Scorpio Solar Eclipse, Mercury Stations Direct

Have you ever looked through a gauzy thin veil? Try it. Put on a thin veil, walk around, observe your world, and then look in the mirror. The world is visible to you, although somewhat altered, while you, yourself, are obscured. Now try (or imagine trying) the same thing with a thicker fabric. Depending on the fabric, you can either just barely see your world, or not at all, and you yourself are completely invisible in the mirror, save for the knowing of some presence. The Scorpio solar month is famous for its’ “thin veil” - a time when our three dimensional, material “reality” mingles with ethereal dimensions, thus increasing the occurrence and gravity of mysterious and synchronistic events. What is actually happening is you are more able to witness, be seen by, and interact with layers of reality that are in fact always there.

Sun in Scorpio: 10/23 - 11/22

During the solar month of Scorpio, we find ourselves in mid-autumn, when leaves mimic the colors of sunset. Each wind storm thins out the foliage, increasing our view of the sky, helping us remember how small we really are beneath the vastness of that limitless ceiling. It’s a time of nostalgia, of reminiscing about the fun and follies of spring and summer, and of remembering places, experiences, and people - including our own past selves - no longer in our lives. It’s a time of conservation and retraction, a time to let some things go in order to conserve our energy and focus more deeply as our bodies slow down for the winter.

    What & whom do you remember fondly, including parts of yourself?

    How can you honor the people and experiences of your past?

    What are the trunk, root, and main branches of your life?

    What are the leaves you need to let go of in order to nourish that trunk, those roots and branches?

The Transformation Lunation Begins with a Solar Eclipse: 10/23

Both the solar and lunar months of Scorpio begin with a partial solar eclipse in the first degree of Scorpio, with Venus also entering Scorpio that day, close on the heels of the Sun and Moon. This eclipse is not a particularly strong eclipse, but it is significant because it beautifully illustrates Scorpio’s main theme of death - as the seasoned last eclipse in this sign for over eight years - and rebirth - for the first degree of a sign always embodies the freshness and naivety of rebirth.

Venus’ presence in this configuration helps us to rebirth that which we value, and let go of that which matters less to us. The operative word here is matter. Astrological information and the questions that arise from that information can put us in a cerebral state of being, but transformation - literally, the changing of the form or matter of something - requires that we translate idea and inspiration into creative action. Ideally, the physical matter of our lives reflects what actually matters to us. Neptune trines this eclipse from Pisces, highlighting the sacredness of the necessary sacrifices we make at this time, and reminding us to be mindful and grateful in our lettings go.

    What has changed in the form of your life, relationships & body since November of 2012?

    What grace do you receive when you let go of that which no longer lights up your life?

    How might letting go help you connect with infinity & with possibilities otherwise unavailable to you?

Mercury Stations Direct in Libra: 10/25

The quick little trickster of our solar system stations direct in mid-Libra on October 25th, enabling you to move forward with the transformative and balancing realizations that have struck you since he stationed retrograde in early Scorpio on October 4th. Mercury represents our style and finesse of perception, communication and movement. When he appears to move backwards (retrograde), our assumed perceptions are challenged, which forces us to communicate more clearly, and to move through the world with renewed awareness. This particular retrograde cycle marks another death and rebirth imperative - because it began in early Scorpio, conjunct the degree of the 10/23 eclipse, because it is the last (death) of Mercury’s retrogrades in water signs for over three years, and because he stations direct in Libra, close to the degree of the dragon’s head, which represents the evolutionary ideas from which rebirth arises.

    What “A-ha’s” have you had since October 4th?

    How do those realizations help you to think, move and communicate differently?

    How do these shifts in perception bring you into balance?

    How do they help you to change the forms of your life, relationships, actions, and speech?

Some Saturn insights:

Meanwhile Saturn, the structurer, continues his trudge through the depths of Scorpio, having entered there in October of 2012. Each of the Scorpio eclipses in the past several springs and autumns have been like storms to this slow and steady traveler - electrifying, drenching, cleansing, and muddying. Each of Mercury’s autumnal retrogrades in Scorpio (since 2012) have altered Saturn’s steady course as the journey’s goal shifted somewhat each time. With only a couple months left in Scorpio, Saturn receives a couple bursts of inspiration in mid-November as Venus and then the Sun conjoin him for a moment, softening and then lighting the depths of Scorpio’s intensity and Saturn’s determination. This is a perfect time to attend the Saturn and his Cycles workshop (clarifying Saturn returns & more) on Saturday, November 15th, from noon til 3pm. It’s also a good time to ask yourself these questions:

    What stability & structure have I lost since 2012?

