✿ New Virgo Moon ~> 25th August ~> @15:13bst

The remedial Virgo Sun’s ruler, quicksilver Mercury, makes an encouraging and helpful aspect to the currently forceful Mars/Saturn conjunction in powerful, secretive Scorpio. Setting a positive intention is paramount with the start of a lunation that begins with a mighty Mars/Saturn conjunction, as this potent vibration can hold for the whole month. I recently likened this aggregation of forceful scarlet Mars and taskmaster Saturn to that of wading through treacle: Sweet because the connection of Jupiter/Venus is still in playful Leo; but sticky too, due to the muddied and complex nature of active Mars and karmic Saturn controlling; with fiery Mars an earthy Saturn can harden and form into something solid, like a wall that can either protect, or one that needs scaling in order to discover what's behind or reach further insights.

Luckily, the shape-shifting Virgo Mercury’s plasticity allows the mind to see what is concretising from various angles. Mercury's variety of experience shows it’s how we view situations, which can make all the difference to both process and outcome. So we need to be careful how we now shape our thoughts at the time of this New Moon in the the beautiful sign of the Virgo Goddess, and particularly how we steer inner feelings to discern and stabilize emotions, to reap the individual and collective healing this lunation offers. For concentrated deep spiritual healing employ feminine wisdom with the compassion of a rational heart, and we can heal the dream, as well as dream the healing.

With ℒℴѵℯ_/✿\_ & many thanks to beautiful Great Mother Liberator, Green Tara, whose mantra 'Om Tara Tutara Ture Soha' can invoke the Goddess to help remove obstacles ॐ_/\_

☿ Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio ☿ ♏ Rx - 21st Oct - 10 November

Usually swift in winged attire, Mercury, sparkling planet of mind and movement slowed down yesterday to become retrograde at 18 Scorpio for three weeks, until November 10th. Going all the way back to 2Scorpio, Mercury now goes undercover to be the guiding light when delving into dark recesses, a covert celestial agent with a responsible mission.

Secretive, enigmatic and transformational, Mercury in Scorpio is magnetic, thoughtful and extremely incisive when dealing with difficult subjects. In Scorpio, Mercury is the psychopomp, escorting people, things, ideas, through various transitions: from life to death, to life after death through the bardo, and rebirth.

When the planet of the mind delves into powerful Scorpio it does so fearlessly, teaching that when something/someone dies it is to be reborn. Holding steady with laser-like perception, Mercury in Scorpio deals sensitively with taboo subjects such as power, sex, death, and shared investments, such as emotional investments within intimate relationship, spiritual investment with tantric commitment, or financial such as big business, taxes, and inheritance (environmental, cultural, or monetary); none of these are easy topics, often requiring trust and faith, and an ability to stop and step back to release the old and outworn in order to be renewed and reborn. As Mercury will conjunct karmic Saturn twice more during this retrograde/direct phase (and twice more Sextile both Pluto & Mars, plus Trine Neptune), busy Mercury is able to magically facilitate healing at any time, thus encouraging the development of insight, intuition, and the psychic sensitivity to transform past life (past events/past psychology) into a potentially powerful force for good by taking personal control of one's life, and sharing the best with the rest. _/♥\_

Thanks to unknown artist for evocative Buddha _/♥\_
If you would like to know more how this period constellates in your own horoscope, please contact me for rates

11th Feb ~ LOSAR ~ 2013 Year of the Black Water Snake

Prevalent in the mythology engrained in so many cultures, the Snakes’ dominant theme is how they represent hidden knowledge and intuitive feminine wisdom. Ultimately Snakes symbolise a mystical transmutation of spirit and, in the process, one sheds an outworn skin so that one is renewed to ascend in truth and overcome duality to heal and liberate the earth-bound human condition. Indeed, snakes entwined around the caduceus, Healing Mercury’s rod is used globally to signal strong medicine at work – you see them at almost every pharmacy in the world.

From the astrological point of view, snakes and serpents are associated with the magical and secretive, often hidden Scorpio, the 8th house, and the planet Pluto, because the snakes’ power of rejuvenation has the potential to bestow remarkable wisdom, a wisdom that comes from utilising resources that help one survive going to the depths and back.

From the spiritual perspective, in Yoga-Tantra we acknowledge the healing potential of subtle body psychic energies, and work with a three-coiled serpent, ‘Kundalini Shakti’ – a powerful feminine energy that resides at the base of the spine. When ‘serpent power’ is activated though inner-heat (normally over the age of 50 for a woman), like a snake it awakens, uncoils and raises powerful psychic energy up through the subtle body’s central channel that carries life-enhancing prana (a.k.a. chi, bio-energy, rLung) the ‘sushumna’ (one of 3 main nadis/channels), and into the crown chakra, so that one enters into a divine union with bliss and emptiness.

‘Serpent Power’ also descends, returning to the root, grounding the elemental basis. I make this sound relatively easy; but while there are the rare few who become instantaneously ‘realised’, either through transmission or other conductors, it can take ordinary beings years – lifetimes - of practice to surrender to the truth of our divine Buddha nature in it pure luminous presence. Sullied by discursive thoughts, we often sense the need to purify the ego and clear obscured karmic blocks (klehsas) that manifest within (as well as externally) and around the central channel, so that Kundalini can freely rise towards our innate enlightened Nirvana. Yet, while most are still taking baby steps towards maintaining the clear light nature of mind, those who have experienced Kundalini rising will tell you that its nothing to mess around with, it can be like a powerful explosion of phosphorescing light that can at once excite and overwhelm, that quickly sheds the old paradigm, which is why the inexperienced should always surround themselves with spiritual friends; developing Kundalini require meditation and calm.

Not that I want to discourage anyone from working with Kundalini, but do so with care and consideration; so here’s to 2013 being a year in the influence of the Serpent Goddess, and keeping emotions and passions such as desire and aversion under control by being mindful of unconditional love-wisdom and compassion in all eventualities.

The image to illustrate this post is a photo I took years ago, when visiting the Manassala Snake Temple in Kerala, Southern India. This Temple is run solely by women devoted to snakes, who are covered in verbuti (sacred ash). The Temple houses many many snakes, including the Raja Cobra. The king snake curled up contentedly listening to the priestess sing songs according to the Nakshatra (mansion of the Moon) of the visitor to whom she was singing to. In my case she sang songs to Punavarsu; it was a truly magical experience.

I’m also including this personal illustration because the black snake stone sculptures are all covered in bright yellow Turmeric. Interestingly, the Feng Shui for this year emphasises the number 5, which is Yellow in colour, governing the central area of any house or room. This means that energy concentrates around the middle of buildings; to encourage a positive vibration place a 6-rod metal wind chime in the centre of your house or home. Who knows, doing so may even encourage ‘Shakti Power ‘to flow circulate more freely in your body and around your home :)_/♥\_ I have placed our wind chime already.

If you would like to know how your personal horoscope constellates in the year of the Snake, please get in touch for info and rates : 

~ With Losar blessings for a Happy Tibetan New Year ~
from Laura _/♥\_