Lunar Eclipse in Gemini, Mercury stations Direct, 11/28/12 & 11/26/12, respectively

Do you like riddles?

Whether you’re reading The Hobbit or Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or an astrology blog, you know you’re in for a wild ride when someone asks you that question.

Well, here we are, riding a wily Gemini & intense Scorpio beast, wielding an eclipse, two T-squares, a Finger of God, & Thor’s Hammer on on our way to...

What?

Well, that’s the riddle:

Where are you going?  Where do you really want to be going?

Notice the discrepancy between the answers you get to those two questions, & then adjust your actions & decisions accordingly.

Here’s where the riddle gets sticky:  You can’t really know what your actions & decisions will lead to.  This lunar eclipse chart suggests a leap of faith (Neptune/Chiron square the Sun/Moon opposition, with Moon conjunct Black Moon Lilith & retrograding Jupiter).  This is no ordinary leap of faith, however.  It’s a leap of faith, planned meticulously, researched thoroughly, prepared well behind the scenes, & then executed with confidence when the time is ripe.

The time is not yet ripe, though.  We’re in a completion phase, suggested by many factors, including this final eclipse in the Gemini/Sagittarius axis until the next round begins in another 9 years.  Another helpful line of questioning:

What were you up to 9-10 years ago?  Where do you see yourself in 9-10 years?

Now, a few notes on this blog before I launch into the astrological nitty-gritty:  Now that the infinitini blog is all grown up (1 year old as of November 24th), it has evolved from a regular biweekly report to Planetary Reports that will be posted when there’s enough juicy material to share - monthly, biweekly, or something in between.

You can subscribe to this blog in two ways:

1, You can send me an email, & I’ll put you on my blog email list.  rae13diamond {at} gmail.com or

2, If you’re in the google vein of cyberspace, you can follow this blog by signing up at this other blog.

Last blog clarification:  The infinitini Planetary Reports are dedicated to clarifying the major transformational imperatives suggested by the planets’ placements & movements.  I’ll be leaving out a lot of details, as they distract attention from the deeper truths.  My point in working as an astrologer is to support personal transformation & individual alignment within nature & community.  That’s hard to do through a blog, but sometimes bandages can tide a person over until they can get to a surgeon.

Now back to that crazy beast -

Let’s focus on the lynchpins of this eclipse chart, each involved in two major configurations, each at the focal point of one of those configurations: the Saturn/Venus conjunction, & the Moon/Black Moon Lilith/Jupiter conjunction.

Venus conjunct Saturn in Scorpio suggests death & rebirth in the realms of relationship & abundance, with an eye on the long haul.  Being at the focal point of Thor’s Hammer (asteroids Vesta & Pallas on the other end of the configuration) & in one of the arms of a Finger of God (with Mars/Pluto & Moon/Black Moon Lilith/Jupiter), Venus & Saturn are sustaining quite a of tension.

Which relationships in your life have the strength, honesty & intensity that suggest longterm value?  What bonds you to others?  Whom do you trust?  Are you trustworthy?  Are you walking your talk in relationships - saying what you mean & meaning what you say?  Are you living up to your promises?  Are others living up to their promises to you?

Have you noticed how we throw the word love around?  In some languages, there are many different words for different kinds of love, but in English, we have this one word that means so many different things.  Play with that idea, & clarify what you mean when you want to write or say love.

Do you have a longterm plan, accounting for your work in the world & your personal needs, including but not limited to your financial needs?  Does it show integrity with your core beliefs?  What do you need to release first before you can start building?

It’s time excavate, & then to be an architect, folks.  That means do your research, do your math, clear & prepare your plot for a good foundation, & make sure it’s all copacetic.  Only then can you consider building.

This juicy eclipsed Moon, Black Moon Lilith, & retrograding Jupiter conjunction in Gemini suggest some fresh ideas bubbling up from the depths of your subconscious & also filtering into your mind from some vaster cosmic understanding.  These are not little ideas.  These are the kinds of ideas that rattle you, that shake you to your core, that wake you at night, & walk beside you throughout the day, demanding your attention.  Being in Gemini & at the focal point of a Finger of God with Saturn/Venus & Pluto/Mars at the far arms, this Moon/Lilith/Jupiter conjunction suggests a directional truth, but it won’t be a comfortable truth.  It’s a truth that can bring everything that’s been stuck into alignment, yet with Jupiter retrograde & Saturn’s influence, it’s neither quickly nor easily implemented.  The Scorpio, Pluto & Lilith influences suggest these are truths that are hard to face, exposing any cover-ups.  Pies in the sky become pies in the face.

