Away We Go

Out with the old, in with the new never felt so good.

As a friend e-mailed today,

"Happy 2011
We made it through 2010! Whew!"

My sentiments exactly.

Thank you, 2010, for all the lessons and opportunities. Now that we get the hang of quantum change, let's rock this planet in 2011!


New Year's Post: Click here.

The Year Ahead

Life as we knew it is over. For 2011, 2012 and beyond, the game has definitely changed on Earth.

Economies, governments, businesses, education, social systems, the arts, sciences, technology and medicine all look radically different than they did just a few years ago.

Incoming cosmic frequencies are speeding up the changes. This has been going on for awhile now. In 2011, ramped-up evolutionary forces shift into overdrive. The reconfiguration is just beginning.

This week the sun sets on a year we'll never forget, and everyone's wondering what lies ahead.

The ancient and prophetic Mayan calendar is ending. The new year begins with an eclipse series, and four outer planets change signs in 2011. The writing's on the wall. The year is all about change.

Not that recent years haven't rocked our reality. In 2011, the energies are more complex. As the evolution of consciousness accelerates on Earth, we're able to download and integrate increasingly complex cosmic programs that further speed up the process. More and more quickly, we're learning to adapt.

In 2011, we go to the next level of complexity. Planetary energies will be highly focused, yet diffuse. It's a year of doing, and being, as we remember our powers of manifestation and begin to shape the next world age.

Within the grand cosmic drama of the Turning of the Ages, it's showtime.

Predictions about what exactly will happen are pointless. We're here to experience this auspicious moment and write history together.

Through sacred science we can forecast the natural energies the new year will bring. It's up to us to focus the evolutionary forces and craft the future of life on Earth.


The Forecast

(For my complete 2011 Astro Forecast, click here)

Energetically, 2011 will feel much different from 2010. Partly this is due to cosmological phenomena predicted by Mayan, Aztec, Hindu, Egyptian and other ancient timekeeping systems. Partly it's because the large celestial bodies closest to us - the planets of our solar system - will rearrange in ways that facilitate the transmission of specific frequencies to Earth. Another reason 2011 will feel different is that we're getting better at dealing with constant change.

The context of this speeded-up evolutionary process is the great cycle shift known as the Turning of the Ages. This is a rare astrological, astronomical, cosmological, geophysical phenomenon encoded in the sacred calendars of many spiritual traditions on Earth.

Vast cosmic cycles are ending and new cycles beginning over a transition period that lasts decades, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of years. We live in the twilight moment between the old and the new.

As we dive into the celestial waters of 2011, it's important to remember that any single year is part of a continuum of time that is cyclic and ever-expanding in nature. There's no specific day, month or year when everything will change.

Evolutionary energies are reaching a crescendo as we make our way through 2011, 2012 and beyond. There's a rumbling, a stirring of our very life force, as our codes are activated and the excitement builds. We breathe with anticipation and wonder where all the change is leading. Rather than watching passively, we're invited to step into our mastery, roll up our sleeves and contribute to shaping what happens next.


Themes and Highlights

The year 2011 features a complex tapestry made up of multicolored strands of energies. Looking more closely, we notice how the various strands are woven together to create a captivating overall design. Here are some themes and highlights that will emerge from this magical terrain.


I. Cosmic Initiation

Another wave of awakening will sweep the planet as the celestial and Earth energies peak several times during 2011.

The new year begins with two important eclipses that connect us with the creative force of the cosmos via the heart center of the Milky Way.

On December 21, the Sun, Earth and Moon aligned in a total lunar eclipse just hours before the Solstice, opening our hearts and minds to higher truth. In a rare cosmic convergence, the historic lunar event happened during the special period when our Sun aligns each year with the heart of the Milky Way, a galactic alignment related to the Mayan calendar and 2012. To experience the play of shadow and light as the Moon, Earth and Sun danced with the Galactic Core was a moment of pure grace.

The dawn of 2011 continues with a Solar Eclipse on the Capricorn New Moon on January 4. As the new year and a new lunar cycle begin, Jupiter and Uranus will be exactly conjunct in late Pisces. Together they square the Galactic Center, creating another moment of divine initiation, an awakening for humanity and the Earth.

Later in January, Jupiter enters Aries, sign of the warrior. Uranus will follow in March. We witnessed the celestial combustion when these two powerhouse planets met in early Aries during the summer months of 2010 (winter in the southern hemisphere). When Jupiter, the Guru, and Uranus, the Awakener, again journey into the cosmic fire of Aries, sparks of insight, ingenuity and innovation will fly.

As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries is associated with rebirth and new beginnings. In early 2011 both Jupiter and Uranus will complete their zodiacal journey in Pisces and begin a new cycle in Aries. The first degree of the first sign is an ultra-sensitive point in astrology. While Jupiter will zoom through Aries and into Taurus in 2011, Uranus moves more slowly and will hang around the initiation point for most of the year. The unpredictable nature of Uranus promises to surprise us both personally and collectively.

In February, the Universal Underworld of the Mayan Calendar begins, blowing open the walls of human perception and freeing us to experience our cosmic nature as divine co-creators. This initiation lasts through October 28, 2011, and signals another quantum acceleration of consciousness evolution. (Based on the work of Mayan scholar Carl Johan Calleman. See www.calleman.com/content/ppt_slides/slides.ppt)

Through the portal of 2011, an infusion of spiritual light will flood our world. Enlightenment is available to all in this unprecedented moment in cosmic time. As the kundalini fire of the cosmic serpent re-awakens on Earth, we're invited to the dance of creation.


II. Earth in Balance

We'll need the mass doses of Uranian inspiration and ingenuity coming our way, because we've got some enormous challenges to deal with on our home planet. Uranus is the problem-solver in astrology, the renegade, the "think-different" planet.

The Earth herself will be in the spotlight again in 2011. Earth changes will continue, with peaks likely in March through August, and again in late November through the end of the year.

