Sun enters Sagittarius: Aim for the Stars

On a Journey                                                                                                                          Catherine Al-Meten                        

The Sun moved into Sagittarius this morning just before 9:00 A.M. PST. Mercury, Chiron and Neptune are all now direct, and Jupiter has begun her four-month retrograde passage, reminding us to count our blessings and appreciate what fill sour life with joy, abundance, meaning, and purpose.

Moon in 15/37 Cancer

Mercury 10/46 Scorpio

Venus 14/43 Capricorn

Mars 21/26 Virgo

Jupiter 10/9 Cancer, retrograde

Saturn 16/3 Scorpio

Uranus 8/2 Aries retrograde

Neptune 2/36 Pisces

Pluto 9/56 Capricorn

Chiron 9/7 Pisces

North Node 8/33 retrograde

As we fly out of Portland, Oregon, looking out at the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, we see the clear, wide open skies and the land, hillsides, and trees stripped of the last vestiges of Autumn. The morning chill’s icy edge found us warming up our cars, scraping ice off the windshield, and bundling up for our journeys in town and out. Tonight as the Full Moon shows her first signs of ebbing, the Sun enters Sagittarius, the symbol of wide open spaces, and vistas and visions of the future. The symbol of Sagittarius is the archer, bow raised, arrow steady and aimed high towards that which lies beyond the the present.  We dream of far off places, conjure up new plans and goals, and set our sites on the bigger picture. A good time for envisioning visions to satisfy our newly found dreams.

The Sun enters Sagittarius on a Thursday, the Day of Jupiter, and symbolically, Sagittarius brings us into a time of bounty, abundance, and gratitude.  The Archer, Sagittarius’ symbol, is half horse, half man, representing the struggles, challenges, and gifts of integrating our animal instincts and physical nature with our minds and ability to use abstract thought and reasoning.  With our hearts and minds drawn to far horizons and distant callings, we also must ground ourselves in where we are and what we have already created in our lives. 

The call of the wild that is awakened through the Sun’s passage through Sagittarius, can be strengthened if we are willing to take this time to integrate, synthesize, and incorporate what we have already learned, into our visions and intentions for the future. Sun in Sagittarius stirs us to seek greater understanding and knowledge, often lighting a fire within us to learn something new, expand our education, or dive into an entirely new field of interest--one we may have been avoiding or denying for far too long. Listen to those inner urgings at this time, and avoid dismissing those flashes of insight, hunches, or yearnings for they speak from your heart now.

Feelings of generosity and a desire for more personal freedom may present somewhat conflicting urges. While we seek to merge in deep connection, we need a high level of independence to maintain our equilibrium. The constellation Sagittarius lines up with the core of our Galaxy, and the energy that represents both physically and mentally, a door into another dimension. Sagittarius sparks a type of energy within us that finds it difficult if not impossible to define or pin down what it is we seek.  We may sense resistance from others, and/or feel within ourselves, an ambiguity about any type of commitment, follow through, or clear definition of what we seek or expect. Emotional commitments and emotions in general, seem more difficult to deal with as what we feel may escape clarity or clear focus.  

Stumbling blocks to our spiritual growth now appear, and are found in just those things that we are feeling strong emotional reactions/responses to. Recently, a person in meditation described going into meditation seeking calm and peace, but instead discovered  herself feeling fidgety and uncomfortable.  Such fidgety feelings may signal the internal breaking up of blocks, or may be early warning signs to some external danger, threat, or challenge.  If we could get over seeing anything negative as ‘wrong’ or a mistake, we might better be able to use the signal to understand what we need to pay closer attention to or acknowledge. 

Change is part of all aspects of our lives, and yet we humans want to find that mythical balance as if it were a static spot. When things don’g “go right”, we somehow think we can fix it or take the blame, and bring some kind of balance back into our Universe. Instead, the movement is needed in order to open new doors that we say we desire.  Sagittarius time shakes us up and wakes us up to this part of our behavior, emotional patterning, and experiences with our practices and relationships. Scorpio reminds us of our emotional and sexual nature, and Capricorn connects us to our worldly aims and the points where our leadership skills may connect us, Sagittarius transits shine light on what philosophical, spiritual, religious, and intellectual constructs shape and inform our dreams and life journeys.

Venus’ journey through earthy Capricorn between November and early-March, 2014, provides us with the impetus to get our lives in order. What do we value, and how are we consciously and concretely putting our intentions to work for us? Time to connect with those who affirm and support you in a concrete way, worthy of your skills, experience, expertise, and value. If we do not value ourselves, let others treat us with less respect, concern, and we end up dishonoring our own value and self worth. Spending time nurturing relationships, and finding mutual ways to honor and support one another’s work and life paths, are ways that Venus in Capricorn expresses herself in our lives.  A false sense of pride or a self-defeating style of behavior, doing business, or forming and conducting relationships, leads to the steady erosion of our dignity, self worth, and value as a person.  Venus grounds us solidly in seeking tangible ways of living out our greatest gifts and receiving the respect and accolades that we deserve. We must first, however, feel this for ourselves on some level, and rid ourselves of the critics, wet blankets, and shame agents that live in our heads or speak through those around us.

Venus is semi-square the transiting Sun in Sagittarius from November 21-23. This indicates a time when our inner inhibitions, uneasiness, insecurities, or whatever else ails us, may come out in our projections onto those around us. Watch how you communicate with and respond to others for what we say reflects more about ourselves than it may on someone else. From November 23-24, Venus is semi-square Saturn. Perhaps because the previous days have caused us to be more self aware, we now can view our relationships, modes of communication, and perspectives in a more realistic light. We seem to have our ‘heads on straight’ during this transit, enabling us to be more pragmatic in our relationships and in our perceptions. Our relationships grow to a deeper level of awareness and sensitivity. As we develop more fully, so do our relationships, opening the doors for more stable, mature, and affectionate types of relationships (all kinds of interactions). 

