Intuitive Insight Pathways, Dr. Catherine Al-Meten: Wednesday, March 7 a Grand Trine in Earth signs fo...

Intuitive Insight Pathways, Dr. Catherine Al-Meten: Wednesday, March 7 a Grand Trine in Earth signs fo...: Wednesday, March 7 a Grand Trine in Earth signs forms in the heavens as the Moon in Virgo aligns with Jupiter in Taurus Pluto in Capricorn...

Grand Trine in Earth Signs and the Crow Full Moon

Wednesday, March 7 a Grand Trine in Earth signs forms in the heavens as the Moon in Virgo aligns with Jupiter in Taurus Pluto in Capricorn. At 9:18 A.M. (PST) Luna makes her perfect 120 degree trine to Jupiter, followed at 10:56 A.M. (PST) by her alignment to Pluto.  Jupiter, the archetypal energy of benevolence, abundance, good fortune, and optimism, combines with the power of transition and transformation characterized by Pluto, creates a potent period of time.  Now is the time to gain the kind of support you need to gather resources needed for major projects.  As you made your intentions known and cast your nets out in search of resources in the past, you now begin to gather in support for your ideas, encouragement for your creativity, and resources to back and carry you forward.  Whereas you may have felt that your efforts have been thwarted recently, you will now feel a release of the energetic dams...movement forward is signaled. It’s a powerful time to step out of that which may have been binding you in fear, self doubt, frustration, anger, or an under-appreciation of your own gifts and assets. 

Reading Emily’s Virgo Magic will give you great insight into what may have been holding you back recently.  We cannot afford to stay caught up in self pity and false modesty.  Sitting on our gifts is like burying our money in the backyard while letting our family starve to death.  Further energizing us at this time is the Moon in Virgo’s conjunction (exact alignment) with Mars this afternoon (3:30 P.M., PST). Mars, which has been at its closest orbit to the Earth this last week, shines bright in the night sky and perfectly connects  and energizes with the solid, pragmatic, emotional influence of the Moon in Virgo. Mars’ aggressive energy currently being grounded and contained in earthy Virgo, finds emotional release which may result in somewhat over-assertive reactions to very complex issues.  Note this, and avoid overreacting to complexities and insecurities that may be triggered as a result.  Instead, use personal containment to maintain a grounded perspective.
Venus entered her home sign of Taurus just a few days ago, so is also lending her energy to the building Grand Trine. Emphasis on beauty, inner and external, helps us create, connect, and make peace in all areas of our lives.  What was set into motion at the time of the last New Moon (Pisces, February 21), continues to be nurtured, built upon, created, and shaped by the thoughts, feelings, actions, and spiritual investment we give to those areas of our lives we say matter most to us. 

This morning I read a quote, “If we only knew the power of our thoughts, we would never again allow our selves a negative thought.”  While we cannot control every thought that enters our mind, we can control what we do with those thoughts. When the energies of the Universe are acting with such quick and decisive response to our energetic impulses, it behooves us to practice all forms of non-violence, including the Buddhist practice of Ahimsa.  Ahimsa, often translated as non-violence, is  a powerful spiritual practice calling us to pay attention to our thinking, our words, our actions towards others, but equally as important, towards ourselves.  How many times in the day do we berate ourselves, underestimate our capacities, dishonor our bodies or ethical values?  How many times a day do we dismiss our intuitive senses, devalue our ideas, or waste our time and energy on actions, thoughts, and behavior that is harmful to ourselves and others? Notice, as you go through your day, what your internal chatter is, and when you find yourself in the depths of self pity or self deprecation, make an intentional choice to turn negative, harmful thoughts into more positive, affirming ones. 

This is the call of the energy that is rising to the surface among all people everywhere.  No longer asleep, no longer numb to suffering, no longer tolerant of inhumane actions toward our fellow human beings, no longer accepting of the destruction and waste of the Earth’s resources, we are going through the process of metamorphous. Our lives are constantly changing and evolving. We are fated by the limitations of our species, our DNA, and our levels of age and experience, however we are gifted by the bounty of our free will and ability to choose, think, create, appreciate, change, and form ideas and life choices of our own.  We do this in symphony with a host of unseen and unknown actions active both in the world of concrete manifestation (other people, their lives and choices, and the rhythms and synchronicity of those with whom we relate), and in the mysterious realm of Divine movement, energy, and mystical connections. 

As much as we all seem to want to control our lives down to the last detail, understanding that much of what happens to bring us what we desire, happens on an energetic level, much of which is beyond our control, understanding, or imagination.  Allowing ourselves to develop as best we can, according to the highest principles we can live by, and with respect for what is going on in the lives of others that a.) may have absolutely nothing to do with you; b) is beyond your control, but not your influence and energetic input; c) does not eliminate our right, responsibility, obligation, and desire to create beauty, light, love, and good in our lives; d) is beyond your knowledge or understanding, but within your energetic field (thus capable of receiving love, prayers, and the energy of your thoughts--negative as well as positive). 

