 The Full Moon is on Thursday, August 11 at 8:35 p.m. in 19° Aquarius. The Moon is conjunct Saturn at 22° Aquarius. This can bring us into social situations where the conversations are more serious or deep. To keep things balanced try to focus more on facts than opinions. What Saturn wants from a situation is respect. Even in disagreement, try to be as respectful and considerate as possible. Saturn often symbolizes the immoveable object or an insurmountable limitation. But even a limiting force like gravity can be overcome temporarily by an airplane. Aquarius is an air sign and ruled by Uranus. Uranus is the spark of genius, inventions of the human mind. When we lift our minds from the personal to see life from a greater horizon of awareness, what was once limiting is now a steppingstone to our goal. If you like using Sanskrit mantra, a Ganesh one can be helpful. Ganesh represents the aspect of God as 'overcomer of obstacles.' Try this version by Deva Premal: At this Full Moon, the Moon, Sun and Saturn are also square to Uranus at 18° Taurus. Because Uranus makes its station retrograde on August 24 at the same position, 18° Taurus, this pattern will persist a bit longer than the usual effect of a Full Moon. I wrote this about the Saturn Uranus square in an article for Yoga Chicago Magazine in 2021: "Saturn is tradition. Uranus is rebellion. These forces seem like they should always be opposed to each other, but they can work together if you see Saturn as foundation and Uranus as creativity. Most arts have a foundation of skill or mastery of the basics and yet the true artist is often the one that brings that spark of genius to their work. We can use these scenarios to recognize Saturn and Uranus patterns in our own minds as we go through [ the next two weeks]. Are we resisting something new or rebelling against a longstanding pattern? Are we playing the role of the parent? Are we the rebellious child? Are we being too extreme in our plans or too conservative in our decision making? How do we approach the future? Saturn resists the future. Uranus loves the future. To have compassion for yourself and others, try to see both sides of these polarities. Reflect on what a small step toward a middle ground would look like. Sometimes we believe we are required to judge others when no one asked us to. Peace comes to us when we expand our acceptance of others exactly as they are." 
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 The New Moon is tomorrow, Thursday, July 28th at 12:54 pm in 5° Leo. Energy and vitality will give us a boost for our personal and creative projects. We'll enjoy social events, and be drawn toward fun and entertainment. Leo has a symbolic correspondence to the Strength card in the Tarot. One meaning of this card is using skillful means, a loving spirit, or just persistence and determination to calm down unhealthy passions and desires. This is an image of the Strength card from the Rider-Waite deck with the illustration by Pamela Colman Smith:  Jupiter is at a stationary point at 8° Aries in trine - harmonious - to the Sun and Moon. This brings a dimension of finding pleasure in study, deep dives into philosophy or scripture. Depending on your nature it could be the beginning of travel or adventure.
Coming up: ISAR Conference, August 25 - 29 in Denver, CO https://isar2022.org/ https://isar2022.org/speakers/  The Full Moon is on Wednesday, July 13 at 1:37 pm in 21° Capricorn. A full moon is always a polarity with the Moon on one side of the zodiac and the Sun in the opposite degree. In this case, the Moon in Capricorn represents practical concerns that may limit the Moon's emotional expression. So, we might need to focus on our immediate responsibilities for a few days. We may experience others as cold and unfeeling. It can be helpful to remember those people could have stressful home and family obligations that are unknown to us. The Sun in Cancer opposite the Moon also indicates a focus on home and family at this time. How can we find balance during an opposition? We look for the 'helper' planets, the ones that have a harmonious aspect to both opposing planets. In the case of this Full Moon, Uranus in Taurus is sextile to the Sun and trine to the Moon. Also, Neptune in Pisces is trine to the Sun and sextile to the Moon.  Uranus suggests being open to new ideas when you're doing problem solving. There could be a new electronic product or online service that could be beneficial. Because Uranus rules astrology, try taking a deeper look at your own natal horoscope for clues to current issues. Neptune brings us back to using skillful spiritual means to harmonize a challenging situation. Yoga, meditation, prayer, mantra, and chanting, for example, can lower our tendency to instantly react to circumstances. Neptune also rules artistic expression, indicating a good time to either create art or appreciate it. Walking by water in nature can help - or simply taking a bath or shower which cleanses your aura as well as your body. If you want to transcend our local solar system's astrology take a look at the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope that were just released. They are mind-blowing! (I am illustrating today's Astrology Update with one of them.) We are looking at a tiny segment of space "so distant in the cosmos that it shows stars and galaxies as they appeared 13 billion years ago". The reveal from the JWST around this New Moon is great symbolism for being able to see farther with a clearer perspective. Here's a link to see the difference between the previous images from the Hubble with the new clarity from