Take 5 (or 6 or 7)

Mercury turned retrograde this morning. O joy.

In advance of the three-week slowdown, my past few days have been filled with the usual delays... traffic snarls on slick, snow-covered roads, miscommunication and techno glitches of all kinds. In an hour, a couple of guys are coming over to move the washer and dryer so the plumber can get into the crawlspace under the house to blow torch my frozen water pipes. And of course I have 10 million things to do while they tear up the house. I think I'll go for a walk.

The way these things always happen, the timing is perfect. It's the end of the year, time to focus on the activities, or non-activities, appropriate to Mercury's retrograde period. Things like retreat, meditation, completing unfinished projects and other business, home repairs, car and computer maintenance.

There's a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse coming up during the day on December 31. In Cancer/Capricorn, issues will be highlighted around your home, family and business. This is also likely to be a highly emotional time. At the end of the calendar year and beginning of a new one, tend to practical, third-dimensional matters, practice nurturing self-care, and notice what's happening on deep innner levels.

The tradition of creating New Year's resolutions is particularly powerful this year with the eclipse energies. Use this time to really feel into your heart. Find out what you need spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically to live a healthier, happier life in alignment with your soul. Make your intent clear and create ritual around that.

The matching bookend is a New Moon Solar Eclipse on January 14, 2010, also in Capricorn. Mercury will station the next day and begin traveling in "forward" motion again. This will be the time for us Earthlings to move forward in a big way, especially in business and day-to-day practical matters. Until then, relax, take your time and prepare for a stellar new year!

Free Holiday Gift

I've posted a 75-minute audio recording about lunar and solar cycles that offers more detailed information on the power of planetary alignments and ritual. You can listen here:

http://www.starpriestess.com/audio/lunar-solar-cycles.mp3

Astro Preview: 2010-2012 and Beyond

My 2010-2012 Astro Preview gives an overview of the astrology for the new year and beyond, including dates of major alignments in 2010, ongoing planetary influences through the 2012 gateway, and practices for navigating these turbulent times with grace.

Details are posted here:

http://www.starpriestess.com/cosmic_time.html#2010preview

I'll be presenting my 2010 astrological forecast at a special New Year's Day raw foods event in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on January 1, 2010. This is an informal, community potluck. If you happen to be in northern New Mexico on New Year's Day, you're invited to attend. Just e-mail me for details.

Personal Readings

Find out how upcoming planetary energies will affect you personally with an individual reading by phone. My 2010 Astro Preview Reading is the most popular choice at the beginning of the year. I also offer Life Path Consultations, Birthday Readings, Relocation Readings and Astro-Shamanism sessions. Details and rates are posted here:

http://www.StarPriestess.com/services.html

From now until January 5, receive $25 off any personal session. Just mention this blog to receive your discount.

Best wishes for a magical, miraculous, abundant new year!

Honoring Yuletide

As the Sun crosses the Galactic Equator each December, darkness waxes to deepest night. In the northern hemisphere, we await the dawn on Solstice morn, welcoming the return of Light.

Winter Solstice on December 21 is the shortest day of the year and the longest night in the northern hemisphere. It’s the pagan sabbat called Yule, also known as Yuletide. Christmas is the Christian version. Yule marks the time when the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter. In the southern hemisphere, Solstice marks the height of summer, a time of culmination and abundance.

Holiday hustle, bustle, parties and celebrations tend to eclipse the inner nature of this sacred time. Even as we gather to celebrate with community the beginning of a new year and the return of light to Earth, we’re also called to explore the inner realms of consciousness, the mystery of this creation, as we dream a new future into being.

We can attune to the natural flow of creation with Solstice practices that support the deep inner work that’s appropriate at this time of year:

- Honor the Bear Lodge of winter. Welcome the darkness. Receive incoming cosmic energy through this galactic portal with retreat and meditation, yoga and shamanic journeywork.

- Review the solar year, Solstice to Solstice. Honor your experiences and accomplishments.

- Invite vision and create intentions for the coming year.

- Imagine the world we’re co-creating during this transition period, the Turning of the Ages.

- Celebrate in community, with family and friends. Ritualize individual and collective intent. Hold the light for planet Earth and all beings through prayer and ceremony.

Yule is a solar festival, celebrated traditionally with fire and the Yule log, candles, holly, mistletoe, bayberry, reindeer, pine trees with lights and ornaments, gifts and festive foods. Bayberry, cedar, pine and rosemary are the scents and spices of Yule. Traditional candle colors are gold, green, red and white.

