What does it mean?

by Rain Trueax

If someone is trying to avoid thinking about earthly tangles, whether family or larger, the biggest thing for the month of July has been a rarely seen comet, Neowise. It has an orbit of 6800 years; so it wasn't last seen by humans during the time history was being recorded. To many of us, it came as a bit of a surprise but also an excitement as a reminder of the size and scope of our universe.

Think of it. They believe this comet is 4.6 billion years old, created with our universe. As it is visible here on earth for this month, it is still 100 million kilometers away at its closest approach which will be July 22-23. 

Comets, which I knew little about before this, are made up of ice (water) and dust (earth). Their trail is dust and ice. They have been regarded as symbols in some cultures. Not ours today so much, as we are very science or earthbound for what something means. What can it do for us? Is it dangerous? Can we get there and exploit it? Okay, next question-- can I photograph it? 

Many have tried and succeeded beautifully. We have been out of luck down here as the monsoons arrived with the comet's appearance and that means clouds, even when not storms. Still, it's been interesting to see what others have captured. Some spectacular.

dreams and Uranus

by Rain Trueax

central Arizona photo

Astrologers say the planet Uranus went retrograde (whatever that means), and from between the 11^th and 12^th   of August until January 2020 it will be a time of intensity (like the world needs more of that...) and a time to look for omens and synchronicities. 

So dreams fit under that category, right? The night of the 12^th, I had two dreams that were kind of linked and kind of not. That I remembered both when I woke up is a little unusual for me. I generally just hold onto one, the last one. 

eclipse

The last time a total eclipse came across the United States, it was [1918]. It came in the middle of a turbulent time for the country. WWI (where about 53,000 Americans died in combat) would not end until November 11th. Maybe more significant for many Americans, that January was the beginning of a pandemic that would eventually take 650,000 American lives-- most between the ages of 20 and 40. That tragedy was a big deal in my family's history, as my mother and her sisters got very ill. As she was nursing them, my grandmother's beloved brother died. The stories of that go beyond the physical to the spiritual and are part of my family's mythology.

Today, we understand-- eclipses are biological events, the obscuring of light by one celestial body passing over another. Lunar ones happen regularly, but solar ones more rarely and not in the same places. In some times and cultures, these events have been regarded as having spiritual significance-- especially before science was good at predicting and understanding their cause. When you see one, you understand better how a more primitive culture might have regarded them.

Shamans have used such events to give themselves power. I would guess solar eclipses provided less opportunity since they are further apart in any one geographic area. Today when spiritual leaders tried to make (a few did) the one of August 21st into something with spiritual meaning, they had less success. We know too much.

I had another blog set for today but thought I should use the photos Ranch Boss took  Monday morning in Oregon. The actual event lasted two hours or so. We, like many others, settled ourselves (with comfortable chairs) to where we'd have full view of the sun and bought special glasses to watch-- because to study the sun is to court blindness. The climax, when the corona appeared lasted about two minutes here. To photograph it he used a tripod, telephoto lens, and a filter to protect the lens-- the sun will destroy a camera as easily as a retina.

Animals aren't alerted like we are. As it began to take out the sun, the vultures had been circling over a nearby road. As the air current changed, they soared less and used their wings more. Then they disappeared to settle onto tree branches. When the moon blocked the sun, we heard the coyotes yodel from up the valley. As the sun returned, a neighbor's rooster crowed. Our sheep and cattle had sought shelter earlier; so I can't say what they thought. The cats roamed around, were a little feisty with each other (not unusual), but then night is their time anyway. Even though we were in the center of totality here, it never got totally dark but more like dusk. The temperature dropped 10 or so degrees. 

In a way it was all biology. In another, it was, however a big deal in the US-- something we could all talk about without getting mad or upset. I admit. It surprised me when it felt special-- something I suddenly shared with more primitive cultures as well as our own. I could imagine how scary it must have seemed to a people not knowing it was coming. I could see how someone might claim they brought the sun back to gain power. For me, it was more moving than I had expected it to be when it reached totality. 