Perhaps the most stirring memory of 2010, for ages to come, will be the Gulf Oil disaster, which began as the Sun crossed into Taurus, and Uranus and Jupiter hovered in late Pisces. The most important planetary configuration of 2010, the Grand Cardinal Cross, formed in the heavens two months later as oil leaked uncontrollably from the sea floor. The cross has formed several times since, and will again in 2011.

Both Chiron and Neptune will enter the water sign Pisces in 2011, and attention will again be focused on the waters of the Earth. In June, Jupiter crosses into Taurus, the first Earth sign of the zodiac, further emphasizing the importance of healing and harmonizing with our life-giving mother.

Today the oil from the spill continues to devastate sensitive ecosystems in the gulf and surrounding areas. Clean-up has barely begun. Beyond the immediate problem of the spill itself lie the long-term environmental issues that came to light as a result of the incident. We need to pay attention to the messages of this disaster. The day-to-day choices we each make have an impact on our environment and the planet's natural resources.

In 2011, Neptune will journey into the watery realms of Pisces, and Jupiter will venture into Taurus, the sign most associated with our Earth mother. Pluto continues his 16-year transit of Capricorn, reminding us, among other things, that governments, corporations, education and other institutions must be more focused on the environment.

Words and awareness are not enough. Workable solutions and widespread, radical change are needed to address the environmental crisis now, before the unthinkable happens again.


III. Revolution

A compelling feature of the great cycle shift is the collection of energy around a central, quantum tipping point. This energy trough exists in the in-between period as one set of cosmic cycles ends and the next set begins. In the cusp or crease period between world ages, we can tap into the quantum field and make enormous changes very quickly. That time is now.

There have been other moments like this in human history, including the Industrial Revolution that mechanized our world and changed life as we knew it. That was back in 1755, which coincided with the beginning of the Planetary Underworld in Calleman's version of the Mayan calendar. The next cycle, called the Galactic Underworld, began in 1999 and ushered in the Information Age. Again, for many, life on Earth would never be the same.

In 2011, as we enter the Universal Underworld, the rate of change accelerates again, to a head-spinning once every 20 days. Changes that used to take a year during the Galactic Underworld (or 20 years during the Planetary Underworld) will take only 20 days. The new phase begins in February 2011.

Not only is the acceleration of consciousness on our side as we attempt to heal our world and change the course of history, planetary titans Uranus and Pluto will weigh in to support the revolution. Astrologically these are powerful, destructive and creative energies, and we'll need to be vigilant in focusing the waves of momentum unleashed through the ongoing square between these two planets.

Pluto in Capricorn facilitates the destruction of institutions, structures and systems, especially at a societal level, that no longer serve our rapid evolution as a species. Uranian energy strikes unexpectedly, like lightning, obliterating the old to make way for the new. Uranian energies also spark flashes of genius that can be focused toward innovative solutions.

We've experienced plenty of destructive energy in our world in recent centuries and decades. While the demolition of the old paradigm will continue in the new year, there's a shift into a more powerfully creative mode that will help us make changes and solve problems quickly, efficiently and proactively. The building of a new paradigm begins as the old falls away.


IV. Individuated Oneness

Uranus is the modern ruler of Aquarius, the sign of the next astrological age. While there's no single date when the 2,000-year Age of Aquarius begins, Uranus' entry into Aries is undoubtedly a significant moment in this transition.

With his layers of meaning, shrewd complexity and belligerent yet effective approach, this is a planet for our times. Uranus is the rebel with a cause. For each of us, cycles of Uranus represent our process of individuation as we seek our unique identity within a vast sea of consciousness. Collectively, Uranus guides our evolution toward a more humanitarian, egalitarian and enlightened society where the needs of the many outweigh the desires of a few.

A vast societal reorganization will be needed to fully realize human evolutionary potential, and Uranus is just the planet to help us make this transition.

On an individual level, the process requires that we each take responsibility for ourselves and commit to fulfilling our divine purpose at this crucial time in Earth's history.

Uranus and his sign, Aquarius, embody unity consciousness, the intrinsic oneness that underlies all of creation, as well as individuated soul expression. The Aquarian Age calls for teamwork, cooperation and collaboration that honors the unique talents and gifts of each individual.

Personal and group intentions will manifest powerfully under the planetary configurations of 2011, especially those that balance the needs of the individual with the good of the collective, and vice versa. Together, we can turn the tide and create a brighter future for all.


Spiritual GPS

The truth of our being is love. As we travel the spiral, each year our hearts open more fully to this vast creative force of the cosmos. We are empowered to fulfill our destiny as souls embodied on Earth.

We can tune in as often as needed to our internal guidance system, the infinite wisdom deep in our hearts. Throughout all the changes, the acceleration and the exhilaration, the peace, the knowing, is in the center.

Access this wisdom in deep communion with the heart center of our galaxy, and the center of the local supergalactic cluster. This connection is especially strong on the Solstices and Equinoxes and during the moments when other planetary configurations line up with these points in deep space. To find out the dates of specific alignments in 2011, please visit http://www.StarPriestess.com/AllisonRae2011AstroForecast.pdf for my full 2011 Astro Forecast.

Astrology doesn't tell us what's going to happen. It allows us to forecast energetic conditions just as meteorologists forecast the weather. It's a heads-up that helps you to make decisions confidently, in alignment with the soul. Understanding how planetary transits and configurations relate to your personal astrology will help you align more fully with the energetic potential of 2011 and beyond.

Where do you fit in this continuously shifting planetary picture? What's your soul song? How are you contributing to individual and cultural transformation? Is your role changing?

How will you tap into the energies of the new year to create powerfully and benefit humanity and the Earth?

These are big questions. Please join me in prayer and contemplation as we prepare for the greatest leap yet in our lifetime journey through 2012 and beyond.

