Gimme Some Truth

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Melody

Astrology can help us to transcend the boundaries of our reality, and we have a particularly strong portal of opportunity as I write this, with Mercury in opposition to Neptune, for those who are aware and paying attention. Because a meltdown is in progress, and that is as it should be, many are asking what is really going on.

We’ve been experiencing a taste of Neptune in Pisces as for the first time in 164 years this mystical planet dipped its toes into the waters for about 4 months. It then moved back into Aquarius on August 4, and will reenter into the sign of Pisces for the next 14 years beginning early February 2012. This brings the sense of total surrender that will be needed as the old paradigms that are being so roughly defended and shaken, dissolve before our eyes. Of course this is within the bigger picture of Pluto in Capricorn breaking down and rebuilding our physical and mental structures, and Uranus pulling us into new and unknown frontiers where no man has gone before. Both of these transpersonal archetypal patterns have also begun new cycles. And, we are at the end of a world age cycle defined by the precession of the equinoxes and described in World Age Doctrines such as the Hindu Yugas and the Mayan Calendar.

These are profound times. Traditionally, cycles and their endings involve transformations and renewals. We release the concerns of the previous cycle that need to be let go as we learn and grow. Cycles in the sky reflect cycles on the earth. Astrology as a system is not understood to delineate these grand world age cycles, but the system is based on the same principles and brings us a more granulated perspective, contributing to mundane and spiritual concerns heightened in these intense and confusing times as we transition into new paradigms.

Moving from the wide lens into a much narrower focus, against this backdrop we are experiencing a tricky short-term energetic pattern right now with Mercury in opposition to Neptune. Mercury, the archetype of mind and communication, travel, understanding and navigating our everyday life patterns and relationships, as well as business, commerce and by extension the economy is in opposition to Neptune, that otherworldly archetype of cosmic consciousness, unity, imagination, dreams and illusions. Bringing the music of the spheres into balance with mundane reality is never easy. Poetic and spiritual musings alternate with confusion, misunderstandings and even outright deceit. Dissolve and surrender are keywords that bring us into a higher frequency. Staying mindful, alert and discriminating also brings into focus what needs to go and what should stay. This transit can remind us through our imagination what new realities we can create.

Because speedy Mercury never stays in one place too long, these transits are usually just blips on a screen, but in this case Mercury has been within 1 degree orb of opposing Neptune since July 27 continuing through August 11, and then one more time on September 8, which might turn out to be an interesting day. However, this unusually long close aspect is also accentuated (and due to) Mercury changing directions. We also have both planets changing signs. So, July 29 – August 4 we experienced Mercury in Virgo opposite Neptune in Pisces. This axis, especially in the early degrees, accentuates the ideologies of the patriarchy that stem from control and lead us to believe that we are being victimized, and all of the blame and judgment that goes along with that. Then, as Mercury moves retrograde back into Leo, it opposes Neptune moving back into Aquarius from August 5 – 11 using a one degree orb. This Leo / Aquarius axis holds the energy of creative expression that serves the whole vs. the self on the high side, and ego created trauma on the low side. The September 8 opposition is still in the Leo / Aquarius axis at 29 degrees.

We can recognize these patterns on so many levels, in the US most notably the debt ceiling fiasco with subsequent credit downgrade, and the most deadly war incident with the helicopter crash in Afghanistan. From my para-political perspective, I wouldn’t be surprised if this period of time brought another “shock and awe” event that may make the 9/11 event look tame. This is a logical next step to regain control of a situation and population that is getting wise to what is really going on behind the scenes, and the general Neptunian haze we are under will further enlighten some, and put others into a deeper trance than ever.

