The Scorpio lunation cycle that began our investigation into self-honesty is nearing completion reflecting the face of the Leo waning Moon  and the innocent exuberance of our self-expression. Every month, the waning phase of the Moon offers us a time for self-reflecting and integrating the creative energies we have released during the lunar cycle. When the waning Moon is in Leo our self-reflection is accompanied with a certain restless anxiety at having to shine for our self alone. Leo is that aspect in each  of us telling our self how boring it is to be an audience of one, and yet, this is the grace  and beauty offered  Leo; bringing to conscious awareness a blossoming self-assured confidence not dependent upon the approving applause of another. When we are under the influence of a waning Moon we experience the dark face of our unconscious, and in Leo this dark face reveals the past rejections and exclusions we have experienced that are in need of healing in the present.

When under the influence of Leo we feel the vitality of life pulsating through every cell of our being sincerely wanting to share with others the warmth and vibrancy of our solar light, yet, we can behave like an unaware child basking in the radiance of our solar light blind to the effect we have on others and insensitive to their individual needs. The solar radiance of Leo can scorch the sensitive receptivity of the Moon alienating us from our deeper emotional needs. The Leo waning Moon brings the opportunity of contemplating our deeper needs by bringing to the surface our self-doubts and insecurities.  Leo is that aspect in each of us seeking security within our self and the greatest lesson learned from Leo is the self-love expressed in our giving love freely from our heart to our self and unequivocally to everyone else.

The waning Moon always makes a square with the Sun suggesting an internal conflict requiring a creative solution. Before making a square to the Sun the Moon conjoins the South Node in Leo, opposes the North Node, Chiron, and Neptune in Aquarius, and makes a square to Mercury in Scorpio. The insecurity of Leo expressing our need to impress others is clouding our capacity to see an inner truth about our self. Leo is that aspect in each of us seeking self-respect regardless of what others think or say and the emotional distance and objectivity offered Aquarius can help us become less vulnerable to the approval of the group. This waning Moon seems to be challenging us to embrace our unique individuality without loosing our sensitivity and awareness of the needs of others. The Moon-Neptune opposition suggests that emotional deception is creating the unrealistic expectations we harbor about what others can give to us. This waning Moon is gently reminding us that the illuminating gift of Leo is our capacity to give love to others and the illuminating gift of Aquarius is our capacity to receive love from others; a realization  guaranteed to mark our inner transforming if we resist the temptation to remain complacent with the ways of our past.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/19/our-youthful-exuberance/feed/ 1 laurenlesko Sol http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/05/into-the-wild/ http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/05/into-the-wild/#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:05:52 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=426 ]]>

“only a crisis, actual or perceived, produces real change and when that happens change depends on the ideas that are lying around at the time….. it is our job to keep the ideas ready until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable.” 1982

These are words that  prophetically describe the populist electing of Senator Barack Obama as 44th president of the United States; an idea historically realized in eloquent testimony that when we open our mind and break free from the shackles of outmoded thinking we do make revolutionary changes in consciousness.  The electing of an African American president certainly heralds a revolutionary change in American consciousness which at the moment is basking in the glow of the bright face of Aquarius championing humanitarianism.  However, radical change is not always in the best interest of humanity and the quote above is a good case in point. The quote is by the late Milton Friedman, an American economist and commander of ideas once thought radical: a free market, government deregulation, privatization, which today are the incorporated ideas of America’s financial institutions that have perpetrated the financial crisis currently battering humanitarianism. Ideas are infinite any number of which can take form depending upon the perceiving of reality, which is why it is in our better interests to be aware of what ideas are lying around at the time of a crisis. It is important that we recognize the darker face of Aquarius in our wanting unbridled freedoms and our obstinate intolerance for the ideas and needs of others because these are the ideas at the root of government policies nurturing the profiteering of corporations at the expense of fostering economic growth beneficial for the entire population. The two faces of Aquarius, one light the other dark, are very much in the forefront of the ideas that are lying around at this time, and our understanding of both is well worth pondering during the week of the Aquarius waxing Moon.

