Archive: Month: October 2014

Solar Eclipse in Scorpio - Oct 23, 2014

Posted on by ZenRen

The New Moon Solar Eclipse in Scorpio comes exact on October 23, 2014 at 5:57 PM EST

Click here to learn more about the Moon. Click here to learn more about Scorpio.

Tomorrow we have the New Moon Solar Eclipse coinciding with both the Sun and Venus moving into Scorpio as well…!

This is not just a New Moon but also a (partial) Solar Eclipse, making it even more powerful. Every New Moon falls in the current sign of the Sun. This is precisely what makes it a New Moon. With the Sun now moving into Scorpio, the New Moon falls in Scorpio also.

From CafeAstrology:

This is the final eclipse in a series falling along the Taurus-Scorpio axis. Even though we are starting fresh, we’re also cleaning up.

Click here for a full report courtesy of timeanddate.com

The New Moon in fixed water sign Scorpio marks the kickoff for the coming month and the official end of the Libra cycle. In classic astrology, Scorpio concerns power, control, intimacy and finance - all that underlies. Scorpio lives in the unseen, the hidden, the omniscient. As a result, our attention is now directed inward to examine both the Self and others. We are curious about what motivates people to act and say the things they do; we also ponder our own habits and reactions - what is really causing me to feel this way? What is the root, the true source? Our objective is to understand every layer of every situation, but not just cerebrally. We want to feel wisdom reverberate in the soul and psyche.

Which elements in your life make you feel out of control? Be honest with yourself about relationships, debts, addictions or other heavy burdens that no longer serve you. The scorpion constantly seeks cathartic release. When balanced, Scorpio energy is deeply spiritual, empathic, intuitive and perhaps even psychic. Sometimes the scorpion is illustrated as a strictly dark and morbid entity. I would like to remind everyone that the scorpion is ultimately swimming towards the depths in order to be reborn. The goal is transformation: endlessly cycling from one blissful metamorphosis to the next, pure joy.

In the process of investigating where we need more control in life, we also come to understand what is really causing us to gravitate toward bad habits. Maybe something is missing, or dragging you down? This is the perfect time to detox from negative behavioral patterns. The scorpion is a masterful minimalist and essentialist. Get rid of anything you don’t need. Be lighter. Take deep breaths, close your eyes. Feel your spirit spiral out into the space you create within.

One more from CafeAstrology:

An intimate partnership may be left behind, or a source of money might end, and either of these situations pushes us to learn to depend on ourselves and to recognize that we don’t necessarily need these things to survive. Ultimately, we are now in a position to understand that changes or endings are necessary for our own growth, and that we can handle these things.

The Libra cycle encouraged us to create order in our surrounding environment. Now we probe the inner workings. In understanding the subconscious motivations of others, we become ever more powerful. The greatest challenge for the scorpion is learning how to use this power correctly. On one hand, being able to read people so accurately allows for manipulation and deceit. However, this can also be channeled as empathy. Insight to the emotions of others makes forgiveness easier. Remember all that we have learned over the past month from Libra: we have a duty to be respectful to both the Self and others lest we superciliously create imbalance in our environment.

The fixed nature of this phase manifests in the apparent urgency of our desires at this time. Our passion is best harnessed when funneled into one major project or relationship. Scorpio values quality over quantity, no exceptions. One key to unlocking scorpion magic is spending time fixedly and passionately on one endeavor; this is much more satisfying than diverting our attention to other things that are not as meaningful.

On a personal note, this New Moon has been, yet again, quite symbolic for me. I am moving into a new apartment! Yay!

If you would like to learn more about how this transit affects you personally, please contact me for more insight. To ascertain your personal Moon sign, click here.

Mantra: I am fearless

Lunar Eclipse in Aries ♈ Oct 8, 2014

Posted on by ZenRen

The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Aries comes exact on October 8, 2014 at 6:51 AM EST.

Click here to learn more about the Moon.

This is not just a Full Moon but also a Lunar Eclipse, making it even more potent. This particular phase is known as the Full Hunter’s Moon and also as a “Blood Moon” as it will appear dark red at the time of the eclipse. The Moon will rise at sunset, peak at midnight and set at sunrise.

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Click on the image for a full eclipse report courtesy of NASA.

We now approach total opposition between the Sun in cardinal air Libra and the Moon in cardinal fire Aries: Self vs Other. Aries rules our relationship to the Self and Libra our relationships to others. The Aries-Libra polarity is between me and you — I and we. Indeed, this particular dichotomy is known in astrology as the relationship axis. The cardinal nature of this polarity lies in the fact that our relationships form a foundation upon which everything else rests.

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, and as such the ram is pioneering and fearless. I like to visualize the ram at dawn, standing proudly at the top of a mountain, ready to welcome a new day, a new realm, a new cosmological cycle. Aries is associated with physical and sexual energy, masculinity and outward action. The ram teaches us the meaning of the following, written over the temple Delphi in ancient Greece: “Know thyself and thou shalt know the Universe and the gods.”

The Aries-Libra polarity presents us with the opportunity to achieve balance between our independence and dependence upon others. Unlike Libra, ardent keeper of the peace between all people, Aries energy is self-assertive, drawing us back again and again to the ego. The Moon in Aries encourages us to be bold, to take action. Aries would rather be brutally honest than tactful. However, we may learn now that our dreams and goals are made possible only when we are gracious to others. A karmic lesson may come now when, for example, we attempt to start a big project and succeed thanks to the support of a partner.

Although the Full Moon always makes us feel more emotional and reflective than usual, Aries energy partially overrides this effect. We are confident and courageous, ready to move and do. The ram helps us to get in touch with our inner leader. Our attention is directed towards all that is external. Like a new star in the sky or a butterfly opening its wings, we bloom, stretch, reach — dancing joyously as though we have just discovered the magic of our bodies.

