Winter Solstice / Rosh Chodesh Tevet Tov!

The Winter Solstice and the Sun's ingress into Capricorn ("Gidi" the Goat) occurs at 3:03pm Pacific / 6:03pm Eastern today and 1:03 am Israel time on Monday. Rosh Chodesh Tevet begins at Sundown this evening.

This Hebrew Year 5775 contains two days of Rosh Chodesh Tevet. Tevet is associated with Capricorn, the Cardinal (Initiating) Earth Sign. 

The Planet Saturn ("Shabtai" in Hebrew) is the ruler of Capricorn and Tevet. "Shabtai" comes from the same root as the word "Shabbat". Saturn, Tevet and Capricorn are all connected to the Tribe of Dan.
 
Dan was the natural first-born son of Bilhah, the handmaiden of Rachel, with Jacob, and is one of the four "Directional" points (North/Dan, South/Reuven, East/Yehudah, West/Ephraim) of both the Zodiac and the Tribal Encampments of the Children of Israel as detailed in BaMidbar (Numbers), Chapter 2.

The Tikkun of Dan and the Month of Tevet is ANGER. Fixing our anger and elevating it from the most base expression to holy righteous indignation is the energetic imperative during this time of the Jewish Year.

Dan is about judgement. Judging with an immature and undeveloped consciousness will bring the destructive energy of anger. Judging with a mature and sensitive consciousness will bring righteousness. 

Because there are two days of Rosh Chodesh Tevet this year, they both are included in Chanukkah (Candles 6 and 7), as the Light of Chanukkah is critical at this time, and greatly needed to be able to see into anger's darkness. 

When we look into the candles tonight and tomorrow night, let's use that light to look into our own hearts and scour out any remnants of toxic anger that might be hiding in the dark corners - make room for more LIGHT!

Chodesh Tevet Tov and Chanukah Sameach!

2015 AstroloJew "Weather Report"

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Rosh Chodesh Kislev Tov! (and not a moment too soon, because Scorpio/Cheshvan was killing us!))

"Kislev" by Shoshanna Brombacher

Chodesh Kislev is here!

Thank G*d - because if you, like me, have been suffering from a Scorpio overdose these last few weeks, you'll be so relieved to know that the BEST Month of the Jewish Year is finally here!

Of course some people would say I'm not entirely objective, since Kislev is my birthday month. Others would say because I myself am a Sagittarius it's impossible for me to be objective. I say: Who cares? Kislev is by far the best month for many reasons, not the least of which is that Kislev is the Month associated with the Tribe of Benyamin, the tribal inheritance of the Beit HaMikdash.

Kislev comes at the darkest time of the Jewish Year, bringing the biggest opportunity to reveal light. The festival of Chanukah comes during Kislev, reminding us that no matter how obscured our reality seems, a little light illuminates the darkness. What is that “little light”, aside from the obvious metaphor for the Chanukah candles? It’s the light of our own soul, and this is the time of year we’re most able to shine.

Chodesh Kislev is related to the Tribe of Benyamin and the “Mazal” (Zodiac Sign”) of Sagittarius. Kislev is the third and last segment of the “Rachel” Quadrant of the Jewish Year (Tishrei to Kislev / Autumn to Winter, when the Tribes associated with these three months are the descendants of Rachel – Ephraim  for Tishrei, Menashe for Cheshvan, and Benyamin for Kislev). 

Note the "Rachel" Side of the Jewish Year: Tishrei to Kislev

All the Signs of the “Rachel” side of the Jewish Year are RELATIONAL. Tishrei/Ephraim describes how we relate to partners in the realm of love and marriage. Cheshvan/Menashe describes how we relate to what we share with others (intimacy, possessions, and responsibilities). Kislev/Benyamin describes how we relate to our belief systems (religion, philosophy, higher education) and how we PERCEIVE ourselves, others and the world we live in.

During Kislev, our powers of perception are the greatest. Kislev is linked to the Hebrew Letter “Samech” and associated with the attribute of sleep. No other month in the Jewish Year has so much to do with sleep and dreams! Every Parsha we read during Kislev has some kind of prophetic dream associated with it. Yacov (Jacob) dreams of a ladder reaching to the heavens. Yosef (Joseph) dreams that the sun, moon and stars bow down to him. Later when he is wrongfully imprisoned, his fellow inmates have dreams which he successfully interprets, leading him to Pharaoh, whose dreams of cows and corns portended years of plenty followed by years of famine.  

"Samech" by Dani Antman

The Hebrew Letter associated with the Month of Kislev is Samech. Samech has the numerical value of 60.

60 is the number the Sages saw as the minimum manifestation of spiritual into corporeal reality, as it is said in the Talmud in various places:

"Sleep is one sixtieth of death." 

"Shabbat is one sixtieth of the world to come." 

"Dreams are one sixtieth of prophecy." 

"Honey is one sixtieth of mannah". 

"Visiting the sick removes one sixtieth of the illness." "Fire is one sixtieth of Gehenna."

Samech is a closed, round letter shaped like a womb, it encloses and supports (Somech), it provides a safe, nurturing place in which to dream, and to bring forth prophecy. Divine protection and shielding from spiritual harm belong to Samech.

How best to get your Samech on during Chodesh Kislev? Open yourself up to joy! Jupiter, the Planet associated with Kislev and Sagittarius, is currently transiting the Sign of Leo, which makes a supportive and positive Trine to the Sun in Sagittarius and invites us to warm ourselves and others in the glow of friendship, love, positive energy. Jupiter is called "Tzedek" in Hebrew - the same root as the word "Tzadik" (righteous person), "Tzedaka" (giving of charity), etc. 

Jupiter's energy focuses the attributes of generosity and righteousness upon us right now, especially in regards to how we perceive ourselves. Let's be generous and not judgmental - starting with ourselves, and then with each other. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov reminds us to always look for the "Nekudat Tovah", the "Good Point" in ourselves, in others, and in every situation, no matter how weird and scary it might be. Jupiter (Tzedek) helps us with that effort more this month than any other month!

May Chodesh Kislev bring SO MUCH LIGHT into our own hearts and lives, and into a dark and scary world that has been traumatized by too much Scorpio in the past few weeks - in fact, the past couple of years! Saturn will be moving from Scorpio (where it's been since early October of 2012) into Sagittarius near the end of December, and that's going to be a major game changer. More about that later ... but for now - Chodesh Kislev Tov Mayod!!!

 

Sun in Scorpio, Full Moon in Taurus - "Yours, Mine and Ours"

Full Moon in Taurus Thursday 2:23pm Pacific/5:23pm Eastern/12:23am Friday Jerusalem time. 

