A moon, a sign, and a planet all make it Super!

Supa Dupa Full
Just earlier today someone asked where was the moon and in what phase. I was happy to say it had just gone into Full Moon status, this afternoon.  And this isn't just any moon, this is another Super Moon.  Meaning the moon will seem larger and possibly closer to us and it's power will be even more prevalent in our lives.  So that means, forewarned is forearmed.  Now, onto where the planets are lined up during this Super Moon.

The age of...
The full moon this cycle is in Aquarius and although we have latent images of hippies, peace signs and lava lamps, this time is altogether something different.  The time of Aquarius can be marked by being open to remember dreams, pushing forward with all artistic endeavors, and possibly a heightened sense of idealism.  All of these pursuits can be fruitful, but I find that going to the source of the sign, it's ruling planet, makes for a much stronger outcome of works.  And so since Aquarius is ruled by the planet Uranus, our focus may need to be things quite different.

Don't misunderstand
Uranus, often misunderstood or unknown can represent that ethereal Father Sky energy.  Look to this planet when uncovering origins of things, seeking to ignite your inventiveness, using electricity of any type, and revealing inner (self) mysteries.  See, don't get nervous, there is benevolence when work like this has to be done, we must open ourselves and know that the intentions we put forth will manifest.  That knowing, way deep down, is often times half the battle.

Just let it go
For me this full moon is about the ritual of letting go of unwanted anger and resentment towards others.  Although this work has been weeks in the making I still found myself in tears because I realized the amount of energy, time and personal resources I had used and how much more liberated I was about to become.  Well, that and the fact that I am grateful to be at this stage in my life, with these tools.

Your Full Moon practice
This full moon take advantage of that extra strong lunar force and burst through to heights you thought were just unreachable.  The questions below are just a starting point to other things you may need to find out about yourself from yourself.

Full Moon Questions

Do I understand Expansion and Creativity fully?
 
 
Have I remained open to new resources?
 
 
Is my "Spring Cleaning" complete and have I sealed it?
 
 
Do I need to complete any initiations or dedications?

--Andrea

Release in order to retain

credit. robinyoga.com

And...we're back
Those 28 and a half days have slipped by and we find ourselves at the new moon, once again.  When the moon is dark or new it's the best time during the cycle to begin to set intentions and build towards our own successes.

The lion defined
This cycle, the Leo lunar cycle, represents recognition of all kinds, our public self (known or branded), and the use of control in our lives.  No matter how important all of these are the bigger impact of this lunar cycle is that Leo is ruled by the Sun and that's no small act to follow.

Gifts of the Sun
The Sun, although usually associated with illumination, also makes way for healing, protection of the self, the use of divination in our lives, and that wonderful gift: renewal.  So, hope these concepts have sparked you to really give it your ALL this lunar cycle.

Cut for more to grow
For me, this cycle is about some much needed cord cutting and cords, until very recently, I didn't even know were there.  So for me it's about daily setting the intention to release the cord and replace it with more life affirming energy.  My prayer is that this daily ritual sticks and becomes part of my personal rituals.  A girl's got to start somewhere, LOL.

Focus in order to soar
What's it going to be? Below are the areas that can sky rocket during new moon time, I suggest you start (if you haven't) already making those efforts on your behalf and for your behalf.  The only thing we have is ourselves and for this kind of work, that's all we need.

Work in the New Moon

Rest & Reflect

Purging

Quiet Time

Clearing & Removal

Breaking with the Past

Leo Lunar Cycle Herbs/Flower Essences

credit: fantom-xp.com

Acacia - Meditation

Orange -  Love

Tuberose - Centering

Leo Lunar Cycle Affirmation

I ask the Sun to help me recognize all the things 

I no longer need,

Give me the courage to actively purge & release 

all I have moved beyond,

All of this I do with great joy for love, compassion, 

& happiness are my destiny 

--Andrea

Full Moons of 2014

credit: Tarot.com

Looking to align with and name the remaining full moons of this year? Well pictured above is a great visual with the full moons named out for us by the month.  I must say thank you to Helen Viksnins for this image.

