Eclipse Anticipation. . .

It is that time again, when the lights in the sky get turned off and then back on again. A full moon eclipse is coming up on Wednesday October 8th (the first of several eclipses this Fall). This means the earth will block the light of the Sun from the surface of the Moon and then slowly illuminate it again. It always makes me think of the scene from CLUE where as the tension builds, the lights go off and come back on again revealing a new truth and something never seen before.

Scroll to about :45 seconds in. Love this movie, so classic!

Back on topic . . .

In my own world and the world of my dear friends, there have been many themes of tension building, waiting for shifts, palpable excitement (although not necessarily happy), anticipation, etc. And so it was important that I investigate the stars on this one. And after reading all my go to resources, I have found that there a few things coming into play the next week that heap on top of the already intense energy of a full lunar eclipse. Here is why it's a mix of complicated energies.

Mercury is in retrograde.
While we are talking about full moons, and eclipses, why not throw another astrological cliche into the mix. It is cliched for a reason. Starting on October 4, Mercury, the planet of communication, moves "backwards" symbolizing snafus in technology, old ghosts popping back into your life and generally a bad time to lock down NEW contracts, deal ands relationships. Mercury goes forward again nearing the end of October meaning that we'll revisit old issues in October and with the energy of the eclipse, we can possibly begin to move forward again with new information and a fresh perspective once it gets going again in November. It's just like the characters in CLUE move forward to solve the mystery in a different way after that 'lights off' scene. Twists and turns!!! Drama. Yes!

Then. . .
Uranus squares Pluto and then trines Mars and then opposes the Sun.
Next up on the heap is Uranus - busy little sucker. It's creating some serious astrological combos, coming into all sorts of aspects with several planets during October.
Uranus is unexpected, unconventional, creates surprises, and throws new items into the mix. It first squares Pluto on 10/4 which can be summed up as an energy of 'unexpected transformation.' You've got two pretty powerful planets connecting. Pluto is all about renewal and rebirth. A day later on 10/5, Mars trines Uranus which denotes 'positive action forward.' Mars is the planet of aggression, movement, war and passion and mixed with unexpected Uranus, we can prepare to move forward in an unexpected way.
Finally, on 10/7 the Sun opposes Uranus. The Sun represents our self so our souls can experience a desire for freedom and to assert our own personal power as our unique and unconventional selves.

Ok so you get the gist of this energy. How many times did I type unexpected? Think freedom, rebellion, standing out from the usual, surprises, twists and turns.

And add to it . . .

The first of 2 Eclipses. 
On October 8, the infamous eclipse energy turns off the lights. This eclipse takes place in the sign of Aries which is all about the individual. The Sun is currently in Libra which and Libra is relationships and partnerships, balance, and diplomacy. So this eclipse will be a stand off between folks asserting their personal power and self but balancing that with wanting to maintain and cultivate relationships - whether that it is business, love, family. How do you find the balance? The warning is to not be hasty during eclipses. They are powerful and decisions you make during this time (especially with impulsive Aries in the mix) can be lasting and impactful. It is always good to sit back and give yourself space during these times. At the end of the day, the eclipse energy will triumph and push you to a new phase of life or way of thinking. We need these eclipses to push our boundaries and out of our comfort zones.

Summing up the above, I am trying to tie all these different thoughts together. Here's what I surmise. We review. New information comes to light, things shift unexpectedly and we try to. . . OR now maybe with this new information or twist we are finally ABLE. . . to assert who we really are. Our desire to be unique bubbles up to the surface but challenges the balance of our relationships . . . with our partners, bosses, family. We need to slow down and not buy into Aries hasty energy. Instead balance, and be diplomatic while still taking the opportunity at large to expand your personal power.

No matter what the event is that is happening in your life, it's good to remember that we are only in so much control of life. These experiences happen upon us purposefully to unearth issues, make us deal with old wounds and challenge bad habits and old ways of thinking. It is never merely about the concrete thing that is happening at the time - the career change, the breakup, the family argument, the birth of the child, the beginning of a relationship etc. How is this event challenging your thinking about relationships and what you need to assert for yourself OR stop asserting for yourself. How can you feel comfortable as your unique self but nurture the relationships that carry us along?

Good luck with Eclipse number 1. Stay tuned for news on number 2, which happens on October 23.

Freaky Friday Full Moon

There's nothing freaky about this Friday the 13th Full Moon. Sorry for the misleading headline.

