September-Remember: As Autumn Hits, Human Tragedies are Hard to Forget but Human Kindness Wins

SEPTEMBER-REMEMBER: AS AUTUMN HITS, HUMAN TRAGEDIES ARE HARD TO FORGET BUT HUMAN KINDNESS WINS

From DEEP INSIDE EARTH’S CORE we CREATIVE [occasionally INSECURE] WRITERS EMERGE to LOOK AROUND at DISASTROUS EFFECTS of GLOBAL WARMING & WEEP

“June—too soon; July—stand by; August—come it must; September—remember; October—all over”

Traditional Bahamian hurricane rhyme, now severely outdated *see effects of DORA below

Maui Wildfires and Human/Wildlife Loss Stir Worldwide Response

While one might be forgiven for believing the U.S. Labor Day Weekend fiasco at Black Rock, Nevada’s Burning Man Festival [August 27th thru September 4th] was tragic—torrential rain (2″) all day Sunday-made wilderness campers & artists look like mud sculptures in a normally arid desert—revelers didn’t appear to be phased by Mother Nature’s drenching gift. Some tried to exit the muddy venue in vehicles ill-equipped to handle deep bog conditions.

Authorities ordered dancers, musicians and party-goers to “shelter in place”, but many trailer-dwellers & stuck campervan owners shouldered backpacks and attempted to hike 5-6miles out to dry ground.

Proximity to Ocean did not Save Làhainà Marina, but Divers Assist

Water was in short supply one month ago, when Hawai’i’s worst disaster in living memory happened on night of August 8th, 2023 [cosmically ‘Lionsgate’ 8/8] & the island of Maui was struck by a combination of lightning storm, tropical typhoon Dora, downed power lines and wildfires which engulfed the coastal town of Làhainà, spreading from oceanfront all the way to interior mountains in the centre of the island.

Emergency sirens—usually sounded in the event of a tsunami—were, because cable towers went down, without power & unable to blare a warning to residents on Maui’s southern shore. Sharp-eyed residents still awake, on the other hand-many older people were already in bed-took it on themselves to rescue a few of their own belongings, plus cat & dog [& other pets] and raise the alarm with their neighbours.

Fire was already consuming vehicles, and traffic on the main highway was down to a crawl—then nil.

So, locals took their few precious possessions, pets in arms or on a leash—and walked.

Because of severity of Dora winds, they met a combination of thick, dense smoke, unbreathable air+ immediate blockage of any & all escape routes. Many headed for the marina & dove in, hoping that proximity to the ocean would give them time to gather their wits, if not their doomed belongings/home.

Làhainà Oceanfront Villas Burned, despite Divers’ Help

But vessels at anchor along the oceanfront piers were also on fire—with yachts’ & speedboats’ water-logged hulls succumbing to flames. Many sought help, as volunteer divers and veteran surfers tried to save those less able than themselves.

The nightmare continued for the rest of the week as official rescuers, first responders & government agencies began the work of ‘search-&-rescue’ of missing persons, pets & belongings, after the fires were contained.

Lahaina’s iconic 150-year-old Banyan tree [Ficus Benghalensis] in downtown survived the fires. Benches under her aerial roots lay unharmed, but work by arborists continues 2tap underground feeders so new shoots can sprout both underfoot & in her canopy.

“After” above, & “before” pictures of the legendary Lahaina old lady.

Sap is still oozing from her main trunk & bore holes are being filled with organic earth-based ‘soup’, to encourage aerial roots to reattach themselves below ground

A Month Later, 115 People Dead,110 Missing–22,000Acres Burned

Fires are now 100% contained—even those spontaneous brush fires inland. This means they aren’t all out; but that Fire Dept. water hoses, helicopter ocean-filled buckets and local rescuers’ garden spray efforts [if they still work] have the previous inferno under control.

One month later, official death count stands at 115 dead, a similar number [110 approx.] missing, with the Maui Humane Society still on the ground assisting in finding & rescuing bewildered animals who don’t know where their owners are. In the first week of the fires, some animals were taken [when there were no shelters in situ] to Honolulu & mainland California, but all records are now updated and owners have been contacted—where possible. They suggest you call them if you haven’t found your pet.

Cats & dogs with seriously burned paws have been stitched & bandaged, scorched whiskers trimmed, other injuries surgically treated. While some owners have claimed their lost pets & taken them to state-offered free lodging, shelters, emergency quarters, or to relatives who still have a roof over their heads, a number still remain in the Society’s rescue cages.

Rescued animals include 10 cats, 14 dogs, 3 rabbits, one baby boar, one dazed chicken and a parrot.

International Response—Food & Financial Help from Media Stars

While local divers & international agencies collaborate with on-the-ground K-9 search dogs amid the ongoing clean-up operation, it is hoped the body-count will not get any higher. Tragic stories emerge of lost loved-ones found still clutching a beloved dog, of missing cots uncovered with babies still in them. Thankfully, few isolated child deaths have been reported. The job of sifting through contaminated ash & [unbreathable] dust heaps continues.

Meanwhile Hawai’ian Governor Josh Green encourages residents with relatives still unaccounted for, to contact his agency which is maintaining an exclusive DNA bank of relatives looking for a lost loved one.

FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] has received ca.11,000 requests for assistance and has donated $14.6 million in federal housing and individual assistance. Governor Green said 6,000 people are now living in hotels and Airbnb units, paid for by his office, with help from FEMA.

Media stars Oprah Winfrey & Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson-with 2nd homes on the island-have set up their People’s Fund of Maui, starting with a sum of $10million of personal funds, and assuring those who want to help that every penny will go directly in the pockets of Maui residents affected by the recent wildfires.

They guarantee any adult resident in the area displaced by Làhainà & Kula wildfires is “eligible to receive $1,200 per month”.

American Red Cross & Salvation Army have been on the ground since day one, providing food, free shelter & are now assisting those with no home to return to, to move into Govr. Green’s special units.

On a Brighter Note…Before our Muse Drags us Writers Back Down into our Subterranean Cave

September-Remember: one of our hurricane rhyme lines (top) is brimming with unspoken truth: it’s often a time around autumn equinox (9/22-23) when we look back on the year & prepare for winter—and the holiday season. 2023 adds a few sky miracles to help us through hard times. ThankU Universe.

With a new moon in Virgo September 14th, our skies will be dark: perfect for spotting the new comet C/23-P1 Nishimura which will be visible to the naked eye [without binoculars or telescope] in the early morning sky around 4a.m. Sept.12th.

Tonight 9/4-5 the Moon & Jupiter will be conjunct—together as they circle us Earthlings.

