Monthly Archives: June 2011

Cancer-Capricorn: The Conscious Journey Home, Part I

July is Cancer month, and that means another fine installment of Ruth’s ongoing series on the zodiac signs according to soul astrology. ~Pat

Where is my home? Who is my family?

The sign of Cancer is associated with home, family, the womb, birth, the Mother, the Moon, water, tides, feelings, emotions, emotional intelligence, empathy, Love and ultimately the highest Love of all: Compassion.

In our Soul’s journey through the 12 zodiac signs, Leo rules the center of the heart, but to reach the heart-center first we must pass through mysterious, watery, Cancer and the minefield of human emotions. After the “interplay of light” in Gemini, the Divine Light in form begins to stir in the minds of humanity and ripple throughout the masses, in Cancer.

The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.*

Cancerians are tuned into the masses in a way that makes them great sales people because they usually know what the customer is looking for before the customer knows himself! They are the archetypal “people person.” Wherever there are people, you will find Cancer; people matter more to them than anything else.

Cancer is motivated primarily by human need. In addition to sales, you will find Cancerians busy at work as counsellors and nurses (especially ER managers where needs are prioritised!), midwives, chefs, construction workers and home-builders. Wherever there is human need, you will find Cancerians quietly meeting it. They are able to send their Cancerian radar deep into the mass consciousness, take a measurement, and sense what is needed next for the benefit of all. The answer usually is Love. When they put their mind to it, Cancerians know how to consciously flow Love. In a Cancerian kitchen you will usually find that the biggest ingredient is Love.

This is one of the keys to understanding the deeper esoteric significance of Cancer. At its highest vibration, Cancer is about meeting the deepest human need of all, our need for Divine Love and spiritual fulfillment. So does every Cancerian we meet flow unconditional love and compassion onto the planet? Not exactly … well, at least not yet.

Because of their connectedness with mass consciousness, the prevailing fear, tribalism, and mob-consciousness can dominate the Cancer personality. Until she begins to awaken to her higher nature, Cancer can too easily become overwhelmed by fear, get lost in the crowd and end up “going with the flow” of lower consciousness.

This is because Cancer hasn’t yet cultivated the strong, healthy, ego-definition of Leo. A well-defined ego and a strong sense of one’s own individuality are needed to resist the tidal magnetic pull of the waters of lower mass consciousness. Cancer acquires this by moving towards her opposite sign Capricorn, which leads her away from the crowd and onto her own solitary path. Only then will she discover her inner voice, her intuition, and learn to listen to the one voice among the many – her own.* This eventually brings her to the reality of her inner journey, her conscious journey to her real home.

As a Cancer personality, you can tend to be a bit of a homebody, staying home where you feel safe, prioritising the needs of your home and close family, seeking refuge in your little world (your shell) and not venturing out into the big, scary, outside world. If this becomes a habit, there is the danger of being stuck in your comfort zone and not exploring your true nature. If you have a strong Cancer influence in your chart, you need to take care not to succumb to irrational fears that could debilitate you.

Your ultimate refuge is spiritual awareness and the recognition of your spiritual home, but you will not know this until you turn your attention to your Self and have the courage to embark upon your inner, conscious journey.** Keeping busy meeting the physical needs of others, being “mother” to all, is indeed a Cancerian ego trap. There comes a time when you must allow others to fend for themselves so you can walk your own path.

The Cancerian Soul knows that the whole world is home and everyone you meet is your family: The Human Family. In order to realize this deeper spiritual truth, Cancer needs the ambition and persistance of her opposite sign Capricorn. Capricorn is the sign of ambition, and at its highest vibration, it is the sign of the “disciple” (meaning one who unwaveringly follows a spiritual path), showing us that the highest ambition of all is spiritual ambition. The highest vibration of Capricorn, the goat, teaches us how to steadily walk the path until we reach that mountaintop.

There are deep mysteries associated with the Cancer-Capricorn polarity – namely, the Great Mystery itself, the mystery of the cycle of death and rebirth. If Cancer is to discover these mysteries, she has to venture out of her shell and cultivate the spiritual ambition of her opposite sign Capricorn.

In Part 2, we look at the deeper mysteries of Cancer-Capricorn and explore why these signs are known as the “Two Great Gateways.”

Ruth

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Footnotes:
*Esoteric Astrology, The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey

** Conscious Journey is an example of integrated Cancerian energy leading the way – pioneering new ways of introducing emotional intelligence into business and leadership, while supporting individuals on their own voyage of self-discovery. Founder Anya Sophia Mann has Sun in Cancer and Moon in Aries. I find it very interesting that she calls her work “Conscious Journey.” That would be Cancerian intuition!

