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Posts tagged "Saturn"

Libra New Moon September 30

Posted by Sheri Horn Hasan - November 13, 2016 - Astrology

Ah, Libra—the sign of balance, equality, harmony, and loving partnerships!

As the Moon meets the Sun at 8 degrees Libra, this Libra New Moon bestows upon us all an excellent opportunity to do some work around the theme of relationships!

Libra is known to be a sign that has great difficulty making decisions. That’s because those who carry a good deal of Libra archetypal energy have a knack for seeing both sides of a situation.

Ergo, they are capable of understanding, sympathizing, and potentially empathizing with those who express two different sides of an argument. This can make it difficult for one who carries Libra energy to choose.

I VS. THOU

In addition, Libra energy is known as one that does not feel whole without a partner. Thus the sign’s tendency—because it is about balance, fairness, and peace—is to compromise, sometimes too much, for the sake of their partnerships.

On the flip side, however, positive Libra energy revolves around creativity, compromise, and negotiation. Many who carry Libra energy make excellent negotiators, diplomats, peacemakers, artists, etc., precisely because they can see so clearly opposite sides of the same dilemma and sense the opportunity for peace in the middle.

This Libra New Moon–which brings together the Moon and the Sun in the sky (as do all New Moons)—carries with the potential for an alignment of the heart and mind. This metaphysically portends that an ultimately successful “make love, not war” philosophy is possible.

LIBRA NEW MOON & JUPITER IN LIBRA: WHOLE LOTTA LIBRA

All roads may seem to lead to partnership this year, and the fact is that we are entering a whole new era of relationships.

However, this news isn’t necessarily all sweetness and light, as this Libra New Moon might otherwise seem to indicate. Rather, combined with Jupiter’s journey through the sign of Libra until October 12, 2017, the message is that we must watch out for Libra’s potential pitfalls.

“Relationships are only as good as any individual continues to grow in ever-evolving independence and inter-dependence,” according to Kim Marie Weimer of the Evolutionary Astrology Network, in a recent lecture on the topic of Jupiter in Libra.

While we all have before us the potential “to achieve new equalities—racial, gender, economic, religious, and the balancing of self vs. other(s),” we also must watch for the distortions in our partnerships, which may include “selfishness, extremes, war, patriarchal grabs, and violence,” Weimer explains.

Crucial to the message of this Libra New Moon is how self-reliance and honesty with oneself promote our ability to relate to others as equals and to forge alliances free from power struggles, disillusionment, and confusion. Weimer suggests that Jupiter in Libra will help us instead to recognize “we are all in it together, honoring self-needs [as] equal to another’s needs.”

LIBRA NEW MOON HEART/MIND ALIGNMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Libra New Moon’s separation from Jupiter bestows a kiss of luck upon the new couple, who not only receive this anointment from the great benefic Jupiter, but a boost from their approaching sextile to Saturn as well…

This sextile to Saturn is what presents us with our opportunity, as a sextile is always an aspect that can increase our ability to seize the day–as long as we’re cognizant that this is so.

Saturn is always about maturation, and maturity often comes only at the expense of hard work. Whether that work entails learning from one’s mistakes en route to following a pathway toward success, or simply putting one’s shoulder to the wheel and pushing it uphill, there is always exertion involved.

The Libra New Moon’s sextile to Saturn portends an easier route, or flow if you will, toward that maturation. In other words, you have the wind behind your sails as you attempt to bring your heart and mind into alignment vis-à-vis the subject of your relationships.

The biggest fly in the ointment becomes the Libra New Moon’s square to Mars, along with the red planet’s square to Jupiter as well…a little self-discipline wouldn’t hurt, as Venus-ruled Libra New Moon might otherwise be prone to a bit of excess born of frustration with any particular partnership.

Seeing red might bring about a confrontation with another that’s long overdue, but anger for the sake of itself will not solve any long term problems. Be mindful that it pays to look at where you’ve been compromising too much for the sake of partnership and of blaming another for letting the issue(s) go on for too long…

This Libra New Moon ask us to get creative in finding the kind of middle ground that won’t leave us frustrated and angry in the long-term…

LIBRA NEW MOON OPPORTUNITY: FALL IN LOVE—WITH YOURSELF!

Those of us who dream of soul mates and miraculous partnerships made in heaven, it’s usually good to remember that all relationships represent parts of ourselves that we attract to ourselves in the form of another.

These are the bits and pieces of our personalities about which we are unconscious–and one of the best roads toward consciousness is when we can see ourselves through the eyes of another.

To be made more fully aware of who we really are is the true gift of any partnership—be it a relationship with a significant other, our family members, friends, colleagues, or higher up authority figures.

So this Libra New Moon reminds us that it’s time to start anew and plant a seed of loving oneself first before one can truly love another. It also reminds us that every relationship has a lesson for us because it teaches us more about ourselves.

The issue of whether or not relationships are meant to last is often a moot point disregarded by those hell bent on finding their true soul mate.

This Libra New Moon’s quincunx to Neptune and the South Node in Pisces indicates that although relationships are important, adjustments must be made to bring your attention back down to earth and to the most impactful relationship you can possibly have: the one with yourself!

THIS is the partnership that needs the most attention, because cultivating self-love first allows you to see this love reflected back to you in the eyes (and behavior!) of another.

In turn, this kind of loving partnership with another brings you the opportunity to continually learn about yourself, grow in consciousness, and love yourself even more…

Here’s a fun video to help remind you to keep the focus on YOU within relationship when you might otherwise distort your view of a partnership and blame (or love!) only the other…remember it’s possible to start evaluating your relationship with yourself FIRST and then move onward and outward to others:

Hailee Steinfeld’s I Love Myself!

Namaste…

artists, Jupiter, Libra, Libra New Moon, Mars, moon, peacemakers, relationship, Saturn, Sun

Saturn Stations Direct August 13

Posted by Sheri Horn Hasan - August 13, 2016 - Astrology

If you’ve been feeling a little unsteady lately–or better yet a little stuck—you may well be able to chalk it up, as Saturn stations direct August 13, to Saturn’s recent retrograde since March 25.

Saturn is about maturity. Saturn is about wisdom. Saturn is about being your own best adult and your own best parent. Saturn is about getting the job done, and done well.

Saturn is NOT about fun, gaiety, light-heartedness, or frivolity!

An archetypal energy also often related to work–be that work literal, metaphorical, external, or internal— Saturn also helps us better define our ego.

And what’s the definition of ego? Well, according to my go-to source, Merriam Webster Dictionary, it’s “one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that serves as the organized conscious mediator between the person and reality, especially by functioning both in the perception of and adaptation to reality”

So Saturn functions in our chart as one of the energies that helps us to “mediate” between our inside and outside worlds. And this energy helps us to develop our belief system about life and the world around us.

