Today is Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012.. The Moon is in Taurus all day, where it is exalted. You may feel this as emotional harmony — a nice way to get the year rolling, no? If you begin your day feeling a sense of expansiveness in your desire nature, your attitude about your resources and finances, or your attraction to sensory pleasures and fine things, you’re in tune.
The Moon begins the day fresh off a conjunction with Jupiter. So while you may notice a strong attraction to comfort and ease, note that the Moon very quickly makes sextiles to a pair of minor planets that may reward taking a little action: Chiron and Vesta in early Pisces. As the Moon hands off the energy baton from Jupiter to these two, stay tuned for the sense of wanting to put your money where your mouth is – particularly when it comes to the areas of sexual pleasure, any healing/therapy process you may be considering or beginning, and the creation of the space in your life for these things.
This may not call for the literal spending of money. There are other ways to apply resources to what you value right now — such as the resource of time. The idea is to notice what feels important and let your imagination (with or without your art supplies) play with how to implement these things tangibly in your life.
We are in the early days of a brand new year, with every major planet moving in direct motion. This bodes well for moving forward with your desire to facilitate the healing of mind, body and soul. There is no promise that the path will be smooth, given all that is going on in the world and the astrological events Eric has been outlining in his Top Five Events audio series and the 2012 annual edition readings. We are in for some challenges, to be sure. But today the Moon’s sextiles to Vesta and Chiron are offering us access to some creative solutions to how we can devote our resources to our healing of old wounds. Even more important, it is the nature of the sextile to reward any concrete steps we take to further this energy.
Even later in the day, the Taurus Moon continues with its harmonious journey, making trines to Pluto and then the Sun, both in Capricorn. This leg of the day is less about using the energy than it is about enjoying the benefits of an easeful angle to Pluto, ‘The Great Awakener.” Perhaps this translates into simply feeling good about your New Year’s resolutions: You know the changes you wish to make to your environment, body, life-structure, etc., and you also know that the first steps to these processes are doable. You may feel as though your inner and outer experiences are in sync with each other – a pleasant change, perhaps, from some of our recent days.
Interestingly, the ruler of Taurus, Venus, is the only other major body making an exact aspect today. Venus is conjunct Pallas Athene in Aquarius. This sign is not the most comfortable for Venus: Venus is about expressive emotion and Aquarius is more about detached intellect, so this makes for a cooler Venus. It’s great for group interactions, but can be a little harder to relate to in more intimate relationships. So Venus makes an interesting counterpoint to the Taurus Moon’s easy emotion and sensuality today.
That said, today may actually be a good time to enter into any conversations you’ve been meaning to have about the ‘politics of love’ in your intimate relationships. You’ll have to use your own judgment, of course, if you want to test those waters. But we currently have a sky with surprisingly little tension. The Moon is making aspects that are all about emotional flow, while the ruler of its sign is prone to logic and reason; this could spell even-handed interactions.
Early tomorrow, the Moon finally makes a square to Venus-Pallas, and that may bring a brief sense of tense imperative in terms of the personal politics at play in your life (boundary negotiations, polyamory, autonomy, admission of desire, and so on). It may be worth getting that ball rolling now before you feel under pressure to do so. That is, of course, if you can be bothered to disrupt the day’s harmony. But hey – we all need a “Ferdinand” moment every once in a while. Enjoy it if one has found you.
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Ah, yes, the “Christmas” season. I, too, miss that “oh holy night” feeling, elusive as it may have been in my past. I have mixed memories of this time of year: my mother died in October when I was eight years old, and I can remember the following Christmas sitting alone in the dark with the tree lit with my father very ill with pneumonia. I also remember prior Christmases with my mother’s Polish Catholic family, large gatherings on Christmas Eve to attend Midnight Mass (at midnight) at the Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan. The Shrine church itself is a glorious octagonal and massive Art Deco structure, the altar in the center, recessed alcoves and balconies, many side chapels, dark wooden pews, marble altars, brass rails and candle holders. At Christmas, it was truly spectacular with what seemed acres of poinsettias and miles and miles of evergreen roping and garlands, and certainly a thousand lit candles reflected in the gleaming brass.
Most years there was a Christmas Pageant performed by the students of the Shrine grade school and high school in elaborate costumes depicting the Nativity along with representations of scores of important saints (St. Thérèse de Lisieux being the most important, of course). I don’t remember if there were other decorations, and my childhood memories want to insist that there was a live donkey for the stable scene. I do clearly remember cold nights on Christmas Eve, snow on the ground with clear skies paved with stars. There was music, a large choir singing hymns and carols. One could appreciate the music because it was Christmas music played at Christmas, and it hadn’t started at Halloween. It was truly magical and sacred at the same time, especially for a little girl. Family was gathered: my mother and her sisters, their spouses and their children.
But, things change. I was too little then to know the history of the priest who said the Midnight Mass – the notorious anti-Semitic and racist Father Charles Coughlin. Since that time, fifty years ago, I have spent too much time in the disorganized nonsense of Christianity (albeit of Episcopalian tradition with has less nonsense) and feel mostly free of it and continue to move on. I have come far enough that I yearn and search for the sacred, within and without, assiduously avoiding religion generally. There are other sacred places for me – the shores of Lake Huron and I have come to love the Sonoran Desert near Tucson at a Catholic retreat center (complete with a Buddhist zendo). Mostly now, though, it is creating that sacred place within to carry with me – a centering stillness – no matter the time of year.