JWST. https://www.yahoo.com/news/side-side-photos-show-much-093933983.html   The New Moon is on Tuesday, June 28 at 9:52 pm CDT in 7° Cancer. There's a focus on home and family. It's a good time for making where you live peaceful and harmonious. With Neptune at its stationary point at 25° Pisces, things are too nebulous for deep cleanouts because there's a chance you might throw out something important. Avoid strong chemical cleansers during Neptune times (a week on either side of the station point). Think more about improving the atmosphere: natural scents like essential oils, soothing or upbeat music, objects of beauty such as artwork, photos of loved ones, or plants and flowers. Cancer is a water sign and Neptune is a 'watery' planet. In mythology, Neptune was the ruler of the oceans. All things related to water are important at this new moon. That includes remembering safety rules when going swimming. It also suggests paying attention to plumbing issues. There may be even more stories than usual in the news about water, scarcity in some places, too much in others.  Water in astrology is also related to our moods and emotions. Use skillful means like meditation, yoga and related types of balancing techniques to calm the waters. Dreams at night may be more vivid and/or meaningful. Be sure to write them down and give yourself some time to contemplate their significance. Coming up: July 12th, 7:30 p.m. via Zoom Dave Gunning: The Kite Formation Presented by the Northern Illinois Chapter of NCGR Email janetberres@gmail.com for the zoom link or connect with the group on meetup or Facebook: https://www.meetup.com/The-Astrology-Group-of-Northern-Illinois/ https://www.facebook.com/NCGR-Northern-Illinois-Chapter-346385895441088 The National Council for Geocosmic Research is an organization for astrological education and research: https://geocosmic.org/   The Full Moon is on Tuesday, June 14 at 6:51 a.m. in 23° Sagittarius. The energy is playful, social and talkative. With Neptune in the square position at 25° Pisces, friendly chat can get you so comfortable that you put your foot in your mouth or betray a secret. We forget that words have power. It can be helpful to others if you veer to the positive in communications, not just with others but also with yourself. Remember to look at yourself in the mirror and say "Hi there. I like you." Listening to ethereal music or chanting a mantra can lift you up more than usual at this time - but not to be used when you're driving! The Summer Solstice is June 21, the start of a new quarter year, a new season. Enjoy the long days of light. Affirm your most important goal for the months ahead. Planning ahead: Neptune makes a stationary point going retrograde on June 27th at 25° Pisces. Note down your experiences at this Full Moon. They will show you the areas you need to pay attention to around the 27th.  Coming up: Astrology: Northern Illinois Chapter of NCGR The Astonishing Synchronicity of Astrology and the News with Elisabeth Grace Tuesday, June 14, 7:30 p.m. on Zoom http://www.chicagolandastrology.com/news.html Email janetberres@gmail.com for the zoom link RETROGRADES-THE BIG REWIND with Lin Ewing: Karma, Reincarnation, Re-Visioning Sunday, June 26, 2022 - Zoom or in person at Life Force Arts https://lifeforcearts.org/events/retrogrades-the-big-rewind-with-lin-ewing-karma-reincarnation-re-visioning/ Professional Astrology Course - Temple of Kriya Yoga Goswami Kriyananda is the instructor via his audio recordings and writing. Marcia Sacks helps to answer student questions. https://www.yogakriya.org/professional-astrology.html Online: Short videos by Eric Klein from Wisdom Heart on business and life success. Eric is a disciple of Goswami Kriyananda and a swami of the Temple of Kriya Yoga. He is also a leadership coach and teacher of mindfulness in the workplace. https://www.wisdomheart.com/godgracegoalsetting  The New Moon is on Monday, May 30 at 6:30 am CDT in 9° Gemini. With this New Moon we feel flooded with data, input from the internet, email, social media, books, magazines, news sources, recipes, things to do, and lots of ideas for the future. The problem is that we find ourselves lacking the ability to make a decision. It's like a delicious restaurant menu with lots of choices. If you know your goals, it's like knowing what you have a taste for when you look at a restaurant menu. If you don't know where you're supposed to be going, it's easy to get lost. Gemini energy is restless and wants to go somewhere quick but can't always decide where to go. Wisdom may be making decisions that take you in some way toward your life's purpose. The Mars Jupiter conjunction in Aries is exact the day before the New Moon on May 29th and is still active now and as part of the new moon chart. The essence of this aspect is expanded energy. If you are filled with anger, that will be expanded. If you are filled with productive motivation, that will be expanded. Jupiter symbolizes masters and mastery. Life could bring you the teacher or expert you are looking for. Mars/Jupiter can also be carelessness or recklessness when driving. It might not be you, so watch out for those around you. It can also be the urge to drive fast so watch for speed traps and traffic light cams. Here's a more complete rundown of the Mars Jupiter conjunction for all twelve signs from the astrologer and yogi Acyuta-bhava Das. I wrote the following in the last issue of Astrology Update because I like to plan ahead. These stationary points are in orb now, meaning this aspect will intensify as we go toward the middle of next week and then ease off gradually.