Om Mani Padme Hum



Copyright 2010-2011 Allison Rae/StarPriestess.com
All rights reserved


2011: Gateway to 2012 and Beyond Astro Forecast Now Posted

My astro forecast for 2011 is now posted on my website. This extensive report previews the coming year in more detail, including key planetary alignment dates and suggested practices for aligning with the energies. You can read and download it here: http://www.starpriestess.com/AllisonRae2011AstroForecast.pdf



2011 Astro Forecast New Year's Teleconference January 11, 2011

In this article and my 2011 Astro Forecast on the web, I've offered a general overview of 2011. We'll preview the energies in detail, give the dates of the hotspots and tips for navigating the changes in a special 90-minute StarTalk New Year's Astro Forecast Teleconference on January 11. Details: http://www.StarPriestess.com/event.html#forecast

Copyright 2011 Allison Rae/StarPriestess.com All rights reserved

Perfection

"If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite."

- William Blake

Total Lunar Eclipse of December 21, 2010

Elegance defined.

Photos

Solstice Moon

Solstice Moon

A great moment of truth approaches.

Over the next seven days, our Sun aligns with the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy. On Monday night, just hours before the Solstice, the Earth's shadow will cross the face of the Full Moon, collapsing time in a dimensional portal of infinite possibility.

Welcome to this year's Solstice. Standstill. Night of creation, ancient home.

The total eclipse of the Moon will be visible throughout the Americas. The effects will radiate beyond time and space to all sentient life, everywhere, carrying our hopes and prayers into the next millennium.

The alignment of the eclipse with the galactic core is a rare cosmic phenomenon and not a coincidence. It's connected with 2012 and the Mayan calendar, the cycles of Venus, the Earth and the Moon. This opening in the heavens signals a time of great change on Earth, of purification and enlightenment.

Deep, unmasked truth lies at the heart of this eclipse. Whatever darkness remains within our own hearts will be revealed. Within the interplay of shadow and light, secrets from the individual and collective unconscious are exposed in tones of raw emotion. Suffering is transformed by the caress of perfect love.

This is likely to be an uncomfortable passage through the heart of darkness and into the ultimate bliss of self-realization, the galactic consciousness that awaits our embrace.


The Serpent

Right now the Sun is transiting a part of the sky that connects us with the Great Beyond via Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer.

The medicine of this great healer is truth, a potent elixir that heals the wounds of many lifetimes and helps us find our way home to love. The serpent initiates our becoming.

Each year, the Sun aligns with this region of the heavens, and divine cosmic frequencies stream to Earth on the galactic cross. This is the alignment that religions and spiritual traditions around the world celebrate as the return of spiritual light to Earth.

As 2012 approaches and the Mayan calendar comes to a close, the feathered serpent symbolizes our ascended state as fully realized, galactic humans.

Out of darkness we are reborn.


The Eclipses

A most auspicious event happens this year as the lunar and solar cycles dovetail in a special eclipse series that coincides poetically with the dawning of the next world age.

These eclipses echo the Grand Cardinal Cross eclipse series earlier this year and yet another series a year ago. This entire period marks a turning point for humanity and the Earth.

Eclipses happen in six-month and 19-year cycles. Issues that surfaced over the summer months will be back, with higher stakes this time. Themes will also relate to 1991 when eclipses previously happened in the same place in the sky.

Both individually and collectively, we're ending and beginning important cycles along these timings, within the context of the great cycle shift known as the Turning of the Ages.

The December 20/21 event is the first total lunar eclipse in three years. There will be two more in 2011.

In the Americas, where the eclipse is visible, it happens overnight December 20-21. Here's the timing:

Partial eclipse begins 1:33 AM Eastern December 21
Total eclipse begins 2:41 AM Eastern December 21
Mid-eclipse 3:17 AM Eastern December 21
Total eclipse ends 3:53 AM Eastern December 21
Partial eclipse ends 5:01 AM Eastern December 21

As the Moon appears to darken, it will actually turn a deep shade of red. The entire event lasts three-and-a-half hours. Within that, the period of totality is 72 minutes. If you live in North, South or Central America and have a clear sky, you can watch from beginning to end.

All the phases of a 28-day lunar cycle will be condensed into three-and-a-half hours. Beyond the Moon-Sun opposition, 26,000 light years away, lies Galactic Center, the heart of the Milky Way in late Sagittarius. Gazing in this direction activates your cellular memory, awakening wisdom codes deep within your being.

The Sun enters Capricorn later that day (3:39 PM Eastern December 21), as lunar and solar energies bathe the Earth in divine love.

This is a Solstice to be remembered, a galactic initiation offered to all who are open to receive it.

The December 21 lunar eclipse is paired with a New Moon Solar Eclipse on January 4. As the Sun and Moon meet in Capricorn, the new year begins.


The Potential

The ongoing galactic alignment in December and the 2009-2011 eclipses bring to completion millennia of spiritual darkness on Earth and mark the beginning of a new era of enlightenment, peace and prosperity. Our divine hearts are awakened.

Each year, the Sun appears to rise and set in the same place for three days surrounding the Solstice before turning south (or north, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere) for the next six months. Time seems to stand still, creating an extended moment of silence designed for quiet reflection and review in preparation for the next cycle.

Timed within the Solstice gateway, the December 21 lunar eclipse expands the potential to infinity. The effects of prayer and meditation are magnified exponentially through this portal.

Energetically, humanity is poised for a quantum evolutionary leap. We're invited to step into our power as divine co-creators who will shape our destiny and craft a remarkable future for humanity and the Earth.


The Experience

Each of us needs to find our way through the maze of meaning within this rare alignment. Issues central to this experience will be:

- Addictions, the ways we numb ourselves and limit the actualization of our highest potential

- Emotional and physical healing

- Alignment with the soul, the cosmos and our deepest purpose

It might seem easier to ignore the vastness of this opportunity, yet the consequences of denial are far more devastating than facing the truth.

There are many ways to attune to the celestial frequencies to embed and direct the transformative effects of eclipses. My favorites include:

- Time in nature

- Communion with the planets and stars

- Healing work with exceptional practitioners

- Purification of body, mind (thoughts) and emotions

- Journaling

- Celebration with loved ones

- Creative activites (art, music, dance, drumming, chanting, etc.)

- Devotional practice (prayer, contemplation, meditation, drumming, chanting, etc.)

