Full Moon Eclipse in Leo: Celebration to Shift the Shadows

Art by Donia Lilly

Full Moon Eclipse in Leo:  Celebration to Shift the Shadows

Moon opposite Sun @ 7:27 am CST on 1-31-18

This Full Moon Eclipse during our Snow Moon phase is an extremely potent one.  This is because there are many energetic forces concentrated on the Leo-Aquarius axis at this time.  The predominance of Earth and Water from the start of this phase has now given way to the Air and Fire elements.  This is an energetic shift from feminine energies to masculine energies.  This has nothing to do with gender, of course…it’s a difference between receptive qualities and projective qualities.  Are we still grounded in that initial earth energy?  Are we still emotionally supported by the water energies that guided us to and through the pilgrimage we made to the pinnacle of this mountain?  If we did the New Moon work we were guided toward, perhaps.  But this Lunar Eclipse has the power to shake up whatever we committed to mid-month (yes, even if we were doing ‘the right thing’).  Hold tight for another spin of the Wheel of Fortune with the lunar nodes highly activated. Try to keep your bearings.  The key to holding your ground in all of this is to let go of the need to rely on your head when activity gets heightened…and tap into your heart-consciousness. 

Still, it is difficult for many to think of the heart as a wiser transmitter than the brain.  But isn’t that our first clue?  Many of us can’t wrap our heads around the powerful energetic field of the heart because it’s actually that energetic field of the heart that is wrapped around our heads…around our whole body, actually.  This is a good time to really feel into the wisdom of your heart center and let it guide your head through this time of extraordinary activity.

The stellium of Aquarian forces (Sun, South Node, Astraea, Venus, Hygeia, and Juno) currently shocking our systems is pooling our energy one way…and the conjunction between Moon and Ceres with the North Node is calling for balance in Leo.  The Nodes are a good indicator of our best course of action because the North Node in Leo describes the energy we are taking in (and digesting) that is necessary for both our survival and our nourishment (in through the ‘dragon’s head’).  The South Node in Aquarius describes the energy we are releasing that we no longer need (out through the ‘dragon’s tail’).  The South Node, then, shows how and where we ‘release what no longer serves us’.  This release CAN be like compost…transforming natural waste into fertile beginnings.  However, in our unnatural world…this release can also take on destructive characteristics…where we throw away our garbage, but it piles up there because there literally is no ‘away’.

In either light, the Leo forces (Ceres, Moon, and North Node) are providing the nourishment we need along our collective soul’s path, if we allow ourselves that nourishment.  The ‘dwarf’ planet, Ceres in the same degree as the Moon at her fullness is a double-dose of the Mother archetype…highlighting how we all must nurture ourselves and be balanced in our giving and receiving of nurturance with others.  The North Node then takes in this nurturance which guides us along our collective soul’s path.  The Aquarian forces are our outlet for whatever we’re digesting from this lunation.  There is a definite ‘out with the old, in with the new’ recycling that happens when the nodal axis is activated (as it is during eclipses).  It is part of what brings a particularly karmic element to these times…where our past recycles itself in some way, whether we want it to or not.

To get a better idea of the Nodes in this Leo-Aquarius axis (which are currently reaching the midpoint of this cycle that began last spring and ends this autumn), I wrote a post last year about the lessons involved with these signs.  In this post, “The Dragon’s Flight into the Leo-Aquarius Axis”…you can find both constructive ways to use this energy as well as information about the past cycle (1999-2000) being significant to this time between last spring and this autumn.  

Something that is also useful on the individual level is to know what houses in your natal chart are being activated by these current Leo-Aquarius Full Moon energies.  The houses give us clues to the areas of life where we are taking in nourishment for the soul (Leo) and releasing what we have fully digested (Aquarius).  For example, in my case…the Leo forces are in my 5^th House of Creativity and Children (where I am taking in the joy and creative inspiration provided by my children as well as my own self-expression) and the Aquarian forces are in my 11^th House of Friends and Community (where I am giving out what I have taken in…releasing that creative expression to *hopefully* inspire others).  I must keep it in balance though…as all the Aquarian energy can have me swamped if it gets out of hand, which can cut me off from the very thing that nourishes me.  For me, it’s a balance of my social output and the needs of myself and my children (romance is also an area of life represented by the 5^th house…so date nights with my husband are also a part of that nourishment I need that fuels my creative fire).  If you aren’t familiar with what each house represents, you either search it on the internet (it’s a well-covered subject in astrology) or you can ask me personally.

Now to the specific symbols being highlighted upon this axis.  The degrees of the current lunar nodes are the same degrees our luminaries were in during last August’s Full Moon Eclipse in Aquarius…so, if you’re interested, you can go back to that point in our collective cycle, see where we’re coming from between then and now, and read more about those mid-point degrees of this axis.  

