Totem Tuesday: Snake/Serpent Medicine

Totem Tuesday:  Snake/Serpent Medicine

by Felina Lune Kavi

“You are guardian of a treasure,
Oh, just like a sleeping serpent
And you shall see, I shall make you
Spin around like that sleepy snake.
Listen to me.” 

― Jalaluddin Rumi, Love: The Joy That Wounds: The Love Poems of Rumi

Keywords:  Healing, Renewal without Replacement, Shedding Past Cycles, Transmutation, Movement, Dance, Trance, Hypnosis, Primal Life Force Energy, Kundalini Energy, Solar Energy, Creativity, Fertility, Survival, Root Chakra, Inner and Outer Balance, Conscious Awareness, Self-Motivation, Shamanic Passage, Feminine Wisdom, Shadow Self

Of all our creature teachers, Snake is one that often connects with fear and aversion from humans (rivaling Spider for ‘most feared’).  There are some totems that serve as shadow totems, and they represent those parts of ourselves that we repress or deny.  Often times we have irrational fears that link us to the medicine of the shadow totem, having us continually meet that fear in order to finally accept and embrace its medicine.  Or, sometimes the shadow totem is an animal that we have had a traumatic experience with in our past…such as being bit by a dog or, in my case, attacked by a rooster.  

With a shadow totem, the medicine of that totem is inherent in us, but we have a much harder time embracing it and utilizing it to our best advantage.  The Shadow Snake is there to teach us how to conquer our own fears and accept those parts of ourselves that we might rather eliminate than openly allow others to see.

Like many things that illicit fear from humans, Snake represents feminine wisdom.  As is the trend in a patriarchal society, the wisdom of the Feminine Mysteries is often repressed and we are taught to fear it or discount it in some way…much like the way we have been taught as a society, over time, to fear witches.  But, often, these animals are very useful creatures to have around us as they prey upon many insects or rodents that are not as beneficial to have around us unchecked.  The snakes we have around here (Omaha, Nebraska) are mostly non-venomous and powerful garden protectors.  Snakes, in general, are non-aggressive toward humans (in fact they’d rather not be around humans at all). 

The Feminine wisdom of the snake comes from its fertility and connection with creative life force.  Many creation stories from tribes all over the world often feature some kind of Serpentine Creatrix.  The Serpent is one of the oldest and widespread mythological symbols and has been associated with some of the oldest rituals of humankind.  

All snakes are internally fertilized, though they have a wide range of reproductive modes.  Most snakes lay their eggs and abandon them, but some stay with them throughout.  Some even retain their eggs internally until they are just about ready to hatch.  Interestingly (and uncharacteristic of creatures other than requiem sharks or placental mammals), some snakes are fully viviparous (such as the boa constrictor or green anaconda) and nourish their young through a placenta as well as a yolk sac.  

Much of their fertility and creative medicine comes from how many babies they can have at one time.  Though it does vary depending on the type of snake, they can give birth to up to 150 babies at once.  Similarly, those with this totem medicine are often very creative individuals who can have a multitude of creative ideas at once.  

The Snake Mother knows that not all of her babies will survive, but those that do will need the best environment for success.  Similarly, those with this totem learn to focus on nourishing just a few of the many creative ideas they put forth and letting go of the others…while making sure the creative environment is right for the development of the few that hold promise.

But perhaps the most well-known attribute of Snake Totem Medicine is its connection to the healing arts.  All totems are associated with some form of healing, but the Snake Totem is the medicine of medicine itself.  Their molting process of sloughing off dead skin cells and gliding through and out of it, renewed (though in the same form), is symbolic of our own ability to self-heal and go through cycles of renewal after discarding what holds us back from becoming better versions of ourselves.  

The Snake Totem has been used as a symbol of medicine all over the world for thousands of years.  In the U.S., the healthcare system itself is in a molting process of renewal.  Interestingly (and, sadly, fitting), in this country the ancient symbol of the healing arts (the Rod of Asclepius) was replaced by an ancient symbol for commerce (the Caduceus).  Both symbols incorporate snakes, but one is clearly about health and healing while the other is about business negotiations and profit-generation.  

I don’t know if this was a deliberate shift in the symbolism or if it was unconscious, but it describes rather well the crowding out of true healers in the medical field of this country and the predominance of the illusion that health can be bought and sold.  But this illusion will eventually molt into a new system.  

Until then, true healers will be harder to find but you will know them when you meet them.  There are some amazing healers in the medical field, and some outside of the field.  But the thing that Snake Medicine reminds us is that while having assistance in our healing from those who are trained to do so can be very beneficial, it is just as important to understand that it is up to us to take charge of our own healing in our daily lives.  

Snake absorbs the heat of the Sun to regulate internally with an external source, but once that energy has been received…it is up to Snake to use the energy well.  Snake reminds us that healing is a partnership, but that we must not forget that no one can help us heal unless we, ourselves, make the commitment to our own healing. 

Snake Medicine also works through hypnosis and trance states…which are particularly effective in healing the mental state.  Getting in a ‘zone’ (in whatever way gets you there) can help you to slough off the brain’s old thought patterns that are no longer serving you and focus on what you really need.  Dancing (particularly Tantric or ecstatic dance) is good Snake Medicine as well, as it is a way of honoring Spirit within the body.  This connects us to that primal life force energy, awakens the Kundalini (that coiled serpent energy at the base of our spine), and allows our muscles to undulate beneath our skin as the Snake who, limbless, glides gracefully across the belly of our Mother Earth.