But whether something that dramatic plays out or not, Mercury opposite Neptune and the events around this pattern will be very confusing and unsettling to some. The opportunity is to take a multidimensional leap in our conscious understanding of our world and universe and our place in it. Mercury / Neptune transits do bring inspiration, poetry, imagination, and vivid dreams. We can look at the veils thinning, truths exposed, ways of looking at the world dissolving, as something exciting and good, because it forces us to surrender our fixed ways of being that may not be suitable for the next cycle. This often also feels chaotic and overwhelming. So, we breathe, surrender, and ready ourselves for change. Much will be difficult, but I think some really exciting stuff is in store for us as well.

So, my question for any of you who wish to comment below is: What are some of your favourite ways to handle change and uncertainty with some measure of equilibrium and grace? And have you seen new ways of looking at things during this period or come to new understandings that sheds one more layer of feeling victimized? Can we feel how truly wondrous we are as step into new and beautiful multi-coloured mind sets?

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Truth and Integrity

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Melody

How’s that for a nice Sagittarius title? Sagittarius energy is the Qwest for Truth, the desire to grow in our understandings, expand our limitations and boundaries, and to learn about the world and larger cosmology in a bigger way. It is also the fanatic, the one who knows the Truth with a capital “T” and tries to convert everyone else to their way of thinking. It is fundamental religions who will do anything in the name of their god and beliefs. It is the self-righteous philosophical preaching about what we “know” to be true. We will see all of these themes being triggered both personally and globally as the Aries stellium, – Uranus, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Mars all in Aries – come into harmonic resonance with the North Node in Sagittarius and the South Node in Gemini.

Through the inevitable confrontations and provocative conversations, we understand more deeply the many ways of thinking and being in the world. It is an opportunity to practice listening deeply both to others and to our heart intelligence. With this intuitive wisdom, we sort out what is real and true, and what is not…at least for us. We are reminded to stay tuned into which laws transcend our relative realities towards being considered universal law, and which truths are just part of the wonderful variations experienced by the colourful diversity of this playing field we have all chosen to participate, learn and grow in. Lessons with this archetypal energy include the idea that even if someone has a different world view or reaction to our own, that does not necessarily put them in the category of being “wrong”. We must be able to speak our truth without judging the other along the way.

This boundary stretching phase began on May 1 with the Moon and Mars at 23 Aries trine the North Node at 23 Sagittarius, and sextile the south Node at 23 Gemini – the day Osama Bin Laden was announced killed. May 4 – 7 we have Jupiter at 23 Aries, again trine and sextile the nodes. This will be a sensitive time of people aggressively pushing forward with their truths, and we can understand the dangers of this energy relative to the revenge cycle continuing with Jihad threats. On May 10 we have Mercury and Venus conjunct at 23 Aries, again in trine and sextile to the nodes. The trine energy is a graceful push forward, having both positive and traumatic results, depending on what is being pushed! The positive push of understanding what Truth means from both a relative and universal perspective will also bring with it the wisdom of understanding the many points of view, and how we cannot lump groups of people in a self righteous way into one category or another.

This archetype is also about staying in our integrity as individuals and nations. A reasonable question to come back to during this energetic week coming up is “Am I in complete integrity on all levels with my words and actions?” This is important because what we say and do will have immediate and strong reactions and results during this time. The winds of change are upon us and Sagittarius energy brings spiritual truths and growth.

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Uranus and the Unexpected

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Melody

As I remember it, we picked up my Dad from the Kuala Lumpur airport on a dark equator night. I was 13 years old, sitting in the front seat between my parents and my four younger siblings in the back seat. Suddenly, the headlights revealed a man staggering across the road ahead of us, in a village not too far from our own. My Dad steered to avoid him but the man backtracked. I can still feel the thud of his body as our car hit him, hard enough that he flipped in the air and landed on the front hood.

People surrounded the car, banging on the windows as we inched forward, my parents afraid to stop lest we be lynch mobbed then and there. My parents yelled at us all to close our eyes, which I could not do. I stared, frozen with trauma at the body sprawled on our hood. We drove to the hospital, hoping he would neither fall off nor die on the way, but he was dead by the time we got there. Charges were not pressed because the man’s blood alcohol level was so high, but my Dad was traumatized enough to hire a driver from then on.

