Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Oppositions and Squares of Summer

By now, you've heard tell of the stressful planetary alignments that have been building up this summer. Now that we're getting into the thick of it, and how it can manifest to the mundane world, our attention has been called to action and balance in order to lessen the stress.

This weekend (Saturday) the astral dynamics amongst the squares began with Jupiter and Pluto exacting a square. Because of the retrograde cycle, these two will exact another square on August 2nd of this year and a final one on February 25th of next year. Not only were we challenged to let go of impractical plans this weekend, but large-scale things were clashing into unseen, transformative things everywhere. From news leaks about Afghanistan, to dams breaking, to those things in your personal life that began to irritate at the start of the summer and now have come to the point of requiring action to alleviate the pressure...it's certainly getting more difficult for all of us to find the time just to breathe calmly. More difficult than that is to clear our minds in the midst of demands for attention from every direction of our lives. But clarity is what we need to discover the right action for each situation we encounter now.

The Full Blessing Moon on Sunday night gave us plenty of opportunity to balance the oppositions between 7 planets, as well as our 2 luminaries. The opposition of the Full Moon pulled between ideas of defiance and decision. In the 3rd degree of Aquarius and Leo, the Moon's Sabian Symbol was 'a deserter from the navy' while the Sun's was 'a woman having her hair bobbed'. The blessing of balance proved that it would only be attained with drastic measures and definite decisions.

Other oppositions were just adding to the push-and-pull of everything. Mercury (working up to its opposition with Neptune yesterday and with Chiron today) may have muddled dishonest communication as a product of fear with communicating our woundedness as an excuse for such behavior. On the lighter side of this is a balance between our mental and communicative capacities with our capacity for spiritual healing. At any rate, the immediacy of needs in our lives required actions with unavoidable (and, in some cases, heartbreaking) ramifications. And today, with Mercury and Chiron at odds...confidence can only come from continuity. Our honesty and endurance sustains the unity and grace we need in our lives this summer.

The main players right now in this cosmic drama are the 5 in a T-square: Pluto makes the 90 degree angle between Uranus-Jupiter's opposition with Saturn-Mars. The tug-of-war between the New Age Uranus and the Old Age Saturn has been in effect since Election Day 2008, prompting polarization more than cooperation...at least on the global scale. With lucky Jupiter now on the side of the innovative Uranus and plucky Mars on the side of authoritative Saturn, we are only building up more opposition. The message from Pluto in the 4th degree of Capricorn is that wisdom incorporates the old and the new. The Sabian Symbol for this degree is 'A party entering a large canoe' and has much to do with motivating groups to accomplish great achievements. Order and planning is the focus of the T-square during these next two weeks. And when the Moon comes along in Cancer (the sign she rules) on August 6th, the pressure is off of Pluto and all of his necessary transformation...and can be balanced again with emotional comfort from family and close friends.

My husband and I are in a play right now that actually deals with these universal themes on a more personal level. The play centers around a family whose patriarch is dying. His four children are determined to be so different from each other that they are often at odds with each other. When they gather together, hijinx ensue. The only thing that brings them back to center is the love and support of familial bonds aiding the continuation of life after drastic changes.

I hope we are all able to anchor our personal experiences this summer with the nurturance of our emotional selves. This is the very balance that most of us have been needing in the midst of our changing lives.

Love and Gratitude,
Felina Lune Kavi

Friday, July 23, 2010

Jupiter Retrograde: Center the Heart and Enter the Mind's Eye

After the Sun's journey into Leo began yesterday, we have been more inclined to put our creative self-expression into action. Today, as Jupiter stations in the 4th degree of Aries, we might want to focus some of that solar energy on expansion within. We may need it in the weeks ahead. Any blockages, worries, fears, doubts, or other aggravating mindstuff can get a beneficial dose of Jupiter's good will if you tap into your higher planes of consciousness.

The Sabian Symbol for the 4th degree of Aries is 'Two lovers strolling along a secluded walk'. This symbol radiates balance through love and gratitude. It also resonates with the pineal gland body point, also called the third eye. This 'walk' or journey we are on has much to do with trusting others as well as ourselves. The balance of your gait on this stroll begins on an inner level. One of the lessons within this degree is understanding the enjoyment of self which fosters the enjoyment of others. It is difficult to keep balance with just one or the other. But in order to cultivate love and trust in your external environment, you must plant it and nurture it to grow inside first. Sometimes, in the face of adversity, we have to continue to replant. Jupiter Retrograde is good for such a thing, as his 'Midas Touch' has a green thumb for abundance.

Meditation on these themes is beneficial during this retrograde (which lasts until November 18th), but especially between now and August 7th as Jupiter travels backwards through this 4th degree of Aries. The time between now and that weekend is also potent with many other alignments signifying much action and change. It will be good to have Jupiter's energy in the mix of the Cardinal Grand Cross to help balance our impulsive self-expression.

Sometime this weekend, as we're approaching the Full Blessing Moon on Sunday night, find the time to meditate, learn about yourself, get philosophical, explore your inner spirituality, or simply just think on self-awareness. Ask yourself this question, 'If it were possible, where would we locate a third eye?' Expand the mind and exercise your imagination.

Love and Gratitude,
Felina Lune Kavi

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Saturn's Transition into Libra: Bullet with Butterfly Wings

Wednesday was always writing day for me. I might as well get back at that now.

The Sabian Symbol for the 1st degree of Libra is 'A butterfly made perfect by a dart through it.' Think of Saturn wearing the cloak of this symbol. Saturn, the karmic authority of the cosmos, has been clothed in Virgo's tasks and lessons, while seeing through her eye of improvement for almost three years now. But as of this morning, Saturn has ventured into the sign of Venusian Harmony. The delicate balance of all things becomes the basis of our karmic lessons this time around through Libra. For the next couple of years, there is a serious focus on relationships...and not just between people, but also the balance between everything.

It was 10:10am CST when Saturn returned to Libra for another long journey. He will be there until October 5th, 2012. This transit is the time to pinpoint, articulate, and illuminate our identities as a whole and their practical application within society. The first degree of Libra is an equinox point, and a powerful force of balance and moderation. Make the metamorphosis into your own idea of beauty and love.

At the same time, Saturn's sextile with the Cancer Sun formed a Yod ('Finger of God' aspect configuration) pointing right to Neptune and Chiron in the last two degrees of Aquarius. What was being pin-pointed can be drawn from these two degrees and their symbols.

The Sabian Symbol that Neptune has been retrograding through for a while now is 'A butterfly emerging from a chrysalis'. It emanates with metamorphosis, growth and movement and particularly within the spiritual realm when Neptune, the mystic of the cosmos, embodies it. Those boundaries between other states of being dissolve here, allowing for greater personal freedom and transformation.

The Sabian Symbol that Chiron is retrograding through is 'Moonlit fields, once Babylon, are white and blooming'. Chiron is a wounded healer, the shaman of the cosmos. When he graces each degree of the zodiac, we have our key to the gift within our wounds. Even through complex transformation, these fields are eternal and on sacred ground. We should continue to cultivate the grace we see before us today.

Love and Gratitude,
Felina Lune Kavi