Equilibrium…

Balance…

Peace…

Lovely ideas, aren’t they? Tranquility. Quiet. Calm.

Image by Lisbeth Cheever-Gessamen

Have you been finding much of that the past few days? Honest question. You might have been! As an inner state amidst chaos? As an outer state while storms rage inside? What about at this moment? How do you feel deep down at your core? Take a deep breath or two and tune in for a second.

Hypothetically speaking, if we just take a Libra New Moon at face value, we might say the focus is on peace, equilibrium, diplomacy, balance… seeing the other side… relationships… beauty. But this is no ordinary Libra New Moon (side note: is anything ordinary these days?). This New Moon takes place directly opposite Uranus in Aries. It takes place amidst a sea of change as several planets make the shift from Libra to Scorpio, preparing us to once again plumb our depths. More.

It also takes place as a body known in astrology as Black Moon Lilith conjuncts the Galactic Center.

Whoa. That last bit sounds far out, doesn’t it? Lilith is no meek energy. And the Galactic Center is home to a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Lilith seems to be shouting into the hearts and loins of us all, as her eons of rage burst at the seams. Right into a supermassive black hole — a body which sucks everything in, destroying it, while also potentially being the source of unimaginable creation.

Lilith, now considered a ‘dark’ goddess,  has come to be feared as a destroyer, a temptress who seduced men in order to breed demons from their sperm. In all actuality, very little is known of this figure. Demetra George’s Mysteries of the Dark Moon is a great place to start.

The most complete mythology we have for Lilith places her as a handmaiden to Innana. She was guardian of sexual mysteries and helped to initiate men into adult sexuality, and a temple priestess. Still no meek figure by any stretch of the imagination, but no demon either.

For our purposes, what might be helpful to understand here is that mythologically speaking Lilith was also the ‘original woman.’ She was the first wife of Adam, and she was ultimately banished from the garden (yeah, that garden) because she would not submit. She wanted to be on top. Not always, but you know…some of the time. She initially came to Adam to offer wisdom and commitment to equal partnership.

Adam wanted subservience. So, in short,  Lilith was cast right the heck out of the garden. And like so many other ‘dark’ goddesses, her stories were distorted and she took on the image of a winged and wild-haired she demon who flew through the night. She became another repository for all the shadows of the patriarchy. Where she once represented the strength and power that arises through primal, instinctive sexuality, she was denied, rejected and vilified for those same reasons.

She would not cooperate in her own victimization or any religion that forced subservience, and was therefore punished.

But Lilith is a mythological figure. Her punishment is metaphorical. It is the real, flesh and bone bodies of humans today who have carried the weight of this distorted mythology. Black Moon Lilith in the natal chart is said to represent an area where we have repressed something about our own feminine nature, no matter our gender expression or identity.

Again, there’s this image in my mind — of this writhing, winged goddess, smoldering and raging, screaming into the swirling cauldron of a black hole she never once thought to fear: “NO MORE. Our bodies are your domain NO MORE. We will stand for this no longer, and we do not give one flying fuck what discomfort it causes. We will rise, and you will learn the power of the sovereign body, naked and powerful…”

But she has the wisdom to know that the black hole will not consume her message, but instead broadcast it out for all to receive.

It came forward this week in the form of a hash tag: #metoo. In more discussions about rape culture. In the reactions of those who had their eyes opened, and those who shut down even further. In Lindy West’s article, Yes This is a Witch Hunt. I’m a Witch and I’m Hunting You.   And this piece as well .

This brings us to Libra.

The power of Libra does lie in its ability to extend to the other. To listen, to receive, to keep the peace, to work things out. To stand for Justice. But justice cannot happen without fire and initiative to back it up. That’s the Aries polarity.

Libra’s shadow is, in a word, subservience. It is placation in order to keep the peace. Surrender of self in order to play the role others need played. Inertia and indecisiveness. Niceness. Folks with lots of Libra karma often have lifetimes of …

…well, sometimes just being women. Being sold (otherwise known as “married”) off and told who to be and how to act. Internalizing the message that our bodies are sinful and disgusting and that we are in fact the lesser sex. Playing the role, losing our center, putting on the mask.

For this New Moon, Uranus in Aries is thrusting for liberation from that conditioning. It is giving us the opportunity to rebel from subservience that keeps us from authentic self-expression, in whatever ways it shows up in our lives. In all of our lives, no matter our gender expression or body.

The energy of Lilith and the energy of Uranus resonate with each other in that they carry the mark of the exile, accepting insecurity, loneliness and exclusion from society rather than be anything other than what they truly are. These two bodies form a sextile aspect for this lunation, helping to synthesize, supporting each other. Saturn is in the mix for a little bit of restraint and containment for so much fiery energy. These aspects are fertile ground for setting an intention to cut the ties that are holding us back and to free ourselves from what keeps us permanently exiled from ourselves.

It’s not straightforward. Nor is this easy subject matter to unpack. The thing is, right or wrong, feminine energy has been demonized for thousands of years. Although it is definitely rising, it is full of rage and it’s not as easy as saying “this rage is righteous, let’s burn it all down.” We have to find balance — and balance is not a static thing. It is a fluid process. Bringing shadows out of the dark takes conscious effort and energy.

We get to learn how to harness the energy of the dark goddess again. This is why witches are rising. They know. They have the courage to access the systems that guide this work.

So today, and through the coming weeks, the time has come to ask yourself: What is arising within me now? Where have I been cooperating in my own victimization and the victimization of others? How does my sexuality fit into my relationships?  Where and how do I need to demand equality?

Where have I been choosing security over authentic self-expression? Where am I too adaptable, and where am I too rigid? In what ways do I enable a culture that allows for enforced and institutionalized subservience? Where does rage lie within me and how can I use it consciously?

What ways has my body held all of this and what are my tools for reclaiming my body — for there is no sovereignty or presence without embodiment.

Who is in all of this with me? Who are my partners, friends, co-dreamers and co-creators who support my individual essence? And how can I listen to them more deeply, witness their pain and mine more fully, and then let it go?

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You know, any good, responsible astrologer studies charts when writing about astrological events. I can be a good, responsible astrologer sometimes. But I can also be a “I don’t care so much what the map is saying because my heart knows truth in this moment” astrologer. Luckily, the two tend to blend well.