An event like that is what photography is all about. It allows someone to share with others a moment that otherwise passed and is gone. For much of the US, this was a big event. It felt good to have something we could share without judgment or someone being angry. I liked knowing that as it passed us, it was over others until it went off our continent. It was truly a shared event, at a time when so much is divisive.

a new moon

Now and again, I get these emails about astrology. I felt this one was worth sharing as part of lifestyle thinking. I've believed that the moon does offer some opportunities for us to work with natural energies. In my books, I've used the moon's cycles by finding online what phase would be in the year they are set. I create calendars with it, when it would rise as well as the events in the story.

The photo is a full moon since we don't have much to photograph when it's a new moon as it will be September 1

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A New Moon is always good time to reset and refine intentions and when it is accompanied by an eclipse is carries even more power. We are moving into a time of consolidating and collecting our energies for what’s to come and this New Moon is a great time to review where you have been and where you wish to go.

The most important thing is to know what you want. If you don’t know what you want, at least tell the truth about what you don’t want. Eliminate what does not work, what no longer fits, and open the possibilities for something new to become clear and begin to emerge. The first few days of September will be a great time to go within and to make some inner decisions and personal commitments that will put certain things into action for you in the future. It is a time to set things up in the right way, realign your goals to match your heart’s desires, get the support you need, and make a plan. coming from:  Patricia Liles. Contact her at PATLILES@aol.com

The Basis of Astrology

Okay, I know how many skeptics there are on what astrology does. Most of this, I think, comes out of not knowing much about it and basing what they do know on horoscopes in the newspapers.

So I thought, hey I'll give a whack at discussing it even though I am not an astrologer. I look at it from the outside as one who has had horoscopes done by others, bought quite a few books on astrology, done natal charts for friends using a computer program (which was more about my ability to create characters than understanding the star combinations), and had an interest in what it all might mean and why. I especially think that when I see my own life reflecting big changes without anyway for me to explain it.

Here's the first personal opinion. I don't think much of horoscopes either especially not those in newspapers. That's simply too general to have much meaning for anybody. I have had a horoscope that was specific to my birth time and it still didn't seem to hit on what happened to me on those dates. I think there are too many variables in our lives to have the planets explain any given day.

Natal charts, now those are closer to having meaning. That means on the date you were born, here are the general characteristics of people born at that exact time, place and date. That turns out to be surprisingly close if you have ever had one done. The question would be why is it close, and why would I believe astrology has value in a general sense for trends that are impacting humans as a whole, not each individual sign specifically?

First of all, here is what astrology actually is in the sense of that age old method of looking at the stars and planets to determine some trends. The planets move around the sun as does the earth and all orbit in a mostly predictable way. In the sky, way out there, the constellations, they are on a different pattern. So as our universe moves, those constellations don't have the same apparent movement. They move too but so far out that it's not like our rotations that form more regular cycles. Same way with the planets that are closer to us changing more often in our sky than the ones farther out.

Let's take Neptune, which is being much discussed right now because it is moving into what is considered its own sign-- Pisces. This is not some arbitrary imaginary thing. Neptune, if you looked up into the sky, you would see it in the constellation Pisces. You could measure where it is there. You could also measure where it was compared to other planets.

"From now until 2026 with only a brief retrograde back to Aquarius from September until Feb 2012, Neptune will be a strong influence for basic escapism from the uncomfortable, fearful aspects pressuring our shared reality, and at the same time, the arts and creative imagination and expression will flourish as artists tap into the inspiration of the muse, and the vast, dry spiritual emptiness of our cultures open themselves to direct experience of Spirit." Patricia A.Liles

If you get an astrology reading from one who really is good at it, they will have the degrees of these planets which is measurable. Astrology is more about mathematics than mysticism. The theory on astrology is that these combinations, as they naturally occur in the skies, coincide with certain trends on earth. They repeat themselves over generations. Some birth signs might feel some of these impacts more than others but the overall impact is universal.

Here's where the skeptic goes-- ridiculous. But wait. Supposing that this is all based on observations of human life as it is with say the Vedic school of astrology which goes back thousands of years. Supposing that it's not so much that the planets make this happen as it is that these naturally occurring combinations are part of the trends of human nature. Suppose some observed this and kept records of the impacts, and over generations, the patterns were repeated.