So what does this mean for us, when we want to make choices about our lives? When we desire something that seems to depend on someone else? When we feel thwarted, frustrated, blocked, lost, or at the end of a road?  Yesterday, I read a friend who was upset because she felt her education had been all about interests she had in the past, but held nothing for her where she was at this point in her life.  Like many of us who have committed ourselves to a choice early in our lives, we often find that the life of a commitment has a limit.  It can be disconcerting and disappointing, however it is far from uncommon, especially when we are at the beginning of our life journey. Graduating from university, completing a cycle in life, getting a divorce, or getting married, having a child, or having your children leave home, losing a job or starting a job---all of these major life changes bring us to the gateway, the threshold of our life path. At the threshold, we look back at what we had, what we completed, what we accomplished, and we realize, we have finished some part of life that has helped define who we are. What lies ahead? The big questions never seem to be nearly as apparent as the judgment of what has been accomplished, or the shock of finding out how different life is that what was expected. 

Our expectations often start as our dreams, our wishes, our desires, or our plans. When we move into life believing that the expectation will become the reality, we are bound to be disappointed. At the threshold points on our journeys, we are once again thrown back to the point where we ask ourselves who we are  or who we’ve become, and what is the next best step? 

Many of us wander around in the valley of our expectations, bemoaning our fate or trying to figure out what we need to do to get things to work out right. What may be needed instead, is a reliance on the journey, a surrender to the life that awaits us rather than the life that is disappearing into the past of yesterday.  How do we do this? We look to our passions. We look to our gifts. We look to the blessings in our lives right now. We look to what was completed, with an eye on what new questions, what new interests, what new leg of the journey could be calling.  

When I am given the gift of time, rather than fill it right away, I allow myself to go into prayer, meditation, rest, and time. Since so much of  our lives is about fulfilling obligations, attending to business and survival, providing and caring for, taking care of daily life, having time is a gift.  Watch what you do with your time, the next time you have some. Time may arrive because the car breaks down and you have to walk, take a bus, or sit home more. Time may come due to ill health or an accident that sidelines you for a while. Time may come because you can’t find a job. Time may come because you are stuck in a traffic jam or are behind someone in line who is taking too long. 

Pay attention to the little pockets of time or the longer stretches of time, and see if you can be more productive, more appreciative, more aware, and less anxious, stressed, or impatient with the lack of movement in your life.  Use the time to focus inside and to connect to the Divine, the energy that powers and infuses life. Use your meditation practice, your prayer time, your reading time, your contemplation time, your walking and exercise time to become more centered on living in the present in full appreciation for who you are, what you have accomplished, and in patient acceptance that the thoughts, actions, and beliefs that shape you now, will manifest in the life you will live from this moment on.  Whenever I have been caught up in a pity party with myself, I have made a concerted effort to get outside myself, outside my small realm, to support, help, learn about, or participate in something that has nothing to do with me and my perceived problems. 

Following my intuitive hunches, paying attention to the messages and symbols popping up in my dreams,  honoring my gifts and accomplishments, and recognizing my responsibility to use the gifts and fruits of my knowledge, enables me to create, to share my knowledge or ideas, and to live my life with a better understanding that despite my plans, despite my dreams and expectations, the best things in my life have always been a total surprise. I don’t mean you shouldn’t make plans or avoid expectations; I do mean that we need to be open to the mystical nature of life that moves into our hearts and homes despite the challenges, blocks, and armor we have donned to prevent our own happiness.  Open your heart, let go of your negative patterns, and embrace the journey.
With this Grand Trine in Earth signs (doesn’t come along but once in a great while), we are enjoying the grounding energies this beneficent aspect.  Tomorrow’s full Moon in Virgo at 18 degrees, called the Crow Moon or the Sap Moon, provides the impetus and focus for those dreams and plans set forth on the Pisces New Moon.  Fortunate enough to have my own Virgo Moon in opposition to my Sun in Pisces, I have lived and learned about the power of using opposing energies to strengthen and focus my life and choices.  Mercury in 5 degrees of Aries, is preparing for its retrograde phase, and this enables us to turn our attentions inward. It also enables us to enter a period of reflection, release, reevaluation, and reassessment.  Rather than seeing the retrograde phase as a negative or delaying phase, understand the importance of this phase as a time to allow ideas to root, encourage creativity to deepen, and for perfecting plans and ideas for future manifestation and success. 

Gird your loins, prepare for the journey, expect the unexpected, and go forth with an open heart, a willingness to learn, a commitment to create, and an appreciation for the abundance of life. Set out, if only in your mind and heart, in search of a life that allows you to do what you most desire.  Remember what the Cheshire Cat said to Alice in Wonderland. When Alice observes that the cat is doing what should be impossible, the Cheshire Cat replies, ““Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”  Live the impossible life that is waiting for you.

Dream Journeys: Messages and Mirrors of Higher Consciousness

Part One: Developing a Dream Practice

Dreams are our magic mirrors, and when we look into the messages reflected in our dreams, we can discover the gifts of Consciousness.  All of us dream, yet many of us fail to appreciate the gifts that come in our dreams.  Dreams are like unexpected taps on the door late at night, and we often find the messages and symbols of our dreams frightening, disturbing, or fragmented.  It has been said that dreams are like letters from God. Just as you must open a letter you receive from a friend to know what is written, so too must we open our dreams to begin to understand their messages.  Dreams come in forms that are meant to jolt us in order to catch our attention. Often we find dreams disturbing not only because of the jarring symbols, but also because of the underlying message.  The hidden messages of dream symbols are calling our attention to something that needs to be examined, understood, or faced in our own experience.