    What truer stability & structure have I gained instead?

    Are the structures of my life in alignment with my values and purpose?

Neptune stations Direct: 11/15

The last significant event of the Scorpio solar month occurs when Neptune stations direct in early Pisces. This indicates we have opportunities for insight into the Neptunian and Piscean themes of mindful awareness in favor of illusion, and sacrifice as a prelude to redemption.

    What have you sacrificed since early June?

    What redemption do those sacrifices offer you?

    What illusions have shattered since then?

    What awareness & inspiration have you received in the wake of those clarifications?

Coming Soon:

Next month’s report on the solar month of Sagittarius will help you gain insight on Jupiter’s coming retrograde cycle, and support your alignment with the evolutionary cardinal T-square, instigated by another exact pass of the ongoing tense Uranus/Pluto square. Thanks for reading,

Rae Diamond

Aries Lunar Eclipse, Mercury Retrograde, Autumn Equinox 2014

In autumn, the slant of the light produces a familiar glow that signals a confluence of gathering and dissipating activities. Animals store food for the winter in their bodies and homes while leaves and fruits fall from plants. Throughout nature, decisions are being made - what goes and what stays? What continues to live, and what dies?

Sun in Libra: 9/22 - 10/23

Autumn begins on September 22nd, as the Sun enters Libra, the sign of the scales. Typically, during the solar month of Libra, our primary aim is to bring our lives into balance. After the expansive, try-anything, do-everything energy of spring and summer, our energy starts to flag. We need to decide what is worth continuing, and what needs to be let go of. We’ll have some help in that process this month as Venus, the ruler of Libra and clarifier of values, travels close to the Sun - i.e. our light of consciousness.

     What relationships, activities, communities and places do you value most?

     How can you let go of that which means less to you with grace?

     What is your relationship with your own dignity?

     How can you honor the dignity of that which you commit to and that which you move away from?

Autumn Equinox & Pluto stations Direct: 9/22

The autumn equinox also occurs on September 22nd. After six months of the days being longer than the nights, nature brings light and dark into balance for a moment. It’s a brief still point, but it’s also a tipping point. From this day on through the next six months, darkness will be stronger than light. In a culture that equates light with all things good, and dark with all things bad, we may have to face some fears and resistance to this change.

     What is the wisdom of darkness? What does it teach us?

      How do you move in the dark? What senses become more acute when you cannot see?

     What treasures might you find when you explore the shadows of your mind?

One more key event on this particular autumn equinox day is Pluto, the planet of power through transformation, stations direct in steadfast and ambitious Capricorn. Pluto stationed retrograde in mid-April, indicating that deeper shifts have occurred within us, rather than in our outer world. On this equinox day, the scales start to tip in this way as well - the deeper truths revealed in the past five months can now be put into practice. The transformation process of Pluto in retrograde is often subtle, and only fully understood in hindsight. However, these questions may help you identify some elements of your current process of deep change, and therefore how to implement these shifts more consciously.

     What deeper power have you tapped into since mid-April?

     How has your relationship with your own and others’ authority shifted since mid-April?

The Liminal Lunation Begins on 9/23 (PDT)

The moon is new in Libra late the next night, on September 23rd. This means that autumn began under a balsamic moon, thus accentuating the elements of stillness, release and return throughout the season. The energetic imprint of the second degree of Libra, where this new moon occurs, is that of a threshold. Mars in Sagittarius is sextile the Sun and Moon in Libra, offering courage through conviction and faith. Mars is also square Neptune in Pisces, so you may find it helpful to retreat into nature - especially near water - for clarity at this time. This configuration suggests that something may need to be sacrificed. To sacrifice means to make sacred through release. To walk through that doorway, we must leave the old, known world behind. Neptune urges us to bid farewell to our known world with devotion.

     What two worlds do you currently stand between?

