AstroBlog

ENDARKENMENT – Scorpio season and tending our roots

by Lynne Speight, posted in Transformation, Wheel of the Year

As nights lengthen and the leaves flame and fall, Scorpio season whispers to us across the veil of our everyday being. Sap descends and decaying vegetation seeps underground, nourishing roots and earth. Animals hibernate. Tending the invisible realm begins. At this time of year, we are drawn towards Life’s deep, juicy and pithy strata… deep mysteries of Fate and Free will, playing out in our shifting relationships with life, power, control and taboos. This is the realm of death, desire, sex, passion, truth, empowerment, un-doings, subterfuge, portals, trust, betrayals, hidden agendas. And…the going beyond all we may have imagined was possible in losing and re-finding ourselves.

Into Endarkenment…an echo of nature’s cycle. Heeding the call to tend our depths, perceiving and divining our own process s far, within the yearly round. We may dance with this season and enter the Underworld willingly by seeking solitude, enquiring, unfolding, undoing, revealing, with a sense of the Moirae as henchwomen at our back.

Courage is needed to pause within the stillness and potency of this fertile Void, simultaneously empty and full. Feel it, sniff it. Stay with fears of the dark and potential bogeymen and nothingness. What do you find here? This is a crucial and creative phase in our being and doing, which is frequently ignored. This pause/poise is the balance point which begins and ends the breath of life; the yin in-breath/inspiration and being phase, and the yang out-breath activity and doing. Potent.

During our lives, we may also be ‘taken down’, or taken further into the Underworld by intense or shocking life events (these phases may echo Pluto transits). Times within which we may experience a sense of dismemberment and dis-location from our known Self. Within such experiences, we are poised in profound choice…with consequences. To avoid or to engage….?

Responding with a willingness or magnetic pull to immerse ourselves within this process, we may well discover deepening capacity to face uncomfortable truths; phoenix-survival skills and a more deeply empowered sense of who we truly are. Treasure hidden beneath dragon’s wings. And for this process, it is essential to create a safe container, anchorage and an Ariadne’s thread to guide our return. Alongside the magic potion of ruthless compassion and self-honesty.

We are enchanted (sung into and across) the portals of Life and Death. So are we sung into our soul-depths during Scorpio and Samhain season and Pluto transits, or if we are Plutonic by nature. How we relate with and dance with this energy carries an element of choice.

It is a worthy journeying.  In the darkness we become still. We open to senses beyond our physical knowings, just as a seed buried in the dark awaits its time to swell and open. Our pulse slows, and we begin to perceive murmurings within the silence, connecting us to deeper strata of truth.

Resting and residing within this darkness strengthens and nourishes our root system. It hones our instinctive bone deep knowings.

And within this deep Underworld, we may discover our deepest strength, courage, wisdom and beauty.

Endarkenment is a challenge to our ego. It deconstructs and undoes. Courage is needed to let-go and dive within, to face our fear of the unknown and the dark; the monsters and dragons and ghosts of nightmares. And culture can offer seductive escape hatches to avoid facing threat…drawing us towards external doing and visible worldly achievements and interpretations of success and addictions…as if suspending ourselves on an eternal out-breath, forever in Summertime.

Yet within this descent and undoing…mossy terrain of spiral staircases going down, down… of cauldrons and wells and shadows…of snakeskins shedding and chrysalis shrouds, here we may find our Gold. If we can find a way of sitting with our process, our fears, our wonderings, however long it takes, within the dark, damp, fertile inner caverns where we fear dismemberment and meet dragons …we may also find magical mythical beasts and hench-folk who journey alongside us, which maybe we hadn’t previously seen. Deep shining empowerment and radiance may emerge from this territory. And the capacity to become a companion and lantern in the dark.

*Endarkenment – a word which wiggled and hatched into my awareness as Scorpio time approached, maybe after hearing ‘enlightenment’ and ‘light worker’ just one too many times. I felt the imbalance, and thought of Wendy sewing Peter Pan’s shadow back onto his foot, after it was lost and found….a re-connection and integration of Sprite and Shadow.

Scorpio Altar

Crisis and Opportunity (Part 4) Neptune in Pisces

by Lynne Speight, posted in Coronavirus, Transformation, World Crisis, World transformation

A deep red curtain rises for the opening night of ‘Crisis and Opportunity – a commentary upon this time’, a much heralded new theatre production.

SCENE 1: A backdrop of a smoky industrial chimney skyline, government buildings, grey clad workers in line…images of the Establishment; schools, hospitals, banks, silicon valley. With an ambience of something is gathering momentum and about to happen.  (Subtitle: Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn)

SCENE 2 : Lush green pastures and blossoms, vibrant wildlife, organic food; images of agrochemicals, pollution, dying bees and fast food. With an ambience of something is brewing towards critical mass and about to change. (Subtitle: Uranus in Taurus)

RANDOMLY INTERWOVEN CONNECTIVE SCENES: Morphing symbolic images of earth-scapes and cosmos-scapes; temples, prayer wheels, majestic mountains, bliss and beauty…ways we reach for a fusion with Spirit…the ocean, mermaids and monsters. Hallucinations? Real or unreal? Now you see them…now you don’t.
Revolving and evolving scenes. Variations on a theme of a longing and yearning to infuse our lives with something higher, something pure and perfect…an ethereal essence of paradise and unification.

So let’s look at these curious ‘Randomly interwoven connective scenes’ within the imagined theatre production of ‘Crisis and Opportunity – a commentary upon these times’. Maybe you’ve guessed the planetary transit within the ambience of my words….? Well, we’re about to explore another protagonist in our present time: Neptune in Pisces…    Note: Scenes 1 & 2 were explored in my three previous Crisis and Opportunity blogs.

Neptune is in Pisces from 2011 to 2025. Neptune is one of the slow moving far/outer planets, with a 165yr orbit around the Sun. No-one presently on Earth has experienced Neptune in Pisces during their lifetime. Its last sojourn in Pisces (1847-1862), saw the vast unfolding of the Industrial revolution.
Neptune is the planetary ruler of Pisces, so whilst abiding in its ‘home-sign’, it is very strongly active amidst the very best conditions to fulfill its cosmic remit. In a nutshell, this is a process of dissolving that which is outworn and no longer necessary; enabling the freeing up of wing-room to develop crucial evolutionary changes towards living with more Spirit and Compassion. This principle goes for both individuals and the collective.

The Zodiac sign of Pisces 

Pisces is the twelfth and last sign of the Zodiac wheel. It’s a mutable water sign, symbolised by two fishes swimming in opposite directions. One fish swims horizontally around the ecliptic and the other fish reaches up towards the heavens. Pisces represents the area of life beyond the physical realm ~ the Otherworld. This is the invisible world of intuition, sixth sense, desire to merge with the Divine, God, angels, phantoms, and ghosts.
It’s the realm from which we each emerge into Earthly life through our birthing, and where we return through our dying.
It’s the chaos from which all creation emerges…and then dissolves for purification and re-emergence.
It’s the habitat of dreams, trances, visions, kaleidoscopic perceptions, psychic connections, and knowings.
Artistic and symbolic expression perhaps most effectively convey this mysterious, ethereal, and powerful realm, which weaves throughout our earthly mortal coil; a continual thread of connection with the divine realm and spiritual home. Art awakens us to this realm within our lives and our psyche…a realm which is oft imperceptible, invisible, and semiconscious. Through art, we may reach into or be transported into the Beyond and maybe gain a touch or a fleeting glimpse of the Otherworld.
There are many ways of reaching into the Beyond. All require a giving up or sacrificing of individuality to enable merging into fusion. We may journey into the Beyond with intention.. or we may find ourselves unconsciously slipping or led into an altered state.
This journeying may be stimulated by prayer, meditation, ecstatic dance, ritual and ceremony, hallucinogenics, deep love, sexual bliss, poetry, psychosis, dreams, and addictions. Within these altered states, our consciousness expands and morphs as everyday boundaries dissolve. Through these portals, we may touch the Divine and experience fusion (going beyond the Self into cosmic attachment and Oneness), merging into the oceanic bliss of divine unconditional all-encompassing love, true compassion, and empathy.

