If you want success to shine down on your life, then turn on the inner light first these next 30 days. Those dark corners need cleaning. The ones where ego wants results now or refuses to stop to enjoy the benefits of what already in place. One shadow image that occurs to me is someone gobbling down a gourmet meal without even tasting what they consume. Mars in Taurus is tightly square to the Sun and New Moon. Squares mean change is necessary. You can participate or be dragged along, but change will not be denied.
In a discussion about Heart Intelligence in an online event, someone described collaboration as a place where you must be prepared to NOT get all you want. Call it semantics but that didn’t sit well with me. It put the emphasis on what you give up. What if collaboration is trading up? With another person in the mix, things are available that weren’t possible on my own. This way, I don’t give up what I want as much as I gain more than I knew to ask. I get to shape an expanded version along with the other person. Both people hold their goals/desires/dreams out and then reconfigure what can be done to meet or exceed them together.
If I just want my desires met, then it becomes a power over situation instead of an opportunity for more than my original goal. This is where ego and a scarcity mindset costs you more than you realize. The Vedic Astrology on this New Moon offers another layer. The New Moon sits in the constellation of the the King Star and is at odds with Mars, who is in a ‘cutting’ constellation. If you aren’t mindful, your sharp tongue and a false sense of superiority can do damage that is hard to undo.
The desire is strong to punish or escape those who don’t see you the way you want to be seen. Ego gobbles down what’s in front of it without even a pause to appreciate what is provided! Creative potential is like a banquet but when we chew through it, we miss out. Where do you elevate another’s wants and needs or expect them to elevate yours? Where is a more equitable exchange possible? Because the upside of this Mars/Moon/Sun meetup is to cut loose from inflated (or deflated) self worth that separates people. There is tremendous energy to break free from old patterns this cycle. Especially those created when we hunt for perfection instead of seeing the wealth of options in front of us. It’s back to those dark corners for brightening and clean out.
You clean so that Heart Intelligence will open up space between us. Space that allows me to trust my imperfect self is safe in your hands. (That means I know myself well enough to safely share it) Then it also follows that you invite the other to do it too. Change the fear of a place where things are messy. Those places are just an invitation to repair it together on your vulnerability learning curve. Research shows that the strongest connections are those that come from making messes together you can learn from and then do better. Heart intelligence means you have to let it be what it is. Kindly, lovingly witness your own ego, demands, expectations and barriers to collaboration. If you catch yourself policing their space, pull it back. It’s not a good use of your time, no matter how ego satisfying it is in the moment.
Get to know the ‘you’ in partnership. That’s the winning strategy. How do you handle speaking up? Can you get creative instead of defensive? No? Well there is a great place to do your own inner corner cleaning on what makes it difficult, right? Use this New Moon cycle to ennoble those young places that want their way or defend their boundaries at any cost. It’s a waste of energy to fight old battles with new people. When something is in the way, inspiration comes out of good dialogue to help you get up, around, or over the obstacle together. Intelligence is a learned behavior, so see yourself on the same side and see what you can change together. It may truly surprise you. The Cards and Stars will help.
Thank you,
Lisa Greenfield
8/27 Virgo New Moon – High Priestess/Wisdom
This Moon Cycle calls for an exploration and understanding of your personal Truth. The High Priestess highlights trust for your inner guidance. Please don’t waste too much time on what created blocks to that self knowing. Your energy is so much better spent on personal inventory that takes in the whole view of you through loving eyes. See your ego, greed, selfishness as part of the building blocks you work with in life. The habit of compare and despair trigger so much destructive action. Be sure you balance it out with compare and dare so you can build out of the wreckage of what comes down.
My colleague Kim Gould wrote a beautiful post for the Human Design New Moon and her insights are worth sharing. “There is nothing relative about your Truth. Your Truth, when fully lived in each moment, nests creativity within the individual truth of others in a way that blows open reality as we now know it”. Right now, when you are genuinely curious about what you are doing, why you are doing it a particular way and with whom you do it, new worlds emerge. Your Truth includes those dark corners, they simply need to be cleaned and aired out. Alone time the next couple weeks pays off like an overdue slot machine. Let the riches come pouring out. You can’t get it wrong! Clear the path to your inner wisdom as if your life depends on it. Because the quality of life surely does.
8/28 king of cups
This watery King is perfect for today’s Moon transits. Easy Moon aspects to both Uranus and Pluto start and end the day, so we have all the resources we need for change. We have to feel our way forward. Venus does oppose Saturn, which can mean obstacles test the strength and resilience of your desires. When you can’t have what you want, what happens to that desire? Does it twist you into behavior to force the outcome you wish? Or do you surrender the wish, convinced the Universe doesn’t love you enough to let you have it?
