I was reminded the other day during an astrology session with a client that the infinite wisdom of the Cosmos abounds when we listen with a delicate ear hearing the faint echoing of synchronicity at play. At the time of the session I was experiencing transiting Mars square my natal Sun making the exact natal aspect  that so loudly resonated in the birth chart of my client; I found myself experiencing in present time what my client  had experienced in birth time, namely a crisis in self-actualization, which manifested in my feeling unable to provide insight and understanding to my client.

My awareness of my immediate environment began shifting June 1st when Jupiter preparing to station retrograde stood still in my natal third house hovering opposite my natal Mercury cheekily challenging my established patterns of communication. Adding insult to injury on June 10 transiting Mercury in Taurus made a square to both holding my natal Mercury hostage unreasonably demanding a practical accounting of my “word-smith- worth”, or so it seemed to me.

Mercury is that aspect in each of us expressing our unique perception of reality often through the written word, and when our perception of reality is expressed under the influence of Taurus our words regenerating our personal values can uncannily punctuate our self- worth. Transiting Mercury square transiting Jupiter and square my natal Mercury delivered a wake-up-call heightening the potential for my words to build a suitable form for my thoughts and feelings if I was willing to shift my perspective and letting go of what I thought I knew gain a deeper trust in myself and in my worth.

Today, Jupiter in Aquarius stations retrograde shifting our perspective from external expansion to internal self- exploration insuring that the coming months can garner a time of revolt in our all too familiar “comfort zone” of self-acceptance.  Jupiter is that aspect in each of us expanding, enlarging, magnifying, amplifying the unimagined, unformed, as yet unborn potentiality in each of us. Jupiter in Aquarius mixes a celestial brew of a radical change and a revolutionary awakening in consciousness that is further enlivened under the retrograde cycle guaranteeing us the joy of the unexpected if we have eyes to envision our self unbound.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2009/06/15/synchronicity-at-play/feed/ 2 laurenlesko Jupiter Hurling Thunder http://laurenlesko.com/2009/05/27/a-cycle-within-a-cycle/ http://laurenlesko.com/2009/05/27/a-cycle-within-a-cycle/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 21:54:58 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=5482 ]]> click on the image to read about the art

“Since the dawn of time itself, Man has measured his life by the cycles of the planets – from sunrise to sunrise and from one new Moon to the next he has reckoned his existence by the heavens.”*

Cycles, within cycles, within cycles, the pulse of our beloved astrology, plumbing the life blood of our universe; circulating Earth, Moon, planets and asteroids, named and unnamed; transfusing human experience with a profane and sacred significance. The celestial cycles most familiar to us are the daily rising and setting of the Sun charting the axial rotation of the Earth gliding through the entire zodiac in one day, the changing faces of the Moon gathering and dispersing the light of the Sun enfolding the entire zodiac in one month, and the annual changing of season from spring to summer to fall to winter mirroring the faithful marriage of Earth and Sun dancing cheek-to-cheek round the zodiac in one year. Each of these cycles observable with our naked eye delivers a new birth in the processes of life on Earth and in particular within the individual.

Every known planetary body whether observable or not with the naked eye engages in a cyclical unfolding of time with every other planetary body lasting hours, days, weeks, months, or years depending upon the distance of the Sun. These interlacing cycles weave the diverse complexity of  human experience that unfolds within a universe infused with a living intelligence refusing to be reduced to a mechanistic and meaningless experience. Today, for the first time since 1843 Jupiter and Neptune conjoin in Aquarius heralding a new birth in humanitarian awareness accompanying a spiritual vision that includes the whole of humanity replacing individual privilege with individual participation and collective ostracism with collective co-habitation.

Jupiter journeys through every sign of the zodiac in twelve years while Neptune journeys through one sign of the zodiac in thirteen years with the two conjoining in a different sign every thirteen years and the same sign every 169 years. In other words, orbiting Jupiter and Neptune entwine two  distinct cycles simultaneously giving birth to a thirteen year cycle of individual awakening  and a 169 year cycle of collective awakening suggesting that one is dependent upon the other.

