Chakra Centers, Part Two: Healing the Emotions

2^nd Chakra:  Sacral Chakra

Center of Emotion

The Sacral Chakra, located just below the navel, holds the desire to give and receive pleasure, enjoyment, and satisfaction from life.  It gives us the ability to feel emotions and vibrations from others.  This is the seat of creativity, and also the center of sexuality for women.  The Sacral Chakra is influenced by how emotions were expressed or repressed during childhood.

To balance this chakra, express your creativity.  Create love, friendship, art, music, a meal, etc.  Eat healthy foods.  Dance, move your hips, laugh and have some fun.  Focusing on the color orange can enliven your creativity and passion.  You can open this chakra by using foods and crystals as well, listed below.

When two people who truly love each other make love, the light and energy from their sacral chakras mix.  This creates a fantastic aura around them which has a vibration so powerful that a lot of negative karma can be burned away.  Expressing yourself in this way, or by any creative act, can help you to develop personally as well as spiritually.

Balanced sacral energy:

Friendly, joyful, concerned for others, sense of belonging, easy emotions, intuitive, clairsentient, good sense of humor, radiate warmth and compassion.

Excessive sacral energy:

Emotionally explosive, reactive, overly ambitious, overly helpful, manipulative, envy, vanity, selfishness, caught up in illusions, overindulgent, promiscuity, adultery, sexual energy sees people as sex objects.

Deficient sacral energy:

Shy, timid, immobilized by fear, overly sensitive, self-negating, socially awkward, creative blocks, hides emotions, burdened by guilt, sexual energy is clingy, co-dependent, feels guilty about having sex, abused, frigid or impotent.

Illnesses associated with the sacral chakra:

Kidney weakness, diabetes, liver problems related to excess, constipation, loss of weight, irregular menstruation, ovarian cysts, uterine cancer, STDs, PMS, hormone imbalances, hernias, muscle cramps, lack of energy, allergies, repression and inhibition.

Glands/organs/body parts associated with the sacral chakra:

Skin, kidney, mammary glands, ovaries, testicles, prostate, spleen

Stones/crystals/minerals to aid sacral chakra healing:

Carnelian, coral, amber, orange calcite, cherry opal

Beneficial foods and drinks for the sacral chakra:

Spring or Artesian water, seeds (especially flaxseed), tropical fruits (especially coconut and coconut oil), nuts, orange colored (natural) foods.

Chakra Centers, Part One: Healing the Root

As Saturn retrogrades, and so many of us are working on our internal power structures, now would be a good time to review Chakra Healing.

When you are experiencing physical illness, discomfort, or pain in your body…these things are often symptoms with a spiritual root.  Learning about your chakras can help to speed up your understanding of the illness as well as the process of healing your body.

1^st Chakra:  Root Chakra

Center of Manifestation

The root chakra, located at the base of the spine, is the grounding force that allows us to connect to the earth energies and empower ourselves.  This is the center of physical energy and vitality and gives us the energy necessary to succeed in earthly matters such as business and financial security.  This chakra rules all forms of security, safety, survival, physical self-preservation, heredity, passion, and matters of the material world, as well as primal erotic and procreational urges.

Every other chakra is downstream of the root and can only receive the energy that the root chakra can pass through it.  So, the path to health and power goes right through the gender organs.  To understand your root chakra, you must come to a place of peace with your sexual energy.  This is where a man can learn to integrate his feminine power and a woman can learn to integrate her masculine power.

To balance this chakra, connect with the earth.  In the warm months, this is easier as you can go barefoot outside.  However, there are other things you can do year-round.  Dancing is very good for grounding.  Also, domestic tasks such as cooking or cleaning will help you to ground.  Focusing on the color red can help bring your energetic body ‘down to earth’ and in alignment with your physical body.  You can open this chakra by using scents and crystals as well, listed below.

All of the emotional, behavioral, and physical health issues listed below have to do with the ability to let go.  When we cannot release what is holding us back, we cannot move forward.  When we cannot release what is blocking our root, the energy cannot move forward through us. 

Balanced root energy:

Centered, grounded, secure, stable, healthy, fully alive, unlimited physical energy, can manifest abundance. Ability to initiate sexual encounters is comfortable and natural.  Takes good care of the body. Eliminatory system functions well.  People who have open root chakras love their lives and love their physical incarnation in their present bodies.

Excessive root energy:

Egotistic, self-indulgent, self-centered, domineering, greedy, sadistic.  Sexual energy is entirely genital. Judgment and biased opinions.

Deficient root energy:

Lack of confidence, weak, can't achieve goals, absent-minded, confusion or boredom with practical aspects of existence, problems with the home, worries about survival, overabundance of stress, suicidal, physical pain, feel unlovable, little interest in sex, masochistic.  Fear and insecurity. Blockage in this energy center of the body can result in a core sense of unworthiness and self-doubt and shame. Thought forms such as "I don't deserve love," "I'm ashamed of who I am," and "I'm always misunderstood," are common in people with a blocked Root Chakra. They try to compensate for these feelings by acquiring, keeping and controlling material possessions, by becoming addicted to material things.  The ultimate root chakra failure is suicide.