- Movement (yoga, t'ai chi, xi gong, walking, running, swimming, etc.)

- Eating foods that grow in and close to the Earth (especially root vegetables and dark, leafy greens) plus mineral supplementation

- Crafting intent

Ceremony is most potent in the hours before, during and after the eclipse alignments, and at sunrise and sunset during each day of the Solstice gateway. As the energies are building, then disseminating, our prayers expand and multiply.

I'd like to offer, for the benefit of all beings, a prayer that we might carry in our hearts through this eclipse passage.

A Solstice Prayer

Beginning now, I choose to walk in a new way on planet Earth, to attune to her as I remember cosmic truth and embody my divine purpose.

I forgive myself and others and open my heart to receive the infinite blessings of divine love flowing throughout the universe and coursing through my very veins.

As I attune to the Earth, the Moon, the planet and star beings in the heavens, I breathe with universal forces of creation. Divine Source enters me, filling the cells and spaces of my being with pure love and light. I am healed, whole, and renewed.

May I be gentle with myself and others as pain, fear and suffering are released. I bless all I encounter and embrace my fellow beings, all situations and circumstances, all thoughts, feelings and emotions, as reflections of my own divinity.

I joyfully claim my destiny as a force for positive change at this turning point in Earth's history. Together with my brothers and sisters of all colors and faiths, I will shape the future in ways that serve humanity's highest evolution and fulfill the needs of generations yet to come.

Aligned in truth, I am.

Astro Forecast & Solstice Celebration

Details about Ophiuchus, the Solstice and eclipse series, the Venus cycle, Mercury retrograde, the galactic cross and Turning of the Ages are featured in our Astro Forecast and Solstice Celebration held live via teleconference on December 7. A special group attunement meditation is also included. The audio recording is available here: http://www.starpriestess.com/events.html#forecast


Ophiuchus: 13th Sign of the Zodiac
A special initiatory journey with the Serpent Bearer is also available by mp3 download. The powerful event was held live with callers from around the world on December 8 during the Sun's transit of Ophiuchus (which continues through December 25). Enter the ancient Temple of Aesclepius and attune to your inner healer. Details: http://www.starpriestess.com/events.html#ophiuchus


Cosmic Time
Personal and planetary transformation within a cosmic context is the subject of my book, Cosmic Time. The book is potent reading during the Solstice season. Excerpts and ordering information: http://www.starpriestess.com/time.html#timebook


Solstice and the Serpent
http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/12/holy-light.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/11/tales-of-serpent.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/11/triumph.html

Eclipse Timing and Visibility
http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar-eclipse-december-21-2010.html

Mr. Eclipse
http://www.mreclipse.com/LEdata/TLE2010Dec21/TLE2010Dec21.html

NASA Eclipse Page
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2010.html#LE2010Dec21T

Eclipse Animations and More - Shadow and Substance
http://www.shadowandsubstance.com/

Copyright 2010-2011 Allison Rae/StarPriestess.com

All rights reserved

Holy Light

"Understanding is a kind of ecstasy." - Carl Sagan

This Solstice season is draped in garlands of holy, sacred light.

Today's New Moon initiates a potent lunar cycle that will culminate two weeks from now in a Total Lunar Eclipse on the December Solstice. That's just a beginning.

As they meet in Sagittarius/Ophiuchus today, the Sun and Moon align with the Great Attractor, a massive deep-space anomaly that's sucking in galaxies at an alarming rate. On December 21, the Lunar Eclipse aligns with the Galactic Equator, primordial birth canal of ancient myth.

Embedded within this sequence is the promise of the ages, true wisdom, and hope for the future. Something profound, life-and-consciousness-altering is taking shape right now in the periphery just outside our view.

Over the next 28 days:

The Sun ventures through Ophiuchus and Sagittarius, then into Capricorn.

Uranus goes direct.

Mercury turns retrograde.

A very special Full Moon eclipse coincides with the December Solstice.

We begin a new year with another eclipse.

The next five weeks are a magical, creative, healing time. The journey will be intense with lots of fluctuating energies. Expansion follows collapse. Darkness gives way to light, and vice versa, in a rhythmic yet unpredictable dance.

Throughout this time, expect the unexpected. We're bubbling with excitement one moment, diving into the abyss of the Great Unknown the next. We taste the bliss of higher truth then plunge headfirst into the depths of grief. Life will be full of contrasting experiences, in no particular order.

Within the Solstice eclipse field, time stands still. We sample the moments simultaneously, layer by layer, as the world we have known slips away. All that remains is love.

This is the ending of what has been, and the beginning of what will be, the essence of Cosmic Time. It's the wisdom encoded in the sacred architecture of the ancient world, echoed in the geometries of crop glyphs today. Divine intelligence is at play all around us, hoping we'll pay attention, especially during the holiday season.

With Jupiter conjunct Uranus in late Pisces, there's a deep mysticism in it all, a sense of coming home. As vast cycles come to an end, we breathe with universal forces of creation.

New Moons are endings and new beginnings. This cycle carries us through the Solstice season, another galactic eclipse series, and into a new year. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, many lifetimes, to consciously reshape reality in new and exciting ways.

Let's make it count.



Join Me this Week

Find out more with two teleconference events I'm hosting this week.

Join with others around the world for a special StarTalk Astro Forecast and Solstice Celebration on Tuesday, December 7. Details and registration: http://www.starpriestess.com/events.html#forecast

On Wednesday, we'll explore Ophiuchus, the mysterious 13th sign of the zodiac. Details and registration: http://www.starpriestess.com/events.html#ophiuchus

More about the transformative potential of the December planetary alignments: http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/11/tales-of-serpent.html

Personal and planetary transformation within the context of the Turning of the Ages is the subject of Cosmic Time: http://www.starpriestess.com/time.html#timebook

Copyright 2010-2011 Allison Rae/StarPriestess.com

All rights reserved

Triumph of the Spirit

In this season of thanksgiving, tonight's Full Moon marks a key passage of the solar year. The phoenix rises. Death gives way to life.