You see, although the Full Moon on Thursday, October 5 takes place on the Libra-Aries axis (Sun in Libra, Moon in Aries) everything I’m feeling now is so Pisces to me. Transcendent love, bliss, pseudo-ecstasy. Letting go, surrendering, feeling the heartbreak of truth that destroys hope, choosing hope anyway, laughing at any attempt to make meaning when realizing that we exist somehow held down on a giant rock that is spinning while hurtling through space at more miles an hour than I can even comprehend. Leaning into the chaos with a strong sense of grounding (there’s the Virgo polarity for ya there).

Now, rationally speaking I can in fact look at charts to understand this. I’m writing this as the Moon is drifting through the closing notes of Pisces, rubbing up against my own natal Venus in Pisces. That spot has gotten a lot of action over the past year in terms of transits and progressions in my personal chart. I’ve been led into deep existential despair, out into the light again, back into the depths. It’s helped me to reform the way I love self and others and the way I move into my path professionally and personally.

These late mutable sign degrees of the zodiac have also been central in a run-in with cancer that has taught me more than I can say and that has ultimately brought me into deep contact with divine love — and to me, Pisces at it’s best is in fact divine, absolute, all encompassing Love.

But this degree of the zodiac has collective relevance, too. You see, this lunar cycle started with a New Moon in Virgo, which was opposite Chiron in Pisces. Just one degree off of that same spot the Moon currently inhabits. So those Piscean themes are coming to full bloom right now, even with the sign change. It feels like the healing of old wounds to me.

Oh, and? Being as this Full Moon is ruled by Venus (ruling planet of Libra) and Mars (ruling planet of Aries), we are immediately referred to the fact that Venus and Mars are together in the sky right now. Opposing Neptune in Pisces.

See? It’s all there. In the charts. Er…the stars.

But maybe that just sounds like a bunch of astrologese to you. So let me do my best to translate now.

For a Full Moon it’s always best to just simply look back two weeks at what was being planted at the New Moon. What’s coming to fruition for you now? Something small, perhaps. Or…can you feel the magnitude of the times we’re living in and the immense tragedies swarming us daily? The day or two before the Full Moon are times to feel whatever that is for you building inside, in preparation for release. Reflect and meditate. Take some deep breaths.

And then there’s the astrology of it. How can that be helpful? It’s all about context.

Now, I have to be honest with you for a second. I have to give the big giant disclaimer that so many of my thoughts are still bouncing back to that eclipse in August. I’m still kinda stuck there in some ways, trying to figure out what the hell happened. That thing rocked my/the world. The biggest theme that keeps calling me from that Leo-Aquarian time is the importance of community (Aquarius) — and of taking care of individuals (Leo) within communities. Taking care of each other.

Still relevant. With what’s happening in Houston. Puerto Rico. Las Vegas. We have to take care of each other. We have to solidify our communities and look out for out for those who are struggling in whatever way when we can. It is clear that those in power are not going to do this.

We have to take care of each other in our local communities. And then…well, then we have to add in our global communities. Then we have to add in Syria, Yemen…and on, and on…

Last night I attended a benefit concert that raised money for refugees. Did you know there are 65 million refugees in the world? 65 million people without a home. Who are having to start over. Take that up a notch — 65 million people, many of whom have experienced intense trauma and are now displaced and often facing the erasure of their lifestyles, families and traditions.

The heartache knows no bounds. The sorrow. The despair. That’s Pisces.

At the concert, one of the loves of my life (that would be Dave Matthews) sang a song with this lyric:

Love is not a whisper or a weakness

No, love is strong

So we’ve got to get together

Til there is no reason to fight

Forgive me for what might be sappiness, but there it is: the Libra and the Aries. Because, you see, Aries is all about the individual, and it is associated with total raw instinct. That raw instinct is linked to our personal defense, including our flight or fight response. It is linked with strength. And with fighting.

Libra is our first jaunt into interpersonal relationships. We come forward saying…ok, now I know who I am and I know how I can help, so now I want to dance with you. I want to know who you are. I want to help and love and learn. I want to listen.

In its highest form, that desire for interaction and interpersonal exchange — that ability to listen — is what diffuses harmful Aries instinct to fight for the sake of fighting, or to choose violence as reactionary instinct — and transforms it into right leadership. This is why the Emperor card in the tarot is ruled by Aries. It is the leader who has been to war, who knows the perils of battle, and who has matured with his vulnerability in tact and a deep knowing that although courage and strength are necessary qualities, war should always be the very last option. This leader knows that if, heavens forbid, he has to choose war, it will be with constant connection to the soul-level costs of it. Balance, deep listening, compromise, strength.

The Libra-Aries axis takes several of the themes of Aquarius-Leo, but strips them down a notch. Rather than focusing on the larger community, it’s focusing on more interpersonal, one-on-one style relationships.

Maybe for you the meditation for this Full Moon, then, is…where are you right now in terms of those kinds of relationships? Who are the people in your immediate romantic, friendly and professional circles? Does anything need to be honored there? Let go of? Focused on? How’s the balance? Are your needs being met?

Let’s focus it further. I mentioned above that the rulers of this lunation — Mars and Venus — are currently conjunct in Virgo. They’re nuzzling up against each other in what feels to me like a happy reunion, saying,  “Love is not a whisper or a weakness, yo. Love is STRONG. Remember? So how can we get it together? And how can we get together? Yeah.”

To me, this pairing feels like a potential for purification. Of desires. Of values. But then add in the opposition to Neptune in Pisces, and… there’s some surrender there, too. Which is an important component of purification. But it’s also a surrender of anything hovering around that is keeping us from being the very best versions of ourselves so that we can go forward into our relationships and say “hey! This is me, in my most pure form! And I have some ideas about what we can do here. And I’m really excited to listen to yours, too!”

Of course, “purification” has become a term that’s somewhat loaded in a society that’s been broken down by the sins of the father and other fucked up Judeo-Christian programming. So just know that those words above are mean in an everything-is-perfect-in-its-imperfection way. Cuz the world can’t wait for us to attain some brand of perfection defined by external authorities. The time to step into our power is now. With balance, with reverence, with confidence and with strength — and with a real penchant for that deep listening and witnessing that helps to build bonds and understanding, even when we don’t agree.

And see, here’s the other thing about this Full Moon — it takes place with the Moon right up next to Uranus. The liberator. The energy that tries to shake us out of what’s not working. Unfortunately, that kind of shaking and shock doesn’t always feel great, especially when we’re resisting change. But, we use astrology so that we can see these things and understand them and participate more fully and consciously in our lives. So…perhaps another meditation for you is this: what does freedom look like to you? What does it feel like? Where is it present in your life and where is it missing? Do you want more of it? How can that happen?