LEO, PARTY OF THREE

Art by Susan Seddon Boulet

Moon and Ceres in Leo 12:  “An evening lawn party”

One of the ways Leo nurtures and nourishes us is through celebration.  Ceres-Moon reminds us how to make life joyful, even in heavy times.  In this degree, all that we need in this moment is provided…food, friends, family, fun, etc.  This is symbolic, of course, but it can also manifest as a literal party (depending on what you have scheduled…or what comes up ‘out of the blue’) This is a specifically social ‘blue moon’ that is purely significant to the calendar month that is a more modern way of tracking time than the stars or the seasons.  The ‘once in a blue moon’ advice still applies, though it is less of a cosmic urge (blue moon within the same sign) or a biological urge (blue moon in a particular season)…and more of a societal opportunity that can arise.  However, the Earth’s shadow (whether you are in a place where you can see it or not) may eclipse some of this energy and remind us of many of the things we’re still working on that can darken the heart’s desire to celebrate.  This can incline the Leo energy toward dramas of the ego.  But this is not the time to get weighed down by all that’s still wrong with the world (or our environment)…this is an opportunity to actually celebrate what is right with the world!  In celebrating life and love and all we’ve been through and survived in these past 6 months, we have the power to transmute those shadows into light energy.  Fluffy-bunny as it is often dismissed, we’re not serving ourselves or the world at large anything necessary if we remain trapped in the dark…just recycling all that is heavy into more heaviness without learning to transmute.  Wednesday may seem like an odd day of the week to have or attend a party…but this whole lunation is a bit out of the ordinary.  This axis is that of the creative performer who shines their own unique energy (Leo) and the revolutionary genius who marches to the beat of their own drum (Aquarius).  If anything, nurture and celebrate your unique gifts, let your freak flag fly, and give creative expression to your authentic self. Mama Moon says, 'your feeling body needs a recharge.'

North Lunar Node in Leo 16:  “After a storm, nature rejoices in brilliant sunshine”

The Wheel of Fortune energy brought back by the nodes from the last lunar eclipse to this one is well represented in this image.  There may be a necessity to digest the wisdom of ‘this too shall pass’.  The clouds will part…life will go on…and we feel uplifted and joyful again as we come out of what may feel to many as another ‘dark night’ of our collective soul.  The key to this energy is trust.  Trust in nature moving us along in cycles and spirals of evolution and involution.  Trust in the Universe doing so on a larger scale.  Trust in our place in this Universe, our place on this Earth, and our path in this life.  Trust in your soul’s guidance.  Trust in yourself…that you can survive any storm.  Take in that trust and learn what it has to offer.  This is another symbol of celebration…so take in that joy for life in every moment it arises and let it fuel your journey ahead.

AQUARIUS STELLIUM

Star card from my Tarot of Dreams deck by Ciro Marchetti

Sun in Aquarius 12:  “People on a vast staircase, graduating upward”

It is important at this time to understand that we are all on different stages of our individual development…but that we are all on this same Earthwalk together.  Each of us has our unique experience, evolving understanding, and role to play in life.  Depending on where we are in our development, our expression of what life has taught us can be detrimental or beneficial to everyone else.  In this image, we’re all moving onward and upward…not just the people who appear more ‘aware’ or ‘enlightened’.  The Sun here is illuminating the bigger picture with this future-minded symbol…that we’re not moving backward or ‘going down’ as a species.  Much as it is hard to see in some who live out more ego-driven existences, we’re all ‘graduating’ in maturity on a collective level.  After all, in the grand scheme of our Earth’s existence alone…we are really just babies.  And even though we’re rather colicky, often sickly, dangerously accident-prone, and we demand a lot of attention…our Mother Earth adores us as much as any of her babies and she continues to offer us what we need in order to be happy, healthy, safe, and secure.  She is the base of that staircase that guides us upward.  She, too, is a baby in the eyes of the Universe…and the staircase in this image is that energetic umbilical cord that always stays connected from the navel of the child to the womb of the mother.  She also continues to teach us our potential, with the help of the Universe (her Mother), our solar system (her immediate family), and all the many celestial bodies beyond (her extended family).  From the zodiacal energy of Aquarius that often wants to detach when attachment is experienced…we can experience this place of healthy attachment to the greater good of humanity (Aquarius's higher vibration).  Our own contributions to others can help accelerate our collective soul’s journey to greater heights…or, it can create obstacles that slow us all down and make the journey harder.  Here, we have an opportunity to make good choices along our path that give others the courage to take each step forward...especially when they feel alone.

