Overwhelm

The past three weeks, we've worked with the energy of two eclipses, our fourth Pluto-Uranus square, amplified Sun activity with multiple X-class flares, Comet Ison moving inside Earth's orbit and growing brighter, and now this new asteroid with six tails being seen for the first time:

Is it any wonder we're feeling some overwhelm? It feels a bit like walking a path on the side of a steep mountain, wary of the hazards of not paying attention, but starting to feel exhausted from continuously paying attention... A part of me wonders -- what if this is like the Fool card in the tarot, where the young lad and his dog step off into the air and trust what happens next? What does that mean, to step off into the air, in real-life terms?

 

Not so many answers yet, but maybe some of these are the right questions to be asking.

Question about Venus in Capricorn

I received this question in my inbox today:

I was wondering what effect Venus' entry into Capricorn would have on a person whose natal Venus IS in Capricorn (as well as my sun). Is it likely to be somewhat more emphatic for a person with that alignment, or what?

Thanks for your question!

Venus usually takes 12 months to orbit the Sun, so everyone has their "Venus Return" (when the planet returns to where it was when they were born) once a year. The Venus Return is somewhat like a Solar Return, in that it indicates that a new cycle is beginning in the areas of relationships, finances, creative outlets, etc.

And yes, when Venus is in Capricorn, people with natal Venus in Capricorn may feel more at ease with the energies, since it is familiar territory for them.

But, there is an added emphasis when Venus goes retrograde in the sign of someone's birth Venus, because they are likely to have three passes of their Venus Return, depending on the exact degrees of natal Venus and transiting Venus.

When the Venus return happens three times like this, there is a greater emphasis on reconnecting with the purposes, opportunities and challenges that accompany Venus themes in the birth chart. A lot depends on the natal aspects between Venus and other planets, as well as where Venus is located by house in your birth chart, as well as other factors, how it all plays out.

I hope that's helpful!

Riding the wave

I've been contemplating the title for my next teleclass, which will cover the first 6 months of 2014. Since we'll be starting the New Year on January 1 with a powerful New Moon conjunct Pluto, I have a sense that we'll be riding the wave of that energy pulse for a while, and then will pick up on another wave, and another.

Based on that, I was thinking of "Riding the Wave" as the title -- but then I opened the new Mountain Astrologer magazine and saw that their main article about 2014 is called "Riding the Rapids." While it's good confirmation for what I was already sensing about 2014, the title is a bit too close to mine -- so I've decided to change my title just a bit.

So, if you're ready to hear about those waves and have your surfboard ready, save this date for my teleclass covering the first 6 months of 2014:

Surf's Up!
Riding the Waves of 2014
Thursday, January 9  |  4pm to 5:30pm PST
5pm to 6:30pm MST  |  6pm to 7:30pm CST  |  7pm to 8:30pm EST

An official announcement with registration information will go out in early December -- but just wanted to give you a heads up for "Surf's Up!"

Wind and rain

In the Pacific Northwest, October was a fairly benign month, weather-wise. I was momentarily startled, stepping out my front door at first light this morning, to see the ground not brown but yellow -- strewn with a carpet of yellow maple leaves that until last night's windstorm had still clung to the tree branches.

It seems appropriate that we're having our first real storm of the season on this day between yesterday's tumultuous Pluto-Uranus square and tomorrow's initiatory Solar Eclipse. And the symbolism of the great leaf fall is also appropriate to both -- the letting go of what has outlived its usefulness, to make way for eventual new growth after a period of external dormancy (aka inner work).

Pluto is the great transformer, hastening the purging of the old ways, often dramatically. Uranus provides the energy of breakthrough and breakdown, so that we are free to redefine ourselves and our journeys.

And, the Solar Eclipse is in Scorpio, conjunct Saturn, emphasizing the ending of an old cycle and the importance of claiming new levels of inner authority, self-reliance, and self-knowledge as we begin a new phase.

