” All of  life springs from the primeval waters that flow from the tree of life and gather at its base, waters which are limitless, an essential sea circulating through all of nature. These waters are the beginning and end of all existence, the ever-moving matrix that nurtures and preserves life. The World Tree, expressing its milky golden sap, denotes ‘absolute reality’, a return to the center and place of origin, the home of wisdom that heals.”*

Under the influence of Pisces I am having trouble giving form to my thoughts and  I am still sorting my impressions of this New Moon as it approaches the waxing phase of the cycle. Two days after the New Moon I saw a delicate sliver of light rising in the night sky, a budding crescent open to the cosmos to receive the light of the Sun, and I felt the haunting beauty and tender vulnerability experienced with every new birth. The birthing of this New Moon is the last New Moon of winter and it is illuminating a deepening empathy for all of life.

When the Sun and Moon, luminous lights of spirit and soul, conjoin in Pisces the collective feelings of humanity are emerging from the primal flow of life, and tasting the golden sap of immortality we on Earth understand the precious giving back of our mortality. When we are under the influence of Pisces ridged boundaries dissolve allowing the numinous light of the source of our origin to filter into conscious awareness.  We feel what others are feeling and we suffer what others are suffering.  In the wake of this new born consciousness our usual indifference to the eternal flow of nature subsides and our joyful participation in the totality of life bestows a deepening  gratitude for the rich nourishing we receive in kind.

This New Moon foretold of a healing to that aspect of our soul deprived of the spontaneous and joyful celebrating of life. At the time of the New Moon the transiting Nodes changed signs ** and immediately bumped into the rebellious nature of Uranus.  Radical change is in the air demanding that we break free from collective thoughts, feelings, and actions that, however well intended, have censured our efforts to creatively express our unique self.

For those of us with a world weary cynicism or a tyrannical mistrusting of realities beyond the pale of our rational mind this New Moon may surprise us. We are promised the opportunity to release our attachment to ideas we inherited from our past that are not reflecting our individual experiencing of life.  The waxing phase of the New Moon has activated our emotional defenses and challenged us to break free from our patterned behavior in order that a new aspect of our consciousness come to light.  The cosmos is asking us to honor our contribution to the ebb and flow of our daily life and to witness with conscious light the life that we created in the past,  are creating in the present, and hope to create in the future.

The approaching Jupiter-Saturn opposition will rock the ocean waters of our collective feelings turning our individuality upside down and inside out. This is not going to be an easy month for many of us feeling at times that our individuality is being overwhelmed by external forces beyond our control. When this happens it may bring comfort remembering that we alone have woven the illusory web separating our inner realty from our outer reality. Under the watchful guiding of Pisces we can remove the illusory veiling of our separateness and feel our interconnection with all of life.

The influencing of the element air, the waxing Moon in Gemini and transiting Saturn in Libra, adds perspective and emotional distance from the sorrows and sadness reflecting the shadow face of Pisces. We are warned not to drown the light of our life vitality with emotional withdrawal or to become a victim to our external circumstances.  It is worth reminding our self that while we cannot control the actions of others we can control our responses to those actions, and in so doing, accept responsibility for what our actions manifest in the world. One healing offered by Pisces is the gift of  acceptance, and the grace given when we accept what is at the deepest level of our self.

* Joan Halifax, Shaman : The Wounded Healer

** The North Node is Sagittarius and the South Node is Gemini

Pisces is the zodiac sign par excellence for our unbounded imagination connecting us with the source and succor of our origin. In the coming weeks, from February 18 – March 19, this theme of Pisces will broaden our understanding of our life purpose by deepening our capacity to empathize with our common humanity and recognize our interconnection with all of life. During this time we can expect events in our life to challenge our separateness and isolation with the additional themes of unconditional love, what the Buddhists call non-attachment, looming large in our relationships with family and friends. Disillusionment is always possible with Pisces but if we expand our understanding about the nature of our relationships and our capacity for relating with others we may discover that Pisces is helping us dissolve a relationship in our life that is preventing us from growing more whole within ourself. The shadow face of Pisces is our self-sacrifice turning into martyrdom, which can be particularly poisoning of spirit and soul if we use emotional manipulation and control to insure the love of others.