Neptune in Pisces

The planetary archetype of Neptune is an ‘active principle’ within our psyche. It is the vehicle within which we may journey towards this state of Beyond and fusion, reaching for a state of redemption and maybe bring a little heaven to earth if we are able and willing.

When Neptune is in Pisces, there is an expansion and a going beyond everyday earthly concerns. An opening of a portal through which we may enter and imbibe an in-fusion of Spirit or Otherworldliness. Each individual and each worldly culture has its own interpretation and imagery of this place within and without. This ambience inspires and calls us to reach up and move beyond our everyday boundaried Self…to touch and merge with the divine.
There is a vast array of mediums of trans-port to this destination. And they all run on Kairos time…no Chronos timetables. Only Magic Portals.
We may journey either alone or alongside others in religious or spiritual ceremony, vision quest, or ritual. Or our journey may be through collective movements reflecting the current Zeitgeist in music, art, dance, fashion, theatre, film; community formation and gatherings. These are some of the ways of bringing Mystery and Magic into Life, adding meaning and dimension.

Neptune in Pisces may also bring confusion, morphs, and shifts….previous ‘knowns’ transforming into dissolution and undoing…old forms of being heaving and groaning in their death-morph throes. Tides alter their course and wild waves dissolve rock faces and cliffs, those densest substances of Earth. The creative force dissolves and re-emerges in a renewed form.
There may be tidal Collective Uncertainty; now you see ‘it’, now you don’t. And what may ‘it’ really mean?! Glamour and the weaving of spells and manipulations.
With Neptune in Pisces, a figurehead may appear out of ‘nowhere’, rising to fame or recognition…maybe becoming a Saviour/Messiah figure, soon mysteriously disappearing and returning to nowhere. Or being collectively dispatched back to Nowhere, when the tide turns and another twist in the tale emerges. These figureheads may be alluring and magnetise attention. Illusion or Reality? Dream or Nightmare? Light or Dark? Questions arise amongst the collective as to what such figures may really represent. Who or what might be behind them? What’s the real agenda or underlying intent? Are they truly all they seemingly portray…or are they riddled with manipulated image and grandeur? Deification contains inherent danger; the projection of a perfect redeemer cannot sustain itself…and there is only one way to fall from a throne.
Are we each willing to stand by our own perceptions of Truth and risk the loss of fusion, which collective following and groupthink enables? Or might we yearn to belong so deeply that we are willing to compromise our own individual viewpoint or intuition, shapeshifting our own views to fit into the collective or group container. A mature and grounded selfhood is capable of holding one’s own point of view whilst being open, interested and curious towards the differing opinions of others. This is a skill in which we are not generally educated!
This is Rumi’s place of true meeting:

Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
– Rumi

New spiritual or philosophical angles and outlooks may pervade the collective when Neptune transits Pisces…sweeping into consciousness; critical mass reached, sometimes becoming viral. What do we believe? How do we know? Maybe we can’t know for sure, and we may go by intuition. Is this wisdom or risky danger?
Movements and figureheads arise on powerfully pervasive tides. Within the mass of new paradigm philosophies and conspiracy theories there lie crucial grains of both important truths and questionable truths.
Maybe this is where the opposite sign of Virgo has a complementary role….to sift through and discern. Trash or treasure.
Pray to Allah….but tie up your camel. 

Neptune in Pisces ~ a real life infusion

Within our present phase (Winter/Spring 2020) of Neptune in Pisces, we are experiencing the global pandemic of Covid-19, a virus which is at least debilitating and at most life threatening for a significant number of people. Coronavirus has surreptitiously and pervasively spread throughout many countries through human contact and virus-carrying vapour. And it is mysterious; constantly mutating, adapting, and renewing itself in slightly altered forms in order to evolve new strains in the hope of securing its own survival.
As a response to Covid-19 during these last few months, many governments initially restricted social contact between people and then moved into Lockdown in an attempt to ‘limit the spread of infection, save lives and support health services to function within their capacity’.

The everyday lives of many people have morphed dramatically. Our daily schedules, rhythms, and pace are moving from one extreme to another. The experience of these changes is largely dependent upon a person’s lifestyle, health condition (mental and physical), home-life, and work. Alongside this is our fundamental capacity to adapt, be creative, and self-care.

Health and care workers lives have become intensified…long hours and high risk of infection alongside more ‘public’ recognition of their value – yet no pay rises. Beyond government attitudes and legislation, individuals and communities have created a swell of compassion, kindness, and practical support. Some shops are offering a specific time of day when healthcare workers can shop, and/or a reduction on their shopping bills, free downloads, free services, and much more.

Some workers are finding themselves with slightly reduced earnings and lots of time freed up. This is wish come true for some, who are unearthing projects and plans and enjoying having time to do them.
For other it’s a struggle; a new and unfamiliar state of being, whether this is alone or maybe with a challenging household nucleus, or ongoing care responsibilities.
For many, changes in work and income are causing stress on both practical and psychological levels. We are in a situation of unknown timing and future outcome, with media announcements of a looming and chronic economic recession.

There is a sense of collective unrest within some nations. Many are experiencing feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and mistrust as to the capacity of their governments’ ability to manage Covid-19. Do we trust them to handle the situation in a sensible, supportive, safe, and fair human way, acting with wisdom and common sense? The British and American governments are under particular scrutiny here!
Enter the issue of trust, manipulation, and agenda…is that ‘new idea’ or approach really supportive? Or is it riddled with undercurrents which support an elite and undermine others?  Is a government a reliable and trustworthy authority (like a good parent!) …or not?

Alongside these transformations, compassion, care, and consideration are being inspired, re-fuelled, and re-birthed.  Neighbours share resources, organise shopping rotas and deliveries, swap vegetable and flower seedlings, people chat over fences and in socially distanced queues outside shops. Local communities build support networks. Kindness and empathy flows…

There are a torrent of images, poems, photos, videos, and offerings being shared and ‘gifted’ on social media, mostly well-meaning. And yet, depending on personal nature and stance, these may be received as either a gift or a bane.
The Internet has become a rainbow bridge for many; an amazing medium for virtual connection, education and entertainment. It has become the first and, for some, the lasting ‘go-to’ amidst Lockdown. But the increase of information sharing has clearly provoked a sense of overload and overwhelm for some. Questions, confusions and doubts as to simply what to believe have arisen.
Many people are now finding the necessity to limit or shift their newfound internet and social media habits, wishing to regain a subjectively ‘healthier’ level of use during their home-bound or socially distanced reality. For some it has become a mode of distraction or a growing addiction. Amidst this expansion, morph, and shift in reality, boundaries may become an issue. Fortunately, there is an OFF button.

Hatching within our present Covid-impacted Neptune in Pisces reality, there is a growing recognition of the truly important things in life. Our altered reality is inspiring us to reflect upon those qualities in life which give us fulfillment, contentment and joy.
These qualities are so often connected with friendships and relationships, health and wellbeing, simplicity, and a slower pace which enables us to enjoy and notice the wonder in our lives with a sense of gratitude.
The simple and joyous pleasures and importance of really being with family, friends and loved ones.

During Lockdown, absence has made the heart grow fonder. Through the loss of face-to-face contact, many of us have realised a new level of value for friends and loved ones. There are connections which we may well have taken for granted, such as the value of hugging a beloved one, the pleasure of eating yummy cake in a cafe with a smile, going to a festival with friends, travelling or trecking, cuddling a child, holding the hand of a lonely or grieving person, and wandering, with no restriction, in beauty.
These precious common experiences, oft taken for granted, give us great nourishment and soul food. They lift us up and take us beyond our individual everyday routines and focus, infusing us with the wonders of connection and healthy life-sustaining cathexis. Connections of the heart, soul, and spirit are a deep longing and yearning within us humans.

