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 The Samhain fire burns away pain, suffering and outdated beliefs as Venus continues her retrograde transit, away from our view.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

Beyond the Veil

As this Samhain passage comes to a close, I'm blown away again by the ways of Spirit.

All day on Halloween, I had this persistent urge to go to the new Michael Jackson film. I wasn't in the mood for costume parties this year. I wanted to see that movie. My clever little mind kept thinking how appropriate it would be to find out what he had to say from the grave, so to speak, on Halloween.

I hadn't been into Michael Jackson in years but was, of course, affected by the death of this icon, this legend. He died the night before my 47th birthday.

I asked a friend if she wanted to go to the movies and she immediately suggested Michael Jackson's This Is It. So it would be.

I'm still integrating all that happened as a result of that journey. In this film, composed of footage from rehearsals for the never-to-be "This Is It" comeback tour, Michael indeed speaks from beyond the grave. It's haunting, and enlightening, and entertaining. There were things that spoke to me personally, and professionally. It was like visiting with my brother. I left the theater inspired.

Michael Jackson left a profound legacy. Whether you liked his style and his music, or not. No matter what you thought of his personal life. Michael Jackson taught a generation to dance. The messages in this film transcend his death to remind us to care for the Earth, to love fully, to make a difference in the world.

After all, this is a man who co-created "We Are the World," assembling some of the greatest talent on Earth, to transmit a message of oneness back in the '80s.

Michael quite clearly references 2012 in the film. In speaking of the need to change our ways and heal the Earth, he says we've got four years to do it. He's right. It's time. This is it.

Calling All Souls

Last night an owl called out, several times, near my window. He was hidden, somewhere on the mesa bathed in bluish, milky moonlight. His voice was clear and persistent. I relished the invitation to explore the mystery in this sacred season.

Every year I count the days to Halloween, which is also 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. 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 go within as the nights grow longer. The Samhain fire releases pain, suffering and outdated beliefs, preparation for our journey into higher realms of consciousness.

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.

This year, the Full Moon energizes the mystic, healing qualities of this shamanic gateway. Full Moons illuminate what's been held in the subconscious. In Taurus/Scorpio, she invites us to see and embrace the shadow.

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 Full Moon rises Sunday night, November 1. 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.

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 conjunction with the Sun in Scorpio facilitates otherworldly communication. Also commune with the Earth herself, the animal and plant kingdoms. Open to receive their medicine and the visceral sensations of this creation.

Owl carries us into the Void, quantum field of no-time, no-space... the fertile ground where shamans and alchemists dance.

Tune in, ritualize and create during this sacred passage.

Special Astro-Tarot Readings - Halloween Weekend Only!

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

Samhain, Full Moon and More

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

Sabbats

http://www.starcraftsob.com/craft/sabbattiming.shtml

Animal Medicine

http://www.sayahda.com/cycle.htm