Full Moon/Total Lunar Eclipse in Leo: Reclaiming Power

Art by Donia Lilly

Full Moon/Total Lunar Eclipse in Leo: Reclaiming Power

Moon opposite Sun @ 11:15pm CST on 1-20-19

Eclipse lasts from 8:36pm CST on 1-20 till 1:48am CST on 1-21

Full Eclipse between 10:41pm - 11:43pm CST

Maximum Eclipse @ 11:12pm CST

'Blood' in red for dramatic effect

Welcome to the Full Cold Moon (or Super Blood Wolf Moon as it’s being hyped...whatever combination of sensational words most draws the attention of readers, right?). While there are many names for the full moons of the year, I go by the ones that make the most sense for me in the middle of the US...and the Full Moon in a midwest January almost always brings with it some freezing temperatures. From my observations, this is when most people in Omaha are really bemoaning the cold, after the holiday season (another fitting old name for this moon is ‘Moon After Yule’). And yes, it’s close enough to perigee to look a tiny bit larger (when the Moon gets a ‘supermoon’ status)...but it’s actually a bit closer at the Quickening Moon next month (which might not be as hyped because there’s no lunar eclipse then to also turn it ‘blood red’). 

Whatever fascinating words or events might have put this particular moon in focus for you...it’s actually the Moon herself who is pulling you in (even before you see her in shadowed fullness, if you are in an area of good visibility). She’s got a powerful message for us this weekend...one that will continue to resonate at least until the next eclipse season this summer. Pieces of this message may even come up after another 18 years, as eclipse cycles do. 

Moon messages communicate intuitively...sometimes through feelings, musings, visions, dreams, or symbols. Often times, you’ll see or hear something that connects you to an unmistakable knowing (do your best not to doubt it). This is the way I write these astrological blogposts...following the feelings that emerge from the connected symbols and sharing my musings. Here is how the Music of the Spheres speaks to me, and how I translate the messages within the music.

All Planets Direct (APD) from January 6^th to March 5^th

First page of a picture book called 'Slow Down, World' by Tai Snaith...
It says, 'Are you galloping along?  Faster and faster until...'

A day after the opening eclipse of this season, Uranus stationed direct and ushered in another time of APD quickening that will be especially potent throughout February. In March, Mercury gives us his first pause and shift of perspective of the year for our Collective Mind. At that point, we’ll be working through any of the inconsistencies or disregarded necessities of this APD time period. 

That this APD time period began within this eclipse portal is important...there may be a lot more ignorance of the shadow we’re carrying, especially collectively. In worldly affairs, we’ll see a lot of rushing about within the matrix of our human constructs...trying to get things done that may not be integral to the larger plan before the Universe can call us out on any failures. 

Here in the US, the Trump administration has forced a government shutdown to further continue an ultimately useless agenda. Trump was inaugurated during APD too...so it’s good to be somewhat skeptical of any APD hype that this is a time of wish-fulfillment with only good manifestations. Move forward, yes...but make sure you’re doing no harm or karma will eventually bite back (remember, it’s Eclipse Season). 

From the perspective of a woman with 6 natal retrogrades, don’t speed up so fast that you ignore the important things along the way. It’s not like you’ll be able to ‘take it slow’ while the world speeds up around you, but try your best to keep things in check. Also, this Full Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse carries a warning of using our power wisely as we call out the shadows.

Total Lunar Eclipse (Saros Series- 135): The Shadow of Sovereignty

Saros 135 began in 1550 with an imperceptible penumbral lunar eclipse. And thus began what is referred to as the First Wave of European Colonization and the First Atlantic System of Slave Trade. The shifting concept of Sovereignty emerged anew in France and spread, but it failed to recognize its Goddess roots in the land and Her integral role in granting sovereignty to human rulers. What was ignored is that Sovereignty does not represent ownership of land and people, but stewardship. And so a whole new treacherous wave of hierarchical ownership displaced the importance of a network of nurturing relationships. The misunderstanding of the value and worth of the land, Her anima loci, and Her indigenous lives, has had lasting consequences. Sovereignty was then used to colonize, dispossess, enslave, and threaten the ‘New World’...and continued to evolve over centuries through this 16^th century shadow.

ANWR Porcupine Caribou

The last time this series of eclipses was total was on January 9^th, 2001. A day later, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was denied national monument status by the White House...shattering hopes that such status would prevent oil drilling. I bring this up because, fast forward to recent news and we see that the Trump administration is currently rushing to open up the ANWR, one of America’s last untouched pieces of wilderness, to oil companies. May the odds of APD endeavors be ever in Earth’s favor.

This is only one of the myriad of eclipse shadow manifestations in our modern times...but it distinctly brings up this Saros 135 theme of the misrule of ownership over the sacredness of the land, and disregard for the life that dwells upon it. What we must remember, as we peer into this eclipse shadow and watch the full light re-emerge as it passes, is that what we are here to do is in sacred stewardship to our Mother Earth and we must nurture this web of relationship that connects all life on this planet. It is the reclaiming of personal sovereignty that encourages healthy, heart-centered leadership to emerge by our example.

