Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Moonwalk: Taurus




 © 2011 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved

Spa Day Moon

Love. Beauty. Luxury. The Taurus Moon is a nice place to visit where comfort in the body feels fabulous. I’d even want to live there. Moon in Taurus feels like a spa day, and when it colors a month’s cycle, it’s easy to spin fantasies of lots of R&R and maybe even winning the Lotto. I want to go to Calistoga for a mud bath, eat bonbons, count my money and dream of ways I can bring in more money to make life even richer and easier.

However, being The Radical Virgo, I also want to figure out how I can use those resources to serve the Earth and not live just for selfish indulgence. (My Taurus Rising insists that luxury be at least part of the package. I’m willing to compromise!)

There are those who feel Taurus rules the Earth itself and want to leave Venus to a solo rulership of Libra. This has some legs, in my humble opinion. But I think this is the important question, whether you own this moon natally or are just visiting this month: Why is the Moon considered exalted in this sign?

Crescent/Crescendo

The Moon is often drawn as a crescent in its New Moon, waxing phase. This is also related to the musical term, crescendo, which involves a built-up of volume—in the waxing Moon’s case, a build-up of emotional, instinctual energy, felt physically. The Moon is exalted or “at its best” in Taurus because of the Moon’s relationship to instincts and feelings and how we feel those intuitions as sensations in our bodies. Our bodies are considered made of the earth element. (See Earth Day chant, “Earth my body …)

When you combine intuition and body wisdom, you have Taurus Moon. The Empress card in Tarot often has Taurean symbols around her. She’s likely to be a Goddessy, natural woman dancing her prayers in a spiritual circle ritual. The male Taurus Moon may be both muscular and somewhat large and teddy bear huggable, taking you out to an eight-course gourmet dinner complete with vintage wine, special ordered. The energy is physical. The senses are holy. The Taurus Moon celebrates the best the Earth element has to offer.

Taurus Moon Contemplation

  1. What place does sensuality and luxury hold in your life?
  2. If you have too much or too little of it, how will you rebalance the distribution this month?
  3. Tune in this month to gut instincts. Have the “guts” to follow them and see where they take you. You are likely to be surprised—pleasantly.
  4. What have you done for your physical body lately, just to feel good?
  5. What is your relationship to physical resources? How do you share them?
  6. What will you do for the Earth to celebrate Taurus Moon? (Reread my Earth Day message for some ideas.)
  7. How do you feel intuition in your body? (Is it in your stomach, do you “hear things” in your mind, do you get a twitch or a sensation somewhere in your body?) How could you develop this further?

In honor of this New Moon, just once, go eat or drink something completely decadent without guilt. Or spend money on something you consider totally sensuous and/or luxurious without giving it a second thought. Ahh. Now that’s Taurus Moon.





Click to Enlarge
This Taurus New Moon

In Love Your Astrological Neighbor—You’re Alike, my alter ego Auntie Joyce joshes about the relationship between Taurus and the preceding sign of Aries:


Taurus – A Taurus is just an Aries who’s tired of pioneering, crusading, and getting there first who just wants a lazy, luxurious sit.

This is no joke under this New Moon. It serves us up a Sun/Moon conjunction in Taurus with a stellium in Aries right behind it. Five planets in pioneering, innovative, fiery Ram! Who wouldn’t need to sit and put their feet up—to take a little break from this convention at the Ramada Inn?

One of the biggest stumbling blocks of Cardinality and fire signs can be summed up in a well-known nursery rhyme: “Ashes, ashes—we all fall down.” If any (especially if many) of your planets interact with 02-23o Aries, you’ve probably been running around, or at least creating things, like your pants are on fire. With Saturn cruising in opposition to the mid-range of this Aries arc, you’ve likely been working your tail off. It’s time to sit it in a chair before you singe it or otherwise hurt yourself. The New Moon is perfect for taking time to collect yourself and assess what you did last month and where you’re heading into the four weeks ahead. Under Taurus Moon, you can do this in beautiful, sensuous environments and luxuriate for a day or two in first gear before returning to Aries overdrive. (I’m sure all of us are grateful to be over our most recent Mercury Retro where major parts of life were moving backwards while other aspects of our existence were doing an Aries sprint, again within the Arc of the Stellium, the Holy Grail of Lately.)