I have a book on life in the United States since its beginning. Generations The History of America's Future 1584-2069 by William Strauss & Neil Howe. Their theory, which has nothing to do with astrology, is that each generation impacts the next and we have had in the US eighteen American generations. Within the generations are four repeated types with certain characteristics.

In each cycle, there will be Idealist, Reactive, Civic, and Adaptive. One impacts the next. It is a cycle that continually impacts who the next generation will be based on the one ahead of it.

For example, my parents were of the Civic generation while (they calculate the start of this differently for the year) I am of the Idealist (which other social engineers call Boom and say starts a few years later than this book has it).

Understanding this was of particular interest to me as a writer who wanted my historic characters to seem real, but I can see another implication to it.

Supposing that astrology, rather than some mystical set of numbers with no meaning, actually is using what has happened over and over again, patterns that are repeated. We can, when we look at the skies, take measurements, then look at the likely trends to come, how they are impacting our lives, and use the information. This isn't going to tell us when an earthquake will come but more how humans will likely react to it.

To me, that's what astrology is about. And if you find a good astrologer, follow what they are saying, observe what the patterns have been and are likely to be, it serves a purpose. It helps you understand why friends or family member might be acting seemingly irrational, why the world seems to be going loopy. You don't have to be fearful about a time that seems particularly upsetting to you because you know that cycles come and go. This too will pass. If you are a sensitive person, you probably already were feeling some of those vibes.

something extra

For those interested in astrology, check out [Rainy Day Extras]. The e-mail (which the writer said feel free to share elsewhere) is about astrology, the Hopi prophecies, and how they might play into the Gulf oil disaster.

Full Moon October 4

For those of you interested in astrology, the full moon called the Harvest full moon (first full moon after the fall equinox) will be Sunday. I received an email with some information on how we might use this time and posted it on Rainy Day Extras.

9/9/9

Okay so it really is 09/09/09 but you get the idea that it is one of those dates. I hadn't thought of it being one until I read this in a newsletter from Cynthia Tierra--

[About 9/9/09].

These dates are always coming along and usually we wouldn't even know they were there if nobody told us. When we do know, can we use such times as cosmic windows to attain what we want? Might those be things we want for our own lives but also for others, for even something universal?

Naturally those of you, who don't believe in psychics or portending times, just tuned me out. Mysticism bad. Logic good. Okay, but you also don't happen to believe Christ's birth was predicted based on signs in the sky, do you?

What if tomorrow is a special date with the benefits that Cynthia speaks of in her newsletter? How could we use it? How about the health care debate? Here's the thing. Is there anyone who would really wish people who needed health care could not get it? The argument isn't really over some who like to see others suffer and the others who hope all are healthy and well. I think we all want to see people receive the care they need. The debate is over how.

Could 9/9/9 be a good day for putting out positive energy toward a solution that helps everyone. Some are afraid of a public option. You know for those who fear we will all be turned into Nazis (talk about believing in mysticism) if everyone can go to a doctor, stop, take some deep breaths and just think about it a bit. . There are facts that can be checked and validated and articles like this one to consider:

[The Public Option is Popular, Moral and Inexpensive, therefore it must die] by Bob Cesca.

Supposing more of us got informed and put out positive energy toward seeing this situation be resolved in a way that for once puts our people first? I think we all know one of the main reasons it's not going through is corporate profits and the money they can throw at the debate. They not only want to keep their existing profits but want guarantees of even more.

If you think health insurance is not your problem because you have a job and therefore, your insurance is secured, ask yourself what happens if you lose that job. How long could you afford insurance then?.

Today you think you have a co-pay you can afford. Wait until you or a family member gets a catastrophic health problem. The co-pays alone can break you and that's if your insurance company doesn't find an excuse to dump you. Some have a clause about the maximum they will cover in a year. With catastrophic illness that number can be reached pretty fast.

You think you have Medicare; so no worries. If the costs keep rising as they are, Medicare is in for a big readjustment for benefits and costs.

Health care costs have to be brought down and unless a lot of very strong government regulation happens (something Republicans also resist), that can only come through competition from a public option like Medicare for everyone. Too many in Congress, from both parties, don't want the public option because of the payola they receive for their campaigns from the industries. Only public pressure can make them do what is right.