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Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Weekly Forecast June 27: New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer

Imagine that the moving van is gone with all your belongings, and you’re spending one last night in your old home, empty of everything but a small suitcase. Tomorrow at daybreak, you head out for your new destination.

Each of us has experienced the past two years in a different way. The common thread is that the circumstances were so challenging that we didn’t know how we’d survive. Yet here we are, exhausted and perhaps saddened by how things turned out, but still alive and ready to close this chapter of our lives.

Most of the major aspects this week tie in to Friday’s solar eclipse, the last in a series of eclipses in Capricorn and Cancer that began two years ago. Throughout the week, there may be reminders of the hardest and most painful moments of your particular situation. If nothing else, the memories may trigger intense emotions. It’s all part of moving on, and it won’t be long before you can get really excited about what comes next. Trust me on this.

I wrote about the eclipse in a detailed post on Saturday, with a chart so you can get a visual idea of how dramatic this event is. You don’t have to be an astrologer to know that a big red square in a chart must be important. There are a lot of dire predictions floating around about this eclipse, but as I mentioned in my post, I think it’s going to be more about closure. The hardest part may be dealing with the loss. Even if the changes you experienced were positive, the adjustment was probably quite difficult. Kate and William, the Capricorn-Cancer couple, come immediately to mind. She won her prince, but we can only imagine what she had to go through to become a member of the royal family “firm.”

Looking at the week chronologically, Monday starts out on a bright note, with an energetic sextile from Mars to Uranus. If anything unusual transpires, make a note, because it likely will come in to play in your new venture.

Tuesday brings a heavy dose of cardinal grand cross energy (it may start a few days before and last a day or two after), with the Sun opposite Pluto. The usual interpretation of difficult Sun-Pluto aspects is that they represent power struggles, things breaking down, and intense experiences with other people that may leave you with a bruised ego. This is all possible, but in keeping with my “wrapping it up” theme, it’s just as likely that you find the wherewithal to detach from the past and take concrete action to head in a new direction – which, incidentally, is probably clear by now.

The Moon enters Cancer on Thursday and makes contacts throughout the day with Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, Chiron and Pluto before aligning with the Sun on Friday. A few hours later, she squares Saturn. There is no denying the heaviness in these aspects, and much of it likely will be felt emotionally. Again, don’t try to repress how you feel and keep plodding along. Stop and acknowledge your feelings. Pay them your respect.

The Sun squares Saturn on Saturday, fueling a sense of exhaustion and carrying a load that’s too heavy. Fortunately, this will pass in a day or two. If there really is something you need to do to resolve a situation, it could happen at the end of the week. It won’t be easy, but it must be done. After that, your load will feel lighter.

Speaking of lighter, Mercury enters fun-loving Leo on Saturday. It’s probably not going to help too much over the weekend, given the heavy energy surrounding the eclipse. Then, nothing says we can’t have a party to celebrate the victory of having made it through. We may be limping to the punch bowl, but by golly we’re still standing!

The two weeks following the eclipse will be a “clean-up” period, so we’re not entirely out of the old home situation yet. And then, of course, there will be boxes to unpack and furniture to arrange and exploration of the new neighborhood.

Wishing you all much love and courage – hang in there!
Pat

P.S. If you haven’t checked out my new monthly and seasonal forecasts, please take a moment to do so. When you’re traveling in a new place, it sure helps to have a roadmap!

New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer, July 1

This image of the total eclipse of the Sun on July 11, 2010, was shot in French Polynesia by Terry Evans of Exmoor, UK, whose birthday was that day! The July 1 eclipse will be partial.

Another week and we’ll be out of the inter-eclipse Twilight Zone. It has been a strange trip indeed.

You’ll recall in a previous post that I said big changes were on the way for me, but I was going to wait until after the July 1 eclipse to take definitive action. Well, less than 24 hours after the June 15 eclipse, my plans for this fall totally fell through … or so I thought. A few hours later I received news that the original message had been an error. So it looks like everything is on track. Still, I’m waiting to make a final commitment until after the eclipses are well behind us.

At 9 degrees Cancer, the New Moon solar eclipse on July 1 is the last of the Capricorn-Cancer eclipse series and represents a wrap-up or resolution of a difficult situation that began in mid-2009. You may have another couple of weeks of “cleanup” to do – until the Full Moon on July 15. But overall, the challenge you’ve faced for the past two years will fade away in the rearview mirror, and not a moment too soon! Everyone is exhausted and ready for a break.