Finger of God, where do you point?  At each & every one of us:

Whom am I pointing my finger at?  How am I displaying those very characteristics that hurt or bother me?  When is it wise counsel to hash it out with others, & when is hashing things out with others just a projection-fest?

Hint:

We tend to think a lot about how others hurt us.  Really, in most cases, others do what they do, & we allow ourselves to feel hurt by it.  For a change, see what happens when you just sit with the pain, & let it speak to you:

What is your pain really saying?  Why hold someone else accountable for their humanness, when we are all just as flawed?

This conjunction is also in a T-square with the Sun in Sagittarius & the ongoing Neptune/Chiron conjunction in Pisces.

How can I be more adaptable?  What “truths” am I holding fast to that may actually be harming me, & keeping me stuck?  Am I martyring myself in any way?  How can I reclaim my freedom, & reconnect myself to something vaster (insert your concept of God or Cosmos or Spirit or Way, etc. here)?

Let us not forget the other T-square in this chart: Pluto/Mars in Capricorn opposite Ceres in Cancer, all square Uranus in Aries.  Again, we are reminded to balance our personal needs with our worldly responsibilities & actions.  We continue to feel a rift between our swift insights & visions, & the complexity & time it takes to actually manifest those electric shocks into the masterpieces we have envisioned.

If you take anything from this writing, be it this:

Let go.  Let go of anything & anyone you’re holding fast to.  Let that which is true stick around on its own, & let everything & everyone else do what they will.

Should you care for some deeper delvings, you may go here to schedule a private consultation.

Until next time, be well & be true.

Thanks for reading.

Rae Diamond

rae13diamond {at} gmail.com

Full Moon in Taurus, Mercury in Retrograde, 10/29/12 & begins 11/6/12, respectively

Here are some images to help you understand the energetic imprint of the next month or so:

The amusement park ride that is a giant cylinder you get inside of, and spins around fast enough that the centrifugal force plasters you to the walls, so that you stay up even as the floor drops;

The gods, in their Mount Olympus paradise, playing chess with pieces that resemble the human characters in the movie, Clash of the Titans.

The thing about the spinning ride is that if you allow the centrifugal force to hold you up, it will.  You can also refuse to submit to that force, and slide down the wall to the bottomed out floor.  The problem with that, however, is that you don’t get the benefits of the experience of trust, or the perspective of the centrifugal force acting on your body instead of the familiar force of gravity.  As for the gods and their chess game, although they instigated various situations, the humans did exercise plenty of their own free will & creativity, courage & wisdom once they found themselves in said situations.

Translation:  Give yourself over to the forces that act upon you; pay attention so you can learn from them, & be creative, conscious & courageous in how you respond to what comes your way in this time of altered experience.

The centrifugal stew starts cooking at the Taurus full moon, with the Sun conjunct Saturn in Scorpio, in a grand water trine with Neptune/Chiron in Pisces and Ceres in Cancer.  This trine suggests that forces in the outer world, especially in the realms of your calling/career and your skills/service/teachers/students will stimulate powerful emotions in you.  Depending on your position, either you’ll want to be mommy’d, or you’ll be called on for mommy-ing (or, if you’re starting to evolve out of this pattern, you’ll be rebelling against your mommy figure).  The high road: enlightened compassion, which includes compassion for self as well as others, & allowing your emotions to instruct rather than control you.  The low road: martyrdom, especially martyrdom that fuels the shadowy part of your ego (ego is not all bad), or completely escaping from/denying the situation/people involved entirely.

If that’s not enough heat, Mars & Pholus oppose Jupiter (align your actions with your beliefs, & bring outdated subconscious beliefs to light & evolution), Venus is moving into a T-square with the on-going Pluto/Uranus square (relationships are where you’re working out your authority & freedom issues), and Mercury, conjunct the North node at this full moon, is slowing down to turn retrograde on November 6th (evolve your consciousness out of what seems safe & familiar into a deeper & more encompassing truth - in other words, grow up, get a little world-wise, & embrace your shadow).  Let’s cut to the chase:

Actions speak louder than words.  Therefore, what do my actions tell me about my beliefs?  Are my actions in alignment with my beliefs?  Am I bottling up any subconscious, poisonous beliefs that I might release in anger?  How can I, through making them conscious, transform those poisonous beliefs into evolved wisdom?

