Ostara and Full Moon

Hello

After a very turbulent new moon period, which knocked many of us for six, we have the spring equinox at 22:01 GMT on 20th closely followed by the full moon at 01:45 on the 21st.

The equinox is marked as the Ostara Sabbat, a moment of equilibrium in the day lengths with hopefully the wild winter weather behind us and the blazing heat of summer yet to come.  The word was 'borrowed' by the Christians and became Easter of course. 

In the Human Design year Ostara always falls with the Sun in 25, the gate of innocence, and the Earth in 46 the gate of embodiment and serendipities which feels just right for Springtime!  This year we have Mercury in retrograde in 22, the gate that has been making a big mark this month, the gate of grace. 

Alongside Mercury in 22 we have Aphrodite, Prosperina and Klotho ... what a lovely collection of energies gracefully gathered.  Prosperina is in part about Springtime and rebirths and is the Greek equivalent of Persephone, Aphrodite is of course about love and Klotho is one of the Fates, the weaver of life associated with births and beginnings.  With Mercury retrograde perhaps take some time over the next few days to review - "Inside, the strength of simplicity and self-knowledge.  Outside, the beauty of acceptance and gentleness."  BBW - 22.

The Moon and Earth's position for full moon is 46 line 3 ... this from Hilary Barrett "If you are committed to change and progress, it is up to you to move on.  Travel straight through towards your objective; do not linger here waiting for the echoes to talk to you."

The Rune stepping forward for this time is Perthro, you can read more about it in February's post but to sum up it's about chance occurrences, serendipities, opening to new knowing, very appropriate with the Earth in 46 :-)

I shall be back next week with April's transits.

MARCH - Nurturing Innocence and Grace

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 

New moon at 16:06 GMT on 6th March in 63.5 conjunct Neptune - we also have Vesta here as well which rather sets the tone for the month ... she's associated with what is sacred, following one's soul path.  Today is also the day Mercury stations to retrograde in gate 25 (innocence) where we currently have Chiron ... so potentially quite a bit going on as we begin Lent ... a chance to review our healing processes and focus on what really matters to us.

"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!

Full Moon - 19th 15:56 GMT

Hot in the footsteps of Imbolc, Chinese New Year (solar and lunar) and Valentines we have the Full Moon for February on 19th, 15:56 GMT.

I've had a look to see what theme there may be but nothing specific shouts out loud.  However, I think it could be more about lighting the way for the shift in the nodes which occur on the 20th.  As I mentioned in the February transits they are shifting to gates 62 and 61, so our collective direction moves toward seeking the details and clarification and away from (or, with a knowledge of) inner truth.  This means we have the south node conjunct with Pluto of course - one interpretation of the south node is that it represents our past; successes, transgressions, experiences, where we've already been as it were.  So, we have a chance to really delve our personal inner historical truths, this comes of course after the period we are currently in which has been giving us the chance to re-write our stories, let go of where we have limited ourselves.

In a natal chart "Pluto conjunct the South Node - Highly experienced in: psychological survival, deep transformation, intensity, feeling powerful.  When unbalanced: someone who thrives on unhealthy or destructive emotional dynamics or situations, compelled to live out a tragic tale.  When balanced: a passionate, formidable person who knows how to use their inner resources to change their lives and others’ without going to extremes" 
http://astroarena12.blogspot.com/2016/08/planets-conjunct-south-node.html

We have until Easter with this combination rippling through our collective consciousness before the nodes shift again, and another interesting pattern will emerge as the south node will then track through 54 ... where we've had Pluto and currently have Saturn.

In the few days around Full moon we have Venus join the party conjuncting with Saturn.  You should recall 54 is about upgrading, about biding one's time, about being willing to start at the bottom and work your way up.  Saturn has a long run with 54, through till August, and Pluto picks up his final pass here in September - all the while (from late April - mid September) the south node will be in 54 - so it won't be until late October we finally clear that 54 energy when Pluto moves into 61, never to return in our lifetimes to 54!

Whilst the south node is there the north node will be in the gate of gradual progress ... so may be this is the beginning of the light at the end of the tunnel that many of us have been looking for ... a little more patience is required it seems and that is reflected by the position of the north node (where we are heading) on 20th ...