We may experience some cherished boundary of our individuality suddenly dissolve leaving us naked and vulnerable. If this happens it is worth remembering that under the influence of Pisces an old cycle of life is ending and before a new cycle of life can begin everything created in the old cycle must be given back to the source of life. There is no other way. This is cosmic law. Jupiter, regal and judicious moving back and forth through Pisces for the entire year, is hurling his infamous thunder bolts in our direction inviting us to grow in higher consciousness. Under the influence of  Jupiter in Pisces our third eye opens like the aperture of a camera, and filing our inner gaze with the light of conscious awareness we enter the world of the visionary lifting the veil of reality and seeing clearing the illusion of our separateness. On February 16 Venus and Jupiter conjoin promising a day of free flowing love shared in union with our unbound imagination. Our compassion and empathy for ourself and others is expanding beyond what we thought was possible suggesting it is time to open our mind  and heart to a new vision of love and relationship.

Venus in Pisces :: February 11 – March 6

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2010/02/11/a-fine-delicacy/feed/ 2 laurenlesko Venus & Cupid http://laurenlesko.com/2009/05/31/precarious-balancing/ http://laurenlesko.com/2009/05/31/precarious-balancing/#comments Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:05:35 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=5454 ]]> click on the image to read about the art

The current New Moon cycle is reflecting the mutable signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces; and as we follow the unfolding of the Sun and Moon relationship, keeping in mind that every lunation cycle heralds a potential conscious awakening of an unfamiliar aspect of our self, our attention is drawn to the inter-playing between this New Moon cycle and the approaching Saturn and Uranus opposition; an opposition that always delivers a challenge to the precarious balancing between tradition and innovation, restricting and liberating, the status quo and the unorthodox. With Saturn in Virgo opposing Uranus in Pisces we are asked to improve society by breaking apart stagnant social structures and traditional ideologies that are preventing us from a more inclusive engaging with the diversity offered in life. Yesterday, the Moon in Virgo squared the Sun in Gemini creating tension accompanying the green light to embrace the rich diversity of life as we search for a safer and more secure belonging in our global community. Today, the Moon cautiously joined forces with Saturn and reflecting  our emotional maturity we acquired the opportunity to spend the coming week working on practical solutions that  will nourish the health and well being of our society. This is a good time to avoid emotional retreating or withdrawing because we feel insecure and fearful. Tomorrow, the Moon discreetly opposes Uranus and reflecting our emotional independence and originality  we have the  unique opportunity to invent unusual ways of improving the quality of daily life. It is important this week to resist the temptation of becoming  frustrated by any imperfection we may experience that unexpectedly appears with a defiant stance manifesting as a hyper-critical viewing of our self and the world surrounding us.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2009/05/31/precarious-balancing/feed/ 2 laurenlesko Prognostication 1502 http://laurenlesko.com/2009/03/04/waxing-moon-in-gemini/ http://laurenlesko.com/2009/03/04/waxing-moon-in-gemini/#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:00:44 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=3026 ]]> At the New Moon in Pisces we had the opportunity to set an intention for the month and today the waxing Moon in Gemini punctuates a point of crisis giving us the opportunity to creatively communicate with precise simplicity what has until now been hidden in our unconscious; our feelings of interconnection with the source of Life. Both Pisces and Gemini seek connection but the conflict arises between the lateral movement of air, Gemini, wanting to make connections unencumbered and the absorbing pull of water, Pisces, drowning free will. This week we need to be mindful of superficial conversations that may undermine our deeper intentions to consciously seek union with something greater than our physical manifestation. This can be a great week to write down our dreams to better understand our connection to the collective unconscious. For those of us with significant planets or personal points in the mutable signs, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces this lunation cycle can bring creative changes into our life if we can surrender our unique individuality in tribute to the source of our creation without sacrificing our separate and distinct identity. This waxing Moon makes nourishing aspects to Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Chiron, and Neptune suggesting that we can “shift shape” this month with mercurial wit and charm by embracing diversity knowing that we are joined in union with one another through our shared experience of being human and our recognition that All of Life is interconnected.