That is the nature of Uranus changes. Unexpected, sudden, and very often traumatic. This was in 1968, when Uranus was in opposition to its current placement, about to move from Virgo into Libra, and in square to my natal Mars at 1 degree Cancer. Poignant memories of that time for me include the war in Vietnam, the TET Offensive, the assassination of Martin Luther King, my Dad travelling all over Southeast Asia and our family’s three week sea voyage on the S.S. President Wilson from San Francisco to Hong Kong on our way to live in Kuala Lumpur.

Dinner on the S.S. Wilson en route to Malaysia. Left to right: Doug, Greg, Mom, Dad, Linda, Me, Cheryl.

My personal trauma from this experience extended into the next several weeks as I struggled to understand the darkness of death, with a pit in my stomach that would not go away. I remember my mother saying that it was the work of Satan and I just had to ask God to expel the devil and I would be OK. It didn’t work and I felt helpless. I deeply internalized the event, taking years to unravel the reality, because I was not prepared or equipped emotionally to handle it.

The nature of the new Uranian energy we are entering as Uranus moves into Aries is that of the unexpected and surprise. Big and unexpected events will probably continue. Predictions may be in the ballpark but not as reliable as we may want in part due to the unpredictable nature of Uranus, and in part because of time accelerating and the idea that timelines are shifting and probable realities changing more quickly than before. We will all encounter unexpected change in some area of our lives, and the level of trauma we experience will be directly related to our awareness, ability to move with the changes and embrace the freedom that comes with the new direction. And freedom did come at that vulnerable time for me at 13 as I shifted into a clearer expression of who I am and what I believed and understood about God, Life and Death.

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The Ninth Underworld Begins

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Melody

“The nature of God is a circle of which the center is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere.” Empedocies

The 9th and final wave of the Mayan Calendar begins March 9, 2011.

The Mayan Calendar behind “2012″ is not really a calendar as we understand calendars, but rather a timeline within a cycle depicting the patterns of human consciousness. This is a creative progression that goes back billions of years with long waves, as well as extending deep into our future. Carl Calleman, scientist turned Mayan calendar scholar, has studied the most ancient texts of this calendar, which apparently go back to the birth of the universe, and include 9 waves or underworlds that bring forth 9 levels of consciousness. This also reflects the acceleration of time, with the first level beginning 16,4 Billions B.C, the next or 2nd wave beginning 819,998,000 B.C. and so on continuing to accelerate until we get to the 7th wave beginning in 1755, the 8th wave beginning January 5, 1999 and then the 9th and final wave March 9, 2011. According to Calleman’s reasoning and calculation, the end date for this huge cycle is not December 21, 2012 but October 28, 2011.

“9″ as the end of a cycle appears in many places, including basic numerology systems, the Buddhist view of nine consciousnesses, Dantes 9 circles of Hell, the 9 classes or choirs of angels, the Ninjitsu 9 levels of power ending with enlightenment, and so on. I know there are more.

The Mayan calendar 9th and final wave initiates transformation, and bringing the possibility of unity consciousness. Each wave builds upon and incorporates what comes before, and exists within the context of the whole. So, the conflicts for example of earlier waves still exist, but so are the changes of paradigms that show changes, movement and new level of consciousness.

We cannot easily compare the Mayan Calendar with astrological cycles. At this point astrology primarily defines and explores the cyclical patterns and energetic dynamics of our solar system, whereas the Mayan Calendar is defining at the very least galactic cycles, if not the universal ones. But, as Deepak Chopra would say, we are living in a non-local universe, all the same and all connected. However, in our tiny part of the galaxy, all three outer planets are shifting signs within a short time frame of about 4 years, representing and reflecting the most far reaching and significant shifts in the collective consciousness of humanity as we can understand it. Pluto moved into Capricorn in 2009, Uranus will be moving into Aries on March 11, and Neptune begins its journey into Pisces on April 4, moving fully into the sign after a retrograde period in early 2012.