     Can you let go of the known world you are leaving behind with dignity and devotion?

     Can you step into the unknown world before you with courage and faith?

Grand Fire Trine: 9/25 - 10/8

In the midst of all of this letting go, we have a very different energy building in the form of a grand fire trine. Between the equinox and the first two weeks of October, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars will be in alignment in the three fire signs of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. Grand trines tend to offer great opportunities with a lot of momentum, but it’s up to us to act on them. There are down sides to this configuration, however. Watch out, however, for burning yourself out. There may be too many opportunities knocking at your door, and you may not be able to take them all. The high road with this configuration is to take creative and courageous leaps based on your convictions, but do take a moment to first get clear about what your beliefs actually are before you jump into the fire of commitment. Fire-prone areas of the world may also be in extra danger at this time.

     What opportunities are showing up for you?

     Which ones are most in alignment with your own philosophies?

     How can you maintain a balance between stillness and action at this time?

Full Lunar Eclipse in Aries: 10/8

Meanwhile, the distant rumbles of the full lunar eclipse in mid-Aries draw nearer. The Sun, north node of the moon, Venus, and asteroid, Pallas, are conjoined in Libra. Opposite them, the Moon, Uranus, south node of the moon, and planetoid, Eris, are conjoined in Aries. Mars and Jupiter feed the flames of this tense configuration while Pluto applies some torque from Capricorn. If you feel like you’re being scorched and torn asunder, congratulations - you’re in alignment. During a lunar eclipse, the shadow of the earth passes over the moon while it is full, and thus in the peak of its light phase. At the moment of greatest light, we experience darkness. It is in these moments of abnormality that we can gain insight not normally available to us. Here is what the planets ask us during this lunar eclipse:

     How can you exercise patience in the midst of strife?

     What practices, people, beliefs and values bring you into balance?

     If you allow yourself to be torn apart, how might you fit back together into a truer whole?

     What might be missing from your life that you can add only once you release something that’s in its way?

Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio & Libra: 10/4 - 10/25

In the midst of all of that motion and stillness, and all of that arising and descending, Mercury enters his final retrograde cycle of 2014. This particular Mercury retrograde period is intrinsically linked to the two eclipses occurring in October by timing, sign, and degree. This means we have access to greater insight and clarity during this difficult eclipse season if we practice accurate awareness, and then accept and adapt to what is happening within and around us. The combination of Scorpio and Libra suggests we work with these questions:

     How can you bring levity and grace to that which feels heavy and awkward?

     Which activities and relationships are you not fully committing to?

     Which of those activities and relationships are you willing to commit more deeply to?

     How can you respectfully let go of those activities & relationships you cannot commit to?

     If you are the one being let go of, how can you gracefully accept that loss, and adapt to your new reality?

     What rebirth may come in the wake of the endings you face?

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Feel free to like, forward this page on & repost it as you see fit. Until next time, wishing you insight & heartsight.  Thanks for reading,

Rae Diamond

 

Sun in Gemini 2014, Mercury Retrograde in Cancer & Gemini

How fast can you run in knee-deep mud? What is the conversation between Immediacy and Obstacle like? What kind of story would you write with a pen that randomly changes color on paper that intermittently shrinks and grows while your mind’s perceptions shift like a kaleidoscope under water?

Sun in Gemini, 5/20/14 - 6/21/14:

The Sun’s transit through Gemini is normally a time of accelerated activity, when we can expect to be running about, chatting with people, and gathering up quantities of facts and ideas to process & catalogue in our noggins. We are alive with ideas, inspiration, energy and creativity, and not particularly drawn to such things as focus and commitment. Spring is overflowing, and starting to tip over into the fullness of Summer’s luminous energy. It’s time to have fun, but be patient this month as the pace of this year’s solar transit of Gemini will feel like an odd mixture of rushed yet sludgy.

Mars Stations Direct in Libra, 5/19/14:

<> Mars is a planet that appreciates neither the stillness that occurs during a planetary station, nor the grace, idealism and prudence of Libra. This is not a comfortable transit, but it does offer a reset button in terms of where and how we are directing our energies, especially in the context of relationships, & what actions we can take to attain & maintain balance.

