 The New Moon is on Thursday, September 14 at 8:39 pm CDT in 21° Virgo. Virgo is the sign of the microcosmic, with the focus on the tiny details of day to day life. It is a good time to appreciate the small things, how a little seed in the spring becomes the harvest in the fall. Maybe how a little meditation each day, over time, yields spiritual riches. Mercury is at its stationary point at the New Moon which slows things down over the next few days. However, Mercury is going direct which will bring some positive changes. Items that have been lost may be found sometime in the next week. Information that has been difficult to discover may come to light. Mercury is in a wide opposition to Saturn which can slow things down even more right now but it's temporary. Focus on priorities. Don't volunteer for anything unless you're certain it furthers your highest goals. Practice patience and being a good listener. How you find yourself affected by Saturn has a lot to do with the Saturn in your natal chart. Here's an article by Ray Grasse, "Saturn as the Key 'Karmic' Challenge of the Horoscope" which goes through Saturn in each sign. https://www.astro.com/astrology/tma_article200420_e.htm [If you don't know where your planets are, you can Google "natal horoscope calculations" to find sites that will calculate your chart for free.] 
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 The Full Moon is on Wednesday, August 30, at 8:35 pm CDT in 7° Pisces, a sign of imagination and intuitive awareness. Good for the enjoyment of art, poetry and music. The Full Moon in Pisces also brings a tendency to compare our mundane existence with our fantasy of various types of utopia which can bring feelings of dissatisfaction with our everyday life. Meditation focused on the beauty found in nature can help to bring peace and balance. Trees, flowers, or mountains, for example, can be uplifting and grounding at the same time. The Full Moon is conjunct Saturn at 3° Pisces. With Saturn we feel limited, constricted or just plain overloaded with work. While I was reflecting on the Full Moon conjunct Saturn in Pisces, I thought of a positive metaphor: Fresh baked bread.  The life of the wheat is crushed and ground down to flour by the heavy mill stone. Mixed with water (the waters of life) along with yeast, it rises. The dough is pounded back down and kneaded by the baker. Then baked into something firmer, the crust hardening around the tender crumb. Tight pockets of air (the breath of life) create the inner texture. So perfect and delicious. It is a sacred metamorphosis. The hard work and sacrifice that we experience with Saturn is transformed into something transcendent, something that feeds and benefits others. "Just keep swimming," as Dory said to Nemo.  Coming up:
September 4, Venus Direct at 12° Leo. September 4, Jupiter Retrograde 15° Taurus Venus and Jupiter, the two planets that represent money are both at their stationary points on the same day. A stationary point means the planet looks like it has come to a stop in its orbit as viewed from Earth. These two planets also form a square or inharmonious aspect to each other. Be cautious with financial projects and major purchases. "Rose-colored glasses" can change a normally practical outlook to one that is over-optimistic. You can find me on:  he New Moon is on Wednesday, August 16 at 4:38 am in 23° Leo. At its best, the New Moon in Leo brings us an extra burst of creativity and a dash of joie de vivre. A Leo new moon expands our ability to lead others, but if too much ego gets mixed in, we can seem a bit overbearing. The New Moon is square to Uranus at 23° Taurus bringing surprises that can sometimes be fun and give us a break from our everyday patterns. Uranus can also bring unexpected changes of plan. Mental flexibility and compassion for ourselves and others can help as we problem-solve these unanticipated situations. To find the warmth and self-confidence that Leo can bring, listen to this guided meditation from Swami Jnanamudrananda. Coming up:
Mercury goes retrograde on August 23 at 21° Virgo. Uranus goes retrograde on August 26 at 23° Taurus. With Mercury and Uranus going retrograde within days of each other, it may seem that everything goes both slower and somewhat off track. Not the best time to begin major projects. It can help to keep your focus on your most important objectives. The serendipity of the internet can lead you to information and entertainment that is interesting and fun. With these retrogrades, however, we may be doing more time-wasting online than anything productive. Clarify your own boundaries between relaxing and working to get the most benefit from these aspects. Astrology Classes: Lin Ewing, a member of the Northern Illinois chapter of NCGR, is giving a workshop: "Pluto, The Moon's Nodes, and Why are You Here: Pluto in Your Birth Chart as an Indicator of the Purpose of This Incarnation" Sunday, August 27, 1 - 4 pm CDT on Zoom Registration and payment information: https://lifeforcearts.org/events/pluto-the-moons-nodes-and-why-you-are-here/ 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 provides supplemental materials and answers student questions. https://templeofkriyayoga.org/professional-astrology/  The Full Moon is on Tuesday, August 1, at 1:31 pm CDT in 9° Aquarius. An Aquarian Full Moon is a symbol of social networks, fellowship and connections with friends, so great for meetups and get-togethers. Jupiter (at 13° Taurus) is square to the Full Moon, which can emphasize that expansive feeling of fellowship and connection. With that same Jupiter square, our good feelings may be thwarted by people who have differences in philosophy, religion, and governmental law. Keep compassion and loving-kindness in mind.  