Other thoughts: Venus and Mercury are closely conjunct in this New Moon chart, as are Jupiter and Mars. Talk about the ability to communicate your heart’s desire then make it so in a big way.

This is a month of major manifestation mojo. It works in a trio formula: think, want, and then do—BIG and almost simultaneously. What you think during this lunar cycle has never been more important!

To take it a step further, I believe this configuration of four planets in Aries in a row this month, with Uranus not far off for inspiration, is a preview. It’s a preview of human evolution. One of the major shifts in consciousness going on right now is best described by Flip Wilson’s unforgettable character, Geraldine: “What you see, is what you get.” Often she would add, “Mercy.” [1]

Yes, mercy. If your thoughts and visions aren’t clear and if your heart isn’t loving, you could go out and manifest one big mess. On the other hand, if you’ve been doing your personal evolutionary homework, you will see the good ideas in your mind and the love in your heart merge to take your positive intentions to places you have never gone before. It’s a big wow, and with Saturn bringing you back to earth from its opposition point in Libra, you can put these visions into practical application.

Now for a memoir moment. This is happening to me a lot lately—and to those around me. For instance, our local NCGR chapter was reborn from the ashes of its previous incarnation after more than seven years in the past six months. Our mission is Ambassadors for astrology in times of transformation. The leadership team is a group of eight creative and on-purpose people. I’m President.

Out of the blue (there’s Uranus), Sacramento Magazine contacted us recently, wanting to include some astrology activities in its Things to Do in Summer in Sac feature. While we had our regular meetings to report, we had done nothing yet in our coming-back-to-life curve for community outreach to the general public. In a heartbeat, we put together an open house we’re calling Open to the Stars: How Astrology Can Help You in These Fast-Changing Times? It will include four mini-lectures on topics we think will fascinate those who wonder about astrology enough to attend. There will be food, mini-readings, and lots of info and opportunities to talk to real, live astrologers. We plan a follow-up mini-course a month later. Think, want, do—BIG.

Lately, there’s also plenty of visionary and creative help for anything you want to manifest with Neptune and Chiron traveling side by side in Pisces. This echoes—and defines in a larger cycle—how important vision and embracing healing are for people on this planet now. Dreamwork, art, music and creations of all kinds will be vehicles for healing and helping yourself and others.

A cycle of history is now repeating itself as Uranus in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn with Chiron in Pisces. These three planets had prominent emphasis in the 1960s. In that case, Pluto and Uranus were conjunct in Virgo—same planets, different sign and aspect. Service and issues of “what’s right” were up for reckoning, and the Viet Nam war, that to many defined the Uranus/Pluto conjunction, featured heavily the issue of involuntary service (the draft) and the refusal of some men to serve in the military when it conflicted with their personal sense of integrity. From this era, some of the greatest music and healing modalities were born, the last time Chiron was in Pisces. What will Pluto in Cap and Uranus in warrior but innovative Aries bring this time around? How will we heal through the arts and feel our oneness once more? (For more on Chiron in Pisces: Integrity and Integration, read or reread my article of the same name.)

Back to the shorter-term specifics of this month’s New Moon chart, I love that the North Node of the New Moon Moment is in Sagittarius trine Jupiter and Mars. Time for getting the cosmic support needed to go out there and share our knowledge and wisdom in order to expand others and ourselves. It’s a month of synthesizing our learning, and it takes that New Moon rest stop to channel how best to target your zest and zeal as it bursts forth in an Aries and Sag bonfire.