South Lunar Node and Astraea in Aquarius 16:  “A big business man at his desk”

The nourishment we’re taking in from the self-expressive, creative, and inspiring energy of Leo translates to organizational leadership…at its best.  In some cases, though, it may be that all of that creative fire is making the workload pile up on the desk.  And in the lower energy realm of this South Node association…we may either be in workaholic mode or lording power over others and trying to control everyone.  If we look at the collective, we may see some obvious indications of any of those energies.  Those operating at a more unhealthy ego level expression will likely be wielding their power in destructive ways, accruing more and more of what feeds their ego and cranking out more and more ‘crazy’ into our world from the detached safety of their own bubble.  Shadows often come out in an eclipse period…and the Sun will illuminate them in our collective consciousness while the South Node can really reveal past karma we need to transform and release.  Astraea here inclines an energy to this Aquarian stellium of not being willing to let go even the things that are destructive.  She’s the Star Maiden who holds out hope for humanity…even when we’re at our worst.  But she is also a goddess of justice.  Her position in the sky connects us to the truths that we must see about ourselves (as individuals as well as our collective) that we must clean up or get rid of.  So in this degree, along with the south node, she is both an agent of re-organization as well as the energy of obsession with our work.  With Astraea here, it will be difficult to let go of the busy-ness of our lives…so she calls for both balance and better organization.  This ‘big businessman’ symbol has created a mess in our environment…and we’ve got some clean up work to do.  Astraea’s journey through Aquarius, and especially now as she transits the nodes, is an important lesson for us at this turning of the Ages.  We must move on from the destructive things that have come up in the Age of Pisces before we can fully bring in this new Age of Aquarius…because they have lead into the lower energies of Aquarius we are seeing now.  Both energies, in their lower vibration, lead to separation.  Astraea wants us to achieve wholeness…though she often has to do this THROUGH the pain of separation so we can integrate the balancing effect of being able to see both sides. 

Venus in Aquarius 17:  “A watchdog stands guard, protecting his master and his possessions”

Venus in this degree is protecting what is valuable to us.  For some, especially the ‘big businessman’…that might be material possessions.  However, Aquarius isn’t exactly a ‘material’ sign.  What is most valuable to Aquarians is often their freedom, especially their freedom to be different.  But with the ‘businessman’ energy hanging around, the shadow side of that ‘difference’ is often one of getting away with unlawful acts because they can wield their power to be above the law.  In that case, the necessity for ‘watchdog’ security would be important so they can go about their business without getting caught.  So, on the individual level, we too have a heightened sense of protecting what is ours…because there is a lot of corruption in a society that glorifies competition, ambition, and success at any cost.  However, if you’re playing the ‘businessman’ card with the best intentions, Venus’s energy then is both a call to delegate your tasks to trusted people so you can be more efficient as well as to make sure you are protected in this dog eat dog world.  This may seem a strange energy coming from Venus…but she is still ‘in the underworld’ (not visible in the sky) until around February 20^th when she rises as the Evening Star.  This is a transformative period for her.  Mythically, when relating her cycle to Inanna’s Decent, the ‘Queen of Heaven’ has given up all of her adornments, faced her shadow in a vulnerable state, and died to what she was previously.  While we can’t see her in the sky after her superior conjunction with the Sun earlier this month (because Venus is still close enough to be blocked from our view by the Sun)…she is symbolically suspended as a corpse in the Underworld, while plans are being carried out for her resurrection.  At this time, her sister (Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld) is the only ruling energy.  Ereshkigal, a Queen of Justice, has already lost her husband by the carelessness of her sister…and carries a fatherless child (who later becomes a god of healing).  This is a stressful energy as all is transforming and everyone’s fate is held in the balance.  Most important right now is the protection of all that is left of what she values most.  At this time, both sisters are undergoing dramatic transformations.  Through this story of Inanna and Ereshkigal, I mean to shed a little light in a transition of darkness.  The usual characteristics we associate with Venus don’t really apply at this time.  Her energy now is transitioning between death and rebirth…before she rises again like a phoenix in our night sky, she must reclaim herself anew at the ‘seven gates’.  Currently, Venus is guarded by the ‘watchdog’ of the Underworld.  How this energy plays out at this eclipse will depend on how much we surrender to the transformation happening within us all now.  In order to rebirth the Divine Feminine within during this cycle, we must accept that we must change from who we thought we were.  This is where we find what we really value about our lives.

Hygeia in Aquarius 19:  “A forest fire quenched”

Hygeia, asteroid Goddess of Healing, is part of this stellium offering relief.  Embodying the archetype of the Rescuer here, she assures us that we can be healed into wholeness…no matter how traumatic the wounds.  Damage may be done, but this aspect of the Water Bearer pours out her healing upon us.  This, too, refers to our transformation.  Collectively, her energy is a welcome sign that we can turn things around after we allowed so much destruction to wreak havoc.  Individually, you may feel the call to attend to any health matters you’ve been allowing to worsen while focusing your care and attention on others before yourself.  This is a call to get back on your healing path…and relieve the stress that may have been accumulating as a result of overwork.

