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.

Thanks for reading,

Rae Diamond

Sun in Sagittarius, Jupiter Stations Retrograde

When you read the word, ECOLOGY, you probably think of the natural environment of the Earth, which may then lead you to feelings of anxiety, frustration, or grief. But before the emotions, before the association with the global environment, there was only the word, ECOLOGY. Say it out loud and repeat it a few times, fast and slow. Notice its inherent musicality, its implied lilt and melody. Now consider the implications of ECOLOGY’s roots: the study of home. This month, take a look at the interrelation of your mind, body, beliefs, and life. Observe - and perhaps revise - your ecology of mind.

A brief word from our sponsor: Prices on astrology consults and Alithesis intensive treatments will go up in 2015. The remainder of my appointment availability for 2014 is listed here.

Sun in Sagittarius: 11/22 - 12/21

At this point in the Sun’s yearly journey, we leap from the destroying and empowering depths and darkness of Scorpio to the exhilarating heights and unbridled freedom of Sagittarius. It’s time to ask the big questions of life, to search for meaning, to cast off some constraints, and revel. That would be the whole story if the Sun traveled in a void, but there are other forces acting on this solar month. Some of Sagittarius’ fire will be earthbound and even subterranean this time around, but you will still find yourself mulling over such questions as these:

     Are your philosophies in alignment with your values?

    How does your ecology of mind compare to the ecology of the Earth?

    What are the most meaningful experiences you could choose to engage in this month?

    What are the most meaningful experiences you could choose to engage in this lifetime?

    What do you really believe?

    Are your beliefs limiting or liberating?

The Anchored Vision Lunation Begins: 11/22, Culminates: 12/6

The Sun and Moon conjoin in the first degree of fiery Sagittarius, closely sandwiched between the two earthiest planets: Saturn and Venus. This gives the imperative for beliefs based on values, and anchored in reality. Neptune in Pisces squares the Sun and Moon, further emphasizing the shattering of illusions, and the need to let go of that which simply does not work, or no longer belongs in one’s current phase of life. This new moon configuration suggests we allow ourselves to dream, to suspend our normal beliefs for a moment, and allow our minds to travel into vaster potential outcomes than we usually dare to consider. The formula is: As belief expands, so too does reality.

    What is working in your life? - How can you further nourish those aspects?

    What in your life is falling apart, dissolving, dissipating? - How can you surrender to that process?

    What elements of your life do you whole-heartedly believe in?

    What visions are worthy of manifestation?

    Suspend belief: If you believed anything was possible, what could unfold in your life and in the world?

This lunation culminates on December 6th with a full moon in Gemini. At this point, Mercury - the ruler of that Gemini Moon - conjoins the Sun in Sagittarius, highlighting the experience of these two opposing signs as a single axis. Fact and detail can thus inspire a fresh sense of the big picture, while the gestalt can bring heretofore unnoticed minutiae into focus. This full moon chart also shows a loose grand fire trine between the Sun, Mercury, Venus, asteroid, Ceres, and planetoid, Pholus in Sagittarius, with Uranus in Aries and Jupiter in Leo. This configuration offers great opportunity, but also inspires compulsive over-doing and over-committing, with a tendency to compensate for the attendant stress with over-consumption. There is also a strong imperative to get out into deep nature. The high road in the first week of December is this: Spend some time in the mountains or woods, and let yourself dream big. Then jump back into your hectic life, and make some more informed and wise choices about what to commit to and what to let go of.

    What opportunities are showing up for you at this time?

    Which of those opportunities bring you the most joy, or feel closest to your heart?

Jupiter in Retrograde: 12/8/14 - 4/8/15

Jupiter is far enough out in the solar system that his annual four-month retrograde cycles don’t directly effect the everyday functioning of our lives. This is one of those more subtle, internal influences from the Cosmos. This year, however, Jupiter’s retrograde station is significant because it occurs while the Sun and Jupiter are in mutual reception - each planet is traveling through the other planet’s home sign. This increases the fusion of their energetic pairing, and also implies that our experience of the Sun (i.e. life force) will also hit a slump around December 8th.

