☼¸¸.•*¨*•☆ Full Moon Festival of Light! ☆•*¨*•.¸¸☼ 12 March '17

…… Full Moon 22Virgo @14:53GMT (9:53EST) ……
☸ KARMA MULTIPLIED day (+ or - ) x 100 million ☸
This first Full Moon of the Tibetan year of the Red Female Fire Bird celebrates a ‘Day of Miracles’, called ‘Chötrul Düchen’. Today we light candles and make light offerings to commemorate Buddha’s miraculous displays, which came about through his purification of thought, word and deed, meditation and ethical mind-training, plus an accumulation of lifetimes of karmic merit.

☸ A magical Pisces stellium includes Spirit Sun with oceanic Neptune, accenting boundless hidden spiritual strength, collective undercurrents, and the karmic imprints of an entire soul group. Next to the prayerful Pisces Sun are asteroids Pallas Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, strategy and war; together with Chiron, the solar systems’ psychic kundalini Shaman, they imply feminine wisdom is now key to healing accidental emotional wounds.
Close to Sun is the celestial messenger, Mercury, also in psychedelic Pisces. Poetic and romantically fuelled by spiritual oneness, Mercury in watery Pisces is suited to the meditation cushion, in order to find the mind's true inner nature is a radiant and bright, with a heart brimming with unconditional Love.
Spiritual care and rational creativity now have the potential to be enhanced by this Full Moon in Virgo, where the Virgin Goddess offers as a duty a practical compassion, lifting the normal and everyday into the realms of sublime and supernatural.
☸ By tuning into our softer feminine side we can also create personal miracles that can heal physically, mentally and spiritually. However small an act of kindness may be, it can affect the wellbeing of others, even worlds unseen or unseen… 🙏 🙏 🙏
"Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects." – Dalai Lama
With ℒℴѵℯ on this blessed day ॐ__/❀\__ ☼✶•*¨*•.¸¸❤✫ & many thanks to FPMT for photo

✫☽~♥~☉✫ Full Moon in Cancer January 15/16th ✫☽~♥~☉✫

Like a Mother looking after her child, the Moon at home in Cancer provides a place of homely protection, the sanctuary from chaos, and an anchor in rough seas. And the key to the Cancer Moon’s ability awaken the Divine Mother (within each of us) to show care and consideration is love, unconditional and pure.

This Cancer Full Moon, (sandwiched between two New SuperMoons) is exact Wednesday 15th/Thursday 16th at 4:52GMT, accenting professional guidance and practical care for next of kin, as well as friends and the global family. Reflecting the Spirit of the life-giving Sun in accomplished Capricorn (conjunct retrograde Venus), the growing-to-full Cancer Moon conjuncts generous Jupiter, revealing opportunities and helpful, available resources, emotional or solid, that feed and nurture growth and positivity.

With the actual Full Moon, however, there’s a tougher, almost wrathful feminine force at work. Conducting dark energy scored from the Moon’s trajectory around Earth, and determined to protect Earthly treasures (elements water and Earth), Black Moon Lilith heralds from the Divine Mother’s womb as the wisdom Dakini to conjunct this Cancer Full Moon. Black Moon Lilith is the wild part of our self that is fearless when entering the void to embrace bliss. For this is the power of the Divine Feminine who understands the alchemical transformational of Kundalini snake medicine, and whose heightened sense of enlightened awareness galvanises the participation of solving and resolving all the emotional and worldly problems in Samsara’s sea of suffering, as a means of caring and healing and cutting down haughty ego. This, then, is no ordinary Full Moon: it’s a Full Moon with the potential to awaken and illuminate the (collective) subconscious and transform into action.

With love & thanks to A. Andrew Gonzalez, for artwork 'The Oracle of the Pearl', 

from Laura _/♥\_

Full Moon partial Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio ~ April 25th 2013

☆~☽☼☾~☆ KARMA MULTIPLIED DAY – positive or negative - X 7,000,000

Opposing Spirit Sun in earthy Taurus, the highly sensitive Full Moon at 20:58BST (15:58EST) conjuncts karmic Saturn in Scorpio, as well fixed star Spica, which suggests that while all the skills we need are at hand, adopting a long-term and patient approach to any deeply emotional and personal metamorphosis will bring success. Even though this is a short lunar eclipse – only 27 minutes – it is the first of this year’s series of Taurus-Scorpio eclipses, when transforming desire and attachment requires taking responsibility for one’s own happiness – however hard that might be, the rewards for doing so are liberating.