Juno in Aquarius 20:  “A large white dove bearing a message”

And, finally, a message of peace from the Bona Dea, Juno.  You may be the one receiving the message from the spiritual plane, or you may be the message bearer.  The message you receive will depend on your circumstances, but it is one of hope after a period of struggle…much like the Star card comes after the Tower in the sequence of Major Arcana in a tarot deck.  Juno in this ‘message bearer’ degree during the eclipse brings along with it the necessity of the feminine messenger, Iris (Goddess of the Rainbow), who brought the messages of Juno/Hera to Earth.  Iris is much like Mercury (Messenger of Jupiter/Zeus)…but Mercury’s communication (while not retrograde, anyway) is often information we process in our left brain, while Iris brings messages that synthesize in the right brain.  Interestingly, the asteroid named after Juno’s messenger is in an exact square with the lunar nodes at this time.  Iris in Taurus 16 holds an important message at the apex of this T-square aspect.  The message reveals wisdom about the Mysteries…but in new forms that represent our evolving world.  There is much to be discovered in the many mythic examples any astrologer can relate to what is currently happening (such as the symbolic dragon of the nodes, or the Sumerian tale of Inanna’s Decent as it relates to Venus’s transformation from Morning Star to Evening Star)…and even though these celestial happenings are like clockwork, it is humanity that is changing over time and some of these Mysteries may appear rather foreign.  Juno, through Iris, holds a message that synthesizes it all together in new, creative forms.  If we tap into our intuitive capabilities, not only can we reveal more wisdom about humanity’s current crisis…but we can also create new forms for these old symbols that will keep the Mysteries alive in our culture.

My Apacheta Crystal Grid for this Full Moon Eclipse

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi 

New Moon in Capricorn: The Climb

New Moon in Capricorn:  The Climb

Moon conjunct Sun @ 8:16pm CST on 1-16-18

“You’re off to Great Places!  Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting…so get on your way!” -Dr. Seuss, ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’

Welcome to the start of the Snow Moon phase, which (at its fullness on the 31^st) will peak at the first of two Blue Moons this year.  Because of the first full moons of this year being at the beginning and end of January and March, there will be no full moon in February…which is a rare occurrence (happening only once every 19 years:  the last time was in 1999 and the next is in 2037).  But we’ll get into the meaning behind two blue moons at the end of this month.  Right now, let’s focus on the energies we’ll be working with at the beginning of this Snow Moon phase.

As you may know, all of the major planets are direct (as Uranus finished a retrograde on January 2^nd and Jupiter’s next retrograde begins on March 8^th)…so we have a lot of forward momentum pushing us outwardly in these first months of our year.  In our Northern Hemisphere, this may seem a bit odd.  The dead of winter is often more of a time to go inward…followed by breaking out of our shells into springtime.  It’s the opposite this year…where the energy actually turns more inward as Spring comes along, and we have more work to be done on ourselves.  The Southern Hemisphere, of course, enjoys a summertime of forward movement followed by the inward journey of autumn.  So what do we do with this energy in the North?  Spend this time, and throughout February, taking concrete actions toward your goals for this year.  Then welcome more breaks in the Spring to recharge and really refine what you mean to do for the rest of the year.  Jupiter’s Scorpio Retrograde in early March is the first of many retrograde opportunities for the rest of the year, and his energy shift will turn us toward inner growth and enlightenment as he illuminates and helps us to investigate our depths.  We’ll be needing that in order to prepare for all that’s coming later.

Also, there is still a huge focus on Capricorn energy right now…and will be for a few years actually.  This is the New Moon that can really key us into the Capricorn Mysteries that Pluto, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury are all currently travelling through.  We’ll need this energy of sustainability and structure as we prepare for 2020’s Capricorn alignments.

Capricorn 27- A Mountain Pilgrimage

The Luminaries bring in this new phase on a degree that really highlights the upward climb to wisdom that Capricorn’s strong and sure-footed energy radiates.  Saturn, Mercury, Pluto, Sun, Moon, and Venus are all in Capricorn now…and their energies can be seen as the parts in each of us that inspired us all to climb this mountain.   Saturn makes the task necessary, Mercury wraps our collective mind around it, Pluto pushes for our transformation, Sun provides our fuel, Moon gives us the emotional need, and Venus shows us the value in the climb. 

Each archetype can also be seen in their highest expression as the Council of Wisdom Keepers we will meet at the mountain peak.  Saturn is the Keeper of Time who teaches, through Time’s limitations and restrictions, how to build a life of integrity and purpose. As Council Historian, Saturn keeps a record of our collective past and gives definition to the rights that must follow wrongs in our society and in ourselves.  Mercury is the Keeper of Language who teaches how to communicate…not just with each other, but also between worlds.  As Council Translator, Mercury connects us to each other through the collective mind and reconnects us with the ‘souls of thought’ which become the ideas we communicate into our world.  Pluto is the Keeper of Occult Knowledge who teaches, through a deep dive below the surface of things, how transformation occurs beyond the veil of our human reality.  As Council Shadow Worker, Pluto reveals the power hidden underneath our fears and rebirths it into our consciousness through a purification process that clarifies the soul’s intent.  Sun is the Keeper of Light who teaches how we can shine in our individuation process.  As Council Light Worker, Sun projects the vital energy that fuels and motivates our survival and self-understanding.  Moon is the Keeper of Intuitive Knowledge who reflects that light of consciousness through our feeling nature.  As Council Empath, Moon connects us with the cosmic womb and our ancestral lineage to provide us with emotional understanding and psychic development.  Venus is the Keeper of Feminine Mysteries who teaches the Heroine’s Journey through the empowerment of our feminine nature.  As Council Relational Guide, Venus connects us to each other through the magnetic force of the heart and harmonizes our embodied souls with the power of love.