Sun in Scorpio opposite Moon in Taurus highlights the dynamic between what we share with others and what we believe belongs only to ourselves. It's the push-pull between "Mine" and "Ours" and in the personal realm, illustrates the drama between what we desire to possess and what possess us. In the Interpersonal/Global realm, it's the struggle to share space, resources, attention, and legitimacy with those with whom we feel we have the least in common.

The greatest gift of this Full Moon is the opportunity to transcend the idea of "mine" and "ours", to see that what separates us from others is often merely only rhetoric, propaganda, and fear of the unknown. 

Best way to quell a fearful heart this Full Moon is to connect with Mother Nature, especially via Earth (Taurus) or Water (Scorpio). Get out into nature today - forest, sea-side, woods, fields. Take off your shoes and let your feet absorb the energy of the Earth itself. Smell the flowers (if there are any!) and find a sensual way to relate to the beauty around you. When feelings of overwhelming desire are mixed with possessiveness, remember that it's only fear that makes you hold on so tight. Fear of scarcity, fear of not having enough, fear of having what little you have (at least you might think it's little, it might not actually be as little as you think it is) taken away from you ... all these fears that make you clench your fist so hard need to be resolved by trust and faith so that you can unclench your fist and turn it into an open hand. Remember that it's much easier for an open hand to receive good things from others and from the universe than a closed fist. 

This Full Moon is directly across the Jewish Year from the Full Moon of Iyar, which is Pesach Sheni. Just as Pesach Sheni offers us a second chance to join the community and experience ourselves as part of the Claal, the Full Moon of Cheshvan (always Sun in Scorpio, Moon in Taurus) offers us a second chance to integrate our unique individuality into where we "fit int" to this world. Menashe, the Tribe associated with Cheshvan and the Sign of Scorpio, may have had the right to be bitter ("Mar" Cheshvan) as his status as first-born of Yosef was "switched" during the blessing his grandfather Yacov gave, which gave preeminence to his younger brother, Ephraim. The secret of Menashe is that, unlike some other famous "brothers" who went before him (Cain, Ishmael, Esav, the 10 sons of Yacov who sold his father Yosef into slavery), he successfully CHOSE to forgo resentment and bitterness when his rightful place as firstborn was switched with his brother. 

Every Friday night, Jewish boys are blessed by their parents with the blessing that they should become like Ephraim and Menashe. Why? Because the were brothers who didn't quarrel when one received what the other assumed he himself deserved. They were brothers who were so dedicated to G*d that when their blessings came, they rejoiced for each other even though the blessings were not as they expected. Menashe learned how NOT to grasp on to what he needed to let go of., bringing blessings to himself, his family and the community.

Recall as well that Issachar, the Tribe associated with Taurus, was a brother who "shared". Issachar and Zebulon had a relationship similar to that of Menashe and Ephraim - brothers who cooperated and shared their resources, each finding a way to benefit themselves and the other by understanding their own strengths and inclinations, and partnering with the other brother whose complimentary strengths and inclinations perfectly balanced and enhanced the other.

You can only let go when you are secure in who you are. Blessings to everyone - you should know who you are, what is "yours" and what is "ours", you should joyfully share what you have without fear of scarcity or deprivation, and may this Full Moon bring a deeper revelation of the reality that G*d indeed "opens up (His) hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing". You won't lose your turn if you let someone else in the line. Scarcity is an illusion. There's always enough love to go around. Just open up your hands and your heart to receive it.

Chodesh Ram Cheshvan Tov!

Chodesh Ram Cheshvan Tov!

The Jewish Year is one whole, two halves, four quadrants, 12 months associated with 12 Tribes/12 Houses. We've just rounded the corner into the Northwestern Quadrant - Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius (Tishrei/Cheshvan/Kislev) corresponding to Ephraim, Menashe and Benyamin - "Rachel's Boys" (Ephraim and Menashe were the sons of Joseph, the son of Rachel, and this Quadrant of the year is the most intense "Rachel Energy" of the entire Jewish Year ).
Each of the 4 Quadrants are made up of 3 Signs, always in the same progression: Cardinal (Initiating), Fixed (Establishing) and Mutable (Transforming). That is the archetype for all energetic progressions, internally and externally.

It's Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan today. Fixed Water - Establishing Emotion. We're going to spend the next month diving into the deepest, darkest depths of our feelings and if we do our work correctly, we'll emerge from this month like a pearl diver coming up for air with the biggest, most pure and beautiful translucent pearl he found in the depths of the sea and the dregs of the bottom of the ocean.
 
Cheshvan is sometimes called "Mar" (bitter) Cheshvan but we call it Ram (the highest!!) Cheshvan - for even though there are no holidays aside from Shabbat during this month, Ram Cheshvan is destined to become the highest when the 3rd Temple is inaugurated during this month as it is prophetically destined to happen - may it be soon!

The Flood began and ended during Cheshvan, it's also the month of the yartzeit of Rachel Imanu and of Reb Shlomo Carlebach, who, like Rachel our Mother, constantly cried for the Children of Israel to return again, return again, return to the Land of our souls.

Cheshvan/Scorpio/Menashe is EXTREMELY INTENSE. Intensely emotional, intensely deep, as far from superficial as East is from West. We have the "klee", the container to be able to use this intensity right now for applied spiritual growth and the development of emotional wisdom.

The "Rachel" Quadrant of the Jewish Year is about relationships. Tishri is about the marriage and partnership relationship, Cheshvan is about the sexual relationship and the relationships between ourselves and those with whom we share resources. Kislev is about sharing inspiration, sharing philosophies and ideas and religious constructs and ideologies. 

We're in the Northwest Quadrant ("Rachel's Boys") Part of the Jewish Year

Rosh Chodesh Ram Cheshvan certainly got off with a big bang as we welcomed it with a New Moon/Solar Eclipse/Venus Conjunction yesterday, and on Saturday Mercury leaves his Retrograde period and will station Direct. On Sunday, Mars moves from fiery, inspirational (possibly fanatical) Sagittarius into practical and pragmatic Capricorn. 

It's going to be a week of energetic changes but it will feel "right", in fact it will feel more than right, it will feel right on time as well. We're going to dive deep - make sure your oxygen mask fits you correctly and you know how to use it!

ZERO THE HERO - NEW MOON/SOLAR ECLIPSE IN SCORPIO - REBIRTH & RENEWAL

Beginning this Thursday, we're about spend the next five months experiencing a series of New Moons at Zero Degrees of each successive sign: Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and culminating with Pisces.

What's so special about Zero Degrees of any particular sign? It's a well-known astrological principle that "A Planet is not established in a Sign until it reaches One Degree". The clear archetype of Thursday's New Moon/Solar Eclipse at Zero Scorpio (2:57pm Pacific, 5:57pm Eastern, 12:57am Israel time on Friday) is the "Phoenix rising from the ashes" - rebirth and renewal of what has previously decayed and died. The fact that this happens at Zero Degrees of Scorpio is like a "clean sweep", a huge energy opening where everything is possible and nothing is impossible, a blank canvas, leaping over the chasm between 29 Libra and One Degree Scorpio without a net.