The arguments used against the public option are mostly based on misinformation. You think the government can't run a health care program-- tell that to Veterans and elders. It's not perfect but it's basic care that many could not afford any other way.

I heard a good discussion on this video Al Franken Calms Down Health Care Opponents. Franken gave some information about insurance company profits. It's well worth your time to listen especially if you consider him to be inarticulate and a clown as the right tries to paint him. He's a very bright man and knows his stuff.

You have been told getting health care is terrible in places like England. Click on Elder Woman Blog and find the article titled 'Setting the record straight about health care.'

This isn't a partisan or political issue. It's a humanitarian one and the time is now!

(Photos of geese, pelicans, otters, frogs are from September 7 at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, after a few days of wonderful fall rains. Fall and the start of the annual migrations are bringing in more birds. These ponds are the kind of places that lower blood pressure and help put things in perspective. When I had been out there before, the frogs had been quiet. All they needed was these wonderful rains to bring them out of hiding and into the world.)

astrology to check out

Lynda Hill put out her astrological take on this period where we are soon to go into another Mercury retrograde. For those interested in astrology, check out: Lynda Hill's newsletter for September. This could be an interesting month with some positive opportunities.

If more follows from her or other psychics, I will post them there with a link here. Although I have done some natal charts for people, I am not one who really understands astrology, but I am usually interested in what's going on with the planets. Sometimes I do feel the impact, whether I knew it was coming or not, and other times, it flies by with no awareness. Astrologers would say that our natal sign will determine how much we are impacted each time.

Astrology mailing from Patricia Atwater

My second email forward on astrology that I received from Stephanie St. Claire.

To be honest, I do not know how much astrology impacts our daily lives. I know things like horoscopes have limited applications, probably are right about as often as chance would make it, because they are for a whole sign and not specific people; but something like this, about overall planetary influences that impact everyone, how much weight should we give it?

In this case, for the last month long before I saw this article, I had been feeling a lot of what this astrologer writes goes with this planetary combination. Some things impact one birth sign more than another and maybe that's why it has been so strong for me. I thought I'd share it here in case someone else has been feeling the same things and, like me, had no logical reason for the feelings. The comforting aspect to astrology is that these kind of combinations are there for a day, a season but won't last. If you are one who is sensitive to such things, knowing its changing nature can help.

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Subject:
FW: Astrology from Phyllis Atwater
Date: Tue, 05 May 2009 15:15:11

So many people have contacted me about the strange energy that is present virtually everywhere now, that it feels right to me that I share a few things with the hope of being helpful. Most of you know that, among many other interests, I am also an astrologer. Not your usual kind. I practiced the type of astrology most of you are familiar with from 1971 until I died in 1977. After I died everything changed for me, especially my understanding of astrology. Now, those former skills have woven their way into the energy world around me that I can easily see and interact with. In that sense, I tend to approach the subject in a much simpler, practical way that is very participatory for me - something I feel as well as see. With that said, let me begin.

Since last fall, but becoming much more intense since the election, we have been dealing with Uranus in Pisces opposite Saturn in Virgo. That's just astrological talk that hardly covers all that is happening now and what is coming, but at least it establishes some general terms. Using symbols and myth, Uranus (an air sign) is considered the heavenly flashlight that highlights what needs to be seen. It is also considered a lightning bolt in the way it zips right to the subject at hand - like a rebel, a no-nonsense change agent and transformer that says in essence "we've been doing this long enough - time to change."

When Uranus is in a sign important to you, its passage through your life feels as if someone is pulling the rug out from under your feet - fast and unlooked for, and, without any particular direction or consequence. Think of "change for the sake of change." Pisces, in this case, represents the traditional way of doing things, what we are used to, the world of cultural norms that is passing from view. Pisces means emotions, feelings, intuition, imagination, creativity, security, privacy, religious and spiritual needs. Uranus does not function well in Pisces, a water sign, so it tends to splash around a bit, upsetting people and tossing over "applecarts."