    How do your involvements, creations, and joys inform your beliefs?

    What have you been giving a lot of energy to since mid-September?

    Are those involvements bringing you joy, and are they in alignment with your beliefs?

    If so, how can you bolster your faith in those involvements?

    If not, how can you let them go?

   

Tension in the Heavens:

December is classically a tense month in our society due to familial and consumeristic pressures that clash with our animal bodies’ needs to be slowing down for the winter. This December will have an extra oomph of stress from the heavens as Uranus makes another exact square to Pluto on December 14th. This is the fourth of five exact passes between revolutionary and impatient Uranus in Aries and exacting, destroying and regenerating Pluto in Capricorn, spanning from 2012 through 2015. These are slow planets, so you’ll feel the intensity of this energy throughout December. Venus squares Uranus and conjoins Pluto on December 20th. On the low realm of the spectrum, these aspects can inspire greed, hunger for power, and a belief that whoever does not share our value system is wrong. On the high end of the spectrum, this influence can help us commit more deeply to what we believe will have lasting importance in society, help us value the good of the past while still allowing for change, and teach us about the transformative powers of love. As always, how you experience this energy is your choice.

    What are you slowly and steadily constructing that is transforming you and your life?

    What are you impatient & frustrated with? - How can you relinquish control there?

    What does liberation mean to you, in your life and in the world at this time?

    What is the difference between power and control?

    How can you inspire and attract others with the power and beauty of your values?

Wrapping up Saturn in Scorpio: 10/6/12 - 12/23/14

We are coming to the end of what I refer to as “The Scorpio Era.” Since October of 2012, we’ve had a mutual reception of Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn, Mercury retrogrades in Scorpio, and eclipses in Scorpio. For one more month, as Saturn completes his transit through Scorpio, we’ll be rooting through our deeply held pain and insecurity around authority, sexuality, gender and power. We have one more month to find and tap into that personal agency and authority that stems from our deepest knowing. We have one more month to turn around, face our shadow, and embrace the strength and beauty of that inner beast. One of my favorite ways to tap into the subconscious is automatic writing. Set a timer for two minutes, and then answer the questions below, two minutes per question. Keep your pen moving on the paper throughout the two minutes, even if it’s just writing gibberish or repetitions.

    What/who does your shadow look like? - Bonus: Draw a picture or make a collage.

    What does your shadow say?

    What does your shadow want?

    What is your shadow’s power?

Coming Soon:

Next month’s report on the solar month of Capricorn will offer insights into the major shift of Saturn into Sagittarius, and the energetic imperatives of the 2015 calendar year. Feel free to like & repost this report as you see fit. Until next time, wishing you a heart-ful month.  Thanks for reading,

Rae Diamond

Sun in Sagittarius, Loose Water Trine & Cardinal Cross

Solar Month of Sagittarius, 2013

Sun in Sagittarius: 11/21/13 (PDT) through 12/21/13

What comes into your mind when you read the following word?

REWARD

Spend some time with your answers (aside from any answers involving wanted posters from old Western movies or desperate lost pet flyers).  I’ll ask you again in the spring, & you’ll then find your answers to be quite different - richer & deeper in meaning, & with a sense of a vaster timespan.

On a similar yet different note, one of the things I get asked the most as an astrologer is, “When will things get better?”  The only honest answer to this question is, “There is no such thing as better.”  I’m a professional, so I have a better bedside manner than to say that directly to someone struggling with the beasts of life.  But these planetary reports are truth time, so it’s safe to say:

Things will not get better because there is no such thing as better.  Things will change, & hopefully we will evolve both as individuals & as a species so that we perceive & experience these changes in a more open way.