Now begins the deep movement forward, intense changes magnifying, new directions before us overnight. We are all gearing up to operating and relating to ourselves, others, the earth and beyond in new ways. It won’t be easy, but I think it will be exciting and fun if we don’t take ourselves too seriously and realize that we are privileged to be alive at this time.

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Obama and Old Fashioned Change
A Saturn / Uranus Story

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Melody

This is a repost of a short blog I wrote and posted on February 9, 2009, just after an inspiring speech by President Obama. He was elected under the Saturn opposite Uranus transit of change vs. the status quo. Obama vs. McCain. His chart reflects this archetype clearly with natal Saturn at 25 Capricorn inconjunct Uranus at 25 Leo. And so I wondered how potentially entrenched in the system he would be.


Humankind’s evolutionary journey is in part reflected by the current Saturn / Uranus opposition, which is with us through July 2010. Saturn is the status quo and Uranus is radical change. This is another turn around the spiral of learning how to integrate new paradigms within the social structure and traditions of the past, with an increased awareness of self responsibility and “growing up” a little, as the bigger 250 year cycle of Pluto in Capricorn beginning this year, breaks down an older part of the system that is no longer working.

As an archetype, President Obama reflects these ideas with his natal Saturn in Capricorn retrograde in the 12th house inconjunct Uranus and the North node in Leo in the 7th house. This almost exact natal Saturn / Uranus signature is closely aspected by the current transit. Later this year with the September 15th pass, the Saturn / Uranus opposition at 24 degrees and only 1 degree from Obama’s natal aspect.

We have no idea what Obama’s inner processing is. He is a politician and seems to play the game very well. That said, we do know that one dynamic which this chart signature reflects would be a deep and focused need to reflect upon the conditionings, or what we have been told and taught to believe which we all have to one degree or another, regarding the role and structure of government and systems.

I agree with Jeffrey Wolf Green who said once that all politicians are in a consensus reality, primarily defined as a person who is identified as an extension of societal norms, beliefs and customs. Perhaps about 75% of the world’s population falls in this group. This is in contrast to those who have moved into an individuated state, characterized by those who question the beliefs and customs and who seek to discover their own individuality as distinct from society. Someone who advocates change with a Uranian vibration, as Obama has, can still do so from within the consensus framework, which we can observe him doing. For example, he essentially wants to continue the same system of lending, credit, education, health and so on, but to upgrade these systems to a better way of working. Saturn wants to keep the old structure and Uranus wants to bring in something new. In Obama’s chart we have an inconjunct between these two planetary energies which indicates a sense of tension on a crisis level, something that is not congruent within him and that at some point must be resolved.

This tension is seen by others in an iconoclastic way that is primarily focused on the past (Saturn in Capricorn in the 12th) as he has been regularly compared to Presidents Lincoln and Roosevelt, as well as wanting his speech last night to take on the positive reform feelings that came with administrations such as Roosevelt’s. There is the potential with this signature to be on the edge of society, but one does not get the backing of the old guard for presidency in that mode. So, although there are hints that Obama has a revolutionary streak, such as with his close association with the radical Reverend Jeremiah Wright until it compromised his political career track, he probably must remain ambivalent with his inner processes. The result is a “go with the flow” mentality and conforming to peer pressure, another function of Uranus on a conservative end. The peer pressure that Obama is conforming to is the very old guard and status quo political structure, and the “change” is fixing the problems in the same way they were created, which even if this strategy works is certainly not a radical or outside the box solution.

