Thursday 28 April 2011

Shakti-Power --> Venus in Aries <-- April=May '11


Goddess Venus is in firey Aries until mid-May ♥ During this passage she makes spectacular aspects: Conjunct Uranus this combination initates dramatic change leading to incredible sweetness 8th-15th May, when she conjuncts Jupiter. Be warned, though, the Aries emanation of Venus is pure SHAKTI POWER- an exciting combination famed for flame-throwing fanfaronande excitement, with passionate and earth-shattering, life-enhancing experiences ♥´¯`•.¸¸.♥

Tuesday 19 April 2011

Venus in Pisces ~ Spring 11

Loving Venus is at the very last degrees of sensitive Pisces today, 19th April  ~> This is the 'anaretic' degree that holds all the wisdom energy of a sign; and as Pices is also the last sign of the zodiac, it is the degree that pertains to significant endings as well as new beginnings. In this poignant moment the Goddess completes an 8-month cycle with divine love flowing and bubbling from the heart ♥´¯`•.¸¸.•L❀VE•´¯`•.¸¸.♥ Sparkling into Aries LOVE ACTION tomorrow (wednesday) ♥ Ommm..... x :)

Unconditional cosmic love emanates as Venus is exalted in Pisces, her highest vibration ~> sending LOVE & Gratitude to the world's wounded water ~> May the healing be pure, strong & long lasting.

May I purify an ocean of worlds,
May I free and ocean of beings.
May I clearly see an ocean of Dharma,
May I realise an ocean of wisdom.
May I purify an ocean of activities,
May I fulfil an ocean of aspirations,
May I make offerings to an ocean of Buddhas,
May I practice without discouragement for an ocean of eons.
To awaken fully through this bodhisattva way,
I shall fulfil without exception
All the diverse aspirations of the awakening practice
Of all the Buddhas gone to freedom in the three times everywhere.

(Extract from the Extraordinary Aspiration of the Practice of Samantabhadra – The King of Prayers)

Mercury Retrograde in Aries ~ Spring 11

Mercury now conjunct dynamic Mars at home in fiery ARies; Mars woule normally be heading breakneck speed were it not opposition weighty Saturn. Thankfully Mercury doesn't perfect an oppostion to Saturn, even when it goes forward on Saturn's day (Saturday 23rd April).
The Buddha said “You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”

This quote is good to bear in mind as MERCURY is RETROGRADE in fiery ARIES from Wednesday 30th March until 23rd April '11. You know the drill: double check travel plans, re-read contracts, and forgive everyone if they're late, have ignored you, or misunderstood the situation. In Aries, Mercury can be a domineering hothead: not necessarily the most patient of combinations, yet that's exactly what we need to practice: PATIENCE. Mercury's current message is to watch one's own mind to stop it flaring up, to temper rage and anger. So don't play with fire ~> unless, of course, you're a dragon, and even then one could get singed around the edges! ;)

Fire also represents knowledge as well as intuition; now is an optimum time to develop faith in the way our deeper wisdom works.

In esoteric astrology Mercury is ruled by Aries, inspiring thoughts of 'self' in relation to training the mind; how we think, what we think about and, ultimately, how we express those ideas and thoughts can reveal the mind of the selfless Spiritual Warrior.
 
Healing Brother, Heavenly Messenger, Friendly Neighbour, and a trickster for the mind, Mercury will tease and tantalise our mental factors, as he/she receives, assimilates, and transmits all kinds of information ¸.•*❤*•☆☆

Monday 18 April 2011

What about me? Five planets in Aries & Libra Moon

BEAUTIFUL Full Libra Moon on the rise opposite a fiery Aries Sun ~> exact Sunday night/Monday morning (17/18th 2:04gmt +1 for summertime).  This Aries-Libra illumination accents SELF CONSCIOUSNESS in BALANCE, and has seriously karmic overtones, as the Moon is with weighty golden Saturn, which you can see at the right hand side of the Moon.  And it is another SuperMoon - which means the interplay between Sun-Moon-Earth is once again strong.  The Sun in Aries has several planetary allies, with Mars, Mercury, Jupiter & Uranus stirring up unexpected action. The Moon is in an cooler Air sign, opposite all these exciting planets. One might even put the two elements together and note how a three-day storm sweeping across the southern states of the US, with multiple tornadoes ends just as the Moon entered Libra. 

A Moon in Libra accents the wonder of feminine beauty and deliciously intelligent wiles; to my mind be this Full Moon will be marked by a remark by HH the DL, who answered a question in Sweden (just as the Moon went into Libra) how there is a chance the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama will be female. Of course, self-effacing precious Guru joked and giggled about how gorgeous she might be, so teaching the dharma would be easier for her! Everyone laughed at the idea (which isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds). But he has a point; it is the feminine side of life that continually suffers and, consequently, the right side of the brain and its’ associated activities: art, beauty, holistic understanding that has been ignored, feared, suppressed for so long that the only way to address the current imbalance would be to have a compassionate and loving Kwan Yin kind of figure who can demonstrate the power of (Libran) LOVE with the previous 14 lives fuelling wisdom and sensitivity. 

