EARTH DREAM NEW MOON

New Moon @25 Virgo 01
September 17, 2020, 7:00am EDT, 4:00am PDT, 12:00pm BST, 11:00pm AEST

Are we dreaming the Earth or is the Earth dreaming us?

This is a relevant question for this New Moon in Virgo, which tunes into the fluid DreamSpace of Neptune across the sky.Neptune is a subtle influence, not always noticed, but effective as a strong underlying tone or frequency to our experience. In a sign for 14 years, Neptune challenges our collective consciousness with veils, obfuscations and illusionary trends, as it pulls us toward refined and uplifted perceptions of the interwoven web of life and the universe.  This New Moon timed right at the top of the hour illustrates Virgo’s love of precision and attention to specific details. Neptune in Pisces is like Impressionistic art, blending all these specifics into a tapestry of light and beauty. 

This New Moon opposing Neptune echoes the last Full Moon aligned with Neptune in Pisces, and with a fading echo of that Full Moon’s planetary triangle in earth signs. The peak efficacy of the earth trine is on the wane as the Equinox approaches and the Sun shifts from Virgo into Libra. This New Moon applies the Neptune DreamSpace inspirations with more fire sign flair, as Venus in Leo adds her creativity and love of beauty to the deep transformational work at hand. We have Mars in fire sign Aries and South Node in fire sign Sagittarius. Together these three factors form a fire sign triangle, stimulating us up with heightened creativity, motivation and inspiration to get even more accomplished, make more, do more. This helps us through any lackluster sitting back under the Mars retrograde. Virgo reminds us that even small acts, refined attention to detail and humble daily chores are a great service to the world and contribute to the greater good. We can still get a lot done 

Let your imagination sing with the stars! Adventure beckons with new stories to be told and invites us to tune into Nature’s divinely-infused manifestations—like this one from a recent astronomical realization.

Here is an awesome image to contemplate involving cosmic halos: Astronomers announced a new discovery in relation to the Andromeda galaxy, the closest to our own Milky Way galaxy. For some time astronomers have observed that these two sister galaxies are approaching each other and will merge one far distant day. They now see that the plasma ‘auras’ of the two galaxies may already be starting to converge. Andromeda’s ‘halo’ of diffuse plasma was measured to extend out more than one million light years, about half way to the Milky way, likely overlapping with the ‘gaseous halo’ of our galaxy. 

For some time we have been in a galactic photon belt, sending sweeping waves of plasma light frequencies into our solar system. I like the idea of overlapping galactic auras, which adds another layer of galactic input and communication. This certainly matches the incoming South Node energy, still positioned close to the degree of the Galactic Center (26 Sag). We ‘hear’ the wavelength, and find a way to translate the vision, sense of direction and light into our situational conversation, aligning head with heart. 

As we approach the September 22 Equinox, a hot and spicy conjunction of mythic siblings is in progress, asserting their energy on and off through the rest of this year. This New Moon features planet Mars and dwarf planet Eris at fiery peak conjunction #2. Both opposite Mercury, this suggests news that is upsetting to various people; also rampant misinformation, arguments and aggressive troublemaking, which will surely be demonstrated by some. A better expression will be seen by those who stand straight and tall, and do what needs to be done without rancor. Where do you stand?

Recently  I came across a phrase that well describes female warrior Eris: 
“Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning, the devil says, ‘Oh no! She’s up!'”
Enough said!

Planet Mars, retrograde, looming large, and glowing red in the night sky, remains in Aries over 6 months— from the end of June 2020 into January 2021. When retrograde, Mars backtracks over what has already happened. Some things may need to be tweaked. Consider what has been going on in your life, and what you want to be doing as time moves along toward the end of this rigorous year. Take it slow and don’t rush. Feel each footstep land on solid ground. Standing centered, strong and clear on your personal solid ground may upset others. Sometimes that can’t be helped. Personal integrity is based on self-clarity that cannot be compromised. With appropriate restraint, movement is focused, accomplishments well-crafted; indirect action can be most effective. When Mars comes out of retrograde, like a red light turning green, in November on Friday the 13th or Saturday the 14th, we want to be able to drive on with increased clarity and confidence, more sure of where we are going and what we are doing.  We may need to continually remind ourselves that this is mainly an inner process, impacted by the outer world, but operating on a deeper, Pluto-impacted level.  

In her most recent newsletter, intuitive visionary Leilah Ward writes:

“There is something much deeper going on within each of us – within our personal journey. The radiance of our energy field goes out into the world – the energy field of Earth. We are adding our own frequency to the harmonic resonance of Humanity. Many are aware of this. Bringing ourselves back into our center of love helps us maintain the frequency of our unique Divine Soul Essence… Tuning in to our center and simply being within the radiance of our Divine Soul Essence helps us to find peace and if we so desire, we can link to the Inner Net where we connect with one another in the beauty of our collective consciousness.” 
[read her full piece here] 

As the Moon waxes from this day up to the next Full Moon on October 1-2, a key turning point is September 29, when Saturn, in a slow, careful turn, turns direct at 25 Capricorn, ready to move on to Aquarius for a second take. Saturn made a first foray into Aquarius from March Equinox through June. This time (December 17) we will be able to bring even more experience, depth of consideration and greater perspective to Saturn’s Aquarian personal and global manifestations, lasting half way into 2023.

Something has clearly been in the works throughout 2020; Saturn demonstrates more of what that is in straight-forward terms. Nobody is going to miss this, especial as Saturn has been in cahoots with Pluto and continues to interact with the dynamic duo in Aries. Circumstances are demonstrably changing. What does this mean for you? “It’s happening!” Whatever “it” is, it’s timely, appropriate and ready to take us forward, even more so in November with the green light of Mars direct. And wouldn’t that be so amazing if Mars actually did turn green!

I end with this hopeful reminder: 

By year’s end we are through a huge piece of work.
We enter a clear zone, on a new collective High Way.
Be Your Best Self!
You are a Star in a Galaxy of Stars!

* * * * * * * * *

Mars Retrograde Special— Planet Mars, retrograde, large, and glowing red in the night sky, remains in Aries over 6 months. What does this extended activation mean to you? Each of us is being stirred up, questioning what we want to be doing and seeking clear direction. Let’s look at your chart and locate your leading edge, your front line. 45 minutes, $115.  

New! Leading with Light podcast
Astrological Overview of the last season of 2020
On Apple Podcast:https://apple.co/35RfSi7   
For those who don’t use Apple Podcast, go to SkyIsLimitless.com: https://bit.ly/3iB9sXH

Cosmic Inspiration Radio
Connect to the Wisdom of the Universe 
with StarLady Kelley Hunter 
Streamed Live  around the world at http://www.wgdr.org/
THURSDAYS, 4-5:00pm ET
WGDR, Goddard College Community Radio 
The September 10 show is about Mars retrograde, 
with a great playlist including Michelle Many’s Planetary Meditation on Mars (see more her great series at; the Mongolian band The Hu; and a series of songs all titled “Hero”. 
The September 17 show is on this New Moon! with a seasonal playlist.

Earth Energy Rising Full Moon

Full Moon @ 10 Pisces/Virgo12
September 1, 2020 10:22pm PDT, 
September 2  @ 1:22am EDT, 6:22am BST, 5:22pm AEST

Earth Energy rises in a grand trine in earth signs, a key feature of this Full Moon. With Uranus in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn for a few years to come, it only takes some astrological factor to enter Virgo to complete the full trio of earth signs. ‘Tis the season of Sun sign Virgo, with the excellent presence of Mercury for another few days.

Some years ago, I realized that the Pisces Full Moon in the month of Virgo is one of my favorites of the year. I can’t tell you why; it just feels special, like a hand strumming across a harp in a woodland Faerie circle. Virgo can be an exquisite sign of detailed extraordinariness; Pisces feels like the sea under rippling Full Moon light, hearing the hush of lacy water wash in like a song, poetic as Nature can be.

This Full Moon is in very close sextile with Uranus in Taurus, as the Sun trines it— 10+ degrees all around. Earth magic abounds. Jupiter in Capricorn completes a grounded earthy grand trine (with Pluto and Saturn standing by). This is quite a contrast to the fire triangle of the last New Moon. Fire vision comes into form, but not in any typical way. Uranus produces unexpected new content, surprising manifestations, even brand new species! Jupiter inaugurates a promising plan. Virgo adds a double dose of common sense and organic simplicity, as the precision of the Sun in Virgo is enhanced by the fine perception and skilled touch and of Virgo’s ruler, Mercury.

The Full Moon radiates in Neptune DreamSpace. Mercury receives inspiration, in a dreamy, mystical opposition with Neptune, a finely-tuned frequency, informing Jupiter/ Pluto/ and Saturn in Capricorn.
Don’t drift off! Take advantage of this Full Moon. Much can be accomplished in the last two weeks of this moon cycle and through the next, starting September 17. The “I” gets dotted and the “T” gets crossed multiple times, in a harvest of information that promotes change and clarifies ongoing developments that mark the road forward. Whether we like it or not, whether we feel ready or not, the train is coming and it’s time to step aboard. Take responsibility for tending to your situation in the best way possible, with a prayer in your heart for the highest good for all. 

