MARCIA SACKS

The New Moon is on Tuesday, March 21, at 12:23 pm CDT in 0° Aries.  This comes right after the Vernal Equinox on March 20 at 4:24 pm CDT. This time of new beginnings is wrapped in rose-colored glasses: The Sun and Moon which comprise the New Moon have last conjunct Neptune, absorbing a bit of its nature, and are still in the orb of that conjunction. What's wrong with a little Neptune? Well, it can make us idealistic which can be positive as long as it doesn't lead us down the primrose path. It may make us feel more dreamy than totally conscious, therefore our spiritual work is staying in the moment. 

Here is a poem which is also a meditation practice from Thich Nhat Hanh:

The intense and vibrant Aries energy is excellent for the new beginnings that both the New Moon and Vernal Equinox symbolize. Take some time to reflect and plan over the next few days. What do you want to accomplish in the year ahead? If you can combine your big vision with a series of smaller incremental steps, you are on your way to success. Aries commitment to projects is sustained by the repeating pattern of:

(1) initiate one small step
(2) complete small step 
(3) celebrate!
(4) next small step

This week, identify your goal and ask yourself "what is my next (small) step?"
Or if you're taking a break from doing, here's a haiku I love by Matsuo Basho:

The Full Moon is on Tuesday, March 7, at 6:40 a.m. CST, in 16° Virgo.  The high energy of the Full Moon combines with Virgo attention to detail creating a good time to get organized. Or maybe some spring cleaning. But Virgo works best on small projects or else there's a chance of overwhelm. One drawer or closet, not the whole house. Consider this as a metaphor for other projects as well.

​Also on March 7, Saturn enters the sign Pisces. Over the course of the next several years, Saturn will bring both limitation and structure to the Pisces sector of your horoscope. It's always helpful to know what house Saturn is transiting in your chart. The house shows the area of life where we temporarily have to work harder. Often the rewards of those efforts are delayed. I was taught that "Attitude is All" when dealing with Saturn karma. Consider holding your focus on a single positive affirmation, visualization or mantra. If things get tough, I especially like this Ganesh mantra for overcoming obstacles. 

Or this perfect symbol of Saturn (the bridge, a structure) over the water (Pisces).  

There's a lot more about Saturn in Pisces and the upcoming Pluto into Aquarius in my astrology talk for the Temple of Kriya Yoga's Winter Solstice Festival in December 2022:

The New Moon is on Monday, February 20, at 1:05 a.m. CST in 1° Pisces. The Sun and the Moon are coming together just after a conjunction with Saturn in the late degrees of Aquarius. This gives the New Moon a tinge of loss and limitation or maybe just nostalgia. The past is our foundation to build the future which, in the case of the New Moon, is for the two weeks to come. Look for the good things in your past,  the challenges overcome, and the lessons learned. 

​Pisces is a water sign making the days surrounding the New Moon more open to intuitive guidance, empathy and compassion. Another Pisces keyword is 'receptive' which makes it an excellent time to surround yourself with an environment that evokes beauty and wisdom. Music and mantra are especially effective at this time. I came across this Tibetan Medicine Buddha mantra from Tinna Tinh this week:

I collect the mantras I like on youtube in a playlist: Mantra, Kirtan, Chanting

​So when I'm in need of inspiration, healing, calming or whatever, I have my 'go to' chanting in a list ( plus I have a whole mp3 assortment of all the mantra and meditation music CDs I've collected, too). I recommend compiling your own playlist. It doesn't have to be mantra, just any music that uplifts, inspires, or calms.

Temple of Kriya Yoga:

The Temple of Kriya Yoga is developing a new website. They are in between the two sites at the moment. The old website is here and still has the links to the major distance learning programs like The Professional Astrology Course:
https://www.yogakriya.org/professional-astrology.html

The new site is here: https://templeofkriyayoga.org/ and has the bookstore with a selection of Goswami Kriyananda's courses and seminars available.

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Meditation to Creation
Ann Meara (Swami Satpatyananda) is offering a class on meditation and creativity in March in Sedona, Arizona: https://sedonaartscenter.org/product/meditation-to-creation-23-0323-am/

You can find me on:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• ​Yoga Chicago Magazine
• Temple of Kriya Yoga

The Full Moon is on Sunday, February 5 at 12:28 pm CST in 16° Leo. Social fun along with chance meetings and invitations out of the blue. At its best, the energy from a Leo full moon is the steady flame of devotion to the highest good. Out of balance, the influence can have some people thinking they have every right to tell other people what to do.