<> When Mars is thwarted from expressing decisive force, strength and valor, he can resort to willy-nilly aggression. Depending on your temperament, this may show up as undue anger either expressed by you or at you, or as an injury, or a mental or physical illness that slows you down (especially be wary of adrenal fatigue & lower back injuries). Mars will not be up to his normal speed until July, so maintain patience in your relationships, and if you’re an artist, maintain patience with the progress of your art.

What actions can you take to bring your life into balance?

Where are you experiencing indecision in your life?

What do your values & your body tell you about the decisions you are facing?

How have your relationships shifted since late December?

Are your relationships in better balance, or do more adjustments need to be made?

What shifts have occurred in your body & physicality since late December?

What might your body be telling you, & how can you bring your body into an evolved state of balance?

grand Water Trine & Grand Cardinal Cross:

Throughout this month, we’re teetering between the tugs and shoves of one major configuration and the tides and strides of another, with jolly Jupiter at the center of this massive seesaw: Cosmic tough love meets redemptive cosmic gift this month, with the biggest challenges being:

Are you alert to the opportunities showing up?

Are you showing up to the opportunities that present themselves to you?

Are you leaving empty time in your schedule to let new inspiration & opportunity find you?

What these configurations offer:

<> The grand cardinal cross challenges us to maintain our center in the midst of pulls between finding balance in relationships, activating new inspirations about identity, attending to longterm transformations from the foundation up, while increasing the nourishment, support and love we give and receive.

<> The grand water trine is an intriguing mingling of nourishing expansion within intense limitations in such a way that redeems your animal nature, and dissolves old wounds. Now there’s a riddle to ruminate on:

What activities, people, places & practices return you to center?

What activities, experiences, & states of mind unite your instinctual & emotional nature with your intellectual & philosophical-spiritual nature?

Are you cutting away the unnecessary & unimportant in order to support your truest directions of growth?

Are you nourishing yourself appropriately - physically, mentally, emotionally, & spiritually?

Are you nourishing what’s important to you - relationships, communities, projects, environments?

Configuring time:

<> The grand water trine  is strongest in the second half of May.

<> The grand cardinal cross peaked most strongly in mid to late April, but it will have a smaller spike in intensity around the Sagittarius full moon on 6/12.

<> Get your nourishment issues squared away now (apologies for the astrological pun) because this is the last month of Jupiter’s yearlong hurrah in Cancer.

Mercury Retrograde in Cancer & Gemini, 6/7 - 7/1:

The good news is this Mercury retrograde cycle marks the apex of the early 2014 mire, & once it’s over, things will run a lot more smoothly - maybe too smoothly, so use this slower period to rest up. Also, be flexible and patient as this is the longest, slowest and most potent of this year’s Mercury retrograde cycles.

General Mercury retrograde protocols:

<> Until Mercury stations retrograde on 6/7, back up computers and other devices, tune up cars and bikes, and solidify any ambiguous communications and travel plans.

<> During Mercury’s backwards transit, 6/7 - 7/1, maintain flexibility during your commutes and travels, and suspend judgment and keep your mind open during communications.

This Mercury retrograde is brought to you by the Hanged Man tarot card:

<> Mercury retrograde periods offer us opportunities to evolve and shift our perceptions. With Mercury stationing retrograde in early Cancer, pay attention to how your emotions affect your perceptions. Also, your perception of your past is up for review - it’s time to update your story so you can create a more nourishing future.

<> However, the bulk of this retrograde occurs in late Gemini - Mercury’s home sign, and the sign of the Sun’s current transit. Meanwhile, Neptune stations retrograde in Pisces on 6/9. The key word in these planetary maneuvers is Suspension: Suspend belief, suspend judgment, suspend your urge to speak, suspend your movements. Only then will new beliefs make sense. Only then will true discernment shine through. Only then will you truly hear. Only then will you know your true direction.

What are the stories you tell?

What is the picture those stories paint?

Is that picture the landscape you want to inhabit?

If not, how can you shift your stories to create a more nourishing climate?

How do your emotions affect your perceptions?

Mind is an infinite territory - how can you expand the range you “in-habit” within that boundless expanse?

How might forgiveness and compassion expand your perception?