Mars in Virgo has been making its passage since October, and will complete this cycle in a couple of weeks. Right now, we may find ourselves working harder to “dot all the ‘i’s and cross all the ‘t’s as we communicate, organize, plan, and begin implementing projects, goals, and work. The positive aspect of all this hard work is in finding ourselves feeling a great deal of satisfaction because we are aware that we are doing our best work and/or that we find great satisfaction in doing a job well.  Hopefully, you are doing work you love; if not, you may find this a more trying period than it needs to be. 

Saturn moving direct in Scorpio  remains plumbing the depths of our Unconscious, psyche, and inner being until September 17, 2015. Saturn’s journey is a long term one, and taking about 2 1/2 years of its 30 year orbit of the Sun, in each sign.  Our natal Saturn makes many aspects as it moves through 3 and sometimes 4 signs during a typical life span.  Depending where your natal Saturn dwells, there are certain areas of our lives where we have greater lessons to learn than others. If you are between 28-30, or 58-60 (sometimes older), or 88-90, you are experiencing a Saturn return.  There are many other times in our lives that Saturn triggers or highlights a part of our journey as well. When we befriend our teacher, we learn our lessons with greater grace and less struggle.  Saturn, the Great Teacher, is that aspect of ourselves that is always aware of what we need to do to mature, develop, and deal with in order to live more purposeful, whole, and integrated lives. How is this being awakened in your life during this passage? How are dreams, intuition, emotional feelings and blocks, and mental and psychological challenges calling you to pay attention and respond? With Saturn having already passed through the North Node (gateway between past and present), we should already have a significant change taking place in our lives. Watch for Mercury’s passage through the North Node and then the conjunction Mercury makes with Saturn in the next few months, and you should find this a very informative, exciting, and clarifying time for awakening, learning, and perceiving what may have been beyond your grasp  before now.  

Mercury’s direct motion in Scorpio, has released some of what may have been blocking us from receiving or discerning the gifts of the inner awakenings trigger by Mercury’s trip into our deep unconscious and less-accessible sub-consciousness. With this forward, upward movement, we are more aware of what might have been hidden, mysterious, or confusing before.  

Uranus’ transit through Aries, continues to jolt us with one opportunity after another to achieve a greater sense of freedom, release, and disconnection. With the Sun in Sagittarius, trines to Uranus throughout the next month, should result in some very positive changes, departures, disconnections, changes.  What seemed impossible to rid yourself of, now happens almost magically. Let go of your need to control how things change, and let what need to go go, what needs to come into your life, come. Ground yourself deeply in the practice of trusting the Divine to bring you into whatever you need for your greater good and for your highest fulfillment and joy.  Allow yourself to live in gratitude and grace, aware of the abundance of your life. And let Jupiter’s transit in retrograde, help remind you of what you have already achieved, received, accomplished, experienced, and be grateful for the gifts you alone have to live life and to touch the lives of others in  a very special, kind, and compassionate. way.  

Full Moon in Taurus: Enter the Garden of Earthly Delights

Full Moon over Astoria                                                                                                              Catherine Al-Meten

 “If we sit with an increasing stillness of the body, and attune our mind to the sky or to the ocean or to the myriad stars at night, or any other indicators of vastness, the mind gradually stills and the heart is filled with quiet joy.” Ravi Ravindra, from The Wisdom of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

And what is to be gained by sitting still and paying attention to what our body and mind are attuned to? When we start paying attention to our relationship to the Universal energies, and listening to and observing what  life is telling us about ourselves, we start making connections and understanding how energy works. The Full Moon in Taurus peaks at 8:17 AM (PST) on Sunday, November 17, 2013. Called the Full Beaver Moon as this is the time beaver traps are set in the swamps before the first freeze of winter (to assure warm winter furs for coats when beaver skins were used for winter hats and coats). It is also the time of the year the beaver gets its lodge ready for winter. This moon is also called the Frosty Moon and the Hunter’s Moon. These names are given to the November Full Moon in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, the November Full Moon is called the Corn Moon, the Milk Moon, the Hare Moon, and the Flower Moon, coming as it does in the heart of Spring. 

Different indigenous tribes have given the November Full Moon names including the Lakota, the Moon of the Falling Leaves, the Cheyenne, the Freezing Moon. The Algonquin call the November Moon quinne kesos (much white frost on grass). The Arapaho on the Great Plains call this moon, When Rivers Start to Freeze. Cherokee from the East Coast call the Moon, nivdadegwa (Trading Moon) while the Choctaw in the Louisiana area call this moon, Hash Koichus (Moon of the Panther). The Haida in the Northwest call the moon, t’a’aaw kung’ay (Snow Moon). Hopi call the Moon, kelmuya (the Fledgling Hawk Moon), and the Kalapuya of Oregon call the moon, alangitapi (moving inside for winter) which is just what we’re doing right about now. The Wishram who live along the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington, call the November Full Moon Snowy Mountains in the Morning Moon. My favorite name for the November Moon comes from the Winnebago tribe, the Little Bear Moon. Each region and group of people name the moon according to the seasonal signs and changes. This Full Moon in Taurus ushers in a shift and relief from a period where we have experienced a flood of energetic shifts, changes, difficult aspects, and retrograde planetary movement.  

