MARCIA SACKS

Blessings to you as we celebrate the Autumnal Equinox tonight, September 22 at 8:54 pm CDT, the first day of fall in the northern hemisphere and first day of spring in the southern hemisphere. The Autumnal Equinox occurs when the sun enters Libra, the sign of balance. For many people on earth, it’s seen as a balance point in the length of the days between day and night.
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In balance, we pause for a moment to assess our progress in our personal and spiritual goals and determine what we need to do to get where we want to go.

I led a guided imagery for the equinox last Sunday at the Temple of Kriya Yoga as part of the noon meditation. It uses the colors of fall leaves to inspire and heal plus time to visualize your goals for the next few months. Here is the audio recording:

The Full Moon is on Monday, September 24, 2018 at 9:52 pm CDT in 1° Aries.  This takes place just two days following the Autumnal Equinox so both those charts share many of the same aspects.
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The most prominent is the powerful T-square from the Moon in Aries and the Sun in Libra to  Saturn in Capricorn. Success can be found by facing into your responsibilities.  Projects will be challenging in the beginning of the quarter but build momentum with time if you stick with them.

However Sun and Moon in Libra are harmonious (sextile and trine) to Mars in Aquarius: this means that friends and relationships will be helpful to us with our goals. Hanging around positive people will give us energy and motivation. 

With Mars in a square aspect to Uranus, though, you might find some of the people around you to be a bit eccentric and volatile. Caution is advised at this Full Moon with driving, watching out for drivers making sudden, erratic moves. There will be plenty creative and inventive energy - be sure to write down all your wild and wonderful ideas. Wisdom asks you to wait a few days before taking action on any of them.
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Saturn trines Uranus in the full moon chart. Focus on the idea of tradition and creative new ideas working harmoniously together regarding your goals and projects.

September 30:

​Pluto goes direct at 18° Capricorn. This station direct has an effect at least a week on either side of that date. The keyword for Pluto for spiritual seekers is transformation. It's possible to break free from old destructive patterns under Pluto aspects. Can you do this gracefully and skillfully without destroying the good things in your life? Remember the serenity prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference

Pluto, Neptune and Jupiter are in harmonious aspect to each other at this time meaning that both the study of  philosophy and the practice of meditation will give you deep insights into the nature of reality.

The New Moon is September 9, 2018 at 1:01 p.m. CDT in 17° Virgo. Virgo is the sign of the microcosmic, with the focus on the tiny details of day to day life. With Neptune in opposition to the New Moon, the bigger picture can be missed. Take time to look up from your work, take a deep breath and take a look around. Sometimes we know what we're supposed to be doing but we just forget. Don't keep everything in your head - make lists and write reminders.

The chart of the New Moon is filled with earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) and water signs (Scorpio and Pisces) with lots of harmonious trines and sextiles between the planets in those signs. Earth plus water equals clay. Think about what you're molding out of this clay, what you're creating each day symbolically.  Bricks to build a house or maybe delicate tea cups to serve tea to your friends? With every thought, verbalization and activity, you are building your future life. In the two weeks after this New Moon, your creation is malleable. If you see the shape of it and you want to keep it, you must energize it -  bake it in the kiln of your devotion or the fire of your passion. 

More about this New Moon in my article in the September/October Yoga Chicago magazine.

As I'm writing this on September 6, Saturn is at its stationary direct at 2° Capricorn. That's an aspect of slowdowns and frustrations for just about everyone for the next several days. If you have planets in the early degrees of the cardinal signs (or born in the early days of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn), you may be experiencing this more intensely than others. If you find that you can't move forward on projects right away, keep going with basic tasks to keep your life in order. Don't give up. Things will lighten up in a week or so and you'll feel more positive about life in general.

In the future:

September 16 - Noon meditation and 1 p.m. lecture at the Temple of Kriya Yoga given by Marcia Sacks, Swami K. Adinadananda

Noon Meditation: Creating Your Spiritual Reality
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1 p.m. Lecture: The Autumnal Equinox: Time Karma and Astrology
Karma is Time. Understanding the cycles in nature and in astrology can help you adapt to the ever-changing nature of life.  This talk will include the chart of the autumnal equinox and discuss the major astrological aspects in effect in the fourth quarter of the year.

You can find me on:

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The Full Moon is Sunday, August 26, 2018 at 6:56 a.m. in 3° Pisces. Not an eclipse, but every Full Moon has plenty of energy. In Pisces the Full Moon energy is intuitive and creative. Music and art can feed your soul at this time. If you have an unusual dream be sure to journal it. Wait three days and look at it again. Did that dream have a message for you? 