We harvest the blessings of this creation as we attune to celestial rhythms.

Venus' six-week retrograde passage culminates with the lunar alignment tonight. The Sun-Moon opposition is exact at 12:27 PM Eastern on Sunday. In Scorpio-Taurus we celebrate transcendence, the triumph of the human spirit. The soul is laid bare, bathed in waves of milky light. For a moment, we see.

Next, we go deeper into the spiral.

Venus and Jupiter

Over the past six weeks, the planet of love and abundance has traveled in reverse, transiting parts of Scorpio and Libra in her quest for truth, healing and sacred union.

Earlier this month a shamanic journey led her into the underworld where she transformed away from our view. She has re-emerged as Morning Star in the the pre-dawn sky.

Now Venus reigns in the east, awakening our hearts, minds and bodies to the tasks at hand as we are reborn more fully into our purpose and power.

The new Venus cycle in Scorpio carries us through 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar. This is no coincidence. The ancient Maya observed Venus and synchronized their sacred timekeeping system with her cycles.

Jupiter has returned to forward motion, too. In Pisces, he continues to expand our consciousness and ideals. Uranus, the Awakener, travels with Jupiter in late Pisces, although he moves more slowly and is still retrograde.

We have about 10 days to integrate the lessons of the Venus passage, lessons around relationship and love, money, passion, our creativity and values. We've faced our fears, plumbed the depths of the psyche. We're exploring new options and making choices.


Year-End 2010

Another round of intense transformation begins November 30 when the Sun enters the mysterious 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer. Known to ancient astrologers and depicted in the Temple of Hathor at Dendera in Egypt, this mysterious sign is re-emerging as a transformational gateway in these transitional times.

In mid-December, the Sun crosses the Galactic Equator near the Solstice. Within deepest night, light returns to Earth. This galactic alignment is punctuated by a potent eclipse series beginning with a Total Lunar Eclipse on December 21. Two weeks later, the Sun and Moon meet in Capricorn and we begin tending to the seeds we planted in 2010.

In my astrological preview published a year ago, I wrote: "In 2010, humanity arrives at a crossroads. Individually and in groups, we will initiate a sequence for the times to come, not only through our intent, but with our actions. This is a chance of a lifetime, many lifetimes, and the effects will radiate throughout the cosmos."

The pivotal year of 2010 now draws to a close. What are we harvesting?

As we gather with family and friends, I pray that we're mindful of the deeper rhythms pulsing through this holiday season, that we'll pause to commune with the galactic forces at play in our lives and our world. I pray that we open more deeply to love as we celebrate this holy season.

Namaste.



December Astro Forecast

We'll preview the astrology for the next two months during my StarTalk Astro Forecast Teleconference on December 7. Highlights include the Sun's transit of Ophiuchus, the Solstice Galactic Alignment and the December-January eclipse series. Details and registration: http://www.starpriestess.com/events.html#forecast


Ophiuchus: The Serpent Bearer

Enter the ancient healing temple as we gather for a special initiation during the Sun's transit of Ophiuchus. Details and registration: http://www.starpriestess.com/events.html#ophiuchus

Venus and the Underworld

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/into-spiral.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/spinning.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/turning-of-wheel.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/11/love-reigns.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/11/awakening.html


My Journey with Venus

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=235245&id=631748611&l=f91cf61fe7

Awakening

Silently, Venus stirs me from sleep.
Hanging as a jewel above the crimson-orange horizon she beckons, guiding her initiates to this day, a new beginning, deeper love.

Venus' shamanic journey has come to an end. She metamorphosed as she met with the Sun away from our view, returning to the sky in early November as Morning Star. Like Venus, we are reborn.

During her retrograde transit the past six weeks, evolutionary forces took aim at relationships, values, creativity and finances. How have these shifted for you during this time?

Traveling with her since early October I am wiser, more aware, conscious of my flaws and fears, and eternally grateful for the simple gifts of abundance that fill my life. Family. Friends. The natural world. Infinite love.

Venus returns to direct motion today. She begins a 584-day cycle in Scorpio, her playtime in Aries complete. Now we learn the ins and outs of personal power through the 2012 gateway.

Jupiter also stations direct today. In Pisces and conjunct Uranus, the Awakener, Jupiter invites us to reach new depths, and heights, of consciousness.

The celestial passage culminates in the Full Moon this weekend. In the last degree of Scorpio-Taurus, the Sun-Moon opposition illuminates the wisdom of the soul. Reach in. Dive deep. Seek the treasures of enlightenment.


Venus in the Underworld

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/into-spiral.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/spinning.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/turning-of-wheel.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/11/love-reigns.html


Fall Travels

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=235245&id=631748611&l=f91cf61fe7

Love Reigns

She's back.

Fresh from her underworld journey, Venus returns to the sky today as Morning Star. She reigns in the east, bathing us in love.

From the dark sky of the New Moon, she rises, transformed.

We emerge in a new beginning, too, with Venus, the Sun, Moon and Mercury as our guides. In Scorpio, they invite us to dive deep, face our fears and re-emerge as creator beings fully empowered to shape our lives and our world in exciting new ways.

As Goddess, Quetzalcoatl, the Queen and Empress in the Tarot, Venus embodies love, abundance, creation, courage, the warrior spirit.

Her journey is our journey. Her radiance, our own.

Reign in peace.


Venus' Journey

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/turning-of-wheel.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/spinning.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/into-spiral.html

Turning of the Wheel

The night kissed the fading day

With a whisper:

"I am death, your mother,

From me you will get new birth."

Rabindranth Tagore

In this season of death and rebirth, transformational energies reach a peak next week with the Samhain-New Moon gateway. Venus' heliacal rise on November 5 amplifies the mystical, healing qualities of this shamanic passage.

Enter the void, the depths of the soul. Prepare for rebirth.

We're dancing with the shadow during Venus' shamanic journey of the Underworld this Halloween season. The Samhain fire burns away pain, suffering and outdated beliefs as Venus continues her retrograde transit, away from our view. She'll reappear next week as the morning star in the east and initiate a new eight-year cycle in Scorpio.