Think about this month’s present astrological winds and fires, as well as the larger cycle of past parallels to the ‘60s during this peaceful, loving Taurus New Moon—and, again, in two weeks when the Moon is Full. Share your insights with us in the Comments. To everything, there is a season

~~~

Photo Credit: © Crimson - Fotolia.com

NOTE

[1] If you miss Geraldine and Flip Wilson as much as I do, enjoy this classic interview of Geraldine Jones by David Frost. (You’ll hear her classic line, “What you see is what you get,” about 2:15 into the 8:48 clip. She even sings!)


Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Announcing the Winner of the Chiron New Tagline Contest!

Dear Radical Readers,

Chiron has a new tagline for us to try out—and a winner of the Spring Equinox New Tagline Contest! Help me congratulate Bill Pratt of Bayport, NY for his entry:

The Only True Alchemist

Bill further explained his tagline means turning pain (lead) into joy (gold). His tagline illustrates what I consider to be one of the single most important facets of Chiron. I often describe it with the expression:

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

Mythical Chiron did this by soldiering on and continuing to teach and mentor despite his lingering pain. This is what we all must do, because Earth is not a pain-free zone. Our spirits live and learn in a body; it’s vulnerable. I have quoted many times astrologer Stan Riddle who said Chiron transmutes—helps us to see things differently, and in that change of perspective, the alchemy of turning pain/lead into joy/gold takes place.

Thanks, Bill, for grasping and sharing Chiron’s magical alchemy!

Bill has won his choice of my Chiron e-books.

How Chiron Transmutes 
"Experience is transmuted into knowledge through intention ... returned as a blessing to the wounded one."
~ Stan Riddle, Chironicles, April 1995

And thanks to everyone who participated in the contest. Interestingly, all the entries were in the serious category—none in the humorous one. Kudos, also, to these:

Honorable Mentions

Wisdom Healer – Kat Randall from Webster Groves, MO
The Challenged Challenger – Sarah Beaber from "all over the Midwest"


The contest may be over, but I’m always interested in new catchphrases for Chiron. Come on over for some lemonade anytime and let’s chat!

Gold to All,
Joyce

~~~

Bill Pratt is versatile—a Teaching Reiki Master, Magnified Healer, AnRa Master Healer, a hypnotist and medium. Add to these eclectic, Chironic skills a psychic, intuitive, empath who works with EFT and other modalities. “Life has been defined by Virgo North Node conjunct Chiron and Pluto in the 7th House squaring a Scorpio stellium, including Venus, Mars, and Mercury. Pluto’s opposite Aquarian Moon—a nice ‘T.’ Throw in Neptune Midheaven.” Bill was shocked he won, but are you even surprised?



Photo Credit:  Food (Lemonade) - Mario Beauregard © Fotolia.com

Friday, April 22, 2011

Hugs to Mother Earth on Her Day

© 2010-11 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved

There’s a popular chant from the earth religions, one I really love. Read it with a drum beat in your mind:

Earth my body,
Fire my blood,
Air my breath, and
Fire my spirit!

Each year as April 22 and Earth Day approaches, I realize more than ever that the earth element reflects our own bodies—that we are made up of the same four elements as this lush planet we’re lucky to call home. What we do to Mother Earth, we do to ourselves.

This is also a good time to share again my poem posted last year, Touching Earth.

I thought it would also be a good time to revisit some previous posts on my spirited living blog, Hot Flashbacks, Cool Insights about Earth and the earth element:

• April 2008, The Vast Lane to Elementary School

• From Earth Day 2008, Gettin’ Earthy

• November 2009, The Four Elements: I Dig Earth!


Enjoy this “other” Mother’s Day. Make a small commitment to treat her tenderly, whether it’s bringing your own bags to the grocery store or giving up bottled water and all its plastic waste. Instead, use refillable containers. These small changes may be a little hard to start, but they’re a piece of cake once you’ve changed your habit. And speaking of sweets, here’s yet another reason to be good to your Mother:

Save the Earth...it's the only planet with chocolate.

Want to know the History of Earth Day?

How ‘bout some Earth Day Fun Facts?

As our planet endures natural disasters and other growing pains in fast-changing times, it’s time to rekindle our sense of oneness and resolve to create a peaceful planet for all. In some channeled material by Steve Rother that wowed me in this video, Birth Pangs of Mother, I resonate to the idea that the earth is giving rebirth to herself.

The most important part of having the cosmic consciousness that comes with an interest in astrology is the round-trip from Sky to Earth. All the wisdom and meaning we find in the stars does little good unless we bring it down to earth in practical application. What will you do today, in honor of Earth Day, to ground your insights--to help yourself or someone else with them?

