The overlying theme this month certainly seems to be about grace which follows well from last month's focus on rising above things. Plenty of opportunities for healing the self, being clear about your inner truth and moving forward being mindful to nurture yourself making corrections as you go.
Shrove Tuesday - 5th March
"The Higher Power looks not only at our actions but into our hearts to gauge our worthiness. Through genuine inner modesty, acceptance, and innocence you correct your own errors and set an example for others." BBW - Moon's position.
We have another Sabbat with Spring Equinox on 20th March followed within hours by the March full moon, so the increasing day lengths are marked by the full moon this year in 46.3 on 21st at 01:45 GMT.
"Progressing: Moving upwards in life without doubts. You advance easily in life through your inner attunement to all phases of your journey." Chetan
Neptune is coming toward the very end of gate 63 and will move to 22 on the 30th. 22 is about grace; inner and outer beauty, and acceptance which is very nicely foreshadowed by the new moon's message this month. 22 is featuring quite a bit, Freya (beauty, wisdom, magic) starts the month here and then the Sun makes its annual pass with Vesta now here too followed by Mercury as part of his retrograde to herald Neptune's arrival.
Don't forget we now have the nodes working to help us move from inner truth toward clarification, so a good time to start putting ourselves back together again. We have Saturn holding the space in 54 all month where we have been working on the upgrade energies with Pluto for so long and Jupiter shifts to gate 11 on the 9th bringing his expansive energies to the theme of peace (and ideas) ... I don't know about you but already it's beginning to feel a lot more positive. All planets, apart from Mercury of course, will be in direct motion this month as well.
The other notable shift is with Uranus although I suspect that will be felt more next month. For now he remains in gate 3 but in lines 5 and 6 which correspond to a shift to Taurus leaving Aries behind for some considerable! So again we have a rather more grounded and 'softer' energy coming through. The move to 27 nurturing (a fully Taurian gate) occurs mid April but none the less I can already see more nurturing and healing energies beginning to move in through March. Be aware though that Uranus is about shocking awakenings, making us see when we have been steadfastly myopic! With Taurian themes the prods will be around values, relationships and nurturing and with 46 and 25 in play this month as well self-care/nurturing could be the areas for big nudges. Ceres will be in 9 the gate of focus for the beginning of the month, a nurturing energy (when she's not feeling wrathful!).
Panacea (universal remedy) is in 20 for the second half of the month which may mean that becoming fully present is where the answers lay. Another interesting position is Sigyn ... she's Loki's wife who steadfastly held the bowl above his eyes to prevent the painful venom dripping into them. She's in 12, which is the other half of the channel to 22 of course. This is all about living the emotional life, the highs and the lows, about being open and clear.
And so to the weekly notes, the 1st is the end of last month (as it were!).
2nd - 7th - Sun in 63, so conjunct Neptune and a New Moon (see above), Earth in 64 (confusion, or, diverse possibilities). A feeling of moving forward into the next phase just be wary that the Sun isn't too delighted with itself for achieving the goal that it propels you into blissed-out revelry, especially as Venus will be in the gate of fantasy (41 ... the space where you have covered the basics and can now dream!). You'll get another reminder again at the end of the month when Mercury turns direct exactly conjunct with Neptune. So here we have the need to nurture some grace and innocence, we've done well but shouldn't lose the progress made by taking our eyes off the ball. Mercury retrogrades this week with the New Moon (6th) in 25.2 alongside Chiron.
25.2 Being Present: All expectations divert to appreciation from the Now. You have an aptitude to stay present to each moment, living innocently and in freedom. Chetan.
8th - 13th - Sun in 22 and Earth in 47. A bit of an oddball combination I always think as 47 is about oppression by some reckoning. It's also known as exhaustion and is that weary feeling of 'been there, done that' ... our current politics certainly feels like 47 at the moment! I know this energy well; I have my Moon, Uranus and Pluto here (lucky me)!! Focus on the grace of 22 and Venus' sensitivity (she's in 19) as Mercury calls you to sit quietly with your inner light ... when all about feels oppressive we always have our inner light. Jupiter will lighten the week considerably with his move to 11 bringing some peace to tap into.