Coming Soon:

Next month’s posting will cover an overview of Summer 2014, the completion of the Mercury retrograde cycle, and (drum roll, please) Jupiter’s exciting entry into heart-warming Leo.

For more personalized insight, you may schedule a private astrological consult, healing session, or healing intensive in person, over the phone, or via Skype. Feel free to like, forward this page on & repost it as you see fit. Until next time, wishing you insight & heartsight.  Thanks for reading, Rae Diamond

Sun in Taurus 2014, Mars Stations Direct

Normally, the Sun’s transit through Taurus is a time of profound embodiment, rooting and settling. However, there is no place for the word, normal, in Spring 2014. There are times and places that exist as thresholds between this reality as we understand it, and something else. We are in such a time-threshold now, in which we can allow the known to become mysterious, and simultaneously welcome the mysterious into our conscious understanding.

Then it’s time to hang on tight for what can only be a wild, wild ride.

I’m writing in the wake of last night’s full lunar eclipse in Libra (4/15 just after midnight on the West Coast), which came on the tails of Mercury & the Moon activating the current grand cardinal cross throughout 4/14. In human terms, that was a LOT of tension to withstand. A friendly astrological tip for you, dear reader, is this:

Quick Tip on 4/16:

The Moon in Scorpio activates a brief grand water trine with Venus in Pisces & Jupiter in Cancer on the morning of Wednesday, 4/16. This configuration offers a healing release of that eclipse and grand cross tension. Trines tend to feel so pleasant that we often don’t act on them, but you will benefit from doing any of the following:

<> Sleep in & pay attention to your dreams (drink mugwort & vervain tea to help both soften & remember those dreams).

<> Improvise in any media - music, visual art, dance, writing, etc.

<> Go see a healer of your choice (referrals here) - LMP, acupuncturist, therapist, etc.

<> Engage in a gentle consciousness practice, such as pranayama, qigong, or meditation.

Solar month of Taurus, 2014: 4/19 - 5/20

Taurus wants peace, quiet, and the ability to enjoy whatever comes in through the physical senses, including the joy of right work. But there is little peace to be found in this solar month unless you go out & steal it, & that is exactly what I recommend you do, friends. GET AWAY some time this month - get out in nature, get into a sensory deprivation tank, get into your creative zone, get outta Dodge - unless you want to be eaten alive by the wild energies that will be only to happy to drag you hither and thither. Make time for you.

Change: One of Taurus’ least favorite things

On 4/20, Jupiter in Cancer activates a pretty exact T-square configuration with Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn, just before the next exact pass of Uranus squaring Pluto on 4/21. This configuration of Uranus & Pluto has been active since 2012, & will continue to instigate profound change in us as individuals, as communities, as a species, & as residents of this changing planet through 2015. Both of these planets want change, but they are functioning on different levels and time frames - Pluto’s slow but effective overhaul of the core structures of things, including the rooting out of dead wood does not blend easily with Uranus’ revolution my way now. Jupiter’s presence in this configuration reminds us to advocate for our needs, and to learn how to both give from and receive deeply into the heart. He offers a welcome reminder that even as we make these radical shifts & calculated transformations, we also need time for snuggles, meals, & things soft, safe & cozy.

What do you believe you need? What do you actually need? How do you bridge that gap?

What/where/who is HOME to you?

What’s the progress of your massive overhaul (look back to 2012 for a sense of this)?

Have you revolted in some way since 2012?

    If not, are you conforming to the point of squelching your truth?

    If so, has the dust settled enough that you can see what to make of the rubble?

The next day, on 4/22, retrograding Mars in Libra squares Jupiter, & then opposes Uranus & squares Pluto on 4/23. This is the thick of the spring’s grand cardinal cross. Although Mars adds further tension to this configuration, he also offers much balance - because he is in Libra, the sign of the scales; because he evens the score of two retrograding planets (Pluto stationed retrograde on 4/14 & is still relatively motionless), & two direct planets; & because there is a stabilizing, albeit uncomfortable, element to a grand cross. The four opposing energies actually hold us up if we let go of our attachments to specific outcomes.

How do your relationships affect the changes you are making/experiencing?

How are your relationships affected by the changes you are making/experiencing?

Which relationships are family relationships? What does family mean to you?

What is center for you?