Sometimes the response varies. Your opportunity is to discover the meaning you make out of desires delayed or denied. Then be willing to tell yourself a new story about it. Use your imagination. What’s the best possible reason that you can’t have what you wish for right now? Keep trying on ideas until one fits you like a tailored suit. Wear it until you are ready for the next idea. Now that is a good example of the magic this King of Cups brings to these transits. Instead of the Emperor has no clothes, you have an outfit perfect for each situation that fits you perfectly.
8/29 nine of wands
The transits today are likely to make for a busy mind. This Nine of Wands encourages mental mastery. Whatever you do to corral your mind, practice it today. If your thoughts escape the pen, don’t worry. Just go wrangle them and bring them back into a shape you can work with for now. Each side trip gives you more exercise in managing your mind. Remember it is the servant, not the master. Don’t believe everything you think and you’ll do just fine. Use the inner wisdom of this New Moon cycle to feel what is in alignment for you right now, even if it looks chaotic. You can sense and walk your right path, your Truth. That’s enough of a challenge for one day, right.
8/30 ten of cups
Research proves that in the strongest relationships they can move from rupture back into harmony through chaos. So when things get out of kilter, listen to the narrative your mind serves up. The gap between what you want and what you have in the present is reason to be inspired, curious and collaborative. But how often do you look at the gap and tell a different story? And where did that story originate, hmmm? You can have your own version of ‘happily ever after’ this Ten of Cups promises, if you let go of those old stories. To enjoy that wish come true, you have to be open to working with everything you have right now. Even those doubts, fears and blocks are part of the picture. You just need to reassemble them into a better resting place for your dreams to sit on and expand.
Think Legos and rebuild, try again and see if you can find the element of play with it all. You can even hold your hurts with humor. Sometimes I hold a pity party for the wounded part of me and it always ends up a tea party. Even my pain gets attention. This way it won’t swamp me as it builds up. Besides, I LOVE good organic loose leaf tea and the prospect of a fresh one always perks me up. it’s my reward for being kind to the unattractive emotions. Assemble your inner care system, one that works for you and let all that you love have a safe place to land and grow. Build it and happiness can’t help but come to you.
8/31 judgement
One of the gifts Mars brings on its long wander through Gemini is a lightning bolt of insight and fresh perspective. The shadow side of Judgment is the need for perfection. There is a defensiveness that hides behind a list of corrections that have to happen in order for you to come out of hiding. Brene Brown’s research shows that we judge what we ourselves struggle with, we just happen to be doing better in the moment than what we judge. Ouch, right. Can you love the judgmental part of you enough to have it lay down its sharp tongue?
The placement of Mars can mean cutting words. They are like punching nails in the ‘ship’ part of any relationship. Even if you apologize and pull the nail out, eventually the ship will sink. A good rule of thumb to notice is the way someone talks to you, is the same voice inside their head. So the most vicious of critics is usually walking wounded themselves. Separate behavior from person. The behavior is not okay, but have mercy on the person. Be kind and firm – that includes to yourself, too. Make a different choice, find a better expression and use this long transit to cut away anything that keeps you from be present with your whole self. Then the highest expression of Judgement can be recognition that is praise worthy and change that cannot be undone.
9/ 1 princess of cups
You get to choose between immaturity and creativity today. Either one are likely. If you find your young self stepping forward and speaking inappropriately, it’s a good chance to be creative, too. The fun is in discovering that mistakes can be rolled into ‘what’s next’ with a healthy attitude, respect for self and others plus a willingness to try again. If you find yourself hunting for certainty, be patient. Our fear wants assurances and predictability. But that locks out expansion and playful creation. See how you can adapt a more flexible approach to whatever comes up today. This Princess brings happy creative surprises, even to the immature parts of us. So invite your most imaginative ideas to join you at the table and see what comes out of the mix.
9/2 queen of cups
This benevolent Queen rules the world of big emotions. So let the seas roll and see about body surfing when needed today. You may find a sense of accomplishment that delights as you ride the emotional wave up and then fall down the back side with ease. What a joy to let a full range of emotions out of their pen without unleashing destruction. In fact, you may find real satisfaction in feeling it and then consciously directing those waves to carry you rather than being tossed in the wash of current.
Anger helps us hold a healthy boundary when someone pushes through inappropriately. Grief is a way of honoring a loss of something valued. Resentment reminds us to speak up for ourself rather than simmer silently. Quality time with your emotional waves is as constructive as a day at the seaside. All you have to do is find your path, your Truth. No apologies needed for the waves. Let them be beautiful and well purposed.
9/3 four of swords
Fours always signal a need for firm foundation. Yet with that the caution is to not wall yourself off, which comes up today. Frustrations show up to help you break repetitive loops that no longer serve you. However you cannot accomplish this without a break. This Four advises us to take a mental rest or the body will insist you take a physical one. Our mind can literally make us sick when it goes and goes and goes without pause.