If Snake is one of your totems, these and many other lessons will be prevalent in your life.  Snake will encourage you to refine your mastery of this medicine.  If you see a snake, but it is not one of your totems, respect it as a messenger for that time.  You may need its medicine for what is happening then or what is coming up in the near future.  Snake may be contacting you to get you to focus on a particular creative project and see it to fruition, or it may want to teach you how to heal through a process of shedding your outdated patterns and self-renewal.  For many, Snake appears to face us with our fears, reminding us to embrace our shadow self as well as that primal power within us that we may keep too tightly controlled out of fear of our own power.  However Snake chooses to share its medicine, it is always a deep and necessary healing.

New Moon in Aries: Kundalini Awakening

New Moon in Aries:  Kundalini Awakening

Moon conjunct Sun at 9:57pm CDT, 3-27-2017

This moon phase is the Rain Moon (also known as the Awakening Moon, Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, or Growing Moon…actually there are myriad names for each moon phase, but I like Rain Moon because I am a spring-born pluviophile).  In this dark moon, the Sun and Moon meet in the 8^th degree of Aries.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is “a woman’s hat with streamers blown by the east wind”…a degree of intellectual and spiritual awakening.  This is what I call ‘the new moon of new moons’ since Aries is the first sign of the zodiac…it’s like a double shot of pioneering energy for new beginnings.

In the balsamic phase of this past lunation, I attended a shamanic intensive where I learned more about the cosmovision, language, and healing rites of the Q’ero people of Peru.  The seeds planted during that moon phase are now sprouting forth into the next and I feel inspired to share my experience of each of the 7 main archetypes that have been awakened within my chakras from these teachings.  Though these archetypes come from a continent away, they have a lot in common with other traditions and intermingle with my own understanding of spirit to express something through me as their conduit.  I am grateful to those who came down from the Andes Mountains to share what they know, and to the teachers who learned from them and spread that knowledge far and wide in this accelerated time.

So during this waxing moon, I will be meditating on the archetype of the Serpent who resides in my root chakra.  In this post, I invoke her to tell her story through my eyes while I tell my own through hers in my own sacred space.  She will be my guide as I free write about her archetypal energies. 

 

'The Three Powers' by Pablo Amaringo

Sach’amama, Yakumama, Wayrumama

I am Sach’amama, Mother Jungle.  I am the tree of life, my giant serpent body coiled beneath the sacred soil.  I protect the sustenance that Pachamama provides.  When I shed my skin, I am the silent bolts of lightning in a massive storm.  I teach stillness, patience, and grounding.  My medicine is in the sacred soil, the stone people, and the plant people…they are healers, as am I. 

I am Yakumama, Mother of the Waters. I am the giant serpent who slides beneath the river; moving energy, ever flowing, that nourishes us.  When I shed my skin, it rises to form clouds in the sky…sending down a rattling renewal of rain.  I teach movement, fearlessness, and cleansing.  My medicine is in the sacred water of life: the rivers, the lakes, the oceans, the streams, the rain…they are healers, as am I.

I am Wayrumama, Mother of the Winds.  I am the flying serpent of the sky, bringer of the winds of change…spreading the seeds of new cycles and breathing life into form.  When I shed my skin, I create the drumming sound of thunder and the strong push and pull of winds to clear away the old and usher in the new.  I teach alertness, perception, and releasing.  My medicine is in the sacred breath and the wind that blows in every direction…they are healers, as am I.

We are the healing power of transmutation, shedding the layers that have been outgrown and guiding toward paths of renewal.  We are Kawsay, the primal life force deep within. We are receptive and open healers, as are you.



For more information on the 1st Gate of Manifestation, where we reclaim our life force and the healthy expression of our beingness, check out 1st Chakra: Healing the Root.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Cardinal Grand Cross of March 2017: The Crossroads of Identity

Cardinal Grand Cross of March 2017:

The Crossroads of Identity

The Caterpillar’s question last weekend (before we entered, with Venus, into the chrysalis of metamorphosis) may have raised within us more questions than answers.  Perhaps we were looking for one pin-point to our identity…but just as we as a human race are comprised of multiple facets of identity, the same is true for each individual.

And so enters the Cardinal Grand Cross…to lay it all out for us to consider.  This astrological aspect configuration aligns four or more celestial bodies in 90 degree aspects to each other in each Cardinal sign and element (Aries/Fire, Cancer/Water, Libra/Air, and Capricorn/Earth).  The Grand Cross is a 4^th Harmonic aspect pattern.  This Harmonic relates to the cross of matter.  Four is the number of form, structure, consolidation, and the physical realm.  Because the Grand Cross is composed of four squares (90 degree aspects) and two oppositions (180 degree aspects), the energy moves us toward both action (squares) and perspective/balance (oppositions).  The squares generate action by giving off a stressful, uncomfortable energy.  The energy is difficult to ignore and builds in tension until we reach a point where something has to be done to address the situation and release the pressure. Depending on the frequency of the individual, the action can be either constructive or destructive.  Because squares are a 4^th Harmonic aspect, the energy usually requires some sort of physical, external act of expression.

However, the Grand Cross offers a core structure that can be a great blessing toward inspired action.  They key challenge to the best use of this energy is finding the point of integration and balance by working with the two oppositions.  When the opposing energies are balanced, they exert the same amount of pressure in all four directions, creating a solid foundation.  When they are out of balance, the structure cannot hold, and it may feel like you are constantly losing your footing and being pulled back and forth in multiple directions.