The impetus to eventually break his conditioning is strong, but until this happens, the 12th house Saturn is conditioning patterns he is not yet in touch with. The eventual resolution could range from breaking out of the pack into a greater sense of individuality but still within “his group”, to potentially stepping completely outside the current system with a radically different orientation. This would show up very differently than what we are seeing with actions that seem well defined by the past. As an archetypal figure he is reflecting the dilemma of the us all.

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Chiron in Pisces: Do You Want to Live Forever?

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Melody

Melanie Reinhart mentions in her book “Chiron and the Healing Journey” that a year after Chiron’s discovery the world was shocked by the mass suicide in Guyana with over 900 followers of Reverend Jim Jones. Chiron is associated with matters of death and the idea of the conscious acceptance of our mortality. Death and dying was once an intimate part of our existence. Now it is divorced from our lives while rampant and dysfunctional through entertainment and real life media coverage. Chiron in Pisces may have the role of accelerating the conscious acceptance and awareness of death and our mortality back into our lives. Like shamanic soul retrieval, this may be an important part of our collective healing.

Chiron is a “planetoid”, also thought of as an asteroid but slightly bigger than most asteroids, or possibly it is a trapped comet originating from the Kuiper Belt.  If that is so, Chiron may just be a visitor to our solar system, although for how long we have no idea. Chiron has an extremely elliptical orbit, spending much more time in some signs than in others with an orbit around the Sun of between 49 and 51 years.  Around 50 years old we have our “Chiron Return”, an important rite of passage for most.

Chiron teaches AchilleL’Éducation d’Achille par le centaure Chiron.  Louvre. Oil on canvas, 1782.  Jean-Baptiste Regnault 

“Chiron is the planetary symbol for the mythic healer/ teacher. In his story we find a journey of great significance. For his role as shaman/wisdom keeper is not complete until he is confronted with a personal wound that he is unable to heal. Chiron is teacher to many of the mythic Greek heroes. Hercules as his student accidentally wounds Chiron’s thigh with an arrow dipped in the poison blood of the Hydra. This blood would kill anything alive except that Chiron was immortal and couldn’t die.  Instead he receives an incurable wound that leaves him to endless suffering until he decides to relinquish his life and set free the chained titan Prometheus.

In myth, Chiron was the son of Saturn / Chronos / Father time. While in the act of love making with a goddess that was not his wife, Chronos turned into a horse and galloped away to avoid being caught by his approaching wife Rhea. Rhea was not only his wife but his mother. The Great Mother gave birth to Time and embodied as his partner. Later at Chiron’s birth, his mother was so shocked to find her son to be part horse (centaur) that she turned herself into a tree because she was unable to deal with the reality of it. She couldn’t accept him for who he was as an infant.   And his father would have nothing to do with him. This abandonment of the new-born centaur suggests the theme of the wounded child who was subsequently taken on and raised by the sun god Apollo who taught him of his wisdom. So Chiron embodies the aspirations of the sun god, to be all that one can be, to creatively actualize. Yet he also had to face his incurable wound and surrender his attachments to physical embodiment by giving his life to set free Prometheus, the giver of fire (consciousness) to mankind. Thus Chiron had to journey to Hades, Pluto’s realm and there come to terms with the Lord of the Underworld to fully realize the ultimate meaning of his life.  Upon transcending physical attachment, Chiron was transformed into the star constellation of Sagittarius.”  Rahelio

Chiron’s journey to Hades was an initiation that links the wounds (Chiron) to our soul (Pluto).  At a deep level, our fear is of death and the questions of mortality and immortality. Chiron’s journey through the last sign of the zodiac  gives us a chance to have compassion for our soul wounds, and as http://www.martinlass.com/ said, realizing that the gift is in the wound.  The sign of Pisces is two fish, one swimming into the illusions of life, the other swimming back to source.  In my favourite Chiron book “Chiron, the Rainbow Bridge Between the Inner and Outer Planets”, Barbara Hand Clow says that “When Chiron is in Pisces, there is a crisis over connecting with the God Force, the universal oneness.”  If we have somehow lost our direct connection with that which gives us a knowing that this is not all there is, the fears and insecurities of the unknown beyond death pervade.

