Jan

29

February 2 Imbolc

Filed Under Cross Quarter Holy Days | Leave a Comment

What an auspicious New Moon, occurring on Imbolc–one of my favorite cross-quarter holidays. The need to cleanse and refresh our lives at this time is coded in our DNA, as humans have been honoring this turn on the wheel for milennia. Below is what my good friend shaman and poet Jane Galer has to say about the holiday. She’s launching her new book, Becoming Hummingbird, on this date!

Whether you live in northern snow, or the southwestern sun, or the green and wet isolation of the coast like I do, I hope you come to this day of midwinter with a sigh and a sense of peace. Imbolc (pronounced Im-olc) is the ancient Celtic day that marks the halfway point between the solstice and the equinox. This is a cross-quarter day then, a reminder that time is moving and we have obligations. In ancient times, perhaps we simply cleaned out our fireplace, set aside a burning taper, cleaned out the ashes, and then kindled the warming fires of winter again. This was a safety issue, a housekeeping issue, and yet it has deeper implications. This is a night time moment, a time to clear out the “ashes” of our lives, kindle a stronger fire, a stronger sense of purpose for ourselves. This is a time to notice whether we have done the work of winter. Have we told the stories we need to tell? Have we rested, feasted, and shared our hearth with our larger community?

When Christianity came to the Celts, Imbolc became Candlemas. February 2nd, a fixed date instead of the mutable date engendered by Sun reaching the middle of Aquarius. Candlemas suggests a lovely ceremony. Gather those you connect with around a fire, each with a candle and a prayer; sing, feast, share and encourage the great work of winter. Make a circuit or procession with candle as your only light. Honor grandmother Moon, the candle is her light. Slow down, it’s winter, remember the ancestors and their stories, dream deeply.

Jane Galer, is an award winning poet and author who trained with the Q’ero indigenous shaman of the high Andes of Peru.

Share |

Jan

29

Riots on the Nile!

Filed Under Astrology trends | 2 Comments

As the global elite dined on Norwegian lobster in Davos, Egyptians took to the streets, erupting in protest against decades of oppressive leadership, high unemployment, rising food prices, and lives without hope. It is a dramatic post card, illuminating the collision between the haves and have-nots promised by Pluto’s entrance into Capricorn in 2008 and accelerated by its coming squares from revolutionary Uranus in 2012. There may be debate on which astrology chart is most accurate for Egypt, but this one (from Nick Campion’s world horoscopes) reveals that Egypt’s Sun (its identity) is receiving its final liberating square from the recent Jupiter/Uranus conjunction. In the country’s progressed chart, its Sun is rapidly approaching a conjunction with transformative Pluto. This developing story will not go away quietly.

Share |

Jan

14

Earth Wobbles and People Lose Their Sun Signs!

Filed Under Astrology trends | 3 Comments

The news went viral yesterday. Even my son–who never discusses astrology–was shaken. He came into the livingroom with an ashen look on his face: “Did you hear?! I’m not an Aquarian!” Believe me, he is. And the rumors about an astrology shake-up are wildly exaggerated. It’s well known by astrologers and astronomers that the earth wobbles, and over thousands of years, the Sun shifts its position against the background of constellations. (If you’re curious, Google “precession of the equinoxes.”)

But there are two types of astrology. One calculates the horoscope based on the Sun rising against this shifting backdrop of stars. This is Indian, or Vedic astrology. And you may indeed find that in this system you have a different Sun sign as it uses what is known as the “sidereal zodiac.” There is a 23 degree difference between this and the “tropical zodiac,” which is what most Western astrologers use. The tropical system is derived from earth’s seasons, not the stars. It’s calculated using the position of the Sun in relationship to earth (specifically the equator) on the days of the summer/winter solstice and the spring/fall equinox. Both systems work.

The viral news story also mentioned a “13th zodiac sign” known as “Ophiuchus.” There is such a constellation, but it’s off the ecliptic (the Sun’s path), so it has no business joining the traditional twelve. Incidentally, there are actually about twenty-four constellations that touch the ecliptic. Anyone for a zodiac with twenty-four signs? Let’s hope another scientist doesn’t start spouting off (I’m talking to you Parke Kunkle!).

Share |

Jan

2

Set Sail for Adventure

Filed Under Astrology trends, New Moon | Leave a Comment

How auspicious! On the day of the Solar Eclipse, Jupiter and Uranus meet. They’re conjunct in dream-weaver Pisces. Together Jupiter and Uranus bring growth, change, expansion, and breakthroughs. Their conjunctions, occurring every fourteen years, coincide with discoveries and great forward leaps. What an inspiring way to begin the year! These are challenging times, but like cheerleading guardian angels, the two sky gods are sending a message. They want us to dream big. They want us to imagine ourselves excited and brave as we set sail, individually and collectively, towards a new world. Soon both Jupiter and Uranus will enter Aries: the sign of adventure and courageous initiatives. This Spring I suspect we’ll be seeing a plethora of action movies with plucky heroes and heroines. That’s one way our collective unconscious will be dreaming us into bolder versions of ourselves. Next year, Uranus and Pluto will begin their explosive, revolutionary square. If we raise our courage in 2011, we might lasso that energy and accomplish something amazing.

Share |