Then green comet C/23-P1 Nishimura can be spotted by early birds at 4am 9/12 thru 9/17 when it reaches perihelion-closest to the Sun in its orbit-before heading back out of the Solar system.

It won’t return until until 2431-that’s 107 years from now.

And if you need further consciousness-raising before you join us obsessed writer-holics as we go back into our Muse-directed subterranean cave below the Maui Banyan tree [<3]-the Moon & Saturn will be conjunct-only 2º apart on 9/26, with full Harvest Moon-closest to Equinox-in Pisces on 9/29.

If you’re REALLY blessed-aren’t we all?-you might spot some leftover Aurigid meteor shower remnants during moonless dark night skies—September’s iconic decorations as a prelude to festive sparklers & winter holiday lights! Happy Autumn peeps! ©2023MarianCYoungblood

Saturnalia, a Saturn-Jupiter Conjunction—Feasting & Ritual 2020 Solstice

SATURNALIA and SATURN-JUPITER CONJUNCTION

December 2020 will not disappoint. Hard on the heels of celebrations for Hallowe’en, Thanksgiving and Diwali by a world weary of restrictions, comes Greek/Russian Orthodox Advent and—back to our pagan roots—Roman Saturnalia.

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You thought Hogmanay in Scotland (December 31st) was wild, unruly and, like the people, friendly. We’ve a whole gamut of cultures to wander through before the month is out, and that happens.

Saturn-Jupiter 20-year ‘Collision’: Giant Conjunction on Solstice

Meantime, astronomers and astrologers are scanning the evening skies and their charts in preparation for Solstice, December 21st—the longest night—and the moment before dawn aka 10:20a.m. PST when both giants, Jupiter and Saturn, come to within one-tenth of a degree (6.1 arc minutes) of each other. So close, they will look like one bright star.

Nightly, the gap is rapidly closing between the two, as worldwide telescopes—except the sad, abandoned Arecibo— pictured below after collapse—are nightly trained to watch the northern heavens. The Great Conjunction happens when both planets’ orbits appear to intersect from our Earth view. Jupiter’s orbit round the Sun—’sidereal period’—is 11.86 years. Saturn’s is close to 30 (29.65 years).

They met in 1980 and 2000. But, the last time they met this close was 1623.

‘A sidereal period is defined as the time required for a celestial body within the solar system to complete one revolution with respect to the fixed stars. Saturn’s period of 29.65 years multiplied by Jupiter’s period of 11.86 years amounts to 351.65. Dividing this value by the difference in their sidereal periods gives us 19.76 years.’ Space.com 

Roughly every 20 years, Jupiter and Saturn have a rendezvous. Photo NSF Arecibo after second cable snapped, November2020

Coincidentally, that Great Conjunction of 1623 was 20 years before the Great Fire of London which destroyed and incapacitated the Great Plague. Shadow phantoms surfacing for 2020, amid medical excitement at the prospect of a new vaccine.

Roman Saturnalia Pulls out all the Stops

The ancestors knew how to handle stress, chaos, the unknown. Prior to the darkest times, even before all our Solstitial shenanagans, there’s that time of anticipation in preparation for Yule, and the 3-day ‘standstill’ of the Sun. When time appeared to stop, the Ancients gladly rejoiced at its return, rebirth, reincarnation. Romans chose to celebrate (Julian calendar, December 17-23) in all-out chaos-defying orgiastic manner. Feasting, baths, Games, entertainment. With loads of wine.

By late Roman times (early Christian era), the Circus Maximus was alive with events, chariot races, slave gladiator hand-to-hand combat, spilling blood in the day, and wine at night.

KRONOS (Roman Saturn) was the primordial Greek god of time. In the Orphic cosmogony he emerged self-formed at the dawn of creation. He was seen as discorporeal, serpentine in form, with three heads—of a man, a bull, and a lion. He and his consort, serpentine goddess Ananke—Inevitability—enveloped the primordial world-egg in their coils and split it apart to form the ordered universe of earth, sea and sky. After this act of creation the couple circled the cosmos driving the rotation of heaven and the eternal passage of time

Khronos, Father Time—in his human persona Aeon—holds zodiac wheel in balance for human race

Kronos in Greco-Roman mosaic is Aeon—Eternity personified. He holds a wheel inscribed with zodiac signs and Gaia—Mother Earth—reclines at his feet, c..5thC Nonnus of Panopolis described Aeon as an old man with long, white hair and a beard, but mosaic-shows a youthful figure

The figure of Kronos was essentially a cosmological double of the Titan Kronos/Cronus—Father Time. Confusing the heirarchy, Hellenist culture sometimes merged Kronos with creator-god Phanes, and occasionally with the Titan Ophion. He became Saturn, Roman god of agriculture and abundance.

Saturn metamorphosed for Rome, as god of regeneration, dissolution, plenty, wealth, agriculture, periodic renewal and liberation. Saturn’s mythical reign was depicted as a Golden Age of peace and plenty.

At some point after Circus Maximus became such a success—Bread and Circuses appease the masses—the god of a successful harvest (including grapes) and bountiful year-end had focus of his celebration enlarged to include gifts from Bacchus, Dionysus, Cupid. Latterly c.4thC it was a necessary therapeutic year-end party for the people that lasted six days. Rich and poor alike, all work ceased and the rich reclined in their triclinium, and the poor reached over laden tables and drank themselves into oblivion.

It was not unknown for rich Romans to have their digestive systems soothed and enhanced by addition of hemp to the communal wine decanter.

Ladies were not immune to the charms of triclinium dining, top left. They usually ended in a drunken orgy or were spirited off by a faithful servant to attend the Games while sobering up. A week of solid eating and drinking, attending the vomitorium and returning to the table, plus attending Circus gladiatorial displays or chariot races must have been a punishing schedule. But, as they say, it’s only once a year! Carpe diem.

Celebrate Last Dark Days & Return of the Light

Writerly Shoutout to Celebrating NaNoWriMos

Once that Saturnalian party atmosphere begins to illuninate your dark days, and remembering we Space Age writing revellers-in-Lockdown are able to find ways to celebrate nobody ever thought of, there are a few signs.

Saturnalia: Time of MisRule and Synthesis

Romans decorated their houses with wreaths & seasonal greenery, shed traditional togas in favour of colourful clothes called synthesis. Slaves especially didn’t have to work during Saturnalia. Their servant’s cap was removed, & they got to share in the festivities, sitting at the table while their masters served.

