Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Announcement: Humor Month on The Radical Virgo


© 2011 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved
No kidding. April is National Humor Month in the USA. It makes sense that April Fool’s Day would kick off a month of pranks and funny business.

As you know, anything Radical is a little offbeat with the rest of the world and marches to the beat of a different drummer. To keep you laughing long after the National Humor Month celebrations, May will be Humor Month on the Radical Virgo. Here are some of the features you can anticipate—until you get the punchline and the posts themselves “in person.”


May 9 – Interview with Swami Beyondananda You’ve already met him through his Daily Laughsitive on the sidebar of The Radical Virgo. Learn more about what’s happunning with the Swami, AKA Steve Bhaerman, and his Wake Up Laughing campaign. His website is your one-stop spot for consciousness and comedy, for new age humor,


May 18 -  Astrology and Humor – How humor is built into astrology and why it’s a miracle.


May 23 - Funny Movies for Your Sign – Need a lift? Here are some movies that will have you zodi-yukking it up.


Astrology is funnier than you thought.


~~~

Photo Credits:  Clown Starburst © Dejan Jovanovic - Fotolia.com Clown Sideways © Patrick Hermans - Fotolia.com



Sunday, March 27, 2011

Moonwalk: Aries




© 2011 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved

Author’s Note: This article is time sensitive, especially the section, This Aries New Moon. Please note the influence of Mercury Retrograde, March 30 – April 23.

I’m writing this in a hurry! That’s what Aries Moon does —launches headlong into the next adventure. For Aries, it’s not a Moonwalk; it’s a Moonsprint.

In fact, I imagine this Ram Goddess pictured to be lingering in one of the few rare moments of quiet where Lunar Aries might actually pause and let her fiery nature simmer. The occasion? Looking up at the Moon to contemplate her next new birth. That might be a pioneering journey to the Moon itself, the launch of a new company, or any other start of something big. She is the world’s expert at start-ups. During the boring, mundane, daily routine phase of projects, she’s not so hot. If your plans are stuck, let her put a match under the stick-in-the-muds that can’t get it off the ground. There’s a movie title, Failure to Launch. Aries Moon is Failure to Stall.

Whether male or female, the Ram Moon is ruled by the yang or male energy, the assertive side of nature that sparked the Nike slogan, “Just do it.” (S/he needs the Nikes running shoes for the Moonsprint.) The Aries Moons I know talk fast and suffer no fools. They are not long on the P-word—patience. (Read my humorous piece, God Is Not an Aries, which may apply even more to Aries Moon than Sun when it comes to the impulse to get on with it.)

These folks are doers. They are only happy when they’re making something happen. The best way to understand what makes Aries Moon tick is to realize is that this Moon sign is the King or Queen of New Beginnings. Aries starts the zodiac, the season of spring, the time when new seeds are planted—the natural New Year. Imagine that energy ruling your feeling life. You’d feel best being first, being on time, being #1—you get the picture. That launch thing? Aries Moon is a firecracker and the spark that ignites the rocket launcher.

About the pyrotechnics. We are talking hair-trigger temper in many instances—or at least until this Moon sign matures from explosives to sparklers.

A number of Aries Moons I know frequently sound a bit angry, edgy, and tend to throw their weight around. Their best offense is a good offense! And I mean offense both in terms of plays in football or life, as well as offense as in offending someone. I recall the wake left by an Aries Moon I know, a man who also happened to have several other Rambuctious planets to fan the flames of his Aries Moon. After he had come into a room and thrown his considerable weight around, demanding immediate attention, one person asked, “What was that?” Or at least the strong one left standing that could still walk and talk! (The others were still peeling themselves off the floor from being Rammed into and run over.) Don’t pick a fight with this person unless you can put up a good one, and there are some Aries Moons that love to fight so much; they’ll egg you on just to be able to get their adrenaline fix/release for the day—and maybe a few slugs in, verbal or otherwise. Extreme cases? Yes. But good to be able to identify so you can duck or head for the fallout shelter.

