Sunday, August 28, 2011

Earthquakes question

I received this email from a client this week:

I just read that there were 90 earthquakes throughout the U.S. yesterday. I thought you might have some astrological insights concerning this.

I monitor a couple of websites daily -- one of which is the USGS earthquake site. It does seem that this past week has brought more than the usual number of earthquakes, as well as a significant number of higher-intensity earthquakes (near or above 7 on the Richter scale).

Astrologically, Mars seems to be stirring things up -- and Mars is in Cancer, ruling home, foundations, and security. Mars is currently "triggering" (reigniting) the energies of all the Cancer/Capricorn eclipses that have occurred in the past 2 years (since summer 2009). This means we are bringing issues full circle for resolution, stirring up what is still needing to be addressed. This influence will continue through September 18.

And Mars has also been square Saturn this week, manifesting as additional tension that needs to find release.

A non-astrological note of interest: I heard on NPR today that the reason the earthquake in Virginia was felt over such a large area is because the tectonic plate on the east coast is basically intact, with few fault lines. So when one part shakes, the whole region feels it. Out here in the western United States, we have lots of fault lines -- which means we can have more earthquakes perhaps, but they also provide flexibility so the tremors are not usually as widespread.

Thanks for your question!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Success story

Just proof that things CAN go well when Mercury is retrograde -- with a little extra help.

A while ago, a robin started building her nest on the arm of a downspout, right beneath the eaves of my house. As the nest took form, I thought that it was a precarious place for a nest, and that if she laid eggs, the nest would soon tip over from the added weight.

Still, I've had other robins build nests that never were used for egg-laying, so decided let nature do whatever it needed to do.

Because the nest was above eye level, I didn't know if there had been eggs laid. But, about 10 days ago, one of my dogs suddenly became very interested in the ground beneath that downspout. I went over to see, and sure enough, the nest was on the ground. I thought, oh, too bad, and picked it up. And THEN saw two tiny baby birds, just bones and skin, on the ground.

Of course, my first need was to get the dogs away (who, by this time, were VERY interested in what was on the ground), so dragged them unwillingly into the house. I grabbed a pair of gloves (having read somewhere not to touch baby birds with your hands -- although have since read that's not such a big deal) and went back outside.

I found a small bucket, loaded it nearly to the top with rocks to keep it stable, then put the nest on top of that. Then, ever so gently and ever so nervously, I picked up each of the tiny birds and put them into the nest. One started "gaping" right away (open mouth, waiting to be fed), but the other was very lethargic and unresponsive.

I put the nest-bucket up on top of the electrical box on the outside of the house, which serendipitously was just about two feet beneath the downspout. And then went into the house to call someone who would know more than I do about what to do next.


Thanks heavens for PAWS. I found their bird rescue line, and called. Had to leave a message, but in the meantime, read online that I should be watching the nest (from a distance) to see if the mama robin returned. About 10 minutes later, as I was positioned outside in my sentry post, the woman from PAWS called back. She asked a lot of questions, gave me some good support for what I was doing, and we arranged that if the mama robin hadn't come back to the nest in another hour, I should bring the nest and its two little ones to the bird rescue place.

Back to my sentry post. Within about 20 minutes, I saw mama robin hopping around on the ground, a ways away from the nest. Would she find the new nest? Was there too much disturbance?

She hopped over closer to the nest, then hopped around on the ground where the fallen nest had been. Had she already been there after the babies had fallen? Was she looking for them? I found myself whispering out loud, "Look up, mama, look up!"

Within a few more seconds, she flew up to the downspout where the nest had originally been. "Look down, mama, look down!"

And then, she flew down to the nest. I was so excited, I called the PAWS woman back and told her the news. They were pleased to hear that all was going well.

For several days, I didn't know if both babies had made it. The one had been so lethargic, I wasn't sure if it had been injured in the fall. But last Tuesday, as I was watching the nest, the mama flew in with some food and TWO beaks poked up out of the nest to be fed. I can't tell you how good it felt to see those two little yellow beaks.

And this morning when I went out (dogs on leash, just in case), there was just one baby left in the nest. Flight day has arrived.

A few minutes ago, as I was rounding another corner of the house, I startled the baby who had already left the nest, from its perch in the lower branches of a cedar. The young bird flew briefly, and I quickly went away so as not cause any more fright.

By later today, both birds should be out of the nest and well on their way to taking care of themselves in the world. What a miracle.

Thanks for letting me share! Now, off to write today's Journal...

