The Lion Does Not Sleep Tonight: Love and Luminescence.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Before all you cynics and Hallmark haters walk away, yes I will talk about love, I always do, but as usual it will be from the inside out, from the bigger, deeper and wider picture.  This won't be the chocolate box version of corny cupids' story.

I find it no accident that this much maligned,  often saccharine sweet day that gives many of us toothache and indigestion, brings us a magnificent Full Moon this year. Timely.

Today's Full Moon sits in the sweeping savannah of the regal, "look at me, love me, aren't I just grand" constellation Leo. Its' full- fat, feline face flanked by its luminescent, auric mane, is lit up by the freedom seeking, individualist, care if you dare, Aquarius Sun.

What a lovely Moon to have for February 14th 2014.  So what energies, what enlightened enquiry does our Leo Moon bring to this day of love, roses and cupcakes?

The lion symbolises supreme self love.  He sits gazing proudly upon his pride, upon his 'accomplishments' , or lack of them, (we all know he is quite a lazy bugger) without so much of a tinge of guilty conscience.  The only guilt he ever accepts is gilt.  He knows without thinking that he IS gold, that he is enough and therefore he also has a heart of gold; the ever proud lover of his Pride, excited by their mere existence.

Leo loves himself without reservation and finds it annoying that the rest of us don't know how.  This can be interpreted by us cup-not-so-full mortals as arrogance. I mean who sits up high on a self built podium without feeling the need to justify his existence or lift a royal claw?

This Full Moon is so infused with love of all kinds.  It calls us to take a breath, sit back (preferably on a hillock of some kind) and bask in our own glory.  It begs us to not to tell people about suffering but instead to remind them they are free (Aquarius).  It's time to feel "full' of ourselves, to have the courage (Leo) to be our biggest fans without reservation, to feel the energy of entitlement, of wonder and awe for ourselves.  It is the aristocrat of moons.  A time to eat cake, preferably chocolate and ditch the pious diet of stale bread or humble pie.

The Leo flame of self adoration and the whole of his life (Pride) is consistent, loyal and as pure as 24 carat gold. It truly comes from his big heart. Add to this the illuminating Aquarian Sun that taunts us to set ourselves free, pushes us to attach ourselves fully to our individuality, our YOU-nique expression of Selfhood and you have a likely outpouring of chocolate box emotions for the wonderful that is You.

"As above, so below."  
                                                    
The current cosmic configurations are a call from deep space, that place beyond deep, inside our hearts, that reminds us of the laws of Unity Consciousness, the Law of One.



Leo Full Moon energy highlights these these Laws.  As you set yourself free, as you dare (very Aquarian/Uranian energy) to dream of what you would really do if you had the courage (Leo lion heart) to set in motion a life path that was more free, then you,  in doing so,  begin to set the whole of humanity free.  It's not rocket science, or mushy gushy romantic idealism its actually just quantum physics.

Pardon the pun but todays moon is an Armstrong Moon. One brave step into this Moon's calling is a giant leap for Mankind!

"The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;
She shines on thieves on the garden wall"  R.L Stevenson.

Full Moons occur when the Sun and Moon are in direct opposition, where the Sun shines his torch on her big round face so he can see just who she is, what she wants for (us)today.   Whist the Full Moon is largely associated with the feminine, the feeling, the emotional life within, it is actually also an opportunity to learn how to use the complementary Masculine energy from the Sun sign one is in, and combine it with the Feminine vibrations of the sign the Moon is hanging out in.
Full Moons are a time where the divine aspects of both the Feminine and Masculine are literally shining and reflecting to us at their fullest and most radiant, illuminating the beauty, wisdom and talents of both.  This sacred cosmic marriage gives opportunity to birth more of our own wholeness, allows us to dip into a greater sense of completness.

"Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of love's refrain."  Hoagy Charmicheal - Stardust.