Be realistic. Know that Buddha nature is pure, bright and alive, radiating in the light of our being. Three planets in Taurus urge us to be practical: eat well, sleep well and live simply, fully in the NOW; but give ourselves a good 6 months as a yardstick to measure any deep and meaning psychological remodelling. When training the heart-mind we need to recognise how love overcomes our inner-most fears; and loving one’s own demons is even a means to releasing and letting go of negative obscuration.

Bear in mind the next new moon, May 10th, is a Solar Eclipse, followed by a penumbral Lunar Eclipse (not seen, but felt) on May 25th, which is also Sakadawa, celebrating Buddha's birth, enlightenment and paranirvana; Sakadawa also a SuperMoon, when tides are high and the earth can move – in more ways than one.

The above dates are optimum for the full-power meditation that can at once provide spiritual stability, as well as incredible emotional insight. Best prepare your sacred space and provide a safe and solid foundation for a rich spiritual practice that transforms personal values and shared resources. This is the year of the Water Snake, after all, and Scorpio is related directly to the transmutational Kundalini Shakti, Serpent Power and Divine energy __/❤\__ to be raised with tender care, discipline and love.

thanks to unknown artist for Buddha Earth _/\_

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 _/♥\_

New SuperMoon Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius ~ November'11

“Truth is immediate, radiant, here and now. It is not that truth has to be discovered — only you have to become aware. Truth is already here.” Osho

A new SuperMoon on Thursday night/ Friday morning (6:08GMT on the 25^th November) is a solar eclipse at 2 degrees in fiery Sagittarius, sign of the archer centaur who's arrow is directed towards higher principles: truth and freedom. A simple truth is how freedom is all too easily lost when we allow aggression and attachment to rule. In a world strewn with ignorance and desire it is the agent of falsity, the grasping ego, which we need to tame in order to reveal that radiant truth. Yet this incredible egoless wonder can only ever be experienced individually. No one can make us fully aware of our innate luminous wisdom but ourselves. Thankfully, astrologically speaking, there are times when a more obvious portal unlocks the alive kind of awareness that can potentially open the heart-mind, such as during an eclipse.  

Before I go into detail of this eclipse, it’s always important to note how eclipses are mighty powerful, not to be taken lightly in any way; especially now, as this is a SuperMoon (when the moon is perigee (in close approach to the earth)) and all kinds of dramatic turning points can arise. As such, I advise people to psychically, emotionally (and even physically) protect, so that when the cosmic portal opens wide one remains safely centred in breath, heart and mind. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition we set the intention for the benefit of all beings, and connect to the Guru (inner and outer) through meditation to focus while the channels, chakras and winds course through the body (hopefully unhindered), thus urging the tantric vajrayana practioner towards enlightenment (through the path of transformation).   

According to eastern philosophy, the union of Sun and Moon creates a sacred dynamic to enhance our most powerful subtle body energy; as Earth’s most important two heavenly bodies combine in concentration, they also influence our ability to focus and connect with our innate compassion and wisdom. Mindful of this potent force which lies within and around each and every living thing, the balance of male and female, sun and moon, yin and yang is at once receptive and dynamic, magnetic and electrical, commanding a personal and sometimes psychic awareness that dissolves duality.  How attentive we are of this naturally subtle but powerful (Vajra Body) energy and its blissful state of ONEness depends upon how open our heart-mind can be to unconditional love. And this is probably one of the great truths: love is our natural peaceful state. Absolutely free from plurality, one experiences an open heart-mind, conscious of the peace within to imbibe strength, courage and optimism.  

And this is where the hopeful and confident sign of the Sagittarian archer comes in: locate the early degrees of Sagittarius in the personal chart (or chart of nations if you're into mundane astrology), note where wisdom and insight can be aimed and directed through active joyful perception; this is also the place where karmic merit can be currently accumulated - and dedicated - especially in the two weeks following, as the new moon grows into a full Lunar Gemini eclipse on the 10^th December. 

Although partial, this Sagittarian solar eclipse will be seen in Antarctica - Earth’s southernmost pole, suggesting a passage of heavenly energy flows through Earth’s axis (with the Dragon's head, aka Rahu or North Node, opening the root chakra) and within the Sushumna,  for Rahu’s divine nectar to flow and radiate as a boundless sea of infinite stream of (toroidal) aura and love-light.

