Category: Amelia’s Blog

“Mars is the god of desire: eros, feistiness, aggression, heat and action. We draw upon Mars for courage, dynamism, passion and kinship with life.  Mars reminds us that spiritual life is not some passive, safe, wimpy tour; it is bold, active, heroic and completely engaged adventure.” Caroline W. Casey

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” Mother Teresa

The Moon waxes full Thursday March 1 at 11 degrees of Virgo. The Virgo/Pisces axis is about the evolutionary journey of more closely aligning higher principles or spiritual beliefs with everyday life and actions.  It is also the axis of service to others and to  the world.

At the time of the Full Moon two asteroids are particularly powerful – Vesta and Pallas Athene. This pair is associated with the re-emergence of the Feminine- in men, women and the world at large.  Under this influence there can be information about how to move your life  in a direction of increased inner wholeness and how to advocate more effectively for what is important to you. It is possible to see more clearly obstacles that have been holding you back.

Vesta in Sagittarius is indicating it bodes well to work or volunteer (even in a small capacity) for a cause that you believe in. Pallas Athene is in Taurus indicating that the resolution of conflict works best by being receptive and open to inspired ideas and approaches in addition to pragmatics.

With so many planets in Pisces striving for higher aspirations is indicated. It bodes well to keep communications very clear. And to avoid the pull of addictive behavior which can be strong at this time.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A sword used in many battles is now in a museum.”

Sabian symbol quote from Lynda Hill

“A Sufi story tells of a student who complains to his teacher about the cruelties of the world. The teacher replies,’Yes of course. but if it weren’t for the hidden work of those who imagine, dream, pray  and act compassionately when the opportunity presents itself, things would be much worse.” Caroline W. Casey

‘You are not the oil, you are not the air – merely the point of combustion, the flash-point where the light is born.” Dag Hammarskjold

The many and varied cultures throughout the world value levels of consciousness differently. In the industrialized western world view, the cerebral approach is prioritized over a  dream like, imaginative or reflective state. In many circles a sense of mystery seems to have vanished entirely.

This week and for much of this month, as planets transit through the ethereal sign of Pisces, is a good time to be more in touch with these  dreamy, intuitive realms.

Venus in Pisces is conjunct Neptune this week. This combination is often seen in the charts of mystics and artists – like  Michelangelo- who, in their work, are trying to make manifest a higher vision or an awareness of higher realms. It is a muse like energy – similar to when an artist receives inspiration from an intermediary to a source of inspiration. It governs platonic love – as seen in some of the stories of the Knights of the Round Table – where love for an unavailable woman inspired the brave deeds of the knights.

Neptune also rules illusion and disillusionment. It’s a good time to rethink  moments or times when disillusionment has occurred or has a pattern of recurring, and if indicated, to find a better approach.

When Neptune has transited through the sign of Pisces before there has been an increased interest in spirituality on the planet.  In more recent times during that period the knowledge and understanding of Buddhism and eastern spiritual practices spread throughout the western world.

One of the Sabian symbols for planets entering Pisces is,”Moonlit fields, once Babylon, are blooming bright.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

Once when I was the marketing director for a  radio station, I had made an appointment to meet with the owner of a night club.  He had told me on the phone how to find his office. It was in the very back of the club which was in a renovated train depot.

It was quite dark and cavernous inside the depot. It had that feeling of a place that only comes alive at night. I walked  through the dim light and knocked on his office door.

I was quite taken aback when he opened the door and I saw his face because he looked exactly like my husband who was out of the country for an extended period of time. And I missed him.

His office was small and plain. It had probably not changed much since the train station had been  there. Adorning the walls were small, framed painted pictures of frogs that looked a bit comical.

But he couldn’t have been more gracious and welcoming. And he directed  me to the chair near his desk.

He was fun to talk with and I don’t know how we got onto the subject of birthdays – maybe I asked him his because he reminded me so of my husband. But then he asked me, “When is your birthday?”

And I said,”Today,” at which point he suddenly  jumped up and said in a very loud, excited voice, “Today? My God I didn’t know it was your birthday! ” and he tore several of the frog pictures off the wall and handed them to me. They were in kind of an awkward stack because he had torn some of the sheet rock off too. He smiled at me glowingly and said,”Happy birthday!”