So what might be written on the Neptune in Pisces gravestone as a testimony to the passing of this Cosmic signature when it completes in 2025?
What would you like to see written there, on the stone pages of the open-winged Angel’s book?
Would you like to see inscriptions of….

  • A shifting in societies throughout the world towards peace and compassionate inclusion?
  • A transformation in healthcare provision, encompassing the best of mainstream and complimentary medicine?
  • The growth of sustainable methods of agriculture?
  • The development of a wiser education, supporting young people in growing into the very best of themselves?
  • Shelter, clothing, and clean water provision for all, based on a well-functioning and simple model with respect for cultural diversity and people’s dignity?
  • The beginning of a renewed vision within world religions and spiritual philosophies?
  •               ?

We each have a meaningful part to play as individual pieces of the Global Jigsaw. Each of us have specific gifts and wisdom of experience which we may gift to the world.

In these times it is crucial that we each choose our own theme of engagement, focus of further enquiry, and gift to the world with care.
Take some time to deeply dream your way into finding it. What inspires you?
This needs to be a reflection of you; your passions, your seeking, and your unique gifts.
Dream and meditate upon it, as these qualities bring your empowerment into being.
When it emerges, infuse it with your own wise knowings and intent to bring Spirit that bit further into a bonding with Matter.

Then breathe it into Life through compassionate action…

Crisis and Opportunity (part 3) Uranus in Taurus

by Lynne Speight, posted in World Crisis, World transformation

An exploration of Uranus in Taurus (2018 – 2026) – a major planetary wave currently intensified, with far-reaching meaning for all of us Earthlings.

As I write, we are now experiencing one of the powerpoints of this Uranus cycle, opened up with the New Moon of 23rd.April, with a Sun-Uranus conjunction continuing until 26th.April 2020. Here come metaphorical flashes of lightning, illuminating the dusty cobwebby corners in our relationship with the Earth, our ecosystem, resources, land, farming and growing, our physical body, sutainability, practical stability. Quite simply, the potential here is the provoking and inspiring of change! May this blog offer some thought-provoking context for the present Zeitgeist. Engage and Enjoy!

An initial word on planetary movements…                                                                                                          Planets are in continual orbit around the Sun, like clock hands moving against the backdrop of the 12 Zodiac signs. Psychologically, a planet within a Zodiac sign creates a very specific combination. A sharpened focus of an archetypal principle within a meaningful theme is co-created. To understand any combination, it’s helpful to explore the meaning of both the planetary archetype and the Zodiac sign.

Here’s an illustrative analogy involving the weather: we can choose how we approach it! We can resist and ‘distance ourselves’ from the experience of particular weather conditions, and maybe even complain or ‘blame’. Or, we can put on appropriate clothing, be curious, participatory, immersive….embrace it and enjoy! Making the choice to engage and be curious about the nature of a planetary transit enables us to build a descriptive image and story of the current ambience, to face/embrace it, to build a map and begin to engage in the best way we can, with some simple navigational skills. As with the weather, it’s useful to remember that we Earthlings are free to choose how we engage with this. Or not. Our choice towards engagement leads to a maximisation of inherent potential!

The Zodiac sign of Taurus

We are presently in the Zodiac season of Taurus from April 19th – May 20th 2020.  Taurus is a Fixed Earth sign, with Venus as its planetary ruler. It represents all areas of our natural world; presiding over our experience as a physical being on Earth; representing our fundamental need and desire for grounded and reliable practical security and stability, beauty and Earth-wonder. Through the principle of Taurus, we find and recognise that which we value, need and desire for our continuing life and wellbeing…and what we love and has worth to each one of us. Earthly treasure…

Taurus Zodiac season during Spring reminds us of the wonder of the world as perceived through our five physical senses…our amazing and unique capacity to experience our world as Spirits clothed and arrayed in matter….a physical body. We perceive through our five physical senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Wow. These  senses are the modus operandi of Taurus. Through these portals, we take in the world around us; experiencing, absorbing and knowing…responding with an ‘Ooooooh!’ or a ‘Yuk!’…and much inbetween. Through these senses, we may see beauty and ugliness; we hear harmony and discord; our taste gives us experiences somewhere on the scale of pleasure and displeasure, as does our sense of smell. and touch takes us into pleasure or pain. Our senses of smell and touch also imbibe a mass of unconscious information, which we register and translate into ‘knowing’, deeply within our body, in a treasure trove beneath our consciousness.

Being human necessitates nourishment, hydration, medicine, shelter and clothing as well as tools and the development of skills for our survival; growing food, building, crafting and healing. We are totally reliant upon the Earth and it’s growth for the crops which gift these necessities. Humbling. Over time, we have grown way out of kilter in our attitudes and stewardship of our land, animals and waterways. We have become largely divorced from our original relationship with the Earth and our physical bodies….slipping into unsustainability and compromised health and wellbeing in many areas. We have lost a sense of sacred honouring, interconnection and interdependence which reflected gratitude and appreciation of all we have on Earth being a precious life-sustaining gift. We are now at point of escalating crisis. And any crisis state encompasses both danger and opportunity. 

Uranus and it’s psychological archetype.

Uranus is one of the three Far or Outer planets, orbiting far out in our solar system, discovered in 1781 and breaking the mold of our solar system as containing seven heavenly bodies. On a psychological level, Uranus inspires sudden or even awe-inspiringly shocking opening of our awareness to incorporate another whole new angle or perspective. Stretchy consciousness stuff, with the potential for illuminations, eurekas and enlightenments which may seed an evolutionary paradigm shift in the collective. And potential is the operative word! Uranus inspires revelations and revolutions, change and re-visioning. It’s a mover and shaker; destroying outworn patterns and razing things to the ground, creating a blank slate. A transformative Void. And of course, change appears in many guises. It may be change via a complete U-turn. Or more of the same way, in disguise. It may be radical or liberating….or dictatorial. The allure of change, paticularly driven by the desire to escape may apparently take us into new or different ways and patterns…yet we may later discover that we’d run with the herd only to find ourselves locked down within an illusion without clearly having seeing manipulative tactics or illusions at work. Uranus principle inspires us to see things from a different angle and shifted perspective; seeking further evolution towards a better world. And we all have our own versions of how a better world might look! Uranus is a lightning bolt and a soaring eagle within our consciousness, flying high and gaining a broader perspective alongside our more everyday, and equally important perspective of immersion, which is the psychological experience of being fully present either emotionally or physically.

Uranus in Taurus

The passage of Uranus through the Zodiac sign of Taurus (2018-2026), heralds a great opportunity to clear away the deadwood and malfunctioning within our attitudes, values and actions regarding all that is physical, of the Earth (including our body) and necessary for our continuing survival. Uranus in Taurus inspired the uprising of Extinction Rebellion, Re-wilding, Re-storing and Greta Thunberg’s school strikes for climate change, amongst other potent and illuminated movements towards radical and sustainable change. Yet still the majority gazes elsewhere…concerns focused upon a self-oriented distant horizon.

And now the uprising of Covid-19 affects everyone in some big way…either through contracting the virus itself, experiencing suffering or death; grieving the death of a loved one; axis-shift, financial struggle and hardship, job loss, and the many practical and psychological challenges during Lockdown. We are all ‘in it together’ and no-one is exempt from risk of illness or Death, or the wondering, re-jigging and questioning of our ‘old’ life-style in the face of this ‘new’ reality. And….for many, a pause has been created. A divine gap amidst struggle. We are noticing things with more awareness and sensitivity; birdsong, simple pleasures, human connection. kindness and thoughtfulness; solidarity in neighbourhoods. We are noticing the people, states and things which we value, love and hold dear.