Daring to love our Self fully is not selfishness but merely a sign to drop all disguises, all masks to our own truth, our own authenticity.  We carry around a hefty amount of fakeness due to the fact that we have been conditioned from the moment we were born, to respond to the outer world, the external, rather than to take cues from our internal guidance system which would always tell us, if we'd listen, that we are more than magic; made of stardust are We.


Todays' wisdom lies in dropping all external 'coverings" (this is where the word mooning comes from!) so that your true 'light' can shine.  It is a good time to embrace full self acceptance warts and all. There are no deficits or need to make changes.  In the light of unity consciousness there are no 'good' or 'bad' parts of us, we just ARE who we ARE and who we are is already whole. How scary liberating (Aquarius) is that?!

To set your self free by loving all that there IS about you is the ultimate version of Love. The best Valentine's gift you can give yourself.  Once  you afford yourself this upgraded version of love it becomes more than easy to offer the same to others. Bingo! Utopia! Everybody's happy.

Do you see what I see? Reframing.

Interestingly though not surprising, is that  right now, we also have Mercury in Retrograde; the chance to review our past.  Mercury Retrograde is sometimes seen as pain in the bum because it seems to cause delays or glitches or repeat episodes of scenarios we are sick of.  What  his apparent backward movement actually does, is give rise to a kind of  meditation, an inner stalling so we can see in slow-mo "stuffs" gone by.  Its a great window to clamber into the powerful art of re-framing. Any energies vibrating in the frequency of duality that you still lug around, that still influence and colour perceptions about decisions or circumstances you might have been through, are ready for dumping.  The garbage man will be around for a few more days.  Get a few bin bags or even a skip and get rid of it now!

If you are feeling antsy, irritable, unheard, awkward, hurt or angry at the moment. If you seem to be dredging old wounds with stinging, intellectual antiseptics, its time to let go and reframe. It's opportune to don those rose coloured spectacles that everyone told you were useless and offer yourself a  revised version of the incident/feeling/circumstance that allows you to bask in the glow of your own glory, in your true humanity. There are no mistakes only learning experiences.  Really, its time to kiss it all better, love yourself up and carry on.  The giant heart of the King of the Beasts is here to help you swell that self love and admiration.

Our hearts and our world will benefit from this unreserved, embarrassing, surging love.
                       
You may have noticed an increase of posts and sharing of information regarding cruelty to our magnificent animal kingdom.  Calls to provide unconditional love and homes for animals in shelter, outrage at beyond belief shark cullings, whale hunting and everything in between.

Where is this increased compassion and fierce passion coming from?  Yep you got it- that boring old thing called self love. Sorry!   True power without ego comes from within, from filling that pot (belly) of self love I annoyingly keep banging on about.  This is where momentum picks up  and facilitates a more appreciative, connected, and wise planetary experience.

It's time to dissolve the barriers to the beauty of who we are. It's time to amplify our courage to speak up (Mercury) with love (Leo) and dare to bust out of this no longer tenable, inhumane system, to flow into our divine right to freedom and appreciation.(Aquarius/Leo).  Atrocities of the past (retrograde) and present can no longer be muted or dismissed.  We are here and we will roar! (coz we love ourselves enough finally?).

The focus for this Full Moon is to concentrate of the things that feel good; that unite us rather than divide us. Just as Epigentics (google Bruce Lipton) has proved how loving a damaged, sick cell can be healed through offering it compassion, love and visualising it "well", holding awareness and becoming an awake, conscious, truly effective co-creator does not involve coming together in anger or indignation. It is not served best by highlighting horror or illuminating tragedy.  We become more powerful to manifest a more equable existence by rallying together in love rather than in hate, by bringing focus to the miracle that we are, the power that we are, rather than homing in on our deficits or those of the world.

So Happy Valentine's Day! Love this day for what it is, what it brings into focus. Enjoy your chocolates, your cards, your cheesy poems and tokenistic red roses.  It is indeed a day to drop into love, give in, roll over and receive.  Dive deep, go beneath the commercial, consumerist surface in a soul-full, powerful way and love us all into wholeness, into wellness.

