Goals & Daily Life

“I see that I’ve become a really bad correspondent. It’s not that I don’t think of you.
You come into my thoughts often. But when you do it appears to me that I owe you a particularly grand letter. And so you end in the “warehouse of good intentions”:
“Can’t do it now.” “Then put it on hold.” This is one’s strategy for coping with old age,
and with death–because one can’t die with so many obligations in storage.
Our clever species, so fertile and resourceful in denying its weaknesses.”
― Saul Bellow

 

The week begins with the Sun in Virgo and the Moon void of course in Libra until it enters Scorpio late Monday evening. Monday is a (parenthesis) before the week officially begins and an opportunity to sharpen our tools for the work that lays ahead of us. A necessary period of inner refinement, adjusting our compass and vision as we find ourselves oscillating between our instinctual-desire-nature and our rational-pragmatic-intellect.

Constructive actions in tandem with inspired insights permeates this week. There is a lot of juicy momentum and it could even feel as if things are moving waaaay too fast for you to catch a break. Productivity is high on the list right now, and as a result procrastination hangs like a shadow over our game plan.

The soul craves synthesis while the mind dissects every aspects of existence.

The Moon will travel in Scorpio until late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning when it enters Sagittarius. The Moon in Sagittarius all day Thursday (Jupiter’s day) applies to a conjunction with Jupiter. The First Quarter Moon happens at 13º Sagittarius this month when it squares the Sun at 13º Virgo.

The First Quarter Moon is a time of action or crisis when the plans that were laid at the New Moon in Virgo on the 30th of August are being challenged or are starting to gain traction. This First Quarter Moon brings attention to our big idea or vision and the execution of this particular vision or idea. We have to trust that we will get there but we also have to put in the efforts required to get there.

Perspective gets lost when we spend too much time on the details (Virgo). However it can also be hard to execute a big idea if we don’t delineate a practical way to get there (Sagittarius). You could feel overwhelmed by the amount of preparation necessary for the execution of your idea/goal, losing perspective on where you were going it in the first place. Or it could be that you are so taken by your big project that you totally brush over the details and neglect some important steps in the process.

The Moon in Sagittarius will be next to Jupiter at the time of the First Quarter Moon on Friday September 7th – giving us a huge boost of confidence and faith that ”everything will turn alright”. We KNOW what we have to do, but it doesn’t mean we have the discipline to do it. It’s one thing to know, it’s another thing entirely to repeat the process day after day to install a new routine, a new program that will lead us to a new helpful habit. There is a conflict between knowing and executing, between an idea and the implementation of that idea into a tangible process. Time and patience is required as nothing is born overnight and it’s a good idea to keep that in mind as you navigate Virgo season and find yourself going over everything that remains to be done. Be patient and be happy for the process, because every step of the process is what eventually leads you to the desired result.

The Moon enters Capricorn Saturday morning, and here we are again, back at the working bench, at the drawing table with our plans and our to-do lists, and the burden of all that remains to be done. Time is slipping away so fast, and there are still too many details to deal with. We are not quite as healthy, productive, efficient, and successful as we could be, and it could all be too obvious next weekend. The Moon travels in Capricorn next Saturday and Sunday, convincing us that there are vegetables to harvest and preserve, fire wood to split, renovations to do, and all kinds of work left to be done. Not the most relaxing weekend but a productive one I hope.

Most planets traveling in the Earth element (Taurus – Virgo – Capricorn)  means it’s a great time to get stuff done, but terrible for anxiety around status, work, income, discipline, and habits. Don’t compare yourself too much. You are exactly where you are suppose to be; trust your process.

“You have to believe. Otherwise, it will never happen.”
― Neil Gaiman

WEEK OF AUGUST 5th, 2019: OUR PRIDE AND AFFECTIONS

 Artwork by Jasper Goodall 

Stand straight, walk proud, have a little faith
-Garth Brooks

The week begins with the Moon in Libra until it enters Scorpio on Tuesday signalling the First Quarter Moon. The Moon enters Sagittarius on Thursday, and remains on the archer’s territory until early Sunday morning when it enters Capricorn. The First Quarter Moon is a time of action and momentum when we are challenged to implement what was seeded at the New Moon and push forward.

