Full Moon Wed. Nov 28th

The Sun is in Sagittarius, which is a sign of expansive thinking and broad visions. It is symbolized by the archer, whose arrow is pointed high into the sky. Sagittarius is all about big concepts like world peace, social justice, and the meaning of the cosmos. During this Full Moon let your consciousness expand and consider things you might think are beyond your reach. This is not the time to put blinders on your vision for yourself or the possibilities for our world. It is the time to reach for the stars. The Moon is in Gemini which combines the visions you have in your head with the love you have in your heart. During this Full Moon, what you think and what you feel right now are one in the same.  Let yourself integrate the dreams and visions you have for yourself and the world (Sagittarius) and start taking small actions immediately, led by your heart (Gemini).  This connection between Sagittarius and Gemini is also the connection between Heaven and Earth. We need both these perspectives. We need to stretch our vision far into the future and out into space, and we need to take actions that effect us in the here and now. It is a perfect Full Moon to open the way to the visions and actions that will create the transformed world of 2013. This Moon’s energy is expanded by its close alignment with Jupiter, the bright light you will see next to the Full Moon, and will continue to light up the sky for months to come. There will also be an eclipse on this Full Moon, though it will be very subtle and a bit hard to see.

This image is from a virtual choir that represents the energy of not only the Full Moon, but also of the new birth into 2013. I hope you take the time to click on this link  VIRTUAL CHOIR and use it as your meditation for not only this Full Moon, but also for Winter Solstice. Make the Youtube video full screen and be sure your speakers are working. Take a few deep breaths and center yourself. Expand your mind and open your heart. Then let yourself be uplifted by the connection of humanity that this choir represents, and how, in spite of our differences, we really are one with each other.  I can’t say it any better than this comment left by one person who was moved by what he experienced.
This is a perfect example of how strangers all over the world, from different cultures, races and religions can create something beautiful. Now if the rest of us can follow their example, the world would be a better place for ALL of us to live in. We are all just people. Human beings that despite our differences are all part of the same family. I hope that one day we all, ALL OF US, can live in the harmony that was beautifully presented here. Thank you for the inspiration, and the HOPE.

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Full Moon in Gemini, Nov 28, 2012

The Sun is in Sagittarius, which is a sign of expansive thinking and broad visions. It is symbolized by the archer, whose arrow is pointed high into the sky. Sagittarius is all about big concepts like world peace, social justice, and the meaning of the cosmos. During this Full Moon let your consciousness expand and consider things you might think are beyond your reach. This is not the time to put blinders on your vision for yourself or the possibilities for our world. It is the time to reach for the stars. The Moon is in Gemini which combines the visions you have in your head with the love you have in your heart. During this Full Moon, what you think and what you feel right now are one in the same.  Let yourself integrate the dreams and visions you have for yourself and the world (Sagittarius) and start taking small actions immediately, led by your heart (Gemini).  This connection between Sagittarius and Gemini is also the connection between Heaven and Earth. We need both these perspectives. We need to stretch our vision far into the future and out into space, and we need to take actions that effect us in the here and now. It is a perfect Full Moon to open the way to the visions and actions that will create the transformed world of 2013. This Moon’s energy is expanded by its close alignment with Jupiter, the bright light you will see next to the Full Moon, and will continue to light up the sky for months to come. There will also be an eclipse on this Full Moon, though it will be very subtle and a bit hard to see.

Image from Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

A Full Moon, and lunar eclipse on Wednesday, November 28th at 9:46 am EST.  This image is from a virtual choir that represents the energy of not only the Full Moon, but also of the new birth into 2013. I hope you take the time to click on this link  VIRTUAL CHOIR and use it as your meditation for not only this Full Moon, but also for Winter Solstice. Make the Youtube video full screen and be sure your speakers are working. Take a few deep breaths and center yourself. Expand your mind and open your heart. Then let yourself be uplifted by the connection of humanity that this choir represents, and how, in spite of our differences, we really are one with each other.  I can’t say it any better than this comment left by one person who was moved by what he experienced.
This is a perfect example of how strangers all over the world, from different cultures, races and religions can create something beautiful. Now if the rest of us can follow their example, the world would be a better place for ALL of us to live in. We are all just people. Human beings that despite our differences are all part of the same family. I hope that one day we all, ALL OF US, can live in the harmony that was beautifully presented here. Thank you for the inspiration, and the HOPE.