May your love for self be as full as this regal Moon.

Shine on!

Waterboat Men and Hippos: The Full Moon in Taurus and other planetary powerhouses.

I know.. It's been more than a while since I last posted.  All I can offer as an explanation is that "oh my giddy aunt, a lot has gone down!"  But here we are again about to feel the potency of yet another cosmic event; a Full Moon in Taurus, with a generous side serve of  some other intense planetary patterns offering us some more (groan) deep diving opportunities.  So man up, don your scuba gear take a deep breath and let(s) go!

November 17 heralds a Full Moon in the sign of Taurus.  This Full Moon signifies the closure of an intense few weeks that started at the beginning of November with what could be called the 'eclipse sandwich'; a period where we had a powerful solar eclipse followed post haste by a lunar one.

During this time there were numerous intense Solar Flares bringing in more Light, offering to us 'upgrades' both physical and spiritual.  You might have been energised by these or flattened or indeed both. Whatever your personal experience may be, our flesh suits, our cells and our Selves have had the opportunity (read kicked up the bottom)  to come further 'online' into a new paradigm that has been building  and breaking us down all at the same time for many years. Some call it the Shi(f)t and the Shift my friends is now more than here than it has ever been.  Its anchored and waiting patiently for anyone to climb aboard when and if they so wish.

Personally I'd advise you to embark because even if you think this has been or is a hard ride and you are oh so tired of it all, to resist, I'm told, will mean a harder one in the long run.

The current planetary positions with the Moon in  tenacious Taurus,  the Sun still of course in transformative Scorpio, Venus conjunct Pluto (ruler of Scorpio) in Capricorn (time, resources, structure), Uranus (the game changer) is Squaring Venus (values, finances, relationships, love). Mercury is also conjunct the North Node of the Moon in Scorpio messengering up with lightening speed all those  niggling dregs from your deep dark depths. It feels like there is no escape hatch.

Pluto calls us to stop being surface dwellers and take a plunge for it is there that the last bit of the map lies. Waterboat Men haven't a chance.  Pluto is going to grab you and pull you under anyways so let (E)go (Scorpio) and surrender to the process of digging for those final hidden habits and tendencies that are holding you back from the treasure you really want to be.




The alchemy of Pluto, Venus, Scorpio and Taurus has the potential to bring up the biggest fear we have of all; the fear of death.

Plutonian/Scorpio energy is about death and transformation for they are one and the same.  The current cosmic catalysts are all about a metaphorical kind of death; they are about letting go of controls, both personal and societal.  They herald a time when like the change from caterpillar to butterfly we literally have the chance to create a new DNA; a truly upscaled model of our Self in any area we may wish to modify.

The fear we have around death is not so much the actual demise of the physical body its more the fear as to whether in this life you have lived up to your full potential.

"Have I done what I came to do?  Have I created what I want to create?    Have I committed to the right thing/person/career?  Have I navigated well this world practically but also have I brought into my experience my true uniqueness, my true divinity? Have I fulfilled my purpose?  Am I enough of me? "

These fears or questions are also heightened by a growing sense that there isn't enough time.  With both Pluto and Venus in Capricorn which is ruled by Saturn (the father of time) it isn't surprising that this sense of not having enough time to fulfil one's purpose is exaggerated.

Time does feel incredibly compressed and with Uranus in the mix there is a propensity to want to keep on the go- go-go but something is reigning us back.  You guessed it, it's Pluto (again).  He is the slowest planet of all. By the time Pluto has done one orbit of the Sun the gas giant Uranus has already done three laps so you can see why perhaps you feel at times that there just isn't enough time or that things are just not getting done.

Time is essentially a human creation that has served and upheld the outgoing 3D paradigm of living.  So as we move into a different dimensional experience, the usefulness of a structure that impinges on our freedom is bound to start to feel restrictive.  Being tired or feeling like you are time poor is merely a way of making us stop and listen; a way of realising that we need to re-calibrate or re-direct our energy.