* What is most precious in your life? May you feel gratitude for these wonders. And may you remember these knowings and recognitions; dreaming and nurturing them into your future.

When a Uranian eagle soars through and above the verdant Earth realm of Taurus, might we re-member or see anew, our instinctively known Vision of the inherent interconnectedness of nature and ourselves? Might we rest awhile on a mountain ledge, beholding the wonders of our Earth and dream into a vision of a beautiful and sustainable world, where natural and social systems are inspired by co-operation, natural economy, respect and gratitude? Might we pause and more fully enter into our eagle-eye view….to en-visage how we may begin to work both individually and together to bring such a  sustainable reality into being? We need an Earth care-plan, just as we would create this for an ailing person in need of healing, with an initial diagnosis being divined for clarity and understanding, then followed by a care-plan to move forwards into healing and well-being. We can each do something, Remember, Small is Beautiful. Slow and steady wins the race. And politics begin at home. Vision inspires Reality. And our intent, will, commitment and perseverance move our visions into the actuality of our Everyday.

The current bigger picture:

Things get interesting when we begin to look at the current ‘Whole’. The multi-planetary picture forms a Zeitgeist Fusion Jigsaw (please see Crisis and Opportunity 2020 part 1 & 2, for further understanding on the various cosmic jigsaw pieces at work!). The current Zeitgeist is one of a yawning, creaking and stretching of well-established and traditional Authority structures…with the challenge and potential for breakdown and breakthrough of a new vision which could revolutionise our lives. Or not. It’s a choice-making in which we can powerfully re-create the  jigsaw within which we all participate and reside. We can choose to turn and face the strange Ch-ch-changes (thankyou Mr.Bowie), or turn away and shuffle off into a familiar, apparently easy, continuing version of malfunctioning de-volution. This is our chance…and we have the chess players beautifully aligned on the Cosmic chess board. So our sacred respons-ability is to engage…to participate deeply and thoughtfully with our senses open, clear and receptive, with an expanded heart and mind, inhaling inspiration…and to care-fully consider our moves and motives. Vision-formation and moves which we now make are critical, and will cast light or shadow into the future survival of our Earth and ourselves as Earthling visitors.  May we choose our moves with wisdom. And our moves can be small or large….and of a style which reflects our own nature and capacities.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!– Goethe

Appendix:  What’s your Eco-thing? An active engagement with Uranus in Taurus

Here’s some food for thought and action. And the reaching of critical mass through individual ‘small’ – yet very meaningful – moves).

Major resistances to change are our love of comfort, force of habit and overwhelm. Each of us has natural areas of understanding and interest concerning our Earth and it’s resources….these are the areas we will most easily notice and connect with. be ‘on it’ and pro-active towards creating ecological sustainability, resourcefulness and wellbeing.

  •  Consider which areas you most easily relate to… Examples may be food growth, food processing (ie. herb or medicinal plant drying and storing, medicine making, preserving, bread and cake baking), eco-building, crafting, community farming, sharing resources and skills, recycling, refilling or making your own household cleaning or personal care products, maintaining and mending, systems building, re-visioning, living simply, creating Earth enhancing activities…ie. Biodynamic preparations, or teaching Ways to engage in co-operation with the natural world both within and around us.
  • Consider attitudes you hold, decisions you have made, actions you have taken, which support a positive and sustainable relationship with the Earth, the eco-system and our physical bodies. Honour these!
  • Consider any ‘glitchy’ areas with which you may personally struggle…and consider whether you can, want, and maybe how you could alter your relationship with this area. Even if slightly….this is a no guilt approach!!
  • Consider the art of ‘extending’ yourself….by taking a ‘new’ focus for this next month. For instance, you could pick any of the above areas, and consider making a small or large move within your chosen theme, then actually create or do something which will be your own ‘bit’ towards change. And notice how you feel as you become pro-active.

May we co-create a sustainable and beautiful world, through both sweeping vision-inspired change and tiny committed steps…each one of us. May you bring pleasure into your actions and work and enjoy the beauty of our world.

Crisis and Opportunity 2019-2020 (Part 2)

by Lynne Speight, posted in World Crisis

An Exploration of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn – a major planetary wave currently in action which has far-reaching meaning for us all.

Let’s begin by looking at how cycles of Earth and Cosmos entwine:  Life on Earth has seasonal and evolutionary cycles, each with their own tone and theme. Within these cycles, things develop. Each ‘cycle’ has a beginning, middle and end. We can see this unfolding in myriad ways; within seasons, animal and plant growth, human beings and communities. And each new cycle, if we look closely, can be seen to have a distinctly unique ‘theme’ of its very own…just like the different phases during our lives. The initiation into each new cycle is heralded by an ‘emergence’… a happening; a seed of something; a new theme arising. Then comes stabilisation; a bedding-in, with habits and ‘roots’ forming and new things gradually becoming the ‘norm’. Then eventually, a breaking down process begins; the decaying and dying phase; stimulated by a change or shift occurring; maybe new information or understanding is gleaned, a sudden uprising of vision, an about-turn or illumination, upside-down-ness or magic. And then after a pause for breath…integration (which can be profoundly wisdom-birthing), a new cycle begins (again). It’s evolution.

Astrology can be really useful in connecting us with the unique underlying themes, tones, colours and ever- shifting qualities which uniquely shape each of these cycles. These themes may be divined by understanding the movements of planets against the backdrop of Zodiac signs, together with the relationships/interconnections between the planets themselves. Clear and fascinating correlations can be observed between celestial patterns and human or animal behaviour as well as plant and weather activity.

Life is enriched by both our observation and engagement. We may then become active co-creators in the interweaving of Earth and Cosmos…an ever-evolving tapestry.

Into the Now of 2019-20 – Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn 

A conjunction is when two or more planets are very close to one another in the heavens (within a few degrees). A conjunction represents an alchemical marriage of two archetypes, when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. A new essence is birthed from their conjoining.

So firstly, let’s deep-delve into the psychological meaning of each of these planetary archetypes as separate developmental forces within both individuals and collectives…

Saturn moved into the Zodiac sign of Capricorn at the end of 2017. It is the ruling planet of this sign, therefore in an extra strong position…home territory. Its psychological archetype represents the development of a healthy ego-container for our Soul’s purpose to unfold within, and to become a true Authority (author of our own Life). It’s about structure, self-discipline, boundaries, reality, self-reliance, commitment and consolidation. It is the realm of standing at the Threshold; being held accountable for our actions, before we may move onwards into the next phase of our Soul’s journey. It’s a ‘taking stock’….in a necessary and sometimes seemingly ‘enforced’ way. Fate is at work. Images of Saturn are the Guardian of the Threshold, Grim Reaper; serious, dour, sensible and responsible. It’s about reality, as opposed to what we might pretend or want it to be. It’s the need to accept and respect our mortal limits and to live within Time, in a feet-on-the-ground way. Saturn is the wise teacher/mentor who roots for our ‘best’, not an unreal ‘perfect’ kind of best, rather, a grounded ‘good enough’ best of our ability. Saturn is soul-honing and self-sufficient, dealing with what is essential and workable; demanding that we stay within absolute reality (no frills or hubris). It’s our capacity to set realistic goals, plan and organise well in a disciplined way. It carries a willingness to adjust where necessary if something isn’t ‘working’, in order to attain our goal and survive. Saturn’s favourite quote might well be ‘We reap what we sow’. The darker face of Saturn drives us to hang on tooth-grittingly to a known, habitual safety and security-giving structure, in a bid for control. Hunkering down in avoidance and resistance of any change which is perceived as a threat. In this form, we intensify our scaffolding and self-protection… shoring up our defences and ultimately blocking the last window where the light can shine in upon our Soul, and we can shine out.