The Mercury stationary point squares the Saturn stationary point, but also opposes the point at which the Lunar Eclipse occurred. This can re-trigger an emotion or event from May 15th. This combination is active at least a week on either side of June 3/4. In general, these two directions symbolize extreme slowdowns and delays especially in the area of communication and transportation. Plan your schedule so that you have plenty of time to get from one place to another. Also, plan your work projects with an extra cushion of time to complete. If you feel you are up against a wall (Saturn), back up and take your time plotting out a solution. Writing things down (Mercury) whether it's a list of next steps or venting your frustrations into a private journal, will help you re-gain your balance.   There will be a Lunar Eclipse on Sunday, May 15th at 11:13 p.m. CDT in 25° Scorpio. Deep emotions arise, linked to memories of the past. Even if you have done work with letting go of old resentments, you might find yourself having to do a bit more. This often comes about when you meet a new person who reminds you of a previous situation. On the other hand, a look back may be a secret passage to an inner gift. Mars and Neptune are conjunct in this eclipse chart at 24° Pisces. Caution around boiling (Mars) water (Neptune). Rash actions can get you into hot water, too. Sales people (Mars) can be deceptive (Neptune). Other drivers (Mars) can be 'spacey' (Neptune). On the positive side, Mars conjunct Neptune can symbolize strong ability to visualize. This can be great if you are an artist. It can also be used with imagining a positive future or meditating on a yantra, mandala, or object of beauty. Sometimes, when I'm at an exceptionally beautiful natural location, I pretend I have a built in camera in my mind and take an internal 'photo' to use as a meditation focus later. Just recalling the image (or the feeling you experienced, if you are not a visualizer) can help you calm down in stressful environments.  Coming up: June 3, Mercury Station Direct 26° Taurus (opposes Lunar Eclipse point) June 4, Saturn Station Retrograde 25° Aquarius (squares Lunar Eclipse point) The Mercury stationary point squares the Saturn stationary point, but also opposes the point at which the Lunar Eclipse occurred. This can re-trigger an emotion or event from May 15th. This combination is active at least a week on either side of June 3/4. In general, these two directions together symbolize extreme slowdowns and delays especially in the area of communication and transportation. Plan your schedule so that you have plenty of time to get from one place to another. Also, plan your work projects with an extra cushion of time to complete. If you feel you are up against a wall (Saturn), take a step back and plot out a solution. Writing things down (Mercury) whether it's a list of next steps or venting your frustrations into a private journal, will help you re-gain your balance.  Books and Resources:
"When the Stars Align: Reflections on Astrology, Life, Death, and Other Mysteries" by Ray Grasse was just published a few weeks ago. Ray studied at the Temple of Kriya Yoga and has written books about Goswami Kriyananda and Kriyananda's teacher Shelly Trimmer. He was interviewed recently on The Astrology Podcast. Goswami Kriyananda's "The Wisdom and Way of Astrology" is now available as a Kindle ebook. I really enjoyed a recent interview with Demetra George on The Astrology Podcast. She has a new book out on Ancient Astrology and gives a lot of background on the early days of Project Hindsight which translated many ancient astrological texts into English. Along with Goswami Kriyananda's "Wisdom and Way", I often used Demetra George and Douglas Bloch's book "Astrology for Yourself" in my beginning astrology classes. You can find me on:  The Solar Eclipse is on Saturday, April 30 at 3:28 pm CDT in 10° Taurus. Eclipses often bring changes that could impact your life for the next year or more. With two other planets that portend change involved, there could be some significant changes. Uranus (14° Taurus), bringer of sudden, unexpected changes, is conjunct the Sun and Moon of the Solar Eclipse. Pluto which symbolizes transformative or revolutionary changes is at its retrograde station (28° Capricorn). We can look at a solar eclipse like this in many ways. First there are the cautions. People's emotions are high under this type of aspect. Take care of yourself, so that you are finding harmonious outlets for all that energy. Don't speak the words that trigger an argument. Be cautious with electronic devices (Uranus rules electricity.) Avoid crowds (Pluto rules crowds), especially those where emotions get stimulated (protest marches, sporting events). Another way to look at any aspect is to reflect on what you want to get from it. If there's high energy, can you channel it into a project or a life improvement? Affirmations are great at any new moon, but an eclipse is a super new moon, so even more effect. What do you want to bring into your life in the year ahead? Write it down. Visualize it. Affirm it. It's not a stable time for taking action on new projects. Innovative ideas that come to you at this time may be valuable and should be written down. Before taking action, look at those ideas a few days later to determine whether they are realistic or will bring too much chaos into your life.  Coming up: Mercury goes retrograde on May 10 at 4° Gemini. Think before speaking and carefully proofread documents and emails. Jupiter enters the sign Aries on May 10th, expanding opportunities for people who are Sun sign Aries or who have other personal planets in that sign for the next 12 months. Online: The recording of my talk on "The Kriya of Astrology" including looking at the Solar Eclipses for 2022 is online. It's part of the Babaji Festival presented by the Temple of Kriya Yoga. Here is the program timing for this video:
 The Full Moon is on Saturday, April 16 at 1:54 pm CDT in 26°Libra. Partnerships, relationships, and diplomatic missions are ruled by Libra and therefore more significant at this full Moon. However, the balance symbolized by the Libra scales is skewed by Pluto in Capricorn in a close square to the Sun and Moon. Power dynamics and plays for dominance will be likely in personal interactions. Saturn in Aquarius trine the Moon and sextile the Sun suggests a focus on self-discipline and steadiness of spirit will be helpful. Saturn becomes the fulcrum of the scales, the point of balance, where you pause for a moment and find your center before speaking in anger. Or where you pause for a moment before instantly judging a person or situation. The Jupiter Neptune conjunction, which was exact on April 12 is still in effect. Think about the symbols and synchronicities that came into your life this week. Were you introduced to a new idea or a book recommendation? Did something good expand? Did you find greater freedom? Spiritual insights? Significant dreams at night? With Neptune boundaries are sometimes thinner, so we can be more emotionally sensitive but also more spiritually perceptive.  Planning ahead - I'll write more about this in my next post:
Sudden unexpected changes of plan and revolutionary forces in play - not a stable time for beginning new projects or scheduling events (except those that welcome chaos). Innovative ideas that come to you at this time should be written down, then set aside to simmer for a few weeks before taking action. Coming up: The Babaji Festival, Sunday, noon, April 24th by the Temple of Kriya Yoga. There will be a link on the Sunday Services page of the Temple's website on that day: https://www.yogakriya.org/sunday-services.html The annual Babaji Festival celebrates the gurus of our Kriya lineage with music, meditation, and talks. It will include a video with Goswami Kriyananda from the 2006 Babaji Festival on "The Principles of Kriya Yoga." My talk will be "The Kriya of Astrology" which will contain some thoughts about the planets as our teachers on the spiritual path. Then, I'll a look at the planetary patterns of the coming year in order to reflect on wise actions to balance our lives and soften our karma. Online: Remembrance of Goswami Kriyananda - an interview with one of the Temple swamis: Harps of Comfort I recently saw a presentation by this group and wanted to share the information with you all. Harps of Comfort provides remote music to isolated patients with COVID-19 and other serious illness, patients nearing the end of life, loved ones, and caregivers. Using the gentle vibrations of harp and voice, the highly-trained therapeutic musicians offer individually tailored, live music sessions with compassionate, loving presence. There are some lovely, calming recordings of harp music on this site, too.  The New Moon is on Friday, April 1, 2022 at 1:24 am CDT in 11° Aries. This New Moon in Aries gives us a burst of energy to start new projects or pick up ones that went dormant during the dark winter months. Don't try to force your way to greater productivity though. Mars, the ruler of Aries, is conjunct Saturn on April 4 in 22° Aquarius. The two keywords related to projects combined with this aspect are aggravation and frustration. Aesop's affirmation of "slow but steady wins the race " may be helpful. Mars conjunct Saturn can manifest in injuries that leave scars. Be cautious for the next week or so with both sharp and heavy objects. Keep in mind that words can also be sharp and heavy - and those can leave scars too. Your responsibility is to be verbally non-violent. However, you have no obligation to take to heart the harsh or discouraging words others say to you.  Jupiter conjuncts Neptune on April 12th in 23° Pisces. That planetary conjunction in Pisces is a rare aspect that happens only once every 160 years. The symbol of Jupiter (wisdom) and Neptune (inspiration) coming together is excellent for going deeper into meditation and other spiritual practices. It is also good for the study of sacred scripture, as deeper meaning can be revealed at this time. On a practical level, Jupiter and Neptune together in Pisces can mean flooding and water rising around the world. A recent news story talks about a huge ice shelf melting and collapsing in Antarctica, for example. Neptune in mythology is the god of the oceans and Jupiter the god of lightning and thunder, so some storms (actual or symbolic) are likely. I gave a lecture at the Temple of Kriya Yoga in December 2021 that included more on the Jupiter/Neptune conjunction. The part with the Jupiter Neptune conjunction starts at about the 10 minute mark. |
AuthorMarcia Sacks is an astrologer in the Kriya Yoga tradition. Archives
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