Music of the Spheres: Into the Subtle

I have always loved the small and subtle - those things that are smaller in size, but also quieter, easily overlooked, unnoticed, unheard. I love to hear the burried sounds in the music that lay beneath the overt melodies - the sounds that create the atmosphere in which the music in the foreground exists. Training my awareness on these small and subtle things has always opened doors to new worlds I could explore and share with others, for the subtle is the gateway to the worlds beyond the known.

Although they contain much power in being gatekeepers, small and subtle things are also excellent teachers of humility. They do not grumble or complain when they go unnoticed. They continue to maintain the background, to guard the doorways, to make their small sounds and be their small selves, unbothered by our ignorance and indifference.

Small and subtle things know a truth that affects us all, a truth that most of us in the first world tend to forget in the midst of a societal tendency to glorify the individual. It is the truth that we are indeed all dearly special yet also tiny beings with a specific and brief role to play within the vast infinity of time and space. This Serbian proverb neatly encapsulates this tender truth: "Be humble for you are made of dung. Be noble for you are made of stars."

Sun in Scorpio: 10/23/15 - 11/22/15

When the sun transits through Scorpio, we find ourselves in the time of "the thin veil," or the blurring of boundaries between material reality and the realms that lay beyond the reach of our five senses. It is a time when our ancestors lean towards us across the void. They whisper to us in our dreams and in our moments of presence and surrender, reminding us that some day we too will pass, and that there is some specific meaning and purpose to this blink of life we are given. And thus, it's time to cut away those things that keep us from the objects of our truest devotions.

What do your ancestors have to teach you, and what support do they offer?

How can you connect with your ancestors in a way that feels good to you?

Is your life in alignment with your deepest desires?

Is there anything you need to cut away to live and love more truly?

Denouements of Venus: 10/25/15 & 11/2/15

Usually, Venus conjoins with Jupiter and Mars only once a year each, but because the goddess of grace retrograded this summer, things are a little different this year.

On October 25th, Venus (clarifier of values) makes her third and final conjunction with Jupiter (faith) for the year, this time in Virgo. This aspect will infuse the Taurus full moon on 10/27 with its gifts. The first two of these conjunctions were in Leo on 7/1 & 8/4.

What opportunities came up for you in early July and early August?

What opportunities are you being offered at this time?

Are your values and beliefs in alignment with your actions?

On November 2nd, Venus (desire that attracts) makes her third and final conjunction with Mars (desire that acts) for the year, this time in Virgo. The first conjunction was in Aries on 2/21, and the second was in Leo on 8/31.

What have you learned about your desire nature this year?

(translation: What do you really want?!)

If you could become the vessel to receive the object of your desire, what would you be?

What specific excellence, skill or fit-ness do you need to develop in order to attain the object of your desire?

A New Chapter Begins: 11/11/15

We get many chances to make fresh starts, to change, to face the world with clearer eyes, ears and hearts. Every day, we wake up, and we have a chance to do things differently. That is the gift of the Earth, turning on its axis. The Earth, moon and other planets offer many layers of fresh starts.

New moons are another chance at new beginnings. When the sun and moon align, there is a brief period of gentle rapport and agreement between our conscious and subconscious, between our head and our heart, between our inner needs and our sense of mission and purpose. Every month, we experience this tender freshness.

About every year and a half, the nodes of the moon (a point where the moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic, or the apparent "orbit" of the Sun through the zodiac) change signs, signifying a new chapter in our evolutionary work on both the personal and species level. On November 11th, 2015, we have an alignment of all three of these new beginnings at once - a new day, a new month (the moon is new in Scorpio), and a new chapter in the development of our awareness.

The lunar nodes have transited through the Aries/Libra axis since late February 2014, stimulating us to develop grace, balance, clearer awareness of others, and the ability to create win/win situations. We have also been challenged to release impatience, unneccessary force, and to apply our courage more keenly and truly so that we are acting from our hearts in spite of fear, rather than reacting to our fear.

And now the game changes. The north node moves into Virgo, while the south node moves into Pisces. The evolutionary work for the next year and a half involves mastery of skills, getting the details of life in order and in service to a greater plan, maintaining good boundaries, keeping awareness in the here and now with compassion for self and others, and releasing addictive and escapist tendencies and any attachments to the roles of victim or martyr. The last time the nodes were in this axis was late June 2006 until mid December 2007. You may find some repetitions of similar themes from that time, although this time the nodes are reversed. At that time, the focus was on trusting your intuition, developing compassion and a sense of oneness, and surrendering control. Now, however, these are the questions to ask yourself:

Is your life in order? If not, what would help you organize and streamline?

Do you need to clear some clutter - from your space or your time?

What daily practices help you to cultivate presence, and curb escapist tendencies?

What changes start to seem possible when you take responsibility for the state of your life?

What, then, are the next little steps to take? Take them!

Next month's post will cover the Saturn/Neptune square that will color the next few months with a rather obtuse shade. Until then, thank you for reading, and here's wishing you a month of depth, profundity and simplicity, each in good measure,

Rae