Mercury has gone direct after three trying weeks of confusion, chaos, and stalled plans. Both Neptune and Chiron have stationed direct in Pisces, and now release their energy in Pisces from its underground and backtracking movement. Both personal and collective patterns now become the focus concerning how we use our imagination, intuition, and how honest we have been with ourselves. Have we been honoring and paying attention to our own perceptions, modes of behavior, and growing edges? Having we been trying to ignore those inner revelations or outer issues that keep popping up?  With the Sun, Saturn, Mercury, and the North Node in Scorpio, a fixed water sign, we are  plumbing the depths of our psyches, unconscious, subconscious, and Collective Consciousness.  We may feel as if we have been inundated with conflicts, unhealed and unresolved issues, partiularly areas of our life dealing with intimacy, relationships, sexuality, power, and shared resources. What relationships are screaming, on some level of our being, to be acknowledged, fixed, released, or in some way healed?

With the lunar and solar eclipses falling before and after the Autumn Equinox,  the fourth in the series of Uranus-Pluto squares, and the Mercury retrograde period, this last month may have felt like one long series of obstacles, obsessions, and aggravations. The Full Moon in Taurus, a fixed earth sign, brings us a more gentle type of energy, grounded in seeking rest, comfort, nurturing, and a return to a place of greater physical comfort and pleasure.  In the final days of Mercury’s retrograde transit in watery Scorpio, and in the wake of Neptune and Chiron in watery Pisces. stationing direct as well, we have come face to face with what we must confront in ourselves, in our lives. The areas that have been affected have  made us uncomfortably aware of their presence . We have been faced with the truth of what needs, no demands,  to be changed. We can take steps to make the changes, or we can attempt to hold onto what we think is the source of our safety and security, but that would be a mistake, for what is falling away now, needs to go in order for room to be made for that which we need and desire. 

Delaying satisfaction, putting off life, or holding onto the known for fear of being out in the cold, are simply not ways that nurture or help in your growth and healing. Spiritual guide and author, Catherine Ponder wrote the following affirmation of what needs to happen in order for us to be rid of the negativity that holds us down, keeps us trapped where we don’t belong, or imprisons our thinking and our hearts: "I do not depend upon persons or conditions for my prosperity. I bless persons and conditions as channels of my prosperity, but God is the Source of my supply. God provides  amazing channels of supply to me now."  And our supply is quite simply that which we need to sustain our lives, our health, and our ability to love and be loved. 

Water remains a dominate element. With Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, and Jupiter all in waters signs for the forseeable future, the watery element that rules the Unconscious and intuitive side of our lives, remains a strong component. Getting used to paying attention to inner stirrings, intuitive insight, and the insight obtained through reflection, prayer, meditation, and discernment, are tools we can use to honor this element of our nature, particularly during such trying times. 

Jupiter just turned retrograde in Cancer, a mutable water sign where it will stay for the next four months. As I mentioned in the last column, Jupiter spends long periods of time each year in its retrograde phase, making it nearly half of our lives. When Jupiter is retrograde, we have the opportunity to reflect on why we are motivated to  do what we do. What is it that nourishes, supports, and affirms our growth, development, and personal well being? Whatever we are doing to take away from our best interests, is probably something that we will notice is manifesting in pain, broken plans or dreams, seemingly unanswered prayers or desires, or broken promises, relationships, or bank accounts. Something basic and vital to our essence has been left out of the equation for how we create and express our happiness, love, productivity, and creativity through work, relationships, self awareness, as well as how we nurture and support our homes, families, and partnerships. 

If our priorities and goals are out of alignment with our true health, happiness, and highest good, we will find ourselves struggling and having to face the reactions and fall out from a false sense of what real security, authenticity, and personal honor and safety is all about.  No one can give us this; it comes from our own sense of safety, security, sense of dignity and respect for ourselves, and a willingness and the courage to stand in our own truth and to make the changes we need to honor our true essence. Each of us comes into life with a life purpose and calling to live out the fullness of life, recognizing, nurturing, and using our gifts to lift ourselves and others. Anyone or anything that does not lead us in that direction, will become painfully apparent and clear during this period of time. 

Life is not just about knowing what we want. We do not get the whole picture at once. If we are highly intuitive, we get glimpses and signs, we get direction if we are willing to pay attention. We all have the ability to develop and use our intuition. Whether we do or not, is the question. Integrating our intuitive knowledge into our intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and psychological  areas of knowledge, is key to fully functioning. We can develop our ability to pay attention to, reflect on, and hone our skills so that when opportunities open up, we are able to identify the gifts before us. 

If  we are willing to let go of that which holds us back, we will learn to recognize that when  one doors closes (or when we close the door) another one opens. Being that we are spiritual beings living a physical existence, we are governed by the laws of physics. We cannot be or do more than one thing at a time. If we stay, keep our energy trapped in a place it does not belong, we cannot move beyond it, unless or until the situation or we fall apart.  Making conscious choices is far more efficient than cleaning up or repairing the damage from having things fall apart in and around us. Accidents, illnesses, ongoing unhealthy relationships and situations result when we fail to take action on our own behalf. We think we're protecting ourselves or guarding our security, when in fact, we are making matters worse. Recognize the truth within you, and act upon it now.

When we fill our space, our time, our thinking, and leave no room in our lives for receiving what we claim to be waiting for or longing for, we delay our good; at the very least, we overlook possibilities, and we dwell too long, attached to our fears, anger, frustrations, worries, or negative programming. To change, we need to release what no longer serves us. How do we know what that is? Look at the source of your pain and sorrow? How does it help you live a fulfilling life? If we are to be vital, living fully-functioning and authentic lives, we must recognize that we hold the reins to our own power and energy. 

