AstroCoaster Week

For anyone who hasn't noticed, this week is overflowing with powerful heavenly events! Sunday and Monday favored us with the New Moon in Scorpio. This New Moon is taking us deeper into ourselves ~ particularly our darker or shadow side. Though there's nothing wrong with that, it's not an easy trip. It will be well worth it if we remain aware and plant the seeds of our intentions deep.

This New Moon is setting us on a new course, revealing new information to us. Scorpio's influence is strong: what has been hidden in the dark is showing up in the light. First, in the light of the Dark Moon. Then, in the light of our lives.

We need to keep in mind that there is a broader perspective to all that is currently happening. If we do that, we can see the pattern unfolding ~ and within that pattern, the beauty. Scorpio draws our secrets and our shadow self into the light.

Dancing through its archetypes of Scorpion, Eagle and Phoenix, Scorpio is the sign of transformation, the embodiment of the cycles or life, death and rebirth. The veils between the cycles are thinnest at this time of year. We are in the holy season of death which is honored in various cultures as Samhain, Dia de los Muertos, All Souls Day, to name a few. This is also the time we reach beyond the seen world in order to connect with unseen ones. We experience all of the fragility and all of the empowerment of life.

As we progress through that transformation, we recognize ~ and accept ~ that the path to greater wisdom takes us through some scary places. We don't have to remain afraid there. Death can also refer to releasing the power of whatever is toxic in our lives: fears, addictions, etc. As we step away from the negative, we can face whatever comes and continue on into the light and to freedom. A new power is forming within us that will carry us into 2020. A sense of humor will help us concentrate on the Divine in the Universe.

The Sabian Symbol for the 5th degree of Scorpio is "a massive, rocky shore like a wild ocean crashing into a rock cliff shoreline, but it is actually more an intense awareness of one of the facts of existing." This degree is one of holding the stillness at the core of our being. In brief: holding stable in the midst of everything.

October 31st will bring with it not only Halloween, but also Mercury retrograde. Remember that Mercury rules over communication and proceed with caution since Scorpio will still be in influence as well. This might be a time to tone down any plan for craziness or pranks.

How are you feeling as you pass through these astral currents? What does the broader perspective for your life look like? How do you embody your power? Name your fears in order to better face them. Call in what you want to replace them. What in your life is being called to transformation?

Samhain's Thinning Veil

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs20/i/2009/278/9/3/Samhain_Goddess_by_ArwensGrace.jpg

Samhain is the autumnal finale when the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest. What makes this holy season, this particular turning off the wheel, an opening between Life and Death, between Light and Dark?

Each of the Quarters and Cross-Quarters on the Wheel brings the worlds of this present reality and another more ethereal reality closer together. Midwinter or Yule brings a season of elves and merry-making to drive away the Dark and celebrate the Return of the Light. Imbolc is the first planting, the coming of the 'milk' when the young are conceived and born. Ostara reveals more of the Light and coming Life, when we recognize the fertility in the greening of the world around us. Beltane begins the summer flowering and the fairies. Midsummer or Litha brings the fair winds and weather, the height of Light and fullness. Lammas, the Loaf Mass, is the first harvest, the time of baking bread and bringing in grain.
Mabon is the height of the harvest, the autumnal balance of Light and Dark.

Which returns the cycle to Samhain, the end of the harvest season and beginning of the fallow time. The veil thins as Light slips away, leaves fall from deciduous trees, food-bearing and flowering plants growing above ground wither and die or slumber. Only the root plants have any chance of continuing after this, and even they will be gone soon. Often with the first frost comes the first illnesses. Fall begins "cold and flu season" when we see a rise of immune vulnerability. The days are grayer, more dismal. Shadows lengthen even during the daylight hours.

In many cultures, this is the time to remember those who have passed from this world into the next, to honor the ancestors who have left this physical reality, but have left behind their collective wisdom.

This is the season I love most. The thinner veils suit my Scorpio Moon well. Over time, I've learned to  traverse the worlds during this passage of time. Though it can be a dangerous place to wander, it brings much knowledge and wisdom. As I've gleaned that harvest, the greater instruction has been to pass on what I learn, to recognize that I am an instrument to bring that information into this present reality.

How do you feel about this time of year? What is your favorite part of this season? In what time of year do you feel most comfortable? most happy? Why?

Celebrating Birth and Death Days

What a lovely surprise recently when going to Google's search page. It was personalized for my birthday! On the one hand, sweet and touching to see. On the other, scary that Google wishes its clientele a Happy Birthday ~~ because it does know the birthdays of all who use Gmail or Google+ or Hangouts.... the list goes on.

My birthday was an incredible mix of celebrations ~ birth, life and death. I celebrated my own birthday in person with my partner; received greetings via mail, email, text, phone and social media; and spent time alone, contemplating my life. I played with my new 'toy' ~ a Samsung Galaxy S tablet ~ that I received as a gift. What fun!

My life has been a lovely string of events orchestrated by my parents, by my choices of partners, career and friends and by my daughter. Currently, I imagine hearing Frank Sinatra's voice singing, "Regrets. I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention." Or to remember. It's all been a most amazing blessing.

Lately, including on my birthday, I've been in and around several conversations about aging and about death. One friend posted a picture of her unsolicited AARP card (oh, dear!) bemoaning her aging. Another commented on the number of people she's known lately who've died (or passed over, if you prefer). One wept over her son who committed suicide; another laid a spread of Fall flowers on the ground for a daughter-of-the-heart who died too soon. One spoke about not being able to be around a mutual friend dying of AIDS; another about her fears of her own mortality. One spoke softly about missing her deceased husband; another ranted about her dead father. All of these conversations happened within the past week.

That's the season that occurs around my birthday as well. Death and dying are part and parcel of Fall. Yet there's beauty and harmony in the circle and cycle of life that happens too. We're coming closer to Halloween, All Souls' and All Saints' Days ~ Samhain, the time of year when the veils between the worlds are thinner, easier to pass through. All this is what I love about my Fall birthday.

What do you think of Fall? What do you celebrate on your birthday? Do you think about the fullness of the cycle of your life? How do you feel about it?