The journey of our dreams is multifaceted, and as you begin to pay closer attention to your dreams, it helps to develop a regular practice to aid you in your journey.  There is an element of intention to a dream practice, as in other spiritual practices.

1. Establishing a bedtime ritual: There's an old expression used to describe computer data input, "garbage in, garbage out." With computers, this means the information that comes out is only as good as that information which is entered into it.  This same idea applies when it comes to our own consciousness.  Whatever our minds, emotions, physical bodies, and spirits are exposed to, becomes part of our whole being.  Everything we do affects who we are on all levels.  When we prepare to sleep at night, we are taking to be with us, the sum total of everything we have experienced.  To have a restful sleep, it helps to create rituals for bedtime that are conducive to restful sleep. 

Avoid stimulants and alcohol before sleeping.  Both interfere with your brain's ability to dream.  Develop a soothing, relaxing ritual to prepare for bed. Avoid watching television or listening to stimulating music before bedtime.  While some people exercise before bed, you might find that exercise is too stimulating before sleeping.  Be careful of the types of exercise you do before sleeping.  A warm cup of herbal tea might be relaxing before sleeping.  If you have a lot on your mind, you might find it useful to write a short list of things you want to remember to do the next day. That way, you have moved the tasks out of your mind onto a concrete list of things to do/remember, and you'll be less likely to be kept awake thinking about them. 

Spend some time putting some positive, beautiful thoughts in your mind (read some poetry, listen to music that relaxes you, read something inspirational).  There is a wonderful spiritual practice called the Examen of Consciousness.  The three-part ritual suggests that you  go over the day and consider what you have to be grateful for. Then examine the day and consider what you might have left undone, unsaid, or unforgiven.  Finally, for anything that you feel you need to address (forgiving someone, asking for forgiveness, letting something go that you found disturbing), silently or aloud, ask that all be brought back into balance that is out of harmony. 

2. Setting your intention:As you ready yourself to sleep, align yourself with the Divine Creator, and ask for protection, wisdom, and guidance through your dreams.  You may do this in the form of a prayer, or simply by setting the intention, and releasing your thinking. If there is a situation, challenge, problem, or idea that you are especially focused on, you might ask that you receive guidance and clarity on that subject during your sleep. I usually also pray that I recall my dreams, and that the messages I receive come in a way that I can understand and deal with. 

3. Recording your dreams: Once you have set your intention to remember your dreams, provide yourself with a simple way to record your dreams before you get out of bed. Keep a tablet and pen on your nightstand, or keep a small tape recorder (your phone may have one). If you wake up from a dream in the middle of the night, quickly jot down what you can easily recall before you go back to sleep.  In the morning, keep yourself from jumping out of bed right away. If you have a tight schedule in the morning, wake up about 15-20 minutes earlier than usual, so you can take your time to write down the dreams you recall. Often we don't remember the whole dream. That's okay.

4. Dream Journal: I recommend keeping a dream journal. Every morning, the first thing I do is write down my dreams in my journal.  Some mornings I may play with the symbols, and explore archetypes or aspects of the dreams in more depth, but primarily, I record the dreams. I avoid jumping to conclusions about what they mean, preferring to reflect on the dreams throughout the day.  Write down what you recall.  You may remember only a color, or a feeling. Describe whatever you recall.  Avoid judging or analyzing the dream at this point.  Simply jot down what you recall.  Use all your senses, and record the feel of the dream, any sounds or movement, images, words, symbols, people or animals.  Avoid trying to make sense of what came to you in your dreams. Our subconscious reflects archetypal symbols and dreams are representative of areas of our waking life. Dreams, for the most part, are not meant to be an exact reflection of our waking life. 

5. Opening Up a Dream: During the day, I reflect on my dreams.  When possible, I tell my dreams to one of my dream keepers. My dream keepers are those confidants in whom I confide my private thoughts.  These include my daughter and my closest friends.  I have found that sometimes in telling the dream, I hear something that I had overlooked when I was thinking about the dream or writing about it.  My dreams are often full of puns, and I usually don't "get" the pun until I hear myself telling the dream aloud.  My confidants often share an insight or interpretation that I hadn't thought about before.  I observe how my life might be reflecting a message from the dream, or consider what a dream story or symbol is calling me to pay attention to. I ask the question, "What in my life right now is like______________ in the dream?"  "How am I feeling like ___________ in the dream?" 

Some of us dream about other people, and there are different ways to interpret any part of a dream.  Most dreams are about ourselves, but what we cannot see or understand in ourselves, we somehow can learn about through our relationships with others.  This is true in our waking life as well.  Most of our relationships invite us to learn more about ourselves. What we dislike or love in another, is also part of us somehow...or is part of something we are learning to deal with.  In dreams, the people we meet are, in part, a representative part of ourselves.  I say "in part," because my experience with dreams tells me that the people in my dreams are often the people in my life (those I know, those I knew, and those I am to meet).  We are all relational people, so what I need to know or learn about for myself, necessarily comes through my interactions with others.