Whatever House in your Natal Chart is ruled by Scorpio will be the most strongly affected by this Transit, and in fact it's the area in your life most likely to benefit from this radical rebirth and renewal opportunity. It's really an extraordinary opportunity to attempt the impossible, and to transcend previous disappointments, failures, and fears. It's a chance to get an eagles-eye view of your life and your situation - soaring overhead, looking down at the "big picture" instead of being trapped inside a perspective where you can't see the forest for the trees.

On Facebook I wrote the other day: "This is a time of intense rebirth. This is a time to transcend all the limitations you've put on yourself. If you feel trapped or imprisoned, you now can see how your fears and incorrect beliefs about yourself have forged the chains you wear. Dissolve those fears and the chains will break as well. It's really an extraordinary opportunity for radical change. I invite you to take it."


It's so important to know what Houses this Zero Degree Eclipse Series will fall in. Note the following:

October 23, 2014 - New Moon/Solar Eclipse Zero Degrees Scorpio (Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan)
November 22, 2014 - New Moon Zero Degrees Sagittarius (Rosh Chodesh Kislev)
December 21, 2014 - New Moon Zero Degrees Capricorn (Rosh Chodesh Tevet)
January 20, 2015 - New Moon Zero Degrees Aquarius (Rosh Chodesh Shvat)
February 18, 2015 - New Moon Zero Degrees Pisces (Rosh Chodesh Adar)

In each of the cases of the five New Moons at Zero Degrees, they ALL precede Rosh Chodesh of each successive month by mere hours (instead of up to a day or day and a half as in some years). The "Chodesh Energy" (the unique characteristics and attributes) of each of these months will be INTENSIFIED by the Zero Degree New Moon of each successive month.

The way in which they will be intensified is the degree to which the expansive panoply of possibilities are each within the grasp of the particular individual. At Zero Degrees, it's "all bets are off," all the preconceived notions are thrown out the window and there's a tremendous capacity for FREEDOM from the past - FREEDOM from old habits - FREEDOM to make new choices.

But only if you take the steps. Freedom requires movement on our part - we have to step into the Red Sea, so to speak, to be able to cross over to the other side.

 You need to see your own individual Natal chart to know and understand what areas of your life will be open to this succession of change/opportunity. Be in touch with me ("Astrolojew" - Lorelai Kude) about your personalized Natal Chart analysis reading. Email: lorelaikude@yahoo.com

Slichot is to Elul what Moshe's Rehearsal of Building the Mishkan is to Adar

Slichot the week before Rosh HaShanah is the Hebrew Calendar/Jewish Year equivalent to Moses' week-long daily rehearsal of assembling and disassembling the Mishkan prior to erecting and inaugurating it on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. These parallel "weeks" on both sides of the Jewish Year prepares us for receiving G*d's presence, both externally and internally.

Jewish Astrology teaches us that this is one of the most difficult weeks of the Jewish Year - the transition from the last (waning) Quarter Moon of Elul through the New Moon and then Rosh HaShanah - the only one of the 12 Hebrew Months whose Molad (time of "birth") we don't announce publicly in Shul the Shabbat prior to arrival. This week also contains the sharp turn of the Seasonal Year at the Autumnal Equinox, just prior to the New Moon.

This week is one of vulnerability in the realm of physical health due to the change of seasons/change of energy/Elul's association with the Sign of Virgo and the "Healing Arts", mind/body connection. 

Most vulnerable are those who have not taken advantage of Elul's cleansing properties and made transformative adjustments in the realm of their emotions and thoughts.

It's not too late. Don't give up - but guard your energy levels, your health, in particular your immune system. 

Personally, I believe sound has the power to heal. Hence the importance of Slichot - particularly this week.

Happy Birthday, Amy Winehouse - We Miss Who You Would Have Become

September 14th would have been Amy Winehouse's 31st Birthday, had she not tragically died at age 27. Thinking about the loss of her talent, her troubling, vulnerable presence and the "what if she had lived" scenario one often imagines of those who seem to have left the Earth before their time led me to take a look at her Natal Chart for further insight.

Amy's Natal Chart is remarkable for being a series of Conjunctions. A Conjunction is where two or more Planets are within 5 degrees of each other, causing a greater influence/melding of the two Planetary energies and giving the combined force of the two Planets emphasized power and importance.  We will see these various Conjunctions by Planet/Asteroid, Sign and House as we watch the story of her Chart unfold.

The Mutable, malleable, changeable, communicative Planet Mercury dominates the Natal Chart of singer/songwriter/performing artist Amy Winehouse.

Mercury, associated with both Gemini and Virgo, is the Ruler of Amy’s Virgo Sun, which happens to be Conjunct her Natal Planet Mercury in Virgo as well as being the Planetary ruler of her Gemini Ascendant. Because the Planet associated with one’s Ascendant (“Rising Sign”) is said to be the “Ruling Planet of the Chart,” Mercury is by this standard as well as its predominance (Combust Conjunction) the most dominant influence of her chart.

The Archetype of Mercury is that of the “Winged Messenger,” quick intelligence, mental activity, thought process, all communicative skills from speech to singing to oration, etc. The Hebrew name for Mercury is “Kochav” which means simply “Star”, as the closest and brightest Planet to the Sun, only fast-moving Mercury is quick enough to stay away from the Sun’s potentially destructive heat while remaining visible and “reliably changeable” to the naked eyes.

Gemini and Virgo are both “Mutable” Signs, they transform the elements they are associated with.  Gemini is Mutable Air, which is transformative thought. Virgo is Mutable Earth, which is transformative manifestation.

Amy’s natural talent was expressed through her voice, and her vocation as a singer/songwriter. As she thought, so she sang. As she imagined herself to be, so she expressed herself through her compositions, her voice, her dress, her makeup and hair, her stage persona.

Amy was born to be a "Star" and she knew it from birth. Not only were her communicative powers subtle, unique, varied and multifaceted, but they were ingrained in her from her 4th House Family of Origin, where her Mars (her "koach," energy, Chi, drive, "Yetzer") and her Venus (creativity, art, music, dance, beauty, romance, the aesthetic perception) are Conjunct together in Leo.

Amy’s Venus and Mars Conjunction in Leo in her 4th House made her the performer/actor/drama queen - not only in her family of origin, but in her professional life as well, which grew out of her "amateur" life at home.  Mars at 20 Leo and Venus at 23 Leo give her a powerful dramatic flair that is easily evident with only a cursory glance at pictures of her throughout her career.  Located in her 4th House of Home, Family and "The Seat of the Soul", this dramatic flair clearly sprung from her family of origin, perhaps going back several generations.