Pluto moved into the Zodiac sign of Capricorn in 2008. This was a year of grinding conflict, crisis, economic earthquakes and reformation (not revolution). Pluto will remain in Capricorn for 15 years. Pluto action lies beneath any situation. It’s the planetary ruler of Scorpio. It exposes the undercurrents of a particular Zodiac sign theme, or any planet with which it is connecting. These unearthings and exposures may arrive in the form of eruptions from our own individual consciousness, or the collective/group unconscious…or may even appear to ‘come at us’ from the outside. (Exploring this question could inform a whole future blog theme!). It represents the realm of the Shadow and the Unconscious; the Underworld of our mythic traditions. Pluto is the art of de-construction, getting to the bottom of the big ‘It’, and smoking out any poisons. It’s the courageous skill of ‘sitting in the void’. It’s our ability to remain steady (after the initial ‘Yikes’!!), in Survival mode; fully present and engaged in the face of traumatic chaos, when everything may be falling apart or disappearing or dying. It’s the process of making our relationship with the mythical dragon which guards riches, jewels and precious metals – the Treasure of Underworld caves. Interpreted psychologically, the Dragon represents the protective and yet permeable/liminal space or boundary-land, between our Conscious and Unconscious. And the (buried) Treasure represents the hidden or amputated aspects of our selves which ultimately call for re-integration. On a global level, Pluto represents our collective survival and evolution, needing to be met with honesty and integrity (integration of our highest Will and our deepest Instincts). Pluto utilises underground antennae and instincts….’sensing’ what lies hidden, processing and hubble-bubbling in a deep stewing process. On a personal level, Pluto is our Soul’s deep journey; Pluto transits face us with the clash between our Conscious self-image, and the deep desires of our Soul which lie beneath our conscious radar. Deep acceptance, griefwork and compassion are necessary if we wish to befriend the Dragon and allow an integration to begin. Challenging stuff. Through Pluto, we meet issues of truth, power, control, raw instinct, desire, passion, survival urges, empowerment and disempowerment. ‘What to hold onto and what to let go of’ becomes a big issue. The darker face of Pluto shrouds and defends personal vulnerability at all costs, erecting smokescreens and masks, wreaking wild or controlled havoc and destruction in its underground rumblings. eruptions and tearing down of walls; dealing in subterfuge and a whole array of manipulative machinations in order to gain and maintain power and control.

In Conjunction:

Saturn and Pluto are amidst a cycle of conjunction in Capricorn throughout 2019-20, briefly joined by Mars and Jupiter in March/April 2020 (see dates in Appendix, below). Mars and Jupiter add heat, focus, momentum, expansion, excitement, power, a desire to apply learning, an optimistic faith-holding and a great sense of Mission to the already intense de-construction/reconstruction process of Saturn- Pluto.

The combined natures of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn are a powerhouse; a maximisation of two very potent ‘forces’. They act as a pressure-can. And the heat is on. The potential for Transformation is intensified. And here’s where we all come in! It is our human engagement (or not), which shapes the ‘way’ a planetary transit actually manifests. We can go with it, or we can resist. Will we fearfully dig our heels in, or will we find the courage to move closer to our dragons and process and transform? This is our choice and Free Will…and the stakes are high at this point in our Earthly evolution. With this conjunction in Capricorn, the focus swings onto re-defining true authority; matters of survival and ‘How to?!’ from now onwards; respect for our instincts and the Wild; healthy boundary and border creation; and appropriateness and integrity of governance and ‘external’ authority. We may best engage by cultivating patient and persevering X-ray eyes into these issues, both within our own nature and in the collective. These issues form the current core focus and main agenda; both individually and collectively. We may best approach these issues with a raw un-shirking honesty alongside an openness to the spirit of transformation and renewal. Only once we have faced and mourned uncomfortable Truths within our present and past reality and maybe understood the origins and roots of our attitudes and ways, may we be ready to create new and workable values and ethics. These may then inform creative, workable and sustainable plans regarding what constitutes good stewardship and governance. And new systems which support the evolution of the Earth and all of nature may then come into being.

NB: There have been clear ‘real life’ correlations already evident during this cycle of Saturn-Pluto – Issues around Authority; governments faced with unprecedented far reaching decisions for their nations alongside being starkly faced with a survival-need to co-operate on a global level, (as ghosts rise from their past actions). Democracy/ dictatorship issue: who is acting as a ‘good parent’?; GB: a now greatly increased need for health service workers and police, after recent drastic cutting of their funding; Gross lack of support and value of care and service workers, Exposures of bad practices and grand mistruths within governance and media; Issues of Accountability; Mass migration and refugees; Tribal survival; Boundary/border issues; Food shortage, amongst many other crucial issues.

Saturn and Pluto both have gritty and pithy natures…within both these archetypes is a drive to ‘Face It’; to thoroughly and deeply process things ‘internally’ on pathways of a very solitary, deep journey of individuation. Both these principles focus upon dealing with things ‘completely’ and thoroughly; making wisdom out of experience, accepting difficulty, challenges, endings and losses as part of a necessary process of survival and evolution: The Great Process. Chrysalis to Butterfly on the journey of truly becoming an Authority in one’s own Life and in co-operation with others. Deep courage-demanding stuff.

Saturn ‘nails’ us. To our unworked issues which need dealing with, before we can move onwards on the trail…the principle of a ‘Stop’ sign, a traffic light, an external ‘authority’ or agent creating limitations and blocking any movement…until we are have ‘got’ the message and are ready. In combination with Pluto, we are nailed much harder, and the transformative alchemical heat is on. The Truth will out, but probably only after sufficient and intense build-up, and probably in ways we would never have imagined…a wave of ‘happening’ with accompanying flotsam and jetsam exposed on the surface for all to see.  Pluto erupts. Saturn’s structure yawns and creaks, doors open and slam. Order and known familiar territory gets destroyed in the process. We wrestle with what to hold onto and what to let go of. Saturn’s security and boundaries are severely challenged and may well react with tightening up and holding on. It’s a rhythmic and incendiary battle. Things are brewing; chaos ensues, bubbles burst, things are learnt, we feel pulled and pushed, squished and restricted as the heat turns up. It’s intense and compellingly all-consuming. It’s the pressure-can of a lockdown.

And after each eruption, within the centre of it all, we might just experience the silent peace of the Void. Hope and faith in transformation lead us to look for any still-glowing embers which may happen to be hidden within the volcanic ashes of eruption/destruction…of a Phoenix feather-colour. Something new is being birthed from deep within the purity and space of the Void. A spark which needs kindling.

Our task is to be brave, to combine instinct, intuition and intelligence, to polish our antennae, face reality and seek deeply, to take response-ability, to work our stuff, to enquire, to dream, to wonder, to kindle faith, to actualise values, to grow and mature, to be grateful, and to commit to becoming new ways of being Wise ones together.

May we seek and find courage to breathe fire into new inspirations which truly serve the needs of all beings on Earth.

May we act with and ruthless compassion…and Truth.

 

Appendix:- Major and meaningful planetary alignments of this time:-(for those of you who like dates, details, numbers, and Astro-nerdiness)

  • Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn – this planetary wave builds during Spring /early Summer 2019, crests/peaks in mid-December, is exact on 6-14thJanuary 2020, separating March 2020, before returning into close re-alignment again in August-November 2020.
  • Jupiter conjuncts Saturn and Pluto for the whole of March. Jupiter conjuncts Pluto late March/ early April 2020.
  • Mars joins the Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto alignment mid-end March 2020.
  • Moon in Capricorn on March 18th creates a powerpoint…joining Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. A 5 planet conjunction in Capricorn.
  • Meanwhile, Neptune is swimming through Pisces….
  • Sun and New Moon conjunct Neptune – March 6/7th
  • Saturn moves from Capricorn into the sign of Aquarius –  March 22nd
  • New Moon (Moon and Sun in Aries) – March 24th
  • Mars conjunct Saturn in Aquarius – March 30th – April 1st
  • Mercury conjuncts Neptune – April 4th 
  • Full Moon (Moon in Libra/Sun in Aries) – 8th April
  • New Moon (Moon and Sun in Taurus) – 23rd April
  • Uranus is in Taurus from early 2018 until 2026 (Uranus retrogrades back into Aries during November 2018, re-enters Taurus in March 2019)

Crisis and Opportunity – 2019-2020

by Lynne Speight, posted in World Crisis

Over this last year, astrologers have been awaiting and a-wondering….what kind of protagonists may emerge onto the world stage towards the end of 2019 and throughout 2020? Strikingly potent change-bringing astrological signatures began moving into alignment.