No work was undertaken, law courts were closed, They spent 17 days & nights (extended late A.D. 2-3rdCC to Jan.6 Epiphany) drinking, gambling, singing, playing music, feasting, vomiting, bathing, socializing and giving the gods and each other special gifts e.g.wax taper beeswax candles—cerei— seasonally symbolic of return of the light after the solstice. Circus Maximus entertainment was high on citizens’ social calendar. Think Gladiators & free food.

Snow, Hail or Lightning, Keep on Writing thru the Storm

Venus balances Mars’ fire as the Sun stands still on cusp of Capricorn for three days. Its rebirth is heralded by Saturn and Jupiter conjunct, both at 0º Aquarius midheaven with Mercury direct. All go for new beginnings.

For those fellow scribes who just completed their writing marathon at NaNoWriMo, bet you’re glad November is over. Breathe. There, that brief rest was short-lived—look out here comes Saturnalia—then Christmas: another pagan tradition reworked to fit in admirably with human need for ritual—for beginnings and endings. Interesting that Mithras, Dionysus, Horus and Krishna were born at Midwinter. Happy Solstice.

Post scriptum—with the heartening news of a British-International vaccine, we can all give a sigh of relief. ©2020 Marian Youngblood

Solstitial Heat, Third Lunar Eclipse Open Doors to Solitary Creativity

SOLSTITIAL HEAT, THIRD LUNAR ECLIPSE OPEN DOORS TO CREATIVITY
Monthly Writerly Corner Catchup During Troubled Times aka Doing Solitary

Letting off steam—before orders for isolation were introduced, July 4th fireworks display at Mount Rushmore was dramatic event, 2020 now cancelled

Against a dark sky, all flowers look like fireworks
— G.K.Chesterton

You have to find what sparks a light in you so that you—in your own way—can illuminate the world
― Oprah Winfrey

Despite its name, the Roman Candle—beloved of every generational member of the family, bar the dog—was not invented by the Romans.

By the time the nations in their vast Empire blanketing Europe began to fight back, forcing retreat and eventually bringing down their civilization, the most volatile explosion in the entire region was the sputter of temple oil tended by virgins.

Around A.D.1,000 Li Tan, a Chinese monk, stuffed a stalk of bamboo with a saltpeter-based gunpowder and launched it into a fire. Present-day Chinese major festivals shoot fireworks to celebrate New Year (February, Candlemas) and at the autumn Moon festival. Before global fascination with nuclear energy, it was commonplace for street children in (former) Shanghai to set off homemade ‘sticks’ (Chinese firecrackers) made from a hollow bamboo filled with powder, and lit with a tissue-paper taper. Light the touchpaper and stand back—literally.

After fireworks took hold, ammunition immediately followed, as did black powder bombs and mines. The first fire arrows (rockets) and fire lances (early proto-guns) were used in the Chinese Song-Jin wars at the Siege of De’an in A.D. 1132. Hand canons, developed from fire lances, were in use in China by the late twelfth century.

Pyrotechnics and Letting Off Steam

Fireworks satisfy human desire for sparkly things or to express release of inner explosive emotion

When beggars die, there are no comets seen;
the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes
Calpurnia to Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare

Inside info on manufacture of bangers and fizzers notwithstanding, youngsters in most countries are limited to enjoying fireworks at preordained times: most famous, British Guy Fawkes Day, November 5th—often held as municipal gatherings around Hallowe’en, old Samhainn. In the American continent, all celebrate the calendar date of the Declaration of Independence July 4th, not only for lighting up the sky, but for giving the nation a national holiday.

Sadly, this state, city and even village custom seems to be missing in 2020. But desire for it—blasting off in some form—has not.

Illegal Roman candles after midnight may seem the answer to some, but law enforcement agencies are waking up from their own ‘solitude’ and lack of call-outs—so johnny-come-lately Guy Fawkes behaviour not encouraged.

Distraction in the Skies—Read A Book Outside at Midnight
Looking upwards for entertainment? or for inspiration—July 4th penumbral lunar eclipse of a full Buck Moon should help; though its best visibility is the middle of the Atlantic ocean. But it’s a start.

While evening skies (in Northern hemisphere) may be very bright right now—in Scotland and Northern Isles sunset 10:30p.m., “read a book outside at midnight” time—most of the planets deck the pre-dawn sky. But both Jupiter and Saturn will appear very bright by July 24th. And two comets currently cornering the Sun will reappear—if they survive the ordeal—for naked-eye observation by end month.

Calpurnia Caesar was always right. Well, in the words of her husband Julius, Caesar’s wife was ‘above reproach’. Her prophetic statement, over, may be seen by us writers as predicting great change to come; or supreme assistance (from the heavens!) in completing our current WIP. Fear and doubt begone. I believe celestial help is being offered. Insecure Writers or not, we shall overcome.
©2020 Marian Youngblood

Ocean Goddess Hear Our Prayer—TAROT & Numerology for the Insecure

PERSIAN OCEAN GODDESS & TAROT ANGELS come to aid
Those Writing Up a Storm in the IWSG Corner

Patience is a characteristic of writers—even insecure ones like us. We set ourselves tasks and, come hell or high water, we (usually) finish them. Our fearless leader, Alex, does anyhow.

November is NaNo month—thirty days of consecutive writing without let-up—so it’s almost pointless of me to speak to dedicated IWSGers at this time, because they will be setting themselves a goal of 50,000 words on paper—or 1,666 words per day in pixel form—during the month of November.

Instead, a little historical perspective may be in order.

Anahita—Persian Ocean goddess c.200-100BC. found modern Sadak, NE Turkey, courtesy British Museum

In Persian mythology, Anahita was ‘Goddess of all the waters upon the Earth and the source of the Cosmic Ocean’. She drives a chariot pulled by four horses: wind, rain, cloud and sleet; her symbol is the eight-rayed star. She was regarded as the source of life. Before calling on Mithra (fiery sun), a prayer was offered to the sea goddess Anahita, whose name means moist, mighty, pure, Immaculate—the Virgin Goddess. Herodotus and the Babylonian writer Berossus (B.C.3rdC.) both equate Persian Anahita with Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and procreation, emerging from an oyster shell. Other Greeks equate her with virgin goddess Artemis—synonymous with Roman huntress Diana. Venus was her Roman name.

Roman legions marched under protection of Mithras, spread pagan belief from Rome to Scotland

In Zoroastrian-Persian mythology, Mithras was born of virgin goddess Anahita. Mythologist Caitlin Matthews—in her Mysteries of Mithras:the Pagan Belief that Shaped the Christian World was boldly described as “supporting paganism, witchcraft, the supernatural and Wicca”, and that (Matthews’) book offers keen insight into a very old religion that Christianity was (eventually) able to subdue, absorb, and eliminate as competition.

