Before we choose a body and a time to birth through the portal of our mother’s womb, we carefully craft and lovingly create a path that is worthy of our time, energy, and attention on planet Earth, one that creates resolution and is a profound part of our soul’s journey. But this is only if we remember what we’re here to do without getting caught in the many webs that threaten to hold us captive. A part of us knows the blueprint we’ve intended, but life is so full of all the things that it is, that sometimes—or always—we get derailed, forgetting who we are and just what we’re here for. We go for joy rides here and there, get pulled into patterns of overwork, overeating, overindulging in all the ways that humans can; we overextend ourselves or codependently inhabit our lives in ways that keep us in a pattern of forgetfulness, following this trend or that fad, hanging out with people who keep us feeling comfortable as we sleep our way through life, until we’re at the end, only to realize we didn’t do much of what we set out to do in the first place. Of course this is one option, but it certainly isn’t the only way.

I don’t write this to make light of the human conundrum. Well, I do in part because through one lens, or a few, all of it is quite silly. Of course I’ve found myself in most of the patterns mentioned at some point or another along my own life’s course. But it couldn’t be any other way, for this is part of what we do in the human experience—we forget, if only so we can remember. And Pisces wants us to remember. It encourages us to dream, and to experience ourselves beyond the concept of who our minds think we are. It asks that we know our essential nature, that which is inherently intelligent and innately divine. It beckons us to the portal of possibility that is held in each moment—but certainly some more than others—so that we come to the brink of where we thought we ended, only to realize we’re much more expansive than we ever could have fathomed. It beseeches us to know what’s beyond the mind and cannot be known by just the mind because knowing this part of us requires ALL of ourselves. It welcomes us into the realm of intuition and magic, the place where all potential dwells, and asks us to abide here, if only so we can recall the soul journey we’re here to experience, bringing the optimal blueprint to life as our very selves and within our very lives.

So I might ask, what happens when you lose the concept of yourself, only to find your true Self? What happens when you allow yourself to dream, only to wake up to the reality that it’s all kind of one big dream? What happens when you realize that you’re the main character in your own, that there is certainly a point to all of this (likely there are many), and that you’re meant to remember the bigger purpose of the dream you had before you came here while you’re here, and then to live it?

This eclipse is kind of like that. It’s an invitation to know who you truly are, why you’re actually here, and how you’ve been forgetting all of this, as well as what you can do to remember it and reclaim it. Virgo, the master of whatever it chooses to pour itself into and the adept at the tasks it endeavors to accomplish, brings meticulous ground to the dreaming, laying a foundation of systems and structures that make the vision a reality. With Mercury in the sign of Skill and Craft opposing the Full Moon, it may bring insights that shift our perception so that we can see the bigger picture and know what must be accomplished to make it real. Its ideas focus on the specifics so we can continue allowing the dreaming without forgetting to actually live our lives. It gifts us with the ability to articulate our vision and use our powerful insights and awareness to actualize its entirety.

Uranus in Gemini forms a tight square to the Full Moon, reminding us that letting in too much information of too many kinds has the capacity to keep us from dreaming our own dream into reality and also, that we can be swayed by others’ to the point of thwarting our own. We may give ourselves over to the constant barrage of news that is generally someone’s opinion, losing ourselves to ideas that may not even be true without realizing we’ve given our sovereignty away to someone—or many someones—in the process. Uranus asks that we claim our authentic selves without basing our choices on outside opinions. It wants us to actually do what our deepest, most real truth within tells us to do. And that can only happen when we put down the devices and spend some time getting to know that part of who we are—remember? The part that’s intuitive, magical, and good at dreaming?—in order to work with the Geminian sign of the zodiac as an energy that keeps us inherently curious, open to insights and epiphanies, and aligned with the synchronistic movement of life. This is the part that knows there are more ideas than there are lived realities, and that as soon as we choose the one that aligns with our deepest, truest self, we can and must live this as though it were the only way. At this point, it becomes about prioritizing staying connected with the bigger flow of life and co-creating with it rather than getting stuck in the infinite eddy pools of reality that would gladly suck us in without giving us anything in return—except, perhaps, fear, anxiety, and a sense of existential doom. I’ll have a half caf cortado with my dreaming, thank you very much. But if you’d prefer the rabbit hole of doom and gloom, it is certainly always there for you, and you always have a choice.

The continued backdrop of Fire and Air signs is no less intense, save this amazing reprieve of Earth and Water held within the Virgo-Pisces axis. If you’d like to read more about the outer planets and what they’re up to, you can do so in my last couple of posts. Pluto in Aquarius still trines Uranus, and both Uranus and Pluto in Air signs sextile Neptune in Aries. All of this is still very active, and yet, this eclipse brings a welcome pause from the intensity we’ve been feeling and will continue to feel from the celestial bodies. Saturn in Aries and Jupiter in Leo form a tight trine as well, reminding us that expanding into our creatively expressive potential requires the hard work of facing our fears, staring them down, and proving them to be untrue so that we can shine as the bright beings we came here to be. And you might know what I’m going to say about that: this process is greatly aided by spending some time dreaming as the mystic who knows that meditating on the mountain (or anywhere at all) is infinitely helpful to make this possible.

As we move through this portal, may you remember who you are and why you’re here, and may you weave your own magic into the world we share. It is time, and our world certainly needs it. Wishing you a momentous and meaningful eclipse!

Photo by November Wild

I settle into the reminder that having a place of shelter is a boon in these quickly-changing times, these topsy-turvy, twisting, turning times. That I chose to be here for reasons that will keep me beyond the current script, that will hold me when it gets to be too much. Though my heart aches for the forests and animals, the people and places so affected by what is happening, I know how resilient we all are—communities, families, herds, and flocks. How when we are tested, we only grow more so in the face of what is.

Isn’t this what the planets promised—those celestial bodies that so clearly impact our lives, now all in Fire and Air signs—with only a small smattering of Water and Earth? The story of this land isn’t the same across the continent, as wildfires and droughts make their mark in some places—and floods of torrential rain threaten to stream down for an eternity until all is washed away in others. But in the midst of it all, something within me knows that this was always how it would be. And that thriving is more than possible when the world seems it’s damaged beyond repair. Isn’t this the place where breakthrough truly happens?

Eclipse Seasons are known for creating possible breakdowns and certainly breakthroughs on the other side, if we so choose this path. And with the first eclipse on the Leo-Aquarius axis since January 21st, 2019, a cycle that began on February 11th, 2017, we are welcomed to be present with what comes to the surface to be seen, felt, and understood before it’s integrated and released. We’re invited to insights that abound and make themselves clear, and the deepened awareness and discernment that arise when we become available to all that is ready to be known. This eclipse begins on the axis that will continue until January 26th, 2028.

A cosmic ‘basket’ that took place just one month ago with Cancer’s New Moon is similarly positioned, only with a couple additional players in the mix. Let’s start with Leo, where the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Mercury are all hanging out. Leo is here to roar its creativity into the world. It is not here to be daunted or stopped, but to express itself fully in the ways that it knows best. It sings to life, brings to life, dances to life, acts to life its birthright, and encourages us to step into the shine that is inherently alive in the heart of all. It is meant to be seen and heard, radiating its bright energy upon others so they feel called to do the same in their own way. Its presence naturally calls forth in others what is meant to be known and expressed. It reminds us to show up as the divine beings that we are, in all the ways that are most vital within us—and right now! Blinding as it may be, it inherently glows and reminds us to do the same. Those with Leo in their birth charts have a mission to do just this, and the sign, house, and aspecting planets will support the how, why, and in which ways.

Of course all signs have their shadows, and Leo is not immune to these. Though it’s ruled by the Sun, it can still go astray from its own clear energy. When out of balance, it can’t handle what it considers being outshone by anyone else. It forgets that this is only possible when we see energy as a limited resource, which hinders the ability to attract it even more. In constantly seeking the spotlight, it learns to live from a place of egotism, not leaving space for who it is as a soul. And when it forgets that others are meant to shine just as beautifully and brightly, it becomes an insatiable void in the room that sucks the light from everyone else. It disregards the reality that we are all meant to shine in our unique ways, and we’re here to celebrate others’ gifts and skills alongside our own, even lifting them up to honor who they are and what they bring.

This eclipse will give us the chance to let the creative force move through us, as well as to celebrate the way it moves through others. It asks that we be playful, even downright silly, and to do the things that bring a childlike joy that has no comparison. And speaking of the Child, this is an archetype of the Lion. By tending to and nurturing the one that lives within, Leonine energy grows bright on its own, without needing external approval or the validation of others. If this part of us needs to be seen and integrated, this eclipse will bring the perfect opportunity.

Archetypically, Leo is also the Sovereign, i.e., the Queen or the King—and not in the hyper-dramatic sense of the word. In the Celtic view of reality, anyone who stepped into the role of Kingship was marrying himself to the land by swearing a sacred oath to uphold and honor the relationship he held to it. The King vowed to care for the earth and the people it housed, and thus, to care for the Goddess at the heart of all life. When a King abused the land (or people) he swore to protect, it was thought that drought, famine, fires, and floods would ensue. Interesting. Though this may sound more like Taurean energy in the zodiacal wheel, this vow of sovereignty was innate to the Celtic way of being. This form of power within ourselves asks that we tune into and deepen our relationship with the earth, showing up to protect and love it in the ways we can, for it gives us a home, food, and resources—everything made comes from the earth in some form. It also asks that we show up as sovereign beings—divine beings having a human experience—ones in which we’re meant to grow, transform, and evolve as part of our pact for taking on the body we also call home. And roaring like the Lion in ways that celebrate life and our connection to it, as well as the work and play we’re here to call to life, are at the heart of this eclipse cycle.

With Jupiter and Mercury in the sign of the Lion—though not technically conjunct the New Moon, but in relationship to the planets below—our capacity to express ourselves creatively expands exponentially, especially when it comes to using our voice, shifting our perceptions around value of self and other, and speaking the truth when it is time. Though I wrote this a month ago, I feel called to share it again here: Opportunities abound when Jupiter is around, and in the sign of Leo, anything is possible. We are meant to shine these possibilities from deep within our own beings, aligning with the creative force of reality to make it so. We are here to be seen, to be inspired and inspiring, and to live into the truth that is our most fundamental nature. We’re here to creatively express what makes us unique and to manifest and share what lives in the depths of our beings. And with Mercury conjunct the ‘King of Gods,’ we’re meant roar in ways we haven’t yet, lifting our voices together to bring to life from the Creative realms what will heal the world, one breath at a time.

With Pluto opposing the ‘Messenger of Gods,’ if we are not shining authentically, we are meant to see the how and the why of it. If we’re still needing to go into the deep, unconscious self to reclaim super powers and magical skills that are waiting for us, we’ll know it. If we’re still blaming others for our own inability to step into our innate divinity, we’ll know it. Pluto holds up the mirror of reality, and in Aquarius, he shows us all the parts of our authentic selves we’ve been unable or unwilling to bring home into the current version of who we are. This New Moon eclipse and Pluto-Mercury opposition is the perfect time to go in and do the inner work required for us to embody and express our most brilliant nature. Pluto reminds us that what was most authentic may have been buried deep within our DNA or within the wisdom of our souls or ancestral lines, only to be sought out and integrated. Doing so allows us to shine more resplendently, as Leo encourages.

Uranus sextiles Mercury and Neptune and trines Pluto and Venus. From last month: This planet shakes up reality in a way that encourages us to inhabit all of who we are, relinquishing the outdated thought patterns, belief systems, and limiting structures that can no longer take up space in our bodies, minds, hearts, and energy fields. When in the Air sign of Gemini, insights and revelations, a-ha moments and bright ideas are its currency, expanded awareness sometimes shocking us into the truth a part of us has always known. We’re invited to stay open to the possibility of embodying our most clear selves, as well as the notions that help us know how to do just that. When we claim this Uranian energy as our own, what we once felt ‘shoulder shrug’ about is now a resonant ‘no’. What we once only dreamed we could do becomes a resounding ‘yes’. Anything else, and we’re left in the confusion (and/or rigid misunderstanding) of our own outmoded ideas that may have nourished a 30-year-old version of ourselves, but certainly cannot sustain the current self. (If you’re now 30, just input 20 to that last sentence!)

Neptune in Aries wants us to step out of living our ‘spiritual selves’ in the confines of our homes, temples, churches, or yoga studios—the hidden parts of our lives. It asks that we live this version of who we are fully in the world, claiming this as a fundamental part of ourselves, hands down. Rather than losing ourselves to anger or rage, Neptune in the sign of the Leader and the Pioneer asks us to embody our most true Self, to be sovereign in our innate divinity, and not just when it’s comfortable. With Aries, action is required, for non-action is also a statement and a stance. Courage is necessary, for if it were easy, we wouldn’t get to know just what we’re capable of. Fierce grace is prescribed, for if we can’t claim the things in ourselves and lives that are the most challenging to claim, we’ll forever be living in the shadows of our potential selves, wondering what might’ve happened if we’d chosen differently.

Venus in Libra asks that we spend time with those who are able to truly see, feel, and understand us, those who can meet us reciprocally as the authentic beings we came here to be. She needs connection that doesn’t ask her to step out of her real self to force this reality, but instead lovingly brings the dignity and grace that welcomes the truth of who we are into the relationship. Those who are comfortable with the way in which we shine, and we, them, are certainly included here. Those who make it clear that they are not—well, that’s an obvious one. And it’s not bad or wrong to naturally feel at home in some relationships and not in others. This is the way of life, and Venus asks that we honor this fact for ourselves and others so that we may all walk our paths of embodied evolution. It is the way of the Sovereign.

As we approach this eclipse season, may you roar in the ways that are most aligned with your soul truth and path. May you let your shine burst forth in the ways that only you can, reclaiming your song and your voice, your body, mind, and soul. And may you delight in doing it, as well as the beauty that transpires because you did.

Full Moons are generally not times of initiation; rather, they are associated with the fullness of expression and the fruition of a process at its zenith—the height of our emotional experience and all the feels that are available to us as we move through this embodied experience. Yet here we are, two weeks after the New Moon that welcomed such powerful shifts into the fore with all its trines and sextiles (read more here: https://lilapiercebrown.substack.com/p/cancers-flowing-new-moon-amidst-a), only for us to expand into their abundance as the Sun and Moon align with two of the celestial players, shining their brilliance and intuition onto what has already proven to be a potent portal.

Aquarius entreats us to be as radically authentic to ourselves as we possibly can be, and in so doing, to free ourselves from the outmoded, outdated, worn-out paradigm that has kept us ensnared all our lives, or perhaps even longer than that. It invites us to put down the parts of ourselves that are overly comfortable leading the way—but who haven’t made room for the rest of us to show up. Pluto in a tight conjunction with the Moon here triggers us into action, encouraging us to dig deeply and do the fierce work of showing up as the most real version of ourselves we possibly can. And with Aquarius carrying such deep ties to the collective, we are inspired by those who show up in ways that resonate with us, encouraged to create an environment of belonging within our own bodies, minds, and hearts so that we can weave these threads into the infinite tapestry that we are making together.

These words of James Hillman speak clearly to Aquarian energy:

‘The soul of each of us is given a unique daimon before we are born, and it has selected an image or pattern that we live on earth. This soul-companion, the daimon, guides us here in the process of arrival, however, we forget all that took place and believe we come empty into this world. The daimon remembers what is in your image and belongs to your pattern, therefore the daimon is the carrier of your destiny.’

Hillman’s words remind us that when we attune our awareness to and follow this distinctly personal path of truth—our genius to the Romans, our anam chara to the Celts—we are essentially living in alignment with our most authentic selves and the purpose we came to the planet to fulfill. Aquarius reminds us that the seeds of this knowing are planted deep within us, and that nourishing them and letting them lead the way moves us toward our most vibrant and enriching lives.

This Full Moon energy is made even more potent by Jupiter’s conjunction to the Sun in Leo. The ‘king of gods’ invites us to dream big, but perhaps not in the ways the dominant culture has taught us. I know this is likely obvious, but ‘dreaming big’ does not mean having a bigger house, a more expensive car, better toys and gadgets or nails and eyelashes. Instead, and in its current position, it asks that we know the Aquarian truth: we are divine beings having a human experience. The more we trust the deepest, truest sense of our innate nature and let IT lead the way, the more we will shine as we’re meant to, as we know we can, inspiring and encouraging others by simply being who we are. Jupiter isn’t just lucky; his energy asks that we stop playing small and forgetting our truth. He wants us to show up as the bright, shining beings that we are and have always been, living into this aspect of ourselves and our lives no matter what anyone else has to say about it. He encourages us to show up as the sovereigns within our own lives, co-creating with the inherent intelligence of reality from there.

Marianne Williamson’s brilliant quote epitomizes the dance of Leo and Aquarius—as well as Jupiter’s invitation—to step into our most brilliant selves.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure (Jupiter!). It is our life, not our darkness, that most frightens us…We are all meant to shine, as children do (Leo!). We were born to make manifest the glory of God(dess) that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear (Aquarius!), our presence automatically liberates others.”

What does it mean to connect with your most authentic self? What does the truth living deep within your heart and soul yearn for? How can you make it so, even if it begins with a tiny step?