This month we are ending the annual journey of the Earth around the Sun; a journey that began at the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring, when day and night were of equal portion and new life delicately pushing forth in self determination sprouted from the fertile womb of the Earth. The following eleven months ushered a time of tremendous growing throughout spring and summer, followed by decaying throughout the fall, and a winter dying preparing for the resurrecting of new life in the coming spring. When the Earth is passing through Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac, those of us living on Earth experience the ending of an old cycle preparing us for a new birth in consciousness. Pisces is one of the earliest signs recorded with two fishes appearing on an Egyptian coffin lid c. 2,300 BC.; apparently, the Nile reached its peak under the influence of a Full Moon in Pisces at which time Egypt became a veritable ocean. The association of Pisces with the unfathomable depths of the ocean resonates deep within our collective unconscious and even today our human experiencing of Pisces is that aspect in each of us that feels itself swimming blindly in the depths of the primordial waters of the source and succor of our creation.

When we are under the influence of Pisces we can be painfully aware of our incompleteness and struggle to gather the disparate parts of our self into a cohesive whole only to realize that we are apart of something much greater than the solitary sum of our parts. As the Earth passes through Pisces we pass through a process of surrendering all that we have physically, mentally, and spiritually achieved during the last year and placing our life achievements upon a sacrificial alter, some of us gleefully others of us with hesitation, we metaphorically dive into the wild seas of undifferentiated union. It is worth noticing in the constellation of Pisces one fish is swimming along the ocean bed while the other swims up toward the light. This gives us an essential clue in understanding that the true nature of our unconscious rather than willfully hiding in the depths of our collective past is forever seeking wholeness by reaching toward our conscious light.

Today, the Sun leaves the nested community of celestial bodies in Aquarius to enter Pisces, and we on Earth can expect a definite shift in consciousness. In Aquarius we were made aware that our individuality is contributing something valuable to the collective while in Pisces we are made aware of surrendering our individuality to the collective. When we are under the influence of Pisces our separateness feels awkwardly isolated in an ill fitting skin and we struggle to dispel the inherent loneliness of physical manifestation by merging our separateness with another. Pisces is that aspect in each of us intimately connected with the collective unconscious speaking the universal language of love through the voices of poetry, film, and song. It  has been said that Neptune, co-ruling  Pisces with Jupiter, is that aspect in each of us that loves because it is the nature of love to love. Neptune and Jupiter are walking side by side this year in Aquarius suggesting a time for sharing unconditional love with all of humanity in an outpouring of empathy and genuine concern for the well being of Life on Earth. As the Sun journey’s through Pisces we are made consciously aware that unconditional love lives in the heart of every individual.

The Sagittarius Full Moon is stimulating a restlessness within each of us which may be pricking our dissatisfaction with the way things are. This is especially  true for those of us born with a strong influence of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces at 21 degrees. This is not a negative experience, in fact, this Full Moon is spurring us onward to fulfill our dreams of the future aided with a tempering of our expectations of what that future will be. Gemini and Sagittarius have difficulty concentrating on the mundane concerns of life and yet this is exactly what we are challenged to do. One lesson taught, and hopefully learned, under the influence of this Full Moon is the necessity to create “boundaries”, which means to respect both the sovereignty of ourself and others. Another lesson offered is learning to take responsibility for fulfilling our commitments by keeping our mind focused on the goal and taking one precious step after another. In other words, this is not a fortuitous time for  entertaining distractions.  We need  to be watchful of becoming discouraged if things are not moving as fast as our mental imagining. The trick this week is to give ourself enough mental breath to “realize” what we think and feel, separate and distinct from others, without escaping into imaginary flights of fancy.

The exuberance of the Sun in Sagittarius opposing the Moon in Gemini conjures a wild horse ready to bolt, which is exactly what we may feel like doing because this Sagittarius Full Moon makes a Grand- Square to Saturn in Virgo opposing Uranus in Pisces, and corrals our expansive vision for the future.  Remember this Full Moon is teaching us about boundaries and corralling our vision for the future can actually work in our favor if we accept the celestial challenge and become more methodical in accomplishing our goals. It is also possible that this transit will highlight where in our life we tend to give up too easily fostering frustration, regret, even resentment toward others.

A real treasure of this Full Moon is found in the supportive relationship between Mercury and Jupiter reinforcing that we can accomplishment our goals but it will require self-discipline, an unwavering commitment, and personal sacrifice.  Hours before the Full Moon, Mercury, the ruling planet for Gemini and Virgo, entered Capricorn  straight into the arms of Pluto a clear signal for transforming our perception of social power, authority, and leadership. Jupiter, the ruling planet for Sagittarius and Pisces, is in the sign of Capricorn and having recently made a trine to Saturn is valiantly navigating a stormy sea of uncertainty. Together, Mercury and Jupiter in Capricorn are helping us achieve what we imagine our future to be by keeping our feet firmly planted on Earth.