Moon in Leo 1

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘blood rushes to a man’s head as his vital energies are mobilized under the spur of ambition’. In this first degree of Leo, the symbol refers to the individual experience of energy rising from the heart to the head. Essentially, in a creative sense, our heart’s desire comes to mind and seeks conscious manifestation. Or, in a destructive sense, the wrath that arises from a wounded heart starts a wildfire within…and the heat rises to the mind, creating a chain reaction of destructive thoughts. The original wording of this symbol gives more clues into the destructive shadow aspect of this energy: “a case of apoplexy”. Apoplexy is unconsciousness or incapacity resulting from cerebral hemorrhage or stroke. But apoplexy also has a more informal definition as an incapacity or speechlessness caused by extreme anger. In either definition, the result is incapacity in some form if we’re not careful with this energy. The different descriptions of this symbol present a choice. Will we intentionally focus this trailblazing force of bio-psychic energy into ambitious creative pursuits, or will we leave it unattended…resulting in a conflagration of disastrous effects?

The way this Full Moon/Total Lunar Eclipse energy manifests in our individual lives will largely depend on what energy we are currently holding in our hearts before it rushes to our heads. Are we holding space for love and gratitude in our heart center? Or are we holding onto damaging feelings of fear, lack, jealousy, rage, revenge, or hatred? Let the healing fire within purify your heart center during this closing of the Eclipse Portal...and then allow for grounded release. No matter how broken you may feel, that sacred flame is eternal. Whatever you hold in your heart right now (be it radiant love or a towering inferno)…it is bound to spread…first to the mind, then out into the world around us. As within, so without.

Sun in Aquarius 1

San Diego Alcala Mission

The Sabian Symbol here is ‘an old adobe mission in California’. In general, this symbol refers to enduring structures of group effort that outlive those who founded and built them. But, during an eclipse, it is often the shadow of the symbols that is most revealing. In the early colonization endeavors of the Spanish along the Pacific Coast in North America, a mission system was constructed to both defend against Russian fur traders and to convert the natives to Catholicism. What is often taught today, that the Franciscan friars and the natives lived together in these missions harmoniously, is a completely glossed over version of the darker truth. 

It often began with the youth of the tribe, being curious and more gullible to the false promise of a better life through conversion...but once in, they were never allowed to leave and were forced into slavery. Mothers would come next, searching for their children...followed by fathers in search of their whole family. The conditions were little more than concentration camps, and the baptized lives of these natives were considered worthless...except for their contribution to the workforce and their deaths meaning that more souls would go to heaven, in the twisted minds of those who controlled them. 

What this symbol brings to light is that Aquarian innovation often brings together group efforts from like-minded individuals...networking ideas and contributing talents for the greater good (such as the current Women’s Marches across our country, largely speaking to a shared message of gender equality). However, the shadow side of spiritual bypass comes in when our humanity is disregarded in ‘us and them’ distinctions. Consider, especially for those of us in the states, that this longest-ever government shutdown is because Trump wants funding to build his hyped-up border wall (a physical structure, like the mission system, which would do more harm than good).

*********

Let’s pull it back now to our individual lives. We’re at the figurative flowering phase of this current lunar cycle that was seeded at the New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse on Jan. 5^th. The intentions set forth then are now in full bloom. What grew from there might look different than you envisioned a couple weeks ago, as what is grown in the eclipse portal can often surprise us (especially this one, which has had a very Uranian influence throughout). Beyond this cycle, there is a larger lunar gestation cycle...and this one began with the New Moon in this same degree of Leo on 7-23-17. So something that began then in your life is now culminating. And beyond this, the Saros cycles of eclipses come back around roughly every 18 years...so things may be resurfacing in a graduated light that happened in your life in 2001.

As we close out this Eclipse Season, our cauldron is full of the many ingredients we’ve been stirring into this Strange Brew. As the moon starts to wane, we’ll be going through a distillation process where we extract the essential meaning from these eclipses and use it as a potent elixir for the integration of these lessons.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse in Capricorn: What it Takes to Move Mountains

New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse in Capricorn: 

 What it Takes to Move Mountains

Moon conjunct Sun- 1/5/2019 @ 7:28pm CST

Welcome to the Cold Moon (also known as the Moon after Yule or, sometimes, the Wolf Moon), our first New Moon of the New Year and the opening of another Eclipse Portal! Now is the time to set solid intentions while we do the shadow work that is often called for during Eclipse Season. I refer to the two week window in between eclipses as the Eclipse Cauldron (because of the unique elements brewing each time). The luminaries, lunar nodes, planets, and asteroids all add their own elements into the brew that will become the elixir we’ll need in the months ahead. The stronger ingredients come from Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn in conjunction with the luminaries, dropping some weighty responsibilities into the mix. There is also a supportive sextile to the New Moon from Neptune in Pisces, a subtle hint that can bring in some creative communication opportunities.

New Moon in Capricorn 16

Sabian Symbol: Children in gym suits

What is active at the center of your being this weekend? What moves you? Yes, many important people in our lives will be inspiring us to activate in this energy...but what is that inner motivation whispering of your truth? Now is the time to align it with your outward expression and create something tangible from the tools provided in this gymnasium of possibilities. Mars in Aries energy is stoking that fire in each of us, and the planet party in Capricorn gives us the structure to build upon. We could do anything with this active Mars energy in an open gym...but put an obstacle course in front of us and we’ll learn specialized strategies while imagining each goal. This is the kind of gym we are walking into. Some of us are ready for anything...some of us may feel a bit apprehensive about challenges and even some awkwardness as we get used to a gym suit that doesn’t quite ‘suit’ our individuality. The point is to explore the possibilities...have some fun while doing the work that is being called for now...but don’t be afraid of the shadow of disappointment. It will want to be addressed in this eclipse window we’ll be opening. But whatever shadows may arise that want us to examine our beliefs of failure...know they hold valuable wisdom for our success. Maybe the monkey bars aren’t an inherent strength of yours...but practice makes progress.