As this lunar energy carries us into August, Lughnasadh—the Festival that marks Late Summer in the Northern Hemisphere—takes place on Saturday, August 1st this year. A Celtic cross-quarter day that falls midway between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox, this is a celebration that honors Lugh, the polymath god of kingship and craft, skill and mastery, warfare and oaths, as well as a few other things, I’ve no doubt! This festival is actually for his foster mother, Tailtiu, and you can read her story if you’d like here: https://www.pixiespocket.com/2017/08/tales-of-tailtiu-lugh-and-lughnasadh.html

Like Leo, the Solar-ruled sign this day falls within, Lughnasadh reminds us that celebration is a fundamental part of being human, and that enjoying ourselves with frolicking and other sundry practices is good for the heart and soul. Sun-drenched berries call us to them, and they burst with juicy flavor as we imbibe their delicious magic. Our skin, now used to the feel of the sun upon it, soaks up radiant beams, and these dry our tousled hair, wet from a late afternoon dip. Mosquitoes and black flies might buzz about, waiting for someone to harass and then bite—but let’s not go there. These are the joys of Late Summer!

Our ancestors marked this turn of the wheel with berry-gathering, merry-making, hill- or mountain-climbing, story-telling, dancing, and game-playing, to name a few. These same activities invite us to our own version of celebration, and we bring our contemporary spin to them to make them even more meaningful now. When we bask in the energy of the Late Summer sun, drinking in its warmth through our pores, we carry the joys from this time with us into the darker, quieter months to light us up when we need it most.

Which activities at this time of year uplift your heart and light up your soul so you can carry their gifts with you into the Fall and Winter?

May your Full Moon bring out the most authentic and sovereign version of you yet, and may you revel in the beauty that only comes with Late Summer’s Splendor.

Mercury moved retrograde in Cancer, who holds the archetypes of the Mother and the Nurturer, on June 29th. It will regress from 26°15’ back to 16°19’, then move direct again on July 24th. We’ve been swirling in a mix of emotional currents, riding highs and lows until the wisdom of each is revealed, the messages they carry are deeply understood, and the feelings they offer are fully felt. When the planet of perception is in the first of the water signs, it slows down to sense reality from a tender place, one that seeks to care for itself and others rather than simply figuring things out from its head. Yet if we greet this retrograde period as though nothing has changed, our ability to clearly discern what life is bringing to our kitchen table becomes perplexing at best, messy on average, and tumultuous at worst. This against the backdrop of a cosmic party that boasts Fire and Air signs as the honorary guests only invites our emotions to grow more cacophonous, unless we honor them properly, which I highly recommend! When we allow ourselves and others the grace of this process, the insights and epiphanies that are often carried during a Mercury retrograde period are more readily available, and we see clearly what we couldn’t before. Information that was hiding beneath reality’s surface becomes visible in ways that it wasn’t even a month ago, made completely apparent in our bodies, minds, and hearts.

Mercury forms a tight conjunction to the New Moon, enhancing our capacity to curiously engage with the depths of our feelings and our own care-giving powers. And what are the best ways to tend to ourselves and those we hold dear? A look at our natal charts and our Moon’s sign and house placement there might give us the clearest answer. So, too, will our own intuitive understanding of what truly nourishes our souls, no matter what anyone else has to say about it. For what is one person’s medicine may be another’s kryptonite, just as what feeds someone may cause an allergic reaction in their friend. Our progressed Moon will also offer insights on the matter, for as we shift through time, the cycles and seasons of life naturally show us what is most alive and healing for us in the moment, and this, we are meant to heed. The Moon in Cancer, the place where it feels most at home, urges us to those invitations and activities that foster a deep sense of well-being and an enduring happiness that carries us when life brings its challenges and hardships.

Because of Cancer’s innate relationship with family, we are welcomed to time with those we hold dear, be they bloodlines, soul family, or animal kin. The point here is that we’re meant to be nourished by spending time with those who honor us for who we are, exactly as we are, without a need for us to be anything other than what is most innate. The belonging that comes from this is something our souls deeply crave. Yet it’s also something that humans have bent themselves out of shape over, betraying what was authentic to their souls, to find. In its truest expression, the family that Cancerian energy refers to is that which holds us dear even, or especially, when we are unapologetically ourselves. We know these beings when we feel them, for they welcome all parts of us without a need for us to look or be any other way. This, then, becomes the healing that the Cancer New Moon provides in one of its truest forms.

Now, onto the Fire and Air signs, many of which form sextiles (60° angles) and trines (120° angles) with one another. Jupiter in Leo forms a sextile with Uranus in Gemini, a trine with Neptune in Aries, and an opposition with Pluto in Aquarius. Uranus in Gemini forms a sextile with Neptune in Aries and a trine with Pluto. Neptune forms a sextile with Pluto. And all of these are within a 1.5° orb of each other—in other words, these aspects are very tight, increasing our ability to feel what they’re bringing our way!

Jupiter ingressed into the sign of Leo on June 30th of this year, where it will remain until July 26th, 2027. Jupiter always wants us to expand into our inherent potential, letting it lead the way, as opposed to the fears and doubts we’ve been socially, culturally, and ancestrally conditioned to hide behind. Opportunities abound when Jupiter is around! Especially in the sign of Leo, anything is possible, and we are meant to shine these possibilities from deep within our own beings, aligning with the creative force of reality to make it so. We are here to be seen, to be inspired and inspiring, and to live into the truth that is our most fundamental nature. We’re here to creatively express what makes us unique and to manifest and share what lives in the depths of our beings.

With Pluto opposing the ‘King of Gods,’ if we are not shining authentically, we will know it. If we’re still needing to go into the deep, unconscious self to reclaim super powers and magical skills that are waiting for us, we’ll know it. If we’re still blaming others for our own inability to step into our innate divinity, we’ll know it. Pluto holds up the mirror of reality, and in Aquarius, he especially shows us all the parts of our authentic selves we’ve been unable or unwilling to bring home into the current version of who we are. And this opposition is the perfect time to go in and do the inner work required for us to embody and express our most brilliant nature. Pluto reminds us that what was most authentic may have been buried deep within our DNA or within the wisdom of our souls, only to be sought out and integrated. Doing so will only allow us to shine more resplendently, as Leo encourages. The next time Pluto opposes Jupiter is in 2038, so there is certainly no time like the present!

Uranus ingressed into Gemini again on April 25th of this year, where it will remain until August 3rd, 2032 (and then one last time from December 12th, 2032–May 22nd, 2033). The ruling planet of Aquarius, this player is considered the planet of astrology, as well as the great liberator, for it shakes up reality in a way that encourages us to inhabit all of who we are, relinquishing the outdated thought patterns, belief systems, and limiting structures that can no longer take up space in our bodies, minds, hearts, and energy fields. When in the Air sign of Gemini, insights and revelations, a-ha moments and bright ideas are its currency, expanded awareness sometimes shocking us into the truth a part of us has always known. We’re invited to stay open to the possibility of embodying our most clear selves, as well as the notions that help us know how to do just that. When we claim this Uranian energy as our own, what we once felt ‘shoulder shrug’ about is now a resonant ‘no’. What we once only dreamed we could do becomes a resounding ‘yes’. Anything else, and we’re left in the confusion (and/or rigid misunderstanding) of our own outmoded ideas that may have nourished a 30-year-old version of ourselves, but certainly cannot sustain the current self. (If you’re now 30, just input 20 to that last sentence!)

Neptune moved into Aries on January 26th, 2026, where it will remain until March 24th, 2039. We are no longer meant to live into our ‘spiritual selves’ in the confines of our homes, temples, churches, or yoga studios—the hidden parts of our lives. We are meant to live this version of who we are fully in the world, claiming this as a fundamental part of ourselves, hands down. Rather than losing ourselves to anger or rage, Neptune in the sign of the Leader and the Pioneer asks us to embody our most true Self, to be a divine being having a human experience, and not just when it’s comfortable. It asks us to do this especially when we are challenged. With Aries, action is required, for non-action is also a statement and a stance. Courage is necessary, for if it were easy, we wouldn’t get to know just what we’re capable of. Fierce grace is prescribed, for if we can’t claim the things in ourselves and lives that are the most challenging to claim, we’ll forever be living in the shadows of our potential selves, wondering what might’ve happened if we’d chosen differently.

I’m sure there are other things we could converse on—the sky is ripe with opportunities! But this seems plenty to chew on, integrate, and live. May your Mercury retrograde and Cancer New Moon bring the ease and nourishment your heart and soul long for, and may the commotion of the Fire and Air elements give you the energy needed for this next phase of your own life. I wish you an abundance of blessings wherever you are on this journey!

Gemini reminds us to open ourselves to the bigger conversation that Life seeks to have with us, through us, as us. It encourages us to pay attention to the memos, to make space for the the messages, and to become available to the material that Reality wants to offer us in each and every moment. But so often the only ‘reality’ we’re aware of is that which is happening in our minds, which is not what I’m referring to at all. The ‘reality’ that’s in our minds only—what many with an Eastern bent would call ‘maya’, which literally translates to ‘a measure of’ that which is infinite, and often gets called simply, ‘illusion’—is the thing that keeps us trapped in a never-ending cycle of misperception. And while Gemini is often quite good at sticking with its own mentally-driven material, it’s also got the super power of being able to receive signs and signals from the Universe that stop the mind in its tracks, giving way to insight, epiphany, and straight-up revelation. These are the moments I refer to when I write, ‘the bigger conversation that Life seeks to have with us, through us, as us.’

Beings on the path of awakening have pointed time and again to this simple feature of the human mind. They’ve highlighted the fact that it takes what it sees and experiences in life, then filters these things through the complex web of karmic, ancestral, familial, social, and psychological conditioning in order to arrive at a much different place than the experience on its own contained. For example, if five random people were invited to the same event, not only would each have a completely varied experience of what happened in comparison to their peers, but the message and understanding they’d take away from the occasion would also be totally varied. This is because the way each of our minds—not to mention hearts, bodies, and souls—are wired is very unique. The trick isn’t to stop the mind from doing what it does best, i.e., think, it’s to know the terrain we’re navigating so thoroughly that we recognize we’re peering at life through this set of particular complexities, and to be able to put the lens down every now and again in order to truly experience life as it is—as well as to know that our own set of preferences are both gateways to and distractions from the ultimate truth that’s always unfolding itself from ‘within us and without us’.

Now Gemini, being the first Air sign and necessarily the most oriented toward thinking, is very good at this task. It also tends to be great at conversing, chatting, and gathering ideas, then sharing them in short, transparent aphorisms. It takes in complicated information, then turns it into easy-to-understand concepts. This is why its archetypes include the Teacher and the Story-teller, as well as the Journalist and the Witness. It’s expert at asking the right questions to beget answers that, in fact, have a tendency to bring insight and a-ha moments. Yet in order to get here, it must be willing to shift its view from the million-miles-a-minute mental state, making space for the synchronistic experience that’s always just a moment away. When it does this, its perception opens, the moment of eureka happens, and it’s left better off than where and when it began. But only if it can switch its focus from the tempting thought streams that constantly pull it in a thousand directions, and all at once! When it remains embedded within this cerebral clutter, mental chaos ensues, as well as a dysregulated nervous system, a very real sense of overwhelm, and a cacophony of convictions that all demand its attention, and not only that, demand its belief in them. Sound familiar?

The irony within the sign of the twins is this: while it’s certainly the most thinking-oriented of them, it can probe reality with a tried-and-true curiosity that leads it to moments of wonder, its real currency. It paradoxically has the ability to use its mind to foil itself and create more confusion, or preferably, to move into moments of awe that stop the mind in its tracks, leaving room for the magic of the Universe to deliver its message. This is truly what Gemini needs to keep it going and makes all of the movement it seeks worthwhile. Adept at following life’s proverbial breadcrumbs, letting its curiosity lead it exactly where it’s meant to go, Gemini can take one step outside its door, and anything is possible. Making itself available to the way Life wants to move it by tuning into its own interests, it is pleasantly surprised, obviously delighted, and clearly charmed by what it finds. And all because it chose to have a ‘conversation’ with life’s infinite potential.

Gemini certainly needs very real conversations as well, ones that get its mind ticking in ways that invite the all-so-important ‘a-has’. When it approaches these with receptivity and open-mindedness, anything also becomes possible here, the place where new ideas are born, fresh innovations are dreamt, and downloads are received. These, too, are as significant to the twins as novel experiences, for its critical requirement is keeping things moving, varied, and unique before its mind has a chance to get bored by them! Yet the threshold here is clear—constantly probing reality for what’s new and different can be the biggest trap, so Gemini must learn to harness the energy of living the questions and possibilities, as Rilke said, rather than driving itself mad constantly seeking the unknown. And this is a real skill, indeed!

Especially as the world continues to become what seems more unhinged, practices and techniques that invite us to connect with Life’s magical memos grow absolutely necessary. When we allow ourselves to be available to the signs, symbols, and omens that the Universe is constantly offering, we tap into the very moments of insight and understanding I write about here. And though constant conversation and thinking can sometimes bring an epiphany, it’s more likely that we’ll undergo this shift in perception when we pause for a moment or a few, making space for bigger Reality to magically reveal itself in ways we could never have imagined or made up ourselves. That might mean putting down the phone or putting away the screen, and choosing to use technology as tools rather than things that think and perceive for us, as devices that take us away from the synchronistic movement of life rather than toward it.

Where we’re headed as a human family seems to be necessitating the conversation about the role of technology in our lives, for in having it, we grow more clear on where we can and must draw the line within our own personal and professional lives, and the role it can and should play in our families, communities, and businesses. Because while having a ‘convo’ with AI might be helpful when it comes to making recipes for the week or knowing how to most effectively stretch the TFL, when I’m needing real human connection and dialogues that come from only this realm, not to mention those with Spirit, guides, and ancestors that come from another, I will not be turning to my devices. The same is true with my writing. I have a hard time reading other astrology reports before I birth my own into the world, so that is most definitely true for AI: I just don’t have any space for it in this aspect of my life. There’s no room for it in bringing my ideas to life, unless I’m asking another way to say, “drop me a line,” or something simple like that. Wordhippo does a great job here most of the time anyway!

What does it mean to be open to Life, to make yourself available to Reality, and to synchronistically align yourself with its magic? What are some ways you can bring these themes to life as we approach the Gemini New Moon? Which conversations are necessary for you during this time of rapid transition in technology?

The Summer Solstice takes place on Sunday, June 21st at 1:25am Pacific and 4:25am Eastern, just in time for Father’s Day. Here in the North, we celebrate the return of the light and warmth that bathe our Earth, as well as our own hearts and bodies, with their gifts. The Sun makes its longest appearance, and we’re invited to bask in the things that light us up from within and without, remembering that our innate nature is to shine. And while the sign of Leo has obvious connections with the Summer Solstice’s themes, we first move through Cancer’s nourishing embrace to feel all we can, and to tend and nurture our deepest selves, only so we can grow evermore available to Summer’s radiant glow.

We are revivified at this celebratory turn of the wheel, invited to the joy our hearts know in their depths. Now, we live into this facet of ourselves, experiencing and expressing its delight, weaving its luminous flavor into our being and becoming, and savoring the innate joviality that arises at this special time. We’re also welcomed to bask in the morning sun, the evening light, and the heat of midday, perhaps under the shade of our favorite tree, soaking up the warmth that we’ll inevitably carry into the cooler months. And, perhaps most significantly, we tap into a portal that so many of our ancestors also did, tuning into the innate magic that marks this shift in seasons.

If you’d like to read more on the Summer Solstice from both the Western and the Chinese Medical perspectives, I wrote at length on them a few years ago. You can find that article here: https://lilapiercebrown.substack.com/p/summer-solstice-and-the-heart-of

My lovely friend and colleague, Chinese Medicine practitioner Andrea Wilson, has also written a lovely ditty about the upcoming Solstice. You can find that here: https://view.flodesk.com/emails/6a1cc4f0228353e86694e129

For those of you interested in joining me for an Evolutionary Astrology Workshop in the Okanagan on Sunday, June 21st at 4pm, I’ll be offering a workshop at my friend and colleague’s space entitled, Stardust & Soul Sovereignty. You can read more here: https://evolutionmedicine.ca/events/manifesting

And I’ll be in Rossland on Wednesday, June 24th at 5:30pm for a Celtic Solstice Workshop that includes a solid yoga practice that weaves in the themes of this powerful time of year. More on that can be found here: https://evolutionmedicine.ca/events/celtic-solstice-yoga-celebration

May your New Moon be illuminating in only the ways a dark moon can be, filled with possibility and potential, and may your Solstice bring an enlivening glow that never grows dim.

As a kid who dreamed of bright lights and the big city, who was more than willing to break myself over and again to pursue what was then my dream, the relationship I developed with my body was at best adversarial, at worst, an agonizing place to be. It was one of, “I want this, so you’re gonna do it for me,” and hell with the consequences. But I learned young that this wasn’t sustainable, and more importantly—it wasn’t something I truly wanted. It was the thing I’d set myself up to covet in this lifetime so I could get curious about what was underneath it. When I was eventually blown open to an entirely different way of engaging with reality, it was the end of the world I’d created for myself, and I couldn’t see another way around it. Thankfully, I kept following the path to get to a place where I could.

Bunions and blood blisters, chronic lower back pain and a case of anorexia formed the backdrop of my life. Couple those with a deep self-loathing, an obligatory people-pleasing problem, and a fierce will to do whatever it took to get where I wanted, and the picture became clear. The only way to love myself was to use my body to achieve the nearly impossible. I thank my lucky stars (or, more honestly, my spirit guides) that I found another way.

