Thanks for reading,
Rae Diamond
Planetary Reports have moved to a new site
Thanks for reading,
Rae Diamond
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.
If you find these
monthly reports helpful, you may enjoy making a donation or scheduling a private
consultation to support the
continuation of this work. Thank you.
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.
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.
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.
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,
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