New Moon conjunct Vega

The symbol for the fixed star, Vega

I don’t usually include details about the fixed stars, but Vega is a particularly familiar star for me (and for my daughter, Alyrica, whose nickname is ‘Lyra’...the constellation of the harp that Vega is in). There is an abundance of creativity in this Vega New Moon...like so many kids bursting through the gym doors to engage in creative play. Ah, an outlet for all this learning we do! Time to release some physical energy! This is innovative energy that thrives in the structure that Earth provides us. It creates from within and then releases that energy with others...growing something tangible and sustainable for all to enjoy. Alyrica and I find this particularly suitable to creative endeavors such as storytelling, visual art, or musical expression. But the energy can be channeled into anything, really. What makes you shine, even in the shadows? This is where Vega will be guiding us as we begin another eclipse season.

Partial Solar Eclipse (Saros Series- 122): The Anarchy

12th Century Knights depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry

Each eclipse is part of a long-running series, and the Saros 122 solar eclipses were at their longest duration of totality in 1135 and 1153. These years marked a historical period of civil war in England and Normandy which has been called ‘The Anarchy’. Looking into the history of when a Saros cycle is strongest can give clues to the shadow energies at play when this series comes up again. This eclipse is only a moderate partial eclipse now...with 71% of the sun covered for viewers closest to the center. Most of us won’t get to see this one...unless you live in north-east China, Japan, or eastern Russia. And still, the eclipses have a palpable effect upon the world...even when mostly unseen. England and Normandy never saw the total eclipses in 1135 and 1153 either...but King Stephen’s reign between those total eclipses (from the death of King Henry I to Stephen’s own death and the succession of King Henry II) was full of conflict and a widespread breakdown of law and order. And all because the oaths King Henry made his court take about his successor being his daughter, Empress Matilda, were not upheld after his death in 1135. This eclipse series holds the shadow of contested, unsupported, and unfit leadership. And while the implications may be very obvious on the world stage, how might it translate on the individual level? In some part of your life (which the New Moon can clue you into if you know which house of your natal chart it is transiting), your authority may be challenged (either by your inner saboteur or by others). As mentioned before, feelings of failure and/or disappointment may arise in the shadow of something you are trying to accomplish. And yet, you still have to do your best. Maybe others are relying upon you to provide some sense of stability, safety, or even fulfillment at this time. How do you rise to the challenge of being under pressure to perform? In this New Moon, you’ll have to get creative with the obstacle course before you. And if you feel overwhelmed, look to others who can provide some support. Mars in Aries may be pushing for self-reliance...but there is no shortage of support from the current Capricorn Council of Wise Ones.

The Wisdom Keepers

At New Moon, 3 planets (Mercury, Saturn, and Pluto) and the South Lunar Node are in Capricorn with our luminaries. This is another packed Council meeting. Mercury has just begun his trek through this earth sign, but Saturn (the traditional Capricorn guide) and Pluto are close enough to the middle of Capricorn to conjunct the Sun and Moon. Not only is Saturn in his home sign, but Pluto has been a very strong teacher of this medicine for a while already...he takes his time in each lesson and makes sure we feel it at our core. All 5 of these guides are moving ever closer to meeting up with the South Lunar Node, each in their own time. Mercury starts off this moon cycle by teaching how to better use our mind power through communication, Saturn is giving an informative lecture on the laws of nature, and Pluto is backing up the New Moon gymnasium energy in the ‘relay race’ degree. This is a lesson in working together and sharing responsibility to reach group goals. And they’re all making the Capricorn climb with us to highlight the South Node in the ‘mountain top pilgrimage’ degree. We have climbed this mountain many times before...even just a year ago (New Moon in Capricorn last year was in that ‘mountain pilgrimage’ degree)...but there is something new to learn every time from the Wisdom Keepers of each Capricorn Council. This time, with South Node here, the purpose of this climb is one of release. Whatever we are collectively learning, we learn to give it back in productive and sustainable ways.

Kite with Nodes, Venus, and Chiron

Connected with South Node in Capricorn is a Grand Water Trine between the Cancer North Node, Scorpio Venus, and Pisces Chiron. Together, these four energies create an aspect pattern called a kite, where second element (Capricorn Earth, in this case) anchors the Grand Trine with sextiles and an opposition. In this, the creative current flowing easily with the trines finds a place to ground. So, all that we are learning also has this supportive flow backing it...to creatively manifest the wisdom into new forms.