The first aspect the Moon made in Gemini was to nourish Venus in Aquarius which accentuated the universal theme of “human value”, and insured that we can experience grace and beauty in the arms of this Full Moon if we put our judgement from the past to sleep and awaken our appreciation for each unique expression of life. This Gemini Moon is also nourishing the North Node, Chiron, and Neptune Aquarius, which is helping us heal a deep wounding to humanity by opening our mind and heart to the unimaginable. Aquarius is that aspect in each of us learning to receive from others, and with the help of the Full Moon after-glow our thirst for new experiences and our quest for the unknown can guide our discovery of the full potential of what the human imagination can accomplish accompanied by self-determination.

As the Moon enters Pisces we begin our experiencing of the waxing phase of the Sagittarius new Moon; and making a square first to the Sun and then to Mars this Moon directs our attention to a conflict which we can creatively manage depending upon how we assert our individuality. The Sun, Mars, and Mercury are fellow companions in Sagittarius, at best,  enlivening one another in philosophical questing and inquiring into new  concepts, at worst, in self -righteous proselytizing and impulsive proclaiming. Sagittarius is that aspect in each of us physically and mentally reaching for new horizons so that we can experience the unfamiliar, the exotic, and the foreign as aspects within ourself but first we need to be willing to let go of what we believe to be “truth”.

The waxing Pisces Moon signals that the time  has come for us to dissolve those boundaries separating  “me” from “you” in order to experience a reality of inter-connectedness and oneness with all of life. And because reality is construed in the form of what we perceive reality to be the waxing Pisces Moon offers us a golden opportunity to question our perception of life. When we are under the influence of Sagittarius we are seeking universal understanding, and when we are under the influence of Pisces we are seeking universal surrendering: and both expressions of human experience require that we reconfigure the silhouette we call “self”.

It is not by chance that our ancestors gave the benevolence of Jupiter as guardian ruler to both Sagittarius and Pisces, especially when we consider that Jupiter is that aspect in each of us seeking to connect with something within ourself which seems far greater than ourself. The planet Jupiter is currently transiting in Capricorn adding  stability  to Sagittarius and containment to Pisces which is helping give form to our eternal quest for meaning and significance in life. Add the guidance of the waxing Moon in Pisces and it is likely that something we believe to be sacred will be challenged in the coming week. The probability of this happening is further emphasized because the Moon contacts the Saturn-Uranus opposition highlighting a sudden and unexpected breaking free of tradition, which may expand our conscious awareness that our perception of reality is much more fluid than we often believe it to be.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2008/12/05/asserting-our-individuality/feed/ 0 laurenlesko A French Zodiac http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/26/epimetheus-mercury/ http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/26/epimetheus-mercury/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:13:43 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=453 ]]> click on the image to red about the art

This week garners unavoidable change in the air tempting us ever closer to a new awakening in consciousness. We were ushered into a new Epimetheus awareness with the Sagittarius Mercury-Sun superior conjunction along side a cycle of inevitable changes accompanying Pluto’s entrance into Capricorn and Uranus stationing direct in Pisces. All three celestial events guarantee that something in our life is changing direction and even if the change seems insignificant at the moment it will eventually be recognized in time as a meaningful shift in our conscious awareness. Rest assured that whatever is percolating within each of us at this moment is penetrating to the deepest depths of our humanity.

Humanity has inherited through the DNA of the collective unconscious a deeply intuitive understanding of the cycles of the universe and the cosmic rhythms of change which continually arise in our conscious awareness of “self and Self” as an intrinsic part of a greater whole. Of the many gifts offered astrology none seems more important than the guidance we are given to navigate the inevitability of change in our life and to decipher the meaning of that change when it happens. While there are many celestial cycles governing insight into the meaning of what we experience in life, the most familiar, and the one directly influencing our perception of the totality of what we experience, is the Mercury retrograde cycle. We experience this cycle three times a year making it the model upon which we experience all other cycles. Unfortunately, many of us anticipate a Mercury retrograde with dreaded apprehension because we fail to understand the purpose of the cycle which is to facilitate our fullest participation in realizing who we are and what we are experiencing in our life. Mercury’s orbit around the Sun determines the rhythmic patterns of the retrograde cycle giving us two distinctly different but related phases: the Prometheus phase of attention punctuated during the direct period and the Epimetheus phase of awareness punctuated during the retrograde period.