As you allow yourself to think out of the box regarding time you will likely find a flow or even a flood of ease descend upon you with regard to the growing desire to fulfil true purpose.  That camouflaged  fear of death, which is also rooted in a linear and limited approach to life will begin to fade and the ability to live in that much bandied around phrase of 'living in the now' becomes easier.  As this happens the reins miraculously seem to soften and loosen, allowing us to ironically line up with our secretly coveted truth with accelerated speed.

 

If you look around the world, the 'control' system is falling apart or at best under great scrutiny.  The rules we have lived with thus far are by and large not sustainable in the same way anymore,( if they ever really were?) This goes for us on a personal level too. The ideology, the processes, the commitments and 'common sense' is morphing rapidly.

To buck against this current creates resistance and potential discomfort. We are being offered opportunity to come in complete alignment with our wholeness; to operate from our  own core rather than from cues given by the external.  It's like driving with no headlights or ditching the GPS for a star chart but it is now the new improved way of doing life.



Venus brings with her a need to reconsider values.  She pushes us to ask what our values really are outside and away from the ones that we have bought into or been pummelled by throughout history.  She'll inspire you to consider how you  would interface with your self worth outside of the  'value" system society has set up for you so far. What do you really think of money?  What are your real financial needs?  What kind of relationships do you really want?  Are you really and fully in true authentic relationship with yourself or are you still a dilute version of your latent desire?

It may feel like all partnerships, marriages, friendships and even family relations are becoming more fragile.  Irritation, anger, resentment and a general patina of dissatisfaction may be colouring your world at the moment. All distant rumblings or downright discontent in relationships are merely about the relationship you are in with yourself.

The initial reaction may be one of wanting to toss the whole lot of them overboard (very tempting I know!), to end things no matter what; that wish for a clean slate feeling.  For some this might be the appropriate thing to do but what the Pluto/Scorpio energy is essentially asking us to do is to get all forensic and acquire clarity before taking action because 9 times out of 10 the issues at hand will be examples of transference.

Any elements in a relationship that no longer serve the ideology of self love being the pathway to liberty and indeed to increased compassion for greater humanity, are examples of situations that keep us trapped in an old pattern that is wearing thin in its efficacy and production of joy. These are being called up for release now not later.


Its valuable to build (Taurus) an awareness (Scorpio) around how you spend your time (Capricorn) and energy (Uranus).

Just as we may have or had strategies of how you choose to spend or save our money so that we ensure a modicum of safety and security, we also now need to consider with the same level of importance how we will choose to spend our emotional, physical and spiritual energy.  Do we want to follow the crowd or society or do we wish to listen to our own inner voice just that wee bit more?

All excess emotional baggage needs to be dropped off at left luggage because the last call for the flight to personal freedom and self actualisation in line with our own personal truth is banging on over the tanoid system.

The Full Moon is doing its job of illuminating the unconscious and its planetary accomplices are prodding us  to let go of any habits, conscious or unconscious that could keep us in emotional, social or soul bondage.


Nature always bring balance.  The paramedics are always, if not overtly, right there on standby ready to support these deep dives.  The Taurus Full Moon whilst illuminating is also nurturing.  Taurus is the sign of practicality, tenaciousness and building. In this case she supports our endeavour to build trust, in ourselves and in the apparently crumbling world that we are, even in small ways, leaving behind.

The energy of Taurus allows us to easily put new roots down.  The ashes left from our Pluto back burning  not only reveal the phoenix within but also fertilise and nourish the soil that we now choose to seed.
A little Full Moon gazing or absorbing will make you feel safer despite what you are being en-courage-d to leave behind.

Like the ancient Egyptian goddess Taweret- protector of new life, who came in the form of a hippopotamus, the Taurus Full Moon will take care of you in all the possible chaos. So wallow in the mud and moonlight if you can!

