major parts of your life - relationships, places, parts of yourself, experiences, people, etc - have died, either literally or figuratively since 2012. The more you release, the more you will be replenished, so use this last exact configuration to more fully let those deaths go, and train your awareness on what is in the beginning stages of rebirth. If you feel stuck in the death phase of this cycle, that indicates there is something you’re holding onto. Let go. Pluto does not take, “No,” for an answer.

Although both planets are calling for transformation, there is great friction in timing and style. Pluto in steady-as-she-goes Capricorn is working on deep, slow levels of tearing down, building and overhaul, while Uranus in quick-tempered Aries wants drastic, immediate and liberating results. Yes, you need freedom now, but you also need to build something solid for the future. If you choose to play only one side of this configuration, then something outside of yourself - the government, a passing car, a person, your job, the environment, etc - will play the other side. BE the change, rather than having it thrust upon you.

Are the structures of your life in alignment with your beliefs?
What is your brilliance?
What are you on fire about?
How can you channel your brilliance & fire into creatively illuminating others?
How is your balance between freedom & responsibility?
Are you using your power & authority (yes, you do have some - own it!) with integrity?

Here’s one last thought to ruminate on: Reflections (past) are projections (future), inverted. The Pisces solar month indicates a time of dissolving and integrating the past so that we can be reborn at the vernal equinox. The past feeds the future. When we hold fast to the suffering of our past without learning from it, we invite more suffering. Alternatively, when we transmute our past experiences into strength and wisdom, we nourish our future. Each moment is an opportunity for this transmutation.

Coming Soon:
Next month’s report on the solar month of Aries will offer insights into the first eclipse in the Pisces/Virgo axis since 2008 & the next lunar eclipse in Libra. Feel free to like and repost this report as you see fit. Until next time, wishing you a heart-ful month.  Thanks for reading,