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

Autumnal Equinox, Aries Lunar eclipse (Sun in Libra 9/22/13 through 10/22/13 PDT)

I’ll let you in, dear reader, on a little trade secret:  The experience of chart interpretation illustrates the energy of the chart.  The fancy word for this is metalogue, in which one experiences the very thing one is talking or thinking about.  As I pour my consciousness over the charts I consult to write this report (insert mental image here of a golden, viscous elixir pouring from a silver pitcher, & spreading smoothly over symbols that weave themselves in shifting multi-dimensional webs), I experience conflicting bursts of insight, periods of disenchantment & distraction, & tugs between my private affairs and my responsibilities & relationships.

The crux of this preamble is we have many conflicting energies to deal with in the coming month, & throughout Autumn.  This time period requires strong staying power to keep on task once you determine what that task is for you.  Further, it won’t be just one task, although you’ll probably wish it was.  The good news is there will be profound rewards for these efforts, so roll up your pant-legs & slog on through.

First, let’s explore 9/19’s Pisces Full Harvest Moon, which you’ll feel stronger on 9/18.  Generally, at this full moon, we kiss summer good-bye, reap our harvests (figuratively & metaphorically), & ideally take some time to feel & express deep gratitude for the abundance in our lives.  Pisces’ influence can add qualities of overwhelm & overindulgence, or profound gratitude & transcendence - choose your own adventure, as always.

The big to-do at this full moon, however, is the conjunction of Saturn & the North Node - i.e. the heavy hitters in karma-land - in “dig-deeper” Scorpio.  This combination asks for enormous release in order for a truer path to emerge.  As Venus moves through these two points this week, you can expect transformation to occur in your relationships - closure, new relationships, new phases within existing relationships, power struggles, & profound sexual encounters are all fair game.

Full Moon Homework:

What do your deepest, core values indicate as your true responsibilities?

Is there anything in life that you are experiencing pain about?

Is there something you’re grasping at in relationship to that pain?

What might come forth if you let that go?

What do you have to be grateful for at this time?  What are you harvesting?

Pluto stations direct in the days between the full moon & the equinox.  It could be fruitful to review any major internal shifts you’ve felt since mid-April.  The big questions in this regard are:
What new sense of power have I discovered since April?

What are the limitations of my power?

What responsibilities come with this power?

How can I best direct my power for the greater good?

The Autumn Equinox occurs as the Sun enters Libra on 9/22.  A chart cast for this season shows various flavors of tension & conflict, but also potential for big rewards for work done honestly, thoroughly & with devotion.  Take a risk, this Autumn, on following those inner longings, but be sure to see them through whatever set-backs, delays, & losses may occur along the way.

Venus is the queen in this chart - ruling the Sun in Libra, conjunct Saturn and the North Node in Scorpio (be responsible for & take action on what & who has deepest value to you, & let go of anything  that does not resonate with your heart of hearts), square Mars in Leo (conflict between your deepest values & your need for joy & enjoyment, as well as strong potential for impatience & ego-infused disagreements), trine Jupiter in Cancer (here’s that reward for taking a leap of faith on your deepest longings, but Saturn’s influence will add delays & setbacks), and opposite the South Node & Moon in Taurus (the imperative for change & risk trumps desires for stability & serenity,).  What a busy gal, that Venus.  Somehow, amidst all of this, she imparts her sense of style & grace.  The colors this season?  With Venus in Scorpio, & conjunct Saturn, it’ll be black, deep reds, burgundy, greys & earth tones.  Yes, astrology affects fashion too!

The energetic intensity knob turns up in early October.  The New Moon at 12 degrees Libra on 10/4 hearkens back to last month’s Cardinal Cross.  You may review last month’s report for details on this energy.  The short version is use your growing awareness of what really, truly matters to keep you focused as you feel pulled between inner & outer responsibilities - personal & relationship needs, worldly calling & family needs.  You can’t attend to all of these needs in any one moment, but try to keep the balance right in the greater time-context of your life.  In addition to this drawn-&-quartered potential, Mercury is moving into a conjunction with the North Node & Saturn as he enters the shadow of his retrograde in Scorpio (10/21 - 11/10).  This combination brings more clarity to the questions posed at the beginning of this report (see the full moon homework above).

