Tag: astrology

Samhain Season – Entering liminal lands

by Lynne Speight, posted in Uncategorised
Today is Dark or Old Moon in Scorpio…closing the door on the last lunation cycle, before opening into the new cycle with the Scorpio New Moon, tomorrow at 12.47UK time.
We are beckoned into deep dreaming now….
This Dark Moon is an en-couragement towards en-trance, to feel our relationship with thresholds, edges, liminal spaces, wild or howling depths, tender aching beauty…to close our eyes, to feel our senses prickling within the marrow of our feeling-bones which are awakened on this day.
And this year’s Scorpio Moon happens to be on the day we collectively nod to Hallowe’en, so there’s a vibe which is active within the collective field.
Halloween brings us towards Samhain season, an ancient nature based/pagan fire festival on the Wheel of the year.
It’s the cross quarter festival halfway inbetween Autumn equinox and Winter Solstice.
In some traditions it marked the ending of the Old year….time to look over our shoulders with a retrospective glance, to pause and dwell with the old year and all it has brought.
Our celebration and commercialisation of the Christian festival of Hallowe’en/All Hallow’s Eve on 31st.October energetically begins to bring an ambience of Samhain into the collective flow, whatever our faith or belief system.
This Samhain season, has it’s liminal crossing in today’s Scorpio Dark Moon.
It is woven with deep underworldly drives, feelings and heightened visceral senses.
This vibe is powerfully energised by a Mars in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn opposition, at the end of each of these signs, a powerful moment…. now tightening towards it’s peak between 1-4th.November.
Potent.
We may well fully face both welcome or unwelcome truths, personally and collectively,
Beasts may be raised.
And the lurking deep knowing that all beginnings demand endings before something new may fully birth into being….it is the way of Fate and it’s spinning, measuring and cutting.
What needs to end…inner or outer…or both?
Observe and simply get familiar with your survival instincts, triggers, fears, self-protection, desires for security and defenses which we each erect to cope amidst the winds of Fate.
On a conscious level, we may wish for the deepest level of self-knowing through the empowering process of truth-seeking and enquiry.
Yet in action, engaging with this pathway demands deep courage, ruthless self-observation and commitment, faltering, hesitations, re-commitment to ourselves in all our myriad facets.
There needs to be a connection forged with deep wisdom and compassion….and a deep bond with inner or outer figures of henchmen and henchwomen .
There will be needs for pause and rest along the way (but not too long that we slip and slide backwards into habits of suspension!!).
It is a journey akin to a path through the dark woods of fairy tale and myth.
A mossy spiral staircase into the Underworld where we necessarily face other dimensions of ourselves, life and death, un-knowing and being un-done, experiences of loss and becoming lost…. all part of finding gold within the darkness.
It is on such a journey that we die to our commonly held image of ourselves….meet Fate in the void and rediscover and re-kindle the flame of who we always were, beneath the skins which needed to shed.
The beckoning towards this aspect of life thrums.
Can you feel it?
Samhain season is time to slow down, rest, simply ‘be’, look within, feel into your depths and your body and your bones, seek ever-deepening truth through peeling back the layers, be honest to yourself, foibles and all….sit in this thrumming stillness and open to revelations.
It’s the season to nourish your body and your soul, en-vision and dream, enter into trance-formation…echoing nature’s creatures now entering into their torpor or hibernation phase….nourishing themselves to sustain through their Wintering.
Blessings on Samhain ❣🍁🍂🎃