Every year I count the days to Halloween, a celebration rooted in the cross-quarter sabbat called Samhain. What a powerful time it is, our connection with the netherworlds strengthened, our night vision more acute, extrasensory perceptions finely tuned.

With the Sun in Scorpio, Samhain (pronounced 'sow-in' or 'sow-een') skims the boundaries between the living and the dead. This is a special time when we honor the Ancestors and loved ones who have crossed into spirit. We're especially attuned to their guidance, love and wisdom through this portal.

Samhain Season

The seasons are turning, toward winter in the northern hemisphere, toward summer in the south. Fall is a time of harvest and gratitude. We prepare for winter and turn inward as the nights grow longer. The sabbats honor the turning of the wheel within the solar year, marking the mid-points between the equinoxes and solstices.

Samhain begins with Halloween on October 31 and continues through "true" Samhain on November 7 when the Sun reaches 15 degrees Scorpio. All Saint's Day is November 1 and Dia de las Muertas (All Soul's Day) is November 2. The alignments create a bubbling cauldron of possibilities fueled by Scorpio's promise of transcendence. Prepare for the cycle of death and rebirth embedded within this change of seasons.

The energies are especially potent on November 5-6 with a stellium of planets in Scorpio at the New Moon. From the darkness of this creation womb Venus will rise on November 5 as the phoenix, recreating herself as morning star. The old dies to make way for the new. Ignite a path of personal power with the New Moon and Venus.

Light a candle and invite the Ancestors and departed loved ones to your circle of prayer, healing and manifestation. Be clear with your intent and notice messages from beyond the veil. Mercury's transit in late Scorpio facilitates otherworldly communication.

Commune with the Earth herself, the animal and plant kingdoms. Open to receive their medicine and the visceral sensations of this creation.

Tune in, ritualize and create during this sacred, soulful passage.

Halloween Treat!

Astro-Tarot Readings during Samhain

I only offer these special readings once a year. Details:

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

Venus' Journey of the Underworld

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/spinning.html

http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/into-spiral.html

The Sabbats

http://www.starcraftswest.com/timing-of-sabbats

Spinning

The journey deepens. What are you creating within the vortex of the goddess womb?

Are you spinning the silk for the web you will weave, or your chrysalis of transfiguration and rebirth?

Venus continues her retrograde transit as the Moon waxes to full this week. Together they reveal our deepest fears and wounds, the self-limiting perceptions that block our path to power.

In this season of the Ancestors, Grandmother Spider sings the songs of creation. She calls your name, beckoning. Sink into your soul, your purpose, your passion. Dissolve the fears that hinder your death and rebirth.

Venus disappears as the evening star soon to embark on her underworld journey. She'll re-emerge as the morning star in the eastern, pre-dawn sky on November 5. As we attune to her, we are transformed.

The Sun and Saturn in Libra offer the promise of liberation, freedom from the fears and karmic patterns that hold us back. Mars, Venus and Mercury in Scorpio remind us of the opportunity to reclaim our power.

In the last degree of Aries, the October 22 Full Moon illuminates perceptions and boundaries as pre-conscious thoughts take shape, later to form a new reality beyond this gestation phase.


Potential and Possibility

Within the Full Moon matrix lies hope that latent potential will manifest in ways that are both mundane and miraculous. While possibilities are infinite in the quantum field, what ultimately unfolds will rely on our thoughtforms during this lunar phase.

Vigilance is required, a continuous assessment of our thoughts so we may manifest the highest of all possible potentials.

What does that look like in our lives and our world? Ask the miners and the families of the miners rescued last week from deep within the Earth, trapped for 69 days in a cave that could have been their tomb. Instead, they ascended from the depths in a capsule named Phoenix, a mythical bird representing transformation through death and rebirth. This is the shamanic process of Scorpio, and Venus is leading the way as she transforms in the heavens from evening to morning star and becomes a beacon for human potential.

What did the miners, their families, the country of Chile and countless others around the world create through attention, through prayer and vigil, through hope? In a stunning victory, they preserved life.


The Web

We can work with this same energy, manifesting and creating with the Full Moon during Venus' retrograde journey. We can spin out in chaos and feel victimized, powerless to direct cosmic forces. Or we can go inward, focus and spin with intent.

At this lunation, connect with Spider Woman, the creation goddess of indigenous tribes throughout the Americas who weaves the web of life. Follow the shaman's spiral into the darkness, the Void, womb of creation, into a new reality. Within the darkness, you'll meet your deepest fears as subconscious patterns and beliefs are revealed. Press on.

Witness your response in personal situations. Have you been sideswiped in power struggles? Are you asked to be discerning in your use of power? How have you given away your power, and how can you reclaim it? In my Venus journey this month, I've encountered wildly karmic scenarios, both my own and those of close friends. Some know nothing of Venus but are deeply affected nonetheless. How is this process playing out in your life?

The Full Moon represents a culmination, a time of manifestation and creation. The energy reaches maximum strength as the alignment becomes exact with the Moon opposing the Sun on Friday. The tension between the feminine lunar and masculine solar energies is released at the moment of the opposition, which is 9:37 PM Eastern on October 22. Ritual, prayer and meditation are most potent in the hours leading up to and after the exact alignment.

Astrology guru Dane Rudhyar portrays the dynamic of this week's Full Moon in his astrological mandala. At 30 Aries, energetic potential has to be focused then united with substance in order for effective power to be realized. At this critical stage, there is enormous potential for failure as well as fuel for breakthrough.

Vigilance is key. Decide what you want to focus on. Emotions, love, relationships, finances and values are optimal areas for change. Notice messages in dreams and meditation that reveal patterns of self-limitation. Consciously transform the patterns by changing your focus and attention in the areas you've chosen. Notice the spin of the vortex. Children spin. Spiders weave. Sufis whirl in an ecstatic dance of creation. Spin clockwise, then counterclockwise. Mix it up and allow the transformation.