Saturn is often called the disciplinarian, the task master, that teacher who insists that you learn what you need to know through hard work and practical application. Saturn settles into routines quickly and forms systems and structures that carry the burdens and opportunities of life in ways that are dependable and eventually profitable. It is an energy form that sticks and stays and is true to its calling, for as long as it takes.

Virgo, in many ways like Saturn, is also practical and down-to-earth, an energy that can be counted on to get the job done no matter the sacrifice. Virgo is the sign of harvest, of preparing for the uplooked for, of ensuring survival and good health. Virgo serves, but usually in a more mental way, quick with words and plans and lists and categories for everything. If you want a job done, you call on a Virgo.

Right now these two giants, Uranus and Saturn, are opposite each other in a push-pull twisting "grab" that tends to foment struggles, arguments, disappointments, depression - between people, between political parties, between schools of thought, between countries, between businesses and banks, and on and on. It is a challenge to be positive when you feel as if you are being torn apart. And that's the rub: Uranus' job is to tear apart and separate anything Saturn holds on to. Yup, Uranus says we must change. We cannot live as we have before. And Saturn says, there is no way I am going to give up what I have and what I have gained in life.

What is happening now is a tug-of-war of astronomical proportions that is affecting every household, every business, every individual. No one and nothing is exempt. The response has been all-out-war between differing sides, be it Republicans and Democracts, home buyers and banks, car makers and unions, husbands and wives, food and the money to buy it, medicine and health, regulation and common sense. The war is not "overseas," it is everywhere there are people and cultures who refuse to change the "tried and true."

We must change. And we do that by listening to each other and coming up with
compromises.

Did you hear that world?

No one is going to win this war. There are no winners. Not Islam versus Christianity, not America versus Russia, not teenagers in full rebellion versus the law, not drug dealers versus governments. There are no winners in the traditional sense.

This type of energy is relentless, and it will become much more intense throughout March, April, May, the rest of this year, into next year - and - please - lookout for the time of July and August of 2010. Lay low those months. Don't push it. Take it easy. Avoid trips and moves and investments - anything of importance. There is no appreciable relief until late 2010. Then the pattern changes into a different frequency of energy shifts.

If you have been feeling pushed, almost to the point of panic; if you are feeling up against a wall with no where to turn; if you feel like closing in on yourself; if you feel overly emotional as if all you wanted to do was cry; if your back is going out and you cough or fall or hit yourself in some fashion; if you feel betrayed by the people you trusted. . . please know all these feelings and others like them are normal now. . . they are typical responses to a relentless pressure that offers no definable way out. The known way just dissolved.

Just when it looks like "the end" is at hand, know that we have lots of help available. Really. Pluto is in Capricorn. I'm not going to explain this one, suffice it to say that the message here is: re_______ (fill in the blank). In other words: redo, remodel, reassess, resew, recycle, re_____________________. What worked during the Great Depression? Just that.

Small businesses that sprang up everything, filled with people with ideas of how they could help - a little here, a little there - all kinds of ideas of how they could provide whatever service or product or skill was needed. People filling in, doing what people do best - inventing. What hurt us before were buyouts, big businesses buying up little businesses, forming huge corporations that separated the source of need from
the individual who could provide it.

Profits became a dirty word because of how grossly large and unfair and uncaring the businesses became. Wealth is wonderful, as long as it services and uplifts and educates and builds what can be used in ways that make sense. There is nothing wrong with the banking business and corporations, as long as they remember whom they serve and what their purpose is in the greater scheme of things. Lose that and you have greed. Greed only becomes a problem when it takes over common sense.

Capricorn insists on common sense. It insists on the practical. It insists on saving and investing and growing in proportion to its mission. "Bring it down" says the opposition of the giants. "Let's start over again," says Pluto. Look at the good already coming from this: families who actually eat together and talk to each other, meals being cooked at home, people sharing tasks and hardships - helping each other, neighborhoods and communities watching over children and seniors and anyone else who needs a helping hand, food banks that are aligning with farmers for a more direct alliance that works, neighborhood gardens, people learning how to compost
and also learning about simple medicines and health care that is inexpensive
and dependable.