The moment of exact alignment is 12:47 PM Eastern (5:47 PM GMT) on December 21, as the Sun moves into Capricorn. Pause and attune to the forces of creation during this gateway, and relish the blessings of the season!

Galactic Alignment

The Sun's crossing of the Galactic Equator each December is a central focus of the book, Cosmic Time. There's also a feature article on this topic in the current issue of my newsletter:

http://www.StarPriestess.com/cosmic_time.html

Solstice Prayer

My prayer is for beings around the world to align with these energies and ritualize our intent, both individually and in community, as we co-create a new paradigm on Earth. The Solstices and Equinoxes, as well as New and Full Moons, are particularly powerful times to focus celestial and Earth energies through the act of ceremony.

Recently I was invited to share how we can attune to these natural rhythms in a teleclass hosted by animal intuitive Lynn McKenzie. In honor of the Solstice, I've posted a recording of this special 75-minute teleclass and Solstice ritual: Tapping into the Power of Lunar and Solar Cycles. You can listen here:

http://www.starpriestess.com/audio/lunar-solar-cycles.mp3

Please note that you'll need to have an audio player enabled on your computer, and the ability to stream content from the web.

Astro Preview: 2010-2012 and Beyond

Astrologically, 2010 is the rockin'est year of the 2012 transition. I highlight the astrology of the new year and beyond in my 2010-2012 Astro Preview. Details are posted here:

http://www.starpriestess.com/cosmic_time.html#2010preview

2010 Astro Preview Readings

Find out how the planetary energies will affect you personally in 2010 with an individual reading by phone or Skype. You'll receive a free copy of the 2010-2012 Astro Preview when you schedule any personal session. Gift certificates are also available. Details are posted here:

http://www.starpriestess.com/cosmic_time.html#readings

This Is It

Each December I publish a preview of the upcoming planetary transits and alignments for the new year.

As I put together my astrological forecast for 2010, I was blown away - literally.

I've been studying and writing about the planetary energies of the 2012 transition for more than a decade. You can look back through the archives of the Cosmic Time ezine and Alignments newsletter to see where we've been. In my book, Cosmic Time, we take a look at the big-picture, planetary and cosmic context of the times we live in, especially the years 1987 through 2012 and beyond.

As I wrote in the book, the planetary energies of 2010 are the hot spot of this transition. In the past few months, as I studied and meditated upon the planetary motions and alignments coming up in the new year, layers and layers of meaning began to unfold.

In short, 2010 will be a defining time in humanity's evolution. Galactic energies will force us to change. We will reach a crossroads in 2010, and the choices we make will set the stage for eons to come. I do believe this is the central message of the sacred prophecies and calendars of the Maya, Aztec, Hopi, Lakota, Iroqois, Egyptians, Hindus and other spiritual cultures around the world.

It took many weeks to pull the information together. During the time that I actually wrote the piece, a megastorm blasted through much of the United States. As I attempted to sleep after one of several days of writing, fierce winds rocked my tiny casita perched on a mesa in the open desert. Torrents of rain pelted the parched Earth for nearly 24 hours. It was a long night of communion with the nature spirits, the elements of water and air. Sleep didn't happen, but something alchemical did. I realized this violent storm was an expression of the kinds of energies I was writing about in the preview.

Not a comfortable epiphany.

Many people in this country will be digging out for days as a result of the storm. I read this morning that surfers in Hawaii were riding 30-foot waves... a living metaphor I used in the piece about the opportunity we have in 2010 to get on top of the potent energies and create something positive.

So that's the gist of it. Quite simply, 2010 will be the most volatile year we've experienced yet on the way to 2012. During these days and nights leading up to the Solstice, I invite you to familiarize yourself with the energies and this profound opportunity. Get clear with your intent. Don't wait until January. The new year actually begins with the Sagittarius New Moon on December 16, so now's the time. Surf's up!

The 18-page 2010-2012 Astro Preview is now available. If you're so inclined, read the details: http://www.starpriestess.com/cosmic_time.html#2010preview

Astro Preview: 2010-2012 and Beyond

http://www.StarPriestess.com/cosmic_time.html

Newsletter Archives

http://www.starpriestess.com/time.html#archives

The Big Storm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_storm_rdp

2010 Preview Astrology Readings

http://www.starpriestess.com/services.html#2010preview