I remember visiting a friend in NYC when I was 25, and he took me to a party that the guy he worked for was throwing. I’d just been to Vienna on a father-daughter trip, where I’d bought a German Vogue to try and get a sense of the language. The magazine had done a piece on the New York City Ballet for its June issue, and having picked it up felt synchronistic in some strange way I couldn’t yet explain. I got a sense of the article through the pictures, though I’d love to go back now after studying German on Duolingo for a time! (All I had then were Pimsleur’s CDs…) Fast forward to the Autumn Big Apple trip the same year, and I found myself standing face-to-face with one of the young women from the magazine article. I was over the moon! I brought up the piece and the fact that she was living many a young girl’s dream, dancing with one of the most sought-after ballet companies in the world. The response I got surprised me, though in hindsight, it shouldn’t have. She defiantly told me that after four hip surgeries by the age of 25, she couldn’t perform regularly because her body still wasn’t ready. She was in constant chronic pain, and she didn’t know if she’d even have the chance to return to the stage, much less to a comfortable way of living in her skin. What was more was that I could feel her pain as she described her experience; the emotion in her words spoke volumes in and of itself; words were almost unnecessary. And though I’d been practicing yoga for 7 years and teaching for a few at that point in my own life, it was this moment that clarified why my path had gone the way it did. Sadness, compassion, and understanding flooded my body, and I walked away from that party with much more than I’d bargained for.

I have a first house Taurus Moon in my natal chart. It’s conjunct Chiron, the wounded healer, and Vesta, the sacred flame tender. This story is pretty apropos for that kind of setup, not to mention some other key pieces that I’ll refrain from bringing in for simplicity’s sake—this is certainly the Taurean way. Walking away from the ballet world to find a path of remembrance, awakening, and truth-finding was the best thing I ever did. This is not to say that others don’t have a beautiful relationship to that world or that part of their lives or journeys, but that for me, this was the only way to embodied freedom. As I began to explore the deep trauma my body held, both karmic and epigenetic (I do come from a direct line of suicide), I realized not only how much my body had been holding for me that it was ready to release, but that I was meant to live a life with a body who could trust me and who knew I would care for her no matter what. I learned to listen to the innate messages woven into my tissues, honor the memos pulsing deep within my bones’ marrow, and be humbly grateful for the notes threaded through my entire being. Though I won’t pretend the path was easy or graceful all the time, I will say that it’s been the greatest gift to walk, and one that I would choose over and again.

Practicing asana since I was 18 and meditation since 21, receiving the blessings of Chinese Medicine at the same age, and weaving the wisdom of evolutionary astrology since 27 have been bountiful boons in my life. I feel confident I wouldn’t be where I am without them. Yoga taught me to be in my body in a way that is curious and expansive, one that creates focused awareness and skillful practice while listening to the deeper messages therein. Receiving body work in all the ways I have has allowed the release of some ancient soul memories that were still taking up space in my physical body, for the soul does not forget, even though the mind does and is meant to each time we return here. This kind of integration allows the energetic field of awareness that the body is an intricate and beautiful part of to remain more clear so that energy in the form of emotions, thoughts, and frequencies can move through with ease and grace. As van der Kolk reminds us, The Body Keeps the Score, and all that is held in the form of traumas, be they from this time or another, can and must be integrated in order to find the most equanimous embodied experience possible. This doesn’t mean we’ll never feel pain again; but it does mean that we are more free of the stories that hold such pain in place.

This is all in the realm of Taurus, in case you’d forgotten the theme this month! Taurus wants us to be comfortable in our skin, easeful in our body suits, regulated in our nervous systems. It reminds us that even though we live in a rapidly-changing world that is literally at our fingertips much of the time, we are still embodied beings, divine entities having a human experience. And as such, we are invited to be here, in our tissue, in ways that keep us feeling alive and vibrant, tranquil and chill, strong and supple, and everything in between. When we force ourselves to do something our bodies genuinely don’t want to, they learn to mistrust us. Instead of listening to what they have to say, many of us either forget we even have a body in lieu of living in our heads alone, or push it to the brink of exhaustion and injury because it should be doing what we tell it to. Neither of these is an awesome idea, especially from the Bull’s perspective. It will get grumpy if it’s uncomfortable in itself, and unfortunately, this is the place from which many people choose to live their lives.

Taurus reminds us that these bodies are worth the time, energy, and attention they ask for. That a little bit of nourishment in the forms of soulful movement, deep breathing, powerful bodywork, and healthy food goes a long way. That we can survive when our body’s needs get moved to the back burner, perhaps for the sake of ‘productivity’ and ‘achievement,’ but that we thrive when we bring them to the fore. That when we hone our abilities to tune into our own tissue and muscles, organs and bones, we grow much more connected to ourselves, our senses, and the world around us, for we become present in ways that living in our heads alone cannot offer.

This Taurus New Moon invites us—quietly if we’ve been listening, loudly if we haven’t—to come home to our bodies. It welcomes us here, now, into our senses and our sense of being. Mercury conjunct the New Moon provides insight and epiphany that can only come from tuning into our tissues. The wisdom held within this suit of flesh and bones is far more than our minds might fathom, and far deeper than they may initially understand. We are encouraged to tune into the inner messages that are only available when we open to this physical aspect of who we are and what we’ve been carrying around for days or decades, right in our very own forms.

Ceres in tight conjunction from the other side of the New Moon reminds us that nurturance is necessary—in the forms of healthy food, time spent in nature with our bare feet atop the earth and breathing in the magic of the forest, practices that return us home to our physical selves, and all the things that regulate our nervous systems and help us feel comfortable in our skin. Hanging out with our animals is always a good call when Taurus is involved, for this relationship of co-regulation has been going on for thousands of years, and this is one of the many reasons why.

In the yogic tradition, the annamaya kosha is literally the ‘food body,’ that which we become based on the kind of nourishment we bring in. In this sense of things, we are all literally what we eat, and the more wholesome food we choose, obviously the happier and more clear we will be. This seems like such a basic thing, but with modernity, much of what gets sold as food would leave our ancestors balking. Buying healthy, pesticide-free or organic ingredients isn’t something that most families can afford, but this doesn’t mean we can’t simplify what we’re putting in our bodies, including ingredients that they easily know what to do with and process well, energizing us and keeping us sustained in the meantime. Because Taurus is definitely the sign of the zodiac most associated with food, it’s a good time to treat ourselves with what our bodies actually need—not just what the microorganisms within crave!

Uranus is in Gemini, where it will be until the end of May 2033, but now, it forms an out of sign conjunction with the New Moon. Being open to sudden shifts or changes is always a good thing, but with this planet-sign combination, it’s even more important. Leaning into our Taurean tools will absolutely help with this endeavor, for if we are spending all of our time with technology and none with the things we’ve talked about here, finding our centers in order to skillfully welcome and be with said changes will be darn near impossible.

Uranus wants us to free ourselves from anything and everything that is not truly authentic to our deepest selves, and it will go to great lengths to help us claim this authenticity in our lives. At this cosmic juncture, this shows up as the clear perception that comes when we are healthily embodied. The more committed we are to resourcing ourselves with the things we truly need during Uranus’s foray through the sign of the Twins, the more chance we have for the revelations, insights, or synchronicities to land in the profound ways they are meant to. Listening to the innate intelligence all around us AND deep within us is what facilitates Uranian shifts in as present a way as possible, reminding us that every part of us—body, mind, heart, and soul—is along for the ride, and that all facets of who we are play equally valuable roles.

During this Taurus New Moon, may you nourish yourself in the ways that fill your cup and bring you home to yourself. May you hear the messages that your body has for you, and may you honor them appropriately. May you know the grace that is woven into the very fabric of your being, and treat yourself accordingly.

Taurus Season naturally holds this Celtic holiday, the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. A time of sinking into the bounty of Mother Earth’s flourishing and celebrating the nourishment it provides, a part of us reawakens with this turn of the wheel, and we are called to weave our own hearts’ yearnings into the burgeoning tapestry of life.

Yet the Scorpio Full Moon reminds us that part of this process must necessarily include the dredging up of all the old that is ready to be seen, felt, understood, alchemized, and released, from start to finish. Scorpio inherently knows that this ongoing relationship with ourselves and life is what keeps us thriving, and without the challenging experiences and emotions, we run the risk of operating on one level, without the depth that most humans come here to know.

Through cultivating our Scorpionic magic, we learn to really sit with uncomfortable emotions and feel their intensity, but also to transform their weight into usable energy that keeps us from playing the role of the victim and instead turns us into the heroes and heroines of our own lives. We learn to get curious about where these feelings live in our bodies, working with the wisdom we carry here to understand more about ourselves and our journey of discovery. We actualize our potential as human beings, and in so doing, recognize the innate power that has always been hidden within us, if only we have the wherewithal to bring it forth into our lives. Scorpio reminds us that this is a worthwhile endeavor, and it leaves us and the world we share better off. But it is also a daunting one, and is certainly not for the faint of heart. Having life-enhancing tools and resources in place (Taurean medicine) allows us to move through Scorpio’s potent portal in a productive and supported way, one that ensures we’re taking responsibility for what is ours and using it as fodder for our evolution. Failing to do this only continues the cycle of blaming, scapegoating, and suffering, and it keeps us from embodying our most empowered selves.

The Full Moon forms a Yod with Saturn in Aries and Venus in Gemini, weaving some interesting energies into the mix. Saturn always wants us to do the hard work that is necessary for our becoming elders and not just old without anything to show for it. He asks us to get real about what it means to courageously claim our innate power, even if —or especially if—we must face fears that feel more real than anything else. Boundaries must be established or reasserted when Saturn shows up, and in this case, ones that give us the safety necessary to move through the deep metamorphosis that this Full Moon is asking of us. If we don’t enter into this process skillfully, a bitter rage could ensue, leaving us more to sift through than we originally needed, and keeping us from the more pressing work at hand.

Whenever Venus shows up, we know we’ll not be doing this transit alone. Venus needs reciprocity and healthy exchange; she asks to be seen and heard, felt and understood. And of course, this must go both ways. In Gemini, she wants us to be curious about the person sitting in front of us and what they have to say, opening ourselves to their perception, even if it differs from our own. Here she reminds us that we can still give people the grace to have their own view when it’s a far cry from our personally lived experiences or values. And who knows? An insight that changes the landscape of our transformative process may appear, gifting us with information that shifts us for the better or enhances the journey we’re already on in some interesting way. Without the ability to be receptive, this energy can devolve into psycho-spiritual and psycho-emotional chaos, a swirling of thoughts and emotions that have nowhere to land and feel too overwhelming to navigate. Good ol’ gobbledegook ensues, muddying the already murky waters that are ready to be clarified through the evolutionary exercise we’re invited to during this Full Moon.

So, this Scorpionic portal is aided by fierce boundaries that keep us safe while confronting real fears (Saturn in Aries), as well as allies and insight (Venus in Gemini). And once we’re through this round of deep and intense inner alchemy, we get to sing and dance in the light of the Full Moon and the bonfire that is a traditional highlight (pun intended!) of this time.

Coming together through ritual that honors the seasons, cycles of life, and all the ways we can align ourselves with them is one of my favorite ways to connect. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re interested in participating any of the workshops I’ll be offering in the coming weeks. I’d love for you to join if you’re close by!

The first is called Celebrating the Bounty of Beltane: A Workshop of Abundance & Remembrance, and it will take place on Saturday, May 2nd, from 2:30-5:30pm at Madhu Wellness in Rossland, BC. The link to sign up is here: https://madhucollective.janeapp.com/#/discipline/13/treatment/390

The second is the Dandelion Festival at the For-Rest Retreat in Salmo, BC. Events will take place all day long on Saturday and Sunday, May 9th & 10th. I’ll be offering mini acupuncture sessions on Saturday from 2-5pm and a yoga class on Sunday from 2-3pm. If you’re local, I hope to see you there! Here’s the link to learn more: https://dandelionfest.ca/lila-rasa/

The third is an Evolutionary Astrology Workshop entitled Stardust & Soul Sovereignty: Co-Creating with the Cosmos. It’ll be on Sunday, June 21st from 4-6:30pm at the clinic of my lovely Chinese Medicine sister, Kylie Rodger, in Penticton, BC. For more info, please visit: https://evolutionmedicine.ca/events/manifesting

May your Beltane be blessed, your Full Moon be revelatory and integrative, and your Spring beautiful!

I consider Aries energy to be typified by this sentiment. The first sign of the zodiac, it is the place where we initiate movement forward in our lives, shaking off the slumber of winter to take steps in the direction that will most bear fruit in the specific cycle we’re in. It asks that we heed its fiery guidance, utilizing our energy to shape our destiny and make what was once a dream into a reality.

I love that it follows Pisces, the last astrological sign, for it is here that we actually dream reality into being, getting ‘cosmic downloads’ that invite us to remember exactly why we came here and what we’re meant to be doing while we’re in a human form. Pisces loves hanging out in the mystical places where much meditation and connecting with celestial consciousness happens, but on its own, it’s not known to be an active, get-things-done energy. Thankfully, Aries is, and as reality is birthed through its portal of Spring here in the Northern hemisphere, we’re asked to hold the energetic imprint of Piscean dreaming in our awareness while embarking on the heroine’s and hero’s journeys it beckons us to.

Traditionally, Aries gets a bad rap for its impulsiveness, but when this impulse is in alignment with the bigger flow of life, it really must be acted upon. This is the nature of the first sign, and if it holds itself back (highly unlikely, but possible), or someone else does (more likely), frustration builds, possibly turning to anger, maybe even to rage, and the outcome is not something anyone wants to be a part of. Yet when it naturally goes with its desire to actively create in the world and bring an important thing to life for itself, the energy continues moving in the way it’s meant to, and courage is often created in the process. It learns to trust its impulses and the way it instinctively moves with life, knowing itself to be the heroine of its own story.

Aries is gifted with the laser-like focus needed to actualize its potential, and its boon of moving forward with purpose and direction is meant to be harnessed at this phase of both the annual and the cosmic cycle. This is definitely not a time of dilly-dallying or lazing about—that will come later! Now we are invited to show up fiercely for all that appears on our paths, honing our decision-making skills, acting swiftly and deftly when it is time to, and using our effort in ways that align with the bigger force of life that’s all around and deep within us. Aries calls us to action, encouraging us to connect with the powerful will inside of ourselves, moving it outwardly into the world. As co-creators of our own destiny as well as the collective one we share, this is a vital reminder to weave our own magic into the threads of reality rather that sit on the sidelines for any reason at all.

With Chiron and Eris forming a tight conjunction with the New Moon in the latter degrees of the sign, and Neptune, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn all forming tight conjunctions with each other in the early degrees, we’ve got ourselves a super Arian affair, parts of which will continue for a few months to a few years. Mars will be in its home sign for about another month, Chiron until April 2027, Saturn until April 2028, Neptune until May 2038, and Eris until mid-2044. In other words, the sign of the Leader, the Warrior, the Dare-devil, and the Pioneer will be ignited in the cosmic and collective consciousness for some time, and learning to move skillfully with it will be a must!

Chiron as the wounded healer reminds us that we have all given a part of ourselves away when it felt necessary, moving into survival mode rather than thrive mode. In Aries, we are meant to bravely reclaim the gifts of assertiveness and courage, knowing that while the energy of ferocity isn’t healthy as our daily defaulted resting place, it is one that we must learn to use when necessary, for it gives us the capacity to actualize and make happen whatever is needed in the moment. And tightly conjunct Eris, we are reminded that having the conviction to face and integrate the wounded divine feminine in ourselves not only allows us to be whole, integrated beings, but it heals the collective in a way that benefits everyone. For more on Eris, please see the Libra New Moon article from last Fall here: https://lilapiercebrown.substack.com/p/a-near-initiatory-cross-and-out-of. If we want to move in the world in ways that are unhindered by our shadow selves, freeing up our energy to do just this, facing Eris and the unique way she works within us is key. This New Moon will be an opportunity to do just that. The shadow of Eris, on the other hand, invites us into a cycle of jealously and unhealthy competition, pettiness and toxic talk about others, and is reminiscent of the worst kind of high school experience but as adults.

Neptune keeps us tuned into the inherent intelligence alive within all things so that we don’t constantly experience ourselves as separate entities in a world that has no congruence. It reminds us that the numinous is just a breath away, a thought away, a moment away, and the more we connect with this actuality, the more supported we are in bringing our unique dreams to life in the world we share. In Aries, we are now ready to act on what for the past twelve years has literally been a dream. Its shadow expression would have us merge unhealthily with our anger, using it as vitriol against all those we perceive to be our enemies, whether it’s true or not.

With Mercury and Mars close by, it becomes more important to stay open and receptive to, then connect with and harness, the life force within as part of the plan to make our visions real. Mercury gives us vital information if we stay available to its message, and Mars gives us an unstoppable will that knows how and when to act on its instincts. Their conjunction gives voice and power to what is now ready to be brought to life, while their shadow keeps us in the perpetual cycle of blaming others, enacting violence upon those we deem the wrongdoers in whatever means we can, be it verbal or otherwise. It keeps the finger-pointing and scapegoating alive, unable to put it down or shift its focus to a more healthy understanding and expression.

Saturn in the mix slows down the process that might otherwise be quicker than lightning, allowing us to understand how our actions in the present can lead to an even brighter future. It encourages us to do what is in alignment for the now and the later and reminds us that these things are meant to support one another, that living in the present can still be done with an eye on what we’re calling in years down the road. In shadow, we stay rigidly stuck in a rage that shuts us down, and again, keeps the blame game alive.