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Comets and cataclysms

I've received several emails from readers over the past couple of months, wondering about the comet Elenin and my thoughts on the subject. Here's my reply to Anne, who asked a similar question in her comment to the post entitled "Mars crossing the July 1 eclipse degree" below:

About Elenin -- I do not have the sense that this comet's arrival is a major cataclysmic event, as some have predicted. It is true that when comets come into closer range of Earth's energy field, they bring new information into our collective awareness. That part resonates with me, and it will be interesting to watch and sense what comes through with this particular comet.

As to whether Elenin is "planet X or Niburu," that interpretation confuses me a bit, since Elenin is a comet, not a planet. For someone who knows more about Niburu than I do, perhaps that will sound like a naive statement! But I come from a very practical stance when I interpret astrology, and that's my initial thought.

I think we are all aware on some level -- some of us more consciously -- of the big shift we humans are going through. Astrologically, it corresponds with the Pluto-Uranus square, which will be working with us for the next five years. Life is changing, society is changing, each of us is shifting in ways we may only have begun to conceive. It is an exciting time, and a rollercoaster ride at times. And there will be weeks when the shift feels more monumental, as we've seen with the eclipses this summer.

But, again, my practical nature (Taurus Sun, Taurus Mercury) does not believe that there will be that one specific moment when Everything Changes. I believe our enlightenment/ascension is a process, not an event. I think it is human nature to want The Day to arrive, just as we want The Relationship or The Job to come into our lives. And certainly we can have wonderful things happen, events that change who we are, or enhance our lives in powerful ways. But those types of events build on who we are and ask us to Become More -- they are not about the end of the world as we know it, whether that ending be by cataclysm or by revelation.

"Building on who we are and Becoming More" is what I think our human experience on planet Earth is all about -- and it is also at the core of our growth process as spiritual beings, growth that continues beyond this lifetime and beyond this dimension. We will never reach a final destination because we will always keep growing and changing, even when we are returned to spirit. That is why we choose, again and again, to reincarnate -- whether on the Earth plane or in some other dimensional existence. We want to keep growing and learning and experiencing. That desire is at the core of our spiritual nature.

Perhaps as Elenin passes by in September, we will have greater access to the new information and insights needed for that next step -- or leap! -- in Becoming More. Then we have the end of the Mayan Calendar (according to Carl Calleman's calculations) on October 28, and in November we have the 11:11:11 date. All of these timeframes have been energetically loaded with the expectations and hopes (and fears) of thousands if not millions of people.

Looking at the planets that are commonly used in mundane astrology, the next major universal event is the pair of eclipses in November/December -- with some other planetary interactions, lunations and direction changes occurring between now and then to keep us moving forward, and to keep me writing the Journal on Sundays!

And, of course, each of us individually may be dealing with personal transits that affect our lives and keep us growing and changing, especially around the times when the outer planets change direction (Pluto in September, Neptune in November, and Uranus in December).

But this fall may indeed be another powerful time, based at least in part on the expectations of mass consciousness. I've heard that our guides can take advantage of these expectations, to help focus their own energies as they assist us in our process of Becoming More. "Whenever two or more are gathered" works in all dimensions, and between dimensions as well...

Friday, August 19, 2011

At the e-gym

Every day this week has felt like being in a different room at the e-gym -- with the "e" standing for emotional instead of electronic.

Mars in Cancer has been (and continues to be) our personal trainer at this particular gym, putting us to work at different types of exercise equipment and telling us how many reps to do. This past week, Mars has crossed over the degree of the July 1 Solar Eclipse of this year and brought issues raised by that eclipse back into our awareness in some form. Also this week, and during the next four weeks, Mars is triggering all the eclipse degrees from the past two years, the length of time that the Capricorn-Cancer polarity eclipses were in effect. We'll have to wait and see if the remaining Mars transits of the eclipse degrees continues to be as strong as they have been this week.

One earmark of Mars in Cancer has been the reminder of issues and emotions from the past -- the long-ago past from the present life, and even further back into our history of lifetimes. I've seen events occur in my own life and in the lives of some close friends this week that successfully dredged up emotions thought long-resolved, or at least from long enough ago not to be active any more. This effect is no doubt also exaggerated by the fact that Mercury is retrograde (moving backward), also focusing our attention on the past.

These events are allowing us to peel away deeper layers of the emotions that are arising, to see them from a different perspective now than we might have when they originally came forth. As uncomfortable as it might be, it is a time to feel these emotions and to let them drain us -- and then to let them drain away into the Earth for Gaia to transform and utilize as pure energy.

One more facet of the karmic completion that our recent eclipses have initiated...

