By Esther Frances
The Solstices, Equinoxes and the midpoints between them reflect a primary relationship which is the waxing and waning relationship between the yang of greater light and the yin of greater dark. Last month I discussed the need to resurrect “the dark” from the repository of projections of evil onto it, and the social and ethical ramifications from the fear and dishonoring of this “half” of the whole of the entire cycle.
We have been told that being holy means being “good and god-like,” often translated to being obedient, compliant and following the dictates of someone else who is in authority. Early on, children are conditioned by reward and punishment, usually accompanied by a verbal refrain of “that’s good,” or being punished or shamed by voicing something or acting in a way that is considered “bad.”
What if being holy really means being whole, as in undivided, integrated, all-inclusive, embracing the entirety of what and who we really are?
Hole always indicates a space, or Space, or an opening. As I mentioned last month, it is very curious that the work of Nassim Haramein, from The Resonance Project, has proposed that there is a black whole at the center of every star and photon. From his perspective the black whole is the womb, the sacred space, from which all emanates and to which everything returns. From this perspective, wholiness embraces both the “no-thing” as well as the multitude of “things.”
In my experience, Astrology is a system and matrix that reflects the whole, and shows us how we can individually discover and live in alignment with our own Wholiness. It is a system designed to reflect Oneness and interdependence as well as the current conditions that we are navigating and how we can best move through them. (For greater precision, an individual reading is required.)
Each of us is composed of all twelve signs. The planets and the signs they occupy give us a map and guidance system, showing us how we can be aware and aligned with our internal itinerary to experience our greatest well-being.
I invite you to read the comments for all the signs, and if the shoe fits wear it. We are walking in times of transition and it’s valuable to have signposts along the way that can serve us in our journeys. It is time for us to become awake, aware and embrace our multidimensional breadth and depth. Otherwise, we identify with too limited a part of who we are and live in conflict because of apparent separations that vanish when seen from a wider vantage point.
ARIES: Uranus is urging you to question the authority of the beliefs you have been indoctrinated to believe. Courage is required to recognize and face the disillusionment of cherished ideas about the world, the government, the Divine, who you are, and your relationships. Your role may not be what you have been told. It takes courage to release the blinders and dare to see for your self. Dare to let it be OK to be in the unknown. Invite your own direct awareness to inform and guide you.
TAURUS: Your parent planet is Venus. In January Venus will go from the end of Capricorn to the beginning of Pisces. On the way it will combine its energies with Mercury in Aquarius. This is a great time for you to pay attention to your priorities relating to love, money and friendship. Do you have a sense of tribe, extended family and friends? If there is an insufficiency in this life department, you are encouraged to extend yourself, go out and join a group of kindred souls. It is also a great time to express yourself to the ones you love. As it is said, “Appreciation appreciates.”
GEMINI: I feel prompted to continue to remind you that your words– what you say to yourself and to others– are actual creative agents in your reality. BE AWARE of what script you are following. Mercury, your parent planet, goes retrograde on January 22nd, in Aquarius, right after the Sun enters Aquarius. Take the time to step back, or in, enough to see some patterns that are not apparent up close. Remember, retrograde is an opportunity to pause, reflect, re-examine, and re-evaluate. In the societal area I think we will see even more awakening to what is not serving us, as we revisit information that was suppressed from public awareness.
CANCER: The January full Moon in Cancer is on January 5th. it will trine Neptune, giving you access to inspiration, imagination and empathy. Capricorn creates the house; Cancer the home. You need both as illustrated by the crab having its own portable “shell-ter” to protect it. Caring and connection is vital for you. Remember that vulnerability is not a weakness. Your shelter is there for you to retreat into if the waves get too much to handle. Care of yourself needs to be a priority.
LEO: Jupiter is still in retrograde in Leo giving you a great blessing. To use the example of the stage, rehearsal time is a necesary requisite for most performances. Sometimes we need more inward time to discover what we need or to become more at ease, before taking something out into the public arena. Regarding your pride, both family and self-respect, what if you could ask your inner Sun, your heart, to shine some light on something you need to know? You can. I invite you to try it and see what expansive insight you will be gifted with.