But for now, we are many planets, eclipses, & sensitive points deep in truth-telling, transformation-inducing Scorpio, in the throes of an on-going tense configuration of outer planets, decades away from gaining our bearings after the 2006 discovery of Eris (named after the goddess of strife!), & about to enter into an inner planet retrograding bonanza.  This age we find ourselves in, friends, is challenging.  But the coming solar month may feel just a tad softer than the previous month & the proceeding months, so whoop up & enjoy your holidays - or your avoidance of them - as the case may be... because we’ll be entering a dense time this Winter Solstice.

The Sagittarius solar month begins on November 21st with a close alignment of the recently stationed retrograde ruler of Sagittarius, Jupiter, dark moon Lilith & the Moon in the lunar home sign of Cancer, all widely trine Saturn, Mercury & the lunar north node in Scorpio, & recently stationed direct Chiron in Pisces.  This is a loose grand water trine, reminding you to manage your emotions this month.  Here’s how this planetary set-up asks you to do just that:

Cancer conjunction:

What happens when I deepen my faith in the support of the Universe?

How do I see my needs evolving, & how can I plan to support my future needs, rather than my present desires?

What needs am I afraid of acknowledging?  Am I projecting these “unsightly” needs onto others?

Scorpio conjunction:

Am I responding appropriately to my needs, & to the needs of those I’m closest with?

Am I effectively communicating my needs, or am I expecting others to just know what I need & provide it for me, like a mother for an infant?

Where do my needs & my deepest desires meet, & where do they diverge?

What are the most important responsibilities in my life - those things that having attended to them will allow me to die in peace, when my time in this body comes to a close?

Chiron in Pisces insights:

Which situations in my life will shift with the salve of FORGIVENESS?  Hint: Consider those wounds that will never go away in your most intimate relationships, & in your family.  Forgive the unforgivable, & see what happens.

Am I being compassionate enough - with myself as well as with others?

With the Sun in Sagittarius, the glues that will hold you together this solar month will be to maintain your optimism, deepen your faith, & do some behind-the-scenes work on taking right risks on yourself & your future.  With Sagittarian ruler, Jupiter in retrograde, you may find it difficult to act outright until the spring, or if you do get big plans set in motion now, expect them to revise, revision & realign in the coming months.  November closes with Venus in the shadow of her coming retrograde in Pluto-tinted Capricorn, & Mercury out of his recent retrograde in Scorpio.  One in-depth chapter closes, & another one opens.

In the first week of December, things lighten up a bit as Mercury enters optimistic Sagittarius on the 4th, & Mars enters Libra on the 7th.  This follows closely on the heels of the December 2nd Sagittarius new moon, so you’ll leap into a more hopeful, fresh start feeling around then. 

Mercury in Sagittarius:

What happens when I “zoom out” the camera of my perception in the various situations/relationships in my life?

What philosophies glue my experience of reality together in a way that inspires me to feel a vaster faith in the Universe, in humanity, & in myself?

Mars in Libra:

Am I compromising when a need to relinquish is necessary?

Am I standing up for myself when it’s necessary to stay my ground?

Am I doing the above in direct, effective & appropriate ways?

On the December 17th Gemini full moon, electrifying Uranus grinds to a halt in the sky as he stations direct.  At this point, the on-going Pluto/Uranus square - that challenges us as individuals & as a species to evolve the greater structures of our lives & governments while also managing outbursts of revolt against constrictions & jolting insights that rock our sense of reality - is now a grand cardinal cross, with Jupiter in Cancer & asteroids Vesta & Ceres in Libra.

Uranus stationing direct:

How have my revolutionary visions shifted since mid-July?

What is my inspiration now?

What is my muse now calling me to do that requires a new level of courage?

The cardinal cross:

How can I better balance activating my personal vision with nurturing & tending my most important relationships?

What can I do to live in better harmony with the earth, tending & stewarding this precious home we share with many other beings?