Tennis diva Serena Williams is a perfect example. With her Sun at 3 degrees Libra in the sixth house (health), Serena suffered one debilitating health problem after another, starting with a leg injury in April 2009. Last July, just as the cardinal T-square was approaching a peak directly on her Sun, she stepped on glass in a restaurant and required surgery. While in rehab earlier this year, she was treated for blood clots in her lungs. After a year of not being able to compete, she returned to Wimbleton last Tuesday, won her opening round, and broke down in a flood of tears.

“It definitely was so emotional for me because, you know, throughout the last 12 months, I’ve been through, a lot of things that’s not normal,” she said on her website. “So it’s just been a long, arduous road. To stand up still is pretty awesome.”

That pretty much says it all! Most of us have had a harrowing two years, complicated by the eclipses in cardinal Capricorn and Cancer. And while the last one forms a tense grand cross with Saturn, Uranus and Pluto, I still feel that it’s going to be a relief for us, and that the tears we shed will include tears of gratitude that we’re still here and still standing.

Click on image to enlarge

I have to admit that the chart for this eclipse is intimidating, dominated by a bright red grand cross. However, I remain optimistic, because there are two very clear “outs” – paths where blocked energy can flow and be put to positive use.

The first out is a trine between Pluto and Jupiter. This easy aspect supports transformation and positive change. Finding solutions to wicked problems (as a friend of mine calls them) requires expanding the mind. We can do that now. Both planets are in earth signs, suggest tangible, material results.

The second out flows between Saturn and Mars, the planet of action. In Gemini, it’s speedy action, too, although there’s a risk that there may be more talk than action. Still, with Saturn recently returned direct and Mars in an air sign, we can put on our thinking caps, come up with realistic plans, and do the hard work necessary to get the results we want. And it will be hard work. The inconjunct between Mars and Pluto suggests that acting without thinking things through could end up a total waste of energy.

The real difficulty I see here is the square from the Sun and Moon to Saturn. For many of us, moving in a new direction required leaving something or someone behind. Even though we may feel confident that we made the right decision, loss is sad and painful. Cancer is the sentimental sign of the zodiac, so we could be very emotional for a day or two on either side of the eclipse.

I’ll be back tomorrow with the Weekly Forecast. In the meantime, if you want a look ahead at what July will bring for you personally, I highly recommend StarGuide Monthly, my new transit forecast. Or, if you prefer, order StarGuide Seasons and get three months rolled into one at a discount of nearly 15 percent. Although I’m not writing reports from scratch anymore, I designed these forecasts to be 100-percent personalized, using your exact birth data. To see what you get with this report, check out my samples for George Clooney and Julian Assange.

Pat

Total Eclipse of the Moon and Summer Solstice:Is Your Heart Ready To Wake Up? (Part 2)

How can you find your Soul? Go seek. Like Sagittarius, become the “seeker of truth.” Go within. Begin to meditate, and if you do so already, go deeper. Keep asking, “Who am I, really?” Keep searching for your Self. Everything you need is already within you.

If you are chasing after something outside of you, you are missing the target. You need to change your focus.

The total eclipse of the Full Moon in Sagittarius on June 15 brought us a powerful opportunity to make a 180º shift in direction, if we need to, in order to align our energies correctly for our highest and best spiritual growth.

Once we have focused on our target, the power can come through to hit where it is needed, opening us up to greater experiences of love-wisdom. On June 21, the Sun entered Cancer, the Summer Solstice, the peak of the Solar power. Summer Solstice is known as the “Triumph of Light.” It is the point in the year when the Sun’s power is at its peak and, in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are at their longest. It is a time of vitality – the life-force energy is at its strongest, and it is a time of ripening. But the harvest is yet to come.

Summer Solstice happens when the Sun enters Cancer – the sign of mass consciousness and emotional intelligence. During this ripening, we have the opportunity for our unevolved, immature emotions to ripen into Divine Compassion and Unconditional Love. For this to happen we need wisdom, clear focus, and maturity.

After using the power of Gemini-Sagittarius to focus our attention within, the first guide we will meet on our inner journey will be our own emotions. The first territory that we will have to navigate will be our own emotional “jungle.” For this reason, Cancer is also the sign of compassion. (HH Dalai Lama has Sun and Moon in Cancer and, according to some astrologers, he also has Cancer Ascendant). The Divine Intelligence, or Angel, of Cancer steps in at the perfect moment – just when we need the highest compassion of all, compassion for ourselves.

Your heart is the gateway to your Soul. No one has ever had a full Soul awakening without passing through their heart-center. In order to deal with the harsh realities of this world, unfortunately many of us close off our hearts and become hardened. From this isolated state of separation, we become numb to our own pain and that of others.