Letting Go

As the energies build, prepare to discover your deepest fears and secrets. Seek the assistance of the Ancestors as you dive deep and resurface from the subconscious realms. Honor the mystery and your own healing process. Persevere. The rewards will be worth the effort.

The journey continues as Venus disappears from our view to travel into the underworld where she will metamorphose from evening to morning star over the next three weeks. She returns to the sky during the Samhain gateway (October 31-November 6) to begin a new 584-day cycle in Scorpio.

During this phase, themes are dissolution, transfiguration and emergence. We must release the past in order to ascend to a new life, a new beginning as empowered co-creators on Earth. I described the passage of Venus in my revious blog post, "Into the Spiral": http://starpriestess.blogspot.com/2010/10/into-spiral.html

In Native American tradition, there is a legend that Spider Woman will return at the end of this era. According to the ancient Hopi and Mayan calendars, the end is now.

In hushed silence, weaving and spinning, we create.



This Weekend:
Shamanic Guidance

To support your transformational process with the lunar energies described in this article, I'm offering very special rates on personal sessions this weekend only.

On Friday and Saturday, October 22-23, 60-minute phone consultations are just $125 (a savings of $40-$50). The session is geared to assist you in this current Venus transition period and includes a combination of intuitive guidance and personal astrology through the end of 2010.

A limited number of appointments are available. Details are posted here: http://www.starpriestess.com/services.html#octfullmoon

Into the Spiral

"The man embraces in the woman all that is not himself, and from that one resultant, from that embrace, comes every new action." - D.H. Lawrence

We're about to be swept into a deep, slow burn of alchemical magic.

Over the next six weeks, Venus' journey in the underworld mirrors our own shamanic process of death and rebirth. The Evening Star is transformed to Morning Star.

First, a kiss. The Goddess embraces her beloved warrior, Mars, before her 41-day retreat. They meet this week for a tantric interlude in Scorpio, sign of transformation, lust and power.

Everything Venus is about - our values, relationships, beauty, money, love, creativity, self-worth - will be put to the test as we integrate the changes of the past 18 months.

This fall, Venus rules the heavens. We'll journey with her as she travels back through the early degrees of Scorpio into late Libra, preparing for the next evolution of sacred marriage. Her metamorphosis will be complete in late November.

Shakti fire illuminates the path as we walk the shaman's spiral of death and rebirth.


Metamorphosis

This Thursday, the Sun and Moon meet in Venus' home sign of Libra. The next day Venus stations retrograde and begins her 41-day journey. She'll drop lower and lower in the western sky after sunset, her light receding each evening until, between October 19 and 22, she slips into the underworld and disappears from our view.

Enveloped in a cocoon of darkness, she makes her transition. The bright and guiding star re-emerges in the east in the pre-dawn sky November 4 or 5. This heliacal rise marks the initiation of a new 584-day Venus cycle. We are reborn in the shamanic sign of Scorpio.

This is also the solar gateway of Samhain, when the Sun crosses the middle degrees of Scorpio in late October through early November. During this phase, a conclave of planets will meet the Goddess in Scorpio to escort her to her throne. The Ancestors draw near to midwife the rebirthing.

Prepare to travel to new depths this Halloween season. Mid-October through early November is a period of high magic. In the watery realms of Scorpio, watch for power plays, manipulation and deception. Ghosts of your former self appear as you dive, like Venus, into the depths of the subconscious to face your deepest fears and desires.

Beyond the dissolution and reformulation of your life, you'll soar to new heights like the Phoenix who rises from the ashes of its former self. Absolute surrender is required to receive the full blessings of this divine empowerment.

Venus completes her retrograde phase November 18, just as Jupiter also stations direct. It's time for a party when these two great celestial forces return to forward motion.


The Venus Cycle

This sequence marks the completion of a cycle that began in late March/early April 2009 when the heliacal rise of our sister star occurred in Aries. This phase also brings to completion a longer, eight-year cycle that goes back to November 2002. We've been exploring masculine and feminine roles, individual identity and personal power since then. How have we evolved?

Venus is about love and abundance, attracting rather than pursuing. The archetype of the Goddess has many mythical names including Ishtar, Inanna, Isis, Athena, Aphrodite, Astarte, Spider Woman and Lakshmi. In all, she is Shakti, the divine feminine, creative force of the cosmos.

Her essence inspires Shiva, the sacred masculine, to creative action. Through the portals of the Galactic Cross and Cancer/Capricorn eclipses, we've been accessing these energies all year. Now it's time to plumb the depths of the psyche to find out what parts of our selves must be purged in order to fully manifest our new roles as empowered co-creators on Earth.

In this case, in Pluto and at the completion of an eight-year cycle, the theme is transfiguration, an alchemical process of death, transmutation and rebirth. The Snake sheds its skin so we may evolve into a higher expression of consciousness.

The new Scorpio cycle culminates June 12, 2012, with a rare Transit of Venus. In this special conjunction, the planet will visibly cross the face of the Sun in the final year of the Mayan calendar. This is no coincidence. The ancient Maya were Venus watchers. Her complex cycles are encoded within their sacred calendar. Our sister planet is helping us connect with our galactic nature at the dawn of the next world age.

Rebirth

In this season of high magic, there will be tricks as well as treats. That's the nature of Scorpio, the sign most associated with power and sex, money, desire, motive, manipulation, fear, secrets, the subconscious, psychism and the unseen realms.

During Venus' retrograde transit, relationships are due for an overhaul. Don't be surprised if you hear from, dream about or initiate contact with former lovers. If you began a relationship 18 months ago, it's likely to be ending now. If you meet someone new, be cautious while Venus is retrograde. The connection may not be what it appears. Notice what happens with your finances. Are you recreating or releasing old patterns? How have you been fooling yourself?

For the past 18 months, Venus' journey in Aries has been exciting, passionate and often challenging as we've tried on the role of Warrior Goddess. The courage of a great warrior is needed now to dive willfully into the unknown during this passage into the Scorpio cycle.