Pluto sextiles Neptune, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn from Aquarius, adding a bit more intensity to the mix, as he’s apt to do. Another reminder to face our demons and integrate our shadows so that we can truly embody our most authentic selves, we reclaim our power when we make this conscious choice. We remember who we are at our core and become able to live this truth in a way that preserves our sovereignty no matter what is happening at large. We become the alchemists that our souls already know we are, and everything that comes our way is fuel for the transformation that’s possible in each moment.

I wish you a New Moon that is filled with movement toward your most expansive dreams and most inspiring aspirations. May your capacity to ‘strike while the iron is hot’ be strengthened, your courage cultivated, and your ability to trust yourself deepened. Until next time!

Have you ever noticed how busy you keep yourself? How packed with meetings and obligations, tasks and commitments each day becomes? How even days off seem to take on a rhythm that leaves no time for anything but constant activity? And when you have a free moment or two, how often you pick up your phone, only to be drawn in for just a few more? How you run from one thing to the next without a second to spare, only to end your day feeling more exhausted than you thought possible? Yeah, me neither. But seriously, what is all this running around about anyway?

When it comes to the Piscean frequency of the zodiac, all of this busyness is exactly what keeps us too preoccupied to tune in to the great mystery. From the ongoing narration that our minds bring to each and every moment, to the ways in which we keep ourselves occupied with ‘stuff’ that’s outside of ourselves, the writing is on the wall, or shall we say, the social media app: we are a completely distracted and distractible society. But that’s not the way it has to be, even in modern times. There is a deep place within us that already knows why we distract ourselves so readily—and it might tell us that facing, sitting with, and eventually uniting with the great mystery is quite an unnerving task. Yet it’s one whose rewards far outweigh the alternative, both individually and collectively. I mean, imagine the world we’d share if everyone knew how to sit with the unknown, willing to let go of everything their minds thought was true in order to bear witness to the All That Is.

This isn’t new information, nor is it unique to our modern lives. For eons, humans have run from the simple truth of our innate being, mainly because we’ve been taught to do so. Living in a culture that teaches us to forget the intrinsic gifts we each bring in to share with the world only encourages us to look outwardly for fulfillment, validation, and security. Yet many great beings—some whose names we’ll never know—have walked the well-worn paths of Eastern traditions and those of a mystical nature from many parts of the world, serving as beacons whose light continues shining brightly upon the way forward. This isn’t an exposition on going back to a simpler time, but a testament to the practices and rituals that have been proven to bear fruit since time immemorial. And Pisces is the sign that most needs, wants, and identifies with the boundless intelligence that is alive in all things, that which cannot be named but that dwells in the hearts of us all.

Pisces is the place where we return to the remembering that within us, we hold the thing that most of us are seeking without. It reminds us that here, in this very moment, is the presence we’ve been running from and looking for at the same time. It holds the essence of the mystery within it, inherently knowing that opening to, connecting with, and merging with this ‘place’ is exactly what we’re here to do. And rather than run to a cave to hide from the world in order to make this happen (though it’s not a bad idea every now and again), it invites us to bring this divine presence from the depths of us to life in the world of shape and form. It recognizes that when we live from this place of knowing, all that we do in the world is an expression of the innate intelligence that is our birthright. It knows that the great awareness is alive and well within each and every being, but how it moves each is as unique and varied as we are, and this only makes the ride more interesting, the creativity we nurture and express more beautiful.

Pisces reminds us, too, that we are here to see clearly through all the misperceptions of our own minds, recognizing them for what they are. Though the intricate web of conditioning created by our ancestry and epigenetics, culture and karma, is impossible to resist, Pisces shows us that our deepest, truest Self ultimately can and does just this. This part of us knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is pure potential; it expands in the face of what would otherwise shut us down with grace and ease, shining brightly in the face of the most challenging scenarios and situations. And in moments such as this, we are given greater access to these flashes of awakening, insight, and opening—but we have to put down our phones and busy lives—in order to receive the magic that’s within them. If we do this, the repercussions are great on so many levels. Not only do we access the unknown, tapping into its vast reality, but we carry the experience with us from this point forward, knowing there is truly nothing to fear. We remember how to move like the universe moves simply by virtue of being who we are, and how we view all of life and ourselves within it is changed forever, and for the better. In other words, nothing stays the same, even though everything appears to stay the same. And Pisces is just fine with this.

Now, Mercury has been retrograding in the sign of the Mystic since February 25th, moving back from 22.5° to 8.5,° and it’s due to go direct on March 21st, just in time for the Spring Equinox! The swift planet has taken us on a deep, internal ride down to the core of our own realities and back again in just a few weeks. It asks that we bring the perceptual awareness we’ve tapped into with us as we make our way to Aries Season and the Spring, taking the time to envision and co-create reality in the ways that only we can. It asks us to embody our deepest, truest selves, for the world is on fire, and we are no longer meant to sit back on the sidelines, waiting for our dreams to come true. We are meant to weave their magic into being, remembering the innate potential that we carried here and that lives inside, making our world better because we choose to show up for the hard but rewarding work. Saturn and Neptune in Aries will ultimately assist us in our efforts here, encouraging focused, decisive action in the direction of our most aligned visions. The immaterial shifts that took place within us during this Mercury retrograde and eclipse season are ready to be lived in the world, and there is no time like the present for this manifestation.

Uranus forms a sextile with the new moon from the sign of Taurus for the next to last time for many decades, reminding us that regulated nervous systems and clear embodiment is key for this time. All the tools we have for staying healthily in our bodies will be important as it moves into Gemini until 2026, the energies of which we are certainly already feeling.

As Spring beckons us into its abundant embrace, the seeds of intention we planted at the Winter Solstice continue to stir, reminding us that so much happens in the unseen places. This will continue to be so even as the life force reawakens and nature is revivified. For the great mystery will always be that, but our relationship to it is meant to shift and evolve, and as it does, a more clear and conscious, vibrant and aware being emerges, one who is not afraid to walk the path with courage and resilience, but perhaps most importantly, with the remembrance of who we truly are. With this, anything becomes possible in time’s infinite unfolding.

This eclipse portal opens with the first on the Leo-Aquarius axis since January 2019, and these signs will continue to see eclipses until January 2028. For those with natal planets, angles, and especially nodal axes in the energies of the Lion and the Revolutionary, this is a time for powerful awakening and embodied action. Combine this with the Saturn-Neptune conjunction in the earliest degree of Aries, and the energy of this portal is profoundly enhanced!

The second in this opening, a Virgo Full Moon Eclipse, takes place at 12° 53’ on March 3rd at 3:38 am Pacific and 6:38 am Eastern, and is on the Virgo-Pisces axis, which began in September 2024 and will continue until February 2027. The same as what is mentioned above is true here: those with natal planets, angles, and especially nodal axes in the signs of the Servant of Humanity and the Mystic will feel this eclipse with more potency, and it will continue illuminating a process that began years, if not lifetimes, before.

Always a time when things that have been brewing in the unseen realms — perhaps for longer than we may have imagined — come to light in a new way, eclipses are known to carry with them profound, catalytic energies. These have the potential to bring our lives into clarity or focus in ways we may not have anticipated, but ones we can use to awaken to a more filled out (and filled in) understanding of life. And though these details may arrive in altogether unexpected ways, they are meant to enhance our experience of what it means to be alive, weaving together the many facets of our inner and outer worlds to give us access to our full human potential.

Aquarian energy holds keys to the future that many feel are too much, too strange, or too out of their wheelhouse. Yet it also holds the genius that allows us to unlock truths that haven’t seemed possible until now. Naturally ‘ahead of its time,’ the archetypes housed here remind us that we are meant to be compelling co-creators of our destinies, and the more we come together in a unified vision that celebrates each being’s uniqueness, the more power we have to create this world that so many of us long for. Aquarians are the truth-tellers, not afraid to look at what has come thus far with a discerning and critical eye, for they know that we can do better, and they wake up the part of us that also realizes this truth.

With Pluto out of bounds to the South in Aquarius until November 2035 and still in the sign of the Revolutionary until January 2044, we are reminded that powerful things happen when the people come together and stand up for a world we all know is possible — one that honors differences while seeing the shared beauty within us all, and one that is based on respect for one another simply because we are all here participating in the human experience, and this is a tie that binds us. When we are willing to embody the virtues that so many of us know are possible, we can and do shift the current reality to one that supports the whole with all of its diverse parts. This is undoubtedly what Pluto is about on an interpersonal level as well — reclaiming the pieces of ourselves that we have felt are too weird or different to be loved, diving deep within to integrate these facets into who we are now, remembering that the only way to wholeness is truly ‘an inside job.’ Now is the time to continue this work, and in a big way, one that is fully supported by the Cosmos.

When the necessary inner work happens, instead of projecting our fears and anger into the world or seeing it through a lens of shame, guilt, or victim mentality, we meet our lives with clarity of body, mind, and heart, able to attract those who share similar values and understandings. Without doing the important task of integrating the disparate parts of ourselves, the world we perceive is as fragmented as our own inner one, yet we’re blind to this fact because deep and important work hasn’t happened. This is definitely not to say that the world doesn’t have abominable issues; of course it does, and these are certainly up at the surface for all to see right about now. But we’ll be able to perceive and meet them more intelligibly when we do so from a clear perceptual frame. Otherwise, we get so pulled into the drama that we forget the power we’ve always had to choose differently and to actualize our potential individually and together, genuinely making our world the one we want to live in and feel inspired to be a part of. Let us not get so distracted by the shenanigans in every corner that we give away our god- and goddess-given abilities to create our own destinies. Let us also not look away so quickly that we do not bear witness to the stark realities that are staring us in the face, reminding us that we can and must do better.

Saturn and Neptune unite in the first minutes of Aries on February 20th, yet we’re already feeling their conjunction and will continue to well into March if we give them a few degrees, which I am inclined to do. I liken Saturn to Father Time and see him as the elder of the planets, the Sage who’s seen it all and has the ability to make decisions accordingly. His is an energy that invites us to cease participating in the things that we’ve outgrown, whether on the inner plane, outer one, or both. In order to be the elders we are developing into, a bit of work is always required. Though this may seem daunting at first, the process actually gives us more energy if we’re willing to engage it and see it through. And if not, not only do we miss a chance to embody the wise elder versions of ourselves, but we also grow exhausted without anything to show for it. In Aries, we’re meant to be daring and bold with our actions, yet with the temperance of Saturn we might think things through more fully. The first sign of fire exclaims, “I am,” a true expression of its initiatory nature. With Saturn here we’re also reminded that the larger process being established will take a bit of time, so moderating our energies appropriately — a trait Aries on its own is not known for — is key. Being courageous does not imply burning ourselves out, and Saturn here invites us to work hard but also intelligently, knowing when to move and when to pause in order to be the heroes and heroines of our own stories and the story we’re all telling together.

Neptune in Aries until 2039, where it also just arrived at the end of January, is the planet of mysticism and meditation, one that encourages us to prioritize our spirit practices and all that inspires our souls. It also invites us to release old visions of life that we are no longer in alignment with, creating space for what reality is beckoning us toward, even if we can’t yet see its totality. In the sign of the trailblazer for the first time since its passage from 1861-1875, we’ve been feeling the figurative temperatures rise since last year. This initiatory energy brings the spiritual warrior online, inviting us to actually ‘be the change we wish to see in the world,’ standing up for what is right and in the face of what isn’t, and developing the courage necessary to do so. Here, the most transcendent planet of the Cosmos comes to life in a powerful way, inviting us to confront what we must if we are to embody the divine beings we came to the planet to be.

Saturn brings boundaries and discipline to Neptune’s mystical leanings, while Neptune brings the numinous and otherworldly to Saturn’s integrity. Working together in the sign of Aries, they offer us the capacity to give structure to what our souls know is possible, fiercely claiming and creating a world that aligns with principles that value everyone, not just a few. This includes our beautiful mother earth and all of the wild places, stunning landscapes, incredible treasures, and sacred sites she houses. Saturn and Neptune also invite us to weave the fabric of reality in a more ethical way, one that is durable, long-lasting, and inherently connected to Source energy, and one that rests firmly on the knowing that we are both spirit and matter, here to embody our innate nature and bring it to life right now. The quickening has more than begun, and tuning into what is alive in each moment will be more important than it has been before. Practices that keep us aware of how and where we siphon off our energy (too much television, social media, screen time, you name it) encourage us to stay connected to the magic of life while also co-creating with it in meaningful ways. Aries happens quickly, so wherever we’re placing our energy will manifest more swiftly than it has in a while, and as powerful co-creators, this becomes even more important.

What is stirring beneath the surface, ready to be fully seen, felt, understood, and integrated? What parts of yourself are you ready to birth and live into, making the whole a better place because you have done this courageous work? What does authenticity feel like in your skin, and how do you live in alignment with its call?

I am wishing you a powerful, graceful, and clarifying eclipse portal. Let’s do this!

These motifs are best represented by the moon, the planetary body that governs our hearts and emotions, that knows what our souls long for even when we don’t yet. This lunar being, best understood when we feel our way through life with its constant twists and turns, cycles with such consistency that it rules the tides throughout the entire planet and has done since time immemorial. Once it ruled our own rhythms too, women syncing up with its waxing and waning over and again, its flow and theirs in such unison that life couldn’t be separated from this relationship. Even now, as our modern lives pull us from this connection, there is an inevitable enchantment back toward it, an inextricable link that continues to draw us in to celebrate and commemorate this time-honored bond, one that goes back further than our minds can remember, but one that our souls have always known.

As the first new moon of the year draws near, we are invited to gather into ourselves once again, into the fertile dark of winter’s night sky and of our own innate quiet. We are encouraged to be still, tuning into the depths of our own beings and the pure being of life itself, beginning again only when we know we are in sync with this greater force within all things. Grandmother Moon welcomes us into this space, holding us here with the love and nourishment that are hers to offer. When we open to receive these gifts, we become renewed in ourselves. We begin again.

When the new moon is in Capricorn—opposite the sign where it is considered to be at home—we might make a plan and stick to it. We might begin the long, arduous climb that calls to us, an endeavor we know we must make if we are to fully become ourselves. When the New Moon is here, we may get clear about the way forward, putting one foot in front of the other to make what started out as an inkling into a full-blown reality. Here, we could develop the patience and perseverance needed to co-create with reality the thing we know we must, that only we can. We may do what is hard, what requires real and true work, what asks us to dig in and go all out, inevitably developing integrity along the way. And through all of this, we might discover that the source of wisdom—something we once considered to be outside of ourselves—was buried deep within us all along, now actualized and accessible through our very own experience.

This is a moon whose pragmatism necessarily carries it far, giving it the long-term awareness to envision its future, as well as to follow this vision through virtuously, though the road is inevitably long, and it has no idea what it will encounter along the way. This is a moon that finds fulfillment in doing what others might balk at, thinking the task too much, the path considerable. And yet it inherently knows that if real progress is to be made both within itself and in the world, the only way forward is the long road; anything else would be selling itself short, ultimately leading it to disappointment.

This new moon, as usual, is not alone in its placement, for Mercury and Mars sit quite closely conjunct it in the same sign of fortitude and follow-through (Capricorn), and both Venus and Pluto sit on its other side in the sign of authenticity and innovation (Aquarius). As well, Saturn and Neptune sextile (60° angle) the new moon from Pisces, the last time each will be in the sign of the mystic and the meditator, until 2053 (Saturn) and 2176 ( Neptune). And Uranus trines the new moon from Taurus, one of the last times it will aspect the new moon from an earth sign, making its way into Gemini at the end of April this year. In other words, a lot of energies are in the mix!

Mercury reminds us that perception is everything, for the lens through which we view reality inevitably shapes how we interact with it. When in the sign of the sea goat, this perceptual filter gives us the ability to envisage what we, ourselves, in other times or places, may not have had the ability to conceive of, but now we do. Mercury encourages us to ensure that we are clear in our capacities to sense ourselves into the future in ways that will ultimately fulfill a deep part of us, come what may. It asks that we go all in, knowing that whatever we can imagine, we can create and embody.

Mars echoes this sentiment, though in its own way, reminding us that skillfully placing our will into what ultimately strengthens our resolve and our capacity to make it so, is a good thing. I have never considered Mars (or Saturn, for that matter), to be ‘bad luck’ as the early astrologers have framed them. And perhaps this perceptual shift is necessary to get where we’re meant to go! Mars reminds us that passionately engaging with what lights us up and brings us a sense of empowerment is important, and while it might like the intensity of a spar every now and again, when this energy is used in a healthy way, it can get us far. Tempered by Capricorn’s level-headedness, this setup has the capacity to both encourage our efforts toward what is ultimately important to our deep sensibilities, as well as to give us the persistence to make it so.

Venus, always relational in some regard, reminds us that even though this task is ours and ours alone, we most certainly do not ‘go it alone’ the whole time we’re on the journey. We connect with people along the way who draw out different parts of us, and we, them. We inevitably encounter those who inspire us, encourage us, and remind us of something we may have forgotten along the way; those who perhaps dissuade us, or help alter our course in some fashion through catalyzing experiences. All are meant to gift us with something we couldn’t have known or integrated on our own. And when in Aquarius, connecting with those who galvanize ingenuity and originality are at the fore, and we’re invited to ideas and possibilities that make the climb to the top of the mountain more interesting, authentic, and attainable. We remember facets of our experience that need to be fleshed out, lived into, or expanded upon, an important part of our own unique selves awakened in so doing.