According to Roman historian Plutarch (c. A.D.46-120), Mithraism began to be absorbed by the Romans during Pompey’s military campaign against Cilician pirates around 70 B.C. The religion eventually migrated from Asia Minor with the soldiers, many of whom had been citizens of the region, into Rome and on to far reaches of the Empire. Syrian merchants brought Mithraism to major cities Alexandria, Rome and Carthage, while captives carried it to the countryside. By the third century A.D. Mithraism and its tarot mysteries had permeated the Roman Empire, and extended from India to Scotland.

Abundant monuments litter military routes in numerous (European and Mediterranean) countries, with over 420 Mithraic sites so far uncovered.

Anahita was also a goddess of magic, served by the Magi, priest-magicians whose name gives the root for both magic and magus. These ancient heirophants would meet at her shrine, to read their sacred texts among assemblies of worshippers and offer ‘holy spells’ to Anahita, on the tenth day of the New Moon or during the eighth month—Roman Oct-ober—which were her sacred times.

OURANOS, NEPTUNE and SATURN Cycles Assist in Human Affairs

And God created Adam—Michelangelo’s Creation on Sistine Chapel ceiling has inspired mortals for 500 years

Neptune is currently in a position to deliver some water to help extinguish disastrous widespread California fires in Santa Rosa, according to Sidereal astrologer EmmaNation. From its position in air sign Aquarius the Waterbearer, it stands at 17º degrees sextile to both Pallas Athene at 16º Aries and Kaali at 16º Sagittarius. Kaali is Hindu goddess Kali, ‘she who is dark’, spirit of death. In Vedic belief, she is hard to appease.

Neptune, ruler of the watery depths and mysterious beyond measure, can be appealed to, if you feel you have a psychic connection via your ancestors, or if you have strong ocean energy in your own life. Anahita—or Aphrodite—hear our prayer.

Uranus, on the other hand, may hold the key. With his 84-year orbit around the sun, he has just returned to fiery Aries. Greek ‘Father Sky’—Οὐρανός—was both son and husband to Mother Earth. Killed by his own son Kronos/Saturn, he turned in revenge on the puny human race. The last time Uranus stood in this position in the zodiac was eighty-four years ago, when Adolf Hitler came to power as Kanzler-Chancellor of Nazi Germany.

Ending and Beginning on a Positive Note

IWSGers & NaNoWriMo

As humans, we are progressing from a Saturn-cycle life expectancy—approx. 30 years—to a Uranus-cycle life expectancy of 84 years.

Saturn is in power now, along with his sidekick frozen-ocean moon Enceladus, sidebar below right. Gliding into Sagittarius during the Hallowe’en/All Saints Samhainn season, he is Kronos, Lord of Time. Despite media focus on ghoul star Algol passing through the Veil, our appealing to Saturn renews our past, envisions our future in a changing world.

This Celtic New Year—Samhainn—we IWSGers are asked if we have tackled/completed a NaNo in the past. I can admit to two completions, see sidebar right. And while not competing this year, for family reasons, I shall return!

I hope this helps fellow insecure scribes to make a go of it this November.

Bonne chance, as Gaulish legions would say.
Or, in Roman idiom: Benediximus.
©2017 Marian Youngblood

Strawberry Moon: Think Pink to Tide us Over Trying Times

MONTHLY INSECURE WRITERS’ CORNER

Tectonic shifting June 2015: Pacific Ring of Fire sets off alarm bells around the globe

On most cultural issues, Californians lead the pack. Except, that is, in their heedless determination to withstand Earth tremors of any scale. They are getting what they wished for now—High tides to satisfy the most intense surfers—literally waves to die for.

Full Moon High Tides Reflect Earth Extremes
World attention has been understandably focused on volcanic mayhem in the Himalayan chain—larger than 7.8magnitude Richter quakes, with repeated aftershocks, causing tragic loss of life in Nepal. Then, without time for humans to regroup, several subsequent 7.6mag. shocks, shattering Mount Everest, Kangchenjunga and swathes of Tibet—devastating the Roof of the World.

Mile-high Denver and hardly a drop of snow. H20 crisis throughout Western U.S.A.

Half a planet away, USGS’s reputed “insignificant seamount” of Juan da Fuca on the Gorda offshore crustal plate, in Northern Humboldt, CA, has been acting Metronome. It’s been ticking in and out of 5.1mag.-6.1mag. shifts, as high tides became higher, in runup to Tuesday’s June 2nd Full Strawberry Moon.

Tidal effects on Oregon coast have increased too, in rhythm with the rest of the Pacific. Even Hawaii and precious Galapagos Islands on the Cocos Plate have not escaped volcanic broiling. Santorini, Etna and even Vesuvius have chimed in. There seems no end in sight.

Early drought and water hose bans have made June and the rest of this parched planet feel drier—less capable than ever before of withstanding subterranean cracking—and Fracking.
Without speaking back!

Unrelated to writer’s block? you wonder.

Silly Season—or Sell in May & Go Away
Back when there were Ninja Cap’n storytellers who created paper copies of triple best-sellers overnight—putting physical books on people’s shelves—yes—we knew what summer meant for us: Summertime business shuts up shop; people migrate. In writing—and in journalistic—circles, it’s called the “silly season”.

Now many writers—with paper dreams or even electronic ones 😉 —despair of ever finding an agent in summer—unknown, unobtainable, or elsewhere. So can you blame them at times for wanting to fly away themselves?

Maybe this summer we shall pay greater attention—keep our minds focused, senses honed, noses to the grindstone.

Funny how major shifts in our planetary home have a way of rearranging the braincells—systematizing the synapses.

More of a Moon than a Moan

Thinking pink will get you everywhere

For those legendary IWSG bloggers—of this now infamous Monthly Moan. And for friends who are brazen Saturnine-visaged Scorpios, or beloved laughing Sagittarians—who take these weather crazies in their stride I salute you—metaphorically speaking; I’ve never been a good little marine—for showing us the way through this impasse aka
astrological storm—more of a Moon than a moan. Maybe now is not the best time to mention a few archetypal cycles, coming back to haunt us—this very week in history.

