After spending the last three weeks retrograde – some people swear if feels more like three months – Mercury has changed directions to move forward, once again, in Virgo. We can look forward to fresh insights, now, about some of the subjects that have surfaced since the first part of September. Mercury is all about communication, networks, systems, analysis, organization and the tools and vehicles that make these things possible. In Virgo, we may now come to new realizations about diet, health, hygiene and better ways to take care of the little details that make a big difference that so easily fall through the cracks.
Mercury in Virgo offers opportunities to see through the big picture, which can obscure the heart of the matter or source of the issue, to the essence of what we need to know to make informed decisions. The current talk about vaccines and government mandates to require people to be vaccinated makes me wonder what it is they aren’t telling us. The stage is set for much more information to come to light on this and many similar subjects.
The potentials are ripe for breaking through to fresh approaches to health and human services, both personally and globally. We, the people, ultimately, choose the direction we go from here.
Virgo is the sign of grounded, practical action that promotes order and well-being. Virgo rules the assimilation system in the body–that which we have taken in or taken on, whether it be a meal or a piece of information, requires time to be digested before we can receive its nourishment or understand what it means for us. Only when assimilation and integration occur do we experience the integrity that allows us to understand what is appropriate rather than taking action based on fear or the well-meaning opinions of others.
As Mercury moves back through Virgo and into the early degrees of Libra I encourage you to give yourself the gift of some unscheduled time–it’s so good for you! This is also an excellent time for considering what you can do to become a healthier you. Enjoy!
Everywhere I turn people are talking about Mercury’s current retrograde phase. Yes, it is still retrograde. It went retrograde on September 7th and will station direct on September 29th.
Writers understand that a piece of writing is not finished until it has been edited. Writing and editing are completely different functions. While writing can be done in a flow of creative inspiration, editing requires an eye for detail, an objectivity that serves the overall piece, and a willingness to relinquish those sometimes brilliant words and passages that don’t serve the higher objective.
Mercury’s retrograde cycle essentially presents us with an opportunity for editing our lives. Every three months or so, The Messenger changes direction and shines a light on the recent or even distant past. This is a great time for finishing things, getting organized, getting caught up and letting go of some of those things that no longer serve a useful purpose.
If you are attempting to make something new happen now, keep in mind that set-backs reveal areas in which communication was not clear or something needs to be repaired or addressed. Patience and several deep breaths work wonders should it be necessary to back up a few steps in order to get something right.
While Mercury is retrograde, progress happens by going backward. This is an excellent time to reconsider, revise, revamp, restore, refresh, research, realize, revisit, renew and relinquish. I love making a list of re- words that remind me of what an empowering period this is, if I choose to make the most of it. I’d love to hear some of your favorites.
Remember, retreat, relax and enjoy your favorite forms of recreation!
Today is the last full day of summer. The Sun is about to enter the final degree of Virgo. Mercury is retrograde and the Moon is, once again, waxing. Beginnings and endings coalesce and caress the senses. Every open door we enter marks the end of that which came before.
I love summer. I have always loved it and after living for a time in Hawaii, know that one season is plenty for me. Some more summer, please. I was born in late spring. The vibrancy of color in bloom on green hillsides, fresh warm breezes and extra-long days–sun high and bright in the clear blue sky–are etched upon my soul.
My summer has been full of inspiring changes, unexpected pleasures, delightful new companions and a new-found passion for, of all things, hooping. Remember the hula hoop from the 50s and 60s? Well, it’s back and this time it is for grown-ups. We call it Hoop Dance and it has opened my world in remarkable ways in just a few short weeks.
All of this new energy and inspiration has worked to open my mind to fresh perspectives and potentials, as well. I am rethinking the subjects on which I wish to write and the kinds of work I do with clients. I have called myself an Intuitive Astrologer for the past dozen or so years, now. Today, that title feels limiting. While I still find benefit in referring to the astrology chart, the astrology I am interested in practicing today is what I am calling the ‘new astrology of potential’. The world really has changed. This is a new day. There are potentials and possibilities available to each of us that did not previously exist.