And through Capricorn, all of these cosmic sages connect us with our responsibilities as humans on this planet.  Each individual degree activated by these Wisdom Keepers alludes to lessons we are making this pilgrimage to learn.  Saturn starts us off in the ‘a party entering a large canoe’ degree…focusing our energies on getting ‘on board’ with each other to start a journey that leads to the activation of our social responsibilities.  Mercury’s lesson is symbolized by the degree of ‘an angel playing a harp’ which is all about attunement to the messages coming from celestial frequencies.  Pluto is in the ‘a hidden choir singing’ degree which reveals what motivates us toward group transformation and harmony.  The luminaries in this ‘mountain pilgrimage’ degree urge us to climb higher to connect with our own unique experience of the wisdom of our Earth.  And Venus in the ‘a woman reading tea leaves’ degree teaches us the value and meaning behind symbols as they connect with heart-knowing…opening us up to “the relation of everything to everything else” (as Marc Jones once defined astrology).

Additional Energies from Water and Fire

This Circle of Wisdom Keepers who are gathered atop this Capricornian mountain are also being informed and supported by celestial energies in other signs.  Of particular interest, because the aspects literally form a mountain-like triangle of relationship with its peak in Capricorn, is the influence of the celestial bodies in Scorpio and Pisces (water signs in harmonious 60 degree sextiles with some of our Capricorn sages).

Jupiter in Scorpio sextiles Pluto, providing an opportunity for enlightenment beyond the veil.  With the Sabian Symbol of ‘a woman draws two dark curtains aside’, Jupiter invites us into the Pluto Mysteries that are often shrouded by fears or other means of obscuring the truth.  Daunting as it often is to shine a light into darkness, Jupiter’s Scorpio gift is to encourage us to face our fears and move past them. 

Mars in Scorpio is in a 120 degree trine with Chiron in Pisces…which forms the two sextiles to the Capricorn Stellium of Sun-Moon-Venus and makes the ‘mountain’ configuration previously mentioned.  Mars’s symbol is ‘an x-ray photograph’ and Chiron’s symbol is ‘a new moon that divides its influence’…both energies providing the emotional (water sign) foundation that draws us to the peak experience of ‘a mountain pilgrimage’.  Mars in Scorpio provides a penetrative look into the structural knowledge of the Capricorn Mysteries (which, in medical astrology rules the bones, among other things)…finding any weak spots that call for reparative action.  This, of course, goes beyond bodily structures and can also be seen in the structures of society that are in need of repair.  Mars provides the desire to pinpoint what needs to be strengthened.  Chiron in Pisces reminds us that this ‘Mountain Pilgrimage’ New Moon is not a one size fits all kind of energy, even though we embark on this pilgrimage together.  The healing journey is an individual experience…and each of us has the opportunity to tap into this New Moon energy to reveal new insights into our own unique experiences.  My piece of the cosmic download may look very different from yours.  And yours may look very different than your loved one’s.  And so on.  But Chiron’s energy in this mix lets us know that this is both a teachable moment as well as a necessary pilgrimage along our individual healing path.  In Pisces, Chiron teaches us to surrender to the holistic experience of this moon phase…a phase that leads up to a rare Blue Moon Total Eclipse at the end of this month.

Also in Pisces, Neptune sextiles Mercury in Capricorn…an opportunistic aspect that will be building in intensity throughout this New Moon week.  Neptune is making a third pass now through Pisces 13…which I covered toward the end of my post on Full Moon in Pisces from September of last year.  

Neptune was conjunct that Full Moon during its retrograde pass through this degree.  That was a tumultuous time of post-eclipse integration last year, you may remember.  Neptune’s waters were certainly flooding our awareness, and our cities, at that time.  Neptune has made a slow trek back through this degree now and builds to a beneficial connection with Mercury in Capricorn to connect the symbols from our collective unconscious to our conscious minds so that we may regain access to the bigger picture.  The Sabian Symbol for Pisces 13 is ‘an ancient sword, used in many battles, is displayed in a museum’.  Neptune is guiding us now to integrate what we learned about this degree last year…through the powers of resolution and attunement Mercury communicates from the ‘harp’ degree. Neptune here showcases the dynamic ancestral power we carry within our modern walls and display cases.  Similar to the structural power within our physical bodies and societies that Mars examines in Scorpio with ‘x-ray’ vision…we also carry our ancestral power within our physical bodies and societal structures.  Both energies are homing in on the kind of healing needed to re-establish integrity in humanity’s contribution to our world. 