Appointments in my workday could at times be terribly boring- I had never had much of an interest in business and seemed to have crafted a career where I engaged in business discussions for most of the day.  So meeting him was a very welcome relief indeed. We became fast friends. He told me he was an inventor and that the latest project he was working on was something kind of like a boomerang. He didn’t describe it that way, of course, because to him there had never been anything like it and he was applying for a patent and it was all a very big secret. He asked me if I would like to see it fly sometime and I said,”Sure that would be fun.”

So we set up a time and he came to my house and we went to a beautiful neighboring field and he showed me how it flew.  He explained his ideas  about aerodynamics and why it was unique.

Later that day, when we were talking, he told me that he had just been through  a very contentious divorce with his wife and he really regretted the way things had turned out. (She was furious and wouldn’t talk to him.) But he had done something that he had hoped would endear her to him once again. He had written a book of poems for her and published it. The title of his book was, “I  Love You Whether You Love Me or Not.” He gave it to her for Valentines Day.

And he gave me a copy too.

I didn’t see him much after that because I stopped working at the radio station. But I have kept that book and sometimes remember  him and wonder how things turned out. And I think about the sentiment behind the title.

“Aquarian love is Uranian- it is the love of the awakener for the awakened. It awakens you to truths about yourself that you’ve never seen before.  The sign of Aquarius says,’ I love you enough to let you more fully and completely be yourself. This is because the more you are fully and completely who you are, the more  I can be fully and completely who I am… I love you the best when you are being who you are even if that means that you may leave me.” Richard Idemon

“Poles apart,  I’m the color of dying, you’re the color
of being born. Unless we breathe into each other,
there can be no garden.
So that’s why plants grow and laugh at our eyes,
which focus on distance.” Rumi 

We are living in times of great change here on planet earth. It’s a time when the old models for “business as usual” appear to be crumbling in many areas of life – especially the old reliable ones.

It’s time to find a new, more innovative direction. And not that it will be easy.

At the time of Thursday’s eclipse – at 4:50 pm EST on March 15 , the Sun, Moon, Juno and Mercury are all conjunct in Aquarius. This eclipse is a powerful threshold  in terms of the  personal journey towards  inner wholeness. That journey impacts on the world at large as well –  as it did the Sixties when Uranus and Pluto were powerful players in the sky. Then as now “the personal had become political.”

Venus is conjunct Neptune which speaks of the integration of spiritual values.

This New Moon eclipse  is a good time to reset or tweak intentions and aspirations if needed. It’s wise with Mercury widely conjunct the South Node to avoid  or disavow thought patterns that can drag you back into a sense of disempowerment, disillusionment or unproductive ways of being.

We are living in a time when it’s best to be evolving new models of thinking based on fairness, balance and a holistic approach.

Best also to keep moderation in mind with Jupiter’s involvement at this time. Watch for overshooting the mark and for overindulgence.

Uranus is a powerful player now in terms of moving things forward in an innovative or unanticipated direction – particularly in terms of commitments – personal and relationship wise. It’s best to avoid rigid role models unless you are clearly committed to them in a conscious way.

It is wise to remember that there is positive growth and evolution going on all the time around the world which is not widely covered in the news. It is good to align your energy and aspirations with endeavors like that.

One of the Sabian symbols for this eclipse is, “An ancient pottery bowl, filled with fresh violets.”

Sabian symbol reference from Lynda Hill

“Time is not at all what it seems. It does not flow in one direction, and the future exists simultaneously with the past.” Albert Einstein

“God created time so everything wouldn’t happen at once.” Jack Smith

The presence of Ganesha  the Hindu god is likely to be felt this week. Ganesha is invoked  for assistance in removing obstacles. But Ganesha is a mercurial character and is also known for creating obstacles and placing them in our way.

This week some of  the planets are  forming 90 degree angles or square aspects. This indicates that the need to overcome obstacles will likely be present. Square aspects can create an inner tension which seeks an outlet through action in the outside world. People with a lot of squares in their natal charts, for this reason, can often be very dynamic.