The Scorpio new Moon accentuated our survival fears and now the Aquarius waxing Moon requires that we understand the motive behind those fears. When the Moon is in Aquarius, as it is wont to be once a month, fresh breath infuses our emotions allowing us to objectively reflect upon our emotional needs and what we think we need to feel safe and secure in life. The waxing Moon in Aquarius happens but once each year and because it makes a square to the Sun in Scorpio it presents us with a challenge; asking us to think about whether we are clinging to emotions from our past, and if so, if they are suffocating our current opportunity for emotional clarity and rational expression of our feelings. Admittedly, the Moon and Aquarius are awkward bed-fellows; the cool rationalism of Aquarius baffling the subjective emotionalism of the Moon, but if we consider the brighter face of this duo we see reflected our capacity to nurture the emotional needs of our community. Albeit, not without first considering if  our past need for emotional security nourished the self-protectionism and communal isolationism that fostered social segregation.

Aquarius is a complex aspect of ourself; innovative, experimental, freedom loving, yet, often oddly intolerant of the ideas and opinions of others. This conundrum presents a particular challenge for those of us wanting to open our mind, grow in self-awareness, and champion social justice and human dignity. For this to happen we need to die to our past ideas, ideas that have been narrowed in focus, and reaching outside our emotional comfort zone first secure the emotional needs of our community and in so doing guarantee that we secure our own. The first action we need to take, and there is always action with the square aspect, is to look with brutal self-honesty directly into the eyes of our darker face  and transform our fear into reasoned action. The Aquarius waxing Moon -North Node conjunction suggests a momentous social movement requiring individual participation and contribution to improve the quality of life for every member of society and not “just for our own”.

The Scorpio- Aquarius coupling is aiding us in releasing the rhetoric from our past  so that we can be more authentically ourself. The first aspect the Aquarius Moon made, before making the square to the Sun, was a square to Mercury, recently entered Scorpio, alerting us that what needs transforming are our thoughts, and in the case of the waxing Moon, our thoughts about what we need in order to feel emotionally secure. Mercury in Scorpio gives a depth and breadth to our thinking which allows us to penetrate beyond the superficial reflections of the ideas of others in order to better understand from whence they came and for what purpose. Scorpio is fearless in the eye of the storm and the record number of voters who turned out for the US presidential election of 2008 were individuals thinking for themselves and casting their votes, some for the first time in their life, made their voices heard.

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.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/03/scrupulous-unveiling/feed/ 0 laurenlesko Celestial Family http://laurenlesko.com/2008/10/23/season-of-decay/ http://laurenlesko.com/2008/10/23/season-of-decay/#comments Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:00:33 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=398 ]]> click on the image to read about the art

The annual season of decay is upon us embracing the hollowed womb of the earth. Daylight is decreasing, evenings darkening hushed by a chilled breath, and leaves saturated with vibrancy  clinging to the last vestiges of life are falling from the sky coffered in the earth. The ancient Celtics celebrated the somber mood of November with the Feast of Samhain accenting the time of year when the “portals between worlds” opened and connections freely flowed between humans and spirits of the dead. This ancient tradition has survived to this day, resurrected in the secular celebration of Halloween when ghosts, goblins, and demons appear after dark to feast upon candied treats given them by the living. The Mexican culture inherited from the Aztec civilization a ritual feasting with the dead that began thousands of years ago in dedication to “The Lady of The Dead” and today, syncopated to  the Catholic celebration of All Soul’s Day, is celebrated as Day of the Dead when families’ picnic in graveyards sharing in the favorite foods of departed loved ones and the sugar skulls gleefully consumed by children consecrate the flesh and blood of those departed. Whether we celebrate Samhain, Halloween, Day of the Dead, or All Saint’s Day we are communing in a collective experiencing of life, and the Sun upon entering Scorpio signals our individual participation in a collective descent into the underworld whence death abounds.