Salem Witch Trials 1692
Mount Pinatubo erupted 1991 (and she’s at it again)
D-Day 1944
First AIDS virus recorded 1981
Watergate arrests 1972
Beginning of End of Cold War, June 1963—prelude to JFK Assassination, November

…On the Bright Side
In June 1963—five months before he was assassinated—U.S. President John F. Kennedy spoke on the podium of the newly-liberated Reichstag in an undivided Berlin. His famous “Ick bin ein Berliner” speech was heard by millions of Europeans, who already loved him for what he stood up for. His opening doors—and spectacular unveiling of East-West Hamburg/Potdam Autobahn* started the end of the Cold War.

Thanks and ahoy to Cap’n.Alex for indulging me in lost dreams of a better world. Otoh, if JFK could do it, we IWSGers can do it: weather this storm.
*What Americans—reputedly JFK himself—couldn’t quite handle: 1963 Bremen-Hamburg-Berlin Autobahn had and has to this day—no speed limit. The mind of frustrated U.S. roadster-wannabes boggles with vision of JFK’s phalanx of limos—he was heavily guarded, regardless of his youthful wind-in-hair image—driving sedately at max. 65m.p.h. from Air Force One to Berlin PotdamerPlatz—overtaken by, you-got-it, BMWs, Audis, Porsche and even Lamborghinis, Lotuses and Volkswagens streaming by like a sound-track: zoom—zoom—siren–squeal— zoom 😉
Happy summer. #IamWri†ing
©June 2015 Marian Youngblood

Under the Wire: November Writing Retreat, Celtic New Year’s style

Insecure Writers’ Support Group [IWSG] Corner

November 5th 2014 weather anomaly Eastern/Central U.S. CA basks in eternal sunshine, map
©NOAA

Many times this eventful year, I have longed for time/space to write—at least a few lines at my leisure—within my comfort zone. Events have a way of redirecting our otherwise good intentions, don’t they?

So far, 2014 has been short on leisure.

November heralds Celtic New Year and I’m no farther forward than last Samhainn.

Astrochart for now: 11:11p.m. EDT 11/05/14 Saturn leads pack of Starhounds to Orion’s chase

And, now that fall is well and truly here, my writerly output—like my garden shed—is showing its leaks!

Driving our Engines into the Ground
It’s not that we writers aren’t driven to distraction by our need to put graphite to tree pulp; extract or express some primeval desire hidden in the God-given Word; even one in our own God-driven engine-mind. I have known a fellow scribe who went into catatonia for a fortnight—today we call it ‘withdrawal’ or ‘having a bad hair day’—because she couldn’t find her high school propelling pencil.

Like losing a cell phone or iPod, our sudden disconnection fuels our dependency.

Change of season usually alters our work pattern, anyway. Deep inside, we must be akin to swallows, electromagnetically programmed to changing home base. Bureaucratic daylight manipulation makes it worse: disturbs our brain and sleep patterns, resulting in near-writer’s block.

Heaven forbid. I hope my mind hasn’t also flown the coop, along with my summer projects.

All Fall In

Rainstorms bring water, turn grass green again

If I’m honest, this is the time when I sometimes admit defeat, float around in ‘can’t cope’ mode for a day or two with the change in weather, or, paradoxically, don ‘wellies’ (Wellington boots, rain gear), grab a pair of lethal secateurs and get forceful with a blackberry root.

Needless to say, I’ve found the culprit: something I can blame. It’s easier to point a finger at retrograde Neptune, floundering in his own exalted sign of Pisces, or beg deathstar Pluto to release his vice-like grip on his fellow planet, Mars conjunct in restrictive structure-driven Capricorn! The ancient SeaGoat rises from the waters to vanquish all malingerers…

Under the Wire
We are, I do believe, supremely grateful for excess H20 which fell from the heavens just in time to save us from a fiery death by 2014 heatwave. Water saved us from our (continuing) careless treatment of our planetary home.

It’s mot for me to criticize. William McDonough’s Cradle to Cradle has shown us the way for a decade. We are still playing games with water. I merely add my comment—and gratitude. And pray that fewer hours of light may bring me time to relax, allow me to retreat into inner worlds.

And thanks Alex, as always, for doing what you do.
Dragon of the Stars, indeed. 🙂
©2014 Marian Youngblood

Saturn and the Power of Eclipses

SATURN AND THE POWER OF ECLIPSES

November 3rd eclipse of the sun—another perspective

Total solar eclipses were always a sign for the Ancients to wax eloquent on significant human change. There have already been several eclipses this year:

Saturn converging towards conjunction with the Sun in Scorpio—November freeze

2013 ECLIPSES
April 25: Partial Lunar Eclipse
May 10: Annular Solar Eclipse
May 25: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
October 18: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
Novenber 03: Hybrid Solar Eclipse

and Sunday’s total eclipse (November 3rd) will focus world attention, particularly in the Eastern Hemisphere. For a change the Western World will have to bow to eastern mystic tradition. The sun’s strength, however, is being partially eclipsed by Saturn’s influence as it nears conjunction, Western astrochart, right, courtesy Astrotheme.

Contrast is the food of enlightenment. ©2013 Siderealview

I am privileged to be able to welcome my occasional guest blogger Dr Mehal Rockefeller who is currently engaged in bringing a new healing center into being to serve humanity. He is skilled in interpreting Vedic astrology: so his view of eclipses and Saturn during this period gives an Eastern view of as picture including abundance, restriction, self-motivation and blessing. While he wrote in response to my blog Sychronicity of Mind-Miracle in Manifestation, it is particularly relevant today, tomorrow and during the coming manifestation of Comet Ison.

GUESTBLOG by my Vedic colleague, M D Rockeller, M.D.
“GLOBAL SHIFT at this very present moment. The POWER of LORD SATURN”

There is certainly a Global Shift at this very present moment. Around the world, there are organizations, in remarkable numbers, large and small. They all share the same Consciousness for a revolution from the current disconnection, apathy, ignorance, etc.

I agree, that human consciousness is indeed influenced via astrological and/or planetary alignment/energy. Given the rare, spectacular occurrence of a solar eclipse, and some lunar eclipses this summer–I have a KNOWING that humanity is progressively moving forward.

I share your sentiments regarding Saturn and its cosmic power. Yes, we are long overdue for our awakening. Based on the above paragraph, and personal knowledge in astrophysics, in my opinion, we will feel, notice–this influence of Saturn or Shani, in Vedic Astrology.

The planet Shani or Saturn revolves around the Sun in about 30 years, which means it passes through all the twelve rashis or moonsigns in 30 years. Thus Shani Bhagavan spends on an average about two and half years in each rashi or moonsign. This movement of Shani through the moonsigns carries great importance in hindu astrology and horoscope predictions.

Lord Shani is more known for his Blessings than his ill effects. No other graha is comparable with Lord Shani in terms of blessings. He showers with his blessings at the end of his dosha.