Mars has been retrograde since the end of June. Have you felt like you've been running in place? Working hard but with few results? Mars goes direct on August 27th at 28° Capricorn.  Give Mars a few days to get moving away from the station point and you may find that everything starts to speed up back to normal.

Side Note on Retrogrades:
Hope you don't think that planets actually stop in their orbits and reverse direction. Retrograde planets are an optical illusion based on the location of the planets and its speed in relation to earth and the earth's position relative to the sun. You know how we humans are … it's all about our life on earth. If we viewed the planets heliocentrically - from the Sun's perspective - you would never see a planet moving retrograde. In most Western astrology, we take the Earth's perspective, or the human perspective, and make a symbolic correlation between the apparent motion of the planets and our life on Earth.

In the future:
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September 6 - Retrograde Saturn goes direct at 3° Capricorn. Keep things simple. Take things slow. Actually things will go slowly a week on either side of a Saturn direction anyway.  Plan to leave early if you want to get somewhere on time.

September 16 - Noon meditation and 1 p.m. lecture at the Temple of Kriya Yoga with Marcia Sacks, Swami K. Adinadananda
Noon Meditation: Creating Your Spiritual Reality
1 p.m. Lecture: The Autumnal Equinox: Time, Karma and Astrology 

Yoga Chicago Magazine
Watch for my article in the September/October issue of Yoga Chicago which will be found in your local yoga and fitness centers around September 1.

Today, as I'm writing this Uranus is in 2° Taurus making its turn retrograde.  Stationary points concentrate the energy of a planet in that position.  Uranus is high energy, the energy of a lightning bolt or live wire.  It's accident proneness and sudden unexpected changes of plan. Stay flexible and ready for adventure over the next several days.

Generally, I say to clients, "Don't stick a fork into the toaster." This is a symbol to keep you conscious of the potential for household electrical issues.  You should apply this to your own circumstances. Turn off the light before you change the light bulb. Pop off the circuit breaker before you repair an electrical socket. If you see the people around you are on edge, calm yourself down first before speaking. And as I said a couple weeks ago, take a deep breath and bless your car before you drive.

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​With all the excitement, we need some inner peace. The mantra calling on the Universe to help us find peace at every level of our being is "Om shanti, shanti, shanti".

You can listen to it on the Mantra: Sounds of Transformation album - it's the last track:
https://kriyau.com/music/mantra-sounds-of-transformation/
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(Just FYI, I'm one of the voices in the chorus on this album.)

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This same week, we have the Solar Eclipse on August 11, 2018 at 4:57 a.m. CDT in 18°Leo.  The Sun represents your outer life and the Moon represents your inner life. So the inner and outer parts of you are aligned but intensified in the glow of Leo.  In my article for Yoga Chicago magazine I describe this intriguing aspect to the eclipse:

"the finger of God" (yod) aspect from the transpersonal Neptune and Pluto to the Eclipse Sun and Moon … reminds us that we are infinitesimally small in proportion to the universe, whereas our pride and ego are galactically large." 

What I mean to say is that Leo as a zodiac sign is symbolic of leadership and creativity.  With the eclipse in Leo everyone needs to watch their motivations. Are you a servant leader or dictatorial leader? Are you playful and generous in your artistic endeavors or are you a diva? Over-inflated egos may get deflated by circumstances outside of their control at this time.

Saturn in Capricorn is still in that favorable trine to Uranus in Taurus. Keep steady toward your goals. Your hard work will pay off, first when Mercury goes direct on August 19th and even more so after Mars ends its retrograde on August 27th.

Coming up:

Astrologer Lyn Ewing with be speaking on Tuesday night, August 14 at the next NCGR meeting on:
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HOUSES OF THE HOROSCOPE: THE CREATION OF IDENTITY
http://www.chicagolandastrology.org/news.html
​I'm a member of this NCGR chapter and enjoy hearing different perspectives on astrology each month.

We're still in eclipse season.  You may find that your life has been transformed by the time this season is over. Can you choose to be transformed? Or are you a passive experiencer of transformation?  Here's the eclipse list:

Solar Eclipse: July 12, 2018 9:47 p.m. CDT 20° Cancer
Lunar Eclipse: July 27, 2018 3:30 p.m. CDT 4° Aquarius
Solar Eclipse: August 11, 2018 4:57 a.m. CDT 18° Leo

I think it helps if you have an over-arching goal or a set of key spiritual principles that inform all the choices of your life. That will give context to all your life experiences. When you have a happy transformation, you can appreciate it more deeply.  When you have a "challenging" transformation, you can extract a life lesson.

