Can you feel the electricity in the air? Perhaps some intensity and even confusing feelings, something deep in your psyche? Maybe it feels like a revving up before a big dip. As I write this we are in the final day of the New Moon phase. At the New Moon, the sky goes dark for a couple of days, quiet time, introversion. Think fertile soil for your creative mind — the quiet space where ideas are born before they are actualized.
There is a lot of chi (life force) being activated right now from the cosmic neighborhood. The planets are talking to us, making demands of our time and energy. It’s not just you and it’s not just all in your head. We are being called upon — called upon to get in alignment with Earth, with our bodies, our minds, our souls, Our Spirits — because transformation is upon us. It’s not in the future, it’s in the present, right now. We are within a moment in time where humans are becoming more aware of themselves and exploring their inner nature. The slumber is lifting, the veil has been pierced — not the first time for humans — but this time it’s happening faster.
Between the Lunations (we’re actually having two Full Moons in August - on the 1st and 31st), the retrogrades, astronomical portal openings and historical revelations, the change we are waiting for is in progress. Cocoon time, y’all! As in, there is ton of behind-the-scenes work being done in that seemingly quiet cocoon, heavy lifting, major shifts to grow that caterpillar into a butterfly.
It’s why you may be feeling uneasy, uncomfortable — or perhaps it’s been more of an ebb and flow of feeling productive and then out of sorts. Energetic and then tired. Creative and then stuck. That is the nature of the deep work being done under the surface this year, 2023. In Numerology, 2023 is a 7 — the number of faith, meditation, looking within. Libra is the 7th sign in the Zodiac — ruler of the 7th house of relationships, balance and peace. This year of 7 is giving us the opportunity to accept the ideas we are receiving and use our will to move forward from past limitations. We are steeped in the world of cause and effect, no longer able to ignore so many Causes and so many Effects.
There is great excitement with all the transparency, the advancements, the solutions for humanity but as with all things, there are two edges and they are equally sharp. We continue to move at a pace faster than our internal systems can keep up with. That’s why the work we do on ourselves can actually have an effect the collective. Keeping our humanity toward others while striving to be better humans is the goal — responsibility, forgiveness, understanding, growth — a process we need to cycle through over and again to ensure that we move into a “Golden Age of Humanity” with our planet and our compassion in tact.
All sentient beings matter and we are being urged and inspired to do the work, both on ourselves and in our communities, to contribute more love, kindness and patience toward all humans — regardless of their opinion. Detach from people’s opinions and see how quickly inner peace can be achieved!
Instead, let’s turn that lens on ourselves. What am I doing to be accountable to my choices? Am I willing to look at my own behaviors and examine the things that are low-road? Am I willing to admit when I am wrong? Am I learning from my mistakes? Do I treat being challenged as being unsafe, thereby avoiding accountability?
This isn’t meant to be harsh — this is important inner reflection. It’s OKAY to be uncomfortable, to not feel at ease. As I’ve stated before, pure emotions are data coming from the Soul. The data has to go through the physical limbic system and filter through our OS, our operating system (the brain’s main program). So the initial spark is pure, yet we often do a lot of dancing to either avoid unwanted feelings or try to hold onto and cultivate the feelings we want to feel. But all things have to vacillate. All of life is an ebb and flow. You have to allow the ebb so you can receive more flow. That’s how it works.
If you are not learning and growing, you are staying in the same place. You cannot create the life you want if you are not willing to course correct. We will all make mistakes and fall short sometimes, we all give in to our lower ego, but we also get it right, too, and rise up to do amazing things. It’s always both/and - but you can get to a place where you have more authority over your reactions, choices, behaviors and outcomes. Sometimes loss is ultimately a good thing. Struggles, discomfort, hiccups, endings — these are teachers, content for our evolution and inner growth. We cut our teeth through our challenges and tribulations. Diamonds are made from immense pressure. Tears are healing, tough conversations are healing. Ending something that isn’t working or letting go of something that is no longer possible is healthy. Acknowledging where you are and where you want to be is empowering.
This summer we are experiencing a cluster of Retrogrades — when a planet goes retrograde it doesn’t mean they are literally going backwards. It’s a phenomenon of “apparent” motion based on the positions of the planets from our vantage point on Earth. It’s the same thing as the optical illusion I’ve often mentioned of a car you’re passing on the interstate appearing to “go backwards” as you start to pass them. While the visual is “apparent” there are vibrational effects that are very felt. Our etheric and auric bodies pick up sensations like an antennae. These sensations show up in the form of feelings, thoughts, vibes — you may feel anxious out of nowhere even though nothing negative is going on; you may have a sudden burst of energy after being lazy the day before; you may feel super confident and optimistic about a project; you may all of a sudden want to stay home and not be around people — all of these things can be influenced by outward data coming at us from the cosmos (as well as “outside of us” from other people, the Collective). The internal guidance system we can tap into — our observer, the Higher Self — can only be received when we learn how to slow down and listen for it through all the noise. Those sparks of inspiration that come in a rare moments when you’re not distracted, moments you can increase with more practice!
