The Diamond Path: New Moon in Pisces

Welcome to The Kosmic Mind Astrology Column written by Guest Astrologer Chad Woodward. Chad is an astrological researcher, massage therapist, healer, and artist PLUS a good friend of mine who I highly respect for his ongoing and unique explorations into the awesome potential of astrology and how it effects us on a microcosmic and macrocosmic level. The Diamond Path

New Moon In Pisces March 04, 2011 @ 12:47:02 PM PST 13 degrees Pisces 56'

"The path to clarity is through the assimilation of complexity."

New Moon's Agenda: To strengthen one's immunity and to shield oneself, physically, emotionally, psychically, or spiritually. To gain deeper clarity within the psyche, removing any distortions inhibiting clear and direct intentions. To surrender attachment to our shadow, or our blockages, and to gain more awareness of our stumbling blocks so that we can embrace, love, and transmute them into powerful gifts for the world. To dig past superficiality to the real and authentic truth within.

As we set our intentions this new moon, CLARITY and AWARENESS, are of utmost importance. What do YOU want to create in your life? What kind of world do YOU want to see surrounding you? Setting intentions can be a powerful experience, especially when you're in synch with the cosmos. This new moon, if you don't already, try sitting down with yourself in a calm and relaxing space, free of distractions, and experiment writing out your intentions in a very clear and concise way. As you write them, visualize each intention and feel it in your heart center, feel the joy and bliss of manifesting your intention as if it is happening at that moment, right before your eyes. Get creative with it, use colored pens or pencils, or even draw pictures or make a collage, allow the experience to be fun- but remain conscious and focused-maintain a state of balance between ecstatic enthusiasm and pensiveness. When you're finished go over the list once more, visualize all the things you wrote down, feel them in your heart center, and as you read them, imagine them being sent directly to the moon, allow her to receive them and then thank her. Give thanks for all the blessings in your life, and take some time to imagine all that you're truly grateful for. Then put it away! You could fold it up and place it on an alter, you could burn it in your own ceremony, or you could put it under your pillow and forget all about it. Within two weeks, at the proceeding full moon, take a look at what has manifested, or not. Some intentions take several lunar cycles to manifest, some don't-it all comes down to what you THINK is possible. The more you practice at each new moon, the easier and the more powerful it will be. And just remember, how can the universe give you what you want if you don't ask for it? How can we create a new life, or even a new world, if we aren't clear about what we want it to look like?

It's very easy to find what's wrong with the world, and to realize what we don't want-the media bombards us with THAT every day. At this point, in the western world a least, we are all well aware of all the problems and dysfunctions that plague our reality- but the challenge comes in what to do about it, how to turn awareness into applicable solutions. We hear a lot about the current 'shift' in consciousness amplifying co-creation; the ability to gather with like minds and manifest together. One has to wonder however, is this 'co-creation' really something new? Haven't we been co-creating all along? The truth is that we have, but unfortunately, we've been creating a reality that's pre-made, handed to us by someone else, neatly packaged and sold to all who are convinced it's the cream of the crop. The 'awakening' the world is now experiencing is simply the awareness of this reality, the acceptance and realization that we've been duped. By who you may wonder? Well, that's a rather long story, one long and esoteric story which is well beyond the scope of this article- but the truth is, in the end, we've only fooled ourselves, and if we really want to point the blame we have to only look in the mirror. The 'powers that be', if you want to get Jungian about it, are simply projections of our own unconscious wounds, that part of ourselves we refuse to accept as us. All the demons that fill our dreamscape, all the terrorists, bankers, globalists, or bloodthirsty inter-dimensional reptilian extraterrestrials[1], we've created, collectively, because we've chosen fear over love. Humanity is at a threshold, we are now ready to fully understand love, and not just in the highly limited way we experience it in this dimension, but in the sense of Agape, which is cosmic love, the love pouring down through the higher dimensional spheres espoused by the more evolved echelons of consciousness. The love we experience, it is said, is merely the tail end of an experience so profound and so immense, no words could possibly describe it. How good does that sound? Sounds good to me, and I don't know about you, but I'm tired of creating the same thing-I'm ready to do something else, and I have a feeling you probably are to. The great news is that we aren't alone in this, the universe is on OUR side, we just have to make the choice, and it starts with YOU! It starts with getting clear, getting clear about yourself and your intentions. Who are you? What do YOU want? It's not about what everyone else wants, you know all about that, it's about what you want, what you REALLY want! Have I made my point yet? This new moon has the potential to be very revealing, possibly showing us what we don't want to see, but I suggest you look at it no matter what. Don't judge it, and don't run from it, just allow it to be, allow yourself to accept it, and then let it go! Whatever comes up for you at this time needs to be cleared, it needs you to let it go so it can be free and continue its OWN journey as well.

At the time of the new moon there will be a powerful cluster, or stellium, of planets in Pisces, and some teetering on the edge. This 'teetering' occurs when a planet is coming to the end of a sign, to the last degrees which are also called anaretic degrees. Neptune will be at 28 degrees of Aquarius, just at the cusp of Pisces, and Uranus will be at the 29th degree of Pisces just at the cusp of Aries. The anaretic degrees have a powerful effect, especially when outer planets converge there by transit. This indicates that powerful breakthroughs in consciousness are about to take place, something is about to explode! On March 11 Uranus will enter Aries, where it will stay until 2019! This event in itself is very significant, as it signals the beginning of an entirely new cycle of Uranus through the zodiac, it signals the rebirth of the Promethean principle within consciousness-and a powerful renaissance is possible! This will be proceeded by a complete revolution technologically as well as socially, our world is bound to change very quickly! Aries symbolizes the power of the individual, and so the 'technology' and secrets of the gods, the powers of the higher beings, are to be handed down to the common man for all to share. This threshold symbolizes that no longer will such power be hidden (in Pisces) but will be revealed to all who are ready to receive it. Further amplifying this omen is Uranus' seven squares to Pluto in Capricorn which will take place from 2012 to 2015, which will once again flood the collective psyche with the archetypes created during the Uranus/Pluto conjunction of the late 1960's.