Sometimes too, I find myself in the middle of dreams about someone else's life experience.  This has happened often enough for me to recognize that sometimes, a dream is given to me in order to pass a message on, provide support, a warning, or suggestion, or be forewarned about a situation with another person.  My dream abilities include occasionally being able to "see" the source of an illness. Not being a medical doctor, I nevertheless have some intuitive gifts for understanding the source of certain illnesses.  For example, when my mother was very ill one time, I dreamed about a problem she had with her intestinal tract. I also dreamed about the source of the problem when I saw a bunch of heads of lettuce. She was diagnosed with Diverticulitis, and could not eat lettuce without it causing her great distress.  While my dream diagnosis wasn't needed by her doctors, it provided me with a great deal of relief, for I knew she was not seriously ill, and would recover.  The main point I am making is that after you make a practice of recording, observing, reflecting on, and studying your own dreams, you will begin to see patterns. The patterns will be both in the types of dreams you have and in the messages, symbols, archetypes, and elements that appear and reappear in your dream journey over time.  You will begin to learn to differentiate the BIG dreams that are generally of the archetypal, life transition type of dream, to the mundane sorting out of your daily activities, to the more psychological type dreams that pertain to your own development and journey to wholeness or individuation.  Some of you will recognize precognitive dreams; others may have dreams that seem to be of past lives.  Some of your dreams will be of a highly spiritual nature.  Before you try to figure out what kind of dreams you are having, you want to first get into the practice of working with the dreams and establishing a strong baseline to work from.

7. Monthly and Ongoing Study and Reflection.
If you don't recall a dream every morning, don't give up.  Keep practicing the ritual of intention and prayer before sleeping, and be open to whatever dreams come in the way they come to you. Sometimes when I nap in the afternoon, I get very potent symbols and messages.  Often when I am troubled about something, I will take a nap to see if I can release my conscious mind enough to let the subconscious knowledge come to the surface. It works well for me.  You'll notice after a while, that your dreams come in different types.  In another article I will go into more detail about the different types of dreams there are. What is most important for you, however, is to study your own dreams, and discover the patterns, types, and messages that seem to come to you. 

Your dream journey is unique to you, as are the symbols of the dream. I avoid using dream analysis books simply because I think it is important to come to understand what different symbols and archetypes mean to us.  Colors, for example, have very personal meanings to people.  Ask yourself what different dreams symbols mean to you. As you begin recording your dreams, watch to see what types of symbols, stories, actions, places, colors, sounds....what are the pieces of the puzzle that are popping up in your nighttime journeys?


I use a simple, 8 1/2" x 11" spiral notebook (the cheap kind you can buy in any market). I write at least 3 pages in the journal each morning (not all about dreams).  At the end of each month, I reread the journal, paying close attention to the dreams and how they may or may not have figured into what was going on in my waking life that month.  It's a great reflective tool. Then about every 4-6 months, I go over the dreams for an entire part of the year.  This really helps me see the patterns, developments, growth, and stages of my dream journey. 


There are some other ways to work with dreams, but what I've outlined here gives you a good place to start. You will discover you own way to develop your dream journal, and your own way to work with the dreams and symbols. 


In future articles I am going to write about different types of dreams, ways to open up a dream, and some common ideas about dream symbols, archetypes, and dreamwork. 


Sweet dreams, aha lam saeedi (Sweet Dreams in Arabic).  Enjoy exploring the gifts of your subconscious, and watch your dreams to see what mysteries and gifts they have to reveal to you.  Enjoy the process of becoming more aware of that mystical, magical part of yourself that is being called to live more fully by that Divine Creative Power infusing the Universe in reflection of the Omnipotent Omnipresent Source of all Being.

Intuitive Insight Pathways, Dr. Catherine Al-Meten: Dark of the Moon: Sun, Moon, and Earth Aligned in ...

Intuitive Insight Pathways, Dr. Catherine Al-Meten: Dark of the Moon: Sun, Moon, and Earth Aligned in ...: Often called the New Moon, the time when the Moon, Sun and Earth line up in exact conjunction is called the dark of the moon. The tradition...

Dark of the Moon: Sun, Moon, and Earth Aligned in Pisces

Often called the New Moon, the time when the Moon, Sun and Earth line up in exact conjunction is called the dark of the moon.  The traditional reference to the new moon is the first sliver of a crescent that can be seen  just after the conjunction.  The Moon changes signs around 9:30 AM PST, and then moves into exact conjunction with Neptune at 10:48 AM.   Today at 2:35 PST, the Moon reaches 2 degrees of Pisces lining up between the Earth and the Sun so that it is no longer visible from Earth. 
The alignments and the rotation of the Earth, moves us into the final month of the lunar year, and through the doors of transition equipped with full awareness, presence and a sense of being.  We are called upon to live in full awareness of the unity of body, mind, spirit, and of acting with intention from heart-centered knowledge as well as our senses and intellect.

At this point in our lives we enter  the final month of the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, we enter the final month of summer.  Winter represents the time when the lands go fallow, our lives focus more on internal rest, reflection, and meditation.  It's a time when what we have sowed over the last year lays deep within the earth to germinate and grow. Likewise, our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, plans, ideas, creativity rests in a fertile time of brooding. It is a time to allow ourselves, our dreams, our ideas, our plans to incubate in the warmth and tender care of our hearts and of the lives we nourish through the practices we use to tend to our temple (body, mind, spirit).  Summer represents the time when life is coming to full bloom and fruition.  What we brood over in the nests of our being in the winter, come to life in the summer.  Now as we seek a deepening experience of life, we may become more aware of how our lives reflect our beliefs, conscious and unconscious parts of our being, and our choices.