North Node's position for 20th February - BBW 62.6 "Pressing on forcefully and immodestly invites disaster.  Return to the path of humility and devotion to proper principles, and a great misfortune will be avoided."  

And Chetan says "Accepting Limits: Recognizing practical limitations in all your endeavours.  You need to exercise reserve if you are going to interact within the scope of your abilities."

And the Rune that stepped forward for this Full Moon ... is Berkana 

This rune is associated with the birch tree and of healing.  It represents the Spring and the birthing of the new.  Although it's about nurture it is about the kind of care that allows the old to be let go of and the new stepped into.  In some ways it marks the closure of a cycle as we birth something different.  Here we see the perspective shift, we are growing into something new and even though we may have achieved goals we set ourselves we find ourselves perhaps changed in ways we didn't anticipate.  

This feels very appropriate as we look toward a few months of really seeing before we can pick up the energy for moving forwards from Easter.

I'm half way through my Rune training and for the month of March am happy to offer free readings - I have 8 slots available.  If you'd like one please email me - see side bar for address.  This can take the form of a live call (Zoom), or I'm happy to do this via email once I know what you would like to look at.

Valentine's Day 14th, don't hold your breath!

I thought it would be a bit of fun to see how many of the Gods and Goddesses of love/sex/marriage/lust have planets named for them and then look to see which might be the most beneficial to make your Valentine offerings to given their current locations in the Human Design wheel!

I came up with Eros (12 Standstill) Aphrodite (55 Abundance), Cupido (18 Correction), Venus (38 The Fighter), Hathor (36 Crisis Resolution), Frigga (13 The Listener), Freya (63 Doubts), Anteros (35 Advancing) and Ishtar (49 Revolution) so a mix across the pantheons and both Gods and Goddesses.

Most well-known in astrology of course is Venus but her position isn't exactly warm and cuddly at present ... she will still be in the gate of the fighter, 38.3, being tenacious and clear-sighted, useful perhaps if you have a pack of suitors ... maybe!

Two Norse Goddesses offer a little more hope with Frigga known as the All-Mother and associated with love and marriage, in the gate of the listener, 13, line 6.  Here she is expounding the energy of universal fellowship.  Freya is conjunct with the dreamy and ethereal Neptune in 63.  In line 5 she is feeling benevolent but this is the gate of doubts don't forget!

Probably the best bet is Aphrodite who is in gate 55, Abundance - sounds a bit more promising doesn't it, in line 5 though she's about counselling clarity in those who you choose as companions, so singing from a similar song sheet as Venus... not exactly swinging from the chandeliers stuff eh.

Gates 59 and 6 form the channel of procreation (and war).  59 has just Isis-TP which is sometimes associated with perfectionism.  And, nothing in gate 6, so nothing for 59 to be drawn to.

I have to say, all in all, there aren't any startling energies at play save for the Earth being in gate 29, she is there with Selena though (White Moon) "The White Moon, or Selena – shows the path of Light, of Truth, as well as the path to Supreme ... It gives a person grace and the sense of supreme significance." (astroesotericpro.com).  This gate is often thought of as the big YES ... but it doesn't appear there will be much on offer to jump at!  29 is paired with 46 and forms one of three tantric channels ... but don't hold your breath, all we have here is Hekate and she's all about crossroads!

So now I'm really trawling ... and have looked at what is in the Taurian gates, Taurus being all things comfy and lovable, and ruled by Venus of course.  Finally a group of possibles ... in gate 8, Seeking Union, mmm the name sounds more promising for Valentines :-) here we have ... a veritable orgy!

Bienor, Echeclus, Lacheisis, Narcissus, Sedna and Admetos ... now don't get too excited ... Narcissus does have a love connection of course and linked in with Echo but he is rather enamoured of himself and in line 3 where he will be the message is 'there is danger in uniting with the wrong elements ...' mmm bit of a theme coming here isn't there!

Last thought would be gate 10, this is all about love, loving the self, and here there is another group including Persephone, she had a very 'interesting' love life but not of the Valentine hearts most of us would choose and she's there with Eurydike ... my oh my ... bet that's a cheerful combination, at least when Freya descended into the dark worlds she returned with the Brisling Necklace!