This Full Moon encourages us to examine how well we are meeting the needs of both the Self and others. The ram wants us to charge full speed ahead with our brilliant personal agenda; the scale asks us to remain balanced, egalitarian and diplomatic. As with any polarity in astrology, our utmost duty is to be aware of how well we are doing on each end of the spectrum. For example, Libra desires, first and foremost, that we simply recognize the supreme power of compromise, the beauty of sharing and the art of respectful negotiation.

The energy of this transit is fiery and impulsive. When taken to the extreme, we may be reckless or quick to anger. Aries favors the following activities: exploration, intense physical exercise, dancing, journaling, self-care, meditation and yoga poses that awaken the kundalini. Expect this Full Moon to be quite powerful. If balanced, we will feel enlightened, empowered and alive. How appropriate that the Moon will be blood red in honor of the zealous ram!

gif credit: Tomruen

This Lunar Eclipse is actually just one in a series of eclipses falling in the Aries-Libra opposition that began in October 2013 and will continue through March 2016. You might see this as the Universe’s way of pushing us to address issues related to this axis. Each eclipse is like a check-up on our progress. On October 23, we have a Solar Eclipse too!

I would like to emphasize, once again, that this Full Moon will probably be very intense. Lunar Eclipses tend to be dramatic, forceful and passionate. This phase also marks the midpoint of the astrological year, beginning in late March with the New Moon in Aries. In many ways, we are rapidly approaching a major evaluation of the Self and all that surrounds the Self.

From CafeAstrology:

Note that whatever happens at this time is nothing truly new. The issues have been brewing inside of us and emotions have been building.

If you are curious about how this transit affects you personally, please contact me for more insight. To ascertain your personal Moon sign, click here.

YOGA CHALLENGE

Virabadhrasana, warrior poses, are an excellent choice for this Full Moon. When our feet are spread wide on the mat in Warrior 1 and 2, Crescent Warrior or even trikonasana, triangle pose, it is important to charge up the legs. We can do this by lifting the toes and rooting deeply into the corners of the feet. Press through the center of the back foot and then energetically draw the feet together, as though you are trying to bunch up your mat. Ground down through the inner corners of the feet and then expand out in every direction so that it feels like your legs are growing longer! What makes you feel like a warrior?

Mantra: strength within

Mercury Rx in Scorpio (!!) October 4 - 10

Posted on by ZenRen

Mercury will station retrograde in Scorpio from October 4 - 10 before reentering Libra

Click here to learn more about Mercury.

So we’ve talked about Mercury stationing retrograde starting October 4 and Mercury entering fixed water sign Scorpio as of last Saturday. Let’s combine the two and discuss the nature of Mercury Retrograde in this mysterious water sign. Click here to learn more about retrograde motion.

As the word “retrograde” implies, this is a time when we go back to finish, review, redo. With Mercury in deep and emotional Scorpio, we return to the past to address old wounds. If we are balanced, this process should be cathartic and uplifting. However, there is a danger here of revisiting the past and just staying there. Mercury Rx periods tend to make us feel nostalgic, but this can easily be taken to the extreme now. We must be careful not to become reattached to the things and people we loved dearly but then worked so hard to let go.

Not only must we be careful to maintain distance between the people and objects of desire from our past, but also from the feelings that accompanied the (painful) final separation from these powerful entities. Dwelling in retroactive resentment or sadness can be quite tempting. It is better, however, to take care of the Self by allowing our scars to heal completely.

Mercury Rx in Scorpio presents an opportunity to harness the magic of regeneration and transformation. If people and events from your past are no longer causing you problems, perhaps you work instead on correcting unhealthy recurring thought patterns or bad habits. In particular, Scorpio will direct our attention toward jealousy, control issues and secrets.

Scorpio lives at the bottom of the darkest ocean, swimming where others dare not go. This transit may lead you deep down into the netherworld of your psyche in an effort to reveal hidden truths. One word that comes to mind when I think of Mercury Rx is reality: there is simply no escaping! Mercury Rx in Scorpio will clear you out, emotionally speaking, so that you are able to actually see what lies below.

Imagine for a moment that your inner world is like a cave with the door sealed shut. Inside are all your skeletons and ancient pains, festering away. Mercury Rx in Scorpio will fearlessly dive down, remove the block and allow light and fresh air to stream in. Of course this can be painful, too - sometimes we would rather hide than acknowledge the nature of all that rankles within. If you can summon the courage, become Mercury’s aide: help to sweep away the proverbial dust and dirt from your aching soul. Now is the time to detox from the negative people, beliefs and associations in your life which no longer serve you.

Other possibilities for this transit: discovering what seduces us and why - in what ways do our desires control us? Are we unconsciously living in fear by clinging to them? Perhaps an old debt may suddenly resurface; or maybe we adopt a new perspective on a traumatic event from the past. On a global scale, this period will undoubtedly bring more scandals and heretofore hidden agendas to light, particularly concerning hypocrisy and sexual misconduct.

This is an extremely potent transit, I cannot emphasize that enough! To find your Mercury sign and whether he was direct or retrograde at the time of your birth, click here. It is interesting to note that, if you were indeed born with Mercury Rx, you may not notice the effects above as strongly, if at all. More to come on natal Mercury Rx!

YOGA CHALLENGE

In meditation, focus on the mulabandha, the pelvic floor lock, and root chakra. This is our power source, our base. When the root chakra is disturbed, this means that we are not settled. Upon this, everything else rests. Build your foundation securely.

Mantra: I am powerful