Stay alert and practice discernment. Notice messages in dreams and meditation. Allow time for deep inner healing. Processing on the subconscious levels can be emotionally, mentally and physically taxing. Practice nurturing self-care. Be patient if finances seem sluggish.

In a shamanic dance of death and rebirth, the natural world is our teacher and guide. Commune with the planets and stars, the deva spirits and elementals, the animal and plant kingdoms. Water and fire, earth and sky combine in a potent elixir of becoming. Call on the Ancestors as you walk the sacred spiral.

Spin your cocoon and prepare to be transformed within the darkness. As you emerge from the chrysalis a fortnight from now, spread your wings and glide gently on the currents of change.

Sustainable Change

"I want to feel the evolution of things. I don't believe in transcending, but in being embedded in a reality that is temporal."

- Ilya Prigogine

Now, between the Equinox and the Libra New Moon, our future gestates within the pre-dawn womb of consciousness.

Evolutionary forces beyond this dimension inspire us to sing the songs of creation in harmony with Mother Earth and all being, to heal, open and align, to attune to the rhythms of life and join the cosmic dance.

In a year of quantum change, we've reached the season of the harvest and celebrate the accumulated experiences of the journey so far. The joy and sorrow, ease and hardship, miracles, obstacles and the spirit that infuses all.

Days are growing shorter here in the northern hemisphere, lengthening below the equator. Leaves wither. Seeds sprout. Life slows down or speeds up, as the cycles turn.

The change of seasons in the outer world reflects our inner transformation. What's next?

In 2010, we're initiating a new sequence for the coming times. The window of opportunity is now. This is a year of tearing up the fields, turning the ground, then casting seeds for what will be through 2012 and beyond. What are we creating?

Life as we've known it is changing swiftly. It has to. The path we've been on will not sustain us much longer. We have to evolve. Natural cycles indicate we have two years to change direction and lay the foundation of a new world.

I've prayed all year that enough beings will seize this opportunity so we can turn things around on planet Earth. Now it's time to put that prayer into action.


Desert Awakening

Earlier this month, during Mercury's retrograde phase, I took a trip through the desert and awakened, again, to my deepest desire.

High in the San Jacinto Mountains of southern California, I pondered the state of our world, the economy and what all this change means day to day in people's lives. For generations, too many on all continents have lacked the basics of shelter, food, medical attention, education and our greatest human need, love. Today the numbers are growing fast as the economy shifts and the population swells unchecked.

As I drove from Los Angeles to Phoenix in 100-degree heat, I was shocked to see how much development has sprung up in the harsh desert terrain. Mile after mile of houses, condos, resorts, golf courses, shopping malls and strip centers line the desert streets. Where does the water come from to sustain life here? How many tons of coal does it take to keep the air conditioners running through most of the year? How much of the electricity is coming from wind and solar power?

I thought of my brother and his wife up north in Winnipeg. Where they are, millions live in near-tundra conditions, with countless homes and businesses dependent on a steady flow of natural resources and food.

What becomes of the people who live in these places if the power grid goes down during the searing heat of summer or the frozen depths of winter?

Development like this around the world is not sustainable. We can't keep draining the Earth's resources indefinitely. There are other ways of being that will ensure humanity's survival.


What's Sustainable?

The solutions rest in blending modern technology with ancient wisdom. Our ancestors thrived in extreme climates for generations without lights, air conditioning, heat and gasoline. Some tribal cultures still do. We can learn from them how to live in harmony with the Earth and natural cycles.

The devastating oil spill earlier this year in the Gulf of Mexico was a wake-up call. At least briefly, it focused the world's attention on the rampant global environmental crisis and the need to reduce our dependence on Big Oil. The damage created by this one accident will impact future generations for decades to come.

If we heed the message of the incident, the crisis could be a turning point that gets us headed in a positive direction that will heal our lives, our communities and our world.

The problem isn't going away just because the leak in the Gulf has been capped. We need to fix this. The Earth is out of balance, and she will do what she needs to do to rebalance her systems. We can participate in this process by harmonizing with Mother Earth and each other.

This is the next evolution.

On the Libra Equinox-Harvest Moon gateway last week, I shared how I will contribute to this turnaround on Earth, and I invite you to join me. After returning to the ocean from my desert journey, I received an e-mail with a link to a video that offered me enormous hope, and a vision for what we can do if we work together.


Four Years

"Four Years. Go." is a collaborative project bringing together organizations and individuals around the world in a unified effort to forge a new direction.




Check it out. Join if you feel called. And help spread the word.

My book Cosmic Time describes how our experience on Earth is embedded in a vast cosmic matrix of accelerating change, fueled by the creative force of love. It explores personal and planetary transformation within a cosmic context as we make our way through Earth's transition to the next world age.

As I wrote the book, I understood that the next evolution of my work will be to focus on sustainability, to continue exploring and sharing the wisdom that has been shared with me by those who are pioneering in renewable energy, natural building, alternative communities, local food production and other sustainable lifestyle practices infused with the spiritual light of the cosmos and rooted in the Earth and ancestral wisdom. This is Eco-Spirituality, and it is my passion.

In these times, sweeping change is forcing us to evaluate our priorities and pool our talents to address humanitarian needs, restore balance to the Earth and create a new world, a world we want our children and their children to inherit.

This is the essential message of the prophecies around 2012. We must change our ways to assure not only the survival of Mother Earth and her creatures, but the flourishing of a new, empowered, galactic culture on Earth.

The clock is ticking.



Earth in Balance

Where do we go from here?

We explored this question and previewed planetary energies in detail during the September 20 Autumn Equinox-Harvest Moon Teleconference.

Highlights include the Equinox and harvest season, Full and New Moons, Venus' upcoming shamanic journey in the Underworld, the Samhain/Beltane Gateway, planetary retrogrades and the eclipse series coming up in December/January. On this call I also shared more about my commitment to creating a sustainable future for the Earth and her children.

You can order the mp3 here:

http://www.starpriestess.com/events.html#forecast

Find out when the hotspots are in the next three months and how to navigate the energies. A special guided meditation will help you attune to the divine frequencies streaming to Earth through these planetary portals.