Fires and storms

Someone wrote me earlier this week, asking about the purpose of the fires that are burning in several areas of the world. I responded that there are higher purposes, of course, although it's hard to imagine devastation as being positive.

We can gain some insights from the fact that there are certain trees (and maybe other plants?) that rely on fire to enable their seeds to grow. The heat of the fire must reach a specific degree, which then dries and cracks the outer protective covering of the seed, allowing it to then connect with the earth and begin the growth process.

Taking this as a metaphor, we can assume that the fires are representing a process going on within individuals and within humanity, a process in which hard outer coverings are cracked and fall away, allowing the seeds that have been held within to grow.

Synchronistically, I was reading this morning in The Family of Light by Barbara Marciniak, and came across this passage:

Rains, winds, and fires awaken what has been dormant.

She then talks about that hard protective covering around a seed, and relates it to the growth process each of us is going through:

Perhaps just before your casing breaks, you feel the tightness of a dark, confined place; you may feel as if the casing will suffocate and destroy you. Will you allow your seed to sprout, or to die inside because the casing feels tough and hard?

We are all being buffeted in various ways now, either literally by the weather and environmental changes, or internally by emotions coming to the surface to be released. But it helps to realize that what we are actually doing is removing the hard casing around our joy and creativity, so that it can finally find root and grow.

Full Moon and solar winds

Today's Full Moon is in Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac. This Full Moon represents the culmination of emotional growth and spiritual awareness that has unfolded over the past 12 months. Looking back to a year ago, it's easy to see how much we've changed.

A Full Moon reflects the light of the Sun, so that we may see in the darkness. This is the task of our emotional selves, to reveal what is held within, so that we may direct this energy in positive ways, rather than allowing it to remain stagnant. Full Moons show us where we have been stuck, and release a pressure valve that has been holding in emotional energy -- energy that once released can be used to create more light in our lives.

The Earth is inside a solar wind stream this morning, coinciding with this Full Moon energy and magnifying its effects. The current wind speed (7:40am PDT) is 485 km/sec. Today is a great day for meditation and creative activities, and opening spiritually to the higher vibrations reaching the planet. For those in the northern regions, it will also be a time to watch for the Northern Lights, Earth's response to receiving the solar winds into her energy field.

Now is the time to take full advantage of these heightened energies, and to fill our own energy fields with peace, love and light. The more we can anchor in this higher vibration now, the more easily we will navigate the changes in store for the next two weeks.

Solar winds

I've been watching the daily solar wind speed on SpaceWeather.com for about a year now. Usually a few times a month, the image of the Sun toward the bottom of the page will show a coronal hole, and they will include a prediction of when the solar wind from that hole will reach Earth -- usually five to six days later.

My interest in this started because of reading that the solar winds reaching Earth are how we physically receive some of the energy shifts that we've been feeling, and how new information is broadcast to us as well. It's been interesting to monitor the wind speed (shown at the top left of the main page of the site) and see what corresponds energetically.

It's always amazing to see the aurora borealis that appear when the solar winds reach our atmosphere, too. Amateur photographers around the world send their photos of all kinds of cosmic events to the SpaceWeather site, and the photos of the auroras are usually breathtaking.

So, why am I bringing this up now?

Because today I read this under the photo of the Sun:

"Several holes have opened up in the sun's corona. A solar wind stream flowing from two of them could reach Earth as early as August 28th."

This is the first time I've seen more than one hole opening at a time -- and today there are several. It will be interesting to see what effects we feel. Certainly the auroras should be spectacular.

They're not always correct in their predictions about the exact day the solar winds will arrive. "As early as August 28th" could mean a day or two later.

Right now the solar wind is 356 km/second. The lowest I've seen was in the high 200s. The highest I've seen was in the high 600s.

The 28th is Friday, when Venus and Mercury form a nice, friendly sextile and help us soothe ruffled feathers from earlier in the week. There are no other major aspects between the planets for several days, so it will be interesting to see how the solar winds feel in that clear field.

I'll keep on eye on the site and add comments to this posting periodically. Or check it out yourself at http://spaceweather.com/.

The good, the bad, and... the unexpected

I was just about to start a post tonight, when Butterphly11 sent in her note (see her comment on my "Creativity and focus" posting). Part of what she wrote was right in keeping with what I was thinking about -- perfect synchronicity!

I wanted to share a quote from the book I'm reading (Family of Light by Barbara Marciniak), that I feel we could all use right now:

"Your great solution, no matter what is occurring, is to love yourself and vibrate that frequency outside yourself. Doing so will allow many doors to open, and likewise many unwanted probabilities will simply pass you by, like a bird on the wing."

When we go through challenging times, it's so easy to get caught in the negative emotions of either guilt or blame -- because certainly we or they should be better than this, right? As I mentioned in my response to Butterphly11's post, I've had my own share of both today, and I'm feeling pretty tired of it tonight.

