Light In Motion II

Spring has arrived in the northern hemisphere with the promise of new life as this year’s growing season gets under way. The energy of change is particularly palpable and pervasive these early spring days. Dr. John Lilly, who worked extensively with dolphins and interspecies communication, and broke new scientific ground in countless areas said, “Our only security is our ability to change.” The world is changing before our very eyes these days. Change for the sake of change, however is an invitation to more of the same.

As we choose to awaken to more of who we are and expand our self-awareness, we naturally contribute to the awareness available to the whole and change follows in forms that are expansive and life-affirming. “Know thyself,” could be the Aries motto. Aries knows through the experience of living–of acting on that which calls. Through experience we truly know in a way that isn’t possible through observation, study or analysis.

In times like these great opportunities abound, with potentials and possibilities never before imagined. Our task is to recognize and embrace those that spark our individual inspiration to act and that speak clearly to our own heart. If it moves you from within, you are on track and good to go.

The Aries New Moon occurs at 8:55 PM PDT tonight, April 5, 2008. This is the first new moon of the of the natural new year which begins with spring, at the Vernal Equinox. The Aries New Moon marks the official start of the growing season, when Sun (consciousness) and Moon (unconscious and emotions) unite for the first time in the natural annual cycle. This is said to be the most potent day of the year for planting the seeds of intention for what you would like to spark into being as this astrological year unfolds.

Aries is the sign of the initiator, of passion, of breaking ties with what is and striking out on one’s own or leading others to a place they’ve never been before. This is virgin territory; there are no rules; the map is created as each new discovery is made.

The Aries color is blood red, representing the birthing of Self and something new. Their number is, of course, one, being the first sign of the zodiac. Aries reminds us that ndividuality, instinct and inspiration are key to aligned action. In essence, change is what Aries is all about.

At the Aries New Moon we are invited to birth something new and exciting. Out with the old, in with something that gets our energy moving and expands the edges of our current experience. Aries delivers the impetus to strike out on our own and pioneer new ideas into action with courage and enthusiasm that we may not realize we have until we’ve taken those first steps. In following our instincts to do those things that call to us we come into alignment with the energy and circumstances necessary to step into something new or extraordinary. The reward for stepping up and out is a renewed sense of strength and the experience of having stretched to become more than we previously knew we could be. Whatever we do with our time and energy over the next couple of weeks will give shape and substance to our experience as the year progresses and we see the fruits of the seeds we plant today in the coming months.

We all have Aries energy in our astrology chart, and our life, calling us to take courageous action as a path to self-knowledge. A lack of self-awareness results in an ongoing sense of insecurity that undermines our ability to live a contented, effective, fulfilling and successful life. In order to grow wiser and mature we must first know and embrace our true nature. Only then can we know what we have to offer the world and how we can contribute whole-heartedly.

To have courage is to have heart. May the Aries spirit of childlike wonder lead you back to the place in your heart of knowing what you, from your instinctive nature, were born to do. Then, as Goethe said, “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” I wish you great and inspiring adventures on each step of your journey into springtime.

Pisces is the mutable water (emotional/feeling/sensitive) sign and the last sign of the zodiac and the natural year–the last month of winter. Pisces is in charge of imagination, compassion, spirituality, belief, the ocean, the unconscious, the collective, creativity, dreams, sleep, intuition, music, acting, theater, dance, the feet and shoes… Though why the feet are included is still beyond me when the symbol for Pisces is two fishes (neither of which have feet or shoes) swimming in opposite directions.

As the Sun and Moon come together at this new moon Uranus,The Awakener, and ruler of the sign of Aquarius, is right there with them, coloring the energy of the birthing of this new cycle. Don’t be surprised if things change course and unpredictability becomes the norm for a while. We could also find our access to our intuition is more available and bolts from the blue dawn on us with great flashes of insight into things we’ve not previously been able to get a hold of.