Do you know what the single most helpful thing was that was done during the Great Depression that enabled people not only to survive but thrive? Storytelling. People telling other people their stories, what happened to them and what they learned. Funny stories. Family stories that hold people together. Spiritual stories, dreamy stories, how-to stories. STORYTELLING!!!!!!!!!! People talking to each other and sharing their lives with each other. STORYTELLING!!!!!!!!!!!

It's the little things that will save us and enhance our lives and make the days to come not only livable but wonderful. And compromise and sharing and giving and looking out for each other. If you are depressed, volunteer to help someone else. Can't get the energy to clean up your place? Clean up someone else's place and watch your energy, your drive, increase by leaps and bounds. Feel like crying, grab some crayons or paint and create something or write a book or stories or draw or dance. Each and every person has within them the heart to survive and thrive. If we help each other, that will increases many-fold.

Want to help out the people in Illinois who were laid off by Caterpillar? Send their foodbank $1. That's all you need to do, or any charity that is addressing the needs of those who have been laid off or lost their jobs. Foodbanks. Free clinics. Send them $1 a month. If enough people send these wonderful service centers $1 a month, there will be enough money not only to supply all the needs of the people in that area, but in surrounding areas as well.

Don't forget prayer and meditation. Prayer works if given freely and without limitations. It is not our job to be God. It is our job to offer the God Within and Without, that Presence, that Truth, that Sacred Holiness, our voice in humble thanks, knowing that our request for healing and guidance and comfort will be answered as surely as day follows night, in accordance with whatever is best for our/their highest good and the highest good of all concerned. And meditation, the greatest stress relief there is, a timeless way to tune in to that which is true and worthy. . . to center in the Silence of our Soul.

Invent a new business, create a new service, hug your friends and family, and get busy. We have a society and an economy and our very lives to rebuild, recreate, and reshape. This is an exciting time, really a blessed time for all. Want to give up? Well, when you give up, you get yourself out of the way, you make room for God/Allah/Source/The One Mind. Sometimes, giving up frees us from the limitations of our own set beliefs, so we can surrender to that Power Greater Than Ourselves.

AS A SPECIAL TREAT, I want to recommend a musical CD called "Fearless." It
is the creation of Claudia Carawan - exceptional, professional, all heart, original, wonderful, incredibly uplifting. Claudia writes most of her own songs. Unlike many spiritually-motivated songsters who calm and soothe, this woman's music is upfront, real and powerful, and authentically moving. Her creation is exactly what we need to get us up on our feet and doing all that we can and more. "Fearless" is the perfect music for what is happening today. My husband and I have a copy and we play it often. Highly recommended!!! (No connection here; she doesn't even know I am doing this.) Access her website at http://www.claudiacarawan.com/ and find out how to obtain your copy. Play it. Be fearless!

Many blessings to all of you, PMH

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For those of you interested in more information about this time astrologically, go to my extra blog. Atwater expands her thinking with some practical suggestions of what she believes will help: Rainy Day Extras with Part II

Scorpio Full Moon

This and the blog for tomorrow will be from email forwards that I receive now and again from Tucson psychic, Stephanie St. Claire.

From different astrologers, both relate in different ways to current astrological conditions. Readings like this are suggestions for using the energy of a full moon and certain planetary combination to one's advantage.

There are four moon photos from the farm last night if you won't get to see it where you live because of cloud cover.

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Full Moon in Scorpio - Sun in Taurus
Fri., May 8, 2009

Ahhhhh - the Moon of deep feminine emotional power.

All four elements - Earth, Water, Fire, Air have a power sign:
Earth - Taurus
Water - Scorpio
Fire - Leo
Air - Aquarius
Earth and Water are feminine, and Fire and Air are masculine.

The uprising and bursting of the Spring is embellished with the jewel of feminine power. The Winter landscape has been powerfully transformed and restored by the Earth going deeply within and replenishing herself by containing her power and energy. This Spring Full Moon is deeply sexual as the plants come into fertile bloom and the animals mate and reproduce their kind. Scorpio affects the two-leggeds with large brains in much the same way, arousing our intensity, passion, strength and magnetic desire to connect with others deeply or not at all.