Big, fiery Aries love and Libra beauty to you…

Amanda

Full Moon in Aries is exact on Thursday, October 5 at 10:40am.

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Still there? Things simmered down yet? Are you among those still trying to get their footing after eclipse season?

Artwork by Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman

I’m not one for over-dramatized astrological borderline hysteria (or even flat out hysteria), but um… that eclipse window lived up to its reputation and then some, at least in my corner of the world. Hurricanes and flooding and fire and unbreathable air and..  Oh, and threat of nuclear annihilation.

Wow. What just happened? If only those were just metaphors.

Personally, I had to take the month off from writing as things spiraled out in my life in the form of a big ol’ health crisis. Coming back to write for the first time for the Virgo New Moon feels grounding. But it also feels forced. And like it’s missing the point. Because I haven’t yet begun to really process what went on as I just deal with my new physical reality — major surgery equals major recovery and downtime. Yet I’m just not interested in sharing my own process just yet, which tends to affect my writing for the worse.

I want this writing to be meaningful. I want it to hit all the right spots. I want it to strike my heart, and flow through me and into you and be just what I need and you need and…well, I want it to be perfect.

Ah, that’s Virgo.

Virgo longs so much for perfection and usefulness and to be of service. It is the process of learning through analysis and then taking what is learned and making something of it. It is practical and orderly.

Virgo teaches us humility — hopefully through humbling experiences rather than humiliating ones. It is also associated with purification, although in our culture again this very innocent concept gets distorted into sado-masochistic patterns and martyr complexes. Through the humbling experiences or the humiliating ones, we tend to find our place in the world with reverence for the bigger picture and larger forces at play. We recognize the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm (that’s the Virgo-Pisces axis).

In its shadow forms, Virgo gets caught up in the process of analysis and forgets that the analysis exists to serve a goal. It’s where we forget the end game and get lost in loop after loop of analysis for the sake of analysis and end up depressed and anxious.

I stumbled across an article  the other day that speaks to some very Virgoan themes. It discusses the “right way” to be introspective and suggests that although we’ve started claiming that those with higher self awareness are happier, or that excessive introspection is a means to somehow better consciousness, studies actually show that people who score high on self-reflection are actually more stressed, anxious and depressed.

Shit! There goes my whole take on self-awareness.

Not really, though. I’ll let you read the article for yourself, but it makes some important observations about the ways we engage introspection. It makes sense. But what I really loved about the article is that it offers suggestions about how to work with introspection to get to helpful insights without engaging the parts that lead to brooding and anxiety — which is so practical! A Virgo article through and through.

It suggests that instead of asking ourselves why?, we ask ourselves what?

But it can be helpful sometimes to understand the why. Why is Virgo so crisis-oriented? Looking at astrology as a developmental wheel, we spend the first five signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo) focused on ourselves and the formation of our identity and how to express who we are. That’s almost half of the stages of the zodiac.

And then in one sign, in one developmental stage, we transition from that inward focus to relating with others in Libra and Scorpio. That’s a lot of pressure!

Virgo is therefore associated with crisis (and the inconjunct or quincunx aspect in astrology). Crisis tends to focus things, creating a pressure cooker. Virgo brings focus. Virgo is the sparkle of a celestial mystery, starlight harnessed — focused — into fleshy form. Virgo is where we move from “How can I be special” to “How can I be useful”? It is the bridge between the personal and the interpersonal.

Virgo is so uptight because it just wants things to be really, really good. When things are really, really good they’re also really, really useful. Virgo totally gets off on the practicality of that exchange. Tangible results. 

Virgo’s penchant for analysis and understanding how to do right are also blessings. Virgo is an earth sign, and so with this energy we learn practicality. We learn how to inhabit our bodies as vessels of service, and how to make use of the tools we have and excel at.

The difficulty with striving for perfection with so much integrity and longing is, of course, that perfection is unobtainable and is radically dependent on moralities, ethics and ideals that are constructed by society, personal preference and whole host of external and totally ambiguous variables.

It’s through Virgo’s polarity of Pisces, then, that  we remember… we remember the perfection of the now, the importance of compassion and unconditional love, and the freedom that comes from just letting it all go. We remember that there is perfection in every moment. Wherever we find ourselves in each moment is exactly where we are supposed to be.

The thing is that for this New Moon, we have Mercury, Mars and Venus all in Virgo as well. My experience so far says this combination is a blessing. It’s bringing the opportunity for some grounded clarity after the firestorm of eclipse season, although it might be more nonlinear than Virgo would typically prefer, thanks to Neptune’s place opposite Mercury.

So, in short, we might be best served by simplifying things for this lunar cycle — picking the pieces up, one by one.

This New Moon is a stepping stone as we head towards a new season (marked by the equinox on September 22 and the Sun’s entrance into Libra). How can you take what’s happened in your life this past summer, and especially in the last month, and begin to break it down into increments in order to understand it better?

How can you focus on the whats more than the whys? What went on? What did you experience? What are you feeling about it now? What are you going to do with what you’ve learned?

Now, because this New Moon involves Chiron, it might be helpful to keep a look out for what wounds are ready to go or just be aware of what wounds are coming up. They might be aching or pumping, rising to awareness in the time just before the New Moon, or they might arise in the next month. In particular, pay attention to areas you might feel inadequate, like an imposter, or become extra critical of yourself.

As wounds near their release point, they can tend to amp up a bit so remember the Pisces medicine: love, compassion and more love and more compassion – extended inward towards yourself first, and then back out again. Acceptance is the key to healing Chiron’s wounds — these parts will never go away, but they can be acknowledged, loved and integrated.
New Moon exact at 10:29pm Pacific Time, September 19
27-28 degrees Virgo, Opposite Chiron

For an article on how to create a New Moon ritual, visit this page.

Advice for ritual: For this Virgo New Moon, set realistic expectations. Use the energy to anchor yourself in something that needs to be done, even if it’s a tiny thing (i.e.; I will take three deep breaths in and out when I wake up each morning rather than reaching straight for my phone). If you’re feeling bowled over by life, sick, recovering or just unable to go big this month, be easy on yourself.

It might also be helpful to note that Virgo is often associated with health and wellness. Very literally speaking, we ground through the body and its strength is important to our journey here. Simply intending to pay attention to health and body a little more, making changes in diet or activity, creating salt scrubs or even treating yourself to body work during this cycle are all practical methods of coming back into the present and caring for yourself a little more.