Fall is the time of year when our conscious awareness of our external life diminishes in tandem with the light of day thus allowing us to journey into the hidden darkness of our psyche where upon facing our fears, dressed as the ghosts and goblins of our personal demons, we step through the portal of our personal transforming.  When the Sun is in Scorpio we are offered the gift of prophecy if we can shift our focus from being seduced by the surface reflection of our life to understanding the deeper significance of our life. Scorpio is that aspect in each of us breaking down surface appearances; turning old forms into energy which can be used for creating new forms. In essence when we are under the influence of Scorpio we are breaking down the form of who we are by eliminating physical and psychological obstructions that are preventing us from growing in a deeper understanding of ourself. Dane Rudhyar compared Scorpio to the mythological Egyptian bird, the phoenix, immolating itself on a self-made funeral pyre only to be reborn from its own ashes; an image worthy of the depth and breadth of our capacity for self-transforming when we understand the wisdom of Scorpio.

Self-transforming is far easier by word than by deed and for many of us a journey into the unfathomable depths of the underworld to face our worst fears can threaten the very core of our emotional security, which we need not fear knowing Scorpio holds the promise of resurrection with our return to the light, albeit irrevocably transformed in some significant way. This season, as the Sun enters Scorpio, fear permeates the present and threatens the future. Most of us, in one way or another, are wrestling with the palpable presence of Scorpio incarnate in the volatile instability of the world’s financial institutions ruthlessly gutting the value of assets many of us have spent years building. One of the darkest faces of Scorpio is our fear of powerlessness triggering feelings of being controlled and manipulated by outside forces beyond our control. Scorpio holds dominion over financial institutions, taxes, legacies, and inheritances, and every planetary ingress into Scorpio offers the possibility  for us to break down our fear, defense, and dependency upon the resources of others so that we can create new and improved ways of integrating what we own with what others own. It is tempting  to look into the eye of the storm and spiral downward into the murky waters of a collective fear but if we allow ourself to stay there we deny ourself the gift of our- transforming.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2008/10/23/season-of-decay/feed/ 4 laurenlesko Saturnine Night http://laurenlesko.com/2008/10/06/our-high-point/ http://laurenlesko.com/2008/10/06/our-high-point/#comments Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:42:22 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=378 ]]> click on the image to read about the art

Today, the Sun and Mercury conjoin in Libra marking the culmination of Mercury’s retrograde station and the high point in our awareness of how we communicate what is of value to us. In nine days, on October 15, Mercury will station direct and the passing days between are offering us the possibility for assimilating and dispersing a more genuinely honest, what Terry Lamb refers to as authentic, communication with ourself, and between ourself and others. Both the Sun and Mercury in Libra make a square to Jupiter in Capricorn, presenting us with a dress rehearsal for tomorrows Capricorn waxing Moon. These two celestial conversations, the Sun and Jupiter and Mercury and Jupiter, introduce the theme of self-discipline, personal responsibility, and stable commitment to our perception of our purpose and cause in life.

Jupiter is that aspect in each of us reaching beyond ourself seeking to connect with something greater than ourself, which is one reason why Jupiter is associated with expansion, optimism, and the future. The square aspect indicates conflict and can speak in the voice of inflation, over-extension, and unrealistic expectation, but if we are willing to listen Jupiter can offer us the opportunity for change.  Jupiter is known on occasion to exaggerate a situation, and in the case of the Sun and Mercury Rx we are well advised to thoughtfully re-consider what we want to communicate before expressing our unique individuality to others. Jupiter in Capricorn, approaching a trine with Saturn in Virgo, bestows the distinct possibility that we can give beneficial form to our future albeit not without improving certain structures along the way.

Venus in Scorpio makes a square to the Nodes accentuating a definite fixed attitude we have with regard to holding onto what we value even at the expense of our future emotional and spiritual well being.  A Scorpio Venus intensifies our relationship to what we value, including the people in our life, often leading to power struggles and issues of control which ultimately diminish our relationships. Today is a good day to observe ourself while relating with those whom we love and see if we unwittingly enter into any power struggles. The strength and healing presence of Venus in Scorpio is our capacity to eliminate conflict and discord in our relationships by transforming old forms of thought and feeling into new non-experienced forms. Our creative potential is absolutely boundless says Jupiter.