On the plus side, you’ll never find anyone who falls in love more quickly and befriends you with more loyalty. Passion rules Aries Moon and creates a vessel for accomplishing great things in the world because of that zeal and fire. If you’re in love with an Aries Moon, the trick in the Romance Department is to keep the love fires burning. That thing about not being so hot when it comes to the mundane parts of projects also applies to his or her love life. If you can’t keep your Aries love object sparked, you may find him or her wandering off to the next new and exciting romantic adventure. And your ability to deal with conflict in a positive way is a must.

Remember, if you’re in love with a Mars-driven being, both anger and sex are ruled by this same planet. Aries Moons not only love a good argument; they often find it so simulating, it’s foreplay.

Aries Moon characteristics stand out most when contemplating the opposite Moon sign, Libra. While Libra is comfortable and fed by partnership, as the Moon feeds and comforts us all, Aries Moon tends toward being self-centered and going it alone—unless you can make him or her always feel like s/he’s your Number One. If s/he doesn’t have a lot of other planets that are oriented toward the interpersonal, Aries Moon can often be happy flying solo—in-between hot, short-term romances. Libra Moon wants peace. Aries Moon likes to stir it up. Libra Moon has a strong sense of justice for all. Aries Moon cares what’s in it for him or her.

This often wild and wonderful individual is unique and quite a treasure, if you don’t take a tendency toward lack of tact too seriously (another opposition to Libra). If you keep your sense of humor well polished, you will love Aries Moon—whether or not you are one! I speak from experience. I have several planets in Libra and find my Aries friends, both Sun and Moon, balance my Scales and add a big shot of adrenaline to my life.  My first love—my adoptive mom who raised me—had an Aries Moon that both scared the scrap off my Libra planets and entertained me in a way that still has me laughing, almost daily, and she’s been gone over 30 years. Mom was an Italian-American, a “bottle redhead,” someone I have often called Chicago’s answer to I Love Lucy—except that she had Ricky Ricardo’s temper. No one could hug, encourage me, or fire me up quite like her. I’m sure her vitality rubbed off on me and plays a large role in why I’m so “high energy.”

For those who don’t already own an Aries Moon, let’s try one on.

Aries Moon Role Play

Now that you’ve reacquainted yourself with some Aries Moon characteristics, let’s imagine what it would be like to “play Aries Moon” this month, colored by the Aries Sun/Moon conjunction. (If you actually have Aries Moon, play anyway!) Think of things you want to get off the ground in your life. Imagine you could put on a Ram mask or costume, like the woman in the opening photo and abracadabra! You have Aries Moon! Review your vision of the month ahead and ask yourself:

  1. Of everything on my plate, what needs to be cooked in a hurry? What has to get done by May 1st?

  2. How can I light an Aries fire under it? I am a fearless Ram, an Amazon (if a woman), and I will focus as pointedly as the arrow of the Mars glyph for the next four weeks on ….

  3. Which Aries Sun or Moons in my life can I consult or observe to give me that fiery, pioneering Aries courage?

  4. How can I turn on my Inner Pioneer and not only get it done but also allow my creativity such free rein, moments of genius come through?

  5. Forget work for a minute—is this a good time to spark some romance, either with an existing love or to look for a new one? Spring has sprung; love is in the air. Should I go for it?

  6. What does it feel like to be: hot, first, Number One—brilliant? If you’re one of the more modest signs, permission granted to bask in fiery You-ness and leave tact and humility for another time.

  7. Drink in all the bursting blooms of spring, the shift of weather, and decide of playing Aries at this time of the Natural New Year might become one of your permanent “New Year’s Evolutions.”



This Month’s Aries New Moon


Click on chart to enlarge


Now that I got you all excited about playing Aries Moon this month, I’m going to have to put the kibosh a bit on your impersonation of a Man or Woman from Mars. As you can see by this month’s New Moon chart, a pack of no less than six Aries planets is led by Mercury Retrograde. What do we do with that, just when we’re all stoked to try our hand at living the life of a lunar Ram? These are my thoughts.

Mercury is retrograde this time for 3½ long weeks, March 30 – April 23. Its retrograde arc is from 24-13 Aries. Individuals with Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) will be most affected.

The key areas of life Mercury Retrograde affects are communications and the tools related to it, commerce, and short-term trips. It’s not the time to “go forward,” especially with something new—just what Aries Moon wants to do—now! (What, slow down? Shift into reverse?)