Neptune, the ruler of this new moon, sits in conjunction to Chiron, forming the 'rainbow bridge'[2], which is an active portal that has been cracked open by the Super Full Moon in Leo that occurred on February 18th. This conjunction sits in direct opposition to the mysterious, allusive, and 'hypothetical' planet Transpluto [3] which currently sits at the 29th degree of Leo. This powerful, and yet, ambiguous energy, with the influence of Neptune, and the nature of a hypothetical planetary body, shows us that unseen forces are currently flooding our reality. The lines between what's "real" and what's not are beginning to blur, the world is going to become a very strange but interesting place to be. The opposition itself is urging each of us to see past illusions, deceptions, and distortions that have hindered our free will, severely limiting our range of awareness and thus our range of action. It is now time for all of us to get clear about what we've been 'programmed' to create, and to replace it with creating what comes directly from our heart centers as opposed to our minds. This is not a matter of sitting down and thinking about what you want, but rather FEELING it, reaching down deep and finding that volcano of joy, bliss, and curiosity many have only known as children. We are each being given the opportunity for more self-sufficiency, we are being freed from our shackles-so lets embrace the opportunity and step into our power together.

Jupiter and Pluto are currently squaring off in the heavens as well, amplifying expansion, enthusiasm, and deep philosophical or metaphysical thought-and on the flip side, expanding the darker dimensions of our psyches, our shadows, our wounds, and our unloved aspects, all reaching out for our acknowledgment and love. This energy is something to be conscious of, because if not you could get carried away with it. On one end you may find yourself filled with much excitement and enthusiasm over a new idea, or a new opportunity, something that seems almost too good to be true. The reality of the situation will vary for each of us, but the point here is to remain calm and just allow yourself to enjoy all the ideas and speculation, but it would be wise to consider it carefully before jumping on board right away. This is definitely a time for awareness and for creating visions, but immediate action is a different story. If you feel pressured to do something, don't give in right away, just let it be-odds are it will unfold without much need for immediate effort on your part either way. On the other side, this powerful energy has the potential to really let us dig deep, to get right to the bottom line, so follow the white rabbit wherever he may lead you now.

On March 3, the day before the new Moon, the Lunar Nodes switch from Cancer/Capricorn to Gemini/Sagittarius until August of 2012. This creates a subtle, yet powerful shift in our collective direction, urging us to let go of overt rationalization, to stop dwelling on complexities and petty facts, and get straight to the point. This powerful shift will impulse each of us to go deeper within ourselves, to listen to our inner guidance, and to rely less on detailed information given to us from external sources. This is a time to gain a greater perspective of what's going on, to see the bigger picture, and to reach out towards foreign avenues of life experience. Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius, ties in the square to Pluto in Capricorn with the nodal symbolism, directing our attention to this powerful aspect. In synthesis, these connections indicate that if we feel pressured in a certain direction by some external force (Pluto in Capricorn), we are merely being impelled so that we try an entirely new and different, or innovative, direction-to take our own path by following inner guidance and vision. This is what it is all about! Instead of sitting in front of the television, numbing out from the limiting repetition of refurbished OLD ideas and visions-get your OWN vision! The world is NOT running out of 'good' ideas, we've just been looking in the completely wrong places for FAR too long. If it isn't apparent to you yet, the system isn't going to give us anything new, it's simply going to superficially enhance stale and prosaic templates. And so, the best choice is to simply laugh at it all, and then look into another direction, there are infinite paths for us to choose from! We just haven't been 'told' about them by our TELL-A-VISION. Allow something fresh and new to enter your reality at this time, be open to change, and above all else, don't resist the flow.

Confronting The Shadow

Our lives are filled with shifts and transitions, in fact, every moment is a shift from the proceeding one. Nature provides us with the experience of a seamless flow from one experience to the next, but in reality, we are constantly being prepared in the moment for what's to come. We experience this often as intuition, or psychic vision, but we're really just picking up nature's next intention-the next shift is preparing us in the moment. If only we could listen carefully to the subtleties of our own bodies and minds, and just go with the flow, as opposed to resisting these transitions with our own ideas of how things should turn out, or what the next step will look like. Every new experience necessitates that we have fully integrated and processed the previous one, so that stagnate energies can be transmuted into functional and applicable constructs. These 'stagnate' energies, or unused, or 'unloved' constructs bide for our attention, and we perceive them as our shadow-our blind spots-which are quite simply programs within the psyche we have yet to shed the light of consciousness upon, and so they run unconsciously outside of normal awareness. These unconscious programs constantly seek our acknowledgment of them-and so they do whatever is possible to get our attention.

From the perspective of our collective mythic narrative we call 'the ascension', humanity is at the brink of a dimensional shift. This is a shift out of density, out of a lower vibrational dimension and into a higher and more finely tuned dimension. Our world is being flooded with higher dimensional light, and this light is exposing the darker elements, the shadow material that has been left over from our previous state. This shadow material must be integrated until we can fully step into the next experience, and so as more and more light penetrates the darkness and density, the more seemingly 'negative' or 'darker' elements we are bound to confront. Each of us individually must process our own shadow material, and humanity as a whole must process its collective shadow which each of us creates together. From the astrological perspective, we are in the midst of this clearing-the amplification of our shadow-which appears to be a completely autonomous entity separate from us, but only because we have refused to love it and accept it. To gain more clarity, we must first address that which we are unconscious of-otherwise these blind spots will seek to trip us up whenever there is a chance. In truth, the more unconscious we are, the less free will we have. It is said, rather esoterically, that free will only exists through the use of 'magic' and 'divination'. Magic is simply the art of directed and focused intention, and you don't need the help of Mr. Crowley for that one. Divination literally means "to be inspired by god", and inspire is simply to "light within", or to bring the light of god within oneself. I would personally translate that as simply to shed light on something that was previously hidden, our shadow! So divination need not be an elaborate system such as astrology or even tarot, it is simply the ability to shed light on what is hidden, to bring consciousness to something that is unconscious. Of course we have tools such as astrology to expedite this process, but there are many paths to divination-years of study and practice are not required.