Be a curious observer to the mental loops you may encounter today. Sometimes all it needs is a witness to stop the frantic spinning or circling. It may take more than that, let your body inform you as to what it needs. Logic is not necessarily helpful. It may need something completely unrelated, like a tea party. Find your exit ramp. Don’t worry, you can’t get it wrong. Just pay attention and learn about you, slowly map a new normal.
9/4 princess of wands
This Princess speaks to believing is seeing. If you always look out the same window onto the world you will always see from the same viewpoint. Walk to a different window. When you believe there can be more, you actually are able to take it in when it appears. So work on the inner critic or nay sayer today. Acknowledge that pessimism just wants to save you pain. What it fails to account for is you simply trade one kind of pain for another. Apply the youthful optimism in this Princess to believing things can be different, because you ARE different. Even if it has some of the old, it’s not a groundhog day unless you fail to break out of the mental loop that sticks to the same window. Which means that you can’t help but create something you haven’t experienced before.
9/5 nine of swords
This is the second nine of the Moon cycle. Which is good news! Two nines signal contentment and co-operative endings. Which you may not experience until day’s end, but hang in there. This Nine is the ‘needless worry’ card. It points out that most of our worst imaginings never happen. Yet we spend a fair amount of mental real estate picturing that ‘worst case scenario’, right? When your brain offers you worst case, then bookend it. Insist that it also find and example of the best case. One is just as likely as the other.
Pulling from your intuitive sense of self, steer towards the picture that feels most aligned with you. If it’s the disaster, admit that you have a choice and give it your all. Contraction is natural part of life and not to be feared. In fact if you embrace what’s coming undone, you can break through it faster or at least cleaner, with less wreckage. If you steer towards best case, allow any reroutes to benefit you. It will all work out fine in the end. If it’s not fine, it’s not the end… Play there today.
9/6 six of pentacles
We have a six on the 6th day of the month. It’s almost like it underlines the message of wholeness. Because six is also the Virgo energy of completion and intact sense of self. This is the foundation for good health. You know what you want, you can apply a certain amount of firm yet flexible boundaries on the world and bring a little bit of faith as a companion to whatever you do. If that’s not you, it can be.
This Moon cycle helps you navigate your way through self discovery designed to arrive at that spot. Your path is unique, so don’t bother checking to see how someone else does it. This is guided by your authentic yes and no. Practice that today. What are you a ‘yes’ for and where do you need to say ‘no’ or ‘not now’. Keep it that simple and you can’t go wrong. Who knows what else is possible when you take one sure step followed by another, learning as you go. It can build both your confidence in you and faith in the Universe. Now that’s the whole picture worth walking into, right?
9/7 transformation (death)
This card shows up along with Judgment this Moon cycle to underscore how big your internal shift is over time. The aspects are lighter today, which offers a chance to catch up and rest on the internal transformation. In traditional Tarot Death is less a herald of mortality than it is a reminder that everything has its season. Winter may look like the trees have died, but actually they are preparing for a whole new growth cycle ahead. This card whispers in our ear that you can let go of things who’s time is done, because a new version of it will be there in the coming year. We can reframe change as simply a changing of the season. Let the process take its own time and be a daily progress, perfect just as it is.
9/8 two of cups
The Moon travels today over Saturn and squaring Uranus. This brings up the tension between scripted ‘shoulds’ versus authentic self expression. A balancing act is required. This tender Two invites us to be kind to ourselves as we transform. Watch for unrealistic expectation, perfectionism and judgement. These are all just protection mechanisms as you stretch into unfamiliar territory. It’s tempting to fall back on the rules or habits of childhood. But they will not serve to help you expand. Rather they only manage the fear of expansion. Think of a toddler taking a few steps then falling down. Be patient with yourself in the process. The more you can honestly assess what you do and where it comes from, the more truly expressive you become.
9/9 prince of pentacles
This Prince is the third of these court cards in the Moon cycle. As such it points out that gossip is the lowest form of compare and dare. Mercury is about to go retrograde and this slowest moving of the Knights highlights grappling with how we talk about others. Since Mars is in the ‘cutting sign’ it’s all too easy to offer up a sharp edged view when others fall short of our ideals or expectations. The question is how does that viewpoint serve anyone over time? While you may feel superior for a moment, it doesn’t last and it doesn’t make your world a safer place when you yourself are caught being human.
The grace you show another is the same grace that lands on you. Fear dressed as ego wants to distance us from imperfections. Courage embraces all the parts of us and works on assembling them in a way that is useful, purposeful and ultimately beautiful. It requires patience. And it helps you create a world where it is safer to risk something new that may not turn out as planned. Encouragement inspires us to learn from our mistakes and give another a hand up to do the same. Creativity can flourish there and connection is strengthened. This is very different than fear of ridicule and humiliation when you publicly risk and fail. Be someone who can fail more, fail better, because you make it a safe place to try. Start with the voice in your head talking to you.