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Full Harvest Moon brings in 12.21.2012

Sept 29, 2012. Exact at 11:19 pm EDT.   This Full Moon is in Aries, which puts the focus on new births and fresh beginnings. This Moon is super-charged, since it is joined by Uranus, a planet of expanded consciousness, global vision, and evolutionary changes. Together, the Moon and Uranus are like a team of tech developers who stay up all night on Red Bull creating new programs to revolutionize our world. Tons of energy to fuel their expansive vision and no sense of limitations. It’s as if they have the whole universe at their fingertips.

Every so often we have something called a paradigm shift, which is a fundamental change so monumental it transforms the way we see, understand, and engage in the world. In the 16th century, thanks to Copernicus, we went from thinking that the we humans were the center of the Solar System, to realizing that the Earth and all its inhabitants were actually just one planet among many that moved through space as we circled around the Sun. I think we are now birthing into another such paradigm shift. In this shift we will go from thinking our Solar System is the center of the Universe, to realizing that our Solar System is just one star system among many that moves through the Milky Way Galaxy as we circle around the Galactic Center. This shift will bring us into an intimate connection with the larger universe, putting us into a relationship of unity and interconnection with the cosmos. Once we make that shift, we will start to view the Earth we live on as the unique vessel it is, one upon which we depend for survival. Fighting among ourselves in our own communities, competition among nations, destruction of the environment, waste and greed, will all be seen as self-defeating acts that sabotage our planet and only life line. This paradigm shift will not only change the way we view the universe, it will also expand our consciousness to such an extent that we could continue on our evolutionary journey from Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo neandertal, Homo sapiens, to our current, Homo sapiens sapiens into a new species. I call this new species Homo Spiritus, but others have called it Homo Evolutionary or Homo Universalis. Big stuff, indeed.

Of course any birth has its labor pains, and this will be no different. The Moon and Uranus in Aries are in alignment with Pluto, the planet of regeneration, and we can expect that the birth of the new will follow the death of the old. This “death and rebirth” part is what gets taken out of context when people discuss 12.21.2012, and the fear mongering and bad disaster movies take center stage. But once we move past fear, I think its pretty obvious to most people that the world can’t continue on the same path it is going and not hit a major crisis pretty soon. Our weapon technology alone has the ability to destroy all life on the planet. Our weapons are advancing faster than our wisdom. The parts of life that will pass away are the parts that need to change in order to allow a new birth to occur. For example, our dependence on fossil fuels will change as we develop more renewable energies. And personally, if I really expect to evolve into a Homo Spiritus, I will need to let go of my fears and self doubts. Our history as been defined, both religiously and environmentally, by cyclical changes of death and rebirth. This upcoming paradigm shift will fit in with the same archetypal pattern.

One last note of interest. This same alignment of Moon in Aries conjoined with Uranus in Aries and aligned with Pluto will also be present on 12.21.2012. This is the explosive, powerful energy needed to bring about the new birth of human evolution and consciousness. Click here for the whole MOONLETTER.

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Happy First day of Fall!!

We just moved into my favorite season and I can feel it in the air. Here is some information about fall from one of my favorite websites: The Farmer’s Almanac. It is a great place to go to find out the rising and setting times of the Sun, Moon, and all the planets in your area. Just great.

Fall for 2012 begins in the Northern Hemisphere on September 22, 10:49 A.M. EDT. Here’s more about the first day of fall—the autumnal equinox—plus, facts, folklore, and some fantastic fall photos! (Say that five times fast!)

It is the summer’s great last heat,
It is the fall’s first chill: They meet.
–Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

The Autumnal Equinox – The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night.” The fall and spring equinoxes are the only days of the year in which the Sun crosses the celestial equator.

Question: Why aren’t there exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness on the fall equinox?