Here's to new beginnings, and to our ability to release the fears and limitations of the past so that we may take greater strides forward on our chosen higher paths.

Blessings, Pam

Elevated Sun activity

If you monitor the SpaceWeather.com site, you already know that the Sun has been very active this week, after many months of being in a more subdued state. Here's this morning's headline on the website:

X2-FLARE BLASTS EARTH'S IONOSPHERE: Electromagnetic radiation from yesterday's X2-class solar flare had a significant effect on Earth's upper atmosphere. As a wave of ionization swept across the dayside of the planet, the normal propagation of shortwave radio signals was scrambled.

It's interesting that although the solar winds from these flares on the Sun take a few days to reach Earth, the electromagnetic radiation arrives much more instantaneously. And, because we are electromagnetic beings in many respects, it affects us humans as well as our radio signals.

It explains a few things -- like why my morning run yesterday and today felt like I was moving my legs through blackstrap molasses. Our bodies are in the midst of adjusting to the changes in energy frequency, and may not have the same strength we expect of them while they're recalibrating.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

Birthday eclipse

I received this email question today:

Am wondering what your thoughts would be about the Lunar Eclipse falling on the birthday Sun on Friday, 18th October? It will form part of the Solar Return chart, as we know, and will be in the 8th house opposing the natal 2nd house Sun. This person was born in 1940 and is still working.

The interesting thing about eclipses is that they can have effects similar to a Uranus transit -- in other words, we're pretty sure change is afoot, but there's always the element of surprise involved in how it actually transpires...

With this particular eclipse being a Full Moon, we would project that this person is about to begin a year with great potential for new levels of self-awareness, perhaps triggered by the experience of strong polarities in the life. The natal Sun, being in Libra in the 2nd house, indicates a lifetime where growth of self-worth and finding a balance between one's own and others' needs are high priorities, from the soul's perspective.

With the eclipse Moon in Aries in the 8th house, another person's strong opinions and desires may play an important role in the growth in self-awareness intended for the coming year. The challenge is to honor one's own values and to awaken more fully to the potential for greater fairness and balance in relationships.

Then, of course, there's always the theme of financial issues associated with the 2nd and 8th houses. This is another area where polarities -- mine vs. ours -- could bring experiences that will result in substantial growth of self-worth.

Or, perhaps this person's self-worth (Sun) is bound to whether or not they're earning a living (2nd house). If this is no longer serving their greater good at this point in the life, the eclipse -- and the coming year -- could bring awareness about the value of Being rather than Doing.

Thanks for the question!

Rebirth

For my last few teleclasses, in addition to exploring the planetary influences for each month, I've been pulling a tarot card to provide more insights. When I was preparing for my most recent teleclass in June, I pulled the Rebirth card for our current month, October 2013:

The card made sense to me at the time, especially when considering the transformative planetary influences that would be in effect this month. And now, living in the energies of October, the meanings are even clearer.

We are in a great phase of transformation, and are in the midst of choosing what vibratory level we want to live in. We can choose to emulate the camel, the lion, or the child in how we experience and respond to life.

Here's what the interpretation of this card (from the Osho Zen Tarot deck) says:

"This card depicts the evolution of consciousness as it is described by Friedrich Nietzsche in his book, Thus Spake Zarathustra. He speaks of the three levels of Camel, Lion and Child. The camel is sleepy, dull, self-satisfied. He lives in delusion, thinking he's a mountain peak, but really he is so concerned with others' opinions that he hardly has any energy of his own. Emerging from the camel is the lion. When we realize we've been missing life, we start saying no to the demands of others. We move out of the crowd, alone and proud, roaring our truth. But this is not the end. Finally the child emerges, neither acquiescent nor rebellious, but innocent and spontaneous and true to his own being. Whatever the space you're in right now -- sleepy and depressed, or roaring and rebellious -- be aware that it will evolve into something new if you allow it. It is a time of growth and change."

And that's putting it mildly!