We must honor our true nature by living a courageous and honorable life. We must stand up for ourselves, recognizing that the Divine gave us love so that we might love one another, joy so that we might share that joy and experience it ourselves. We have gifts that call us to respond and live more creatively, more authentically, and more honestly, as ourselves.  Living life according to someone else’s wishes, beliefs, or vision of truth, just does not work. Trust that you hold the vision for your own happiness. You hold the ability to love and be loved, and to recognize the difference between love and manipulation; between love and control; between love and servitude.  You, as you are, hold the seeds of love within you. 

Whatever you have experienced, discovered, struggled to overcome or release during the periods over the last year when you were engulfed in the waters of transformation, now become those seeds for transition.  Many of us have been jolted by the Sun’s passage through Scorpio and her alignment with Saturn’s ongoing unveiling of  shadow aspects of our nature and deep-seated emotional reminders or awakenings of what is unfolding in our relationships.  It has been a powerful month, roiling up our deepest sentiments, desires, and unfulfilled needs. Whatever has been knocking at the door of your consciousness, begging to come into complete you, reveals to you anything that cries out to be acknowledged and dealt with. It’s as if your emotional container has been filled to the brim, and is expressing itself through physical, emotional, sexual, psychological, mental, spiritual, and creative ways...seeking release and channeling of energies too long pent up and denied. You probably won’t need a magnifying glass or a map to find the areas of your life that these deep, watery aspects have been stirring up. 

Full Moon in Taurus.

And as the Moon (keeper of our emotional garden) has made her transit through our chart/life over the last month, we have been reminded, on a daily basis, of all the areas of our lives where one action directly affects what is going on in other areas. For example, we realize that emotions triggered during the transit of the Moon through Aries, may have unleashed some deep-seated, suppressed anger, resentment, or frustration in a not-so-pleasant way, surprising us and those with whom we are in relationship. The Full Moon in Taurus brings a fine blend of beauty, comfort, sharing of earthly delights and more peaceful expressions of ourselves with one another.  Taurus seeks to connect to the polarities, weaknesses, and struggles of life by weaving them together into some functional form of behavior, relationship, and artistic expression. Taurus’ way to handle conflict and unfulfilled desires, is to approach life through the doorway of simplicity--simple joys, simple pleasures, simple and basic expressions of our true selves with one another. The desire that wells up in us for connection, fulfillment, touch, and pleasure, now finds form in earthy and practical forms that express the depth of our feelings in the fullness of simplicity. The traditional song,  Simple Gifts, reminds us: "Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free, tis a gift to come round to where we ought to be. And when we are in a place of delight, we will be in the Valley of Love and Delight...” And the final words in this song delivers us the message of the Taurus Full Moon: “When true simplicity is gained, to bow and to bend, we will not be ashamed, To turn, to turn twill be our delight, til  by turning, turning, we come round right.”

So as you find yourself caught up in the dance of life, see the turning of life and yourself in that dance, turning round right to where you belong. Our transformation takes us to the next right and perfect place where we can engage in the dance of our life, more fully aware, more fully alive, and more fully mindful of the vision we hold for our own happiness, health, and well being. 

Venus is now in the sign of Capricorn. Venus‘ transit through Capricorn awakens us to how our needs and desires are being fulfilled, or not. We are aware, on a very basic and practical level, of the way our inner code of honor or our way of determining what is right for us, is working. If we are living in a fool’s paradise, holding onto a vision that has no firm connection to the reality of our lives, we find ourselves very uncomfortable and dissatisfied. Rather than worrying about what is missing from our lives, externally, it’s time to reexamine how our perspective, our beliefs, or our appraisal of a situation (a condition, a relationship, a job, a project, or some other significant area of our life) is working or not.  Now is the time to trust our ability to respond to those inner nigglings and voices--that intuitive part of our selves that reminds us that we are not honoring our code, we are not valuing ourselves, as we need to.   Venus in Capricorn awakens us to love and be loved through our day-to-day interactions, service, work, art, creativity, homes, relationships. When we find our lives lacking, we need to enter a process of discernment to determine, again, what seeds we hold within us that are beginning to bloom, that have already taken root, or that hold the strongest chances of survival and fulfillment.  

On a very practical level, take care of life within and around you. Repotting plants, tending to our inner and outer gardens, and taking care of our physical environment and health, are all called for during the time of this Taurus Full Moon. The most wonderful aspect of living for years with a Taurus is the discovery of how every aspect of life can become a pleasure. Even the most simple tasks, when viewed from through the Taurean lens, becomes a sacred and sacramental act. Taurus time is a time to enter into the wholeness of being. By fully embracing the depths of the polarities presented to us in our Scorpionic depths and facing our fears, using the coals of the flames fanned by our passions to light the room where we are, we can embrace the velvety joys that the Taurus Full Moon bathes us in. As the light of this lovely full Taurus Moon rises in the sky night after night just past sunset, let yourself be bathed in the beauty, passion, and full expression of its energetic power. Feel the deep connections that have made your life richer, deeper, and more passionate, and embrace the dance right where you are, enjoying the simple nature of life lived one moment at a time. Set aside some time to be still, peaceful, and calm, relieved of the struggles that are simply reminders that you are alive and capable of choosing Life. Let the past go; embrace Life now. 

Earthiness is the Taurus path to delight. Earthiness can be defined as direct, robust, and unaffected. Taurus energy and actions are practical and grounded in direct connection with what is right before us. Open your eyes, take off your shoes, and feel the earth beneath your feet. Stand under the Moon and watch the stars as they move on our nightly rotation on our axis, swirling through space, soundlessly making our way through the Universe. Savour the flavors of your life, and feel the softness and silkiness with your hands allowing your fingers to caress the textures that enfold you. And think on the words of some of the most earthy, artists and writers who ever lived:

John Muir:   “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”

Elizabeth Barrett Browing.  “Earth’s crammed with heaven...but only he who sees takes off his shoes can feel it.”