Illnesses associated with the root chakra:

Drug addictions, anemia, cancer, arthritis, heart disease, gynecological problems, Aids, herpes, candida. Decreased immune system. Lower back pain. Sciatica. Constipation. Hemorrhoids.  Colitis.  Prostrate problems.  Physical problems with the coccyx, anus and genitals.

Glands/organs/body parts associated with the root chakra:

Adrenals, kidneys, spinal column, colon, legs, bones

Stones/crystals/minerals to aid root chakra healing:

Ruby, garnet, bloodstone, red jasper, black tourmaline, obsidian, smoky quartz

Aromatherapy for the root chakra:

Patchouli, cedar wood, lavender, musk, hyacinth, cinnamon and sandalwood

The 2013 Cold Moon: Gracefulness is Flexibility of Character in Action

The 2013 Cold Moon:  

Gracefulness is Flexibility of Character in Action

New Moon Phase Begins at 1:44pm CST on Friday, January 11th

December often brings us gifts along with baggage.  The 'time which is no time' between Samhain and the 12 days of Yule often wrap us tightly away into our inner lives while proceeding with the holiday traditions of the season as our primary outlet for creativity, generosity, and expression.  But there, too, are unspoken obligations that take precedence over really working with the shadows we're carrying...after all, we're gearing up for the return of light by our efforts to sustain it in our interactions.

And then January comes...named after Janus (the god of beginnings and endings, gates and doorways, transitions and time).  We're often still hovering on the threshold of some transformational shift...and this January is no different.  Even with the Aquarian shift of Yule last year, Father Time gives us many steps to deliberate before reaching the door that opens only by the use of our individual gifts as keys.

The more baggage we carry from the previous year, the slower we come to the top of the stairway before us.  Notice, even as we drop some of the less useful trappings of days gone by...our shadows still follow diligently.  This is right...as our shadows are always with us.  It only matters whether we reject them and misuse them, or if we accept them and agree to bring them into the light we're heading toward so that we may finally understand them for what they are...those wounds that hold our greatest gift.  Without them, there would be no Chironic Key to Janus's door before us.

So bring no fears or doubts, no struggle or siege, no ineffective baggage with you into the next moon phase.  That which was habitual during the Moon of the Long Nights is no longer applicable to the healthier habits that must now supplant them and enlighten us along our journey.  That which brought us closer to self-discovery and re-invention is ready for the world to see…so unravel the layers of guilt and pain, and step lightly through your own enlightenment.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Mourning Moon Eclipse: If You Love Something, Set It Free...

The Full Mourning Moon is always a time when we feel the need (or are sometimes forced) to let go of something that we have clung to out of dependency, addiction, habit, fear, or insecurity.  It’s a time of purification by washing away the past which we no longer need and creating room to focus on the joys of the future.

Unhealthy habits, toxic relationships, fears of our own power, damaging thought patterns, and old ways that get us nowhere are just a few of the things that may have come up to the surface in order to be dealt with now.  Regardless of what specific effects this eclipsed full moon is having in your life, the point is that the choice is yours and yours alone.  What patterns do you see playing out in your life that sabotage your own empowerment?  Now is the time to replace those worn out patterns with a tapestry more vibrant, more full of life, and more representative of the life story you wish to create.

On Monday, Mercury ended the last retrograde period of this year…stationing direct in the 19^th degree of Scorpio.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree (that Mercury is still slowly creeping forward in until today) is ‘A parrot listening and then talking’.  Parrot totem medicine has much to do with color and communication.  These are very social, colorful birds that show us the power of our creative voice, and the many things we can do with it.  With our collective mind intent on listening and keeping the lines of communication open…this past week has been like one long conversation we’ve been needing to hear and then continue by voicing our own truths.  What is coming up in conversation may be more important than we realize…so listen up…this is a portal to changes and shifts of direction that will lead you to where you’ve been meaning to go.

Throughout the week so far, the aspects between planets in the sky have carried on this conversation with as much emphasis on letting go of what no longer works as they have on demonstrating your commitment to something you are truly passionate about.  We are making room for new opportunities to unfold here…and that brings us to this morning’s eclipse of the full moon.

Every eclipse brings up matters that are crucial and that need our careful attention.  After all, decisions made and circumstances brought up are likely to have an effect on your life for at least 6 months…sometimes for the rest of your life.  The eclipse of the lunar light indicates the shadows that move across our emotional state in times when we need to balance between extremes.  As the penumbral veil passes, the sun shines a spotlight on how we feel about the events transpiring in our lives.  If we are in a state of crisis, we would do well to remedy the situation with clearer intent.  If we are in a state of balance, then we can help others who may be feeling less harmonious at this time.

The Full Moon was in the 7^th degree of Gemini yesterday morning, and the sabian symbol for this degree is ‘an old fashioned well’.  Water wells are ancient symbols of nurturing and fertility; a physical representation of the live-giving qualities of the Sacred Feminine.  Wells are associated with divine wisdom, the deep understanding of the ultimate nature of reality and the plentitude of the void (Sunyata). The Moon at full mirrors these same qualities, as she is the symbol of the Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess.  This full moon represents an upwelling of possibility and the source of all potentialities that flow from the ground of all being (Mother Earth).  Now is a time to ask yourself, figuratively, are you drinking pure knowledge directly from the source?  Or are you buying into something bottled and shipped by man?  This is a timely question when we consider the doomsday scenarios entertained by the masses this year.  But on a more individual level, in any scenario, are you trusting the wisdom within?