As we begin our conscious journey within to seek our very Soul, the first terrain to navigate is the path of the heart. Cancer brings feeling. When we attune to the energies of Cancer, we feel mass consciousness. Our capacity for sensing, for intuition, begins to awaken. We start to feel. We feel our connectedness, we feel our own wounds and those of others. Eventually this brings empathy and huge compassion.

We have another partial Solar Eclipse of the New Moon in Cancer on July 1 (echoing the partial Solar Eclipse we experienced on June 1 in Gemini). Solar and Lunar eclipses get our attention. They are a heads-up that something big is happening that requires our full attention. Eclipses let us know the import of these times: that major shifts are occurring and we are invited to open ourselves up to receiving the benefits being offered.

This is a time of birthing and re-birthing. During the coming months, we will have the Angel of Cancer, the Divine Feminine energy of Mother and nurturing, walking us compassionately through July into August, when the Angel of Leo will meet us and lead us into the very heart of the jungle: heart-centered awareness.

The courage of Leo will also be there when needed as we remain focused on our path. The twelve Zodiac Angels are always with us. They walk with us through these times and are available to guide us into the highest octave of each sign. So the Angel of Cancer doesn’t step aside while Leo takes over. All of our guides remain with us and can be called upon at any time, but each one steps into the lead as we pass through their territory, the very area where they are most able to give us guidance.

Even with all the great potential available, it is still possible for us to miss the point! This is the message of Sagittarius, the Archer. We have to choose where we place our attention, choose the target, and focus our Divine energy. It all boils down to this: will we place our attention on all the fear-based distractions of the outer world, or will we develop the skill, capacity and compassion to hold our attention steadily on our inner world and walk the compassionate path of love-wisdom through these challenging times?

Will you hold your focus steady, like the Archer, until June 2012 and experience a Cosmic Heart Opening? Or will you allow yourself to be distracted and miss? The choice is yours.

Ruth

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Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Weekly Forecast June 20: Mars Enters Gemini, Sun Enters Cancer

No palm trees, but it's a beach. © Pat Paquette, 2011.

Summer is here, and along with it, the activation of the cardinal grand cross.

Actually, the grand cross started last week, when messenger Mercury entered Cancer and immediately squared Uranus. What a mess! My DSL went dead on Friday, and I found out later it was a problem with CenturyLink that affected the whole state. The lines at our supermarket yesterday were like the day before Thanksgiving. The store’s credit card system works through CenturyLink and was malfunctioning, and they’ve been told it won’t be fixed until Monday. Fortunately, mine came back, or I wouldn’t be posting this forecast!

Meanwhile, United experienced a computer crash that virtually shut down the airline for five hours Friday night and early Saturday, when the Mercury-Uranus square was applying within 2 degrees. And then there was this bizarre headline, about a dead deer in a power line. Uranus rules air travel, power lines, and unpredictable events.

Events such as these help us understand how astrology can be an indicator of the myriad ways cosmic energies manifest in the physical world. On a more mundane level, the Messenger is reminding us in no uncertain terms how dependent we are on computers.

In the more immediate term, we’re starting to get an idea of how the July 1 eclipse might shake out. I’ll have more on this topic in a post on Saturday. For now, let’s look at this week.

On Monday, Mars enters speedy Gemini after spending an agonizing six weeks in laid-back Taurus. Mars, the action planet, is debilitated in Taurus. For us, that has meant a lot of frustration as we’ve tried to accomplish something and kept meeting with obstacles. With the grand cross at a peak, we’re still going to bump into obstacles, but it will be entirely different. This is more like having the gas pedal all the way to the floor and running into a roadblock at high speed. All I can say is, do your best to stay alert and be on the lookout for the detour signs.

Tuesday is the big day this week, when the Sun enters Cancer. This is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, winter for all of you on the south side. Mercury forms an exact square with Saturn less than two hours later.

Fortunately, we’ve got a couple of the “outs” I always look for in difficult configurations like this. The first out is a positive sextile from the Sun to Jupiter, who’s also in a strong applying trine to Pluto. It’s cliché to say that challenges build character, but this is one time when we’ll get an opportunity to transform and grow with less pain than normal under a Pluto transit. The catalyst to your ah-ha moment may be a run-in with an authority figure, such as your boss or parents. Setting aside your pride and ego is key.

There’s a second out, a trine from the Sun to Neptune, but I’m ambivalent about this one. Easy energy paths like this make it possible for Mother Nature to channel her pent-up energies. With the Sun, Mercury and Neptune all in water signs, I don’t like the sound of this. Neptune also is in a trine with Jupiter – although it’s past peak – with Jupiter in Taurus, the “earthiest” of the earth signs.