Ancient astrologers defined the Prometheus phase when Mercury was moving away from the Earth into the light of the Sun and rising as the morning star; likewise, they defined the Epimetheus phase when  Mercury was moving away from the light of the Sun toward the Earth and rising as the evening star.  In astrology the Sun is  the illuminating principal in human consciousness and the Prometheus phase heralds a time of our active participation and conscious attention to a separate but shared relationship with the events in our life, while the Epimetheus phase heralds a time of contemplative participation and unconscious awareness that we and the events in our  life are one. Another way of saying the same thing is that in order to appreciate the entirety of our human potential we need both a profane and a sacred experiencing of our life, which  fortunately for us is offered in every retrograde cycle.*

Yesterday, Mercury and the Sun shared a superior conjoining in Sagittarius which simultaneously announced the  ending of the Prometheus phase of our activity in conscious attention with our environment; and the beginning of the Epimetheus phase of our contemplative consideration and unconscious awareness of the significance of all that has just passed. This week, in the sign of Sagittarius, we begin a new cycle of Epimethean awareness suggesting the necessity to integrate the prosaic conditioning of tribal rituals with an expanded view of the world. If we add the change in direction of Uranus in Pisces we can expect upheaval and disassociation from certain events in our life which can be blessings in disguise helping us dissolve rigid  attitudes and a prescribed world view. Uranus is entering a phase of Promethean attention propelling us into a conscious relationship with our environment that when coupled with the Epimethean awareness of Mercury’s cycle, speaks in the voice of our creative change in consciousness.

Admittedly, whenever Uranus changes direction it can feel as if our world is turning upside down and inside out.  But what is more deserving of our attention  than a drastic changing of circumstance, and attention paid to our relationship with our environment is crucial if we want to successfully navigate an unpredictable sea of change. Uranus is that aspect in each of us that is wholly unpredictable and defiant of outside control preventing personal freedom. This Uranus cycle is prodding our conscious attention to accept our common humanity and admit that we need the help of one another to fulfill our life potential. Uranus in Pisces opposing Saturn in Virgo tells of our opposing attitudes; wanting to dissolve the boundaries that separate us from others but unwilling to let go of all the hard work and human effort that created the separation in the first place.  In the first week of December Mercury in Sagittarius will square this touchy Saturn -Uranus opposition possibly triggering moral indignation, self-righteous resistance, even fanaticism directed against social change. Whatever the external circumstances of our life as adults we have the freedom to choose how we respond to them. Especially now it is worth remembering that one treasure of Uranus is expressed in our collective concern for all of humanity .

* My thoughts on the significance of a retrograde cycle are inspired by astrologer, Erin Sullivan, and her insightful book, Retrograde Planets.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/26/epimetheus-mercury/feed/ 0 laurenlesko Mercury's Staff http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/22/shooting-for-stars/ http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/22/shooting-for-stars/#comments Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:00:31 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=446 ]]> click on the image to read about the art

When the Sun enters Sagittarius our nights are growing longer than our days and our conscious attention in tandem is seeking an expanded meaning of life beyond our daily toil. The wisdom of our ancestors honored the cycles of the seasons choosing to awaken the story-telling of their life experiences during the lengthening nights when human activity is beckoned inside. In the decreasing daylight of the fall season we find our self spending more hours indoors than out appreciating this time for exploring  unfamiliar territory within our self, and expanding our consciousness we set upon an inner journey home to the source of our creation. For the ancient Maya Civilization this home was found at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, the World Tree rooted at the crossing point of the Milky Way along the ecliptic in Sagittarius. In Roman mythology Juno, the wife of Jupiter, is responsible for the birth of the Milky Way Galaxy born from the milk of her breast spilled from the mouth of Hercules. More recently, in the 20th century, the astronomers discovering the Galactic Center, a black hole in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy located along the ecliptic at the same place as the Maya World Tree, believe it to be the source of everything in our galaxy including human consciousness. When we are under the influence of Sagittarius we instinctively understand the evolutionary calling of cosmic consciousness expanding our perception of life beyond the contours of our ordinary experiencing taking us to a place different than our material self.  Taking our cue from the symbol for Sagittarius, half man and half horse shooting an arrow to the heavens, when we are under the influence of Sagittarius we aim our sight for the stars.