How can you stay connected to that center in the midst of all of these tugs at your energy & attention?

Annular Solar Eclipse in Taurus: 4/28 at 11:14 PM PDT

This is the last eclipse in Taurus for about 9 years, so it mingles both the energy of completion and the new moon & solar eclipse energies of beginnings. It’s a partial eclipse, so it won’t be as dramatic as the lunar eclipse of 4/15, but the energy of that massive eclipse is still with us, coloring this transit. With earthy Taurus’ ruler, Venus, in ethereal Pisces, a mingling of realities is now available. Past, present & future are one. Dream & reality coincide. The impossible becomes real, & reality no longer makes sense. Tonight would be another good night for some mugwort and vervain tea, in order to gain insight through dreams.

What do you value, both in material reality & in more mystical & philosophical spheres?

How can you better embody your values in your day-to-day life & in your goals?

What do you enjoy? Do you experience enough &/or too much of what you enjoy?

How have your values shifted over the past year and a half to two years?

And then there’s the merry month of May:

May is a relatively calmer month than April... kind of... sort of... a little bit... Eclipses can be felt for - depending on which astrologer you follow - a few weeks or months before & after the actual event, so we’ll still be riding the wake of those wild April waves. Things won’t exactly be smooth, but they will be a bit less rough.

Mutual Reception of Venus & Mars, Venus goes wild:

Venus enters Mars-ruled Aries on 5/2, which adds a nifty twist to Mars retrograding in Venus-ruled Libra. The potency of that mutual reception is further deepened by the sun’s transit through Venus-ruled Taurus, in the wake of two eclipses in Venus-ruled signs, during the lunar nodes’ transit through Mars & Libra. But wait, there’s more: Venus opposes Mars & the moon on 5/11 while the moon activates the grand cardinal cross all over again that day, and then Venus activates the Uranus/Pluto square on 5/14’s full Scorpio moon & on 5/15. And, finally, Mars stations direct in Libra on 5/19. This is the stuff of astrology nerd phantasy. The mingling of these two energies is so thick at this time (again that mingling of realities) that the potential for change & growth in these areas of experience is astounding.

How is your balance of compromise and self-advocacy?

    Do you compromise effectively when necessary, or too often, or too reluctantly?

    Do you effectively stand your ground when necessary, or too often, or too reluctantly?

Are you a compassionate & mindful warrior for peace?

Mars stations direct: 5/19

Mars - our will, our drive, our decisiveness & our actualizing force - has been wandering backwards in cautious, thoughtful, noncommittal Libra since March 1st. It’s not the easiest of energies to mingle, but that’s how growth happens. During a planet’s retrograde cycle, it transits three times through a particular portion of the zodiac. In the first pass, issues arise (late December through 3/1) through our dealings with others & the the world at large. In the second - backwards - pass (3/1 through 5/19), those issues get revisited, but in a way that causes our perception of these events, relationships & issues to shift. In the third and final pass (5/19 through mid/late July) we resolve those issues through decisions we make & actions we take, based on the retrograde-induced shifts in our understanding.

How have your aims shifted since March 1st?  ... since late December?

Are your aims driven by your values & ideals or by basic needs?

    Can you incorporate both of the above realms into your drive?

How has your awareness of others deepened?

How has your awareness of yourself in the context of relationships deepened?

Have you learned the value of restraint (this is also a great question for artists to apply to their art)?

Coming Soon:

Next month’s posting will cover the next installment of Mercury’s unduly infamous retrograde cycle and a healing grand water trine, brought to you by the social planets, Jupiter & Saturn, & the philosopher planetoid, Chiron.

Upcoming Bay Area Events:

<> Second Fridays of the month, drop in for an energetic realignment during the saging hour, 12 PM til 12:50 PM, or schedule a private CoAlithesis session at Homestead Apothecary’s low-cost clinic.

<>Long tone choir gatherings are second Mondays of the month at 6:30 PM. Take part in a mingling of music & consciousness. It’s free, & all are welcome.

For more personalized insight, you may schedule a private astrological consult, healing session, or healing intensive in person, over the phone, or via Skype. Feel free to like, forward this page on & repost it as you see fit. Until next time, wishing you insight & heartsight.  Thanks for reading,

Rae Diamond

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