Pluto transits

by Lynne Speight, posted in Uncategorised
 Pluto transits undermine and mine under.
Throughout the process, we discover aspects of ourselves which were previously hidden from our view, or buried and hatching. These very qualities may be absolutely visible to others, and seen as our power or wealth.
Pluto transits are a natural and necessary phase in a life cycle, which we will each experience at some points in our Life.
It’s an evolution of our Soul’s essence, a magnetic pull to grow down into ourselves.
It’s an experience of going under, being taken down and inwards, often needing the space of aloneness to sense and enter into this call towards communion with our Soul.
It’s a process of dissembling, a deconstructing of anything which has completed its natural cycle and can no longer purposefully survive in its current form.
It’s a process.
Anything now proving complete or outworn will tend to cease working, ebb, fall, disappear or die, leaving a space and a fertile void which feels stangely empty and full, at one and the same time.
Our conscious mind may rail and rebel at such shifts, we may kick and scream, yet Fate will have it’s way…the way of our Soul.
It’s a snake shedding a skin, a chrysalis process, a Phoenix ultimately arising.
Out of such an un-wound space, a renewed form is silently and determinedly seeding, hatching and gradually coming to birth.
It’s sometimes a deeply enchanting and alluring journey…there’s a magnetism. Sometimes a sense of nemesis is hazily shrouded and we innocently plunge towards something which carries a potent sense of destiny. At other times we have a sense on the edge of our awareness….that we are a moth to a flame, knowing wings will smoulder, yet our  Fate sing a siren’s calling.
This Pluto process beckons us to unveil another layer of Soul. It heralds a discovery of buried treasure quietly and patiently awaiting the ripe and open conditions to emerge, and to begin its becoming and integration.
Often not pretty, often a primal ripping and tearing of who we though we were and should be. Demanding out honesty and truth-telling to ourselves.
And oh…through the dazed, crumpled, bruised rags and tatters, that emerging potential to dance deeply within the rapture of life as a phoenix rising…
‘And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom’ – Anais Nin
by Lynne Speight, posted in Uncategorised

THE JUPITER-URANUS CONJUNCTION…and perceiving the wonders of our world.

The current Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus has been moving into connection for the last week…it’s become big stuff across social media and in many conversations.
Let’s explore….
Jupiter and Uranus conjoin every 13-14yrs, co-inciding within a particular Zodiac sign, sequentially. These Gods of expanding perspectives and wild awakenings stream into and through us human beans, in a co-weaving.
They vibe humanity with the potential to grow, expand, provoking and beckoning us to see the area of Life expressed through the lens of the particular Zodiac sign, from a whole new perspective. Our angle of vision may be significantly opened into wide and far-angled.
This sometimes leads to revolution, previously unimagined inventions, innovations, or happenings which rock the world.
This weekend, Jupiter and Uranus are now fully joined together in their alchemical marriage, the ceremony is happening, consummating and opening up a phase which will last for the next 13-14yrs.
During this phase, Jupiter and Uranus’ own progression and evolution in relationship to one another, alongside other planets or Sky deities adding their gifts along the way, will weave a new tapestry and a new potential will be seeded into humanity.
And this begins with each individual human pod of being and awareness experiencing their very own response and receiving of these awakening and expanding energies.
We are being invited, touched, moved, inspired into a new realm of perception, to add to the collective.
We are each seeds of potential shaping the field of the collective.
I have seen many ‘WOW’ blogs on this conjunction, presenting this conjunction as something which will simply happen TO us, with amazing consciousness expansion and maybe even a new paradigm launching.
As if by magic, without our engagement and response.
Yet we are beings of Fate and Free Will.
We experience so much…a myriad vast variety of events, during our time on Earth. And we have the opportunity, within every experience, to respond and shape our ‘being’ within and alongside the experience, and how it touches and moves us.
We are co-creators of our life experiences…a magical weaving of Fate and Free Will.
We are co-weavers.
So, back to this grand conjunction…
Let’s definitely keep our curious eyes upon world events and what is happening in the Zeitgeist.
And…let’s not forget that we each have our unique way of receiving, experiencing and engaging with Jupiter and Uranus expanding our awareness of Taurus aspects of Life. And this contributes to the Whole…it is an opening of true conversation with the panetary deities and the Zeitgeist.
We humans can experience the sensual wonders of being in a body on this Earth.
The treasures and pleasures of experiencing the world through five amazing physical senses…to see beauty, colour and nuance of form, to hear exquisite birdsong and music, to taste and savour yummy foods and drinks, to catch aromas and breathe them in with an ‘Aaaaaah’, to feel silken textures with our fingertips, to feel the ecstasy of Life on Earth.
Maybe amidst this Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, we could pause to notice any recent awakened perceptions, not only regarding our body perceptions and experiences, but also towards what we HAVE on Earth.
Our amazing resources of food, plants for medicine and healing, for building and sustaining our homes, for furniture and dishes and cutlery, for tools, for clothing and crafting and exploring, for ornamentation.
WOW.
And through the tragedy of loss of home, food, safety, being able to sustain security , of DIS-honouring what we receive from the Earth, what we truly value, need and love emerge as stark realisations….even when we watch this happening seemingly far away, we can pause, feel and witness our response, our imagining into that reality. And expand our perception.
We can practice being active in doing this…creating a wider and richer field of perception through simple slowing and dropping into…
We can notice what we truly value, what is most precious to us, in our life on Earth…what may we have forgotten to honour, to love, to cherish with respect and gratitude to the magic of our existence on this amazing planet.
Maybe we can remember to give thanks, to Mother Earth, to the essence of Creation itself, which has seeded every aspect of our life experience.
So maybe these seemingly simple yet truly profound areas can be our awakening.
And through this, we can recognise our own personal eurekas…and so the world evolves.
Go slow…touch the Earth and remember process and evolution have their own timing.
And as you slow and touch the Earth, or watch that seed breaking through it’s seed case with the determined magic of creation and becoming, what wonders do you perceive?
WOW….❣