Blessings to Earth and Everyone on It!

~~~

Photo Credit: © Tommy Schultz - Fotolia.com

Author's note: This is a modified version of a post that appeared on Hot Flashbacks, Cool Insights last year on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Hot Flashbacks is now on archive status. While I'm no longer posting there, it remains a treasure trove of inspiration that complements The Radical Virgo. Visit sometime!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Emotional Maturity: The Secondary Progressed Moon Cycle



© 2011 by Mandi Lockley, Guest Writer
All Rights Reserved

When we look at the night sky, the most beautiful and magical thing we see is surely our Moon. Night by night we follow its phases from dark and new to bright and full, then back again, as it revolves around our Earth. Its ebb and flow cycle of approximately 27-28 days informs the tides, our emotions, our energy rhythms and the female menstrual cycle.

As our nearest and most visible neighbour, it is surely a piece of beautiful cosmic synchronicity that the furthest planet that can seen by the naked eye, Saturn, has a cycle of around 28-29 years, making it a good macrocosm of the Moon cycle. The universe does indeed move in wondrous ways and there is one other cycle, which in some ways, ties the Moon and Saturn cycles together. That is the passage of the Secondary Progressed Moon* around our natal chart, a highly personal journey, which symbolically unites the emotionally based 27-28 day Moon cycle with the 28-29 year Saturn cycle of maturity and growth, because the Secondary Progressed Moon takes approximately 27-28 years to make a full circle of the birth chart, a cycle just slightly shorter than the Saturn cycle.

Just like the Moon, our lives ebb and flow, wax and wane. Sometimes our life experience is bright and full and outward looking, but at other times things are quieter and more reflective and life becomes a more inward looking experience. The passage of the Secondary Progressed (SP) Moon around our chart, just like Saturn’s passage, reflects these phases in our lives. In short, the SP Moon’s passage around our chart can be described as a cycle of emotional growth and maturity, as opposed to the more tangible, worldly maturity we associate with the Saturn cycle.

Tracking the SP Moon’s journey through our natal chart and its alignments to the natal Moon provides an illuminating marker for our emotional growth, especially as these alignments so often coincide with developments in significant relationships- which are key markers on our emotional journey.

To give a personal example, when SP Moon was square my natal Moon in October 2000 I started (in actual fact re-started) a serious relationship with the man who is now my husband. This was the waxing, first quarter square, a time of action when the emotional energy pushes outwards, manifests.  Jon would become my husband one full quarter cycle later just a few months after SP Moon opposed my natal Moon in 2007. The opposition, its energies akin to a Full Moon, is a time of fulfilment, reaping the rewards, the union of opposites. The aspect was exact in March 2007 and while we didn’t marry until November of that year, the commitment to marry was made during the opposition alignment.

What of the start of that cycle, SP Moon conjunct natal Moon in 1993? Falling in my 10th house, not surprisingly this time was all about me embarking on a new career, finding my place in the world. This was also the lead up to my Saturn Return which happened in 1994. That whole period of 93-94 was the start of a new phase of maturation, in an obviously worldly sense (the Saturn Return), but also in a lunar sense (the SP Moon Return), because it was about the search for belonging, a time of trying to get my needs met out in the world. I was seeing Jon back then, but there were no significant developments in our relationship at this time. We simply weren’t in the right place emotionally to commit to each other and ended up breaking up for awhile further down the line. Remarkably, however, the original relationship began within days of SP Moon conjunct natal Sun in the fall of 1990.

Because it takes 27-28 years for the SP Moon to make a complete circuit of our chart, most of us experience three cycles during our life time.

These three cycles correspond beautifully to the idea of the triple goddess, the threefold life cycle of Maiden, Mother and Crone. For this article, I am going to rename these phases Child, Adult and Elder, gender neutral terms which I think better illustrate the emotional concerns of each SP Moon cycle.

The Child phase lasts until we are around 27-28 and tracks our early years of youth, innocence and inexperience. During this phase we learn, through experience and feedback, how to express ourselves emotionally and how to get our emotional needs met. As children, we tend to follow the emotional behaviour patterns set by our parents or guardians, most specifically our mother. The first square of SP Moon to our natal Moon, at around seven years old, is a time of emotional flowering, as we more and more express ourselves emotionally through relationships outside our family and begin to form friendship bonds with our playmates.