At the end of today, Venus and Saturn, ruling Libra and Capricorn, make a harmonious aspect together and bring a soft landing to our personal self-doubting suggesting that we can creatively balance our belief in the future with solid, realistic accomplishments. Venus in Scorpio allows us to deeply penetrate the superficial reflections in our relationships, and Saturn in Virgo insures that we can improve upon the old forms if we are willing to accept the imperfections of our mortality. In ancient mythology, Venus and Saturn are eternally connected: The sky god, Uranus, angered at the imperfection of his creations, his own children, refused to  let them live, until one child, Saturn, castrating his father took his place in the pantheon of gods. The genitals of Uranus fell into the sea and agitating the waters into a frothing foam gave birth to the goddess Venus.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2008/10/06/our-high-point/feed/ 0 laurenlesko Gods and Planetary Signs http://laurenlesko.com/2008/10/01/balancing-desire/ http://laurenlesko.com/2008/10/01/balancing-desire/#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:44:17 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=372 ]]> click on the image to read about the art

Astrology recognizes that the beginning of  any event carries the seed  that will give form to that event; and so, today, the first day of a new month, the planet Mars, god of war, makes a harmonious aspect to the planet Pluto, god of the underworld, and we on Earth are given this opportunity to creatively transform how we assert our will and take action to achieve what we want.  Taking action is always guaranteed when Mars and Pluto are in dialogue; the quality of the action depends solely upon our self-awareness. We need only consider the devastation and death ravaging Mother Earth to comprehend the horrors that these two forces can produce. Luckily, we are given a celestial helping hand this month, as the Sun and Mercury  sojourn in Libra, to gain a better balance between asserting what we want in tandem with others asserting what they want. Negotiation and compromise are very much in the air working together with the self determination of Mars and the ruthlessness of Pluto to balance the scales.

Venus, goddess of love and ruler of Libra, inspires justice, harmony, and beauty. For the next two weeks Venus is moving in Scorpio, under Mars authority, and together they are stimulating an intense concern to reveal what we have kept concealed or hidden in our relationships. Venus and Mars are opposing aspects  within each of us struggling to find balance and harmony they often challenge us to reveal hidden aspects of our desires. Mars, the aspect in each of us ready and willing to assert what we want, and Venus, the aspect in each of us seeking to love and be loved, are mythic lovers more prone to passion than discretion. Hidden  or repressed desires may be provoked when, in full regalia, Mars enters Scorpio, on October 3 and our survival antenna is attuned for a ready defense. When we are under the influence of Scorpio we are acutely aware of surviving in a world that feels unsteady unless navigated with a fierce self-control.  The internal pressure accompanying Mars in Scorpio can be severe and require self-awareness to recognize when we are projecting our inner tension  onto our relationships. If that happens this month we are well served to solicit help from Mercury to bring fresh air to the smoldering atmosphere of our desires so that we can gain a more realized perspective of what we really want.

Fortunately, most of the celestial aspects during the month favor Mars, with the exception of October 8, 15, and 22, when the Moon challenging Mars signals a time when we may feel that we have to fight to have our emotional needs realized. Challenge often brings understanding and on those three days, if we use our awareness, we may learn a new way of asserting our emotional needs which include, rather than exclude, the needs of others. Remember we are moving through the annual cycle of Libra feeling the wanting to be connected with others and share with them our unique individuality. On October 22, the Sun, harbinger of our individuality, will move into Scorpio, and guided by Mars we have the opportunity to creatively explore (Mars sextile Jupiter), constructive ways of manifesting our desire, (Mars sextile Saturn), which ultimately can  bring innovative change, (Mars trine Uranus), which certainly seems one possible potential offered us today.

Our Lady of Love, Venus, has entered the fiery spirit of Leo and we can expect our relationships to be fueled with provocative passions as our capacity for relating, to ourselves and others, reaches new heights of creative self- expression. This month you may find yourself or your loved one inflamed with romantic longing to be swept away from the droll drums of mundane living, whisked off to a secluded playground for your mutual pleasuring, and mutual indulging in lavish displays of attention and applause. The fire sign Leo always loves bestowing warmth and generosity to the qualities of any planet touring that sign and this month Leo is adorning Venus with scintillating sizzle, arousing charms, and voluptuous appetites guaranteed to rush our blood to the surface. The coming month is definitely the time to let all your creative juices flow!