Am I being disciplined in my attention to the vaster shifts I’m making in my life?

Am I acting on my insights, & bringing them into reality in a way that accounts for the greater context of our shared reality?

Phew!  That’s quite enough.  We’ll get into the Venus retrograde in Capricorn (December 21st, 2013 - January 31st, 2014) in next month’s report.

If you’re the gift-giving sort, please note that I now have sweet little gift certificates available for any of my services, or as credit towards art, both commissions and ready-made.  Instructions for purchase can be found at the bottom of the astrology, CoAlithesis & Alithesis pages.

For more personalized insight, you may go here to schedule a private astrological consult, a healing session ($45 special on first-time treatments until 2014), or a healing intensive.  Consults & healings are both available in person, over the phone, or via Skype.  If you enjoy these reports, please forward this page on & repost it as you see fit.  Until next time, wishing you an inspired & expansive month.  Thanks for reading,

Rae Diamond

facebook

rae13diamond {at} gmail.com

Solar Eclipse in Scorpio, Mercury retrograde in Scorpio

Sun in Scorpio: 10/22/13 (PDT) through 11/21/13

Mercury Retrograde: 10/21/13 - 11/10/13

Lunar Eclipse in Aries: 10/18/13

Solar Eclipse in Scorpio: 11/3/13

Do you fly in your dreams?  Do you know that keen lightness of being that occurs in those Morphean moments of deepest sleep, when some part of you remembers, “Oh, all I have to do is let go, and...” suddenly you’re floating, soaring, weightless, & in a state of consummate grace?  The coming month, pregnant with Scorpio-infused death-and-rebirth invites you to bring this elevated state into your waking life.  To be clear, however, a Scorpio invitation is neither polite nor genial if you resist it or delay your response to it.  That invitation then becomes a superlative-soaked insistence, & eventually an out-right ultimatum.

The first question, then, is:

Do you feel backed into a corner?

If so, you have ignored or delayed too long the invitation to change.  But there’s hope!  You’ve been backed into a corner with a door.  Your only choice now is to suffer the constraints of your cloistered position, or go through that doorway into the uncertain & unknown.

There’s your big picture, friends.  Now for the nerdy nitty-gritty...

But first allow me to announce a $45 special, in effect until 2014, good for first-time over-the-phone energy healing treatments.  Follow these links to find out more about Coalithesis treatments, and read testimonials from satisfied recipients.

A few notes about Friday, October 18th’s lunar eclipse in Aries:

This is a stage setter.  This astronomically minor eclipse is important in three energetic ways.  One, it offers you an opportunity to release some garbage in preparation for the total eclipse in Scorpio on November 3rd.  Two, it is your introduction to the Aries/Libra axis eclipses that will grow stronger over the next couple of years.  The themes of I vs. thou, will vs. compromise, force vs. grace are now introduced.  Third, it is an opportunity to begin some deep work on the ways you are in relationship, which will be up for major shifts in 2014.

If you are up for an impromptu adventure in the desert, come to this extraordinary gathering this weekend (October 18-20), where I will be speaking further about this eclipse in conjunction with several seasonal ceremonies & celebrations.

Mercury stations retrograde on Monday, October 21st.

These Mercury retrograde cycles are famous for causing pesky problems in communication and transportation - cell phones falling into buckets of paint, voice mail messages disappearing unheard into the ether, a rash of flat bicycle tires, public transportation systems out of whack, car troubles that have been manageable suddenly refusing to be ignored any longer, etc.  The general rule of thumb with all of this is back up your computers, pull the glass bits out of your bike tires, tune up your car, and so on before the retrograde cycle begins, & then be calm & flexible through the wonkiness that will inevitably ensue.