Before I continue with the rest of the week, I’d like to take a moment to promote a new report I’ve put together to complement my weekly forecasts, which are general and pertain to everyone. For specific transits, I highly recommend StarGuide, a written report based entirely on your own birth data, not your Sun sign! I’m offering it as a monthly or, if you’d like to save a little money, as a three-month forecast starting at the beginning of each season. The StarGuide Summer 2011 edition is now available, so don’t wait too long! It may take me 2-3 days to compile your report, so if you want it this week, you need to place your order now!

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this report! The transit interpretations are by Gina Ronco, who is wonderfully positive and provides suggestions for handling any difficult transits you may be experiencing. The really cool thing, though, is a graph that I created that shows your best days for love, career, and social life. This required some advanced programming to customize the parameters for my personal approach to astrology. The result is a wonderful planning tool that helps you make choices about where to put your energy and focus – so, for example, if you’ve got a great day for love coming up, you don’t want to be on the couch watching reruns of Dancing with the Stars. If you’d like to see what it looks like, check out the sample for Julian Assange.

As long as I’m in advertising mode, I’d also like to put in a plug for the wonderful folks at Cosmic Patterns Software, creators of Kepler and Sirius. They made themselves personally available when I ran into programming issues. I couldn’t have created these reports without their excellent tech support.

Back to this week (thanks for indulging me), Wednesday brings a square to Neptune from Mars and a sextile to Neptune from the Sun. Creativity is enhanced – and that includes finding creative solutions to current challenges. The Mars-Neptune square is not so helpful, as it suggests outright lies and intentional deceit. If something sounds too good to be true, don’t take the bait.

The weekend is a bit schizophrenic. On one hand, the Sun-Jupiter sextile with support by a lovely Taurus Moon suggests appreciating the comforts of home and material pleasures. Setting aside our worries for a few hours and appreciating what we have sends out a positive vibe that can ping back to us in surprising ways.

On the other hand, there’s a Sun-Uranus square later in the day, and the surprises we get may not be of the pleasant variety. If you’ve been feeling stuck, it might be a good idea to intentionally do something different on Sunday – something that in some way reflects what you would do if time and money were unlimited. You may not be able to jet off to Hawaii, but you could slice up a pineapple and do a barefoot dance in your living room. The Sun and Uranus are nothing if not creative. Let your imagine run wild.

Wish you all limitless love and courage,
Pat

Total Eclipse of the Moon and Summer Solstice: Is Your Heart Ready To Wake Up? Part I

Today I want to share with you a wonderful article by Ruth about the recent eclipses and how they relate to next year’s big event, the Venus transit. ~Pat

During the Sun-Venus occultation in Gemini on June 5-6, 2012, there will be an enormous pouring of Divine Love into this planet such as has never been known before. It will be, in effect, a Cosmic Heart-Opening and a vital stage in the evolution of human consciousness, another marked shift in our journey from being personality-centered beings to Soul-Centered Beings.

Many individuals will experience personality-soul fusion at that point, but only through preparation. You have to have done your preparatory work to ensure you have the capacity to be a container, a vessel, for this Divine love-wisdom. The time between now and then is an essential preparatory period. We are currently experiencing waves of energies which are assisting us in preparing for this moment.

This past Wednesday, June 15, there was a total lunar eclipse of the Full Moon in Sagittarius. This is directly related to the Gemini-Sagittarius role in the evolution of the planet Earth, the evolution of human consciousness, the activation of sacred heart energy, and Soul-Personality fusion in mass consciousness. Its importance cannot be underestimated. We are living through momentous times, and your attention, your awareness, your focus, is vital.

What can you do? Go within. These are vital times for Soul recognition. You are being bathed in energies right now which are magnifying your Soul’s vibration so you can forge a strong connection with your inner being. Sagittarius is the “seeker of truth.”

Have you ever wondered why the Divine Intelligence (or Angel) of Sagittarius is symbolized by an Archer? The power of Sagittarius supports us in identifying the goal, aiming our arrow at the target, and directing our energies with precision to ensure we don’t miss. If you have ever tried to use a longbow (the traditional “bow and arrow”) you will realize the skill, strength, focused attention, precision and practice that is required to ensure the arrows consistently meet the target.

The lunar eclipse in Sagittarius is a timely reminder that we have to play our part, and we do so by holding our focused intent. You could be forgiven for thinking, “Well if it’s all evolution and it’s all happening anyway, then I don’t need to do anything, right?” Wrong. You are needed. You are like a lens, and you are required to focus the energy on the target.

Divinity gives the power to shoot the arrow at the target, but the Archer is required to focus and point the arrow in the right direction. You have to choose that direction. What is the direction? The direction is your inner journey, your heart. It is vitally important during these times that we all shift our attention inward and actively walk our own, individual, Conscious Journey, with full awareness.