When I asked which Rune would care to step forward ... Hagalaz jumped out LOL!!!!  Oh deary me, perhaps this is a day to stay in bed after all 😏

Rise Above It - FEBRUARY - Transits

Hello and welcome to February and another New Year to mark!

I had thought I knew the theme that might float up for February but as I looked at the various positions something different appeared.  EDIT - forgot to mention ... all planets direct this month.

There are a LOT of activations to gate 63 (in Pieces for the astrologers), this is where Neptune has been sitting since February 2017 ... you just think he's about to head onward and then he does another slow shuffle with a retrograde and you find yourself back where you started! We have him here till the end of March.  He'll be back again in September until finally departing this time next year.

So, let's take a closer look at gate 63.  It's one of the three Crown (head) gates, where we connect with inspiration, outer influences, whatever name you might like to name it/him/her!  This is the penultimate hexagram in the I Ching and along with 64 is a sort of summary of the cycle begun way back with the 1st and 2nd hexagrams.  It has various names depending on the translator and is known as After Completion, Doubts (critical perception), Already Fulfilled, Already Across, After the Crossing.

In this hexagram each yin and yang line alternate and are in their correct position, it represents perfect balance, but as is the way with these things it's only for a moment before there will inevitably be that swing out of balance and on to the new challenge - in the Runic cycle I feel this is akin to Wunjo.  To understand why this 'perfect balance' is not what it seems you need to recognise what happens when you achieve your goal ... often you tend to lose focus and drive, or just want more and more of the same ... and swing toward a new imbalance.  This hexagram might well neatly sum up the fall of great empires that begin to wallow in the sensual pleasure of success.

Now think about Neptune and what he traditionally represents - this is the veiled and elusive energy which blurs boundaries, its associated with dreams and inspiration and illusions and spirituality.  Combine that with a sense of having achieved what you wanted as described in 63 and you have the 'blissed out' state liable for a fall. Hopefully though many have been able to bring the critical perception aspect, doubts, to bear, and are beginning to see where re-balancing is required.

This month Neptune will be joined by Freya (beauty, independence, knowledge-seeking and shape-shifting) 2nd - 20th, Mercury (communications) 17th - 20th and will be triggered by arrivals in gate 4 (the partner for the 63-4 channel) by the Earth 8th - 13th and Isis (the missing piece) from 14th onwards.  That's a whole month!  Look to where you might be coasting and note adjustments that may be required to avoid a downfall - we've had a long period of reassessing and pruning down and upgrading, don't be seduced into thinking the job is done and dusted.  63-4 is the channel of the logical mind but it can become overwhelmed (hence the tag Confusion by some) seeing all the potential problems (and solutions), so harness the problem-solution energy.

The theme I thought may be more prominent was nurturing the new growth that is hopefully appearing after what seems a long spell of clearing out and culling ... but I think that will come through more in March.  For now, hold tight to the new ways you have been bringing forward, there's still a window for bringing forward the new for awakening/planting ... Uranus is still in the Aries section of gate 3 until mid February; the shift to the Taurian gate 27,  nourishment, is still a few weeks away.  And all the while we have the south node in 60 there is that channel of mutation still active.

Talking of the nodes they shift on the 20th, so we have a new set of themes to work from and move toward.  As they stay for several months at a time I'll give them more coverage next month.  Briefly - we have a moving from inner truth gained (61, where we of course now have Pluto) toward clarification (62 - a throat gate, so manifesting potential).  Until then you still have 3 weeks of reviewing/rewriting/releasing yourself from, the story you tell about yourself.

The other big mover is Saturn who is now going to shine his judgemental light on all that upgrading work you have been prompted to do by Pluto's extended stay in gate 54, the Marrying Maiden! He's here from 3rd until early August.

We have the Chinese New Year on the 5th, bringing us the year of the Pig (yin earth) a symbol of wealth.  I went down a rabbit hole here to see where the sun was placed for the last few Chinese New Years ... 2016 it was 49, the gate of revolution (Trump/Brexit), 2017 it was 19, the gate of sensitivity (fall out from Trump/Brexit), 2018 it was 30, the clinging fire ... Trump/Brexit fires raging.  You may be relieved to hear that this year's gate is 13, the gate of fellowship and the listener ... oh we can all but hope!