The Cardinal signs are about the expression of identity.  Aries focuses on self-identity, Cancer focuses on our emotional and familial identity, Libra focuses on our social and intellectual identity, and Capricorn focuses on the tangible manifestation of our identity (either our role within the greater tribe or our career identity).  Essentially, the Cardinal Grand Cross is much like an identity crisis.  The energies involved are each trying to define and express a facet of who we are, but each is operating on a different level and from a different perspective. Cardinal energy is activating and initiatory.  When taking action simultaneously, as it happens with this configuration, we can feel pulled apart or overextended…or we might feel a building sense of frustration because of an overwhelming need to take action and no clear direction or understanding of what type of action to take. 

But it always comes back to the question of identity.  To find where to channel this energy, focus on who you are and take action on further defining, expressing, and experiencing your sense of individuality and identity.

The Dynamics in Play

Mercury and Uranus in Aries:  Our Unique Self-Expression

Mercury and its higher octave, Uranus, both carry the energy of the mental plane.  Mercury is the personal (inner) planet of communication and Uranus is the transpersonal (outer) planet known as the Great Awakener.  Together, they generate inspired action toward our unique expression of the Self.  In Aries, this can be pioneering and rebellious energy…quick flashes of insight and a surprising efficiency of the mind to both create and articulate.  They ask us to consider, what most clearly expresses our authentic self?

Vesta in Cancer:  Our Emotional Dedication to Loved Ones

Vesta is the asteroid of the dedicated priestess.  In Cancer, she is the emotional caretaker of the home and family.  Focused on the emotional well-being of loved ones and making sure everyone is provided for and has a healthy environment, she knows that outward expression of care must be tended within as well.  She asks us to consider, what is priority for our emotional well-being?

Jupiter Retrograde in Libra:  Our Expansive Social Awareness

Jupiter is focused on expansive societal education.  He teaches the subjects of the higher mind and generously gives in order to help us grow and branch out.  His energy is gregarious and optimistic, like the professor you might also see at a party in his down-time…possibly over-indulging but keeping the social interactions lively, upbeat, and interesting.  In Libra, Jupiter is constantly making connections with others.  Each new relationship brings a fresh perspective and engaging conversation.  We become more aware of the world around us in interacting with others.  In retrograde, though, this energy takes on a feeling of revision within.  Retrograde Jupiter asks us to consider, in what way do our social circles define our identity within the community?

Pluto in Capricorn:  Our Transformative Role on Earth

Pluto is the transpersonal planet of metamorphosis and renewal.  Known as the Great Transformer, he tears down outdated structures that no longer serve a necessary purpose and rebuilds them for our next generations.  In Capricorn, the transformation is happening on the physical plane.  In the bigger picture of things, what has dominated the world in the past is being increasingly outgrown by the future stewards of our earth.  Old power structures are falling apart to give way to new growth on more sturdy foundations.  Everyone seems to be shaking things up and breaking them down so we can see them for what they really are.  Governments and Corporations are running amok as if in a last stitch effort to cling to what is falling away into uselessness.  Individually, the structures we’ve built for our life in the past may also be falling apart.  What we thought was solid and dependable may actually be collapsing or hindering us from our own growth processes.  It’s time to break it down and rebuild so that we can have a sense of security and solidity in our lives.  Pluto asks us to consider, what are we doing in this transition to secure a solid future for the future generations who depend on us to lead the way?

Altogether, these energies ask us:  "What can we do to make these facets of our identity work together?"

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Full Seed Moon in Virgo: Dedication and Discernment

Full Seed Moon in Virgo: Dedication and Discernment

March 12th, 2017 @ 9:54am CDT

Venus went retrograde in Aries on March 4th, so this full moon illuminates a specific point at the end of Venus's evening star cycle. Before shedding the skin of our last 18 months (the time between Venus's previous shift and this one), we are preparing ourselves for the transformation to occur this spring. The full Seed Moon in Virgo provides the energy we need in order to discern what all will be discarded, and what seeds we will plant that will empower and sustain us through the coming months. Virgo Moon acts as a dedicated priestess to the Divine Feminine represented by Venus in Aries. She is the midwife to this rebirth of Venus as morning star. Lady Luna prepares her way by clearing away whatever distracts from the task before her. We feel the pull to declutter, purify, and heal our own environment within and without. Spring cleaning takes on myriad meanings at this time.

There is a theme within this larger theme of metamorphosis, which is represented by the Seed Moon...it is about control and release. We make the preparations to better control the outcome, but we also release the need to control as the seeds germinate underground. At this stage in Venus's cycle, we can exercise proper use of control... Though we will need to relinquish that control to a higher power in the weeks ahead.

Moon in 23 Virgo:

At one moment, we may be the Lion Tamer. In the highest expression of this archetypal energy, we are in control of our vital energies and can direct them toward our intentions. Our connection to our animal nature is strong. We are in tune with both our instincts as well as our intent, and we can consciously make use of our talents. Fear is released. Pride is tamed. Self-confidence is gained as we train ourselves toward desirable outcomes. Control is in our favor. The shadow side of this archetypal energy is that we misuse this control (on others or ourselves), or that we give our power away to such misuse. In every full moon, we must strike a balance within in order to manifest it outside ourselves. Opposing energies will pull until we find our place of temperance.