Answer: On the equinoxes, the very center of the Sun sets just 12 hours after it rises. But the day begins when the upper edge of the Sun reaches the horizon (which happens a bit before the center rises), and it doesn’t end until the entire Sun has set. Not only that, but the Sun is actually visible when it is below the horizon, as Earth’s atmosphere refracts the Sun’s rays and bends them in an arc over the horizon. According to our former astronomer, George Greenstein, “If the Sun were to shrink to a starlike point and we lived in a world without air, the spring and fall equinoxes would truly have ‘equal nights.'”

Question: The autumn leaves seems to be hanging on longer than usual in my neck of the woods. Is this an indication of winter weather to come?

Answer: There’s an old weather proverb that states, “If autumn leaves are slow to fall, prepare for a cold winter.” Or perhaps you just haven’t had the kind of wind or rain needed to shake the leaves loose from their branches. But look on the bright side—you get to look at the beautiful autumn foliage for a little bit longer!

Signs of Fall

In many regions of North America, the landscape silently explodes with vibrant colors of red, yellow, and orange. The leaves begin to drop off the trees, providing endless hours of jumping into leaf piles for kids and raking them back up for parents! Baseball season hits the homestretch, while football season is just warming up. Temperatures begin to drop, nights begin to get longer, and all the woodland critters are storing up for the long haul of winter.

You can track when the seasons change by recording animal behaviors and the way that the plants grow. Listen to the new sounds and observe what you hear and see.

How do you know that fall is coming? Share your comment below!

Autumn Folklore and Verse

Autumn days come quickly, like the running of a hound on the moor. – Irish proverb

Trees snapping and cracking in the autumn indicate dry weather.

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Full Blue Moon in Pisces on Friday Aug 31

Waite-Smith Tarot with art by Pamela Colman Smith

If you want to read more and get info on the Blue Moon click MOONLETTER.  The Star illustrates the harmony that can be achieved within us between watery mystical Pisces and earthy practical Virgo. It is even more necessary that we find this balance now, during the transformative time of 2012, referred to as The Shift, since it promises a shift in consciousness from greed to compassion, from separation to unity. Spiritually inclined people are often more interior, and keep their visions for a new world to themselves. It is time for dreamers to make their dreams known, and to find practical methods to engage in the world in order to make a difference, while still holding on to their spiritual values. This Moon in Pisces is a very strong one, since it combines with Neptune in Pisces, exponentially deepening the potential of our connection to Spirit. This Full Moon is a time to tap into your internal spiritual longings and find a way to bring them to manifestation through practical action in the external world.

For you: Imagine that you are this woman, one leg kneeling on the earth, and the other leg resting on the water in the pond. You could even physically take the position, to feel the balance in your body. You are comfortable both on land and water. You have a pitcher in each hand, filled with water, which contains the longings of your Soul. Pause and ask yourself, “What are the longings of my Soul? What is my intuition prompting me to do?” Once you know, you pour one pitcher into the pond to keep your intuition flowing. You feel gratitude for the solid contact of this relationship. You pour the other pitcher onto the ground, and it makes five streams, each representing one of your senses – sight, taste, hearing, touch, and smell. You relish in your connection to the earth. Above you is a brilliant yellow star, which is your Spirit and the source of your radiance. Next to it are seven white stars, representing your chakras which align your Spirit to your body. Take another deep breath, and ask that you be open to your Spirit, and that your body is in alignment with each chakra.. The purple mountains in the distance indicate the long journey you are on, but the bird in the tree nearby promises that if you listen to your still sweet voice within, that you will always be guided in the right direction. Take some deep breaths, allow your spiritual essence to expand within you, let it radiate through you until you see it move into the world where you will take clear practical actions, large or small, to let your light be seen.

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Full Moon August 1 in Aquarius

Full Moon at 11:27 pm EDT, but the energy lasts until Friday when the Moon sets at dawn. This beautiful goddess high on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea is the perfect embodiment of the Full Moon in Aquarius. Known as The Water Bearer, many people mistake Aquarius for a water sign. But Aquarius belongs to the element Air, so rather than exhibiting the embracing qualities of the emotional water signs, Aquarius instead has a broad perspective and expansive vision, with qualities of objectivity, discernment, detachment, intellectualism, and clarity. In many ways it is the most aloof of all the zodiac signs, since it needs to keep its distance in order to maintain its objectivity.