As my work has evolved over the years I have come to understand that one of the things I do when working with clients is to channel the wisdom of their Expanded Consciousness. I can no longer count the number of times a client has remarked on how fascinating it is to them that I used ‘that word’ or brought up ‘that subject’, as it is something they have been thinking about or feeling for some time. They light up when they recognize the voice of their intuition coming through me. I cannot tell them anything they don’t already know, on some level.
Today my work is evolving to that of an Intuitive Advisor and Consciousness Teacher. I love to remind people of their own potential and assist them in recognizing their own empowering truth.
I am off for a run in the sun on this beautiful day. Thank you for joining in my celebration of the expansiveness of this remarkable season.
An internationally recognized 13-year-old prodigy, considered the only known child binary genius, in both realist painting and poetry.
Selected as 1 of 20 most accomplished visual artists in the world by Tribute Entertainment (London) and ABI (United States).
Kids Hall of Fame inductee.
World Council for Gifted and Talented Children inductee.
A best selling author of two books “Akiane: Her Life, Her Art, Her Poetry” and “My Dream is Bigger than I – Memories of Tomorrow”
Watching this video changed the tone of my whole day today. Somehow, seeing her and hearing what she had to say reminded me that we are all gifted in our own way and each of us, when we are balanced and acting in harmony with who we really are capable of expressing our own genius–our own shining spiritual nature. Just imagine the kind of world that would create.
I have spoken to so many people over the past week who are feeling upset about one thing or another. These are people who are normally pretty rational, together types who are finding themselves whipped into a dramatic frenzy about something that has either felt like a personal affront, or completely baffled them. I was surprised to find myself in this group, last week, too. Though I have weathered many of these emotional storms, it takes a while before I realize that my big reaction has little or nothing to do with the situation that has triggered those feelings.
As I wrote in my previous post, we just completed a series of three eclipses between July 7 and August 5. Eclipses work like magic to unearth old emotional patterns that have been held for years or even decades in the subconscious. Unawareness of these emotionally-charged patterns doesn’t mean they haven’t had an affect on one’s experiences. In fact, these unconscious patterns form the basis upon which many, if not all, of our beliefs about ‘the way life is’ were created. That which we experience is what we know as true for us. It is what we lived, after all. Over time this ‘truth’ has been reinforced so often that most of us come to feel we are helpless to change it. Even when we want to. Even when we see that others don’t have these same issues. We don’t understand how they are being created since the origins of these patterns are stowed away somewhere that the brain cannot consciously access. At the time the original event occurred we did not have the capacity to deal with the it. Our systems are designed to protect us from being aware of things we cannot yet handle. So now, even though we are older, wiser and much more experienced, until we can process the memory and release the emotional charge that has kept the pattern active, we will continue to see it in our current reality.
The key to changing this lies in our willingness to explore an issue that comes up and feels all too familiar. We are often aware that this isn’t the first time we have felt this way; though we are hard pressed to understand why it is happening, yet again. Unprocessed memory holds the pattern active in our energy field until we can finally see it for what it is and discharge the emotion from long ago.
Eclipses touch off sensitive areas in our lives, activating them to give us an opportunity to process the experience and integrate the energy that was previously stuck and replaying the same verse, like a broken record. Liberating yourself from that old story that is not the truth of who you are is the reward. By taking a little time to be with the way you are feeling and recall other times when you felt this way, you begin to free the energy that has bound up a portion of your life-force until you were ready to know more of the truth of who you are.
The best thing I have found to free up more vitality by clearing these old memories and their emotional charge is Sacred G. I have been using Sacred G since March 2009 and highly recommend it. My life has changed in remarkable ways since then, simply and easily. Check it out at CoryHerter.com. Cory is a remarkable person who has been through a profound healing journey. He has used what he has learned to create Sacred G. The benefits are too numerous to recount here. He has posted lots of videos in which he explains in great detail, how Sacred G works and what you can expect to experience. He is currently making Sacred G available as a file you can download so you can experience for yourself what it can do for you.
Did you see that crazy moon last night? Not only was it full and bright, it was the third in a series of eclipses that started a month ago. This Lunar Eclipse right in the middle of the never-a-dull-moment sign, Aquarius, followed the Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn on July 7, the Solar Eclipse in Cancer on July 21. I don’t know about you, but I have had an amazing summer, unlike any other, these past couple of months. Having gotten better at letting go, I feel a sense of personal freedom and wonder at how quickly things are changing. After years of studying the effects of eclipses this last series felt especially intense in terms of how swiftly people’s lives are changing.