Meanwhile an interestingly complex grand cross is brewing in cardinal signs, calling for initiative that satisfies all of the elements—including aether, the 5th element. 

In fire sign Aries, Mars conjuncts Black Moon Lilith and Eris.  
In its own sign, Mars calls us to take direct action to make our lives better. Each of us must determine how to do so, what is right for us. Mars puts on its brakes, coming to a screeching halt to turn retrograde on September 9. In its 2-month retrograde, it can be frustrating and trigger reactions unless we rise to the challenge of heroic integrity, courageously trailblazing new paths that lead us toward fresh improvements. The retrograde can indicate indirect action.

Retrograde planets work internally, even Mars, evoking the best of our personal strength and energy with which to meet the circumstances we face in our lives. It is heroic to take a stand. Fears and doubts can stifle action. How do we confront such feelings? Mars in company with Eris and Black Moon Lilith necessitate response. Find ways to use, channel, physically express your energy so there are no unwanted eruptions!

Black Moon Lilith is measured in two main ways: its mean, average motion and its true motion, taking in to account frequent, undulating retrogradations. These two positions can be more than 30 degrees apart! It is not uncommon to have the two positions of the Black Moon in different signs or houses. More unusual is to see the true and mean measurements very closely conjunct, as on this Full Moon.

Mean and True Black Moon are 7 minutes apart in 24+ Aries, very close to Mars at 27+, and in the same degree as Eriswith the mean Black Moon conjunct Eris to the minute (24Aries24). Goodness, Goddess! Jeepers, creepers, where’d you get those peepers! Black Moon Lilith confronts us with shadow energy in subtle ways that we may not even notice. She brings this to our attention as problems ensue, when we project out a level of negativity in reaction to some situation or person. Have you noticed yourself or others doing that? Maybe or maybe not, depending on what you are taking for granted without looking beneath the Plutonian surface appearance. This intense dynamic delivers quite a potent beam of directed fire to the power trio of Jupiter/ Pluto/ Saturn in earth sign Capricorn. The old systems are coming down, as unforeseen developments open new trails and startling possibilities. 

Venus@ 25 of water sign Cancer is offers a softening influence, gently letting us know what feels good and what does not. Directly opposite Saturn @25 Capricorn, Venus supports Saturn’s crisp and timely agendato clean up old business and get on with growth-oriented options that promise better times ahead. Pluto and Jupiter add their combined weight and influence toward appropriate outcomes. There is just no other way.

 Centaur Chariklo is also @25 Capricorn, both conjunct Saturn and opposite Venus. As if from the heart center of the Capricorn conjunction, she adds her loving fluidity to aid Venus in finding her heart’s desire. Chariklo uses her natural shapeshifting ability to guide Saturn’s manifestational imperative toward the best solutions. 

“What best serves love,” is the theme of Chariklo, the lovely river mermaid who shapeshifted into a centaur to join with Chiron, the teacher/healer/shaman of the solar system. As a member of the executive Capricorn team, Chariklo offers some of the best, most seasoned advice while reminding us of priorities. Welcome the fluidity of Chariklo, as she slowly but surely ripples around or wears away stony obstacles that have blocked our way and stopped the flow. No wonder many of us are responding to the energy of Chariklo and her love story with Healer Chiron. You may want to read my story of Chariklo here, or listen to the story on this week’s archived Cosmic Inspiration Radio show-see below.

To complete the creative grand square of cardinal signs in this Full Moon pattern, we find Queen asteroid Juno paired with Hawaiian Birthing Goddess Haumea in air sign Libra— Juno @24 and Haumea @26Libra. Juno, committed to partnership, seeks reciprocity in a balance giving and receiving. If a relationship is out of such balance, her commitment may be questioned. Meanwhile, from the remote, far out, aetheric realm of the Kuiper Belt, Haumea is activated, gestating the invisible and as yet unknown into birth. Venus and Chariklo advise her on what qualities and substance are needed to grow and prosper. How are you answering that question for yourself and your loved ones?

Dwarf Planet Haumea at 26 Libra works well with the heartfelt values Venus to generates brand new, original and harmonious ways and means. Haumea in Libra supports choices that birth new levels of consciousness and relationships beyond the field of argument and dissention stirred up by troublemaker Eris in Aries. As we find a refreshed balance within ourselves that allows resonance and right relationship with All Life, we bring forth in our personal lives what will best serve the well being of all.

This Full Moon in Pisces/Virgo with its dynamic pattern invites us to apply both the earthiness of the three earth signs and the watery fluidity of this Moon’s revelatory fullness to do what we are called to do, from the inside out. With vigilance let us keep the energy at a high point, and be gentle with ourselves and others if and when we falter a bit. This is a call to the heroic, to the pioneer within that aspires to the high road, with an alert eye out for when and over what we trip up. When we become aware and take note, we can more easily regain our clarity and balance, back on track to a fuller and richer experience of life. This adventure calls for strength and courage, compassion and attention, curiosity and openness, keen interest and a willingness to “go boldly go where no one has gone before,” as the Star Trek motto declares. We are on a fresh, exciting path of evolutionary import. Let’s make these rigorous months worth it as we join in a renewed spirit of light and life and love,  hopeful, optimistic and excited. 

By year’s end we are through a huge piece of work.
We enter a clear zone, on a new collective High Way.
Be Your Best Self!
You are a Star in a Galaxy of Stars!

* * * * * * * 

Cosmic Inspiration Radio
Connect to the Wisdom of the Universe 
with StarLady Kelley Hunter 
Streamed Live  around the world at http://www.wgdr.org/
THURSDAYS, 4-5:00pm ET
WGDR, Goddard College Community Radio 
The August 27 show talks about the upcoming Full Moon and
includes a telling of Chariklo’s mythic story.
Archived show available for 2 weeks on the website 
Click on http://archive.wgdr.org/
search “All Shows” for Cosmic Inspiration Radio. 
Make Cosmic Inspiration Radio your home 
for starry music and astrology talk!

* * * * * * * 

Lioness New Moon

New Moon @ 26Leo35
August 18, 2020 @ 10:42pm EDT, 7:42pm PDT, 
August 19, 3:42am BST, 12:42pm AEST

Indeed! Our New Moon Egyptian Lioness goddess Sekhmet is warrior, protector and healer. She destroys enemies of the Sun King. She brings plagues, but also healing. As agent of the Sun, she calls forth the Life Force of solar radiance—yet she can also be very hot, raging and destructive. It has been said that her breath created the desert. Sekhmet is one of many ancient Sun goddesses, fierce and protective, a true Leonine image of feminine power. But her anger can also get outrageous and out-of-control with destruction. She faces us with our own triggered tendencies to anger. Do you find her in your life these days? How do we control and focus our outrage into effective action?

This New Moon in Leo is full of fire and high drama. 
A grand trine in fire is created by 
Sun/ Moon/ Mercury in Leo; 
Mars at its hottest in Aries, conjunct Eris; 
and a visionary South Lunar Node in Sagittarius;
supported by dwarf planet Haumea in Libra.

With Mercury conjunct this New Moon, our state of mind and the underlying motivation that drives our actions are key. Mercury aligns with Regulus, the Heart of the Lion and a star of leadership. A generous, heart-centered state of mind is essential. Attend to that first. Are you in integrity with yourself? Are you keeping in mind the goal of the highest good for all? Are you being defensive or reactive? Is your anger making your trigger finger twitch? Are you being rebellious, childish, selfish? These are all good questions as you look in the mirror of life, and of your heart.

The Lunar South Node is at 27 Sagittarius, opening a direct channel to the Galactic Center, the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. Your intuition can be plugged in if you pay attention. What is the ultimate goal this year? If we do our due diligence now, we will open the door to a new cycle of unity in community, coming forth on December Solstice 2020 with the union of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius. Opening the heart to inform the brain short-circuits any selfishly impulsive action, maintaining the integrity and guidelines that Mars needs. Courage, initiative and self-awareness are required. As we examine what leadership is and is not, we all are called to our expression of personal leadership and creative cooperation. 

Generative, birthing Dwarf Planet Haumea at 26 Libra supports this New Moon Fire Trine, as she generates original creative options, supporting choices that birth new levels of consciousness and of relationship. As we find a refreshed balance within ourselves that allows resonance and right relationship with All Life, we bring forth in our lives what will best serve the well-being of all.

Big stories highlight the drama of life in this Moon cycle, even after the Sun moves into Virgo on the 22nd. For perspective, it is sometimes helpful to view what is going on in the world as “the biggest show on Earth.” According to many spiritual traditions, this is just what it is. As Shakespeare wrote, “The world is but a stage and all the men and women merely players.” Play your part well and from the heart. These are intense times and indeed, years from now books may be written about what we are experiencing now another version of the “greatest story ever told.” 

This may be an exaggeration, an over-dramatization, but why not. This is the life we are living; let’s make it great, not little, insignificant and full of petty concerns. Make your life your own greatest story, and tell it like it is. Leo is the sign of self-expression, whether from the small ‘s’ self or the capital ‘S’ Higher Self. You choose. How do you tell your story? What is your vision, your version of your life? How do you think about your Self? Are you making your life count by expressing your fullness, coming from your heart? This is what Leo is about. 

Chiron, the Healer, squares Venus,another dynamic of this New Moon, offering a healing of love, a quantum shift in our values, a bridge to personal harmony that seeks a truer sense of communion with others on all levels, beyond the distortions and subjective defensiveness that separate us from each other. We need to get out of our own way. Another great act of courage is to stay in the present moment of Now, without agenda or preconceptions, to meet the situation from a greater alignment with the All That Is. 

Uranus in Taurus, turned retrograde on the 15th, slowed down to a virtual standstill for a focused lightning strike. It stays in the same 11th degree of Taurus for three months, with a lovely Sabian Symbol illustrating the best of Taurus: “A Woman Sprinkling Long Rows of Flowers.” 
I wonder what Uranus flowers look and smell like? Any new species blossoming forth?

Astrologer Richard Idemon used the idea of holding your hand over a flame to indicate how we can experience such a slowed, standstill effect. The intensity can build up tension, evoke a feeling that something is being shaken up, has to blow open. If you are familiar with the Tarot, do you know the image of The Tower card (#16) in the Waite-Rider Tarot deck? It shows a stormy sky with lightning crashing down, toppling a castle tower, as the king and queen fall out. Whether or not this plays out on the global stage, it is basically about the service-to-self ego being toppled from rulership over our actions. This card leads to the next, which is The Star (#17), an image of clarity, divine dispensation through balance of head and heart, integrity of inner and outer aspects of our experience.

When tension builds up, it can create a breakdown or eruption of temper, of impulsive action that goes overboard and creates havoc rather than effective outcome. Under this New Moon cycle, we need to find an effective or useful outlet for our energy, tempered by the Capricorn planets. Getting some kind of exercise, as strong and rigorous as suits you, can be very helpful. 

Also, hold steady in the realization that progress is at hand. Things are changing inevitably and irrevocably, in ways that are unseen but will become more apparent— in relatively short time considering the immense level of consciousness awakening in process. Uranus leads to surprising manifestations on the material level. Even without knowing everything going on, we can feel the level of change. It is time to step up to take charge of our situation in the ways that feel most resonant to us. We contribute simply by letting our hearts feel the truth of this inevitability.

Reminder of August Calendar Highlights

Mars in Aries is now in the thick of its squares to the Capricorn power trio, Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn—and in conjunction with Eris.
You might want to note the following dates on your calendar to track the activity of these strong dynamics in your life. Mars in Aries is calling us to activate our courage and our strength, our will power and our integrity. 

Mars conjunct Eris—August 17/ October 4/ December 22*
Fearless trouble-maker Eris stirs things up in a disruptive way. Like Uranus, this warrior goddess is a waker-upper, with her own brand of shock value. Her brother Mars joins her in Aries to further fire up her thirst for disturbing the status quo. Patience runs thin, often for good reasons, as this is a time for action— not just during this Moon cycle but through the rest of this year. Prepare yourself; step into your integrity; do what is called for in this heightened moment of our collective awakening, our global revolution. Remember the goal, the desired outcome for greater harmony. There is obvious no return to the ‘what was’ that we would have called ‘normal.’ But how do we want to move on? Are you listening to Eris and taking action for what you stand for? Are you going along and following what is ‘allowed’? How are the ‘powers that be’ supporting or inhibiting our movement toward greater social harmony and understanding?

With an orbit of 557 years, Eris is a slow mover. She has been in Aries since the mid-1920s. Maybe she is the one who made that decade into the ‘Roaring Twenties’! She is in high gear as the three Capricorn power players have moved into peak engagement with this firebrand.  Akin to Sekhmet, our New Moon Warrior Goddess, Eris stands up to systems and structures that have been and seek to continue to control us. In a righteous rage, to protect and defend, she wields her destructive, yet life-affirming fury, shaking up and toppling binding requirements and regulations that hold back the creative life force that is breaking out toward freedom. One-by-one we are called to step up and join together to create the new world we want to live in. 

The dynamic Mars/ Eris interaction with the Capricorn trio, gives indications of timely initiatives and turning points in the current transformational overhaul. We need a positive approach to focus on amidst the chaos that inevitably accompanies this dynamic. I appreciate what Astrologer Ann Kreilkamp wrote in a recent blog post on her site, www.exopermaculture.com:
[Ann and I were both regular feature writers for Welcome to Planet Earth back in the 80s.]
“It’s as if a powerful seed that has been germinating for a very long time, hidden, in secret (Pluto) suddenly activates (Mars) crystallizes (Saturn), fills the atmosphere with its immense possibility (Jupiter).”

After its retrograde turn on September 9, Mars will again square these three Capricorn planets. We are now setting things up for further development, by both releasing what is holding us back and by taking steps toward our desired outcome.

Mars Square Jupiter— August 3-4/ October 19 
Opportune moments that promote accomplishment.
Take advantage of any promising opportunity or open door that beckons you. Does the idea or project feel too big? Just start, one deliberate step at a time and see what happens. Anything we begin at this point can grow over the rest of this year. We can check progress and regroup at the second Mars retrograde square Jupiter on October 19. 

Remember to check on belief systems that do not support growth, that restrict what you believe possible or not. Focus the abundance of available energy into beneficial channels. Some dark secrets may be unearthed that make us angry enough to push back or lash out in distress or frustration. Stay on your path. Be strong, centered and present in your integrity with the courage to stand for Truth as you know it in your heart.

Mars Square Pluto— August 13/ October 9/ December 23*
Moments to fearlessly let go of situations or people that undermine or compromise our energy beyond a point where we can stay clear and balanced.
The volcanic charge of this alignment causes eruptions, transforming the surrounding terrain in no uncertain terms. This is a volatile energy, to be carefully engaged or sidestepped, best channeled into timely reconstruction, rebuilding, regenerating. Continue to contend with unexpected challenges and new awareness with fearlessness and stay clear on your own path. 

Mars Square Saturn— August 24/ September 29
Moments to step up and claim our authority, to say ‘no!’ to what no longer serves, is no longer effective.
Definite steps are taken. Be certain that you are moving in the right direction, following along your best new path, and move ahead. No need for speed; feel each step, slow and steady, keeping your balance. These are serious times and we are taking responsibility for our actions— for how and when and in what state of mind we are moving forward. 

By year’s end we are through a huge piece of work.
We enter a clear zone, on a new collective High Way.
Be Your Best Self!
You are a Star in a Galaxy of Stars!

* * * * * * * * *

New Offerings
Now posted under consultations. Email me if you are interested.
Cosmic Mermaids
Call of the Creator Gods
Astrology Consultation Package—3 sessions

* * * * * * * 

Cosmic Inspiration Radio
Connect to the Wisdom of the Universe
with StarLady Kelley Hunter
Streamed Live  around the world at http://www.WGDR.ORG
THURSDAYS, 4-5:00pm ET
WGDR, Goddard College Community Radio 
The August 13 show expands on this newsletter,
and introduces Praamzius, one of the new, far out planetoids.
Archived show available for 2 weeks on the website 
Click on”Streams, Programs, Archive”on the top left of the home page.
Search “All Shows” for Cosmic Inspiration Radio. 
Make Cosmic Inspiration Radio your home
for starry music and astrology talk! 

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Electric Lion Full Moon

Full Moon @ 11 Aquarius/Leo 48
August 3, 2020 @ 11:59am EDT, 8:59am PDT, 4:59pm BST, 
August 4, 3:59am AEST

The Big News of this Aquarius/Leo Full Moon is its square to Uranus. Plan on an accelerating frequency, electric, unexpected, lightning shocks to the system. Oh yeah. Could be quite a roller coaster ride. Keep strong in body and spirit. Engage your integrity, clarity and higher mind. The Great Awakener shocks us out of any complacency, laziness, or ignore-ance that has kept us living our lives in the back seat. 

Uranus is slowing to turn retrograde on the 15th, turning up the intensity; its charge is particularly strong and focused. Looking back over this extraordinary year of 2020, we see that the January 24 New Moon squared Uranus. The New Moon on April 22 was closely conjunct Uranus. Now it’s the Full Moon releasing a strong charge of electromagnetic impulse throughout the ‘system,’ with this activating dynamic. The Full Moon on Halloween, October 31, will be exactly conjunct Uranus. Trick or treat indeed. 

What do I mean by the ‘system’? For one, the solar system, rocking and rolling with the incoming plasma or photon waves that streams in with more light and cosmic input, ramping up the Schumann Frequency, the pulse of planet Earth. For another, our body/mind systems, as we feel the energy coursing through our physical vehicles, affecting emotional/mental states and our nervous systems. 

Also, I mean the system under which we have been living, obviously being dismantled by the unusual situation we call the ‘pandemic,’ and other obvious outbreaks of chaos—and by our awakening collective consciousness. The power planet trio in Capricorn has certainly signaled such a dismantling, as Saturn and Jupiter have been helping Pluto deconstruct systems and structures that are getting out of whack and no longer serve the evolutionary agenda. The redesign is getting underway in some surprising ways. How are you sketching yours? Where do you find the stimulating Aquarius/ Leo co-creative collaboration needed to make things happen? 

Uranus, ruling and charging this Aquarian Full Moon with its revolutionary agenda, is obvious in its shock value with radical, unsettling stormy effects. This month is filled with lightning, visible and invisible. 

Mayan Calendar New Year

We will be experiencing quite a change of mood this Full Moon week, as the two personal planets change sign after long visits and retrogrades.  Before I list some notable dates for this month, I want to acknowledge the Mayan New Year that started on July 26. I am still learning about the different rhythms of this calendar, based on 13 Moons of 28 days, using 20 symbols other than zodiac signs. There are several versions of the calendar. I have been following a revisioned version based on the classical Mayan. 

There are also larger cycles of 13 years each. Last July 26, 2019, we moved into a new 13-year cycle, changing from the rhythmic tides of Moon energy to the wilder, more experimental and magical energy of Wizard. We have had our feet to the electrical fires of this Wizard dynamic from then to now, as we learn how to manage ever dynamic situations and develop new skills. Now beginning our second year in the Wizard cycle, we find Cosmic Mirror reflection and a Storm wave meeting us. Take a moment to imagine these two symbols. They matches up well with the August 1-2 energy we begin at this cross-quarter Celtic turning point of the year called Lammas, the height of the season half way between June Solstice and September Equinox. Punctuated by a Full Moon, no less.

August Calendar Highlights

August 4-5—Mercury shifts from Cancer into Leo, bringing more fire and flare, self-confidence and creativity to our communication. Everybody has something to say.       

August 7— Venus into Cancer.Though still conjunct the Gemini North Node on this Full Moon, inviting us to explore options beyond the usual, Venus picks up the Cancer baton from Mercury. In Gemini since April, she now softens her tone in Cancer to the more personal, cherishing her inner circle. 

Mars in Aries starts its squares to the Capricorn power trio: Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn. 
Mars stands between Chiron, the Shamanic Healer/ Quantum Shifter in earlier Aries and an awesome pairing of Black Moon Lilith and Warrior Eris in later Aries. Stand up straight and tall, be spaciously beyond the tug of danger, duality and distancing, and claim your integrity, authenticity and sovereignty. No matter what is energetically ‘thrown’ at you, keep your energetic shape clear and buffered with light and love. Don’t fall into the temptation of negativity. Can we step beyond that now? Can we dream, invent, and create the new paradigm? Pallas Athena and Centauress Chariklo assist with their wisdom and care to bring forth the finest form, the most aesthetic sculptured reality.

After its retrograde turn on September 9, Mars will again square these three Capricorn planets. Then, when it turns direct on November 14, it will square only Pluto before changing sign. Saturn and Jupiter will have moved on, out of range.  In early 2021 Mars shifts to Taurus, finally catching up to square Jupiter and Saturn in whatever new paradigm is emerging to help ground and stabilize it. Let’s make it good! Now is the time to set things up.

Mars Square Jupiter— August 3-4/ October 19 
Mars feeds the fire of this Full Moon with its first activation square to Jupiter, a green light sensation, most exact on the 3-4. Take advantage of any promising opportunity or open door that beckons you. Does the idea or project feel too big? Just start, one deliberate step at a time and see what happens. Anything we begin at this point can grow over the rest of this year. We can check progress and regroup at the second Mars square Jupiter on October 19. 
On another note, belief systems are challenged as to what you believe possible or not. Keep in mind that we are in a Wizard cycle in the Mayan calendar, and take it on. Focus the abundance of available energy into beneficial channels. Some dark secrets may be unearthed that make us angry enough to push back or lash out in distress or frustration. Stay on your path. Be strong, centered and present in your integrity with the courage to stand for Truth as you know it in your heart.

Mars Square Pluto— August 13/ October 9/ December 23
The volcanic charge of this alignment causes eruptions, transforming the surrounding terrain in no uncertain terms. This is a volatile energy, to be carefully engaged or sidestepped, rather channeled into timely reconstruction, rebuilding, regenerating. Continue to contend with unexpected challenges and new awareness with fearlessness and stay clear on your own path. 

Mars trine New Moon @27 Leo— August 18. If we add in the Sagittarius South Node, we have a strong grand trine in fire. Energy+++ More next time.

Mars Square Saturn— August 24/ September 29
Definite steps are taken. Be certain that you are moving in the right direction, following along your best new path, and move ahead. No need for speed; feel each step, slow and steady, keeping your balance. These are serious times and we are taking responsibility for our actions— for how and when and in what state of mind we are moving forward. 

This all culminates in a December to Remember!
Total Solar Eclipse! New 20-year Jupiter-Saturn conjunction!
lead the way into the developing new paradigm of 2021. 

Lion Star Gate—August 3-13
We’re not there yet, but the creative fire of Leo this month and the courage of Mars to trail blaze into new territory leads us there. With freshly and more deeply aligned head and heart, we are ready. 

I got out my wonderful huge volume of The Glorious Constellations: History and Mythology by Giuseppi Maria Sesti, seeking an inspirational message by opening randomly to one of its 500 richly-illustrated pages. 
The Lion! yes, we’re in Leo. What else?
The Lion! on another page. OK, I get it. 
This is the month of the Lion Star Gate from Egypt, an energetic infusion from the star Sirius. The Kingly Golden Lion,  the Mystical White Lion of spiritual leadership, the Lioness with her fierce protection. It has been said that our Sun is part of the Sirius star system only 8 light years distant. There is something celestially special about this time of year. Let’s add that to the list of August highlights and tune in. It’s the brightest star in the sky, pulsing with signals.

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Astro-Specials
Schedule via email to kelley@heliastar.com.
Birthday Sun Sign reading— Celebrate yourself!with this useful celestial gift for an overview of your personal year. 
Loyal Leo, it’s your time in the solar rays. Soak them up and shine on! Demure, sensual Virgo, your turn starts August 22.
We use the window of your birthday chart along with current planetary cycles to look into timing, themes and guidance for your personal new year. One hour, $125. 
Give a Gift of the Stars!This special fee also applies to a birthday gift for someone special in your life. I have birthday e-cards you can use.

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Contact me if you are interested:
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20:20:20 New Moon

New Moon @ 28Cancer27
July 20, 2020 @ 1:33pm EDT, 10:33am PDT, 6:33pm BST, 
July 21, 5:33am AEST

This second New Moon in Cancer is not eclipse, but it will likely feel like one! with yet another reminder of the importance of this 2020 year. Opposite Saturn (exactly!) and the other power players in Capricorn, Jupiter and Pluto, this is a rigorous, stay-on-point Moon cycle requiring responsibility in relation to both Self and Other. Wise Pallas Athena and caregiving Chariklo remain on Capricorn’s executive board. This team can get a lot accomplished, especially now that Saturn has returned from a first foray into Aquarius to regroup for improved results at the end of this year.  

Pallas Athena inserted herself directly into my consciousness recently, alerting me to pay more attention to her strategic positioning, always quite shrewd. To best navigate changing situations in the outer world we need her inner counsel. Comet Neowise is, no doubt, in on this as well.

Asteroid Pallas Athena:
Strategic, crafty; unbiased observation; clear-sighted, long-sighted;
practical wisdom; useful guidance; effective situational response;
ally on heroic quests.

Centaur Chariklo was on the verge of Aquarius when she went retrograde, continuing her capable contribution of fluidity and riverbanks to the current Capricornian reshaping of the terrain. “Whatever best serves love,” is her song. She does enter Aquarius in 2022. You will find the story of Chariklo’s love affair with Chiron here

Centaur Chariklo:
Becoming whatever form best serves love; reshaping; tending, caregiving; transcending limitations; fluidity between realms.

Last weekend’s conjunction of Mars in Aries with Chiron (and Mermaid Salacia with her delightful ‘bling’ factor) gave Mars a boost to ‘warp drive’ level. Mars, a fiery warrior in his own sign, will continue to ramp up the action. As this New Moon waxes to full on August 3, Mars will have started into its multiple activations of the complex dance going on in Capricorn. By the time Mars goes retrograde at the end of Aries many potentially amazing new developments may have our heads spinning. To prepare for that ‘spinning,’ we can take advantage of this New Moon’s Mercury now squaring Chiron, inviting us to open our thought processes. 

Mercury in Cancer is listening to Chiron in Aries for some news flashes and innovative ideas. Mercury not only squares Chiron for the third time, but also Mars again before finishing up its retrograde circle on July 26. Personal, subjective viewpoints continue to be upended by alternative perspectives and new information that change the playing field. This could be good! Beware of any tendency toward argument. Venus in Gemini continues to remind us to be open-minded and consider a variety of perspectives. Time to grow beyond the old paradigm!

On September 9, Mars turns retrograde, retracing his steps, to consolidate initiatives and give us some time to reposition ourselves as needed. This doesn’t mean things get easier, but the redesign of current circumstances and situations in progress will be evident. When Mars turns direct again in mid-November, more is done to move ‘things’ along that couldn’t have happened before then. We can apply these statements to the world situation, but, more importantly, we need to apply them to our lives—especially under this personal Cancer New Moon cycle.  

Eris in late Aries, mythic sister of Mars (Ares in Greek)is a relentless warrior herself. Far out in the solar system, her orbit of 557 years make her slow and thorough in whatever she takes on.  Eris has been stirring up all kinds of trouble for several years, but this might be her biggest year yet. Eris in Aries stands strong in her center and challenges us—dares us—to do so. Stand your ground; say your piece. She is looking over at those planets in Capricorn and doing her bit to shake up the status quo with some truth bombs. 

Eris, Goddess of Discord:
exposes hypocrisy; sows conflict and mayhem;
shakes up status quo; rebel, outlaw; truth warrior.

Haumea in late Librais an unforeseen power player entering the chaotic fray to gestate new potentials with her wildly creative generative power. Like Eris, Haumea is one of the new dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt, a farther out version of the Asteroid Belt with millions of little icy bodies. Most are being named for indigenous creator gods and goddesses from around the world. 

Haumea, Goddess of Childbirth:
Mother Nature; prolific creativity; cycles of birth and self-renewal;
Mistress of the 5 elements/ brings aetheric into physical.

Haumea is the Hawai’ian Goddess of Childbirth, who gestates and births from various parts of her body all life forms— flora, fauna, humans and other, including new land. Her daughters are Hi’iaka of the Hula Dance, Namaka, Spirit of Water, and volcanic Pele. Do you remember the fairly recent eruptions of Mauna Kea when Pele poured fiery lava down the mountain and out to the sea. Namaka meets and tames the fire with her waters, creating new land mass. 

In Libra Haumea offers us choice of what we need (Cancer), but within parameters that are appropriate, necessary and timely according to Capricorn’s requirements. Who do we partner with for a walk on the wild side in the spicy, anything-can-happen face-off between Haumea and Eris? Eris won’t compromise, but moves from her truth. Not everyone likes that. But Haumea finds her creative stride by bringing people together in harmony to generate more activity and produce more results than any one person alone. She uses her magic wand to stir up inventive affiliations and fresh, inspiring collaborations.  

Here is an example. Take a listen to this extraordinary version of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark. Jazz singer and Cosmic News reader Barb Jungr articulates the lyrics in a way to make you hear the song in a brand new way. She collaborates with producer/musician Simon Wallace across continents, with the unique addition of Nihon Buyo, a classical Japanese performance art combining dance with pantomime, that resonates beautifully with the song and very in tune with our times.

I encourage you to listen to this week’s Cosmic Inspiration Radio show on Goddard College Community Radio, live streamed at 4pm ET on Thursdays and archived for 2 weeks. The July 16 show, repeated on July 23, discusses this New Moon, with more amplification of Eris and Haumea, with discussion of the Kuiper Belt as a new (aetheric?) dimension of consciousness. I talk more about the power of this Cancer New Moon, and the dynamic cardinal grand cross it makes with the multiple planets in Capricorn and the dwarf planets Eris and Haumea. I talk more about how the new dimensions of consciousness offered by these far out (!) objects in the Kuiper Belt. In an hour I can talk about more than I can write in these newsletters!

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Night Blooming Lunar Eclipse

This Full Moon in Capricorn reflecting the Sun in Cancer is the blooming of the Solstice Ring-of-Fire Eclipse. The Sun @ 13+ Cancer is the same zodiac zone where Mercury turned retrograde. This is the third eclipse in a row, ramping up this eclipse season as a memorable one. 
This eclipse will be visible mainly in South America, most of North America, western Europe and Africa.

A Full Moon reflects the Sun from across the sky. Lots to unpack with this one:
*This Lunar Eclipse reflects a Sun/ Sirius/ Vesta triquetra, an interesting trinity of deities. 
*The eclipsing Moon also opposes retrograde Mercury and squares a potent stellium in Aries, including an eclectic confluence of Salacia, Chiron, Black Moon Lilith and an incoming Mars. We are urged to maintain our center and be open to surprisingly innovative initiatives and waves of crystalline fresh and refreshing waves of insight. 
*In the waning Moon, the Sun will soon oppose a close triplicity of Pallas Athena/ Jupiter/ Pluto. Lots of deep wisdom in that grouping. 
*Also, Saturn just moved back into Capricorn to reconsolidate and regain its strength after a disconcerting first take on Aquarius. Saturn will add extra weight to clear the decks of even more oldy, moldy projects and plans. Onward to restructuring, reconstructing, restoring worthy ways of living.

The Morning Stars sang together.—Job 38:4-7

Now that Morning Star Venus has turned forward, she picks up the pace to harvest, embrace and integrate the new emotional territory that we have discovered through the 6 weeks of her special Gemini retrograde cycle.  What have you discovered about yourself? Is a new level of satisfaction and delight lightening up your life?  Did you experience curious, astonishing, revelatory moments, with all sorts of questions and insights popping up? Has your heart informed your head into thinking with an intention toward gratitude and appreciation? If any yes response, you can use this Mercury retrograde to imprint these new elements more deeply into your psyche. 

Mercury continues its retrograde inward journey until July 12, as we reflect upon all that has been happening, finding shelter in a crab shell or the heart of a night-blooming cereus— or whatever precious private space you find where you can wrap yourself in this Eclipse shadow and shift its dark to light. 

“Can that be true that loves the night?
The darkness is the nurse of light.
Can that be true which mocks at forms?
Truth rides abroad in shapeless storms.”
—from “The Shadows,” George MacDonald

In his story called “Shadows,” Scottish writer George MacDonald (author of The Light Princess, among other tales) tells of “a man whose illness sends him into a dream state between worlds, where he has been named King of the Fairies. He is approached with a petition by beings called the ‘Shadows,’ who ‘go through the unseen, and only by a passing chill do men recognize an unknown presence.’  

They are powerful in the moon’s light and shapeshift in firelight and starlight, from humanoid to grotesque forms. Their existence is in danger, they say, because of increasing use of artificial light. Such unnatural lights ‘blind the eyes by which alone we can be perceived.’ Their petition is ‘to restore us to our rights in the house itself, and in the hearts of its inhabitants.’ Their purpose is not to cause fright, unless it is for the good, they assure, but rather 
‘to make people silent and thoughtful; to awe them a little,’
to made common things reveal the wonderful through shadow games, and to disclose the truth behind the appearances with a light touch of a wavering shadow.”                   
—from a discussion of the Dark Moon in my Living Living Lilith: Four Dimensions of the Cosmic Feminine

An apt description for this subtly shadowed Full Moon Eclipse, the third eclipse in a row and the second such penumbral eclipse (first one on June 5). The Moon only catches the edge of Earth’s outer shadow, barely noticeable with nowhere near the drama of a total eclipse. Nevertheless, it is an eclipse and well worth our respect for its flicker of shadow, something we see out of the corner of our eye, like a side door we can slip through into an altered level of experience. Shadows are good that way, so they say in that passage above. 

Contending with shadows is a private, personal process. In Cancer we seek a deeper level of safety and security within, brushing away shadows of false security, like a lily pad finding its roots in the muddy bottom of the pond. The outer world continually shows us that we cannot count on external circumstances. In Capricorn we take back our power and claim responsibility for our dealing with our situation as much as we can. We are charged to work out what is holding us back, instilling fear or challenging us. We rediscover and strengthen our capabilities.   

Mercury retrograde in Cancer accentuates this need for an inward refuge. With retrograde Mercury square Mars in Aries, guard any hasty words; be careful how you say things. The Cancer tendency for subjectivity with potential shadowy tones may not translate well to others. Keep your own counsel and, as the saying goes, “Think before you speak.” A good time to exercise self-editing. 

On the other hand, Chiron-inspired communications may stimulate insights as part of our healing process, which is partly about re-configuring our thought patterns with new neural pathways. When we stand strong, centered and confident, we confirm and speak our truth to others.

Mercury turned retrograde @ 14+ degrees Cancer, at this same Sirius power portal occupied by the Sun on this July 4-5 Lunar Eclipse. This clearly underlines the significance of such a special alignment with the brilliant star, Sirius, the closest star to our solar system. Last time I reminded us that Sirius was a key star in the Egyptian calendar, with its annual heliacal rising announced both the fertile flooding of the Nile and the new year. Sirius was associated with Isis, the great goddess of renewal. The lore of the Dogon people in Mali, Africa, refers to visitations by star beings from Sirius. Read Tom Robbins’ novel, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, for his entertaining take on that topic.

Glowing asteroid Vesta joins Sun/ Sirius, creating a magnifying glass focus that can flare up with insight. Vesta is goddess of the sacred fire, creating a therapeutic temenos for deep inner work. We may journey to visit a holy grove or sanctuary to stimulate our temple within, yet the inner experience is most clearly evoked, as long as we engage. Vesta in alignment with Sirius brings the very essence of this star system and our connection to it into focus. If you have this star connection, you will feel some sort of “interesting” activation. 

So on this Lunar Eclipse it looks like Sirius has a few things to communicate to us through the focused mirror effect of Vesta with the Sun and Mercury retrograde. Messages and meaning continue to unwind until the next New Moon on July 20-21. Mercury comes back around to 14 degrees Cancer on July 28 and Venus will touch in on August 22. We are in the Sirius zone, with some serious, night-blooming cereus celestial activity going on! 

For musical inspiration, listen to Alan Parsons Project song, Sirius, (familiar to many sports fans).

More from the last Cosmic Newsletter, worth repeating and rereading during a retrograde in Cancer, which “suggests hunkering in, reflecting and reviewing what has been is going on in these life-altering, mind-spinning, emotionally-stirring times. How can we detach from some old thinking that is not matching up with our new experience? Where are we being overly subjective, even blind, in how we are perceiving life. Perceptual shadows are burning away in the brilliant light of incoming frequencies.

On the topic of the Dogon: I was rummaging around in my Venus files because of this retrograde cycle and found an engaging idea from a Dogon Elder, recorded in Conversations with Ogotemmeli: An Introduction to Dogon Religious Ideas, by anthropologist Marcel Griaule. Venus, as goddess of beauty, has much to say about fashion and style. For the Dogon, clothing and ornamentation are considered essential, exciting love and reflecting universal, spiritual origins in their cosmology. Attraction is essential for mating, fueled by the inherent erotic dynamic that creates all life. An Elder said:
“Clothes give satisfaction, to both the wearer and the spectator. Both well-dressed women and men…Adornment excites love…if there is a connection between ornaments and love, that is because the first ornaments of all, those of the female Nummo [primordial ancestral beings], were in the centre-jar of the celestial granary…and that jar is the symbol of the world’s womb.”  

I got all excited by “the centre-jar of the celestial granary…the symbol of the world’s womb.” Of course it must mean the Galactic Center, from which our solar system is currently receiving powerful waves of frequencies that are frequently spiking the Schumann Resonance, Earth’s heartbeat. 

Have you in any way altered your style of adornment or your lifestyle? Gemini is about experimenting, exploring options and putting together all the best and beautiful pieces to make our lives better. Through July we still have time to experiment while we remain in the circle of Venus retrograde circle, from 5-22 degrees Gemini. After completing that circle Venus will be highly receptive to input from the Galactic Center, that “jar” of the world’s womb.

In their lore, the Dogon have carried down information about the Sirius binary star system, with its tiny Sirius 2 and even, perhaps a third star. (If you know something about that, I’d be most interested to hear.) I’m not an expert in this area, but it seems that beings from Sirius, only 8 lights years distant, visited the Dogon ages ago.

Mars, just starting into Aries, is shortly moving into conjunction with mermaid Salacia and shaman Chiron in Aries. Salacia is one of my favorites of the new planetoids in the far solar system. How can one not just love her, as Neptune does, when she makes the sunlight (and moonlight) to shimmer on the sea. Something special seems to be in the works, especially since Chiron indicates new dimensions of experience, especially at those times when we can stay in the moment, in a centered alignment with spirit, mind and body. That’s a challenge, but let’s give it a go in this third eclipse window of the season.

We’ll be tracking Mars in Aries for the next 6 months, as the planet of Action and Assertion keeps up a rapid pace, even when it goes retrograde on September 9. No time for slacking the rest of this year. And we thought 2020 was already ramped up. Hmmph, and hip-hip hurrah. Fireworks indeed for the weekend of the 4th of July. Mars will start to set off more fireworks when it begins to square the power players in Capricorn. That’s not until August. More then.

This eclipse does entangle the 244th U.S. birthday chartwith its shadows, shifting tides and shimmering clarifications, with multiple retrograde planets and highly charged energy. It’s a rare birthday that falls on an eclipse, which implications for a major turning point as this Nation moves ever closer to its first ever Pluto return, a 248-year cycle. Big events are in progress, some in play, most largely unseen, with collective ripple effects around the globe.No matter what is going on ‘out there,’ our main ‘job’ is to tend to our inner world, maintain a positive, loving energy to radiate and express in the world. 

I’ll leave you for now with some random notes I found while cleaning my desk. Not sure of source. To share before I lose them; let’s use them!

To understand the universe, think light/ sound/ frequency/ vibration. 
Sound creating light = sonoluminescence.
What a wonderful Word! What a lovely song!
Say it out loud until it moves like liquid light across your tongue.

Solstice Hoop Dance Eclipse

New Moon Ring of Fire Eclipse @ 0 Cancer 21
June 20, 2020 @ 11:41pm PDT
June 21, 2020 @ 2:41am EDT,  7:41am GDT, 4:41pm AEST

The Solstice Agenda 
This awesome Solar Eclipse on a major seasonal turning point is surrounded by a bit of a traffic jam with planets turning backward and forward. Which way are you going? Mercury and Neptune turn retrograde, adding to the already hefty retrograde roster, which includes Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn and Venus. Venus turns forward on June 25th. Say again, which way are you going? Our heads might be spinning a bit, so stand strong and be in the moment.

The Solstice agenda begins a few days early with Mercury turning retrograde. For a week, from June 18-25, both Mercury and Venus are retrograde, an internalizing and introspective time, helping us to process the Solstice impact. The effects of this Solstice Eclipse will ripple out into our experience for the rest of this year, even beyond.  

During her May 13-June 25 retrograde cycle, Venus has invited us deep into the secret garden of our hearts. She has changed from Evening Star to the more dynamic Morning Star. You might be able to see her with the sliver of the crescent Moon one of the next two mornings.

June 17-18—Mercury retrograde @ 14 Cancer 
Meanwhile Mercury asks us to reflect upon all that has been happening, finding shelter in an oyster shell privacy that protects the lustrous pearl growing inside, the ‘Pearl without Price, as it has been called. “Do not throw pearls before swine,” advises the Bible. Take heed, take care and circle the wagons; tap into your rootedness, your home base, your safe haven, your hearth fire. This is a private, personal process and tapping a deeper level of safety and security within. The outer world continually shows us that we cannot count on external circumstances.

Mercury turns retrograde @ 14+ degrees Cancer in a power portal alignment with the bright star, Sirius. This degree of the Zodiac, also occupied by the July 4-5 Lunar Eclipse, is aligned with the brilliant star, Sirius, the closest star to our solar system. Sirius was a key star in the Egyptian calendar, with its annual heliacal rising announced both the fertile flooding of the Nile and the new year. Sirius was associated with Isis, the great goddess of renewal. The lore of the Dogon people in Mali, Africa, refers to visitations by star beings from Sirius. Read Tom Robbins’ novel, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, for his entertaining take on that topic.

Smaller Sirius B is the second star in its binary system. I have heard serious Sirius rumours of travels between our two solar systems. Eight light years distant, it’s only a hop, skip and a jump away. Is that your home star? I wonder this about myself sometimes, and I know I’m not the only one.

It looks like Sirius has a few things to communicate to us, both through this Mercury retrograde (which comes back around to 14 degrees Cancer on July 28) and also on the mild July eclipse, the Full Moon peak of this lunation. We are in the Sirius zone, with some Sirius celestial activity going on! Sirius is a hot blue-white star, which can turn up the heat. It can be scorching and also purifying: it will be “a hot time in the old town tonight” for the next month or so.

Mercury retrograde in Cancer suggests hunkering in, reflecting and reviewing what has been is going on in these life-altering, mind-spinning, emotionally-stirring times. How can we detach from some old thinking that is not matching up with our new experience? Where are we being overly subjective, even blind, in how we are perceiving life? There is no going back to the old “normal”: that is washing away. In what way might you feel like a plant whose growth has been stunted because the container you are growing in is too small to stretch out and prosper? Time for a roomy redesign.

June 20-21— Solstice/ Solar Eclipse
The Ring of Fire this Solar Eclipse is like a open door, haloed in light. The disk of the Moon is in front of the Sun, but does not completely cover it.
A ring of sunlight surrounds the silhouette of the Moon. We don’t need to get scorched, even as we feel the heat or electricity of the energy that invites us through, for the growth that Cancer seeks.  Yes, some old thoughts or feelings may be burned away in the process. Cancer has a sentimental streak that tends to hold on to things that have become faded, outdated, even burdensome. If you had to leave home at a moment’s notice, what would you grab and go with? It’s an interesting exercise to think about, suggests Mercury retrograde. 

June 22-23— Neptune retrograde @ 21 Pisces
Neptune has been very active and challenging in the last few lunations, both new and full. Neptune’s slow turn retrograde in Pisces is a compatible companion to Mercury’s water sign retrograde in Cancer. Neptune’s range rises to the spiritual and mystical, compassion and unconditional love, and cascades down multiple octaves to express through inspiration, artistic and psychic vision, and further downward into dysfunction, addiction, confusion, illusion and delusion.

Here is a passage from The Alan Parsons’ Project album based on Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imaginationand his poem “A Dream Within a Dream.” It closely conveys a sense of what the combination of Mercury and Neptune turning retrograde might suggest: 

“For my own part, I have never had a thought
which I could not set down in words 
with even more distinctness than that with which I conceived it.
There is, however, a class of fancies, of exquisite delicacy,
which are not thoughts, and to which, as yet,
I have found it absolutely impossible to adapt language.
These fancies arise in the soul(alas how rarely!),
only at its epochsof most intense tranquility—
when the bodily and mental health are in perfection—
and at those mere points of time
where the confines of the waking world blend with the world of dreams.
And so I captured this fancy, where
‘all that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream’.”

