APRIL 2007 PLANNER
Welcome into April…
A few days ago in March, Mercury returned to the very place in the sky where he began his retrograde back in February. Though he turned direct a few weeks ago – a time heralded by mainstream astrology as ‘all is back to normal’ – from the perspective of evolving consciousness all does not actually return to normal. Rather, it presents new opportunities to further integrate and assimilate the insights of the entire retrograde period. It asks you to be diligent and not fall into thinking too much about the small stuff and too little about the important things, but instead to put good energy into trying on your new mental wardrobe and seeing what of the old still fits and what doesn’t. Mr. Mercury will also share a meet-up with the Moon’s NorthNode on the 1st and 2nd. This is a wonderful time for meditating with the idea and any resulting image of a “FREE MIND”, both as a personal instruction (as in “free my mind”) and also as a state of awareness (“my mind is free”). Since late January, I’ve noticed from my clients a consistent report of mental tiredness and in my opinion a closely-related decrease in overall energy level. The process of uncluttering the mind will often produce general tiredness as your somatic (body) intelligence will often cause emotional and physical changes in order to accommodate the energy flow readjustments. For energy-sensitive lightworkers, April becomes a time for living in the new (or about-to-be new!) clarity of mind and speech you’ve worked toward.
This month we’ll next see both Jupiter and Saturn switching directions. On the 5th, Jupiter will do his version of the retrograde dance move in Sagittarius and will continue doing so through the beginning of August. In his home sign of Sagittarius, Jupiter retrograde can cause delays to big plans manifesting in the timeline or form expected but often manifests in other, less obvious ways you would be wise to pay attention to, such as in the case of a recent client. Expecting a court settlement to deliver a sizeable dollar amount to her, the proceedings became delayed extensively. Rather than lamenting the situation or becoming angry, she astutely observed that the window of time created by the delay gave her ample ‘alone time’ to clarify and meditate on her intention for the money. When it did finally arrive for her, she acted in complete alignment with what she had come to know was her truth. In her own observation, had the check arrived without the delays she recognized she probably would not have been as loyal to her truth in the situation.
Jupiter retrograde can also bring up unrealistic expectations of others regarding spiritual maturity. These next four months will particularly support a deeper INtegration of our own spiritual learnings and practices (in contrast with more EXternal activities like enrolling in classes). We might also watch for any religious and metaphysical assertions about how others should be living and/or practicing. The best litmus test for any Jupiter retrograde time is of course our own Deep Heart as it is the heart’s intelligence which instantly knows what is true for us.
Saturn (finally) decides that it’s the only responsible thing to turn direct on the 19th in the sign of Leo. This return to forward direction indicates your readiness (finally) to move with the ideas, plans and projects you’ve been gestating. I hear from many that 2007 thus far has been a long exercise in ‘hurry up and wait’ which now (yep: finally) changes into ‘act, do, build.’ But perhaps the most important awareness to bring into April’s activities – business, personal or otherwise – is simply that the wisdom, patience and insight you’ve gained in the ‘hurry up and wait’ period are precisely the ingredients that will be required as things start to take shape in (what for you may be) a more timely manner.
If you are one with a particular penchant for Goddess mythology, then beginning on the 7th and continuing through mid-May, the asteroid goddess Vesta will be square to the Nodal axis. As an intrinsic function within us, Vesta represents our means of holding to the sacred and the invigoration from acting on and being in service to all that is deeply special about life (ie, safe home or education for children, fair wages, ethical treatment of animals, etc.) Some questions I use to identify Vesta for yourself are: Have you ever found yourself in a position where it was only you who could complete the job? Only you to voice something others weren’t saying? Only you to take action because you knew deep down it was the right thing to do? If you have, thank Vesta for reflecting this aspect of you! With Vesta squaring both Nodes, this transit may bring us a challenge to stand up for what we hold to be sacred, to be essential, to be key to the beauty and sustenance of life. The outrage and activism in the political space may increase during this time as Vesta can be quite demanding of us to stand up and protect/engender/support what we find most important.