Aquarius is still full of planets as it has been since the first of the year. Chiron, The Wounded Healer; Mercury, The Winged Messenger; Neptune, The Great Dissolver: Venus, The Goddess of love and money, beauty and relationships, values and self esteem; and the North Node–Dharma or Destiny point are all continuing their dance sparking new awarenesses, clearing away old concepts and beliefs, and awakening us all to what is possible when considered through the lens and on the ground of Aquarius, sign of humanity, revolution, invention, technology, evolution and genius.

These are unprecedented times. All kinds of new potentials are being birthed in these first three months of 2008 as the majority of the energy in the zodiac is gathered together in these two Universal Signs and the planets passing through them connect to communicate and begin a whole new cycle of the co-creation of their joined energies.

Today as the Moon (the unconscious, feeling level of our being) meets the Sun (consciousness) in the sign of Spirituality, the ethereal, wild imagination and sheer limitlessness, there is an opening for each of us to tap this energy and dream, drum or dance something spectacular into being. Pisces knows no bounds and Aquarius is the visionary rule-breaker who never met a box that could contain its high vibin’ energy.

The energetic frequency continues to be high, wild and free. Entertain your most inviting imaginings, sparkle ‘em up and unleash them to find their perfect form.

I’d love to hear how you are experiencing these aqua-violet energetic waves and what you are creating in this juicy new energy.

Love and oceanic bliss to you all,
Jodi

Though the Sun has already completed its journey through Aquarius for this year and moved on to Pisces there is still a lot of action in the sign of the genius, the inventor, the rebel and the humanitarian. Aquarius is the sign in charge of technology, the Internet, science, unique individuality and equal relationship–like friendship and the kind of relating we do when we collaborate on a project with others.

Today Venus, Mercury, Chiron (The Wounded Healer), Neptune and the North Node of the Moon (the dharma or destiny point) are all lined up in Aquarius, signaling a time for the seeding of revolutionary and evolutionary new developments. If you’ve been contemplating doing something that is a little to the left of normal, a little unexpected, a little bit quirky, the time for it has arrived.

With Mercury finally through its retrograde period in Aquarius and headed in a forward direction arm in arm with Venus, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, self-esteem, money and that which we appreciate and hold dear, we are more prone to approach things from the perspective of what matters to us rather than what we have come to think of as logical or reasonable. Venus rules the senses and when she makes contact with Mercury, encourages us to think in terms of what makes sense for each of us rather than to operate from a prescribed perspective that paints with a broad brush declaring this right and this wrong, this good and this bad for one and all.

With all this Aquarian energy in the cosmic pool of potential, it makes sense to let our imaginations run wild and see where they take us. Under Aquarius the “crazy idea” is not so crazy. Visionary, inventive, progressive ideas that break with convention are more likely to surface and be supported now.

Though Venus and Mercury will move through Aquarius in the next couple of weeks, before they go they will touch and activate Chiron to awaken new possibilities in healing and insights about our wounding, Neptune to spark and help actualize the vivid spiritual imagination and then on to the North Node where we can access the possibilities and potentials humanity is now becoming aware of and ready to make real in our experience of life on earth.

This reminds me of the Seal song:

And through a fractal on that breaking wall
I see you my friend and touch your face again
Miracles will happen as we trip
But we’re never gonna survive unless
We get a little crazy

Aquarian energy can feel a little crazy. Many of us who were born with Aquarian energy have felt compelled to push the boundaries of reality and question authority. We know what it feels like to be misunderstood, judged and found lacking. Some of us secretly wonder why we can’t be satisfied with what others consider normal, thinking that would be so much easier. It’s not, though. Those born with Aquarian energy are designed to break the old molds and usher in a new day and a new way.

In my birth chart Chiron was rising in Aquarius. It took me a long time to understand that I wasn’t here to fit in. I am here to offer a new perspective and fresh ideas about the nature of reality; even to question what people have accepted as reality. Humans are amazing beings with tremendous potential about which we are just beginning to get an inkling. In my work as an intuitive astrologer I encourage my clients and readers to trust their own nature and the instructions of their heart above anything else. There is no time but the present and no one to be but you, in all your unique glory.

Crazy isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And if crazy is what it takes to break out of the old mold of who we thought we had to be, I say please, let’s all go a little crazy. And enjoy the ride.