But during this Full Moon, the normally cool Aquarius get pulled into an all-embracing hug, enfolded by land and sea, bringing to Aquarius a strong desire to love and nurture. Aquarius takes these desires and expresses them in broad perspectives and global visions that include humanitarian efforts to heal the world. Aquarius works through advanced technology, so much of Aquarian humanitarian work occurs over the the internet. Signing petitions, sending donations on-line, environmental tourism, and communicating through email are all ways to express Aquarian love.

For You: Take some time over this Full Moon on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and even Friday dawn, to honor your bright, visionary, and objective mind. A good mind is an absolute essential in these fast paced and expansive times. It probably feels like you have to keep your mind busy all the time just to keep up with news, events, and changes that constantly appear on our technological screens. But this Full Moon is a reminder that it is necessary to let your mind slow down, relax, hang out, and observe without doing. Look at the Goddess overlooking the water and imagine that you are as calm, clear, and grounded as she is. Feel yourself balanced by the physical qualities of earth and the emotional connections of water. In slowing down your mind, you will discover that there is a deeper source of knowledge just below the surface that is available to you. Let yourself relax into that inner ocean and see what naturally and easily arises.

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Full Moon July 3rd @ 2:52 pm edt

When the Moon’s feminine energy  is combined with Capricorn’s discipline and drive for success, the result is a powerful, successful and disciplined female. The Greek goddess Athena immediately came to mind as a feminine archetype that knows her own worth and is not afraid to engage in the affairs of the world. Athena is known for her courage, maturity, and sense of responsibility. Born fully armed and seen carrying a shield, she is known as a warrior goddess who protects those loyal to her. Yet she does not like to fight. She prefers to use wisdom and strategy to settle conflicts and only goes to war when necessary. The city Athens is named after her, and her temple is the Parthenon which held her 40 foot tall statue. She gave the people of Athens the olive tree as a symbol of peace and prosperity. She oversees the basic necessities of life including agriculture, industry, and the arts and crafts, particularly weaving. The owl is her bird, symbol of vision and wisdom.

Certainly we can not aspire to be like the goddess Athena. But we can realize that women are just as smart, driven, strategic, wise, crafty, and protective as men. The marginalization of women is one of the great losses in our world’s history. But fortunately that is changing, and more women are stepping up to a larger and more powerful sense of themselves. We see women as world leaders, like Hillary Clinton the the U. S. and Angela Merkel in Germany. There is also the rise of powerful woman leaders in Africa, and in Afghanistan Fawzia Koofi, a mother of two girls, is running for President, in spite of threat by the Taliban. Her inspiring story can be read at CNN.com. And there are thousands of unknown women taking actions in their own communities by starting schools, businesses, and giving their time and energy to build a better world.

To Do: This Full Moon in Capricorn is a perfect time to feel the power that exists within you to be a bolder and more courageous version of yourself. The planet Pluto conjoins the Full Moon to bring an extra boost of fearlessness and tenacity. Take some time over the next few days and quiet your mind and still your heart. Use your imagination and get a picture of what you would be doing in the world if you had no fear of failure, ridicule, or risk. Imagine that you have the goddess Athena on your side and she is using her spear to forge your way and her shield to protect you. What would you do differently if you were your most powerful version of yourself? See yourself doing it, being it, acting it out. Practice in your mind the job interview for that position your thought was more than you could handle. See yourself add your name to the city council election, volunteer to build a new playground, teach gardening to the inner city children. If you could be the power, what would you look like and what would you do? The world needs all your positive actions, large and small.