Sun in 23 Pisces:

At another moment, we may be a Medium. In the highest expression of this archetypal energy, our gifts of insight and communication may be of need to others. We may give our vital energies to where they will help another, acting as a conduit who can translate Spirit into matter. There is a degree of sacrifice involved in this exchange as we release what is a personal experience and share it with others. And we feel more need to produce results in that case, implying control over something that is, by its nature, beyond the limits of human understanding. The world of Spirit will work with us, but not always as we desire. The shadow side of this archetypal energy comes from that. The Medium can twist from soothsaying to deception. When we are acting as Medium with the wrong intent, and hoping to get results that play to pride or fear, the shadow is in control. Awareness is key, so that we are not led astray by our own lower energies or those of others. Essentially, we aim to connect in some way to the universal flow of energy and help others to connect in their own ways.  To do this, we must maintain a symbiotic connection with our Mother Earth. She is the Medium through which we all connect.

Love and Gratitude, 
Felina Lune Kavi

The Higher Octave of Love: Venus in Pisces

Venus Physica

Entwined with the unmastered wound

Of the Healer.

Two heavenly bodies,

Energies tied in one stream

Of consciousness.

She swims

With the natural flow,

He pushes through the current.

Divergent direction...

Yet a single, powerful harmony

In the music of the spheres.

Enter the Teacher,

Lord of Lessons,

Testing beliefs with limitation.

Agitating the waters,

He gives a face to our fears…

A shadowy corner in the walls we built within.

There, weighed down in the darkness,

The Goddess uncovers the wound

Of humanity.

Shadows of self-victimization

Stuck like shrapnel

Halting healing.

She extracts them,

One by one,

As painful memories resurface.

Reopened and purified,

The wound reveals the gift within:

Freedom.

Mercury Retrograde of Winter 2016-2017: A Body of Knowledge

Shadow period begins (Mercury’s first pass through Sagittarius 29)- 12/1/16

Mercury stations retrograde in Capricorn 16- 12/19/16

Mercury stations direct in Sagittarius 29- 1/8/17

Shadow period ends (Mercury’s second pass through Capricorn 16- 1/27/17

As we bring one year to a close and welcome another, Mercury is once again in retrograde.  The dates described above not only cover the time period that Mercury is retrograde, but also the shadow zone of this retrograde.  During this whole span of almost two months, the focus is on the physical body and our abilities to condition it past its perceived limitations and past our accumulated habits that inhibit our well-being.

Mercury direct often deals with the conscious mind as well as outward communication.  When it goes retrograde, we tend to delve into the unconscious or subconscious realms of the mind to pick up pieces of memory or knowledge we will need for what is to come.  The communication inward becomes enriched…and sometimes, with that focus, we occasionally see that outward communication becomes more difficult.  You may notice the usual scheduling snafus, communication breakdowns, electronic malfunctions, or transportation issues as can be the norm during a particularly stressed Mercury Retrograde transit.  In those setbacks, it is often because we need to take a step back and think something through that we may have overlooked.  Revision is often the best mindset for such times.

But there is always good reason for these breaks in our usual ways of communicating and relating to the outside world, however illogical it may seem during those initial transitions between our mental states.

Capricorn 16- Boys and Girls in Gymnasium Suits

This symbol has much to do with physical exercise, but also with emotional enjoyment and social interaction.  When you suit-up for something, you are prepared to put forth the effort required…and when you are surrounded by others who are doing the same, there is even more motivation.  At first, though, there may be performance anxieties…something about your physical body seems faulty.  The paradox within feeling this feeling though, is that the effort you put in is directly related to the amount you improve upon not just your physical body but also your mind.  You may not feel you can physically achieve something, but of course you can’t unless you actually do it. 

The station of Mercury here (from Sunday night to Monday morning, specifically, though it can stretch out for as long as a couple days) may be that anxious pause, where not only does the excitement of what could be grows…but also the psyching out of ourselves that often precedes doing some physical task can increase our trepidation.  “What if I fail?” is the subconscious feeling.  “People will see me fail.” Is the accompaniment.  Yet, in the pause, if we listen closely to the still voice within rather than the discouraging din…there is that message from the matrix of our soul that guides us to do and be our best.  If we comply, we have already taken the first step to heal our physical existence by repairing our soul communication within.  Our physical bodies are imprinted with the knowledge that if our soul urges us to do something, we must do it for an optimal outcome.  To impede that progress is to deny our soul growth…and that’s where so many of our problems arise.

“Do or do not.  There is no try.” Perhaps your still voice within talks like Master Yoda.  Sometimes mine does.

Sagittarius 29- An Overweight Child Mowing the Lawn

At the close of this Mercury Retrograde, we come back to something we didn’t quite perceive correctly the first time around (at the beginning of December).  Perhaps it was that the beginning of the holiday season was upon us…but there was likely some over indulgence, or concern about our social standing, or even self-consciousness about our outward appearance.  December, for many of us, is a month that is often full of social interaction with family and friends.  This symbol, on the surface, shows that while on the inside we may be struggling with what society often deems acceptable, we still try to make an effort to keep up appearances and attend to our ‘curb appeal’.  But our focus may have been a little off.  While trying to please others, we may have only done the bare minimum of taking care of our own issues.  The key to this symbol is not in the Sisyphean feat of attending to societal expectations, but in the actual physical effort of our mind-body connection to elevate us to a new level within.  Frankly, it doesn’t matter how we are perceived to be handling things by others.  If we are taking care of ourselves, we can better take care of all else that is important in our lives.  In going through this degree again with Mercury on January 8^th next year, we will be better prepared to keep up with our own wellness rather than just keeping up the appearance of being ‘okay’. 

