Mind, Matter, Mystery
Recently, I went camping in the desert to celebrate my birthday. That night, the wind was so fierce that it pulled my tent's stakes out of the ground. After securing the stakes with some large rocks, I resumed a restless wakefulness as I listened to the wind rage around me. A couple days later, I received an email from my landlord, informing me my rent was going up by 62% in two months... my two most work-heavy and income-low months of the year... not a time I would have chosen to move, living as I do in one of the most competitive and expensive rental markets in the world.
This is life. Sometimes wind storms drag us from our slumber, eject us from our safety zones, and throw us into the unsettling territory of the unknown.
We see things differently from these precipices of uncertainty. If our mind is in turbulence, our perception is jostled, causing everything to appear grotesque, and thus we do not know whether to jump or climb or run. If our mind is calm, however, everything becomes stark and clear. We know, then, whether it's time to leap, climb, or just hang on.
Sun in Taurus: 4/19/17 - 5/20/17
No sign so cherishes stability and serenity as Taurus. This is what we must strive after this month, but now more than ever peace is generated from within. We enter 2017's Taurus month, faced with conflicting needs, abounding reality checks, and many choices to make.
Being the earthiest of all earth signs, Taurus can teach us to stay in touch with reality. Reality itself is neutral, so if you are not feeling neutral you are probably teetering away from the edge of reality. If things look gloomy, consider what is still good for you and in the world, and hold both the hard and the soft in your awareness. If things look rosy, hold that blossoming moment with tender fingertips as you take in also what is troubling in the world. That is reality - it is sad that the gazelle is eaten by the lion, but also the lion is beautiful, and the sky is vast, and the sun continues to rise and set.
We derive strength from reality, from the firm ground beneath us. From the vast expanse of the sky-heaven-infinity around us, we derive possibility. This month, move calmly and skillfully in that duality of what is actual and what is possible.
2017's Taurus Month Herbs:
Being a DIY type of person, I'm not usually one to push products, but here's what I recommend for this month: Stabilizing Syrup by Frieda Kipar Bay, one of my favorite herbalists - a blend of adaptogenic herbs to help bring calm and strength in a honey syrup. Taurus loves the good life, the sweetness. And right now, we need that centered strength that adaptogens provide. If you want to keep it DIY, take some adaptogens with honey - if you want to keep it simple, go with encouraging Eleuthro.
Almost-Super New Moon in Taurus: 4/26/17 at 5:16 AM PDT
Plant some seedlings today, whether in soil, in your community, in your work, in your relationships, or in your own mind. What you plant is guaranteed to grow, so choose wisely. Plant what you love. Plant what you would love to see grow. Plant what might attract the kinds of things you want to enter into your life.
Your mind is ripe for innovative insight at this moon as Mercury approaches its second of three conjunctions with Uranus this spring. Tensions have lessened a bit by now, enabling you to soften into the quiet wisdom of the new moon's tender renewal.
The moon is very close to the Earth at this new moon, making it almost a super new moon. This increases the potency and impact of this renewing influence. What you plant now will germinate and grow. Thoughts are seeds too, so keep your thoughts positive or neutral on this day.
What "seeds" can you plant that would grow into MORE OF WHAT YOU LOVE?
What are the best soil and environmental conditions for those seeds to grow in?
What kind of care will you need to put in to those seedlings once they sprout?
New Moon Herbs:
New moons are a great time to make solar infusions - a.k.a. "sun tea." Put a quarter cup of your favorite dry herbs or a half cup of fresh herbs into a quart mason jar of warm or room temperature water, and set it in a sunny place for a couple hours. Strain and drink. Here's one recipe to align the energies of this moon:
1 Tbsp. each: Rose Petals, Spearmint & Marshmallow Root
1/2 Tbsp. each: Fennel Seeds & Passionflower
(Ouch + Acceptance) x Understanding = Healing
This influence, which began in November of 2016, and lasts until December of this year offers us an incredible opportunity for healing. Chiron, known as the wounded healer, represents ways that pain can inform and inspire us to bring healing into the world. It also helps us build bridges between our ideals and the material world, between our mind and the matter of our life. Saturn - the influence of reality and responsibility - is applying tension to Chiron throughout the year.
What this adds up to is it's time to look closely at what hurts, on both the collective and personal level. We cannot heal what we do not thoroughly accept or understand. The good news is healing is possible if we take those initial steps.
This influence ripened first on 12/28/16, and makes its second exact pass on 4/30/17. We'll have one more strong blast of it on 11/2/17.
How is your personal pain also universal - who else shares a similar pain?
What pain do you feel now - for yourself, for the Earth, for others, for humanity?
What are the realities to accept about this pain - things you either cannot change, or that will require a long period of effort to change?
What are the areas of possibility, where - with right effort - you can move towards change?
Mercury Stations Direct: 5/3/17 at 9:33 AM PDT
This relatively long Mercury retrograde cycle began in Taurus on 4/9/17, and spends the remainder of its backwards trajectory in Aries, 4/20 - 5/3/17. Our inquiries shift from questions of value and stability to questions of action and assertion during this time. Visit this handy Mercury Retrograde 101 page to learn more about how to get the most out of this influence.
What have you learned about what matters most to you?
When is it time to speak up for yourself, and when is it best to just listen, or to leave a conversation entirely?
Shifts in Destiny: 5/9/17
Something subtle yet profound happens today. The nodes of the moon have been in the Virgo/Pisces axis since November of 2015, stimulating us to shift from martyrdom to right service, and from escapism to attending to practical action.
Now the game changes. The nodes of the moon enter the Leo/Aquarius axis on 5/9/17, and will travel there until November of 2018. It's time to choose heart-ful engagement over cool detachment. When in doubt over the next year and a half, CHOOSE LOVE. Not logic. Not duty. Not decorum. Not acceptance.
LOVE.
Where is your heart engaged, and where are you merely performing your duties?
What/Who stimulates a warm glow in your heart?
Full Moon in Scorpio: 5/10/17 at 2:42 PM PDT
Magic is afoot at this time. Okay, magic is always afoot, but right now there's a bit more in circulation than usual. Why?
Well, it is a Scorpio full moon, which means things can really transform right now. Let go, and see what emerges.
And after and in the midst of so much tension and difficulty, we get some other helpful influences around this full moon. Get out and talk with some people you don't usually talk with. Be open to new ideas. Share your story. But above all, listen. Take in the words of others. That's where the change, the magic, the opportunity is strongest. This is where reality can meet possibility, and maybe, just maybe, they'll agree on something.
Full Moon Herbs:
Sometimes it's time to move things outwards. Now is one of those times. Here's a tasty Scorpio full moon recipe to pull things from their hiding places, and out into the light of day:
Simmer 10-20 minutes in a quart of water: 2 Tbsp. Sarsaparilla, 1 tsp. Licorice Root, and 1 inch sliced fresh Ginger
Add and let steep, covered 10-20 minutes: 1 Tbsp. Lemon Balm
Strain and drink. Pour a little on the earth as an offering for your ancestors, and welcome their support in your transformation process.
Next month...
We get the first of two super new moons, Jupiter stations direct, and Neptune stations retrograde. Until then, feel free to contact me, or schedule an astrological consultation or healing session. Here's wishing you deeply rooted peace and contentment, whatever the weather of your life brings, Rae