Summer Astrology Café, July 2019

 Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.
-Jenny Han (The Summer I Turned Pretty)

Here in the far north, our little town has experienced an extraordinary amount of rain but it has left the fields, gardens, and meadows lush and green. The spring flowers have given way to bright orange marigolds, purple irises and roses the color of magenta, buttery yellow, and creamy pink. The sweet scent of fresh grass and honeysuckle perfume the air and the woods are overflowing with ripe raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. We have come to that enchanted time of the year, early summer, filled with endless possibility.   

Outside the Astrology Café folks linger in the courtyard, around the fountain or sit at the stone tables under the old apple trees sipping wine, chilled lemonade with mint or iced herbal tea. The garden is alive with wild roses, daylilies and overhead brightly colored lanterns hang from the trellis overgrown with wisteria. It is late but still light and there is magic in the air. Welcome back, dearest friend; you have been missed. 

If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…If you are a pretender, come sit by my fire. For we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in! –Shel Silverstein (Where the Sidewalk Ends)

Come inside and make yourself comfortable. There are golden Zinnia’s on the tables and a big vase of purple Irises on the mantle above the fireplace. There’s soft jazz playing on the stereo and the air is filled with the aroma of vanilla, butter, and maples syrup. We have chilled summer soups: Tomato-Mint Gazpacho, Ginger-Turmeric Carrot, and Asparagus served with Lemon Crème Fraiche. Salads include Baby Lettuces with Feta, Strawberries, and Almonds; Crunchy Vegetable Salad with Ricotta Crostini; and Beet Salad with Watercress and Fresh Goat Cheese. Plus, a selection of cheeses served with warm homemade bread from the oven. For dessert: Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches, Strawberry-Rhubarb Lattice Pie, and Gilled Apricots with Almond Cream and Crunchy Fregolotta Cookies. There’s wine, Prosecco, Viennese coffee with whipped cream or tea: Green Chai, Earl Grey with roses or herbal. 

Take your time and when you’re ready, follow me up the stairs, through the library (watch out for the cats), down a narrow corridor, under an arch, then up a few steps to the tower room where our friend, the crone, the wise woman waits for us. 

Our friend is sitting at her round wood table wrapped in her midnight blue velvet cloak. From the Bay window, we can see the Cancer New Moon, a slender crystal ornament suspended in the darkening sky. The candles illuminate the sacred statues and Kwan Yins that are placed around the room and the air is perfumed with the scent of jasmine and rose. Here time seems to stand still. Can you feel it? Our friend smiles warmly and gestures for you to join her at the table. Let the conversation begin. On the table before us are Runes, cards, crystals, and sacred stones. Our friend picks up the Kuan Yin Oracle cards and shuffles them. She chooses one and turns it over. It is called Spin the Silken Thread Divine. Listen closely; perhaps there is a message just for you. 

“Your past is calling you. It is calling to be cleared, to be released and for the beauty and power of the past to be claimed in the present moment, woven together like precious raw silk. All the experiences, mistakes, adventures and successes of your past in this and other lifetimes have given your Soul plenty of material from which to draw its wisdom, like fine silken threads being woven into beautiful fabric. It has had to grow in awareness, light, capacity, and love in order to be where it is now.”

“There comes a time to extract the pure thread and cast aside that which is unusable. You are at that point, beloved, where you must choose to empty out old emotional baggage and take forward with you the gifts, skills, wisdom, and talents you have developed throughout many lifetimes so that you may move into a new cycle that is calling you forward. Kuan Yin, the mistress of spinning the spiritual silk, is with you and the process can be filled with peace, joy, and love.” –Kuan Yin Oracle, by Alana Fairchild

Welcome to Eclipse Season!

An eclipse is a super-powerful, highly charged New or Full Moon. They happen several times a year and they travel in pairs. Eclipses are dramatic and we all feel the effect, but those of you who have a natal (birth) planet (or angle) within a couple of degrees of the eclipse will feel the energy more powerfully. If your birthday falls on the date of the eclipse, it’s sure to be an important year. Eclipses signal major life events such as births, deaths, marriages, divorces, or big moves. Look at the house where the eclipse is taking place; that’s where you need to pay attention. Eclipses act as “course correctors” and ask us to look at our life from a new perspective. In the end, they can make us more whole and balanced but first, they have to shake things up. Eclipses repeat themselves every 19 years. What was happening for you 19 years ago; what is going on now?