Pluto, also in Aquarius until 2043, brings an alchemical energy to this new moon, and because of its closeness to Venus, does so through relationships and connections we already have, or those we are meant to but don’t yet. This planet always wants us to uncover and integrate an important part of ourselves that needs to come home in order for us to operate at our optimal capacity. If we are called to the underworld to do this work, so be it. If we are invited into the edgy and uncomfortable but ultimately transformative realms, we will be better versions of ourselves for having made the journey, reclaiming undeniably important facets of the beings we are here to be. And Capricorn, in its voyage to great heights, is aided by this process and all it entails.

And speaking of tails, though an indomitable earth sign, Capricorn shares quite a bit of the water element with Pisces, depicted with hooves in the front of its body and a fish tail in the rear, allowing it endurance no matter which domain it chooses. Its ability to dive deeply into inner realms that other signs may tread more lightly in allow it the wisdom it is inherently linked to, while also connecting it with the mystical sign of Pisces. Saturn, Capricorn’s ruler, has been here in the sign of the fish since the spring of 2023, where it currently forms a tight sextile with the new moon. Though wisdom necessarily comes through earthly experience, the great masters have taught that taking the time and space to connect with the Source, the spirit that moves in all things, and the inherent intelligence that animates all of life, is tantamount to being ‘in the world but not of it,’ for in connecting with our infinite selves, we gain the necessary awareness to human as skillfully as possible. Saturn asks us to stop doing the things that we’ve outgrown when it comes to evading our true paths and/or escaping into less discerning activities, cultivating the integrity to partake in practices that remind us of who we are on a soul level, and how we are meant to weave this important aspect of ourselves into the world of shape and form. Anything less, and we undercut ourselves and what we are meant to bring to life here.

Neptune, which moved into Pisces in 2012, remains there for just over a week. It ingresses into Aries on January 26th, where it will stay until May 2038. In the last minutes of the sign of the dreamer, we are given an opportunity to remember who we are on a soul level and what we came here to do in this incarnation. The dreaming is important, as is the living of the intuitive knowings that oft come in flashes of insight or mystical memories the more we make ourselves available to them. When we carve out the time and space to inhabit not just this world but the subtle realms too, the thread of continuity between these places grows more durable, and we learn to exist in ways that join the earthly with the celestial, and vice versa. We bring heaven to earth, so to speak, calling forth the most clear and true parts of who we are, living them outright in the world. Holding ourselves back from this isn’t inherently a bad thing, but why do that when the deepest part of us already knows the way forward?

Uranus, the most electrifying planet of the zodiac, always gives an invitation to and celebration of what is most authentic within ourselves, and when in the earth sign of Taurus, it reminds us that we are here to embody our truest selves, not just conceptualize them, talk about them, or imagine them to be true. This means clearing out old stories that have been residing in the tissues, muscles, and viscera, perhaps for lifetimes, in order to make space for what is most soulful and real about who we’ve come here to be, who we truly are at the deepest level. If it feels right in your blood and in your bones, then it is, and this is the place from which choices are meant to be made and life is meant to be lived. Uranus would agree, for the freedom it seeks is one that uplifts the whole, not one that tears it down. It stands for the emancipation from any and all ideas and thoughts that keep us bound to a toxic framework that continues wreaking havoc on our planet and so many of her inhabitants, instead reminding us that when we put aside selfish agendas, remembering and embodying our most clear selves, amazingly powerful things can and do happen in the world. Our coming together to stand for the freedom of the whole human family, not just a few of us here or there, is what is possible and certainly part of why we signed up for this earth mission at all. Uranus is here to liberate you, and it’s also here to liberate the whole.

So, on this Capricorn new moon weekend, may your journey be blessed, and you as you make it. May you know your truest self and weave its wisdom into the gift that is your life. And may this new moon bring all that it’s meant to, inspiring you to the heights you were always meant to climb.

With the movement of the majority of the transiting planets into new signs, where most will stay for a period of now two and a half to eighteen years, the shaking up of things has already begun and is certain to continue, whether it’s due to weather events, sociopolitical and cultural upheaval, interpersonal and inter-relational shifting, and of course, the potent inner transformation that may precipitate all of the above, with the exception of the weather, perhaps! And though we are living in unprecedented times, haven’t all who have been alive felt the similar stirrings of unrest and change, the pulls of stability and security with those of evolution and metamorphosis, possibly even transmogrification? And aren’t these exactly the reasons why we chose to be here? For these are the experiences and expressions that connect us through space and time, that keep the thread of interconnectedness moving from ancient to modern times, through bloodlines and lineages, hiding within our DNA structures but present in our daily lives with the decisions we make and actions we take, at least in part. We are here thanks to our ancestors, our previous and future selves, and most importantly, the great intelligence that is alive and well at the heart of all things. And what a time we’ve chosen to be alive!

Something that the Sagittarius New Moon might remind us is that we are resilient by design. And while many a reader may have nary a planet or angle in the sign of the Archer and Philosopher, each sign nonetheless has the ability to gift us with access to itself, especially at certain cosmic times, for all contain archetypal flavors that are available to the collective. The buoyant, expansive nature that Sagittarius inspires in itself and others is in the air during a Sag New Moon, and it invites us to bask in its ebullient vibe as we approach the Winter Solstice, the day of the long dark, and the turn of the waning sun to its gradual return.

For the past ten months or so, since Imbolc, I’ve been journeying to the Otherworld to visit the Cailleach on a regular basis. Known as the divine hag of winter, this creator of landscapes and wielder of wisdom is well-known and loved by many with Celtic ancestry, by those who still celebrate her name and being. Called into her humble cave deep within the mountains, I’ve made my way to visit her hearth fire, sit at her feet, and imbibe the wisdom she offers, steeping myself in its profundity over and again, so that I may know even an ounce of myself as her, as one who is able to carry her gifts. She has humbled me beyond belief, schooled me in ways I’ve never known, and reminded me of who I am without the ideas of who I thought I was, encouraged me to surrender what I cannot possibly hold in my being to give birth to what I must. It has honestly been one of the most powerful experiences of my life. And interestingly, it has all taken place within the depths of my own being, the inner spaces that only I can know for myself. In saying ‘yes’ to this rich internal landscape and majestic maestra of worlds, I have been able to return to this one more fortified and clear, sovereign and authentic, and in truth, more of the self I came here to be.

The Cailleach has reminded me that only when we are comfortable in the darkest of places can we be truly alive. Only when we have faced what our culture is so good at ignoring — death, aging, and truly anything that makes us uncomfortable — can we know ourselves as Whole. Only when we sit in and deeply know the fecund dark can we embody the resilience that is our innate nature. This resilience is innate, but it must be turned on, cultivated, embodied, and eventually known in the most all-embracing of ways. And this brings us back to Sagittarius. The same resilience that this astrological sign so effortlessly expresses — one that is lighthearted, bright, and expansive — is meant to be deeply understood in the darkest of times and places. Only then will it know the true meaning of the virtue with which it is associated.

One of the things I love about visiting the Cailleach is that every time I’m there, a fire is burning brightly. The room is dark if we are inside, as is the sky if we are out — though brilliant starlight pierces through its darkness — but there is always a blazing warmth that is at the heart of our time together. And this is exactly how it is meant to be, for here, I learn how to tend to what is most in need of my energy. The flames consume all that isn’t essential as they give birth to all that is. Their glow reminds me of what my heart has always known — that kindling light in the darkness is what we are here to do, especially as the aforementioned times we chose to be here for continue to increase in intensity. The heat warms me to my core, connecting me with the vital anchor of aliveness that is at the heart of all things, pulsing in rhythmic harmony with all of life. It is this hearth that I must regularly mind, for in so doing, it enlivens all that I nurture in the world around me. And the fact that here we are at the Sagittarius New Moon, the last of the fire signs, isn’t lost on me. Its inspiration comes from the places it tends within its heart, mind, body, and spirit, just as is our own.

As the Winter Solstice approaches here in the Northern hemisphere, ushering in a new season and cycle, I continue to be humbly guided by all that has been sparked to life within. My wish for you is that you also find inspiration, resilience, and respite by sitting with your own hearth fire and tending to the sacred flame that lives within you. Particularly at this portal of time, the closing of one phase and the opening of another, we are invited to pay closer attention to what has been and what will become. In looking back over the year, we see who we once were and what led us to the places and spaces we’ve visited and lived, envisioned and known. We are given the opportunity to put down what is no longer in alignment with who we know we truly are, with who we are becoming.

In looking forward toward a new cycle, we call in what is wanting to be birthed within our lives, the song that our soul sings and wants to be shared with the world. With the New Moon just two days before the Solstice, the portal of new beginnings is open wide, and as we sit with the pyre in the fertile womb of life, anything is possible. We get to begin again, remembering who we were before we took shape and form as these earth bodies and minds, reconnecting with the soul mission that we know is ours to live, yet only if we choose to embody it with all of ourselves. We are invited to co-create reality, weaving our own deepest truths and gifts into the collective threads of life, helping give shape and form, texture and color, to the world we all share, one which certainly needs more love and tenderness, creativity and heart, care and compassion, integrity and sovereignty, authenticity and truth, from those who can offer it.

My wish is that we all nurture the sacred presence within, that we come together to sing our hearts’ songs together, and that we lift each other up in so doing, co-creating the world that is ready to be birthed right about now.

Happy New Moon, Blessed Solstice and Yule, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Joyful Awakening. May your days ahead be merry and bright, and may it be so because you remember how to keep the flame alive in all the ways you are inspired to.

Scorpio asks us to feel intensely and instinctively, letting our inner psychic expand, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable so that we may approach the power that is ours to reclaim. It asks us to tap into the secret parts of ourselves that we forgot lived within, tending to them with care and respect so that what was once a wound can be the place from which we draw our power. This power is not one that seeks to hurt others; the work of transformation is meant to completely shift the nature of the wound, turning it into energy for positive expression in our lives. If there is still a need to sting — as shadow Scorpio is known to do — this is an indication that the wound has not been fully tended to, and the process is meant to be initiated again in order to neutralize this hurt, lest we continue a cycle of “drama and trauma” that is likely more than ready to be put down.

I associate Scorpio with both Shiva and with Kali from the yogic tradition, the deities who usher in fierce transformation and inevitably throw us into a process of death and rebirth, yet only so that we can come to know our truest Selves on the other side. Hecate of the Greek tradition is another important Scorpionic figure, she who always has her torches ablaze to light the way in the darkest of places. In so doing, she reminds us not only of our capacity to bring our own lanterns and shine them brightly when embarking upon any journey into the unknown, but also of the infinite support we shall always have on this expedition, especially when fear or overwhelm seek to incapacitate us at any point along the way. Pluto or Hades, the planet and realm that is always associated with this zodiac sign, reminds us that “energy is neither created nor destroyed; it is only transformed,” and when we determinedly choose this path over and again, we become empowered co-creators of our own destinies.

The Cailleach of the Celtic tradition also comes to mind at this time, for she is the Bone Mother who has since taken over the season from Brigid the maiden, guiding us up the path that inevitably leads to her womb-like cave, deep within the craggy mountains that she, herself, created. She doesn’t fear spaces of intensity and unrest; in fact, she invites us to try our hand with them, moving into these rough places in order to know what we are capable of, especially if we didn’t think it possible to begin with. She carries death with her, but not the macabre or gruesome kind, for she invites us to the very real thing that is as intertwined with life as birth. She wants us to stare it down just as she welcomes us into her cave and does the same to us, reminding us that fear is only as scary as we make it out to be, only powerful if we give ours over to it. In sitting with and facing her, we face the mystery of life itself and emerge from her cave more trusting, present, and courageous beings than we were before entering. And she reminds us that it is always this way if we have the wherewithal to say ‘yes’ to facing our deepest shadows, the ones that will keep us from living our fullest lives if we give into them.

Thankfully shadow work comes in a myriad of forms these days, and we have access to so many of them because we need all the help we can get right about now! These tools give us the ability to reshape old experiences and beliefs, reclaiming our energy for ourselves in order to co-create the reality we know we’re here to live. Some examples come in the practices of psychotherapy and shadow work journaling, Shamanism and Evolutionary Astrology, EMDR and ART, parts work and re-parenting, Theta Healing and even writing burn letters. This last one I learned from a guide when I was in my mid-twenties named Wanda Boone, and it’s something I still practice from time to time twenty years later. You can write a letter to someone who’s hurt you, something in reality that is causing you strife, or really anything you’re carrying around that you’d like to shift. The key is to be as intense and ugly as you need to be while writing the letter, for you are purging these toxic emotions so you don’t have to carry them with you anymore, inevitably projecting them onto reality in a way that could harm all involved. There is no need to reread the letter, to keep it, to share it, or to do anything of the sort — that would completely defeat the purpose! Instead, after you’ve purged your uncomfortable emotions, burn the words immediately, perhaps singing, chanting, praying, or holding silence as they literally turn to ash. When I lived in a townhouse many years ago, I used a metal pail so I could easily do this on my patio. Once this process has been completed, write a gratitude list numbering twenty-five in a journal or notebook that you are keeping around. These things can be as random as they need to be, so long as you truly feel gratitude in your heart for them. As always, rinse and repeat ad nauseam; you’ll know when it’s time to put it down; your inner experience will clarify this if it’s in question. And if you’re unsure, give it a few days, then think of the person, event, or thing you’ve been working to shift the energy around. If there’s still a charge, repeat. Otherwise, you’re likely good to move on.

Mercury, aka Hermes, is the messenger of communication and god of perception, and as such, he has access to all parts of the Cosmos — even those no one else dare enter, like the Underworld. One of Mercury’s key roles is that of psychopomp in which he guides souls who’ve recently departed from the earthly realm into the domain of Hades. Especially when he’s retrograding in the sign of Scorpio and conjunct the New Moon, he’s super appropriate to play this role, giving us access to greater awareness through helping us form a connection between the different levels of our perceptual experience, from the conscious to the unconscious and back again. He guides us into places within our psyches we may have put away without giving a moment’s notice to, only to show us, often loudly and clearly, how fundamental these pieces of our lives truly are regarding what we’re integrating right now.

In his retrograde status, Mercury encourages us to pause. He invites us into deep introspection, especially in the realms that we’ve been focusing on here. Because he’s associated with insights and epiphanies, simply giving ourselves the space to be quiet and turn inside can create the conditions necessary to welcome these discoveries, ones in which we’re able to make connections that may not have been clear before, but that cannot be overlooked now. Reflection is key during times of Mercury retrograde, but now more than ever. What is revealed may be the key to unlock a part of our potential we’re just coming to know.

This leaves us to the other retrograde planets. There is Jupiter in Cancer, as well as Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, all forming a grand trine in the water signs to help enhance Scorpio’s already potent capacity to alchemize the deep emotions we carry within us. Then there’s Uranus in Taurus, forming a tight opposition to the New Moon, welcoming us into our bodies in order to ground and anchor the insights we’re receiving and the deep work we’re doing into our tissue and bones, as well as to encourage us to remember the vital roles our bodies play in the transformative process.

Jupiter in Cancer expands our capacity to truly, deeply feel the emotions that have been stored in our bodies, allowing them to move through us so that we may honor the totality of our inner journeys and the rich landscape within. Neptune in Pisces invites us to fully let ourselves go into the processes that are underway, trusting that we were made for this, we have the tools that we need, and our deepest, most innate selves know beyond a shadow of a doubt how to transform, integrate, and release as often as is necessary to actually be the people we came here to be. Saturn in Pisces reminds us that we must uphold the healthy boundaries that keep us embodying our most clear and true selves through choosing the practices and pursuits that encourage just this. It also checks us when we’re participating in habits we’ve perhaps long outgrown, those that keep us locked in old patterns and paradigms that we must leave behind if we’re serious about being the wise humans we know we must become.

Uranus in Taurus wants us to integrate all of this work in our bodies, remembering that not only are they an integral part of the alchemical experience, but that they have been loyally carrying not only our own stories and experiences, but those of our ancestors and from our karmic past as well. In order for the truest transformation to take place, it must be done through the tissues that constitute us, for it is here that everything making up the mythology of the self is held. When we make ourselves available to the deep work that is taking place in this way, we no longer carry what we once believed to be true but has been holding us back from our potential.

During this Scorpio New Moon, may you transform all you are meant to, facing what you must to reclaim your wisest, truest self, and may you know a bit more of the mystery that lies at the core of your innate nature.

Libra is the sign of the scales, associated archetypally with the mediator and the peacemaker, the lover and the best friend, the artist and the designer. Here to experience an unparalleled inner harmony, Libra learns to attune to its refined sensibilities and tend to its innermost needs to create and maintain this equanimous state. Art of any kind, music, and aesthetics offer Libra the placidity that keeps its sensitive system in a harmonious place. Concerned with issues of justice and harmony for all, Libra is gifted at seeing where the whole can be bolstered, and it’s more than willing to do what it needs to show up for others in support of this aim. It longs to be truly seen, felt, heard, and understood, inherently knowing how to offer these qualities to any with whom it shares space. Yet it must be careful that in this process it doesn’t give itself away, taking on too much for another or for many others, people pleasing, and saying ‘yes’ too often at the expense of it own time, energy, and attention. When this becomes the case or perhaps the norm, Libra’s scales will inevitably go catawampus, and the much sought-after and much-needed composure turns to a frazzled inner turmoil.