The conditions in one’s natal chart will show whether an eclipse, or any astrological event, will be experienced directly, through those around us or through the collective. I have Aquarius Rising, so this eclipse occurred in my first house, the house of the personality, appearance, the instincts and the body. My experience of this eclipse was physical. I felt awash in emotion, upset by things that I would normally take in stride. Old, previously stuck emotional patterns were surfacing like waves on the beach finally available for acknowledgment and release.
The ongoing line-up of Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius continues to shake up the status quo and this Aquarius eclipse amplifies their effect even more. Breakthroughs are likely as the moon, still in full (manifestation) mode brings fresh light to this area of the zodiac and our lives, in breaking down old patterns and creating new potentials for something more healing, visionary, ingenious, humanitarian and inspired to occur.
This Aquarius Lunar Eclipse occurred on or very close to the natal Sun of those Aquarians with birthdays between around January 27–February 3. If that is you, expect the unexpected. You know how much you like to do things your own way, this energy is ripe for finding yourself in a situation you didn’t necessarily see coming. This is no time to sit around waiting to act on what you want. If you’ve been itching to take a chance on something, this may be your golden opportunity.
Those Geminis and Libras with birthdays between about the 27th of May or September and the 3rd of June or October (and even a few days on either side of those dates) are likely to be feeling an energetic boost from this eclipse in a positive, let’s get going and make something happen, kind of way. Full Moons are a time of manifestation. Whereas New Moons are about fresh starts.
The other fixed signs: Taurus, Leo and Scorpio are under a dynamic tension to take action now. Status quo is no longer a viable alternative for anyone, really. Change is only stressful when resisted. As much as those born under a fixed sign prefer that others make the changes so they don’t have to–I am speaking from personal experience, here–there are times when the only thing to do is accept that sometimes change is necessary and ultimately, a good thing, and then do what you know must be done.
As with any event, remember that though you may not have a conscious choice over what happens in your life, you always have a choice about how you respond to what is happening. It is much easier to navigate the river of life when we are open to accepting where we are at the moment. In being present to what is, we can make wise choices about the next step and the one after that. May your precious summer days be filled with sunshine and love.
Time, energy, attention and money. These are the precious personal resources of our lives. Too often, I find mine have disappeared without me even noticing until they are gone.
I feel that the process of getting to know and accept oneself wholeheartedly is essential to understanding one’s values and value as an individual. We have all been exposed to the conditioning that says, “No one will ever love you if you are honest” and “It is selfish/wrong to think highly of yourself” and “Sensitivity is a weakness” and the unspoken but pervasive idea “Love is something that you have to earn”. Only by being honest with yourself is it possible to know what is true of you.
Here is what I have learned. The art of living well is based in having cultivated a loving relationship with oneself. This means learning to trust your heart and body and questioning the knee-jerk judgments of your mind and other people. It means coming out of auto-pilot-living and noticing the things that spark your energy and enthusiasm, lift your spirits, feel expansive and draw you forward. It means knowing what matters to you and investing your personal resources in ways that support your life and your values.
It all comes down to this: Roses don’t last forever. Smell them while they bloom. Life is precious. Spend it wisely. Love yourself. Love your life.
I had blogging on my mind yesterday, off and on all day. I had blogged nine straight days. I was proud of my efforts and knew that being almost a third of the way there, I could accomplish my NaBloPoMo goal of a blog post a day for thirty days running.
The thing is, though, I wasn’t feeling particularly taken with any of the ideas that came to mind. I considered posting something just for the sake of fulfilling my intention to do so. That didn’t feel very good to me, though. I blog to share ideas, images and information that feel inspiring. If my heart isn’t in it, it is just a mechanical act.
So, No More National Blog Post Month for me unless the spirit moves me that many days in a row. We’ll see. My days of doing something just because I said I would in a moment of inspiration are long gone. When I stretch beyond that with which I am aligned it never turns out as I had hoped it would, regardless of my good intentions.