Amy may have known that “showing off” was the most effective way of getting attention in her family. Her retro style of glamour was also very Leo-like and seems to have originated in some kind of ancestral connection to her family of origin as well (a beautiful, dramatic, artistic and creative female relative). Her home life growing up may have been a competitive environment where the loudest and most dramatic contestant "won" (the prize being the attention/affirmation from the intellectual/detached/distant/professional parent.

Neptune, the Planet of glamor, illusion/delusion and distortion (both romantic and other) at 26 Sagittarius forms a harmonious Trine (150 Degree Angle) to her Mars/Venus Conjunction, giving her that “touch of magic” which allowed the Fire Sign energy of Charismatic Inspiration to smolder, burn and blaze at her will.

Her North Node at 20 Gemini is Conjunct her Ascendant at 17 Gemini. Nearby (at 23 Gemini, also in her 1st House of Personality/Ego Manifestation and “Self” awareness) is the Asteroid Vesta, which is the archetype for the goddess of hearth and home.

Vesta is represented in every Roman household by the hearth fire, which was lit upon the occasion of a Roman entering his new home with the intent to occupy it, until he left the home forever, at which time the hearth flame would be extinguished.  In a Natal Chart, the Asteroid Vesta points to where one’s “Sacred Flame” of hearth and home is located. I

It is interesting to note that Amy Winehouse’s North Node (the “Karmic Setpoint” and “Tikkun Point” of the Chart) and her  Asteroid Vesta are Conjunct each other and her Ascendant.

Her Karmic imperative (North Node in 1st House) was towards individuation, becoming fully herself via her own unique individuality, as opposed to via relationships with others (South Node in 7th House). Her Vesta burned very bright, adding its steady flame to her North Node, but in a curious way making her even more removed from her ability to directly FEEL her own emotions. The immense influence of Mercury in her Chart erected a barrier between her experiences and her ability to feel. Everything was filtered through the lens of thought, and the only way she could bypass that was to step into her performance persona (Mars/Venus Conjunct in Leo), becoming someone else – the Amy Winehouse character she invented.

Amy’s Moon at Zero Degrees Capricorn in her 7th House tells a sad story. It is said that a Planet is not established in a Sign until it reaches 1 Degree. Amy’s Moon, so important to her chart, is “disabled” because it falls at Zero Degrees (not yet established in the Sign) of Capricorn, a relatively lonely and isolated place for the emotional Moon.

Her Moon Placement at Zero Capricorn in her 7th House of Relationships created an eternal cycle of frustration in the area of romance and emotional connection. Neptune at 26 Degrees Sagittarius in her 7th House informed her marriage and romantic partnership choices with stunning idealism which easily could be manipulated into outrageous levels of denial of reality and a knee-jerk reactionary response to criticism of her choice in mates.

She frequently mistook sexual/romantic drama for love. Her Mars/Venus Conjunction in Leo fell in her 4th House of family and home, the “seat of her soul”, where and how she grew up in her nuclear family. Very likely Amy the show-off performer perceived herself as the glue that held her parents marriage together. Emotional drama, perhaps even emotional violence, colored her perceptions of love and informed her relationship style.

Unable to truly emotionally connect with her disabled Zero Degrees Capricorn 7th House Moon, she used her Mars/Venus in Leo as the vehicle for connection, but because her family of origin paradigm taught her that artificiality (the performance persona) was key to receiving the affection she craved, and because her mutable, transformative, mercurial Virgo/Gemini attributes made becoming another person than herself so easy, she couldn’t really trust being “herself” with another in intimacy.

A disconnect between body and mind is illustrated in her 6th House. The Sign of Scorpio is “incepted” in her 6th House (meaning the entire 30 Degrees of Scorpio is contained within the House itself, which begins at 24 Libra and ends at 17 Sagittarius). Saturn at 1 Degree Scorpio in her 6th House of physical health, mind-body connection and the healing arts Conjunct her Vertex at 5 Scorpio is a configuration with a double-edged sword.

Her natural capacity for immense concentration, determination and focus in her body-mind connection (Saturn, Planet of structure, control, boundaries) was “incepted” or energetically confined/trapped in her 6th House. The Vertex is the “rabbit’s hole” of the Natal Chart. Like Alice in Wonderland who chased after the White Rabbit until she fell down the rabbit’s hole into Wonderland, the Vertex shows where in our life we fall down our own personal “Rabbit’s hole”, where we make repetitive mistakes, or always take the wrong turn.

In Amy Winehouse’s chart, patterns of extreme control over her body/mind connection were consistently interrupted by total loss of control, destructive excesses, the mistaking of intensity for validity, the romanticizing of excess and addiction, and the conviction that the next mistake would be the last. 

“Lucky” Jupiter in his home sign of Sagittarius Conjunct individualistic, unique Uranus in Sagittarius, both in her 6th House, gave her a “Lucky Charm” outlook on excesses and deliberately intense infliction of physical/emotional “Chaos vs. Control”. She always thought she’d come out on top, knew she had a “lucky streak” but was arrogant in playing her “luck” card, never knowing how many punch-holes it had left until the last one.

Her family of origin dynamic had a big influence on her outlook. Desiring to please an emotionally unavailable, detached parent, she became a performer. Her home life and her perception of her parents’ marital dynamic was a curious mix of intellectual curiosity and camaraderie with undertones of sexual jealousy and rivalry for attention. She could please them by being smart and relating to them on an idealistic, theoretical level, but could get attention from them (good or bad attention, it matters not which) by enacting her drama which caused them to give her the nurturing she so desperately needed – as long as she was perceived by them as “in trouble”. 

Her 10th House (Career and Vocation) Parts of Fortune (material blessings) in Pisces made her a victim of her own success. Knowing that it was through her own efforts that material abundance would enter her family of origin, she martyred herself (Pisces-like) and subsumed her own hesitations and even her own self-preservation instinct to carry on in her public persona / performance self because, if she stopped, she felt those who depended on her success would suffer.

Saddest of all, the Asteroid Hades (literally one’s own private “hell”) is found Conjunct the Asteroid Chiron (“The Wounded Healer”) in Amy’s 12th House – the House that has to do with endings, secrets, subconscious and unconscious impulses, ancestral legacy, institutions, confinement, and the general falling apart of all things as they dissolve back into the primordial chaos that is the soup of Creation, only to be re-assembled and brought back to one-ness in the 1st House.

Chiron, the “Wounded Healer,” is the illustration of one’s own primal wound. The only way to find relief from this wound is to help others heal their own similar woundedness, hence the “Wounded Healer” archetype.