All month we have Jupiter in 26, great accumulation, often seen as the trickster or salesman.  Monitoring this energy are both Tyr (truth and honesty/sacrifice) and Odin in 44 where they are keenly recognising what is coming towards us.  These are some big energies in the channel of enterprise ... be interesting to watch how the big corporations (include governments here as well as big business) behave.  Tyr of course lost his hand restraining Fenrir to hold off the end of the world.

Lunar activity - New Moon 4th 21:07 GMT in 13.3 BBW "Mistrust and secrets only lead to more mistrust and secrets.  No good comes of this.  Turn matters over to the Sage and follow his guidance."

Full Moon 19th 15:56 GMT in 59.1 BBW "Misunderstandings should be healed as early as possible.  Take action to restore trust and good faith now."  This is very much the belief of the ancient Chinese that the best way of solving a dispute is before it takes hold ... hence Rise Above It.

We have a Pagan Sabbat too, Imbolc (Candlemass) celebrating the first signs of spring, 2nd February ... as this is a fire festival it seems appropriate to see where the Sun will be ...

13 line 1 - "Being Open: Relating to and communing with everyone equally" Chetan

Finally before the weekly round-ups I wanted to look at Chiron.  He is now firmly in gate 25 where he will be till late April and again later in the year ... these are his return periods for gate 25 - 18th March - 10th November 2018, 6th January to 27th Apil 2019 and 22nd September - 28th February 2020.

25 is the gate of innocence and those around aged 50 will all have this aspect as their Chiron placement.  It can be seen as the area you have come here to heal and then model and teach.  Those born between 2nd May and 4th September 1967 and 3rd March 1968 - 10th April 1969 and 14th October - 10th February 1970 have this aspect.  Many of our current leaders and up and coming leaders are probably born in these time-frames.  This is my generation in fact and many of us are just becoming grandparents as well.

And what I find really interesting is that for a period in early 1969 (4th January - 19th May) we also have the north node in gate 25 so people born in this period have Chiron conjunct and of course we have the Sun move through 25 the third week of March so a lucky few will also have their Sun there too!  That's a powerful drive for the energy of this gate.

So, 25th hexagram, Innocence, The Unexpected, Without Falsehood, Without Entanglement, Not False.  The I Ching recognises this hexagram as having the four virtues of Heaven.  Huang talks of the wisdom of holding to the truth - no matter how situations change, truthfulness never changes.  The host of this hexagram is quite unusually the first line but it clearly shows that a foundation of truth is key.  So look to the inner self and start there.

Chetan: 25.1 "Loving:  Living without ulterior motives.  Your heartfelt spontaneity is potentially prone to being disturbed by outside influences."

The 1st rounds up the energies mentioned in January with Venus at the Galactic Centre in 11.5, peace and harmony (also ideas).

2nd- 7th - Sun in 13 (listener/fellowship) and Earth in 7 (the Army), we still have Mercury nearly conjuct the Sun in these days so an opportunity for really listening and being heard.  The Earth is grounding us with the 'ducks in a row' gate so take another look around and check who your travelling companions really are, and if they should be, Mercury moves to the gate of revolution so you may feel a move to see what needs changing and Saturn of course is now reviewing all your up-grade decisions too with the New Moon on the 4th reminding us of the potential misfortune of secrets.

The Earth on 5th 7.4 Chetan "Disengaging:  Leadership in the highest integrity knows when and how to withdraw.  You are either realistic, or not, about how your leadership can serve others best."

8th - 13th - Sun in 49 (revolution) Earth in 4 (youthful folly) and triggering Neptune in 63.  Mars is conjunct Uranus in 3.4 on 13th.  Venus is in the gate of the fighter on the 12th.  All in all this looks like a firey week to me but with the potential to find some sensible solutions if you ... rise above it.

13th - Mars Conjunct Uranus - 3.4 BBW "An effort at union, made in humility and sincerity, and faithful to the principles of the Sage, will meet with good fortune."

14th - 18th - Sun in 30 (clinging fire) and Earth in 29 (abyss - sometimes the big YES just to retreat from the pressure) - Valentine's Day begins this period and with the Earth saying YES, do be a little cautious!!!  30 can really amplify the energies generally being as it is fire over fire!  Mercury moves into conjunction with Neptune on 17th for a few days which could trigger doubts or a potential to become blissed out and unobservant. Venus is also conjunct with Saturn from the 17th as well so upgraded relationships, or how you fit within the relationship hierarchy could come under the spotlight.

