Friday 28 January 2011

'Blessed are those who are cracked,
for they are the ones who let in the light'.


Unknown.

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Judge & Jury – Saturn Retrograde

On the 26th January, Saturn moves retrograde in Libra until June and this looks set to bring each of us (particularly Librans), the need to assess our inner landscapes and to understand what motivates us. When we can truly understand our motivations, we can begin to make sense of our lives and of the repeating patterns that we become a part of. Only then can we make the changes necessary to make our dreams reality and finally let go of the conditioning that shapes or moulds our lives.

Retrograde Saturn helps us to take responsibility for our lives and shows us that in order to evolve, we need to be accountable for each decision we make. This is so hard for many reasons including the fact that we are not isolated non-interactive beings and so every decision we make affects others. At the same time though, it is important not to put our lives on hold waiting for the right moment to act...will that moment ever come? And is that just a way of putting off making a decision in the present?

Nothing in life is black and white, and with a whole spectrum of shades of grey in between, there are no clear cut answers. Yet Saturn wants us to be more in control of our choices and decisions, and to know that we do not have to spend our lives as victims of fate being taken along with the current. We can use our gifts and our minds to find creative solutions to the challenges we face and we can take back the control in a great many areas of our lives.

As a perfectionist, Saturn can push each of us to do more or to do ‘better’ in life. We can feel as though we are never quite good enough. This needs to stop now as we realise that we are good enough, and whilst the quest for betterment is innately human, we should stop using this as a tool to beat ourselves up and put ourselves under immense pressure.

We need to find a balance between the need to expand our horizons and the need to accept ourselves just as we are. This comes down to our perceptions and once again to our motivations. If our motivation is to further expand ourselves then this is empowering and life affirming, but if the motivation comes through a fear of not being good enough, then we need to challenge that belief and wash that fear away.

To judge and self-judge is also innately human, but judgement serves no real purpose other than to weigh someone up against another’s standards. Acceptance and self-acceptance are what’s needed now, this does not mean giving up and giving in, but it does mean that we need to begin being much kinder to ourselves and one another.

As our lives begin to surge ahead over the coming weeks, we can work with Saturn to understand our true nature so that we can make the most of this time of renewed focus and high energy. It is now a great time to find the quiet within in order to focus on our true goals and priorities in life...

Monday 24 January 2011

Don’t Stop Believing – Jupiter Into Aries

On the 22nd January, Jupiter entered Aries. Jupiter, the mighty planet of growth, expansion, wisdom and abundance combines with the hot-headed, fiery, creative ram to create a huge wave of positive new energy rushing into our lives.

In many ways, this feels like the true start to 2011 (yes, another beginning!) as the energy levels are beginning to reflect the passion and vision that 2011 holds for each of us. This year of manifestation and liberation, starts now, as we begin to grab hold of the vim and vigour of Aries and the wisdom and power of Jupiter.

This marks the beginning of a period of rapid change and growth in our lives, it is a time to honour our gifts and to grab onto the courage of the Arien ram to step into pastures new. This is a highly invigorating and energising time...

We all have dreams and goals. Some of us manage to achieve these, many of us do not. It is time now to ask ourselves why we haven’t achieved out dreams? What is stopping us? Are the fates conspiring against us? Or do we simply not believe that we have what it takes to succeed?

For many of us, the latter is a hard pill to swallow, but the reality is that, for most of us, we do not believe in ourselves enough and we are the main reason that we are not living our dreams. When we doubt, we chip away at the dream, and after a while, it becomes unstable and collapses underneath us. Yet, it is not too late to re-build our foundations and to know that if we can believe in ourselves (and I mean, TRULY believe) then we can take new steps towards these dreams and make them happen.

We are truly the masters of our destiny now. It is time to take that leap of faith into the unknown and to know that whilst the outcome can never be guaranteed, our lives will be the richer for the experience and our souls will feel truly alive for we have finally believed and had a go. Life is for living after all.

Jupiter does not stay in Aries for long, but this is a welcome fire bolt to stir up our lives to fill us with hope, passion and focus. When Jupiter moves into Taurus in June, it will literally be time to grab that bull by the horns and set ourselves free...

Saturday 22 January 2011

The Power Within – Retrograde Juno

Juno moved retrograde in Virgo on the 19th January, and this creates a theme of finding wholeness and completeness within. Juno, an asteroid, represents the balance of power in relationships, and when retrograde, this focus shifts to the balance of power within.

We all have polarities, dark and light, yin and yang etc, and it is important to ensure a sense of harmony between these. We have all heard that inner ‘voice’ that can pull us in one direction or another, and this can create confusion or disorientation if we allow that voice to dominate. If we do allow one to dominate completely, we can feel tired, listless and lost.

Juno now brings each of us the chance to seek a true sense of balance within, to allow our polarities to harmonise and to feel more in control of our lives as a result. Once we can achieve this balance within, this will then enable us to seek a truer sense of balance in the other areas of our lives.