Many are trying to conquer death.  Immortality is the quest, the Holy Grail. Transhumanists want to incorporate technology with biology for extended lifespans.  Scientists such as Aubrey de Grey a Cambridge computer scientist turned biologist (biomedical gerontologist) believe that within the next 25 – 30 years we will extend life indefinitely.   Apparently Michael Jackson had arranged to be preserved through cryogenics but because of the missed deadline will be embalmed instead.  The idea is to be resurrected in some manner, and cloning can be done through the preservation of DNA with the ancient technology used for mummies. State and senate bills are being introduced to ensure guidelines relative to human cloning, not just stem cell research.  Although these technologies have been going on for decades, I think we will see much more in the public domain as the Piscean energy moves us to places that astounds the imagination, boggles the mind, and where laws as we understand them no longer make sense.

On a more soulful level, the issues of suicide and assisted suicide, as well as voluntary euthanasia may become more prevalent.  And, we may have to deal with large numbers of our population dying from earth changes and warfare.  Melanie Reinhart says that since the early nineteenth century, every transit of Chiron through Pisces has seen a major war. And so the deep Piscean wounds of grief and disillusionment are evoked. 

Barbara Hand Clow points out that “the level of consciousness raising potential with Chiron work is not possible without a corresponding level of work with Pluto.”  While she was referring to the work of both planetary archetypes within the individual chart, I can’t help but feel that the outer manifestation of death reflecting the inner death and rebirth process of our collective unconscious. 

A Chiron cycle is about 50 years and will be in the sign of Pisces from 2010 – 2018/19. The last time Chiron moved into Pisces was in 1960 – 1968.  At that time, Pluto was in the sign of Virgo and we experienced Chiron and Pluto in opposition through the 60’s.  However, since Chiron was not discovered until 1977, the energy was not at all on a conscious level in the collective, even though the millions of people born during that time frame have that opposition in their chart, including President Barack Obama.  Pluto opposite Chiron brings transformative awareness to the subconscious, and life is anything but superficial as this generation may be coming very aware of the individual and collective work that is being done.   I believe it was Barbara Hand Clow who said that this is the group moving into power and many are reincarnated healers from times perhaps before the patriarchy.  

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The Child Comes From The Kingdom of God

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Melody

Gustav Vigeland’s bronze sculpture at the Vigeland Park in Oslo is an esoteric image of the Capricorn / Cancer archetype. In the modern view of astrology, Cancer is at the bottom of the chart. This is the deepest and densest point of our experience of incarnation and symbolizes childhood. At this point we feel so deeply and our sensitivities are raw and personal. We are immersed in the emotional and material reality, forgetting where we came from as we embark upon a journey of experiences and lessons in the material world.

With the maturity of Capricorn, also symbolizing the wise elder, the veils are thinning and we can contemplate exiting the cave of forgetfulness. The Winter Solstice, or the day the Sun moves into Capricorn, is the darkest day of the year and the beginning of a new cycle of increasing light. But for awhile we rest in the great silence of winter. At least in the Northern Hemisphere. This same cycle of hibernation reversed in the Southern Hemisphere provides the balance of light and dark. However, the meme of the Capricorn Archetype in our collective unconscious remains the same.

This eternal cycle of death and rebirth can be literal. Pluto in the sign of Capricorn is a strong signature of death, especially lately with Mars going over the Pluto/North Node conjunction. It is also a period for us individually and collectively to notice where we need to depart from our paradigms of materiality and experience new states of consciousness that are more progressive, innovative, enlightened, universal citizenship, all of those Aquarius words, towards a higher level of Piscean illumination.

