 I'm gonna say it. I like this full moon! It looks from the observation deck to be a VERY powerful one. The Moon meets with Pluto in Shravana (the cosmic ear) so we can deeply tune inwards to hear the exact frequency that is being transmitted on this potent night. The sun is with Jupiter in Pushya nourishing the soul and bringing the support and guidance to us (if we merely tune in). Saturn the ruler of the moon in Capricorn is turning this energy introverted so there is more to be gained by spiritual initiations/investigations/activities than material ones.
There is a slight return to the drawing board to do things differently here. A re-evaluation leads to that 'aha' moment to success in the not so distant future. Hang in there, keep your integrity and be patient/sit 'in' it. Depending where it is in your chart is where this inner guidance will reveal your path or renovation forward. For that book a reading with me. Stay light, Mark :)
0 Comments
 A dear friend this week, Tan @lovealkemy (if you want your mind blown with ceremonial cacao in Bondi CHECK IT OUT) said to me something like "I've taken a break from astrologers on socials - there's always something?!" And Tan, yes there is. I'm not here to prove that wrong but I do have some relief to give as well. But first a message from our vedic sponsors - the planets are in continual movement. There is always a change in phenomena but I think we get caught up in duality - this is bad (life is going to be chaotic) or this is good (this solves everything). For me over the past 25 years observing the stars (and the computer - do people still call it a computer?) it's somewhere in the middle. It's all a story in evolution and we have the free will to help or hinder this growth.
As of this morning Saturn has turned retrograde, and unlike our speedy better known retrograde buddy Mercury (which is around a fortnight), Saturn turns direct for a decent 5 months. And really if you know about Saturn this is 'so saturn'. Now, before you throw in the towel a quick reminder what a retrograde is: Retrograde is more powerful. It's when the planet is closer to the earth. It appears to be going backward not because of itself but because of the earth (us). So it's our perception not the reality. But as we all know our perception paints our reality. And really as the planet is closer to earth it can show a truer reality than when the planet is direct. So Saturn is the planet of time, reality, delays, suffering, experience, integrity, responsibility, limitations...need I go on? Being one of the more unpopular planets or killjoy Saturn gets a bad rap. Without Saturn's structure we don't have anything to hold onto. Now Saturn has been slowly moving forward through the mud like the horse in the neverending story since April last year. What lessons, trials and tribulations has this time brought you? Now with the retrograde you may find you finally let the horse sink. Now before that sounds too brutal, picture the horse as all your trials and sufferings. In some ways a Saturn retrograde can give you a long external break from the shackles you wear and drive the energy elsewhere. Often I find it moves from outer reality to inner reality. So an example: let's say you've been all work, work, work and you've let your social life plummet. These 5 months will help you change your experience to pick up the slack you have let dry up. Now with Saturn it's rarely "go have fun" but more it's where is your work required that has taken a back seat over the past 16 months? Leave your comments to share your experience and to explore further in your own chart book a reading with me. Stay light, Mark :)  Let's take a BIG breath in together. Did you feel that release at 9am today (AEST)? Mercury, thank you for not being retrograde for long periods of time. Now what did you learn over the past fortnight? It's time to push forward clearly. Yes, I can help if you need some deeper astrological analysis (deeper than our good new friends Claude or Gemini or ChatGPT). Actually a reflection on that: AI can be remarkably insightful but it mostly misses the big picture and spiritual synthesis. It's great at pattern finding but a big old mess when it tries to humanely intuit data. It is afterall, not human. So as an astrologer I sigh a breath of release as I'm still needed in these times ahead. I'm still here, are you?
Astrology buzzwords are a new phenomena thanks to the introduction of social media and those wishing to monetise them. I have been asked a lot this past week to write about the newest buzz to fix everything and bring in the grand awakening of 5D - Barbaults Basket. Now this is a very cool astronomical configuration. I'm going to keep it to vedic/sidereal signs though (sorry my tropical astrology friends) - from Pluto in 10 degrees Capricorn/Shravana we have a sextile (every 2 signs apart) rhythm across the sky to Neptune 10 degrees in Pisces/Uttara Bhadrapada to Uranus in 10 degrees Taurus/Mrigashira to 10 degrees Jupiter in Cancer/Pushya. Which creates a 180 degree bowl across the sky or basket for those red riding hoods in the crowd. Now this basket made up of all unobservable to human eye outer planets (except for Jupiter) is creating this cool arrival of opportunity. Sextiles are all about choice and opportunity but not necessarily a definite outcome. It's a creative spark not a definition. Now we've been in it a few days but Jupiter breaks it as of 12:40pm today into 11 degrees. So the outer planets are more about the collective. Why we have fashion trends (hello mullet and flares) and why we go through cycles of war and harmony etc. I see this basket as a moment of a theory my partner and I like to call 'the third option'. When we think in only black or white, good or bad or in fact only in opposition - me vs them - we can become stuck in ego and the tiresome cancel culture world we have found ourselves in. These sextiles give the grand collection of humans the opportunity to think of a third way of activity and conversing. What is the path that isn't existing in polarity? What could be a solvent that is more inclusive, creative and understanding? What could be done differently than habit/tradition/conditioning that creates a positive outcome blending and using the tools we have right in front of us? So we need to investigate these outer planets with some simplified definitions - Pluto (death/rebirth), Neptune (glamour/illusion), Uranus (innovation/revolution) and Jupiter (wisdom/purpose). These are some hefty words to be lumped all in together. I like that the bowl stretches from Pluto in Shravana (or the ear/listener) to Jupiter in Pushya (the nourisher). Collectively I see the third option is in listening. We have been talking too much, an onslaught of opinion, instruction, rules and speakers. But have we found the time and nourishing space to really listen to another side, another angle and a rainbow of perspectives? There is a rhythm to nature with all the unique calls and sounds that somehow blend into symbiosis but we humans struggle with this power and domination to be heard and to be right. The third option is to rise above that and find a new way moving forward. Stay light, Mark :)  Every day
It's as if I play a part Now I see If I wear a mask I can fool the world But I cannot fool my heart ~Mulan (disney princess) What is your reflection showing to you this new moon? Mercury is retrograde and joining the new moon in sidereal Gemini tomorrow evening. So what Mercury is saying and doing right now to/for you has final say. Being retrograde in Punarvasu (the lunar signs) we are returning to something in our life/mind. We reflect and pause to see if the current reflection is mirroring the present or the past. Most of us at the juncture may realise what we are carrying/showing/telling ourselves is outdated and we need to return to the drawing board to rewrite the dialogue/presentation. Think of this new moon as a computer or phone performing a factory reset. And really it's best to take the emotion/nostalgia out and allow the system reboot. What's done is done. Who you were you WERE. Allow yourself to return to a more authentic identity. And if it feels outdated, it's time to brainstorm a new one and install new software. It really is that simple this new moon. The sweet part of this all being in Gemini and Punarvasu is it returns us to more goodness/ease/relief/light. This by no means needs to be painful. Unless your old programming enjoyed the suffering. And in that case you will return to that. But if you can supersede that and allow yourself to meditate with me: When you were 5 - what made you laugh? What made you dance and skip and sing and light up? This is the only return you need. If you can return to your true essence: all is well. Stay light. Mark :) |