As 17th figures this week here is the Sun's placement for that day - 30.5 BBW "A true change of heart is possible when we accept the necessity of adversity.  Peace comes when we discontinue the strivings of the ego."  Mmm that sounds a lot like ... rise above it!

19th - 24th - Sun in 55 (Abundance) Earth in 59 (Intimacy/Dispersing) ... the nodes shift to 62/61 on 20th ... so we now have the south node (where we are moving from) conjunct with Pluto for the next few months and for a few days Venus is also here seeking that inner truth.  Mars moved to 27 on 17th and joins up with Pallas in 50 until the 23rd so here we have the channel of preservation - it's tribal and about maintaining the order and nurturing of the community.  Mars and Pallas are both of the warrior energies so perhaps here a fight for communal/tribal rights might be on the agenda.  With the Earth's position seeking intimacy and the Sun bringing forward a sense of abundance and connection this week could be very interesting and don't forget Full Moon enhancing all the above during the 19th.

Just because 21st is my brother's birthday I've chosen this one for a message from the Earth ... 59.3  "Connecting: Serving yourself and your world by triggering interactions.  You are open to respond to all kinds of associations and intimacies." - Chetan

25th - 28th - Sun in 37 and Earth in 40 forming the channel of Community. With Mercury seeking the hidden light and Venus moving from inner truth to containment and Mars moving into rationalising again we have the spotlight on tribal energies.  37-40 is powerful, it's emotional and connected to will and resources ... all about who does what, who has responsibilities, who has rights, how the whole exchange mechanism works that keeps community glued together.  There could well be some very heated debates following on from last week ... rise above it. And we have 3 channels active on the 28th ...

Mars position for 26th Chetan 24.1 "Being principled:  A constant need to review what is personally meaningful.  Your mental processes can excuse you from living your own truth for one rationale or another."

And so to the Runes ... I love the anticipation of this ... I always finish trawling the positions, writing up the narrative, before I request a Rune to step forward and love that moment wondering how it will fit with what I have already seen and felt!

And this month it is Perthro ... an interesting one whose true meaning is rather shrouded.  It may mean 'cup' and can be thought of as the chance throw of the dice.  So here we have chance occurrences, serendipities and unexpected events.  It's also about connections to inspiration so fits very nicely with the 63 theme I wrote about above.  In some writings it is thought of as the Phoenix, secretive and hidden ... this is interesting as the 19th - 22nd is the cross of the Phoenix in HD; people born with this destiny are often about secrecy and rebirths in cycles.  Perthro can remind us to question, 63 again, and to show us that there are many forces at work not all of which we can control ... so rise above it!  The challenge here is to identify success in any outcome.

The half-months are Algiz to 12th and Sowilo to 27th

As usual I will be back with any ponderings that occur to me, or, see you for next month!

Full Moon 21st January 05:18, Lunar Eclipse 05:13

Nearly at Full Moon time again!  My the weeks they do fly by.

A very interesting line up as we have the nodes conjunct with the Sun and Earth as the Moon is conjunct the Earth, and, not to be left out, Pluto and Mercury are conjunct with one another with Venus now moving over the Great Attractor!

With Venus over that GA, yet another activation of it, we get the chance to see relationships and what we value in all directions at once, offering a chance to focus and take a new path or to realign.  And with both Mercury and Pluto sitting in 61, the gate of inner truth there could be some super-clarity for those willing to look.

This translates to a focus of 'walking the talk', in a nutshell, with some potential searing personal insight into the truth of your relationships and what you value with the ability to communicate it clearly.

As is my way now I have asked a Rune to step forward with insight for this time and it is Gebo ... this is all about the gift of partnerships which seems very appropriate given Venus' position.  Where we are in balance in our relationships, where there may be imbalance.  It can also be about contracts and agreements, X marks the spot so to speak, and also where the treasure lies.  And let's be glad it isn't Eihwaz again!