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Here we are, my friends. The lunar cycle which sets off summer eclipse season. A gateway. A portal. A chance.

What’s arising within you now? What is it you’re longing for, down to the tips of your toes? Not clear yet? Perhaps set your intention with this New Moon to uncover it. And then plant the seed at the next New Moon — also in Leo — with the fiery, total solar eclipse on August 21.

Transformational processes are arising constantly, aren’t they? And yet, somehow, this one feels different. Leaders being called forth, tribes constellating and converging… echoes of the past coming forward to say: what have you learned? What can you do differently? How can you nurture your own spark of genius and bring it forward in celebration — because the world needs you now.

This New Moon can go in so many different directions. Maybe you know exactly where you want to be. Use it, then, to make plans. But perhaps it’s not that concrete for you yet? In which case I’ll say…

Love yourself. Fiercely. Make it a devotional practice. Learn the ins and outs of your loves, wants, needs, expressions and desires. Go into the dark, shadowy places and bring to light all that you are. Love yourself — all of you — into reality and then take the reins and make shit happen.

This new moon does offer us a gateway, harnessing the fiery energies of the Sun and Mars. The resulting combustion can be used consciously to fuel the creation of our desires in the material world. But the core of this work requires a unified will. The cultivation of a unified will requires bravery, honesty and unadulterated yet finely honed expression and creativity.

This is not easy work. Not for the feint of heart — although I dare say engaging it will indeed increase your heart’s strength. But because it is not easy, and because what we find in this process so often makes us feel our difference more acutely (that’s the Aquarian polarity), it is so very important to seek out others on this path as well. Communities of outsiders. Witches. Queers. Seemingly ordinary folks with a penchant for occult studies or crystals or some other kind of woo. Those who are grappling with deconditioning themselves from the landslides of crimes against our natures that have been perpetuated for millennia now in order to create a vast infrastructure of lies and repression that we now dare to call ‘normal.’

The Aquarius-Leo axis invites to the process of individuation. This is not the call to be more unique, special or individual. This is where we hear the call of our soul and answer. Finally. Often because we no longer have a choice. And yet…we choose. The path of the heart in all its tangents and backslides, rather than the path that has been laid out for us without care for our true nature.

We need — we must have — radical transformation. The kind that makes us twist and turn, but the kind that also then allows us to bask in the sun more fully, more wholly. Fully naked rather than cloaked in suits and scrubs — no matter how designer or cute or half-off they might be.

And yet there are pitfalls here. Drama. Narcissism. Inflation. Be aware of them. And if you dip into that energy, accept yourself anyway. Correct. Change course. Learn.

Use this New Moon to ground and center yourself. Use it to tap into your heart and listen to what your own spark of life and truth is calling out for you to do now. The heart is a window into the soul, the soul is a magnet for magic, and magic is a truth that all of us know is real but have forgotten how to use. It’s time to remember. To play. To bask. To love.

This is your call to action.

Take a look around — there are others answering it with you.

Leo New Moon exact Sunday, July 23 at 2:46am
0+ degrees Leo, conjunct Mars at 1+ degree Leo
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Happy Full Moon weekend, y’all.

Happy? Hm. Maybe not. I mean, that might indeed be the case for some of you! For others of you, not so much. And I suppose that’s an apt description of any moment in time — it all depends on everything — but for those of you feelin’ the cosmic tumult, I bet it does indeed feel somewhat extra-ordinary, perhaps a bit cosmic, and maybe just…well, fuckin’ rough.

Mahakala:The Wrathful Protector of the Dharma by Khenpo Karsang Tenzin

There’s a lot of intense energy bouncing around out there. Intense energy that is desperately  trying to wake us up . But here’s the thing. Sometimes we wish that good ol’ Intense Energy would be a bit more direct with its communication and let us know exactly what it’s trying to transform. It’s like sometimes Intense Energy doesn’t realize that what it’s ACTUALLY DOING, rather than explicitly waking us up, is taking us around on an inner goose chase as we flail and fall, scrambling to grasp onto any sense of reason or meaning, any external event that we can blame for why we feel so awful. Then we volcano our emotions all over that external thing, whether it’s the cause or not, whether our reaction is proportional or not… and the result might or might not align with what Intense Energy was trying to reveal to us.

But alas, if we had a more explicit roadmap, it wouldn’t be as exciting would it? Security is overrated…isn’t it? Hm.

So few of us are prepared to do the deep diving that this kind of lunar cycle invites. We have responsibilities, after all. Capricorn knows all about responsibility. Even those of us who are in fact prepared, or just willing, to dive deep can fall into the traps of shadow Cancer/Capricorn at this point: intense subjectivity, cold calculated manipulation as defense, or attempting to run so far and fast in the opposite direction of whatever fear is arising that we find ourself accidently running off a cliff and into the fear in an even more intense and distorted form. We can place emotional security needs over responsibility. Or vice versa.

You can only run away from your demons for so long, folks.

Especially with an eclipse season like the one we’ll see in August looming.

So for this full moon, be the calm in the eye of the storm. Or find some calm in the eye of the storm. Here’s a hint: it’s inside you. It’s in the calm, grounded, centered presence that you can tap into at will with a few deep breaths and inward reflection.

The Cancer-Capricorn polarity has a lot to do with the masks we wear – in our personal and private lives versus out in the world in our professions or careers. The rest of the cardinal axis shows us the lessons of masking as well — with Libra being the masks we wear in interpersonal relationships and Aries being the absolute absence of mask — pure instinct.

There is a high likelihood of power struggles this weekend. It might be worth some retreating from the world, or re-visiting your own self-parenting process. At the very least it is definitely worth some reflection on the concept of power, what it means for you, how it displays itself to you, where your relationship with it needs to change, and — perhaps most importantly — where you locate your own power in your body and how your various masks support or fail to support the correct use of your power.

The New Moon two weeks ago initiated us into a cycle of clearing emotional baggage – particularly the baggage associated with our deepest fears and shadow parts

Here’s a helpful hint: sometimes our shadow material is actually good stuff. Qualities that would normally be deemed “positive” by society, but were shut down within us for whatever reason. Perhaps your voice was shut down when you spoke an inconvenient truth as a child. Perhaps your gentle feeling nature went underground as you were told again and again that you were “too sensitive.” Societal conditioning (Capricorn), while it has its purposes, can also be a brutal slam against natural law and human intuition. Accessing your voice is a vital part of living your truth; your sensitivity is a tool for empathy and understanding.

