2007 September : wisestars.net

Sep

26

Experiencing the potent, buzzing tension of paradox can be exciting and creative or stressful and chaotic. This full moon in Aries (September 26, at 12:45 pdt), is likely to have you feeling all of this and more as opposite signs and opposite planets interlace with the light and dark polarity of the Equinox. Bringing us a peak awareness of diversity, this fiery Fall Equinox moon evokes: Venus/Mars, war/peace, beauty/strength, alone/together, single/partnered, Spring/Fall, self/other, love/lust, Yin/Yang, Shiva/Shakti, and hunter/gatherer.

Showcasing the most quintessential expression of masculine and feminine energies, the Libra Sun and Aries moon calls for reflection and awareness of our primary mode of being in the world.
Each of us, no matter what our gender or sexual orientation carry these energies within us, manifesting them in different ways at different times. We may cycle through particularly masculine periods in our lives, and then enter into a more feminine awareness, or come into points of balance between the two. It is a rare individual who is able to hold these two expressions of energy in perfect balance at all times. Noticing what your pattern of male and female expression has been throughout your life and what it is currently, can be a powerful way to work with the present lunar phase.
This moon echoes back to Spring Equinox 2007 (March 21), when the Sun was in Aries and the Moon was in Libra. Reflecting back to your own balance of energies, activities and interests at that time, and noticing how your particular mode of expression has shifted since then can be helpful. Are you experiencing life from a softer more Yin perspective, allowing events to unfold naturally, responding gently and magnetically attracting what you need and want? Or are you taking charge, passionately expressing your desires to others, and fiercely focused on your goals and projects? How have things shifted since the Spring, for you and your community?
The Spring Equinox was a time of new beginnings, when we welcomed the great surge of life force energy into the world, celebrating the fragility and innocence of life. Fall Equinox is a time to honor what has grown since then, to notice the distinct personality and essence that has been shaped through mistakes and victories, and to appreciate the diversity that is inherent in different life forms, as we prepare to enter the darkness once more.
As the great white globe of the moon hangs in the darkness of the Autumn sky, use its light to reflect on the paradox of life that exists within you, witnessing your own inner diversity and honoring the fullness that you bring to life.

Sep

11

Filed Under Saturn, virgo | 4 Comments

Saturn moved from Leo into Virgo on September 2, 2007. As an astrologer and a Virgo, I found myself strangely excited to witness this not very frequent planetary phenomena. Strange, because excited is not the first feeling that generally comes to mind when astrologers think of Saturn or Virgo. Saturn transits usually include words like this: persistence, patience, commitment, fortitude, limitations and lessons. Virgo words tend to run along the same lines: organized, discerning, systematic and detail oriented.

Not quite a picture of verve, daring and excitement is it? Yet when Saturn in Virgo is placed in the context of where we stand now, as a species, facing the decisions and challenges that we are confronted with at a global level, a whole new perspective begins to emerge. Saturn was last in the sign of Virgo in the mid-1970’s when environmental awareness, and alternative medicine first begin to enter the mass consciousness as important issues. Saturn’s current transit through Virgo, during a time when we face environmental breakdown, and global epidemics reveals new and interesting sides of this sixth sign of the zodiac. In the current age, Virgo begins to emerge as an earthy superheroine, made for our times, poised to swoop in and rescue us with gardening skills and homeopathic remedies.

Like all the best superhero’s, Virgo’s story starts with a myth. A long, long time ago, when the Greeks still believed in the Gods, a conflict arose between Gods and Humans. The short form of that story is this: the god Prometheus created humans, gave them fire and was brutally punished by his divine brothers and sisters. The gods chose a unique punishment for the humans involved, sending a box disguised as a gift to Pandora, a mortal woman. Pandora, as we all know, opened this gift from the gods and unleashed a tsunami of war, disease, and suffering. Only hope remained, and stupidly or bravely, we’ve been living on it ever since.
The unpleasant after effects of Pandora’s box led the gods to vacate their home on the earth and head towards the relative safety of the sky, where we know them today as the planets (Sun-Apollo, Moon-Artemis, etc. etc.)
Only one goddess remained behind and this was Astraea. Astraea brought an earthy form of justice to humanity. Her work was teaching humans how to live in harmony with the earth. Astraea taught the ancient Greeks about the changing seasons of nature, the flow of life cycles, and what is most essential to let go of for the sake of survival. This discriminating quality can be seen in her association with innocence and purity.

Astraea was the very last of the gods to leave the earth for the heavens. She stayed behind to serve humans, teaching them what they needed to know about life on earth. Astraea’s mission was to acclimate humans to the earth plane, grounding them in their new world.