If humanity is to have true free will it must first acknowledge its shadow, it must first shed light on all the darkness, all the programs that seemingly control us. It must then direct its own intentions, focus on its own visions and then create them! The universe is now assisting us in gaining clarity, seeing through the darkness with razor sharp vision so that we can shed light on all that was previously hidden. We must not judge the darkness, and we must not deny that darkness as us, for we must learn to love and embrace it, in all its truth and authenticity. It can often be difficult to see our shadow, since it's always behind us, and our best mirrors are often our relationships. The people in our lives reflect our shadow quite often, and so at this time keep your awareness keen, and be open and receptive to the signals coming from others-they are your greatest teachers.

Full Moon In Virgo

This new moon will culminate in the last of six anaretic full moons on March 19, the closing of one cycle I previously outlined in my article Cracking The Cosmic Egg: Lunar Eclipse Synchronicity and the Crisis In Consciousness. When one cycle closes, however, another one is just beginning. This full moon will be the second of 6 super full moons, when the moon is closest to earth, amplifying it's influence exponentially-heightening our subtle perceptions and magnifying the earth's energetic influence. Interestingly, on March 8, the 'Universal Underworld' begins, the final stage of the mayan calendar before its end date in either the fall of this year or winter solstice of 2012 [4]. These are intriguing synchroncities indeed-alerting us to a powerful shift occurring within the collective experience. Of further interest is the Full Moon's occurrence on the day before Spring Equinox, with the Sun conjunct Uranus sitting directly on the Aries Point! The Aries Point is one of the most powerful and significant placements in astrology, as it is the very beginning of the zodiac, the divine spark of consciousness, the flame driving the psyche to deeper and more expanded awareness and evolution. This is quite a revolutionary energy, bringing with the omen of a new dawn, a new horizon from which a grand new vision for the world can be created. The most revealing and intriguing aspect of all, are the sabian symbols for the positions of the sun and moon.

For the Sun at 29 degrees of Pisces:

Light breaking into many colors as it passes through a prism.

For the Moon at 29 degrees of Virgo:

A seeker after occult knowledge is reading an ancient scroll which illumines his mind.

The symbols are extremely revealing, and seemingly work together through polarity. The Sun, at the Aries point, conjunct Uranus, is receiving the 'fire' from Prometheus (Uranus), the flame, as symbolized as light, which is disseminating into its many and multivalent manifestations. This light is then literally reflected off the Moon, and illuminating the minds of all who seek the 'occult' or hidden knowledge within. These beautiful symbols further confirm that light is penetrating our dimension, and it is exposing all the shadows and unconscious constructs lying just beneath the surface. To quote once more, as I did in a previous article, Dane Rudhyar's interpretation of this full moon's symbol, excerpted from his infamous book, An Astrological Mandala: The Cycle of Transformations and its 360 Symbolic Phases.

KEYNOTE: After a crisis one should seek to realign the renewed consciousness with the primordial Revelations of the Truth of Man.

Any revolutionary movement, once it has succeeded in overcoming the inertia of the past and in toppling obsolete structures, needs to tap the most essential realities of what Man represents and signifies in the universal Order; or else it merely reembodies in a superficially altered manner the very things it has destroyed. This is the crucial moment. In occultism the "Pattern of Man" is an archetypal Power that may be contacted. It must be sought with undeviating determination. After each revolutionary crisis this Pattern and this Power can be contacted-always the same, yet at each new cycle perceivable in a different light.

This fourth stage symbol presents us with the technique required to "reach the other shore". But each individual, and each group or racial unit, must come in its own way to the ROOT KNOWLEDGE which provides the only safe foundation for a rebirth.

Stay tuned for my next article which will disseminate the energies of the Spring Equinox shortly. I end with a clip from 2010: The Year We Make Contact, the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is a pertinent modern mythos for us at this time, as well as the years chosen for the titles being prophetic and uncannily significant for U.S. history. Movies are our collective dreams, and our modern mythologies, and they deeply reflect the under currents of our collective psyche.

Notes & References

[1] See, Infinite Love Is The Only Truth And Everything Else Is Illusion by David Icke. [2] The Rainbow Bridge is an esoteric symbol dealing with the bridging of the physical body with the higher dimensional bodies, or the full activation of one's spiritual potential. In a more literal way, according to our current mythic narrative, the rainbow bridge mythos tells of a bridge linking the astral dimension through the Sun which is a portal to the Sirius star system. It is said that the astral dimension, which is created by the orbit of the Moon, holds discarnate souls on earth who have yet to "cross over". Currently there are many souls who are stuck or trapped due their attachment to density. As the earth matrix begins vibrating at a higher frequency, due to the ascension process, these souls who hold too much density cannot stay in the earth's collective field during the next several thousand years. It is believed that this bridge, the rainbow bridge, will assist these souls in relocating to another star system, possibly the 'binary' (possibly trinary) star system of Sirius. [3] For further reading on Transpluto I highly suggest the article by astrologer Lynn Koiner titled, Transpluto Is Real! which can be found here: http://www.lynnkoiner.com/astrology-articles/transpluto-is-real [4] For further study on the Mayan calendar I highly suggest Carl Johan Calleman's website, http://www.calleman.com

Images

Image 1: The Diamond Path by Rob Shouten Image 2: Despair by Alex Grey

chad woodward astrologerChad Woodward's Bio Kosmic Mind Blog

Ever since I was young I found myself fascinated and mesmerized by the night sky, gazing up at its brilliance and immensity in awe. Somehow, this innate part of myself was looking for omens in that very sky, completely unaware of the vivid and profound art known as astrology, which has graced this planet for thousands of years. It wasn’t until I was 19 that I discovered the real horoscopic astrology that, from that point forward, would change and shape my life in ways I would have never imagined. It was truly love at first sight, a love that has only increased in its intensity ever since. Life with astrology is truly an adventure, as it unveils the magic of destiny, which has been sadly lost to our world for far too long.

My goal, as the late Joseph Campbell so eloquently stated, is to simply follow my bliss. Astrology is a guide to the unfolding of self and of the cosmos itself. It is in the proper application of this guide, that we as humans, can learn to no longer be an obstacle to the brilliance and intelligence of this cosmic unfolding. Currently, I am simply a researcher, massage therapist, healer, and artist doing my part in the ascension of the planet. I hope to share the joy and bliss that astrology can provide, as we learn to dance and flow in synchronicity with this great and mysterious divine plan.