It’s a timing thing. If you can hurry up (what Aries Moon likes to do) and start those projects before March 30 when Mercury shifts into retrograde (1:48 pm PDT, adjust for your time zone), then you can use the Mercury Retro period for revising what you began when Mercury was still direct. Example: I’m giving several presentations in April and May. All my slide shows are started—or will be—before the Quicksilver God shifts gears. Mercury Retro is excellent for all “re”-things, including revising (editing), revisioning, reconsidering, and the fun re-things like recreation and relaxation. If you can get your new things started before the shift in Mercury’s direction, you can review, revise, refine, and reconsider with the zeal of a Ram, knowing that when Mercury goes forward on April 23, you and your projects will be ready for the second stage of launching. (Even rockets to the Moon launch in stages.)

When Michael Jackson did his trademark dance backwards, it was known as Moonwalking. Here’s your chance—Aries Moon or Ram Moon for a Month—to learn how to use your Nike sprinters in their full range of direction and speed, including slow and reverse. Go ahead and Moonwalk, knowing that life is full of low-speed zones and it’s part of the rounding out of the Aries character to learn to accept the slowdowns that sometimes become full-out stops, if the low-speed zones are not honored (like by the police stopping you for speeding). To experiment with what it feels like to have an Aries Moon during a time like this is to experience the challenges a native Aries Moon feels, but in a compressed time span, including those irritating slowdowns.

Another thought: If you’re “playing Aries” in a month when Mercury is Retro, you are using Mercury Retrograde well by revisioning or reconsidering yourself. If you are “playing” Aries, it’s got the factor of recreation, another positive resonance to the purpose of Mercury Retrograde. Martian Aries energy is met all the time by situations where full tilt boogie is not the best way to operate at the moment, but it doesn’t have to stop you from doing it in your mind, then bursting forth when the cosmic clock is more action-friendly. Then count down to the next phase of blast-off.

Other New Moon chart factors: Mars/Uranus are tightly conjunct. Be careful out there. Things are easily explosive; tempers may flare and be triggered easily. It’s a time where accidents happen more frequently, so be more cautious than usual. Combined with Mercury Retro, it’s a good time check your car for routine maintenance that left undone could be the inadvertent cause of a vehicular mishap. Use sharp objects with care, as they are ruled by Mars while it’s in an unstable condition joined with Uranus.

Saturn in Libra opposes the Sun/Moon conjunction in Aries, which adds the third set of “slow down and live” warnings behind Mercury Retro, and the Mars/Uranus conjunction. This is a time to plan your strategies like a true self-starter but leave the major new doing till later in April.

With Chiron conjunct Venus, there is opportunity for relationship healing. You might need some with the Aries pile-up of planets. Before Chiron, Aries was “the wounder,” and one of the “re” things you can do combined with Mercury Retro this month is to repair and rejuvenate yourself from any relationship mishaps and hurts. With Pluto squaring most of the planets in Aries, there’s yet another theme of a potentially explosive time—but also one where deep change can take root with the spring seeds of new intentions you plant. Be the change, as the saying goes.

It’s interesting to me that the North Node in Sagittarius trines Mercury Retrograde in Aries in this chart. These are the planets of learning and exploring the mind. In retrograde, the prescription for learning this month is inner.

Weaving this all together, the New Moon chart asks us to start projects before Mercury Retro but to play Aries Moon in our minds—to use the pause Mercury Retrograde requests for creative planning and revisioning, for recreation and re-creating ourselves and the next leg of our journey from a mental perspective. All manifestations start in our thoughts, so a Mercury Retrograde when we want to burst forth is actually a blessing in disguise. We get to check our map, along with our safety and navigation tools, to be sure we blast off without a hitch.

North Node in Sag reminds us that this is a journey. As on all journeys, no matter how exciting or far we travel, we have to stop to rest and replenish ourselves. This month’s chart of the New Moon moment suggests we’re in a time that’s wild and woolly in many respects, but we can navigate it by finding an oasis in our minds for rest, recheck, and rejuvenation—and by honoring the wisdom of cosmic cycles and nature itself.