I've been reading a lot about what others have to say about this new moon, and I think it is interesting to see how differently we can each look at the same aspects, events, experiences, and possibilities, and see such different visions, outcomes, and trends.  My Mother used to remind me that the aspects of life --those things that happen outside our awareness, control, or understanding--impel us they do not compel us.  One of the interesting observations that Emily Trinkaus makes about this New Moon is that it seems to have raised issues of grief and mourning for some.  Simone Butler writes in MoonCircles of the aching that some feel during this time, to fill the voids in their lives.  She also refers, as I do, to the struggle some have to trust the Unknown power that some describe as the Transcendent (that great mystery which is beyond all knowing). The powerful archetypal line up of the Moon, Sun, Neptune, and Mercury in Pisces, with other aspects, quickens our longing and search to discover how to come to an understanding of how fate and free will join in unity in our being. Our lives are formed according to how we use the gits of our being, how we respond and react to the consequences of our choices, and more importantly, by forces, activities, relationships, and the kismet effect.  Regardless of how we might plan, examine our consciousness, or make our decisions, our lives unfold according to a greater and more mysterious set of principles.  The archetypes that are woven into our very identities and beings, provide a key to the universal principles that unite us with other people, but also with the very Universe in which we live.  "We are stardust..." the lyrics tell us. There is some underlying awareness that we are the "stuff" of being. At times like this, when the mystical nature of our being is revealed and more apparent, we have the opportunity to expand our experiences of our connection with Divine principles. 

Neptune's conjunction with the Sun opens the channels of the imagination and heightens our intuition. Our perceptions are wide open, and through our practices of meditation and prayer, through our dreams and connections with our spiritual neighborhood, we are more able to tap into the support and help we need to access a deeper level of meaning, connection, and action. Our senses are heightened. Our intellect is sharpened, and experience a wholeness of being that may be unusually powerful.  This is a time for contemplation. This is a time to seek more balance on our energetic levels. 

The Sun and the Moon also will sextile Jupiter today.  Jupiter was the traditional ruler of Pisces before Neptune's discovery. As a Pisces, I tend to look to the archetypal energy of embodied in Jupiter to understand this powerful energy. Jupiter in Taurus, an earth sign, grounds us in our connections and relationships. Whoever or whatever we seek to embrace and connect in the world of nature, is calling us to pay attention to what our bodies, our minds, our intuition/dreams/insight, our souls, our emotions, our activities, our health...all areas of our lives demand, need, and foster.

The New Moon is also in conjunction with a fixed star called Fum al-Hut (Arabic for the Fish's Mouth), the brightest star in the Pisces Australis constellation. One of four royal stars of ancient Persia and Medes, the archetypal energy of this star is depicted as the Archangel Gabriel.  The Angel Gabriel is said to instruct souls before they are incarnated into the body for their voyage and journey on Earth.  The Four Royal Stars guided the ancient mariners, and symbolize for us today that we are divinely guided if we choose to look for the signs that light our way, whisper in our ear, rise to greet the day and challenge us to honor the course of our journey.  This morning I was looking through a box full of rocks a I had collected long ago. They had been stored away for years, and I opened them to examine them before I settled on what to do with them.  Years ago  my sister had made a collection of heart-shaped rocks for me, and I had recently been wondering where they were.  There amid the box of stone, rocks, and shells, I started finding little heart-shaped stones. I had found the collection she had made for me, and I carefully put the stones back together. Next, I reached into the box, and found a dusty heartshaped object. At first I thought it was a stone, but after I washed it off, I discovered it was a small angel embedded in a piece of resin.  There amid the stones, the symbols of this new moon, the hearts and the angel, appeared in the base and earthy collection of stones I had collected over the years.  This little find is symbolic for me of the daily discoveries and signs that are available to us, if we choose.  We can as easily dismiss, ignore, or diminish the power of the symbolism that is alive in the world.

 This New Moon awakens within us the possibilities of taking in the power of the Universe, the strength of the tiniest symbol or object, the stillness to be found within, the magic of thought, word, and deed, and the energy that enlightens, fills, heals, and guides.  It's all a part of who we are, where we live, and what can extend our being into a deeper more spiritually fulfilling life. Embrace the glory of the magic of the day. Spread your arms to release your love into the Universe. Send the energy of your thoughts, prayers, and blessings to those who need it; to those you love.  Take some time during this powerfully energetic time to consider how you are expressing your being, what you are creating, and what of lasting value, are you about?  Embrace the gift of your being, and honor those of others. Release that which dishonors anyone or anything, and be still in the gifts of the moment before you. Your destiny is not in the distance nor trapped in the past. Your destiny is yours now, at this moment, right where you are. Be grateful, forgiving, and loving, of yourself and others. Seek forgiveness of anyone or anything that traps your soul, and sit without judgment of yourself or those you fail to understand.  Be grateful for the gifts; be grateful for the lessons. Live the life you have.