When we are under the influence of Aquarius the events in our life remind us that our individual self-expression is on behalf of the whole of humanity and that the evolution of human consciousness requires that each of us accept personal responsibility for contributing the best of our creative potential to the whole of life. With the birth of a new Jupiter-Neptune cycle in Aquarius we on Earth are given a golden opportunity to do just that. Is there any more altruistic sign of the zodiac than Aquarius, a more benevolent teacher than Jupiter, or a better spiritual guardian of the collective unconscious than Neptune, acting as celestial guides helping us navigate the stormy waters of our individual and collective evolving in consciousness?

I began this post speaking of cycles within cycles within cycles and the new Jupiter-Neptune cycle has some unexpected turns. The asteroid Chiron in Aquarius is at the exact degree as the two and embracing them both may offer healing insight into a wounding of the collective unconscious that every individual suffers, being a part of the collective whole, in recognizing, albeit unconsciously so, a lopsided evolving of human consciousness that resists envisioning the unity of Life.

The other significant cycles at this time are the retrograde station of all three planetary bodies within three weeks of today’s conjoining; Neptune stations retrograde May 28, Chiron June 2, and Jupiter June 15. Each Rx cycle is imprinting a highly personalized experiencing of the Jupiter-Neptune cycle, and if we consider the archetype resonating within our experience of Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron then it seems possible that each of us may internalize external events and challenge the norm by expanding our conscious awareness beyond what we know and entering the unknown dissolve thought and feeling forms that are contributing to humanitarian discord. We are well advised to spend the coming months fine tuning our unique understanding and appreciation of our individual participation in the  evolution of humanity by re-examining, re-evaluating, re-considering our personal belief and vision for the future of humanity.

In the spirit of re-examining, re-evaluating, and re-considering I direct your attention to an astrology blog using a wide humanitarian aperture, Astrological Repair Manuel, and encourage you to read astrologer, Alexander Zoltai’s, evocative post A Positive Interpretation of Hitler’s Chart.

* Cycles of Becoming, Alexander Ruperti

Today is the waning phase of the New Moon in Pisces and the Moon in  the last degrees of Sagittarius offers a time of still repose and quiet contemplation so that we can integrate our physical, mental, and emotional activities of the past three weeks. A waning Moon is a Moon in conflict with the Sun suggesting that something in our unconscious is fighting for conscious awareness and that the ensuing battle is taking place within ourself reflecting emotional behavior that is preventing us from expressing our authentic self. A Sagittarius Moon stimulates emotional restlessness and discontent with the familiar which is one reason why this is a good week to reflect upon less familiar aspects of ourself in anticipation of the New Moon in Aries, March 26, heralding a new birth in self-awareness.

The Moon moves faster than any other celestial body in our solar system translating one celestial conversation to another. Prior to making a square to the Sun this Sagittarius Moon entered into a Mutable Grand Square with Mercury, Saturn, and Uranus directing our conscious awareness toward the boundaries we created in the past that now need a discriminating eye to discern which are worth preserving and which need reinventing on our journey into the future. This is definitely not a good day for taking action, the Moon is void-of-course and nothing comes to fruition during a void-of-course Moon; yet, it is for that exact reason that today and the remaining week of the waning Moon demand our undivided attention in animated conversation with the desperate aspects of ourself. Next week is our call to action and we can use this week wisely to see our authentic self more clearly than in the past.

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.

And so………... it was two weeks ago that we set our intention for the next six months by deciding how we want to contribute our unique individuality to humanity. The influence of Aquarius is helping us understand that change comes from the effort of separate individuals working together on behalf of the greater whole. Today, two weeks after the Solar Eclipse, we glimpse the other face of the ecliptic cycle as we turn our gaze 180 degrees to face the Lunar Eclipse. A Lunar Eclipse is a Full Moon, a Sun and Moon opposition, illuminating a  unique time when the Moon gently moves into the Earth’s shadow and the Earth positioned between the Sun and Moon casts a shadow over the face of the Moon. When this happens we on Earth are made aware that an aspect of our individuality has eclipsed our unconscious and in order to grow in self-awareness we need to become consciously aware of that aspect of our self and whether it is a constructive or destructive force in our life.

The Moon in Leo emphasizes our emotional need for recognition from others reassuring us that who we are and what we are doing is making a valuable contribution to humanity. When we are under the influence of Leo we are hyper- sensitive to what others think about our individual uniqueness, and while we generously give our life vitality for others to enjoy, we tend to suffer self-doubts and insecurities concerning the true value of our self. When we experience a Lunar Eclipse in Leo the time has arrived for us to make an honest self- evaluation of how we express our self, and in turn, what we are contributing to the continuum of human consciousness.

