Full Moon in Leo: Show Us Your Stuff

Today we have a full moon in the fiery sign of Leo, inspiring us to open up our hearts real wide and express our unique selves. When Leo energy comes rushing into our lives, we feel a desire to been seen and heard. Polish up our portfolio, dust off our drum set, and show ‘em our stuff. It’s time to ROAR. 

With the Sun transiting in Aquarius at this Leo lunation, the personal freedom to self-express is crucial, and it inspires the collective. Hiding won’t do us a bit of good at this time. Opportunities will knock, so be ready! Performance and playfulness are our allies right now. Be seen and be strong in your radiance. Exalt in your confidence, revel in being fully yourself!

Jupiter Promises Reward

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” ~ Seneca

Smile, and whistle while you work. There’s so much good luck available to us if we just take a tiny bit of action to put ourselves out there. A bit of elbow grease can serve us well now, too. Transiting Jupiter conjunct the Moon’s North Node in Virgo bestows luck and abundance upon those who are willing to (1) do the work; (2) stay somewhat organized; (3) be persistent. Those are the three astro-keys to success right now. Overwhelmed? Break the problem down into chunks. You can get a lot done in 20 minutes. Stay focused on the tiniest task at hand and generous Jupiter will give you a nice handout this year, a big gift indeed. But only if you do the footwork.

All of those problems that cropped up over the last three to four weeks while Mercury has been sleepily in retrograde? Well, it’s now time to kick some butt and address each of them one by one. One week from now, you’ll be so impressed with how you tackled all these things, you’ll give yourself a gold star.

Shine Your Light

The bigger your light, the bigger the chance you’ll be criticized, the more flack you are likely to receive. Don’t pay any attention to it. If you’ve done your inner work, you’re connected to heart and soul. Your intention is pure, so keep movin’ and groovin'. Keep expressing in your own unique, offbeat and upbeat fashion. Put on your red shoes and dance the blues. The love light of this Full Moon is gorgeous. Just like you. 

"All my big mistakes are when I try to second-guess or please an audience. My work is always stronger when I get very selfish about it." ~ David Bowie

Erin Reese is an author, spiritual guide, astrologer, and modern psychic reader based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She works with clients all over the world. For readings and spiritual counseling by Skype, phone or email, contact her directly. She can be reached at erin@erinreese.com.

New Moon in Libra: I Hear You...

Today we have a New Moon in the cardinal air sign of Libra, the Scales of Justice and Equality. The Moon is accompanied by the Sun, Mercury, the lunar node, and Juno - the asteroid goddess of partnership – all in the sign of “you ‘n me equals we!” Examining the chart of this lunation, we see themes of communication opening up (Mercury finally moving direct!) and a need to really consider the other person’s point of view.

This is about active listening – not just hearing the sounds the other person is making, but truly taking in and processing what they are saying. We will do well to offer acknowledgement to the other person in such a way that they feel validated. When it comes to the Libran arts of negotiation and discussion, it is not so important to agree entirely with what the other person is saying. Rather, we show them respect – even if we think they’re completely off the mark. It is like giving each party the right to a ‘fair trial.’

You will know you’re blocking the flow if you come up against a great deal of resistance, or if the person is relentless in making their point. Have you ever had the experience of another person repeating themselves over and over again, whining or complaining, telling the same story again and again? You want to roll your eyes and say, “Stop! You’re driving me crazy!” But that doesn’t work – they only continue. They will be tenacious in their efforts to get you to understand their point. Until. They. Feel. Heard.

We have but two ears and one mouth

so that we may listen twice as much as we speak.
~ Thomas Edison

Henry Ford and Thomas Edison

Chiron the Healer in the sign of “we’re all in this together” Pisces makes a significant aspect to this New Moon – a quirky quincunx – requiring us to make adjustments in our relatedness. We are coaxed to show up as the understanding presence of unconditional acceptance, if only for a moment.

We can resolve much and assist the entire process by acting as a simple mirror for the others in our lives, whether partner, child, client, boss, or bureaucracy. We don’t need to quickly judge their words, actions, ideas, behavior – let them settle their own internal deliberations with the art of gracious feedback. Keep reflecting, reflecting, reflecting like a non-reactive looking glass. All the other party really wants to know is that you understand, that they’ve been seen. Let that settle in before inserting a retort, rebuttal, proposed solution.