With this Moon cycle in Pisces, focus is on a deepening of spirituality, and a greater faith and reliance on one's intuition, imagination, and dreams.  Tonight, around 8:10 PM the Moon's sextile to Jupiter calls upon us to consider how to turn our dreams into reality.

Dreams, Visions, Intuition, and Mystical Energy: Moving Deeper

Great shifts are taking place as is usual since we live in a dynamic Universe. As our planet spirals and moves through space, we remain fixed to the Earth due to physical laws. Our spiritual essence and identity, however, taps into an endless reservoir of knowledge, experience, ideas, and energy. Since we as individuals are limited by our physical nature and identity (including the body we live through, the place we inhabit, our relationships, and the time we have), the emergence of different types of energies trigger a wide range of responses and reactions (clarity/confusion, elation/depression, creativity/stagnation, just to name a few). 


We experience shifts of energy through sensations that range on a spectrum of experience. For example, we may sense a change in energy through our senses. For some that may be in the form of a sense of heaviness or depression; for others, in the form of a sense of lightness and relief. Depending upon our personality temperament and our particular circumstances, we respond to energy shifts differently.  When I say we experience energy on a spectrum, I mean that we may have a wide range of feelings as a result of shifting energy. Our experiences are generally not just on one extreme or the other. 


What you may have noticed recently is a shift in your dream life, imagination, and intuitive senses.  One of the most powerful doors into our subconscious and into the Collective Consciousness of the Universe, are our dreams.  Dreams and understanding our own dream journey provide us with some of the most powerful and positive ways to unlock our intuition, imagination, and mystical nature.  There could not be a better time to begin such an intentional journey, than now. At this time, as the planets begin to line up for the lunar year's culmination in Pisces, Neptune, Pisces ruler, enters Pisces where it will stay for the next 13-14 years.  On February  13, Mercury moved into Pisces, where it joined the Wounded Healer, Chiron (4 degrees Pisces). Yesterday, February 18, an exact Sun trine to Saturn (Sun in 29; Saturn 29 degree retrograde Libra) degrees of Aquarius Saturn in in the morning signaled a clear sense of purpose (which will sit on the back burner while Saturn makes its retrograde way and back over the next year). Keep clarity of vision which appears in momentary flashes, dreams, intuitive knowing, and mystical connections that lie beneath what is going on in the realm of illusions.  In other words, trust or learn to trust your inner voice and the positive power of Love, the Divine to move on levels beyond your own understanding.  As the late writer, Madeline L'Engle once  noted, "the power of prayer works, but it doesn't work if you don't use it." Spiritual practices stand the test of time because they are based on letting go of one's personal will and relying on a power greater than ourselves to affect the crucial steps and stages of our destiny.


Perhaps this is going about the discussion in a backwards manner, for our minds and intellect serve us well as long as we don't think that's all there is to the process.  If we only use our intellectual and mental facilities to rationalize and understand our lives, we leave out crucial information and tools, that provide us with more direct and immediate knowledge, understanding, and blessings.  Most of us learn to use our minds and intellect as these are the honored guests in the society in which we live.  What has been dismissed and dishonored are our intuitive gifts: imagination, dreams, mystical experiences, and intuitive knowledge.  Those who are truly successful, have mastered these, and our greatest scientific achievements and discoveries could not and would not have been made without them.  The world we live in now focuses the definition of success on achieving material goods, security, and of having the right education to get the right job. The focus is entirely on meeting material needs; for some this means the spirit is no longer honored, nourished, or supported.  Again, however, developing one's intuitive base is and of itself, not enough. There must be a practice of balance, and a point at which we decide about what we ourselves are going to choose to honor.  


If I put all the powers of my intellect and all my intuitive gifts and knowledge to the task of leading me on the journey of life, I am certain that my journey will in no way be either complete or fulfilling.
So at some point, we have to rely on the energy or power of something outside of ourselves that we can tap into or set our intentions with, in order to allow our lives to unfold.  How we do this, depends upon the choices we make. After having taught comparative religions for years, I understand the struggle most people have in simply trying to define for themselves, what or who the Divine Other is. We get trapped in arguments with our egos about what to name or refer to the Divine as. We get trapped in debates and conflicts over which tradition, path, or practice is the "right" one or the one that is least offensive. It seems we waste a lot of time talking about what isn't, and need to give up the debates and conflicts in favor of simply finding the best way for us to recognize the sacredness of the our lives, the holiness of Creation, and the ultimate truth that we can't do it all.  There is more to heaven and earth than meets the eye. There is more to living life and discovering our gifts, right paths, and ultimate destiny than getting caught up in debates with ourselves or with others.  The struggle may be necessary at some points in life, but are no substitute for being present, living in the present, and living in constant recognition of how our actions, thoughts, behavior, intentions, and feelings affect ourselves and others. 


As planets line up in Pisces, where on February 21 at the New Moon there will be  cluster of planets including the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Neptune, you may notice an awakening (that may come in the appearance as confusion or uncomfortable visions, dreams, thoughts, or experiences).  