It’s good  to keep in mind that we are in a somewhat liminal time – between eclipses. It’s wise to assume all the info you are looking for is not yet in. The next eclipse in Aquarius is on February 15. Eclipses on the Leo/Aquarius axis are about autonomy and personal leadership and collaboration with others. Striking a balance in this area is not always easy. It is wise to temper your approach in this area if necessary – i.e. if you are inclined ordinarily to take a detached view when working with others, try to integrate a more empathetic perspective. If you are inclined to take a more emotional view, try taking a more detached perspective.

There can be a fair amount of frustration this week in an effort to push things forward. It bodes well to proceed wisely and with caution.

One of the Sabian symbols for the Sun square Jupiter is, “Obeying his conscience a soldier resists orders.”

Sabian symbol from  Lynda Hill

“The most highly charged relationships occur when unlike seeks unlike, not when like seeks like. The ancient Greek god Eros was depicted as a prime creative force in the universe because he created the universe by bringing together chaos and matter, two very different things.The 7th house is traditionally called the house of the “not self “as well as the house  of marriage. It’s as if we want to marry what isn’t in us.”  Richard Idemon

“Spiritual practice is really about weaving a network of good relationships.” Dhyani Ywahoo

In astrology the elements-  earth, air,  fire and water govern  the different aspects of  perceiving and experiencing life. For instance someone with a lot of fire could take a very adventurous orientation towards life and tend to leap excitedly into new circumstances. Someone with a predominance of water would have a more sensitive, emotional approach. Someone with a  lot of the air element would tend to analyze and assess things from a cerebral viewpoint.

Everyone has  a blend of elements and many people have an  imbalance. This can result in behavior that tends to either overcompensate for the lacking element – often quite successfully – or to seek it outside of themselves  in partnership when they see it in other people. So for example a person who is reclusive by nature may be drawn to a partner who is outgoing and can develop a social life for the partnership. But when the sociable person leaves the alliance, the other person often  returns to the more solitary state.

Often with highly charged relationships there is a karmic component – i.e there was an agreement of some kind made before this lifetime that when the two people were to meet again – often under the most common of circumstances – the purpose of the connection would be  to work on some form of healing of old wounds. There can be an ancestral component too – some desire in the family lines to work on and make progress with an old issue that the family has struggled with over time. This is a difficult task –  especially if interpreted initially as indicating that a serious long term marriage may be on the table. Relationships like this may have trouble with endurance due to the intensity and can blow apart.

Some astrologers have said that 2018 is not a good year for marriage because the planets of the lovers – Mars , governing the Masculine  (drive, ambition and how we move forward in the world ) and the Feminine (justice, soulfulness and a holistic approach) both transit retrograde this year.  Venus retrograde can represent a fearless warrior goddess. And Mars retrograde can be related to retreat, aggression or passive aggressive behavior  in situations related to the  use of power.

With Mars and Venus transiting retrograde in the course of the year,this re-balancing process of power and the use and abuse of power – will be a theme both personally and collectively as  a new and more  harmonious balance is striving to be born.  Needless to say this elicits inner and outer conflict and push back and it’s wise to exercise patience as new perceptions are being born and seeking to be  integrated both personally and collectively.

I don’t necessarily  agree that  2018 is a bad year for marriage in general. I think partnerships established in this time will contain this seed of seeking a new kind of power balance as they move forward. It can create conflict obviously but can result in evolution as well. It also bodes well to take into account the balance of the elements in each chart.

There can be a somewhat somber feeling in the air around a Lunar Eclipse – one of which is tomorrow, Wednesday Jan 31.

But  it brightened my  day considerably today when I was driving home to have to stop and  let Pina Colada cross the road. Pina Colada is a chicken who lives with a family downtown in our small New England Village.  She was rescued from a dire fate by two little girls whose house is across the street from the cinema arts theatre in town. Pina Colada has her own house in the yard and is free to run during the day. Her first priority is to get over to the theatre where they give her a bowl of popcorn and a bowl of fresh water.

She then often can be seen in other areas  downtown. The police one day in particular enjoyed a call to the station about a chicken crossing the road. There has been occaisional concern about a hawk that dives down into her yard when she is running free but the staff at the theatre keeps an eye out for her  as do the patrons of the movie theatre who have to take care when parking there. Plus Pina Colada is savvy too and knows when to dive under a car.