​During the Lunar Eclipse on July 27th, It will benefit you if one of your key principles is "Be Here Now" like the title of Ram Dass' popular book from the 1970s. It means, in part, to be awake and aware in your life, being more here and now than spacing out or walking through life without paying attention.

The Lunar Eclipse occurs on July 27, 2018 at 3:30 p.m. CDT at 4° Aquarius. It is conjunct Mars and squared to Uranus. Mars rules fighting and arguing, sharp objects and driving a car. Uranus rules accidents. Does that mean everyone in the world is going to have a car accident while they're having an argument in the car? No - it's a symbol to assist you in paying attention.  But it couldn't hurt to say a prayer, bless your vehicle, and calm down if you're rushing, before you get behind the wheel over the next few days. It's the same thing if you're chopping veggies in the kitchen. Pay attention. Slow down.

It's the same thing when you want to slam someone with words that are clever but cruel and cutting. Take a moment to think it through and if you really want to start a war just to prove how brilliant and correct you are.

More about the Lunar Eclipse in my Yoga Chicago article.

We do have two nice trines in this eclipse chart. Saturn is harmonious to Uranus, so channel your creative and inventive energy into your long term goals.  Jupiter in Scorpio is trining Neptune in Pisces which is good for art, poetry, music and also attunement to the Divine.
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The Mercury in this eclipse chart is at a stationary point (Mercury goes retrograde on July 26th at 23° Leo). Not good for new beginnings. Be careful of errors within written documents and contracts you sign over the next several days. Mercury retrograde periods (7/26 - 8/19) can be good for research and study.  Be awake and aware and careful about what you say and how you say it as I mentioned above - Mercury rules communication.

It's eclipse season.  "An eclipse season is one of only two periods during a year when eclipses can occur, due to the orbital inclination of the Moon." -Wikipedia  Many times just two eclipses occur - one solar and one lunar - but there can be more, like this season, with two solar and one lunar eclipse across July and August. Here are the dates:

Solar Eclipse: July 12, 2018 9:47 p.m. CDT 20° Cancer
Lunar Eclipse: July 27, 2018 3:30 p.m. CDT 4° Aquarius
Solar Eclipse: August 11, 2018 4:57 a.m. CDT 18° Leo

If you want a clearer understanding from the science side about solar and lunar eclipses, try this video.

If you want a brief description of each eclipse from a spiritual/karmic perspective, check out my article in the July/August issue of Yoga Chicago magazine.

Let's focus on the July 12th eclipse for now.  The key aspect is the opposition to Pluto at 20° Capricorn. In my article I point out briefly that "life transformations and letting go of the past are the symbols for this eclipse."  Do you have a transformation or change that needs to be made in your life?  A well thought out plan for change could be very powerful when enacted right now.  If you don't have a plan, use the energy of the eclipse to formulate one (don't just think about it, write it down!).  Take some steps forward. Create momentum. If it seems like the changes are slow to implement, persist and the results will begin to show when Mars goes direct at the end of August.

With the Pluto in such a strong position, add a touch of gentleness to all you do. Changes you're trying to implement under Pluto can feel intimidating or threatening to others.

There are two grand trines within the eclipse chart.  The first harmonizes the energy between Venus, Saturn and Uranus. This symbolizes the ability to take your creative plus practical skills and make something beautiful and long-lasting.
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The other grand trine harmonizes the Sun, Moon, Jupiter and Neptune. Strong intuition and depth of meditation are possible for a few days before and after the eclipse. If your plan is to further a goal that is in the field of music, poetry or religion this is a beneficial aspect.

The primary energy of the eclipse is strongest 3 days before and after the eclipse. However, the changes made at an eclipse can affect your life for years into the future.

You can find me:

The Full Moon occurs on June 27, 2018 at 11:52 p.m. CDT (so it's on June 28 Eastern Time and further east). In 6° Capricorn, it's conjunct Saturn at 5° Capricorn.  Here are some keywords for a Saturn influenced Full Moon: Delays, Depression, Duty.

Delays are the easiest of these to deal with.  Affirm that what is delayed to you is not denied to you. Saturn is the planet of hard work, and that hard work will pay off, just not on the timetable we'd like.