This pre-retrograde shadow period in the first couple weeks of October 2013 is interplanetary back-up your computers & other devices, & service your cars & bicycles time.  Take care of such pesky details in the first half of October, so you can really dig into the Scorpionic depths of painful loss in exchange for profound gain & true empowerment without any mundane distractions getting in the way.  More on that in next month’s report.

Although New Moons are generally times to be quiet & internal, the forces pulling you outwards at this time will likely overwhelm that sense of return & renewal.  A Grand Cardinal Cross is anything but internal, pulling you in every worldly direction imaginable.  But even stronger than that, this new moon marks the build-up towards the Aries Lunar Eclipse on 10/18.  Eclipses are extremely powerful forces that affect us for months before & after the actual eclipse date.  Yes, that means you’ve already been tasting this fine Aries/Libra wine.  This eclipse is the first in the next year & a half of Aries/Libra eclipses, so it functions as an introduction to the themes we’ll be working with through the spring of 2016.

The Aries/Libra axis brings up questions of self versus “other,” who/what we are versus who/what we are not, how much to stand up for ourselves & how much to compromise for the sake of harmony in relationships.  Expect to confront your fears & have your courage tested.  Expect to face some tricky decisions.  In the next year and a half, let this quote from Hillel be your guide:

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me?  If I am not for others, what am I?  If not now, when?”

How these Aries/Libra eclipses will affect you depends on whether you tend towards the me-first side of things, or the compromise-until-you-snap side of things.  Both of those attitudes are somewhat valid, depending on the greater context of your situation, but neither of those extremes is helpful or effective as a catch-all solution.  By spring 2016, if you stay on top of your Aries/Libra eclipse lessons, you will be a master at knowing when & how much me-first force to apply, & when & how much compromise to give in to.

In the meantime, however, there will be growing pains.  This lunar eclipse finds the Moon aligned with the exacting planetoid, Eris, goddess of strife & discord, & both luminaries square Jupiter in Cancer.  It’s safe to say you can expect some emotional ow-ies.  Eris’ strife occurs when something essential is left out.  Until the missing pieces are acknowledged & integrated into the whole (the whole of yourself, the whole of your relationship, etc), there is discord & suffering.  Because lunar eclipses pull us apart so we can put the pieces back together in a truer way, perhaps you’ll find a new way to fit that missing, strife-inducing black sheep back into the fold.

Bare in mind that these energies are affecting us on the global level as well as the personal level.  Another aspect of the Aries/Libra axis is war versus peace.  Consider the war & suffering in the world, & do what you can to balance it by maintaining peace within & peace in your relationships.  This may seem esoteric, but we are interconnected in ways we cannot sense or comprehend with our rational minds.  Mystics have known this for ages, & physics has proved this, but society has yet to embrace it.  Here’s your chance to be ahead of the curve!  Instill peace in the world by being peace.  It is a kind of direct action - subtle but immensely powerful.

Aries Lunar Eclipse Homework:

Do I tend to be a me-first person or a compromise-until-I-snap person?  Hint: You might be both.

What situations in my life would shift & improve with more of a me-first attitude?

What situations in my life would shift & improve with more compromise?

What is the strife I am experiencing?

Does that strife indicate what is missing in my life?

What discord am I encountering in my relationships?

Does that discord indicate what is missing in my relationships?

Some final advice, in regards to Uranus, Eris & the Moon in Aries during this eclipse:

This is volatile & potentially hurtful energy, made more incisive & critical by Aries’ ruler, Mars, transiting through Virgo.  Curb your anger & impatience by drawing upon the compassion & forgiveness available from Neptune in Pisces opposite Mars, & the expansive, gregarious & generous energy of Venus in Sagittarius, ruling that Libra Sun.  Remember to relate the parts to the whole, keeping your sights on both the details & the context in which you find them.  Be generous with your kindness, forgiveness & love - for yourself, for those you are in relations with, & ultimately, for humanity.

For more personalized insight, you may go here to schedule a private astrological consult, a Coalithesis energy healing treatment, or an intensive Alithesis healing session.  If you enjoy these reports, please forward this page on & repost it as you see fit.  Until next month’s posting (on Mercury’s retrograde & more), maintain that tricky balance of inner & outer needs, practice kindness towards yourself and others, & shed your old skin so your true self can shine forth.  Thanks for reading,

Sun in Virgo, Grand Cardinal Cross (Sun in Virgo: 8/22/13 through 9/22/13)

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