Uranus is opposing Mercury today, so perhaps we find some answers there. It's common for accidents and arguments to happen when this type of aspect is in effect. Mercury rules both communication and transportation, since both are ways to connect. Uranus brings in the energy of the "unexpected," as well as a good amount of electricity that can cause misfiring of the neural pathways. Maybe that's why my brain and what came out my mouth went a bit haywire today -- and why Butterphly11 had her own mishap.

So, in addition to this being a lesson in learning to love ourselves -- even when we're not perfect -- there's no doubt some other messages as well. This is, after all, a Uranus-Mercury aspect, which means the higher mind is meant to be engaged.

Mercury is in Virgo right now -- the sign of the perfectionist. Our criticalness is heightened right now, which means any small misstep we take we are likely to interpret as a major issue, and symptomatic of something very wrong with us. It is equally true that we may see others' missteps in the same light.

Uranus in Pisces opposes Mercury today, showing us that there's an opposite perspective to consider. Pisces is all about compassion and understanding, and unconditional love -- for others AND for ourselves.

So this is the message from our higher minds tonight. To forgive ourselves and others for the very humanness of our natures and our experience. And to realize that as "spiritual" as we may be, we are still navigating a very physical and very interactive world, and there are bound to be mistakes made. The key here is to take the Pisces route, to let go of what has occurred, and to wake up tomorrow morning with a fresh perspective.

And to remember Barbara Marciniak's channeled wisdom -- that our best solution is always to love ourselves and to vibrate that frequency both within us and around us.

Creativity and focus

We're in a powerful few days, fueled by the New Moon in late degrees of Leo, the sign known for creative self-expression. Now is the time to dream the big dream, to plant the seed of possibility, to ponder the "what-ifs" that bring us joy, and not worry so much about how or when.

The Sun enters Virgo late in the day on Saturday (4:39pm PDT), shifting the focus into the more practical world, and helping us begin to conceptualize and plan how to bring our creative dreams into reality.

The entire weekend actually looks to be full of potential, with a Uranus-Venus trine on Saturday invigorating our relationships and our ability to connect at a heart level with others. Then, on Sunday, Pluto trines the Sun, empowering us to take that next step in creating a more perfect world.

Take this opportunity to stabilize your craft and set your sails for the direction you want to go. Next week there may be some choppy seas as a T-square involving Pluto, Mars and Mercury becomes exact on Wednesday. It will help us navigate those seas if we are able to visualize the eventual destination and hold a broader/higher perspective, which understands that storms are sometimes part of the journey.

And if we get blown "off-course," who knows -- maybe we'll end up on the magical South Sea island where all our dreams actually can come true.

The Triad speaks

The trine from the Triad (the Neptune, Chiron, Jupiter conjunction) to Mars began midweek, and now that energy wave is amplified by the opposition from the Triad to the Sun. This means that the higher frequency represented by the Triad in Aquarius is being integrated into our own energy systems on multiple levels, impacting our drive and desires (Mars) and our understanding of who we are (Sun).

It's been a while since we've talked in depth about the Triad energy and intention, so a brief refresher: Neptune is dissolving the boundaries between people and between dimensions; Chiron is awakening and healing the wound of separation; and Jupiter is amplifying our understanding that there is a broader intention to our lives, and a greater meaning.

This energy has been with us now almost four months, and it continues to open doorways into a new understanding of what it is to be inhabiting a human body at this time of great change. Many are experiencing greater awareness of other dimensions, through dreams or through waking experience. Synchronicities, those reminders that there is intention to our lives and to the universe, are increasing on a daily basis. There's also an odd but pleasant feeling of floating, and the continued need to rest, rest, rest.

This wave of energy will be with us through Monday, August 17, when the Neptune-Sun opposition is exact. The more we can open to the expansiveness and compassion that is available now, the more easily we will navigate the coming week -- which may bring some interesting and unexpected changes with the Uranus-Mars square on Tuesday and the Super New Moon on Thursday.

Ahhhh....

Finally, the dust has settled and the skies seem much clearer than they have for weeks.

The infusion of energy with last week's Lunar Eclipse was enormous and quite profound. Yesterday was the first day I felt and saw the light that was promised on the other side of the tunnel we entered last week. And based on how it feels and looks from here, the tunnel was worth it.

Adequate rest seems to be very important now. Holding this higher vibration is easier in the morning hours. You may notice that buoyancy of heart and step comes more readily early in the day. As we get into the afternoon and evening hours, we become increasingly aware of the physical body's need to restore itself through sleep. Last night after dinner I went to lie down to take a nap at about 7pm, and fell sound asleep, finally getting up at 11:30pm to "officially" go to bed.

In some ways, it looks like the same world. But in substantial ways, it feels very different internally. And that's the key to the castle door, is it not?