Try it. At this New Moon in Libra, remember the three magic words that will take you a very long way towards balance, ease, and smoothing over: “I Hear You.”

Oh, and the clincher? You gotta mean it.

Erin Reese is an author, spiritual guide, astrologer, and modern psychic reader based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She works with clients all over the world. For readings and spiritual counseling by Skype, phone or email, contact her directly. She can be reached at erin@erinreese.com.

Aries Lunar Eclipse: Use Your Momentum!

Base Camp: Rinjani

Today we have a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in the cardinal fire sign of Aries. Aries the Ram is the sign of pure potential, the initiator, the sign of ‘let’s get going already!’ With the Aries Moon eclipsed by the opposing Libra Sun, we are faced with negotiation issues. How do we meet our own self-oriented needs while staying in harmony with the others in our lives? More than likely, your spouse, boss, business partner, client, friend may be clamoring for your attention. They want you to do it their way. But it’s not what you want. How to keep the peace?

This really isn’t as difficult as it sounds once we get the hang of it. This is where the tool of momentum can really help us. If we tune into the deeper flow of our lives, we can see, sense, feel that we are already headed in that direction ANYWAY. Notice where your legs are taking you, where your actions are leading – you will see that you were destined to meet that new task head-on.

The glyph for the planet Mars, ruler of Aries, is used for the sign of male – an arrow pointing to ascent, a call to rise to the occasion.

Perhaps we are unsure if we should implement a long-term career change, or move residences, or start our own companies, or climb an actual peak. We may think to ourselves, Oh, I’ve got it pretty good where I am, there are a lot of benefits to keeping the status quo! Sometimes it is tempting to stick with the relaxed, passive thing. But sometimes, if we stop to really think, we realize that the tide was already taking us somewhere new, and we may need to start swimming a bit harder for best results.

 

The Tension of Opposites 

Learning to balance Self (Aries) with Other (Libra) means holding the tension between opposites. We hold the paradox in our consciousness, two opposing outcomes or realities at the same time. No situation is in perfect balance. We can live out one Reality while keeping the other one alive in our Awareness; the psyche benefits by not feeling like it is making a sacrifice because it hasn’t pushed the other aside and denied it.

If we look in our charts at this eclipse, where 4-5 degrees Aries/Libra axis lies, we can see where we have to hold this tension of opposites. Remember, even while living in one expression of your self, you don’t have to completely deny the other arena. This is a significant lunation and whatever themes are popping for you now will likely be alive for you over the next six months to one year. 

The greater the tension, the greater is the potential.

Great energy springs from a correspondingly great tension of opposites.

~ C.G. Jung

Photo credit: Oliver Spalt

Fire Princess of Indonesia

A few weeks ago, I climbed the second highest mountain in Indonesia, Mt. Rinjani, an active volcano on the island of Lombok. According to legend, the volcano is named after Princess Anjani, daughter of a regional king. Rather than be imprisoned by invading outsiders during a time of war, Anjani took to the mountain and remained in its immortal depths. She is a fire warrior princess. Gunung (Mount) Rinjani last erupted just ten years ago, in 1995, creating a new smoldering mountain cone inside the caldera at the top of the volcano (see photo).

For me, climbing Rinjani was an example of using the power of Aries’ MOMENTUM. From my perspective, I was on holiday and wanted to spend more time relaxing, eating coconuts, and lazing in Bali. But my partner (with his perpetually adrenalized natal Moon in Aries) was determined to ascend the peak on an overnight trip, with his lover - c'est moi - at his side.

I didn’t need to prove it to myself; I knew I could do it, I simply didn’t feel like it. But, after sleeping on it, I knew that it was actually going to be EASIER to do the HARD thing. I agreed to undertake the climb. Oh, paradox!

Peak: Mt Rinjani Volcano, Lombok, Indonesia

My partner was pleased (Libra) as I rallied into fine athletic (Aries) mode. Thankful for all my power yoga classes and breath training, I slogged up that volcano steep step after steep step, slept under a trillion stars, and ascended the peak of the princess mountain at sunrise the next morn. Victory!

('Course I could hardly walk for a few days afterwards, but we were giddy and glowing from exertion and accomplishment!)

Sometimes, we go where the momentum is taking us, even if it’s the harder path. Sometimes, powering up – full steam ahead – is what’s called for to keep things in balance. At this Full Moon in Aries, tune in to where you’re needing to roll up your sleeves or pull up your bootstraps. Scale the heights!