Amy’s “Wounded Healer” was Conjunct her own “private hell” in her 12th House. If she had lived and developed her own unique attributes, she might have had the capacity to become an incredibly skilled and sensitive counselor, therapist or facilitator, working with women whose sense of self built around artifice, illusion and disconnection from their own truth caused them emotional and physical damage.

Eating disorders, dysfunctional relationships, the creation of a false persona, the mistaking of drama for love, the need to emotionally connect being stunted by an emotionally detached, distant or disengaged parent, the impetus to unique individuation hijacked by the inner voice of a punishing perfectionism, and an immensely genuine, authentic and gigantic talent to communicate through words, music and the language of costuming that outsized all the rest of it, and might have carried her above and beyond the impedances of her mundane reality if she hadn’t overestimated her luck and underestimated the destructive properties of drugs, alcohol and those substances, behaviors and people she used to manage the emotional pain of meaning so much to so many people and so little to herself.

Happy Birthday, Amy Winehouse. I still miss you - all of you, the "real" you and the "unreal" you, your multifaceted selves hadn't even really begun to unfold yet before you were taken from us too early. You would have grown up into a grand old dame!

Reaping What Nourishes or Poisons Us on the Harvest Moon

The Full Moon during the Month of Elul (Virgo) always falls in Pisces. Opposite this in the Hebrew Calendar is the Full Moon of Adar (Pisces) which always falls in Virgo- that's PURIM. 

We're on the opposite end of Purim with this coming Full "Harvest" Moon on Monday, September 8th.

The Pisces Sun/Virgo Full Moon of Purim energizes us to "Ad Lo Yodeah," to go beyond what we "know" into the unknown, the realm of pure faith, which is a mystery (Purim's "Esther" is from the root which means "hidden" or "mystery"). 

Opposite that - The Virgo Sun/Pisces Full Moon of Elul energizes us to "Yodeah," to KNOW, to use the sifting, the analytic discernment of Virgo as a launching pad for the Full Moon in Pisces, the most emotionally open, porous, unbounded,unconditionally accepting Moon of the entire 12-Moon Cycle of the Hebrew Calendar. 

We "Harvest" this Full Moon what we was sown during the Full Moon of Purim,, half a year ago. 

What was sown in mystery will be reaped in revelation. What we planted in the dark, moist soil of our souls now stands tall and ripe, ready to be harvested so that it may nourish us.
We don't just reap what we sow, we consume and absorb it. The consequences of our thoughts, words and actions become either our nutrients or our poisons.

May we harvest a good crop!

Astrolojew at Afikomen in Berkeley!

Join me Sunday, August 31st at Afikomen Judaica in Berkeley as we explore the Cycle of Sacred Time through the Jewish Year and the Hebrew Zodiac Calendar!
11am - 12N - and it's FREE!
Link to the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1547004788861135/
 

Chodesh Elul Tov! Separate the Wheat from the Chaff

1. 

   Chodesh Elul Tov!!! Virgo/Elul is so important it even got it's own Israeli stamp - gevaldt!

   The Hebrew Month of Elul is associated with the Tribe of Gad. Gad was the 7th Son of Jacob, the first-born of his mother Zilpah (Leah's handmaiden).

   
   

   
   

   "Gad" is, according to Rashi, a shorthand for "Mazal Tov" ("good fortune") deriving from a root meaning cut/divide, in the sense of divided out. 

   Virgo/Elul is the opposite of Adar/Pisces in the Cycle of Sacred Time as illustrated by the Jewish Year/Hebrew Calendar. In Adar/Pisces everything dissolves and we drink "ad lo yodeah", until we can't tell the difference between one thing and another.

   The Mazal (Zodiac Sign) of Elul is Virgo, whose function in the Zodiac is indeed to divide, portion out, separate, analyze, discern and decide whether or not something is simply wonderful fluff or something actual useful. Will it serve? Then it can stay. If not, it has to be put aside. 

   

   
   Virgo is the action of "borer" - separating, sorting - which we are forbidden to do on Shabbat. Elul is when we organize, analyze, and "sort out" our lives prior to Rosh HaShanah.  

   
   

   The Transformative (Mutable) Earth Sign, Virgo enables us to change our Tachlis, bottom-line reality by showing us in the cool, clear light of the Harvest Moon what things we've accumulated that will serve our growth and development, and what things we've carried forward that are impeding us, and need to be discarded.

   
   Cleaning out the closets of our lives, finding stuff that we're carrying around that no longer serves us, lightening our load, purifying our head-space and our heart-space is the work best suited to the Month of Elul.

   
   During Elul we say: "The King is in the Field". Perhaps no other Month is the "King" as obviously accessible to us, energetically - for if "the King is in the Field" and so are we, He is right there with us to help us with the challenging task of knowing what to hold on to and what we must let go of.

   
   Chodesh Elul Tov, happy sorting, cleaning and preparing for Rosh HaShanah, and don't try to do it all yourself - let "The King" help you out!

    EVERYBODY had Virgo in their personalized natal charts... in fact, everybody has all 12 Zodiac Signs in their charts. Where Virgo is in your chart depends on your Ascendent (Rising Sign). To find out about how this plays out in your life and in what areas you need to let Virgo's "clean up crew" remodel your cosmic clutter, be in touch with me. 

   Chodesh Elul Tov!

   Lorelai

   lorelaikude@yahoo.com

    

"Supermoon" Tu b'Av 5774 Full Moon in Aquarius

Full Moon in Aquarius, Jerusalem

The Sun (Ego) in Leo and the Moon (Emotions) in Aquarius Oppose each other today in a "Super" Full Moon.

Pictured here is the Full Moon at it happens in Jerusalem, Israel.

It's the Pratt vs. the Claal, the Individual vs. the Collective, the need for individuality vs. the need to belong to a group - playing out in the 6th/12th House dynamic of service/devotion and choice/destiny.

Pisces Rising with Neptune and Chiron both in Pisces but in the 12th House is a recipe for the sensitivities, feelings, emotions, woundedness and potential for the deepest healing coming out from where it has been hidden in the subconscious/unconsciousness, triggered by Mars and Saturn both in 8th House Scorpio - shared resources, shared values.

That which we share together we share as a human race - suffering, and the longing for redemption, a common dream of a better future, each culture has its own idea of what their particular utopia looks like.

This Full Moon tests the strength of our common vision and values based on those things that we share in common - and the thing we have most in common is our shared humanity.

While meditating on the chart of this Full Moon, the following thoughts occur to me:

On one level it appears as if human consciousness is evolving. From another perspective it looks as if it's devolving - but the truth is what seems like devolution is simply the failure to grow.

The problem is, due to the accelerated rate of technology development which has far outpaced the spiritual growth cycle of the human race, we now for the first time posses the means which to destroy ourselves (something that was previously left to destructive occurrences such as global pandemics, continental floods, weather shifts, famine and other such natural "disasters").