The main focus has been upon the conjunction (meeting) of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. This alignment signifies structural upheaval and the urge towards deconstruction and re-construction of authority and power structures in our lives. This particular conjunction hasn’t occurred in Capricorn since 1581. I remember looking ahead towards this time with curiosity, excitement and a little trepidation.

What was imagined/foreseen on the World stage?

The underlying themes showed a stage set where fundamentally important and starkly uncomfortable truths would likely be revealed within the core of our society. The needs of humanity and nature would rise into focus with urgency and a re-visioning.                  Breakdowns, breakthroughs and power/structural upheavals may occur.

Revelations of hidden agendas, chaos, uncertainty, differences of opinion and a grappling for safety, security and control. All this, amidst potentially very real survival needs, requiring our urgent attention and action. And….at the centre of it all, transformative potential.

The world stage-backdrop of these planetary alignments would be the architecture of long-established structures of governance and authority. These structures have developed strong root systems over time; now being well embedded ‘norms’ in our societies; shockingly unquestioned by many.

Within this unfolding story, we may begin to see with X-ray eyes, whatever is no longer functioning on a deeply foundational level. And these revelations would affect have far and deep reaching consequences.

Questions would occur about the appropriateness of certain traditional values, within both ourselves as individuals as well as amongst the collective. Old values are the bedrock upon which we have built our concept of ‘authority’ together with our organisational structures of governance, politics, finances, bureaucracy, health, social care and education.

Amidst such an upheaval, our survival-urgency and agency is inspired and activated. Phenomenal potential exists for the breakdown of malfunctioning Old ways…to alter, unpick or destroy anything outworn…to transform…amidst the necessity to birth and re-build New ways – a new system rising out of the ashes, based upon values and principles which support the survival and wellbeing of humankind and nature, functioning in a sustainable way.

And now, beyond imagination, we find ourselves firmly planted amidst these times which Astrologers spent much time a-wondering about!                                                     .                                                                                                                                                          The Current wave in context.  

Firstly, a little about ‘Planetary Waves’:   These are the movements of any planet through a Zodiac sign, both the faster moving inner planets and, (more usually focused upon), the slower moving outer planets. These waves also include any close inter-relationships between planets which occur along the way.

As in the sea, these ‘waves’ begin as a swell, then crest and break before the important process of integration begins.  This all happens over time!                                                                                                                                 Understanding the particular signature of a planetary wave gives us pithy information about the backdrop and focus of an era. We are then able to gain context and know what to engage with.

Planetary waves ‘happen’…I see them as Fate. And with our Free Will, we can choose to engage with them and maximise their potential..                                                                   

Or….we may choose to resist or block their themes in our lives. Yet this act of repression has the consequence of binding up vital life energy and diminishing healthy and creative flow. (And we tend to simply ‘get it’ again, in some other form!). The interweavings of Fate, Free Will and Destiny.

The Protagonists gather on the World stage- 2017-19

So let’s place the current planetary waves within a larger time-frame; and gain some understanding of their early beginnings and initial expressions on the world stage of 2017-19.                                                                                        

  • The Astrology of the Times – Saturn entered Capricorn and the very first ripples began making waves… building towards the Saturn-Pluto coupling.  Uranus swung into Taurus and Neptune continued floating through Pisces.

Hubble bubble….( few ‘Happenings’ during 2017-19)

  • Mass migration of vulnerable people from war torn and politically unstable countries, chaos and inhuman conditions in refugee camps, alongside the creation of ‘compassion in action’.
  • Donald Trump became the US president – (no details needed)
  • Teresa May led the GB government, later standing down mid-term amidst longwinded and complex Brexit negotiations (watched worldwide…with eye-rolling).
  • Climate change issues grew in urgency and Greta Thunberg became a much loved figure of hope, inspiration and courage.
  • Extinction rebellion was born and mass rallies began in GB.
  • ‘Me Too’ movement illuminated sexual harassment and assault, rife within our power structures.
  • Human issues gathered momentum and sought to be heard, on a global level.
  • And Coronavirus began its surreptitious viral spread.

 

So into the Now.

Centre stage in Spring 2020 is the global pandemic of Covid-19, with its ever-creeping viral spread. Health services are stretched to their limits, governments implement various stages of nationwide restrictions or actual lockdown throughout the world. We are facing something which strikes at our very core…issues of survival on a personal and global level; illness, death, grief and struggling organisational structures. The death toll worldwide rises dramatically on a daily level, there has been food scarcity and panic buying, distress, fear and anxiety, and slowing internet as it becomes overloaded as a lifeline, connectivity or a security blanket.

And… there are rising recoveries from the virus, explorations into natural and complimentary medicines, growing community actions, kindness, consideration and compassion.

There is a sudden re-wiring of people’s everyday habits and reality. Some people are extremely highly pressured in their work, (ie.health and care workers, those in the food industry, and those who provide services to a country-full of people). Some people are now unable to work, sometimes due to the need for social-distancing, or self-isolation if infected or vulnerable. All this is bringing huge financial, emotional and life-meaning repercussions. And for some, there is an opening up of time and space…a slowing down, a being/going-local, a time to choose, consider, think and dream.

So here we are within the alchemical alembic of Earth; where cosmic background themes play out on the world stage, of a greater magnitude than many of us have ever seen. And it’s globally shared, we are all involved. No-one is exempt or can ‘escape’. Challenging and mortality facing. Anxiety and grief become close bedfellows with loving kindness.

These are fertile conditions within which changes, shifts and transformations may occur, both personally and globally. Remember….’Politics begin at home’.

We have much to do, and ‘be’. We can each choose to engage and ride these wild, challenging and ultimately transformative planetary waves with the best of our abilities, in our very own creative way.

May we do it well and wholeheartedly, each in our own way being a uniquely magnificent and ordinary piece of the grand jigsaw puzzle of Life on Earth.

‘Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now…’    – Goethe

I will be writing a further blog over the next few days, further exploring the meanings of current  planetary waves within this crucial time, and how we can best engage to‘Be the change.’

 

Lynne Speight

(Dip.Astrological Psychology 1995)                                        March 31st. 2020

Full Moon…Autumn Equinox …and New Moon

by Lynne Speight, posted in Equinox, Fullmoons, Newmoons

Here are some insights into tomorrow’s Full Moon in Pisces, (04.34 GMT Saturday 14th.September), and the forthcoming seasonal shift of Autumn Equinox. May this be inspiring, useful and supportive on your Life journey!

Full Moon

The particular Full Moon is traditionally known as the Harvest moon, due to lending the fullness of it’s light to harvest gatherers throughout time. 
The Moon is in Pisces, in conjunction with Neptune, and the Sun is shining full upon it’s face from across the Zodiac, in Virgo, in conjunction with Mars. Both the Sun and the Moon are linked in a 90′ (square) aspect to Jupiter in Sagittarius, forming what is traditionally known as a T-square.

So what does it all mean and how might it be relevant and useful to understand? Well, here goes….
This Full Moon ambience (Moon in Pisces/Sun in Virgo) is a recognition of each of our unique and personal gifts of ‘willing service’; the flowing and giving of our natural gifts for the benefit of both ourselves and others, giving us a place in Life.
It’s the sharing expression of our natural essence; that which we came into this life to be and do.