Uranus Stations Direct in Aries 29

Sabian Symbol: The Music of the Spheres

'Music of the Spheres' by Fiona Watson

The day after New Moon, when Moon reaches her South Node in Capricorn, Uranus stations direct in Aries in a dynamic square to Moon. By Sunday night, we’ll be back in that ‘all planets direct’ energy...which is so different from the ‘6 planets retrograde’ energy we felt last year. The fast-paced world doesn’t often slow down for us when all planets are direct, so we have to keep up. However, at the time of this New Moon...Uranus is at the very end of his retrograde and has paused in this degree before shifting direction (in our sky). There is a slow-down point here at the beginning of this lunation. There are a lot of ingredients at this time to stir into our Eclipse Cauldron, after all. With Uranus Retrograde medicine so focused right now, this is likely to be a strange brew we’ve never even heard of before. The contents in this cauldron are a mix of tried-and-true Capricorn earth, juicy water signs, and the unpredictable fire nature of Uranus in Aries innovations and oddities. In this degree of ‘the music of the spheres’, take a pause with Uranus to listen to what our Cosmic Neighborhood is communicating. They are guiding us, even if we don’t grasp every detail of what we just read about them here. Tap into these frequencies, and play along. The spheres aren’t the only ones meant to make music.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Full Moon in Cancer: The Turning of the Wheel

Full Moon Winter Solstice Mandala by Caterina Martinico

Full Moon in Cancer: The Turning of the Wheel

Yule/Solstice (Sun moves into Capricorn)- 12/21 @ 4:23pm CST

Moon opposite Sun- 12/22 @ 11:49am CST

The Long Nights’ Moon is full and brilliant with her reflections this Solstice. She guides us to release the fear of the dark, as it is a fertile womb of potential. What we focus on in these times is what we bring to birth in the coming year, and Luna illuminates that promise of becoming. For many of us, this is the last time we’ll experience a Full Moon so close to this December Solstice. This is a time to fully engage with the spirit of the season, in whatever ways nourish your roots and nurture your growth. Soak in the light that Luna reflects from the Sun...allow it to recharge you. Sun at the beginning of Capricorn holds still for a few days at its southernmost declination, bringing us the longest nights (in the northern hemisphere) before starting to rise incrementally north again and allowing for more daylight hours. But Moon is actually illuminating the opposite Solstice point at the beginning of Cancer...where we in the northern hemisphere experience our longest days. This Full Moon experience is like bringing the energy of Midsummer into Midwinter...for many, this will be a welcome and joyful experience. Though some may prefer not to be rattled awake from their hibernation at this time. If you need a dose of activity and ‘lighting up the dark’, you aren’t alone...many others will be feeling that need too and it will be a good time to gather and connect warmly with others. If you don’t, use the bright light of the moon for reflection on what intentions you’ll be bringing with you into the warmer months ahead. It is very likely that you will be in tune with your own needs at this time, as the Cancer Full Moon connects us to our intuition as well as what is comforting and nurturing to us.

Moon in Cancer 1- A Change of Direction

The Sabian Symbol for this 1^st degree of Cancer is ‘on a ship, sailors lower an old flag and raise a new one’. The Solstice degrees bring about turning points in our lives...and this Solstice carries a doubly potent shift of energies as our luminaries occupy both Solstice points less than a day after Sun enters Capricorn. Focused as this holiday season can be on keeping up with traditions and obligations that are ‘what we have always done’...there is also a palpable feeling, this time, of breaking free from expectations and choosing a new focus that just feels more aligned to your soul. This can literally be a starting of new traditions for your family on these holidays. It can also be anything that involves a far-reaching decision on all things related to Cancer energy (such as home and family). There is a feeling of ‘shifting allegiance’ in the air...where, collectively, we can come together and decide that what we were previously giving power to is unsustainable. This is a critical choice point being illuminated now. What will become our new focus? The same is true for each of us on the individual level. Something we upheld in the past is no longer working for us...it’s time to replace it with something more helpful that embraces where we are heading now.

Sun in Capricorn 1- Taking on New Responsibility

Art by Susan Seddon Boulet

The Sabian Symbol for this first degree of Capricorn is ‘a chief claims power from the assembled tribe’. This December Solstice degree is about stepping into a new role, taking on the responsibilities associated with leadership, and empowering others through your own empowerment. Here, we access our own inner authority and our ability to implement the changes of direction we (and our family/tribe) need at this time. This is about mustering up some confidence in facing the unknown of what lies ahead...trusting in your ability to make the right decisions for a sustainable future. On the world stage, we will see who has (or absolutely doesn’t have) the leadership skills to step up when and where they are most needed. Misuse of power has been running rampant and this turning point in our wheel of the year will bring the necessary fall of some and the rise of others. Individually, you are being asked to step up as well (if not by others, then certainly by yourself). What are the crucial changes you are needing to make now as we move from the darkest time of our northern year to the growing light? Even if it doesn’t feel you are being supported in these changes by others, you are being supported by your ancestors and guides. Capricorn brings the energy of a Council of Wise Ones who support solid growth and responsible choices. Consider that those who came before you know your strength and capability, perhaps better than you know yourself. If you feel a nudge to step up and step forth...your Ancestors are empowering you to make a choice that releases past limitations and moves you toward a greater potential.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Happy Holidays from the Kavi Family! 
The Holly King and the Yule Fairy are two of our seasonal guides
throughout the 12 days of Yule at the Kavi House. 
We begin our celebrations at the Winter Solstice,
and continue the celebration for 11 more days. 
The 12th day of Yule is our son's birthday,
and then our daughter's is a few days later.
Let the festivities begin!

Neptune Station Direct

Pisces Symbol:  two fish swimming in different directions, united together

Neptune Station Direct

by Felina Lune Kavi

11/24/18

We are floating.

Close your weary eyes,

they’ve seen enough for now.

Open the eye within to see.

Time is No Time.

Keep floating in the womb of the Void.

Tap in your intuitive sense

and feel Her loving embrace.

What arises?

A vision, a sound, a feeling, a knowing?

Move forward, now, along this dream journey.