Mercury, the Cosmic Winged Messenger, and the Sun, The King/Queen and center of our universe, stand shoulder to shoulder, just behind Pluto, in Sagittarius as Jupiter marches through the last degree and the final days of his tour through his Sagittarius home field. Throughout 2007 Jupiter has championed Truth, Justice and Expansion on many fronts. This year there have been considerable checks and balances harnessing Jupiter’s natural exuberance and tendency to only consider its aims and disregard the little details that might inhibit it.

There have been challenging aspects from Uranus, The Revolutionary Rebel and Inventor, with its natural ability to throw an energetic curve-ball into the status quo and shake things up just when you thought you were getting somewhere. As Jupiter and Uranus met and mingled their energies we’ve all been forced to stop and rethink what kind of expansion we really desire and what we’ve been entertaining that is just more of, or a new version of something we’ve already done and thus won’t take us anywhere New.

Jupiter recently met up with Pluto, The Transformer and many of us have been pulled up short as a review of some old (perhaps long-forgotten) aspects of our personality and patterns we were sure we’d left behind surfaced with a vengeance. Pluto invites us to consider our dark side motivations that most of us would just as soon forget. As we neglect Pluto’s urging the pressure mounts until there is no more skirting the issue. Transformation occurs when we finally allow our secrets, fears and shameful acts to surface in consciousness where we can forgive ourselves, see that fear only has the power we allow it and realize that every thing we have done in our lives has been part of the journey and given shape, awareness and character to the person we are today.

As Jupiter prepares to leave his home sign for another eleven years it might be helpful to take stock of the advances we have made in our awareness and acknowledge the upgrades to our philosophy of life and relationship to Truth.

2007 has been a year of chaos, collision and completion. It has also offered tremendous opportunities to expand our awareness of Who We Really Are and what we no longer need to be, do or have in order to be OK.

For me, this has been a year of letting go, letting go and letting go a little more than I think I possibly can. I’ve taken on responsibilities and jobs I never dreamed I’d be doing at this point in my life. I’ve had some of the most glorious experiences of my life this year, interspersed with some of the most stressful and disheartening. Overall, though, as I look back I realize that all the fits and starts, all the heightened moments, all the pitfalls that I tumbled into blindly, the amazing people I met and the dear ones I lost this year all add up to a most extraordinary year of personal evolution. Looking back over the past twelve months today I don’t so much see loss as a tremendous shift and lightening up in consciousness.

I look forward to the new year and all that it will bring. I wish you all a holiday season filled with beauty, light and the laughter of those you love.

Bright blessings,

Jodi

May is the fifth month of the year. In numerology five is the number of variety, freedom, change, curiosity, imagination and play.

I have been writing my Light In Motion newsletter for five years and five months now and have been struggling to make it fresh and yet maintain the theme which has been primarily astrology, with healthy doses of intuition and insight mixed in for good measure.

For the past year or two, especially, I have made a few changes but never enough to satisfy the part of me that was bristling under the weight of doing the same thing I’ve done year after year when I, and most everything else in my life, had changed, more than I could begin to express. I felt it was important to continue to let my clients and readers know I was still here. I’m still doing my thing, still doing readings, though now they have evolved into consultations–more about that which the client is concerned than reading the charts, though I still refer to the charts. I still understand the energy behind the universal cycles that everyone on the planet is experiencing on one level or another, if not personally, then by way of a family member or friend, or perhaps it is happening in showing up in the realm of their business or place of employment.

I have made it my business to tap into these energies and make sense of them for myself and others who find value in my insights.

Recently, though, I have taken several giant steps forward which have left me inclined to simplify my life, stop getting so caught up in the reasons things happen as they do, stop attempting to explain what is and accept what is, so I am free to focus on fresher, more creative, pursuits. I’ve known for many years that we are each the Creator of our own experience. I’ve always known that although astrology and the planets offer us a map of our personal consciousness and illustrate the energetic potentials easily accessible to us they do not rule our lives.

Change is the name of the game for me right now. I feel it in the air and moving beneath my skin. It is spring. Time for starting anew. The world is waking up and the earth is showing off in vibrant, living color.

