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What's going on? Mars in Aries + Summer Solstice = Lots of Opportunities
6/26/05
Hey there -
As Ringo Starr once said, Oh my, my.
Astrologically speaking, there are some real major league transitions going on right now, as well as an ongoing
emphasis on family matters, and it seems like a good time to say a few things. The short version is that after
about 4 months of real emotional and physical intensity, particularly around anger, the planets are now situated
in a way that provides some real opportunities to integrate what we have just been through and take the next steps forward.
The long version is that the last couple of months have been the most intense couple of months I have seen since I
started doing readings. And I am not exaggerating. Literally, for about 8 weeks, I have had clients die, get real
sick, have bad accidents, and have their relationships combust to the tune of at least one per day. That’s huge.
And from conversations I have had with other practitioners, it seems to be about the most intense couple of months
in recent memory, if not ever. Just for clarity’s sake, I am not taking about ha-ha funny intense here. I am talking
about boatloads of random fluke weirdness intense here. So just in case you were sinking into thinking that you were
the most viable candidate for the freak of the week award, I thought you might like to have some help letting yourself
off the hook. If you are feeling things at exponential levels, at this point, you are just normal. My apologies to
those of you for whom that news may be a disappointment…call me, we’ll talk it through.
As usual, I am seeing a lot of common patterns and themes in the fallout people are experiencing from recent
astrological events. I thought I would pass it along in case it is helpful.
In a nutshell, I am seeing two things just in spades. The first is the higher octave, which is people
demonstrating extraordinary strength and valor in the face in some exceedingly grim realities and adversities.
The thing to hang on to guys is that whenever there is a crisis or tragedy, the moment will abound with heroes
and heroism. Make sure you know who yours are and that they know their actions have been meaningful to you and
others. You want to be exceptionally lavishing with the praise if those individuals are not normally known for
rising to the occasion.
The second is the lower octave, which is people finding themselves at the very end of their little tethers and
blowing themselves up (and those around them) in one way or another. Needless to say, I strongly recommend against
this, though we all have our moments when nothing else seems to be possible. If you are the one combusting, step back,
take a deep breath and ask for help (and later forgiveness). If someone you love is the combustible one, commit to
doing your best to be the fire extinguisher. You can’t always make a difference but you will always get points for
trying. It’s the right thing to do.
Here is where we are and how I think we got here, and what we are supposed to be getting from all this, in astrological
terms. As usual, if you want to skip the details and cut right to the instructions, scroll down to the end. Whatever works.
For those of you who may not have been tuned in during the winter and spring, both the Mercury Retrograde in Aries that
happened during late March and early April, AND the Full Moon/Eclipse in Scorpio that happened in late April seems to
have made a lot of folks a lot more aware of the things they are angry about in their lives. The bad news is ouch!.
The good news is, as I have said, I think this new awareness is a good thing, for a couple of reasons. The first being
that clarity is our friend.
The second is that collectively, we as a people really need to figure out the anger thing. Seriously. I truly believe
that anger is the most complex of human emotions. We all experience anger; and it is both healthy and sometimes even
necessary. But most of us seem to find it very difficult to experience and handle anger appropriately without taking
it out on others or on ourselves and it becoming destructive. Not only is the fallout from inappropriately expressed
anger one of the hardest things to deal with in real time, but it is also some of the most insidious of all karmic
baggage. Historically, as a species, we don’t have a real good track record on this one. We need to figure it out.
Clearly, these back-to-back astrological events are providing us with some major opportunities to do that. One event
will bring things up. But two events will make things oh, so much harder to avoid or deny. And if those two, back-to-back
astrological incidents weren’t enough, then there was a third. On May 1st Mars went into Pisces, where it was until June 12th.
Three back-to-back-to-back transits dealing with identifying repressed anger has made many forms of denial impossible to
maintain. On the one hand, ouch. On the other, bring it on.
Now Pisces and Mars do not get along very well. At all. They are pretty much diametrical opposites. Mars wants to be
alone, Pisces wants to be together. Mars is very clear. Pisces is very confused. Mars is all about me, Pisces is all
about us. Mars wants to move, Pisces just doesn’t. You see where this is going. As a result, Pisces is not a happy
place for Mars to be. Mars in Pisces is sort of famous for anger and conflict, especially that which comes from
sacrificing yourself to all the wrong people for all the wrong reasons. Thank God that’s over…
Ultimately, the most important thing that I think we need to keep in sight is the connection between anger (which in
astrology is considered an aspect of Mars, and as such a male energy) and the emergence of the divine sacred feminine.
There has been so much discussion in the last couple of years from so many different sectors about the crucial significance
of the awakening and re-emergence of the divine sacred feminine. There has been a lot less discussion about how exactly that
is to happen how we are to access the feminine with greater clarity and dexterity in both our culture and in our individual
lives. I think this spring and summer we have begun to get a glimpse of one part of it. I don’t think it ever dawned on most
of us that the path to reclaiming the feminine would be through identifying and more properly integrating the male, through
understanding and harnessing the different aspects of male energy. Particularly the anger part. Very interesting. Who knew?
As a result, like I said at the beginning, I am seeing the most incredible volume of spontaneous combustion I have ever seen.