While this is the last of four partial solar eclipses of the year, it also coincides with quick-silvered Mercury at station, going retrograde for three weeks. As the ruler of Gemini, Mercury is also a major player in this set of eclipses, as it is the sign in which the upcoming lunar eclipse will take place on the 10^th December. Gemini activates the cosmic light of intelligence: The heavens now urge one to release negative associations or distructive thought patterns that block the flow and hinder realising truth.

During this Thanksgiving Thursday/Friday’s solar eclipse, both Mercury, planet of the MIND, and Venus, planet of LOVE, loosely align to the GALACTIC centre, galvanizing a continued shift in the noosphere as well as individual consciousness. A Venus in Sagittarius archer finds support directing cupid's arrow towards the cosmic love vibration. When communicative Mercury is in far-sighted Sagittarius, it broaden's the mind, emboldens the free-spirit, and fuels the independent thinker; retrograding Mercury retraces thoughts and ideas which help to understand the bigger picture, and get a handle on what truth and freedom actually means; as well as pay service to the demanding attention to detail and any philosophical, spiritual and religious ideals, as well as long-distant travel, or law courts, academia, and/or the in-laws.

This is a very purple dorje Jupiterian moment in time (Purple is Jupiter's colour;)). Also active in the Solar eclipse chart is the Grand Earth Trine, to which Sun and Moon are in a challenging quincunx formation to the still retrograde Jupiter (going forward on Boxing day (just as I am with the in-laws!)). Jupiter is also the planet of expansion, and Sagittarian ruler. Though this formation is what my astrology teacher, Howard Sasportas, called 'a push-me-pull-you', something has to give: A quincunx implies we need to adjust. With expansive Jupiter in sensual Taurus, the sign of love and money now creating tension to Sun and Moon, everyone is feeing the stress of material growth. Though all is not currently lost. Because of Jupiter's ruling connection to Sagittarian Sun, coupled with Venus - who rules Taurus - also being in Sagittarius, Sun/Moon, Venus and Jupiter, are all therefore within the helpful framework labeled ‘mutual reception’. So even with the difficult labelling (and distribution of tasks) this transit actually indicates, Venusian compromise is possible; even the dreadfully-behaved financial markets could stretch themselves to maintain good humour when discovering the growth they seek has slow periods. All anyone has to do is to look away from the money markets to see how people can and do THRIVE - even under this trying circumstance, alignment to the universal flow of radiant truth creates peace and love.

Perhaps the most important lesson from the Zodiac’s Guru, Jupiter – who is Lord of this solar eclipse (tropically speaking), is how spiritual healing is, while exigent (as indicated by the T-square to Mars opposition Neptune), well worth the effort exploring. In fact, with the current trine from Sun and Moon to radical Uranus, planet of dramatic change, I suspect there will more than a handful of individuals who now suddenly ‘wake-up’ and smell the divine nectar.  

Square Dancing on Sun & Moon discs ☼ Solar Eclipse July1st

A dark moon is coming to rest before tomorrow’s last of 3 eclipses in one summery lunation. The previous two eclipses (the 1st Solar on June 1st & a Lunar eclipse on June 15th) opened the mind (Gemini) to portals of truth and light at the centre of the Galaxy (Sagittarius). For the Spiritual Warrior this one can open the floodgate of life itself, welcoming ancestors incarnating in the manifest universe.

As previously intonated, this triple eclipse season aligns a Divine Union of Sun & Moon to Earth, in such a way that encourages one to let go and release the outmoded, and embrace the inner-light connecting us to Spirit – It’s just a small matter of tuning and riding into those subtle wave and spin vibrations to hold the light ;) Through breath-work and, in this instance, a Solar eclipse meditation in a calm and protected manner, we're potentially enabled to observe and release past negativity (usually on out breathe) and, utilising compassion in action (being good to oneself) to relax in the non-conceptual, Divinity within. In Buddhist teachings, one uses any realisation as a means to understand emptiness (but that’s not what I am purporting to achieve in this New Moon Solar Eclipse report :)). So while Kundalini meditation is powerful (and always done with the master's guidance), due to the sensitive nature of  cosmic rays the best any ordinary individual might hope for during this eclipse is the ability to find a balance between rational and intuitve, yin and yang in active refelction.