Spring Equinox

by Lynne Speight, posted in Uncategorised
Spring Equinox blessings!
The Sun entered the Zodiac sign of Aries before dawn here in England today, heralding the end of Wintering and the rising of Spring’s vital potent energy both around and within us.
Creating balance becomes really important now.
We may want to power ahead in some way, or even feel we ‘ought’. Yet this newly birthing rising sap energy also needs deep rest and reflection to generate, grow, orientate and sustain itself.
This reflects the needs of a newborn baby….for love, rich nurturing and deep sleep and dreaming as they enter life on earth and seek to orientate themselves in this new realm.
Listen….notice…be curious.
Witness what is becoming, both within and around you.
What may be unfurling upwards and outwards as a tender and vital shoot of energy emerging from your Winter’s dreaming?
Explore and nurture this essence which is calling and weaving itself through you, into being.
What may be igniting you, driving you…irritating or impassioning you towards creating change?
Attending to the need for any life adjustments, releasing and re-balancing….these are worthy of your focus at Spring Equinox.
Inner and outer Spring cleanings which enable and enhance your natural flow of energy.
And not to be forgotten…giving a nod to all you have experienced, felt, realised, processed and come through throughout the wintry months.
Wisdom gained and tucked into the pockets of your Soul.
These life wisdoms infuse and inspire the casting off of cloaks which have been shrouding who you were always meant to be.
The Unveiling of You. ❣
‘Whatever you do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it’ – Goethe
by Lynne Speight, posted in Uncategorised

SAGITTARIUS – from darkness into light

The Sun leaves the subterranean world of Scorpio and begins it’s journey through Sagittarius today.
The hope and optimism of this Fire sign fans flickering flames to life, from the buried glowing embers of Scorpio.
‘There MUST be a greater purpose to be found within the Scorpio journeyings into the Underworld and all that searching around in the darkness!!’ says this sign of meaning making.
The Sagittarian commitment to hope springing eternal brings an inner landscape to birth in a renewed way…Phoenix risen from the ashes burns evermore brightly.

This is the Zodiac season of hunger for life-adventures, lust for life, instinctive drives and passions, the pursuit and discovery of a wider world beyond homestead, a magnetism towards that which is peeping just above the horizon, of new potential and possibility. And that hunch of something just about to unfiold and spark into a new adventure or a new life trajectory. Wow! Exciting!!!
And even if the reality isn’t quite the imagined wondrous potential, the Sagittarian faith that everything has a meaning, and there is wisdom to be gained even within the most difficult of circumstances, means a quick dusting off can swiftly re-combobulate and re-orientate towards a new horizon, with a growing kit-bag of wisdom.

