Mar

26

Divination Day for A Fool’s Journey

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With four planets in the 12th house of retreat and respite, Libra rising, and Venus in Cancer in the 10th house, I have something of a reputation amongst my friends as being an expert on places and spaces to indulge the senses while taking a break from the “real” world.

Maybe this is why I’m so excited about the upcoming Fool’s Journey retreat this Fall in Northern California, which is turning out to be a magical mystical journey already, though the retreat doesn’t even start until September.

Taking inspiration from the Fool card in the tarot, myself and my co-creators envision this workshop as a time to take a leap into the world of magic, delving more deeply into myth and mystery, guided by a group of long-time teachers and priestesses. Like the sign of Aries, the Fool card is the embodiment of open-hearted creative risk-taking, passion and serendipity.

We envision this as a retreat from the world, but also a time to indulge the senses in the spirit of deep relaxation and the kind of sacred fun the Fool loves best.

Our Fool’s Journey planning group just happened to make it’s first site visit to Four Springs retreat center just days after the Spring Equinox was exact, when the Sun moved fully into Aries. At Four Springs we found a space simply designed to catalyze the Aries Fool in almost anyone.

From the endless possibilities for creative self-expression alive in the art room (fun, fun, fun!), the meditation hall (yoga classes!) and the mystical library (freewrites galore), to the hiking trails (for your inner Aries) and swimming pool (Marco Polo anyone?), this land seemed designed for the kind of retreat we are offering.

Harbin Hot Springs is also a ten minute drive away, for those who like hot springs……

This Sunday, we will be invoking the spirit of the sacred Fool at our Divination Day benefit to raise money to support the Fool’s Journey retreat.

Participants will have the opportunity to get an intuitive reading (offered at the very reasonable $1-2 a minute sliding scale) from any one of our talented team (see A Fool’s Journey for bio’s), try a magical elixir, or simply come and meet us and find about more about this retreat.

Mar

20

Spring Equinox 2008

Filed Under Equinox | 6 Comments

The force of life that drives the green fuse through the flower (thanks Dylan Thomas), is flowing this week with the Spring Equinox on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 9:48 pm pdt and a full moon on Friday all squaring Pluto newly in Capricorn at 1 degree.

The Spring Equinox begins as the sun starts its yearly journey into Aries. The zero degrees Aries point is like the Fool card in the tarot: innocent and untried, bold, passionate and ready to take a leap into the unknown, with raw instincts and an open heart. As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries represents the birth of consciousness and awareness of self. Aries is pure life force energy, initiating action and movement.

Spring Equinox 2008 is notable not only because of the full moon two days after the exact equinox point (the last full moon at the spring equinox occured in the year 2000), but also because of the tight square involving Pluto, the sun and the moon.

Pluto is the planet which symbolizes life and death, deep transformation, sex, power and mystery.
This planetary relationship puts the fiery force of the sun in Aries in opposition to the airy harmony of the moon in Libra, with both planets square the intensity of Pluto.

Like the Fall Equinox, this is a time when light and dark have reached a perfect balance, with the light growing stronger from now to the Summer Solstice. Springtime brings the birth of new budding life, the first steps of projects, ideas and relationships. The equinoxes represent a crossroads, a moment when we stand between the worlds, gazing forward and back simultaneously. As we pause at this particular turn in the road, Pluto forces us to look at the lessons of winter with more awareness than ever of the gentle fragility of life that we celebrate and nurture in these early days of spring.

This week may be a particularly good time to remember and honor those who may have died over the winter, or relationships and circumstances that have passed. In order to fully move into and embrace the growing light, we will need to pay careful attention to the gifts and losses of the shadow, noticing what we have learned and gathered from the darkness of winter.

In many parts of the US winter time has lingered, with storms and colder temperatures hanging on and extending the winter season. This year we are spending more time immersed in the lessons of winter, enduring the colder and harsher temperatures, and sustaining ourselves until the spring fully arrives.

Capricorn is a sign associated with deprivation, survival, and the strength and power that come from knowing how to stay alive in harsh circumstances. We may feel this shadow from the Pluto square, influencing our otherwise triumphant welcoming of warmer temperatures, flowers blossoming and new life. As financial markets crumble, and survival fears become part of the mass consciousness, it is important that we learn from the Capricorn gifts of perseverance, patience and ability to nurture long term goals.

The Sun in Aries calls us to celebrate the feisty beauty of cherry blossoms that relentlessly bloom despite war, financial woes and other human mayhem. As we cultivate the sober reality of the Capricorn perspective, it’s also important that we integrate the joy of life of Aries. Finally, a Libra moon asks us to remember our relationship with the “other”. Libra is a sign concerned with justice, partnership and cooperation.

A question to ponder this Equinox season might be: “How can we realistically and sustainably continue to live together in a way that celebrates and honors the life force?”