When under the influence of Leo our child like wonder and open hearted enthusiasm for life are re-born. Leo animates our direct, unadulterated joyful expressing of life through those things in our life which bring us pleasure and happiness; the most potent being love. When under the influence of Venus, our Lady of Love, we are hyper aware of what we love and do not love in ourselves and in our life. When Venus travels beside Leo our capacity for self-love and love for others can ripen like the juicy sweetness of summer fruit if we remember that Leo is that aspect of ourselves that needs to be reassured of being loved and valued. The greatest gift offered from Venus in Leo is becoming aware that the love we give to others and want from others is measured pound for pound with the love we give to ourselves. The theme of self love is highlighted this month as Venus in Leo spends most of the month on her own having ample celestial space for self reflection punctuated with harmonious intrusions from the Moon providing nourishing care and comfort. The most harmonious dates for expressing our love will be the 13, 24, and the 28.

When Venus entered Leo the Moon was in Scorpio squared Chiron and the Nodal Axis suggesting that, with regard to issues concerning love, our focus will be on building emotional security by uncovering fixed ideas which are preventing us from loving with a clear and open heart. The influence of Scorpio suggests issues of control and possessiveness because of our fear of being abandoned. We can use this month to build a deeper sense of self worth so that we are not dependent upon the love of another to fill our need to be loved. It is worth remembering that the essence of love is to support and nurture the emotional growth of ourselves and those whom we love, and not to keep our we love in captivity.

The first celestial conversation after Pluto’s re-entry into Sagittarius is the Scorpio Moon square Mars in Leo opposing Chiron Rx in Aquarius; revealing the painful insecurities that are the roots of fanatical bravado. At the same time, the Scorpio Moon squares the Nodes highlighting our fear of survival manifesting as violence against ourselves and others. When we indiscriminately privilege the power of a few we overshadow our ability to honor the sovereignty of every individual and we unwittingly dishonor all of life. When the Moon is in Scorpio we on Earth are offered the possibility of breaking down old form in order to create new energy which then manifests as new form. It is important that we become consciously aware of this process so that we can create the new forms that we want.

The Moon also makes a trine to Uranus and a sextile to Jupiter alerting us to the healing powers offered us if we can grow in emotional independence and stop blaming someone else for what ever situation is threatening us. We are being challenged to accept personal responsibility for our contribution to creating and solving the problem. When Pluto re -enters Capricorn we will become more aware of the hidden problems inherent in the structures that we have created . The gift of Capricorn is understanding how to use what our environment is offering to us for use to manifesting lasting change.

Yesterday, we on Earth experienced a powerful Full Moon at the last degrees of Scorpio and Taurus which challenged us to consider how we have consolidated our earthly resources, to examine our emotional attachment to what we own, and to reflect how deeply our identity is invested in what we own including the ownership of information. Today, the radiant light of the Sun entered the sign Gemini and we are receiving the many faces of diversity challenging us to consider a multitude of possible ways of thinking and experiencing life. When the Sun enters Gemini it is time for our individuality to reach out with curious hands and touch lithely a myriad of experiences without qualifying, judging, condemning, or consolidating what it is we are experiencing. This is our chance to see, with the fresh eyes of a child, life for the very first time. This month is a time for initiating new activity in our daily routine; it can be as simple as taking a different route to our local market or as complex as moving to a foreign country; the activity itself is less important than allowing ourself the possibility of doing something that brings us a new experiencing of our life. Gemini is that aspect in ourselves filled with curiosity and wonderment and when under the influence of Gemini celestial fresh air blows open the closed portals in our mind allowing a free flowing circulation of new information, and consequently, new possibilities and choices in life.