June Solstice and Magpies; (Really) letting go of the old to create the new.

The past three months or maybe more have brought a persistent Magpie into my life.

She (or he) comes periodically every day and throws herself against various windows around the house. She started by attacking the window most prominent, in the kitchen, which is where I spend a lot of time.  First she would appear to perform this ritual in the early afternoon when I would be most likely be preparing dinner, but in recent days she has been committing virtual suicide many times a day in a variety of places.

The insistent flying into the window is behaviour  said to be caused by adolescent magpies seeing themselves in the reflection of a window attempting to fend off any competition. However having always been claircognizant ( being tuned into signs and symbols that occur in nature and elsewhere), I knew that this bird was bringing more than her natural behaviour into my perception and experience.

Over the months if I am not in the kitchen this bird will fly into the window of the room that I am in at any given time. The frequency and ferocity has increased as though she is really trying to get my attention for an urgent purpose to the point where on some mornings she pecks at the bedroom window even when the curtains are closed and the reflection from the window not so apparent.

Today I finally sat down and spent a good 20 minutes 'asking" her and my unseens her purpose.  This is what came up.
                                             

In Shamanic terms birds represent freedom and Spirit so I sensed that perhaps I was not fully letting my Spirit 'in'. Magpies are also the communicators of the Spirit realm so I was possibly not communicating my own truth with enough courage or conviction.

As the June Solstice arrives on the 21st, astrologically and cosmically it is a time to really let go of any thing that is not aligned with your Source Self.  It is a time where we are being asked to bring to resolution and make conscious any old habits of mind, body and spirit that do not vibrate with the life path and experience you and therefore the collective want to experience.

As we shift from the energies of Gemini (the communicator, conduit, master of the abstract and facilitator of new stories) into the new nurturing container of Cancer where all new life is mothered and given shelter we have the profound opportunity to bring new ways of Be-ingness to ourselves and our Global experience.

Cancer is the womb; the creator.  What ever you put in that womb will be nurtured.  Put more of what we already have in the world in there and the more it will multiply.  Use the Gemini traits of embarking on a new journey, daring to be maverick and having the courage to communicate these changes with a little bit of  "spirit" or cheekiness and Cancer will grow for you a whole new experience.

It's really a time to jettison any ideas or deeply conditioned processes that will hinder y(OUR) expansion.  If you have self derogatory thoughts about your body, your gender, your worth, your work, your interface with any aspect of your existence now is the time to release it for good.

All apparent or hidden energies of duality must be released. All elements of opposition integrated.

Magpies are considered the light in the darkness.  My interpretation of this sign that has been forcefully pushing its pesky way into my life in recent weeks is, that NOW is the time to cut all cords that tie us to anything that does not build peace, abundance and well being.  Now is the time to really fully release all that is not resonant with Source Self.

As we leave the previously pervasive ideology of  duality behind it is interesting that the Magpie with it's colouring, symbolises their  ability to live in the black and the white; it's like they know how to live within the dark and the light simultaneously understanding the benefits of contrast yet disallowing the darkness to be their primary guide.

They tend to collect and hoard 'shiny" things, again a symbol of how we need to continually work consciously to gather within us thoughts and a perspective that focuses on the beauty and magnificence of this physical experience.

The Magpie totem also encourages us to use whatever understanding we already have; the treasures that we are.

Instead of aiming for perfection before we begin the process of letting go of old, unhealthy (after the Solstice, frankly unworkable) notions it's more productive to just start moving gently towards new and desired patterns.

For example if it's your physical well being that is a the top of your list instead of embarking on a boot camp, commissioning the juicer and pushing, punishing yourself into good health it's ok to take the low road of say just adding a green salad to your plate of pizza or taking a 10 minute walk for a few weeks until you build up that sense of enjoyment and empowerment that small changes bring.