The following questions deepen our engagement with this important life theme:

  • What is your gift or skill, which flows freely and effortlessly through you into the world, and which you simply love giving?
  • Is this already radiating through you, being expressed and given into Life?
  • And where, and how might you find the best ‘fit’ of this gift, into life and everyday reality, to maximise it’s blossoming?
  • Does something need to be tweaked or re-shaped to create a better ‘fit’, either within yourself, or in the world? (NB. this might be either practical or attitudinal)

The involvement of the other planets (noted above) with this Full Moon, open us up to a dynamic urgency towards finding our niche in the order of life and doing something useful and meaningful; having a sense of purpose, place and a role in the grand scheme of things.
There is a push-pull between fulfilling the needs of our everyday practical needs and the order we have created in our lives, together with desires to make a greater space for our dreams and desires to live in accordance with Spirit…to dream bigger and infuse life with a sense of greater connection and unification. There is a likely test of hope and faith and the potential of being inspired and infused with greater dreams and goals…. or chasing Grand Illusions! Remember that ‘beware’ means Be Aware!

Autumn Equinox

The Equinox is ten days after tomorrow’s Full Moon (Monday 23rd.September at 08.50hrs GMT) when day and night are equal in length.
This is a point of poise and balance in the cycle of the year. It is a balance point after which Autumn reigns for the next three months, until Winter Solstice.

This is the time of year when our activities, and our awareness begin to subtly move inwards, towards the resting or Yin phase of the year.We find we are reflecting upon our lives, the world, and what it’s all about, a little more than usual. Our attention begins to turn and find it’s focus within. The central theme becomes BALANCE…

Tomorrow’s Full Moon occurs ten days before Autumn Equinox…and the New Moon (when both Sun and Moon are in conjunction) occurs five days afterwards. There is a sense of symmetry in this cycle… There is rich potential at Full Moon to visibly see and be consciously aware of the blossoming fullness, harvest and consequences of these last nine ‘growth-oriented’ months. Then we reach the poise and balance point of Equinox, which heralds the seasonal ‘shift’ into Autumn, further emphasised by the forthcoming New Moon.

We can explore and move with this process, by connecting consciously with the Full Moon themes (above), followed by Autumn Equinoctial themes before by the inward-moving orientation of the waning Moon phase.
Read on….

Autumn Equinox questions and musings to keep us on track

  • What have you experienced, created, understood and brought to fruition and harvest, over these last nine months?
  • And now, can you find and acknowledge the inherent value this experience or action has, as a jewel within?
  • How may you process this into usefulness which might benefit others, and the world around you?

And here’s an Autumnal image to ponder: After gathering the fruits of Nature’s creative labours, we then use our time, energy and commitment to process them into a useful form in order to be enjoyed, be of lasting usefulness (preserving), and be of benefit (food, medicine, crafting or building materials).
So it is with the fruits of our own life experiences and creative labours.

Consider the theme of balance in your life:

  • What is in balance in your life? Honour this…give it value, and give yourself credence!
  • What is out of balance? See what you may be able to adjust, adapt, reconsider, see from another angle, change. Above all, be kind to yourself!
  • Consider your state of health and well being…may anything need adjusting here?
  • Do you have a good balance of work and rest/rejuvenation? Active-time and dream-time?

Dark Moon and New Moon

Five days after Autumn Equinox, we enter into into the Dark Moon phase of this Lunar cycle (26/27th.September).

Dark Moon is the lunar phase of integrating and disintegrating, ‘making sense of’, releasing, shifting, and finally letting go.
It is an ’emptying’ which creates space for inner dreaming and transformation (trance-formation).
It’s a time to focus upon opening up a respectful space for your intuitions and the subtle nuances of your feelings and dreams…be awake to the shifting and arising sense of meaning which may emerge….

These soul-weavings will infuse the new themes and pathways which birth with the New Moon in Libra on Saturday 28th.September….time to stand with poise, grace, and power amidst the goldening of this season.


Blessings upon this season!

Spring Equinox and Full Moon

by Lynne Speight, posted in Equinox, Fullmoons

March 20th/21st 2019

Here are some insights into Spring Equinox – the opening up of a new phase of the year today. This is a time of richly potent forward motion dovetailing with a need to complete processes and lay issues of the last cycle to rest. With a nod to humility and greater powers than ourselves. May this be inspiring, useful and supportive on your Life journey!
Spring Equinox is when the day and night are of equal length, and the Sun bursts forth into the Zodiac sign of Aries!It marks the beginning of the new astrological year – and Spring. The essence of Spring Equinox is a balance point which inspires us with urgency to cast off winter’s cloak. Earth energy bursts upwards into visibility. This follows the deep nourishment of the Earth during winter’s hibernation, laying the ground for the new growth cycle of spring. Buds are opening, birdsong shifts in tone and volume as they busily build their nests. There is a great rising of Eros and a rampant and urgent drive to begin and create, to move forwards with fiery enthusiasm and courage. This year, a Full Moon accompanies Spring Equinox, occurring only a few hours after the Sun moves into Aries, together with Chiron being in conjunction with the Sun, and a retrograde Mercury in Pisces. So, let’s unpick this particular accompaniment to Spring Equinox, to support our knowing how to best engage with the present energy-weather.

Full moon – Sun in Aries, Moon in Libra 01.44hrs GMT, 21st March

Full Moon is when the Sun and Moon are exactly opposite one another. It is when the Sun shines directly onto the Moon, hence the Moon being bright and visible as a full circle in the opposite sign of the Zodiac. At Full Moon time in the Lunar cycle, things tend to reach a peak. The revving up towards this point is often felt during the two days before exactitude. Energy is building: dreams, hopes, issues and plans (both conscious and unconscious) which were set in motion two weeks ago on the Pisces New Moon, now reach a flourishing full blossom. There is a feeling of being on the crest of a wave about to break. The trick is to ride the wave, as with the grace and skill of a skilled surfer, going with and adapting to the power of the wave. Energy can be high and at a peak or running riot during the run-up to a Full Moon. Many people experience a feeling of being ‘wired’. For some, there is a feeling of being edgy, speedy, with diminished sleep, impatience and sometimes headaches. If this is so for you, consider this: find the dates of the Full Moons in your diary or calendar, and see if you can possibly ‘deschedule’ during the couple of days preceding Full Moon. Or simply make a note to be extra kindly and compassionate towards yourself! The essence of this week’s Full Moon is one of finding a way to dance with and between the opposites of individual drive to power forwards on an independent trajectory, whilst attending to the needs of relationship and considertion of others. We find we need to attend to negotiation and co-operation with others – to look before we leap, taking stock and carefully considering the short and longer term impact and potential consequences of our intents and actions upon both ourselves and others. It’s an act of honouring both Self and Other with power and grace.

Chiron conjunct Sun in Aries

This cosmic conjunction is simultaneous with Spring Equinox and Full Moon. It stimulates our awareness of where we may feel a sense of flaw or lack or wounding in our personal power; in our ability to push our lives in the direction in which we believe we should be going. Our Soul holds a deep wisdom as to our life direction, meaning and purpose, and we sometimes move into a collision with this when we try to push in a direction which is directing ourselves away from where we really need to be going! Our Soul is at all times whispering directions and encouraging us to keep us ‘on track’, and there are times when we each stubbornly refuse to read the signs and take notice! Chiron holds a golden key (this is visible in its planetary symbol), a key which turns at just the point in time when we ‘give up’, fed up of wrestling with an issue to no avail, humbled or even experiencing a feeling of quiet desperation. So there is a magic here, which comes into being at just the point we really feel our incapability. In this space, we ‘give’ up and open up, as it feels there is nowhere else to go. In turn, if we are willing to dwell in this uncomfortable place, we may discover the gift of being guided by an invisible hand and a sense that we are not alone after all.