For those of us on the East Coast of the U.S. how appropriate to call the July full moon "Thunder" since we have seen a lot of that this month.

Fire finding in fullness

www.mlive.com

More is more
Alliteration aside.  There is much power upon us.  At approximately 10:24am this morning the moon went into fullness in Capricorn.  The really great news is that this full moon is considered a "Super Moon", meaning the moon is closer to us, appears to be larger and ultimately lays more lunar power at our feet.  Are you down to explore what more power can do? I am. We have hit that time of this Cancer lunar cycle known as Full Moon time and frankly it should be our peak.  Below are a set of questions to ask yourself during this time.  Just try them and be open to the answers. I am not suggesting you ask all of these at once, but at least take one or two to really think about over the next day or so.  

Full moon Questions

1. Am I creating the life I want?
2. Is my attraction of love, prosperity and long term goal achievement where it should be?
3. Which archetype am I aligning with and why?
4. Am I where I should be on my spirit path

Learn by teaching

credit. blog.smu.edu

This particular full moon is in Capricorn, the sign known for cleansing, limiting and most importantly karmic work.  But, all of these things are overshadowed by the ruling planet, fair Saturn.  Saturn, the ultimate Life Coach/ Teacher, gives us lessons in two ways: the easy way or the hard way (usually we choose unconsciously).  Let's try focusing on either or all of the following: getting ourselves together, ancestral connections, or the gateway to life and death.  So, yeah these are not the easiest things to think about, but they are some of the best things to focus on when Saturn reigns supreme.

So very close to making it
To bring this all home, I had a very "come to Goddess" moment with myself this afternoon while meditating for this blog post.  My focus this Super Full Moon is to get over the last hump with regards to true self acceptance. And I am not just talking about surface self acceptance, but rather that deeper, pervasive acceptance that says no matter what "I am okay" just as I am. This has been a battle most of my life but I am SO CLOSE to winning and I want to exert the extra power of the full moon to create that reality for myself.  And you? Take the affirmation below as a starting point.  Make the most of this magical full moon time.

Full Moon Affirmation

I must know what motivates, inspires, and sparks my being,

I will use the full moon to question my passion, self, and drive

If I am not satisfied with where I am in life I must

use the fire inside me to cleanse, burn and re-emerge a new self

If I struggle I'll tap into my ancestors by seeing them through the flame of fire where the messages live for me

credit: fineartamerica.com

--Andrea

The season of the Sun is ready to shine!

As the sun shines on this beautiful Summer morning there is a well of gratitude I am carrying. I am carrying it for life this morning, for breath this morning, but most of all for the SUN.  Although our days are longer and our nights are shorter there is such a blessing in summertime and on these few paragraphs below I am hopeful I can express what I believe can be in store for us this summer.

The summer is a season ruled by the Sun, celestial body that is not planet nor moon but what it is something so significant that it totally colors our moods, attitudes and sometimes decisions. The true power of the Sun lies in it's ability to illuminate.  This illumination is not just of flowers, trees and plants, it all so brings light portions of ourselves we rarely, seldom or never see.  In this summer season I am asking us all to LET THE SUN SHINE IN.  And not just shine in on us but be a tool for healing and evolution for us.

The Sun will bring to the surface things we have never seen or didn't want to see.  It's kind of the ultimate flashlight we can use to peer into our souls.  So I think we can do this over the next some odd weeks, right? Perhaps what will be revealed may be uncomfortable or completely out of the blue, but just go with it for illumination has a way of buoying exactly what needs to see the light of day, even if we are totally unaware of it.

credit: science.howstuffworks.com

Always one to be the first to share here I will let you know I am working towards my relationship with change. It's something you have heard me say before, but this time I am letting go of my mind and allowing my heart and soul to wrestle to the ground how I truly view change. I intend to face any of my resistance, acknowledge it and then back up off of it.  Yes, the Sun may be a double edged sword, but when on a personal journey all knowledge is good knowledge.