Humankind now faces a future where the means of production AND the means of destruction are in the hands of people world-wide who, despite their different faith systems, share an apocalyptic end-game vision for humanity, where THEY and people LIKE THEM inherit the Earth after everything and everyone else is destroyed.

If you're like me, you don't want your life, your liberty, your future and the future of your children and grand-children to be enslaved in the ongoing enabling of that shared apocalyptic vision. You may say I'm a dreamer - BUT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE.

The only alternative scenario to that apocalyptic "we win everything, you lose everything" vision is a new dream - which is really an old dream, perhaps the oldest dream - is to begin to view ourselves not as separate from each other, but as one global organism called the Human Race.

The Human Race, a species of mammal that lives upon the Planet called Earth. The Human Race, so divinely endowed with intelligence, grace, beauty, creativity, warmth, the capacity for pleasure and joy, the ability to dream, the gift of imagination and the skills to execute that imagination - surely this species is worth saving - from itself!

If the Human Race is going to survive itself we've got to adapt, and fast. We've got to wake up from this apocalyptic nightmare. We've got to dream a new dream. We've got to dream that dream together.

STARCYCLES DEBUTS ON INTERNET RADIO JULY 10th!

StarCycles - the AstroloJew Internet Radio Show - debuts on Internet Radio!
Thursday, July 10th
9am Pacific / 12N Eastern / 7pm Israel time
Listen to Astrologer Lorelai Kude's LIVE Internet Radio Show featuring news about the current Astrological configurations as well as a LIVE CALL-IN SEGMENT discussing real charts in real life with real people!
Only on Radio Free Nachlaot
Listen at www.radiofreenachlaot.com or listen to Radio Free Nachlaot on iTunes Radio (find it in the "International/World" category) or on TuneIn Radio (free app for iPhone, iPad, Android phones & tablets)

We will be discussing all sorts of things including how the "Aspect of the Week" (the upcoming FULL MOON IN CAPRICORN) relates to one real person's chart - we'll  be using the chart of my brave friend Shifra Emunah.
If you're following along here is the picture of her chart with transits that we'll be using

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO THE SHOW!

Welcome Summer Solstice, Turn of the Tide

Today we welcome the Summer Solstice, and the Sun moves into the Sign of Cancer, the Cardinal (Initiating) Water Sign. 

Cancer is associated with the Hebrew Month of Tammuz and the Tribe of Reuven. Reuven was the first-born of Leah and Jacob, he is portrayed in the Torah as emotional, loyal and attached to his family, especially his mother, on whose behalf he gathers medicinal herbs to stimulate her fertility, and whose honor he attempted to uphold after the death of Rachel, when he moved his father's bed into the tent of Bilhah, Leah's handmaiden, in a move to "right" what he considered to be "wrong" in his rather complicated family drama. 

As first-born, Reuven was the heir to the birthright but the leadership of the family of Jacob went to his brother Yehuda, as Reuven's emotions often got the better of him. Jacob his father describes him as "impetuous, like water" and yet Reuven was the one who pleaded with his brothers not to kill their brother Yosef, devising a plan to rescue him from the pit, but unable to follow through as he was overpowered by the machinations of his other brothers. 

Despite the loss of his birthright, the Tribe of Reuven was given the honor of being one of the Four Directions (Reuven to the South, Dan to the North, Ephraim to the West and Yehuda to the East) around the Mishkan as the Children of Israel traveled through the desert. In Parsha Korach (which we just read this Shabbat) the rebellious followers of Korach were able to influence some of the Tribe of Reuven to follow them in their rebellion, undoubtedly playing upon their emotionality and the suppressed resentment of having their birthright usurped by the Tribe of Yehuda. People born under the Sign of Cancer are emotional, sensitive, family and security oriented, and the things that trigger them the most are: FOOD, HOME, MOTHER, MONEY.

It is interesting to note that the Tribes assigned to guard the Four Directions are each either a natural first-born (Reuven and Dan, South and North, both the natural first-born of their respective mothers) or a son who has taken the place of the first-born (Yehuda and Ephraim, East and West, both were given first-born status and rights by Jacob).

It's the "turn of the tide" again, as we change quadrants / directions in the progression of the year. From the East to the South - from Yehuda/Nissan to Reuven/Tammuz. Rosh Chodesh Tammuz is coming next Shabbat, we have a week between the Summer Solstice and the Cancer/Cancer New Moon, followed shortly thereafter by Rosh Chodesh Tammuz.  

As we swivel upon this axis, turning now at the "corner" demarcated by the Solstice and the Sun's ingress into Cancer, followed by Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, we are going from the Quadrant of Sacred Time assigned to initiating actions and self-motivated impetus to the Quadrant of Sacred Time assigned to manifesting creative production, self-expression, and healing.  

What does Sacred Time mean to YOU? Your personal Natal Chart is a portrait of your soul's journey though Sacred Time. Planets in the Four Quadrants and Two Hemispheres and their relation to each other are trigger points for teaching your life-lessons. 

Be in touch for your personalized Natal Chart reading - in person, or by phone or Skype.
astrolojew@gmail.com or lorelaikude@yahoo.com 

Rosh Chodesh Sivan - Let's Fall In Love!

Everybody knows Shavuot is our "Wedding Day," the day Israel as a Nation was "wed" to HKBH with Mount Sinai itself as our chuppah and the Torah as our Ketubah. Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5774 precedes our "Shabbos Kallah" as a people, as we prepare to receive the Torah all over again next week. 

Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5774 is Tiferet Sh'B'Malchut, the manifestation of beauty and balance in this world. Venus ("Noga" in Hebrew) has just entered sensual, Venus-ruled Taurus in the 5th House of Romantic Love, and Mars Conjunct Midheaven is out there and visible in a big way, in romantic, idealistic Venus-ruled Libra. 

Emotional Moon in 7th House of Marriage and Partnerships in Communicative Gemini Squared by Wounded Healer Chrion in 3rd House super-sensitive Pisces makes the words we speak go straight to the heart. 

Exalted Jupiter in intuitive Cancer in 9th House of will make religious expression and spiritual connection one. 

The stage is set for words of love to pierce our hearts, cleanse our souls, and lift us higher. Chodesh Sivan Tov to everyone far and near, may we only hear and speak nourishing, healing, loving words, one to another.

Back to Parshat BaMidbar

As the annual Torah cycle progresses, this week we're back at BaMidbar at last! 

Of course as an Astrologer, this is my favorite Parsha. The 12 Tribes arrayed around the Mishkan reflect exactly the 12 Mazalot (Zodiac Signs) mirroring them in the Heavens above. The Tribal Encampment Configuration in the Desert was a powerful energetic vortex designed by HKBH and arrayed in the Heavens even before humankind was created. 