Kahlil Gibran. “And forget not the earth delights to feel your bare feet, and the winds long to play with your hair.”

Chief Seattle. “The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth.”

Root yourself in the delights of the earth, in the joys of life before you, and in the pleasure of your own senses and ability to live fully and be grateful. That is one of the strongest messages of this full moon. Live in gratitude and appreciation for the simplicity of life itself, and the gift it is to be here, now.

Mercury stationing direct, Jupiter Retrograde in Cancer; Venus enters Capricorn: Awakening to Inner Truth

Moonlight                                                                                                                                                     Catherine Al-Meten

For a glimpse of Jupiter in the night sky,and an explanation of Jupiter’s retrograde cycle, visit Earth Sky. 

“At the center of your being you have the answer: you know who you are and you know what you want.” Lao Tzu

Early on in life I learned not to worry so much about times when things seemed to slow down or times when ‘not much was happening’, for it was certain that the pace of life would change. Things that I had been waiting ‘ages’ for, would come to pass, and things I might have dreaded, would never be as bad as I had imagined. Retrograde phases of planets put us into a type of time warp where we begin to feel that we are stuck, or stalled, land-locked, or stranded at some phase of life.  Planets do not actually turn in their orbits, however the retrograde phases of a planet makes it appear, from our perspective on the Earth, that the planet is doing just that. 

What is a retrograde phase?

The retrograde phase is a trick of perception which gives us the illusion that a planet is moving backward; an illusion that results as we observe the orbit of other planets revolving around the Sun from Earth. As Copernicus postulated in the Sixteenth Century CE,  the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun. For a period of time, the planets appear to reverse their course, but this is because they are on the other end of their orbit. The energy differs during these retrograde times, depending on the nature of the planet. Mercury’s orbit is the shortest of all our Solar system’s planets, never being more than 28 degrees from the Sun. When it reaches its furthest distance from the Sun, Mercury appears to change direction. Realizing that our perceptions are often just as strong if not more so than our beliefs or knowledge base,  our perception create their own energetic cycles. Mercury is getting ready to turn direct, and Jupiter, the ruler of abundance, benevolence, and good fortune, has turned retrograde. Jupiter enters a 4-month retrograde phase in Cancer as Mercury turns direct in Scorpio on Sunday, November 10. 

"Be like the water!" (Bruce Lee) 

The water element is significant and strong at this time, and the issues around sexuality, intimacy, safety, security, and our unconscious desires and hidden agendas are at the heart of much of what we are focused on. Looking deeper and acknowledging the depths of our basic ego needs and psychological make up become more and more evident in all forms of communication. We find ourselves awakening to truths that may have been kept hidden from us or that we have not been able to acknowledge (for and about ourselves as well as of and about others or of situations). We have some rather profound “aha” moments and shifts in our own perceptions. 

Coming as the shift forward of Mercury and the realm of communications and shift into retrograde of Jupiter and the realm of manifestation, creation, abundance--we are likely to find new ways to resolve old issues, new ways to create new conditions and plans, and new ways to perceive and behave. We awaken to truths that can no longer be ignored, and must figure out ways to incorporate what is unfolding before us into what we have learned about ourselves, our purpose in life, and our ability to surrender to Divine right action. Pay attention to the subtle thoughts that arise in your thinking; the sudden comprehension of why or how you might be trying to control, manipulate or use a situation, or how you might be projecting your own fears and needs onto someone else in order to create the illusion of safety and security. When we make someone else the reason we do or don’t move forward, act on our dreams, or discover our capacity for love and happiness, we block ourselves from our own good.  

Mercury stationing direct; the storm period.

As I am writing this, the sunny day has turned to stormy. This coincides with the few days prior to Mercury's stationing direct. 

The period right before and after Mercury’s station is its stormy time. Communications, transportation, and  focus in general tends to shift.  We come out of a three-week period of introspection and slowing down, and suddenly, awareness, ideas, movement start up with a great shift forward. At the first signs of this I found myself describing feeling like I’ had been ‘shot out of cannon”.  The momentum of those areas we have been focused on recently, shifts from one moving in a slow, introspective, reflective way. 

For anyone who has ever been on a boat in the river or ocean, propelling forward at a rapid pace, when suddenly, the boat's engine stops or the paddlers stop rowing, and the you start to try to propel the boat backwards. You meet the force of the water that the boat has sent out in its forward movement, and then create a wake of water as you try to move back. It is a rough place to be until you get back into the flow of the water, the channel or the current.  This is what the Mercury storm period feels a bit like. 

Sudden insight, a release of  ideas,  sudden responses and reactions burst forward.  bright bursts of awareness over how you behave in relationships, what your issues may be in intimacy and how you may have been blocking your own happiness by denying your needs and desires. Scorpio also looks at deeper motivation around how we value ourselves and how that manifest is the way we handle resources. By resources I am referring not just to our finances, but to how we value and use our energy, our talents, our time, our skills, and our ability both to give and receive love.  When we hoard our resources by denying or over-working ourselves, we deny ourselves the gift of life and living life freely and fully. 

During the storm period right before and after Mercury’s direct station, observe your life and notice where you feel as if you’re coming to a screeching halt, shifting in place, and mobilizing to move forward; and then wait. What is being released? What is being freed up? What is coming to light, and how are you responding to the shifts?  If you find yourself wanting to put on the brakes in some area of your life, observe what makes you want to say “no” when perhaps you need to say “yes”?  In particular, notice what is emerging from a fairly dormant period to a ‘full speed ahead’ mode.  