Until you uncover those repressed shadows, you won’t learn how to hone these tools that are so vital to your identity and emotional well being (Cancer) so that you can use them in productive and helpful (Capricorn) ways. All of that energy can be liberated for the service of your dharma — what you’re here to do in this life.

My tip for this weekend? I know this might be shocking (insert sarcasm), but here it is: Stop and breathe. Feel your feet on the ground, breathe some more, wait, drink some water, and THEN respond. This astrology can bring things to a head. You get the choice about whether or not to dive in now — it could be great energy for working things out! — or waiting til the energy has peaked and then taking a closer look.

Another tip? Your fears can become your allies. You can use the energy you spend fearing things and transmute it into fuel for better pursuits. That is very much the crux of the Capricorn Moon’s conjunction with Pluto: How do we transform our fears into something useful?

Other than that? Try to be kind. To yourself and others.

Full Moon at 17 degrees Capricorn Saturday, July 8 at 9:07pm Pacific Time

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New Moon June 23, 2017 exact at 7:31pm Pacific Time
3 degrees Cancer

And so we arrive at the first New Moon of the summer. How are you feeeeeeeling? Did you feel that shift from frenetic, curious Gemini mind to soft and sensitive  — or in my case, a little cranky — Cancer?

Perhaps the most simple lesson of Cancer is this: we are emotional beings, yes. But emotions shift and change. Constantly. Like the tides. One of the biggest lies of the modern era is that a ‘mature’ human has consistent, stable emotions all the time. They would have us believe that any show of emotional shift, let alone grief or rage, is inherently pathological.

But you know what? It’s ok to feel. There’s power there. In holding ourselves through the feelings. In being able to see them through, knowing they’ll shift again. To be aware of the stories that arise from our wounded, aching hearts without giving them power.

Emotions and feelings are indicators. And although they can be distorted, or we can get stuck or have chemical imbalances that require treatment, having and expressing emotion is not pathological in and of itself. We should never overlook the fact that there are abundant reasons to be feeling a lot of things really viscerally right now. We are living through a paradigm shift and there is radical insecurity in that. Or, taking it down a philosophical notch — in our world, genocide is constant, black men are being murdered by the police in front of their families, we treat our earth like a sewer, and a group of sociopaths run our government continually smashing any hope that these things will change. To me, it’s lack of emotional response to these things that is pathological.

In a shower time meditation on the nature of Cancer the other day, I recognized a nuance of sensitivity in the sign that I’d never fully thought out before. I often look at astrology as a developmental wheel, with Aries being the birth instinct, and then Taurus the internalization of security based on touch and a sense of being held.

In Gemini, we begin to develop our perception-thought-speech process. We become conscious. We start to think and label and categorize. This intellectual development leads us to language and communication.

It is also through Gemini that we ultimately learn about difference — and separation. Which, after all the fun is said and done, is actually a terrifying proposition. The soul contains two conflicting desires: to separate from source (Aries) and to return to source (Pisces). As we gain consciousness, we gain awareness of our separation and our difference.

And so, in Cancer, in response to the outward activity of Gemini, we return inward — we remember the warm waters and how cozy and serene they were… and for the first time in our brief  incarnation, we yearn to return. We are able to label our separation, and insecurity emerges. We remember Pisces, the part of the water triad that transitions us from the end of the wheel to the beginning, and we long for it — we long for home.

But that’s the thing, right? That memory of the water being warm and serene is an idealization, emerging fresh out of the ocean of Pisces. We’ve idealized the memory of it. Rare is the child who is born to the ‘perfect’ parent. Perfectly present, perfectly nurturing. Our original home — our mother’s womb — is but a mere replacement for the universal womb, that primordial blob where everything exists in an undifferentiated state. The love from which we ultimately sprang. We try to map that memory onto our human experience, unconsciously, registered only in our tissues and bones and cells. The memory of what it was like to truly be one.

But our mothers are human. Their wombs are subject to so many innocent mistakes, or even well-thought-out-decisions-that-turn-out-to-be-wrong. That doesn’t even go to mention the flat out purposeful ways that they sometimes make decisions that…well, that fuck us up to some extent.

Cancer, the sign of home and family and unconditional love, is also the sign of being thrown back in on ourselves. For it is through that process of being forced inward that emotional self-reliance and responsibility are born. There we meet Cancer’s polarity — Capricorn. Nurturance is tempered with boundaries. Not to say Capricorn is any less tender than Cancer, but it has mature awareness of timing and cycles — and how to make use of them.

It takes a long time to learn about those cycles. Think of our oceans etching away at rocks turning to sand, slowly over time. Here we can understand Cancer’s association with ancestral lineage. Standing behind us, the ones who came before, sending their teachings down through language, yes, but also through our genes…strengths and weaknesses, health and disease, phobias and favorites…it takes a very long time for patterns to become ingrained. And then to change again.

The first time we re-encounter that sense of bliss through merging that we so long for and yet fear is when we merge sexually with another human. Sexual union (in its idealized form, at least) is the first visceral remembrance, and that’s part of why it’s so intense — we’re recalling what it was like to be in the ocean, in the womb, merged with another being. But we’re experiencing it in compact physical form as a human for the first time. These are the undulations of Scorpio, the third of the water signs. Where Cancer feels too fresh and raw for intensity, Scorpio dives into it, seeking the orgasmic bliss of union and the transformation that arises there.

This Cancer New Moon represents the yin, receptive principle after the outward mapping of Gemini. We return inside again to integrate and map our emotional bodies instead. To build an identity based on what we’ve learned and our family mythology. We discover who we are, and then wear that identity like armor — like the shell of a crab. We find the healing salve of belonging through family and blood ties.

This New Moon gives us the opportunity to re-discover our roots, to tap into what’s made us who we are and re-evaluate our identity. Not based on who we think we should be, but on our emotional responses, which constantly shift and change, and on the magic of memory. Where Cancer and Capricorn come together, we develop emotional intelligence — the ability to understand our own needs through experience and embodied practices, to love ourselves unconditionally through changes, and to locate ourselves within a family, be they of origin or chosen, where we find sanctuary and home.