~~~

Photo Credit: Ram Zodiac Woman © Photowitch | Dreamstime.com




Up-Dates! (Literally) 

The Spring Equinox Contest to give Chiron a new tagline has a new deadline, April 24. I felt the notice was simply too short and want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to throw their hats and ideas into the ring. Please help me find an improvement on "the wounded healer." Contest details here. 

My Chiron Research has an extended date, too. You may now submit your personal anecdotes through June 1, 2011. Be a part of the continuing discovery!

Want to keep up-to-date on all the happenings in front of and behind the scenes at The Radical Virgo? Sign up for the monthly New Moongram on the sidebar, if you don't already receive it, and visit my website periodically for other news and previews.


Thursday, March 24, 2011

Flower Remedies for Practicing Astrologers

Shooting Star



© 2011 by Donna Cunningham
Guest Blogger
All Rights Reserved


Flower remedies can be an excellent support for the astrologer, especially when just starting out. Those early days are so filled with self-doubt, as well as the inevitable challenge of synthesizing the multitude of factors in the horoscope and determining what is important. Here are some:

Shooting Star: Excellent for astrologers—helps in attuning to and understanding planetary factors. Also helps with the feeling of not belong on the planet that many of us have.

Madia: Helps concentration and focus, so one is able to deal with details without becoming distracted.

Shasta Daisy: Aids in synthesizing the chart, going from the bits and pieces to an overview of the whole. Helps integrate ideas from many different sources. Combats an overly-analytic approach, bringing intellect into balance with emotional understanding.

Yarrow:  Psychic shielding and protection, so that one doesn’t take on too much negativity from the client or become drained.

Yellow Star Tulip: Developing empathy and the capacity to truly listen to and understand the client’s suffering, putting oneself in the client’s shoes, in terms of how events or the reading itself might be impacting him or her. Compassion and caring is enhanced.

Rock Rose: Releases the panic that sometimes comes up before a reading, exam or talk. (Stage fright or performance anxiety.) Part of Rescue Remedy, but can be taken singly from the stock bottle (concentrated form) before the event.

Goldenrod:  Combats social pressure or disapproval from family, society, and peers to follow the path you know is right for you. Here, helps deal with the negative press, skepticism, and scorn astrology and astrologers sometimes face.


Sources for These Remedies

Most of the above remedies are available from:

Nevada City, CA - USA
(800) 548-0075 or 530-265-0258 

Remedies from FES will be in stock (concentrate) form and need to be diluted. Mix in one-ounce dropper bottles, like those used for nose drops. (Get them from a local drugstore, health food store, or order them from FES.) Fill the dosage bottle with spring water, then add four drops of each concentrate, upt o five remedies at a time. Shake 100 times. Take four drops, four times a day.

~~~

This is an excerpt from Donna’s book, Flower Remedies Handbook (Sterling: 1992). You might also be interested in  Donna's ebook, Flower Remedies: How Plants’ Energies Can Heal Us.

Donna Cunningham, MSW, is an internationally-respected author of books, articles, and columns about astrology, flower essences and other metaphysical topics. For the past 11 years, she has co-created Vibration Magazine and Blog with Deborah Bier. Her insights reflect her dual background in astrology and psychotherapy. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University and over 40 years of experience. Her ebooks can be found at Moon Maven Publications  Visit her blog, Sky Writer.

Note: This article is provided purely for informational purposes. Readers are asked to make their own determination regarding the quality of the services and products described above. This article is not meant to be advice, and the information is not meant to replace medical or psychological treatment.



For more on Flower Essences:






Saturday, March 19, 2011

Prayer on Spring Equinox



© 2011 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved

No ground is more sacred
than the dirt that holds
the seeds of new beginnings

Natural New Year
Resurrection
life after death
the wheel turns
life churns
much more to learn
rebirthday

the rhythm
in our blood
beating life
spring always comes again:
one of the few things
we can truly count on

the clockwork universe
blares an alarm
reawakens
awe.

~~~

Photo Credit: Lonely Chick Hatching © Ekaterinas | Dreamstime.com

Friday, March 18, 2011

Spring Equinox Contest! Give Chiron a New Tagline


 
© 2011 
by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved

Spring is about resurrection, renewal, and planting new seeds. It’s the natural new year, and this one is particularly powerful. I’ll be out doing my usual Equinox ritual with my Solsisters, but this year, I’d like to do an additional ritual of renewal here on The Radical Virgo. I’d like to see if we can come up with a better tagline than the Wounded Healer for Chiron. He needs better branding. Maybe a marketing consultant!