While the Sun is in Taurus (April 20-May 21) there is an urge to settle in and connect more fully with the earth and our own nature. This pace is slower and more deliberate. The earth is nourishing the seeds that have taken root. What were once seeds or bulbs or inklings of ideas are now developing enough to reveal evidence of their own nature.

Taurus energy invites us to literally come to our senses. We begin to see, smell, hear, feel, and maybe even taste how that potential is manifesting. For a living thing to have integrity (that is, to be integrated and sound) it must be given time and space and appropriate nurturance to grow healthy and strong. The time of Taurus is rich with all of those elements.

Engaging the Taurean energy supports us in taking a stand and committing to the business at hand. There is a respect for the process of tending to and seeing that which was started through to fruition.

Venus is in charge of beauty and balance, self-esteem and worthiness, value and values, so those born with the Sun or other planets in her sign are prone to express sensuality, body awareness, deliberate action, take pleasure in their possessions and have an appreciation for natural, earthy beauty.

As a fixed sign, Taurus tends to hold on for the purpose of creating stability. Holding on too long hinders one’s ability to be in the flow of life and live in the present. This is a challenge for many with strong Taurus energy in their natal chart.

Taking a deep breath and connecting with one’s heart and inner being in any moment can serve us in remembering our true value lies in expressing our unique perspective and individuality. Our value has never been dependent on how we do or don’t feel or what we do or don’t have.

Taurus represents the journey to experiencing the one who lives in the body and experiences life through the senses. Indulge in the beauty, color, sounds, textures and tastes you love this month and watch your spirit come alive.

Women never have young minds. They are born three thousand years old.
~Shelagh Delaney

Women are born with eternal wisdom. How many of us have really claimed our knowing, though?

We are told we are too emotional by those who have lost track of their own feelings. We are told we are weaker; since when did physical size equal real strength.
We are told we are sensitive as if that’s a bad thing.
We are told that being nurturers and giving life is worth less than those who plan and plot and do, in the world.

The Goddess is ready to re-emerge in each of us, in all her radiant glory.

I had a little chat with Her recently and She mentioned how hard it’s been for Her, in this world that worships the Masculine at the expense of the Feminine, to get through, to be noticed, to be heard.

As one of us listens, more will have access to the Divine Feminine Wisdom that is finally ready to emerge and reinstate a way of being in the world based in love and appreciation and comfort and joy.

Venus, Goddess of Love and Beauty, balance and bounty, pleasure and pleasantries is the ruling planet of Taurus. Taurean beauty is earthy, natural and sensual. Wildflowers strewn across hillsides in a burst of color, tender buds on trees, the smell of home cooking, a leisurely massage with fragrant oils, beautiful music to lift the spirit and soothe the soul speak to the very heart of Venus and Taurus.

Venus in the time of Taurus reminds us to pay attention to that which feels good, to pay attention to those things and people that matter to us, to honor and respect ourselves. That which we value we appreciate. As we express our appreciation we open to receiving again, on a new level.

During this time of the Goddess, we may be more aware of the delightful pleasure that our human nature is designed to receive. Our senses invite us to feel, smell, and taste our life; to go out of our mind (stop thinking so much) and into our body (to access a deeper receptivity and wisdom) and experience the sensuality of a silk dress floating gracefully around our legs as we walk or the heady scent of a bright yellow freesia wafting on the breeze or the fluttery, joyful anticipation of reuniting with a dear one at the airport.

Venus enhances our lives in countless ways we may not realize until we slow down enough to be present in our own skin and enjoy the bounty of blessings that always await our notice. It is in this gentle noticing that our lives are enriched.

In what ways might you bring more of the Goddess into your experience? As you begin to appreciate Her gracious generous offerings the pleasure will be all yours.

“If the Angel deigns to come it will be because you have convinced her, not with your tears, but by your humble resolve to be always beginning; to be a beginner.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

Today is the Aries New Moon and the astrological conditions are ripe for creating something new and transformative in your life. If whatever you are seeding or beginning today feels a little daring or requires you to take a risk, so much the better.