Interceptions and Duplicate Signs: 

How transits, stations, and retrograde phases affect your individual chart/life depends on what the ruling energies are in different areas of your life. To better understnad how this manifests, it is important to understand a bit about the interceptions and duplicate signs. 

The effects of interceptions and duplicate signs is important when observing how a transit is affecting you.  One of the things I have noticed in doing charts for many years, is that the energy of a house/area of your life is often influenced by the energy of two signs. For example, for anyone with a Scorpio Ascendent, depending upon what degree, often the energy shifts from Scorpio to Sagittarius somewhere in the first house.  Or for Libras (and I know a lot of them right now), especially those with Ascendants in the latter degrees of the sign, both Libra and Scorpio play key roles in how the energy of the Ascendant manifests. Intercepted signs (two signs appearing in the same house This works for any house and any sign, but generally, the sign that is on the cusp of the first house indicates the attitude and initial appearance and projection of the person (both the face they try to show and the way they are perceived). Consider how you first present yourself, and then how that translates in what you reveal through your energy, actions, attitudes, and behavior patterns. During the stormy period, the growing edges tend to be stimulated, so that which we need to face, work on, use for higher good, or simply notice, arises.  From a place of quieter, more reflective movement, communications now burst forth with less thought and more impulsive activity.

Intercepted signs, when  a sign does not appear on any house cusp, but is entirely enclosed in a sign (for example 3rd house ruled by Sagittarius and 4th house ruled by Aquarius indicates Capricorn is intercepted in the 3rd house). Any time there in an interception in one hemisphere of the chart, there will be an identical interception in the opposite side of the chart. In this case, the 9th house would be ruled by Gemini and the 10th house would be ruled by Leo, and Cancer would be intercepted in the 9th house. Intercepted signs show areas of our lives where we struggle or have to meet greater challenges. 

When we have intercepted signs in our charts, that automatically that two signs do double duty. For example, if you have Gemini on the 8th and 9th house cusp, or Aries on the 6th and 7th house cusps, this indicates areas of life where we are stronger and where things come more easily than in other areas of our lives. Duplicated signs indicate the strengths, gifts, talents, and intuitive understanding that help us deal with the challenges we face in the areas ruled by the interceptions.  

The reason I mention this is because I believe that the energy of whatever signs are part of any house/area of life, indicates the process of how you go about experiencing and dealing with that part of life. For example, with Libra on the house cusp, you

For an excellent and more in-depth discussion of interceptions and duplicate signs, read  Joanne Wickenberg’s Your Hidden Power (published in 1992). 

 A Busy Astrological Week:

Last week I wrote a column about this week's New Moon and Solar eclipse and other powerful transits taking place. As I stated then, there is too much to try to respond to eveything, but taken in pieces, we can begin to unravel some of how this is all affecting us cosmically and personally.  Rather than trying to figure things out, just observe for a while. Notice what is rising and falling, what i coming into awareness, and what is lessening in importance or notice. Sun conjunct Saturn earlier in the week, weighed heavily on us to get serious about whatever is important to us. Take steps, put energy and intention toward whatever desires you want to fuel. Be clear about what you need, want, and what is good for you as opposed to what is simply expedient, familiar, or safe. Identifying what matters most, is a necessary step in living more fully alive, authentic, and satisfied.  Definitely time for creating some order and discipline to the work you have started, the goals you have set, and the projects that remain unfinished.  We may feel we are carrying a heavy burden, working too hard, or doing more than we are capable or willing to do. Saturn, the Great Teacher is busy at work in the depths of our being, waking us up and calling us to notice what we need to do more or less of in order to receive the Sun’s energy for living our lives in a healthier, harmonious, and more mindful manner. More rest, more exercise, a more conscious and cleansing nutritional regime coupled with time for reflection, meditation, prayer, and service, all work to bring life into greater harmony.Discover the areas of your life that drain and distract you, and make the necessary alterations so you are more fully conscious of how you are living.  Listen to the intuitive and not-so-subtle messages that your life now reveals to you, and heed the message.  What are you ignoring that needs attention? 

Jupiter’s Retrograde.  Today, November 7, Jupiter in security-conscious Cancer, moves into its retrograde phase. This week has been so full of powerful aspects (New Moon in Scorpio, Solar Eclipse, Sun conjunct Saturn in Scorpio) that it might be easy to overlook a powerful change that is happening as Jupiter appears in retrograde for the next four months.

Jupiter rules the realm of philosophical and spiritual thought. The ancient ruler of Pisces, it pushes us to swim deeper into the depths of the Unconscious, to heed the inner messages that our intuitive, dreams, memories, and reflections raise up for us to examine. What do I know about how my perceptions and patterns of behavior affect the way I enter into and deal with my partner in intimate relationships?  How does my ability to take responsibility for my own actions, feelings, emotional health and life choices affect my ability to both give and receive love? How is my ideal of love and the way I experience love in conflict? What expectations do I have for myself, and for my partner, and how do those expectations shade or color the nature of relationships for me? It is a time when we are called upon to examine our own ideas about intimacy, partnership, marriage, sexuality, compassion, and self esteem. Jupiter’s retrograde phase is a good time for restoration, on all levels. Restoring ourselves, having our faith and outlook on life and love restored, having property or forgotten relationships. It is a good time to see meaningful connections restored, and experiencing a type of rebirth of body, mind, emotions, and spirit.   