Saturn is the archetypal energy that propels us toward success in order that we may carry out our “job”—one each of us has been tasked with since birth…

And what is that “job” we all need to do so well?

Well, damn, girl, it’s about growing in consciousness! An activity most decidedly easier said than done!

Giving Up…

What happens during Saturn’s retrograde period?

When Saturn stations retrograde, we are tasked with the chore of breaking down a part of our ego structure and rebuilding it.

“Wherever Saturn is transiting in our horoscope we are molding and shaping new boundaries and creating dimension and form, but periodically this type of development internalizes and incubates, resulting in a feeling of stuck-ness and immobility,” writes Erin Sullivan in her book “Retrograde Planets.”

This period may coincide with feelings of loss, as relationships, jobs, material possessions—or anything to which we have a concrete commitment in Saturnine terms—may fall away.

The purpose of such loss, however, is to create space for something new to come into our lives. Saturn’s seriousness here is steadfast. As mentioned, he’s not about taking the easy road to success. Rather, he’s the harsh taskmaster in us all calling us to do our homework, take out the garbage, and basically take care of business before we can get down to the Leonine business of play!

The universe is benign, I always say, and has no vested interest in making us suffer. It provides us every moment of every day the opportunity to grow in consciousness. It is our CHOICE whether or not to heed those calls.

Personifying the archetype of Saturn (or any other planet for that matter) is merely a literary technique meant to help others imagine or visualize this particular energy associated with this particular archetype.

When Saturn retrogrades—as he does annually for approximately five months (though it will be approximately nine months before he gains enough speed again to reach the degree at which he stationed retrograde)—his mission is always the same: to assist our growth in consciousness.

If You Love Me, Don’t Let Go…

During this period any loss translates into some kind of ending. You may recognize this ending immediately, or it may take some going deep. This will depend on where Saturn is transiting your chart since he stationed retrograde on March 25 (i.e., what house or houses) and whether or not he’s in aspect to any planets or sensitive points in your natal chart.

By the end of the retrograde period, and as Saturn begins to develop momentum in the sky over the next month or so, we may look back and recognize that life goes on. This will begin to dawn on us, even if at times during the retrograde period we felt the world a bleak, desolate, or simply stagnant, place.

What we do know with certainty is that once Saturn begins his forward motion again, we are tasked with the work of filling the void now created by the disappearance or loss of whomever or whatever deserted us during the retrograde period.

Where we once felt like this:

“Mama, come here
Approach, appear…
Daddy, I’m alone
‘Cause this house don’t feel like home…

If you love me, don’t let go
Whoa, if you love me, don’t let go…”

We may now begin to realize that “if you love me, don’t let go” is actually a mantra best used to help us rebuild better, stronger, more lasting internal foundations for relationships, jobs, or other commitments through a stronger sense of commitment to ourselves!

This is crucial and makes it quite understandable why Saturn is not an energy known to f%$k around…why would he when the stakes are so high?

As Erin Sullivan writes, “…the station retrograde does affect the deeper layers of the psyche, wherein the transformation will occur.”

And it’s this transformation into self-sufficient, independent, mature, wise adults on the inside so that we may reflect this energy back to ourselves from those with whom we associate on the outside, that Saturn’s archetypal energies—retrogrades and all—are about!

The Push Forward After Saturn Stations Direct

As Saturn regains speed in the short term, reviewing the deeper meaning of any losses, changes, or broken commitments is the order of the day. We may begin to emerge from our isolation and to carry on…

However, we can carry on with regret and depression (looking back), with anxiety about the future, OR we can use the energy of the ego-identified Sun currently transiting through the sign of Leo to co-create our own futures by committing ourselves to living in the moment.

If you’re tired of being alone, begin to realize that you are your own best friend. If you’re suffering the loss of a love relationship, friendship, job, material possessions, etc., recognize this was stifling your ability to grow.

Saturn’s energies are physical, concrete, and about the empirical world of form. Just because you may not yet see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. It’s always our perceptions that count, and while Saturn is in Sagittarius we may be changing these perceptions…

By the time Saturn reaches 16 degrees Sagittarius—the degree at which it stationed retrograde on March 25, something new will have been born to take the place of whatever may have disappeared during the retrograde period.

Upon Saturn’s station direct “one might feel as if moving in slow motion,” writes Sullivan. “It takes much time for Saturn’s message to be incorporated into the conscious mind, but it is assured that the nine-month process of seeking, gestation, and birth has occurred.

“Something new has been born, but it will need a few months to come consciously manifest,” Sullivan adds. “Very gradually, new ego structures can be created…”

Here’s X Ambassadors live version of their song “Unsteady”

And here’s where you can sign up for more bi monthly Astro News You Can Use!

Namaste…

consciousness, direct, job, retrograde, Sagittarius, Saturn, stagnant, stations, stuck, unsteady

Gemini New Moon Mutable Cross June 4

Posted by Sheri Horn Hasan - July 5, 2016 - Astrology

On June 4, the Moon met up with the Sun at 14 degrees Gemini to form a Gemini New Moon. Sandwiched between these two luminaries was Venus–the goddess of peace, beauty, and all that you deem valuable–in Gemini, and all three opposed Saturn in Sagittarius.

Gemini New Moon Mutable Cross: Mutability City!

Wait, that’s not all! At the same moment the Gemini New Moon and Venus formed an opposition to Saturn, they also squared Jupiter and the North Node–both in Virgo–and Neptune and the South Node—both in Pisces–to form a mutable cross.

Mutable signs tend to represent an energy that’s easily distracted and, in some cases, can turn on a dime. On one hand, this archetypal energy may be easily confused, but on the other, it’s flexible.

Cardinal energy initiates, fixed energy sticks with something until it gets the job done, while mutable energy wraps everything up and gets it ready for the next phase.

Picture being at the end of a production line where the product comes off the conveyor belt. You grab it, stuff it in a box, cover it with a lid, slap on a bow and a label, and hand it off to the UPS guy waiting to throw it onto his truck and make his delivery.

That’s mutability!

Gemini New Moon–Get Ready & Get Real!

So, whoa–there’s a lot of mutability in the air right now…what to make of so much mutability goin’ on?

This Gemini New Moon and Venus opposing Saturn asks: Is there anything it’s time to leave behind now as you make your way toward your true karmic destiny and greater consciousness?

New Moons are always about planting a seed, and they set the tone now until the next Full Moon in Sagittarius on June 20. This Gemini New Moon and Venus opposite Saturn invite you to allow whatever needs to leave to do so.