As with every full moon, the Sun is opposite the moon…this time in the 7^th degree of Sagittarius.  The sabian symbol for this degree is ‘cupid knocking at the door of the human heart’.  In our house, we call him Eros…not quite the winged baby flying around shooting arrows, but more the young man who fell in love with Psyche (as depicted in the drawing on the header of this blog from the children’s story ‘The Arrow and the Lamp’).  This is a call to open your heart to universal love, allowing an open and honest exchange on a heart level between you and others.  Love is knocking…let it in.  This is the key to opening yourself to the possibilities and potentials symbolized by the wellspring of the full moon.  Again, these symbols hearken back to commitment in relationships just as Venus conjunct Saturn brought up at the beginning of this week. 

And speaking of love, which the lessons of this Full Moon are primarily about, Venus is involved in a sextile (60 degree aspect of opportunity) with the Mars-Pluto conjunction from Tuesday.  First, on the day of the full moon, she sextiled Pluto.  Strong attraction often occurs under this influence, when something deep inside you draws you to relationships that reveal your hidden self.  With the shadow of the eclipse leading up to this opportunity, there was likely an intense need to share, give and receive love…and to be accepted and wanted in return.  Your emotions may have been deepened by the circumstances brought up during the eclipse.  Here we were guided to release something that may have kept us from being truly close with others…and then opened the door to let love in.

Then today, Venus sextiles Mars, when the result of our efforts and communications within relationships may bring us back around to romance, flirtation, and warmer expressions of love.  The emotional and artistic influences of Venus combine supportively with the action urges of Mars to create a cooperative effort in almost anything attempted.  This favors not only love relationships but also formation of friendships.  Happiness today, after the strong planetary pulls of the week, is there if you reach out for it and take the opportunities before you.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Pallas Athene at the Apex of Agitation

Tonight, at 7:25pm CST, Pallas in Pisces shifts out of retrograde and into direct motion.  Pallas is the asteroid of the wise warrior princess, a motherless goddess said to have sprung from the forehead of Jupiter/Zeus.  She is the feminine equivalent of Mars, though she is much more the mental strategist than the gung-ho warrior.  All areas that she rules are prevalent today while she is stationed, such as:  creative intelligence, invention, strategy, patterns, diplomacy, feminine wisdom, order, visualization, intellectual skill, and the father-daughter relationship. 

In Pisces, Pallas sees through the material world to grasp reality through imagination, visions, and fantasies…the energy of the enlightened warrior.  However, she is not well placed in this sign (her usual clear-headedness becomes a bit blurred around the edges with the Piscean view.  But she is also under a lot of celestial stress as she is at the apex of a T-square aspect configuration…which means she’s at a 90 degree square with the opposition between Juno in Sagittarius and Vesta in Gemini.  The stress of this opposition focuses its energy on Pallas’s apex, and can cause us to put too much emphasis on the dream world and lose connections with what is real and what is not. 

As usual, we’ll see a lot of this happening on a grand scale…but let’s take a look into the specific degrees we’re dealing with here so that we might find a better outlet for the focus of this hard-hitting energy on the individual level.

Pallas is in the 23^rd degree of Pisces.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘a materializing medium facilitating a séance’.  The keyword for this degree is ‘sensitivity’.  This degree points to the ability to give of one’s own vital energy to substantiate one’s conscious ideals or unconscious desires.  Depending on the motives of the ‘medium’ in each situation you encounter, the display of psychic power can be positive (such as receiving communications from the spirit realm) or negative (such as deception or psychic attacks).  Look deeper into this symbol and you can see that it refers to any person, possibly even yourself, who believes they have a mission, or any special gift that can be of value to the community, and must substantiate this belief by producing results.  Such results always demand, to some extent, the gift of some power of value which is deeply one’s own.  Afterwards, the medium is usually exhausted as they are giving of their own energy to help others connect to something meaningful.

Juno, the asteroid of the Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth who rules commitment, the wife-husband relationship and protection of females, is in the 20^th degree of Sagittarius.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘men cutting through ice for summer use’.  The keyword is ‘procurement’ and refers to the foresighted use of natural resources to supply future needs.  Active planning for and commitment to the future needs of humanity and foresight based on knowledge of the cyclical processes of nature will assure supply.  Juno in Sagittarius will have a lot to say about what is needed for the future, and while she may come across as a queen making self-righteous demands…there is truth to her words.

Vesta, the asteroid of the Goddess of Hearth and Home and the priestess who rules the sacred flame, sisterhood, and security, is retrograde in the 23^rd degree of Gemini.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘Three fledglings in a nest high in a tree’.  The keyword is ‘elevation’ and refers to a secluded haven promoting comfort, safety and protection.  This degree is about the growth of spiritually creative processes in an at least relatively integrated mind.  Birds usually refer to spirit, or the higher and freer aspects of the mind.  This is about creative integration, and suggests that the ambitious mass protests of aroused and largely blind desires should be transmuted through harmonization with natural drives and attuned to the phases of natural evolution.  Vesta in Gemini elevates the collective mind on a spiritual level and seeks to secure as much information as she can to ensure the enlightenment of the global village.  However, she is under stress with this T-square and this can create a scattered mind or lack of focus and a diffusion of intimacy through trivial chatting or rationalizing feelings. 