The English word “sin” was translated from the original Greek word hamartia, which literally means “missing the mark.” This refers to us being distracted by worldly concerns to the degree that we forget our inward journey and miss the whole point of our existence. There is no greater sin than missing the point of your whole existence, knowing who you really are – the truth of your Being.

Having our physical needs met is a foundation to support our growth, but meeting our physical needs alone is not the point of our existence. Too many of us are missing, in that our lives have become about paying the mortgage, paying the bills, and simply meeting our immediate physical needs.

According to Soul Astrologer Alan Oken, “Eclipses of the Moon point to distinct changes of form that especially relate to homes, family, and one’s general emotional state.”

This Full Moon is a final opportunity to check in and ask yourself, “Am I headed in the right direction?” The direction is within. Make sure you have your arrows pointed at the correct target and that target is your Heart and Soul.

Many of us have not yet had a Soul awakening, or conscious experience of our Soul. There is a very real possibility for this to happen for many people over the coming months. Many more people will begin to recognize their Soul and have this conscious experience but, again, for this to happen in spite of the distraction, fear and confusion in the world, you have to develop the capacity to keep at least some of your attention on your inner world.

In Part 2, we will say more about holding the focus of Sagittarius and what it means when the Sun enters Cancer, the sign of compassion, at the Summer Solstice.

Ruth

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Ruth Hadikin – Soul Astrologer

To get your personal Soul Sign/Life Purpose Report (FREE with a consultation), contact Ruth via her website. You can also request a FREE mp3 download, “The Energetics of Soul Astrology.”

Exclusive New Reports from Real Astrologers

I have a very exciting announcement to make – and no, I’m not disregarding my own advice not to start new projects at an eclipse! I’ve been working furiously behind the scenes on this project for the past month.

When RealAstrologers was launched in 2008, I offered reports written entirely from scratch, without the aid of report-writing software. I am no longer able to do this, due to growing demand and the amount of time it takes to research and write one report. I had two choices – either to double my fees, making my service accessible to only an elite few, or to find a way to reduce the time I spend on basic research and writing.

After searching for months for reports that are accurate and well-written, I found a software program that allows me to pick and choose from a menu of reports. Before offering them on RealAstrologers, I tested with friends and a few long-time clients for accuracy and readability. A few of the reports I was considering didn’t pass this test, and so you won’t find them here.

Although my new reports are based on computer-generated interpretations, nothing like them is available anywhere else. That’s because I have incorporated the pre-written texts into a report that includes a brief analysis of my own noting the unique features of your chart and how they fit together as a whole. This is simply not possible in a computerized report, and it’s my way of continuing to provide the kind of personal attention that my clients seek. In addition, all of my reports come with a color chart wheel.

I’ll be updating the site throughout the day. Meanwhile, check out my new report page and beautiful ArtWheels!

Happy Eclipse!

Pat

Weekly Forecast June 13: Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius, Venus Trine Saturn

This week is dominated by the lunar eclipse at the Full Moon on Wednesday.

The eclipse in the middle of the week brings us to the halfway point between the inter-eclipse period of June 1 to July 1. It’s hard to predict what will happen at eclipses, except to note that they often bring sudden and unexpected change.

It seems to me, though, that we pretty much know the nature of the changes, if not the specifics. Also, the last eclipse in a series tends to mark the wrapping up of an issue that has been the main focus of your life for the past couple of years. So, what I think we’re going to see between Wednesday’s Full Moon eclipse and the solar eclipse on July 1 is a new path coming into view, with a clear message that it leads to a very different place than where we’ve been for the past two years.

That said, eclipses aren’t a time to initiate new ventures or start a new relationship. We’re in a state of disorientation and adjustment. What feels right to you now may not seem like such a good idea in a few weeks. If an opportunity arises, go for it. But don’t try to force something to happen that isn’t unfolding naturally on its own.

Planetary aspects that occur at an eclipse provide us with additional information about how things might shake out. As I mentioned in my eclipse post, there’s a trine from Venus to Saturn, who has just turned direct – a powerful moment. The trine is exact on Saturday, so it will be in the dynamic applying stage at the Full Moon. Saturn is in Libra, the sign of relationships, and Venus rules Libra. So, Saturn is sending his structuring capacity to the planet of love. Commitment among equal partners is a theme here, and I sure hope it spreads.