Another energy of note comes from the square to our luminaries activated by the Aries Stellium of Eris-Uranus-Pallas.  This wild card ‘triple-threat’ is still in full effect this month, which I covered in more detail in my New Moon in Sagittarius post last month.

In December, the energy was connected to the New Moon by a flowing and harmonious trine.  This time, the Aries Stellium connects to the New Moon with a dynamic and activating square.  The rebellious, revolutionary warrior/warrioress nature of this stellium pushes against the mountain of Capricorn energy to remind us that, even as we’re receiving great downloads of wisdom about sustainability and structure…it is necessary to take purposeful action in the immediate future as another earth-shaking surprise from left field could happen at any time.  An inconjunct aspect is almost at its peak here between Uranus in Aries and Mars in Scorpio…agitating the incompatible energies to settle for a compromise if they can.  Fortunately, Pallas Athene is a clever strategist and will be in on the negotiations.

From a global view, any manner of what Antero Alli calls ‘outside shocks’ that occur when transpersonal forces are activated can happen.  These experiences, he writes, are “beyond the control and comprehension of the ego” and “trigger growth spurts, inciting new possibilities where previous crystallizations and limitations thwarted our further development”.  With Uranus, such shocks often begin with some form of oppression and lead to freedom.  Mars is zeroing in to find weaknesses in our structural integrity right now so that we will know where to take action before a problem gets fully exacerbated.  And with the weaknesses in our socio-political structures popping up left and right into our awareness, our will to correct things is at a keen focus.  But with these two forces at an inconjunct, we may find that there are blind spots in our collective awareness.  What this might mean on the individual level is that there may be a bit of a shock to our own physical structures in some way this week…and we’ll have to take some necessary action to alleviate the issue.  Go easy on those bones as you climb the mountain.  And maybe…don’t look down until you’re on the return path.  Also, the advice from the Aries Stellium still holds true:  If nothing is going right…go left.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Capricorn Stellium: Wise Woman in the Heart of the Sun

This phenomenal woman is one of my favorite writers.

As January 8^th moves into the 9^th (CST), a rare stellium (conjunction of multiple celestial bodies) reaches exaction in Capricorn.  First, just before midnight tonight, Venus makes a superior conjunction to the Sun.  This conjunction is known as Venus Cazimi (Venus ‘in the heart of the Sun’).  When the inner planets are cazimi, their energy is more powerful and very beneficial (though cazimi doesn’t last too long).  I was born with Mercury Cazimi in Aries…and with Mercury being the planet of communication, you might see that writing is almost a necessity for my self-expression.  An example of someone born with Venus Cazimi would be Oprah Winfrey, who has become an extraordinary star among women.  Last night, my daughter and I watched her give a powerful speech at the Golden Globe Awards as she became the first black woman to receive the Cecil B. DeMille award.  The timing of this moving speech infused these words from a Cazimi Venus powerhouse with the current Cazimi Venus energy we are now feeling.  And a vast audience of people who respect her heart-centered wisdom were listening intently, far and wide.  It’s no wonder that the buzz began almost immediately that she should run for president in 2020.  So many in this country have been hoping for a Woman of Wisdom to step forward as a leader among women who can truly represent them and accurately uphold the voice of the people in our country…and that’s something that Oprah has been doing for decades in her own unique way. 

This current Capricorn energy is the energy of the Wise Woman…the protectress of our next seven generations…the Circle of Grandmothers.  Both Venus and the Sun are meeting up with Pluto in Capricorn on the 9^th to create this powerful stellium and begin a new cycle.  With Pluto in the mix, this stellium energy is deeply transformative.  In Capricorn, Pluto has been transforming the structures of our society for a decade now…breaking down what is no longer working so that more sustainable structures may replace it.  This is a slow process, like composting…but it is marked by many instances of drastic transformations (especially during the Uranus-Pluto squares between 2012-2015).  And now, Venus Cazimi is infusing this transformative process with a powerful dose of heart-centered Goddess energy.  She is initiating this Plutonian energy closer to home for us…so close, in fact, that it resonates right in the heart.

Collectively, this is a much-needed maturation point for us…where we have the opportunity to step out of our ‘infancy’ as a human race and start taking on more responsibility together.  The Sabian Symbol for the 19^th degree of Capricorn (where Venus Cazimi takes place) is ‘a young child carrying a huge shopping bag’.  This is an energy of accelerated growth…where the child is carrying out responsibilities, even before fully developing, in effort to help out.  Personally, you may not feel ready to be of service in the way that you want to…but situations will still arise to prove to you that you are ready to grow quickly into whatever role is calling you.  Don’t hold yourself back because you don’t have degrees and experience…take on the experience as it comes.  Maybe it’s that you’re afraid to do something on your own.  The truth is, you can.  This is not a time to stay comfortably where we’ve always been operating…it’s a time to break out of routine and try something new.