In the third week of April, we’ll be graced with the opportunity to evolutionarily check in on our inner feminine and masculine natures and take stock of the quality and quantity of harmony between the two. Do you sense a flip-flopping between the two within yourself? Have you underemphasized one because the other simply seemed more fun? Though this transit only runs for about a week in full effect, I’ve observed that when Mars and Venus and especially the Nodes are involved in a transit as they are here, important and at times penetrating understandings can come to you. Given that this square is entirely in mutable sign energies, it seems that this long-reaching transit may be planting seeds of new questions about how to apply the wisdom you’ve gained to your own inner growth edges, or the places in you that are at the very threshold of your development. Be willing to ask better questions of yourself and to really listen to the responses your body (Venus), heart (Venus), and passions (Mars) respond with.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
About the Author: Adam Gainsburg is the founder of Soulsign Astrology. He maintains an active counseling and healing private practice outside Annapolis, Maryland in the US. He is an author, sound healer and originator of what may be the first meditation form derived exclusively from the astrological mysteries, known as Breath of the Soul (www.BreathoftheSoul.com). His upcoming book, Bridges of Union, will focus on his six years of research and study into the Mars and Venus synodic cycles (2009). www.Soulsign.com.
MAY 2007 PLANNER
Welcome into May…
…a time to be particularly attentive to cultivating the fruits of previous efforts and to working through any patterns which undermine your ability to respond to the waves of life in truth and love.
For the first half of the month Jupiter and Uranus start up an ole’ fashion square dance, whipping up their heels, trying on new moves while each attempts to bring the other in step with their own. But as we know, it just don’t work like that: From the 2nd through the 18th, these two expansion experts Jupiter and Uranus have chosen you (yep, you!) and your life as their favorite dance floor on which to work out their (not so) little difference of opinion about who’s leading. This combination of planetary energies is a favorite one among astrologers as there is much possibility for change, growth, new ideas, sudden insights and an apparently endless supply of chi (bio-energy) between them. Together, they keep us available and awakened to the flow of inspiration and creativity. Mundane astrology also sees this combination as an unexpected gain or acceleration of a particular area of life which, if we’re not believing we’re actually ready for, could lead to potent growth challenges in those very areas.
With Jupiter in Sagittarius squaring Uranus in Pisces, you may discover it is far easier now to dream big, to have your intentions manifest in unexpected ways, and to engage in spiritual practices for longer periods of time (such as mindful yoga, meditation, etc.) At core, this transit seems to be presenting us with the opportunity to contact and confront through the square our subconscious assumptions about:
1. How Spirit is supposed to speak to us . Are we believing it will only comes when we are engaged in our artwork, volunteering, channeling, or lightwork and certainly not in our mundane lives – work relationships, how we drive our car, and the quality of our self-talk when no one’s listening?
2. What spiritual experience and growth is supposed to feel like. Are we unknowingly closing some doors to greater peace, contentment, and joy because we’ve never considered that real growth sometimes comes in the smallest and least applauded packages?
The following days this month should be noted for potentially powerful breakthroughs and deeper embodiments of your Higher Self: May 5-7 and 12-14. The first trio of days has a Venus or Feminine focus, the latter has a Mars or Masculine focus. Along with this promising potential of course comes equally possible blockage or challenge. Though each period is short in length, both may provide you with a good answer to questions like When’s the best time to schedule that healing session or shamanic journey?, When should I confront that so-called friend of mine with my true feelings?, and When is a supportive timeline for making that big purchase I’ve been putting off? The common theme in both timings is the commitment to going deeper into our motivations so that we can act more truthfully to our own nature as divine Souls.
Beginning the third week of the month, an interesting celestial synchronicity will occur: both Chiron and Neptune will station retrograde within 3-4 days of one other while also being conjunct one another. When any planet stations retrograde, it signals a fundamentally different way that that function within each of us will operate. Where Chiron is the function to willingly open our heart to the truth that we are not actually separate from anything in creation, Neptune symbolizes our recognition of the truth about Life itself: that it is an unfathomably complex yet inseparably inter-reliant organism of consciousness. From May through October (when they both station direct again), you may be asked by circumstances to look deeper at how you are keeping the divine as better or more sacred and the mundane as more base and more difficult. Physical and emotional issues will be a popular ‘route’ taken by the higher self to bring more awareness to this pattern of judging one better than the other. Don’t become discouraged by an old condition that ‘just won’t go away’; rather, learn from it and seek out help from a medical intuitive, a healer or other trained practitioner.