Tomorrow's non-freaky Full Moon occurs while the Sun is in Gemini and the Moon is in Sagittarius.
As I've written about before, Full Moons are culminations of events and when things come to a head. And as we integrate these two signs, Gemini and Sagittarius, into the interpretation of this monthly astrological event, we can kind of imagine that the ideas and elements the signs represent are facing off to one another. They are representing a contrast of ideas.

Sagittarius, the sign that represents travel and seeking out knowledge encourages us to think broader, higher, and become that more erudite person. (I was really dying to use erudite here and sound, well….erudite.) Gemini juggles a million ideas at once. He's dying to know a little about everything and as fast as possible…you could use the phrase, "a jack of all trades and a master at none." He's in the details, which yes, in their own time are important as well. But opposing this, Sagittarius may be asking us to drop the handfuls of details we are currently focusing on and step back to look at the big picture. Let's use our intuition and drop the analytics.

Sagittarius also is known for being blunt and getting straight to the point. So perhaps we can imagine that we are on a journey and constantly looking at our compass, analyzing the path, looking down for rocks, thinking about whether the contents of our lunch will be enough to sustain us….and suddenly someone slaps the bottom of our chin so we suddenly stop and look up! AH HA! We finally see the grander view. And we might realize that we don't need a lunch packed at all, or that there are other signs besides a compass and rocks to guide us. Epiphanies tend to slap us upside the head. So with this full moon perhaps Sagittarius will guide you to your epiphany and give you the a big wide perspective.

Say thanks to Gemini for inspiring you to watch the details to get from here to there, but don't forget to look up every now and again to get perspective.

Rolling forward with fire

This post is a bit late, but I wanted to share another important astrological happening that will be relevant for a few weeks or months. Mars in Libra went retrograde back on March 1. Everything ruled by Mars stopped, stationed, then started rolling the other way. Like anything rolling backwards, it came right back over the SAME ground it had just rolled forward on. Ideas ruled by Mars include men, power, action, sex, war, confidence, courage and competion. And things ruled by Libra are love, relationships (any kind), judiciousness, balance, and harmony. So we may have seen some of these aspects of our lives slow down or we may have reassessed some of these things this Spring.

It is time to hold on to your hats (or really last week you shoulda started holdin' on to your hats) because Mars has now started moving forward. As of May 20th, this firey planet in the sign of love and partnerships changed directions once again to make us go back over the same ground we did in the Spring but this time with action, confidence and courage fully engaged!

I wrote about the eclipse a few weeks back that put us in /on new soil. Some of us might feel like we've entered a new phase of our lives. The Spring was a review of our lives or a topic in our lives . As Anne Ortelee explains (to paraphrase) Think reading a phrase in a book, then going back over to highlight it. Now we open up the book once again and skim to find those highlighted phrases and put them into action. (Check out Anne's awesome weekly weather at www.anneortelee.com and her post from May 28th).

A power struggle made productive

Mars is in the sign of Libra and has been since the Fall. The Mars retrograde period was a silent mulling over and possible build up of thoughts and feelings. Well, as Mars gains momentum and moves forward to go over the same ground YET AGAIN, many of these thing BURST to the surface to play out. How can they not! We've been over this ground 3 times and now we do so with power! With the combination of Mars and Libra (one very masculine and one very feminine), we can expect power issues in relationships (romantic, business, and family) resulting in learned cooperation OR else bursting into chaos. We can expect that taking action in relationships will lead to love and harmony OR (as 'celestial space' blog says) when that action is based in fear, it can just cause a big ole mess. How will your power struggle play out? Move forward in LOVE, understanding and respect and get the better outcome!

In the last paragraph, I am summing up an article below.
Please read it. Such an amazing outline of power, and the male and female of Mars vs. Libra.

http://celestialspace.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/mars-in-libra-direct-motion-may-19th-2014/

Onward with Mars!!! Good Luck!

Look, Listen, HEAR - Gemini NEW Moon

Without having looked at astrological websites, I could already feel that the last week and this current week are both meaningful and charged. (That's speaking for myself at least).
Last week we had Mars start to move forward (look for a post tomorrow on that).

And . . .

Today, May 28th, the moon is NEW in the sign of Gemini (the twins). Remember on our New Moons, we start new projects or try to embrace new habits that are reflective of all that the sign of Gemini encompasses - expression, communication, and mental activity.