As we move forwards in 2011, the need for balance grows ever stronger. When we are balanced, we can stay in tune with our Self, our higher purpose and our destiny. We can also tap into the courage and strength within to take us further forwards on our paths in life. And finally, we can allow ourselves the space and freedom to truly be ourselves and at peace with who we are.

Juno, may be little, but her influence is strong. It is time now to stop the inner power games of ‘oughts’ and ‘should’s’ and instead focus on what we know to be right. Now is the time to become truly empowered and inspired...

Friday 7 January 2011

What lies before us and what lies behind us
are small matters compared to
what lies within us.
And when we bring what is within
out into the world
miracles happen.


Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tuesday 4 January 2011

Setting Ourselves Free

Today, we have a Capricorn New Moon (with a partial solar eclipse), along with Jupiter and Uranus in another powerful conjunction. Also at this time, Pluto is conjunct Pallas Athene in Capricorn and Neptune and Chiron are conjunct...

Today seems like the true start to the New Year. The heavy energies of the past few weeks will begin to lift as we begin to feel a spring in our steps and a new surge of vitality and energy flowing through our veins.

This is a time to make affirmations about the year ahead. I choose to use affirmations, for the traditional ‘New Year resolutions’ seem to be made in order to be broken! Affirmations are positive visualisations and statements about life rather than rules or laws to stick to.

The Cosmos is creating a powerful and inspirational flavour to the start of the New Year, and it is up to each of us to decide just how to make the most of this.

Letting go of toxicity on all levels is important – mind, body, spirit and emotions. Even those areas taped off within with a ‘warning toxic – no entry’ sign need to be cleaned up and resolved now.

Today is a special day for reflection and inspiration. It is a time to reconnect to the power within in order to re-motivate and re-focus us. It is also a time to believe in ourselves and to know that by taking full responsibility for the choices we make in life, we can become more empowered and more enlightened as a result. Today is the day to take back the power and to be at One with ourselves...

Monday 3 January 2011

Tending The Garden Within

This is a phrase commonly used in the ‘New Age’ arena, particularly in connection with core shamanic ideals and principles. Yet what does it truly mean?

The Garden of our Soul is that place right at the core of our Being, it is a beautiful place, a place of serenity, a place of tranquillity. The grass is the greenest; the flowers are the most fragrant, and the bird song the most beautiful. It is a place where we feel truly connected to the Universe, and where we feel interconnected with the One.

Of course, being human means that we think, create and manifest a whole host of thoughts, events and situations in our lives which can impact this garden within. Sometimes, we can allow weeds to grow and take over, overshadowing the peacefulness. Sometimes, we bring in the bulldozers to create a new ‘masterpiece’ or idea, but we end up with a large messy hole, which we then need to dig our way out of.

We plant seeds within, and we choose to cultivate them or not, for that is free will. It is ultimately up to us, as individuals, as to what we plant and how we care for it. Toxic thoughts and ideas can contaminate our sacred gardens, and they can undermine our Whole-ness.

There is a need now to go back to our roots, and to realise that the choices we make and the paths we follow determine if we are likely to see our gardens blossoming in the near future. We all have beauty within, yet how many of us truly ‘know’ this and believe it?

Ceres enters Aquarius today, and this suggests a need to tend the mind, to think nourishing thoughts and to realise and embrace that abundance that we all have within. It is finally time to heal toxic thoughts, to let go of doubt and to believe that we are all ‘infinite potential’.

Aquarius is a humanitarian, free thinking individual. Ceres is the earth mother, Goddess of the harvest. Together it seems that they will create a bountiful harvest within, a harvest rich in new ideas, new beliefs and in personal revelations. This is a time to think about sowing new seeds for our paths ahead, but to think before we act. We all have choices to make, and we have the chance now to prioritise our true goals and dreams.

It seems clear that each of us has the chance now to de-clutter our inner landscapes and to plan a beautiful and rich garden full of colour, life and vibrancy...

Saturday 1 January 2011

We’ve Got The Power

Taking responsibility has been a powerful theme over the past couple of years, and it seems that this is likely to continue throughout 2011 and beyond. Accountability and responsibility can feel like a burden and can weigh heavy on our shoulders, yet without being responsible for the choices, actions and decisions that we make in life, how can we be empowered and how can we evolve?

It is important that we face and accept the consequences of all our decisions, even if that decision is not to decide. The only way we can be truly free is to be responsible for our own lives, for the choices we makes and for our own capacity to love and honour both ourselves and our destiny.

There is no point in having regrets, for they only take away more energy from our Beings. We need to accept, surrender to the Universe and live in the moment. Focusing on the past takes us away from the present, and focusing on the future stops us from living life to the full. The past and the future, whilst important, can take us away from the present and in many ways it diminishes our wholeness.

We need to live in the present, and we need to be fully awake in order to make the most of what life has to offer us. Being responsible is but one small step on the evolutionary path, but it is an important one. 2011 looks set to see the need for each of us to truly take control of our lives, decisions and choices. Daunting? Yes, but is there any other way?