The Earth's position on the 8th 47.1 "The situation must be met inside one's self. Allowing despair to take over prevents resolution. Work to have a balanced, cheerful and accepting attitude." BBW
14th -18th - the Sun now holds the energy of the inner light sitting in 36 and the Earth has moved on to gate 6 (conflict/conflict resolution) ... I can only imagine how this might play out as the 29th Brexit deadline approaches! However, Mercury arrives in 22 mid week so we can continue our theme of grace and for most of this week Venus is listening in 13 although she'll be shifting to the gate of revolution on the 18th so keep an eye on the calendar if you feel like calling in her energy just to make sure you get what you were hoping for! By now Uranus is more firmly into the Taurian side of gate 3, watch out for some new/unexpected ideas (Jupiter is in 11 now) of ways to care for yourself.
15th Venus position - 13.4 "Do not continue to fight and quarrel. It is better to disengage and separate. Perseverance in proper principles brings success in spite of all other influences." BBW
19th - 24th - Sun now with Chiron in 25, the gate of innocence and the Earth in 46 (serendipities and embodiment). We have the Full Moon (see above) and the Spring Equinox this week, Jupiter peaceful, Uranus less warlike, Mercury still moving through Grace ... Mars has been falling apart a bit but gets it together by the end of this week to bring 10 days of Union (including the 29th ...). Venus could be tricky moving from that gate of revolution and then into 30 which is the clinging fire and will amp up everything but she'll break through into abundance on 27th ... fingers crossed.
I think Earth's position on 24th probably gives the best advice here ... 46.6 "Re-appraising: Compulsive advancement requires constant vigilance. Reviewing your life's efforts you determine who and what receives your energy and attention." Chetan, or, as BBW puts it ...
"Disengage the ego and ambition. Do not hurl yourself at a closed door. Inner independence is your most valuable asset." !!!
25th - 30th (31st next month) - Sun in 17 and Earth in 18. Now's the time to review the month and make necessary adjustments before heading into April when some more shifts are due. Mercury turns direct this week, conjunct Neptune and has this message ...
"If you stop to admire your grace in crossing the stream you will slip and fall. By steadfastly keeping your eye on what is correct you insure your good fortune." BBW, or as I quoted Chetan back in January when I noticed what was happening on 29th ... "Anticipating: When completing anything remain present and looking forwards".
Who knows what things will look like when we actually arrive at this date (I type this 25th February and I certainly wouldn't put money on any one scenario over another at the moment)!
Let's hope Neptune moving to 22 on 30th will allow everyone to exit gracefully.
And so to the Runes ... mmm ... it was Nauthiz that stepped forward. Soooo, this is the Rune of need and necessity. It follows on from Hagalaz which is associated with the hailstorm and destruction. It's the moment where you survey the wreckage, see what has remained, what is necessary. It's also about where we might be standing in our own way. Those moments where we know what we don't want but seem unable to make a change that would give us what we do! In many ways it's about realising that the answers are within ourselves, it's that really uncomfortable realisation that it's the process rather than the actual decision that is at issue. It's appearance can indicate that our current course of action needs changing before we can move forward again, hence we are constrained. The challenge here can be to realise what needs are fulfilled by not making a change.
Whilst I was studying this rune at the beginning of the year I had a personal situation which was being mirrored in the runes as I learned them ... it was very instructive if rather painful! For me I was torturing myself about a decision to be made ... after many lost nights of sleep it suddenly dawned on me that I had already lost what I thought I had, and in this instance I had never actually had what I thought ... once I realised this the decision was not difficult at all ... it had been the process of coming to the light-bulb moment that had been the issue.
When I think about it that is precisely what the country is going through so Nauthiz for March is probably very apt.
The Runes for the half months are 27th February - 14th March Teiwaz (all about truth, honesty and what must be sacrificed for the greater good) and Berkana 14 - 30 March, birthing the new (oh, yes please!).
See you at some point in the next few weeks no doubt!