And their square to Jupiter requests that you investigate a little deeper whether what you thought you wanted is what your soul—your higher self–truly needs. Perhaps you’ve been chasing a few rainbows, thinking of pie-in-the-sky ideas, or daydreaming a bit too long when there’s actual work to be done?

This Gemini New Moon’s square to Neptune pretty much echoes the same theme: where have you been looking at the world, others, and/or your life through rose colored glasses? Where do you need to come down to earth and deal with concrete reality?

Please don’t get me wrong—dreams are important! Without our capability to envision potential reality through fantasy and our imaginations, we wouldn’t be able to create that which is manifest, concrete, physical, and REAL.

However, if we’ve been hanging on too long to ideas or beliefs (Saturn in Sagittarius) that have either outlived their purpose or usefulness, or proven impossible to manifest, then perhaps now is the time to let them go.

If your dreams, longings, or desires for success (in whatever realm of life is important to you) have proven impossible, this Gemini New Moon and Venus opposite Saturn say it’s time to look at life in the cold hard light of reality and to get real…

Wake Up You Need To Make Money!

If you’re taking a fall from Cloud 9 right now, or seeing the ground begin to zoom closer to your body as if someone’s turned on the fast motion mechanism of your camera’s lens, fear not.

Often we don’t wake up until we land with a thump on the ground. Ever fall out of bed while you were dreaming? Stop short suddenly? Have the rug pulled out from under you?

I am not referring here to the sudden quality of Uranian/Aquarian energy. Rather, I’m alluding to that fall from grace that can occur when expectations run too high, we miss, misinterpret, or misunderstood details, nuances, and finer points, and disappointment ensues.

That’s the potential downside of so much mutable energy.

The upside?

Well, the upside lies in the positive use of Gemini energy as this Gemini New Moon provides us all with the opportunity to conceive, communicate, discuss, and debate new ideas. Ideas that just might, after all, develop into plans with the kind of real potential to manifest concretely and successfully.

Always, we must keep the big picture in mind and not get caught up and confused by too many details, too many pieces of information that don’t seem to fit together properly. Only when we view these individual bits and pieces as part of a whole, and then figure what kind of sense that whole actually makes, can we draw the best and highest use out of them.

So, putting into place the patchwork of what may seem to be random information is what’s called for, as we work toward planting that mutable seed that may one day manifest as a bigger, higher idea—one with a purpose and a meaning…

**Check Out Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots!**

I love this song and video because it so aptly illustrates Gemini energy! First, the local transportation in the near neighborhood, the friend/neighbor and their Geminian handshake (Gemini represents the hands!), the memory of a smell and the mention of his brother, the use of imagination, the introduction of other siblings and parents, and finally, the wake up call to the eternal child, puer aeterneus (Peter Pan): wake up you need to make money! Never mind the magically appearing microphone and the fact that too much air and too much thinking (Gemini anyone?) result in the kind of overactive mind that leaves one stressed out!

cardinal, cross, fixed, Gemini New Moon, mutable, Peter Pan, Sagittarius, Saturn, twenty one piots, Venus

Taurus New Moon May 6 — Rock Steady!

Posted by Sheri Horn Hasan - May 6, 2016 - Astrology

This Taurus New Moon energy sets the tone this month…

…for us to plant seeds of peace and calm in order to bring an unfluster-able serenity into our lives.

Think Ferdinand the bull who, in the children’s story, refused to engage in the bullfight ring—even the swinging of the red cape and taunting cries of “Toro! Toro! Toro!” left him unwilling to fight.

Ultimately they retired him to a patch of land where he rested peacefully under a shady tree, calmly munching some grass and happily watching the world go by…

At this Taurus New Moon, we are called to entertain thoughts about whether it’s more about action for action’s sake, and machismo and glory, or the serenity of knowing who we are and what we value most.

The interesting thing about Taurus energy is that it’s monumentally strong. When the bull in us puts her shoulder to the wheel, she can move just about anything. However, without motivation, it’s often tough for those who carry this archetypal energy–and who value pleasure in life most–to get up and get moving…

The danger around Taurus energy is that we may stubbornly remain peacefully otherwise occupied and resist the call to move or change. But this Taurus New Moon offers us the same kind of fixity we just might need in order to stabilize our lives…

Plant Seeds With 5 Retrograde Planets?

Let’s face it, with so much celestial energy retrograde right now it seems unlikely we can do much: Mercury calls us to review, rethink, revise, as our left brain logical function is subdued at least until May 22 and communication snafus abound. Meanwhile Mars—retrograde until June 29–until asks us to take a more reactive than proactive stance right now.

Saturn, too, says “take it slow” (until he stations direct on August 13) in order to release anything in your life that’s no longer instrumental to your future growth.

And Pluto’s base note resounds with a “let go of anything in your life that doesn’t allow you to transform at the deepest core level of your soul.” (Pluto, the slowest moving of all the planets, won’t station direct again until September 26.)

Jupiter, due to station direct on May 9, has been busy backstroking through the heavens since January 8, helping us to discover whether what we think we want is what our soul truly needs…

That said, it’s fairly easy to see how feeling like planting a seed at this Taurus New Moon to eventually birth something new may not be seriously in the cards right now.

Make Space For Future Growth

Does this mean you can’t forge ahead during this time? Does life stop because of all this retrograde planetary energy?

No! Life is always about growth and growth is always about change!

Think of it this way: this Taurus New Moon asks us all to dig down deep—just as you would with your trowel in the garden in order to plant those annually recurring perennials—and to unearth from below your deepest and truest values…

At the same time, you may implant into the earth these newer, or readjusted, values, once you have—with all of this planetary retrograde energy now—used your introspective faculties to discern what it is you want to grow in your garden.

What this Taurus New Moon means is that you can move ahead more easily by checking in with where your real values lie, and reviewing (and possibly jettisoning) any beliefs about current values that no longer fit who you are now or who you want to be in the future!

For Taurus energy, which archetypally resists change and loves to repose peacefully in her garden of choice, this Taurus New Moon provides us with the opportunity NOT to put our shoulder to the wheel. Rather, we may use this time to sit back and physically relax, but to do our harder, more lasting, psychological work.

Visualize Your Blooming Garden

Providing this Taurus New Moon with a helping hand is the Taurus Sun & Moon’s tie into a grand earth trine, which to me is a sign of “manifestation.”

The Taurus New Moon’s trine to both Jupiter and the North Node in Virgo, and to Pluto in Capricorn, tells us it may not be as difficult as we think to allow this abundance of current retrograde energy to help us along…

We need not be running hither and yon to get this done, but rather allow ourselves to visualize, or dream, our beautiful gardens into full bloom. Since we manifest externally our internal energies as we go through life, this is an excellent way of utilizing all of the retrograde activity in the sky right now.