Total Eclipse of the Moon – Our Red Shadow

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Mercury Retrograde and Rethinking our Reality

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Melody

Essie Parrish: Medicine Woman and Basketweaver

The several year transit of Pluto in Capricorn is currently being strongly activated by Lunar Nodes, Mars and Venus, and Mercury going retrograde today. This 3 week Mercury retrograde period can facilitate the breakdown of conditioning patterns, or ways of thinking, that keep us stuck in old ways. Collectively, we have been immersed for several thousand years in what Riane Eisler in “The Chalice and the Blade” defines as the Dominator (vs. Partnership) paradigm. The names speak for themselves. This new cycle in the evolution of our consciousness is bringing the Dominator orientation of our world into stark relief so that balance can be maintained in a more enlightened way.

A keyword for the Dominator paradigm is War. We war against everything; poverty, drugs, hunger, terrorists, disease, and now we are engaged in the latest variation of a theme…cyberwars! The idea of conflict comes from this or that, black and white, and what is becoming evident is that shades of grey are in everything. No one is all good or all bad…shades of grey.

The dualistic nature of our reality may be confined to this third dimension, or it may just be starker here. We may have to swing from one extreme to the other to find the happy medium. That is of course OK and part of the process. Eventually, we understand both ends of the polarity and through a happy integration reach a point of balance that brings a level of compassionate understanding to all perspectives.

How can we each contribute to this collective process? Through the conscious effort to balance the conflict we all carry within. It is Universal Law #190 – The inner is reflected in the outer and vice versa. Just kidding on the number part. This is not only very powerful, but truly the only thing we can do that is within our personal control. Situations in our lives reflect our internal state, including what is still in conflict. Whatever shows up externally, whether money issues, relationship conflicts or disappointments, health and so on, has its roots in an inner imbalance. I realize that our collective reality also plays a part. Even so, movement towards Harmony and Grace is the gift offered by this reflection, if one takes the time to examine what an external predicament is showing about an internal conflict. This can be very subtle, and most of the time we want to be in denial, for many reasons. Perhaps we think we have worked through the particular issue completely. Or perhaps we are comfortable with the feelings that the conflict brings up and don’t really want to change anything right now. Or maybe we feel we just don’t have the energy to make any changes.

In the quiet moments of reflection, the imbalance is revealed. If we wish to change, asking the question of what to do next will bring the answer if we are still and quiet enough to hear it. Why? The conflict is within and the solution also comes from within. The next three weeks of Mercury retrograde is designed to facilitate these quiet moments and internal dialogues.

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2012 and Ascension

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Melody

As we experience this end of cycle times, things will continue to get more bizarre. We are ending a 26,000 year cycle, written about by all of the ancient cultures, and a time when we are ascending from the Dark Age, or Kali Yuga according to ancient Indian texts. With our collective ascension towards another Golden Age is the astronomical phenomenon of our solar system crossing the “equator” line of our galaxy. The Dark Age has been full of violence and control as our diminished consciousness placed us in positions of seeming powerlessness. As we move out of this age our consciousness is slowly regained and we will begin to take back our power as humans. I love that word. Human. Humanity. It has connotations of compassion and heartful living.

We have no idea what to expect but we can look to smaller cycles to get a general idea. We know that the energy of change is most intense just before the cycle completes and as the new one begins. The human experience includes clearing the old baggage to make room for a fresh beginning. There is always the sense that we could repeat the same old patterns for as long as it takes, or we can move on. We have free will in this regard.

I like to think of ascension as an inner process of integrating the polarities of our existence; masculine and feminine, light and dark and so on. The mandala of the zodiac gives us clear directions for this personal journey. This integration includes an unconditional acceptance of everything, but working together in a more balanced way. Balance and wisdom can only come from seeing both sides of the polarity, not staying at one end or the other. From here we can begin to feel compassion for all.

I was listening to a radio show recently where the speaker speculated that realities would be more strongly demarcated as we begin to see how our thoughts are creating much quicker results. For some, life may get much better and for others much worse. What resonates for me with this is the idea that we are in times that require us to be hyper vigilant with our lives so that our thoughts and choices can come from a pure and integrated place, one coming from the heart.