What also seems to be speaking in this unique transit is quite a deep opportunity for bringing to light and then relinquishing any beliefs (subconscious beliefs included) in the need to remain separate from divine source in order to remain in familiar identity roles. In other words, Which reality do we actually side with and feel more comfortable identifying ourselves with: our earthly or our divine selves? and, How can we include more of the other into that formula so as to enrich both? With Chiron and Neptune sharing both their retrograde cycle and their sky position in Aquarius, any apparent ‘breakdown’ – of social structures, physical or emotional patterns, even spiritual beliefs – will be more apt to manifest now. The recommended course of action is naturally to take as much time as is needed for clarity to come about what is true and what isn’t for you now, and then take any and all actions from this place which reflect your new understanding of yourself. This might look like reducing your daily activities in order to allow yourself more time to integrate the new insights, being more or less assertive of your desires and needs with others (depending on your prior pattern), or if physical issues have been a concern in the past, starting an increased regimen of supporting your immune system with supplements, essences and/or crystals.
RENEE: any changes to this bio you feel to make, go for it. May want to look at the most recent one we created for……?
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
About the Author: Adam Gainsburg is the founder of Soulsign Astrology. He maintains an active counseling and healing private practice outside Annapolis, Maryland in the US. He is an author, sound healer and originator of what may be the first meditation form derived exclusively from the astrological mysteries, known as Breath of the Soul (www.BreathoftheSoul.com). His upcoming book, Bridges of Union, will focus on his six years of research and study into the Mars and Venus synodic cycles (2009). www.Soulsign.com.
OCTOBER 2007 PLANNER
Welcome into October…
The Radiant You
As Venus begins preparing to depart Leo for Virgo, she will have some help making the ‘transition’, or more specifically, the ‘transformation.’ She and Pluto in Sagittarius form a trine from the 1st through the 4th, letting us know we have at our disposal an important other kind of disposal: of the old pattern (garbage) variety. This is a particularly empowered window for surrendering any dogma around: how ready the world is for our true selves, how capable we are of maintaining our bright light, or any discrepancy between our Deep Heart and the mind. Here, now, be willing to clearly see yourself (Sagittarius) for the radiance you carry (Leo).
Overlapping the Pluto-Venus trine, a series of interconnected cycles begin perhaps best conveyed through the medium of theatre…
We begin the first act of this Great Collective Tale which continues past the year’s turn into 2008. Here, we open with an involved scene, already underway, as curtains rise, focusing on a formidable woman dressed in flaming reds, dark pinks, crimsons, burgundies and dark violets. She’s on a search of some kind. She is apparently seeking the right type of Earthstones…we don’t yet know fully just what constitutes ‘the right type’ but it’s obvious her will to search high and low – deep and far – for these small samples of intensely compressed Earth is resolute.
Next enters a figure dressed in…a sort of….uh…well, how would you describe it? L I G H T. In fact, to say s/he’s a ‘figure’ might even be a stretch. All we can see is a radiating sphere of…again…L I G H T. This ‘one’ doesn’t move a whole bunch but the light coming off of him/her sure takes up the whole scene! We start to notice that the deep, scarlet woman can’t escape the light, though she tries at first. Giving up, she spins around, then looks around for quite a long time, at which point she appears to change before our eyes (courtesy of real-time, computer special effects). She seems to have gained something in the change she’s undergone. There’s something different about her. Is it that she’s more balanced in her color scheme? Yes that’s partly it – there are other colors now playing through her costume. She’s also somehow lighter in her demeanor. Not that she’s lost her goal of the Earthstones, but that her seeking of them incorporates a larger understanding. And it appears that this larger understanding of the meaning of her search is breeding a more frequent smile across the lips on her face.