The same pattern was foreshadowed by the positions the 12 sons of Yacov (Jacob) were instructed by their dying father to take around his coffin as they escorted it from Egypt to Ertez Yisrael, to bury him in the Cave of Machpelah with Yitzchak, Rivka, Avraham and Sarah. The coffin of Yacov was the "Mishkan" in this instance.


The energetic vortex was deliberate and powerful. The Cardinal (Initiating) points each had their "Degalim" (flags) - Yehuda/Aries/Nissan to the East, Ephraim/Libra/Tishrei to the West, Reuven/Cancer/Tammuz to the South and Dan/Capricorn/Tevet to the North. Following each Cardinal Tribe/Sign/Month comes the Fixed (Establishing) Issachar/Taurus/Iyar, Shimon/Leo/Av, Menashe/Scorpio/Cheshvan, and Asher/Aquarius/Shvat. Following the Fixed Tribes comes the Mutable (Transforming) Zevulon/Gemini/Sivan, Gad/Virgo/Elul, Benyamin/Sagittarius/Kislev and Naftali/Pisces/Adar.

Initiating - Establishing - Transforming. Each Quadrant of the Year works to propel that energy from Equinox to Solstice and back again... like clockwork. COSMIC CLOCKWORK.
Astrologically, these 12 energies are the "Houses of the Holy" and YOU are the Mishkan - the point in the middle of the cosmic energetic circle, where Initiating, Establishing and Transforming energies do their cosmic dance around you in the Heavens, mirroring and reflecting above in symbol and archetype that which is below. 

Total Eclipse of the Heart

The much-ballyhooed Lunar Eclipse begins tonight. On the West Coast of America, it will be visible from 9:54pm - 3:38am - basically during the entire Passover Seder.

This is "A Total Eclipse of the Moon," there will be another one corresponding to this one on Sukkot, six months from now. In the case of tonight's Eclipse, it's more like a "Total Eclipse of the Heart," as darkness covers light for a time, making opaque what was once clear, straining our faith and, best case scenario, strengthening it - or altogether changing it, aligning to our inner truth and recalibrating to what is right NOW.

The intensity of this Lunar Eclipse is that it forms a "Cardinal Grand Cross," all in Cardinal (Initiating) Signs. The Sun,

Mercury, Uranus and Ceres, largest of the Asteroids are all in Cardinal Fire Aries, opposite the Moon, Mars and the North Node in Cardinal Air Libra.

Aries is Mars, Libra is Venus. Aries is war, Libra is negotiation. Aries is Yehuda, from whom King David and eventually Moshiach comes from. Libra is Ephraim, the son of Yosef, from whom Moshiach ben Yosef arises. The Full Moon of Nissan is Passover, the Full Moon of Tishrei is Sukkot. That Cardinal Axis is the energetic paradigm upon which the Jewish Year hangs.

Squaring this configuration are Jupiter in Cardinal Water Cancer and Pluto in Cardinal Earth Capricorn - and Pluto plays the role of the "wicked son" of the celestial seder this year, throwing himself into Retrograde motion right before the Eclipse, and igniting long-smouldering passions and suppressed beliefs.

Cardinal Signs are impelled to LEAD, to start something, to begin. Aries/Yehuda leads the way and Libra/Ephraim (who is the son of Yosef) has to negotiate terms. Jupiter in Cancer, who is Reuven (the Month of Tammuz), is concerned with legacy, security and stability, and Pluto in Capricorn, who is Dan (the Month of Tevet), who is fierce, dedicated, ambitious and persistent.

People born between December 26 - January 10th, April 2nd - 17th, June 28-July 10 and September 29-October 20 are most likely to feel the drama because their Sun will be in one of those four quadrants which are creating the configuration.

Also, anyone with Moon, Ascendent or any of the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars) in Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn will also reflect the dynamic tension, and the almost explosive urge to begin something new.

The truth is, the Eclipse and this Cardinal Cross happens in everybody's Natal Chart, you just have to know where to know how it might be reflected in your personal circumstances.

Remember, Israel is "Above the Zodiac." Knowledge is power, and self-knowledge is the only way to inner freedom - to know one's self is to know how you were "fearfully and wonderfully made" by our Creator. That's why Astrolojew loves to do your Natal Chart with you - to show you what your G*d-given wiring system looks like, and how best to use it.
www.astrolojew.com
Chag haMatzot Kasher v'Sameach - Have a wonderful and redemptive Passover!

Happy 112th Birthday to the Lubavicher Rebbe!

Today is 11 Nisan on the Hebrew Calendar.  On 11 Nisan we wish a Happy Birthday to the Lubavicher Rebbe, who would have been 112 today!!!

For those who do not know, Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt"l was the Lubavicher Rebbe of Chabad, who is known far and wide simply as "The Rebbe"

I don't presume to do the Rebbe's Natal Chart because the birth time is unreliable (only a "C" Rodden Rating, birth time was rectified although the date itself is rated "A" as reliable), so I won't discuss House Placements, but by the Mazalot (Signs) his Planets were in I can say the following:

His Sun, Mars and Mercury in Aries describe him as a fearless leader, this triple dose of Cardinal (Initiating) energy illustrates his ability to

START something gigantic, while his Venus in Pisces and Jupiter in Aquarius reflect his universal lover of humanity without borders.

His Moon in Virgo Trine Chiron and Saturn in Capricorn support a selflessness, hard-working and devotional lifestyle, and the stunning Neptune at 29 Degree Gemini with Uranus in Sagittarius reveal a radical thinker who is an innovator in communication and technology.

Is Israel "Above the Zodiac"? Indeed, no better example than that of Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt"l who took ALL of his G*d-given gifts and talents, infused them with his love of G*d and love of the Jewish People and in fact the entire human race, and changed the world with them.

So happy birthday, Yom Huledet Sameach to the Rebbe - as we get ready for Passover, which begins this coming Monday night (along with a gigantic Lunar Eclipse - more about that in our next post)!

New Moon in Aries - Rosh Chodesh Nissan - It's Superhero Time!

After swimming with the fishes for not just one but two Adars this year, now we're turning the Cardinal Corner as Rosh Chodesh Nissan rushes towards us this week.

Nissan is the 1st Month of the Astrological Calendar and corresponds to Aries, to the Tribe of Yehuda, to the Planet Mars. Aries is the Cardinal (Initiating) Fire Sign.

At this time the Sun, Moon and Uranus are all Conjunct in Aries - it's Superhero time! Don't forget your cape and your tights. You're going to need them. 