While researching this post, I read something that very much resonated with me and is in line with Gemini communication....about not only learning to express yourself but making sure you do the second side of communication which is to ingest, learn, HEAR, take in. Sometimes I think I do that, but there are times when we have to realize that taking IN information is actually a huge challenge communicating with someone not as skilled at expressing themselves. It takes patience and uh . . . patience. Thanks Gemini exposing two sides to the coin yet again. This time on communication. Twins indeed. But definitely something to think about as we embrace new habits at this new moon.



There is an astrological aspect with Neptune coming in to play as well....Neptune is the sign of illusion. We've all been there when seemingly shocking information comes to the surface. We never saw it coming (but we would have if we were looking). Also Neptune is FAMOUS for showing up in Love situations. He's the guy that encourages us to pull the wool over our eyes and to believe what we want as opposed to listening to what others say. We've all worn those proverbial rose colored glasses until we were ready to embrace the truth (a Piscean trait).
Then BAM. We see it all so clearly.

And to continue this listening and communication theme which is clearly supported by the Gemini New Moon, I had a conversation with my new boss today about this very idea of trying to let your gut tell you the truth. Despite popular belief, intuition is NOT a 6th sense. It is an observing and taking in the physical, verbal and energetic communication that people put out there and taking it at face value. It's true that someone will tell you who they are in the first few mintues of meeting them. It is our job to LISTEN! So yes, always work to express yourself maturely and compassionately and firmly BUT for those folks who may already do so . . . take the energy of this new moon and let it support you on a new habit of listening. And usually your gut has the answer.

So in short. The New Moon is asking us to focus on starting new communication habits and putting a spotlight on where we might improve.

April showers bring May flowers - New Moon in Taurus

Today is the last dramatic event of this very astrologically dramatic April. Or I guess it was projected to be dramatic. Mine was eventful and clarifying. Today is a solar eclipse which falls on a new moon in the sign of Taurus. Eclipses are more intense versions of a new or full moon. They can cause unexpected events. And with a solar eclipse, they can cause things to be obscured which then come to light. But I will speak in terms of earthly Taurus to explain how you can best interpret this astrological event.

Taurus is an earth sign and a lover of physical pleasures  - touch, taste, sight, sound and an appreciation of everything that comes out of this earth. (even money comes from the earth - it's made of trees right?) Taurus is rooted to the ground and has a strength in establishing security.

So if this past lunar eclipse at the beginning of April and the Cardinal Cross that happened last week created an earthquake in your life; then it's time to assess the so called 'damage.' While change you don't control sucks, you can look at this shake up in your life and recognize it as a mere shifting and changing to the ground you stand on. Instead of firm, hard soil, you now stand on ground that's been all tilled up and is able to be farmed. The useless weeds got pulled up, the weak buildings crumbled to the ground and the strong buildings have stayed standing. Everything you have to work with that is left in your life is now ready for planting a seed.

If my imagery above wasn't clear enough for ya. . . The message on this new moon is to sow what you'd like to reap in the future. Be present; water the seed; root yourself into the ground to create. I once had someone tell me that a tree has branches that can extend way up into the air. It can become intensely complex, unique and beautiful and can create new trees by producing more seeds that travel long distances. But none of that is possible without first rooting yourself into the ground and committing.

What has come to light this past month for you? What is clearer? Stand firm on knowing what you want in your life and in your gut and put a seed in the ground to start growing. Look around you at all that didn't make it through this so called earthquake. The universe asked you to say goodbye to the old structures and is creating something new and different for your life - so you have to trust and see what blooms!

There weren't a ton of technical things to explain about this new moon, but I posted this column based on what I have read and also how I personally am feeling. Let me know if this resonates with you!

Heads up - Tomorrow is a Full Moon Eclipse

There is a much buzz about a blood moon tomorrow. Seems like a mystical, dark and fore-boding term but blood moons aren't that uncommon. The astrological drama people are buzzing about really should have nothing to do with the fact that the moon may have a red hue. In fact, most Lunar Eclipses ALL take on a red hue. But that's
not really why this full moon is so notable. So before you start to imagine that this week will bring your own version of the Game of Thrones Red Wedding. Calm it down a notch and read some other reasons why you should pay attention this week.