One of the unabashed gifts of Leo is our learning to appreciation our process of  creative self-expression as the spiritual act of watching our self creating our self. It is all too easy to dismiss this process as self indulgent but  in so doing we deny the importance of affirming our unique individuality in tribute to the living intelligence of which we are apart. The Buddha taught that we are creating our self in each moment lived. Once we affirm our creative self-expression we can affirm the creative expression of all others and truly manifest the Aquarius aspect in each of us seeking to honor the diversity and differences of humanity.

This next six months may garner times when our ego flaring like a wild fire insists on unbridled freedom of expression.  At these times it is best not to take our self too seriously, instead, mindfully observe that we have set ablaze our self-doubts and insecurities. It might be helpful to consider this Lunar Eclipse as a tremendous healing for humanity. Chiron, the wounded healer, is in Aquarius and the Lunar Eclipse will make an exact conjunction and opposition with Chiron suggesting that our individual and collective healing has something to do with eliminating self-doubts and insecurities that are the source of defensive and brutish bulling of others. It is time to set aside our childish fears of doubt and inadequacy without sacrificing our child-like joy and pleasure in self-creating. The challenge facing each of us is gaining a true appreciation for the unique gift that we are contributing on behalf of the collective human experience of being alive in the world.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2009/02/08/cosmic-purifying/feed/ 1 laurenlesko Lunar Eclipse http://laurenlesko.com/2008/12/21/celebration-of-lights/ http://laurenlesko.com/2008/12/21/celebration-of-lights/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:55:40 +0000 Lauren Lesko http://laurenlesko.com/?p=877 ]]> click on the image to read about the art

When the Sun reaches its lowest point in the northern hemisphere at 00 Capricorn those of us living in that hemisphere experience Winter Solstice: the seasonal demarcation heralding the birth of solar vitality without which our life would cease to be. Our ancestors well understood the significance of this celestial event as a festival of lights harbored in the sacred flame of candles and the burning of yule logs. On December 21, Winter Solstice punctuates the longest night of the year and the Sun dramatically accentuating this event stands still for three days before ascending upward insuring the lengthening light of day and affirming that life has prevailed the deathly darkness of the long nights passing. From an astrological perspective one meaning for this deathly darkness is our preparation for an illumination in consciousness. This Winter Solstice is spectacular with the promise of just that because for the first time since the Winter Solstice in 1762 the Sun and Pluto conjoin on the solstice point. Their momentous meeting is launching a cosmic torpedo guaranteed to bring to surface a deeply rooted anxiety shared by our collective unconscious that will illuminate an overwhelming fear of loss in power and control.

There is an alchemical axiom that says, “the tree wanting to send its branches to heaven must send its roots to hell”, and heaven and hell are as far apart in our consciousness as are the Sun and Pluto. Pluto, the planet furthest from the Sun is deprived of solar light and vitality, and any celestial contact between the two reflects a time when something alive needs to  die in order for something new to be born. Human death is but one form of the myriad of deaths we experience during our life time and the force of Pluto influences everyone of them. The physical size of Pluto is admittedly tiny in comparison to the enormity of its impact on human consciousness which is one reason why many astrologers compare the force of Pluto with an atomic bomb.* The magnetic pull of Pluto acts as a vacuum sucking the life vitality from the Sun into a vortex and placing this whirlpool of concentrated power at the disposal of a radical cosmic surgery we on Earth are insured of  an irrevocable change in our consciousness.

Pluto has been busy all on its own bringing to light the ruthless ambition and institutional corruption that created the faulty structures crumbling before our eyes. Our life has suddenly and irrevocably changed in ways beyond our control, and now, with the support of the Sun these two mega giants, in the sign of Capricorn, are insuring a profound transforming of the traditional structures that  because of a misuse in power have weakened over time. We need only look to the raping of the Earth by international corporations, the ravaging of nations and peoples in the economic interests of the elite seeking to control the Earth’s natural resources, and the wholesale killing at every corner of the globe in the name of Truth, to fully understand the depth of destruction and deprivation administered which now is in need of radical transforming.