Jupiter is retrograde about half the year, every year, so it has been retrograde for half your life. See during this retrograde phase, if you can discover how Jupiter retrograde affects you and your life, affects your relationships and the lives of those around you, and affects whatever area of concern you have for safety, security, and nurturing. Notice what area of your life Jupiter tends to affect the most, and notice how you respond and react in both the direct and retrograde phases. You might even look back at other times in your life to see what you have already learned about handling this planet’s energy in your life. 

Jupiter retrogrades at 20 degrees in Cancer, a sign it is exalted in. This means we get four more months during which time, Jupiter will form close trines with the Sun, Saturn, Mercury in Scorpio, and Chiron in Pisces. Jupiter also forms supportive sextiles with Mars in Virgo and Venus and Pluto in Capricorn. Putting ideas into action, grounding spiritual concepts into daily life and activities, and expanding and bringing more of what you desire. Pay attention to your words and thoughts, for ideas expressed in word or conceived of in the mind, hold power and energy. Your thoughts generate energy as your words do. Listen to what you’re saying to yourself and others (aloud or in your mind), and focus more on positive, non-judgmental ideas.  In the words of Lao Tzu, “Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words they become actions.” And words, once released from your mouth, extend out into the Universe in an unending stream of energy. Just a thought! 

Jupiter in Cancer favors families, homelife, and women. These next four months can do much to bring us what we desire in our families, homelife, and relationships, especially with female relatives or anyone in our lives who nurture and lift us up.  The feminine archetype is present in all of us, regardless of our gender, and we have the capacity and gifts to develop the power, energy, and assets of all aspects of our personality and spiritual make up. 

Venus entered earthy Capricorn in the wee small hours of November 5. From the fiery, energetic sign of Sagittarius to the earthy, grounded sign of Capricorn. Venus rules love, sexual attraction, and wealth.  Time to define our boundaries in both giving and receiving love, and in counting ourselves worthy of a full, rich life of intimacy. Away from the airy, pie-in-the-sky, ideals and expectations, Venus in grounded Virgo, is willing to climb the greatest heights to prove and show love, but is definitely all about expressing love, and showing how love manifests in daily life and the full expression of intimacy and communication. Finding one’s purpose, direction, and taking the reins of life in our own hands, is attractive and a sign that we are capable of a mature commitment coming from a place of wholeness and healthy self confidence and self esteem. 

Venus’ ruler is Saturn, and during this Venus transit, she will form a strong conjunction with Saturn in Capricorn. This transit will unearth all types of powerful energy, creative expression, and connections that will enable you to grow in love, creativity, and the fullness of expressing beauty. Rather than settling for what is familiar, routine, or just acceptable, we gain greater strength and are more willing to stand up for our own needs, truth, desires, and expectations. We develop clearer boundaries with regards to what we give and receive in relationship, and how we express ourselves through art, creativity, and work. 

Capricorn, also rules business, authority, and boundaries and Venus’s archetypal focus on what we value both professionally and personally, highlights the important during this Venus transit of being clear about what it is you want, need, and intend to spend your life with.  Whatever is building you up, nurturing you, and giving you life, keep. Whatever is not, recognize how damaging that is to your self esteem and value as a person. Stop being the doormat, the negotiator, the enabler, or the beggar--accept only that which lifts, feeds, builds, and honors who you are and the gifts you bring into any relationship. This week we have had the opportunity to see life as it is--not more or less than what is happening at this moment, and if we like what we see, we’re on the right track. If we don’t, we alone need to let go of trying to fix a broken cart; time to make or get ourselves a new vehicle to take us on the remainder of our journey. We need to be in good company, and we need to know, from deep within, that we are enough, we are worthy, and we have an obligation to treat ourselves well and expect those in our company to do the same. Love is reflected in love. Bottom line.

Venus is completing an eight-year cycle. Think back to eight years ago, and ask yourself what  was growing in the subconscious that is blooming into physical manifestation now. I sure know what this is for me, and it’s almost amazing if I hadn’t worked so hard and held the vision that kept rising up from the subconscious. Whatever is bursting out into your life right now, is a manifestation of something set into motion eight years ago. Of course, Venus always tips the scales of Libra, asking us to discover where the tipping point it between balance in partnerships (Libra) and balance in personal values (Taurus). What do you say you value but have not been acting upon? What did you value in the past that no longer holds meaning for you? How congruent is your life, especially your relationships, in terms of what you say is important and how you are acting? What is needed now is complete honesty with yourself, and the movement forward on acting from your heart rather than living out of balance. On the Winter Solstice, December 21, Venus will enter her retrograde phase, bringing up anything that is out of whack in your relationships, in your ideal of who you are and the reality of how you are living, and in any incongruity between what you value and your relationships to yourself and others. Use the watery energy penetrating your subconscious, the unconscious, and the Collective Consciousness to receive the sacred messages, enlightenment, insight, and understanding you need to walk a more harmonious path with yourself and with others. 

Take time to relax, rest, nourish and cleanse. Sort through, clean up and clear out, and take enough time to meditate, pray, listen to your intuition, and build practices that support and help you cope with whatever truth you are facing, whatever changes are upon you, and whatever gifts you are learning to express and share. Many blessings to you all. 

Learn more about  my Kickstarter project, Ancient River Trails.

New Moon Launching Projects, Taking Steps Forward...On a Personal Note

Stages of Life                                                                                                                                                  Catherine Al-Meten

Most often, I post an article about the current astrological events. I did write an article earlier this week about the energy of the New Moon and Solar eclipse in the sign of Scorpio today.  As I've listened to people discuss the rather chaotic energy and as I 've watched the events of the week unfold, I also noticed how to handle the energy of somewhat upsetting times and events by channeling our energy into meaningful and important acts of service, creativity, and life-affirming support for one another.