Now, this New Moon is being opposed by a conjunction of Eris and Chiron in Aries, as well as squared by Jupiter in Cancer on one side and by an out of bounds Pluto in Aquarius on the other, upping the ante for Libra’s sensitive and highly aware nervous system.

We’ll begin with Eris, whose name also can be translated to ‘Discordia.’ Discovered in 2005 as a dwarf planet, she is smaller than Pluto in volume but actually has more mass than he does. Eris also has a pretty gigantic ellipse that has kept her in the sign of Aries since 1926, and she’ll be there until 2044. The Greek myth from which this planet takes its name is an important one to read, for she single-handedly started the Trojan War with the toss of a golden apple. And while traditionally heralded as the planet of revolution, challenging social norms, and fighting injustice, when we take an astrological view that is more focused on the inner process, she represents the dark face of the feminine and what it means to find empowerment through approaching our shadows with awareness.

When the denigration of the divine feminine began over 2,000 years ago, shifting our planet into a long phase of imbalance and disharmony, women’s value and worth, power and purpose were hijacked, only to be slowly reclaimed over the following couple millennia, and then some. Women became valued solely for their physical form, associated with outer beauty and fecund sexuality, and the ability to mother, care-give, and run a household became the roles women were still okay to play. The inherently spiritual roles that many women played in society were taken away, and those who were keepers of the sacred saw these roles diminished by the patriarchal power structures that overtook them. Over time, rather than support and celebrate one other, many women began to turn on those who could have been their friends and allies, competing with one another for higher status or position, more powerful partners or social circles, holding themselves to high or unattainable beauty standards, and scapegoating and judging those who were weird or different to make themselves feel better about the division that had taken place within themselves.

Yet the awareness of how to be advocates and supporters of one another lives deep within our bones and blood, ready to be brought to life as soon as we can claim it. Part of this healing process, certainly the domain of Eris, encourages us to first learn to befriend ourselves, loving our aging faces and bodies, our gifts and talents as well as our inconsistencies, making space for the things that make us unique and interesting even when society might be more comfortable keeping us in a box. This work invites us to reclaim our own value in the world, leaning into the projects, pursuits, and pastimes that light us up and call our full selves forth so that we feed the potential that has always been within, shaping it passionately and lovingly in the world. This work also calls us to celebrate one another, to stand up for each other, and to cheer for those who are doing what their hearts have guided them to do in life, recognizing that they are helping free up a part of us that never had the courage to do what lights us up. That is, perhaps, until now, for every time one of us has the daring and boldness to shift the old and outmoded paradigm, to face our deepest fears of unworthiness that we are no longer willing to carry and that cannot hold us back, we are contributing to the collective in ways that shift it forever. And we can either stay in worn out ways of being, or we can co-create something truly awe-inspiring. But only if we are willing to do the courageous work of looking within ourselves, uncovering all the places where epigenetic traumas and patterns, karmic stories and narratives, have kept us small. And then rewriting them. It’s powerful work to do on our own and even more powerful work to do together.

Chiron, the wounded healer, also encourages us to this brave task, that of the hero and the heroine. Only when we show up to this aforementioned exercise is it possible to live in the world as integrated, aware humans, ones who are truly healed, restored to our innate capacity to bring joy, beauty, love, integrity, truth, virtue, and then some, to life within ourselves, becoming the medicine our world so desperately needs. Working with Eris in a tight conjunction that opposes this New Moon, Chiron reminds us that when we fiercely face what scares us most, we are given the opportunity to shift our relationship to it, and it no longer has a hold on us as it did before. This asteroid encourages us to valiantly reclaim our latent capacity to show up as the healed and integrated beings we came here to be, full stop, engaging with that process from start to finish. Otherwise, we get the shadow of Chiron, which is to simply show up as wounded victims, as well as Aries’ shadow, indignant that others are not giving in to our victimized states.

Now, this is a lot of talk about intensity, boldness, and courage on a Libra New Moon, who is undoubtedly in need of equanimity, tranquility, and grace. Yet to be “the change we wish to see in the world” that Libra so dearly yearns for, we must first begin with ourselves. If Libra wants justice, as with anything, it is truly an inside job. Doing the hard stuff allows Libra to find and more readily maintain the inner harmony that it knows and loves, able to right and regulate its nervous system with awareness and ease the moment it goes out of balance. The more external stress this sign experiences, the more the scales begin to tip in one direction. Yet if Libra has done a bit of Arietean work and created healthy boundaries in itself, if it has done the challenging tasks of facing what it must to claim its power from its fears, the external stresses don’t hold as much sway, and its sensitive countenance is free and clear of getting pulled too far in either direction that will have it out of sync for longer than it would like to manage.

Jupiter makes larger the energy of wherever it lands, encouraging us to broaden our horizons and expand into our greatest potential. In the sign of the healer, care-giver, and mother, we are asked to do some big work around healing through feeling, which means actually feeling the things that we’ve perhaps put off for a time, for ourselves, our beloveds, and our human family, especially with so much up in the collective. Jupiter in Cancer asks us to take part in nourishing self-care practices that support the process of moving emotions through our bodies so that we can feel deeply and fully, then release what we are ready to, shedding the skin that has held us for so long but that we will eventually be ready to outgrow. Holding onto all of this emotion keeps us blocked and crabby, unable to expand in the ways that Jupiter would have us do, and with Libra in the mix, this emotional processing is key for creating an inner harmony that calms our spirits and soothes our souls.

Now, to Pluto! Pluto is out of bounds from the end of August 2025 until November 2035. Yes, you read that correctly — for over 10 years! When planets are out of bounds, they’re given more freedom and instability than they would normally have, able to work in profoundly erratic ways that lead to either greater sovereignty for the whole on one hand, or the feeling of being more confined and hemmed in, on the other. And just to mention one more thing: natally, out of bounds planets give us a sense of eccentricity as well as outsider status, but they still offer the capacity to become more free in a certain expression of ourselves depending on which planets and signs are involved. I often talk about them as having an Aquarian energy since this is the sign of the one who marches to the rhythm of its own drum and does things quite its own way. Since Pluto is already in Aquarius, these energies of shaking things up, instability, revolution, genius, and authenticity are even more highlighted. If you’d like to read more about Out of Bounds Pluto from an even more lensed-in perspective, visit https://www.astro.com/astrology/aa_article240604_e.htm.

From an evolutionary perspective, Pluto is the planet of power and empowerment. He, like Eris, wants us to go deeply into the subconscious realm to find all the places we’ve been wounded and traumatized, all the places where we hold fear that incapacitates us, in order to alchemize the energy within them, turning it into fodder that drives us in meaningful, powerful ways. “Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it is only transformed,” and Pluto is the key planet of this sentiment. Always a karmic and epigenetic planet, the Lord of the Underworld and the Riches wants us to transform what our ancestors could not and to shift what in other times, we could not. In Aquarius, we are meant to reclaim any and all parts of ourselves that we had to secret away in the days of yesteryear in order to fit in. We are meant to call the parts that couldn’t see the light of day in other times back home in the present, reminding them of just how important they are to make us the unique and beautiful beings we came here to be, even if we would have been burned at the stake or ostracized by our families because of them. Now is not then, and we are meant to write our own inspiring stories individually and as a collective. If we are wounded, we are invited to radical ways of healing that give us sovereignty and connect us with our true authenticity, ones that encourage a place of deep equanimity that is truly unshakable. If we continue to let a deep wound keep us a victim, we will never actualize our potential in the way that we’re meant to, and it will rule our lives as inner tyrants, yet we’ll fail to see the truth of how this is so. Instead, we’ll unconsciously project it into the outer world, causing those with whom we come into contact to do the extra work because of our inability to transform what we ultimately can. Thankfully, we have a choice in each and every moment, and the magic of the Cosmos continues to encourage powerful experiences that catalyze our potential.

In this cosmic play, Libra finds its true home, the point just in the center of the scales, when it integrates all the energies with which it is dancing for this cycle. As the world becomes louder outside and in, the call to true, deep transformation becomes ever more important, giving us the capacity to co-create a world that is harmonious and inspiring for us all.

May your next cycle potent and uplifting, your transformation deep and enriching, and may you know the equanimity that lives deep within.

As we approach the autumn threshold here in the Northern Hemisphere, one we’ve reached dozens of times before, we’re met with the distinct sense that things are not as they’ve been in earlier versions of this turning point, for this particular period carries with it a tone shift that seems to permeate all facets of our lives from start to finish, inside and out, and one that can’t be ignored. The planets and their continued revolutions through the sky are no doubt responsible for this milieu, powerful portents of what’s to come in the ever-unfolding cosmic cycle.

The good news is that I won’t be telling you to go and hide under a rock until the specific planetary transits are finished, nor will I similarly recommend that you wait it out without leaving your house, only to emerge after the challenging period is over. This would be an insult to your intelligence and your potential, and you’d likely miss half your life (or more!) if you assumed this approach when powerful transits came to the fore. Instead, the invitation here is to do what we Tantrikas are pretty into doing, and most of the time: to engage your life and all that the planets are bringing to your doorstep with as much skill and awareness, grace and godliness, as you can manage. Sure, there may be some buffoonery, and you may get tripped up a few times before finding a rhythm that seems to befit you and the times we’re living in, but once you do, the momentum you gain reminds you of what it means to be alive, to be a divine being having a human experience, and that this is exactly what you signed up for, provocations and all. At some point along the way, you’ll likely recall that you chose to show up at this time, and for these experiences, in order to remember who you actually are and all that you’re capable of, reclaiming for yourself what in other times would undoubtedly be labelled as heresy, hypocrisy, or hocus-pocus, and is now just called living your truth or your best life. Hashtag.

Saturn has retrograded back into the sign of Pisces, where it will be until mid-February of 2026, yet for this eclipse, it’s making quite an exact opposition to the Sun & Moon in Virgo. Now remember, ‘the only way out is through’ in this case, and there is no need to hide under the aforementioned rock for this cosmic event. Instead, one might ask the old gaffer of planets (aka Saturn) how to move, work, and dance with him in a way that begets results and invites some good ol’ self-reliance that we may not have had before. Saturn does not do handouts, and for good reason. If he did, we would not move through the necessary trials and tribulations required for us to become the wiser, more discerning, aware, and capable individuals that make our world a better place. Saturn does not want us to shirk responsibility, but to take it on in a way that is aligned with our sagely selves, committing to a grand task or a powerful work that will indeed move us in the direction of embodying the beings we came to this planet to be. And while in traditional astrology he might be considered the worst of bad luck planets, that’s only if we’re allergic to doing the work that reality is asking of us, setting clear boundaries in ourselves and lives, and dedicating ourselves to the task(s) required. Evolutionarily, all this is important for embodying our most integral selves. Otherwise, our potential is left blowin’ in the wind and we never actually get to it. This time around, anyway!

In the sign of the Cosmic dancer, yogi, and meditator, Saturn wants us to get real about letting go of ‘stuff’ that’s not in alignment with who we are anymore. Whether this refers to bad habits we’re still engaging in that we know we shouldn’t, old stories we have of ourselves that just don’t fit anymore, outgrown identities that feel as flimsy as tracing paper, or truly anything of the sort, we’re asked to face the proverbial music and do the heavy lifting required of us to set boundaries for ourselves, and ones that have us remembering our most epically amazing natures that have been with us all along but have likely been playing a great game of hide-and-seek. If this makes no sense to you, perhaps this will: ‘inquire within.’ Or ‘it’s an inside job’. Or, quite simply, you are a magnificent being beyond space and time who put on a body suit to come to this planet in order to co-create with the inherently intelligent energy that made you and is alive within you, that constantly reconstitutes you over and again, in order to co-manifest your destiny, to deeply know and full-heartedly share your magic, and to evolve beyond any limiting ideation that keeps you trapped in karmic, epigenetic, societal, familial, or any other confine that you take on in order to feel safe or to evade your true soul path. Hopefully that was clear!

Neptune, also retrograde but in the sign of Aries for now, lies in opposition to the New Moon eclipse as well. Neptune always asks us to let our intuition guide us even if we can’t see the way forward, to let the soul voice who always knows the way be the one we truly give credence to, for anything else is bound to take us on a meandering path that moves us away from our innate knowing. Neptune wants us to tune into this knowing, releasing what keeps us from following our heart of hearts. Confusion arises when we don’t take the time or make the effort to know this infinite aspect of ourselves, to develop our intuition as well as our capacity to heed its guidance, and our lives become such a misrepresentation of our soul’s journey that we’d rather numb out and obliterate our own consciousness than lean in and know who we really are, living from that version of ourselves, the one that is a merging of our limitless spirit selves with our somewhat fallible human ones.

Aries is always in need of a challenge, and it seeks experiences that call forth its own bravery and courage in order to feel vital and alive. It needs daunting events that push its energy to the extreme, forcing it into the realm of fear, adrenaline, and cortisol, only so it can know what it’s capable of, claiming the archetype of the hero or heroine within, and in so doing, living with the knowledge that it can do unnerving things even when it didn’t feel like it had the capacity for them in the first place. With Neptune here, we’re asked to courageously be the shining beings we came to earth to be, meeting our fears head on, facing them down, and proving that they cannot keep us from embodying our most vibrant, real, and expansive selves. We are encouraged to embody Christ Consciousness, Buddha Nature, and the most divine presence within, and while this premise tends to get religified in most parts of the world, it truly has nothing to do with morality, and everything to do with letting the deep inner presence that has taken form within us all lead the way. When we allow this facet of ourselves to take the reigns, we live our potential in the world, weaving our own magic and beauty into the fabric of life, enhancing the whole in the ways that only we can. This part of us does not get caught in BS agendas or extremes, and it certainly knows how to stand clearly for what is in alignment with the best and highest good for ALL. And the world could definitely use a lot of that right now.

Now, all of this is engaging with the Virgo New Moon eclipse, one year into the Virgo-Pisces eclipse cycle. Virgo is virtuosic at rhythms and routines, systems and techniques that allow it to be effective, efficient, and excellent, for it is truly a sign of mastery. This is only if it can get out of its own way and stop taking life as a personal affront, leaning into the knowing that it has potent magic and immense beauty within, that it’s deeply valuable to the whole, and that its gifts are so important that the world would not be itself without them. Virgo is here to fully bring its skills and talents into being, continuously honing and refining them to be of greater service to reality, as well as to find the fulfillment that inherently comes with this endeavor. It wants us to pour ourselves into what we came here to do and what is alive for us right now, creating the healthy boundaries in our lives to make it so, courageously facing our fears as part of the process. And rather than letting these fears or the inevitable work ahead daunt us to the point of giving up, it asks that we continue to show up for it, fine-tuning our daily, weekly, and monthly schedules and lives to align with the task we’re engaged in. ‘Something has to give’ from time to time, and Virgo is expert at knowing what it is, shifting its life accordingly to show up in the ways it can be most efficacious, not those that have it doubting itself or its potential and forgetting its significant part to play within the whole.

Uranus in Gemini trines this New Moon, asking us to stay open to the signs, symbols, and omens that life is throwing at us so that we may know undeniably what is most authentic to who we are now. This energy helps us to receive the memos from the universe so that we can get super clear as to what we need and want in the moment that has nothing to do with what we’ve been conditioned to need or want and everything to do with what our inner guidance systems already know. It encourages us to not become overwhelmed by the immense amount of information at our fingertips, and to instead engage with it in a way that is in tune with our deep truth, letting this come to life through our perceptions, thoughts, and voices as we share this truth in ways that are profound and meaningful. A harbinger of change, Uranus encourages us to embrace the shifts that are in alignment with our authenticity, moving deftly toward what we’re co-creating.

Pluto always wants us to face ourselves in ways that create deep and profound transformation. This transformation refers to karmic, epigenetic, societal, familial, and human patterns and stories that keep us hiding out in certain parts of our psyches without questioning them or attempting to understand them, letting them instead dominate our actions or non-actions in the world. As the Lord of the Underworld AND the Riches, Pluto wants us to dive deep into the subconscious terrain to alchemize the fears and traumas in this life and prior ones so that the energy that was caught within those patterns can move freely in the system, becoming fodder for the hopes and dreams we are here to actualize. We’re meant to reclaim those parts of our souls that we inevitably had to hide in times prior in order to fit in and gain a sense of belonging. Aquarius (and Uranus) needs us to march to the rhythm of our own drum and to be committed to uncovering exactly what that means, following the truth that is alive and well within us. “Energy is neither created nor destroyed; it is only transformed,” and working to shift all that aims to hold us back so that we can more easily heed the guidance of our most knowing selves is even more key now that Pluto is in Aquarius for the next 18.5 years.

Putting all of this together, we are meant to bring our super powers to the fore now, setting healthy and real boundaries that allow us to embody our spirit selves who obviously knew what our mission was before getting here, and who are ready to bring it to action. It’s game on or nearly so, and the knowing within is ready to help us courageously claim our places in the world: as divine beings having a human experience; as valuable members of the human family who have gifts to share and authentic ways of sharing them; as powerful bringers of change who are ushering in a new (but actually super ancient) way of being that has humanity operating at its optimal potential, not just despite but because of, all that has sought to hold us back and keep us down for eons. And guess what? You’re one of the ones we’ve been waiting for. Ready or not, it’s go time. Let’s do this!