Depression is the hardest to deal with.  Emotions override reality and we are convinced under this aspect that limitations we're experiencing now are permanent.  For most of us, things will lighten up within a few days.

Duty is the responsibilities that are ours to deal with. The good thing is that they're obvious, no mysteries involved. The challenging thing is that they're tough. Saturn issues can be long hours at work, caretaking for elders, home improvement projects that are more time-consuming than imagined at first.  The key is to take care of what is right in front of you and not add on extras. 

On the positive side, the Full Moon is trine Uranus. This means modern technology may be able to modify the issues above.  Check for traffic times and alternate routes on the internet. Google for lifehacks, shortcuts and gadgets for your tasks. Reach out to others for help, support and ideas through email and social media.

Attitude is all.  I like this affirmation from Jack Canfield: "I am loving and capable." 
This is a good affirmation to acknowledge that you are coming from an open-hearted, unselfish place while you easily accomplish your tasks. "It's knowing I can handle anything life hands me," Jack Canfield says.

Ganesh mantras are beneficial at this time because Ganesh is the remover of obstacles.  Here's a meditative chant by Deva Premal and a lively version by Jai Uttal. ​

​You will find me at:

The Temple of Kriya Yoga retreat on Friday and Saturday, July 6 & 7 giving a talk on Pathways for Spiritual Living: https://www.yogakriya.org/retreat-days
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The Second Sunday Tarot Meetup on Sunday July 8.  I'll be leading the creation of a group oracle deck and everyone will have a reading from it.  Fun!
https://www.meetup.com/tarot-336/events/249837981/

The New Moon is June 13, 2018, 2:43 pm CDT in 22° Gemini.  With this New Moon we feel flooded with data, input from the internet, email, social media, books, magazine, 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.
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Gemini is ruled by the planet Mercury and they both rule communication.  I hate to keep saying the same thing over and over again, but Mercury is the trigger for so much of our karma in relationships - what you say and how you say it. At this New Moon the tone of your voice can reveal to others how you feel as much as the words you say.  Be kind and patient and take time to think before you speak.

The Neptune station point (retrograde) is on June 18 at 16° Pisces.  Neptune is nebulousness, which in everyday language is spaciness. How do I know the Neptune is in effect now.  Example one, I almost forgot to write this blog post. It sort of slipped out of my mind as the days went by in a fog.  I like to write and post a few days before the lunation and now it's tomorrow - yikes!  Example two, I plugged my cell phone into the charger overnight. In the morning it was still close to zero battery.  I stood and looked at the phone for awhile until I realize that I'd unplugged the charger at the wall the day before when I was vacuuming. Duh!

The moral of the story is pay attention over the next two weeks, in particular to things that can trip you up, like making appointments (sync all your calendars) or signing contracts (read and understand the fine print).  

Planning ahead:  Mars goes retrograde on June 26 at 9° Aquarius.  Mars only retrogrades every two years. Mars rules the engine of your car, so pay attention to weird noises around June 26th and get them checked out. Not the best time to buy a new car though.  If you can wait until the end of August (when Mars goes direct) you'll be happier with your purchase.

​On the personal level, Mars rules your life vitality so if you feel low energy use the tools of yoga, tai chi, or chi gong to stretch and get the chi/life-energy moving.  Deep breathing exercises, such as pranayama in yoga, can be very helpful - especially if you are out in nature with lots of fresh air. Walking and other exercises that use right/left (i.e. stepping each leg with the opposite arm swinging forward) will help balance Mars whether you feel a lack of energy or an overabundance.

Classes and Consultations

Classes
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Lectures and lessons on youtube

The Full Moon on May 29 is at 9:19 a.m. in 8° Sagittarius.  Full moon in Sagittarius has upbeat, enthusiastic energy and can find you ready for adventure and travel.
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Within the Full Moon chart, you'll find Mars separating from Uranus, the aspect I wrote about at the New Moon.  Did you have car problems (electrical systems) or driving incidents at the New Moon?  It could be somewhat similar at the Full Moon so I'll repeat: "Driving is an activity ruled by Mars.  Pay attention. Take your time.  Go with the flow.  Don't give another driver an angry honk or gesture!" 

In a Full Moon, the sun is in the opposite sign on the zodiac from the moon, so with this Full Moon , there's an emphasis on the Sagittarius/Gemini axis.   This polarity has to do with the everyday mind of Gemini and the philosophical mind of Sagittarius.  It also has to do with learning something and teaching it.