VIRGO: You are all so skilled and self-sufficient. Remember to let others serve you too. Giving and receiving are part of one complete cycle. Your tendency can be to “give, give, give,” and then you wind up depleted, needing to retreat, often feeling used and not able to give anymore. Instead, notice and give yourself permission to limit the quantities of work, and service, you do. It will be a gift to those who love you as well as to yourself. Please try it.
LIBRA: Have you noticed that balance is a dynamic energy? We can never be balanced by staying still. The image of a tightrope walker holding a long pole is a potent reminder that balance is reflected in the rhythm of life that circulates around a polar axis. We move forward, step by step, alternating between the left and right foot. You need to draw on your Earth in Aries polarity to give you the audacity and courage you need to be able to walk your talk.
SCORPIO: Scorpio is a place where paradox, power, death & rebirth all share a habitat. The ancients called it the underworld or the underground. I often give my clients an image of a totem pole showing the scorpion, known to sting itself to death by a refusal to let go, at the bottom. At the top I place Quetzalcoatl, the “feathered serpent,” the thunderbird, or the eagle. They symbolize the ascension from attachment, revenge, and hidden manipulation into the realm of the sky, where the wings of forgiveness and compassion give the Scorpio soul real power, which is the realization of your true, Divine nature. There are images in between, but for now: The question to ask yourself is: “Is it really worth it to hold on to what no longer serves me?” Scorpio, you will know, if that is a person, place, thing, thought, pattern or combination thereof.
SAGITTARIUS: Saturn just crossed the threshold into your sign on December 23, 2014. It will stay in Sag. until June 15 when it goes back to Scorpio. It re-enters Sag. on September 18th and will remain in Sag. until December 21, 2017.
Sagittarius is all about the principle of expansion, space, travel, timeless, growth, more, bigger and greater. Saturn is the principle of contraction, focus, discipline, form, structure, time, limitations, at the ending of time, as in death. It has had a bad rap for a long time, despite the recognition throught the ages of sacred geometry, mastery that is gained by practice, and the realization that without this presence there would be no “buildings, no organization, no bones, to hold things together. For starters, an apt query is, “Hmmm, is there anywhere in my Life that I could benefit from greater discipline or focus?”
CAPRICORN: It is easy to segue from Saturn to Capricorn since Saturn is Capricorn’s planet. Capricorn LOVES order, organization, and can feel threatened by ambiguity and the unknown. Capricorn can confuse with the feeling of being in control with security, feeling that being “out-of-control,” not-knowing, is somehow dangerous. When this gets exaggerated we see governments doing all kinds of invasive behaviors, all for “our protection.” It is true that we need order on the highways: respect for one-way streets, stopping at red lights, yielding when entering highways. However, Life at large, doesn’t operate in such a linear fashion. Pluto in your sign is asking you to take a look at where you are afraid of “letting go” and then letting change happen. Flexibility is the antedote to becoming a fossil!
AQUARIUS: Your sign sees lots of action this month. Mars activates the later part of Aquarius until January 12th when it enters Pisces. Venus comes into Aquarius on the 5th, the full moon day, and enters Pisces on the 28th. The Sun shifts into Aquarius conjunct a new Moon on the 20th. In the body, Aquarius is circulation. In a healthy society and economy we see circulation. I predict that more of us will awaken to the fact that our health, personally and collectively depends on the circulation of that which is life promoting. Is there something you have been contemplating speaking out or taking action about? Now is a great time to procrastinate no more!
PISCES: Mars and then Venus come into Pisces territory this month. ( Check out Aquarius above for dates.) Music, meditation, dreaming, films, dancing, imagining, all familiar themes for Pisces, are even stronger in January. Since escapism is the least conscious way to experience these energies, notice where you may veer in this direction, take the wheel, and steer yourself back to more beneficial ways to experience the Piscean habitat. If you want change in your Life, dare to consciously change your dream!
© Esther Frances, January 1, 2015