Am I cognizant of the mutual responsibility of my relationship dynamics, or am I breaking them up into I did/you did, I said/you said?  Am I acting with integrity in my relationships?  Am I owning my power in my relationships, or am I giving my authority over so I can blame others for the state of my life?  How can I make wiser choices that afford both myself & those I am in relationship with  more freedom & personal integrity?  Caution: Proceed onto this one only if you are prepared to get into really deep, dark & existential territory:  Am I perceiving anyone I know as who they really are, or are they all just characters in the personal drama of my mind?

Since strong emotional responses to non-life-threatening situations indicate associations with earlier traumas, what are these emotions I’m feeling REALLY about?  How can I acknowledge & heal these deeper issues, so I can stop reliving them, & evolve?  How might I be acting as either mommy or baby or rebellious teenager in my relationships with others, & how would I prefer to act?  Hint:  Stay neutral with what comes up in your life now, look deeper, take responsibility for what’s yours, & shed responsibilities that are not yours.

This brings us to Mercury’s coming retrograde cycle, through early Sagittarius & late Scorpio, lasting from 11/6/12 through 11/26/12.  On the practical level, back up your computers, fix any outstanding issues in your vehicles, get your Thanksgiving plans together before the 6th, & be flexible in how they turn out, especially in regards to how you’re getting to & from your destinations, & what gets said by whom.  In regards to how this retrograde station can be effectively utilized on a simultaneously personal & political level, use your consciousness to direct energy.  In other words, we empower those we think of, especially if we think of them being in their power... so remember who/what you want to empower, & forget about the rest!  Maintain neutrality in discussions & communication snafus, & allow the beliefs & emotions that come up to evolve, & to instruct, rather than control you.

To help you get the most out of this Mercury retrograde cycle:

What is my truth?  How can I allow the truths of others to help me test the integrity of, & perhaps evolve my own truth?

What familiar emotional triggers are coming up for me, especially those that involve my sense of personal power?  How am I stripping myself of my own power by 1, allowing these strong emotions to color my perceptions & reactions, &/or 2, not acknowledging my own complicity/responsibility in these situations?  How am I creating drama in my mind that may not actually exist in reality?

With all of this Scorpio activity going on - Sun, Saturn & North Node in Scorpio, plus in mid-November, Mercury retrograding in Scorpio, & a Solar Eclipse in Scorpio - things are heavy, deep & intense.  Let go of the gravity of your familiar perceptions, & allow the centrifuge of reality to hold you in openness & awareness.  Allow yourself to be moved and shifted.  Notice how it all feels, & then respond with integrity, wisdom, & creativity.

Until my next report on the Scorpio Solar Eclipse (you are already feeling this), you may enjoy supporting this fine blog with a purchase from my etsy shop, or by scheduling an astrology or healing appointment with me in person in Seattle, or over the phone (astrology only).

Enjoy this time of the thin veil as we transition from the life-giving harvest to the acknowledgment of that which & those whom have passed, & of our own eventual passing.  Celebrate & honor death as a necessary aspect of life, & allow death to inspire you to live life more fully & truly.

Thanks for reading.

Rae Diamond

rae13diamond @ gmail.com

New Moon in Libra, Saturn in Scorpio, 10/15/12 & begins 10/5/12, resepectively

Ka-chunk!  Click!  Clunk!  Clack!  Did you catch that shift?  Within three measly Earth-days, four planets made major shifts in our little corner of the Universe.  The first thing to do, before trying to unravel the particulars of these events is this:

Allow yourself to stop and feel the difference.

Let’s get it straight that we’re talking about a two-part process here: 1, STOP, and then 2, allow yourself to feel the difference, in that order.  Have you ever walked through a woods, thinking that the trees were all motionless, stationary objects until you stopped and looked up at them?  Then, in your stillness, you could feel, hear, & witness the movement and pulsing life all around you.  If you’ve never experienced this, please go out and try it.

Now that we’ve paused, let’s move along...

On October 4th, Jupiter stationed retrograde halfway through Gemini.  This will slow down and force some re-writes into those big plans you’ve been scheming up, especially in regards to anything involving education, siblings & writing.  Anything affected by this shift should be up and running in full force by springtime.