If we don't have enough money for a loaf of bread, we can share a loaf with someone else who needs it. If we aren't sure what is right for us right now, we can be okay simply surrendering to our life as it is right in this moment. Simply being still, letting go of expectations and demands we make on ourselves and others, can go a long way to allowing the flow of life to appear in its perfect way.  This week, after writing the column, I found myself a bit overwhelmed by the energy, and so I chose to live in surrender and presence.  Of course that is not something you just decide to do, and then it happens; it's a way of living mindfully.  With the intention to live in surrender, I became more aware of when I would slip out of that state, and then I would mindfully focus back, using my breath or my thoughts to release and let go.  Now you might imagine I sat all week and did nothing; not the case.  Living in this state, made me much more open to taking the next right and perfect step, making the best decisions given the circumstances, and moving along without having to have all the answers before I acted. I'll give you a couple of examples of how this played out in my life.

About mid-week I was feeling the need for unconditional love. It seems like I feel this for those I love, but was feeling a bit distant and left out of the lives of some of those I care the most for. Rather than dwelling on that and immersing myself in those kinds of thoughts, I practiced some simple meditation, allowing myself to identify the thoughts, and then to release them. Hiding from the thoughts, pretending I didn't have the feelings, or suppressing my emotions was not the answer. Instead, surrendering to the thoughts, emotions, feelings, allowed me to be present with myself, authentically. It was no more than a few minutes, if that, that my phone rang. It was a good friend who had called to tell me this story. She had been invited to join a support group that meets for a conference all weekly for an hour. My friend told me as she listened in on the call, she kept feeling more and more like she would rather be talking to one of her friends, so she left the call and called me.  I was amazed, and though it may have happened before, this was the first time I remember anyone calling me and telling me they left doing something that wasn't authentic for them to be with me, someone who they really loved.  One of the highlights of my week or life, for these are the moments we remember, the moments that feed our souls.

I have many of those moments with my Granddaughter, who leaves me long, loving messages, and tells me with regularity, exactly how she feels and what she wants me to know. She is a deeply spiritual and loving child, and reminds me regularly of the presence of the Golden Angels and God that protect and guard us all the time. When we are so focused in 'what ifs', 'what next', or 'why didn't Is', we fail to notice how precious our life is right in this moment.

Another example of how living in the present has filled my soul this week comes in some of the gifts that have come out of a lot of years of hard work, desire, and passion. When the time is right, what we set into motion comes to pass. When the time is right and when what needs to happen in our lives and in the lives of others is allowed to happen, then our prayers are answered, our desires are fulfilled, and life unfolds as it is meant to.  Life does not always unfold the way we think it ought to and definitely doesn't unfold on our timeline.  My Godmother, Dorothy, would remind me when I was impatient and couldn't seem to understand why certain areas of life were blocked, "It's God's time not our time." Whatever your beliefs about the Divine, the Sacred, the Creator, whether you believe in fate, destiny, divine will or existential choice, our lives are nevertheless connected to and affected by layers and layers of connections and interactions that seemingly have nothing to do with what we will or intend. Nevertheless, when things work out, they work out. When the time is right, life unfolds, doors open, and whatever we are doing falls into place, almost effortlessly.  Remember though, there are few overnight successes. Behind a smashing success, is a great deal of hard work, effort, delays, and side trips.  All this to say that whatever you have been working on, or whatever you would like to be
working on, this New Moon is setting the pace for a new leg of your journey.  Assess how far you've come and lay out the plans for where you're headed, and surrender whatever needs to be released to make that happen.  Make yourself a God jar (put your problems, needs, or conflicts written out on a piece of paper and put it in the jar), and turn your unresolved problems and issues over to Divine intervention. Make space in your life for grace.

A couple of years ago, two friends and I planted some seeds for an idea. We each came with our own set of values, ideas, experiences, and visions, and at the time, we did not choose to move forward with an idea that we created together. Since that time, each of us has diligently worked on our lives, our art, and our intentions.  This week as I was getting ready to surrender the idea of seeing that vision become a reality, a new door opened out of something that I became involved with last summer.  From something that I did with hesitation, I discovered a new way to see how our desires unfold in the way that works rather than the way we think they should.  Our dream to have a creative arts studio/gallery space, is now a reality. We have the support and backing of the main art group in our town, and we were led back to our dream by a very circuitous journey.  You never know what letting go will do for allowing your good to appear.  This time of the New Moon, and the Solar eclipse in Scorpio is just such a time to surrender to Divine right and perfect action.

Another project that I have been working on for many years, has also reached a crucial turning point. I am sharing it with you here, as you might find it interesting, and I could use your support in helping me make my dream of getting my book and film, Ancient River Trails, completed. I launched my Kickstarter campaign this morning, and I would appreciate your help. Take a look at my video, and if you feel so inspired, help support my efforts to bring my project to a conclusion. Kickstarter Campaign for  Ancient River Trails by Catherine Al-Meten.  What started as a way to take a break from working on my doctoral work and for searching form my family's indigenous history, turned into a lifelong passion to create a way to chronicle the cultural history and narratives of life along the rivers in the Pacific Northwest.

What is your dream, your heart's desire? Name it, and take one step toward bringing that dream to life today. Release whatever fears, frustrations, doubts, or blocks seem to stand in the way, and let go of trying to fix everything. Stop waiting for the right time, and take some action now. What we set into motion with an act from the heart, takes wings and fly and becomes stronger and stronger, speaking more of our truth than our words can.  Live from the heart today as the New Moon beckons action from deep within. Be true to yourself, set your sight on the true north of your life, and live it now.

To read my writer's blog, Coasting Along, visit this site.