The Sun and Moon in the Full Moon chart are in a T-square to Uranus at 15° Taurus which can bring restlessness and sudden unexpected changes of plan. Sometimes, this aspect signifies accident proneness, so for a few days before and after the Full Moon try to move slowly and with conscious awareness (always a good mindfulness technique).

Snap decisions can create a whirlwind that puts you miles from your original goal.  If you get a blast of genius from this Full Moon aspect, sketch out your ideas quickly and then revisit a few days later to see if they have merit. 

Here's the chart for the Full Moon, with the time and location in the Chicago area:

Coming up:

My talk for the Northern Illinois Chapter of NCGR:
The Containment of Your Planets:
An introduction to the concept of planetary containments
with Marcia Sacks
 
Recognizing each planet as part of a containment sequence can reveal the influence planets have on each other beyond aspects. This information can help us recognize an initiating energy for life patterns and anticipate potential outcomes. Containments can also give a glimpse into past lives and where you're headed in the future. It's Valentine's Day so we'll put some focus on the containment of Venus. Bring your natal chart (and those of significant others) to this talk.

February 14, 7:30 via Zoom
NI-NCGR Members: $5.00
Non-Members : $10.00

Contact ncgrtreasurer@gmail.com indicating your interest in this lecture and for info on how to pay to receive the Zoom link.

The New Moon is Saturday, January 21 at 2:53 pm CST in 1° Aquarius, a sign of friends and fellowship. It's a good time to look for groups and organizations that support your interests or goals. Even though the New Moon is in Aquarius, it is actually conjunct to Pluto at 28° Capricorn. Motivations and ambitions are stronger. Fresh and unique ideas may come to mind at this New Moon but with Pluto conjunct, there can be strong objections to them. That doesn't mean the ideas are wrong, but they may need more documentation or other ways to demonstrate their viability.

Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius is stationary in the New Moon chart, going direct on January 22 at 14° Taurus. That gives this New Moon a flavor of the wild and weird with a strong urge for freedom. Uranus aspects and stationary points also connote sudden and unexpected changes of plan. An attitude of tolerance and flexibility can be helpful.

Meditating on the oneness and interconnectedness of all things in the universe is always beneficial. This is one of the Om mantra recordings I like. It has the Aquarius/Uranus zing of an electronic sound frequency used for healing.

Online:

The Professional Astrology Course
Temple of Kriya Yoga
Distance Learning/Self-Paced

Goswami Kriyananda is the instructor via his audio recordings and writing. Marcia Sacks helps to provide supplemental materials and answer student questions. 
https://www.yogakriya.org/professional-astrology.html

You can find me on:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• ​Yoga Chicago Magazine
• Temple of Kriya Yoga

Happy Lunar New Year!

The Full Moon is on Friday, January 6, 2023 at 5:07 pm CST in 16° Capricorn.  The focus on responsibilities that Capricorn brings can help you complete projects (or segments of projects) started at the New Moon. Because Mercury and Mars are both retrograde information and tools that you need may not be immediately available. It may be challenging to move forward with incomplete information or second rate tools. Prioritize your goals based on what resources you have. Mars goes direct on January 12th and Mercury on the 18th. You will more easily find that which you need after that.
​
Find patience and clarity via the advice in this song by Eric Klein of Wisdom Heart. "Let the Mud Settle: A Dharma Blues Song

Coming up:

January 10, 2023
7:30 pm
via Zoom
Highlights of 2023 with Nina Gryphon
http://www.chicagolandastrology.com/news.html
Northern Illinois Chapter - NCGR

Vocational Astrology Workshop with Lin Ewing
https://lifeforcearts.org/events/finding-vocational-direction-the-10th-house-more-with-lin-ewing/
Sunday, January 22, 2023
1 – 4 PM Central time
Attend in person or via zoom

Online:

The Professional Astrology Course
Temple of Kriya Yoga
Distance Learning/Self-Paced

Goswami Kriyananda is the instructor via his audio recordings and writing. Marcia Sacks helps to provide supplemental materials and answer student questions. 
https://www.yogakriya.org/professional-astrology.html

The New Moon is on Friday, December 23 at 4:16 a.m. in 1° Capricorn.  This New Moon is an excellent time to affirm your resolutions for the new year. The Sun and Moon are conjunct, aligning your external goals (Sun) with your emotional intentions (Moon). The practical nature of Capricorn will help you put your thoughts together, make an organized plan and create checklists.