(After a short intermission)… That L I G H Ted one is back on stage but this time, there’s no smiling, fiery Lady with him/her. Only a very dark figure we can barely make out. It’s as if this dark figure is defined by his outline rather than his material body. Yes, this one is dark, but there isn’t the accompanying sense of the ‘villain’ from him. More of a presence you can’t escape without distinction of wrong or right. He’s somehow reached upstage without any sign of really moving at all. (How’d he do that?) We didn’t see this character listed in the playbill but his name has got to be the D A R K one. Meanwhile, the L I G H T one is…well…shining.
From a short soliloquy we next learn this improbable pair have come together at this particular time to create something foretold long, long ago. So long ago it was that it may, it just may have been as far back as a moment ago. Such a meeting of opposite personalities couldn’t happen any day of the year – it needed to occur when the conditions were just right. Such conditions had to involve certain contracts or agreements made between millions of Souls who depend on each of these performers to carry out their purpose. After some minimal dialogue between the two, we further learn that this co-creation somehow involves the smiling, fiery Lady and that it is her on which the millions of Souls directly depend for the fulfillment of their specific and varied purpose in life. As the L I G H T and the D A R K continue the scene together in front of our eyes, some type of energy and information carried on invisible waves is radiating outward into the theatre. Apparently, only the L I G H T and D A R K can generate these frequencies of energy and dispatch it to the Lady. They are energies of purity, of unwavering clarity, and that which alchemizes differences of all sizes by finding the deep common thread shared by all. Only with these two – the L I G H T which we know by its shine and the D A R K which we know by its outline – can this raw energy be manifested. And with this type of energy is the smiling, fiery Lady directed to her precious Earthstones and the completion of her task: the construction of a circle of Earthstones sufficient to hold the fiery energy of human creativity. In turn, her completion of the fire circle will subconsciously and instantaneously signal to the incarnated Souls that they can somatically rediscover their purpose as they remember how to utilize those special energy frequencies forged together by both D A R K and L I G H T.
What appears to be the final scene in this first installment of this Great Collective Tale opens on the endless waters of a huge ocean. The scene has not dialogue as there is only one character visible: a man of considerable strength and skill sailing a boat just large enough to call it comfortable for him. He’s sailing away from us and, as the daylight turns to twilight, he begins to retire the ship’s flag for the evening. As it comes down from high on the mast, we see its design: outlined in black around its perimeter, a brilliant golden sun radiates its light as a smiling, crimson, dark violet Lady tends an impressive fire surrounded by Earthstones.
Our Resident Star & Mercury’s Dance in Dark Waters
At night on the 11th, messenger Mercury in Scorpio turns retrograde for the final time this year and remains so until November 1. Once again in the water element, the Speedy One now will bring about a serious invitation for each of us to understand more of ‘how we tick’ within a social sense; that is, to understand our motivations at deeper levels, to challenge the aspects of our identity which lie in shadow to come to the surface, and to call out or express where we see denial and/or injustice in society. Interestingly, at about the same time Mercury turns around on the 11th, the Moon enters Scorpio too. This combination will make the drive to ‘dive deeply’ – whether inwardly or outwardly – carry emotional weight as well. Be mindful about what you may be believing about what you may be feeling. Allow at least 4 days for the feelings and any possible actions to percolate. This will more ensure that such actions arise from truth in balance rather than reaction.
On the 23rd, our resident star, the Sun enters Scorpio. Just before that, at 4:50p PT, the Shining One will cross paths with Mercury at naught Scorpio (0° Scorpio). This marks the absolute midpoint or what might be termed, Mercury Retrograde’s Deep Silence, the point of maximum internal self-focus. With the Silence point at the very beginning of Scorpio, we are given an opportunity to plant seeds for later knowing of what we next need to understand about ourselves which we may be quite unaware of currently. Alternately, this Silence position can also indicate a concerted commitment choice – to personal healing, to a partner, or to a deepening of spiritual conviction.
With the Sun entering Scorpio, we enter 30 days of change and transformation, seeing and/or exploring (our) dark spots, increasing our power, investigating mysteries, committing to things, and potentially connecting with others in deeply meaningful ways spiritually, emotionally, and perhaps in financially too.