Once we’ve mentally, emotionally, and spiritually excavated from our metaphorical gardens that which we no longer find of value, and then plant our new values firmly in the ground, we’ll be set for more direct action in the future!

Of course, those who carry the Taurean archetype strongly in their energetic make up may begin the manifestation of their gardens now through literal planting!

Whether it means literally planting your garden, decluttering your living space, or reviewing your financial situation, your career, your relationships, your lifestyle, etc., you will make more progress now by concentrating on how to bring into more optimal alignment your inner energies with your outer ones…

Think of it as a way to illustrate to yourself your own internal processes and watching them manifest on the physical empirical plane!

(By the way, if clutter is your current issue or your long term nagging problem, I highly recommend “The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up,” which I just started reading last night!)

While a trine is usually indicative of an “easy” energy, sometimes it can be too easy and we may become lazy. Since this is a particular problem for us Taurean types, I’d recommend tending toward making your surroundings more beautiful now.

This Taurus New Moon is making a sextile to the transiting South Node as well, denoting that we have the opportunity to let go of anything that no longer serves our soul’s quest for true growth and consciousness. Again, this doesn’t have to mean action, as inner reflection is the name of the game right now…

Is All Of This Easy?

Hell no! But what’s Taurus energy best at? Like I said, putting her shoulder to the wheel, the rock, the obstacle, and pushing it with strong and firm persistence in order to move it where you want it ultimately to go…

The Taurus New Moon also makes a quincunx to Saturn, which suggests this is not going to be without its minor annoyances. If you pay attention, however, you may find that most of these annoyances revolve around your belief system.

Remember The Law of Circulation!

Taurus the bull doesn’t need to carry on her back all of the “stuff” she’s accumulated through her lifetime. Remember the law of circulation: when you remove from your life the “stuff” that no longer has value to you personally, you make room for new people, relationships, jobs, and LOVE to come into your life!

As always, love is an inside job—it begins at home, in your body, your immediate environment, and your outer trappings. Now is the time, under the auspices of the Taurus New Moon, to begin to bring into alignment your inner and your outer worlds…

Issues like “I hate that picture on the wall but I can’t throw it away, my mother gave it to me!” or “this belonged to my father and I’d be disrespecting his memory if I get rid of it!” may loom large right now…

However, if you desire your patch of land (either literal or metaphorical!) to eventually look like that beautiful garden you envision in your mind, you may need to think again about how to best manifest what it is you truly value.

Picture it now: roses of the most gorgeous colors, perennial tulips you know you’ll treasure the sight of for years to come, marigolds, hydrangeas, maple trees, cherry blossoms (assuming you have the land!), or any other personal favorite flowers, tree, or plants, all blooming in full glorious color!

Now that’s a Taurus New Moon meditation worth its weight in gold, lol…

Namaste…

beliefs, calm, garden, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury retrograde, new moon, plant, Pluto, retrogrades, Saturn, seeds, serenity, Taurus, Values

Mercury Stations Retrograde In Taurus April 28

Posted by Sheri Horn Hasan - April 29, 2016 - Astrology

Mercury Stations Retrograde: Fear Not!

While you may be thinking “uh, oh! When Mercury stations retrograde, he’s going under again, don’t worry! He’s only going there to retrieve your innate inherent subconscious knowledge and deliver it up and into your conscious mind where it can become embedded as true WISDOM.

This time, Mercury, the messenger & the courier of the gods, the trickster, the psychopomp (the spiritual guide of a living person’s soul), is backstroking through the sign of Taurus the bull until May 22.

Since Taurus energy centers around what we truly value in our lives, it behooves us to go deep about whether these values are our soul’s true, inherent ones, or whether they are adopted or adapted from others. No harm in the latter–the point is, as long as what you value is congruous with your deeper spiritual set of values, then it’s all good.

Now, while Mercury is retrograde in Taurus it’s time—as usual–to review, re-think, re-analyze, etc. Further, any disparity between what you value in your external life—be it material possessions, money, jobs, or love of another—and what your soul needs to be truly happy will surface (or resurface) now for review…

Body Check

Because Taurus is such a physical sign, Mercury’s retrograde period from now until May 22 asks us to check in with our body.

Taurus symbolizes archetypally that which we value, or that which pleases us in terms of our five senses—sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste.

How is your body feeling? Where does it need more attention?

This isn’t to say you must run off to the gym and exercise more—rather, it’s about going deep in your meditation, during your lucid dreaming moments, or perhaps into your dreams themselves, and paying attention to the signs and signals your body is trying to give you…

What is it trying to tell you? Is it time to pay attention to the pain in your foot? Is it time to go for the checkup, the mammogram, the gyn, have them check your prostate, your teeth, your heart?

After all, Saturn is retrograde, too. He represents your bones, skin, and teeth—the parts that hold your body together. Mars, also currently retrograde, can affect your head or anything to do with your face or your appearance in general…and Jupiter, though stationing direct shortly (on May 9), asks you always to contemplate whether what you think you want is the same as what your soul truly needs.

And Pluto? Pluto retrograde is the resounding base note to all of these other current retrograde energies. He’s like the outermost ripple in the pond from the stone you’ve thrown into the middle.

He’s the backdrop, the scenery, the overarching sky, the vastness of the ocean all rolled into one–into something we call SOUL, which is what is encased in the all-encompassing physical incarnate body.

Body & Soul

In order to tend to the soul, we must tend to the body; in order to tend to the body, we must tend to the soul…

The soul itself, like my description of Pluto, is the backdrop, the basis, or the baseline to much of the meaning of this lifetime. It goes beyond this lifetime, however, in terms of both before and after.

But the soul inhabits your body this lifetime…so keeping the body healthy is most important now, just as is taking a look at where your values match what your soul truly needs…

Taurus energy, which I know well as a Taurus Sun, is not particularly fond of running and jumping, cross country skiing, or marathon swimming–at least for the most part.

I know I’d much rather lie on the couch and eat bonbons, and when it’s cold drink hot chocolate with marshmallows, and when hot indulge in some nice chocolate or vanilla ice cream with yummy goodies piled on top (or not, for you purists!)

We who carry Taurus energy can certainly get stuck in a limited definition of what it is we value. What we’re really asked to do right now is to juxtapose these limited and habitual notions with what our body really needs to stay healthy and to be our own BFF.

For example, do you need a workout, to get those hamstrings more flexible, to strengthen your heart with some cardio, or to tighten the skin because you’ve lost some weight?

Then it will benefit you to do what’s necessary to enhance your body’s physical health, both internally and externally, so that the external YOU matches the internal YOU.

When you value your body, your appearance, your teeth, skin, and bones, you value the flesh into which your soul has chosen to incarnate. Doing so is part of what makes us all whole as human beings.

