I don’t know about you, but I’ve been having a hard time being productive. It’s not for a lack of things to do. I’m writing two books, I have half a dozen unfinished quilts, a stack of books part of me can’t wait to read, and a long list of housekeeping chores I’ve successfully resisted for two months. I was beginning to get irritated with myself for my lack of motivation, when I heard an explanation that relieved me of guilt. Perhaps it will be helpful for some of you as well.
I’ve been writing about the evolution of consciousness, and the quantum leap we are about to take, for the last five years. I’ve mentioned that we have been straddling two timelines that lead to different futures and that these timelines diverge this year. But the missing piece is that we are now in a liminal space between two states of consciousness, two paradigms, and two ways of being in the world with one another.
I have been feeling exhaustion. My sleep is so deep that when I awaken, I am disoriented. I look at the list of things to do that I make each night before bed and think, “I don’t want to do any of them.” I thought it was just me, but over the holidays I talked with dear friends and family members who were feeling the same lethargy.
Prior to a meditation the other morning I heard a channeled lecture addressing this collective condition and a bigger picture began to take shape. Essentially the message is that we are in a resting mode as our bodies and brains adjust to the many cosmic energy shifts that are supporting a transformation of consciousness. It finally dawned on me. Transformation begins deep within. As the overwhelm of information works within our depths, in our personal and collective unconscious, changes are happening that haven’t yet reached our conscious minds. Add to that the fact that alchemical processes require a lot of energy. We’re hard at work even though we can’t see the fruits of our labor – yet.
It delights me now that the Heavens provide us with a Leo Full Moon suggesting we tap into our playfulness. Remember how imaginative we were as kids? How easy it was to make up alternative realities in which we played a starring role? How life was so simple and the world a wonder to explore? That’s what this Full Moon brings, just in the nick of time for me. Maybe for you, too.
More on Pluto, First
Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius carried so many wonderful themes. I didn’t want to overwhelm you with information, but here are a few tidbits to add to the potentials of the next 20 years.
Ever since Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008, our nation, and indeed the world, has been undergoing a transformation. For the first few years, change was happening deep within the unconscious and subconscious mind of humanity. When Barak Obama concluded his 8 years as President, a backlash of suppressed racism exploded into our reality. Humanity’s shadow stepped into the spotlight. Pluto released the Kraken.
We shouldn’t have been surprised. We live in a Duality. (What an amazing experiment to allow human consciousness all that freedom and diversity!) For millennia we have been fighting a war between Darkness and Light. Light = Good. Dark = Bad. And everyone believes they are on the side of Light! Thus “Other” becomes evil, something to stamp out. The basic fact of being human is that we all contain within us a rich diversity of possible expressions. We suppress the socially unacceptable parts of ourselves and project them onto others, who become instant enemies.
Along comes Donald Trump, champion of the Dark, an embodiment of “bad behavior” with the courage (or lack of self-awareness) to reveal his darkness to the world. We’ve had these characters before – Hitler always comes to mind – but history is strewn with villains.
During this time Pluto revealed the fragility of our institutions as well as our values and character. Trump paved the way, casting doubt on the validity of our media, our science and finally democracy itself, all the while vilifying those who didn’t agree with him, and widening the gap in our society with over 30,573 documented lies in just four years. And here we are now crossing the threshold of Aquarius whose energy supports a collective awareness, a coming together in mutual respect, honoring diversity, celebrating difference, and focusing on the welfare of the whole. We are polarized in Separation and must find our back to Oneness. The key is to find that state of mind to hold the paradox that both are true. We are separate cells in the collective body of humanity, and the health of humanity depends upon the values and choices of its individuals. But we are not insignificant, powerless units. As Rumi said, “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
The Pluto Ingress Chart
Pluto is an agent of transformation that begins in our personal underworld. We can honor that, and trust the process. We needn’t be afraid. Pluto isn’t evil or malevolent. He brings things to our attention. He offers gifts of awareness.
The moment Pluto entered Aquarius, the personal planets occupied significant degrees in our collective chart. Venus was conjunct the Galactic Center, gathering wisdom and love at the heart of our Galaxy to disseminate throughout the year. This is yet another emphasis on opening our hearts to receive.
In the channeled session I mentioned earlier, the question came up – “have you been having any emotional moments of Oneness?” I’ve been highly emotional. Not the expressive kind, but deep emotions that draw me into my core where I experience the pain of the world, or the intense love I feel for it. It is the bitter-sweetness of grief that simultaneously touches the wells of both sadness and gratitude – gratitude for the abililty to touch that space, feel its poignancy.
If you have those isolated moments, welcome them. The emotional body needs to purge old energies and blockages, making room for joy and delight. As Alcazar of the Stargate Experience advises: address the cosmos and say “Thank you, bring me more.”
Mercury was on the same degree (8+ Capricorn) as Pholus and Quaoar at the Pluto Ingress. Pholus is a centaur whose story is a dark one, but he learned from his own tale. It has been suggested that Pholus helps us perceive a more encompassing understanding of our experience. For example, the nemesis who wounded and thwarted us in childhood or adolescence suddenly is seen as a spiritual ally who supported our growth. Pholus helps us reframe our experience. Everything looks different through the eyes of gratitude.
Mercury was picking up some wisdom from Pholus along with Quaoar. I find this Dwarf difficult to define and I think that’s because it’s not a 3D entity that we can reduce to words. Quaoar is a source of powerful spiritual energy, that wants to be expressed through us into our world. It’s only intention is for us to ground and embody Spirit. The message is that we don’t need to aspire to some spiritual goal. Instead we can open to receive this energy and direct it with our intent.