The Cancer Solar (New Moon) Eclipse – July 2, 2019

Cancer is a water sign motivated by emotion rather than logic. Ruled by the sensitive and caring Moon, this sign is compassionate, romantic, and domestic. Associated with the Great Mother, Cancers require something to nurture; a home, a family, a garden, etc. The shadow side of Cancer is taking care of everyone else and ignoring their own needs. 

Cancer rules the past, family, even ancestors so this eclipse may bring up unresolved issues. Disciplined Saturn, extreme Pluto, and the karmic South Node all in the opposite sign of “no-nonsense” Capricorn are asking us to release old structures, habits and fears that are standing in our way. Shamanic Chiron, makes a challenging square to the Sun and Moon, awakening buried wounds. Retrograde Neptune, in Pisces, makes supportive aspects to both the Cancer and Capricorn planets – whatever is blocking you or holding you back can be exposed and healed. Electric Uranus, in grounded Taurus, makes a helpful sextile to the Sun and Moon, bringing new insights to old problems. Even ancient injuries and power struggles can be resolved. Dare to be the person who breaks the cycle.

A New Moon Eclipse (at 10 degrees of Cancer) is a beginning; we plant a seed and watch it grow over the following two weeks. Yet Mercury is retrograde from July 7-31 so rather than launch something brand new right now, polish and refine a project you’ve been working on or one that has been simmering on the back burner. This is also an excellent time to return to a program of self-healing, liberating yourself from old habits that no longer serve you. Reach out to family and friends. Spend time near the water and in nature. Above all, be gentle with yourself and others. We are born to be real, not perfect. 

The Capricorn Lunar (Full Moon) Eclipse – July 16, 2019

Known as Full Buck Moon, Hay Moon, Corn Moon

The Sun (and the North Node) in cozy Cancer are opposite the Moon, Saturn, Pluto, and the South Node all in controlling Capricorn creating a serious and dramatic atmosphere. Both Cancer and Capricorn have to do with security. Nurturing Cancer rules the home and emotional needs. Worldly Capricorn associated with ambition, power and achievement, rules the external manifestations of security. What constitutes security for you? What do you own; what owns you? Examine the structures you’ve created for yourself, both emotional and physical. Are they supporting you or blocking you? 

“Tough-love” Saturn in its native sign of Capricorn dominates this Full Moon. It is opposite Venus so this period may not be light and easy. Feelings of isolation and not being valued may continue to surface. The Moon is opposite communication planet, Mercury. Are your needs getting met, are you being heard? Are there issues you’re avoiding? This Full Moon Eclipse (at 24 Cancer/Capricorn) encourages us to let go of what is obsolete and strengthen what is essential to our well-being.

 “Reaching our limit is not some kind of punishment. It’s actually a sign of health that, when we meet the place where we are about to die, we feel fear and trembling. A further sign of health is that we don’t become undone by fear and trembling, but we take it as a message that it’s time to stop struggling and look directly at what’s threatening us. Things like disappointment and anxiety are messages telling us that we’re about to go into unknown territory.”  Pema Chodron (When Things Fall Apart) 

The Reckoning

“Sometimes we have to go to uncomfortable places to get to the truth.” – Ruby Sales

We’re at the Tipping Point. The combination of the eclipses plus the potent and political Saturn-Pluto conjunction create a powerful wave of energy. Saturn and Pluto are currently within five degrees but they will be exact in January 2020. Every time these two compelling planets have come together (whether in conjunction, square or opposition) there has been a major world event. We’re already feeling it. The rehearsal is over. In a sense, we’re all in “recovery” right now! It’s time to “take inventory,” get sober, and step up for a lot is at stake and much will be asked of us. Use the time between now and January 2020, to deal with whatever is holding you back. Learn to become comfortable with uncertainty. Embrace the unknown. Find your tribe, your community. This is a serious time but an inspiring and an empowering one and much is possible.    

There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.

And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word ’struggle’ from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

–Hopi Elders’ Prophecy, June 8, 2000

Beloved Friends, It’s getting late here in the tower above the Astrology Café. Thank you for joining me here. It has been too long. I’ve recently graduated from One Spirit Interfaith Seminary so for the last two years I haven’t written very many newsletters. But I’m back now and look forward to doing more. Enjoy this summer season. Remember, the sign Cancer is associated with self-care, nurturing and feelings. Adjust your pace. Spend time outdoors. Give your home some love. Celebrate this luscious season and yourself! All is well, you are loved, Virginia