A story unfolds from the waters.

I hear a song.

It carries us through Mama Ocean.

A mermaid singing wisdom

about what we don’t know.

One vast ocean,

enveloping the land and her creatures.

And humans know very little

of the depths of water’s magic.

Enchanting tale

about exchanging her tail for four legs.

Running on land in fox fur,

she watched how many had forgotten their feelings.

Neptune’s journey,

backwards through Piscean waves,

reconnected us all to uncharted senses

and to our water within.

What happens now?

Neptune stationed direct, she sings,

We don’t have to know it…

we just have to Be in it.

'Fox Maiden' by Susan Seddon Boulet
Sabian Symbol for Neptune Station in Pisces 14:  'a lady in fox fur'

Full Moon in Gemini: Storyteller’s Moon

'Kokopelli and Coyote' by Mike Smith

Full Moon in Gemini: Storyteller’s Moon

Moon opposite Sun on 11-22-2018 @ 11:39pm CST

'Seven Sisters on a Saturday Night' by Susan Elliot

The Mourning Moon illuminates memory and communication. In the 1^st degree of Gemini, Moon is conjunct the Pleiades, channeling in the mythic storyline of the Seven Sisters...companions to Artemis, the Moon Goddess of the Wild Hunt.  How do we connect with our siblings...or those we are so familiar with, they are like siblings to us? Brothers and Sisters, how are we communicating with each other at this time? Is it fun or is it forceful...does it help us shine or ‘get lost’? All manner of opposites are in play at this Full Moon...and since Mercury is the ruler of Gemini, his retrograde journey through Sagittarius (Gemini’s opposite) advises us to reconsider thoughts and ideas before they are shared.

At the same time, Jupiter with the Sun in Sagittarius wants to expound upon the many energies at play...possibly to the point of exaggeration (which can make anything from an entertaining story to a mountain out of a molehill). There is certainly an energy of gregarious generosity to this Full Moon-Jupiter combination that is worth tapping into, but the opposite feeling of needing inward thought at this time is also present. How to reconcile the extroversion-introversion polarity? A bit of ambiversion is needed to navigate this outward/inward adventure.

Mars and Neptune Retrograde in Pisces play integral roles in this planetary party as well. With this square energy from Pisces, confused actions can be a result of communication overload (whether in our inward or outward environment, but likely both). The counsel here is very indicative of a Mercury Retrograde time period: If linear and logical mental processes are not going to produce your expected result, perhaps your intuitive senses would be more reliable to tap into at this time. Moon’s position right now has us wide-open to cosmic downloads, and literally everything else, so if we’re too distracted by any increasing dramas...we might miss the larger storyline.

There’s a Dreamtime state washing over everyone right now that can make ordinary reality somewhat puzzling. Inconsistencies between our states of consciousness may reveal greater truths, though it might be hard to focus on just one thing to gain any lasting clarity. Keep a dream journal by your bedside to record anything that surfaces from the subconscious/unconscious realms...as these are the messages that will reveal what lies beneath the stories swirling in our current experience.

Moon in Gemini 1- Curiosity and Fascination

'Alice' by Elena Kalis

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘a glass bottom boat reveals undersea wonders’. This Mercury Retrograde just keeps getting ‘curiouser and curiouser’, as Alice would say. Wonderland references to this time certainly apply...and the stark contrasts of things can be either fascinating or frightening, depending on your shifting state-of-mind. Which of the characters of this ‘Through the Looking Glass’ story do you identify with at this time? Are you trying to make logical sense out of illogical (or, perhaps, extra-logical) concepts, like Alice? Are you quite accustomed to this ‘time which is no time’ like the characters at the tea party? Are you rushing around like the out-of-sync White Rabbit who feels dreadfully late for something unspecified but important? Are you snickering at the silliness of it all like the Cheshire Cat? Or are you all ‘off with their heads’ like the Red Queen? With the Cardinal Grand Cross of Venus, Uranus Rx, and the lunar nodes still in play, our Caterpillar friend challenges us through the smokey haze to answer: “Who are you?” In doing so, what is revealed may make us wonder even more.

Sun in Sagittarius 1- Exploration and Expansion

Grand Army Campfire Vintage Card from 1882

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘a Grand Army of the Republic campfire’. Stories from the past will inevitably come up, especially in a gathering of familiar faces. You’ll want to explore and expand upon life’s experiences. Whether you are with others at this time or not, the need to share stories and relate with others who understand much of what you’ve been through is strong. Bonding such as this brings us back to the brotherhood and sisterhood themes of this Full Moon. Old memories are reawakened to shine a light on both who we were and how far we’ve come since. Different as we may be individually, it is important to remember we share a common past. Old battles may resurface under this influence, but the overall theme is one of companionship on this journey of life which is ever-marching forward in our experience of mortal ‘time’. How has our experience shaped us into who we are now, or who we are in the process of becoming? Lives lost along the journey can be found gathering with us around the ‘campfire’, reminding us they’re still part of our lives. And old ‘battle wounds’ hold Storyteller medicine that can heal the ache of time spent apart. If you’re able to be with family or friends today, enjoy each other’s stories and companionship. Be thankful for their generosity, and generous with your appreciation. Even if there is a lot of ‘too muchness’ going around, you can never have too much love and gratitude.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Inner Planet Realignment with Venus and Mercury

Inner Planet Realignment with Venus and Mercury

11/16/18

Venus Stations Direct

Morning Star Venus greets us first on our Friday with a shift of perspective in matters of the heart. Throughout her retrograde, she has taken us back over Scorpio and Libra lessons of sharing and relating. As she pauses now on the 26^th degree of Libra...we’re focused on the heart healing we must now integrate as we move forward again. This is the third pass of her journey through the last degrees of Libra and the first degrees of Scorpio. We’ve been here before...but did we find something valuable in that previous Inner World experience that we can now bring back to the Outer World to inspire love in others? It depends on if you were able to shift your own perspective for the past ‘40 days and 40 nights’. Most of us had no choice but to ride that Scorpio wave back to the airy realms of Libra lessons. There were some trials along the way, for sure, during this Heroine’s Journey. Did you hear Venus’s call?