It’s the time of inner philosophical wonderings as to the connections and web of life, a time of journeyings and exploration into the bigger broader picture of life, learning, sense-making, making wisdom from experience, as long as moments of slower breathing and reflection can be created in the pauses between adventures. And then sharing that wisdom and inspiring others to look upwards and outwards.
This is the season of dreaming into landscapes of stories and myths…of gazing into the embers of a fire and wondering…and seeing what you are gifted to see.
Time to light that lantern in the darkness which may carry the eternal flame of Hope, which we surely need amidst these turbulent times.
The Chinese word for CRISIS is a beautiful symbol of the bridge between Scorpio and Sagittarius:
Wei Ji – Wei= Crisis, and Ji= Opportunity.
May we hold and tend this potential as a precious flame🙏 ❣

A Full Moon Broth (Scorpio Sun/Taurus Moon) with gristle and bones in the cauldron

by Lynne Speight, posted in Fullmoons, Transformation, Zodiac Signs
This evening’s Full Moon in Taurus (opposite Sun in Scorpio) is also a partial Lunar eclipse – Saturday 28th.October 2023). It’s also the completion of the Taurus-Scorpio eclipse cycle theme of these last 2 years, since November 2021.
So here are some fulsome chewy and bony musings upon the essence of Scorpio and Taurus…for you to ponder, gristle, spice and all.
When the Sun resides in Scorpio, we find ourselves on the winding pathway into the depths of Autumn. It’s the Samhain phase when leaves are whirled off branches by storms and wild winds, with the stodge of mud and the crunch of acorns and beech mast underfoot.
Creatures begin their hibernation and fetid fungal aromas creep from misty forest floors. It’s the time of Autumn’s descent and trance-formation.
Taurus is everything opposite, being the sign directly across the Zodiac wheel from Scorpio. This Taurus Full Moon is known traditionally as the Hunter’s Moon, allowing hunters the full light of the Moon to hunt their prey, which provided Winter survival stores to last the hard months when there is little growth.
Taurus essence is the fullness of Spring, the season of Beltane when hedgerows are full, lush, verdant and abundant with beauty and edible plants. Aromas of bluebells and wild garlic abound. It’s the time of Spring’s dreaming and becoming.
These two Zodiac signs both reflect essential and polarising principles amidst the cycle of growth/dying/evolution.
The upsurging life-growth urge of Taurus to become, to be, to physically manifest in form, to grow roots and stabilise into an enduring entity.
And the equal and opposite principle of being drawn and magnetised towards Scorpio’s mysterious depths in the phase of death’s ending and completion.
In this Scorpio part of the cycle, something known, familiar, solid, physical and tangible is released or is lost…a body-skin, a habit now shifts it’s form, becoming outworn, a snake skin shedding….something necessarily releasing, emptying and shape-shifting.
We see the outer expression of this cycle in the familiar leafy tree line and full hedgerow becoming a spiky bony silhouette as an autumnal essence of it’s former self.
This season, phase and Zodiac sign challenge us…taking us down and ‘beyond’, and we often respond with fear and resistance, and ironically, yet understandably ‘holding on’.
We are not well-versed in how to dance with this de-generative phase of the cycle. Maybe we naturally hold-on to that which is known, and ‘life-full’, as our greatest physical instinct is self-preservation.
Yet our deepest instinct is surely a kinship with the whole of the natural cycle.
Methinks we benefit from exploring phases of release and dying with curiosity….as a mystery and a becoming, something great and deep and beyond our usual knowing. Deserving our honour, alongside our fear.
In this territory of life, we discover our own depths and mechanisms and styles of coping and being with the Unknown. This in itself is often a process of revelation.
Death is part of Life. A fullness before release, a gathering up before going….with an oft unknown magic weaving and whispering throughout our grieving process surrounding that which is lost, in either essence or form…life itself, something or someone cherished, a hope or a dream of potential, now gone. The Void is both empty and full.
This Scorpio phase is of entering the Void, Bardo, Formlessness, – a seed-releasing into the Void, where Fate sits dreaming…un-spinning and un-weaving for a while, before a spark emerges from the Void of it’s own volition, out of the cosmic cauldron of all which went before and more….to begin the cycle again.
It’s Trance-formation.
So this Full Moon finds us straddling two principles…Taurus and Scorpio
It’s day to stir the cauldron with curiosity…to listen to your visceral knowings …and breathe deeply into Life.
*A Word Broth*
Taurus and Scorpio polarities to stir and consider, chew and meditate upon, to dive deeply into this Full moon and all which the cycle of these last two years has brought….
Eros – Thanatos
In breath – Out breath
Swelling – Emptying
Nourishing – Fasting
Gathering – Undoing
Construction – De-construction
Holding on – Letting go
Gain – Loss
Fullness – Emptiness
Slow pace – Intense drive
Embodiment – Ensoulment
Life – Death
What do these images provoke and bring up within you?
Which essence do you find or dis-cover you are instinctively drawn towards?
In which areas of life may one of these priniciples dominate?
May there be benefit from dreaming into the opposite essence, to open up a less bramble-tangled pathway between these principles, to play creatively with a richer balance?
Enjoy! (with a hint of spice)
Blessings upon this Full moon and all it may bring, in richness and potential. ❣️☯️