After 23 years of working with Chiron, “wounded healer” is really getting old for me. I can’t say wounded healer without also saying wholemaker, because wounded healer implies staying stuck in our misery forever.

Wounded Healer is so limiting. It implies that Chiron is just a pain!

The Chiron myth, the source of an estimated 75 percent of how we interpret Chiron, does show us a resolution to pain and suffering. First, mythical Chiron shows us to serve with joy in spite of it. Think of Michael J. Fox refusing to allow his Parkinson’s disease to rule his life, his great sense of humor, and how he’s helping inspire others while also supporting research for a cure. He’s a very Chironic character with Chiron in the 1st trine Neptune and Mercury, opposed Pluto.

Second, Chiron’s story revolves around self-sacrifice and caring about others. Chiron trades places with Prometheus, who is already being punished and suffering for eternity for stealing fire from the gods. In releasing Prometheus, who represents the collective or community as a metaphor, Chiron, too, is released. The gods are so impressed with his giving spirit, they liberate Chiron from his bonds of immortality, which were literally a real pain. The gods allow Chiron to die, and he is raised to the heavens in a constellation.

This doesn’t mean we have to die literally to get to “heaven”—or at least only once at our appointed time. What it does say is that we have to let a part of ourselves die. We need to surrender our suffering—and when we do that combined with a desire to offer it up to help others, we are lifted up. We don’t notice our chronic bum knee. We are too busy helping other people learn how to transcend their pain and stumbling blocks. We find completion or resolution to our life’s story. We become our own hero, like those extraordinary Greek adventurers that Chiron mentored. Maybe it doesn’t all happen in a day or even in the confines of a 50-year Chiron cycle. But bits of this story keep replaying —and with them bits of healing and finding our place in the world—till our final leap back to the stars. With our increased longevity, we might even get a Second Time Around and another Chiron Return if we live to 100!

So, with that in mind, here are the rules of the contest.

Chiron Rebranding Contest Rules

  1. There are two categories, Serious and Humorous. Label your e-mail entry according to which category you want to enter. Examples, Serious - My wounded healer and wholemaker. (You can do better than that. If I liked it so much, I wouldn’t be having this contest.) Example, Humorous: The dog tags illustrating this post with another nickname for Chiron, centaur mentor.

  1. There will be one winner in each category. I will be the judge, and my decision is final. The prize will be your choice of either of my e-books on Chiron—Chiron and Wholeness: A Primer or Poems to Heal the Healer: The 12 Chiron Signs. If you already own these books, thank you for purchasing them! In that case, you may opt for a mini-reading by e-mail. I’ll answer in depth on one question about Chiron in your chart.

  2. In entering the contest, you agree that your taglines, including the winners, will be published on The Radical Virgo and give permission for optional publication in my forthcoming book on Chiron. You will be credited. Who knows? Maybe your tagline will be the new one to catch on!

  3. Entries are due by midnight PDT on March 26, 2011. E-mail them to joyce@joycemason.com. You may also submit any entry by way of the Comments, but be sure you also send me your e-mail address for communicating in case you win and so I can transmit your prize.


