I hope
you’re ready to grow because staying safely within comfortable limitations,
within the bounds of the known, within the same-old, challenge-free &
familiar status quo is about to be officially and cosmically disallowed. These are stern & firm orders from
the big balls of rock and gas out yonder in the solar system, so I suggest you
roll up your sleeves, and get to work doing those things you know in your heart
it’s time to do.
But
first, let’s take a moment to orient ourselves in
solar time. Let’s orient
ourselves with the Sun - the center of our solar system, the massive ball of
nuclear fission-fueled fire that keeps all of these other balls of rock &
gas in line. As the Sun completes
its transit through Leo, its home sign, in the next few days, we are still in
the phase of connecting with & expressing our heart’s joy.
Once the Sun enters Virgo on 8/22, we will be in the time of
harvest. Virgo’s unfortunate reputation as a hyper-critical
fuzz-budget is an over-inflation of this rich sign’s shadow. The light of Virgo is wholeness &
mastery, which is attained first through understanding the order of things (how
all the parts fit into the whole) in this material realm. Mastery brings forth a great harvest,
which Virgo is intended to thoroughly enjoy. The shadowy critical side of Virgo comes forth if Virgo
forgets to relate the parts to the whole.
Here are some guiding questions through the time of sensitive
& sensual Virgo:
What do
I perceive as the order of things in my life, in my relationships, in my
career, in my family, in my past, in my present, & in the world around me?
What
are the contexts within which I find myself, my various relationships, my
career, my family, my past, my present, etc?
How can
I ground myself & my perceptions within these greater contexts?
What am
I harvesting? Hint: harvests can
be joyous &/or painful. Note
both.
What am
I mastering?
Who are
my teachers?
Who are
my students?
What
are my skills? How can I improve
upon them, or improve upon my sharing of them?
In what
ways am I of service? Does this feel
in proper alignment with the wholeness of myself & the contexts in which I
find myself?
Because
Virgo enjoys being of service, you may enjoy helping me a wee bit by posting this introduction to my work in your emails & f-book pages. Much obliged, dear readers.
And now it’s time to dig into the nitty-gritty of the Grand
Cardinal Cross - the major energetic
imperative of this solar month. In
true Virgo fashion, let’s look at the parts, & relate them to the greater
whole. In this case, the whole is
a grand cross in cardinal signs.
Cardinal signs are initiators, so this is time of new beginnings. A grand cross occurs when four or more
planets form a cross in the sky - two sets of opposing forces that are
simultaneously at odds with each other.
We are overthrowing the old, & bringing some new vision into four
major areas of life (in this case selfhood, relationship, nourishment &
calling). Another imperative of a
grand cross is to consider a united whole (further supported by this Virgo
solar month), rather than being drawn & quartered by the various needs that
pull at you from hither & thither.
At the
crux of this configuration, we have the longterm square (2010 through
2015) between Pluto in Capricorn (death and rebirth at the structural level)
and Uranus in Aries (revolution now, often in sudden & aggressive
ways). What is similar about these
two energies is the imperative for change, but the difference is in style &
timing. Both Capricorn and Pluto
are in it for the long haul, making slight shifts that lead to major change
over time, & focusing on the big picture & on major goals. Uranus & Aries, on the other hand,
are more sudden. Aries is
impatient & interested in proving itself, while Uranus is inspired &
revolutionary, & tends to act in disruptive ways. This energy is affecting us on the personal & collective
levels (hence all of the revolutionary activity in various countries,
overhauling of governments, massive earthquakes shifting the tilt of the
planet, etc).
Part
two of the Grand Cross is Jupiter in Cancer - opposite Pluto, & square
Uranus. This energy has been
building throughout the Leo solar month, so you may already be familiar with
the three-way tugs between your family/nourishment needs, your outer world
responsibilities, & your personal freedom/desire for newness.
The
final element of the Grand Cross is peace-loving Libra, initially graced by its
ruling planet, Venus, & then swiftly traversed by wily Mercury. Because Venus is in this Grand Cross
position at the time of the Sun’s entry into Virgo, however, her energy permeates
the Grand Cross throughout the solar month. In layman’s terms, we now have the added elements of right
relationship, wise compromise, grace, beauty, & fair communication thrown
into the mix.
Add it all together, and what do you get?
1,
Death and rebirth at the structural level with attendance to appropriate
longterm goals & right use of power
2, in
proper balance with increasing personal nourishment, attending to home, family,
& a more buoyant sense of personal history,
3,
while at the same time balancing personal revolution based on fresh insights
4, with
fairness, beauty, & grace in relationships, with the added help of open
& honest communication.
Here are some leading questions to help you bring these opposing
energies into a whole picture:
Bringing
out the best of Jupiter in Cancer:
How can
I be more nourished by my career/calling?
How can
I be more nourished in my various relationships?
Which
relationships do I need to nourish more, & which relationships do I need to
back off on?
How can
I alter my sense of self so that I receive more nourishment, just from being
who I naturally am?
Bringing
out the best of Venus & Mercury in Libra:
Am I
making compromises that are equally fair to myself & to those I am in
relationship to?
Am I
able to effectively articulate my perceptions, while maintaining openness to my
partner’s perceptions?
Do I
need to learn better communication skills (good listening as well as right
speech)?
What is
the beauty in myself, in my relationships, in my home, in my calling, & in
my life?
How can
I increase my experience & awareness of beauty?
Bringing
out the best of Pluto in Capricorn:
What is
my true calling? How can I better
answer that call?
How
might I alter the structures of my life so that they are more nourishing, &
allow for a healthy balance of inner & outer world needs?
What is
dying in my life, & how can I let go, & allow it to die?
What is
the rebirth, already in motion, that follows that death? How can I create space for that
newness?
Bringing
out the best of Uranus in Aries:
Who am
I now? Hint: Forget, for a moment,
who you have been, & who you would like to be.
How can
I perceive & express myself in ways that deeply nourish me?
How can
I perceive & express myself in ways that are respectful of those I’m in
relationship with?
How can
I perceive & express myself in ways that move me in the direction of my
true calling?
In what
ways have I freed myself since 2010?
For fun, write up a 5-year self-liberation plan.
Well,
friends, thanks for reading. Next
month’s posting will cover the lunar eclipse in Aries, & get you prepared
for October/November’s round of Mercury in retrograde.
For
more personalized insight, you may go here to schedule a private astrological consult, or an Alithesis healing session. As I transition into Oakland, CA, I’ll be available for astrological consultations over the phone, &
for Alithesis house calls. My studio will be up & running by October 1st. Until next month’s posting, return to the wholeness of
yourself, & thoroughly enjoy the fruits of your personal harvest. Please forward this posting on &
repost it as you see fit. Thanks
for reading,
Rae Diamond
rae13diamond {at} gmail.com