What the combination of these three feminine asteroids is telling us is that while we balance the security of the home and the commitment of our relationships, we may find ourselves focused on the psychic attacks or draining of our power from ‘emotional vampires’ that may be creating obstacles around us.  However, if we keep in mind that Pallas is skilled at strategy and creative intelligence, as well as recognizing the patterns of things, we can tap into her warrior spirit in a diplomatic way and ensure the best outcome for all involved. 

These 90 degree angles indicate frictional contacts possibly related to the communication of personal wisdom and truth.  Differing ideals are creating clashes, and Pallas in Pisces is working overtime to teach us how to stay fluid and adaptable through the friction in order to manifest desired results. 

Hers is not an energy that is simply here today, gone tomorrow.  This asteroid which represents the female warrior who did it as well as, if not better than, the men has been highly prominent over the past months.  Her energy was an integral part of the first two exact squares of Uranus and Pluto in June and September…adding the element of establishment-busting female fight, leadership, and strategic direction to the world changes being made at those times.  This was when she was in Aries, conjunct Uranus (the rebel).  She retrograded back into watery Pisces on October 3^rd…and on January 10^th, 2012 she will move back into fiery Aries.  On January 28^th, 2013, Pallas will conjunct Uranus again and then square Pluto again on February 12^th, 2013. 

But this T-square energy (like a celestial cat-fight) is in effect into the first week of December.  A fever-pitch may come on the day of the Full Moon (November 28^th) when Juno and Pallas exact their square while Mars and Pluto are conjunct in Capricorn and Venus and Saturn are conjunct in Scorpio.  Discernment is key here, so choose your angles and your battles…we are meant to get very clear now on our own truth and beliefs, but forcing the issues (especially when outnumbered) will only lead to more obstacles and stress. 

The Sagittarius New Moon on December 13^th will stir it all up again, with a conjunction to Juno and a square to Pallas, though Vesta will have retrograded out of range of a T-square by then.  This is closely followed by the Sun reaching an exact square to Pallas on December 15^th.  On December 22^nd, the Sun will exact a conjunction with Juno at the beginning of Capricorn by that point.  Then on December 29^th, Mercury squares Pallas…so there is no shortage of emphasis on these themes above causing a bit of an uproar throughout the rest of this year.  Pay attention to social tension as a guidance mechanism through these tumultuous times and adjust accordingly.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

New Moon Eclipse in Scorpio: Diana the Huntress

Shift Happens

You're not losing your mind.  Losing control, though?  Maybe.  But that's the point, really. You never had it fully to begin with...no matter how many choices you've made that were distinctly your own.  We're not super-human after all, and we can't do it all...some things fall through the cracks while we're sifting through priorities.  And then the shifts happen.  Slow down, stand still, move ahead, back it up...the energy of the Universe moves in mysterious ways, but the timing is always impeccable.  The rhythm is down to a science, and the messages move us like art.  

November begins the 'time which is no time'...the deepest dark of the year between Samhain (October 31st-November 1st) and the 12 days of Yule (December 21st-January 1st).  This transition between the Celtic New Year and the Winter Solstice Holidays is as magickal as it is mysterious.  There certainly is an otherworldly undertone to all happenings as we float along with our bodies, trying to keep up with a societal pace that no longer allows the time to pause and reflect at the crucial crossroads of the seasons.  We're seeing ourselves do all this business, and hearing ourselves say all these words...but are our feet even touching the ground?  What on Earth is real, and what is illusion?

So, on U.S. Election Day, Mercury steps in and focuses our attention on the 5th degree of Sagittarius before retrograding (backtracking, from our point-of-view) to pick up those pieces we overlooked while speeding ahead through autumn.  Mercury rules communication, transportation, and the mind.  In Sagittarius, Mercury takes our collective mind on an adventurous journey, seeking meaning in the bigger picture and expanding our perspective. The degree where it stationed is represented by the Sabian Symbol 'an old owl sitting in a tree'.  The image calls to mind a double-shot of wisdom, as the Owl totem and Tree totems are well known for wisdom medicine.  It also suggests that this retrograde got us to stop a moment and view a situation from all sides, piercing through the surface for the truth with sharpened eyes.  Many hear 'Mercury Retrograde' and automatically assume the worst will happen.  Mechanical and technological delays, communication breakdowns, scheduling snafus and Murphy's Law often come up at this time...especially if you are in a full-speed-ahead mindset needing to get too many things done.  Try to see it differently.  My printer ran out of ink and paper when I needed a bunch of scripts for my class, but what I did have was sufficient.  A mother stopped me after class that day to talk about costumes and makeup, and if I had left on time I might have gotten into an accident with the crushed car that was holding up traffic on my way home.  The delays often have good reason.  This is a time to look inward and re-evaluate what you put forth before the shift, rediscover something important you may have overlooked, and reconnect with the still voice inside you.  Make time to rethink some things, and you'll be using this retrograde to your best advantage.