Notice in your astrological chart (or simply pay attention to what areas of your life seem most affected) and make note of the dreams, ideas, inspiration, and activities that seem to signal you to pay attention.  Let go of the need to figure things out or take action too soon. It is a time to reflect and notice the abundance of knowledge that is flowing into you right now.  It is a very good time for creative work, so look for a way through the senses, to express and explore. Use some kind of mind-focusing technique to harness the energy and activity of the mind.  Take yourself on a walk, put yourself into a new physical space and use your body in a way that is different from what you normally do. One friend of mine wrote of going bowling. Not something she does much, but something that helped her release her patterns and thoughts in a new way, releasing her to be more present and balanced.  Depending on what your normal pace and patterns are, it is a good time to change things up a bit.  Act as if you are in the emotional frame of mind you'd like to be.  Watch a movie that lifts your spirits. Read something old and something new. Try on a new color, or use your "stuff" differently.  One of my favorites is to move the furniture.  Give yourself a different view and listen to some new music.   


Aspects that have been affecting us the last few days including today:


On Thursday, the Moon entered Capricorn, and Mercury (Pisces) sextupled Jupiter (Taurus) in the morning. A good time for ideas to come together in clear ways.  Judgment has been good, and it's been a good time for communication.    On Friday, the Moon squared Uranus (Aries) and then trained Jupiter in the middle of the night and early in the morning, so if you noticed your dreams (and for many of us, it was impossible not to notice), you may have been shocked by some of the images that appeared. This was a time of significant dreams, so make note of whatever symbols and ideas appear in dreams you are having now. I will be writing some more articles on dreams and dream work, as this is a crucial aspect of the soul journey experience.  Often when we are experiencing a break through or during a time when the Universe is unloading buckets of sacred knowledge and energy into us, our dreams scare us. This is not the time to be afraid to look at what is coming up from your unconscious nor what is happening in the world around you. We all need to be aware and sensitive to the energies and information being passed between those we love and the world in general, as it is time for us to align ourselves for rapid and permanent growth, change, and transitions.  Whatever we have been desiring and working toward can be coming to important points of fruition. No time to take back out now.


Yesterday, the Moon in Capricorn was conjunct with Pluto, the archetype of transition and change. On an emotional level, this might have aroused very deep and somewhat uncomfortable feelings, or it may if you are an earth sign person, have been deeply comforting, nurturing or healing.  If you're not an earth sign person, you may have felt the need to slow down, give in to deeper needs and get more grounded emotionally. 


Yesterday as I mentioned earlier,  the Sun trined Pluto in air signs (Aquarius and Libra)  reminding us of innovative plans for the future.
Last night the Sun entered Pisces, ushering us into the last month of the lunar year and into what promises to be a deeply spiritual time. Last night again, may have been a time for some interesting and somewhat less jarring dreams as the Moon moved into Aquarius and this morning, the Moon sextupled Uranus.  A sudden change of plans, a new idea for how to do handle an old problem or pattern, emerges if we are receptive to becoming more honest about what we truly want and how we want to achieve it.  Prayers are always answered; it's just that we don't always know what we want. Time to be clear and honest with ourselves about the messages we are sending out through our thoughts, actions, ideas, prayers, and behavior.


Sunday, February 19, is a wonderful time to celebrate with the Sun in Pisces coming into exact conjunction with Neptune. This is the first solar conjunction with Neptune in 150 years, so it won't feel like anything anyone living today has experienced before.  This powerful alignment and energy calls upon us all to find our connections with one another, the Universe, and those with whom we have differences and misunderstandings.  Be open to a great infusion of new knowledge and a greater sense of connection with all living beings and with our place and role in the family of humanity and our part in the nature of Creation. Breathe in the beauty and embrace the fullness of being that gifted by Creator Spirit.


The next article will be for the New Moon in Pisces. On Tuesday, February 21.  Enjoy the day, and watch for the gifts of your dreams, visions, imagination, and place on the planet. 

February 3, 2012 Posting Neptune Enters Pisces

We begin February with Mercury in the decan of Aquarius (1-10 degrees), Mars at 22 degrees of Virgo, Retrograde.  Venus in 22 degrees of Pisces forms an opposition to Mars in 22 degrees of Virgo and Saturn remains in the 29th degree of Libra, and will begin retrograding on February 7.  During the retrograde phase, the Great Teacher or Gate Keeper as Saturn is called, moves slowly and methodically back over the path it's been making for the past 6-8 months. Saturn will be in its retrograde phase until June 24, and then will move forward over the same ground it has been covering during the last 6-8 months. On October 6, 2012, Saturn will enter Scorpio.


Whatever we have been learning while Saturn has been passing through Libra (and whatever area of your life this pertains to) and whatever you have needed to do to establish a more harmonious balance in your life is once again coming up into conscious awareness.  It may seem like these lessons are going on forever, but if you have been paying attention and making necessary adjustments in the way you are living, you are being rewarded with a clearer path and open doors.  However, the time we spend at the threshold point (in the passage way, but not yet through it) gives us more time to prepare, reflect, release, and face the deeper urgings and unfinished business that would hold us back when the time is right for Saturn's move into Scorpio in October. 