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Venus Transit of the Sun June 5/6

Here is some fascinating information about Venus, that beautiful diamond of a planet that Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, and ancients America have been watching for millennium in the morning and evening sky. Venus has an amazing sky rhythm that brings her back to the same place in the heavens every 8 years. This pattern was seen by many of the ancient peoples as significant, especially the Maya. This 8 year rhythm synchronized two different, but simultaneous calculations of Venus’ motion around the Sun. Since Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, she goes around the Sun 13 times in 8 Earth years. But viewed from the Earth, it appears as if Venus goes around the Sun 5 times in 8 Earth years. These numbers of 5, 8, and 13 relate to the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio, a proportion used in Greek temples, leaves of plants, and spirals in shells and galaxies. If you drew out Venus’ pattern it would look like a beautiful five petal flower. Due to this repeating pattern, Venus is in the same place every 8 years, so the position of Venus you see today in 2012 was the same as in 2004.

We are now getting to witness a very rare transit of Venus, its first pairing which occurred 8 years ago in 2004. This rare event occurs about every 124 years and this will be only the eighth occurrence (4th pairing) since the invention of the telescope: 1631/1639; 1761/1769; 1874/1882; 2004/2012 and next time in 2117/2125.

This transit will last about 7 hours total, and will appear as a small dot crossing the surface of the Sun. Be sure you use special solar eclipse glasses to view it, because looking at the sun directly, even for a short while, can cause serious damage to your eyes.  The transit will be seen in its totality (for all 7 hours) in the Pacific Ocean region, including Hawaii.  NASA has a live webcast of the event from Hawaii that can be seen at NASA. The transit will be visible around sunset on June 5 in the US and at sunrise on June 6 in most of Europe, and parts of Africa and Asia. This transit was used to measure the size of the solar system in the past, and this year, scientists will reach even further and will use it to measure the size of the Universe!  For a map of the locations and times to view it, as well as lots of other information go to Transit of Venus.

Humans are meaning-making creatures. We look to the events in our life – big and small- and give meaning to them. Venus has been in the sky every night of 2012 saying: “Look at me!”  She has been doing all she can to get our attention. And now, as she moves from her role as the Evening Star into the Morning Star, she is demanding our attention again. Her last appearance as the Evening Star will be on June 5th, as she sets with the Sun, and her first appearance as the Morning Star will be on June 6th, as she rises with the Sun. She only does this every 124 years, and she is doing it now. Look!! See!!

But see what? What does she want of us? The answer lies in who Venus is and what she represents. Venus is the goddess of relationships. She wants there to be love and connection and sharing of beauty. She thrives on intimacy, on really knowing another. Right now she is expressing the sign of Gemini, which she will be in four times longer than she normally expresses a sign. As just stated, Gemini is about being with people that you see as familiar, as a sister or close friend. Venus in Gemini is about friendship. She is asking us to see ourselves when we look into the eyes of another. She is asking us to see how we are alike one another, rather than how we are different. She is asking us to find ways to relate to each other, and to treat each other like the brothers and sisters that we are. She is saying in her own symbolic way the message of love, unity, and compassion that is at the heart of our many religions. She is saying: “When you look at another, see yourself.”

This image really spoke to me as I pondered Venus transiting the Sun. I see this image as the Goddess Venus, powerful, all-knowing, beautiful, and demanding much. Behind her is radiant orange disc of the Sun, and she is exactly in alignment with it. I think it was Jimi Hendrix who said “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” That is what Venus is saying, that is what Venus wants from us.

To Do: This Venus transit is a perfect time to look inside yourself to see the divine within you and to find a way to bring that divinity out into the world in your relationships with others. It is a time to make a choice to live a conscious life, to be the bigger person, to forgive the flaws of others, and to make peace with yourself. Tibetan Buddhism has a meditation practice called Deity Yoga that is very powerful. You can meditate on this image, or any other image, until you melt into her eyes, and then realize that you are in fact, looking at yourself. The violence, ignorance, abuse, and ecological destruction in this world can not be the way that God or the Goddess intended us to live. Venus is asking you not to hold back your love and compassionate action any longer.