For some of us, she joined us on a rescue mission to save something we value most. In September, what we thought was important may not have been as important as what we returned to since October 5^th. And now that love medicine from Venus’s Retrograde is concentrated and focused...we’re preparing to put it all back into balanced alignment through our relationships with others now. Intimate partnerships are in focus, but also every exchange of relationship we encounter in the world is set to move forward with more wisdom. If you found love for yourself through the experiences you went through recently, you’ll soon feel the Green Light to let it shine and attract meaningful relationships to you.

The Sabian Symbol for Venus’s direct station is ‘an eagle and a large dove change into one another’. This is the same degree of Libra where Pluto Retrograde was when I was born...so there is a transformational soul urge that arises here for me. The bird medicine within this image speaks to the ‘two as one’ relationship of the Higher Mind with the Resonant Heart. They are attuned to the Soul’s Alchemy, and teach us to express it through the gifts we each hold. What we’ve learned over the past 40 days is how to shapeshift into balanced power within ourselves. Now we are guided to help each other shine it out into our world.

Mercury Stations Retrograde

Several hours later, Mercury shifts in the other direction. The pre-shadow of Mercury’s retrograde began on October 28^th. It stations retrograde tonight in Sagittarius. This Mercury Retrograde lasts until Mercury stations direct on December 6^th, while the post-shadow period lasts until December 24^th (when we integrate what we’ll be learning here).

Mercury is a neutral guide whose lessons are of the mental realm. When stationing retrograde, our thought processes pause and shift into a completely different way of thinking. An idea, a thought, or our mentality needs some revision. Something you were communicating since the end of October may need some review after a change of perspective. And, for the love of Mercury, can we please drop the hangups about Mercury Retrogrades being a terrible time where we should just avoid everything because nothing works? That mindset never helped anyone grasp the real medicine in a Mercury Retrograde. It just makes people more inclined to ignore what needs to happen thrice a year at these times. Humans NEED times of review through different perspectives. Thoughts are things, as we know, and if we’re just speeding along on one note for too long...we’re often missing the point and filling our lives with mindstuff that we don’t even need. When Mercury Retrograde comes along, it’s often time for some mental clean up.

In these times, it can be difficult to communicate how you normally would. This is because we’re not as used to this sort of loopy Wonderland perspective...we’re used to linear thought processes and rationality. Well, most people are anyway. Some people thrive in this more right-brained perspective. If you’re very intent on all things being rational, you’ll have more trouble communicating what you want to say and more trouble communicating with others going through a similar Wonderland experience where things seem opposite or illogical. You’re first clue that a change in your perspective is necessary during a retrograde, is if you’re still judging things as illogical! Perhaps it’s time to sit with the Hatter and have some tea.

Since Mercury is in Sagittarius, the collective mind is focused on exploration and expansion. You can look at this retrograde as a kind of Vision Quest, which may help you to find the wisdom medicine that will eventually move you forward next month. Limiting beliefs and thought patterns are under review. A promising idea is incubating now...and we are going within to retrieve the things that will feed it and help it grow. This process is one that means to free your mind. So allow for burning away the kind of mindstuff that’s not serving you...release it into the Sagittarian fire and purify your intent.

This Mercury Station is in the 14^th degree of Sagittarius. The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx’. Ancient spiritual traditions and ancestral knowledge are calling us at this time...reconnecting us to wisdom of the past that has enduring resonance. Many great achievements on our Earth, that continue to inspire us, came from ideas that were once revised during Mercury Retrogrades. It is quite possible that, with more of us tapped in at this time to this Vision Quest, a collective thought-form that holds lasting wisdom can be birthed from all of our re-considered ideas combined. This is a time of re-connecting with the Spirit within Humanity. Mercury’s calling us to seek freedom from enslavement to an unjust and broken system that has riddled our minds with things of little significance. All it takes is a shift in perspective. Perhaps, after this retrograde, something very significant will take shape that can last for many generations to come.