Aquarius full moons are also times when we're likely to come in contact with creative people and new ideas. And related to the subject of meetups, get-togethers and new ideas: One of the ways to learn astrology fast is to join an astrology group or organization like The National Council for Geocosmic Research which has chapters in many cities including Chicago. Like many groups, The Northern Illinois Chapter of NCGR is still meeting on Zoom so people attend from all over. On Tuesday, August 8th, 7:30 p.m. Jon Parks will be speaking on "Rulerships & How to Use Them in Chart Interpretation." Contact ncgrtreasurer@gmail.com for info on how to sign up to receive the zoom link. Want more tips on how to learn astrology fast? Here's a video I made several years ago:  The New Moon is on Monday, July 17 at 1:31 pm CDT in 24° Cancer. Cancer is a nurturing sign, so you might find yourself cooking for your family and friends or feeding them emotionally with positive support. With Pluto opposing the New Moon, there's a lot of passionate energy, on a sliding scale from fervent love to furious rage. When you feel yourself just getting warm, that's the time to take a deep breath and recognize which direction between affection and anger you are going and if that direction is wise. Think about a big pot of vegetable soup simmering on the stove. You are creating nutritious food with those ingredients and that heat. But it also has the element of boiling water, which can be scalding if handled incorrectly. Uranus and Neptune are in a harmonious position to the New Moon. With the intuition and inspiration brought by those planets, you can find original ways to visualize and "cook up" a positive month ahead.  Coming up:
On July 23rd, Venus goes retrograde at 28° Leo. Venus retrograde times (especially 4 or 5 days before and after the 7/23 stationary point) are not good for major purchases and "Venusian" things like fashion and cosmetics. Things bought then tend to be worth less than advertised. Good for having a garage sale but not for buying from a garage sale. Online: "Saturn the Late Bloomer" is an article by Ray Grasse on astro.com. It gives a more balanced outlook of Saturn in hard aspect to the personal planets. (This essay is also found in his book Under a Sacred Sky.) You can find me on:  The Full Moon is on Monday, July 3 at 6:38 am CDT in 11° Capricorn. A Capricorn full moon gives energy to our ambitions. The more organized and business-like we are, the more likely our success. Are your goals written down? Putting goals in writing amplifies the likelihood of accomplishment. Here is an affirmation that takes the Capricorn full moon to both the spiritual and material levels: "The Divine plan of my life now takes shape in definite concrete experiences, leading to perfect health, happiness, success and prosperity." Neptune just turned retrograde on June 30 at 27° Pisces. Keywords for Neptune stationary points are nebulous, foggy, dreamy, creative, musical. Great for using your imagination in creative ways. Decision making is more difficult, because there is hidden information or the objective is vague. Take a few more days before finalizing your plans.  Coming up: With the new physical location of the Temple of Kriya Yoga, an in-person Hatha Yoga Teachers Training has been scheduled: https://templeofkriyayoga.org/200-hour-hatha-yoga-teacher-training/ Online: Sound Healing Summit 2023 via the Shift Network https://soundhealingglobalsummit.com/ July 10 - 14, 2023 I love sacred music and chanting. I attended this free virtual summit in 2022 and enjoyed learning about many other modalities of healing with music and sound. --- Astrology Video Here's a conversation from a number of years ago, with Goswami Kriyananda talking to Tom Mula about astrology:  The New Moon is on Saturday, June 17, at 11:37 am in 26° Gemini. Gemini energy is lively and playful, great for socializing and mental fun like games and puzzles. The days around a Gemini new moon are often filled with lots of short, quick communications. Because Neptune is square (inharmonious) to the New Moon, incoming communications are likely to include information that is incomplete or more creative than factual. For our outgoing messages, re-check emails and texts that they clearly say what you meant to say before sending. Keep in mind that a New Moon doesn't happen exactly at that moment. It has an influence of at least 3 days before and after. Saturn is at a stationary point also on the 17th, turning retrograde at 7° Pisces. A week on either side of that date, things like traffic run slower, it takes longer to get from here to there. New responsibilities taken on during a Saturn station take longer than planned to accomplish. Strategies include focusing on priorities and remembering that success will be delayed but not denied to you.  Coming up:
Neptune goes retrograde on June 30 at 27° Pisces. Keywords for Neptune stationary points are nebulous, foggy, dreamy, creative, musical. The new physical location for The Temple of Kriya Yoga at 1925 W. Division opens with a Ritual Blessing of the Temple led by Swami Mahashastrananda on Sunday, June 25th, at 11am. The Blessing Ritual will be followed by the regularly scheduled Sunday Noon Meditation. Keep checking the website for additional details. https://templeofkriyayoga.org/ Online: Do the Physical Planets Hold Clues Into Their Meaning as Astrological Principles? In this excellent article by Ray Grasse, he shows how the astronomy of the planets translates to the symbols of astrology. You can find me on:  The Full Moon is on Saturday, June 3 at 10:41 pm CDT in 13° Sagittarius. The thrill of adventure is one side of Sagittarius. Another is a love of learning, especially religion and philosophy. There's also the tendency under a Sagittarius full moon to be very spontaneous, especially in terms of saying things off the top of our heads that could get us into trouble. This last factor will be emphasized by Mercury conjunct Uranus (20° Taurus) in the Full Moon chart, which has much the same meaning. Goswami Kriyananda used to say that Mercury was the astrological trigger for our negative karma as seen in our horoscopes. In plain English, it's our human tendency to speak before thinking that may spark drama and discord. I wasn't always the best at doing more listening than talking but after many (many, many) years, I've gotten better about understanding when it's important to leave things unsaid until a wiser time (or never). Online: Ray Grasse's article "Rethinking Traditional Concepts of Dignities and Debilities" published this year in "The Astrological Journal" has just been reprinted online at Astro.com: https://www.astro.com/astrology/aa_article230602_e.htm   The New Moon is on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 10:53 a.m. in 28° Taurus, a fertile sign, good for planting whether actual flora or the seeds of a new idea or venture. Mercury went direct on Monday 5/15, so seeds already planted (symbolically or actually) will begin to sprout, too. Jupiter in Taurus is square to Pluto in the chart of the New Moon. Jupiter is our urge for expansion and freedom. Pluto, especially in Aquarius, has a lot to do with the pressures of our larger culture or a larger peer group. It can help to examine our lives right now to see if we are being held back from our objectives by what others might think of us. Looking at the square from the Pluto perspective, we can think about if we are being too greedy (Jupiter in its less positive mode). In other words, as we seek our goals are we giving enough thought to the common good?  Goswami Kriyananda's text "Wisdom and Way of Astrology" is now available as a Kindle ebook.
You can find me on:  The Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse is on Friday, May 5, 2023 at 12:33 pm CDT in 14° Scorpio. It's always good to keep in mind that emotions run high at full moons and a lunar eclipse is a super full moon. Emotional content at a lunar eclipse in Scorpio often has to do with strong desires and passions. Uranus at 18° Taurus is opposed the Moon adding a jolt of hyperactivity to the mix. It may be just the right energy to use to make progress on your creative masterwork. But not really that great for impulse shopping. And especially not good for jumping into an argument or reacting to a perceived offense - wait a few days after the eclipse to more carefully judge your potential actions and reactions.  It can help to have a variety of methods for dealing with high emotional energy, hyperactivity, or just plain stress. Sometimes a sitting meditation isn't possible in that moment. Listening to a recording of a mantra and singing along is a more active method that helps to restore breathing patterns to normal. Singing/chanting is a type of breath control or 'pranayama' as we say in yoga. Alternatively, listening to and singing along to sixties rock and roll (or insert your generations favorite music here) is a perfectly valid technique to deepen your breathing and burn off adrenaline.  Online: Here's the recording of the Temple of Kriya Yoga's Babaji Festival from April 23. It includes music, chanting, meditation, and more. My astrology talk is toward the end: Ray Grasse wrote an excellent article called "Saturn as the Key 'Karmic' Challenge of the Horoscope" giving a delineation of Saturn in each sign. You can find it here: https://www.astro.com/astrology/tma_article200420_e.htm You can find me on: |
AuthorMarcia Sacks is an astrologer in the Kriya Yoga tradition. Archives
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