Enough said. So relevant to current awakening energies. You might want to read this a few times, even read it out loud. Let’s be as lucid in our dreaming as we can.

June 24-25— Venus direct @ 5Gemini20 
Venus is pulling us through this eclipse, beckoning with the inner treasures we have been discovering during this very special Venusian retrograde cycle in Gemini. (Review other newsletters on my website for more).

On June 19th, she enters the 6th degree (5 degrees+) of Gemini, where she remains through June, as she pirouettes and she turns forward, showing us various views and facets of her crystalline light. More options come into view.

She reminds us to lead with love. She will find us however deep into our hearts we go. Listen to Scottish minstrel Dougie MacLean’s song, She Will Find Me, a lovely invocation to Venus retrograde. 

Engage Joy all through this Solstice weekend. Ioy is a radiance from the Heart, one of the sweetest flavors of Venusian honey. Savor the taste, let it resonate, and uplift your spirits as the goddess of Love, Beauty and Delight finishes her retrograde in Gemini on June 25th. Not until the end of July does she emerge from her retrograde circle of influence (5 to 22 Gemini). Venus moves into Cancer soon after, on August 7.

June 27— Mars enter Aries 
This is a significant change, ramping up the energy into higher gears. Not only because Mars is in its own sign (rah-rah), but also because it digs deep into the fire, turning retrograde and making an extended circle in that sign all the way into January 2021—over 6 months! That is a lot of motivated energy. Along the way we may face some road blocks, frustration, mistaken trails, power plays, opportunities and trigger points. Mars may relish the challenge, going gung-ho in picking up the pace. Let’s make sure we are mentally and emotionally prepared. Mercury will be retrograde during the first couple of weeks of this dynamic transit, cautioning us to look before we leap.  Make sure that you stay centered and in your integrity whatever you do. Pull out if you find if any initiative does not match for you.

June 29-30— Jupiter/ Pluto conjunction #2 (#1 April 4, #3 Nov 30)
We finish off the month of June with one of this year’s three conjunctions of big Jupiter and nuclear Pluto. I call these conjunctions “opportunity zones,” with at least a good week on either side. These moments fuel a potent transformational charge that shifts the situation on hand and circumstances at play. Watch for such opportunities in your life, and work them, take charge and stay on it. Results are likely by the end of the year— if you are on the right track. Let Venus continue to present new options from her Gemini kaleidoscope of  possibilities and potentialities. 

June 30— Mercury R conjunct Sun 
As an exclamation point to what I wrote in the last paragraph, this special moment in the Mercury retrograde cycle tunes into what we need and can help focus our mental acuity. Mercury is at the closest approach to the Earth. This Mercury Moment offers information that opens our perception.

July 1— Saturn retrogrades back into Capricorn
Well, we got a start on Saturn into Aquarius. How did that go? “Social distancing” is an apt phrase as an optional manifestation of this transit. Not one I want to continue with. How about you? Let’s see if we can rework the clay of Capricorn into different, more satisfying and therefore more sustainable outcomes and protocols. The prognosis is good, as Saturn returns to Aquarius around December Solstice, accompanied by Jupiter. This could be good! And takes us into a new 20-year cycle of those two social/ cultural planets.

July 4-5— Lunar Eclipse @ 13-14 Cancer
The Full Moon is the blossoming of the Solstice Ring-of-Fire Eclipse. Interestingly it is the same zodiac point that Mercury turned retrograde. Again we receive an infusion of the bright light of the blue-white star Sirius into our world.

More next time!

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Deeper into June 5 Lunar Eclipse

This special edition of Cosmic Inspiration News takes a deeper dive into the June 5, 2020 Full Moon Eclipse, along with an equally deep dive into the far reaches of our  Solar System. To the Eclipse chart we introduce three recently discovered Kuiper Belt Objects, now potentized and awakening our consciousness to higher octave frequencies and creative source impulses. 

These three KBOs are on our wavelength for this Full Moon Eclipse & through 2020, spicing up and adding a higher dimension to 
the Total Solar Eclipse of December 14. 
VARDA will conjunct the very eclipse degree! 
* * * Stay tuned!   * * *

Venusian Lunar Eclipse

Full Moon Penumbral Lunar Eclipse@15 Gemini 05 
June 5, 2020, 3:12pm EDT, 12:12pm PDT, 8:12pm GMT, 
June 6, 7:12am AEST

This Full Moon eclipse is part of a series of special celestial events in the first few days of June and indeed, all through this month into July, amplifying and shifting the energy in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Multiple, unusual and intriguing planetary dynamics stir things up, giving us a lot to unpack and explore with plenty of retrograde time to do so. 

First let’s get clear on the astronomy of this eclipse. 
A penumbral eclipse is the most subtle of the three types of full moon eclipses. It is not as dramatic as a total eclipse, when the Moon goes dark red, or even a partial eclipse when a ‘bite’ is taken from the Moon. In this type of lunar eclipse, only the more diffuse outer shadow of Earth, the penumbra, falls on the Moon’s face. It is barely noticed, unless you are looking intently. 
[We will have another penumbral eclipse on July 5 and on November 30].

From MrEclipse.com (great site for all eclipse info from retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak):
“An eclipse of the Moon (or lunar eclipse) can only occur at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth’s shadow. That shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped components, one nested inside the other. The outer of Pernumbral shadow is a zone where the Earth blocks part but not all of the Sun’s rays from reaching the Moon. In contrast, the inner or umbral shadow is a region where the Earth block all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.”

Key Planetary Activations of this Venusian-infused Eclipse
June 2— Mars in Pisces squares Venus in Gemini as she comes into her special retrograde conjunction with the Sun. A square of Venus and Mars can stir up mixed feelings and evoke creativity as an outlet for such emotional complexities. What an interesting dance for the two mythic lovers to invite us into as Venus conjuncts the Sun and we move into a lunar eclipse.

June 3— Invisible below the horizon, Venus visits the Sun for a refreshing solar bath. This is the special day in her 584-day cycle that she is closest to Earth and aligned with the Sun from our Earthly point of view. Many astrologers consider this the ‘New Venus,’ the start of a new cycle, this time at 14 Gemini. This supremely 2020 moment, one of many during this pivotal year, is dynamically amped up by Mars at 14 Pisces. How intriguing to have Venus/Sun square Mars at this moment, spicing things up with emotional verve and strong creative expression that carries us through the whole new Venus cycle. 

(Fervent astrologers take note: 15 Gemini is the North Node of Venus herself, a potent calling forth of her sparkling qualities. The North Node of Uranus is at 13 Gemini. The planetary nodes are often overlooked, but this spectacular situation deserves attention, as it impacts this Venus retrograde in Gemini for a number of years, including its last two in 2004 and 2012, when we could actually see Venus pass in front of the Sun.)

June 5—This Full Moon Penumbral Eclipse furthers complexifies (a new word, do you like it?) the New Venus cycle. This same day Mercury, early in Cancer and preparing to turn retrograde on June 17, squares Chiron in Aries. 

Quantum (Chiron) shifts in our way of seeing things (Mercury) come out of this Gemini-Sagittarius eclipse. Fresh alternatives shake up our subjectively filtered interpretations of what is going on. This perfect accompaniment to an eclipse sparks new news and ideas that open a “path less taken” toward where we want to head, toward that vision that something inside us knows is true. We might need new words and new approaches to get there.

Path Less Taken
“What if we haven’t lost our way
What if we haven’t lost our minds
And chose to seize the day
What if we know just how to rise and shine
What if we see our circumstances now start at the end.
Here we go again
A past worth savin’
At last we’re pavin’
The path less taken
Why not believe in making change
Why not perceive through open minds
Why not be free to go and play
Why not adventure out to find our eyes….”
—by Taproot, on their album Our Long Journey Home,
intense song from this alternative metal band

This is the first eclipse in Gemini/ Sagittarius since the Nodes of the Moon changed into these signs. The Nodes mark the places where the orbit of the Moon crosses the orbit of the Sun so that eclipses can occur. Now in these two signs for 18 months or so, new themes and questions come up. All sorts of new information is likely to surface, challenging our beliefs about the way the world and life is. Under this particular eclipse, the Venus/ Mars squares stirs up emotional eruptions in relation to these big questions. We heed the Venus/Mars call for addressing mixed feelings and the Chiron call to seek healing, first of all in our perceptions. Shadows are cast. When we perceive more clearly, stepping beyond subjective reactions, a shift can occur, mobilized by such eclipse revelations.

With the South Node of the Moon with the Full Moon in Sagittarius, it is natural to consult our native intuitive wisdom. Something in us knows and recognizes truth. Our moral compass points the way, a heart-based consciousness that can obviate mistaken beliefs and detect misinformation that our mentality may take for granted or prefer. 

