MARCIA SACKS

The New Moon is on Monday, May 26 at 10:02 pm in 6° Gemini.  New thoughts, new ideas, and the urge to share them with everyone. Gemini and its planetary ruler Mercury, also in Gemini, have lots to do with writing, teaching and communicating in general. Fun conversations with topics that skew all over the place. Gemini energy is lively and playful - inside for games and puzzles - outside for walking and talking.
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When the mind is restless, as it might be with all the Gemini influence at the new moon, it can be helpful to chant or sing a mantra out loud.  Or put your affirmation to music. Or hum along to music - it can vibrate the throat chakra. The benefits of humming are described in The Humming Effect.

Listening to this OM mantra can be very calming:

Saturn and Neptune in Aries
Saturn has just gone into Aries on May 24, immediately approaching its conjunction with Neptune. The exact conjunction won't take place until 2026. However, these two planets are very close in July. The two critical dates are July 4 when Neptune is stationary going retrograde at 2° Aries 11' and July 13 when Saturn is stationary going retrograde at 1° Aries 56'. 

Right now would be a good time to take a look at what needs to be fixed and take care of it before July. Saturn  conjunct Neptune means "facing reality." So, metaphorically, a drip in a faucet that could have been an easy repair, when ignored (Neptune), could lead to facing the reality of a flood and a big (expensive) repair.

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More on Saturn in Aries

On the other hand, we were just talking about Saturn in Aries in my Friday morning class. One wise soul pointed out that Saturn represents our habits. He pointed out that to refrain from a bad habit, it can be helpful to put that Saturn in Aries energy into establishing a new good habit. In this way, you use the discipline of the good habit to replace the bad habit.

Online:

The lecture I gave for the Northern Illinois Chapter of NCGR is available for a $5 donation to the chapter:

May 2025 - Marcia Sacks - Karmic Astrology: Trining your Squares and Squaring your Trines

More of my talks and a special discount link are listed here under NCGR lectures.

Coming up:

June 1, Sunday 10 a.m. CDT, via Zoom from Kriya Yoga Teachings

Tarka: The Spiritual Practice of Reflection with Marcia Sacks

One of the niyamas in the eight-limbed path of yoga is swadhyaya or self-study. There are many ways to learn about ourselves in order to gain awareness and find balance in our everyday lives. One important practice is tarka which is all about taking quiet time to reflect on our lives and Life Itself. In this talk, you'll receive some suggestions on how to do tarka plus a specific tarka ritual taught by Goswami Kriyananda. The twenty minute talk will be followed by discussion.

Email [email protected] to request the Zoom link.

Beginning Meditation with Sharon Steffensen

If you know someone who has been wanting to learn meditation or if you would like to refresh your meditation practice check out this six-week course on Zoom, Mondays, June 2 - July 7, 6 - 7 pm central time.

There is no charge for this class but registration is required. To register and receive the zoom link, email [email protected]

Discuss what meditation is and is not, the benefits, techniques, and how to get the most out of a short practice. The teachings are based on Goswami Kriyananda’s book, Beginner’s Guide to Meditation (suggested reading).

Sharon Steffensen is a long-time student of Goswami Kriyananda. She graduated from his meditation teacher training, Hatha yoga teacher training, and seminary. She is the founder and publisher of Yoga Chicago magazine, which appeared in print from 1994 through 2020, and continues online at www.yogachicago.com.

Photo credits:
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​New moon photo by Benjamin Voros on Unsplash
​Flooding by by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

​The Full Moon is on Monday, May 12 at 11:55 a.m. in 22° Scorpio which gives us a deeper awareness into our subconscious mind where we can see the motivations for our actions more clearly. We are more intuitive than usual at this time. And our minds are drawn both to what we have and what we need to let go of. In the spring, the seed needs to let go of its protective shell in order to sprout and grow.

A good mantra for this type of letting go is "Om Namah Shivaya" honoring the Divine process of transformation and renewal. Here is Krishna Das chanting it with Nina Rao and others:

Full Moon opposed Uranus

The Full Moon at 22° Scorpio opposes the Sun at 22° Taurus and Uranus at 27° Taurus. This suggests sudden, unexpected changes of plan. For all of us, there's a certain amount of restlessness or agitation. For some, Uranus brings chaos. Moving with awareness, deliberately slowing down, and thinking before speaking can help. Watch for the flashes of genius Uranus can bring. Unusual ideas, inventions, even resistance to norms can help us find a new path.

An Astrology Experiment

Try this at each full moon: go back to the previous new moon in the same sign. For example, the new moon in Scorpio was on November 1, 2024. If you journaled then, you can determine if there is a message from your past self to your present-day self. Can you see a repeating pattern? Have circumstances in your life changed since that new moon. What is obvious to you now that you didn't know then? Did you begin something then, that is coming to culmination now?​​

Coming up: Saturn enters Aries on May 24th

On May 24, Saturn enters the fire sign Aries for two and a half years.  Saturn's positive keywords are foundation and construction. Saturn in Aries is like clay fired in a kiln. A cup or plate might be created which can be useful and a beautiful work of art. A brick can be created which is strong and can be used to build a house.

Saturn's other keywords are limitation and constriction. A clay object, whether pottery or brick, has lost flexibility when fired in a kiln. It must remain in that shape. All your experiences with Saturn in Aries will either build strength or limit you in some way. Use wisdom, self-discipline, and skillful means to get the best from Saturn.

Karmic Astrology Seminar

The Northern Illinois Chapter of NCGR presents:
Karmic Astrology: Trining Your Squares and Squaring Your Trines
with Marcia Sacks
Tuesday, May 13, 7:30 pm CDT via Zoom
$5 NCGR Members, $10 non-members
​Registration click here

Bring your own horoscope and learn how to create a positive future using the karmic astrology techniques of trining your squares and squaring your trines. Multiple methodologies will be discussed which you will be able to apply to any aspect in your natal, progressed or transiting chart. This process is sometimes called remediation, mitigation, sympathetic magic or the yoga of wise action.

Babaji Festival 2025 - Celebrating the Living Lineage

Here is our video from the April 27th Babaji Festival where we honor Babaji and the gurus of our Kriya lineage. My talk on "Planetary Changes, The Eternal Dharma, and the Living Lineage" is included along with other talks, mantra, music and stories.

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