The next day, Mercury conjuncted Saturn on his way out of Libra, & blazed a trail on into Scorpio, where he’ll be for a few weeks.  The ringed planet duly plodded after him, and thus we find ourselves also in the roughly two and a half years transit of Saturn through Scorpio.  Here’s what I like about this whole business - Mercury’s influence during this bigger Saturn transition offers us the opportunity to bring two major stories up from the murky subconscious and into the light of consciousness:

Story # 1 - Saturn leaves Libra:

What am I releasing in the realms of relationship & fairness, especially those relationship patterns that have been highlighted in the past two & a half years?  I’ve been harping on these relationship points, I know, but this is almost the last time for a while, & it’s time to take out the trash once & for all, folks.  Mercury’s presence suggests that it may not so much be the relationships themselves that need to go as the ways we perceive ourselves and others in the context of relationships.  Note the difference.

Story #2 - Saturn enters Scorpio:

What are my core truths?  How can I better hold myself accountable to and responsible for upholding those core truths?  How will upholding my truth help me tap into my true power?  What in me needs to die in order for my truer self to be reborn?

That last set of questions, by the way, is the most important set of questions to answer in this report.  But I continue, as the planets never stop scooting about, just like the trees in the woods.

The next day after that Libra/Scorpio ho-down, Mars entered Sagittarius.  So while Mercury & Saturn are inspiring & pushing us to dig deeper, Mars is insisting we go farther, & do something bigger.  Let us not forget that Jupiter is twiddling his thumbs at this moment, just barely moving backwards in Gemini.  Translation: We are in a state of conflicting energetic imperatives.  All at once, we feel impulses to go deeper, higher and faster, but also stop and rethink.  Here’s how to approach this:

First, think longterm, as in your whole life.  Then move into the nuts and bolts territory:

What, when you die, will you wish you had accomplished, expressed, and experienced in your life?  What can you start doing now to move in the direction of attaining those truest of true goals?  What would be a good intermediary goal to shoot for, while you’re moving in the direction of your true north?  What can you start doing now to attain that goal?

For the rest of this year, and into the beginning of 2013, it’s likely that you’ll mostly be doing behind-the-scenes preparations for bigger work and bigger successes to come.  You may be able to attain something smaller in the meantime, but the time is not yet ripe for the really big stuff.

October 2012 is international, planetary hang-back month.  Use this time to get to the bottom of these questions because November will be a serious kick in the pants, several times over.  It is my duty to remind you that we have our work cut out for us in the coming months, and if you want to meet these flash-boom-pow energies head-on and make the most of them, you have to take time out to rest.  Plan your vacations and extended weekends now, while there’s a bit of a breather. 

Warning:

The double blending of fierce, transformative Plutonic energy with heavy, demanding Saturnian energy (Pluto is in Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, & Saturn is now in Scorpio, ruled by Pluto) is causing a pervasive work-yourself-&-others-to-death imperative.  If you are a boss, treat your employees right, & give them some kudos for the extra work you’ve been & will continue to be demanding from them.  If you are self-employed, give yourself some time off, & take stock of how far you’ve come for a moment before you start tackling all that’s still in need of doing.  If you work for someone else, good luck!  Communicate your needs as best you can, but ideally move yourself into a situation where you have a compassionate boss who holds themselves as well as you accountable.  In the coming years, we’ll be learning how to tap into our power, and then use it with integrity.  Part of using one’s power with integrity involves knowing when & how to turn it off so your batteries (& the batteries of others you have power over) can recharge a bit.  Remember we’re all human, which means we need soft-cuddly time in addition to right-effort time.  It also means we all make mistakes, & we all need to forgive ourselves & others for said mistakes.

The moon is new in Libra early on Monday, October 15th. This offers us an opportunity for some quiet and stillness in which we can make sense of the new planetary paradigm.  It also offers us one more opportunity to freshen up our relationships:

Now that you’ve released those used up relationship patterns...

What new ways do you envision yourself being in relationship with others?  Consider the different kinds of relationships you have, and put a new spin on all of them.  How can you be more in your power, or use your power with more integrity within the context of your relationships?  How might your self-esteem get in the way in your relationships with others - perhaps only in specific kinds of relationships, or perhaps in all?

That should hold you over until the full moon in Taurus report, which will include information on the coming Mercury retrograde cycle, which begins on November 6th - a.k.a. U.S.A. election day.  Or will this really tide you over?  A blog written for everyone is no substitute for a personalized human to human exchange.  In this breathing space we are being offered, you may want to dive in a bit deeper, & jumpstart your transformational process.  If you are in need of some help with adjusting to the autumnal shifts, you may contact me for astrology,  or healing, or you could purchase some talismans for inspiration on your own evolutionary journey.