Gemini is the sign of the celestial twins reflecting that aspect in ourselves which is of two minds, neither one better nor worst than the other. When we see life through the eyes of Gemini we recognize the inherent duality in life and understand that all opposites exist in tandem together one with the other. This can be a difficult concept for our conscious mind to wrap around because it seems to enjoy compartmentalizing our thoughts and experiences which keep us isolated from others and from ourselves. There are many faces of ourselves which we deny or ignore and the gift of Gemini is teaching us tolerance and acceptance of the contradictions we find in ourselves and in others. The first aspects the Gemini Sun makes are a quincunx to Pluto in Capricorn and a square to Saturn in Virgo both aspects clip the superficial wings of Gemini and our souring curiosity could get bruised plummeting to the ground. If this happens to you try and think of it as a grounding, manifesting, of the limitations of your individuality. The trick is to keep your mind open even as your barometric pressure is rising. It is helpful remembering that the experiences we meet out side ourselves, for good and bad, are reflected faces of multiple aspects of ourselves many of whom are hidden and only appear before us in the behavior of another. The gift of this Gemini Sun, aided by other celestial flurries during the month which I will be writing more about, is becoming aware of our strength and weakness, our liking and disliking, our prejudice, our biases, and most assuredly our humanness.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2008/05/20/of-two-minds/feed/ 2 laurenlesko Gemini http://laurenlesko.com/2008/05/12/growing-anew/ http://laurenlesko.com/2008/05/12/growing-anew/#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 15:01:14 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=173 ]]> click on the image to read about the art

Change is on the horizon and this can be a week to reconcile where we have been, our past, with where we want to go, our future, if we allow ourselves to flow with the events that are happening in our lives rather then trying to control them. The celestial atmosphere is charged with challenge from the fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius; and we on earth are learning to let go of our need to control life by learning to trust in ourselves. When under the influence of Taurus we are building material security through our efforts to consolidate what we own and what we value in life. When the Sun is in Taurus we are busy consolidating the best of who we are but we need to be watchful that our standards of excellence are not placing us inside a rigid box without the necessary room to grow. It is worth remembering that May is the month when new life miraculously sprouts from the earth and we too are offered the miracle of growing anew.

Both celestial lights, the Sun and the Moon, make aspects to the Leo South Node and the Aquarius North Node that challenge our understanding of who we are in the world and what we need from the world to feel safe and secure. The Leo Moon begins this day conjoined to the Leo South Node and opposing the Aquarius North Node. Our need to be accepted for who we are has stimulated us to develop talents that have been recognized by others, but in order to grow we need to become emotionally self sufficient and develop the self confidence to recognize our talents without seeking approval from others. The Leo South Node is the face of our unconscious that is attached to pleasing people of wealth and power to garner their approval. The Leo Moon is saying we have made ourselves vulnerable to other people’s approval long enough now is our time to courageously build our self confidence and appreciate the full value of who we are without needing the validation of others. In this way we free ourselves to receive the approval and acceptance that others are giving us.

In two days, the Taurus Sun will make a square to the North and South Nodes and be sure that everyone is under pressure to make changes to the structures they have created in their attempts to insure a more secure life. The recent quincunx between Mars in Leo and Pluto in Capricorn has pricked our fear for survival but we are well advised not to over react to the events presently unfolding in our lives because that would mean reacting to our past, and the Nodal Axis is offering us the opportunity to use what we have learned from our past in a more constructive way.

On clue pointing to the possibility for healing our past is the square the Taurus Sun is making to Chiron in Aquarius and the sextile to Uranus in Pisces. Our attention is being directed to a collective wound suffered by all because we have not fully appreciated the unique differences of individuals, instead, we have forced ourselves and others to conform to the social standards of our culture. The healing that is being offered is too bathe our unique individuality in the baptismal waters of Pisces and allow the Aquarian breadth of spacious acceptance to embrace the innovation and originality of ourselves and others. We have a good chance to experience our innovative originality as the Moon moves into Virgo creating harmony with the Sun, our individuality, Venus, what we value, Saturn, our self discipline, and Pluto, our capacity to transform. It certainly doesn’t hurt that tomorrow the Sun is trine Jupiter and we may feel a benevolent supporting hand guiding our way, which upon closer evaluation we may realize is the aspect of ourselves that is fearlessly expanding beyond the ridged limitations we established long ago and have lived within ever sense.