Mercury Retrogrades: A Research Study in Water This retrograde period marks the third of three consecutive retrogrades in water signs (former retrograde was in Pisces and Cancer). This reveals a larger collective intention of improving our relationship to Water as a spiritual element (rather than the physical substance) specifically through increasing our conscious awareness of ourselves as expressions of that element. In Soulsign Astrology, Water is described as “wisdom through the Feminine principle; self-knowing, fluidity, unifying, including, intuition, compassion, and relationship through shared experience. Water wants to flow and merge.” (from The Soul’s Desire for Wholeness, 2006).
Beautiful Strength of Form
A second saga-esque series of transits plays out from the 12th through the end of the month. This combination of influences speaks to how we live in a material world from within the absolute quality of spiritual reality (that we are each of a Oneness). The following paragraphs utilize the astrological timings of each of the four constituent transits to paint a broader and richer understanding of the latter half of the month.
From the 12th through the 15th, Lady Venus steps into a conjunction with Sir Saturn. This meeting together has been foreshadowed for quite some time due to Her retrograde stationing in close proximity to his ending his own retrogra-dance and turning forward once again. Watching it play out over the last few months in the night sky has been quite something, especially so because their celestial foreplay has occurred in the bedroom of the royal star Regulus, the heart star of the Lion constellation. With Venus and Saturn conjuncting in Virgo, we have a very wide pool from which to make it personally relevant:
We may (finally) ‘seal the deal’ on a long-standing decision or project or realize it’s time to walk away;
We may (finally) gain the strength to come from our heart with another rather than small mind or ego;
We may (finally) decide to seek professional guidance, medical help, or healing;
We may discover a trusted teacher, leader or mentor is not who we thought they were;
We may solidify our retirement plan, begin to invest for the future, or begin a much-needed home renovation project.
The Venus-Saturn conjunction has another feature as well: it alchemizes exact to the Lunar SouthNode. With this we open an important door of understanding into this unique alignment. The SouthNode is the astrological marker of the past – not necessarily earlier in this life, but prior to that. So with a Venus-Saturn-SouthNode meeting, our collective karmic issues around authority, denial of pleasure, patterns of broken promises, group rules of behavior governing personal freedoms, and social demands on individual resources come to the fore. We may also strengthen ourselves in ways we never thought we could, such as becoming our own boss, re-structuring a significant relationship to work better for us, or gracefully walking away from a karmic situation which holds no more potential for learning or experiencing ourselves in relevant ways.
How this series of transits from the 14th through the 28th will play out and what will arise in each of us is dependent on our individual makeup which can be gleaned from our birth chart. But as a collective consciousness, we may be subconsciously re-creating residual karmic patterns in order to bring them to conscious awareness to transform them.
The underlying theme with Venus and Saturn is the strength of the form of our lives (on whom do we depend outside of ourselves and what is that dependence based on?) and the alignment with our physical and social needs or desires (are we enjoying the gift of being physical and social?)
Radical Venus
On the 28th, Venus will reach her maximum distance from the Sun. Rarely noticed by most popular astrology, this significant event in the cycle of Venus marks the energetic height of Morning Star Venus’ individuality. Watch a few days before and after the 28th for behavior and speech uncharacteristically brash or uncompromising. The general nature of Morning Star Venus is heightened at this time: an individualistic, impatient, often myopic quest for personal experience or to further one’s own views or goals (sometimes at the expense of others or the feelings of others). If you find yourself at either end of this dynamic, see if you can place the feelings within the larger context of gratitude or compassion in order to let them play out without reacting from ego. For more about the Venus Journey, visit HYPERLINK: https://soularchive.wpengine.commars-venus/.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
About the Author: Adam Gainsburg is the founder of Soulsign Astrology. He maintains an active counseling and healing private practice outside Annapolis, Maryland in the US. He is an author, sound healer and originator of what may be the first meditation form derived exclusively from the astrological mysteries, known as Breath of the Soul (www.BreathoftheSoul.com). His upcoming book, Bridges of Union, will focus on his six years of research and study into the Mars and Venus synodic cycles (2009). www.Soulsign.com.