Ever. And it is taking about four primary forms. The common denominator is that there are a lot of people feeling like
they really got womped. Sometimes it was by somebody else and their anger, and sometimes it was their own anger that
got the better of them. And sometimes it was just life. No matter which it was for you, try as best you can to stick
with it at levels that you had not been previously able to do. I think developing the ability to do that is what this
is all about.
So the first thing is that I am seeing is a lot of couples breaking up, or teetering on or near the edge of it.
For many who fall into that category, I am an advocate for proceeding very slowly, thoughtfully, and thoroughly.
The major pattern here is that around matters of the heart, we all have our own personal saturation point at which
we are simply prone to run for the hills. Usually quite prematurely. On a bad day most of us want to think that it’s
all the other person’s fault and if we can just get away from them our problems will all be solved. That’s usually a
big honkin’ trap. A parallel trap is thinking that you will have different issues with a different partner. Don’t go
here no camping, no dwelling, no visiting, no skirting the fringes.
My advice here is that for most of you, unless there is egregious harm being done, don’t make any big decisions
right now about whether you are staying or going. The best use of your time and resources right now is to identify,
own and process appropriately the things you are angry about and develop more effective strategies for dealing with
them. Also, practice holding the space for the pure essence of your beloved to come forward and be more apparent to
the both of you.
The second thing is that I am also seeing a lot of accidents. Now these are the most bizarre. Many, many of these seem
to be the result of inattentiveness or of being in some way emotionally out of control. But many of these are a
round-about manifestation of anger turned inward. My advice here is that if you are finding yourself leaning towards
the accident prone side, to get really clear on what you are mad about and commit to finding more appropriate solutions.
And use whatever means necessary to get back in your body and get/stay present. Easier said than done, I know. But stick
with it. This is an extraordinary opportunity to heal old wounds and show up in your life in a whole new way as a result.
The thing to remember is that at this point it is not about performing perfectly. It is about how we handle our mistakes.
The third thing I am seeing way too much of is death. I am seeing a lot of death more of it than I ever have. I am started
to feel like the angel of death is camped over my front doorway, right next to the doves and the sparrows. Granted, I have
only been doing readings professionally for about 11 years, and as a result I am one of the newer voices in the metaphysical
community. But still, there are a lot of folks (and animals) leaving the planet right now. Animal deaths are particularly
complicated, as their logic is different from ours. They are more emotional and can turn on a dime.
Death in and of itself is hard enough for most of us. We all have trouble with change and have a hard time filling the
spaces in our lives that the death of a loved one leaves. We also struggle with the temporary pause that death puts
in our relationships with the soul of a departed loved one, forcing us to accept that all unfinished business with
that soul will have to wait for another time. But sudden, unexpected death creates an even greater sense of loss and
violation in those left behind, as there simply was no warning, no time to say and do the things we’ve left unsaid or
undone.
I think another one of the reasons that death is so hard is that it confronts us on how we are using our time here.
I was at a memorial service today and one of the speakers asked the congregation, “What are you doing with your wild
and precious life?” What this left me with is that some of those stupid clichés about living and dying are really true.
The best way to spend your time on the planet is truly to live each moment as if it were your last. Not the narcissistic,
hedonistic way that a lot of people try to make of it. You want to be aiming for something more like the “if I never
see you again I would want to be sure you knew ______ and understood ______ “ sort of a thing.
So for now, let’s make the most of the moment. Mars has moved into Aries, which it rules. This placement is a much more
comfortable fit for Mars, making it much easier to feel like you can get some sort of traction on your issues, priorities
and projects. The good news that for about the next month most of you will find it a lot easier to finish things or
achieve things than it has been for a long time. So go for it, whatever it is. The tricky part is that Mars rules anger,
aggression, accidents, and war. So we are going to continue to get opportunities to explore and experiment with the anger
thing.
It is also Summer Solstice, or Midsummer, the halfway point in our year. Summer Solstice traditionally marks the
longest day of the year and the beginning of summer. It is a really good time to be out in the world, rather than in
the warm safe confines of home the way we do at midwinter. It is also a good time to check in with yourself see where
you are in your life as compared to the goals you set at New Years. What have you achieved and what still needs a little
tweaking (or a full on frontal assault)?
In summary, here are your instructions for the next month or so:
Do:
Just #&*@ing own it. If you are mad, say so.
Find better solutions to the things that bother you than what you are currently doing.
Say something nice, no matter how weird the person or situation.
Tell the ones you live with that you love them. And why. Every day.
Do a good deed just for the hell of it, with no expectation of anything in return.
Get regular check ups and keep your vehicles maintained.
Finish some of the projects you have been working on.
Make an effort to reconnect with friends and family.
Identify and make a plan to minimize your karmic baggage.
Make a plan for both spiritual and fun things during the upcoming Mercury Retrograde (July 22 - Aug 15).
Don’t:
Act out your anger.
Hurt yourself of anyone else.
Run away or check out.
Stay stuck.
Be hasty, rash or impulsive.
Assume that the person in the car in front of you is sober, strapped in, will signal or follow even the most basic
rules of the road.
So in closing, I think that despite all the real life, grown up realities that we are all having to deal with right now,
we have a lot of really rich moments and opportunities to create even more in the future. Take them, and keep me posted.
I love hearing your stories and your questions. You keep me inspired and in touch. Be well, and as Ringo says now, choose love.
Xoxoxox
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