There is another key here that we’ll be learning along the way during this retrograde.  We have to allow ourselves emotional enjoyment during our physical tasks, otherwise we won’t want to do them.  While, as an adult, you may learn to enjoy something like mowing the lawn (or shoveling the snow as it might be this winter) for whatever reason…if you’re an overweight child doing these tasks, you are likely not enjoying it.  It is difficult then, before our frontal lobe fully develops our reasoning capabilities, to focus on the good that the task is doing not only for your physical body but also in service to others…and service to the maintenance of our mind-body-soul connection. 

You have to enjoy what you are doing in order to continue to do it.  Here, we are finding out our place in society that both contributes to the whole as well as to our personal fulfillment.  Take comfort in your friends and family at this time, as they can amplify the message within you that brings you to where you need to be.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Long Nights' Moon: Transformation and Ascension

Long Nights’ Moon:  Transformation and Ascension

December 13^th, 2016 @ 6:05pm CST

The Projective Energy of the Mystic Rectangle

A Mystic Rectangle is an astrological aspect configuration of four or more celestial bodies in two oppositions linked by two trines and two sextiles.  The opposition energies can struggle to balance from one extreme to the next, but the trines and sextiles provide a beneficial opportunity to access that balance by giving it structure, direction, and amplified intention.  In this Full Moon’s Mystic Rectangle, the Moon in Gemini, Sun and Saturn in Sagittarius, Jupiter in Libra, and Uranus and Ceres in Aries are working together in the projective energies of air and fire signs.  What this means is that rather than receiving this energy inwards (as it would be with earth and water signs), we will be giving this energy out to where it is needed if we choose to tap into this beneficial recalibration of our own energies.  There are 6 celestial bodies aligning now for this attunement, with Sun-Saturn and Uranus-Ceres combining in conjunctions to double the strength of those respective fire signs.  A mystical, rectangular portal is open during this Full Moon, and those who can find it will be stepping through.

So, where do we find it?  As always, it is an individual path we each take to get to a collective ascension…and a transformative process that occurs differently for each person.  We are all at various stages of major lessons in our lives, after all, and our lessons may interact with each other but always in ways specific to our own soul’s growth.  While one individual may find illumination in the lessons of relationships or marriage, another may find it in adulthood, parenthood, sagehood, birth or death.

There are clues and keys within the specific degrees of this aspect configuration, though, which may guide you along your own path as they apply to your journey.  Your own interpretation of the following symbols can reveal the key piece by piece…and your piecing together of that puzzle is what can unlock the portal for you.  I wish you well on this stage of your journey, should you choose to accept it.

Full Moon in 23 Gemini:  Three Fledglings in a Nest High in a Tree

The keyword for this degree is ‘elevation’.  This energy is one of supportive growth and transformation.  At the same time as we are one of these fledglings in our own way, we are also urged to be the protective comfort of the nest that allows others the space to grow.  We take care of each other in these ways…helping one another to build up strength and eventually learn how to take wing and soar.  There is a distinct social element to the Full Moon in Gemini, where we are urged to band together through familiar bonds and learn from each other how to best become who we intend to be.

Sun in 23 Sagittarius:  Immigrants Enter a New Country

The keyword for this degree is ‘entrance’.  Here we are to access more expansive and inclusive modes of behavior.  Like the previous degree, this symbol gives a sense of banding together with those whom we are familiar in order to emotionally integrate and transition into another way of life.  With a strong sense of personal and spiritual power, we can confront and resolve sensitive issues…leading to our own ascension.

Saturn in 20 Sagittarius:  Men Cutting Through Ice for Summer Use

The keyword for this degree is ‘procurement’.  Again, we have another grouping of individuals working toward a common goal…this is a theme throughout many of the symbols of the mystic rectangle degrees.  Saturn here shows us that if we plan ahead, we can successfully reach our goals with cooperation and mutual respect.  This energy encourages leadership qualities, willing participation, integrity and trust.  Preparation and dedication will get us to where we want to be.

Jupiter in 19 Libra:  A Gang of Robbers in Hiding

The keyword for this degree is ‘divergence’.  This degree has two sides.  On one hand, it can point out energy blockages that need to be broken up as well as repel negative energy.  On the other hand, there is the archetypal energy of a Robin Hood image, redistributive and alternative.  Either way, you may try to keep something hidden (something shadowy or, conversely, not wanting to show off your true talents), yet you will likely be noticed anyway. 

Uranus in 21 Aries:  A Pugilist Enters the Ring

The keyword for this degree is ‘exertion’.  On the opposite side of the ‘hiding’ image where Jupiter currently resides, Uranus is in a position of confidence and bravery…showing our talents to the world.  There is an energy of steely determination and iron resolve here, giving you the confidence to defend what it is you believe.  This energy can be used to strengthen the mind, balance and fortify the mind-body connection, and also exercise the mind, body and spirit.  Though it is a very spotlighting energy, it is also very grounding.  While this symbol does not follow with the groupings of individuals that the previous symbols did, it does carry the same theme of ‘entrance’ as the Sun.  But Aries is the energy of self-sufficiency…and, appropriately, working well with others toward a common goal does take some initiative leadership.

Ceres in 22 Aries:  The Gate to the Garden of Desire

The keyword for this degree is ‘prospect’.  Here we have the earth mother, Ceres, in a position that also grants ‘entrance’ but without the human or animal groupings present in the previous symbols.  This symbol focuses on plant life and the purity and beauty it holds, as well as something that is often tapped at a full moon…our heart’s desire.  Ceres here calls upon us all to amplify pure love, as nature does.  There is a certain invincibility beyond this gate she brings us to, where our desires and intentions can be amplified to refract inner dreams outward to ideas and action.  She asks us to see the beauty in all things and reflect eternal possibilities in all we do.