Now this particular retrograde goes on most of the month, and shifts back to direct motion on November 26th.  We're not exactly clear of the lessons of this time, though, until December 14th when it gets back to this same degree where it first stationed.  

On Sunday, November 11th, we had another planetary shift...but a much slower one.  Neptune stationed that weekend in the 1st degree of Pisces and is now moving slowly forward again in direct motion.  When Neptune's at a standstill, prevalent themes play out in the areas of dreams, spirituality, inspiration, imagination but can also get hazy in the areas of addiction, deception, and confusion.  Anything that you can't quite define or control usually comes up around these times.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree of Pisces is 'a public marketplace'.  Commerce is the theme, and during a mercury retrograde mixed with the nebulous nature of Neptune...what's being bought and sold (whether figuratively or literally) may be questionable.  Social exchanges may have been a bit heavy or confusing...but we're coming out of all that with a certain indescribable enlightenment.  

On Wednesday, November 14th, Chiron (the Wounded Healer) will also station direct in Pisces, though in the 5th degree.  So, this whole week is also colored with our deepest wounds either reopening to be properly healed or healing others with the gift within our own wounds.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is 'a church bazaar'.  With Neptune and Chiron working together in Pisces, we'll either be swimming through emotional seas or streaming the currents of spirit.  And to make matters a little more emotionally in-depth, Mercury Retrograde brings us back into the intense waters of the Scorpio mind this same day.  Sensitivities may be on high, but remember that everyone will be feeling these effects in some way.  You may feel alone in your woundedness, but we're all in it together working on our own wounds while healing the wounds of others.  This 'church bazaar' that brings community together is a light social gathering full of strange items and treasures from all around the world.  There is something for everyone here, whether it be something that reminds us of our childhood, something that recalls a lost piece of our soul, or something that connects us to our spirituality.  You will find what you never realized you were looking for.

Diana the Huntress

The New Moon clocks in at 4:08pm CST today (Tuesday, November 13th), followed by a solar eclipse at 4:17pm...all in the 22nd degree of Scorpio.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is 'hunters starting out for wild ducks'.  Appropriately, the new moon represents the maiden aspect of the triple goddess...Diana, the huntress.  This degree also suggests the stealth and strategy involved in keeping hidden while stalking the prey you are after, which resonates with the shadowy nature of the Solar Eclipse.  Every new moon is an opportunity for new beginnings...when we release what no longer serves us from the last moon phase and move on with better intentions and goals for the next few weeks.  To avoid being the 'sitting ducks' in this image, we imagine ourselves as the hunters instead...waiting in the shadows and readying ourselves to aim directly for our goal.  

Diana is the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and birthing...associated with wild animals and woodland.  Animal totem messages may show much insight during this time.  Whatever it is you've been meaning to bring to birth in your life...focus your intentions on that goal and make it happen during this moon phase.  The effects of eclipses have far-reaching implications...so whatever you make your focus now, may be a significant part of your life for at least half a year to come, if not for the rest of your life.  Steady your aim.

Happy New Moon!

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Full Moon in Taurus: Awakening to the Depths of Truth

"The creative future descends first to that which becomes chaos."  -Dane Rudhyar

Leading up to this Full Moon, we had an astrologically eventful Sunday.  For many, the discordant energies likely overshadowed the harmonious ones.  The Sun, in a 150-degree inconjunct with Uranus, may have presented you with the paradox of having to adjust your visionary ideals to achieve your goals, or vice versa.  Venus was also in a discordant inconjunct aspect with Neptune, teaching us lessons of needing to look at life and love realistically.  Unrealistic expectations and high ideals in love tend to bring dissatisfaction, wasting energy on a vision of perfection that will amount to nothing.  Under this influence, you may also have found it difficult to make clear decisions...likely because you were more concerned with everyone liking you than actually making necessary adjustments.  The inconjunct aspect (also called a quincunx)...usually brings up issues that feel slightly off-kilter and under-the-surface irritating.  These energies are meant to push us toward growth.

But these weren't even the main astrological happenings of the day.  Mars in opposition with Jupiter (exact yesterday morning) likely brought about some major challenges for many of us.  There was likely some kind of competition, a tug-o-war of sorts, yesterday having to do with desires and ambitions being unchecked and too aggressive.  Whatever went haywire because a lack of temperance and moderation may have caused some sort of separation.  The main reaction this often brings up is one of having to silently consider (and likely regret) that you may have bitten off more than you could chew in some situation.

It would have been nice to have the focus be on Venus making her transition into Libra, one of the signs that she rules.  That, by itself can be a harmonious vibration to tap into...however, not when you are being faced with the discord the other aspects may have brought about.  However the harmonies play out, Venus in Libra (until November 21st) focuses our attention on relationships with others...and can be of help in trying to smooth over differences with loved ones and improve the quality of our partnerships.  Venus also made a 72 degree link with Juno (an inspirational  aspect between the Goddess of Love and the Goddess of Commitment)...so not everything was working against us yesterday.

So, this brings us to today...where many of these aspects from yesterday are still in effect but dissipating in intensity.  We have other things to consider now as well.