What kind of tender loving care we can show our bodies to demonstrate how much we value our physical encasement—the physical flesh and bones that encase our spirit and our soul?

Let’s not forget that Taurean values include the pleasure of touch, so sexual satisfaction is another avenue that may need attention now.

So, too, do any yearnings to express oneself creativity through the arts and the translation of your value system into color, sound, light, and smell (some freshly baked–healthy–goods anyone?) Now’s a good time to let your creative self have at that piano or guitar, dance floor, canvas, camera, song, etc., etc., etc…

The Usual Mercury Stations Retrograde Drill

Do snafus occur—especially around all things communication, i.e., phones, computers, cars, travel, the internet & world wide web, etc.—during Mercury retrograde?

Is it still suggested you don’t make any large purchases, sign any contracts (because the small print may do you in in the end!), launch your new business, or engage in any activities other than those already started?

Of course, and this Mercury retrograde in Taurus will be no exception!

Simply remember however, that it’s difficult for Mercury to perform his retrograde duties when he’s moving forward. He needs this “down time” to travel into the underworld recesses of our psyches in order to locate the gold nuggets buried therein and to haul them up and into our consciousness.

No easy task, wouldn’t you agree? So, while Mercury’s busy with this job, he’s gotta let some things slide…I don’t think you’d want the psychopomp messenger of the gods to multitask while he’s messin’ with your subconscious, do you ?

So, cut him some slack: take the phone off the hook, turn off the computer a tad more frequently than usual, try not to speed anywhere (regardless of whether or not you’re already late!), and just chill…and maybe let your conscious brain take a vacation…

Mercury will take care of the rest, as you take care of your physical body and the concrete world around you…

…and as you know from the frequency of Mercury retrograde periods (at least three times per year!), life will return to “normal” soon enough…

Namaste…

body, bull, knowledge, Mars, Mercury, messenger, physical, Pluto, psyche, psychopomp, retrograde, review, Saturn, soul, subconscious, Taurus, trickster, Values, wisdom

Mars Stations Retrograde April 17

Posted by Sheri Horn Hasan - April 22, 2016 - Astrology

K, listen up my astro buds! While it’s important to “get” what’s happening energetically when Mars stations retrograde, we must remind ourselves that nothing astrological happens within a vacuum.

A look at the bigger picture is always necessary so that one may fit into an overall heavenly context what is happening with—or because of–one particular planet.

The God Of War Retreats…

Mars stations retrograde—appears to stop in his tracks and move backward—on April 17. He will move from 8 degrees Sagittarius to 23 Scorpio before he stations direct—appears to stop and move forward again–on June 29.

On July 2 Mars re-enters Sagittarius and on August 2 he will find his way back to 8 degrees Sagittarius which is where this whole retrograde cycle began.

Meanwhile, transiting Saturn, which stationed retrograde on March 25 (and will remain so until he stations direct on August 13) will remain in retrograde motion for the entire time that Mars does his backstroking through the heavens…

What do we remember about what happens when Saturn stations retrograde?

That’s right: people/relationships, jobs, material things/stuff that’s no longer instrumental to our future growth (let me say that again, loud and clear: no longer instrumental to your future growth in consciousness!) may disappear from our lives.

While this may make us sad, remorseful, guilty, angry, resentful, apt to play the victim, and/or any of the above, rest assured the universe has your back. Nothing is being taken away that’s supposed to stay with you—for now, at least…

Get It Done Or Let It Go When Mars Stations Retrograde?

Mars stations retrograde approximately every two years and is a time when the “normal” function of the planet Mars changes. Rather than its usual modus operandi of taking action and seeing what comes back as a result, the Mars retrograde period is a time of being reactive rather than proactive.

Remember, Mars in general serves as the energy that allows us to move, act, think, and express freely and unfettered. When we have a repressed or suppressed capability to do so—whether based on circumstances real or imagined—then we are in possession of a less than healthy Mars energy.

So Saturn retrograde is a period when we’re busy trying to understand who or what our soul no longer needs to rely upon in our journey toward greater consciousness. Or, put another way, to discover who or what do we need to stop relying upon because we are capable—ultimately—of providing for ourselves our OWN salvation.

Meanwhile, the Mars retrograde period—which falls within the shadow of Saturn’s retrograde cycle (like a wheel within a wheel)—may herald the cessation or delay of any particular project one is working on or ambition one harbors.

Likewise, one’s will may suddenly change, and passion for people, jobs, and things dissipate. Mars retrograde does not guarantee this, however, but it is a time for introspection and contemplation, according to psychological astrologer Erin Sullivan.

“In a situation where action is involved, such as working on a project with a time-goal in mind, the station of Mars retrograde can literally postpone the venture,” Sullivan writes in her book “Retrograde Planets.”

“It may even terminate it, should it have been completely in appropriate for the long term. Sudden reversals of interest (passion) and drive (ambition) are likely to occur during the retrograde phase. An internal battle ensues between the ego which wants things done and the soul which wants to be.”

Are Your Desires In Alignment With Your Beliefs?

Mars retrogrades in the sign of Sagittarius between April 17 and May 27 (before it continues its backward motion into Scorpio from May 27 to June 29.) During this period, we are tasked with going deep about whether or not our beliefs are in sync with our words and our actions.

“Retrogrades cause withdrawal from the status quo in order to redefine our own personal, individual natural law,” according to Kim Marie Weimer of the Evolutionary Astrology Network in her recent lecture on Mars Retrograde.

During this Mars retrograde “we’ll be asked to let go of any desires that are no longer in alignment with our belief systems…especially as we are evolving these belief systems,” Weimer explains.

“Mars retrograde in Sagittarius can’t expand—it’s stuck on the fence line looking over at the other side, stamping its feet because it can’t go forward. It’s asking us to review and evolve all of our beliefs before we can be successful in taking action.”

Weimer recommends looking to Sagittarius’s polarity point of Gemini to discover the dual nature of belief systems and to illustrate how we must remain open to other ways of thinking, doing, and being–rather than fixating on our own truth as the ONLY truth.

“That Gemini polarity will really tell us where we need to communicate and listen—to consider others’ ideas and beliefs,” she advises. “Mars retrograde in Sagittarius is asking you to slow down and really consider someone else’s perspective and how it reflects on you, and helps you to open up and expand your understandings and your path.”

This is so that “Mars has you walking your talk and standing in your authenticity the best you can–which, in turn, can help us achieve our desires better, and help us move through life easier…we need to ask ourselves: What’s important to me? What is my desire? How do I choose to act? What are my best directions to fulfil my desires?” all the while mindful that there are many ways to take action on any subject.

Mars & Saturn Retro=Frustration…Or Not?