Astraea is the goddess that the sign of Virgo is most associated with. Virgo, in her highest form, holds the essence of Astraea’s gifts. These gifts are qualities that in modern times have been distilled down to these rather boring Virgo keywords: discriminating, service-oriented, humble and practical.
In the current age, as we wrestle with a planetary psychology that is out of sync with the natural world, drowning in our own excess (which we had the chance to see clearly during Saturn’s recent passage through Leo), we come to find respite in these Astraea/Virgo qualities.
Uranus’ current passage through Virgo’s opposing sign, Pisces, has been shaking up the roots and limitations of Virgo’s everywhere. There is a new kind of Virgo emerging, one that we can recognize in the incredible surge of interest in environmentalism and holistic health which has emerged in recent years. This embodiment of Virgo serves to create a bridge of connection between humans and the earth, to invoke and remind of us natural law, helping us discern what is necessary for a right relationship with our planetary home, and what we need to let go of in order to work with the laws of nature.
As Saturn settles into its Virgo home, the embodiment of this energy has a chance to ground itself, to display its mastery, to share and serve humanity as Astraea once did.
Now is the time for all those with Virgo in their chart to assess how they might best serve the flow of natural law, to purify themselves of self-criticism and censorship and invoke the graceful knowledge of Astraea.
Virgo’s everywhere are engaging in Saturnian lessons about perfectionism, criticism and what it means to maintain both the physical body, and the living body of the planet.
All those with Virgo planets are learning through the patient discipline of Saturn how to distill the best of Virgo, while leaving the more self-destructive qualities behind, embodying the essentially purifying nature of Virgo energy.
The generation born from roughly 1966-1972 has Pluto and Uranus in Virgo and as such, is particularly positioned to powerfully manifest this energy. As Saturn begins to move forward through Virgo and conjunct this natal planetary alignment, this generation has the opportunity, and will feel the pressure to realign themselves to provide Astraean-like service to the earth. This transit also promises to help reground the collective as a whole in the natural world, reminding us of the earth laws we are asked to follow here, and connecting us more deeply with the interrelationship between all forms of life: plant, animal and human. Our relationship to food, medicine and exercise are also poised to undergo Saturn’s sobering changes as the transit unfolds. These are all areas that will become of more concern and interest to us as we gain more insight into the mysteries of Saturn in Virgo.
Astraea, the goddess, promised to return to humans once they had learned a thing or two about living in right relationship with the earth. Perhaps this Saturn transit through Virgo will open us up to receiving the divine guidance we need to navigate through this time of great transition.

Sep

7

Filed Under Planets | 1 Comment

Venus’ Retreat

Imagine Venus for a moment. Picture her as goddess, archetype, planet, or myth. See her peach gold hue, her rose kissed skin. Venus is sweet dusk haze, and pure morning light. Her voice speaks grace, and her words breath charm. Beauty, both inner and outer is her realm, and her magic: pure honey dust, sprinkled freely on lovers, artists and peacemakers alike. She dispenses her precarious sparkle of romance and pleasure with loving care and exquisite danger, uncaring of consequences, and blind to remorse. Yet Venus also thrives amongst peace and harmony, revels in the hush of the sated senses, and awakens wherever creativity lives.

In the astrological birth chart, Venus represents how we love, what we love, and often whom we love. She shows our style of receiving and giving pleasure, and she signifies what we find the deepest appreciation in or what we recognize as both beautiful and worthy of love. For this reason she also describes what we value, and at the most mundane level, what we purchase or own.

Her rulership of Taurus and Libra exemplifies her ability to express her essence in both the external, mundane and earthy world (Taurus) and her corresponding qualities in the internal, and more abstract domain (Libra).
In Taurus, she expresses her bounty in the pleasures of the flesh and the juiciness of the five senses. She is queen of pleasure, indulgence and comfort, wanting nothing more than to revel in the beauty of the earth.
In Libra, she rules as the consummate hostess, exuding charm and grace. Her realm is balance and equality, and here she creates justice, excelling in blending opposing forces into a harmonious web.

In the natal chart, the astrological sign Venus is in tells about how we love, our style of attraction and what brings us pleasure. Venus in air signs wants words and ideas shared and expressed to feel loved and appreciated. Venus in fire signs thrives on bravery, passion and action, Venus in water signs opens up to emotional and spiritual connection, and Venus in earth signs needs physical manifestations of affection to feel loved.

Currently Venus is poised to go retrograde (which means the planet looks like it’s moving backwards in the heavens), on July 27, 2007 (turning direct on September 8, 2007), in the sign of Virgo and moving backwards into Leo.