Museletter: Pisces New Moon Inspiration

Pisces. Watercolor on board, 8 x 10 inches © 2010 by Kathy Crabbe. New Moon in Pisces March 4, 2011 12:46 pm pst

This month the new moon enters the sign of Pisces, a mutable water sign. Piscean types are often beyond definition and a wee bit hard to pin down! Some keywords for Pisces are “I believe”, compassionate, intuitive, artistic, introspective and friendly. I love being amidst Piscean energy because it’s like swimming in a world without boundaries - so freeing! The shadow side of Pisces relates to forgetfulness, martyrdom, melancholy and feeling misunderstood. Pisces also relates to the feet so next time you visit your favorite Pisces check out their shoe collection, I bet you’ll be impressed!

More Pisces Inspiration plus in-depth conversation and support is offered for FREE in my Creative Soul Circle.

~ It’s like Facebook for Soul SiStars ~ power in numbers SiStars! ~

So, on March 4, 2011 when the New Moon enters Pisces get ready to:

- Take time for dreams, intuitive play, artistic pursuits and escapism - Get romantic and get spoiled - Really listen and empathize with a friend’s woes - Meditate, relax, recharge and space out! More About The Lunar Cycles

The new moon is the perfect time of the month to plant seeds of intention for the month ahead. It is a time of trust, of beginnings and of letting go into intuition. The new moon lies in darkness, not yet reflecting the light of the sun, so our intentions may not yet be fully revealed to us and therefore trust is necessary - trust and faith that your newly planted seeds are indeed germinating beneath ground.

Allow the moon maiden/mother/crone to be your touchstone for balance, serenity and divine knowing. Let her cool, pale fingers touch your spirit as your soul flows knowingly, calmly, and with strength into divine being-ness. Allow her to be your support system to keep you pure, whole, holy and connected with your soul’s true purpose. Bless her as you bless yourself, for truly, we are all One.

The moon changes signs approximately every 2 ½ days, going through all twelve signs of the Zodiac every 29 ½ days. The sign that the moon is in reflects qualities of your inner self and being-ness. Each month there is at least one new moon that will rise at sunrise and set at sunset. Astrologically speaking this means that the sun and the moon are in conjunction.

Pisces Goddess. Mixed media on board, 24 x 36 inches © 2010 by Kathy Crabbe

Pisces Meditation and Affirmation

“To feel love is pure warmth, wholeness, open-ness, selfless-ness, shameless, guiltless joy – that is love.” More Piscean Stuff

Pisces – The fish Time of Year – Winter to spring Quality – Mutable Element – Water Ruler – Neptune Anatomy – Feet, lymph system Natural sign of – 12th house Opposite sign – Virgo Color – Sea green, turquoise, lavender Gemstone – Aquamarine, chrysolite, moonstone Tarot card – The Moon Goddesses – Atanu, Dahud, Nix, Oto, Ran

A New Moon in Pisces Exercise

As a creative being (and an artist, yes you!) you can make a difference!

To begin, I want you to come up with three ways that expressing yourself creatively could make a difference in your life.

1. 2. 3.

Now, name three more ways that being creative could influence your community.

1. 2. 3.

What intention could you set to make a creative difference in your life this month? It can be something that you are already doing but would like to talk about or relate to in an empowering way, or it can be something new that you want to try.

1.

What intention could you set to make a creative difference in your community this month?

1. aquamarine sphereA Message From Aquamarine

Pisces needs freedom to dream. What dreams are you holding onto? What dreams are buried within your soul? Let them out and onto paper, even if you’re unsure and feeling scared. Know that love that awaits you. Be brave.

What do your dreams look like, feel like, taste like, sound like? Start out by writing down some keywords to get your juices flowing and then allow them to flow into a river as your dreams start to flow out of you.

Try sleeping with an aquamarine or a picture of one under your pillow at night and make sure to request dreams of intention, and dreams of happiness and love. Allow visions to flow through you while sleeping and be ready with pen and paper to record them when you awaken.

My Version of Pisces

“Guess Poet” is part of a series of left-handed drawings I created over a period of five years. These drawings were later turned into an oracle card deck that I use for soul readings.

Guess Poet. Watercolor on paper, 8 x 10 inches © 2010 by Kathy Crabbe

Guess Poet encourages all of us to water our souls by closing our eyes and gazing within our soul’s interior. What do you see, or better yet, what do you feel? Is there anyone else there with you? If you start to feel sleepy and want to wake up, make sure to have a glass of water handy. Now, open your eyes and ask yourself, “What parts of this inner vision do I see around me?” Explain.

If you can see your inner vision expressed in the outer world, congratulations! If not, you need a warm fuzzy hug and then I have a question for you, “How can you bring this vision into reality?” Now, make a wish list of at least three things you would like to express. Next, turn those three things into intentions knowing this is something you will put into play in the month ahead.

The artwork featured above is from my Zodiac Goddess deck and Creative Soul Card® deck that I incorporate into my Creative Soul Readings. Prints and greeting cards can be purchased here ~ LuLu Design.

More Pisces Inspiration plus in-depth conversation and support is offered for FREE in my Creative Soul Circle.

Aging with Courage: Crone Moon Musings

harold and maude Waning Half Moon in Sagittarius February 24 ~ 3:26 pm pst

This is the first ever Crone Moon Musing/Meditation that I'm writing/channeling/dreaming/musing upon in honour of Mama Moon's waning moon cycle so I hope you can join the conversation plus  share you own musings in my Circle of Soul SiStars; membership is free and open to all women everywhere.

In this day and age, how do we as women age with courage, pride, sensuality and authenticity intact without selling out to fakery; botox, plastic surgery, nips and tucks?

As a culture we are obsessed with youthful beauty, especially for women.

Who are our aging models, our heroes? Not just women aging gracefully, but courageously. Nominations Please!

Margaret Atwood

I nominate Margaret Atwood for her intelligence, biting wit, lovely wrinkles and wild hair.

Margaret Atwood: born 1939, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

I also nominate Maude from the movie Harold & Maude (see photo above) for her feistiness in sticking up for what she believes in, plus I wanna caboose just like hers when I'm 79 :)

Maude is played by Ruth Gordon: born Oct. 30, 1896 in Wollaston, Massachusetts, USA.