SP Moon opposite Moon occurs around 14-15 years old. The opposition is a time of awareness, fulfilment and blossoming. We have been through puberty and have become sexually mature on the physical level. It is around this time that we start to experience sexually emotional feelings towards others and many of us start dating. However, from an emotional perspective, we have not quite caught up with the physical changes we have been through. To enable our emotional processes the space to mature, we increasingly demand emotional and physical distance from our family, becoming secretive about our emerging sexual urges and hiding our blossoming bodies behind locked bedroom and bathroom doors. We begin to realise, consciously or unconsciously, that we are not merely extensions of our parents, we are individuals with our own unique emotional needs (according to our natal Moon by sign, house and aspect) and begin to experiment with getting our needs meet, through a process of emotional interaction and feedback from others.

At around 20 years, we experience the second and final square of the Child phase - the crisis, final adjustment phase. In the eyes of the world we are adults, but emotionally we still have a long way to go, even if we feel that we are emotionally ready for our first grown-up sexual relationship. We may even marry or live with our partner at this stage, have our first child, and/or serious emotional rites of passage. It was at 19 that Nina, a college student living away from home, had her first serious boyfriend. By twenty the relationship broke apart because her partner (who had a partnership oriented Libra Moon) felt ready to marry whereas she (with an independent Moon in Aquarius) felt a long way off from making that type of commitment. The boyfriend, the same age as her, went on to meet and marry someone else within months, an event symbolising his own emotional rite of passage. Nina on the other hand, experienced that unfortunate but essential emotional initiation, her first broken heart. However, despite the pain, she understood that the relationship could never have worked in the long term, a significant realisation and an important landmark on her emotional learning curve.

Nina’s story demonstrates how, during the second half of the Child phase, we learn through trial and error in our relationships, slowly understanding what works for us emotionally and what doesn’t, eventually becoming more intensely aware of our own unique emotional needs.

The transition from the Child phase to the Adult phase occurs around the age of 27-28, when SP Moon returns to its natal position and conjuncts the natal Moon. It is not until we have experienced our first full SP Moon cycle, closely followed by our first Saturn return, that we can truly understand our own emotional needs and get to grips with our place in the world in relation to others. While the Saturn return brings hard work, crisis and the need to let go of the material safety net of our childhood, the first SP Lunar Return, which precedes, it represents a major emotional initiation. We must work to remove the emotional crutches of childhood in order to move into our future. Along the way, we must lose our innocence, but in so doing we become emotionally mature in order to allow ourselves to experience emotional fulfilment and stability in the future.

There’s a case for saying that if we cope well with our first SP Lunar Return, we are better prepared for our first Saturn Return.

Ruth’s story demonstrates how we so often need to let go of something or someone emotionally during the SP Lunar Return. Ruth has had two serious relationships. The first one began during SP Moon square natal Moon (an alignment of emotional adjustment) and ended in her late twenties not long after her SP Lunar Return. By the time of the break-up she had been through one whole cycle of emotional learning, the Child phase. The break therefore represented a key emotional rite of passage. Despite the love and strong attachment she had felt for this man, she was emotionally mature enough to recognise that the emotional dynamic of the relationship had become deeply unhealthy.

While the actual break up occurred five months after her SP Lunar Return, what she describes as the emotional break-up exactly coincided with her SP Lunar Return. This timing also exemplifies the fact that Progressed Moon alignments so often represent internal, emotional processes, which eventually manifest further down the line. As for the Saturn Return that followed the SP Lunar Return, Ruth turned her focus to her career. Feeling unfulfilled in her job, she was inspired to learn new skills, which bore fruit in the form of exciting opportunities further down the line. Similarly, the emotional decisions made at the SP Lunar Return were also to bear fruit later. By letting go of the old relationship that was not working, Ruth freed herself to find a relationship which could better fulfil her emotional needs. When her second SP Moon cycle had completed one full quarter of its cycle (SP Moon square Moon) and at the same time as SP Sun opposing natal Moon, she met the man whom she is set to marry later this year, when SP Moon will be conjunct her natal Sun.

The Elder phase begins at approximately 55-56 with our second SP Lunar Return, marking our initiation into the final phase of our life when we are called to become emotionally wiser, calmer and more compassionate. For women the transition coincides with the menopause, when our hormones being to wane and no longer have such a strong pull on our emotional reactions. This SP Lunar Return falls between the Chiron Return and second Saturn Return, and these three returns, as a whole, represent a stage in our lives when we must ask ourselves questions about how we have lived our life to date and plan for how we would like the rest of our lives to play out.

The SP Moon’s part is to remind us that old emotional habits die hard, but must be addressed to insure ourselves against emotional and physical ill health in the years to come.