But here’s a bit more good news if you’re feeling slightly trepidatious at the prospect of all this. Consider this Fall and Winter a dress rehearsal. We’re getting major glimpses, or more accurately, massive looks and feels of what’s to come. We’re currently meant to prepare some plans and ready ourselves for the next inevitable phase, as the Spring of 2026 will usher in what we’re sensing now in a much bigger way, and we’ll be invited to all I’ve written about with even more gusto and moxie. How can you try some of these themes on now to do the spadework that will inevitably benefit you when we emerge from the cold season and are reborn into the world around the Vernal Equinox?

Part II

The Autumn Equinox is associated with the elemental phase of Metal in Chinese Medicine, as well as the Lung, the skin, our sense of and ability to smell, and the emotions of Grief and Letting Go. The leaves on the trees give us a spectacular show as they shift from green to gold, fiery orange, and bright burgundy, the last Yang surging before they float poetically to the ground to eventually decay and become fodder for the forest floor and all who call it home. There is an inherent knowing of when to burst into the most vibrant color of all, when to let go and begin to move inwardly, how to gestate deeply and nourish fully, and when it’s time to grow again, how to reach for the heights that we are meant to experience, eventually finding the joy that delights us and carries us through the darker times.

With the immense shifting taking place with the planets and on our own planet, attuning ourselves to Nature’s wisdom only serves to reconnect us with our innate nature, now an invitation to gather the blessings and gems of time spent in the lighter half of the year, drawing them to us as we prepare to go within. We are asked to release what we’re not meant to carry across the threshold, knowing that it, too, will be transformed by the earth, reborn in another shape and form when the time is just right. And we will be lighter moving through the portal that welcomes us more fully into our own selves, shedding what is no longer required to marinate in the truth of what has always been with us. In this act of relinquishing, we give ourselves the necessary space within our experiences, eventually more able to gestate what will inevitably make itself known in the months that follow.

My wish for you is that you give yourself the time and space to percolate in all the ways you’re meant to, able to claim your place as the cosmic being that you are, standing brightly in your gifts and sharing them even more brilliantly, knowing both the value of yourself and all who are a part of your human family, and that you remind them simply by your example what it means to shine together. May we put all pettiness aside and choose to do the work we committed to long before we had a name, lifting one another up and reminding each other who we really are when one of us has forgotten the way. May we know who we really are, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and may we live from this place in every moment possible.

Blessings to you on this autumn equinox and new moon eclipse!

Now by this point, I feel it’s safe to say that you understand how influenced we are by the Cosmic play of planets and stars, sun and moon, asteroids and eclipses. So much so that we can sense when something big is happening in our own charts without even knowing what it is. So much so that a deep part of us knows there is something much greater than ourselves guiding us along, influencing us in ways we’ve perhaps forgotten about until the moment we choose to enter into deeper relationship with it. One of my clients sat yesterday shaking his head in amazement at how the timing of all that was unfolding in his own life uncannily aligned with what I was telling him. He was quite astonished at how I was able to put words to events that had taken and were taking place in his life, internal and external. And I always get a little giggle at this too, because even though I’ve been an astrologer for 14 or so years, I’m still amazed at what I find, at the synchronicities that so clearly show how real the astrological play is. “The stars don’t lie,” and they never have, and as soon as we learn how to dance with their celestial wisdom, we become powerful co-creators of our own destinies. Evolutionary astrology recognizes that we are not meant to be at the whims of fate, but rather able to use our free will in ways that invite us to shift and transform old paradigms and stories, as well as to cultivate our hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits to create meaningful lives that feel deeply purposeful and truly enriching, all the while learning to be more authentically ourselves.

The New Moon in Virgo takes place at 0° 23’ on Friday, August 22nd at 11:07pm Pacific and on Saturday the 23rd at 2:07am Eastern. What I love about this New Moon is that it’s within the first degree of Virgo, while Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are all within the first 2° of their respective signs, forming both a powerful square and a powerful Yod with it. Now, a square is pretty simple: a 90° angle that can be worked with skillfully, but one that creates friction in order to do so. A Yod, on the other hand, is made up of one sextile (60° angle) and two inconjuncts, one of 150° and one of 210°. Now, if your mind just skimmed over than without getting much from it, no worries — all of the technical jargon makes that an easy thing to do! Inconjunctions are one of my favorite aspects in astrology, one in which we take two signs that often work fairly strangely together and get them to zing in a way that enhances the energy of both. Especially in a birth chart, this can be done in a way that brings freedom and support to each sign, contributing to the whole of the chart in a powerful way. But what is also pretty amazing about these configurations is that we haven’t had this many planets in the very early degrees of a sign together in a really long time, and it likely won’t be happening again after this iteration of things for an equally long amount of time! And all of the planets mentioned, aside from the Moon, are in either fire or air elements, bringing quite the energies of intensity and shaking things up into the mix. If you’d like to read more about the planets mentioned above, please see either or both of my last posts here on Substack. They are all included in ‘Mid Summer's Approach & the Leo New Moon with its Ample Aspects.’ Though the way that Virgo will work with them differs drastically from Leo, we’ll be Virgoan places now to clear up any confusion!

Virgo is the sign of the zodiac most conscious of the divine discontent that comes with being a spirit being having a human experience. It is the astrological energy most committed to growth and evolution, not so that it can receive accolades or applause, but so it can become more effective at its skill or craft, more skillful at its trade or vocation. Virgo seeks to become masterful at what it offers the world, and is a true servant of humanity that gains deep fulfillment by being able to help others as competently as possible. It carries the need for a high standard of excellency, more than capable of the 10,000 hours necessary to become truly adept at what it does. Again, this is not for outer praise, but for the sense of inner realization that inevitably takes place through this process.

Virgo knows what it is not, but a part of it also knows what it can be, and it will continue throwing itself in the ring over and again until it becomes what it always knew it could be. Its gift is analysis, its currency, precision. Virgo’s ability to adhere to meticulous details make it wonderful at dialing systems that might leave others exhausted or confused, yet its ability to ensure that these run efficiently is par excellence. It organically uses its diligent work ethic and detail-oriented nature to get a task done, content to expend its energy to see it through.

Its need for daily support through practices and activities that remind it of its place within the greater whole of life are quite important, for all of this attention to detail can have it forgetting the bigger picture. Yet grounding itself into regular rituals, nourishing itself with healthy food, and refining its self-care routines allow it to express itself in a flourishing way that invites it to embody its value as an integral part of the whole.

This New Moon encourages us to lean into all of these things, finding the rhythms and routines that support our lives and what we’re cultivating within them, as well as being real about where we’d like to grow and evolve, placing our precious time, energy, and attention into these arenas so that we see real results as we do. With its aforementioned aspects, it invites us to stay open to what is most authentic in ourselves and lives, working toward being that version of ourselves to the best of our ability and staying curious about the process as we do. It reminds us that cultivating the courage to be our most true selves, especially when it is hard, might take a bit of refinement and finesse, but that the process of releasing what wasn’t aligned with where we’re heading to firmly stand in what moves us toward what we are is an invaluable one. It encourages us to face the most wounded and darkest places within our psyches so that we reclaim the power from our deepest fears, using it instead to make ourselves and the world a better place. Virgoan energy brings a clear method and organized approach to how we can do all these things as part of the astrological play within ourselves.

Onto the eclipses! The following is a quote from my March 2025 eclipse season post.

“It’s important to remember that eclipses are times when things that have been brewing beneath the surface come to light in a new way, revealing new information from outer reality or our own inner reality that drastically changes things. Not all of them are necessarily intense like this, as they work together in a cycle that brings development and insight over time.

The Virgo-Pisces axis is my personal favorite in the zodiac, seeing as it’s the most heavily represented in my own chart! It has to do with the sacred, the mystical, and the unseen yet truly felt aspects of reality, and how we make experiences in this realm useful, helpful, and valuable in our daily lives. It is the axis of Being and Becoming, and how we tap into the part of ourselves that is already whole and full, weaving this ever-present aspect of who we are more and more skillfully into our lived experiences. It, too, is the axis of working with the details in a way that supports the grand scheme, recognizing the bigger picture of reality and how all that we do in ordinary life can be in remembrance of this, and that because ‘mundane’ life is upheld and supported by a greater completeness, it certainly does not have to be ‘mundane’ at all.”

On September 7th, 2025, we will experience a Pisces Full Moon eclipse at 15° 22’, one that draws together two sides of the aforementioned axis and also creates a trined relationship with Jupiter in Cancer. Pisces as the mystic and dreamer always carries a deep need for connecting with the inherent intelligence that is alive and well in all things, perhaps even more so now that things in the outer world and likely our own inner ones are feeling quite heightened. Sensing into the subtle layer of reality that permeates all facets of life is as important to the fish as its own element of water. Practices like meditation and yoga, qi gong and tai chi, labyrinth-walking and earthing are all helpful tools in feeding Pisces the diet it needs, and when we take the time to nourish ourselves in these ways, we remember the greater fabric of interconnection that weaves us all together, no matter where we stand or how we do so. We gain access to compassion even when we must stand steadily in the face of what will never be okay, opening our hearts to the parts of the whole that are still remembering. We learn to embody the deeper truth that is our innate nature, weaving this knowing into what we do here on the planet in every act of courage, every testament of authenticity, every expression of care, every deed of service. We bring to life our intrinsic selves through honing and refining the talents and skills we are meant to gift to the world, leaving it better than when we found it because we can. The more we steep ourselves in the place of presence itself, the more we realize that we must live this truth as ourselves, releasing any narrowness that may have defined us for a time, but that ultimately never can. How can we nourish ourselves in ways that allow us this remembering, that facilitate our awakening to what a part of us has always known?

The second Virgo New Moon of 2025, a New Moon eclipse, takes place at 29° 5’ on September 21st, 2025, a day before Libra Season begins. It opposes Saturn, who will retrograde back into the sign of the empath for a few months until early 2026, as well as Neptune, who will be in Aries for this particular moment before also moving back for a very short time into the sign of the intuitive and visionary. These planets’ involvement in the eclipse remind us that the clear and healthy boundaries we create in ourselves and lives are requirements for us to bring our highest selves to life, allowing us to thrive in a world that might feel as though it’s coming unhinged. We are meant to put the healthy habits in place that support us in manifesting our dreams and all that we know we’re capable of, tapping into Virgo’s measured, detailed approach to move us in this direction. Bold intentions that propel us toward our purpose in perhaps a new or more clarified way will get us further than we think, and when these courageous undertakings beget the results we were hoping for or something close, our confidence will grow, as will our sense of meaning in the particular journey we’re on. Virgo encourages us to know our value and to hone its expression in the world, doing so with an approach that dares us to dream what is possible and then to get at doing what we must to make it so. It takes bravery to envision what a deep part of us knows is possible, more to bring it forth with the specifics required, and even more to see it through to the end. Thankfully, the planets are on our side if this is what we’re imagining, and their alignment both over the next month and into the Spring as we continue eclipse season then, bodes well for our manifestation magic to create results! How can we dream big, then use a crafty awareness to bring the details into greater focus? How can we refine our boundaries so that our priorities are even more clear, the results of our dreamwork more tangible?

May this eclipse season truly bring you the insight, understanding, and remembrance you need, and may you bask in the magic that both surrounds you and is deep within you!

And if all of this astrology talk interests you further, please drop me a line at lilarasa@gmail.com and let me know! My Cosmic Conservatory program begins during this cosmic showdown on September 18th, and we’ll dive into all of the pieces necessary to deeply understand how to move with these energies skillfully and well from the evolutionary astrological perspective, with a bit of the nondual Tantric framework to boot.

Heading home — I don’t ride all that far, just enough to pump my legs and feel alive in all the ways I need — I spotted a friend and neighbor walking her dog on the road that parallels our own, one that is meant for slower traffic and leisurely-paced activities. Slowing my speed to match hers so we could catch up for a few, we chatted about life’s big events and the happenings of summer. In the midst of this, both of our eyes were caught by a small bird sitting just beside the road which had been newly paved and now left quite a drop-off between itself and the land beside it. I suppose the shoulder wasn’t a concern of those doing the work, though the pavement is so smooth I can’t really complain. Initially I thought of a grouse, knowing their behavior quite well, but we quickly realized that we were in the presence of an adolescent hawk. My friend actually said the word, ‘fledgling,’ and I took it in with delight. Some words just actually seem to awaken the spirit, bringing it more perfectly into the present. This was apparently one of them!

As we both turned to face the young red tail (we’d since stopped walking), my friend grabbed her phone to snap a picture, and it flew directly toward us! Missing us both by a couple feet, it attempted to catch the side of the carport we were now standing in front of, grabbing its edge. Unable to properly hold on, it fell to the grass below. We walked further to make sure it wasn’t injured, and as we did, we again saw it sitting upright in the yard. As we came into its view, it decided to fly into the backyard that thankfully contained no animals to speak of. The owner of the house was in the front yard, so we let him know what was happening, and he confirmed that he’d also seen the hawk around for a few days and would continue to keep an eye on it.

Storm really brewing by this point, the need to return home kicked in for us both, and we said our goodbyes.

As I rode the short way home, an equal amount of amazement at what I’d been privy to and heartache for this little being just learning to make its way in the world moved through me. I offered a few prayers and blessings on behalf of the hawk, told my husband all about it, and continued with the evening’s routines.

The next day I had some plans in town, and as I made my way home in the early evening, an intuition struck me like a bolt of lightening: I was meant to pay careful attention to my surroundings, keeping my eyes peeled for the fledgling. I instinctively widened my vision to take everything in in a more present (and prescient) way, hoping I’d encounter the beautiful bird once more. Yet as I drove by a black one that had been hit on the road, my heart sank. Slamming on the brakes, I jumped out of my vehicle (thankfully the road isn’t too busy), only later realizing that I’d turned on my steering wheel warmer instead of my hazards! From my initial view on the road, the bird could have been a crow or a raven, as these are everywhere in our neighborhood, and all I could see were black feathers. Yet as soon as I lifted the bird’s limp body from the pavement, the plumage of a lovely red tail hawk was revealed, confirming what my intuition had already told me was true.

Tears prickling in the corners of my eyes, I placed its body in the trunk of my vehicle and brought it home, enlisting the help of my partner to help me bury this amazing animal under the apple tree, where it now lies with three of our beloved pups. And so the growing collection of fur family includes a feathered being as well, as it seemed like the rightful resting place for this majestic creature. I said some blessings and shed a few more tears before coming inside, my mind trying to make sense of what had just transpired.

Hawks, especially the kind I just encountered, are considered messengers in both Celtic and Native American traditions, as well as Egyptian and some Viking traditions. Often carrying messages from the Otherworld or beyond realms, they signify spiritual and ancestral connection and invite us to cultivate discernment in our lives. Certainly possessing a connection with Mercury, the Messenger of Gods, Red tails encourage us to be astute in our observations, keen in our awareness, and perceptive in our understandings. And these qualities are just what Mercury brings with him as part of his courier capabilities: the capacity for us to be open to what the Universe is seeking to communicate, aware of the signs and symbols it’s using to do so, and able to shift our perception in order to receive the message. In other words, Mercury is associated with our ability to “get the memo,” and ultimately, it’s up to us as to whether or not we are able to “pick up what he’s putting down,” for sometimes a shift in perspective is required.

Now, Uranus and Mercury have a few things in common. I consider them both to be important harbingers of truth. Mercury is associated with insight and epiphany; Uranus with lightning fast shifts that initiate change — the kinds of change that seem more than we may be ready for, but that we need nonetheless. Both catalyze the type of evolution that arrives quickly, perhaps shockingly, and initiates us to another level of understanding. Yet Uranus carries with it a deep need for that which is most authentic to who we are, not who we’ve been trained or conditioned to be. It wants us to claim the innate genius that is ours and ours alone, bringing parts of ourselves to the surface that we haven’t before, showing up truly as the people we came here to be, regardless of what the peanut gallery has to say about it — or anyone else, for that matter.

Uranus transited into one of Mercury’s ruled signs, Gemini, just a few weeks ago, and will stay there until the beginning of November, when it retrogrades back into Taurus until the end of April 2026. It will be in the sign of the Twins until May of 2033. This period is certainly one of instability, but that doesn’t always mean “bad.” If anything, it will likely encompass a full spectrum of the Geminian flavor of the zodiac, having to do with information exchange and communication, opportunities for learning and expanding our minds with new material, and truly being open to the synchronicities of life. We’ll be invited to pick up what the universe is putting down, shifting our perception from perhaps outmoded material and ways of thinking/understanding to more nuanced, conscious, and astute awareness. With Uranus here, the unexpected is guaranteed, especially when it comes to how we communicate with the Universe and open to its messages; how we perceive life and our roles within it; how we share our voices, truths, and words, whether spoken, written, exclaimed, or all of the above.

Yet what is shocking needs time to settle. It requires contemplation, grappling with, and openness to shifting how we may have once understood a view that seemed fundamental to us and perhaps no longer is. It asks that we bear witness to ourselves and others, not turning away from life’s intensity, complexity, or what makes us uncomfortable, so that we allow ourselves to be available to what life has to show us, even if it hurts to look. Perhaps especially if it does. And it invites us to pause, for the first of the Air sign is known to move VERY quickly, which doesn’t give it time to integrate what it experienced. Taking time to do just this will be key, just as remaining open to what it has shown us will be.