Below are steps and suggestions of how and where to begin your journey to illumination this summer.  Please be as expansive or myopic as you need to be and feel free to use this pass to comment, question or share.  The more we share the more we all know.

Ideas to spark Self Illumination

credit: journeytoorthodoxy.com

Dream and Journal

Our dreams hold much power and information but by the time we are in the midst of our daily lives we forget.  I suggest you keep a journal on or near you at all times and just jot down images, people, thoughts or impressions. This can be either during the day or night because daydreams are just as powerful a nighttime dreaming

Old Photographs

A picture is worth at least a thousand words, so look at old photos of yourself, family, and friends, see if you can transport yourself back to that very moment. What were your thoughts? Was there anything lingering? Does the photo bring to mind an emotion? Whatever it is sit with it and let the sun do the work.

A letter to Yourself

Letters are an amazing spiritual tool, they help you iterate what it is that is on the inside.  Now when you turn that tool on yourself and focus on a younger version of you, the results are astounding.  I say take a stab at it and see where it leads you. Most of all don't attach any outcome to it, just be open.

Observe a Fear 

Yes our fears are there, but we can face them. This task is a bit more difficult because it calls for objectivity, which when is near is hard to exert.  When you have a fear that comes up, try to step back and identify the real root cause of it. Once that cause is there ask where it came from and when it began.  An inquiry into the origination of the fear is a step in the direction of letting go of that fear.

Summer Colors

Lavender - Awareness, Abundance

Orange - Encouraging, Identity

Turquoise - Uplifting, Self Attuning 

Summer Herb/Essences

credit: stephenmorrisauthor.com

Honey (Earth Element) - Balance

Marigold (Fire Element)  - Renewal

Rosewood (Water Element) - Connect to Higher Energies

Summer Affirmation

In this season of the sun I take up the charge of 

illuminating my past so I can truly know,

This knowing is purposeful, full of self acknowledgement and

eventual LETTING GO,

In the moments of challenge I hold to the love, protection, joy

and ancestors that constantly surround and support my success,

This summer of shining my light is here and I am grateful

and ready to SHINE!

With Sun and Joy,

Andrea

Dare to DO IT!

credit: terrificmentors.com

That's right. The twelve simple letters in the image beside this text is easy to understand, but much more difficult to absorb, emit and put into every action we take.  Appreciation, gratitude, thankfulness, awareness of what we have and grateful for it.  All of those and some more.  Do we have it? Do we show it? Have we checked it lately?

Why ask about it now, well why not.  We have before us over the next few hours some strong cosmic assistance to take our knowledge of and expression of appreciation to many next levels.  At approximately 2:04am EST the Annular Solar Eclipse occurs and then right after that at 2:14am EST the moon moves into the sign of Taurus, thus beginning another Lunar Cycle. 

When an eclipse occurs there is perfect alignment between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. In a solar eclipse the Moon falls in line between the Earth and the Sun and is a good time to focus on material circumstances such as location changes, self identity, or personal power.  Eclipses are gateways for great change and it's a time to use energy to discover the root causes of who we are.

credit: fanpop.com

Directly following the intense gateway of the Solar Eclipse is the New Moon in Taurus, one of the most benevolent of signs.  Taurus, often liked to the stubborn bull is anything but that.  In the time of Taurus much is being guided by its ruling planet Venus.  Venus, the planet of love, seeks to unite opposing portions of who we are.  Other domains ruled by Venus are love magic and manifesting the abstract into reality.  Definitely a planet that would look fondly upon our taking up the mantle of appreciation.

My personal focus during this blessed time is to boldly appreciate who and what I am, right now.  Not like I used to be years ago or what I may be in a few months.  I am focused on appreciating me and my blessings HERE AND NOW. And I have also begun to process exactly what appreciate means, to increase in value, and apply that to me.  I am only going to receive more good if I know and am grateful for the good I have before me.  Simple? Maybe, maybe not. I know I am so excited about embarking on this cycle of appreciation.