Dark Moon in Virgo

by Lynne Speight, posted in Dark Moon
It’s a Dark Old Moon in Virgo today and this evening, 14th.September 2023, ending the waning phase of the lunar cycle before tomorrow’s New Moon at 2.49am UK time.
And there are currently six retrograde planets – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
So this is a particularly juicy, pithy time to reflect and re-view, to look over our shoulder and see what emerges as a re-visioning.
Our inner eye is wide open in this lunar phase, slowly witnessing aspects of our lives which seek our processing and digestion.
Slowing down enables us to notice nuances. Body-scanning…slowly, deeply… may yield important instinctive knowings and insights under this Moon.
Listen care-fully…what is your body calling for and telling you?
Dark old Moon witnessing and processing is such a crucial process which then o-so-naturally flows into the emergent phase as the New Moon births the next lunar cycle.
Today is a sense-divining phase, time to pause and re-collect to allow a settling and a simple blessing of the month just passed.
Such honouring of the dark old moon spins and weaves wisdom from our life experiences and gives tinder to the spark of tomorrow morning’s New Moon.
Blessings on this Dark Old Moon in Virgo 🌘♍️

Virgo season

by Lynne Speight, posted in Zodiac Signs
Virgo season has begun.
Early this morning my kitchen was full of the rich aroma of bread rising overnight, with hints of blackberries infusing in vinegar in a big earthenware pot, richly stewing a medicinal cordial to soothe sore throats over Winter.
The Sun had risen that bit later, visibly lower in the sky, and the grass was still damp from the night’s dew.
It’s the time of year when we behold the wonder and value of the Earth’s gifts, riches and all we can harvest.
Shining grain fields transformed into bread, swelling golden corn on the cob, deep iron-rich beetroots, ripening apples, purple blackberries, jelly and jam and pickle making, pumpkins and squash, trailing beans…and herbs which gift us precious medicine.
Virgo is a mutable Earth sign of the ritual priestess or virgin. This is a simple and quiet hermit-in-the-woods archetype, who lives within the seasons, sealskin patted firmly on, observing and honouring nature’s cycles.
It’s the one who practices and gifts earthy healing magic. the one who crafts and mends and brings attention to the small yet important details of life, with thoughtfulness.
It’s a sign of interiority, simplicity, a desire to bring order to life, to sort, discern and clarify wheat from chaff, Self from Other.
Virgo season is a liminal season…an inbetween mutable sign where Summer is ending and Autumn is beginning. It’s the season to notice the nuances of seasonal and cyclical transformation; the dew falling just a little earlier at night and lasting that little bit longer in the morning, the shift of different constellations rising and setting in the sky, the many wonders of our Earth and Cosmos, and the Spirit and elemental power weaving throughout all.
Time to pause, to take stock, to order, to mend, to clear.
What do you want to keep and cherish in your being and in your life… to integrate and incorporate? What may you feel nudged or called to release at Summer’s End?
A simple ritual of sitting outdoors by a fire as dusk falls, settling into reflection, wisdom-making, release and commitment can give great benefit in times of transition and transformation. Something is marked…and life may move and weave on in a subtly altered, deepened enriched way.
Then notice what may emerge….maybe a stirring within your Soul…maybe a call to weave some simple awe-some wonder into your Life…
Blessings on this Virgo season🌾🌻 💖

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 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)