Shani is a Deva and son of Surya (the Hindu Sun God) and his wife Chhaya (Shadow goddess) and hence also known as Chayyaputra. He is the cousin of Yama, the Hindu God of justice. It is said that when he opened his eyes as a baby for the very first time, the sun went into an eclipse, which clearly denotes the impact of Shani on astrological charts. He is known as the greatest teacher.

Note: The Sun is always most powerful over planet Saturn. In the very near future the Sun will conjunct Saturn. The degree of influence on an individual will vary; however, globally or cosmically, the effect will be profound.

While many pople are aware of this need for a change in awareness and higher consciousness, I have found that most are reserved to express or accept such. However, internally every individual, animal, rock, particle is essentially the same. We are all composed of the same atoms. Within those atoms, diving deeper, are even more infinitely small particles. Within those nothingness.

There is an empty space.

What is this space between cells, atoms, humans, flowers?—a silence that can be tapped by all in an effort to increase self-conciousness i.e. to reach a higher energy level and to connect with source energy. The result, an infinite feasibility of manifesting miracles on all scales—to create and synchronize vibrational pattern: Globally.

Sunday’s hybrid solar eclipse: eastern influences

Duality of quantum physics.

“If we are made in ITS image,
then I guess that perfect sight of all existence
would mean that GOD spends most of eternity
crying. Of course, I’m probably wrong.
And maybe that will give Him a laugh.”
Bishop of Crayola, 2010

Waves have tops and bottoms, but can never be disconnected, i.e. life and death; you can not have one without the other. This is the nature of the physical plane. There will always be hills and valleys, but be certain bliss will be present.

When Jesus went to a village, his presence changed the consciousness of the populace. Highly actualized and conscious beings as he and such as Mother Teresa, radiate high vibrational energies that resonates upon others—a change in one’s DNA!

The end result, a reconnection to Source and a quantum shift or transcendence of Spirit/Consciousness.
©2013 MD Rockefeller, M.D.

Wrapping Troubles in Fog-Ocean Dreams

POWER OF A Piscean Stellium
Monthly IWSG Corner
Many times during a new transition, a house move, rearrangement of one’s life, writing has to go on the back burner. Much though we would like to keep up the pace, our stamina—our ability to get through it—flags and we feel the need to let it all go.

Ocean pulls in her skirts gracefully; see poem below

So it seems poignant and synchronous that some of us IWSGers over the last month have felt ourselves swayed, influenced—in our writing flow and in other ways—by a huge swelling wave, a virtual convocation of planets and heavenly bodies in the astrological sign of Pisces, the Fish. It is the ultimate watery sign of duality, emotional excess, unbridled boundlessness—some say chaos. A return to our primeval form.

Stellium in Pisces
With the present swing in public fancy to the ‘Astroview’, it will astonish nobody to learn that we are currently midway through a major stellium in Pisces. For the uninitiated, this is astrospeak for turmoil of the heart/emotional mayhem throughout the run-up to the new moon [in Pisces] March 10-11th, 2013.
On those nights, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Chiron, Venus, Mars, Neptune are held in a crucible within the bosom of Pisces—the most emotional, watery, spiritual sign of the zodiac. These bodies already stand in close conjunction, waiting for the Moon.

Following in the wake of the recurring potent three-year-long stress of a Grand Cross, it isn’t surprising that we now feel like a wet dish rag.

March 2013: crucible astro-chart: Piscean emotion holds seven planets suspended in a ‘stellium’, while Jupiter & Saturn maintain balance on either side

Psychic Piscean ‘Go with the Flow’
Life-affirming Piscean tendencies include:
Compassion, forgiveness and healing without sacrificing your self-esteem
Using the energy of the dream/fantasy to create something that touches people
Faith in what’s healthy for you
Letting go of what drags you down
Seeing what lies beyond the mundane world
Allowing things to happen

Less-than constructive qualities include:
Compassion, forgiveness and healing that drains you
Using the energy of the dream/fantasy to become addicted to someone
Faith in anything/everything, whether it’s healthy or not
Letting go of all boundaries
Denying the mundane world
Passively waiting for things to happen

For those who like specifics,
Neptune entered its watery home sign two years ago and will remain in Pisces through 2024;
Mars moved into Pisces: February 1st
Mercury into Pisces: February 5th
Sun into Pisces: February 18th
Venus into Pisces: February 25th
Moon stood in Virgo (full) on February 28th and
will move (new moon) into Pisces March 11th.

The immediate window extends through March 21st, equinox. So, brace yourself!

Being guided by one’s heart and following one’s intuition seems the only way. Or, to translate that in psychiatric concepts: allowing the left hemisphere to dominate—right handedness—will only lead to grief. By allowing our right hemisphere to guide us—left handed creativity—we may pull through this massive—planet-wide—emotional storm.

Sometimes, during Insecure Writers’ Support Week, we get to throw out a little nugget of a favorite subject—astro being one of mine—and our tolerant Ninja Cap’n Alex allows us the liberty of rabbiting on about matters unrelated to the honored art of writing. Such is this post; but since it DOES have a ‘space’ theme, and gives us a little insight into what we’re currently experiencing, never before having been exposed to such a degree of cosmic force, may I wish us all Godspeed and stamina to sail these choppy waters in uncertain times.

Cassini’s fragile Venus cradled in Saturn’s G-ring

To end on a (positive) romantic note, when in trouble, dream…
… and a poem-let of inspiration by my nine-year old muse, inspired by [Neptune and] her ocean vista, top.

The Ocean by Oriah
The Ocean’s waves gracefully in the sunset
Where the seagulls fly
Pink clouds gently float away while the Moon rises
Then the Ocean comes back

No doubt our SpaceCaptain feels mucho at home in the rarified reaches of planetary atmospheres—Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all familiar territory; so maybe wishing ourselves well through this emotional roller-coaster is the best support we can give each other. May all our blogs be guided by superlative cosmic forces… sounds like a phrase from his forthcoming CassaStorm.
Thanks again for being there, fellow IWSGers and Alex.
©2013 Marian Youngblood

Harnessing Sun Power: Saturn’s Blessing-in-Disguise

Guest Blog Feature: Mehal Rockefeller

Guest blog by Mehal Rockefeller shines light on Vedic solar New Year

Every so often my friend Dr Mehal Rockefeller guest blogs for me. His popular blog of April last year has resulted in many requests for him to make a return visit. He is literate on various topics, but his astrological insights into Vedic tradition are invaluable for us in the West, where we seem to have lost touch with the original purpose and connection seen in the heavens linking to our lives on earth. This latest blog post comes at a particularly fortunate time as the Indian subcontinent prepares for the onset of the great New Year solar festival on April 14. The Hindu (solar) New Year this year will count 1933.