In summing up the current Moon Month, we as a Circle have focused upon:

New Moon: Building abundance and identifying our strengths (using the VIA and StrengthsFinder tests.)

Full Moon: Spiraling open to love.

Crone Moon: Aging with pride; flaunting our wrinkles.

What is your #1 Strength? What have you learned about yourself this month and how are you sharing your strengths with the world?

For me: My strength is starting conversations, and asking the hard questions that need to be asked. I find strength in Soul SiStar Power; knowing we are all in this together.

Sheela na Gig

More about the Waning Moon ~ How to tell if the Moon is waning

* Moon on the right, getting bigger every night (waxing). * When the moon is waning, it is fading to the left until there’s no moon remaining. * DOC: waxing moon forms a "D" and the waning moon forms a "C" * Important Note: If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, this process is reversed.

A Waning Moon means the Moon is decreasing in size, moving from the Full Moon towards the New Moon. This lasts about 14 days and is a time of release, breaking bad habits and endings. It is a time of deep intuition and a time for divination.

The Waning Moon represents the Goddess in her Crone Aspect and we honour Hecate, Morrigan, Baba Yaga, Sheila na Gig, Sibyl or one of the other Crone Goddesses at this time.

Grab a moon calender widget for your website here: CalculatorCat.

Museletter: Abundance, Prosperity and Strength (Leo Full Moon Shared Focus Meditation)

This is the FIRST ever Full Moon Shared Focus Meditation I'm hosting and I'm so thrilled to be sharing it with you, my blog readers and my Creative Soul Circle (read more at the bottom of this post). The intent of the Shared Focus Meditation is to bring ALL of us together at a specific moment in time (at the Full Moon) so we can connect, focus upon the Meditation below, and then energetically and spiritually raise power, to walk the talk and BE the change we seek in the world. So, to begin I'd like you to look back at the previous New Moon in Aquarius on Jan. 2nd at the  intentions you set for the month ahead. In our previous New Moon Meditation we focused on identifying our strengths to develop an abundant mind set. Discussions ensued in the Circle with awesome input from Kate Walsh, financial planner who specializes in assisting women in developing Prosperity Thinking.

  • How have your New Moon seeds sprouted and flowered?
  • Have you identified your strengths and put them to work to allow abundance and prosperity to flow freely?

Janine. Watercolor on paper, 8 x 10 inches © 2010 by Kathy Crabbe

Leo Full Moon Shared Focus Meditation February  18, 2011 12:36 am pst Synch your watches here.

As I begin this Shared Focus Meditation I sense impatience in the air, alive and energetic, egging me on: GET TO IT, GET ON WITH IT, OPEN YOUR EYES W*I*D*E and so I get right to it and pull a Creative Soul Card®  (to the left) and then I stop and allow the silence to penetrate my soul and I hear angels (blue) and frogs singing.

Creative Soul Affirmation: The more LOVE I allow into my life the more abundant I become ~ the spiral grows and flows infinitely.

Creative Soul Action: Take a few moments to envision that spiral of love and abundance flowing in and out, in and out, like the tides, so that each breath you take forms an ever growing spiral. Breathe in to this spiral IN, OUT...IN, OUT as you connect with your breath and become fully present in your body.

Creative Soul Practice: Spend at least two minutes every day for one week's time practicing the Creative Soul Action above, and remember ~ Power in numbers, SiStars!

Creative Soul Accountability Success Marker: At the end of one week report back to the Creative Soul Circle Shared Focus Meditation Group thread started for the Leo Full Moon to share what happened for you during the week. What changed? What didn't? What synchronicities occurred?

Creative Soul Challenge: If you cannot seem to find the time for a two minute (minimum) daily meditation, then why not? Write about it in your Moon Musing/Creative Soul Journal and then discuss it in our Circle thread so we can comment, offer support AND kick your butt (or bum)!

Creative Soul Request: Janine asks each one of you to envision our Circle and yourself growing in love, strength and abundance with each breath you take, because today each one of us is a winner at heart.

Janine's Song *click to enlarge*

Janine's Song. © 2010 by Kathy Crabbe

Join the Creative Soul Circle

If you'd like to join the Creative Soul Circle, it will be open to ALL women everywhere for FREE at the Spring Equinox (mid March) but in the meantime all my previous clients and students are welcome to test-grow the Circle in preparation for the big day. Also, if you sign up for my Creative Soul Museletter before the upcoming Full Moon on Feb. 18th and email me that you'd like to join the Circle, I'm letting in a few early birds.

Power in numbers Soul SiStars!

The Road to Awe

Welcome to The Kosmic Mind Astrology Column written by Guest Astrologer Chad Woodward. Chad is an astrological researcher, massage therapist, healer, and artist PLUS a good friend of mine who I highly respect for his ongoing and unique explorations into the awesome potential of astrology and how it effects us on a microcosmic and macrocosmic level. road to aweThe Road to Awe by Chad Woodward, Astrologer New Moon February 02, 2011 @ 6:30:52 PM PST @ 13 degrees of Aquarius

New Moon's Agenda: To manifest the power of the will consciously through co-creation to make dramatic and creative new forms in the world. To take ownership and responsibility of our role as co-creators of our world, and to take steps toward standing our ground and facing up to our fears. The energy of rapid acceleration is present, indicating the potential for breakthroughs and great leaps in evolution. Keyword: PENETRATION

New Moon's offer us the opportunity to become powerful co-creators, as each month when the Sun and Moon conjoin a portal opens, a portal through which intention is magnified exponentially. In other words, the few days surrounding the new moon, as well as the day itself, are highly charged with an energy that amplifies human thought and thus intention. This new moon is rather special, as it will culminate within a Full Moon (also the first of 6 Super Moons!) in Leo at the anaretic degree, the 29th degree, which makes it the last of 5 full Moons to occur at the 29th degree of the lower signs of the zodiac. In my previous article I outlined a process that was occurring within the collective psyche involving these Full Moons in synthesis with an intriguing Lunar Eclipse synchronicity. I have been heavily intuiting a definite shift in the collective field, as it seems the human species is now being activated by a powerful new template for consciousness itself. For me this was very exciting, but unfortunately for some, this activation has been rather difficult and arduous to endure. The symbolism of the lower signs can be compared to the symbolism of the "lower" and "physical" aspects of conscious perception, and thus would correlate directly to the biological human organism as well as the machines and tools we create which mimic natural organisms. When I first noticed the anaretic full moons I immediately had a vision of powerful energy streams penetrating the biosphere of the earth and the human body. I saw these streams entering through the crown chakra and down through each chakra of the body, forcing energetic blockages to be released or manifested to be dealt with. In that moment I intuited that this was a time to heal, to ground, and to get totally in our bodies, and I felt that this would be a preparation for other processes in the future that would be extremely ungrounding for many.