So, thank you, Carrie, for reviving an element of the sacred in this secularized season. I had become too accustomed to shutting it all out. I, too, needed this reflection. Soon enough transiting Mars will be conjunct my natal Mars in the second house. Meanwhile, it is indeed the Taurus Moon. And Lynn Jericho’s Twelve Holy Nights to meditate upon until Epiphany.
JannKinz
As always, thank you PW for a great “awakening” to my day.
xo
Amanda,
The feeling at Bethlehem was also tinged with the very different culture of the Arabs who live there; it was in the Occupied Territory when I was there and filled with Palestinians. That peacefulness gets shattered during any Christian holy day but especially at Christmas because of the thousands of followers who descend upon the small town. I was lucky to have visited a few days after Christmas when all was quiet again. We sat at a small cafe on the square that evening which is when I looked up and beheld the millions of stars.
What surprised me the most about that trip to the Holy Land was how much it affected me; I had truly thought I would not have any feelings because I had rejected the American modern version of Christianity. I thought I would enjoy it from an archaeology point of view but ended up mixing deep, sacred feelings with sexual awakening; all at the same time. What a combination.
By day I was visiting all sorts of religious places with their shadowy interiors, faithful followers, chanting prayers, ancient stones that spoke to me, while experiencing strong emotions but at night I was having more and more racy physical and sexual encounters with a young Arab at the hostel. That mixture changed me and though I ended up making some bad choices later, these led me through experiences I do not regret.
To this day, I long to return there to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the village (Jaba’a) I lived in for over five months. I cannot explain it.
Oh, and i just found out the photo model goes by “Bean” and is herself a Taurus.
🙂
carrie — thanks for the description of bethlehem at night. truly peaceful and meditative. i’m with you on the deep, quiet joy of a christmas tree in the dark. i used to love christmas eve services, because they always seemed to naturally carry that sense of deep, quiet, dark, grounded sacredness. unfortunately, for the last 10 years, the pastor at my childhood church (which i pretty much only go to for christmas and easter with family) has turned it into a bit of a circus. i could have easily skipped it the last couple years, but ever since my dad died, it seemed like mom would really appreciate seeing me there while she sings in the choir. we’ll see about next year…
meanwhile, i am still enjoying my tree, too.
Thank you for a subtle evocation of the waxing Moon. Well the ‘Ferdinand’ reference may not be subtle, but it is in the spirit. Thank you for reiterating the concurrence of Venus coming around the bend riding six white horses, it’s a fine piece.
Brendan and Carrie: Thank you for sharing your morning insights.
I got up early with Dave (his first work day after the break). I lit two candles, turned on the Christmas tree lights, put on a mix of choirs singing sacred Christmas songs and Percy Faith instrumentals and just sat there, looking at the tree lights, the shining bulbs, the beads, the candles….and felt my feelings.
I realize I miss the sacred part of the season. Yes, I am no longer technically “Christian” by today’s current meaning of the word but I still feel that deep, quiet, sacred feeling I felt long ago as a child when it was dark, the choir was singing, the tree lights were lit, candles glowed, and stars were above. That feeling is there from my childhood.
As a young adult I went to the place where the event of Christmas was thought to have happened; Bethlehem. The contrast between the reality of the small, desert town and that snowy, Dickensian image of Christmas got transformed for me into a mix of the two.
Now I really know why the first refrains from O Little Town of Bethlehem are what they are: “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie. Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by.” The vast desert sky above Bethlehem is exactly like that; the town is on desert hills dotted with caves where animals have been kept for centuries. The streets are dark and quiet at night. Buildings are made of big, hand carved limestone blocks. The night sky is dark and filled with stars. Your whole being is filled up as you stand in that small square in Bethlehem. No matter what you believe, it feels like something happened there and it was important.
The teachings of the Jew we think of as Jesus could have changed the world for the better but in the hands of greedy, self-centered humans, it got changed into something unrecognizable. It got changed into a sacrifice story; one of suffering, blood, appeasing a tyrannical god, and exclusivity with a conversion clause. This was not his original story; that was about working to understand, love, compassion, giving, caring, and kindness. I try to follow the teachings attributed to him instead of the “sacrifice to be saved then convert others” ideas that came later.
I feel sad sometimes because my kids have never experienced that sacredness; churches have changed into feel-good, prosperity-focused, exclusive groups these days (trust me, we have tried so many and they feel so fake now). Even the Atheists were not open minded.
I needed this quiet, alone time. I needed this quiet time for reflection, to feel the sacred, and to just FEEL. I am thankful that I have it. I feel centered now. Moon in Taurus indeed.
A perfect picture for ‘cool Venus:’ dreamy, cool in light and emotion, superb composition. Thank you, Nicole.
Good words to live by today. Dawn is just about to break here, and it’s cool outside. I don’t want to work! Oh well…
Peace and love to all for the day.