Vedic lunar New Year occurred this year on April 4th, immediately after the Aries new moon. This ancient tradition is by far the more venerable of the two, counting Year 2068 in Hindu Lunar years. By contrast, and often causing confusion among lay westerners, Sikhs celebrated their New Year (543) on March 14th.

According to Vedic traditiion, at the time of onset of Lunar New Year, all the forces of Creation come into play in three phases. The three faces of Mother Divine (MD), MahaDurga or Mother Earth are Durga, Mahalaksmi and Saraswati.

The first three days of MD are known as the MahaDurga forces/energies, which destroy all impurities, evils, sins and ignorance within humankind.

Mahasaraswati: third phase of purification and growth through knowledge

After purification by the Durga forces, in the next three days, MahaLaksmi‘s forces and energies become lively. These natural laws bestow all wealth and comfort on humanity, to sustain us.

The final three days, Maha Saraswati, become dominant in the runup to solar New Year, when the natural laws of Wisdom and Knowledge come into play. It is believed that only through knowledge can we create a better life for ourselves and others.

It is therefore with much pleasure that I welcome Mehal once more at this auspicious time of year, to hear his ancient Vedic wisdom as it relates to current times. Ed.

SUN TRANSIT INTO ARIES, April 14th 2011: Time to harness the power of the Sun
Guest Blog © Mehal D Rockefeller, MD

Vedic New Year: powerful celebration of the Sun maintained throughout India

According to the Vedas, the New Year starts when the Sun transits into Aries, the first natural house of the Asian Zodiac. The Sun acquires maximum power when he enters Aries–a sign that is fiery, assertive, independent, courageous and enthusiastic in nature. The Sun is exalted in this sign and presents itself as a wonderful window of opportunity to harness its power for our all-round well-being.

On March 15th, a month ago, the Sun moved into Pisces–the last house on its round through the zodiac. That last Sun transit of the old Vedic Year marked a time to ‘take the best and leave the rest’ or to start shedding off what is no longer seving us or of use. I have written further on that here.

In Vedic tradition, the Sun becomes exalted and returns to its full power when it transits into Aries. This movement makes it the most auspicious month of the year to work on strengthening your connection to Sun. The radiance of Sun opens a way for new positive possibilities to happen and make strong any endeavors in whichever area of life you choose to focus. To add to this positivity, there are two further planets presently adding support and creating additional benefits to the Sun’s Transit.

Vedic Solar New Year (1933)

Vedic (lunar) New Year 2068; (solar) New Year 1933

Sun worship is not entirely understood in Western culture which has alienated itself from its pre-Christian roots. It has become extinct in most cultures–except for Japan and India in the East, and the Maya and indigenous Americans in the West. The understanding of the Sun God in India is profound.

Religious and spiritual leaders strongly encourage local performance of fire rituals for the Sun God on April 14/15th. There is the added power of April 14th being a Thursday, the day of the week dedicated to Jupiter.

Absolute Blessing from Jupiter for this Sun Transit
In 2011 the Vedic New Year starts off on a Thursday. This is traditionally ruled by Jupiter. Ancient Texts testify that this is an especially auspicious day–signifying a very good omen–to start a year. Also from May 8th to May 15th, Jupiter will become an associate to the Sun as it moves into Aries and shares the house for the last week.

Blessing in Disguise from Saturn for this Sun Transit

Last week's 'progressed' chart, according to Western astrological signs--for comparison

Saturn is presently in Virgo. On April 14th, Saturn moves into Libra where He will stand for approximately 2.5 years. When He sits there, He looks directly across to the Sun in Aries. Another way of looking at this: Saturn aspects the Sun (opposing), at every Vedic New Year in the next time period–2012 through 2013.

When this happens, an exalted Saturn in Libra, combined with an exalted Sun in Aries, will make the time turbulent and unsure. It will bring in negativity and hardship.

Therefore, this Vedic New Year of 2011, in narrowly escaping Saturn’s gaze, gives us all a blessing-in-disguise and provides us a perfect opportunity to strengthen our life with authority, material prosperity and good health.

Worship of Sun
You can gain the blessings of Sun for a positive outlook for the coming year that will be full of cheer and good fortune. By participating in powerful Sun rituals at this transit into Aries (Vedic and other cultures), your character, reputation and your health will be greatly energized.

Worshipping the Sun God blesses your life with strength, glory and success. The radiation of Sun empowers you with leadership, brilliance and executive power for a meritorious life!

Gain Power for Vedic New Year through the Sun Transit

Every Vedic New Year brings a new perspective and resolutions into your life. It’s also a great time to rejuvenate yourself with great strength and vigor. Sun’s transit into Aries can bless you to:

–sustain the dynamism and energy needed to support yourself in your professional and personal life through the year
–gain the Vital energy to go through your financial and personal matters with ease
–strengthen your career front and shun its exploitations
–develop managing abilities and elevate your professional and family standards
–maintain a perfect rapport with colleagues and relations
–radiate with self esteem, power, authority, magnetism and vitality.

Remember: worshipping the Sun blesses your life with strength, glory and success.
©2011 Mehal Rockefeller

Cosmic Crossroads: All Change

Jupiter and Uranus line up in Aries in preparation for June's Grand Cross

On the runup to solstice, June 21st, and the Grand Cross which follows, energies are revving up, allowing us access to a vortex of cosmic influences, both real and surreal which will make us remember the Summer of 2010 for a long time to come.

June promises an intense and powerful experience: something maybe none of us has ever felt in our lives before. During this time, already presaged by the Sagittarian full moon on May 27th, certainly between June 8th and the 26th lunar eclipse Grand Cross stations, old formats are falling away, bringing in new ways of being, beyond the realm of anything we have ever dreamed.

Uranus in Aries is the signature of a wild, rebellious nature. Its T-square with Pluto and Saturn indicates dramatic clashes between the interests of established economic power and the democratic impulse (Uranus, the spontaneous voice of the people ) that those interests seek (via Saturn) to suppress.

To get through this transformative time we’ll have to try to embrace the new energies wholeheartedly and surrender to the new version of ourselves that has been incubating since 1987. This new identity – the self of the heart – knows instinctively how to navigate energy shifts by anchoring one’s heart and highest visions into the present moment.

As Richard Alpert – Baba Ram Dass – has been saying since 1969:

Be Here Now.

