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CANCER FULL MOON - 1 / 2 January 2018

12/30/2017

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Exact at 2.24am GMT, 1 Jan at 9.24pm EST
 
Emotions should well and truly be flowing during this Full Moon, as not only is the moon in the emotional sign of Cancer, but we also have a Grand Water Trine involving the Cancer Moon, Neptune in Pisces and Mars and Jupiter in Scorpio. The Moon is very much at home in her own sign and so we should find it easy to get in touch with and articulate our emotions, with some help from Jupiter and Mars in Scorpio who will be helping us to bravely face certain parts of ourselves that we may usually prefer not to admit to. It may be a bit uncomfortable, as we are prompted to have a look at our shadow sides and recognise our blind spots, but this Moon will help us to have the courage to be emotionally honest with ourselves and our loved ones and take the plunge into the depths of our psyches. With Neptune involved in the picture, we should be able to do so with compassion, forgiveness and kindness, and without losing sight of our true spirit and essence. Neptune will help us to put ourselves in another person’s shoes and to come from a place of empathy and unconditional love. Neptune is a very big player in this Full Moon, forming harmonious aspects to almost all of the personal planets, including the Sun and Moon, and Venus and Mars. This will help us to recognise that we are all one, and that what happens to one affects us all.
 
Full Moons always involve an opposition between the energy of the sign the Sun is in, which is Capricorn in this case, and the energy of the sign the Moon is in, which is Cancer. Oppositions tend to play out through our relationships, not to mention that Venus is sitting right next to the Sun for this Moon, which will bring the way we relate even more into focus. During the build-up to this moon, whatever has been simmering away below the surface of our consciousness may come to a head, demanding release. As ever, we are asked to find a healthy balance between the energy of the two signs rather than veering too far in either direction.  Cancer relates to our inner self, our inner home, and shows how we live within ourselves and our emotional body. It is our emotional foundation and reveals how our childhood experiences and family relationships impact the way we relate as adults. Whatever happened in our early life, the amount of nurturing we received and the degree to which our needs were met or not met, has a direct correlation to how well we take care of ourselves and how emotionally secure we are as adults. Any needs that weren’t met and have been left unresolved can create displaced emotions in adulthood, whereby we revert to childish behaviour in order to get our needs met.  
 
This Full Moon could well illuminate some of our more childish patterns and help us to become more aware of how they are operating in our lives and sabotaging our relationships. Sometimes we need someone else to show us the mirror so that we can see our blind spots. A Full Moon in Cancer definitely gives us that opportunity, and Neptune helps us to find compassion and unconditional love for these parts of ourselves, much like a mother has for her child. There is also a lot of Capricorn energy involved in this moon, and while Cancer holds the potential for emotional infantilism, Capricorn urges us to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions, and to pull our socks us and be a grown-up. In the extreme, however, Capricorn energy can cause us to suppress our emotions, holding them in for so long that they end up coming out in some kind of distorted fashion. While Cancer has the capacity to be incredibly vulnerable, Capricorn is the opposite and can cause us to hold back perfectly valid feelings out of a fear of feeling vulnerable or exposed, or of seeming “irrational”. However, anything that is supressed will always find a way out in the end.
 
This Moon could well bring a lot of emotional material out from under the proverbial carpet for us to see and examine. We could become all too aware of how our childhood conditioning is still running the show, but we have a beautiful opportunity here to look at is all with kindness and compassion rather than judgement or blame. If we are able to combine Cancer’s emotional fluency and awareness with Capricorn’s maturity and ability to take responsibility for our part in things then we have the potential for amazing insight, emotional maturity and the ability to move past our more crippling emotional patterns. We also have transformational and soulful Pluto heavily involved in this Moon, giving us the opportunity to metamorphose our relationships and our inner selves. This will help us to break down our emotional armour and allow old, outworn patterns and structures to fall away so that we are more aligned with our true, core self. Black Moon Lilith is also sitting right next to Venus in Capricorn, calling for us to express those parts of ourselves that have been disowned, suppressed or rejected and owning the darker side of ourselves that we might usually have more under control. We are invited to express our rage, our disappointment, our repressed emotions and anything we have been holding back out of the need for propriety.
 
The Sabian symbol for the Moon, at 12° Cancer, is: “A Chinese woman nursing a baby whose aura reveals him to be the re-incarnation of a great teacher”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The revelation of latent worth in an experience once it is seen in its deeper meaning” and says that it “demands that we look beyond common appearances and try to discover the “occult” (i.e. hidden) character of every person and every experience” and are able to see “the essential meaning (or “message” and function) of the whole”. This symbol gives the feeling that we need to see beyond and recognise the deeper potential and greatness within all of us and to nurture the child within us all because we all have aspects of ourselves that we might not be able to see.  We all have untapped potential and it is very important to nurture and nourish the inner child and open ourselves to seeing beyond appearances to the divinity within all of us. There is also a message in this symbol that within every situation there is always something deeper going on that we might not be aware of at first glance.
 
This Moon does seem to be a perfect opportunity to get everything out into the open. It might not be pretty, but sometimes the truth isn’t pretty. However, it is better than holding back out of fear and allowing things to fester beneath the surface so that they subvert and sabotage our relationships with those we love. Every one of us had a childhood and every one of us learned how to behave during that childhood, and some of these learned behaviours and coping mechanisms are healthier than others! All of us have certain needs that weren’t met and all of us have the capacity to revert to being a needy child at times. We just do it in different ways, that’s all. With Jupiter and Mars forming a square to the Nodes of the Moon, we are invited to take a long, hard look at ourselves and have the courage to own our darker, hidden and rejected parts. It’s time to get that broom out and sweep under the carpet! If we can do this, we have the capacity for amazing soul growth. Luckily we have Neptune on our side, not to mention the Grand Water Trine helping us to get in touch with and articulate our true feelings. Neptune will help us to open our hearts with forgiveness and compassion and to see each other for who we really truly are, in all our imperfect perfection. What a wonderful way to start 2018!
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Also, to remind you of the invitation to join us for a meditation on Compassion at 6am GMT on 2 January 2018. Here is the link: http://www.amybirdartandastrology.com/blog
 
Picture: Mother and Child by J. Kirk Richards
 
http://www.amybirdartandastrology.com/

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Meditation for Compassion - 1/2 January 2018

12/30/2017

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                 Full Moon 2nd January 2018 – Being Compassion
 
Compassion

 
As we approach the end of 2017 it is important to find a moment to reflect on the adventures, challenges and achievements of this year, no matter how small or grand, as every step contributes to personal growth and the experience of living.
 
For 2018, we invite you to explore compassion, for compassion seems to reflect a force that brings us close together; a force that whilst being a human feeling also has the sense of something far greater. A force that comes from our hearts’ wisdom, helping us to see ourselves and others from a place of understanding, empathy and mutual respect. When we act from a place of compassion, it is truly how we are being that makes the difference and creates the possibility of coming together in a harmonious and loving way.
 
The Shamanic teachings remind us that in order to create a shift in the world around us first we have to create that shift within us.  So to bring compassion to the world means we have to find compassion in our hearts for ourselves first and maintain this feeling within. On the 2nd January, on the full moon, at 6am GMT, we invite you to join us in a two minute meditation inviting the force of compassion into our lives.
 
The energy of this Full Moon is certainly ripe for this kind of work, as Neptune, the planet of compassion, empathy and unconditional love, is forming a harmonious, helpful aspect to the Sun and Moon! The Moon is full in Cancer, the sign of the mother, the matriarchy and the anima; helping us to explore the more vulnerable, nurturing part of our nature and our inner landscape. Cancer is the sign of family, our emotional patterns, our roots and ancestry. The Sun is opposite in Capricorn, the sign of the father, the patriarchy and the animus; helping us to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions and to explore what it means to grow up and take our place in the world. Capricorn is the sign of government, corporations, authority and our social and parental conditioning. 
 
Neptune is currently in Pisces, asking us to find compassion for the child and the parent in us all; for the masculine and feminine; for the anima/animus; for that part of us all that experiences fear and needs to maintain control; for that part of us that has unresolved needs that weren’t met and doesn't want to be a grown-up. Neptune is a very benevolent  presence indeed during this moon, as it is forming a positive aspect to almost all of the personal planets, including Venus and Mars, the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine. This truly is a Moon of compassion, unconditional love and acceptance of the wounded feminine and masculine within all of us. Beautiful!
 
Compassion meditation
 
Begin by taking a few deep breaths, bringing your attention to your heart centre. You can touch your heart lightly to help focus your awareness. Set your intention to gently bring compassion from within your heart. Really experience compassion as it expresses itself within you. Explore the feeling; maybe there is a sound, a vision, colours. Be open to experiencing how and what compassion is for you.  As you breathe, expand this feeling from your heart outwards so that it embraces your internal organs and your cells. Expand the energy beyond your physical body so that it embraces you. Feel the vibration and the energy within, as this moves through and around you. Breathe compassion; be compassion for a few moments.
 
Slowly and gently call this force of compassion back to within your heart. Take a few breaths, bringing your awareness back to your body, sensing the environment around you.
 
Take another deep breath and gently open your eyes.
 
Compassion wants to be heard in the world.  Please join us and share this with as many people as you can. Let us make this a Global meditation to bring us together in a compassionate way for 2018.
 
Embrace yourself with compassion, experiencing compassion for yourself. Being compassion for a few moments will contribute significantly to your well–being and ultimately to the wellbeing of others.
 
And if feeling is not your way, then draw, create or dance. Find your way, your expression of being compassion in the world.
 
Thank you
 
Much Love
 
Everyday Shaman & Amy Bird Astrology
Xoxo
 
http://www.everydayshaman.uk/
http://www.amybirdartandastrology.com/
 
Artwork: Compassion, by Mary Southard
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Sagittarius New Moon - 18 December 2017

12/14/2017

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Picture
Exact at 6.30am GMT, 1.30am EST
 
This is a very Sagittarian Moon indeed, with the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Saturn all in this forward looking and optimistic sign! New Moons are the perfect time to set positive intentions for ourselves and this one in particular offers hope for the future, faith in a positive outcome and the opportunity to contemplate what might help us to grow and expand moving forward. Sagittarius is a very enthusiastic and adventurous sign who seeks to understand our connection to the universe from a metaphysical, cosmological or philosophical point of view. This is the part of us that seeks the truth of our existence and loves to travel far and wide to discover other cultures and their beliefs and to go on pilgrimages of various kinds. Sagittarius is like a gypsy and needs the freedom to roam and to have any experiences necessary to be able to follow any intuitive hunches that might lead him in the direction of the truth. However, one thing to be aware is that Mercury is also retrograde in Sagittarius, so misunderstandings can easily happen as people may be very opinionated, blunt and all too eager to spout their version of the truth!
 
One of the most beautiful strengths of this sign is the gift of faith and the ability to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sagittarius is that part of us that knows that even the darkest of times have gifts to offer because they help us to grow and become wiser. He also has a very good sense of humour and helps us to laugh at the absurdity of life, even when the chips are down! This is the sign that teaches us to learn from our mistakes and to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start over again. With Sagittarius we learn to trust our intuition, which simply knows what it knows without quite knowing how it knows it. This New Moon encourages us to have the courage of our convictions and to trust our intuitive hunches. This truly is a time to look forward and have the faith that no matter what is going on, we are always learning and growing. The intentions we set for ourselves now can be optimistic, expansive and adventurous!
 
Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, is currently in Scorpio, which could temper the enthusiastic, jolly, hopeful feeling that Sagittarius generally brings. When Saturn was in Scorpio from late 2011 until early 2014, all sorts of uncomfortable information came to the surface that had hitherto been buried under the carpet, including the Jimmy Saville scandal, to use a powerful example. Now we have Jupiter going through Scorpio from October 10 2017 until November 8 2018, and now the biggest planet is definitely bringing more out from under the proverbial carpet for all to see.  The first thing that happened as Jupiter went into Scorpio was the “Me too” phenomena on Facebook, whereby women came out and talked of their experience as women being harassed or abused. It was a powerful and healing eye-opener! Scorpio rules power/powerlessness, sexuality, death/rebirth, emotional honesty, intimacy, trust, loss, abandonment and betrayal, and Jupiter will be magnifying and exaggerating these issues during this transit. What an amazing opportunity to purge old patterns and plunge into the depths of our psyches so that we can confront those parts of ourselves that we would usually be blind to or deny the existence of! We can really benefit from doing some shadow work during this moon, and indeed for the whole of Jupiter’s stay in Scorpio.  
 