SPIRIT
Passion burns hot this week as we move deeper into Leo season and straight into the heart of summer. The Sun in the second decan of Leo is bright indeed and Venus blinded by the rays inches closer and closer to the royal throne. By August 14, Venus will disappear completely into the Sun purifying herself in a baptism of light, rebirthing as an evening ”star”. The Sun and Venus in Leo will set the mood this week with loud and colourful roars and regal displays. Pride and affection for what we have created, what we have become, what we value and love is sure to be a theme. We might be moved to expose the content of our heart’s joys for all to see while other folks might dowse themselves in just-a-little-bit too much perfume.

FAITH
The Sun in Leo is moving towards a trine with Jupiter in Sagittarius (exact on Wednesday) and this should give us the ability to say YES more. This easy going and joyful sky is giving us plenty of reasons to celebrate life and make the difficult things a little bit easier to bare. Jupiter stations direct on August 11 after moving retrograde since April 10, 2019. On the same day, Mercury enters Leo and Uranus stations retrograde in Taurus creating a lot of momentum which culminates on Sunday. The Moon entering Sagittarius on Thursday (Jupiter’s day) gives the signal to launch the fireworks, release the helium balloons, cut the red ribbon, and trust that it will all work out. There is a hopeful quality that permeates the week and it is an excellent time to gain perspective on what remains to be accomplished while elevating your standards. Fill your engine to the brim with the potentiality latent in your dreams and aim higher. This is a time of joy, faith and courage; send your prayers and show gratitude accordingly.

THE SALES PITCH
Mercury re-enters the Lion’s den on Sunday at 15:45 EDT after having turned retrograde here in Leo before moving back into the sign of Cancer for most of July. If there is still a faint tinged of longing permeating our minds this week, it will definitely subside by Sunday. The radio stations which until now played a series of nostalgic and sappy songs will now be showcasing ”The Greatest Hits of all Time”. Mercury can be persuasive in the sign of Leo especially when supported by Jupiter. If you have to sell your salad ( convince someone), now and in the next few weeks is a good time to do so. You can expect however that everyone at the market will also have the best salad to sell; you could find yourself shouting in order to be heard.

The Fixed season of Leo is a time of conviction and this year Jupiter in Sagittarius is boosting the signal. Depending on natal disposition some folks might be totally blinded by their beliefs, their pride, and their ideas. Moderate the enthusiasm with healthy dose of reflection before launching headfirst into a debate or a venture. Measured risk and optimism will be rewarded while hubris and arrogance could alienate others but overall, it’s an excellent week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take the high road

With the fast approaching square between Saturn and Jupiter there is a pressure to stand up for what we believe in. But what do we believe in? We are defining our convictions as we debate in the public arenas. The need to classify good and evil, enlightenment versus ignorance, tradition and conservatism versus the new and the uncharted. We feel limited by others judgments and philosophies. We clash and point fingers. Everyone is confident in their system of beliefs and ready to stand up to prove it. We want to have faith in the good of others but we mistrust and doubt them. This helps us refine our thinking and what we are willing to invest time and energy into. But it can also be very draining. During this ongoing process, we can decide to walk the high road. There is space for everyone here. Hatred is a potent poison but love is much sweeter and effective.

Believe it.

Faith and Practicality

The Moon is in Sagittarius applying to conjoin Saturn at 5º Sagittarius and sextile Venus in Libra. Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius is in Virgo, and the Saturn/Neptune square is intensifying. A call to bring focus and humility to our vision and work patiently and diligently towards it.

☾ ♐︎
The image is one of a student apprentice, on a mission to collect herbs he will need for his work. Perhaps he stops for a moment to contemplate the landscape, but he will not get lost in his meditations. His attention turns towards finding the plants, and all the work that still needs to be done.