It is important to note that Mercury is near the part of our zodiac where the Great Attractor is. The Great Attractor is a supercluster of 100,000 galaxies, 250 million light years from our solar system. It is where we are all being pulled toward with great speed...a kind of ‘grand central sun’ for an even greater number of galaxies than our Galactic Center. Mercury is pooling our focus here now, reminding us that we are carriers of light codes from many galaxies of stars. It’s quite an expansive message from our Messenger Planet. We’ll all be receiving our own pieces of this greater message at this time. And, by the end of December, we’ll have a better understanding of how best to communicate all we’ve learned.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

The Dragon's Flight into the Cancer/Capricorn Axis

Illustration by Joy Ang from Tui Sutherland's 'Wings of Fire, Book 6: Moon Rising'

The Dragon’s Flight into the Cancer/Capricorn Axis

True Nodes in Cancer/Capricorn- 11-6-18

Mean Nodes in Cancer/Capricorn- 11-15-18

Tuesday, as voters were at the polls in the US, the Moon’s nodes shifted from our last lessons of the Leo/Aquarius plane to the lessons of Cancer/Capricorn. The Lunar nodes, in scientific terms, are the points where the orbit of the Moon crosses the ecliptic. The astrological implications of the lunar nodes are about karmic lessons, the relationship between the outmoded past and the creative future, and the necessary balance between what we’ve already learned and no longer need to focus on (The Dragon's Tail: South Node in Capricorn) and what we must learn now, however uncomfortable and uncharted the territory, for the growth of our souls (The Dragon's Head: North Node in Cancer).

Each of us has our own natal nodes and lessons, which are a significant part of the answer to the age-old questions, ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘What is my soul’s purpose?’ But the positions the Nodes are in at the present moment affect the collective soul’s growth of our entire global community…so while we are each having our own soul’s intentions directing us one way, those lessons are also being influenced on a global scale by the current position of the Nodes. Those who were born with North Node in Cancer will be having our Nodal Return during this transit (myself included), which happens approximately every 18-19 years. At these initiations, the soul work that arises brings us back to re-alignment with our soul’s path and offers us significant growth in our journey.

Previously, the Leo/Aquarius nodes formed an aspect pattern of four squares (called a Grand Cross) with Scorpio Venus Rx and Taurus Uranus Rx all in fixed signs. Venus Rx was the first to regress to a cardinal sign (Libra) at the beginning of the month, and now Uranus Rx (shifting back to Aries on the 6^th as well) and the Lunar Nodes are all back in cardinal signs. This is a significant shift that is in no way subtle: a Fixed Grand Cross transforming into a Cardinal Grand Cross. At the end of this month, as Venus moves direct and returns to the cross, she will strengthen the effects of this Cardinal Grand Cross before returning to Scorpio. This particular shift, where four corners activate the four elements as they change modes, brings our world from a holding pattern to an activation. It is interesting that the U.S. Midterm elections were held as the Nodes and Uranus Rx shifted...because that momentum was no doubt needed to shift the political sphere into a phase which will provide a wider range of perspective and more checks on the careless use of power.

And that’s one way that this nodal shift into the Cancer/Capricorn axis will arise. Care and support for people (with a strong empathy toward families and tribes in particular) is what we are collectively learning to initiate (Dragon’s Head in Cancer) while unchecked power and a past tendency to focus on being best and greatest, no matter who gets stepped on along the way, is what we’re on the path to eliminate now (Dragon’s Tail in Capricorn). North Node in Cancer puts the focus back on safety and security in a way that is very protective of familial bonds, tribal unity, and the strengthening of our roots. At the same time, South Node in Capricorn will show antiquated structures of power making some last grasps as they crumble to make way for new births from the womb of Cancer waters. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn and Cancer is ruled by Moon, so many of these last grasps will continue to center around a determination to control and restrict: female bodies, groups of people that do not follow traditional convention, and (in general) the feeling and intuitive nature of the human race. But what the U.S. political discussion may have been too narrowly focused on as a ‘Blue Wave’ set to hit in a war between political parties was actually much larger than that...that wave was really the waters of Cancer womb wisdom rising up to meet these failing structures of patriarchy with a formidable force of feminine principle. Global concern for the Mother (Earth) is top priority as we move through the next year and a half and make changes that reflect what we truly care about, standing up against any more destructive efforts. There is still much resistance to break through. As Ayanna Pressley, the first black congresswoman from Massachusetts, said ‘You know what breaks through concrete? Seismic shifts.’

While the South Node in Capricorn often brings up many of the lower expressions of this sign so that we can see what needs to be released, it is important to note that in doing so we are more able to honor the higher vibrational essence of Capricorn...which is the wisdom of solid structure that supports growth. What we have to release are the false structures built up around this energy overtime. This can include being overly ambitious at the expense of others, insensitivity, materialism, unnecessary restrictions placed upon society, rigidly holding on to the past as a means to control, calculated cruelty, and being unresponsive to the needs of others. It is in these lower vibrations of Capricorn where this sign can take on the reputation of being cold and heartless. This is not the essence of Capricorn (which is much more a pillar of strength such as the Council of Grandmothers), but the shadow of the patriarchy does hold tightly to this particular sign and now is the time to begin releasing that last desperate grasp to control what would serve to protect us and, especially, the younger generations being born to us now and in the future.

So the Cancer North Node upholds the kind of instinctual care and protection that is often apparent in the many mothers in charge of their young in our natural world. There is a fierce ‘Mother Bear’ quality to it, to honor one totem among many that teaches this kind of medicine. Connections to our mother figures (or nurturing parental figures in general) are strong during this transit. It is our feminine lineage, after all, that holds the evolutionary integrity of our human race and teaches us the bonds of blood. The power of this Cancer medicine is not just in its armor-like fierceness, but especially in its internal softness. The empathetic nature of this sign provides emotional acceptance and healing. The Capricorn South Node may feel like ‘hard times’ on repeat to some, where we are expected to keep it together and endure through lack and loss. Cancer North Node calls us into a motherly embrace and says ‘It’s okay to cry it out. You are loved.’