Remember that—with the combination of both Saturn and Mars retrograde at the same time—you may feel like you’re banging your head against the wall, your words are falling on deaf ears, or you’re swimming upstream with the rest of the salmon in a dog-eat-dog (er–fish-eat-fish?) race for survival.

If you experience friction, arguments, setbacks, losses, or seem to take two steps forward and three steps back in your relationships, profession, or vis-à-vis your finances, it’s time to sacrifice getting it done to letting it go…

Saturn’s helping you to wave bye-bye to anyone or anything that will no longer benefit you as you move forward in this lifetime. Mars is assisting you to more clearly define what you believe and how you walk your talk, as Kim Mare says.

When Mars retrogrades back into Scorpio, the story will change, slightly…

Till then, hang in there and here’s some inspiration from James Bey to Let It Go:

“So come on let it go
Just let it be
Why don’t you be you
And I’ll be me

Everything that’s broke
Leave it to the breeze
Why don’t you be you
And I’ll be me

From throwing clothes across the floor
To teeth and claws and slamming doors at you
If this is all we’re living for
Why are we doing it, doing it, doing it anymore?

I used to recognize myself
It’s funny how reflections change
When we’re becoming something else
I think it’s time to walk away

So come on let it go
Just let it be
Why don’t you be you
And I’ll be me

Everything that’s broke
Leave it to the breeze
Let the ashes fall
Forget about me…”

Namaste…

consciousness, cycle, energy, growth, jobs, Mars, relationships, retrograde, Sagittarius, Saturn

Capricorn New Moon January 9

Posted by Sheri Horn Hasan - January 10, 2016 - Astrology

When the Capricorn New Moon rolls around, it’s time to plant that seed, set that intention—oh how Capricorn loves to have a plan!

Not just any plan, though–one that will lead to success.

Time To Build Your Foundation For Success!

Accomplishing goals is something near and dear to the heart of anyone who carries Capricorn energy.

And, as anyone with such energy knows, it’s vitally important to establish a foundation upon which one can build toward their success. Without such a solid foundation one may flounder, or lack the ability to be responsible enough to help oneself accomplish these goals.

The Cap archetype, ruled by the planet Saturn, is about being one’s own best parent & one’s own best authority, but also about being able to manifest on the physical plane.

This New Moon brought the Moon & Sun together in the sky in the sign of Capricorn precisely so that we may establish an intention, an idea, a goal, that will bring us closer to the capability to either build a solid foundation, or to further fortify an already established foundation.

Without these foundations we have no structure. And without structure we have no parameters or containment. Capricorn is the sign of containment in the sense that it provides boundaries.

I always say that Capricorn energy is about the fact that you must have a solid foundation because once you do, you can erect walls. Once these walls are up, you can then put on a roof. Now you have a building, a home–someplace to keep yourself warm, dry, safe, & secure from the elements.

At its heart, the Capricorn archetype is about survival. How can one survive if one doesn’t have one’s basic needs–food, shelter, clothing—met?

Success Is Important–But At What Cost?

While Capricorn energy thinks a lot about safety & security as a necessity in order to assure success (a.k.a., survival), it’s a little less concerned about emotional security.

How many of us have heard stories about successful people being unhappy once they’ve achieved all they thought they desired?

Many work their way up the corporate ladder, become the CEO, or the manager, or the judge, or the top guy or gal, but when they add up all the accompanying entrapments–expensive cars, the finest schools for their children, the best house in the neighborhood, money in the bank, etc., etc.—they are left still feeling emotionally empty…

However, those with Capricorn prominent in their energetic makeup need love, just like the rest of us…so, in the end this archetype DOES seek emotional satisfaction, it simply loses sight of that fact sometimes.

December 25’s Full Moon in Cancer two weeks ago highlighted for us all the polar opposite of Capricorn, which is to say: Don’t lose sight of the fact that we must allow ourselves self-compassion & self-love in order to be whole.

Those who carry Capricorn energy sometimes need to be reminded that it’s not all about success for successes sake. It’s about success because what we achieve is what we believe will make us truly happy.

Set Your Intention Wisely

Those with Cap energy can both lose sight of the reason why they are building and climbing that ladder of success, and/or they may think that their goal will bring emotional fulfillment when, in fact, in the end it does not.

During this Capricorn New Moon period we are tasked with asking ourselves: what kind of foundation do I need to build to achieve ultimate success—success that includes emotional happiness?

You see, we are ahead of the game if we know from the beginning that our definition of “success” includes happiness as well as material gain. It doesn’t hurt to remind ourselves that it’s best for our heart and our mind to be in alignment.

During any New Moon, the Sun receives the kiss of the Moon as she passes quickly by. Thus this serves as a monthly reminder that in order to be happy, we must plant a seed that ultimately allows us to be whole.

No parts can be left out of that whole. During this Capricorn New Moon period, eschewing the emotional in favor of the ego is to be done at our own expense.

While Capricorn energy can fall into the trap of becoming fear based because it’s so focused on survival at all costs, this Capricorn New Moon says “fear not, I am with you. I love you, we are one, and you are not alone.”

Plant your seed with care, think about your best intention, make sure it involves both your mind and your heart. Then how can you fail when you take into consideration the whole and not just parts of the whole?

Don’t you stand a better chance of achieving not only your externally oriented goals, but your internally oriented ones as well?

Accomplishing your mind’s–or your ego’s–desire can be in alignment with accomplishing your heart’s desire. The key is to ensure that their goal is ultimately one and the same…

Namaste…

archetype, authority, boundaries, Cancer, Capricorn, emotions, foundation, goals, heart, intention, manifest, mind, moon, new, parent, Saturn, success

Cancer Full Moon December 25

Posted by Sheri Horn Hasan - December 25, 2015 - Astrology

The Cancer Full Moon, occurring as the Sun is in Capricorn (a Full Moon is always opposite the sign the Sun is currently passing through), highlights for us two archetpyally opposite energies and asks us to integrate them.

Capricorn energy, ruled by the planet Saturn, represents the more patriarchal authoritarian parent, or the father.

Cancer energy, on the other hand, ruled by the Moon, is the sign of the mother, and represents matriarchal energy.

Gender is unimportant, as these are archetypal energies that represent both the father & mother energies within us all.

When the Sun moved into the sign of Capricorn on December 21 in accordance with the Winter Solstice, it entered the sign most connected to responsibility & authority.

Becoming Your Own Best Parent

There is no greater responsibility (regardless of what many may think) than becoming one’s own best authority, a.k.a., one’s own best parent.

Carl Jung coined the terms “anima” & “animus” to represent the feminine & masculine energies present within the psyche of every individual.

Anima & animus energies exist within in us all, but the degree to which we each manifest our masculine and feminine energies out in the world can differ greatly–again, regardless of our actual gender.