Our memories become more and more important to us, and if our emotional process is a conscious one, we will be able to see how our emotional patterns have been played over and over again through the previous two SP Moon cycles. We may also see these patterns reflected back at us through our children and/or grandchildren. It is our job at this stage to use our wisdom to help support and mentor them on their own emotional journey, to let go of the emotional binds and expectations we have over them, so that they can be freer to grow emotionally into themselves.

Sheila’s husband passed away during her Chiron return in 1995. Four years later, she experienced her second SP Lunar Return. The second SP Lunar Return is a time that brings new challenges and new opportunities, and it was during this time that she returned to work. Utilising her many years of experience, she trained and mentored young people, helping them to improve their skills in the workplace. Around the same time, she describes how her husband returned to her in spirit, through dreams and what she describes as “ghostly” experiences.  In emotional terms, this was a stage in her journey towards slowly, slowly letting go of the past. It also planted the seed for a significant new phase in her life, leading her to explore the spiritual and by the time of her second Saturn Return in 2003-04, she was practicing Reiki healing and mediumship. When she experienced the first SP Moon square Moon of this cycle, in 2006, she became a Reiki Master, devoting more and more of her time to healing others. This exemplifies how, for many people, this third SP Moon cycle, the Elder phase, becomes a less material and more spiritual journey. It is as if, as this third cycle unfolds, we unconsciously recognise that we have been on this emotional ride before and must and therefore strive to find a deeper meaning to it all, above and beyond ourselves. It’s also a good example of the progressive unfolding of the three major cycles which fall one after the other between the ages of around 51 to 60 - the Chiron Return, the third SP Lunar Return and the second Saturn Return.

The threefold SP Moon cycle is an illuminating way to track our own, very personal process of emotional development. In summary, the SP Lunar Return is a time of new beginnings and the seeds we plant at this stage will start to bear fruit by the time of the first, waxing, square of the SP Moon to our natal Moon. The waxing square is a time of action and manifestation, when what we planted at the SP Lunar Return has flowered and is soon to bear fruit. The opposition, when SP Moon opposes the natal Moon is a time of full awareness when we can reap the rewards and harvest the fruit of the emotional journey of the first half of the cycle.

After the opposition, which is akin to a Full Moon comes a more internal, reflective time, when we need to re-evaluate and let go of emotional patterns and bonds that have run their course. This leads us to the second, waning, square of the cycle, a stage where the real work of emotional maturity takes place, as we deal with old issues and potentially face emotional crises. As we come up to the next SP Lunar Return, we are asked to release old habits and apply new wisdom to old situations that we may have outgrown. If you are in your second or third cycle, look back to the alignments and phases of the cycle before to see if you can identify recurring patterns. Doing this with self-kindness, openness and awareness can provide an enlightening picture, which demonstrates just how far we have come on our journey towards emotional maturity and just how far we need to go.

Mandi Lockley is a British astrologer, who introduces herself to our Radical Readers as follows:

I have been fascinated by astrology all my life and cast my first horoscope back in 1985. Later, I studied at The London School of Astrology for over three years and gained the school’s Certificate in 2005. I am committed to self-development— emotionally, spiritually and intellectually—and believe in doing my best to live my life true to myself and my life purpose, in service to others and in harmony with the cycles of the universe. These values inform my astrological writing and my consultations with clients. You can visit my website at http://www.mandilockley.com.

 
NOTES:

The threefold cycle described above, which primarily discuss the alignments of the SP Moon to the natal Moon, should not be confused with the Progressed Lunation Cycle, which tracks the alignments and phases of the Secondary Progressed Moon to the Secondary Progressed Sun. To read about this cycle, see Steven Forrest’s The Book of the Moon or Bernadette Brady’s Predictive Astrology.

*In Secondary Progressions, for every year of life the natal planets are progressed by the number of degrees the planet moves in the sky in one day. For example, because the Sun moves approximately one degree a day, the SP Sun moves approximately one degree a year. Because the Moon moves so much faster than the Sun, the SP Moon moves by approximately one degree per month and therefore takes approximately 27-28 years to return to its natal position. This makes the SP Moon a very useful transit to follow as it circuits your chart and aspects your natal planets.

There’s not the space to discuss this here (that would be a whole other article), but the SP Moon changes signs approximately every 30 months. When it changes signs it’s well worth taking note. Similarly, look out for when the SP Moon moves into a new house in your chart.

Bibliography

The Book of the Moon by Steven Forrest
Predictive Astrology – The Eagle and the Lark by Bernadette Brady
Progressed New Moon by Brian Clarke