Since the beginning of these Full Moons my life has experienced many shifts, as certain people, places, and things around me have begun to die. I have witnessed the death of my Grandfather, who had battled an auto-immune disease for several years, and his condition accelerated for the worst just one day after the Lunar Eclipse on Winter Solstice, and he died about two weeks later. Prior to this, on Thanksgiving day, I got into a pretty bad accident that totaled my car, just days after the Full Moon at the 29th degree of Taurus in my third house(house of communication and transportation)! Shortly after this, and in complete synchronicity with the same Lunar Eclipse that had correlated with my grandfather dying, the school I was attending had to close its doors due to financial troubles that had been accumulating for several years.

At this moment as I write this, my Aunt is currently dying of a very bad case of Influenza-A or "Swine Flu" as it is called. Of course, I did have the Lunar Eclipse on December 21st exactly conjoined with Mercury in my horoscope at the 29th degree of Gemini. Mercury is the archetype of communication and travel (my car), and in addition Mercury rules my fourth house (death in the family), the house which governs home and family. I was very personally effected by this process, which is also clearly illustrated by my inspiration to write about all this (mercury, third house). Now you might think that this seems like a pretty bad string of "unfortunate" events, but I certainly don't see it that way.

In our dimension death "appears" to be the end, but this is certainly not true. All death is simply a transition to another state of being, as energy (which we are) can neither be created nor destroyed....everything is and always will be. For me, death is a road to another experience, another chapter of the soul's journey through the matrix of the divine mind. I had felt my grandfather would soon die, because even though allopathic medicine had tried its best to keep him out of pain, he had died a long time ago, and the drugs simply kept his soul from leaving. It was as if he wasn't quite in his body, and a piece of him was elsewhere. I experienced this phenomena a few years ago when another Aunt died of cancer, she had been battling the disease for several years....but within a year after an experimental surgery, she passed away. Immediately after the surgery I noticed a strange shift in her, something that others had noticed as well. Even though she was quite clearly alive, she wasn't completely in her body, as she appeared spacey and "angelic".

At the time, I was offering astrology readings (rather prematurely and naively I'll admit) at a local new age store, and one day as I was sitting in the store, a psychic who worked there, asked me an interesting question. She said, "Do you know someone named Mary Anne?" I replied, "Why yes, she's my Aunt". She asked me if she was sick, and I told her that she had cancer. She proceeded to tell me that she was about to cross over, and that apart of her was already in the astral dimension. This meant that her higher self, or higher dimensional aspect of being, was ready to depart from this life and the process had begun. Aside from my reservations against unasked for psychic advice, she helped to confirm my intuitions about what I was seeing, that even though modern medical science can keep us "alive" and subdue the pain of disease, it can't stop the inevitable which we all must face in the end, and it can't stop the natural (or supernatural) processes which permeate our reality. She died less than a year later. The reason I bring all this up, is to shed light on what disease is, and why we as humans manifest it.

modern_medicine

From the modern medical view, disease is an enemy with which humanity must fight against with its tools and technology. When we get sick, our first response is to fight it....to get rid of it....and to perceive it as an invasion. From the holistic perspective, which has predominated the earth for THOUSANDS of years before modern allopathic medicine; disease is the manifestation of trauma which resides in the body and mind. Trauma is the result of stress on the organism, stress that can't be coped with or processed in the moment, and thus damages or imprints itself within the psyche. We have many bodies aside from the physical and perceivable one we know well, and trauma first resides in our higher dimensional bodies BEFORE it "manifests" or becomes a disease or an imbalance within the third dimension, or the physical body. This means that we have an opportunity to clear trauma or blockages before they become disease, and there are many gifted psychics and intuitives who can actually see disease in the aura. This subject is rather vast and is really beyond the scope of this article, but my point here is to address this because I believe we are at a transition stage where humans cannot go on as a deeply traumatized species. Our dysfunctions, which we have been conditioned to believe are normal, are now effecting the earth herself and her other inhabitants, as we are in the midst of a massive ecological as well as social genocide. This penetrating energy that has arrived within the biosphere of the earth is not ill intended as it might appear to be on the outside, it is simply assisting us in clearing what doesn't really belong to us in the first place. Our trauma was inflicted upon us, often by very well meaning parents or other authorities during our early development. Other trauma may have been inflicted by less than well meaning individuals, or even from an accident of some kind. The point is that, aside from whether it is our "karma" to receive such trauma in the first place, in the moment....our pain and our suffering is not ours, it was given to us. You may now ask the question, "Who would want to hold on to such pain and suffering then?". The answer is quite simple, because it's all we know and it's actually comfortable. Aside from the progressively popular "holistic" movement we are seeing develop, most people don't actually want to heal, and even though they would rather not suffer, they don't want to take the time or do the work to heal themselves. In our modern era, when we get sick, we go to a doctor so that they can "fix" us. In our culture we are conditioned to not take responsibility for our own bodies, minds, and sadly...even our souls. This mentality is still prevalent and is often applied when approaching many holistic treatments, and they will always fail when approached this way.

Humanity has been living in a seemingly dark age, an age of complete and utter unconsciousness and codependency. We give our bodies and minds freely, and into the hands of "experts", "priests", and yes, even "scientists" who claim to be able to cure our ills and woes. Sadly, the cure usually fails, and along with emptying our bank accounts and poisoning our livers, these doctors or experts merely "relieve" or delay death and suffering....but we are not cured, saved, nor even usually better off. This same pattern occurs in holistic and homeopathic treatments quite often when they are applied improperly, and most likely from the predominately left brain perception of an inept practitioner. This presents us with the paradox of the frog in the well, who believes there can be nothing more beyond it, or the penguins on the ice berg in delusion of their omnipotence. Individuals conditioned within a predominately left brained society would find it difficult to perceive from the right, and thus not truly understanding how right brained modalities are properly applied, which should be from a grounded and somatic vibration as opposed to a mental and intellectual approach.