♃ ♍︎
The time has come to direct our inner fire towards some sort of bigger accomplishment.  We know that to get there, we will need to hold the image in our mind’s eye. There is no time for meaningless activities. We are either looking for the path, or we are well on our way. Anxious to move ahead, there is a concentrated effort and our gaze is on the horizon.  Between the desire for something meaningful, and our ideal, we can find the inner resourcefulness we need to keep going.

Like a pilgrim guided by his prayers, we are now imbued with the faith needed to move forward. There is still a long road ahead but each step is an offering to our vision.

Moon in Virgo Meditation

”What some might call the restrictions of the daily office they find to be an opportunity to foster the inner life. The hours are appointed and named… Life’s fretfulness is transcended. The different and the novel are sweet, but regularity and repetition are also teachers…

And if you have no ceremony, no habits, which may be opulent or may be simple but are exact and rigorous and familiar, how can you reach toward the actuality of faith, or even a moral life, except vaguely?

The patterns of our lives reveal us. Our habits measure us. Our battles with our habits speak of dreams yet to become real.”

-Mary Oliver

God is in the details

FULL MOON IN PISCES-SATURDAY AUGUST 29 2015 @ 2:35 PM EDT.

This weekend’s full moon makes me think of the boat builder who finally gets to bring his boat on the ocean to see how it will sail. What happens once he goes out and launches his boat on the big open waters? Well first of all, there is an element of surrendering.  After the work is done, each step carefully followed: stem. keel, moulds, battens, timbers, and planking, the builder is relying on his faith.  Faith in his work, faith in the techniques used and the knowledge passed down from generations. Something else is at work here, and even though the boat builder is a skilled artisan, ultimately once he puts his boat on the water it doesn’t matter how much he knows about buoyancy because the ocean has the last word.

Aran Islanders, Martin Driscoll

How does an object of art comes to be born?

It starts with a flash of insight, a vague image, a sensation of the shape to come. Inspiration, like the ocean has its own will. It is not controlled easily and in order for the artist to create, he must surrender to the process. The role of the artist is to translate the vision into form. We all have access to the realm of the intangible through our imagination, at night through dreams or through artificial paradise. But to bring back these visions and put them into forms takes a lot of hard work!

Sometime you look at a painting and you say:  ”I could of totally painted that!” Why is this artist getting praise for something that is seamingly so easy to do?

Well the answer is simple:  Because he did it and not you.  He took the vision and brought it into  form. It’s a very simple idea but the hardest step, because it takes practice. To materialise, to pull out the dream, out of the void and make something tangible you need to do it often. To be good at something you need to do it every day.  In order to actually materialise the vision, you must try and try again, day after day until it becomes like a second nature. Until you become a passage for the dream to pass through.  Until you become the voice for the soul of the world, a translator of the intangible: that is the role of the artist.

I really like this quote from Terence McKenna:

“The creative act is a letting down of the net of human imagination into the ocean of chaos on which we are suspended, and the attempt to bring out of it ideas.”

Fritz Hegenbart

This weekend’s full moon is illuminating the paradox between our imagination and reality. Between what we would like our life to be and the daily rituals we do to get there. What you do, day after day and how it shapes your destiny. The master piece is your life and the balance between surrendering to it and shaping it takes skills. You don’t want to be a total control freak,  but you also know that drifting aimlessly is a sure way to feel sorry for yourself. Go with the flow but where is the flow going?

God is in the details expresses the idea that whatever one does should be done thoroughly. When you pay attention to the details, the whole becomes a masterpiece. What you do with your days, how you fill them, the work, the habits, the rituals is how you shape your life.

So what are you creating?

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Go to the spring where the fairy lives

Fill your cup with the magical waters

and sing with them in praise of the absolute

And when you come back to the city

where the cynical man dwells

remember the song that filled you with joy

and sing it.

Art by Forest Rogers