DECEMBER 2007 PLANNER
The Divine Feminine – The Journey of Venus
In the eyes of the Great Goddess or Femininity herself, December and January are times asking from us courage of heart and courage of spirit. Material possessions, loved ones, trusted friends, old reliances, and anything with nostalgic ties are asking us to release them now. It may not be easy to do the deed! We can let go of their form, but that’s often less than half of the release that’s required. The more important liberation must come from our energetic relinquishment of what the item/person/memory means to us, or how we’ve invested our precious life energy in owning and remaining tied to them.
On December 5th, Venus ingresses into Scorpio and it is here, at the 0°mark of Scorpio that she enters into conjunction with the balsamic Moon. In ancient times, the Moon’s slivered body was often seen as a vessel transporting still bright Venus lower toward the horizon. And this is consistent with the waning (releasing) quality of a Balsamic Moon. Today we can incorporate an evolution-of-consciousness understanding onto this deeply rich ancient image. As the Moon represents “who we are to ourselves” and shows us much of the content of our interior – our dreaming life, our emotional capacity, the needs for comfort and safety, and our ancestral knowings and patterns – it is Venus that signifies interiority itself, prior to it becoming populated by our lunar memories and experiences. In this light, Venus is the symbol of the feminine impulse within all consciousness.
This particular Venus-Moon conjunction is the 2nd of 7 during this Descent Phase of the Venus Journey. It powerfully suggests that we actively move to let go of that part of our Body – the aspects and levels of our Identity – which is preventing a richer, deeper experience of the precious life force we are each imbued with. For the remainder of the month and depending on our birth chart configuration, the Great Goddess may be inviting some of us, or demanding of others! to release how we believe we need to be to remain in power. In this light, “power” can mean control, holding the keys of influence over others, and/or resistance to life’s messages. Power also can come in many ways, very often subtly.
With any of the Venus-Moon configurations, there is always present the possibility that a karmic, hereditary, ancestral or genetic pattern can be brought to completion (so that it need not continue into the next generation). The quantity of energy which would otherwise be utilized by the perpetuation of the pattern becomes liberated to fulfill a higher purpose.
Two features of this alignment seem to be transmitting to us a very similar message. The first is the actual event: the Surrendering of some held-onto belief(s) impeding greater flexibility of embodied spirit, symbolized by the Venus-Moon conjunction at this point in the overall Venus Journey. The second seems to be the location of this event: Scorpio. The sign of Scorpio represents those energetic structures which are given to us to manage or look after and carry forward. This is why Scorpio is the sign of our DNA material, among innumerable other symbols. Once again, with the conjunction occurring at 0° of Scorpio, this Surrendering is a strong message to invoke any and all of your totems, guides, and angels to support your releasing process. The courage mentioned earlier may in fact be needed not only to do what we are guided to do by our Deep Heart but also to remain available for all the feelings such a choice may give rise to.
In the sky, Lady Venus and Grandmother Moon are conjoining in a most potent place – the region between the hanging fulcrum of the Scales and the feet of the Great Goddess. We know that in Sumeria and Babylonia, this area of the sky was known as a place of mystery, of information from other realms entering into Earth which was meant for the King or Queen or heads of state. Why only they? Because to the ancients, it was the King or Queen who literalized stability and harmony among the people. Translating this to our times, it may be that through our Surrendering of unnecessary alignments and separatist perceptions that we will potentiate a greater capacity for grace, harmony and stability in us. And if so, it would be a beautiful synchrony to the radiant Leo Journey of the Feminine currently underway!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
About the Author: Adam Gainsburg is the founder of Soulsign Astrology. He maintains an active counseling and healing private practice outside Annapolis, Maryland in the US. He is an author, sound healer and originator of what may be the first meditation form derived exclusively from the astrological mysteries, known as Breath of the Soul (www.BreathoftheSoul.com). His upcoming book, Bridges of Union, will focus on his six years of research and study into the Mars and Venus synodic cycles (2009). www.Soulsign.com.