The motivating force of Sagittarius is our quest for the quintessential meaning of life requiring the full immersion of our mind and senses in a broad experiencing of life. In Greek and Roman mythology  centaurs were creatures born of raw instinct with an unbridled sensuality often expressed in human form as a fun loving and robust sexuality not mired in the tribal mating rituals of either fidelity or commitment. On the surface of life this behavior appears lacking in respect and sensitivity to the feelings and needs of others, yet, if we reach beyond the surface we encounter the unconscious motivate; sensitivity to a stultifying tribal view of reality that compels us to break through the “chains that bind” into a more universal perspective that is respectful of the source of all life

Chiron, half brother to Jupiter, and progenitor of the race of Centaurs, was a wise teacher and healer of gods and humankind alike who himself suffered an incurable wounding which only his death could absolve. He arranged with the Olympian gods to exchange his immortal life for the release of Prometheus, the giver of fire to humankind, by entering Hades and freeing Prometheus from his chained bondage to a rock. The planetary body discovered in the 1970′s and named after the mythological Chiron orbits between Saturn and Uranus offering us on Earth a mediator between our bondage to traditional authority  and our ability to unleash our full creative potential. When we are under the influence of Chiron we are made aware of a wounding we inherited from  the collective experiences of humanity which can only be healed by dying to an aspect of our individuality which has inhibited our conscious awareness. The necessity for our healing is made all the more urgent with the insistence of the current Saturn-Uranus opposition.

Yesterday the Sun entered Sagittarius following Mars and followed today by Mercury. This celestial trio is offering a period of cosmic expansion broadening our perception of what our life can be. Mars our impulse to be, the Sun our essential life force, and Mercury our interpreter of reality, are under the influence of an evolutionary growth in consciousness that can shift our focus from what we do, our achievements in life, to who we are, the discovery of the essence of our life. Admittedly, this journey  is an elaborate odyssey taking the entirety of our life before reaching our final destination, but this month we are given extra guidance from a potent cluster of planetary ruler ship with Jupiter and Saturn at the helm.

Sun, Mars, and Mercury in Sagittarius are disposed by Jupiter in Capricorn, the sign of Saturn’s ruler ship, and in trine to Saturn in Virgo, the sign of Mercury’s ruler ship. Uranus in Pisces is under the  shared ruler ship of Jupiter and Neptune, and Neptune is in Aquarius along side Chiron  and the North Node, all disposed by a Saturn and Uranus shared ruler ship. Venus in Capricorn and Pluto’s ingress into Capricorn cement this cosmic union of an extended celestial family which mirrors the potential unity of the extended family of humanity on Earth. This cosmic flurry of activity promises that we can  manifest an inspired vision for the future if we reach beyond the perceptual box of what is and fully participate with all of humanity to create what can be.

This will be made more clear to us later in December when first Mercury, then the Sun, and lastly Mars square the Saturn – Uranus opposition alerting us on earth that certain structures created to serve society are ready to be fully integrated into the service of a greater humanity; the only caution being that we do not encourage those in authority to “throw out the baby with the bath water”. At the same time it is essential that we clearly understand the nature of the social policies presented in service to society and who exactly in society they serve.

At the end of November Venus in Capricorn dances in harmony with a newly directed Uranus in Pisces before joyfully falling into the arms of Jupiter. Tradition holds sway that when the two beneficent planets, Jupiter and Venus, are in joyful harmony that which we call luck springs eternal. Uranus in Pisces, the sign of exaltation for Venus, further suggests a universal awakening in what we value in life. The only advisable warning is to make sure that we do not become complacent observers expecting the change in our future to come from the efforts of others.  Jupiter and Saturn are telling us that our efforts are an essential component for doing the work needed to accomplish the goal.