The Wounded Healer at the Apex of the Full Moon’s T-Square

Another aspect configuration at play in the Full Moon’s energy is a T-square with Chiron in Pisces.  A T-square arises when the celestial bodies within an opposition (in this case, the Moon in Gemini and Sun-Saturn in Sagittarius) are squared (perpendicular in degree) with another celestial body (Chiron).  Chiron, then, is the apex of this configuration…where the harsher energies of the tug-o-war of the sun-moon opposition will direct its stress and struggle. With the Mystic Rectangle providing an opportunity to access ascension though, we must use the stress of the T-square as if a bow being pulled to release an arrow to the bullseye of our intended target.  Squares, though often harsh and stressful, are for the purpose of inspiring necessary action.  Chiron asks us to look to our wounds to find the gifts that bring healing.  Even the symbol that astrologers use for Chiron looks much like a key.  Chiron’s archetypal energy of the Wounded Healer guides us to finding the light in the darkness of our own wounds.

Chiron in 21 Pisces:  A Little White Lamb, a Child, and a Chinese Servant

The keyword for this degree is “talent”.  It is not uncommon to find natural abilities and innate divine gifts are cultivated within the healing process of our wounds.  Perhaps a disability requires you to nurture new abilities that were latent until you felt a lack.  Or maybe you found an expressive talent in one area when your expression in another area was damaged by self-doubt or outside judgement.  Sometimes it is a shocking death of a loved one that inspires new direction in our life.  A lack of balance within relationships can clarify our own needs and provide an impetus to restore balance within ourselves.  Even damaged self-worth can lead us to being able to see and amplify the worth of others, and eventually ourselves.  These are only a few examples of individual wounds.  With the wounded healer, Chiron, in Pisces…the collective woundedness is one of questioning a higher power in the face of humanity’s self-destruction.  Like the dualistic symbol of two fish swimming in opposite directions, we often submit to only two choices to respond to our struggle.  In this wounding, we can seek to escape from Spirit, or we can seek shelter in Spirit.  We are prone to addiction and self-destruction in the extremes of both.  The truth is, we do not need to seek Spirit at all…but only need to recognize and honor the Spirit within all things, including ourselves.  Collectively, we want to have a sense of purpose and belonging in this life…and Chiron in this degree of the zodiac is helping to fortify that sense through a collective healing process.  There is some self-sacrifice involved in this process that can lead to clear, positive, social impact.  Ultimately, we are here to serve our younger generations, the innocents, and provide them with the best opportunities for cultivating their own genius.  In doing so, our own talents are enhanced.

In closing, I want to express something.  If it has been a difficult time during this moon phase so far, please know that you are opening to something beyond the pain of that experience.  Take comfort in your friends and family who will see you through this trying time as best they can.  And feel free to message me for any help you may need in unlocking the potential of this heightened energy you are experiencing.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Full Super Moon in Taurus: Self-Worth Within the Womb of Metamorphosis

Full Super Moon in Taurus:  Self-Worth Within the Womb of Metamorphosis

By Felina Lune Kavi 

This Full Moon of November 2016 (exact at 7:52 am CST on Monday the 14th) is known as a super moon, and this particular one is the closest it’s been to Earth in 68 years.  The Moon, especially at full, is pregnant with emotional tides…she’s closer to us now than many of us have ever seen or felt before.  Everyone is feeling it. From the many waves of reaction here in our United, but seemingly divided, States…to the magnitude of upset during and after the shock of New Zealand’s massive earthquake;  Gaia is in a panic mode.  And her sister, the Moon, moves closer to console and comfort her.

“Look to your protectors.”  She says, in a calm and mystical light that urges reflection.  “You will get through this.  You will recover.  Feel this now, magnified…and let us transmute it together.”

Gaia, our Great Mother…our Earth and our home…feels torrents of doubt about her own self-worth in this current climate.  “So many don’t listen.  So many don’t care.  Why should I care about myself when my voice barely heard?  What power do I really have to change things?  My power is linked to theirs by a mother’s bond.  If they do not succeed, then neither do I.”

“All is not lost.”  Moon replies.  “Do not believe it into being.  Let us re-enter the Womb of Metamorphosis together, sister.”

And so it transpires that we, along with our Earth, have gone within the mysteries of life and death.  Under the receptive cloak of Taurus, the Moon guides us toward healing our collective wounds rooted in self-worth.  What is it that we value?  How can we become healthy receivers to restore a symbiotic balance to what we give and take?  Will we be able, together, to recognize the Spirit within all matter and make positive changes to benefit the whole?

The Sun shines a light from the opposite balance of things, reflected upon our Moon as well.  Cloaked in the concealment of Scorpio, the Sun takes us on an inward journey to walk the edges until we find our boundaries.  What is the truth within this transformation?  How can we heighten ourselves beyond what we have become?  If I want to create meaningful change, what needs to change in me first to allow that power to regenerate and grow both inwardly and outwardly?

There are many questions within this primordial soup we have collectively agreed to re-enter.  Much to our surprise, the answers are within the questions themselves.  New thoughts emerge and take shape.  We are becoming…though we fight, as the caterpillar with its emerging self as the butterfly, against the transformation.  We do not see what is to come, but we become it all the same.  It does take some time to come to a level of acceptance and understanding within that chrysalis.  We only have to learn to trust ourselves as well as this creative process the Universe has gifted us.  It is our opportunity now to discover the gift within our wound.

