Full Moon in Libra: Sacral Shapeshifting

Full Moon in Libra:  Sacral Shapeshifting

Sun opposite Moon at 1:06am CDT, 4-11-2017

The Rain Moon is full, and it’s my 35^th birthday (well it was when I started writing this)!  Despite (or maybe even because of) all the rests and refrains of the retrogrades and the key changes of the squares in the Music of the Spheres above, I am really feeling the transformative energy of this time in an empowering way.  My Solar Return was exact Monday night at 7:13pm CDT, and the Sun is still in the same degree of Aries 22…where Sun and Mercury were in on this day in 1982…as the two luminaries meet in opposition after midnight. 

The Sabian Symbol for Aries 22 is “gate to the garden of desire” and has much to do with cosmic optimism (yes, fitting for my Sun and Mercury…my fuel and my communication).  Other astrologers may view the many square aspects between planets at this time as potential for painful experiences…trudging through the past with all the current retrogrades.  I don’t deny that possibility…it is likely.  But it’s not where I dwell.  I’m here in the bliss garden, blessing every transformation as well as every weed for the medicine it carries.  It’s the solar fuel of the season in which I was born, the mercurial mindscape where I envision the blossoming of thoughtseeds, and my whimsical way of communicating that works in tandem to express my own truth.  It’s a very creative and fertile garden.  It is my past, my present, and my future.

Conjunct the Sun at this Full Moon is Uranus in Aries 25.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is “a double promise is revealing”.  It is likely that there will be some surprising revelations in this cosmic climate.  Uranus, the Great Awakener, holds the frequency of the Visionary archetype here.

Opposite to this solar energy is the Mother Moon…full, reflective, and radiant…in Libra 22.  The Sabian Symbol of this degree is “a child giving birds a drink at a fountain”.  This is an exchange of Ayni (the symbiotic balance of give and receive in right relationship).  It comes from a place of pure feeling…of innocence connecting at the spirit level between beings.  Life force is replenished to the birds through the water they receive, and delight fills the child who interacts with them.  Each is giving and receiving love and gratitude as they come in harmony with each other. 

Conjunct the Moon is Jupiter Retrograde in Libra 18.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is “two men placed under arrest”.  Jupiter is a societal planet (along with Saturn, they are midway between the personal and generational or trans-personal planets) who teaches in expansive ways about social orders and laws, along with higher mind pursuits.  In retrograde, that energy goes inward for us and reaches back into our past to learn necessary lessons about our society and our place in it.  There is an energy here of accepting the consequences of our past actions.  And righting the relationship between ourselves and the patriarchy in which we currently live.  These old structures of society are falling away as our own past is calling for release.  But we are caught up in it now, and now is the time for awareness of the last grasps to cling to those old paradigms…within and without.  In order to step into that place of right relationship with the world around us, we need to focus within first.  The transformative lessons we learn within radiate outward as medicine to reform the world around us.  First, we surrender our own outmoded past…then we may release our future.

Squaring these four opposed celestial bodies is Pluto, The Great Transformer, in Capricorn 20.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is “a hidden choir singing”.  Pluto is at the apex of this Full Moon T-Square, and where the energy of the luminaries, along with Jupiter and Uranus, is being directed.  In many great cathedrals, the choir is hidden behind the altar or above the nave.  It is symbolic of the connection with heaven and the music of the spheres.  Even when we can’t see where the music is coming from that guides us to unity of above and below…we can hear it and, especially, feel it.  Pluto in this degree helps us to transform from the personal, ego state and into trans-personal harmony…connecting together with voice and breath…in order to find unity and resolution.  Mars in Taurus 23 provides a creative outlet (trine aspect to Pluto) for any stress that may arise from this T-square.  The Sabian Symbol here is “a jewelry shop”…which invites us to protect and preserve our values and our gifts while allowing them to radiate their medicine out into the world.  The outlet of a trine must be activated…because harmonious as it is, it’s opportunities often go ignored amongst so many other pressing energies.  So if you feel the stress of the squares, do something creative that activates your inner gifts.