And it will take some getting used to, allowing our feeling nature to just feel. The South Node in Capricorn is what we know...it’s the real crutch, the collective addiction we’re facing. No matter how unhealthy it gets to depend on it, whatever it is for you, at least we’ve become familiar enough in that Capricorn shadow that we’ve become experts in navigating through it. The North Node in Cancer, familiar as Cancer energy really is, feels like unfamiliar and uncharted territory in these times. It is what will heal us of our collective addictions to that which depresses and oppresses us...but the vulnerability it requires can look quite scary to us if we’ve been bottling up our feelings for so long just to make it through the hardships of life.

For those of us born with this lunar node axis, the South Node in Capricorn is often the most apparent at first. We are those ‘old soul’ babies that also have that ‘thousand yard stare’ as if we’ve seen some horrors we’ve had to dissociate from but are here now to heal from them. Wise beyond our years from the start, yes, but in need of some compassionate care from those we are born to. And it’s so very difficult to understand what we really need to feel nurtured as we grow, because we were denied that need in our past...and often choose situations where that need isn’t immediately recognized either, or is flat-out denied. We may become unconsciously addicted to deprivation and lack...usually of belonging or love, but it can also manifest as lack in the material realm. Sometimes we will continue to live with lack, or we may overcompensate for it with a materialistic drive to succeed in this life. At some point, our soul learns how to better balance...and usually it is initiated by some fated encounter where, finally, we learn how to accept our emotional side and let love be our abundance.

My personal story, so far anyway, of being born with North Node in Cancer is not how it always plays out...but it is one thread that weaves into the larger theme. I’ll be having my 2^nd Nodal Return next year...so we’ll see what comes of the new lessons I’ll be learning. My ‘fated encounter’ that ushered in the deep soul healing of my Cancer North Node happened in my early 20s when I became pregnant with my first child, Alyrica Rayven. My whole world turned upside down. Prior to this, I had built up a good amount of armor around me to hide my softness within. I had learned, early on, that my softness was a weakness...and thought I had to stuff it all down to ‘grow up’. I didn’t allow myself to be completely vulnerable with anyone for many years as a teenager and young adult...and I adopted the tough love/’suck it up’ stance with anyone who gave a hint of not being in control of their own emotions around me. It wasn’t healthy (because it was denial of my true Self), and it led to other unhealthy behaviors to distract myself from my Self. Because I was ultimately afraid of allowing myself to feel anything, I was adamantly against ever getting married or having a child...I knew I didn’t love myself enough or take care of myself well enough for any of that. I just couldn’t fathom being ‘motherhood material’.

And then, SURPRISE! I’m pregnant. All the unknowns of what that Cancer womb energy had in store for me were terrifying and confusing. But somewhere within that pregnancy something clicked on in me that I never knew I had before. Because of a deep intuitive connection that began to grow with my daughter while she was still in the womb, I allowed myself to fully feel the whole of this experience. And though the newness and the unfamiliarity of the whole thing didn’t really subside until a couple years after Alyrica was born...I allowed myself to learn how deep my caring nature could go. Alyrica was my first experience of what I know now as true unconditional love...and she brought about so much within me that still remains and continues to grow. I realized from her how strong familial bonds can be, and how healing. She brought me to my roots and taught me how to care for them, as they are hers now too. She gave me a greater appreciation for my own parents, as well as for myself. And she broke down all the walls and opened my heart up to love so much that when the right person came into our life to be my partner, I knew it without a doubt...and I married him (and later had a son with him). Motherhood, family, roots, ancestors, and emotional healing has been an integral part of my life ever since.

The Cancer womb medicine I needed was quite literal for me (but also deeply soulful and spiritual). Not everyone with Cancer North Node experiences this soul growth through the initiation of parenthood, of course. But events and experiences do occur in some way to invite us to tap into the strength within our softness...the deep healing power inherent within our empathic and intuitive nature.

And now, as we enter into this Cancer/Capricorn axis again, imagine the kind of transformations that can occur across the world when others allow themselves to feel what they’ve been depriving themselves of feeling...the kind of experiences that form empathetic and familiar bonds with others: root healing, belonging, greater appreciation for their life and the lives of others, love as abundance. And imagine that as the ‘seismic shift’ that breaks through concrete.

When we connect to the Mother, to the wisdom within the womb...we can better appreciate the whole world as our family. When more of us can feel the whole world as our family, we are more inclined to preserve and protect our natural world as our home and roots.

To see in what areas of life this shift affects you personally, look to the houses in your natal chart where Cancer and Capricorn are. The last time the nodes were in this axis was between 2000 and 2001. Try to remember what was going on in your life at that time to get an idea of what is to come now, after maturing since then. Astrology follows patterns, and recognizing those patterns can help you to work with the energies when they come around again.

Here are some ideas on how to make the best of this transit: allow your emotions to wash over you and heal, accept sensitivity as strength, trust your intuition, nurture and tend to those you love, nurture and tend to yourself, do some nesting in your home, connect with Mother Earth, allow Her to transmute what is too heavy for you to carry, express your feelings, support the child within yourself and others, show your vulnerability with supportive people in your life, nurture new bonds with supportive people, surround yourself with people who make you feel safe, pour your love and creativity into more home-cooked meals, let go of your need for control and achievement, trust what you feel, connect with a water source, create a better sense of home, connect with family members, connect with your roots, learn more about your ancestry, refine your empathic skills, and above all...give and receive more hugs! We all need them!

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi