Amy Bird Art and Astrology
  • Home
  • About me
  • Astrology
  • Testimonials
  • Workshops
  • Paintings
  • Photography
  • Blog
  • Contact me

March 25th, 2017

3/25/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
​ARIES NEW MOON – Tuesday 28 March, exact at 3.57am GMT, Monday 27 March, exact at 10.57pm EST
 
This truly is a Moon of fresh starts and new beginnings, as it is the first New Moon of the astrological year! Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and represents the impulse to start something new and to bravely venture into new territory. The days leading up to the New Moon, while the moon is waning, are a time of purging and letting go of the old so that we can start fresh for the new cycle. You can’t have a beginning without an ending! This is when we get to shed our skins, so to speak, so we can make space for what we want to allow in. This is a time for planting seeds in the form of intentions, because often what starts as a little thought, idea or feeling around the time of the New Moon will gradually grow in our consciousness until it comes to full bloom around the time of the Full Moon. The New Moon is an incredibly potent time for consciously setting intentions for ourselves and this one is no exception. Aries can help free us from the conditioning we received in childhood and the emotional patterns formed then that no longer serve us. Indeed, we may well find that we want to completely bust out of the mould and smash our patterns to smithereens as we realise how restrictive and sabotaging they are becoming!
 
Aries is the sign of “I am”. Being the first sign of the zodiac, it is very instinctual in nature, acting and reacting on hunches and feelings, very spontaneously and impulsively, without forethought. Aries is the part of us that consciously acts on our soul’s desires, which are often unconscious, thus aligning our personal will with our higher will. On the other hand it can also cause us to do something stupid that is purely reactionary and not in line with our higher purpose at all! The expression “Throwing the baby out with the bathwater” comes to mind here! When I think of Aries I see a flower or plant forcing its way out of the hard ground of winter to greet the Spring sun. It takes a lot of energy, strength and courage to pierce through the darkness and out into the light! Aries is the pioneer in us that can “break new ground”! It represents that part of us that needs the freedom and independence  to explore and discover ourselves and ask questions like” Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “Where am I going?” “What is my destiny?” “Am I on my true path?” Aries is a very independent sign that is very adept at taking care of its own needs. In the extreme it can lead to self-centredness, whereby the needs of others aren’t taken into consideration. Sometimes this is exactly what is needed, however; for us to put ourselves first.
 
This New Moon could bring up some strong urges in us to make change in our lives and to follow direction we deem necessary to make sure we’re on the right path. We could experience feelings of anger or frustration at whatever situation we find ourselves in and could act quite impulsively, without thinking things through first. We might even throw the baby out with the bathwater! It is possible that we will make a strike for independent action, needing to take care of our own needs and to be a bit selfish.  Aries is very adept at the art of self-love! We could become all too aware of old emotional patterns or behavioural habits that are hindering us instead of helping us. It could be that they are so obvious to us, and that we are so fed up with them that we are somehow able to release them and leave them behind in the dark of the moon.  We could have a very strong feeling that something needs to happen in order for us to grow and we should also have the necessary strength and courage to start the process. We may have an instinctual sense of what we need to do to in order to be true to our own personal path and destiny.
 
One thing is certain, the energy of Aries is brave, spontaneous, strong, independent, honest and forthright, so we are being asked to have the courage to quite simply be who we are and follow the path or direction that feel right for us, whatever that may be and even if it doesn’t make sense right now. We must trust our instincts! The ruler of Aries is Mars, who is in earthy Taurus at the moment, which is teaching us the art of patience! Before we throw ourselves off the deep end we are invited to pause a little and chew the cud, so to speak. Mars in Taurus encourages us to carefully consider our actions and in aspect to Neptune he invites us to trust our intuition and sixth sense before we make a move or jump too quickly. Mars and Neptune together symbolise inspired action, so this is a good time to turn within for guidance. We must listen to the little voice whispering in our ear and not dismiss it! It could also be that we really want to make something happen but somehow feel held back from doing it immediately. If so, we must simply accept and trust that this is the way it must be, for reasons that will become clear later.
 
Interestingly enough, Venus, the ruler of Libra, which is the sign directly opposite Aries, is sitting right next to the Sun and Moon in Aries. Not only that, but she is retrograde, which is forcing us to revisit our relationship issues and our values and self-worth. This brings a sense of having to go backwards in order to move forwards. Aries is raring at the bit, wanting us to make changes and have any experience we might need to find out who and what we are, while Venus is asking us to sit back a bit and reflect on our relationship to ourselves and others. How are we holding ourselves back from having successful, fulfilling relationships? What old emotional patterns are still potentially sabotaging our chance of true happiness? How might our lack of self-worth sabotage our relationships and prevent us from drawing towards us all that we want for ourselves? How can we become more adept at the art of Self-Love?  Do we need to be more honest about our true feelings and more assertive about our needs? Or, have we been too self-serving or self-absorbed and neglected the needs of our loved ones? Might we need to resolve a relationship or situation in order to be able to move forward on our true path? What needs to be released in order for us to grow? What, when it comes down to it, is really important to us? It is time to be really honest with ourselves, and by so doing, with our loved ones.
 
The only aspects to this New Moon come from feminine bodies; Venus, the goddess of Love and Beauty, Juno, the goddess of marriage and loyal, committed relationship, and Black Moon Lilith, the Dark Goddess who brings our shadows into the light. Juno is forming a challenging aspect to the New Moon, which could cause us to question our relationships and whether they are truly meeting our needs or whether they are impeding our growth in some way. With Juno in Capricorn it could be that we feel the need to decide whether they are viable in the long term, or worthy of deeper commitment. The aspect between Black Moon Lilith and the Moon is a helpful, harmonious one, helping us to face our shadows and the parts of ourselves that we know exist but usually find it hard to actually admit to! Lilith can help us to bring our self-defeating patterns or behaviour out into the light of our consciousness so that they lose their power over us. It is amazing how powerful it can be to simply be aware of our sabotaging patterns and where they stem from and to observe how they affect our lives and relationships rather than acting on them unconsciously and allowing them to rule and ruin us! Lilith is in Sagittarius at the moment, which could really cut through to the truth of the matter, in no uncertain terms! It might be quite hard to hide from ourselves during this Moon!
 
The Sabian symbol for the New Moon at 8° Aries is “A large woman’s hat with streamers blown by an east wind”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “Protection and spiritual guidance in the development of consciousness.” We get the impression that it is rather a strong wind, and as it comes from the spiritualising east it is quite possible that it represents spiritual or psychic forces. The hat is a form of protection, and Rudyar says “Under protective guidance a still most receptive person (a woman) is being influenced by spiritual forces.”  My sense is that while we may feel like we are being knocked about a bit by the wind, or even being blown off course somewhat, or being pushed towards something, we are actually being guided by our higher self and must trust that we are protected and are heading in the right direction. This symbol could symbolise a shift in attitude or direction so it important to pay attention to where we are being prodded. While the wind may be strong, she is a “large woman”, so she is not likely to get knocked over! As such, as with Mars in Taurus, we may feel some strong urges and desires for change but it is important that we stay grounded and not let ourselves get carried away! Patience is key. Not exactly Aries strong point!
 
“The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,
The answer is blowing in the wind”
Bob Dylan
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
Picture:  The Winds of Change: Inner Strength 2– Marleen Visser
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0 Comments

VIRGO FULL MOON - 12 March 2017

3/9/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Exact at 2.53pm GMT, 9.53am EST.
 
This is the kind of Moon that could make us all too aware of what needs to change in our lives and where we are falling short somehow. Virgo is a very self-critical sign which can cause us to be quite hard on ourselves so that we want to work on self-improvement. In Virgo we somehow get the feeling that we can “do better”. It doesn’t help that we have Saturn challenging the Moon, as he can be quite harsh, uncompromising and judgemental! However, there is also a lot of Pisces activity at the moment, which is the balance to Virgo, inviting us to accept ourselves as we are and find acceptance and compassion for our shortcomings. Pisces knows that we are perfect just as we are. With Virgo we may feel that we have to “do” something to make things better, while Pisces invites us to let go and just “be”. The key to the Full Moon is finding the balance between the two signs, rather than veering too far in either direction.
 
With the Full Moon in Virgo, we may become all too aware of the flaws and imperfections in ourselves and others, which can bring feelings of doubt, insecurity and a sense of what is lacking in our lives and relationships. However, this sense of crisis can also be very helpful because if allows us to see what we need to tweak, improve and adjust in order to relate better to people and the world around us. Virgo’s gifts are humility, purification, discernment and a genuine desire to be of service to others. I’m not sure that there is nothing that makes us feel quite as good as when we have done something to help another human being! The combination of Virgo and Pisces brings genuine compassion and empathy for others and the wish to somehow make things better for them. This is the healing axis, as Virgo is the humble servant who has a good sense of how the body works, while Pisces is incredibly sensitive and intuitive and can sense imbalances in the energy system.
 
With Chiron, the Wounded Healer, sitting right next to the Pisces Sun during this Moon, we have a perfect opportunity for bringing our vulnerabilities and insecurities to the surface and healing them with forgiveness, self-acceptance and compassion. There is of course the potential for our sore spots being triggered so that we have no choice but to recognise them! The critical element of Virgo, combined with Saturn’s influence could cause us to nitpick our loved ones so that they feel judged, belittled or put down, so this is something to be aware of. It can also cause us to be rather merciless on ourselves! On the other hand, we could also be the victim of someone else’s judgement so that we are made to feel guilty somehow, even if we haven’t done anything wrong. Saturn likes to be in control, and so we should be aware how we might try to control people or situations. We could also find ourselves at the mercy of some kind of authority or someone trying to control us.
 
The Saturn Chiron Square is being activated by this Moon, which could potentially make us feel quite tender and a bit down on ourselves, but also gives us an opportunity to heal some fairly entrenched and rigid emotional patterns. It is important not to be too reactionary or defensive during this Moon, methinks, but rather to have a willingness to recognise the part we play in whatever story we find ourselves in. It is so easy to blame and point the finger outside of ourselves, but it is much more helpful to take a long hard look at ourselves and see where we are at fault. We could also have the opportunity to recognise where we have been wounded by authority figures such as parents, school teachers or society in general and to do some healing in this area.
 
Pluto is helping this Moon out with a harmonious trine, empowering us and helping us to transform our lives in a positive way so that we can move closer to fulfilling our true potential. We are constantly, throughout our lives, being prodded towards an ultimate, deeper goal that is predominantly unconscious and is directed by our own souls. This Moon holds the promise of helping us to inch a little further forward on our soul’s journey and path, if we are willing to do the work that is. Pluto is currently forming a challenging square aspect to Jupiter, which could mean that we become a bit too attached to our beliefs and could also mean that we have to put up with other people spouting some rather extreme beliefs and opinions! We could experience some kind of confrontation whereby any beliefs that we hold that are too fixed or rigid could be challenged, which could ultimately be a good thing. The combination of Pluto and Libra could also cause any fundamentalism and extreme religious or philosophical views to become very obvious, prominent and hard to avoid! The square is exact on the 30th of March, so the energy is building in strength.
 
Venus went retrograde on 5 March and will continue moving backwards until 15 April. Venus rules our relationships, both with ourselves and others. It makes sense that the way we relate to ourselves will colour the way we relate to others. When Venus is retrograde we are invited to look back on our relationships and take stock on whether they are meeting our needs and whether they need any work done on them to improve them. This is also time to have a look at our core values and contemplate what is really, truly important to us and what no longer hold meaning to us. We could have some kind of financial review or contemplate what skills, talents and assets we have in our toolbox that can help us in moving forward. This is a great time to work on any self-worth issues, because how we feel about ourselves does have a direct bearing on what we attract into our lives. If we think we are not deserving, we simply won’t bring to us what we so dearly want! If we work on loving ourselves and recognising our worth then we stop projecting a sense of lack onto our lives and relationships. Sometimes people from the past can resurface during Venus retrograde, especially if there is any unfinished business to clear.
 
All in all this seems like a fairly hard working Moon, whereby we are invited to look inside and recognise what needs improving or re-adjusting. Full Moons do tend to bring some rather strong emotions to the surface, which often show themselves in the realms of our close relationships. Virgo is actually a transitional archetype, the bridge between Leo and Libra. While in Leo we feel very self-confident, as if we can do no wrong and are at the centre of the universe, with everything and everyone revolving around us, Virgo seeks to burst the bubble of self-importance and find true humility. In Virgo we go through a much needed adjustment period, a crisis of sorts, where we realise that actually we are not that great and still have work to do before we get to Libra and go out and relate to others on an equal basis. Virgo reminds us that we are no more important than anyone else and shows us what changes we need to improve our relationships and go out into the world as effective human beings. During this Moon we should try not to be too hard on ourselves or our loved ones, but rather try and embody both Pisces and Virgo by having true compassion for ourselves while at the same time recognising what
what we can do to become a more effective vehicle to serve the whole.

 
Much love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Photo: White Rose of Purity - Unknown
0 Comments

    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!

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

    Categories

    All
    Aspects
    Chinese New Year
    Equinox
    Full Moons
    Lunar Eclipse
    Meditation
    New Moons
    Planetary Shift
    Retrogrades
    Solar Eclipse
    Solstice
    Supermoons
    Total Luna Eclipse
    Total Solar Eclipse

    RSS Feed