Happy Full Moon to you all X

Epiphany - JANUARY TRANSITS

I make no apology for the fact that this will be a long, and probably detailed, read.  My posts always remain on the blog so you can keep returning and take in a bit at a time if that suits you better - or feel free to print them off and refer to throughout the month.  

I will always have a breakdown week by week after the narrative so you can fast-forward if you want to.  I do not have the time to post weekly, certainly not daily, in order to make this more bite-sized, and to be honest that isn't the way my brain sees the patterns.  I look at a month as a whole seeing the series of gates being activated and the larger themes that float out, I often refer back to previous months (sometimes even back through several years) and look forward too to see how the flow appears.

Being January this post is also somewhat of a scene-setter for the year generally so will likely include some bigger picture aspects as well.  

It would be great to get some feedback in the comments box below, especially if something I've highlighted turns up in your life.  You can leave your message anonymously if you choose and you don't need to be logged into any particular system.

Epiphany

The one thing that jumps out this month, as we start the new calendar year of 2019, is 6th January, hence this month's title!  I make no promises for actual epiphanies ... aside from Christ appearing to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi, my Concise Oxford Dictionary gives this meaning ... a moment of sudden and great revelation - as I say, no promises ... but there are some biggish shifts around and of course the beginning of the new Human Design year falls on 22 January, immediately after the Yule Full moon which is also a lunar eclipse.

So what's so special about 6th January - New Moon occurs at 01:30 (GMT) followed by the solar eclipse at 01:43 both in gate 54.1.

"The possibility of having an influence is small.  Do not react against the adversity, but retreat into stillness and patience.  Good fortune comes to one who accepts a background position."  BBW, and Chetan says "Being confident: Even in lowly situations, be true to yourself."

About 5 hours beforehand Pluto moves out of this New Moon gate and returns to 61, a crown gate - inner truth - he spent March to early June there last year giving us our first taster ... if you journal it may be interesting to think/look back to this period and see what was going on, you may find these same issues are revisited over the following months.  

Apart from a brief return to 54 mid September for a month (the final pass through 54 for another 200 and something years) we have inner truth in the frame for the whole of 2019 and on into 2021 - Pluto spends around 3 years in each gate with a little shimmying to and fro with retrogrades.  So 6th January marks a change of emphasis for all things soul destiny; Pluto has been in 54 since the beginning of 2016 or so; a long run for us to have worked that upgrading energy.

On the 6th we also have Uranus turning direct at 3.3.  This is another very slow moving planet and this moment marks the final pass through 3 before heading on to 27 in April for the rest of the year.  I for one will be grateful as he's been dancing on my Sun placement for some considerable time and given one name for gate 3 is 'difficulty at the beginning'  and Uranus is about 'shocking awakenings' ... mmm, you can probably see my point - never mind the fact I've been in my Chiron return ... more of him shortly ... told you 6th was a BIG day!  

Everyone of course has been experiencing sacral-root definition with Uranus in 3 hooking up with the South node in 60 for the last few months - we still have this in play till 20th February in the transit charts ... so a lot more generators are going to be born, all with that format channel ... be very interesting to see what they are doing as adults in some 20-30 years time :-) ... I did warn you, this wouldn't be a short read!

3-60 - the channel of mutation, an individual energy, pulse-like and part of the knowing circuit.  This is the quantum leap channel and when present in a chart drives everything else - hence, format!  The moving from chaos to order, endlessly, sums up this energy!

And I mentioned Chiron ... well ... trumpets at the ready, on the 6th he moves to 25 not returning to 36 for another 50 years!  Hooray!  25 is all about innocence a different energy for healing compared with the 'darkening of the light' of 36.  

3.3 Uranus final turning point in gate 3 ...

"Do not act on your own.  Seek the advice of the Sage and remain patient until the path is clearly shown." BBW

It would appear that this day is one for pausing and being realistic whilst the new energies settle in. With Uranus turning direct we have all the planets moving direct for a couple of months until early March and the regular Mercury fun and games for 3 weeks, turning direct again as it happens on 29th March. 