Here's a passage from the Taittiriya Upanishad
(translated by W.B. Yeats and Shree Purohit Swami):

Do your duty; learn and teach.
Speak truth; learn and teach.
Meditate; learn and teach.
Control the senses; learn and teach.
Control the mind; learn and teach.
Kindle the sacred fire; learn and teach.
Feed the fire; learn and teach.
Be hospitable; learn and teach.
Be humane; learn and teach.
Serve the family; learn and teach.

Everything you learn, you teach.  This is a type of spiritual discipline. Learning and teaching bring the everyday life and the spiritual life into unity.  Sometimes we do this in structured ways by being the teacher at the head of the classroom. Sometimes we do it spontaneously out of the joy of learning something absolutely 'cool' and gain the pleasure of passing it along.

Take a moment during this Full Moon time and find the joy in learning and teaching.

My friend Eric Klein is always learning and teaching.  Here's an article he wrote for this month's Yoga Chicago magazine: "Let go. As you do, something startling is revealed."

​Pyschic Abilities and Your Horoscope

 My new video " 10 Quick Tips on How to Learning Astrology Fast"
Click through to view it on youtube if you want the reference links in the info section.

The New Moon in Taurus this month takes place on the same day as an important astrological event, the ingress (or entrance) of the planet Uranus into the zodiacal sign Taurus.  Uranus changes signs approximately every seven years.  More on this later.

The New Moon occurs on May 15, 2018, 6:48 a.m. CDT in 24° Taurus.  New Moon is Taurus is good for projects that take your creativity and bring it into form, especially painting and sculpture. You could apply that same symbol to decorating your home or creating a lovely garden. 

With the New Moon trine to Pluto, it can be a good time to start a harmonious transformation.  I believe that when you wish for or affirm something, that including the word "harmonious" helps emphasize the trine.  For example, instead of outright asking the Universe "Give me more money!", try something like "I gratefully accept Life’s gifts of wealth and prosperity, which flow into my life in ways that are balanced and harmonious."  Or instead of saying "I'm going to cut out junk food" try, "I instinctively choose the most healthy and harmonious foods for my body."

Another pattern within the New Moon chart is Mars squaring Uranus and Mercury.

The exact dates of this combination is Mercury square Mars on May 12th and Mercury conjunct Uranus on 5/13.  These aspects converge at the New Moon with Mars squaring the conjunction of Uranus and Mercury in the chart of the New Moon.  Let me translate:

Mercury = communication and short journeys
Mars = aggressive energy
Uranus = chaos; accidents; unexpected changes of plan
Square = difficult combination of energy between these planets
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I've probably mentioned this before but Mercury - the way you communicate - is often the trigger for karmic events to occur.  Focus on thinking before speaking during the next week. 
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Driving is an activity ruled by Mercury and Mars.  Pay attention. Take your time.  Go with the flow.  Don't give another driver an angry honk or gesture!

Uranus ingress into Taurus, May 15

The symbol for the next seven years of Uranus in Taurus is the Wizard of Oz:  a cyclone (tornado) picks up your house and takes you to a land entirely difference from your own.  Reflections for the entrance of Uranus into Taurus:

What gives you security?  If it's material things, can you be flexible about your possessions?
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How is your flexibility in general?  Are you able to initiate the changes that need to be made in your life?  If not, when Uranus goes into Taurus, the changes could be made for you.  It's much more harmonious to make changes for yourself than to have Uranus make them for you in its unexpected and chaotic way.

More about Uranus and other major aspects for the year in this lecture:

Jupiter trine Neptune

Also in the New Moon chart Jupiter is forming a trine to Neptune which will be exact on 5/25/18.  This is good for meditation, spiritual study, and travel to places by water.  Take a walk near water to relax.   Even recorded water - the sound of ocean waves, rivers running, raindrops falling - can be especially relaxing during the end of May.

Save the Date!

I will be speaking on Psychic Abilities and Your Horoscope at the June meeting of the Northern Illinois Chapter of NCGR.  Each individual has the potential for intuition, telepathy, clairvoyance, astral projection and other forms of expanded awareness.  Your horoscope holds the key to the discovery and harmonious development of extra-sensory consciousness.  Bring your own horoscope and compare them to the charts of Edgar Cayce, Nostradamus, and others.
Tuesday, June 12, 7:30 - 9 p.m., Des Plaines, IL