So I showed you my hand.  Now begin to build your hand.  Figure out how you will utilize the Solar Eclipse and this Taurus New Moon to your benefit and all the while be appreciative for what and who you have become.  Below are nudges in a direction, feel free to go another route or veer off, most importantly set your intention for this New Moon and watch it unfold before your very eyes.

Work in Sign of Taurus

Generosity

Abundance

Business/Employment

Taurus Lunar Cycle Concept - Appreciation

Increase my Awareness of my Blessings

Love Completely and Fully

All things are Healed by Love of Self and Others

Taurus Lunar Cycle Herbs/Essences

credit: commons.wikimedia.org

Amber - Attraction

Cherry Blossom - Balance

Violet - Reuniting

Taurus Lunar Cycle Stone - Emerald

credit: crystal-chick.blogspot.com

Heart Opening

Growth

Joy

Healing

Taurus Lunar Cycle Affirmation

Today I boldly leap into my NOW knowing that all I need is already there,

As I open my eyes to the blessings that I have I will also be open to positive things about myself that were once hidden,

My value of myself, who I am and what I am worth will only appreciate this cycle, knowing the more I uplift these things the more goodness will come my way

--Andrea/DOW

My "Inner Spring"

The budding begins
With all this talk of late winter weather I challenge us all to recognize the beginning, the beauty, and blossoming that is Spring.  Defined spring is the season that falls between winter and summer and the time of year when vegetation begins.  So, although our days are not sunny and glistening yet, allow the easing nature that is springtime begin to descend upon us.  This is a day by day process not a sudden maturation of the season.

What to do?
On the Earth based Wheel of the Year Spring represents a time when we are clearing, planning, planting, and brewing.  Now is the time of activity, sunshine and wind.  Although we know April showers will bring May flowers nature's elements are only here as a complement to the wonderful works that are going on in our souls.

Proper perspective
I suggest for Spring we focus on the interconnectedness we have with all things that coexist with us on this planet.  From our family to our friends, from the moon to the sun, from the laughter of children to the honking of horns, all is connected.  Below I offer just springboards of ideas of how to re-connect with all that is around us.  Behold, Spring is here and she has great lessons, memories, and premonitions for us, all at the same time.

Spring Concepts

Constant Communication
This season know that the loved ones we have, whether living or not, are always there to hear and give us guidance.  Rather than pick up the phone to talk or text, be silent and know that your thoughts are reaching them.  Now, true, for those of our loved ones that have passed on, it may take a bit more work, but sometimes its how we listen.  It can be a color we see or a favorite song we hear, believe me our ancestors speak to us constantly, it's really how well we listen. 

Fusion rather than Separation
The best way I can describe this concept is the phrase "it's not either or but both and".  When I learned and accepted that understanding it was like my whole world changed and seemingly overnight.  To  know that we have the power to bring together any and all things is a feat for us humans.  And more than knowing the doing is even more powerful.  During this Spring when things or people ask you to choose and you don't want to invoke the Fusion rather than the Separation.

Time and Space
We've all heard the concepts of time and space, well I say let us all know that Time and Space can only rule us if we let it.  We give them power.  When we acknowledge our role in allowing them to rule our lives we can then release the hold these huge ideas have over us. And Spring is the perfect time for that.  In our daily walk let's remember we don't have to be ruled by Time and Space just aware that they exist.

Spring Stone - Moonstone

credit: commons.wikimedia.og

Balancing

Invocation of Power

Love

Healing



Spring Affirmation


Keep me focused on the embedded connections I have all around me,

So I may access and exude the interconnectedness that is me, other people, animals, planets, the elements and celestial bodies,

I am the source of power that I seek, need, find and wield, no longer do I question, this Spring I listen and know

 ---Andrea