Ruled by Pluto, Scorpio forces us into our hidden, psychological depths to free up any blocked resistant parts of ourselves in order to gain personal power. Risky business. And that is just what Scorpio excels at - destroying and eliminating and transmuting what no longer serves. Think Kali - Goddess of Destruction with blood-dripping skulls around her neck serving you with her fearlessness to release your power to be reborn and create anew. Which of Scorpio's three symbols is most akin to your current state? The Scorpion stinging for the love of stinging, the Eagle imperially soaring high above the mundane world, or the Phoenix rising from its own ashes to be transformed and reborn?

If your experience is revealing a tendency (perhaps subtly) towards the darker, scorpionic expressions of sarcasm, resentment, secretiveness, judgment, guilt, suspicion and power struggles, then you can maximize this Full Moon opportunity to clear the way for your true essence to shine through. Use your forgiveness and compassion practices. (Reread the May Forecast!) Pluto went retrograde on April 4th and won't be moving forward until September, so this theme is on-going and vital to our discarding of outmoded patterning relevant to previous centuries.

Another major configuration is active in the sky and squaring the Full Moon-Sun axis. Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune are all joined at 24º, 25º, 26º Aquarius. This formation will be very active this month and until the end of the year and into Feb. 2010. This triple conjunction occurred previously in 1882 in Taurus when Edison won out over Tesla and our system of Electrical Energy was birthed. Then again in 1945, the triple conjunction of Neptune, Jupiter, and Chiron occurred in Libra and the Atomic Energy era commenced. Now in 2009-10 in Aquarius what new energy system will be conceived? Will it be awakening to Quantum Energy that allows us to create our own realities through the mastering of the mechanics of the quantum field? Or harnessing the Sun's infinite power so the entire planet has all the freely available energy it needs and prosperity and balance comes to all peoples?

Individually, Neptune seeks deeper meaning by transcending the mundane and merging with a greater whole. Chiron is a doorway or turning point where healing and understanding of our wounded (unloved) self takes place. And Jupiter provides an expanded and blessed passage for this to take place. Self-healing and collective healing take place under this influence.
It's an amazing and powerfully creative transition time you have chosen to participate in. Show up in the best way you possibly can. Ask Spirit for support in ridding you of your resistances, because the astrological forces unfolding over the next 10-15 years are extremely powerful, and you want to be as flexible and open to the new influences as possible, not resistant and hanging on to the old. The gifts can be immense.

Astrological Notes by Patricia Liles. Contact her at patliles@aol.com

THE POWER PATH
P.O. Box 272
Santa Fe, NM 87504-0272
http://www.thepowerpath.com/

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All moon shots were taken in the Coast Range of Oregon May 7, 2009.
The moon cooperated beautifully with the clouds to tease, tempt and make us wait for it to fully reveal itself. It was like a woman, one in the night, with veils and transparent wraps which only slowly would she drop to reveal herself.
Click on images to enlarge and fully appreciate the beauty of the clouds, trees and moon last night.

A Libra Moon

What more could I ask from the April 8, 2009 full moon than that I see it while in Tucson and that it was, for its fullest moments, in my sign-- Libra? How about some scattered clouds to add to its photographic interest (also its challenge)?

Since that was all pretty good, why am I feeling so stressed? Feeling stressed during a full moon is nothing new to me although some full moons are easier than others. There are times when a full moon comes and goes and I am barely aware of them other than the nights are brighter and at home the sheep wander around a bit more. This time I have felt a lot of stress (day and night).

Statistically they say that often a full moon leads to more visits to emergency rooms. I haven't had any accidents even with hiking on the desert, but if the driving I have seen down here (if someone can do something unexpected, they will) is any example of how it is other places, this one might be no exception.

Personally stressing or not, the moon was beautiful as the clouds down here on the desert added interesting accents-- when they weren't blocking its light.

If you don't believe in planets and the moon as possible impacts to your emotions, your choices, accidents, you can still enjoy the photos; but if you do, this full moon has some interesting possible, positive energies. Looking toward what might be positive is one of my ways to try and get past the stressful other aspects when a moon impacts me like this one did *taking many deep breaths*.