This New Moon, in conjunction with the Summer Solstice just days before, gives us the opportunity to examine our shadows as well. The longest day, the darkest shadows. As the Sun and Moon are also in conjunction with Mercury, perhaps there is a message there as well, trying to come through the emotions or the heart. Be gentle and take care, but also watch for where you coddle yourself when you need to step up and take responsibility — this act, too, can be a reflection of superior self care.

Like what you read here? You can support my work and access ways to learn about astrology and yourself through my Patreon campaign. More specific New Moon ritual guidance is available in part 2 of this month’s New Moon writings, which is sent to to Patrons at the $10+ levels. Become a Patron now. 

Self-Generated New Moon Ritual
Updated June 2017

*Note: As many of you know, many of the incentives of my Patreon Campaign revolve around New and Full Moon stuff. I send out monthly New Moon ritual guidance to all Patrons who have pledged at $10 and above, and then Patrons at $20 and above get Full Moon meditations as well. I’m working on a series of articles that explain easy ritual, altar building and so forth in order to facilitate each of you being able to participate in the radness of cosmic mystery as its facilitated by astrology. This article is the first in that series. You can support my work and receive help working with your own chart by becoming a Patron*

So! One of my favorite practices – and one of the areas I believe astrology is most useful – is tracking the cycles of life through the movements of the planets. Every single one of the planets has cycles that can be tracked individually or in relationship to other planets. Yes, it’s true, all planets are in relationship to all other planets.

The easiest way to start tune into planetary cycles (learning a ton about yourself and astrology at the same time!) is through paying attention to lunar cycles. This is why the bulk of the incentives on this site are built around new and full moon guidance. Accessible. Practical. Fun. All good things.

Because most of you are signed up at the $10+ levels, I figured it’s time to write a little guide for how to create your own new moon rituals. This will help you make the most of your monthly new moon-ing. This guide is by no means complete, and will be a living document that will change over time. It’s meant to guide you to the heart of the matter: once you can give yourself permission to do ritual however you want to do it, to play around with it and see what works, you’ll open a whole world of wonder and magic that you can bring into your waking life in practical and concrete ways.

And playing around is in fact one of the key ingredients of ritual — ritual loves drama and play, as that’s what amps the energy. So have fun with it! And sometimes, yes, ritual involves grief, anger and deeper feelings. But for now, try not to take yourself super seriously.

One of the reasons I love astrology is because it provides a map for understanding the soul’s journey. It provides a doorway for conscious and active participation in life and its mysteries.  That said, possible intepretations of the archetypes are infinite, and so it’s necessary for you to begin to understand what the archetypes mean to you. Forget salvation based religions, folks. Astrology at its best requires you to hone your intuition and find truth within yourself rather than looking without. Let’s celebrate that fact!

I don’t really consider astrology to be a religion, but understanding how it can inform spirituality is worthwhile. I use the term ‘spirituality’ and instantly cringe because it’s become so loaded. But I use it loosely as a way to reference the ways we accept that life has meaning.

In order for a spiritual system to serve as a container for transformation, it has to remain relevant at the level of the heart. Astrology is particularly rad in this sense because it provides a framework for a kind of global mythology. It uses universal archetypes within which individuals are their own center of truth. Astrology invites us to take somewhat obscure concepts and make them relevant according to our own experience — to internalize universal ‘truths’ and make them our own — or throw them out.

And then maybe go back and reclaim them again at some point when they line up with our experience. Truth is fluid and relative. That transiting Saturn is currently in a trine aspect with Uranus is “true” for everyone, but how it ripples through my experience will be different from yours. I might experience it as a revolutionary force that allows me to take practical steps towards complete life change. For you it might pass virtually unnoticed.

Because astrology allows us to dance with the archetypes, when we use it we start to see that the ways the archetypes play out are infinite. New Moons give us an opportunity to learn about an archetype’s presence in our own lives, plant some seed or set some intention, and then follow the changing course of our lives throughout the course of the following month.

One of the main functions of ritual is to help reconcile opposites, creating a dialogue or exchange with the “other” that engages transformation at the cognitive, emotional and physical levels. In fact the root of the word ritual comes from an Indo-European word meaning to fit together. Yes, it’s true, ritual effects physiological change as well as emotional.

Astrological ritual is one of the tools we can use to help mediate and understand the emotions and energies at play in our lives. It helps us to embrace the idea that we are participants in co-creating our realities, but there is also something mysterious about our existence.

So! Here are somevery basic keys to creating a New Moon ritual.

First, we recognize that rituals have a beginning, a middle and an end. In short, the beginning can be when we set the stage by doing something like:

• Setting an altar up with objects that represent the energies we’re working with (a Cancer New Moon altar might have some moonstone, jasmine essential oil or incense, a candle and something that represents what we’ll be focusing on for the month; tarot cards and crystals are also easy go-tos — they provide images and energies to work with, and they’re pretty!)
• Sitting in front of the altar and lighting the incense, and visualizing a golden circle of protection around us, and then doing some breathing or a grounding and centering practice
• Calling in helping allies or guides

The middle of the ritual can be something like:

• Praying; talking to your guides/ancestors/gods/goddesses/self about what it is you’re wanting to let go of and what seed or intention you’re wanting to plant
• Dancing
• Doing a tarot reading for yourself
• Burning a written statement of what you’re releasing and then writing down the intention to be left on your altar so you can view it every day for the month ahead
• Doing a guided visualization, journeying or other forms of imaginal work
• Dedicating a new piece of jewelry, object, piece of art that represents your intention

The end of the ritual should be where you

• Express gratitude (to any guides you’ve worked with, to yourself, to the Moon, the energies at play, or anything you’re grateful for)
• “Release” whatever helpers you’ve called in
• Breathe and reflect
• Blow out the candles/put out the incense
• Clap, stomp,rub your hands together and place them on the ground, or anything else to break up the energy and symbolize re-entering ‘normal’ time and space

In the days leading up to a New Moon, I’m typically bouncing around ideas for what intention I’d like to set based on what’s going on in my life and what I know about the sign of the New Moon. Amplification can be helpful here – google searches that give me more information or reading about the archetype. Amplification helps to narrow in on the themes for the New Moon at the personal and collective levels by increasing our understanding of the archetypes at play.

Sometimes I’ll create a collage for the event  while listening to a podcast or music. This process allows me to be in the flow while noticing what thoughts come up in conjunction with a given theme. This activity also provides me with something to put on my altar for the month, alongside relevant tarot cards or crystals. It’s a process that builds upon itself.