But there are deeper and vaster forces (see below) acting in conjunction with Mercury’s inversion.  The rule of thumb is let go of your vexation that you may access the profound transformation that awaits you beneath the facade of mundane mis-events.  The Sun enters Scorpio the next day, on Tuesday, October 22nd.  Hence the solar month will be colored with Mercury’s near-still, subtle backwards motion.  This, among many other planetary influences in the coming weeks - the time of “the thin veil” between this reality & the beyonds - ask you:

Can you let go of the world’s claim to your time, energy & perception?

Can you let go of everything you think you are or ought to be?

Can you get out of your own way?

Can you trust that your true path, your truest way of being will emerge if you simply let it?

Can you be patient with the timing of things you cannot control?

Can you acknowledge that you are not in control?

Can you find & be in your deepest point of stillness?

The answer to all of the above questions, no matter who you are, is, “Yes.”  It may or may not be easy for you to do some of those things, but you most certainly are able.  The unknowable, however, is will you?  That is another matter.

The most significant event of the Scorpio month is the full solar eclipse in Scorpio on Sunday, November 3rd.  The Moon’s shadow will pass over the earth on this day.  We won’t see it in North America, but we will most certainly feel that specific alignment of the Sun, Moon & Earth.  We will feel the massive conjunction of retrograding Mercury (realignment of perceptions with a deeper truth), the Dragon’s Head (karmic point of evolution urging you to take right risk), the Moon (deeper needs coming to light), the Sun (deeper calling makes itself felt) and Saturn (step into your true responsibility, exercise patience & steadfastness), all closely aligned in Scorpio (release of ego in favor of Truth, thus accessing true power).

Your “homework” - tap into your subconscious (the “stuff” of Scorpio!) with some automatic writing.  For those of you new to automatic writing, set a timer for two minutes, start writing & do not stop moving your pen until the timer goes off, even if all you can write at first is the prompt over and over.  Let these prompts also lead you to more prompts with specific meaning to you:

Shadow

Power

Sex

Death

Responsibility

Communication

Letting go

Transformation

“I need...”

“I want...”

“I value...”

Other noteworthy events that add to the general sludgy stickiness of this time are:

Venus enters Capricorn on November 5th, where she will be gracefully dancing to and fro until early March.  Normally, Venus transits through a sign in less than four weeks, but she’ll be kicking off both winter & 2014 with her relatively rare retrograde cycle.  More on that in December’s report, but for now, take note of issues that surface around relationships, finances, values, patience & responsibility.

Jupiter stations retrograde on November 6th, & will continue to move backwards in Cancer through early March 2014.  This won’t be as overtly disruptive as a Venus or Mercury retrograde, but note what arises for you in the realms of nurturing, nourishment, tenderness and trust.  While Scorpio asks us to let go of what we cling to in order for something truer to find us, Jupiter in Cancer asks us to let go of needing to have a plan, of needing to know how things will turn out.  This influence asks you to take just that next step, not knowing where it will lead.  With Jupiter retrograding, the steps will be inwards.  We will be creating a vaster space within in order to receive a vaster embrace in the outer world in spring 2014.

Neptune & Chiron station direct in Pisces in mid-November.  They will ask you these riddles:

Have you let go of any martyr tendencies you may have, and the anger that seethes beneath?

What is your capacity for forgiveness of yourself & others?

What is true perfection - not the kind we strive for in this reality, but something more profound?

Can you allow yourself redemption - what signs of change do you see in your seemingly unsolvable issues?

Can you allow for others’ redemption - what signs of change do you see in the people you perceive to be stuck?

That, dear reader, is enough nit and grit for this month’s report.

For more personalized insight, you may go here to schedule a private astrological consult, a healing session ($45 special on first-time treatments until 2014), or a healing intensive.  Consults & healings are both available in person, over the phone, or via Skype.  If you enjoy these reports, please forward this page on & repost it as you see fit.  Until next time, may the release of your suffering lead you to true freedom.  I wish you well on your journey through the darkness of grasping into the light of open trust.  Thanks for reading,

Rae Diamond

rae13diamond {at} gmail.com