Mars, unfortunately, is sitting on malefic fixed star Algol, and he’s in an irritating inconjunct with the Full Moon. The planet of war isn’t very strong in Taurus, which also is ruled by Venus. I see this theme playing out in the Weiner scandal. The congressman surely is going to find out that being in a committed relationship with a woman who by all accounts is extraordinary beats the pants off screwing around on the Internet. Men on this planet are learning that their power isn’t diminished by a powerful woman, and women are learning how not to give away their power to “save” the relationship.

Much of what goes on in relationships happens under the surface, and it’s hard to resolve differences if one or both people suppresses their true feelings. On Monday, Venus squares Chiron, signifying painful exchanges. Often this is what it takes to break through to higher ground – and there’s every indication that this is possible now. The inconjunct from Venus to Pluto on Tuesday suggests that sex may be a major source of resentment and will have to be addressed.

Mercury enters Cancer on Thursday and forms favorable aspects to Jupiter and Neptune on Friday. Here’s our chance to connect on a soul level by speaking from the heart about what we want and need. And be sure to listen to what your partner, friend, or family members say they need. You may have to compromise, but at least everything’s above board.

Over the weekend, Mercury forms a cardinal grand cross with Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. Sunday is Father’s Day, and it’s probably not a good idea to get in a discussion with dad or anyone else about politics. As it is, someone else may confront you about an unresolved issue or a secret you thought no one knew. Fortunately – at least for the coming week – Venus remains the “out” via the trine with Saturn. Love may not conquer all, but it sure goes a long way. It doesn’t take an astrologer to tell you that.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius, June 15

Rare eclipse of the midnight Sun, photographed in Tana, Norway. © Renate Westlien, 2011. See end of article for link to more spectacular images.

The second of three eclipses in barely a month, the lunar eclipse at the Full Moon on June 15 is primarily about coming to an understanding of what area of your life will go through a series of adjustments in the next two years.

You may know the answer to this question already, as we’re well into the new eclipse pair of Sagittarius and Gemini, which began dramatically at the solstice in December 2010. That does seem to be the case for me, although I’m holding my breath to see what transpires in the next couple of weeks.

Of course, the Full Moon also represents endings, and lunar eclipses can be read as a supercharged Full Moon. But the way I see it, the ending we’re about to experience is tied to the solar eclipse on July 1, which is the last in the outgoing series in Capricorn and Cancer and a sign that old business finally is wrapping up.

This Full Moon is more of a confirmation of the new path we’re on. One could argue that confirmation is an ending or conclusion, as you’ve now eliminated all other options. I’m reminded of the Eight of Swords in the Tarot. I used fear this card, until one day I realized that it represents the cutting away of all options but one. Making a decision indeed can be scary and can produce a nagging feeling that we made the wrong choice.

Making a choice and thereby eliminating all other options is a very Saturnine theme. Saturn gets a bad rap for being the planet of limitation and constraint, and it’s not wholly undeserved. However, we might view this function as one of Saturn’s gifts. Our material world is manifested from unseen energies in the cosmos. At the point when those energies coalesce into something, they are no longer available for anything else. Likewise, we don’t manifest anything in our lives by scattering our energy to the four winds. Attaining our desires requires focusing our energy – which often means cutting out activities, relationships, or situations that drain us.

In the chart for the New Moon eclipse on June 1, Saturn was at a favorable angle to the Sun and Moon, just as he was stationed and ready to return direct between the New and Full Moon. This tells me that whatever we’ve been pouring our energy into has a good chance of manifesting in the next three months and possibly in the next two weeks.

There’s a lot going on in the chart for this Full Moon eclipse – as you might expect with the Sun in Gemini. The first thing that jumps out at us is the continuing cardinal T-square, with Saturn and Uranus widely opposed and Pluto at the apex. As I’m always so fond of pointing out, the conflict represented by the T-square has an “out” in one of two ways, either through whatever is opposite the planet at the apex, or via trines and sextiles, which provide an open path for energy to flow.

Click on image to enlarge

There are two nice trines providing a means to channel the conflicting energies of the T-square into something positive. The first is between Saturn and Venus, indicating that fair, equitable relationships are attainable. I’ve communicated with many people who recently let go of relationships that no doubt involved strong karmic ties but that were painful, largely because they were one-sided.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that there are so many stories in the news about powerful men being called out on their behavior with women. We’re experiencing a planetary shift toward a unification of the divine feminine and masculine, whereby both command equal respect and reverence. The last Full Moon was conjunct Algol, the fixed star representing Medusa. I commented back then that perhaps a wave of divine feminine power would ride in on the Buddha’s love and enlightenment. At this Full Moon, Mars is conjunct Algol, triggering another round of the Divine Mother’s rage.

The other “out” is an applying trine between Jupiter and Pluto that peaks on July 7. With both power planets in earth signs, energy is available to us to make positive changes in our material circumstances.

