Aries Full Moon ~ Love in Action

In September there was a Full Moon in the urgent first degree of Aries. This fiery lunation signalled a time when our deepest sensitivities were laid bare and our crudest instincts exposed. The Sun in Libra, opposing the Moon in Aries, called for balance and for consideration for the sensitivities of others. The way we have handled our relationships was called into question. A couple of weeks later Venus in Scorpio turned retrograde, taking these relationship questions deeper and linking them to the past.

On October 22/23, we have a second full Moon in Aries, this one in the equally urgent last degree of the sign. This time the urgency comes from a need for closure and resolution around the issues exposed during the September Full Moon. Aries is the sign of action, so something absolutely needs to be done now to move things forward and regain some stability and security.

Any Full Moon highlights the duality of the two signs occupied by the Sun and the Moon. It is through this duality that we can seek clues to guide us towards the balance we need. We may live on material planet Earth, but we are also spiritual souls, so in this post I will look at the soul lessons of Aries and Libra, which show us where we can find the middle path during this Full Moon time and beyond.

In esoteric astrology, the soul lesson of Aries is love in action.

As the Aries soul evolves it must learn to think before it acts and to consider the effects its actions have on others. As sensitivity to the feelings and needs of others is nurtured in the Aries heart, kindness and warmth of spirit develops, which in turn helps to calm and balance Aries’ selfish impulsivity.

The potential for a truly heroic soul journey is held within the Aries archetype. The key to this heroism can be found through trial and error, through learning from mistakes and through starting to care for others. As the evolving Aries soul becomes aware that it cannot live just to nourish itself, it seeks more and more to nourish others. Along the way, Aries learns that love and sacrifice go hand in hand. The sacrifice that must be made is the surrender of the selfish urge to win over others at any cost. Through this process, the Aries soul develops self discipline and a deep responsibility for all life. These qualities can then be combined with Aries’ innate powers of leadership and used to support, console and guide others. This is love in action.

The soul lesson of Libra is brotherhood through relationship with others.

The Libra soul has a deep need for companionship and affection and will suffer greatly when this is denied. The scales of Libra symbolise the constant adjustments and compromises the Libra soul feels compelled to make in order to fulfil its needs.

The un-evolved Libra soul will swing between extremes before it finds its place of equilibrium and balance. On the one hand, Libra will selfishly pursue approval and appreciation through relationship at all costs and on the other side, the Libra soul will carelessly give itself away in order to please and placate others in the hope of being loved.

On its journey, Libra often unconsciously seeks out conflict just so it can cast itself as lauded peacemaker. But, as the evolving Libra soul learns to be true to its own self and hold its inner light steady and balanced, the need to create conflict or place itself in the midst of others’ conflict, gradually falls away. In learning to raise itself above conflict Libra realises that all of life is connected and interrelated. From this vantage point Libra is able to hold itself in perfect equilibrium and balance and in so doing it creates a space of harmony and peace that can truly help and serve others. Then, the Libra soul quickly realises that it doesn’t have to experience conflict in order to experience relationship. The give and take of companionship and affection will come naturally and effortlessly from a place of love and light and Libra will have learned the lesson of brotherhood and the true meaning of peace.

For more on the September Aries Full Moon see Aries Full Moon Round Up
For more on Venus Retrograde see Venus Retrograde Transits

Data for the Full Moon
Sun at 29 degrees 32 minutes Libra
Moon at 29 degrees 32 minutes Aries
18.36 PST (North America) on 22 October
21.36 EST (North America) on 22 October
01.36 GMT on 23 October
08.36 HKT (Hong Kong) on 23 October
12.35 EST (Australia) on 23 October

With love
Mandi
http://www.mandilockley.com/

Reference: Astrology, The Sacred Science by Joan Hodgson. The White Eagle Publishing Trust

Images: The Aries image shown here is available as a print from www.theplatelady.com

Libra New Moon ~ Free Your Mind

Image from meditation website getsomeheadspace.com

Venus energies are so prominent this month…the Sun is in Libra, the sign ruled by Venus, and recently conjoined Saturn in Libra. Venus conjoined Mars, the planet that is Yang to Venus’ Yin and on October 8 Venus turns retrograde (more on that in a forthcoming post).

All this adds up to a lot of work and attention on relationship matters.

But that’s not all because on October 7 there is a New Moon in Libra, bringing relationship issues into sharp focus once again.

But don’t forget there’s more to Libra than relationship and partnership. Libra is an Air sign, it’s about our mental faculties, about connecting and communicating, it’s about feeling appreciated. I think most of all Libra is about gaining peace of mind and the mental loop-the-loops we often have to do to get to that state. Libra must work to ensure the mind remains balanced as it is through the mental faculties that Libra can attain the emotional equilibrium it needs.

Therefore, during this Libra New Moon, I think we would all be wise to try and find some balance and peace of mind. This is true for everyone, but especially for Libra Suns and Moons or in fact anyone with planets around the middle degrees of Libra or with strong Air in their charts (get your chart at http://www.alabe.com/).

I always advocate going within, resting and contemplating during a New Moon. Yes, very often we hear that New Moons are good planning times, but for my money the New Moon is the time just before the planning begins. You see, it’s dark at the New Moon, we can’t see our way, we must simply stop and feel our way, or at least take a mental pause and wait for the light to grow, so that we may move forward again with renewed surety.

It is therefore serendipitous that this New Moon coincides with World Mental Health Day on October 10. However, I would suggest that we don’t wait until the 10th to do some work on our mental health – releasing stress, worries, anxiety – because the New Moon time provides us with more conducive energies.

One very useful method of improving our mental health and balancing our mental state is through meditation. There are many different ways to meditate, but a new website just launched is aimed at helping beginners to get into meditation, starting with just ten minutes a day for ten days. See getsomeheadspace.com  to get started, but it’s worth checking out even if you have some experience at meditation but perhaps need a bit of a reminder of the benefits of daily meditation.

Simply follow the instructions and you’re away. However, I also think that if you are in tune with the cosmic energies (which of course you are or you wouldn’t be reading this) it is helpful to have some images/phrases to anchor your meditative practice, so here are a few ideas for meditating on this Libra New Moon:

~ Meditate on the Sabian Symbol for 15 degrees of Libra (the degree of the New Moon, rounded up). The Sabian Symbol is “Circular Paths”. What does that mean to you? Perhaps think about the circular rhythm of the planets. For example, the Moon has a monthly cycle and the Sun a yearly cycle. Contemplate the cyclical rhythms of your own life, its ups and downs, or think about the seasonal cycles of nature.

~ Meditate on circular images if you prefer a more visual prompt. Use whatever works for you. It could be a Mandala, or ripples in water, or a spiral pattern.

~ Meditate on thoughts or images of balance and equilibrium. Perhaps it’s the perfect balance between the masculine and feminine or darkness and light that inspires you, or perhaps it’s the timeless image of Yin and Yang, which shows us that within darkness there is light and vice versa.

~ Concentrate on your breathing, the balance between the in-breath and the out-breath.

I hope you manage to find some balance in your life during this time. Remember to love and appreciate yourself, because you are a beautiful soul.

Wishing you a very peaceful New Moon.

See here for more about Mental Health Day

Namaste

Mandi

http://www.mandilockley.com/

Wise & Wonderful Words ~ Libra Quotes

As the Sun settles into Libra, it's time to hear some wise and beautiful words from some well-known Librans. These quotes reflect their Moon sign as well as their Libra Sun.

There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise.

Gore Vidal, Author, Sun Libra-Moon Aries

Men get to be a mixture of the charming mannerisms of the women they have known.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, Author, Sun Libra-Moon Taurus

I gave my beauty and my youth to men. I am going to give my wisdom and experience to animals.
Brigitte Bardot, Actress, Sun Libra-Moon Gemini

To me luxury is to be at home with my daughter, and the occasional massage doesn't hurt.
Olivia Newton-John, Singer, Sun Libra-Moon Cancer

Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage to yield to.

Oscar Wilde, Author, Sun Libra-Moon Leo

I studied voice for three months to get rid of my English accent. I changed my hair to blonde. I knew I could be sexy if I had to.
Deborah Kerr, Actress, Sun Libra-Moon Virgo

I've never lost perspective on who I am. Well, maybe briefly, but generally I'm pretty balanced.
Sting, Singer, Sun Libra-Moon Libra

Friendship is a pretty full-time occupation if you really are friendly with somebody. You can't have too many friends because then you're just not really friends.
Truman Capote, Author, Sun Libra-Moon Scorpio

I have personal beliefs and they are sometimes reflected in the movies I make, but I also reflect other points of view.

Tim Robbins, Actor/Director, Sun Libra-Moon Sagittarius

I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomes less and less an issue and what you are is the point.

Susan Sarandon, Actress, Sun Libra-Moon Capricorn

My advice to people today is as follows: if you take the game of life seriously, if you take your nervous system seriously, if you take your sense organs seriously, if you take the energy process seriously, you must turn on, tune in, and drop out.

Timothy Leary, Intellectual/Sixties Drugs Guru, Sun Libra-Moon Aquarius

The joy of life consists in the exercise of one's energies, continual growth, constant change, the enjoyment of every new experience. To stop means simply to die. The eternal mistake of mankind is to set up an attainable ideal.

Aleister Crowley, Author/Occultist, Sun Libra-Moon Pisces

http://www.mandilockley.com/

The Libra Equinox ~ what will the next three months bring?

Libra by Josephine Wall

The ingress of the Sun into Libra marks one of the powerful quarter points of the year. In the Northern hemisphere the Sun in Libra heralds the Autumn Equinox and in the South, the Spring Equinox. Everywhere, this time of year brings a change of seasons.*

Astrologically. the charts for the Equinoxes and the Solstices can be seen as good guides for the next three months ahead.

In this chart (see below), the Saturn-Pluto square is now on the wane and the Saturn-Uranus oppositions are through, but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s all over. For many of us, our lives have been turned upside down and we will be dealing with the fallout for some time to come. Over the last couple of years, many of us have had to face loss and adjust to reduced circumstances. It may have felt as if our hopes and dreams have been stolen away from us, but these difficulties have also forced us to look towards new solutions and seek fresh opportunities more in keeping with who we are now.

When we are suffering, it is difficult to step back and see things from a clear perspective, there are too many layers of emotional and material complication clouding our vision. Now these difficult, disruptive and limiting transits are playing their final tunes, we can finally stick our heads out from the fug and find the new, simpler, clearer perspective we will need in order to take the next step on our journey. If we’re looking for clues we could look towards the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, currently in Pisces and Retrograde. This is an aspect of faith and hope, dubbed by Ebertin as the ‘thank the Lord’ configuration. To make the most of the gift this aspect brings, we must, therefore, find fresh hope and faith and then hold that feeling for the next three months. The Moon in Pisces is conjunct Jupiter and Uranus in the Equinox chart, reminding us that very often, hope lives very close to home and very near and dear to our hearts.

It will be early 2011 before Jupiter and Uranus are back in fast acting, forward moving Aries, so it might be wise to view these next three months as a time for rest, rejuvenation and recovery, if not literally, then psychically and emotionally. This healing theme is echoed by the ongoing Neptune-Chiron conjunction, still tight in the sky.

Perhaps another message for this Equinox is that we really don’t have to go it alone. Look at the chart below, virtually all the planets are travelling in pairs. This is a bold reminder that the sign of Libra, whose ingress this Equinox celebrates, is the sign of relationship, collaboration and partnership. Don’t be worried by the fact that the Sun is conjunct Saturn in Libra here. Saturn in Libra is strong and positive and this conjunction can only assist us in the ongoing work many of us have been doing over these last few months, consciously or otherwise, to bring our relationships to a healthier, more balanced place. The Nodes, here connected to Pluto and squaring the Sun and Saturn, drive this message home. It is by being with other people, connecting and sharing, that we will find this new perspective we are seeking.

Finally, we have the conjunction of Venus and Mars in Scorpio. These two have been traveling in tandem for some time now. Mars is strong in Scorpio, deep and passionate and intense. Venus is not so happy in Scorpio and finds it hard to access the easy, relaxed, cuddly, sensuality of its opposite sign Taurus, where it rules. Venus and Mars both need to dig deep in Scorpio and over the next few months, love needs to be sought under the covers, literally and symbolically!

Click on the chart to enlarge

Enjoy the Equinox and the Sun in Libra.

With love,
Mandi
http://www.mandilockley.com/

Recommended
Astrologize your Autumn Harvest by Joyce Mason

Data:
The Ingress of the Sun into Libra marking the Equinox occurs:
22 September 2010, 20:09 PDT (North America)
22 September 2010, 23:09 EDT (North America)
23 September 2010, 04:09 BST
23 September 2010, 13:09 EDT (Australia)

*Solstice/Equinox 101:
There are two Solstices and the two Equinoxes each year. These important power points occur as the Sun enters one of the cardinal signs of the zodiac - Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn and astrologers use the charts for these events to make predictions for the following three months ahead.
The first Equinox of the year occurs when the Sun moves into Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, around March 21, marking the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. At an Equinox, day and night are of equal length.
The first Solstice occurs when the Sun moves into Cancer around June 21. In the Northern Hemisphere the Solstice marks midsummer, the longest day of the year and in the Southern Hemisphere it marks midwinter, the shortest day of the year.
The second Equinox, around September 21, when the Sun moves into Libra, marks the start of autumn in the N. Hemisphere and the start of spring in the S. Hemisphere.
Finally, the second Solstice of the year occurs around December 21 when the Sun moves into Capricorn, marking the shortest day (midwinter) in the N. Hemisphere and longest day (midsummer) in the S. Hemisphere.
The further away from the Equator you are located the more pronounced the Solstices will be. For example, very Northern locations will experience twenty-four hour darkness at the winter Solstice and twenty-four hour sunlight at the summer Solstice. If you are located very near to the Equator, day and night are more or less of equal length all year round.
The Solstices and Equinoxes have been important and much celebrated festival days for many thousands of years and are today still celebrated by modern Wiccans, Pagans and Druids.

Libra Full Moon – Who Am I, Who Are You & Where Do We Draw the Line?

I love Full Moon times. A Full Moon is so obvious you can’t miss it, its huge and round, brightly illuminating the night sky. Don’t you want to just reach out and touch the Moon when it’s full? Isn’t it just so beautiful and perfect?

This Full Moon falls in the sign of Libra. I had a long conversation with a friend this morning and we quickly got onto the topic of selfishness vs. selflessness. Where does the balance lie between looking after your own interests and taking care of the interests of others?

This topic came up because a person who I love very much needs my help right now and because I care, I really do want to help them, as best as I can. The trouble is I’m currently in a space where I’m in need of some ‘me’ time, for the sake of my mental/physical/emotional health. So what do I do?

This question captures the essence of the Aries-Libra dynamic, an issue being highlighted over the next couple of days as the Moon in Libra opposes the Sun in Aries.

Purely and simply, Aries is ‘self’ and Libra is ‘other’. Aries is Me, Libra is You. Without me, there cannot be you. Without you, there cannot be me. It is the interplay between me and you, self and other, that makes relationship. The answer to my quandary lies in a creating and maintaining a healthy balance between my needs and the other person's needs. The key to doing that lies in setting up clear, mutually acceptable boundaries and expectations in our relationship and in learning to claim my own space within that relationship.

These Full Moon issues illuminate the wider messages the sky is currently giving us - the message of Saturn in Libra and the message we will be forced to listen to when Uranus moves into Aries. The closest major aspect this Full Moon makes is a square to Pluto – a reminder that when the balance is not right in our relationships, we are in danger of wandering into difficult territory -  an unbalanced situation, where one or both parties uses power, control, manipulation, even bullying, to get what they think they need/want out of a relationship.

Here are some excellent articles on Saturn, Uranus and Libra to help you with these questions and issues.

Saturn Transit Libra: A Lesson in Boundaries Astrologer and energy healer Kachina Houska offers this simple visualization and energy technique to help promote boundary development within relationships, a positive and valuable way to connect with the energies of Saturn in Libra.

Uranus in Aries ~ How easily can we adapt as Uranus moves from the nebulous realm of Pisces into the dynamic and forceful sign of Aries? Tony Vowles shares his views on handling this uncomfortable energy and offers tips on staying balanced through the transition.

Pluto and Bullying: How to Recognize and Deal with It: A recent rash of front page stories have made us aware of bullying’s potentially deadly aftermath. Donna Cunningham explains the astrological signatures and links to resources for understanding and dealing with this problem.

These three articles feature in the Cardinal T-Square Blog-A-Thon, which forms a large, permanent collection of articles by a number of talented astrologers on the issues of Saturn, Uranus and Pluto. For the links to all the articles, go to: http://2010astrologycarnival.wordpress.com/

With love,

Mandi

http://www.mandilockley.com/

Data for the Full Moon:
29 March 22.25 EDT / 30 March 03.25 BST
Sun 9 Aries 17 / Moon 9 Libra 17

 

Saturn in Libra: A Fair Bit of Good Honest Hard Work

Saturn, in his last agonising degrees of Virgo, has been keeping us very, very busy these last few months, going over and over the minute details of ours life and the lives of others, ad nauseam. When will it ever end…..Well, the good news is that Saturn moves into Libra on 29 October, where he is much happier than he could ever be in Virgo. This is because in Libra, to use a bit of traditional astrology jargon, Saturn is in its ‘exultation’, a placement where it can operate effectively and true to his nature.

Libra is fair minded and craves peace and balance and harmonious relationship. Saturn is also fair, BUT works us hard and makes us pay our dues. So, don’t expect everything to be automatically lovey-dovey lovely with Saturn in Libra, we are going to have to work at it! Sound like a buzz-kill? Well, remember that Libra needs a bit of conflict and disharmony otherwise it doesn’t have a job to do. Libra needs a balance to find, a peace deal to negotiate, a relationship to build and a compromise to be brokered and Saturn provides the structure and authority to enable Libra needs to do that job very effectively.

Then, when all is said and done, Saturn in Libra will put you on its karmic scales, deduct points for laziness, add points for effort and goods delivered and then, in the nicest possible way, give you just what you need and everything you deserve.

But there's a long journey ahead before any of that and Saturn in Libra’s first major quest is a challenging Square aspect to Pluto in Capricorn. The essential phrase to describe Saturn-Pluto aspects is hard, hard, work! Oh, no, it doesn’t sound like much fun does it? However, this is where Saturn’s exultation in Libra comes in, for in Libra, Saturn actually enjoys putting the work in. If you note that Pluto’s current placement in Capricorn is also a sign that Saturn absolutely loves, then you can start to see that Saturn in Libra Square Pluto in Capricorn is a very, very dynamic interaction.

There will be hard work, possible losses, scary demons to face, bridges to build and re-build and a huge clean up job to do. BUT, at an individual and a world level, this is a unique opportunity for us to put our grist to the mill, work hard, hard, hard and ultimately make the necessary changes we need to get off on a good, solid, realistic footing for the future to come. Who knows, if we dig deep enough, shift enough dirt and scrub enough mucky old boulders, we might even unearth some very valuable buried treasure or flawless gems, metaphorically speaking!

Will Saturn in Libra affect you?
Well, anyone with the Sun or Moon or any planets or angles in the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) will feel the effects of Saturn in Libra dynamically at some time over the next two or three years.*

Looking at the house that Saturn in Libra will be travelling through in your personal horoscope will give you more clues about the areas of your life Saturn in Libra could affect. I plan to write an article on this subject very soon.*

Dates for Saturn in Libra: Saturn moves into Libra on 29th October 2009. Due to its retrograde (apparent backwards motion through the sky), Saturn moves back into Virgo on 7th April 2010, then re-enters Libra on 21st July 2010, where it will stay until it moves into Scorpio in October 2012.

Will Saturn in Libra Square Pluto in Capricorn affect you?
Looking at Sun signs alone, simply put, you will feel the effects of the Saturn-Pluto square in particular if you’re a March-born Aries, a June-born Cancer, a September-born Libra or a December-born Capricorn.
Going deeper, you will be hit by the Saturn-Pluto square if you have the Sun or Moon or any planets or angles in the first five degrees of the cardinal signs. You will have all next year to work on the issues that Saturn-Pluto throws up for you, with the additional influence of Uranus (the planet of change, excitement and disruption) who, moving back and forth between the late degrees of Pisces and the first degrees of Aries forms a T-Square with Saturn-Pluto from late Spring 2010 (much more on this in forthcoming articles).*
Dates for Saturn in Libra Square Pluto in Capricorn: The three exact Squares between Saturn and Pluto are 15th November 2009, 31st January 2010 and 21st August 2010. However, please remember that these are long transits which symbolise huge shifts in our individual and collective lives. These processes take time to develop. They are not simply a series of one-day, one-off events. Please also note that Uranus will start to form a T-Square with Saturn and Pluto from around March 2010.

Further Reading

This is a HUGE topic, with so much to explore, my short 'n' sweet blog here barely even touches the surface. For further reading, here are a few web places I’d recommend:

More about what Saturn as a planet represents and symbolises from mandilockley.com http://www.mandilockley.com/saturn.html A good read for the beginner or novice astrologer.

See also my recent blogs about the Saturn-Uranus opppositions and Saturn-Uranus-Pluto configurations.

A good review of Saturn in Libra from the personal perspective from Cafeastrology.com, a comprehensive astrology website, especially good for the beginner or novice: http://cafeastrology.com/blog/saturn-in-libra-and-relationship-astrology/

Astrologer Gary Caton, for The Mountain Astrologer, writes about the Saturn in Libra Ingress Chart: http://mountainastrologer.com/tma/the-libra-ingress-chart

Bill Herbst has written reams and reams on the current and upcoming Saturn, Uranus and Pluto transits. His predictions for the current economic crisis date back to 2006! http://www.billherbst.com/newsindex.html

A discussion on Saturn in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn is going on right now on The Mountain Astrologer’s Facebook page – a very positive take amidst some of the doom and gloom that's out there. Read, join in, ask questions. http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=112278112664#/topic.php?uid=112278112664&topic=18413

Finally, you can always rely on The Baron to bend our minds with his unique take on the sky's current movements. This is solid, informed astrology, with a dark, entertaining twist & I hear that a mind bending article on Saturn in Libra is coming very soon (in the meantime check out his Halloween special horoscopes) http://baronastrology.com/

Consultations

If you are interested in a personal consultation, please see my website at http://www.mandilockley.com/ or email me for more details at mandi@mandilockley.com

Finding out about your Chart

*If you do not know if you have Sun, Moon, planets or angles in the relevant degrees and/or signs you can quickly download your own birth chart which will provide you with this information in a simply understood way at http://www.alabe.com/

Libra New Moon Meditation

A New Moon, under the darkening sky, is a good time to go within and this Libra New Moon, on the 18th October, is a good time to reflect upon where we need to find balance in our lives. So, this month, rather than looking at the astrological chart for the New Moon, I have devised a meditation which you may enjoy.

All you will need for this meditation is a quiet place and an Autumn leaf. It can be done indoors or outdoors.

Start by sitting down in a comfortable position and concentrate on your breathing, following your in-breaths and out-breaths until you start to feel stiller and calmer. As you breathe out, relax your body, making sure you are not tensed up in your shoulders, back, facial muscles etc. Make your breaths slower and longer, but comfortable. Feel your lungs filling up on the in-breath and emptying out on the out-breath.

When you are ready, take up your leaf and visualise the following image:

“A little boy, rebellious against school, watches a fluttering autumn leaf that seems to spell out his lesson for him”.

This is the Sabian Symbol for 25 degrees of Libra (the degree of the New Moon, rounded up).

Think about this image as you look at your leaf. Imagine you are that little boy, looking at the fluttering autumn leaf. What lesson do you think the leaf can teach you? Look at the colours. Think back to when it was a young leaf in the spring, unfolding and growing, full of promise. Then see it in full green colour in summer, on the tree, magnificent and strong. Look at the leaf now, beautiful, but dry and fallen from the tree. Imagine the tree in winter, bare of leaves. Now visualise the tree coming back into life in the spring and give thanks.

Now think about your own life. The ups and the downs. The happy times and the not so happy times. Think about how your life turns like the seasons. If life is currently happy and full, rejoice and give thanks, but if life has been difficult, absorb the promise of the tree and have faith in a new season of happiness and fulfilment to come. Take a moment to enjoy this feeling. Feel that you are able to hold your problems in perspective and balance now, for you are wise and like the tree, you will know when to surge forth and grow and when to rest and wait for better times.

Check in with yourself now to make sure you are still breathing and your body is still relaxed.

Look closely at the patterns on the leaf again now. Look at the symmetry and balance and contemplate where in your life you need to find more balance and harmony. Visualise yourself living your life in complete harmony and balance. Enjoy this feeling.

Now think about a circumstance where you have rebelled or resisted recently. Why do you think you did? What does this tell you about yourself? What is the lesson here? Like the little boy, ask nature or spirit to help you find the answer. Let the thoughts and images float around you now. Resist the urge to follow a single train of thought, try to remain detached. If you need to break a train of thought, go back to contemplating the leaf and check your breathing.

When you are ready, give thanks to nature or spirit. Go back to concentrating on your breathing and then slowly come back to yourself. Make sure you are grounded before you jump up, to avoid feeling lightheaded. A good way to do this is to plant your feet firmly on the ground and feel the earth beneath your feet. Visualise your feet as the base of a tree, with deep roots – secure, solid and safe.

Enjoy.

Namaste
Mandi

http://www.mandilockley.com/

The Equinox & the Sun in Libra

Today, September 22nd, the Sun moves into Libra, marking (in the Northern Hemisphere) the Autumn Equinox. The Equinoxes, Spring and Autumn, are the two times during the year that day and night are of equal length. The word Equinox literally means equal night.

The Equinoxes and the Solstices mark the four seasons and occur when the Sun is at the Aries Point, having just entered one of the cardinal signs (0 degrees Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn). Today’s Equinox marks the time when the Sun ingresses into the first degree of Libra, after which, in the Northern Hemisphere, the days become shorter and the nights longer, as the Sun gradually submits to the power of the dark. This is reflected in the fact that in Ptolemy’s Essential Dignities Libra is the sign of the Fall of the Sun, meaning that the Sun is unable to use his strength due to circumstances beyond his control, such as the approach of winter.

The Equinox chart symbolises the themes for the coming season, taking us up to the Solstice in December. This chart carries with it all the relevant themes of the last few months, including the Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron Conjunction, the Saturn-Uranus Opposition and Pluto at the Aries Point (click on the links to recap), so we can reasonably expect their themes to continue in our individual lives and in the world: energies of major change; an ongoing reassessment of our way of thinking and doing things; our search for newer, better and fairer ways of living our lives and running our world.

There’s no doubt that the last few months have been incredibly stressful, but the good news with the Sun in Libra is that Libra needs stress and strife, for without strife, Libra has nothing to work with, nothing to bring into balance, nothing to peaceably resolve, no equitable justice to serve. So maybe this coming season is a good time to review areas of stress in your life and work out a plan to find better balance and harmony, to regain a sense of hope?

That the Sun is in a Square with powerful Pluto is more good news, in my opinion. Squares make things happen and Pluto in Square to the Sun creates a powerful force by which to drive the changes that are necessary. The Moon in Scorpio echoes the Sun-Pluto contact, suggesting how we can calmly seize control of our actions and our direction in life, helping us to find a balance between our social life where we need to be seen, to please and be appreciated, with our very private life, where we can seek out a space of peace, poise and self control.

Mercury Retrograde in Virgo is still in close contact with the Saturn-Uranus Opposition, reminding us to carefully analyse our situation and weigh up the pros and cons before we come to any major decisions about the changes we wish to make. If this sounds like typical Libra procrastination, maybe that is a good thing, because Mercury Retrograde may still trick us into overdoing Uranus by throwing the baby out with the bathwater or overdoing Saturn by clinging too rigidly to the old. Impatient though we may be for change, Libra teaches us to balance our odds, consider compromise and approach life with poise and a sense of cooperation, however urgent things may seem. Better to plan now and act when we are able to see a more balanced perspective.

With the Moon Squaring the Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron conjunction, this may also be a good time for the healing arts, whether spiritual or physical, a time to go within and gather your strength for the coming months.

Remember too, that if you are in a part of the world where Autumn is beginning, that this is a time for harvest, to celebrate the Earth's abundance and give thanks for our many blessings.

Enjoy the Sun in Libra.

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