For the UK/Europe readers that date might be familiar ... so just for fun ... here is a line for Mercury for that day ... oh boy this is perfect ... Mercury direct in 63.6 29th March 2019: 

"Anticipating:  When completing anything remain present and looking forwards.  Dragging your mind out of past situations into the present is a lifelong awareness process." Chetan

Neptune will also be at this precise point as well - "The conjunction indicates a channel between the conscious mind and the unconscious mind, and both the energy and information flowing through this conduit need to be carefully integrated if a variety of imbalances and distortions is not to be created. The faculty of imagination will be highly stimulated and developed, and this will certainly require appropriate channels to be focused on so that other problems of perception are not created. The issue of mental realities is one which can make you unsettled, especially as you can tend to make mistakes in judgement based on misinterpreting facts and suggestive information. https://astromatrix.org/Horoscopes/Planet-Aspects/Mercury-Conjunct-Neptune" Mmmmm

Jupiter is in gate 5 for nearly all of January and will be near or conjunct the Great Attractor through the 6th until the 3rd week so we are still dealing with that energy that Mercury triggered back in late October, the whole raking up the past, seeing the future and every other option sufficient to drive you stir-crazy ... if you aren't aware and focused.  By now though you should be very aware, especially as Chiron was working hard for you to see your inner light and will now be looking at your innocence; not really anywhere to hide, especially once Pluto settles firmly into that gate of inner truth.  

Of course all the while we have Saturn the judge and teacher working us over through 38 (the fighter) so I think we are in for a period of some soul-searching in terms of which battles we are fighting, why we are fighting them and what, if anything, they have to do with our own soul paths.

Hekate is going to be just about conjunct the Super Galactic Centre (46.4) all month - this is the fixed point that draws us to soul connection, soul mates, soul destinies.  Hekate is the keeper of the crossroads, also a herbalist and seer.  46 is about serendipities, and embodiment.  So watch out for those 'chance' occurrences that lead to some insight, we have Pluto highlighting inner truth now and Jupiter urging us to expand and move ahead, make a choice, take a path having weighed all the history (great attractor point).  

46.4 "It is time to rededicate yourself to your roots and the source of your strength.  Steady your present ambitions by anchoring them to the past.  Whether or not you can see any prospect of immediate success, this will ultimately mean good fortune."  HB

Full Moon occurs 21st January (05:18) with a Lunar Eclipse (05:13) both in 60.5.  This is the first full moon since the new moon after Solstice so by some ancient systems a Yule Moon which marks the end of Yuletide and the celebration of the Sun surviving another round of being chased by the Wolf!  It's also considered by some to be mid-winter.  

"Any limitation you would impose on another must first be accepted and practised by yourself.  Be gentle, innocent and truthful in all things now."  BBW

OK, enough rambling, here are the weekly summaries.

31st December - 5th January - Sun 38 (fighter) Earth 39 (hardship) - I'll be honest these are quite challenging energies.  We do have Mercury running through 11 and over the Galactic Centre, which marks the point of peace on earth in many ways, the balance between the extremes, so hopefully a soothing influence.  Venus has been very insightful in relationships the last week or so (and not necessarily warm fuzzy-ones, but insightful nonetheless as we head for a few years of inner truth).  Mars is in 25 warming us up for Chiron's arrival here next week.  Given Saturn is conjunct with the Sun this week this seems like a week to be very mindful, return to your own counsel and avoid confrontation.

2nd - 38.2 (Sun/Saturn position) - "Being Courteous: A spirit of conciliation furthers your purpose.  Being relaxed in your attitude to others allows for the possibility to intuit your own purpose." Chetan

Tyr is in 28 during this period which gives us the channel of Struggle, he is about truth and justice and the sacrifice which is sometimes necessary for the greater good.  A sober week all round I think.

6th - 10th - See all the above!  We have Sun in the upgrade, Earth in 53 (gradual progress), Venus moving through alchemy and into power and Mars may be very opinionated!  This is a huge week, although I suspect it will only manifest gradually over the coming weeks.  

11th - 16th - Sun in 61 and now conjunct with Pluto and Earth in 62.  So here we have the turbo-boost to a year of Inner Truth with the Sun highlighting this Pluto energy.  There are a lot of activations around that could be obstructive with Mercury starting the period in the gate of the fighter echoing Saturn, Venus being powerful and then focused and Mars moving from opinions through to control.  I think the Earth's position could be the stabilising energy this week, it's all about resisting being seduced into the struggle or into aggressive actions and recognising that nonaction is a more productive stance.