The second striking thing about this chart is the strong trine from Mercury, ruler of this eclipse, and Neptune, which recently turned retrograde. In classical mythology, Mercury was the only god who could travel at will between the world of the living and the underworld, symbolic of the conscious and unconscious. Neptune, especially when retrograde, represents other dimensions of time and space and what some call past lives (I prefer “other lives”). I urge you to continue monitoring your dreams and also to keep notes during the day for flashes of insight. Just remember that Mercury is the trickster, and among Neptune’s attributes are illusion and deception. Not everything that comes to you will be true, but it will be the starting-off point for investigation of higher Truth.

The last important thing I see in this chart is the mutable T-square formed by the Sun and Moon with Ceres at the apex. While Mercury was the only god who could travel at will between worlds, Ceres was the only deity to force Pluto to make an exception of his no-return policy for her daughter, Proserpina (Greek Persephone). As we work toward a cherished goal, we often meet with “gatekeepers” in the form of tests, challenges, and obstacles. Many people must go through a “dark night of the soul,” which may feel like going to hell and back. In going through this process, we come into our true power, and only then are we able to fulfill our destiny.

I leave you with a link to some incredible images of the June 1 solar eclipse, which could be seen at midnight in northern Europe. Imagine an eclipse of the midnight sun …

Eclipse gallery on SpaceWeather.com

Pat

Weekly Forecast June 6: Venus Enters Gemini, Saturn Direct

We’re in that twilight zone between eclipses, where we don’t feel like we’re all here, but we don’t know where we are when we’re not.

Normally, the inter-eclipse period lasts a couple of weeks, but because this is a rare six-eclipse year, it’s going to be with us for another month. We had a similar extended inter-eclipse period from July 7 to August 6, 2009, which also was a six-eclipse year. Maybe you remember it. Events happen very fast during this time, and you can be taken completely by surprise. If you know where these eclipses fall in your chart, you at least have an idea of what area of your life will be affected. (See link below for an article on this topic.)

I certainly remember that month. Unexpected events during that period determined the direction of my life for the following two years. That series, like the current pattern, consisted of two eclipses in a new sign pair, followed by one last eclipse in the outgoing sign pair. This tells me that one chapter of our lives is coming to an end as a new one begins, with a small overlap. One set of circumstances, while ending, leads into something new.

The profound sense of uneasiness we feel is compounded by shifting planetary energies. Jupiter just entered Taurus, while Venus, ruler of Taurus, enters Gemini on Thursday. Chiron turns retrograde on Wednesday, and Saturn turns direct on Sunday. It’s little wonder that we don’t know whether we’re coming or going.

Overall, life has been moving along briskly since the June 1 eclipse, but the pace will pick up still more once Venus enters Gemini and Mercury takes over as the dominant planetary energy. Communications come fast and furious, and if you blink, you’ll miss something. We may be coming and going so fast that our sense of time is blurred even more.

Neptune is officially retrograde but remains at 0 degrees Pisces for another two months. Combined with the eclipse cycle, Neptune’s station in the sign without boundaries has manifested for me as unusually vivid dreams and a skewed perception of time. I’ve experienced several instances in the past ten days in which my thoughts were a minute or so ahead of “reality.” I’ve heard reports of people having a hard time staying in the present, along with headaches that last for several days.

Physical circumstances begin to shift after Saturn turns direct on Sunday, although you may get news as early as Tuesday, when Mercury makes an easy flowing trine to the planet of time and structure. Saturn represents manifestation on the physical plane, which is very much related to his role as Lord of Time.

Venus squares Neptune on Friday. If you’re in the United States, there’s a good chance you’ll be sleeping during this contact, so be sure to keep your dream journal by the bed. Among the messages we receive may be communications from someone from past or future lifetimes. This portal into other dimensions remains open through the weekend. In just over four hours on Sunday, the Sun conjoins Mercury in Gemini, Venus sextiles Uranus, and Saturn returns direct.

If you’re sensitive to these energies, you no doubt have started experiencing some time-space disorientation. It may get stronger in the next few weeks. If you feel like you’re coming unglued, do whatever you normally do to stay grounded. For me, it’s sticking close to home and eating something substantial, like meat. Chocolate, unfortunately, just makes it worse. Life is so unfair.

Next week we enter the second phase of the eclipses, with a total lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on June 15. I’m working on a new service list, which I’ll announce within the next couple of weeks (if you’re on my wait list, you’ll receive a personal note), but will try to take some time out to write separate posts on the next two eclipses.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat

Related Posts:
What Determines How an Eclipse Affects Us?
(Please note that I’ve temporarily discontinued the weekly Q&A column.)
More About Eclipses