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 Virgo 2014

Satisfaction: It’s an elusive thing in the first world. The U.S. breeds a simultaneously workaholic and over-indulgent culture. We never feel as though we’ve done enough, and we are haunted by unfulfilled - and perhaps unfulfillable - yearnings for something more. The roots of the word satisfaction mean to have done enough. The planets, in this solar month of Virgo, want us to find that feeling of having done and received enough.

Abundance: Embodiment & Faith Merge

Tomorrow night (late August 17th in PDT), Venus conjoins Jupiter in Leo, encouraging us to take concrete action on what we believe most whole-heartedly in. This is a brief transit that creates ebullient feelings that are easy to enjoy. Do so, but if you also take action on what you enjoy, there will be profound rewards. This energy filters more subtly into the next week, and infuses the whole solar month of Virgo with a bit of its serendipitous spark.

        What opportunities are most calling to your heart right now?

        Which relationships offer a sense of mutual expansion & growth?

        How can you joyfully bring your beliefs & actions into alignment?

Sun in Virgo: 8/22 - 9/22

The Sun’s transit through Virgo marks the beginning of the harvest season. It is the culmination of the dreams of winter, the efforts of spring, and the cultivation of summer. Both the fruits of our labors and our labors are at their peak, so - provided we have dreamt well, and put forth the proper effort and care - it is a time of accelerated and focused work with clear rewards. This is also a time when our level of mastery become apparent to us and others. Depending on where you are on the spectrum, it’s thus a time to either impart your wisdom and experience, or gain more expertise & knowledge from the masters you feel drawn to.

The root of the word, harvest, means to cut. We cut the fruits of our labors off so we can be nourished by them. Also, we cut away dead matter and anything that directs energy away from the integrity of the system we are cultivating. Thus Virgo also has an association with purification.

       What are you harvesting?

         Are you being nourished by the fruits of your labors?

        What mastery have you attained? What mastery do you wish to attain?

        Who are your teachers? Who are your students?

        What work gives you a sense of satisfaction?

        What happens when you cultivate the feeling of satisfaction at the end of each day?

        What/Who needs to be cut away to maintain the integrity & health of the whole of your life?

The Right Effort Lunation Begins on 8/25

The moon is new in Virgo on the same day that Mars conjoins Saturn in Scorpio. This is a double indication that it’s time to commit to those matters of deepest importance to you. A new moon marks the beginning of the lunar cycle. It is a time of realigning intention and redirecting focus through contemplation and inner seeking. Neptune’s opposition to the Sun and Moon bring elements of redemption into the month’s story. Meanwhile, Venus and Jupiter in Leo remind us to play, to love, and to enjoy life to its fullest, even as we attend to our goals, visions, responsibilities, and realms of service.

        Have you identified your life’s Work? If not, see below*

        What are the structures you need to put in place to manifest that Work?

        What/whom do you need to forgive in order to help you move forward with clarity?

        How is your work/life balance? Are you making time to play and rest as well as work?

        Is there an element of redemption in your skills - for you, for those you serve, or both?

        *Write a letter to yourself about the decisions and challenges you face now

            from the perspective of an older you in your last few moments of life.

Pisces Super Full Moon: 9/8 (PDT)

The Virgo lunation, which began with a private inner search, culminates in an outgoing super full moon. This Pisces moon is aligned with the planetoid, Chiron, and features a Venus/Neptune opposition, all in the 1st/7th house axis. It thus offers powerful healing through direct encounters with others, so it’s a very fruitful time to work with a healer, therapist or teacher if you are in need of a breakthrough. Here are some recommendations of wonderful healers (& artists, who are the healers of society). Or perhaps you will be the agent of someone else’s breakthrough. The truest statement to be made of this Pisces full moon is we are all connected through a vast and intricate web, and thus we are all capable of being agents of each others’ healing.

Coming Soon:

Next month’s report on the solar month of Libra will give you some tools for maintaining equilibrium during the double whammy of a lunar eclipse and Mercury’s next retrograde cycle.