So when Pluto entered Aquarius, our minds were recharged with new ideas, energy and wisdom. For the USA, this triple conjunction occurred on the very degree of our natal Eris! This Dwarf Planet is the power of the Feminine Energy that seeks truth and justice and demands the equality and authenticity we profess to value. Throughout this transformative time, Eris has been squaring Pluto, adding chaos to the mix to help loosen our grip on reality. Meanwhile Neptune was working his fog machine making us question reality. What a juicy time!
I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but Mars was opposing our natal Sun at 13+ Cancer, from our 1st House of collective identity. We are Cancereans. The inscription on the Statue of Liberty points to our identity. I will quote the entire sonnet as it deserves some thought:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
That was our image – the wide open-armed America welcoming everyone into freedom. Cancer is the home of the nurturing Feminine. Like the mother who gathers the crying child in her arms to soothe and kiss away the pain, our nation was a place of refuge, the Benevolent Mother to the world.
Full Moon in Leo
The Full Moon takes place at 9:53 a.m. Pacific on Thursday January 25th. Leo lights the Fire of creative passion within us that seeks expression, and reinforces our courage to be seen. It draws us into our core where the wonder and delight of childhood bring enchantment into our lives.
The Moon is at 5+ degrees of Leo in our 8th House conjunct our collective North Node. This Moon, which is also conjunct transiting Varuna, is signaling that our future lies in the direction of sovereignty, strengthened by the courageous heart of Leo. We’re being asked, in so many ways, to drop all pretense and get real. Once we get real, we will recognize the truth of who we really are – expressions of the Divine at the leading edge of an evolving experiment that we have the privilege to steer. This is the first Full Moon of 2024, occurring a few days after Pluto’s entry into Aquarius and I believe it is foreshadowing a future we can create together.
The 8th House is about the reality we share, but it is also about the unknown, unseen 99% of reality waiting to be discovered. Our future (North Node) is an adventure into yet another new world. There is no final frontier. Divine curiosity will always present a new one.
Sun in Aquarius
The Sun is conjunct our natal South Node at 6 Aquarius, shining a light into our past, providing a chance to see what we missed in the shadowy corners. We will be looking at issues of surrender over the next two months. We simply cannot cling to the past if we hope to leap into the future. As we approach the powerful launch pad of April, the more we let go of now, the lighter the lift off.
The Sun is in our 2nd House of value and worth. Pluto may have left Capricorn, but it is still in our 2nd House, and will be for the next 15 years. The challenge of rebuilding our Union lies ahead. Clearly our Constitution needs reinforcing. It must reflect the values of the majority, protect democracy, and recognize the rights of all people to determine the course of their lives. This means healing whatever feeds Separation, and cultivating what serves the whole. It means distributing the wealth of our nation with more equity. It is positively obscene that billionaires hoard while mothers struggle to feed their children. This year it is crucial to clarify our values. Do we hold conflicting ones that cancel each other out? What do we cherish? How much do we value ourselves? It’s time to relinquish negative self-talk. The values we hold now form the matrix out of which our future emerges.
Interesting that our natal Pholus is conjunct our South Node. Remember earlier I said Pholus helps us see things more clearly. He is a provider of insight that can lead to greater wisdom. For the next two weeks we could have our eyes opened a bit wider as our perception expands.
Grand Fixed Cross
The Sun in Aquarius is square Jupiter in Taurus, which is square the Moon in Leo, which is square Haumea in Scorpio. Within this Great Square are two oppositions forming a Cross. Also within this configuration, Jupiter forms a T-Square to both the lunar axis and our nation’s nodal axis. Jupiter is asking us to pay attention to where we have been and where we hope to go.
Jupiter is the fulcrum between our past and future represented by the Nodes of the Moon. Jupiter is also moving toward the North Node, so the scales are tipping with the spiritual energy of Jupiter toward the future. It won’t reach our Leo North Node until July of 2026, but it is passing through its final quadrant of the synodic cycle, bringing the harvest home, so to speak.
I must mention that transiting Jupiter has been passing slowly over our natal Salacia. This Dwarf Planet out in the Kuiper Belt can bring true love into our lives. That’s a huge topic – what is “True Love?” When we think of “True Love” in the context of Aquarius, we must expand our definition. It’s not just Prince Charming, although Salacia did guide me to that, too. But we have to think about loving All of ourselves. Can we love ourselves unconditionally? Can we love our planet so much, and with so much gratitude, that She begins to heal? Can we love each other enough to create a benevolent reality?
In Taurus, Jupiter supports a growing awareness of the wisdom of our bodies and the consciousness of the Earth. Haumea is a creation goddess that delights in diversity and abundance. Like Eris, Haumea has been squaring Pluto from Libra to Capricorn. Now these two occupy the first degrees of Aquarius and Scorpio, whose “ruler” is Pluto. What are those two cooking up in the Underworld?
Saturn is moving on from its conjunction with Gonggong. Perhaps we will get some relief from emotional overwhelm. Saturn is still sextile Jupiter who’s slowing moving forward after its retrograde. On a personal level, Saturn is about integrity. By that I mean, wholeness and authenticity. This is the essence of shadow work and results in karmic resolution to issues we have wrestled with through time. It involves taking responsibility for everything. Tall order, but we take one step at a time.
In Pisces, Saturn is helping us refine our spiritual awareness, providing opportunities to choose the higher road, to speak the kinder word, to feel compassion for the suffering throughout the world. Pisces is the last sign of the Zodiac where separation can dissolve into Oneness, where we complete a 30-year cycle of growth, integrate the lessons learned and make peace with the past.
I’ll be back in February for the New Moon in Aquarius. Until then, rest. Trust that inner work and honor it. Cultivate gratitude and open to whatever comes your way – new thoughts, a wildly diverse array of emotions, and any opportunity to love more.
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