The Sun and Pluto joining forces in Capricorn promise that new structures will replace the old but not without each of us assuming personal responsibility for making changes in our own life that support the changes made in society.  Capricorn is providing self-discipline, perseverance, and the tenacity to accomplish what at the moment seems like an insurmountable  task. The Sun and Pluto working together suggests that something obstructing our life force is ready to be eliminated so that our experiences of life are transformed into something entirely new and utterly unknown.

The planet Saturn rules Capricorn and has had its hands full since November 4 when it opposed Uranus igniting social unrest and upheaval throughout the world. It also ushered the historic presidential election in the United States in stride with President-elect Obama’s promises of a new humanitarianism. Saturn and Uranus will cross paths again in the new year, once in February and then in September, emphasizing the significance of the social changes taking place at this time.  On January 2 Saturn stations retrograde mixing disruption into the brew that will force us to re-evaluate our commit to the goal. During the first few months in 2009 we are well advised to expect circumstances in our life to challenge our commitment to achieve what we began in 2008. The somber influences of Saturn and Capricorn have definitely dampened the party atmosphere of the past years and heralded a time of social responsibility demanding that a public and private commitment be made to achieving prosperity for everyone not just for a few.

* The planet Pluto was seen for the first time in the 1930′s, and astrologers say that is was not by chance that the discovery of Pluto coincided with the creating of the atomic bomb.

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.

A Sagittarius new Moon heralds a golden dawn challenging each of us to break free from the  bondage of our tribal rhetoric so that we can dance in naked splendor with the universe falling blissfully into the open arms of the cosmos. When we are under the influence of Sagittarius we have an unshakable faith in our future and in our trust of life. What matters most to us is our unwavering belief that life is so much more than the sum of its parts. Sagittarius is that aspect in each of us expanding beyond the contours of what is familiar, shattering the prosaic realities of our daily life, disregarding our sentimental attachment with the past, and insisting that life be a mythic adventure riding gloriously off into the sunset of our future. Unfortunately, for those of us with a healthy dose of Sagittarius in our natal chart, I have Sagittarius on the cusp of my first house, we can be susceptible to Jupiterian inflation and defying the gravitational pull of Earth can be a major obstacle to achieving our goals in life; so too can be the believing that what is right for “me” is right for “thee”.

Every month, when the Sun and Moon kiss they share an intimate secret which then takes us on Earth the entire month to comprehend. This month the Sun and Moon are not alone in their shared secret, Mercury and Mars are nearby sharing in the intimacy of the moment. When the personal planets, Mercury, Venus, and Mars, involve themselves in a lunar transit the theme of “the personal” is accentuated. However, this offers a quandary to the Sagittarius new Moon considering first, that Jupiter ruling Sagittarius is a social planet, and second, the Sagittarius thirst for universal wisdom tends to be rejecting of the personal.  So then, what exactly is the cosmic message we are about to receive?

In my last post, Epimetheus Mercury, I wrote about the underpinnings of the celestial cycles governing human experiencing which leads me to think that the Sagittarius new Moon is working in tandem with the Epimetheus cycle of Mercury to underscore the importance to personally break free from self- imposed didactic rules and regulations governing our worldly perspective. In the coming month we will be challenged to let go of our cherished beliefs especially those that chime a self-righteous note or two. Sagittarius can be our teacher and our healer if we allow our self to grow in tolerance of difference in the world, and in acceptance that perception, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. Questioning why we believe what we believe is not an easy task. We need to be willing to break free from the dogma of our past and look at the present with new eyes. Sagittarius is a universal principal in human consciousness and without conscious awareness of the unity of humanity what we believe can segregate and isolate especially when we think that  our belief is more righteous or sacred than another.

The shadow faces of Sagittarius are fundamentalism and fanaticism which when left  unattended become the poisoned faces of fascism. This is not the month for pointing fingers, on the contrary, the Sagittarius new Moon is suggesting that we stop blaming others for the difficulties we perceive in the world. We have a golden opportunity this month to claim ownership of our behavior and to stop projecting our beliefs onto the beliefs of others. Under the guidance of Sagittarius we can break free of the limited view of human potential that we have internalized as truth by broadening our perception of what is humanly possible, and with a little luck we may experience Sagittarian wisdom trusting in life knowing that it is so much more than the sum of its parts.

]]> http://laurenlesko.com/2008/11/27/unwavering-belief/feed/ 3 laurenlesko The Astronomer 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