 

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 Leo, Jupiter in Leo

Heart, like love, is a single word with many meanings. It is a physical organ, essential to life. It is the center or essence of something. We can learn something by heart, meaning that it has rooted thoroughly in our memory. We can do or say something with heart, meaning that we put our full self into our action or speech. It shares the same root as the word, hearth, linking it with a sense of life-giving internal fire. It has connotations with rhythm, timing, and with alternating between expansion and contraction.

Expansion: Jupiter in Leo, 7/16/14 - 8/11/15

This morning, Jupiter entered the sign, Leo, and will remain in this sign that rules the heart for a full year. Jupiter expands whatever he touches, but first he requires that we take an appropriate leap of faith for we cannot become more than we are until we stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zone. With Jupiter in Leo until next summer, this means you must take leaps of faith in those areas that are dearest to your heart. In the process, however, you may need to let go of some things that matter less to you. Jupiter bids us to reach out beyond ourselves, and into the collective. Jupiter in Leo insists we reach forth from our heart, and in so doing, touch the hearts of others.

What brings you joy?

What activities, relationships, & places do you cherish most?

How might you increase your experience of the people, places & endeavors you love?

How do you distract yourself from &/or compromise that which you love?

What might “the next level” be for these relationships & activities you hold dear?

Contraction: Saturn stations direct in Scorpio, 7/20/14

A few days later, the next planet out in our solar system, Saturn, stations direct in mid-Scorpio. Whereas Jupiter reaches out into the collective with boundless and inspired enthusiasm, Saturn is our experience of the limitations of society and of reality in general. Saturn’s transit in Scorpio, since October 2012 and through December 2014, has us restructuring our lives based on what matters most to us, and is also asking us to take a look at our use and experience of power. Saturn imposes limits on Jupiter’s wild ideas. Limits might not always be fun, but they do inspire innovation and focus.

What has been hung up in a restructuring process since early March 2014?

What has died for or in you since then?

What is now ready to be reborn, & how has it shifted within that time?

How can you set up healthy structures that empower you and support your rebirth?

Expansion: Uranus stations retrograde in Aries, 7/21/14

The next day, the next planet out in our solar system, Uranus, stations retrograde in mid-Aries. Uranus is genius, pure idea, flashes of insight, Eureka! in action, electricity. Uranus explodes Saturn’s boundaries, disrupts his established order, and imposes his own brand of Chaos. When this god of sudden change stations retrograde in Aries, however, our attempts at personal liberation become private implosions, rather than outer world explosions. Translation: look at things differently, and blow your own mind.

What radical shifts have occurred since mid-December that have blown your world asunder in some way?

How might you integrate these outer changes into your perspective and understanding?

What kind of energy have these shifts generated in your life?

How might you patch any energy leaks that may have occurred in those explosions?

More Expansion: Sun in Leo, 7/22/14 - 8/22/14 (PDT)

The next day, the heart of our solar system, the Sun, enters his home sign of Leo. This galvanizes Jupiter’s recent ingress into Leo. For this next month, get clear about what you care about so you can get the most out of this year of Jupiter in heart-ful Leo. Let your heart glow. Dedicate yourself to what and whom you love. Cut back on the distractions and the drudgeries. Enjoy life, and above all, cherish yourself.

Contraction: Mars in Scorpio, 7/25/14 - 9/13/14

A few days later, Mars enters Scorpio. This puts Jupiter in a bit of a Scorpio sandwich, as these are his two nearest planetary neighbors. That will function as a nice tempering to what might otherwise be a bit too hedonistic and over-inflated of a Leo solar month. Decisive Mars has been transiting uncomfortably in wishy-washy Libra since early December 2013, so he will be all to happy to enter one of his home signs. The combination of both Saturn (the planetary architect) and Mars (the planetary muscle) in Scorpio gives us the ability to put our empowering plans into action.

What’s a big vision you feel able to commit deeply to?

What’s your plan for making it happen?

What’s the next step to take?

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