The Sabian Symbol for Capricorn 20 (where Venus and the Sun meet up with Pluto on the 9^th) is ‘a hidden choir singing’.  In many great cathedrals, the choir is hidden behind the altar or above the nave.  It is symbolic of the connection with heaven and the music of the spheres.  Even when we can’t see where the music is coming from that guides us to unity of above and below…we can hear it and, especially, feel it.  As if mirroring this ‘hidden choir’, Venus and Pluto are hidden behind the bright sun at this time…yet still able to move us with powerful music, even more so really.  Sun, Venus, and Pluto in this degree help us to transform from the personal, ego state…through the heart center… into trans-personal harmony, connecting together with voice and breath, in order to find unity and resolution.  Our abilities to ‘listen’ are heightened in this transit…and can clue us in to where we can be a harmonizing influence in a world that has been suffering from the dissonance that follows a disconnection from humanity.

This stellium, on a personal level, may have much to do with transformations within relationships.  Leading up to this cazimi point may have been a bit rocky on the relationship front for many people.  But this cazimi point is an opportunity to make positive transformations of the heart.  It may have little to do with relationships with others…and more to do with your relationship with yourself.  Where ever the energy is directed…welcome the change.  Following this, there may be another few weeks of stumbling integration of this energy…but it will even out and you’ll start noticing how necessary the transformation was, even if it didn’t come easily. 

I’ve been focusing in on this Capricorn Wise Woman energy since Saturn moved into this sign last month…with good reason.  The next two years will be featuring this ‘Circle of Grandmothers’ energy very prominently as we build to conjunctions in 2020 between Pluto and the social planets, Jupiter and Saturn, during that time.  The pillars of our society can benefit greatly from this kind of structural boost that will last for many generations to come…that is, if we tap into these opportunities arising and make good use of them.  Wise Women know you must be prepared to put in great effort to overcome the kind of corrupting influences that have plagued our society for far too long.  Such weeds take methodical, hands-in-the-dirt, dedication to uproot…quick fixes aren’t sustainable.  The results of such efforts are the very foundations of healthy growth and prosperity.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Full Moon in Cancer: The Wisdom of Love Beyond Measure

Full Moon in Cancer:  The Wisdom of Love Beyond Measure

Moon opposite Sun @ 8:24pm CST on 1-1-18

“The notion that somehow science and spirituality are mutually exclusive does a disservice to both.”- Carl Sagan

Welcome to the Full Wolf Moon on New Year’s Day 2018, an aperture to initiate all we’ve learned from last year!  We are all learning as we go along…so thank you for supporting and encouraging my own musings as we cross paths in this Earthdance.  I support and encourage yours as well!

Speaking of dancing, my family and I have much to celebrate each New Year’s Day now because of our own ‘tiny dancer’, Felix Fawkes Kavi.  It’s his third birthday on the day of this Full Moon!  And like every New Year’s baby, he also holds that ‘old soul’ quality of Father Time…so he teaches us to ‘keep in time’ with the Now, while simultaneously looking to the Past for how we’ve grown and looking forward to the Future for its encouraging potentials.  A Full Moon birthday (which I just had in April 2017) is a solar return year that is integral in a person’s development.  It is one where we look for ways to come into balance with what may at first appear to be two opposite energies.  Our intentions to integrate new wisdom we’ve learned in the previous cycle are amplified, illuminating the fertile ground of the path before us.  And while this is very personally true for our son this year (and all others born on January 1^st), a similar feeling is palpable in the air of our Collective Consciousness.  This year is an opportunity for all of humanity to shine, illuminating each of our integral roles within this web of life. 

Many of us use this time to make resolutions each year…sometimes we stick with the goal we set, and other times we veer off on a necessary sidetrack.  Either way, we have an opportunity to learn something new.  This year, though, begins with a ‘super moon’ (Perigee Full Moon)…so resolutions and intentions for 2018 will be energized in this light. 

Kite configuration on a chart wheel

There’s a theme of bridging the things we, as a collective, hold separate.  Spiritual and scientific exploration as a search for truth and meaning is the main theme of the symbols of this full moon, but it stems from how we integrate our experiences of the outer world with the experiences of our inner world. We are balancing within and without, above and below, the transpersonal and the personal, what is beyond our capacity to explain and what we can understand through the measurements of the senses, and the metaphysical interconnectedness of spirit with our own physical action.  These themes are amplified by the trine (harmonious aspect of 120 degrees) between Neptune and Mars…both connected to the luminaries in an aspect pattern called a ‘kite’.  Kite configurations combine the flowing creativity of a Grand Trine (Moon, Mars, and Neptune in the 3 water signs) and the grounding of an oppositional anchor (Sun in earthy Capricorn).  This provides an opportunity (through 60 degree sextiles) to channel that creative flow into a practical outlet. 