I hope all of us will have our own individual revelations in the coming month.  They are not meant to be the same journey, but they are intrinsically linked together.  I hold you all, as always, in deep love and gratitude as you rebirth your new selves for the good of the whole human race.  Those that struggle, we must continue to protect them and honor their individual unfolding.  Those that come out of this time not fully formed, we must help them along the way.

Love and Gratitude,
Felina Lune Kavi

Mercury Retrograde in Virgo: The Empathic Enigma

Mercury Retrograde in Virgo:  The Empathic Enigma
By Felina Lune Kavi

To tune it out or to tune it up?  That is the question many empaths struggle with daily.  This Mercury Retrograde seems to be calling upon those of us who feel the emotional turmoil in our environments so strongly…and it teaches us not only to set boundaries but also to know when your gifts of energetic attunement are appropriate to employ.

During the shadow period of this retrograde (from August 10th to August 29th), many of us may have been emotionally triggered by the inconsistent, draining, or agitating energies of those around us.  We sometimes fail to separate these disruptive energies from our own, as we are strong conduits for all energy.  The perceived failures come from attachments…we let the harmful energy stick to us when we care about a person…and, let’s face it, empathic people are a mess when we react from the lower energies that were never our own to begin with.  It’s difficult to deal in the dissonance. (To be clear, if it is our own lower frequency mess we’re dealing with, we’re more inclined to call it out and rise above…if it’s entangled with someone else’s vibrational vortex…things get confusing and difficult to differentiate).

The first thing we tend to learn along the ‘Path of the Empath’ is how to block out an onslaught of negative energy.  If you are just beginning to understand this particular energetic sensitivity in yourself, then shielding, blocking, warding, or protecting yourself from such things is often at the top of your priority list.  You hear it’s a ‘blessing and a curse’ to be so energetically sensitive, but you can’t yet see the gift within the wounds you’ve endured.

But what if I told you that your gift, the blessing that actually outweighs the supposed curse, is to know when to block and when to allow the energy to flow through you to be transformed?

Mercury Retrograde in Virgo 30 (August 30th)

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘An urgent task to complete, a man does not look to distractions’.  The keyword for this degree is ‘safeguard’…but the meaning has much to do with discerning what our truest priorities are, and what distracts us from giving those priorities our necessary focus.  Along Mercury’s path from our view point, we are mentally backtracking from this degree (to return to it on October 6th, when Mercury leaves the shadow zone) because we need to clearly define and set up some personal boundaries that may have gotten a bit skewed or lost in the shadows around the time of the eclipse this month.  During the retrograde period, we backtrack (or, more specifically, introspect) along the path of the last few weeks in order to pick up some of the pieces we left behind that are important to our ability to move ahead (on September 22nd, when Mercury goes direct).

So first, what are your priorities?  Second, where do you draw the line between a distraction and an urgent task to take on?  And third, how do you get back on track once you deal with whatever comes your way?  Let’s look to the cosmic energies that quickly followed this shift for more clarification.


Ceres Retrograde in Taurus 6 (August 31st)

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is “A bridge being built across a gorge”.  While the Mercury Retrograde can be likened to a review of our mental state, a Ceres Retrograde is more like a review of what needs to be nurtured.  We are currently reviewing both.  The nurturing mother energy of our planet is calling us to bridge the gaps between us, and work together on urgent goals that affect all of us.

Mother Earth holds the frequency of pure, transformative empathy, and it is that frequency that those of us who are sensitive to the dissonant energies of others must constantly attune to in order to tune up those around us who are struggling.  That is, if the other is receptive.  This is a key point for any empath to understand.  We can’t be energy alchemists for everyone.  Some are so addicted to lower vibrations that even when they ask for help, they won’t do the maintenance it takes to help themselves.  A healer is a conduit, not a savior and not a rescuer.  We can’t ‘fix’ anyone who is addicted to being ‘broken’ until that person is truly ready to take on the healing path themselves.  Sad but true, some have to be left behind while our focus is needed elsewhere.  Mother Earth laments this same awareness, but for our human race as a whole.  And yet she continues her work, and she connects the people with the same abilities for attunement to each other to help her heal and grow as she teaches us the same.

Why would someone who’s hurting so badly, and often hurting others in the process, be addicted to that state of being?  It’s not that they enjoy it.  It has much to do with fear.  At least in that environment of addiction, they know what to expect…they can navigate that world easily, no matter how far down they eventually spiral.  They can even navigate the fears they feel in that addiction, because they’ve felt them before.  But pull them out of it before they’re ready, before they’ve learned whatever lessons they haven’t fully grasped yet…and they only know how to respond with the primitive brain functions of ‘fight, flight, or freeze’…and they will fall back, again and again, on the crutches of their addictions.

So while we’re building these bridges together, we can’t be distracted with such people…not until the work is done and they can see that what we’re building for everyone is safe and structurally sound.  We can invite them over the gorge after that if they’re still waiting on the other side.  It’s not our responsibility to wait for them, it’s our responsibility to move forward and build.