Good luck, and I hope I get a lot of entries!


 ~~~

Photo Credit: Dog Tag Sketch © Pecak | Dreamstime.com “engraved” by Joyce; Blossom Flower © An Yunak | Dreamstime.com


Monday, March 14, 2011

Astrology and Past Lives



The Nodal Axis: The South Node and Where We Come From

 © 2011 by Lana Wooster
All Rights Reserved

Guest Writer, Round Blog-In


For 21 years, I have combined Past Life Therapy and Astrology. I realize there is more I don't know about karma than I do!  But working in both mediums enables me to get past conjecture.  In some cases, too, I have the privilege of seeing karma working out or dissolving.

A word about Karma:  It is time to view the subject with less terror than viewed in other centuries and cultures.  It is an automatic system of justice, and we all love justice.  

We can work to mitigate it, first, by not incurring more, i.e. through non-violence and harmlessness, but also by being proactive, authentic and not allowing ourselves victimhood.

I picked up my first book on Astrology in 1970, before modern psychological astrology had taken hold and  before computerized research was possible. Many of the books at the time were still very fatalistic in their approach.  Back then, the interpretation of the North Node was where “the Lord giveth” and the fear-inducing South Node where “the Lord taketh away.”  I did not find this very appealing, and left the Nodes out of the equation until 20 years later when I came upon the Karmic Astrology of Martin Schulman, and the revelatory interpretations of regression therapist Judy Hall.  Here were approaches I could work with.  My view now is that the Nodal Axis is a continuum, and while some sources indicate abandoning the past-life habits of the South Node, I see the axis as a path to wholeness. 

I am offering here 12 possible Archetypal South Node portraits or vignettes, built up from different sources and partly from the experiences of clients but told in such a way as to avoid revealing their intensely personal stories.  There is nothing subtle about the following vignettes. Indeed they are often one-dimensional, so you may or may not resonate with them, but at least may find them thought-provoking.  They may reconnect you with your South Node, if you are at the second stage of your journey, for many people cut off their South Node mode of being when they step towards their North Node karmic mission at a specific point in early adulthood. They may not be able to carry the South Node ways of being, and it is simpler to drop them.  Some consciously dismantle their South Node Archetype, or feel it would hold them back. Not everyone is destined in this lifetime to attempt the third stage, which is to combine the North and South Node in wholeness.  The journey starts with the South Node (Stage 1), and babies display the characteristics of the South Node more purely, before their karmic path has started. We can scoop up our past-life talents (Stage 1) and draw upon them as we venture forth to perfect the qualities of our North Node (Stage 2) and bring the two ends of the axis together (Stage 3).

Developing the North Node and planets located near the the North Node are subjects for future writing.

How to Read the Portraits for Personal Application

  1. If you have a planet conjunct your South Node find that, e.g  Mars conjunct South Node under Aries.
  2. If you do not have a planet conjunct your South Node, read the sign of your South Node.
  3. If you have a planet square to your Nodal Axis, you will find a description under the sign ruled by that planet.
  4. If you do not know your South Node sign read your Sun sign, i.e. read South Node in Aries if you are Sun sign Aries.

South Node in Aries

Mars conjunct South Node
Archetype:  The Warrior
Place:  England
Time:  A.D. 61

I am Bodicea and it has fallen to me to stand up for my tribe.  I have to protect and defend my people and when the invaders are in the way. I have to assert our rights and deal with them.  I live in the moment - it’s the only way to get things done!  None of this past-life nonsense for me.

The past life gift I bring with me is to be my authentic self.

Mars square to the Nodes:  This signifies the need to integrate the warrior aspect harmoniously into life.

North Node in Libra: The karmic mission is to promote peace, to harmonize with another in close relationship, marriage or business partnership.

Integrated Nodal Axis of Aries and Libra:  This entails knowing when to assert yourself, when to be peaceful, when to be selfish and when to yield.


South Node in Taurus
Venus conjunct South Node
Archetype:  The Artist
Place:  Lemuria
Time: 60,000 BC

I am Croar and I live close to the earth and nature and am inspired by its beauty.  I reflect that love by creating pots and tools, making them as fine as I can using the natural materials around me.  I love my family and our animals but my connection with the Earth is stronger than anything.  I’m a troglodyte, engraving  petroglyphs,  and dodging pterodactyls!
The gift I bring with me from my past life is an appreciation of the beauty in nature, and an ability to express this through art forms.

Venus square to the Nodes in Fixed or Mutable Signs:  This creates a greater challenge to express relationship and Art in a wider way which takes into account the needs of a group.

North Node in Scorpio:  My karmic mission is to face the transformative nature of life, including my own fears, and to search for the hero within.