~~~

 Photo Credit: Three Goddesses (Maiden, Mother, Crone) © Ravit Aldar | Dreamstime.com




Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Radical Road Trip—And All That AZ!



Dear Radical Readers,

In May 2011, I’ll be on the road in Arizona giving presentations in three cities. If you’re anywhere within driving distance, please come to one of these exciting events. I look forward to meeting a number of you in person at some of my favorite places to visit. For Sacramento Area locals, enjoy a preview of one of these talks in our own backyard.

On the Home Court Near Sacramento

I’ll preview my Sedona presentation, Chiron 101: Be Your Own Hero, on Sunday, April 17, 1:30-3:00 pm at Planet Earth Rising in Folsom, CA.  See the NCGR-Sacramento Area website for all the details.

Arizona Tour

Tucson: Friday, May 13, 7:30 – 10:00 pmOuterplanetary (Extraordinary) People 

People with the outer planets prominent in their charts channel change. They experience shifts in consciousness ahead of others. It’s their mission to bring home what they find on the leading edge of evolution. I call outerplanetary people PUNCs: Plutonian, Uranian, Neptunian Chironics. Saturnian fogeys call unruly kids punks, but these PUNCs, with the help of Chiron, are go-betweens Old and New. Whether one, two or all of these outers drive you, put your PUNC planets to work in Interesting Times. Be the change. 

Tucson: Saturday, May 14, 1:00 – 5:00 pmPUNCs Rock! 

In this experiential workshop, we’ll dig deeper into the nature of each PUNC planet as a chronic force for change—and learn how to make the entire ensemble rock together. PUNCS are wired to be the ambassadors of evolution. We’ll explore how to handle each of the outerplanetary archetypes as they temper and mold our personal development, preparing us to take our places as transformative leaders. Chiron helps us sew it all together into a tapestry of wholeness. We’re on the cusp of the unity consciousness predicted by the Mayans and the “one hearted people” envisioned by the Hopi. Chiron in Pisces is a time of integration and integrity. Call up your inner reserves to serve on the front lines of this enormous evolutionary shift. Roll up your sleeves and bring your sense of humor! Laughter is the most healing and change-evoking tool of all.  

Click here for more details on these two events, sponsored by Tucson Astrology Guild (TAG). 

Sedona: Thursday, May 19Chiron 101: Be Your Own Hero 

Discovered in 1977, Chiron was the first of a completely new class of astronomical objects, named centaurs for their characteristics as half-comets and half-planetoids. Often called “the wounded healer,” Chiron’s mission is to show us how to break through the old hurts that keep us stuck, to give back to our community and find fulfillment. You'll learn how Chiron invites us, too, to become composite beings—more fully embodied spirits on a quest for wholeness. Just as Chiron turned out dozens of heroes in Greek mythology, Chiron in your astrological chart is the stuff personal heroism and wholeness are made of. 

Details and how to sign up (advance purchase only) on my website under Chiron 101 – Sedona. 

Phoenix: Friday, May 20, 7-8:30 pmPoems to Heal the Healer: The 12 Chiron Signs 

This presentation offers both a perspective on Chiron in Pisces, Chiron’s current sign, and a poetry reading of my poems for each of the 12 Chiron signs, describing each Chiron sign's journey from wounding to wholeness. Plenty of time will be allotted for discussion of how each of those signs breaks through chronic pain and gives back in their own style.