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Full Moon in Sagittarius

Monday June 4th at 7:12 am. EDT    It is during the time of the Full Moon, when the Sun and Moon are at opposite points in the zodiac, that we have an opportunity to find balance between them. This month the Sun is in Gemini, and the Moon is in the opposite sign of Sagittarius. With a Gemini Sun our Conscious mind seeks what is already familiar, like looking into the eyes of a sister or dear friend. Gemini energy navigates within the perimeters of the known, bound by family and history. There is great curiosity in Gemini, and it will seek out endless ways to learn everything it can within these boundaries.  Like a butterfly going flower to flower, it seeks the sweetness in life that is close to home.

by Eric Williams

With the Moon in Sagittarius our Unconscious mind is inspired by Spirit to quest into the quests of Spirit go beyond what we already know is possible and are open to finding, even seeking, ideas never before considered. Sagittarius is represented by the archer who charges forward and aims high. The Sagittarius experience is not just what lies beyond the next turn in the road, but what lies beyond the next continent. Sagittarius wants to learn about global ideas through travel to new and exotic places, and reading about the philosophy and religion of unknown people. Sagittarius is the explorer, and find the confines of home very limiting.

To do: Find the balance by setting your sight on a far horizon and take aim at something you have thought beyond your reach. Let your imagination embrace that there are possibilities that you never before considered. And do this expansion in your own backyard, neighborhood, and community. This is the  “Think Globally, Act Locally” Full Moon. Take risks, but with your own family and friends.  Share you thoughts on new, even radical ideas you have been pondering. Maybe this is the week to meet a new neighbor, join a community program, go to a yoga class, or check out a new church. Open up to the possibility that your earth walk has purpose and that the people and place you are right now are everything you need.

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New Moon Solar Eclipse & Venus

Annular Eclipse from 2010

The New Moon will be at 7:47 pm EDT at 0 degrees of Gemini. It will also be an annular Solar Eclipse. This eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, but instead of covering it entirely, like it does during a Total Solar Eclipse, it covers the center of the Sun, leaving a ring of fire around the Sun’s edges. Annular comes from Latin and means “little ring.” The Sun will be 88% covered, but that 12% of solar light can still damage your eyes, so if you are fortunate enough to be in the path of the Eclipse, please use protective covering.  The Eclipse will be seen in the western United States, but not in the Eastern part, nor in Western Europe. Here is a great site, Earth/Sky that shows the path of the Eclipse and the times when it will be occurring near you. SOLAR ECLIPSE PATH . Plus check out SHADOWANDSUBSTANCE for more details of viewing.  There is much being said about this particular eclipse. It is the first Solar Eclipse in the mainland of the US in the 21st century. It is the first annular eclipse in the US since 1994, and the next one won’t be until 2023.

Even if you can’t see the eclipse, you can still tune into the energy through meditation and ritual. Ac Tau, a Mayan elder, is holding a 2 day gathering of shamans in Mexico to bring in the energy of the 2012 transformation using the connection to frequencies and sound. He believes that this date is more important than 12/21/2012. And while annular eclipses occur with some regularity, people have noted that this particular alignment of the Sun and Moon hasn’t occurred for nearly 26,000 years. This is because the Sun and Moon are also aligned to the star Alcyone in the Pleaides constellation. Check out this link by Jo Dunning as she discusses how this moves our earth through a photon belt. And check out this link by Carol Ann Ciocco has quite bit to say about the importance of this eclipse to Alcyone and the Pleaides.  You can read these materials and see what resonates to you. With this eclipse in Gemini it points towards how we communicate and understand one another. Any eclipse is a connection between the yin (Moon) and yang (Sun). In this eclipse the Moon is creating a mandala on the Sun, covering most of it, but still allowing the bright illumination of the Sun’s fire to shine forth. Maybe that is what we need on this planet. 88% yin and 12 % yang!!  Focus on the connection between your yin and yang, and notice how you communicate and share your essence. What is your balance, and what do you think it needs to be, at least at time time in our collective lives.

Another important sky event occurs during this New Moon. On May 22 and 23rd it will be the last time this year that the Moon and Venus will be seen together in the sky. These two goddess lights have really been a powerful combination this Spring, and I will really miss seeing the lovely light of Venus so brilliant in the western sky. In June she will shift from the evening star to the morning star, and have a powerful eclipse of the Sun herself on June 5t-6th. I will write more about that in the June Moonletter. Suffice it to say, the Goddess energy of feminine divinity (which abides in men and women) has been very strong, and the feeling of love and compassion, as well as fierce protection, have been radiant in the sky.

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