Pluto, our celestial ambassador having recently conjoined the Milky Way Galaxy adds a sobering mood to this months celestial euphoria when entering Capricorn; insuring that evolutionary transformation is on our horizon but not before we experience a significant death of an aspect of our self which we have held dear to our heart. This is not a time to fearfully cling to our past if we sincerely want a better future for our self, our tribe, our species, our Earth.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/22/shooting-for-stars/feed/ 2 laurenlesko The Birth of the Milky way http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/03/scrupulous-unveiling/ http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/03/scrupulous-unveiling/#comments Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:40:01 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=422 ]]> click on the image to read about the art

Our day begins with a Sagittarius Venus challenging the Saturn – Uranus opposition creating an atmosphere of conflict between our values, social tradition, and innovation. Venus is that aspect in ourself weighing what we value with what others value to create an equilibrium between the two; a daunting challenge for most of us and harbinger of the well trodden brier path we often experience in our long term relationships. When Venus is in Sagittarius what we value is our freedom to expand in conscious awareness beyond what is familiar and comfortable stimulating our appetite for foreign adventure and philosophical questing. The gift of Sagittarius is our sincere interest in diversity and our eagerness to explore a myriad of foreign ideas with a keen intent toward enlarging the scope of our personal interests in life. When we are under the influence of Sagittarius our enthusiasm rides boundless and the one danger we may meet on our quest is our self-righteous indignation and fanatical intolerance for the opinions and ideas of others. When this happens we are definitely experiencing the shadow face of Sagittarius, and it is likely that this is the face of Sagittarius presented to us in the square Venus delivers first  to Saturn and then to Uranus.

The Saturn – Uranus opposition is a struggle between two seemingly opposing forces; Saturn preserving social traditions and Uranus championing innovative changes that break free from those traditions. At least this is what appears at first glance, however, the Venus square casts a warning that intolerance and fanaticism are blocking both the preserving of tradition and the changing of tradition. Cosmic truth says that Saturn and Uranus need one another; traditional values without the breathe of innovation offers brittle  bones, and innovation without the wisdom’s of tradition offers wholesale obstinacy. This tells me that it is possible for this Saturn- Uranus transit to work together bringing innovation to tradition but not without conflict from the extremist opinions circulating the globe, which in American society in particular seems ruthlessly bent on redistributing constitutional powers. Saturn in Virgo heralds a sharp eye to distribution suggesting that this is a prime time to redistribute social power but as a means for improving health, work, and the environment, not as a method heralding global privatization serving the interests of a few. Uranus in Pisces directs our attention away from revolutionary ideals to a revolution in consciousness asking us to shift our perspective of what our life can be.

For this to happen we need the cooperation of Mercury, our celestial messenger, translating our unconscious motives into our conscious realizations. Tonight, Mercury conjoins Pluto suggesting a definite transforming in our perceptions of what we think we know but not without confronting our personal intolerance to the opinions of others. Tomorrow, Mercury enters Scorpio intensifying our investigation into the shadowy world of our unconscious motives and the unconscious motives of others. Scorpio demands above all else self-honesty. It is that aspect in each of us seeking to free the truth imprisoned by the lies. When we are under the influence of Scorpio we are leery of what others conceal and the challenge with Mercury in Scorpio is not becoming doggedly suspicious and mistrusting of the motives of others to the extent that we withdraw from participating out of shear disgust. Instead we needed to use the surgical precision offered when Mercury is in Scorpio to cut through the mental manipulation of others and discover what really is being said.

We need to be watchful of mixed messages and smoke screens distracting our attention from the primary concerns of the moment. Tonight, Mars makes a square to a newly stationed Neptune in Aquarius upsetting our equilibrium by accentuating our fear of survival. Mars is powerfully placed in Scorpio and the square to Neptune indicates that our will to act could be knocked off balance. When Mars is in Scorpio our desire to have what we want is magnified by our fear to survive and we often act with great force to obtain what we want. The atmosphere is definitely intense under a Scorpio Mars and we need be aware of over reacting out of fear; ours and others. Either way, we need to be aware that fear is running at a fevered pitch and before taking action we need to cool down and stand our ground lest we deliver our control and self-determination into unscrupulous hands. The greatest gift of a Scorpio Mars is our unwavering commitment to uncover the hidden underpinnings of our problems to allow for transforming solutions.

Neptune in Aquarius promises rational insight into what is happening around us if we can separate reality from fantasy and not fall prey to imaginary fears. Neptune always asks for self-sacrifice and in Aquarius it suggests sacrificing what we think we know to allow for innovative solutions to the problems we are facing. There are many situations in life that contribute to the quality of our survival and we are well heeded to step back and take a look at the big picture offered Venus in Sagittarius, the scrupulous unveiling of lies and secrets offered Mercury in Scorpio, and the penetrating will to transform our fears offered Mars in Scorpio.

The Moon, our celestial mediator, is actively interweaving celestial conversations stirring up  the cosmos and events in our lives. New Moon to Waxing Moon.

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