Even though the Saturn Chiron Square has already peaked, it seems to be lingering on until the end of the year because it has been triggered by the recent full moon and is now a big part of this moon. This energy isn’t exactly jolly-making either! It does, however, bring the potential for us to face our biggest blocks and obstacles and do some deep healing around them. We could feel quite triggered and vulnerable, however, as our oldest, deepest, most entrenched wounds come up to the surface for us to look at. This, of course, can be quite painful and potentially depressing. This is quite a heavy energy and could make things feel a bit bleak, but we must use the Sagittarian energy to remind ourselves that there is so much potential for growth if we are willing and able to look into the darkness with compassion, acceptance and forgiveness for ourselves and those who may have hurt or wounded us. It is time to let go, once and for all.
 
We are likely to experience a shift of energy as Saturn leaves Sagittarius on the 19th, the day after the New Moon, and moves into its own sign of Capricorn. It will be in Capricorn until March 2020. When Saturn moves into a sign it casts a critical eye over the themes and issues of the sign in question. In the case of Capricorn, Saturn will be shining the harsh light of reality on the structures of our lives, including those that rule us such as governments and corporations. Not only that, but issues such as ageism, elitism, reputation, status, control, authority and class structure will all be up for interrogation under Saturn’s stern gaze. Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008, exposing the rot within the power structures, and now Saturn is joining in, so the next couple of years could be interesting indeed! While Pluto tears the structures down, making us fully aware of what isn’t working, Saturn has the capacity to restore order and come up with a long term plan that has integrity and will stand the test of time. Saturn and Pluto will literally come together in Capricorn in January 2020, which could be a time of reckoning both personally and collectively.
 
Saturn in Capricorn doesn’t believe in shortcuts and asks us to have the utmost integrity in all that we do. We may become very aware of our limitations but sometimes they are necessary, and failure can actually be a greater teacher than success. We could be prompted to consider whether what we are doing as a career is truly our life purpose, and if it isn’t then this is a good time to set the wheels in motion for a change of course that allows greater integrity and fulfilment. This combination brings the potential for resilience, perseverance, patience, the ability to truly commit to something, the capacity to take responsibility for our actions, authenticity, discipline, order and the ability to work slowly but surely towards whatever goal we set ourselves. This is a really good time to seek the counsel of our elders or those who are an authority on something, heeding their advice and honouring their knowledge and life experience. There is a sense that we can build something of lasting value during this transit. It is important not to rush, but rather to take our time and not be short sighted.
 
Interestingly enough, the Sabian symbol for this New Moon is quite similar to the energy of Saturn in Capricorn. The Sun and Moon are in 27° Sagittarius: “A sculptor’s vision is slowly taking form”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “the ability to project one’s vision upon and to give form to materials.” This symbol reminds us that sometimes it takes time and effort to work towards something that is truly worthwhile and of lasting value and integrity. This is perfect for the New Moon, as it gives the sense that whatever vision we have and whatever intentions we set will have staying power and the potential for manifesting in concrete reality. We must be mindful of what seeds we plant right now, and make sure that they are a true reflection of who we are and what we want to be. They need to have integrity and we might also need to be patient, slowly but surely “moulding” the desired outcome. It is important, during this time, to use some of Sagittarius’s greatest gifts and trust our gut, keep the faith and keep an eye on the bigger picture!
 
Wishing you all a beautiful holiday season!
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Artwork: Light At End Of Tunnel by Olga Zavgorodnya
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    Amy Bird

    I love writing about the Moon and the effect it has on us all, both collectively and personally. We all look at the same Moon and feel her energy, albeit in different ways. It reminds us that we are not alone and there is something very comforting about that!

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