Linked through a harmonious sextile to Mars is another high-powered conjunction between Chiron and Venus Retrograde in the 27^th and 28^th degrees of Pisces.  Both Sabian Symbols for these degrees have lunar imagery:  “a harvest moon” and “a fertile garden under the full moon”.  Chiron (the wounded healer) in the harvest moon degree brings opportunities for shining a light into our deepest wounds and finding the bountiful gifts within.  We do this by reaping what we have sown, cultivated, and also what we have not taken care of in our past.  Venus Retrograde in the fertile garden degree illuminates absolute unconditional love and the gifts it can bring when focused within.  The message here is that you already have everything you need.  This healing conjunction, though, is in a tight square with Saturn Retrograde in Sagittarius 28.  The Sabian Symbol for this degree is “an old bridge over a beautiful stream”.  This image shows the ways that the creative ingenuity of humans can work harmoniously with our natural environments.  The square energy between this and the Pisces degrees may make the best of this energy difficult to see…we may see more of the ways where humankind is infringing upon these healthy and natural exchanges…paving over them, laying pipe under them, or endangering them in other ways.  Saturn is retrograde here to revise some of what has been rather carelessly disregarded.  The retrograde energy also brings it within to focus on conservation and balance…restoring old bridges that will carry us into our future.

So with all of these squares and retrogrades, as well as a focus of energy on Pluto…there is likely to be some shadow work to be done.  Shadows often surface when the past comes to call.  My primary power animal, Jaguar, is my totem helper who stalks the shadows and integrates them in ways that shift them into medicine.  Jaguar is important to the Q’ero people of the Peruvian Andes as well.  Though I have known Jaguar for many years, a recent initiation into the ways of the Q’ero paqos has provided me new information and an even stronger connection to Otorongo (the name for Jaguar in the Quechua language).  

At the New Moon, and throughout her waxing phase, I was integrating the Serpent archetype awakened in my root chakra.  At this Full Moon, and throughout the waning phase, I will be integrating Jaguar into my sacral chakra…welcoming her to shift down from my solar plexus into new territory.  She has helped me, in the past several years, to balance out my power center…but she is needed now in my center of creativity.  There is still some ‘psychic sludge’ in my womb from past trauma.  Jaguar, in her hunt, shows me how to integrate the shadows and discover the gifts within those wounds.  She heals through sudden transformation.

Visionary

by Felina Lune Kavi (August 2011)

Into the golden eyes of the jungle cat…

The Seer sees within the shadows,

Stalking through the tangled jungle

Of the human mind.

On the hunt for our fears of freedom,

Jaguar peers into the darkness,

Pounces upon the prey of promise,

And feeds the Spirit.

Moonlit eyes arise in gratitude,

For the stars hold worlds of verity

When the power within connects

To our symbolic sight.

Visions integrate a path of integrity

Between the Blue Road of Spirit

And the Red Road of Physical Life…

A harmonious bridge.

Jaguar leads through lessons of Self…

Respect, discipline and actualization.

Short-cuts through the Ego’s Jungle

To the center of the Soul.

Now, six years after I wrote that of Jaguar, I am invoking Jaguar again to share her medicine through me.  Serpent brought forth a monologue last month…but there is a story to tell here in my Sacral Chakra, and more characters to introduce.

Otorongo and the Garden Priestess

Serpent meets Jaguar at the Garden Gate under the Full Rain Moon.  “This is the fertile and abundant garden of innocence where, together, we create the future for our next seven generations.  Walk softly on those paws through this gate, Otorongo, my sister.  This is the belly of Pachamama.  She feels us as we can feel Her.”

“I may not glide as you do, Sach’amama, but I am a stalker of shadows and must sneak up on them to pounce.  I will not disturb Her garden; I will only protect it.”  Jaguar affirms as she peers within the opened gate. 