With the North Node in Gemini, with Sun and Venus, we find our way forward with an open mind, shedding shady biases that have blinded us. Gemini considers ideas and information with an interested curiosity. Without dismissively short-circuiting any arising possibility, we need to take a good look, feel it out, chew on it a bit, maybe do a little research, and then pass it on to our intuitive heart to weigh its value in relation to our life purpose. Accordingly we maintain or shift our course forward as we make our way through the stormy morass of information overload. 

This Full Moon takes the solar-infused Venus-Mars square to another level, shedding some subtle layers of lunar patterns. Questions come up: What habits and daily routines no longer serve you? How can you spice up your life with verve and vivaciousness?

Speaking of vivacious verve, let’s consult true Black Moon Lilith who joins Uranus in Taurus, as they rock our world. Embodiment can feel heavy, unless we are in alignment with our soul awakening. If so, the heaviness lifts as we allow the strong incoming galactic waves to move through our consciousness to be grounded in Being here on this planet. Human beings are like acupuncture needles that connect Heaven and Earth. 

Goddesses to Consult
Asteroid Pallas and the Centauress Chariklo closely join in the last degree of Capricorn, occupying the heart of the stellium with Pluto/ Jupiter in Capricorn and Saturn just over the line in Aquarius. (Heads up! Saturn returns to Capricorn in early July for a reboot.)

These goddesses offer a wealth of wisdom gathered through experience: Earth wisdom, Elder wisdom, traditional wisdom and more. The craft of the Cosmic Feminine is on display in how they shape and guide our experience into most appropriate channels, as the potter guides the clay into a shape that matches the qualities of the particular clay. We do need to heed the wisdom on offer and let these goddesses do their best to bring the best of us into shape! Let’s all shape up!

We are preparing for new developments at the year’s end, in quite a new shape. The December Solstice conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter ushers in a 20-year cycle with implications we have not experienced for many more decades than just two. I will be writing more about this beneficent, authoritative pair, when Saturn returns to Capricorn in early July. We’ll take stock of how we made it through this eclipse season and consult those goddesses for further advice.

Meanwhile let’s unwind this Moon Shadow, with a little Cat Stevens, and bring this Moon cycle to a successful close, as we get ready to jump through the hoop of the Ring of Fire Eclipse on the ext New Moon, June 21 Solstice.   

20:20 Harmony New Moon

New Moon @2 Gemini 05 
May 22, 2020, 1:35pm EDT, 10:35am PDT, 6:35pm GMT, 
May 23, 5:35am AEST

This New Moon in Gemini is doubled by a Mercury/Venus join up at 20/20 degrees Gemini.Mercury is the standard ruler of Gemini; Venus is the esoteric ruler of this sign, heartfully applying her exquisite harmonizing skills to the polarity inherent in this sign. This pair promotes conversations that align heart and head.

Venus is now retrograde, amidst a flurry of retrogrades.
Pluto, Saturn and Pluto, the three major planetary players in Capricorn that are transforming and reshaping our experience, have stopped their forward motion. Triple red light: this is as far as we are getting right now.
Pluto turned retrograde on April 26;
Saturn on May 10; and
Jupiter on May 14.
These planets step back to let Venus have her say as she makes her closest approach to Earth.

Venus turned retrograde in Gemini on May 12-13, suggesting a time to recalibrate, take stock of our current situation—which has significantly changed over the first few months of this 2020 year. We consult with Venus to reevaluate, go back over what has happened, consolidate our gains and edit our plans with fresh priorities.
Joy is the way of Venus.While retrograde in the curious sign of Gemini she will speak and teach and show us various options that we can choose. Let us choose what brings most joy and love into our lives.

In Gemini, any planet can be ‘of two minds.’ Venus seeks a harmonious resolution. When you find yourself arguing with someone—or with yourself— look for another point of view, find different words to convey your sense of the situation. There are many facets to the crystal ball of life.

The Sabian Symbol for this New Moon at 3 Gemini:
The Charming Court Life at the Garden of the Tuileries in Paris
Imagine all the roses in that garden! Is it just the rich elite that can enjoy the roses and the ‘good life’? What makes your life good, true and beautiful? How do you luxuriate in the beauty and pleasure of life? Charm and beauty can be contrived; what is the real story behind appearances? The way things look now will change as we move through this Full Moon.

Gemini appreciates the variety of life and the multiple ways to appreciate and love. From Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s 
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.” 

—Sonnet 43 from Sonnets from the Portuguese
This famous poet was born with Venus retrograde near her Sun in Pisces.

In his work on heart intelligence, Puran Bair, author of Living From the Heart, suggests breathing into our chest area to stretch the space of our heart, deeper, wider, fuller— rather like Barrett Browning poetically expressed. Often we cramp the heart space, hunched over computers or with a tendency to hide, protect or make ourselves smaller. He writes,

“Our deeply personal feelings are so incredibly valuable that we should preserve them, using their energy to find the universal emotion of the universe behind them…When we see that it is the universal emotion emerging within us, we can follow the emotion of our personal heart into the whole, One Heart.”

This is an especially resonant image for Venus retrograde. Venus goes to the heart of things to bring up the real issues. In Gemini she asks a lot of questions. Venus is coming closer and closer to the Sun. On June 3 she reaches the special moment in her cycle when she comes closest to the Earth, standing between us and the Sun. Imagine the Goddess haloed in the radiant golden light of the life-giving Sun. During this intimate approach to our planet, shall we let her speak to us, heart to heart.

Astronomically, this is called an ‘inferior’ conjunction with the Sun, when she is closest to Earth. She also makes a ‘superior’ conjunction on the far side of the Sun, when farthest from Earth. Along with other Venus lovers, I don’t like the term ‘inferior’ in relation to this glorious planet, preferring the new terminology in use: ‘interior’ and ‘exterior’ conjunctions. We are now coming into the interior conjunction, which we can think of as the Interior Heart. Venus calls us thither on June 3, to start a new 584-day Venus cycle. She continues to exude the essence of her loveliness through the 
June 5 Full Moon, a power point lunar eclipse.

This New Moon cycle then wanes, as we enfold its revelations and meaning into our lives. This Moon cycle completes at the next New Moon— 
a special Ring of Fire New Moon Solar Eclipse on June 21 Solstice!

Shortly after this extraordinary gateway experience, as if she were waiting for this special moment, Venus turns forward on June 25. By then, with so much Gemini energy buzzing around for this next month, we cannot help but be out and about in our communities, buzzing like a productive bee hive making sweeter-than-ever honey in our lives.

It might be a little too sweet, with the strong Neptune influence on this May 22 New Moon. The powerful conjunction of Mercury @20 Gemini and Venus @20 Gemini, a reminder of our 20/20 New Year, is in a close square dynamic with Neptune @20 Pisces. The challenge of Venus square Neptune can be romantic illusion and idealistic projections that are sticky sweet like cotton candy. They don’t hold steady and firm. Illusions abound. We walk around in a cloud or some sort of false reality. The other option is spiritual attunement with the highest frequency of love we can reach.

This double squares between Gemini/ Pisces are a kind of double-your-trouble/ double-your-fun dynamic can stretch the elastic bubble gum between crystal clarity and quicksand confusion. Have you had the experience when talking to someone, that you end up at loss for words, wondering what world they are living in? Do you sometimes find yourself coming out of a mental or emotional cloud, wondering where you have been for the last number of minutes? Our own illusions and delusions can be quite disconcerting when we see through them in a sudden revelation of clear-mindedness. We might have various such “Where was I?” or “What was I thinking?” moments. The Schumann Resonance, Earth’s heartbeat, has been charging up lately, on the increase. I wonder how the close approach to Earth by Venus will affect this? or was it the two close asteroid fly-bys lately? or a sweep of galactic plasma waves through our solar system?

Amidst this potential confusion or loosening of the previously tight weaving of our reality, we can take this opening moment to “uplift the vibe,” synch in with the higher light vibrations coming in to our world. A lot of stuff is getting stirred up, for sure, which heightens the necessity to stay centered in our hearts, deepening our emotional intelligence to meet this moment with appreciation and gratitude for the amazement of these times. Though harsh, dark and challenging, there are rainbows, angelic music, spiritual grace and light at the end of the tunnel. Keep your eyes and heart on the best outcome, the most lovely vision you can imagine. Give it your best and head in that direction. Let’s all give it a try and who knows ‘what dreams may come.’

Sun/ Moon square Mars in Pisces. This New Moon calls for Action, without hair-trigger reaction. The Gemini/ Pisces interaction is the defining dynamic of this Moon cycle. Do you have planets in Gemini? in Pisces? How do you experience these two signs, the Twins and the Fishes? We need to beware of getting distracted and off-track, while still being open to smell the roses and entertain new ideas and experiences along the way. What best serves the moment? What gives the most joy? are good questions to keep in your mental pocket. Rest as needed, as we need to give time to allow the best of our higher minds take over, entrained with the rhythm of our hearts.

As we appreciate the beauty of Nature, whatever season, wherever we are, let’s rejoice with the vibrant life force that inspires us. Let that creative power lead the way with joy and confidence as we move forward into this Moon cycle, exploring the multiple strands of Gemini with the curiosity and open-mindedness called for in these unprecedented times. These times are certainly getting “curiouser and curiouser,” as Alice in Wonderland commented.

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