Integrated Nodal Axis of Taurus and Scorpio:  Balance between the material and non-material worlds and to understand when it is time for new beginnings, when forms in life are to be sustained and supported, and to know when the time is right for endings.


South Node in Gemini
Mercury conjunct South Node
Archetype:  The Teacher
Place:  America
Time: 1920s

I am a born teacher.  My name is Carina and I live in
Chicago in 1920s.  I am stimulated by all the exchange of views going on here, and the inspiring architecture.  My friends discuss the evolutionary theory of Darwin and the new science of Psychology as developed by Sigmund Freud.  Very interesting in theory, but I wouldn’t actually want to go to see an Analyst! I love knowledge, and I love my subject, and that’s what motivates me. 

The gift I bring with from this past life is the ability to focus the mind and the mental agility to communicate my knowledge to people.

Mercury square to the Nodes in Mutable Signs:  The drive to communicate can sometimes be taken to extremes or be inappropriate, or result in losing sight of other more instinctual needs.

North Node in Sagittarius: My karmic mission is to widen my area of consciousness and to explore mentally, if not also physically.

Integrated Nodal Axis of Gemini and Sagittarius:  To master the principle of communication and understand at what point in the continuum information needs to be placed.


South Node in Cancer

Moon conjunct the South Node
Archetype: The Parent
Country: Africa
Time:  1875 A.D.

My name is Ndola.  I live in a roundhouse, as part of a community and tribe.  I am an elder, right now devoted to my grandson, the newest member of our tribe!  I am happy as long as the milk is flowing for our babies.  Mother Earth sustains us, and we collectively honour her, in ritual and ceremony.  We also use her special plants and herbs for our healing.  Whenever I hear our drumbeats, I attune to her rhythms. Our tribe lives and moves as one, trance dancing to the patterns of the bright star Sirius.

The gift I bring with me from my past life is the ability to bring my tribe together.

Moon square to the Nodes:  A need to build constructively the power of nurturing in your life.

North Node in Capricorn: To understand the need for structures in society, which can serve the needs and emotions of the people.

Integrated Nodal Axis of Cancer and Capricorn: To balance responsibility and nurturing in a supportive lifestyle for yourself and your loved ones.

South Node in Leo

Sun conjunct South Node
Archetype:  Royalty
Place:
Egypt
Time: 44 BC

My name is Cleopatra and I am Queen of Egypt.  Don’t you believe me?  I know, you’ve heard it all before.  Everybody wants to be me or thinks they are me!  But I am really the Queen.  Can you not tell I have the taste, and the breeding?  I want to express myself and be creative and joyful, and in order to do that I need to be in control of my world and all the subjects in it.  My Soul Group is working on divine rights (or diva rights).  My leading man Mark Anthony and I, we’ve have had our ups and downs, but you’d expect a little drama in the life of a Queen.

The gift I can bring to my current life is a sense of self-worth (if I can allow it in), keeping the crown jewels of nobility, integrity and self-esteem.

Sun square to the Nodes:  May bring the urge to challenge power in others or in society.  Need to foster positive models of power.

North Node in Aquarius:  Working towards ways of being in groups without dominating but in an empowered way.

Integrated Nodal Axis of Leo and Aquarius:  Ability to stand in own individuality and in a group and contribute in a positive way without overpowering others.

South Node in Virgo 

Mercury conjunct South Node
Chiron conjunct South Node
Archetype:  The Craftsperson
Place:  Switzerland
Time:  1850

My name is Hans and I am a specialist precision watchmaker in
Zermatt. People don't try to take the trouble to do a fine job anymore, but here I uphold that tradition and hope it continues in generations to come.  I do not presume to understand the world, but I know my place in it.  I start with a spotless environment--you won’t find any dust in my watches!

The gift I bring with me to this life is the ability to apply myself in my work and attend to detail.  My nervous system remembers the patterns of coordination I used in the past.

Mercury square the Nodal Axis - A need to be more sensitive and alive to varying demands in teaching roles.

Chiron square the Nodal Axis - Very individualistic. Can find unusual solutions to problems.

North Node in Pisces:  Subtle ways of being, and of giving service.  Perfecting the spiritual path.

Integration of Nodal Axis of Virgo and Pisces:  The ability to give service, in the community and in the world.



Monday, March 7, 2011

A Prescription for Planets in Pisces: SoulCollage® Your Natal Chart




© 2011 by Sandra Mosley
All Rights Reserved

Guest Writer, Round Blog-In



Would you like to increase your understanding of how the astrological archetypes express themselves in your life? The abundance of planetary activity currently in Pisces suggests you might find your answer by creating a set of SoulCollage® cards based on your natal chart.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Soul as:

“1. a: the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life”

 … and Collage as:

“1. a: an artistic composition made of various materials (as paper, cloth, or wood) glued on a surface.”

SoulCollage® is a creative process of self-discovery developed by Seena B. Frost, M. Div., M.A. in which collaged cards are made from found images.

Originally used in the early ‘90’s as a therapeutic tool for her clients to access their inner allies and challengers, it has since turned into a worldwide phenomenon. There are now over 1,000 trained facilitators conducting workshops in 20 countries, where participants discover their inner and outer guides as depicted in the images on their cards.

Unique to each individual, the card decks are intended for personal use. They can be used as an oracle or to help deal with grief, illness, and other life issues.

Although it’s been around for well over a decade, I was first introduced to the process in 2007 when I came across Michele Lessirard's monthly SoulCollage® Challenge!  Michele had expanded the technique and adapted it to explore the signs of the zodiac.

The law of synchronicity was certainly at work when I made my first SoulCollage® card on a Pisces New Moon.

Basic Instructions

First, you’ll need to collect a variety of images. These can be found in magazines, calendars, books, cards, stock photos and/or personal materials (e.g., photos, one’s own art).

Second, you’ll need crafting supplies: a small, sharp pair of scissors; glue, rubber cement, or gel medium; a burnishing tool (something to smooth out bubbles); and a 5” X 8” rectangle of card stock or mat board for each card. All of these supplies are inexpensive and can be found at most drug and craft stores.

Prior to beginning construction, take a few moments to focus your attention through whatever centering method you prefer.

Look through your collection for images that are particularly appealing or that speak to you in some way. Chose two or three of those that seem to work together and begin to create a composition.

Once the card is finished, sit with it. Ask what you learned about yourself and what surprised you during the card’s creation. Journal your response, describe your feelings and the meaning each image in the collage holds for you.

Finally, use the “I am the one” exercise to identify the aspect of yourself that your imagination has brought forth; make it a positive affirmation.


Personal Examples of Cards and Journal Entries
 

You can adjust your creative approach to suit your particular interests.  I jumped into it with little knowledge of the process aside from the basic idea referenced above and quickly modified it to fit my style. Instead of paper and glue, I work with scanned or digital images on the computer. When the card is complete, I print it on card stock and laminate it.

What began as an exercise to make twelve cards with the archetypal energy of each sign quickly evolved into an ever changing and insightful contemplation of my natal chart.

Aries Soul Collage ®
April 17, 2007

I began this cycle with the idea to make my SoulCollage of the archetypal energies of Aries. However, it clearly ended up reflecting the sign of Aries as I experience it, intercepted in the 12th House of my natal chart.

The background upon which the rest of the collage was built is a photo of a Van Gogh painting called “Corridor in the Asylum.” That alone says quite a bit.

Through the process, I realized that I’ve always been motivated to explore my spirituality. I looked into the shadowy sides of Aries when I faced my vanity, anger, impatience, arrogance, and attention-seeking behaviors.

I learned (amazing after nearly 62 years) that spring is indeed a creatively inspired time of yea for me. In the end, I was surprised to find myself saying, “I am the one who inspires others to look within.”

I’ve also found SoulCollage® valuable for exploring outer planet transits and synastry aspects. Your intuition will bring forth original insights regarding your life experience. Imagine creating a set of cards (one for each planet, point, and house combination in your chart) to use as a powerful personal oracle.

As Joyce points out in her article on Chiron in Pisces, we’re in a cycle optimal for healing through art. If you have difficult configurations in your natal chart, the SoulCollage® technique may provide a curative remedy. The timing is right for this inexpensive and fulfilling creative activity that can be done alone or in groups.


Cancer SoulCollage®
July 22, 2007

This SoulCollage reflects the energy of Cancer on the cusp of my 4th House with the Moon/Saturn conjunction applying to the IC and containing a Venus/Pluto conjunction in Leo. I based it on “The Chariot,” the tarot card for Cancer.

I learned through this creative process how the intertwining of beginnings and endings, life and death, love and fear are the source of my life experience and how important the sense of being in control is to my emotional security.

I was surprised by the fiery intensity that came through the imagery. “I am the one who thrives on change.”

~~~


Note: Click here to view the full set of Sandra’s Natal Chart SoulCollage® Cards.



Sandra Mosley and her husband, David, publish the annual Zodiac Arts Moon Phase Calendar in hard copy and make a monthly version available free on-line. Their web site ZodiacArts.com features a changing collection of astrological perspectives on the current lunation cycle, along with advice on how to get the most out of it.