While that might be in the future (long-life prayer for HH here) this moon suggests that we take our time and Go LIGHTly, with LOVE ♥
 ...this too will pass... 

The Five planets in sunny Aries activating the playful as well as the impulsive ask 'what about ME?' , and are now opposite the sensitive Moon in relationship-orientated, thoughtful Libra who's asking 'what about YOU?' ((( ♥ ))) ~> The balance between ME and WE, so that everyone's needs are met, comes from the HEART being FREE ♥
So remember to be gentle with all (including self), as this Full Moon calls for clarity and harmonising of the intuitive AND rational mind ♥ As Sogyal Rinpoche always says " If you leave a glass of muddy water quite still, without moving it, the dirt will settle to the bottom, and the clarity of the water will shine through. In the same way, in meditation we allow our thoughts and emotions to settle naturally, and in a state of natural ease. "
The effects of this moon linger into the coming week, with Mars opposition Saturn, and Mercury retrograde coming to almost perfect an oppostion to Saturn; which basically rams home the message that rushing isn’t going to get us anywhere. But doing things for others will hopefully take the edge off feeling so desperate and, bizarrely, provide a stronger sense of conscious self…
thanks as always, with love to Bill Brouard and to the Image factory for fire goddess X

Sunday 3 April 2011

nil desperandum -> patience & forethought win out ~ New Aries Moon 2011

A New Moon in the sign of the Ram renews hope and optimism, as additional seasonal momentum propels one fearlessly forward.  Such drive is helpful, particularly as the start of this lunation heralds massive and potentially disruptive sudden change, from which there is much to learn. New projects, ideas or adventures that recently appeared ‘all-systems go’ may quickly reach a momentary high, leading to the need to slow down one’s mind and ride this New Aries Moon, 3rd/4th April, with focus and attention. 

Dramatic developments demand an alert mind ready to seize opportunities that stir the compassionate heart into positive action. Since the Spring Equinox (21st March), when sensitive Moon conjunct boundary-marking and restrictive Saturn (read cuts) we’ve increasingly witnessed rising levels of dissatisfaction across the world over too little autonomy, status, or stability, without a modicom of which the relationship to self and other’s – including the Divine - struggles to find balance.

Now that a cluster of planets assemble in the confident but sometimes reckless sign Aries, the astral prospective is as antagonistic as it is assertive. In a push to seek volition and establish autonomy we may realise sudden new growth. But push too far, too fast, or be too furious, violent and competitive, and any or everything could backfire. Anger management is therefore high on the current celestial agenda, not only to avoid sticky situations but also to question rivalry as well as consider the kind of authority we respect, while the heavens point towards individual freedom within ethical limits as means of ruling responsibility.

Mercury, planet of communication and all we ponder, is thankfully in retrograde motion, which means we now take time to revise, reconsider and reprogram; in Aries, we can begin to understand how the mind works; Aries provides the bravery to reassess how we think and, perhaps more importantly for the impetuous Aries, to consider the RAMifications (couldn’t resist the pun!) of our most personal thoughts and actions. Being hot-headed, anxious, or intolerant is not the same as being keen and eager. This is one of those occasions when more haste really is less speed and the Mercury retro could work in our favour.

In esoteric astrology, Mercury rules Aries, signalling how important it is to contemplate before we act upon asserting our beliefs and thoughts – even for only the Aries nano-second. This association between the first sign of the zodiac, Aries, and the heavenly messenger, Mercury, suggests single-minded thoughtful focus, to be genuinely mindful, as shaping life in truth requires courage as well as reflection, especially if we are to understand life’s mysteries.

The Buddha said “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”

The most dangerous enemy to ardent Aries is its’ own over-heated impatience. Aries can be impulsive, acting quickly to see fast results; self-absorbed and unaware that others can be more cautious, needing time to reflect Aries can soon run up against a wall, spent and out of steam. To avoid such worst case scenarios, make the most of retrograde Mercury in Aries, affording these three precious weeks of reflection. 

In Tantra, fire represents knowledge; in astrology fire symbolises intuition. With SIX planets in fiery Aries, the Spiritual warrior advances as instinct aligns with ‘right understanding’ (from the Buddhist 8-fold path).  Those planets are Dynamic Mars (at home in Aries), BML, altruistic Uranus (hierarchical ruler of Aries), soulful Moon, Spirit Sun, expansive Jupiter AND retrograde Mercury, all oppose the confining Saturn, bringing to a head the recent 3rd and FINAL hit between Jupiter and Saturn (phew - enough already ;) thank you Goddess; this is the last seriously low point of a 20-year cycle): Blazing expansion and high-minded morality are again face-to-face, balancing all points between healthy self-assertion and making sure other’s also have a fair deal. Even-handedness is a major and ongoing deal (until 2012 – at least), and particularly karmic for the (internal) authority that ought to come from the heart.

Talking of which, it is spring (in the northern hemisphere), which rules wood and the colour green: the colour of the heart. Wood represents organic expansion, with influencing wind element; green is also the colour of Tara, the Tibetan Goddess who is the Great Mother Liberator. We call on her wisdom to quickly overcome the many obstacles to the planet and in our personal lives. “Om Tara tuTara ture soha”