Thanks for reading!  May your mind & heart open to your own truth in the stillness of this breathing space.

Rae Diamond

rae13diamond @ gmail.com

Autumnal Equinox & Harvest Moon in Aries, 9/22/12 & 9/29/12, respectively

Everyone likes a colorful Autumn, right?  How about colorful as in wild & extraordinary?  It’ll be an accelerated & rollicking time, so here is another reminder to schedule restful time out for yourself now before every last minute in your calendar is spoken for.  If you need a visual reminder to help you stay balanced through this season, you can purchase a postcard of the Libran scales at my etsy shop.

On the equinox, the Sun & Moon begin to apply tension to that longterm evolutionary Pluto/Uranus square.  At this point, the Moon in late Sagittarius is moving into alignment with Pluto, strengthening his conservative Capricorn tug, & giving it a bit of a maverick impulse.  By the full moon a week later, the Moon will be aligned with wily, fresh-minded Uranus in Aries, strengthening an impulsive drive for freedom.

On a political level, the Moon/Pluto conjunction strengthens the already nasty & underhanded approach of conservative factions. Various factors indicate that lying is a strong temptation at this time.  Remember this influence lasts throughout Autumn, including election day.  The Sun/Uranus opposition with the added bonus of wise strategist Pallas, does, however, put a check on this influence.  The lies will be revealed, all in due time.  I will be holding another free class on heart opening through breathing & vocal techniques on October 29th at 6:30, with a specific focus on applying healing intention to the political situation, which will be further complicated by Mercury stationing retrograde on election day.  Contact me for details.

On a personal level, the challenge presented by this configuration is to be utterly, wholly truthful to ourselves & others, & to act with the utmost integrity, especially in the context of relationships.  With Ceres in opposition to the Moon & Pluto, the configuration becomes a grand cross.  The house placement of this configuration suggests you take some inspiration from the deciduous trees because a whole lot of letting go needs to happen in order to make way for the new you with a more open heart/mind to emerge.

Try these queries on for size, & consider them useful throughout the entirety of this season:

What in my life, in my relationships, & in my consciousness, has come to the end of its usefulness, & is ready to die?  What new involvements, relationships & perspectives do I want to invite in their stead?  How am I being cavalier in my use of  power, bending the rules for my own personal gain?  How can I use my power so that it acts in service of the greater good of the collective (think micro & macro) as a whole?

Another hint to help you evolve with the energies of Autumn 2012:

Develop a heightened awareness of the Earth as a kind of mother that feeds & houses you.  Commit to making a healing impact on the Earth in some way this season.  In other words, nourish the Earth & your relationship with the Earth.

The need for release & letting go continues to be strong at the full moon.  Specifically, you’ll want to have The Big Talk with anyone you’re in a troubled relationship with.  With the Sun in Libra for the next month, Mercury moving into alignment with Saturn in the last degree of Libra, Venus square Mars, the Descendant & the North Node, it’s time to clean out, spiff up, & reorganize your relationship closet:

How can I get more joy out of being in relationship with others?  Which relationships honor the full expression of Me?  How are others cramping my style, & how might I be cramping other people’s style?  Is there anything I need to “come clean” about with anyone - be it a bold lie, a white lie, an evasion of the truth, or a secret?  Am I or have I taken advantage of anyone?  Is anyone taking advantage of me, & if so, why am I allowing them to do so?

Remember too that it is the harvest season.  We all are reaping what we’ve sewn & tended through the spring & summer.  If your cornucopia is overflowing with friends, abundance, good health, & exciting opportunities, that’s a payback for right & true effort.  If you’re reaping sour grapes, it would be wise to honestly assess whether your involvements & actions have been (& continue to be) love-based or fear-based.

That will be enough to keep you busy for a few weeks until the new moon in Libra report, which will include the low down on Saturn’s two & a half year journey through Scorpio, which begins on October 5th.  There are a couple of spots left in the Saturn & His Cycles workshop on October 1st, if you want the insider scoop on the ringed planet & his coming Scorpio transit.  Contact me if you’d like to attend the class, which includes a depth-charged assessment of your natal Saturn configuration written by yours truly.

For any of you struggling physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, you may find support from an astrology consultation, in person or over the phone, or an Alithesis healing session.

Thanks for reading!  May you have a bountiful & joyous harvest.

Rae Diamond

rae13diamond @ gmail.com