In terms of using your chart to help make your intention more specific and work with the energies more effectively you can:

• Find out what degree of the New Moon and then locate that sign and degree in your chart — this will lead you to the house where the New Moon falls, and as houses represent areas of life (such as home, relationships, career, etc.) that can help to focus it
• See if the New Moon is in aspect to any planets or angles in your chart and bring in those archetypal energies as well
• Work with key words. For example: If the New Moon is in Cancer (emotional self-reliance, home, family, identity) in my third house (communications, language, thoughts) I might string together keywords until something clicks (“My thoughts support emotional self-reliance” or “I communicate in ways that reflect my true identity” or “I use language that helps my interactions with my family”)

If you aren’t quite at a level where you can figure these things out for yourself and we’ve had a reading together, please feel free to reach out to me with questions and I’ll happy to look up where the lunation falls in your chart and whether it has any major aspects.

Remember: New Moons happen every month, which means you don’t have to get too carried away with making sure your ritual is some huge thing that is perfect and that covers every single thing you want to work on. You can keep it simple.

OTHER TIPS:

New Moon rituals are best done right around the time of the actual New Moon. You can find this information online or in an astrological ephemeris. I also post the times in the guidance I send out. Ideally, the ritual takes place at the moment of or just after the new moon (say within 12 or so hours). Don’t be too hard on yourself if it needs to be done just before, but as the energy of the moon is still waning (fading) then, it’s better to wait til just after, when it’s building again.

Setting up an altar in your home where you can do your rituals is an incredibly important practice. More on altar-building in a future article. But again, you can keep it simple — set a candle, an incense burner and some statue or image that is meaningful to you in a spot that’s set aside from the hustle and bustle.

Remember! Ritual and magic are not processes that make things go POOF! They require your participation. So after you do a ritual and plant a seed, you need to take concrete steps to follow through. The magic created will support you and send you opportunities, but you need to participate and see it through. You can do this by spending time every day in silent meditation at your altar, perhaps staring at your collage or a tarot card. You can make a to-do list. The possibilities are infinite. Just make a commitment and be an active participant rather than passively sitting by waiting for something to happen.

Questions? Comments? Tips or tricks you find particularly effective that you’d like to share? Feel free to comment or email me.

Do you feel it?
The pause before the exhale?
The bliss of inhaled expansion?

Or maybe, my love, for you it’s more like
The calm before the storm?
Or rigid, pulsing dread?
Clashing of realities.
Dimensions spatting in parallel.

Big hopes and dreams come swirling through this Sagittarian Full Moon portal…
Opening, confusing, clarifying, refusing.

What opportunities are coming your way?
What does your intuition say?

Something is about to ignite
But not before one…more…veil…is removed.

Close your eyes, breathe…
You are the wind and the rain
The sun and the grass.
You are the knowledge that recedes
And the wisdom that is born.

You are the light that awakens
The dawn in cracks of hope.

Feel it all pouring through you now…
In image and memory and caress…
And remember…

This Full moon takes place on Friday, June 9 at 6:10am Pacific Time. The Moon will be in Sagittarius while the Sun is in Gemini. The Sagittarius-Gemini axis highlights the axis of knowledge and wisdom, information and truth. It’s a great time to let all the words and concepts floating through your mind go for a bit and tune into your intuition if you’re able to. The conscious mind is an incredible gift, but sometimes it distracts us from those silent moments of knowing that are worth their weight in gold.

This lunation is ruled by Jupiter, which is the ruling planet of Sagittarius. Jupiter just happens to be returning to direct motion on the same day, after four months of being retrograde. Be open to opportunities coming your way, especially any that are linked to what you’ve been working on in the past few months. It might also be helpful to pay attention to what is needing to come to a close at this time in order to make space for the gifts of expansion Jupiter has to offer. Where could you use a little optimism in your life?

The energy of Sagittarius is normally quite bright. Some of us might, however, be feeling the influence of its proximity to Saturn, and being asked to reflect on the structure of our beliefs. This is the last time Saturn will be in Sagittarius for a Sadgy Full Moon for nearly 30 years, so you can use that extra OOMPH provided by the Lord of Karma and Time to finally let go of whatever narratives and stories have been up for review since this cycle began in late 2014. The time is now; the world can’t wait.

It’s also worth noting that the Gemini-Sagittarius axis involves notions of duplicity and lies vs. truth. We can see this playing out on the world stage right now. Gemini and Sagittarius are mutable signs, which means they are letting go of something, constantly changing. Sometimes that lack of claim to one absolute fact can just feel like a lie, especially if we’re used to being decisive or choosing one thing. That does not mean it is a lie, which gets at the relativity of truth. Processing is important.

There are times, however, when lies need to be called out for what they are, whether they stand in conflict with the rule of human-made law or natural law. Do not allow yourself to be glamoured and mystified by the circus that is our government and political system now. Pay attention to your values and don’t allow the wool to be pulled over your eyes. There are larger universal truths that we must stop avoiding: We cannot continue to use the earth as a sewer system. All beings deserve food, water and safety. Love is the unifying force that will save, and it is not passive or shy but bold and fierce.

We’re living in a crucial moment. Locating ourselves firmly in heart centered truth is the only way through.

**A guided visualization for this Full Moon has been posted (labeled as part II) for Patrons at the 20+ levels. Its aim is to help you reclaim some vital wisdom or truth that will help you moving forward.  If you’d like to purchase the recording on its own (it’s about 8 minutes long), send $8 via this link: www.paypal.me/aquarianspirals and then send an email to me. I will be traveling in the next 24 hours but will do my best to get it to you within 12 hours.**

(New Moon in Gemini exact Thursday, May 25 at 12:44pm PDT)

Who are we really? Are we each one united whole? Are we supposed to be? Or do we contain multitudes? From the Geminian perspective, the latter is far closer to the truth — the psyche is polytheistic, or comprised of many gods. In Gemini it is so difficult to choose just one, because there is so much to learn and so much to know.

Wherever Gemini falls in your chart is an area of life where these themes are likely to come into play. As Gemini is represented by the twins, its dominion is where duplicity is more apparent. Perhaps it appears as contradiction. Perhaps it can be helpful to shine a light on the shadow of this place. How can we reconcile seemingly disparate parts?

There is a beauty in the openness of Gemini season, which began Saturday, May 20. What are the possibilities? What futures are rippling out in front of us waiting to be claimed? What new ideas are waiting to gestate? Kicking it up a notch — how can we unite our head and our heart to further reinforce our will once we know what we want and then communicate our truth?