Another major planetary shift will change the nature of Saturn's energy and effect. Tomorrow, February 3, the planet, Neptune, returns to the home of its natural ruler, Pisces, where it will stay for the next 13 years.  With the exception of an April to August retrograde passage back into Aquarius, Neptune's will be at home in Pisces, adding a softening effect to some of the ways we experience the lessons we are learning.  Our burdens may feel lighter, as we feel more emotionally buoyed and spiritually uplifted.  Optimism, creativity, and inspiration rise in both our personal and collective experiences.  As with all archetypal energies, it is possible to experience Neptunian energy as redemptive and insightful  or through our woundedness and our refusal to change so that we can heal.
It is likely that dreams, intuition, insight, and extrasensory awareness will be heightened. We are likely to feel more emotional and sensitive to our inner being and to what is going on in the world around us.


With this collective energy being heightened, we may be forewarned to rely on our faith and spiritual practices for grounding with the heightened awareness for all levels of our being---physical, mental, psychic, emotional, and spiritual.  Repression and oppression will no longer be tolerated, either on the personal level or in the collective consciousness.  We need to take necessary measures to protect ourselves from being drawn into relationships, situations, and encounters with those that challenge or block our good and well-intentioned actions.  It is time to stand up for ourselves, personally, so that we are not drawn into other people's battles, manipulation, erroneous views, and harmful energy and actions.


The more grounded and focused we are, the more we can gravitate to that which brings healing, and allows us to manifest our best.  As these two major planets  shift gears and energy, it is crucial to set our intentions so that we honor our callings, our health, and our Divine purpose. We are each here to live life fully, and to share in the bounty and abundance of our Creator's gifts. Our lives serve a purpose, and each of us has a meaningful destiny to fulfill. We also are meant to live in the present, appreciating the power of Love as we live from core of Joy, understanding that fear, worry, anger, and other negative emotions, only serve to trap us in the past that cannot be undone or in fear of a future that will never happen the way we imagine (on our best days or on our worst). The more we are able to act with intention and gratitude, the greater our art, our creativity, and our success will be. Choose wisely, and live with intention.  Be not afraid to face the truth of your being, and allow yourself to grow, to forgive, to heal, and to renew your spirit.


On February 7, the Full Moon in 18 degrees of Leo opposite the Sun in 18 degrees of Aquarius, shine light on our path, and allow us some perspective and celebration for how much we have accomplished over the last year. With the courage, self-containment, creativity and flair of Leo combined with the altruism, perspective, innovation, and daring of Aquarius, we can see  the possibilities that lie ahead in an completely new light and understanding.  Mercury is in close alignment with this Full Moon, making the power of our minds and thoughts even more powerful. Full Moons highlight what we have accomplished, however, this Full Moon also highlights what is yet possible.


The Sun, symbolizing the creative power, aligned with Mercury, the archetype of ideas and communication, messengers and messages, bring promise where there has been none (at least not perceived).  Venus in the 29th degree of Pisces is moving into a closer conjunction with Uranus at 2 degrees of Aries.  Get ready for a major change when Venus leaves Pisces and conjuncts Uranus. Relationships may be falling apart, you may be leaving a job, or moving.  Look to the house where Pisces is and that will give you some idea of what area of life the archetype of love is stripping away the illusions, barriers, outworn conditions and debris to make way for a sudden and forward push into what you have been desiring. Turn your thoughts, prayers, words, and actions toward what you want and away from what you don't. Give more attention to what you desire, than to what drains and wastes your energy, life, and being.  Let the meditations of our hearts, the words of our mouths, combine with our actions be acceptable to and in fulfillment of the Divine Creator's desire for us to Love and live from that core essence of our beings.


Uranus, the archetype of action, movement, and surprising appearances, semi-squares both the Sun and Mercury.  These aspects emphasize the importance of being open-minded and receptive to new ideas and/or for prayers being answered in unpredictable and surprising ways. It is time to use our talents and to expect and enter into radical change.  Change happens whether we are ready or not. We can ride with the tide of change or we can fight the inevitable. If we believe that there is a Divine Force and Will greater than our own, then we must accept that that Divine Cause and Creator moves in our lives and infuses us with all we need to use our gifts.  Be ready and release the desire and need to control things according to your plan.  There is a plan greater and better, and that is what you can expect from the energies at work. Whether you want the change or even understand what has happened, movement is afoot in some major area of our lives, and we can view it as a gift or fail to see the treasures that lie before us.


As I said before, Saturn goes retrograde at 29 degrees in Libra shortly before this full moon. This is a time for great and deep preparation.  We are entering a time of rapid evolution into an understanding and experience of unity, oneness, and interconnectedness.  Our stories have yet to be told. Our enlightenment is in process, and our journeys are full of the Divine manifestations and connectedness that speaks, All is One, All is One, and we are all part of the One.  Listen to the voice of your heart. Allow your emotions to rise to expression. See what is before you, feel what is within. Dance, sing, and show your praise for the blessings of being. The message that is being sung, voiced, danced, and created now is one of hope through intention, one of change through living out the choice for life.


Take some time during the next week or two, and remember as we move into the new year, and near the end of the astrological cycle, that this is a time of great transformation. Pay attention. Slow down and enjoy what you have and are. Create and give gratitude for all you are, all you have, and all you can become.  Relax into the lightness of your being, and allow yourself to enjoy the pleasure of living the heaven on earth, through the Divine Spirit that created this beautiful home for us, here in the heart of God.   Celebrate in quiet, peaceful joy.  We seek grace for today. We seek nourishment for our famished affections. We say be at peace to one another, and we rest in serene nearness to Thee.