"This is a great time to honor and appreciate what you value in yourself and in others. Change your focus to think of having an experience rather than doing something. Celebrate who you are rather than what you do. Practice seeing others for who they are rather than for what they do." *

"Aries and Libra
Mars and Venus
Spring and Fall
Planting and Reaping
Light and Darkness
Life and Death
Self and Other" **

*from a Stephanie St. Claire email, written by Jose, Lena, Stephanie, and Pat

** from Cathy Lynn Pagano

Be sure and check out the full moon photo from Beyond the Fields we Know and also for more names for this full moon.

For those who want more information on astrology implications regarding April's full moon go to Rainy Day Extras for complete email and Pagano's article on the Libra full moon

Finally, this is the full moon (well almost full) from this morning April 10th right before it set in the Tucson Mountains. They say it is now in Scorpio. I have no idea how they figure these things (might it be the moon is in the opposing sign to where the sun is? hmmmm). Well we are currently in Aries for the sun. Where it comes to astrology, mine is not to question why but just read and sometimes ponder...

All photos taken from our house on the desert.

astrology side notes

I receive assorted astrological updates from a Tucson psychic, Stephanie St. Claire. This is one she forwarded and it was said it could be passed on. Because tomorrow is the full moon and an eclipse, I thought those who pay attention to astrology might like to read and consider if they can use this full moon for their own lives. If you don't believe in such, that's okay too:

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FULL MOON ECLIPSE UPDATE

February 9: Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse is Monday, February 9 at 7:50AM Mountain Standard Time.

Whatever upheavals or chaos or movement or breakthrough you manifested in between the two eclipses (January 26-February 9) can be anchored more deeply at this time.

Observe what has come into your life or what you have healed or are in the process of healing.

Acknowledge your process at this full moon and it will continue to build as part of your new internal patterning.

Whatever you put your mind and disciplines to during this window will stick around so make sure it's good and positive. Take whatever time you can without distraction to journal, set intentions, practice gratitude, do your practices. You will also be supported for a few days to clean up your personal environment, get rid of what is suddenly old and used up. Bring fresh flowers into your home and office, and acknowledge the feminine in your life.

Astrological Notes by Patricia Liles :

The lessons of Aquarius are upon us again with the Leo (fixed fire) Full Moon opposite the Sun in Aquarius (fixed air) at 22 degrees. Accompanied by a lunar eclipse that strengthens its influences, Leo wants to juxtaposition our personal egos with the visions of what we can create as a community. Leo, ruled by the strength and will of the Sun, is compelled to express its 'I am' for all to experience. It expresses with warmth, playfulness and joy for being alive! Ruler of the heart, self-expression and creativity is Leo's delight and gift to the wheel of the zodiac. Aquarius in opposition is compelled to express what it sees - the truth. Its perspective is objective, inspired, often genius. These fixed signs suffer from stubbornness and pride on the shadow side.

This Full Moon, the Sun in Aquarius opposite the Moon in Leo is exactly conjunct Chiron, and Neptune is within 2 degrees. Chiron in Aquarius wants us to bring the un-healable, festering collective wound to the light. We are in a period of unprecedented shift. We are redefining our collective truth and how we want to show up in the world. This is a huge, almost overwhelming task. We are feeling a generalized anxiety as the Uranus-Saturn opposition helps birth us into a new way of being.

This opposition is tied to the Full Moon through two quincunx aspects (150 degrees-considered a minor aspect) Uranus quincunx the Moon and Saturn quincunx the Sun. What to do? Focus on the heart! What we can do is learn to love ourselves in a deeper way. Forgive our wounds of ego extremism that we have perpetrated and of which we have been victims. Forgive any tyrannical behavior toward ourselves and others. Let your microcosm heal the collective macrocosm.

Pluto is squaring Venus, echoing the theme of the opportunity to bring feminine energy up from the shadows, purging previous patterns of domination and growing into the universal principals of love, forgiveness and the heart. This is a vast piece of work that each of us can contribute to by loving our own feminine/masculine balance into being.

Make sure that the huge emphasis in Aquarius (Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Chiron, North Node, Juno) doesn't find you letting technology/computers/web time substitute for consciousness expansion.
patliles@aol.com

from THE POWER PATH
P.O. Box 272
Santa Fe, NM 87504-0272

http://www.thepowerpath.com