Erin Reese is an author, spiritual guide, astrologer, and modern psychic reader based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She works with clients all over the world. For readings and spiritual counseling by Skype, phone or email, contact her directly. She can be reached at erin@erinreese.com.

New Moon in Cancer: Radical Self-Care

Today and for the next week we welcome the influences of the New Moon in the cardinal water sign of Cancer. We are now in ‘seed planting’ time, the hours and days following the lunation in which the influences and energies take root in our lives and being. Cancer is the sign of the feminine, mothering, womanhood, nurturing, and self-care. No matter whether we are male or female, we all have a feminine side that must be honored in order to feel whole, sane, in-balance, healthy, and full-filled. Happy and satisfied.

I have been receiving intuitive ‘downloads’ about this New Moon for several days. As I’ve stated before, I never write a forecast from my head, listing astrological aspects without integration. No, I have to viscerally feel the influences of the planets – embody them – in order to relay them to you, my beloved readers. In this case, the building New Moon energies in Cancer were so potent that I was literally incapable of writing until I had passed through the vortex of channeling!

Cancer is a cardinal water sign, symbolized by the crab. Her colors are silver and purple, the stone is Moonstone. Her ruler is the changeable, intuitive, sensitive Moon.

At this lunation, the Sun and Moon are joined by a tight conjunction with Mars, the planet of action and will-to-power, and Mercury, mover ‘n shaker, communicator and neural networker – also in watery, receptive, reflective Cancer. These four planets need us to rest, to mother ourselves, to take needed downtime. A screen-free day, evening, hour. A slew of home-cooked, classic meals – comfort food. A day by the river, a hike in the forest. A languid lovemaking session with self or partner. Siestas in clean sheets. Star gazing and imbibing the sweet air of a summer evening.

However, there is a proverbial fly in the ointment. Opposing this Cancerian entourage of self-care suitors lies powerful Pluto in Capricorn. There’s a showdown, a challenge to our efforts to relax, to soothe the nervous system, release the jaw tension, and take a timeout. Pluto is the Boss Man here, compelling us to find the inner authority, new strength, from our very bone-depths. You can find it: it’s there! It may be hidden below a pile of superego garbage, but the feminine voice of self-love, acceptance and gentleness must prevail at this New Moon.

The superego may say, “No, you have to go to work, work, work. You have to finish these reports, remodel your kitchen, landscape your front yard, go to every social obligation offered, earn more money no matter if you’re completely wiped out, and pay the piper!” Pluto can be quite intimidating, a shadowy, imposing character. But if we look past the dragon breath and red blazing eyes and understand that our demons actually encourage us to find inner power, we will find something richer in the transformation: our deepest, truest authentic self, and the strength to say “No” right back.

We take a down day, or half day at least. We tell the superego, “I will get back to you. I’m resting.” We may even let him go to voice mail, and wait until he cools off before responding at all. In short, Pluto entices us to find our own power – the power to protect our own self sanctuary. Pluto forces us to honor our id, the pleasure principle, and to heed our inner shouts and tantrums that demand we give ourselves what we need.

Nothing should get in the way of self-care during this New Moon cycle. For what happens if we ignore the voice of our inner Healing Woman? We become enslaved, locked in jail cells of our own making. We go slowly mad, whether we are male or female. Our sleep is disturbed, we lose our dream time. We go semi-postal on the freeway, we yell and bicker and bitch with our mates, our co-workers, our children, the government. These are all clues that we haven’t been listening to a deeper need to self-soothe before it is too late and our efforts become twisted. We get more than a little kooky, and others notice it too. Maybe they’re also overtaxed in some way and have been handcuffed in their own minds. Maybe they need self-acceptance, too.

Perhaps we can take the initiative, exemplifying gentleness and belly-breathing until they also get the hang of it. If not, if they're too addicted to the incessant superego, we can let them run ragged and instead go solo, take a time out, hide away, turn off the phone, and trust that the world will turn without us.

If even for a moment, at this New Moon cycle, we are called to Honor the Feminine.We all need it.

Wildcat Peak

 Erin Reese is an author, spiritual guide, astrologer, and modern psychic reader based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She works with clients all over the world. For readings and spiritual counseling by Skype, phone or email, contact her directly. She can be reached for bookings at erin@erinreese.com.