In our topsy turvey times  of change , with Chiron and Neptune in Pisces – the sign of service to others – it’s good to remember the many good deeds that go on all the time around the globe that help to make the world a friendlier, kinder place.

“The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shadows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight…

I love people who harness themselves, as an ox to a heavy cart,
Who pull like the water buffalo with massive patience,
who strain in the muck and the mud to pull things forward,
who do what has to be done again and again.

The work of the world is as common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.” Marge Piercy

Wednesday’s Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Leo is in the sign of leadership and where you shine in the world.  Sometimes and under certain circumstances you can be “called” into a leadership position before you feel you are ready. It can feel like an initiation that you must step into –  in a personal or professional way – not fully prepared or with alot of unanswered questions.

This is the case for many people now who feel called to work to create a more just world.  And it’s important with the South Node involvement to remember that activity like this can have its daunting moments and unanticipated problems and that’s okay. Just make sure to provide appropriate downtime in order to restore and reinvigorate.

The Nodes in astrology – prominent players in eclipses- are associated with life path and life purpose. It’s wise to be conscious of where you intend for your life to go during these time frames – this one extending through late February. With the powerful influence of Mercury, Pluto  and Uranus now, do  be attentive to signs and signals of an unconventional nature that can point the way forward in unexpected ways.

“And all the obstacles along the way
Sometimes may feel so tremendous
There are guides and spirits all along the way
Who will befriend us.” Van Morrison 

“I have made this,  I have forgotten
And remember …
Between one June and another September,
Made this unknowing, half conscious, unknown my own.

This form, this face, this life,
Living to live in a world of time beyond me, let me
Resign my life for this life, my speech for that unspoken,
The awakened, lips parted, the hope, the new ships. ”

We are now in eclipse season when time can feel distorted  Eclipses are evolutionary in nature and and  present opportunities for personal growth and evolution. The first eclipse is a Full Moon Lunar eclipse at 11 degrees of Leo on January 31. The effect of eclipses can be felt building up to and after the event.

Lunar eclipses are about the past and the unconscious.  In the old texts they would say that during a lunar eclipse the power of the unconscious mind would overtake the conscious mind. In our time it would be explained more as a time when – if you are tuned into it- there can be glimpses of unconscious thoughts or feelings which can drive behavior in old, unproductive ways. The pull of the forces can be habitual and strong but the opportunity lies in seeing things more clearly to contain these influences in order to move in a wiser way going forward.

The Tarot Card of the Sun is associated with the sign of Leo. The card depicts a  joyful, small child riding on a white horse. The horse has no saddle or bridle. This happy duo is moving away from a very tall and thick  wall.  Behind the wall grow sunflowers which symbolize happiness. The idea behind the card is that the child is moving away from things that feel constrictive or limited and moving in a direction of  freedom and happiness because she can see the unnecessary limitations (symbolized by the wall)  that held her back. The limitations can have to do with assumptions that are no longer necessary. The child is naked implying  trust and innocence. Riding away from the wall does not mean leaving boundaries behind but rather leaving overly limiting boundaries or restrictions  (thought or feeling patterns) behind or in the appropriate perspective.

Lunar eclipses can also bring forward the influences that come down from the ancestors or are inherited through the bloodlines. There are evolutionary wishes on the part of the ancestors but there are also similar pitfalls about attaining those aspirations that we can fall prey to – such as addiction in its myriad forms. Addiction often has an inherited component to it.

It’s best if these kinds of influences arise now to take a good look and them and choose which of the traits you would like to carry foward and which of the pitfalls you need to avoid or would be best left behind.

The second eclipse is a Solar eclipse at 27 degrees of Aquarius on February 15.

In early November  of 2016 there was a significant station of the centaur planet, Pholus.  The meaning of Pholus is “the lid blows off” and it speaks of something that is uncontainable or has  trouble with containment. We are in many ways entering a new age (the dawning of the Age of Aquarius)  with the many changes we see around us. The sign of Aquarius is that of the enlightened or spiritual warrior who values collaboration and innovation and brings about change that way.

The  Sabian symbol for the upcoming eclipse is,”An old sea captain rocking on the porch of his cottage.”

Sabian symbol by Lynda Hill.