Astral Meanders October 2014

Thought for the month: Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts. Charles Dickens

Mercury is retrograde from October 4 and remains in reverse motion until October 25, producing a disordered sense of things for almost the whole month. Be careful with communications and double check plans and appointments! Relationships need a tender, loving approach. There is a Total Lunar Eclipse on October 8 at 15º Aries. Self-determination seems to be the theme of this eclipse as the Moon is also conjunct illuminating Uranus. What a wonderful time for action and personal accomplishment. Just be careful of action without pre-thought! The Sun then enters the deep waters of Scorpio on October 23, on the same day that a partial solar eclipse and new Moon occur. This powerful time is one in which to expect change at a profound inner level. If you have a birthday during October then the year ahead will be filled with opportunities to delve deeper into your personal psyche and fulfil your dreams in a positive way. On the world scene it’s a difficult time for travel, communication and clear thinking…and there is a lot of active, action taking energy about that might just not be well thought out. Locally don’t make important plans, just take things moment by moment.

Aries

Your thinking will focus on the financial aspects in a relationship or revolve around property or possessions belonging to or shared with another this month. There may also be more paperwork related to an agreement or contract. Venus is in a good place for emotional depth and things can touch your feelings deeply now. Travel, connecting with foreign lands, giving or taking a course would be also be a good idea this month.

Taurus

You may be dealing with more responsibilities or details this month. You are likely to be putting more effort into maintenance, repairs, or job skills. So, getting things organized better seems sensible now, particularly with the retrograde mercury making disorder the norm. A strong Venus energy means you and another could be experiencing a closer bond and enjoying each other’s company more profoundly.

Gemini

Until the 11th, Mercury is concentrating your thoughts upon the practical side of life. Considerations could revolve around, repairs, maintenance, or health – yours or another’s.  Thinking about the process of daily life will definitely be more significant. Personal or professional connections are likely to be more dynamic and animated. There will be more demands put upon you to be decisive or take action in some way.

Cancer

This month daily duties and procedures are emphasized and you might have to get your head around the perfunctory details of life. Collaborations with others of like mind can be productive but a co-worker or assistant may try your patience somewhat. From the 23rd there’s a livelier vibration around. There should be opportunities for play and enjoyment, or to join with others and have a good time.

Leo

October is a sociable, busy time for you guys and you could be meeting and greeting, corresponding, maybe even sharing what you know, and  in general running around a lot more. Education or travel is also emphasized and there can be plans, timetables or programs to consider. Just do double check the details as misunderstandings are rife at this time! In general there are warm, supportive relationships in your life now.

Virgo

Right now you can do okay in financial negotiations as your people skills will be disposed to improve. Buying and selling etc tends to go in your favour and applying for funding or investments made this month can prove beneficial as long as you are sensible and double check the details. In general, Venus tends to ease things materially now. It’s a time when you have more on your mind and maybe more to get your head around.

Libra

Thoughts may revolve around material matters, or basic physical needs and you will be looking into how to improve things and get it all working in a pleasing way. Plans may focus upon valuable resources or practical ways of achieving results. Comings and goings may intensify or you will find yourself more in the stream of data exchange and this would be a good time to embrace new ideas.

Scorpio

There may be additional paperwork or other things to get your head around and mental processes may be accelerated this month. It’s a good time to put your people skills to work as you shape intentions or ideas more clearly and truthfully to others. Overall, you should start to feel more confident about making decisions or defining certain objectives more clearly. You can be successful in negotiations or just speaking up for yourself.

Sagittarius

Venus gives a lovely energy to friendships now and you feel supported as you move forwards with a project that is dear to you. New associations, networking and group gatherings benefit from your sociable, helpful disposition. Folk will find you articulate and your ideas stimulating and you feel freer to tryout and explore different concepts or avenues of expression. Others may surprise you too.

Capricorn

This month encourages a more self-reflective mood where you will be mulling things over, even when in the midst of other happenings. Mars can decrease your vitality now and you may be feeling somewhat laidback and talk yourself out of something which could lead you to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Some of you will get plunged into circumstances which demand assertiveness or leadership.