Just after 1:00am (CDT), Moon entered Taurus and Mercury entered Sagittarius.  Moon is exalted in Taurus, which means this energy is often beneficial or harmonious for our emotional comfort after a confusingly combative void-of-course Moon in Aries yesterday.  Mercury in Sagittarius brings a future-oriented optimism to mind, and gives us some freedom to explore expansive thoughts and ideas.  Of course, politicians enjoy getting away from the Scorpio Mercury's way of probing into the shadows to get to the truth, and into the broader 'big picture' discussions of Mercury moving into Sagittarius...where forward-thinking vision is the thing, though the details may be overlooked.  We'll get more into this when Mercury goes retrograde in Sagittarius on US election day (how fitting).

At 12:40pm (CDT) today, Mercury exacted a square with Neptune.  Miscommunications are likely, so be as clear as possible with what you mean to say.  Logic gets hazy under this transit.  Things may also irritate you in a very confusing way...so be careful not to snap about something that you can't really explain.  While our imagination is strong, our grip on reality may be weak...so avoid making major decisions or commitments.  Disorganization and deception may come into play this afternoon, as well as hypersensitivity and hurt feelings.  This is a fleeting aspect, as Mercury is quick to move on.  So...just be aware that tomorrow you may have to explain yourself about something you did or (more likely) said, when you can gather your thoughts a little better.  For now...let your creative and imaginative mind work with you, not against you.  Writing, painting, or playing music may be just what you need to work out those nebulous thoughts.

At 2:47pm (CDT), the Full Moon in Taurus will attempt to bring our energies back into balance...if we are open to it, of course.  Though, if we're still in combat mode, the tug-o-war continues.  Let's take a look into the specific imagery that this Full Moon alignment evokes.

During this time, Moon will be in the 7th degree of Taurus.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is 'A woman of Samaria'.  The keyword for this degree is 'awakening' and the symbol alludes to the bible story of Jesus stopping in Samaria and meeting a woman at their ancestral well as she is retrieving water.  Back then, Jews and Samaritans did not get along...mostly because they disagreed on where and how to worship God.  Sound familiar to the 'which religion do you belong to and which church do you attend' judgments of today?  Well, Jesus's conversation with this woman put such petty separations into perspective.  Though she was an outcast among outcasts, Jesus revealed himself to her as the Messiah...awakening a sense of unconditional love and acceptance of all, not just the pious and devout followers of one way.  In essence, this woman was an empty vessel and ready to receive a vision of the future...one that expresses universal love over tribal law for all people who yearn to be liberated from limiting dogma.  Here, at this well, there was a meeting of the traditional past with the creative spirit pointing toward the future.  This meeting always takes place in the present...a time far more important for awakened action than what has passed and what is to come.  This woman was moved into a present revelation.  Here lies a test for any person who claims to know their Creator.  Is this the God of today, speaking the language of today, and meeting the challenges and needs of today?  Many waste their lives fighting the battles of yesterday...wanting to re-establish the revivals and movements of previous centuries.  In the US, as elections approach quickly, we seem to be faced with a similar thought...will we be moving backward or forward with our decisions of who we put in power?  And the lines of separation between this faulty two-party system are drawn as clear as the disdain between the Jews and Samaritans of this story.  Each thinks the other is a step backward in the wrong direction...while they can only see themselves as a step forward in the right direction.  None of that nonsense gets us anywhere if we're overlooking the present...what is right for us right now?  Alluding to this bible story is not to make our impending choices a religious matter...in fact, that's what has always limited us in the past.  But religious stories are meant to show a deeper meaning that calls upon us to question our moral values and how they effect the state of the world in our present time.  The moral of this story is that we are all one...and that clinging to the ways of the past does not help us to grow to our higher potential as human beings.
Now, to bring this symbolism to a more individual level, the Moon is calling us to embody the archetype of the Samaritan through understated, kind service to all...even those who are often avoided...with no expectation of gain or compensation, for the betterment of society.  We are meant to separate superficial spin and rationalization from the search and source of being genuine.  So today, keep your mind open and listen for something said that may reveal a deeper truth and perhaps put you in contact with the very source of your own concerns.  Search for honest and meaningful disclosure...not avoidance by lies or half-truths.  Deception is all around us...engrained into our lives by way of outdated customs, traditions, and programming.  You may find it difficult to uncover the truth.  Those who are lying may mask it well with confidence and a reasonable tone.  Just be sure you are not one of them upholding the lies...act with integrity and kindness and you will discover the path that is right for you.

Now, presenting the key to balance of this Full Moon opposition is the Sun in the 7th degree of Scorpio.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is 'deep-sea divers'.  The keyword is 'involvement'.  Here we are meant to allow our inner light to guide us through the abyss.  In the depths, we can realize our true potential and raise awareness by experiencing the world that too many take for granted.  The depths of the sea in this symbol refer to plunging into the depths of our emotions and connecting with the truth that lies beneath.  Careful and thoughtful consideration of a matter can bring us to a point of choice today.  You may find that the high principles of the mind are deeply different than the life-giving truths of the heart.  If you are Christian, or at least know your bible, you may refer back to that story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman where he explains to her that the water she seeks in the well will always need to be refilled as she thirsts again, but the life-giving water of the Spirit will become a 'well of water...springing up to eternal life'.  In other words, the old ways are unsustainable...but the deepest truths of the heart and soul connect us to our higher selves...and we can learn to live without wasting our time and resources.  Now another key message in this symbol of the deep-sea divers is that we need a life-line on the surface.  If you need to plunge into the emotional depths, be sure that you are still connected to the reality of your natural environment so you don't get lost...or, figuratively, drown.  The key to your involvement is choosing the right course of action...so, stay connected and alert.  And have a happy full moon!