These ideas are not new. They are integral to all of the great religions and philosophies, but we have collectively been having a harder time understanding how important they really are because of the dark times we live in. We have given our sovereignty away to religious and political leaders who love to do our thinking for us as part of the power and control mechanism.

Here are some of my favourite tricks: Don’t expect to get as much done in the course of a day as we are used to or think we should. Time is going too fast. Stay grounded by feeling the soles of your feet on the ground at all times. Move slowly and decide consciously in each moment what is the most important thing to do. Check in with your thoughts throughout the day and notice what the general trends are and where the shifts need to be made. Speak and act from the heart. I always like to think of our great role models with this: Would Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, St. Francis of Assisi etc. do/speak this? It’s not always clear and there is a place for every human emotion. These Masters were not afraid to see and say what was wrong with the human condition. But the tone of a word or action if coming from the heart wisdom brings the most power for change.

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Pluto conjunct North Node in Capricorn:
Resistance is futile

Posted on October 30, 2010 by Melody

Pluto is conjunct the North Node at 3 degrees Capricorn, November 5 – 21, 2010. I’m watching Stewart and Colbert’s “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” live as I write this blog and finding it a little surreal – not laughing much, but maybe that’s just my mood. Stewart’s ending statements are however, reflective of a basic faith in humanity, which I share. Patriotic posturing aside, here we watch an example of our evolution from fighting violence and hate with hate and violence, towards realizing that we are all in this together. We care and are more willing to share our concern and love for life on earth than the media would portray. This is an event that contributes or at least reflects the inspiration for deep and profound world change. We’re growing up.

Pluto is conjunct the North Node on an average every 17 years (with a 12 – 30 year variance due to the elliptical orbit) as it travels through the signs. I could describe this transit as a punctuation mark on the attitudes and climate of the day, which reflect our growth. It is a time when we see more clearly what needs to go and where we are heading. Astrology works with cycles and spirals, never coming back to an exact point in space but relooking at relevant themes and progress. The last time Pluto was conjunct the North Node in Capricorn (at 13 degrees) was 242 years ago, May of 1768. On May 10, just 3 days before the exact conjunction, the English radical journalist and politician John Wilkes was arrested (not for the first time) after winning an election and further threatening the sovereignty of the monarchy. 15,000 of his supporters had gathered, and with his arrest, tension led to riots. Seven people were killed in what was to become known as The Massacre of St. George’s Fields. John Wilkes struggles and writings inspired many who were leading the American Revolution at the time. The American Revolutionary War, which ended with a global war, began in 1775 with Pluto in the mid degrees of Capricorn.

The halfway point between the last Pluto/North Node conjunction in Capricorn and this one, occurred at 5 degrees Cancer in October, 1917. This was Red October, the month of the Great October Socialist Revolution. As we can see, the breakdown of obsolete systems with these Pluto (death and rebirth) Capricorn (the phenomenal structure of our systems) transits, escalates to global proportions with the nodal involvement. There has been much recently to support this process in the background, including the waxing Saturn (ruler of Capricorn) square Pluto round of transits and Saturn opposing Uranus. That said, this particular and pointed transit of Pluto to the North Node could be seen as a destiny event. The momentum of the universe is supporting us collectively towards a dynamic psychological accountability, as the timing of our growth and awareness is both defined and challenged to go to the next level.

While collapse and dissolution of the old and obsolete is inevitable, we can look back into history without going too far to see that change is both necessary and can bring a better way, so really there is nothing to fear. As Jon Stewart said at the Rally today, these are hard times but not end times. And, although the future may surprise and amaze us, somewhere in our psychic fields we all know at some level what we are creating together for tomorrow. Pluto transits of inevitable death and rebirth only come to a place of trauma or crisis when the inevitable change is denied or resisted.

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