Living true to who we are means allowing for the fresh insights and deeper realizations that emerge as we are making our way down a particular path. Things are seldom what we think they are as we begin them and sometimes everything we need to fulfill our reason for choosing that direction happens quickly. Other times the path continues to draw us forward and our horizons expand in wonderful ways as a result of that journey. Only in honoring that which is true for us in the moment do we stay in the flow of our own river of life. Loving yourself means trusting what you feel and honoring it with your actions. No one else needs to understand or approve. Only you know what is right for you.
My friend, Nicole, and I hike once or twice a week in the forest pictured above and the surrounding hills. We share a passion for being out in nature, for getting exercise in a natural and uplifting way; we are willing to push ourselves a little and aren’t afraid to slow down or stop if that’s what we need to do. Some of the trails are super steep. Others, like this one, are gentle and winding. Sometimes we follow the trail to the end. Other times we turn around and find a way that feels better.
Go boldly in the directions that call to you, live true and love you.
I have been playing with creating fractal images for the past few years. There is something about the nature of fractals the captivates me. I love the repeated design, the vividness of the colors and the energy I feel looking at them. My sense is that they help to connect us with some mysterious primal and universal knowing within us. Something that speaks to the mulit-dimensional nature of the universe and our place in it.
This one reminds me of the Flower Power images of the 60s when I was growing up.
What do you feel as you gaze at this image? What is flowering in your experience today?
I was introduced to Abraham, the original teacher of Law of Attraction, channeled by Esther Hicks, in 1996. I was going through a very challenging time and despite the professional help I was getting, the situation that I had been desperately attempting to resolve for several months, continued to rage on. I was at wit’s end when a friend, after patiently listening to me recount the latest in this increasingly dramatic situation said, “I have something I want you to hear.”
She turned on the stereo and played a tape of Esther channeling Abraham. Within moments I realized I was hearing the truth and that I had the power to change the situation. I started to make changes the next day and within a week the ‘problem’ was finally solved.
Law of Attraction is nothing new. It is simply the way life works. The problem is, so much of what goes on with us is not conscious. You can take your attention off of what you do not want to create but if some deeper, unconscious part of you is oriented for that kind of situation to be created, nothing you can do with your attention is going to make any difference, at all.
In my experience, when something keeps coming to my attention it is because there is something about it that is important for me to know. When I continue to push the thought from my mind because I was told it isn’t good to have negative thoughts, I just get into a losing, energy-draining, battle. I do not get the thing I am attempting to put my attention on because the conflicting thoughts/pattern/things that are surfacing are currently occupying that space.
For instance, say that I want a happy, satisfying relationship with a man, but the only relationships I’ve ever had have been of the unhealthy, co-dependent variety. If I simply push away the thoughts of those unhappy situations and don’t allow myself to come to some kind of awareness about my part in the relationships that didn’t give me the experience I hoped for, how can I expect to suddenly leap to the ideal? If I don’t know how I attracted the last one, which according to the LOA, I certainly did, how will I know how to attract something that is more to my liking this time? I am not saying you can’t attract the ideal but even if you do, it isn’t likely to feel ideal for long if you have a pile of unresolved emotional issues that are festering somewhere beneath the surface.
I heard Abraham, again, today saying not to think about anything you don’t want to create and I had to shake my head. We attract what we are, not what we think about. We attract according to what we are doing with our energy and emotions, not what our brain is focusing on. If thinking alone could change things the world and most of us would be different by now. Don’t you think?
I love Abraham. I do. But I feel there is much more to the story than ‘The Secret’ would lead one to believe. If you want things to change, begin by accepting your part in the creation of those things you no longer want. There was a time when they were right for you. As you accept what has been, you begin to understand what is really important to you, how much you have grown and how much you have learned. You allow yourself to come fully present in your life rather than projecting yourself into some future scenario that you are not yet prepared to live. If we create something we are not ready for we feel insecure and unbalanced because the gap between where you are now and where you think you want to be has not yet been bridged.
Take a breath. Accept yourself. Appreciate your personal journey. Love yourself for what you have gone through in order to learn what you now know. Take it a day at a time. Accept and acknowledge, at least to yourself, the challenges that brought you to this moment. In so doing, you become more clear, aware and prepared for something new, appropriate and life-enhancing to the person you are today.
When we stop distracting ourselves by trying to control our thinking or feelings we have the luxury of relaxing into all of the good that we have already attracted in our lives. And from that place we naturally attract more of that which works beautifully.