Since Aries is the sign of fresh starts, initiations and pioneering, and the New phase of the Moon is the time each month for beginnings, the Aries New Moon is, universally, the most potent day of the year for seizing the energetic potentials and setting your sights on that which you’d like to create, acquire or accomplish in the weeks and months of the coming growing season.

The conditions under which something is born or begun will be expressed in the child, fruit or project as it grows. These potentials and conditions are apparent in the planetary cycles at play in the astrology chart for the moment of beginning. As a practical rule of thumb, it is helpful to remember that if we are feeling joyful, vibrant and expansive and creating from a feeling of inspiration that which we begin will bear those positive qualities.

Conversely, at times when we feel fearful, desperate, are in resistance to ‘what is’ or are motivated to change something we don’t like without addressing the underlying reasons for those feelings, the creations we begin will carry those constrictive energies.

For years now I’ve created a Treasure Map on the day of the Aries New Moon. This is simply cutting inspiring images and words from magazines and affixing them to a poster-board to be placed somewhere you can easily see. This serves as a rich visual reminder or map of where you’d like to go from here.

Keep in mind joy is of the essence. Anything conceived in joy and that brings you joy will naturally express and connect you with that which is essentially You.

In joy!

Jodi

A parade of personal planets moving through the zodiac tag-team style, meeting up in one sign after the next, to activate the slower movers, also known as the outer or impersonal planets, has gone on since November when Jupiter and Mars were in the last degrees of Scorpio and then moved into Sagittarius where Jupiter will be until late this year. So, since last fall we have had a series of planetary cycles dynamically activating the energy of each sign, from Scorpio through Pisces, and all that those social and universal signs represent in our lives.

When planets meet, their energies are activated. Just as when we meet someone we know and enjoy, our interactions will activate a sense of fun, relaxation, enjoyment, perhaps even love. Our energies blend to bring out the best in both of us. In other cases, as with an authority figure or a neighbor we don’t see eye to eye with but must tolerate or learn to work with, we may experience an activation upon meeting in which our energies feel constricted and uncomfortable. If we spend enough time around this person without addressing the need to make adjustments eventually our energies will collide, creating an implosion or explosion that breaks up old stuck ways of being and energetic patterns. When a collision occurs, the pressure is released, the air is cleared and we will discover new potentials are revealed.

These activations have occurred in Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces, as most of the outer planets are slowly moving through those signs for the past few years. This means that many of the people and things that carry these energies have been undergoing an intense period of change and transformation and acting as the catalysts for those around them.

The personal planets, Venus and Mercury, that always travel within a sign or two of the Sun, parted company in February, when Mercury last went retrograde and Venus rushed on ahead and is entering Gemini, now. Mercury has moved into Aries but has yet to catch up with the Sun.

The activations, initiations and wake-up calls that came fast and furiously for so many of us last fall and winter, were a bit like popcorn kernels that, after doing time in some hot oil suddenly burst, rapid-fire, into fresh, fluffy, fun food, for those who were open to the possibilities. For those who hoped the kernels would survive their time in the oil and with the burner on High, intact, the experience may well have felt like disaster had struck. All those tidy little kernels of potential blew up, loudly and took up so much room they lifted the top off popper and made a mess!

As the planets separate into their individual cycles, again, the energetic potentials begin to open and expand. While the Sun is in Aries, especially, the time is ripe for taking action on the kernels of potential that have been activated in your life over the past few months. We are embarking on a whole new way of living. The possibilities are before you. Your task is to step boldly into the present moment and answer whatever it is that calls to you without looking behind you or worrying about what will happen next. Our passions aren’t about what anyone else wants. This is the journey of the individual. Once on your way, delight and discovery await you. When we do what we love we align ourselves with others who are truly kindred in spirit.

What’s your passion? True passion energizes us; our eyes light up and we just know we can do it, whatever it takes. When it comes to our passions there is no doubt or second thought. There is just you, in the moment, with the thing that makes you feel vibrant and alive.

Aries energy thrives on immediacy, urgency, living full out in each moment. At its best and brightest it is a lively mix of impulse, inspiration and enthusiasm that carries us through with our eye on the target and the thrill of living our passion fueling our fire.