Sun in Capricorn 12:  Scientific Evolution into Ecocentricism

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘a student of nature lecturing reveals little-known aspects of life’.  This is the year where we evolve beyond the anthropocentric worldview that has for far too long made the collective mind of humanity consider themselves more important than all else on this planet.  We’re evolving into a more ecocentric worldview where the Earth herself is honored as a living being and we humans are a part of her system along with everything else. Of course, the way I word this makes literal thinkers cringe…but most of us know there is scientific backing to a lot of what is considered ‘woo’.  It does take some research, or perhaps listening to a lecture about it.  One of the most groundbreaking TED talks from the last decade that gives solid reasoning for an ecocentric worldview is from Paul Stammets on the power of mycelium (included below).  Another great mind of the last few decades on the subject of spirituality and science is Fritjof Capra (author of ‘The Tao of Physics’).  You can read more about his ideas in this article, The Relationship Between Science and Spirituality.  

In this year ahead, look for those scientific minds who are taking a middle-ground approach to reaching out to others…as they are the front-runners of the shift we’ll be needing in these next couple of years.  Keep sharing their findings, as well as your own.  Revelations about the wonders of nature, whether coming from a scientific point of view or a spiritual one (or both), have the opportunity to reach more people this year.  One of the main reasons why both of these ‘searches for truth’ are overlooked…besides the obvious distractibility of our culture…is that Science and Spirituality both have to break free of some of the trappings of ‘religion’.  For example, if you listen to the TED talk below…notice how many times you feel a bit lost because you don’t know what this term or that term means, or the graphs used don’t make much sense because you haven’t studied them your whole life as he has.  I know many of you have a similar feeling when reading my blog (if you’re like my husband, you’ve likely grown accustomed to skimming over the technical jargon anyway).  The point of both sharings is to connect on some level so that the reader or listener gets something that is useful knowledge to them and helps them to expand their mind and worldview.  Not everyone is going to get everything, that’s not the point.  And the point is not that one person has superior knowledge over the other either.  The point is, in both cases, to provide some practical applications of whatever revelations have come to you through your own search for truth…something that others can use in their own life.  Often, the best way to do this is to be a living example.

Moon in Cancer 12:  Spiritual Revelation of Integral Consciousness

'Nursing' by Alex Grey

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘a woman nursing a baby whose aura reveals him to be the reincarnation of a great teacher’.  There is a symbolic nod, here, to how each new Dalai Lama is found…but there is something beyond religion about this degree that is often overlooked.  It is the bond of connection between mother and child.  The tendency is to focus on the child who is born with so much potential, but the woman represents the creative shakti.  This is the divine feminine energy from which everything comes, the dynamic source in all life that Ram Dass explains as ‘finer than quanta of energy in physical, scientific realms’.  The baby is nursing directly from that source through his mother…but there is even more beyond this great mental potential of the baby and the great physical power of the mother that makes this spiritual revelation so powerful.  It is, as my title suggests, a love beyond measure that creates the peak experience in this symbol.  A great mind and a powerful body need a third aspect that bridges them into balance…an open heart.  I have brought up the amazing power of the heart before…with energetic fields that can expand well beyond our bodies and brain capacity.  For more information on this, the Heartmath Institute is doing some amazing studies.  

If we respond to any part of the energetic messages of this New Year’s Super Moon of 2018…may we do it with an open heart, a sound mind, and a healthy body.  Keep in mind that Eris and Uranus are a powerful dynamic in Aries right now, both stationing to shift directions to start up January with a bang.  Exciting new things come along with this energy, and the surprises can go either way (both planetary energies have a way of ‘shocking the squares’, as the late great Hippie Bill “The Truth” Hertz used to say…a nod to our friend who passed away on New Years Day of 2012). 

So if some chaos is coming up for you right now in any form, it’s not some cosmic joke being played on you…it’s downright purposeful to graduate you to a higher expression of Self.  Purpose is integral now…and everyone’s either searching for it or activating it.  The key is to trust that your purpose is actually your guiding force this year, and for years to come.  You don’t have to define it…there’s no scientific equation that can measure it for you.  Just love YOU as you go along…cultivate a love that is beyond measure…and follow where your heart takes you on this Earthdance.  May your mind find peace, may your body become healthier, and may your love radiate from an open heart in everything you do this year!

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

PS- I wanted to include some specific examples of Spirituality and Science working in tandem, so I asked the lovely Sandra Ingerman for more information on some of the shamanic healing experiments she has been doing with groups over the years.  The scientific results of what we can do with our love and intentions are amazing.  You can find her experiments through this link to Sandra Ingerman's webpage.