1. It's an eclipse. All eclipses are just super intense full moons. Tomorrow's eclipse falls in the sign of Libra while the Sun opposes it in Aries. So like I've expained in prior eclipses, there will be a push pull between the traits of Libra which value partnerships, weighing details (which might be trivial to an Aries) and putting an emphasis on love and compassion. Aries, in a very different manner, wants you to move. As in NOW. GO! Forget those frivolous matters of comfort, saying long goodbyes and making pros and cons lists. Move! Move!
Ah, but there's always a compromise. To move into partnership (Libra) you DO have to act (Aries). So this may mean moving out of old outdated comfortable habits and into a new situation that suits our higher way of being.

2. There's a tetrad of Full Moons following tomorrow's. OK so this is the first I have heard of this, BUT apparently there is some biblical significance to the fact that there are no partial eclipses in between the next 4 full moons happening in the next 2 years. So you know, there are always 2 Lunar eclipses each year anyway. Always. So, I don't quite get it and I am not getting into this, because I don't know much about it and I don't know how it applies to astrology. But here's a link for more. . . I don't feel better informed per the article. Please comment below if you do know more!

http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-a-blood-moon-lunar-eclipses-2014-2015#prophecy

3. This eclipse is happening during the upcoming formation of Grand Cardinal Cross. Click this link below on my article about this intense astrological event. Life will be 'a changing. Yeeeeeee!

http://www.thefullmoonfactor.blogspot.com/2014/03/you-feeling-it.html

So in short, hold on to your hats. I hate to imbue any negativity onto this event. I feel we all just have a shake up in our lives coming and it could be good or bad or hard or fun. Who knows. I do think we influence our own futures, so think positive! Life may feel unsteady or uncomfortable but if changes are afoot for you just have faith that you are moving into your future . . . which I'm thinking is gonna be BRIGHT!

You feeling it?

Yes. I talk about energy and what it FEEEEEELs like out there. It's hippy dippy. It's new agey. I am SORRY!

Actually I'm not sorry. When y'all start to get stressed out, you're gonna like the validation, I promise!
But seriously - any of you guys feeling this changing, shifting, energy? I sure as hell am! Where is stable ground???

My favorite astrology sites have been talking up the craziness of April 2014 since last Fall. I've written about eclipses before. They happen twice a year and they create shifts and changes. And depending on which signs these eclipses fall within determines where the change might happen in your life and gives an overall theme to the eclipses. But the reason that these upcoming April eclipses are so buzzed about is because there is also an additional rare element called a Cardinal Grand Cross involved. Let me explain a little more. . .


Mars, Uranus, Jupiter, Pluto form a cross when the first two and last two planet sit across from each other. Opposition causes tension and conflict. And the astrological Cardinal signs involved in this whole deal are the signs that represent primal action, moving forward, pioneering ahead. They ALL initiate change. There are no fixed signs involved and no mutable signs. All the hard core instinctual action takers are on deck. Those signs are Aries, Cancer, Capricorn and Libra. To add to that, those signs also represent "Myself (I)" "Home" "Career" and "Relationships (We)" respectively. Ummm, that's kind of your whole life in a nutshell that is represented in this cross - this action / changing / 'moving forward' aspect in the sky.

All this sets us all up to have some pretty drastic - (possibly much needed but unexpected) - change in our lives. And this aforementioned cross is in its exact formation on April 23-24.

The Full Moon and New Moon eclipses involved happen on April 15 (Full Moon in Libra) and April 29 (New Moon in Taurus). I'll keep you posted on those. But you can see that all this is happening in one big chunk, right in the middle of April!

Interestingly enough in my life, my parent's birthdays are both the key dates of April 15 and 24. They are about to make one of the biggest changes in 30 years by moving from their long time home. It's a huge emotional and physical change for them. I just see lots of 'coincidences' floating around with dates and things lining up during this time.

So if you are "feeling it" right now, you might just be tuning into this building energy that will culminate in April. Perhaps solid things are sliding away or adjusting every so slightly to make room for the Universe to shift you? The firm and solid in your life is probably starting to 'heat up' to make you more malleable.




We are feeling the heat bubbling from this volcano about to blow in April. But not to worry. I believe worry is a total waste. Volcanoes create the most beautiful land formations after all is said and done AND we can't control it …even if we tried.

Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

So stay tuned for more change in your life! I will try and keep posting to keep you updated. I would love to hear how it might be effecting you!