Phoenix: Saturday, May 21, 1:30 – 4:30 pm Getting to “Giving Back:” Chiron, Wholeness and Vocation

Inside our chronic pain is the key to our healing. This sore spot also contains our greatest gifts to give. When we surmount a particular kind of “grief,” it’s our job to share with our community how to overcome that type of life challenge. That’s why Chiron is the key to  your true vocation or calling. We’ll cover highlights on the continuing discovery of Chiron, the rich hints to understanding this astrological archetype in the Chiron myth, and how your Chiron configuration hints at your vocation. 

Click here for more details on these two Phoenix-area events, held at the Scottsdale Senior Center, sponsored by the Arizona Society of Astrologers (ASA).


Joyce accepts her Toastmasters' Advanced Communicator-Silver award in 2010.




How to Bring Me to Your Neighborhood

It only takes an e-mail to start the ball rolling!  Through our contacts, we’ll assess whether it’s feasible bring one of my programs to your locale. While it normally works best to do this through an astrology group geared toward sponsoring out-of-town speakers, any individual or group of interested people can sponsor a visit. For information on current programs I’m offering, visit the Speaker link on my website. I also consider custom presentations and can stay for readings or additional events in many cases.

While it’s unlikely that I will be able to schedule additional trips in 2011 because of other commitments, I’m now beginning my travel planning for 2012. The early bird catches the free Radical--or catches The Radical free!

~~~

Photo Credit: © Katrina Brown - Fotolia.com


Monday, April 4, 2011

Chiron 101 Summer School



Announcing an E-Course on Chiron

© 2011 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved

My Q&A guest sessions in February on Donna Cunningham’s Sky Writer showed me how hungry people are for more information on Chiron.* In response, I’ll be teaching a six-week online class on Chiron conducted by group e-mail. I have taken writing classes this way and just love the format.

The idea: I e-mail a lesson on Mondays and Thursdays, sent to the class via the group e-mail list. There are always questions at the end for response and comment. We will use your own charts to illustrate examples and for overall learning, as part of the course.

Each individual responds to the questions and Replies All. We have ongoing dialogue—and, at the end of the six-week session, we have produced an e-mail reference “book” of our learning together on Chiron. (Just keep a folder for the class in your e-mail box.) Here are the particulars.

Chiron 101 E-Course
July 11 – August 19
Regular Fee - $79

Earlybird Specials
Purchase by June 1 - $59
New Moongram Mailing List - $55*
Limited to 20 students
See sidebar to purchase

*Anyone can subscribe to the mailing list and get this coupon discount through May 1. Sign up at the top of the sidebar. Moongram Mailing List special must use coupon link in Aries New Moongram. It will be sent to you after sign-up,

Required reading: Chiron and Wholeness: A Primer and Poems to Heal the Healer: The 12 Chiron Signs

(Please purchase on sidebar, if you don’t already have copies.)


This class may be offered on a periodic basis, and/or a second-level class may follow, depending on volume of interest and my schedule. However, this is the only time it will be offered in 2011.

Here’s the short outline of what will be covered in the six weeks:

Week 1: Overview of Chiron, the “School,” and Chiron’s myth as a typical Greek drama

Week 2:
Mythology Class – Most of what we know about Chiron is from the myth after which this first-discovered centaur planet was named

Week 3:
Astronomy and Social Studies Classes – Astronomical factors and cultural changes that add to our interpretation of Chiron’s meaning

Week 4:
Astrology Class – Chiron Signs and Houses

Week 5:
Astrology Class – Chiron Aspects and Transits

Week 6:
Astrology Class – Synthesis and Your Continuing Discovery of Chiron

Why summer? Why not? For those who sunburn easily or aren’t at the beach for any other reason, we’ll create a play date for learning.

For more details how the class works, click here for class guidelines and refund policies.

I’m thrilled to offer this opportunity and look forward to getting to know many of you better as a result of it.

~~~

Photo Credit: © Inkaphotoimage | Dreamstime.com


* Background and Q&A Posts on Donna Cunningham's Sky Writer