The quick or ardent fix is out because with every thought or action that is focused on this dramatic approach to change, there is an accompanying sub-text that is basically saying 'I'm not good enough or what I am doing is not good enough so I have to work really hard at revising that."

Wholeness does not come from highlighting the 'holes."

We cannot change ourselves, our world or our experiences of life by viewing what we are or where we are from a place of underscoring deficit.   A poor man cannot make himself rich by focusing on what he is lacking, a country cannot change its situation by discussing its problems, nor a child become confident by a teacher telling him where he is failing.

The move from Gemini into Cancer that the June Solstice marks, means that we have a window of opportunity to use the Gemini traits of adaptability and communication to facilitate these small but powerful changes in our lives.   Magpies are known for their opportunistic natures often teasing more predatory birds such as eagles to show their prowess.  They have a daredevil nature often swooping in on the unsuspecting.  I don't know how many times my 'tower" has been 'buzzed' by a cheeky Magpie as I hang the washing!

If we are to BE-come more of OUR- Selves, if we are to co- create a collective experience that eradicates the difficulties, horrors and injustices of our history and current time, if we are to bring more health, abundance and well being into all of our experience we are now at a time personally, collectively and well aligned cosmically to take some risks, to behave like the daredevil magical magpie.

Now is the moment where we can bring true resolution to tired, untenable issues that have held us back as individuals and as a species.  It's a clear sign from the uprisings in Turkey and Brazil during the build up towards the June Solstice that we can and must take these opportunities to bring change; dare to be different and take risks.

Here we have a portal to unhook from the pervasive paradigm to put ourselves on the line so we can all grow.  The timing is perfect to leave our history behind and carve out new, more sustainable, more equable and frankly just happier, easier times.

Magpies draw on their resourceful almost eclectic way of living to survive.  Our success depends on using this wide and varied way of being; it is now counting on us to have the courage to  literally "wing" it. The rules that we have lived by thus far are all obsolete.

Magpies are not creatures who stay in the safety of a nest or gather around them secure structures to survive such as Bowerbirds do.  Instead they dare to go get what they need and are much more 'in your face' birds, metaphorically calling us to do the same.

This next few days is the pivot point that we can avail of to be compassionate with ourselves and others around hidden or apparent fears and inadequacies.  We need not confront them head on as has been the previously ascribed methodology. This shift can be made easily and quickly instead by being gentle and respectful in sync with the frequency of  love and peace we all deeply crave.

It's time to reconcile the dualities of our conditioned nature; to resolve any lingering emotional and spiritual oppositions.   Its useful to pay attention to your dreams and hunches and then have the courage to 'go' with the messages they provide. Your steps will not falter if you focus on things that you as an individual value.  As you listen to your heart your heart will naturally open to the dissonant cries of others and your compassion and ability to act upon it will grow.

Selfishness automatically leads to Selflessness.  Can you feel the relief in this statement?  Sit with it an allow it to grow, allow yourself to blossom back into the seed of Source that you know you are. If you feel the relief you know that you are ready to be a harbinger of change.  If you still feel uncomfortable with the idea of Selfishness leading to Selflessness you have been given the gift of knowing that you still have some work to do with aligning with your god-self.

My Magpie's insistent and often grating cries have been screaming at me (and now at you!)  She has been calling me to make that final step and really "wake" up, live consciously in absolute awareness.  She has me walking fully the uncharted territory of truly leaving all dregs of victimhood behind to deliberately create with the support of Uni-versal forces, the life and experience that I know We are meant to have.

The Magpie cries:

"Let go of the old and bring on the new!  Dare you!" 


PS:
As I began to write this the incessant flying into windows stopped and at some point my magical Magpie came to rest on the window sill of my study.  She stayed there for about half an hour flitting from the sill to the Passion Fruit Vine on the opposite boundary wall every so often.  She pecked at the window once or twice as if wanting to get my attention, fixed me with her beady eyed glare and then flew away.  I wonder if she will return.