Venus retrograde allows the Venus principle a chance to rest, rejuvenate and revision the quality of her varying forms of expression. On a personal level, during the Venus retrograde, we have a chance to explore and deepen our relationship to Venusian themes and qualities. Retrograde periods slow down and often internalize the qualities of a planet that is (seemingly) going backwards. A retrograde time can also be experienced as a stoppage or constriction of energy or experience associated with the planet. For this reason, traditional astrologers consider Venus retrograde periods to be a challenging time for romantic relationships in particular, but also relationships in general. Finances, socializing and culture are also said to suffer at this time. During the month and a half or so of the Venus retrograde it is usually recommended that people postpone starting new relationships, hold off on buying luxury items, or clothes in particular, cut back on socializing and refrain from overspending. It is also strongly recommended that weddings are not held during this time.

While all these tips may indeed prove to be useful, and it can be interesting to experiment with consciously ignoring the Venus retrograde advice and seeing how that new relationship (or car, dress, etc.), holds up when the period passes, there is also another way to approach this time frame that can provide more lasting and rewarding benefits.
Viewed from the evolutionary astrological perspective, the slow and internal pace of the retrograde can be seen as an opportunity for growth rather than an unavoidable and fated negative experience. By matching our own energy to the flow of the planet, we can work with rather than against planetary movement, benefiting from this seemingly backward motion rather than fearing it. Venus retrograde then becomes a time of retreat and reflection, when we allow the Venus principle in our chart the space and freedom to rejuvenate and rejuice.

Most retreats involve periods of contemplation, reflection and rest. A retreat is a time to renew and review our relationships with ourselves and reconnect with our source energy. Retreating can also be associated with stepping back and away from highly charged or stressful encounters, creating space and room to rethink our approach. Sometimes a retreat can even be seen as a defeat, when we feel that we need to step away from an unrewarding or difficult situation that may be draining and discouraging.
If we choose to work with the energy of nature, and particularly the stars, planets and sky, we can maximize our experience of this Venus retrograde and retreat gracefully rather than be forced into retreat by external events.
As we embark on our own personal Venus retreat, it may be helpful to frame our experience with some key questions: Which of our relationships or relationship patterns need to be revised and transformed now? How do we approach comfort, art and beauty in our lives? What is our own particular expression of Venus and what needs to be adjusted or shifted here?

It’s possible that we already express Venus in our lives by creating beautiful bouquets from our gardens, or we arrange and order our possessions in pleasing ways. Perhaps we make art, hostess dinner parties, or model fierce and passionate love in our relationships. Maybe we excel in peacemaking, charming difficult people or decorating, adorning and enjoying our bodies. Or we revel in relaxing and soaking in the deep pleasure of our five senses, making time to rejoice in the sacred and sensual mysteries of our physical body. It’s possible that we celebrate and honor Venus in our lives in some or all of these ways on a regular basis, or, it’s possible that we don’t.

If we have anything to do with the rhythms of our culture, living, working and surviving in mainstream society, the chances are good that we often neglect the rich and juicy flows that course through the veins of the Venusian mysteries. Residing as we do in an environment that worships the triple gods of technology, consumption, and speed, it may be hard to nurture and maintain the heart and soul of Venus’s core. Venus tends to behave badly around this triple deity, showing only her most crass and shallow guise, developing in a warped mutation that prevents the full expression of her most pure essence. Hence the proliferation of the Paris Hilton’s and Britney Spears who carry our Venus reflection, mirroring back a face that can be quite ugly behind the mask.

The Venus retrograde gives us all an opportunity to look at these issues in our personal relationships and at a collective level. As we examine more closely how we approach Venus in our lives, we can reassess what we want our relationship with Venus to look like in the future. We may decide during the Venus Retrograde to dedicate ourselves more fully to awakening this archetype in her pure form, seeding our individual efforts into a collective wellspring of juicy Venus goodness.

Some practical ways to honor Venus during the retrograde period:
*Create an altar to honor Venus, putting items here that represent Venus in your sign and Venus in your life.
*Make peace with an old lover, offering apology or any resolutions that may be needed
*Find one way to integrate your spirituality and your sexuality
*Adorn yourself in a loving way with something beautiful, noticing what it feels like to dress or look this way.
*Rearrange your home in a way that is pleasing to you.
*Brainstorm all of your favorite ways to socialize and plan a party or event for when Venus goes direct.
*Write a personal history of Venus in your life, reflecting back on your past and your own unique expression of Venus qualities.
*Review your relationship with your partner, using this time to make any needed changes if necessary.