Mercury retrograde in Pisces

We are at this time within a Mercury retrograde phase (5th-28th March). Mercury retrograde is a much maligned phase which seems to inspire fearful anticipations, being used as an excuse for flakiness as well as some amusing memes!!It is a phase where communications and plans do sometimes go awry. But the reality beneath this so often comes from our trying to push or gallop off in a certain direction which we are not yet ready for. We may need to stay still and gain clarity first, by sorting out issues which need to be addressed, before we can move ahead. In some ways, Mercury retrograde is rather like a cosmic holding pen where we are waiting for the next ‘bit’ to happen, but first, we need to stop, look and listen – which of course can be very frustrating! So if you are feeling frustrated in your personal direction, maybe take some time out to pause, make a cup of tea, sit outdoors and bask in the wonder and beauty of Spring. Look back over your shoulder at things in your Life which may need attention in order to lay them to rest…before you can power forwards with maximum velocity!It’s a dance of many varied steps. As Mr.Booja-Booja says: “What else might be possible that you haven’t considered yet?” And, last but not least, check where you can let your dreams, hopes and wishes for a compassionate world, infuse and inspire your life, in any ways you are able. This Mercury retrograde is conjuncting Neptune in Pisces!

Questions and enquiries to keep us on track

  • Consider any areas in your life which may be out of balance. (Clues to this are spotting areas of life which are irritating or bothering you, or simply feel clunky or ‘wrong’!).
  • Look at what you may be able to adjust, accept what you can’t adjust and make any necessary adaptations in your attitude to heal the situation.
  • In which areas of Life are you feeling you want to fire ahead? What can you begin to put in place here?
  • What might be holding you back…or exerting a pull-back force? Look closely!
  • What needs clearing away in the Undergrowth?
  • What’s inspiring you…driving you…pressing upwards into your consciousness?
  • What needs expressing? Go for it!
Today is a really powerful day to set clear intents… Spring Equinox is the time of beginnings. “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” (Anster/Goethe). With Spring Equinoctial Blessings, Lynne

Pisces New Moon

by Lynne Speight, posted in Newmoons

Old Moon and New Moon | 5th/6th March 2019

     An Astroblog created to enhance understanding and engagement with the forthcoming Dark or Old moon (Tuesday 5th March 2019) and the following day of the Pisces New Moon (Wednesday 6th March 2019). May this be interesting, useful and supportive of your Life’s journey! You may have already noticed the forthcoming New Moon on Wednesday 6th March, in your diary or calendar. The preceding day is an ‘Old or Dark’ Moon. This last phase in the Lunar cycle just isn’t noted or ‘publicised’ in the same way. Yet… it carries a very important essence and energy; of looking back, laying to rest, letting go and releasing. Very valuable stuff in itself… and engaging with this process also clears the ground, and the stage, for the energy of the following day’s New Moon to be utilised… with maximum potential. So, we find ourselves amidst the influence, and cosmic energy-weather of A Dark Old Moon in Pisces on Tuesday 5th March. What does this actually mean?! (This is really the whole purpose of this blog… to delve and discover… hopefully yielding something which you can tuck under your belt for use in your everyday.) Let’s go back to basics for a moment, to gain some context….

Cycles of the Moon

Each month, the Moon moves through different lunar phases, or tides, in its orbital dance around the Earth, due to its inter-relationship with the Sun and the Earth. The Lunar cycle begins at New Moon, then waxes to Full Moon, and finally wanes back down to Dark Old Moon. We can see these phases visibly occurring by watching the Moon in our sky, month by month, and also by referring to a calendar, diary or app, to track the ebbs and flows. Have a look… become a Moon gazer… it’s interesting and worth it! Because… as well as being a beautiful flow to observe, doing so reminds us that the Cosmos is an amazing place of exquisite planetary dances and inter-weavings… AND… it reminds us to tune in to our lives being touched and moved by the Moon’s cyclical journey; we can feel it in ourselves and see it in the world around us. We really don’t have to look too hard – we just need to put ourselves in ‘noticing’ mode. And of course it’s useful to gain some idea about how we might best engage with this ‘happening’ each month. These cycles of the Moon really do carry a natural flow of shifting, morphing energy which we find ourselves immersed within, as Earthlings. There are different sorts of energetic waves to ride at different times throughout the monthly flow of waxings and wanings. It would be really handy stuff for us to be taught in school… so we embed this wisdom early on in the marrow of our psyches. So, onto the specifics of Dark Old Moon… Dark Old Moon is the final day of the waning, ‘shrinking’ moon, when there is no moon visible in the sky. This is the energy-weather within which we find ourselves this Tuesday, 5th March. And this Moon phase happens against the backdrop of the Zodiac sign of Pisces. So… what’s particular about this, and what to do?

The Old Moon

Well, this Dark Old Moon phase is a time of release. We often experience it as time of inwardness and retreat. There can be a desire to hunker down and snuggle up, to be in a more ‘yin’ space. Sometimes you may find you are tired at this point in a lunar cycle. It’s a real opportunity to ride the wave of a big ‘let-go’. It’s time to reflect, look back over the last month, do a mini-appraisal of the meaningful things which happened… the good, the bad and the ugly… as well as the beautiful, the wonderful, and the mysterious. Glancing retrospectively, honour your engagement with it all; the wisdom which you gained from experiences, recognise what you found glitchy, or where you might like to do ‘it ‘differently next time, or how you might like to continue. Look particularly closely at your recent visions and ideals of bringing change(s) into being; new potential, new ways; thinking beyond the box. Look at your hopes, dreams and wishes which you have been holding dear and doing your best to cultivate and bring into being, particularly over this last month. These are the themes at play in your life since the last New Moon in Aquarius, approximately a month ago. Take a look at your personal balance of giving to others and the world… and giving to yourself. Is the ratio a healthy one – not too tight and not too loose? Do you need to give some attention to tweaking and recallibrating that balance? Looking back over our shoulder in this way, at Dark Old Moon, lays things to rest and releases a space into which New Moon energy is most likely to be maximised. At New Moon, the ground is ready for a new cycle to commence. This is best unfettered by cobwebs of stuff which needed to be seen, sifted, shifted and let go. Dark Old Moon is a good time to rest and nourish ourselves, to eat purely and drink plenty of water, and be, rather than do. On this Piscean New Moon, you will benefit from attending to some simple psychic clearing, too.

The New Moon

New Moon is when both the Sun and the Moon are in the same place in the sky, the brightness of the Sun masking and ‘disappearing’ the Moon, hence its being invisible. Wednesday’s New Moon is at 16.05 GMT/UT on Wednesday 6th March 2019, with Sun and Moon both in conjunction with Neptune, the planetary ruler of Pisces. This combination enhances our potential connection with the aspect of ourselves which seeks to connect with Spirit and unification with the Great Beyond, from whence we came, and where we will eventually return… and our desire to love with compassion and healing. New Moon is a time of new beginning… an energy-rise. It’s about initiating, action and ‘doing’, the best time to begin, to commit, to be bold, to plant the seed of our intent, to go for it with conviction, energy, faith and gung-ho! And, in order to maximise the particular energy of this Pisces New Moon, we need to make space for listening to our intuitions or dreams, and the whisperings of our Spirit guides, as they don’t generally like to bellow (even though at times they might feel the need to). These intuitions can very powerfully infuse our everyday, giving us a sense of connection with our deeper purpose and being part of something greater than ourselves. Listening in this way is something which is, of course, always helpful, as it’s a particular echo of this New Moon in Pisces, as well as throughout the next two weeks of the Sun being in Pisces.

Questions to keep us on track

  • What is really touching and stirring you at present? What moves you into your heart and inspires a desire within you, to help, to heal, to make life better, to offer loving kindness to yourself and others.
  • In what areas of life might you be inspired towards a more compassionate flow?
  • In what way may it be possible for you to engage in that life area, big or small, near or far?
  • Remember, this is the month for Random Acts of Kindness!
Blessings upon each of these Lunar phases. May you surf the lunar wave with curiosity and a sense of adventure! With Blessings, Lynne