Any Planet that finds itself in a Conjunction (within 3 Degrees) of the Sun and Moon is super-super strong. Uranus/Sun in Aries is the liberation of the personality, Uranus/Moon in Aries is the liberation of the emotions - when they all happen together one can expect fireworks. This Conjunction demands recognition and affirmation of one's own individuation and should anyone negate that, sparks will fly - or maybe entire neighborhoods will be torched.

The Cardinal Signs are all in play - Cardinal is Initiating Energy, all four of the Cardinal Signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) are about starting something.

Right now, all four Cardinal Signs are having a role to play here. Aries is Cardinal Fire - Initiating Inspiration. The Sun, Moon and Uranus are Conjunct in Aries. Squaring (at a 90 Degree Angle) this Triple Conjunction is volcanic, suppress-until-explosion Pluto in Cardinal Earth Capricorn - Initiating Manifestation.

Opposing Pluto (and thereby Squaring the Sun/Moon/Uranus Conjunction) is gigantic Jupiter (who has to blow up everything he touches, because after all, he's Jupiter!) in Cardinal Water Cancer (Initiating Security, or as I like to call this aspect, "The Office of Homeland Security in your chart").

Both Pluto AND Jupiter Square the Sun/Moon/Uranus Conjunction (and oppose each other). Squares are generally corners and you can't see around a corner, that's why Squares are considered difficult angles in Charts. Pluto in Capricorn wants to control resources, Jupiter in Cancer is afraid of shortages. These opposing energies make a "corner" (Square) around which the intense, bright light of the Sun/Moon/Uranus Conjunction in Aries wants to inform with raw courage. 

There's been way too much fear lately. This is the time to take a big leap forward in consciousness and understand that your material world, your resources, your sustenance, your security, everything you've been hoarding or saving is really NOT what keeps you safe and wards off thoughts of deprivation and darkness. No, not at all. Neither your control over others nor your valiant attempts at self-control is really working without the missing link - faith. It's faith in G*d and most of all in G*d's vision for YOU, that is going to get you to put on that cape and those tights and attempt to jump tall buildings in a single bound. 

Because right now, you CAN overcome the forces of doubt and darkness. Wear red, laugh a lot, let your Inner Child order your food and make your entertainment decisions. That dream you've been dreaming but not telling anyone about? Time to take it out of the closet and into the streets. Start the day by thanking your Creator for making you YOU. You're the only one who can live the story of the heroic journey of your soul during this lifetime - make it yours, and only yours, with all your strength. 

Chodesh Nissan Tov! Our Redemption is close at hand!

Go With The Flow - But Where Are You Going? And What Will You Do When You Get There?

It's been a big week for WATER SIGNS!

It's common Kaballistic knowledge that the 12 Signs of the Zodiac correspond to the 12 Months of the Hebrew Calendar as well as the 12 Tribes of Israel. We're currently almost halfway through the Month of Adar (actually, the SECOND Month of Adar, as this Hebrew Year of 5774 is a Leap Year, necessitating the addition of an extra Adar).

 

Adar corresponds with Pisces, the Mutable/Transformative Water Sign. There is nothing more "watery" than Pisces, their symbol is two fish swimming in opposite directions, seemingly oblivious of each others presence.

 

Pisces urges us to "go with the flow" more than any other Zodiac Sign, and both the "modern" Planetary Ruler of Pisces - the Planet Neptune, and the "traditional" Planetary Ruler of Pisces - the Planet Jupiter - encourage us to DREAM BIG.

This week the Planet Saturn ("Shabtai" in Hebrew, the same root as the word "Shabbat") stationed Retrograde in the Fixed/Establishing Water Sign of Scorpio. Saturn brings structure, boundaries, borders, edges, organization and the "Gevurah" energy as a counterpoint to the Sun in Pisces. Saturn in Scorpio asks: "Go with the Flow? Where are we going? How will we get there, and who is paying for the trip? What are we going to be doing once we get there?"
This week the Planet Jupiter ("Tzedik" in Hebrew, the same root as the word "Tzadik" meaning "righteous person") stationed Direct in the Cardinal/Initiating Water Sign of Cancer. Jupiter expands everything it touches, and Jupiter in Cancer expands the energy of nurturing, growth, security, and ambition. Jupiter in Cancer chimes in chorus with Saturn in Scorpio - "Go with the Flow? Trust the Flow if it's sustainable, positive, nurturing and true to your heart!"
This Trine of Triple Water energies in the Sun, Saturn and Jupiter create a real energetic opportunity to change in sensible, sustainable and structured ways that can be positive, growth-oriented and bring light into this world. Use that energy for good!

Everybody has a natal chart, with all 12 Signs represented. If you're reading this and wondering where the Water Sign Trine is happening in your chart, and how it relates to you personally, please be in touch.

 

Jerusalem-based Astrologer Lorelai Kude now sojourning in Northern California, available for personalized Reflective Rectification Astro-Analysis in person, on Skype or by phone

email: lorelaikude@yahoo.com

Chodesh Adar Bet Tov Tov!!!

Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet is coming, it's the Pisces/Pisces New Moon and we're about to become ALIGNED again! 

The Conjunct Sun and Moon at 10 degrees Pisces makes a perfect Trine to Jupiter in Cancer, a Triple-Water Ripple Effect that opens the gates of compassion, understanding and empathy within us. 

Make a list of everyone you need to forgive - then put your own name at the top of it. Forgive yourself first and the rest will follow. Chodesh Tov Tov!!!

Mercury Retrograde FINALLY ends today, Baruch HaShem, although it won't have left the shadow of its Retrograde motion until it finishes traveling forward through the shadow period, which ends March 20th.

Between now and March 20th, we're fixing everything that got tangled up in the last few weeks. The good news is - the fixing will be easy, as easy as combing one's hair after using a very good hair conditioner (as opposed to trying to comb one's hair without any conditioner at all). In the shower. Nice and warm and steamy. Get the picture? :)

But of course there's never a dull moment in the celestial world, because there's never a dull moment in the terrestrial world. Mars in Libra turns Retrograde on March 1st, another turn on its interminably long journey backwards and forwards through Libra over an 8-month period of time. Mars will Retrograde from 27 Libra back to 9 Libra until May 21st.

Mars was previously at 9 Libra around Christmas, specifically December 25th - 29th 2013. Basically what is happening is an energetic re-visiting of the ways in which we've expended our energy (Mars) between now and May 21st. We'll revisit the things that were important to us in late December and maybe have a second chance to do things differently. 

Mars in Libra asks: Where is your passion invested? Did you put your energy where your heart is, or did you put it where someone else told you to put it? Are you using your koach, your Chi, your sacred energy to please others or to be true to yourself? You need to answer all these questions, or the Universe will answer them for you.

Contact Astrolojew for a personalized Natal Chart counseling consultation, in person or by Skype.
Lorelai Kude - in the USA (818) 746-6174
lorelaikude@yahoo.com