In much of today’s society, masculine energy is associated with the empirical, concrete, manifest nature of the world around us. In other words, if we can see it then we can believe it.

The sign of Capricorn is derived from the myth of the sea goat who made his way onto land. This sea goat has the torso of a goat, but the tail of a fish.

It serves as a metaphor to remind us all that no matter how aligned we are with earth energy, no matter how ambitious, goal-oriented, or successful we seek to be, we must always be mindful of our more intuitive emotional nature.

This, in turn, allows us to become cognizant of why we are oriented toward any particular goal & what measure of emotional satisfaction achievement of this goal will actually bring…

Finding Capricorn Balance In The Cancer Full Moon

Capricorn energy is about going out into the world to SUCCEED!

Cancer energy is about staying home where it’s SAFE.

The Cancer archetype represents family, mother, roots, tradition, security, the past, and home…and one’s psychological roots may be traced back to home life in one’s formative years…

Often, what drives a Capricorn-oriented individual toward success in the outer world is her psychological roots.

This Cancer Full Moon highlights the difference between your inner world and your outer one, and calls you to reconcile the two so there is greater harmony within.

Was family life loving? Protective? Did it enhance your security or create insecurity?

It’s no secret that many of us carry the scars of early life forward into our later years. The question is whether or not we recognize this fact.

Freeing ourselves from the emotional pull of the past when the past no longer serves in our quest to move forward is tough…Maybe the toughest lesson we’ll ever have to learn…

Pink Floyd’s lyrics to the song “Mother” sum it up nicely:

“Hush now, baby, baby, don’t you cry
Mama’s gonna make all of your nightmares come true
Mama’s gonna put all of her fears into you
Mama’s gonna keep you right here under her wing
She won’t let you fly but she might let you sing
Mama’s gonna keep baby cozy and warm…

…Of course Mama’s gonna help build the wall…”

Here’s the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_yRvxy9HVs

What Beliefs Can You Release On The Full Moon?

Full Moons are about release, and today’s Cancer Full Moon casts light on the dichotomy between our ego and our emotions.

This Cancer Full Moon highlights also the polarity between becoming one’s own best adult parent or authority and that uber-sensitivity that can cause one to feel extremely emotionally vulnerable.

It asks us to contemplate where we might need to shed some of our current beliefs—originally based on our emotional past–in order to make room to let in new, modified thoughts centered on our ability to grow into our own best inner authority or parent.

When we cannot reveal our true selves to others, we lose the potential connection of emotional intimacy.

And when our goal is to protect ourselves emotionally or to need someone else to always take care of us, then we are clinging to Capricorn’s shadow side…

Why not release those thoughts and philosophies which no longer work toward your highest good and/or prevent your growth in consciousness?

This is what today’s Cancer Full Moon is calling to us to do!

Namaste…

anima, animus, authority, Cancer, Capricorn, energy, feminine, full moon, masculine, parent, responsibility, Saturn, Sun, winter solstice

Sun Moves Into Capricorn & Winter Solstice Dec 21

Posted by Sheri Horn Hasan - December 21, 2015 - Astrology

On December 21, as the Sun moves into Capricorn & the winter solstice arrives, we experience the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, the day of least light.

Despite unseasonably warm weather here in the U.S. northeast, it IS winter.

That means December 21 is the longest night with the least light–the darkest darkness lasting the longest—of the whole year!

Accepting The Dying Of The Light

Many pagan rituals have become incorporated into our more modern religions and thus we celebrate the end of this season’s dying of the light with various different religious holidays, including Hanukkah & Christmas.

As the Sun moves into Capricorn & out of Scorpio, which has taught us the energy & power of the process of transformation–& the knowledge that something must die in order for something new to be born–its entrance into the sign of Capricorn asks us now to translate this knowledge into concrete matter.

Capricorn, ruled by the planet Saturn, is earth energy. It’s not only associated with responsibility, success, achievement, work, & business–but also with our conscious ego, or the part of us influenced by our strongest beliefs.

Often our foundation or recipe for success rests upon these beliefs.

Our conscious beliefs–the ones we often stick to or defend adamantly, especially when we smell doubt or fear creeping up from within–are most often comprised of what we’ve been told, taught, or forced to believe since birth.

As the Sun moves into Capricorn and the winter solstice arrives, it asks us to go deep within to rediscover whether or not our current conscious beliefs are ones that will best help us form the foundation upon which we may build our way to true future success.

And it’s this foundation upon which will rest our capability to transform our thoughts into the kind of tangible concrete matter that brings our soul true gratification and happiness…

“Let Us Love Winter, For It’s The Spring Of Genius.” ~ Pietro Aretino

On this shortest day of the year, we move inward in order to recognize our less conscious higher self & most authentic voice. It is this voice that speaks to us of our truest beliefs.

But we cannot hear this voice if we are not silent…

Capricorn, Oh Capricorn!

Capricorn, ah Capricorn, the sign of Scrooge, the sign most connected with the mantra “another day, another dollar.”

As the solstice hits, we are called to go deep about WHAT we’re doing it all for…where Capricorn energy can go astray is when it hardens into a more rigid judgmental thought process about the who, what, why, where, when, & how of our lives…

The solstice is a time when we go inward–and Saturn loves to go inward! Much of the time, as he transits our natal chart, he’s asking us to stop and pay attention to something important.

Capricorn energy can get a bad rep because it’s deemed to be all about deprivation, loneliness, misery, and other dire circumstances when people & things seem to disappear from our lives…and we mourn…

But by understanding that the depth of our mourning is meant for us to be able to appreciate that–even if we have no others in our lives who can feel compassionate toward us–we have it within ourselves to light this fire from within.

Now he’s saying pay attention to the shortest day of the year and go inward fortified by the light emanating from your own heart & soul. In this way you move forward more joyfully into the new year with the wisdom & flexibility to create a foundation more closely aligned with your soul’s true needs & beliefs.

In this way we may begin the process of transforming our true beliefs into concrete success. Thus, when we begin to see the external light grow once again, it represents the growth of our internal light, the light of our soul…

And this light gives birth not only to the miracle of new life in the spring, but also to our movement closer to allowing a new vision of self to take root…

Namaste…

belief system, Capricorn, conscious, dying, inward, light, Saturn, solstice, Sun, winter

Saturn In Sagittarius Square Neptune In Pisces

Posted by Sheri Horn Hasan - November 29, 2015 - Astrology

The battle royal brewing between Saturn in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces affects us all both personally and through the collective. This showdown, the result of a frictional square aspect between these two planets in the sky, became exact on November 26. It will be exact again on both June 17 & September 10, 2016.

Ergo, this energy dominates both the personal and collective realms between now and at least September 2016.