“Let yourself be known at this Gate of Creativity.”  Serpent says to Jaguar.  “Then enter with love to do your work.”

“I am Otorongo…Mother Sister Jaguar.  I am a fearless protector of Pachamama and a Seer in the Dark.  Shapeshifting in silence, I creep up on shadows by becoming one myself.  I become what they need to be recognized and honored as.  I peer into the pain and see the gift within it.  Then I pounce upon it and deliver it to Pachamama as a seed for her transformation. This is the medicine I share with those who honor Mother Earth.” 

The Gardener approaches the gate, wearing white.  “I hear you, Otorongo.  I see you and know you well.  I appreciate your medicine.  You are my partner in restoring balance in this world.  Please enter this bliss garden and help me see the shadows that reside here.  Show me, again, the speed with which you transmute these wounds into gifts.”

Jaguar sees through the eyes of this Priestess of Pachamama, as the woman sees through hers.  They bow to each other, honoring the shared soul within them.

Jaguar enters the Gate of Creativity…violets wave their fragrance in the air to greet her along the winding path.  Then the gentle West Wind wafts a familiar scent through the Jaguar’s nose, sparking memories of past traumas that had once been a threat to the Priestess’s power.

“There is still some scent of scorched earth here…residue remains from the same shadow I transmuted just outside these garden walls.  Some escaped back in.” Jaguar told the Gardener.

“I felt it.  But I couldn’t find it alone.”  She replied with tears welling in her eyes. 

Jaguar sensed the memories of this wounded healer.  “You were afraid.  Release that fear, and come stalk the shadows with me.  Remember, these shadows are part of you.  When you integrate them, rather than run from them, you embrace the gift they are to you.  Become one with me now.”

Mama Killa, the Mother Moon, illuminated Jaguar’s coat.  The Gardener placed her hand on Jaguar’s head and stroked her third eye.  At once, she shapeshifted into Jaguar’s body.

Through her eyes, she could see everything clearly.  The beauty in bloom as well as the untended spaces.  Through her nose, she could smell the ash that Phoenix had left behind so many moons ago.  Through her ears, she heard the cries of Crazy Woman.

Cloaked in shadow, Crazy Woman appeared in the far corner of the garden, facing west.  She thought she was alone.

Her voice trailed in and out as her thoughts poured from her in disjointed words and phrases.  “The pain of promise!  Never again…but again and again and…!”  She searched the ground frantically.  “Forgetful wretch…but where?  Not here!”

Crazy Woman pulled at the Creeping Charlie, muttering incoherently now.  The Jaguar Priestess assumed her shape and crept up behind her.

“I know what you’ve lost.  I see it.”  She said to Crazy Woman.

Startled at first, but then softened as she turned to see her reflection talking to her, Crazy Woman croaked,  “Oh, you’re me.  Ugly, twisted thing.”  Then she resumed her fumbling search through the weeds.

“You won’t find it out here.” Jaguar Priestess replied. 

Crazy Woman looked at her own face next to her.  Her weathered skin contorted into a creeping, toothless grin across sallow cheeks.  “Where?”

“Within.”  And Jaguar pounced out of the shadows, pinning the screaming and flailing Crazy Woman.  She swallowed the shadows surrounding them and Crazy Woman was absorbed into the Jaguar Priestess.  Left behind was a Rainbow Moonstone. 

The body of Jaguar shapeshifted into the body of the Garden Priestess.  Her white dress shimmered in the moonlight with rainbow colors.  She knew what she had to do.

There in the bliss garden, in a flower bed, she planted the Rainbow Moonstone as a seed.  She watered it with tears of joy; her creative spark fully restored.

For more information on the 2nd Gate of Creativity, where we reclaim a renewed sense of our own value and self-worth, check out 2nd Chakra:  Healing the Emotions.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

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