I described on another blog recently the Harmonic Convergence of 1987 as a watershed summer. In August that year the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury and Venus stood in exact conjunction in early degrees of Virgo/cusp Leo while, according to astrologers and New Age pundits, they formed a Grand Trine with the other large planets: Jupiter in the last (anaretic) degree of Aries/cusp Taurus, Saturn and Uranus in Sagittarius/cusp Capricorn. This Grand Trine – full of enormous benevolence for humanity – was seen as both a Fire and an Earth Trine – a door in the heavens opening to bless humankind.

We have been building and strengthening our cosmic consciousness since that time.

This summer we are entering the last spiral arm of the penultimate bend on the cosmic rollercoaster ride which will catapult us towards the end-date of the ancient calendar of the Maya on winter solstice, December 21st, 2012.

Butterfly of Transformation, Mayan symbol of humankind's evolution

Dr Carl Johan Calleman, in his deep researches into the Maya numeral system, believes we are going to reach spiritual self-realization, communion with Spirit, by November 2nd this year – on a date fixed by the ancient Maya called ‘Yellow Galactic Seed’.

This new human Self, teaching itself to meditate rather than make war; soaking up solar electromagnetic energy raining in on us right now from the Sun’s most recent coronal mass ejection (CME), opening itself to new ways of thinking, being and interacting with others, is preparing itself to receive humanity’s latest wave of consciousness-upgrades: the June energies will allow the New Human to face his/her first test as s/he learns to ride the phenomenal energetic tides of Summer 2010.

Dr Calleman believes we were given another stepping stone on this journey last weekend. He calls the most recent Sagittarius full moon nights of May 27/28 (Maya 1 Imix and 2 Ik) the ‘second Harmonic Convergence’.

‘This is when, for the first time, standing on the balance that the Galactic Underworld has brought, we will begin to sense the supramental consciousness that the Universal Underworld will bring. For all those seeking to become part of the new species of human beings endowed with an unlimited consciousness, this is a time to absorb the new energies of universality. These dates are placed in relation to the Universal Underworld in the same way as the original Harmonic Convergence, August 16-17, 1987 might be seen to have been a preparation for the Galactic Underworld. May 27/28 2010 (1 Imix and 2 Ik) are the dates for Phoenix to rise from the ashes and for an enlightened world to arise from chaos. A sort of resurrection to the New Jerusalem where life is lived totally in the present moment, with no limits and no separation.’

The Phoenix of Humankind will rise from the ashes of the old regimes and shine

According to Maya Long Count, we are presently completing the last cycle of the Galactic Underworld which began on January 5th 1999 and which ends when we move into the final Universal Underworld on February 10th, next year. As of this weekend, May 2010,we’ve only 926 days to go until we as a race reach the last day of the last Underworld – the climax of their 13 Baktun Great Cycle in December 2012.

Astrological Summer of 2010
Mid May’s cosmic energies sneakily slipped transformer-like upgrades into our human wiring, bringing long-buried feelings to the surface and challenging deeply-held beliefs that probably no longer serve us. We show no more trust in the State knowing best, nor believe that we’re better off letting others think for us. Saturn (old regimes) was given a shake-up by opposing benevolent Jupiter and free-thinking Uranus. Areas involving our purpose and our use of unique talents and resources were given a new look. As a mass, human outrage descended on old corrupt oil interests, questioned government manipulative legislation, and demanded responsible and sensitive clean-up of precious and irreplaceable environments in the Gulf of Mexico. In Westminster, two new young things chose to bring two opposing parliamentary parties together and chopped half the budget of the former draconian system.

Uranus threw in subconscious energies – possibilities, entities, worlds beyond the conscious realm entered into our daily lives. Think Crop Circles!

These energies are now being amplified by the full moon in Sagittarius and Uranus entering Aries. Shortly after this, Jupiter enters the 0° Aries position. Pluto in Capricorn and Saturn in Virgo will form a T-square with the Moon, Jupiter and Uranus. This configuration will set into motion even more change both on the world’s stage and at the personal level.

Astrological giants line up to take earth through her changes

Conjunctions of Jupiter and Uranus occur roughly every 14 years. The 8th June 2010 conjunction at 0º Aries is the first of three in this series. The other two are on 19th September 2010 at 29º Pisces, and again on 4th January 2011 at 27º Pisces. Big changes.

We’ve been feeling lightheaded and slightly ungrounded lately: this stepping into the unknown is a little daunting. We better get accustomed to it. It’s going to be a way of life in the next few months. June 21 solstice will genuinely rock our socks and open up a doorway of initiation into new realms. Between now and then, we have a little time to practice stripping away old veneers, pretences: time to fine-tune our inner listening; put on our cloak of authenticity.

Uranus, planet of change, imagination, herald of the New Age

There’s more to come – but let’s take it one step at a time. Following the June 26 Capricorn Lunar Eclipse the cardinal Grand Cross looms with Sun-Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus and Saturn standing opposed. A solar eclipse in July occurs with the new moon in Cancer followed by August 6th-7th’s renewed cardinal Grand Cross activation between Jupiter-Uranus, Pluto, the Moon, Saturn-Mars and Venus. Finally on August 21st Saturn stands squared to Pluto. So old regimes are in for meltdown, while the imagination rules, dreamtime flourishes.

New paradigm here we come!

It is through our intuition, listening to our heart, and by walking through the doorway of our imagination that we will navigate these new energies best of all. We all know how this is. We practice it with our family and loved ones. Time now to practise it with the world at large.

Old road maps are no longer any help. But our resourcefulness, our presence of mind will serve us. We’ll be able to call on our Uranian ability to ‘think out of the box’ to stay ‘awake’ and watch for daily guidance. The new energies bring out the New Human in us, encouraging us to allow a higher power – higher intelligence, love – to show us the way.

Many have likened the ‘mastermind’ behind the formation of crop circles to a higher intelligence. In my opinion we are being presented with a glimpse into a different dimension. We’re ready for it as a species. We’ve tried everything else.

We now stand on the threshold of a magical doorway which – used carefully and with loving intent – may lead us into a world we have only even seen in dreams.

We have become set in our ways. And, without doubt, as a race we have achieved massively, even in the last decade. it is time to step into our own future: to make that quantum leap. To walk through the door into our cosmic future.

This summer provides the fireworks and momentum to facilitate that leap in consciousness.

This is one of the most exciting times to be alive. The energies unfolding this week offer a glimpse into what crystallizes on the horizon of this summer of change. This is the portal into everything that comes after. Alll we need to do is put that first tentative foot on the step and walk right through.