From Cilla Conway’s Intuitive Tarot

Gemini’s ruling planet, Mercury, is associated with the Magician in the tarot, after all. The Magician is the figure who knows how to use all of their tools in order to manifest what their will desires, to travel between the worlds as messenger of the gods in order to ensure connection and communication between body, soul and spirit.

Each month, just before the New and Full Moons I make a point of reviewing my magical diaries — a collection of journals where I record rituals, dreams, tarot readings and other notes. Although I’ve been journaling since I was five, I didn’t actually commit to keeping a magical diary until a few months ago (I’ve had a few false starts over the years).

The main function of such a tool is that it gives us a way to ensure we don’t collude with the defenses of our ego, which is always eagerly trying to erase any memory of intention or progress as it struggles to maintain its prominence. The ego, or the part of us that helps us orient to our experience by giving us a sense of identity or who we are, loathes change. It prefers comfort and the known, to be able to define exactly who it is, and because of this it is prone to forgetting anything that might change that identity. This is in direct contrast to the desires of the soul, which involve pushing up against limitation and then transforming.

It’s a core paradox that can create a lot of anxiety, and the ego does what it can to avoid anxiety. And so we witches and transformers need ways of remembering and recording — and holding ourselves accountable.

These days, however, it seems that everything is quickening, moving faster, as we writhe under an onslaught of constant change and stimulation. The technological age has made it so that those of us privileged enough to have access to so many different devices are constantly bombarded, never having to wait for anything, always able to escape, always able to change our external situation, avoid, procrastination — and learn more.

The technological boom is also fucking with our memories. Oh, our poor, poor brains.

While reviewing my magical diary this morning I recognized a few things. First, that I started it just over two months ago. Two! Two months. Feels like ten years. And as I reviewed all that’s happened in those two months I was floored. So. Much. Change. And so many forgotten intentions. So much progress. And a few steps back. And several empowering notes that I really wish I had remembered. Seeds planted, blooms emerging.

“Quickening” is a term most predominantly associated with pregnancy. The moment when the mother first feels the baby moving inside of her. It is the mother’s first perception of what has been gestating. A sensory connection is finally made. And in fact, Gemini is associated with the perception-thought-speech process. We gather sensory information in Taurus and then begin to develop conscious awareness of our surroundings, linking it all together through language and communication

I spent a few days learning about the upcoming lunation cycle, and leaning into the energy of it. Gemini energy is speedy. It’s fluid. Not fluid in that watery way, it being an air sign and all. But fluid in that mental kinda way — ideas rise to the top of our consciousness and then float out again, being replaced by something new. Gemini is full of the fun and wonder that emerge in the quest to unite the head and the heart.

But there’s something deeper there as well. This lunation feels somewhat like a pressure cooker.

Now, there are a few reasons for that. We are, after all, still in the waning (releasing) portion of the Taurus-Scorpio lunation cycle which has been rather intensely transformative, and so there’s a kind of cosmic push to get rid of whatever bullshit still remains (get it? Bull is a symbol for Taurus and Scorpio is often associated with shit…).

There’s also the interplay between the shadow of Gemini and the quality of a dark moon. Gemini’s strength lies in its curiosity and sense of wonder and playfulness — a strong desire to learn about the world and be immersed in left-brain pursuits. But it can also be superficial, constantly skimming the surface, prone to one distraction after another and as a result missing the call to go deeper — or even actively refusing the call, resulting in a vast waste of energy that could be used for necessary transformation. The polarity of Gemini — Sagittarius — is where we integrate and synthesize all that knowledge into a cohesive whole. We have here the knowledge-wisdom polarity. And they are in fact two very different things, although they clearly rely on each other.

In a world where we are in fact constantly bombarded by media and increasingly wired to be swiping, scanning and drifting over headlines and selfies and a never-ending search for something new, the Gemini brain can become a devouring, energy sucking beast. It loses sight of the goal, which is synthesis. Gemini shadows thrive in today’s technological environment.

This contrasts with the energy of the dark moon, which calls on us to retreat inwards, be silent, let go and plant some new seed. This is especially true when we’re dealing with a mutable sign (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces), the energy of which is…letting go.

…and then there’s the fact that this lunation coincides with a square between Venus and Pluto — which can bring up challenging power struggles in relationships and stormy emotion.

This reminds me of the fact that Gemini is also associated with The Lovers card in the tarot, the shadow of which is that the desire to merge and synthesize is just as strong as the fear of it, and so we keep avoiding and escaping, reluctant to admit that union is also part of the process. Where do we need to commit to uniting — with an idea, a truth, a person, an aspect of ourselves?Additionally, in all of my Gemini-style research I came across the fact that this lunation takes place in Gemini Decan I. What you need to know about that is that it carries the energy of the shadow — of facing the shadow in particular. And my oh my is it hard to see a shadow in the dark of the Moon. Gemini doesn’t tend to be super comfy with deep emotion, and so it might be good to remind ourselves not to run away if conflict does arise in the coming days — while at the same time remembering to question whether or not we need/want to actual explode whatever thing we’re facing.

So…that’s a lot of information! Shocking, I know. More detailed help in terms of New Moon rituals will be provided for subscribers at the $10+ level of my Patreon Campaign. But to simplify, based on where I’m at in this moment, the question that arises is: What needs to go so that new ideas can be born?

The Full Moon in Sagittarius on Friday, June 9 at 6:10am, then, is the time for synthesis. Make an extra effort this cycle to do some art. Make a collage. Bring the pieces of what you’re learning together in some form, even if it’s just some free writing with a cohesive title at the top. At the very least, spend some time speaking or writing your truth. Work it out. Leave time for wonder and non-confrontation dialogue and deep listening. Remember patience. And the joy of learning new things, even when it makes us feel cranky and conflicted. And then, as always, take a deep breath. Something new is about to be born.

*If you’ve had an astrology reading with me before and would like help locating the house of this or any future lunation, please feel free to email me and ask*

Now through June 1 I am offering a special gift to anyone who signs up for any level of monthly support of my Patreon Campaign: you’ll receive a free PDF with a copy of your chart, blurbs describing your Sun, Moon and Rising signs, and a little spiffy decoder to help you know where each planet is in your chart and where the signs are (so you can locate New and Full Moons and much more on your own!). This is in addition to the monthly incentives associated with each tier.  You’ll receive an email with further instructions once you sign up through Patreon.