The celestial aspects involved in this last eclipse include the extraordinary Cardinal Cross of the Central Spiritual Sun, accenting the need to square up to and act upon what might initually seem to be hard and difficult issues, all the while taking into consideration almost every sphere of our lives, showing care to self and others as a Cancerian Mother would her child. It is therefore of utmost importance to observe how we feel during this Cancer new moon, particularly noting any impulse, intuition, and sensation.  
  

At this New Moon partial Solar eclipse on Friday 1st July at 9:54BST the Sun and Moon are at 9 degrees of moon-ruled watery Cancer, opening the way for instinctual awarness: Emotions are a means to enlightenment.  

It is with thanks to Bernadette Brady who alerted me to the fact that this is also a new 1226 year Saros cycle, being activated with 'The Cardinal Cross of the Central Spiritual Sun' as its signature. This is a very special Solar eclipse indeed. ~> Now is THE time to call in our dharma protectors, so we can fully embrace our spiritual discipline, revel in truth, and free the awakened and compassionate heart-mind ~& even if it takes 1000+ years to do so! :)) _(♥)_ 

Maybe it will take that long to complete the Cardinal Cross mission? Who knows? It’s a good guess the mess we humans have created so far is going to take a while to clean up. What we can say with certainty is that we are at a very challenging moment in time, with fast-moving energies calling for us to be incredibly self-aware and come from the altruistic heart, especially amidst change and the endless authoritarian power struggles, and still keep the value of Mother Earth in Jupiterarian positive life-affirming perspective.

Yet the Cancerian nature of this eclipse, as Goddess of the Sea, reminds me to honour the Great Mother Divinty and nurture family and self in relation to the evolving mass consciousness. Through kindness to all beings, and undstanding how we all suffer we can develop devotion and, dare I say, Bodhicitta, the precious altruistic and awakened heart-mind.

This Cardinal Cross of the Central Spiritual Sun is not one to be nailed upon the starry fermament forever; while its' essense influences the resonnance of the next thousand years, still the zodiac turns. This actual Cardinal Cross pattern remains with varying planetary players until 2015 (ish), after which the heavens become more mutable, invoking wisdom from our current action. Forming the Solstice axis of the cross, Spirit Sun and Soul Moon are in Cancer, in opposition to powerful Pluto in Capricorn; renewing structure through intense and often difficult to see crisis (Nuclear radioactivity, for instance). Across the Equinox axis of balance and assertion lie awakening Uranus in dynamic Aries (with Goddesses Ceres, the Earth Mother, and Black Moon Lillith, Goddess of the Void) in opposition to disciplined Saturn in harmonious Libra, together they encourage a focus upon each individual heart to be alert and at peace.

Not only are Sun & Moon key players in this Cardinal Cross (first activated Lammas 2010), but they are also in a helpful trine aspect to the Chiron Neptune conjuntion - healing Chrion with the seas of Neptune. When we combine this celestial energy with the Cancer Sun-Moon square to Saturn, Pluto and Uranus, it can be summised as “Collective mass consciousness restructuring the Wounded Water”. There are several points to note here: One is that Cancer is esoterically ruled by oceanic Neptune, emphasising the water element. The other is how this eclipse is taking place over the Antarctic, focalising and stabilising the heavenly union in trinity - Sun-Moon-Earth - upon the very part of our planet where our world's water meets. The Antarctic has a loop of cold and salty water flowing all around it, the thermohaline current, and is where super-gyers swirl into the deepest layers of the ocean’s undercurrents.  This Moon therefore is key to restructuring water and emotion, through penetrative wisdom and intuitive vision holding the remedial intention is crucial.

 Water is symbolic of memory and emotions. And as this eclipse holds point of focus upon undulating depths, it is similarly symbolic of our deeper feelings, which are likely to be the ongoing source of profound healing and purification, a soothing refreshment. Water offerings with love & gratitude work on unfathomable levels.  Most who read this are probably aware of Dr Emoto’s work with healing and restructuring water; so while he is organising a world water healing day every month, this New Moon Solar Eclipse could actually be seen as THE seeding moment of a momentous 1000+ year healing, when at the end of this period we really do understand the our true nature, one that karmically encapsulates the Central Spiritual Sun.  So let’s not forget how one drop of water can take a 1000 years to complete an entire loop of the thermohaline current and send our loving prayers and best intentions to the world's seas, oceans and rivers during this eclipse, asking for clean and pure restructured water, so symbolic of the clear and unobscured emotion we require for enlightenment.  _(♥)_

Thanks to unknown natural life photographer and visionary illustrators <3 :)