IS YOUR TRUTH REALLY TRUE?

On the personal level, I view Saturn transiting through the sign of Sagittarius (until December 19, 2017) as the ability to make manifest one’s dreams–i.e., to bring down from the sky grand and glorious IDEAS and make them REAL…(see https://karmicevolution.com/saturn-into-sagittarius-oh-happy-day/)

However, Saturn’s propensity for foundations, borders, and boundaries can resist Sagittarius’s desire to expand one’s ability to learn more about oneself through greater connection with other ways of thinking and being…

So, Saturn transiting Sagittarius may play out in two distinctly separate ways, as Saturn likes to contract & protect while Sagittarius favors expansion through higher learning & its connection to the divine realm:

• The expansion of consciousness around one’s realistic & grounded belief system
• The narrowing/stunting of one’s belief system into a rigid philosophy of life that–in the end–impedes growth in consciousness

WHEN SATURN & SAG DON’T PLAY NICE

When there exists a rigid mentality of the sort harbored by one who is righteously inflexible about his or her IDEA or philosophy, the desire to ground this idea become absolute.

In such a case, the actual attempt to manifest a dream encapsulated in such absolute rigidity becomes the mechanism by which the seeds of destruction are sown. And those hell-bent on sowing such seeds will likely find—at some point at least—that that which does not bend will break…

Throw a little FIXED Uranian/Aquarian ideology into the mix (Uranus in Aries anyone?) and the worst possible scenario becomes anarchy on the level of the collective. Recent suicide bombings and the massacre of innocents in Paris, Beirut, Mali, Syria, and other locations worldwide in the name of BELIEF illustrate what this worst case scenario can look like when individuals band together in the name of such rigidly held beliefs…

Those bound and determined to overthrow whatever structure is in place in the name of their beliefs—rather than to work toward their ends through diplomacy, negotiation, & compromise—illustrate the more negative, fear-based, knee-jerk, self-protective energy of Saturn combined with a “change at all costs” Uranian thrust.

However, when one’s Sagittarian dream (or vision) is lassoed and brought down to earth by Saturn, one may look at it in the cold hard light of day, check its vital signs, assess its actual proportions, and begin to tweak it and work with it realistically.

When nurtured and well-paced through Saturn’s penchant for cautionary boundaries, Sag’s all-inclusive & tolerant philosophy becomes the lens through which the dream of peace may truly manifest. In short, through Saturn’s patience and regard for slow growth, some truly amazing positive expansion can be born!

Yes, well, ok, maybe that is a bit pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking—but at least we’d be a whole helluva lot closer to it than now, no?

BOUNDARY OR BOUNDARY-LESS?

Onward now to Neptune…in Pisces…long story short:

Negative side of this archetype=addiction, escapism, confused &/or deluded thinking, misguided spirituality or spirituality without faith, lack of personal boundaries (where do you end and I begin?), & uber-sensitivity to self.

Positive side=faith, creativity, spirituality, understanding that “no man is an island” because we are all one–all part of humankind (the collective), compassion, & empathy.

Once again, as with Saturn, we have an issue concerning “boundaries.”

Saturn likes to pull the wagons into a tight little circle, keep out intruders, lock the doors and windows at night, and hide the guns in the safe (thinking he’ll get to them before any thief or murderer has the chance to pull their weapon first…)

Neptune (the modern ruler of Pisces) is water that wears down even rock over time, gas that seeps under the doors and through the windows, & energy that in general lacks the kind of boundaries that Saturn stakes its life on…and to top it off, Neptune/Piscean energy is intangibly metaphysical…meaning just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there…

“If it’s never our fault, we can’t take responsibility for it. If we can’t take responsibility for it, we’ll always be its victim.” ~ Richard Bach

Neptunian energy provides us with the capability to empathize and feel compassion. Admittedly, an over-abundance of such energy may allow one to feel empathy and compassion ONLY for ONESELF…

This is the shadow side of Neptune, the “woe is me” & “why me?” victimization story, or the “I did it for love of my man/woman/country/God” martyr complex.

Just as Saturn in Sag allows us two alternatives–expanding our consciousness OR rigidly limiting our beliefs to an “us or them” mentality—Neptune in Pisces grants us several choices as well…

But, while Saturn’s choices are juxtapositions or opposites, Neptune’s are actually three: victim, martyr, or one who relinquishes both stances and attempts to provide for oneself unconditional love.

This means one does not have to play the victim in order to seek love from another, or play the martyr who ultimately harbors a hidden ego-boosting agenda, a he or she “will love me if I sacrifice for them” mentality.

Victim and martyr are actually two sides of the same coin in that both tilt the scale toward a “it’s really all about me, you know” mindset. The key is whether or not one is conscious of which role one plays.

The opposite of victim or martyr is one who neither ALWAYS passively REACTS rather than ACTS, nor one who takes on others’ troubles & thereby seeks to save them. While loving oneself unconditionally is a tall order, it’s a must for those of us who seek peace, both internally & externally.

SO HOW CAN SATURN & NEPTUNE RECONCILE THEIR DIFFERENCES?

As the Saturn in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces plays out energetically over the next year or so it asks us all to pose to ourselves the following questions:

• Where am I–down to my toes, feel it in my bones–absolutely SURE that what I believe is synonymous with what is RIGHT?
• What is MY TRUTH?
• How do my beliefs impact my sense of compassion for others (or lack thereof?)
• How can I have (& protect) my boundaries without becoming too self-protected & morally rigid, yet maintain my sense of faith in the world around me & not give myself away?

Charity begins at home, they say…allowing oneself the ability to fearlessly expand one’s horizons rather than limit them is key. Knowing that what’s best for oneself is not necessarily good for another is also a step in the right direction.

Applying the concept of unconditional love–not for the sake of saving others or for moaning and groaning about your lot in life, but rather to stoke the internal fires of self-love so that such love is ultimately reflected back to us–is the key…

Saturn’s greatest achievement in our lives is through the process of maturation. Saturn in Sagittarius helps us grow into our dreams, ideas and philosophies, not become limited or atrophied by them.

Neptune’s greatest lesson is that having faith in ourselves is possible if and when we believe we deserve to love ourselves first and others second. If not, Neptune’s energies disperse, flow, drift, and disappear silently downstream never to be seen or heard from again…

Saturn gives our Sagittarian philosophies structure, while its square to Neptune in Pisces allows faith in ourselves to grow at a sure, steady, reliable pace. This, in turn, sets the foundation for a world where our internal love for self is manifested out in the world and reflected back to us all as part of the collective…

Namaste…

boundaries, collective, dreams, faith, idea, Neptune, personal, philosophy, pisces, Sagittarius, Saturn, Truth, unconditional love