Love and Gratitude,
Felina

Welcome the Fall

Mother Nature shows us the most majestic ways of death.

There’s no flood of tears to blur the beauty of the release…

Only a graceful letting go of dried up dreams in warmer colors.

There’s no painful screams to drown out the presence of the Fall…

Only whispers of wind to carry life scuffling along with new meaning.

She watches us too…in all our stubborn refusal of becoming.

Are we as frustrating as we feel, or does She share a similar awe?

Perhaps, in our Mother’s eyes, we are goldening in a fiery display...

Giving birth to new life in the midst of our own dying Autumn.

We stand our ground in the cold that consumes us, warming what waits within.

We are aging together, side by side, like old friends.

She in her glory and we in our agony, reflections of each other.

We learn from each other our own catharsis, our own liberation,

And we let the old self go--in our own understanding of change…

Turning in season, we honor the harvest and welcome the Fall.

Square Two of the Fool's Tower: Manifesting Our Future

Square Two- Manifesting Our Future

9-18-2012 (Uranus Square Pluto in the 7th Degree of Aries and Capricorn) @ 5:34 pm

Uranus and Pluto are two of the three Generational Outer Planets that allude to the collective experience of our global community.  These planets take much longer to move through our solar system, and so their energies have an enduring effect when triggered by alignment.  Though I am writing this series as they approach each exact square alignment, the powerful effects can be felt months before and after (as they gradually approach and recede from the alignment).

Uranus in the 7th Degree of Aries

The Sabian Symbol for the 7^th degree of Aries is ‘a man comes forward, flushed with the successful and simultaneous expression of himself in two separate realms.’  Here we see Uranus acting as the Shaman, who is adept at traveling between both ordinary and non-ordinary reality.  The ability to shape-shift between states of consciousness helps us to positively influence change in both the physical and spiritual realms.  Just as in the first square in June, Uranus in Aries highlights an out-of-the-box way of focusing potentials into reality.  I had previously mentioned that Uranus in Aries shows a pioneering connection between quantum physics and metaphysics…where we are learning to embrace both and understand it wholly as Quantum Metaphysics.  Just as the fields of Astrology and Astronomy are limited when separated, we become limited in our understanding of how the universe works when we only observe in one realm.  Quantum exploration is leading us closer and closer to understanding how a person can be in two realms at once while journeying in a shamanic state of consciousness, or astral travel through dreams. 

On a personal level, this degree suggests that the ‘change we wish to see in the world’ can be achieved by taking it to a spiritual level to find the root of what we are dealing with on the physical level.  Each of us has our own part in influencing this transformation, but whatever it is that is being brought into your awareness at this time…a healing is taking place to prepare us for the best expression of our future.  Some will be inclined to fight against it…that is the shadow nature of the square energy.  But the positive nature of the square gives rise to taking an active role in making things happen.

Pluto in the 7^th Degree of Capricorn

The Sabian Symbol for the 7^th degree of Capricorn is ‘A highly sophisticated magic ritual is displayed with the central figure as a heavily veiled prophet of power.’  Here we see Pluto acting as the Guide.  In the tarot, The High Priestess acts as a guide beyond the veil of mystery and through to the spiritual realm.  The spiritual significance of a veil is one that is often misunderstood in our society.  Many see a veil as an indicator that whatever is being covered needs to be hidden or protected from outside influences.  However, the opposite is true…a veil is meant to protect the outside world from the power behind it.  The same is true for women (and sometimes men) who wear a veil because of their spiritual belief, though we have come to see it as a means to control or limit their power to express themselves openly.  But that power is there within and beyond the veil whether it is shrouded or not.  It does not diminish, it only becomes more concentrated.  Symbolically, Pluto has also been veiled with its recent 'demotion', but in the misunderstood way that our society currently upholds.  Pluto has influenced a lot of havoc since its discovery in 1930...when mobs, gangsters, and criminals were in the spotlight.  But if we take the spotlight off of the shadow of society, put a veil over it to hide it from the public eye, does it diminish its potency or does it only get stronger in secrecy?  Many of us seek transparency, and wish to 'lift the veil'  from the shadow organizations that are currently pulling the strings on our planet...whether it be the banksters, the corporations, or other powerful criminals that are getting away with mass-destructive and shady deals from behind-the-scenes.  So how can we unveil this mystery before it causes even more damage to our earth?  Again, we take it to the spiritual level and use our own hidden power to repair the damage.  The Shaman/Guide is a powerful healer archetype, stalking the shadows in search of the fragments of our collective soul that have been lost over time.  Soul loss is not only a cause of many problems for individuals, but also for our society as a whole.  Pluto guides us toward recognizing our shadows and welcoming back what we've lost or what has been taken from us.