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Mars crossing the July 1 eclipse degree

I didn't mention in this week's Journal that yesterday (August 16) was the day that Mars crossed the degree of the July 1 Solar Eclipse, acting as a "trigger" to issues and energies represented by that eclipse. (For reminder, that eclipse was at 9 degrees Cancer.)

So, if amidst the positive energies of the Sun-Mercury-Venus alignment, you've also experienced some emotional issues yesterday and today, no doubt it's the energy of that eclipse being revisited. For me, the eclipse was conjunct my Sun-Moon midpoint, a sensitive point in the chart that represents male/female relationships, as well as the possibility of bringing something into awareness that has previously been hidden. Those issues have been a theme for me this summer, and came into stronger focus just this morning.

From my perspective, Mars has more than accomplished his mission!

How about for you?



Sunday, August 14, 2011

Response from Texas

Received today from a reader in Texas:

Hey Pam,

We always so much enjoy and appreciate your journal. Thanks again. A slight reprieve sounds good, doesn't it!

When my niece was very young and on a multiple-hour trip with my parents, her comment was, "How old will I be when we get there?" It's one of our favorite family sayings and I couldn't help but think about it and giggle when I read your first paragraph this week. I must confess that this summer has put me in that frame of mind more than once.

Hhmm...a psuedo-summer...down here in north Texas we have had a whopper of a full-fledged, all out scorcher! ;-)

Once again, thanks,

Lisa

Perfect! Now I know I will start to wonder "How old will I be when we get there?" too! Thanks for sharing.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Things are heating up

The Sun released a very high-level/high-energy burst this morning -- an X-7 class solar flare. Although the energy of this burst is not aimed directly at Earth, we are likely to feel some effects in the next couple of days -- so the ride continues!

Here's the impressive photo from the main page of SpaceWeather.com this morning:



Onward and upward...

Monday, August 8, 2011

Riding the rollercoaster

Perhaps it's the Mars-Uranus-Pluto energy already making itself known, or maybe we're still working with the electromagnetic shifts that came in with the recent solar winds -- but my oh my, it's been quite a rollercoaster ride today. Emotional extremes, odd dreams, miscommunications (that one may be from the Neptune-Mercury opposition)... it's been quite a mix. And, I'm guessing the next couple of days will be more of same.

We're breaking apart the physical, emotional and mental structures that no longer serve us, which means there's positive intention in all this. But it gets a bit bumpy when either we're too attached to how things have been or we let uncertainty about unknowns become anxiety or fear. Centering in on the high-heart area helps -- our heart-brain knows that all really is well, even when our head-brain is sure the sky is falling.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Geomagnetic storm on the way

The Sun has been very active the past three days -- so much so, in fact, that scientists expect a major geomagnetic storm to reach Earth on Friday, August 5. The timing is not exact -- early morning here in the Pacific Northwest is likely.

Here's the report from SpaceWeather.com:
UPDATE: This morning's M9-class eruption propelled a CME toward Earth. Moving at an estimated speed of 1950 km/s, the cloud is expected to sweep up two earlier CMEs already en route. Analysts at the GSFC Space Weather Lab say the combined triple-CME should reach Earth on August 5th at 13:55 UT plus or minus 7 hours. "The impact on Earth is likely to be major: the estimated maximum geomagnetic activity index level Kp is 7 (Kp ranges from 0 - 9). The flanks of the CME may also impact STEREO A, Mars and Mercury/MESSENGER."
In physical terms, geomagnetic storms can impact our electronics and radiowaves -- in metaphysical terms, we will be working with a major impulse of new energy and information.

Best advice is probably to be flexible, to consciously align with the highest aspect of ourselves, and also to ask for assistance from nonphysical guides to adapt to and utilize the energy and information in positive ways. And for those who meditate, it should be quite a ride!

I'd love feedback from anyone who wants to share their experience of these energies on Friday.

See you on the other side!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Making use of Mercury retrograde

I have a theory.

After reading an article about the THREE brains in our bodies (yes, three), I am considering that when Mercury goes retrograde, we really only have problems when we rely too heavily on one of those brains -- the one in our heads.

But, given the fact that we also have a brain in our belly (our source of gut instinct) and a brain in our heart (our source of feeling response), we are not just cut adrift from our ability to navigate this reality when Mercury is retrograde. True, our rational brains (which Mercury represents) may not be functioning fully, and events may not unfold according to the expectations of that rational mind, but our other two brains are still fully engaged and ready to take the reins.

We have a good three-plus weeks to play with this theory. I'm going to give it a try.

(And if you'd like to read the article, here's the link: Introducing Our Second and Third Brains)