Aquarius

Some of you might have itchy feet this month and ostensibly this is a good time to get out and about more and try new things. Travel or distant horizons could be emphasized and you may be making plans. you will be taking your targets or overall direction more seriously or be more aware of outer image, how you present yourself and the impression you are making on others, or how something is representing you.

Pisces

This month is a good time to refresh your approach to life. There is a breath of wind from further afield or some guidance from those with specialist knowledge or just someone with a inspirational slant on things. New potentials are in the wind from the 23rd. Travel or distant horizons could be emphasized and you might be making plans.

Astral Peeks: October 31^st ….Beltane (not Halloween for us!)

End of April/ beginning of May in the Northern Hemisphere

End of October/ beginning of November in the Southern Hemisphere

The Wheel of the Year is a symbol and calendar for the cycle of the seasons. It consists of eight festivals, spaced at approximately even intervals throughout the year.

As the Wheel originates in the Northern Hemisphere in the Southern Hemisphere we will advance these dates six months so as to coincide with the natural seasons as they occur here. For instance, an Australian Pagan may celebrate Beltane on the 31st, when an American Pagan is celebrating Samhain.

Beltane honours Life. It represents the crowning of Spring and the beginning of Summer. Earth energies are at their strongest and most active. All of life is bursting with potent fruitfulness. As such this is a brilliant moment in the Wheel of the Year to bring ideas, hopes and dreams into action. And to have some fun.....

This holiday includes traditions from the Gaelic Bealtaine, such as the bonfire, but it heeds to traditions found in the Germanic May Day festival as well, both in its significance (focusing on fertility) and its rituals (such as May pole dancing)!

Beltane is basically a Fire Festival. The word 'Beltane' originates from the Celtic God 'Bel', meaning 'the bright one' and the Gaelic word 'teine' meaning fire. Together they make 'Bright Fire', or 'Goodly Fire' and traditionally bonfires were lit to honour the Sun and encourage the support of Bel and the Sun's light to foster the emerging future harvest and safeguard the community.

As Beltane is the Great Wedding of the Goddess and the God, Earth and Sun, it was and for some of us still is…a popular time for weddings or Handfastings, a traditional promise for 'a year and a day' after which the couple would either choose to stay together or part without reproach. Another common element of this is 'jumping the broomstick' - The broom marks a 'threshold', moving from an old life to a fresh one.

Jumping or leaping the fire, or broomstick is also about encouraging the growth of the harvest... folk believed that the higher they jumped the higher the crops grew!!

For us in the modern world, it can be a celebration of nurturing our own  soon to be harvest on many levels…we are called to assess what we are caring for and growing in our own lives and how we are doing this! We can put energy and passion into that which we love and choose to see manifest in a wonderful way in our lives! We can renew our vows to a loved one, our promises to ourselves and feed our desires for our future with inspiration and light! We can give energy to seeds we have planted both literally and metaphorically!

Light candles, have a small fire (where this is allowed), feast, dance, sing, drum, Jump a broom, and play joyful games, at best we can celebrate the happiness of being alive!

Meditation moments: Spring/Summer Meditations

Each of nature’s seasons contains unique calming and invigorating energy and you can learn how to use it.

For example, Spring and Summer is a period that is all about robust energy and creating abundance. You can use its high energy to help focus on, expand and harmonize the pieces of your life. If you are feeling in a rut, this cycle’s spiralling energy is there to help you out.

Start today. A good place to start is to step back and make yourself aware of how this season’s energy presents itself in your external environment and within yourself. Observe what new elements of your life are taking shape and which fit into your goals and desires and which you’d like to grow to their fullest. Prune those that present themselves as dysfunctional. Make yourself aware of what scenery, sounds, scents and so on in the natural environment have a calming, introspective or an energizing effect on you. Focus on the abundance of light. Commit it to memory. Meditate on this quality. Identify something in your life you want to change. Use your summer’s surging energy to get you there. Make a list of ways you can begin to put that change into motion. Stay positive. Start right away. Stay on track. Stay balanced.