I'm not against modern medicine or its technology, I believe its extremely beneficial and RELIEVES a lot of suffering, it definitely has its time and place, and I personally use it when I need to- but the reality is that our world is not one sided, it is a dichotomy. When we approach something entirely from one side of the spectrum we create imbalance, and we are not experiencing consciousness to its full potential. Science has now confirmed that the human brain is made up of primarily two hemispheres, left and right. The left side is our masculine, logical, and linear aspect, and the right our feminine, intuitive, and cyclical aspect. Modern science is an invention of the left side of the brain, and thus it is incomplete as an entirely universal mode of healing for the human species. It presents us with the paradox of the mind perceiving itself, from within the distorted perception of its self aggrandized delusion. As I attempted to address in my previous article, we are in the midst of a bridging back to the other side of the brain- back to our feminine, receptive, creative, psychic, and numinous being. I believe, at this moment, we are at the threshold of this shift....and at this point there will be no going back. It has been suggested that the discovery of the planetoid Chiron, unveiled the program for the integration of holistic/homeopathic (feminine/passive/yin) and modern/allopathic (masculine/active/yang) medicine. This program is revealed in Chiron's transit cycle around the Sun, and ever since its discovery (in 1975), it heralds the progressive assimilation of the coined "new age" modalities and ideology, and integration of holistic and modern medicine into the western psyche, which will theoretically culminate (flower) in the year 2024 during its first opposition.

Flower_Power_demonstrator

This new archetype was birthed in the shadow, the wake, of the massive social conditioning program known as the "60's" or the "hippie era" which coincided with the first conjunction of the planets Uranus and Pluto since their "discovery" by astronomers. The social renaissance of the 60's, which I briefly outlined in my previous post, was the seeding phase of a roughly 80 year cycle we are currently in the midst of. The goal of the program was to shatter the western psyche, and to reawaken the Promethean and Dionysian archetypes which have been greatly lost since ancient times. This era has worked to shake up the sleeping populace, and to create an irreversible imprint upon society that would have the effect of slowly changing the entire infrastructure of our culture[1]. The next phase of this cycle is building up, and will reach several peaks from 2012 to 2015, which will also greatly amplify the Chirotic[2] process we are currently enduring. So, really, the human species is not truly awakening to something entirely new, it is really just remembering what it is like to be a functional human being, unearthing its deeply innate potential that was always there to begin with before it was conditioned out of us by ruling powers and elitists. Humanity is at a point of needing to heal, or needing to transmute the trauma that has been afflicted upon it. This energy is really about a very basic choice we must each make in this new era, do we choose death or do we choose life? Do we choose fear or do we choose bliss? Do we take responsiblity for our own minds, bodies, and souls....or do we stay in a state of unconscious indifference?

Fear is simply a veil to the truth of infinite bliss....

Conversely, I have noticed another aspect of this energetic process, one that is extremely exciting. I have felt an activation or awakening of potential within myself, and I have noticed it in others as well. It is as if we currently find ourselves at an intriguing crossroads, where particular blockages we once found difficult to move through, have suddenly vanished or have become much easier to handle. It seems many are being given the opportunity to fully step into their power, to their talents and abilities, and face their fears head on. Look to your life, and see where this may be true, you'll probably be quite surprised. This I feel is really the true intention of this activation, to push the human race to its limits and fully take on who they truly are. If disease manifests, or if a certain blockage arises within your consciousness, I would invite you to not judge it or label it an enemy, but rather see this trauma as a teacher who brings you a very special and personalized lesson.

Healing our trauma is really a matter of activating the positive polarity of the archetype of Mars. Over the past several thousand years, humanity has lived primarily within bounds of an imbalanced patriarchy. In astrology, the order of the planets from the Sun (from a geocentric perspective, which means Earth Centered), displays an archetypal process of evolution for the human psyche, and as a whole, represents the individualized consciousness of perception. In other words, it's a map of the psyche, and this map is ever changing and evolving through time. The Sun is the center, it is the spark of consciousness, and it governs the visual spectrum of the visible world around us. The Moon is the counterpart, the hidden and receptive realm of the unconscious, and governs the relatively unseen and yet emotionally tangible realm of the human psyche. Mercury is the synthesis of the first two and primordial archetypes of male and female, yin and yang, as it relates to the formation of the mind and the central nervous system within the body, as a direct manifestation of two diametrically opposed and yet cooperating principles. Here we see where the first principle of duality manifests within the psyche, as Mercury is the ruler of Gemini- the archetype of the twins which stems from the Greek myth of Castor and Pollux, which is likely a later patronized interpretation of a pair of male and female twins that represented the mind itself and its two distinctly individualized hemispheres (the word Hermaphrodite etymologically stems from the clever synthesis of Hermes and Aphrodite). Venus becomes the first encounter of the subjective self with a process of immediate socialization, as a direct result of the mind and its configuration of the world into duality, of light and dark. Venus rules the formation of identity, and its attachment to the objects, people, and ideas from which the mind creates via thought. This identity must then be projected, and presented through action and implementation, and this is the role of Mars. The archetypes of Venus and Mars represents the physical manifestation of the psychic and transdimensional principles of Sun and Moon into the perceivable matrix of the third dimension, as constructed through the Mind (mercury). Mars has the role of defending the psyche from the forces of the greater society, which is represented by the planets Jupiter and beyond. Mars is essentially our defense against trauma, and could be related to our physical/emotional/mental/as well as psychic immunity. Mars protects the female principle, Venus, which is our identity, from outside influences but also filters them based on evolutionary necessity.