We have a whopping five (and soon six) planets in retrograde. The planets are Venus, Saturn, Pluto, Neptune and soon Mercury (Mercury will enter retrograde on August 23 until September 17). In fact, Uranus will join the retrograde club at the end of August as well as Jupiter, on September 4th. Fortunately, Venus goes direct September 5th. Basically we are given an intense moment of reconsideration for where we are. All of this seeming “backward” activity of the planets means it’s time to take things a little slower to be sure you don’t miss anything important.
What do we do with all this retrograde energy, you ask? Get nervous? Panic because you have so much going on that you don’t know how to slow down? NO! As I say all the time, retrogrades are GOOD things, albeit, they may force us to deal with uncertainty or challenges. We cannot just stop our lives, but we can slow down and increase our perception when we know there are choppy waters ahead. When the waves are rough, the boat goes slower but it’s still going forward. If the boat tries to speed over the choppy waves, it will lose control and crash. The boat can increase it’s speed when the water calms.
Slow down, soften, listen for your intuition during these retrogrades. Start to trust yourself — you don’t have to overthink things, but still pay attention to details. We are closing out Leo season and enter Virgo season on Wednesday, August 23.
There is a push and pull between Leo’s need for attention, fun, vitality and love and the deeper work of Virgo’s need for orderliness, discipline, connection to nature and being of service. The inner child and the outer adult — all in one. It’s always Both/And. Life, people, situations — both/and. There is balance in that, harmony. It’s yin/yang. Accepting this truth is freedom.
With each one of us that begins to shift toward accountability and healing, we affect the whole. I’ve said this over and over again, but it’s true and it took most of my adult life to finally accept it, to do the work on ME. It’s not about one person changing the entire world, saving the entire world. We “save” the world by “saving” ourselves. The work begins within, with You. Your work on yourself matters.
Reparenting yourself in adulthood, healing childhood trauma, processing stuck emotions, releasing baggage from the past — all this intense, deep work is necessary to evolve. There are no exceptions, not in this era of dense humanity. We are all saddled with a lower ego, our small ego — while being blessed with our Higher ego. We all must work to gain authority of ourselves and stop letting the smaller, fearful, defeating voice in our head rule the show. We cannot bypass the work, but we can find shortcuts. Spiritual practice (like meditation, ritual, prayer, dimensional travel, initiation) is a powerful key to make leaps and bounds in evolving your Soul. It allows you to open up to the journey your Soul desires for you.
New Moon Blessing
The New Moon phase began in Leo on Wednesday, August 16 but the full phase ends in Virgo on Friday evening, August 18. It’s effective to do New Moon intention setting upon during the New Moon phase (it lasts 2-3 days) but this entire weekend (August 18-20) is a great time to set goals and intentions before we go into Mercury retrograde on the 23rd.
Think about what you love, what you are loyal to, what would you fight for and where you passions lie? Leo asks us to go within to our heart of hearts and determine our next steps for our inner evolution, even small ones. Virgo asks us to get organized and make a plan for these next steps. Use this energy to list out your passion and dreams and a brief explanation or outline of how you will get there.
Saturn will also be opposite the Sun later next week, which can feel like a drag. Be prepared to cast your intentions and wishes into the Universe fully aware that there is a slow/reflective/challenging period upon us. It’s important to use the slow down of these retrogrades to review, reconsider, recalibrate, reassess, receive information/data/downloads on what needs to be edited, adjusted or discarded before refueling and getting back on the road (or the water - ha).
It’s a special time of reflection and adjustment, so utilize it. If you fight it and push too hard, you’ll notice that you are full of anxiety and things simply do not fall into place or go according to plan. Expect the unexpected and take everything in stride. The planets demand we pay attention and do the work. There is no circumventing retrograde time — the only way out is through. The less you fight, the easier it is to exist in the “holding pattern” of retrogrades. They are not meant to make you STOP, but to push pause and get organized before hitting PLAY again.
Coming Soon:
Astrology 101 Series - The Basics: Origins & Foundational Principles
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Images - Pixabay
Cosmos - beate bachmann
Sunflowers - Bruno
Leo graphic - Dorothe Darkmoon Art
Ocean wave - Pexels
Virgo graphic - Dorothe Darkmoon Art