In the Fool’s Journey through the major arcana of the tarot, the High Priestess introduces the Fool to the veil between worlds…where one can peer through to understand deeper, esoteric wisdom.  Secrets are revealed under this influence, and considered in silent reflection.  Self-knowledge as well as instinctual and supernatural knowledge are coming into awareness at this time so that we are better prepared to understand the influx of symbolic information that only continues to accelerate our group awakening and transformation.  This image evokes a balance of shadow and illumination, and relying upon your own personal power by listening to your inner voice.  At this stage of the six squares, we find ourselves on the threshold of gnosis…and if we are ready to experience the power beyond our usually limited view, our spirit guides are there to illuminate the unknown.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

P.S.  If you haven’t read the information I posted in June about the first of these squares as well as the general information about what these alignments mean, please check out this article.  Here you will find the overview of the squares and their relation to the Fool’s Tower of the tarot.

The Dragon’s Flight Into the Scorpio-Taurus Axis

At the end of August, the Moon’s nodes shifted from our last lessons of the Sagittarius/Gemini plane to the lessons of Scorpio/Taurus (from August 29^th, 2012 until February 18^th, 2014). 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, and the necessary balance between what we’ve already learned and no longer need to focus on (The Dragon's Tail:  South Node in Taurus) 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 Scorpio).

Each of us has our own natal nodes and lessons, which tend to answer the age-old questions, ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘What is my soul’s purpose?’ For example, I (and those around the same age as me) have the lessons of North Node in Cancer and South Node in Capricorn…our soul’s growth comes from spiritual nurturance and caretaking, learning the value of emotional fulfillment as we move away from our engrained urges to acquire fame, recognition, and materialistic pursuits.

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.

And it’s that shift that I’m talking about now…the one we’re all feeling. Now that the South Node is in Taurus, we’re being introduced to the lesson of comfort-seeking habits and stubborn refusal to change. We’re currently so complacent in indulging our pleasures and inflexible in our behavior patterns that we end up gripping too tightly to what we have always done rather than examining our motives in depth and employing solutions that could improve our situations. The North Node in Scorpio directs our paths toward healing on the deepest level, finding the strength to overcome our fears and dive into the unknown in order to bring our hidden power to the surface. Over-indulging becomes problematic during this time because we measure our self-worth by what we have and don’t have…and we may be tempted by the momentary gratification of buying and consuming what ever is most convenient or habitual. Our powers of deep discernment need to be cultivated now instead of covering up the truths confronting us under layers of superficial embellishments, or accepting things at face-value just because it’s easier than investigating for ourselves.

This axis can be very intense, making it difficult to make the changes you really want to make in our lives and the world in which we live. In-depth analysis of every situation instead of focusing only on what’s being presented on the surface is where we move past the old ways of thinking and come into our collective ability to discover the truth that will set us free from limiting or destructive patterns. One of the things you’ll see during this transit is a greater tendency to be a ‘stick in the mud’, bullishly digging our heels and halting all progress without concern for how it effects the productivity and well being of everyone else. Our politicians are already skilled in this, yet now is the time they will be faced with its negative implications as more and more people will examine their true motives and learn how to take back their power of choice and demand the collective focus to be on the most important changes that need to happen rather than the pretentious ‘problems’ that are meant to distract us from achieving our goals. This is the time we learn the lesson that power is not where it has always appeared to be, it’s been patiently hanging back in the shadows of our collective psyche waiting for the right time to make a bold move…and if we’re wasting our time on old ways of plodding along uncompromisingly, we’re only being ignorant of what’s really happening around us…and confronting our fears of change is the first step toward manifesting the best possible outcome in our world and in ourselves.

There will be a lot of intense emotional upheavals and shadows coming to the surface during this time, as well as volatile arguments that only further separate us from the compromise we desire to achieve. Those who use money as power are becoming more aware of how truly dependent upon the people they really are and that the people are slowly awakening to taking back control of their own power to change the status quo.  Fear will be increasingly sniffed out as a motive for the controlling attempts of the ‘elite’, and discarded and replaced by the brave new world emerging during this transit.

To see in what areas of life this shift affects you personally, look to the houses in your natal chart where Scorpio and Taurus begin. The last time the nodes were in this axis was between February 2^nd, 1994 and July 31^st, 1995. 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 ingress: Break bad habits and replace them with empowering activities.  Rediscover your self-worth through what’s inside rather than outside.  Confront and release your fears.  Transform your life into something truly meaningful.  Scale down the stuff in your life that impedes your progress.  Uncover your hidden power.  Investigate.  Seek the truth in all matters.  Explore the depths of your psyche.  Allow yourself to feel without stifling or ignoring your emotions.  Learn to trust your intuition.  Regenerate after crises instead of getting stuck in a rut.  Integrate your shadows in a positive light.  Call out the lies surrounding you.  Solve a mystery.  Explore your passions.  Take a deeper look into the spiritual realm.  Use your emotional understanding for self-healing and helping others.  Learn to share your abundance with others.  Understand that death is not an end, it’s a transformation. 

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

P.S.  Click here to read about the last lunar node lessons in Sagittarius-Gemini.