62.4 - (Earth on 14th) "Being Patient: Being watchful for principled opportunities.  You accept the need to be cautious especially in situations when you see yourself as right."  Chetan

17th - 21st - Sun in 60 and Earth in 56.  So here we have a week of the Sun and Earth with the Nodal energies.  A big week for beginning to sort through what you really believe, what stories you tell yourself, take a look at where you may be limiting yourself by the stories you tell.  Mercury is catching up to a rendezvous with the Sun later in the month but for this week will be echoing through the 54 energy we've seen so much of and then ushering in Pluto's 61.  With Pluto now highlighting inner truth and Chiron urging the healing of your innocence a good week to do a stock-take especially as we have the Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse to end this period.  22nd begins the new Human Design cycle, so a chance to spend this last week working through where you want to start over.

56.6 (Earth on 21st) - "One must not abandon the inner attitude of the wanderer.  Through carelessness you can quickly lose all that you have gained." BBW. This relates to the notion you should travel mindfully in a foreign land.

22nd - 27th - Sun in 41, Earth in 31, so happy new year!  

Here we have energies around fantasy and dreaming 'what next' and the importance of language and words in leadership.  We had these positions as the nodes for the middle of last year if you recall.  During this week Mars moves to 51, the gate of shock, and in doing so will activate Chiron sitting in 25 so we'll have just over a week of the channel of the Shaman to tap into.  Given this connects the sense of self and the will (power) centres and we have Mercury conjuncting with the Sun in that fantasy gate AND we have Venus in 26 (the Trickster) there is the potential for some verbal shenanigans I would say.  

The Earth's position on 26th seems the soundest advice "Adaptability is advisable.  Avoid pushing or chasing others.  There is no remorse if you listen carefully to the Sage."  BW

28th - 31st - Sun in 19 and Earth in 33 - now this really is the time to retreat!  Mercury is still in step with the Sun's position which is the gate of sensitivity and the Earth is in retreat taking those moments where you need to return to the self to regroup.  Venus will be willing to bring peace and ideas and passes the Galactic Centre right toward the end of this period but Mars is still hooked up to 51 and triggering Chiron and now we have Jupiter making his move into 26, there is little room for manoeuvre save to sit quietly and watch how life plays out.  

Odin and Tyr are in 44 at this point which will trigger Jupiter in 26 giving all the channel of enterprise.  44 is all about being able to see who is approaching, which aids spotting the less attractive side of 26!  Odin and Tyr are a powerful pairing of all-seeing and truth-seeking, so in this gate of Approach they are handy allies.

Mars on 28th in 51.4 "You are mired in resistance to events.  Quiet your ego, accept the situation, and open your heart to learning what you need to learn."

That feels like a challenging month to me albeit with some interesting new energies at play.  By the end of the month I would hope there is the opportunity to have worked through some demons and be ready to catch all the direct motion of the planets to make lighter work of February!

And now to the Runes, I asked which would like to step forward to offer its guidance for January and it was Eihwaz ... again!  We clearly have not finished working with this energy, and to be honest given all the above I'm not at all surprised to see this Rune again.  

In fact Eihwaz is very appropriate because the first half-month is this Rune's time.

The second, 13 - 28 January is Perthro and that fits perfectly with epiphanies and Hekate working in the gate of chances and serendipity.

So, Eihwaz - it's the 13th rune in the Elder Futhark and it is associated with death.  Here though you can see it in the broader sense of dying to old ways, old beliefs, etc.  This is a good fit with Pluto bringing in the inner truth energy ... a chance to really see what needs dying to ... and the nodes are supporting this too with the focus on seeing where you have been contained and what you can bring forward from travelling with your eyes open and being mindful of your environment.

Eihwaz is also associated with the chakra system and the Kundalini energy, in fact, of awakenings, and we have activations to that shamanic channel this month.  In order to move forward we need to make space and leave behind what does not serve for the new cycle to take root.  

This Rune brings the energy for seeing what needs to be sacrificed, that is echoed in the position of Odin and Tyr this month ... epiphancies are there for the grasping, or perhaps, the noticing and stepping into, or may be dropping the resistance to something that has been calling but that requires the letting go of something else.

I will be back with any further musings through the month.

Happy New Year to you all.