​Lots of good wishes for you all at for this holiday season. 

My talk "Kriya and Astrology 2023" is about the entry of Pluto in Aquarius and Saturn into Pisces next year. It was part of the special noon meditation for the Winter Solstice last Sunday. My talk starts at @13:16. Enjoy the meditation music that comes before and after.

​The Full Moon is on Wednesday, December 7 at 10:07 pm in 16° Gemini. With Mars in an exact conjunction to the Full Moon, there's plenty of energy but it's easily scattered. Great for the first draft of writing projects where you can let your thoughts fly free, but editing will need to come later. Not great for writing short communications like emails and texts unless your emotions are balanced. Take some deep breaths, then re-read and edit before sending. Mars makes words seem sharper to the reader than intended.
 
Neptune turned direct at 22° Pisces on December 3. This makes our thinking less precise, or our mind feels foggy. Wait a week before making important decisions. You might find that some information needed for that decision is discovered then. Are you journaling?  Writing things down is really helpful during any Neptune transit. We tend to look back at those weeks and find that specific events are hard to recall without our notes.
 
On the other hand, Neptune in Pisces is positive for attunement to the Divine and appreciation of the arts. We may find ourselves more easily uplifted by holiday music and lights as we intuitively perceive their highest sacred essence.

Online:

A beautiful guided meditation by Swami Jnanamudrananda from the Temple of Kriya Yoga. Accompanied by the ocean waves, it was recorded on the beach just below Paramahansa Yogananda's ashram in Encinitas, CA. ​

The New Moon is on Wednesday, November 23 at 4:57 pm CST in 1° Sagittarius.  This New Moon is adventurous and playful and its warmth in a fire sign makes it good for the social side of Thanksgiving.  Also on Wednesday, Jupiter is at its station direct at 28° Pisces. Jupiter is relatively close to Neptune at 22° Pisces. This combination is beneficial for the start of the holiday season. Jupiter symbolizes generosity of spirit and an appreciation of the religious and philosophical aspects of all the winter holidays. Neptune at its best is attunement to the Divine. 

​The expansive quality of Jupiter combined with the idealism of Neptune can trip us up when we try to achieve perfection in producing the perfect holiday experience for ourselves or others. As my guru advised us many times, "We are not living in the realm of perfection." You may find, as I often do at a multi-course holiday meal, that I forgot to serve a dish I'd planned -- and found it the next day in the oven or fridge. Yikes! But no one noticed and everyone had plenty. 

Gratitude is a powerful spiritual path. A Kriya friend of mine recently shared this reflection before meals from Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh: 

Just in one piece of bread, we can be grateful for the sun, rain, earth and the farmer that grows the grain. The people who manufactured the machines that harvested it. The mill that grinds the flour. The transport to the bakery. And so on for every bite of food, and everything else in the miracle of this life that sustains us.
​
Thanksgiving blessings!

There will be a Lunar Eclipse on Tuesday November 8 at 5:02 a.m. in 16° Taurus.  This Lunar Eclipse is conjunct Uranus which signifies sudden and unexpected changes. In Taurus, these changes are likely to occur in the areas of real estate and banking. Keep a close eye on your personal finances. You might find yourself with a restless urge to spend, especially on electronics or new inventions.

Being flexible mentally can help you to be open to the new ideas and sparks of genius that Uranus aspects bring. As usual, it's best to wait a week after the eclipse to process new information before taking action.

The Lunar Eclipse and Uranus are squared to Saturn. We've been dealing with the Saturn/Uranus square for the past two years so it's nothing new. The eclipse just intensifies it for a few days both on an internal and external level.

​Here are a few thoughts to consider:

Saturn is limitation, constriction, and sometimes obstruction. Uranus is the urge for freedom, sometimes rebellion. Watch your own emotionality each time you see these symbols in the news and in your own life.

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.

Can these planetary forces work together? Seek balance between discipline (Saturn) and freedom (Uranus). Appreciate things from the past while finding gratitude for the new. Most importantly, learn from your life experiences. This square is starting to separate so in a week you will begin to feel more relaxed and less at odds with others.