This bridge building is the urgent task we are trying to complete, as Mercury focused upon during its shift, in order to nurture ourselves and those important to us.  We needed help from both sides in order to do so…and those who weren’t helping, well they became distractions instead.  In some cases, such interruptions of our good intentions had to be ignored or blocked out.  Perhaps they fell, by their own aggravated actions, into the gorge when upholding the divide instead of helping the rest of us work to bridge the gap.  Perhaps some just stood there frozen in fear, talking about the gorge, watching the rest of us who were doing the work to bridge it.  Either way, if they weren’t nurturing the active energy of this focused effort, they were not worth the time they were taking from our efforts.  They were not part of the solution…so in many cases, we had to either tune them out or let them fall.  For a nurturer, as most empaths tend to be, this is a difficult realization and seems counterintuitive.  The truth is though, you can’t nurture those who don’t nurture you in return…in fact, it tends to have worse effects when you try.  Sometimes you have to release those attachments to those who are not nurturing your highest good so you can focus on working with those who do provide the same nurturance you are giving.


New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo 10 (September 1st)

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is “Two heads looking out and beyond the shadows”.  We often hear that two heads are better than one, right?  Well, it’s very true in many cases…especially to give balanced perspective and a view from many different angles.  This is what is needed.  But there is a shadow side, heightened by the solar eclipse (which was the midpoint in the energy began at the previous lunar eclipse that ends at the next lunar eclipse this month) to the ‘two heads’ scenario as well.  The two heads in the shadow see themselves as separate and at odds in their viewpoints.  They argue about what is right and wrong, black or white, good or bad.  And they repel from each other while still entangled in the shadows they have co-created.  This is what is not needed.  The symbol suggests looking out and beyond those shadows to get a clearer view of how to resolve what has happened.

The highest vibrations of Virgo energy often teach us in lessons of discernment, organizing the patterns of life in order to find solutions in moving forward, selfless service and attunement to Mother Earth, purification and detox, and how to heal the whole by tending to the root rather than only addressing the symptoms that stem from it.

The lower vibrations of Virgo energy often teach us the pitfalls of nit-picking away at perceived imperfections in ourselves or others, distracting ourselves in the details, helping others at the expense of our own well-being, and acerbic condescension when expectations are not met.

Our luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, are symbolic of these two heads.  They are separate bodies, but they blend together in conjunction for a brief moment that illuminates the beginning of a new cycle.  The energies present in that conjunction at the new moon (or, more appropriately, the dark moon) will color the energetic exchanges of the month that follows.  Their powers of illumination combined in this specific degree of Virgo in order to teach us that even in our separate localities, we can share the same energetic information by the laws of entanglement.

Empaths intuitively understand the laws of entanglement of quantum mechanics, even if we can’t explain it in scientific terms or physical proof.  We don’t have to…we feel it.  It’s not an experimental curiosity for us…it’s just life.  Empathic entanglement is a very common occurrence.  So daily, for many of us, that we always come back to the same question when we realize what is happening…’tune it out or tune it up’?  Essentially, we decide whether the energy that’s being shared is too volatile, damaging, or draining to hold within us in an attempt to recalibrate it to a higher frequency…or we decide we can hold our own frequency along with it and lift it up to a level of attunement with the earth herself.  We either put up a shield to protect ourselves, or we allow ourselves to take it on to transform it to a higher frequency.  This is, of course, if we remember to acknowledge what is happening at all.  If we don’t, we run the very real…and probably more common…risk of allowing that energy to attach to us and sink us to that level.

So, learning to block is fairly simple.  It’s an exercise in the power of visualization.  Most learn shielding techniques such as visualizing a bubble surrounding you.  The color and the consistency of the bubble add layers of strength to the protective energy surrounding you.  The emotional arrows coming at you or the energetic suck pulling at you can’t penetrate the shield.  If you’re new to this, don’t knock it till you try it.  It’s more effective than you may think.

The problem is, you have to detach from them first.  In a workplace situation, or out in public, this usually isn’t a problem…the people aren’t usually so important to you that your attachment to them is stronger than your own need for peace and well being.  But in a situation where the person is family, or a friend you really care about…if it comes to needing to ward off their energy, you will need to cut the cord.  This doesn’t mean everything is final and you’re done with them for good.  It means they’re abusing your energetic relationship and you’re no longer going to feed that negativity with your own energy until they can resolve it within themselves to a point where it’s no longer a threat to you.  Then you can choose to reconnect, or not, and resolve it the rest of the way together.

But then there’s the choice not to put up the shield…to allow that energetic information to flow through you to be transformed in your heart center.  Let yourself acknowledge it and feel it, but don’t react from it.  It’s not yours to use as is, but it’s now yours to tune because it’s entangled with your own.  It’s hard to explain scientifically from such a feeling standpoint…so the best I can define it is that these entangled energies are ‘in love’ and the two become one through that relating.  In that all-powerful love, communication is so immediate that it can’t be measured, it can only be felt.  Communicate through feeling…the power of telepathy we all share…that we are working together because we are sharing that space of oneness that brought us all to being.  This is instantaneous…you don’t need to hold it…you just let it go after you feel that attunement.  And let it go, also, that the shift in the other may seem undetectable.  You don’t need confirmation…all you need now is to focus on your own energy to recharge.  Whether with that person or not, you will have to re-center afterwards because there is a certain amount of energy depletion that takes place in you during the process.  Depending on the person or the situation, I might need to recharge in silence or I might need calm, heart-centered interaction.  What the other needs is important too.  They might need to talk about it, in which case you can guide the conversation in a way that soothes you both and reintegrates their tuned up energy while yours is recharging.

You are now two heads, in one conscious energetic exchange, looking out and beyond the shadows.  The clarity that comes from such an exchange is nothing short of brilliant.  These are the bridges we are here to build, and why we can’t waste our energy and focus on distractions.

Love and Gratitude,
Felina Lune Kavi