If this hawk is an omen of what’s to come during this time of change, I would not be surprised in the slightest, though I am most certainly awed — another of Gemini’s flavors! And though I am still sitting with the deeper meaning that this encounter has shown me, opening the doors of perception to reveal what they may, I trust that reality will unveil itself in due time — as long as I show up for my part of the exchange, which I am committed to doing. With transiting Uranus currently squaring my natal South Node (Aquarius) and Sun (Pisces), then simultaneously and shortly after Mars and Jupiter (Virgo), I feel that the hawk was a harbinger of the change that is afoot in my own life. I must be willing to fly in a new way, as we all must eventually do, releasing the old versions of ourselves that held us captive in one way or another, to show up clearly as who we must. Anything that stands in the way of this must be addressed and shifted too if we are to embody our most authentic selves.

As we move forward into the last 6 weeks of summer, my wish is that you have many moments of wonderment and awe, ones that take your breath away and leave you gobsmacked in just the right ways. And that you make some space to integrate what comes, for it may be exactly what you needed but had conveniently forgotten somewhere along the way.

July 22nd marks the first day of Leo Season, and just two days later on the 24th, we experience the New Moon in the first 2° of the Lion. This one brings quite the bustle, as it forms an aspect to all four of the planets that have recently ingressed into new signs from Saturn through Pluto! The dark moon forms an opposition to Pluto in Aquarius, a trine to both Saturn and Neptune in Aries, a sextile to Uranus in Gemini, and all the while, Mercury retrogrades in fiery Leo, though not close enough to be considered conjunct. What a time it is to be alive — and the Lion agrees!

Leonine energy encourages us to know the creative spark that lives within, and to let it shine brightly through who we are and what we offer to the world. It wants us to connect with the song our spirits long to sing, and to share this part of ourselves with chutzpah and aliveness, bringing all we’ve got to its expression. Leo inspires us to tap into the expansive heart of our own creativity, allowing ourselves to be moved by the force that only we can bring, gifting this part of who we are to life, and with every ounce from start to finish. Here to be seen, recognized, and acclaimed, Leo reminds us that the world is indeed our playground, and it is here that we leave a mark through our unique self-expression. And if it means taking a risk in this arena, Leo is all for it, and we are asked to do this full stop.

Reminding us that play is just as important as work and celebration a human birthright, Leo doesn’t shy away from being silly, frolicsome, even downright ridiculous, for it knows we are here to delight in life’s gifts in all the ways we can, and that our hearts our mollified by this simple endeavor. Using merriment as its currency, Leo is quick to elicit a chuckle or induce a whole gaggle of giggles, reminding us that levity feeds the spirit, and the more fun we have, well, the more fun we have. Experiences of bliss and ecstasy remind us of what we’re capable of while in this human form, yet chase them we must not, for this will only ensnare us in an entangled mess of hedonism and debauchery, Leo’s certain shadows. Yet experiencing the healthy versions of these is key, and when we know how to do just that, we weave the joy and lightheartedness into what may otherwise become heavy, mundane, or just plain hard, tapping into the mirthful flavor that uplifts our hearts and is able to carry us through the more challenging times we inevitably experience as humans.

Caring for our inner children is a true Leonine task, one that allows the parts of ourselves that weren’t nourished in the ways they could have been to be reclaimed and integrated. Doing this allows us to operate as optimally-functioning adults who are in touch with, and indeed lovely grownup expressions of, the little ones who are still within us and come through the beings we’ve become even now.

Mercury, who is retrograde from July 17th-August 10th, appears to move backward in the sign of Leo from 15°33’ to 4°25’. Here, we are meant to pause and reflect, especially when it comes to the creative spark we’re nurturing, that we know we’re meant to share. Perhaps a project is needing to be put on hold until we have more time, inspiration, or clarity, or we’re shifting our voice or view in order to bring it forth in the way we know it wants to be brought to life. Maybe we are being called to ensure that experiences of joy and merry-making are integrated into our regular lives, and we need to schedule things like this more often than we have been as of late. Perchance our inner comedians are wanting to make an appearance, and we’re meant to write our first bits or skits to facilitate this process. And it could be that none of these things are true in the slightest, but I trust you get the point nonetheless.

Pluto in Aquarius opposes the New Moon, and we are being called to retrieve those parts of our karmic, epigenetic, and genuine selves that have been vaulted and hidden all these years so they can actually show up as part of who we are, allowing us to shine as our most authentic and true selves. The more genuine these aspects of who we are actually are, the more important it is that we allow their presence so that the Leonine shine we gift to the world is radiant and clear in all the ways it can be. If it’s not authentic and we continue to secret away our truth, what we bring to the world will not be resonant in the way it otherwise could be, most especially during this cosmic time, and we’ll continue searching for others who can see the best in us when we haven’t chosen to even do that for ourselves.

Saturn and Neptune in Aries both form a trine with the New Moon from the sign of the Leader and the Pioneer, giving us more ferocity and boldness when it comes to sharing our gifts with the world, yet we must ensure that we are willing to do the necessary work to show up as our best, as well as to dissolve old facets of who we once were so this can truly happen. Saturn, aka Father Time, always wants us to embody our wise human selves by doing the hard work necessary to shift old habits and patterns we’ve outgrown, especially now in the parts of our lives where we must develop courage and boldness, necessarily facing what we may have been putting aside because it suited us to do so or it just wasn’t time. This is especially true when we’re asked to do the heavy labor required to heroically be who we came here to be and share the creativity and expression we know we must. If we are willing to do what the Cosmos asks of us in this regard, we will most certainly be able to rely on our ability to do what is challenging when things get uncomfortable, facing our fears as we must, letting this be a catalyzing experience that begets results, bears fruit, and transforms us into the elders we know we can be.

Neptune always asks us to let go of both old versions of ourselves and outdated visions of our lives, and when we’re willing to release who we once were in order to be who we’re becoming — again, fiercely and boldly — we are able to create lives we know are worth living, even if we wouldn’t have recognized ourselves five years prior. We are timeless, ageless beings who necessarily forget our spirit nature when we come here, yet Neptune always reminds us that we are so much more than just our minds or bodies, and surrendering limiting beliefs, ideas, and identities is required if we’re to truly be our most authentic selves. We can only do this if and when we dare to face our deepest fears, transforming and releasing them to reveal what we always knew we were capable of.

Uranus just transitioned into Gemini, where it will be from July 7th-November 7th, 2025, and then again from April 26th, 2026 until May 22nd, 2033 with a brief interlude in Cancer in 2032. This is perhaps the most unpredictable placement of them all, for Uranus brings change to our doorsteps and events that may occur, “all of a sudden” or “out of the blue.” Yet the shifts that Uranus brings are meant to connect us with what is most authentic in ourselves, the part of us that is completely, unapologetically who we are and nothing less. Any and all parts of us that are still operating out of social, familial, karmic, or epigenetic conditioning must be addressed in order to meet this transit well. In Gemini, the quickest of signs, we are invited to words and ideas, quotes and expressions, information and data that points us toward who we are, inspiring us to remember our truest, most real selves. Gemini encourages us to stay open to possibilities and to all of the ways the universe communicates with us and through us, shifting our capacities to listen and heed its guidance, as well as to share ourselves in the ways we know we must. Though Uranus may shake us to our core, we are invited to stay open to the universe’s messages and memos that may have us pivoting or shifting how we’re expressing ourselves moving forward, both for our own good and that of the whole.

Now, if you’re still with me, I commend you! This was quite a lot to write, and I’m sure it was equally that to read. We have ample time to absorb the Cosmic play, especially where all of the planets are involved, and knowing how they aspect parts of your own chart will help that much more. In the meantime, may your Leo New Moon be blessed in all the ways it can be! May you dance your heart out, creatively express yourself in the ways you know you must, play like the inner five-year-old has been begging you to, experience the joy that is your innate nature, and celebrate being a divine being having a human experience in all the ways that truly delight you. There is only one Leo New Moon in 2025 — may you have a downright amazing one.

When the Full Moon is in the sign of Capricorn, it is perhaps the least romantic expression we’ll experience of this ‘Grand Celestial Lady’. Yet, there are gifts when the Moon is in the sign of the Father and the Elder, especially when the Sun is in Cancer, always that case at a Cap Full Moon. These we will eventually come to. Another consolation here is that with the “lucky planet” Jupiter in the sign of the Mother and the Healer for the next year, more of this intriguing lunar energy is prevalent in the Cosmos and therefore the Earth below, as well as within our own embodied experiences.

Cancer reminds us that we are here to learn self-care and self-nurturance through the story of our own lives, actively giving ourselves what we need psycho-spiritually, psycho-emotionally, physically, and energetically, in order to be the most clear versions of ourselves we can be. When we are willing to take the time and spend the energy in practices and activities that support this aim, tending to all the parts of ourselves that need a bit of TLC, we are more easily able to share the same sentiments and attitudes with those with whom we share our lives, offering these gifts as byproducts of important processes in which we’re regularly engaging. In other words, when we take care of ourselves in the ways we know we need to be, we are more likely to share this version of who we are with those who are closest to us, treating them with the care and respect they also likely need. We become more able to offer considerateness and compassion to the world around us simply because we have chosen to meet ourselves in a similar spirit. And in times like these, this certainly goes a long way.

Cancerian energy is traditionally associated with family, the land to which we are connected, and the place or places we call home. It reminds us of the importance of leaning into our biological families, as well as those we consider to be soul family, be they human, animal, or even plant, and to nourish ourselves with the company with whom we feel we truly belong, no matter which version of ourselves shows up on a given day. As mentioned in the Cancer New Moon post, we’re invited to deepen the connections with soul family of all sorts, basking in the energy we receive by the grace of belonging to it and them. Being tended to and nourished through these experiences calls upon the part of us that feels comfortable in itself, loved and supported because we are who we are, and we can then live that into our lives in more integrated and purposeful ways.

We are meant to feel deeply and fully, letting the rich, inner terrain show us what it knows and teach us what we may have forgotten along the way. We are similarly encouraged to steep ourselves in “the cave of the heart,” the space within that holds all possibilities, that in which we gestate our consciousness. The place that gives birth to all eventual realities, we are invited to immerse ourselves here in this innermost space to fully know the longings that live within, ultimately bringing them forth when the deepest part of us knows it is time to do so. Yet we must know them completely in a way that goes far beyond the mind, for this is Cancer’s approach and its gift. When it is time to give shape to them in the here and now, Cancer’s opposite sign, Capricorn, is of infinite help.

Capricorn, the legendary Sea-Goat of the zodiac, knows how to climb mountains, ford channels, and endure whatever may come, no matter how challenging things may get. It has a long game understanding of reality and is able to strategize in order to get where it needs to go, putting one foot in front of the other to make its dreams a reality. Inherently practical, Capricorn does not skimp on patience, for it knows how to see something through with perseverance and persistence. Its fortitude truly gets it far, as does its ability to follow through in every endeavor it undertakes.

When the Moon is here, we’ve the feeling of wanting to accomplish something we may have dreamt or begun long ago, continuing to carry the torch in a way that begets integrity and makes us elders through the long journey we’ve embarked upon. Even if we’ve chosen to shift our course here and there, we are meant to ultimately be energized by our pursuit, letting the deep dream we discovered within the cave of our hearts inspire our ability to manifest the seed that was once only that and has now begun to bear fruit.

Capricornian energy carries a fierce work ethic that certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, but assuaged by Cancer’s nurturing energy, it has the capacity to remember its mission, calling it forth from the depths of itself with forbearance, but also with grace and care. The axis of fullness between these two signs reminds us that “the journey of 10,000 steps begins with the first,” but even before this, there existed a soul longing that yearned to be fulfilled, and Capricorn’s ability to climb the mountain nourishes Cancer’s dream until it comes true. When we bridge the best of both energies, we recognize that it is practical to take care of ourselves on the approach to where we’re headed, honoring whatever arises in our emotional experiences so we don’t become bogged down by their weight. We learn that it is prudent to spend time with those we love, for they will not be here forever, and neither will we. We remember that tending to those we hold dear is nourishing to our own hearts, for climbing the mountain all by ourselves is necessary at times, but we are not meant to go the whole way alone.

There is a time and a place for the energy of the Great Mother, just as there is a time and a place for that of the Great Father. May we know how to engage with each appropriately and accordingly, tending to ourselves and others with love and care, so that we may climb the mountains we are meant to with fortitude and follow through, remembering that this life is where we are meant to nourish our dreams into reality, bringing the magic that is innately within into the outer world that is innately magical.

May your Full Moon be blessed, and may the beauty of this special time light you up in the deepest and most profound of ways.

Certainly most comfortable in its own sign, the Moon here carries with it a sense of knowing what it means to truly belong; it conveys the feeling of being an integral and vital part of something greater than ourselves, a group to which we are bound because we come from it, are nurtured by it, and in turn nurture it with our own presence and unique contributions. In exchange for this belonging, we choose to align our values, perhaps characters, and often choices on what we receive from this familial structure, building our lives accordingly and based on its guidance. If and when we step away from what we were born into — likely to expand into an authentic vision for ourselves that goes beyond what we were gifted as children and adolescents — coming home to that which nurtured parts of us in earlier life proves to be an experience that reminds us of all we carry inside because of this initial kinship arrangement. It reminds us that even though we have expanded beyond what was gifted to us by our original core group, we are still and will always be home when we closely encounter those who raised us or were raised alongside us, and our contributions to the whole will always be valued.

Yet if our belonging is based solely on our prolonging the principles we were born into without any room for us to embody our own unique gifts, the connection to family becomes challenged, as does the feeling of being part of an entity greater than ourselves. The thing that was meant to encourage and support us shifts, and we our relationship to it, eventually seeking and finding those who feel like family, those who offer love and support in ways we perhaps understand more easily or authentically. Deemed as “soul family,” “chosen family,” “kula,” or simply “family,” we discover those who would be there for us no matter what, entwining and making our lives with them, creating new structures of support and kinship, more aligned ways of living based on a deep knowing we have within us. So although we are celebrating Cancer Season, the New Moon, and Jupiter’s conjunction with it, we are doing so during the Aquarian era, navigating what family, home, and kinship mean as the fabric of society shifts and changes more quickly than we may have ever imagined.

Whenever Cancerian energy or the 4th House is involved, I’m reminded of Scottish clan structures that are still going strong (at least in some form), even in modern times. In the past, each Scottish clan was headed by a chief to whom others, unrelated by blood more often than not, would offer their fealty in exchange for support when the need arose. Each clan was associated with the land, tied to it for its sustenance, giving their hard work to it in exchange for the protection that would come by being part of this scenario. They would often take the name of the clan chief to show their loyalty, and it was the clan chief’s decision as to whom he would allow into the group and whom he could exile from it — even if it were his own blood family. Perhaps this story is older than the Age of Aquarius, then! Yet this connection reminds us of Cancer’s innate tie to the motherland and the place to which we feel most connected because of its relationship to our family or clan. Feeling inspired to return to the place that nurtured us as children is a common theme during Cancerian times, as is the inspiration to return to the land that nurtured our ancestors, even if we’ve never set foot there in the current life.

It makes sense, then, that this is a time of homecoming, of returning to the land that raised us, as well as to our biological family or those we feel like we’ve known forever, and we’re invited to deepen the connections that are already there, basking in the energy we receive by the grace of belonging to it and them. Perhaps the land we are currently residing with holds the feeling of genuine home, and if this is the case, we are truly fortunate, for we are asked to honor and celebrate it, tend and care for it in the ways that a heart filled with gratitude allow us to, pouring ourselves into its keeping so that the reciprocity between us flows. Taking time to be with the land during this moon is important then, as is fully feeling the emotions that arise because of this choice.

We are meant to experience tenderness and care at this new moon, offering these qualities to ourselves first and foremost, so that we have the resources within to offer them to others if and when the need arises. Tending to our deep emotions and letting them flow through us without an ounce of resistance is a theme of this moon and season, and we’re meant to honor the process we’re invited to as we embark upon this inner journey, one that is meant to leave us enriched and nourished, even if it asks a lot of us.

With Jupiter conjunct the New Moon, emotions will loom even larger than usual, and likely for the rest of the year, as the “lucky planet” spends his time in the sign of the Healer, Mother, Protector, and Invisible One from June 9th, 2025 - June 30th, 2026. This conjunction with the New Moon heightens our capacity to feel with fullness and depth, expanding our awareness into a realm that is overflowing with possibility and emotion, and we’re invited to heal through feeling every single ounce of what arises from within. Jupiter asks us to have faith in ourselves and our potential, stepping into our sentiments with all we can muster. He encourages us to broaden our horizons as healers and caregivers, as soul family members and tenders of the land that has called us to it for this purpose to be fulfilled. Perhaps he even encourages a return to the motherland based on Cancer’s relationship to the land and Jupiter’s rulership of Sagittarius, the traveler and expeditioner of the zodiac. Jupiter in Cancer inspires the deep healing that can come from being with those who truly know us at the most fundamental level, those with whom we can be our most genuine selves no matter what, expanding beyond limiting beliefs and ideas in order to feel the support necessary to leap into what is possible.

And if this topic interests you, I’m thrilled to be offering a Jupiter in Cancer Online Workshop on Thursday, July 31st at 4pm Pacific. It will be recorded and available to receive after the fact for those who aren’t able to attend live. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re interested! You can do that here or check my website: https://evolutionmedicine.ca/events

I’m wishing you a delightful time as we enter a new astrological season. May your New Moon be blessed, your Cancer Season be as nourishing as possible, and your year of Jupiter in the sign of the Healer and Mother be abundantly auspicious.