Mars penetrates Venus, and seeds the psyche with the knowledge of the higher dimensional spheres, the planets beyond the individualized consciousness. Conversely, Mars penetrates the outer world with the seed of the individual as to take part in the grand co-creative act of the universe. An imbalanced Mars will defend until the death, and will fight all invaders from entry as it perceives them as the enemy which must be destroyed. In balance, Mars is simply the principle of standing one's own ground, of OWNING and taking charge of one's OWN psyche. Nature respects authoritative love, but not mindless aggression. When encountered with a threat, Mars will stand up to it because it has claimed ownership of its self. In imbalance, when something has been taken away, such as the true essence of the masculine, it fights as a means of psychological compensation because of fear, it is defending its trauma....as opposed to truly standing up to it. Nothing can control us if we allow it to, only if we give up ownership of ourselves and our society does it become invaded by external forces. The higher aspect of Mars is complete consciousness in the moment, complete readiness and preparation. When Mars is unconscious, he has let his guard down, and intruders will eventually get through.

This new Moon conjoins Mars in Aquarius, the sign of the collective will, the future, and community. Mars, as an active principle, represents the fully CONSCIOUS will, the ability to take charge of one's destiny to make things happen. This process is effective only with the highest awareness, for true free will only exists when one is conscious in the moment....otherwise we're being dragged along by unconscious programs completely beyond our awareness, and we only THINK we have free will. On the other side of this new Moon lies Ceres, the goddess of nurtrance and mothering. Here we see a process that is seemingly tempering Mars, fusing it with compassion and feminine awareness. As we set our intentions for this new Moon, it would seem the energy is very ripe for powerful co-creation with a group or with a community, and activating the power of the collective will. Now is the time to set intentions based on truly stepping into one's power to effect the greater society. It seems that the portal of this New Moon is inviting us to accelerate our evolution in various ways, to speed up the process through the conscious application of will. The new moon also makes a trine to Saturn in Libra, indicating that whatever we decide to manifest will have the potential to truly crystallize and become real and tangible in our world. The Jupiter and Uranus conjunction, both sit on either side of the powerful vernal point, or spring equinox point, the flame which drives consciousness toward higher evolution and awareness. This is indeed an exciting time to be alive! Setting powerful and far reaching intentions on this new moon is highly important, and it will culminate during the final full moon to occur at the 29th degree of a sign, and also the first of 6 Super Moons, which greatly magnify its influence.

At the time of the Super Full Moon on February 18, the Sun will be at the exact midpoint of Chiron and Neptune, the current portal to the numinous and multidimensional, and the full Moon will be opposing it. Again, Mars will join the conjunction, emphasizing once more the importance of fully integrating the healthy and balanced male archetype into our psyche. This has the potential to be a highly spiritual and mysterious time for the planet, as many interesting energies seem to be penetrating into our world through active portals. Embrace your potential and innate humanity, and let go of what no longer serves you at this juncture. Whatever dies, or whatever malfunctions, is in dire need of transmutation, and all stagnation needs to be progressively eliminated for evolution to continue on its current path. There is such beauty beyond the veil of fear and death. Do not fear death, and do not fear transformation, for each is the road to greater awareness, the road to awe....

Notes and References:

[1] So effective were the movements of the 1960's, that the US government even commissioned a study titled Changing Images of Man, in which it concluded that: "There are increasingly evident signs of the imminent emergence of new "image of man." It is a new image in the sense of being very much a challenge to the dominant scientific world view as that has evolved over the past few centuries, and also to the image of materialistic "economic man" that become enshrined in the institutions and economic theories of the industrial era. Yet it is not new, since traces of it can be found, going back for thousands of years, in the core experiences underlying the world's many religious doctrines, as reported through myths and symbols, holy writings, and esoteric teachings. The staying power of the new image is suggested by the facts that it reactivates the cultural myths whose meaning had become forgotten, and it seems to be substantiated by the further advances of the science which earlier played a role in seemingly discrediting it". -Markley and Harman pg. 200

This "new man" was a direct threat to the prevalent materialistic worldview that had, and still is, keeping the American populace under social and economic control. The government was deeply concerned about the far reaching consequences of this movement that they commissioned such a study as far back as 1968. A copy of the report can be found here: http://technoccult.net/library/changing-images.pdf. For furthering reading on the subject I highly recommend The Stargate Conspiracy by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince. According to Prince and Picknett: "In 1973 the United States government commissioned a report from SRI International entitled Changing Images of Man, edited by Willis W. Harman and O.W. Markley, which concluded that the spread of what it termed 'the new values'- spiritual and ecological awareness and self-realisation movements- is becoming virtually unstoppable. This would bring about a transformation of society (particularly in the United States) that would radically undermine 'modern industrial-state culture and institutions' and result in 'serious social disruptions, economic decline, runaway inflation, and even institutional collapse'. This report anticipates a lessening of trust in authority and a reaction against a regimented, tightly controlled society. It also suggested ways of preventing this worst-case scenario by identifying existing institutions or traditions that could be used to control and contain the impetus of the new movement."- Picknett & Prince pg. 318

[2] Chirotic is a term coined by astrologer and researcher Barbara Hand Clow to describe the archetypal process and effect of chiron in astrology, see Chiron: Rainbow Bridge Between The Inner & Outer Planets.

chad woodward astrologerChad Woodward's Bio

Ever since I was young I found myself fascinated and mesmerized by the night sky, gazing up at its brilliance and immensity in awe. Somehow, this innate part of myself was looking for omens in that very sky, completely unaware of the vivid and profound art known as astrology, which has graced this planet for thousands of years. It wasn’t until I was 19 that I discovered the real horoscopic astrology that, from that point forward, would change and shape my life in ways I would have never imagined. It was truly love at first sight, a love that has only increased in its intensity ever since. Life with astrology is truly an adventure, as it unveils the magic of destiny, which has been sadly lost to our world for far too long.

My goal, as the late Joseph Campbell so eloquently stated, is to simply follow my bliss. Astrology is a guide to the unfolding of self and of the cosmos itself. It is in the proper application of this guide, that we as humans, can learn to no longer be an obstacle to the brilliance and intelligence of this cosmic unfolding. Currently, I am simply a researcher, massage therapist, healer, and artist doing my part in the ascension of the planet. I hope to share the joy and bliss that astrology can provide, as we learn to dance and flow in synchronicity with this great and mysterious divine plan.