Chodesh Iyar and Chodesh Cheshvan: “Incepted” Mysteries and Midrashic Insights

Iyar and Cheshvan, opposite each other in the Zodiac and the Jewish Year, are both “incepted” months. Iyar is incepted by the Sefirot haOmer period, which begins on the 15^th of Nissan and ends on the 5^th of Sivan. Energetically, Iyar is encompassed by the Sefirot haOmer. 

Cheshvan is “incepted” by the holiday and festival cycle. Notable for being “the only month without a holiday”, Cheshvan is incepted by the Chaggim of Tishrei, specifically the final holiday of Simchat Torah, after which there are no holidays, feasts or fasts until Chanukkah on 25 Kislev. 

"Issachar" by Lynette Joel

Iyar is associated with the Tribe of Issachar and the Zodiac Sign (“Mazal”) of Taurus, the Bull. Taurus is the Fixed Earth (Establishing Manifestation) Sign, whose energetic task is to take the great passion and love and freedom of Nissan and establish it, laying the groundwork of manifestation by deep thought and discernment. 

Opposite Iyar in the Jewish Year is Chesvan, associated with the Tribe of Menashe, and Scorpio. Scorpio is the Fixed Water (Establishing Emotion) Sign, whose energetic task is to take the love and intimacy initiated in Tishrei during the Chaggim (Rosh HaShanah through Simchas Torah) and establish it, manifesting it through hidden, secret, powerful, mysterious and sexual means. 

The birth of Issachar was a “supernatural” birth, as was the birth of Menashe, in an opposite and yet complimentary way. In Parshat Vayeitzei, Leah had left off bearing children after already giving birth to Reuven, Shimon, Levi and Yehuda. Her handmaiden Zilpah had also given birth to Gad and Asher on her behalf. At that point, Leah’s sister Rachel had not yet given birth to any children herself; only her handmaiden Bilhah had born Dan and Naftali. 

Bereshit (Genesis) 30:14-18 reads:

Reuven went out in the days of the wheat harvest; he found dudaim in the field and brought them to Leah his mother; Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s dudaim” But she said to her, “Was your taking my husband insignificant? – And now to take even my son’s dudaim!” Rachel said, “Therefore, he shall like with you tonight in return for your son’s dudaim.”

When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said: “It is to me that you must come for I have clearly hired you with my son’s dudaim.” She he lay with her that night.

God hearkened to Leah; and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. And Leah declared: “God has granted me my reward because I gave my maidservant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.”

Issachar was conceived “supernaturally”, in that his birth was the result of a trade or exchange – Reuven’s dudaim (which were fertility herbs) went to Rachel, to help her conceive Joseph – in exchange for Issachar’s birth, which was “supernatural” in that Leah had left off bearing. Her eldest son Reuven’s intention in gathering the dudaim was to give it to his mother to help her bear more children. Instead, the dudaim went to Rachel, and Leah was assisted “supernaturally” in conceiving Issachar by G*d, who “hearkened to Leah” (v. 17), granting her another son.

The birth of Menashe, Joseph’s firstborn, also has “supernatural” undertones, understanding it in the context of Joseph’s great efforts to resist Potiphar’s wife and to guard his sexual purity, even to anguishing lengths. The Midrash relates that the difficulty of resisting the sexual lure of Potiphar’s wife was so intense that Joseph plunged his fingers, out of which came semen, into the very earth itself of Egypt itself, rather than succumb to the powerful, overwhelming sexual urge with Potiphar’s wife. 

When at last Joseph was married to Asnat, his first :permitted" or sanctified seminal emission brought about the conception and birth of Menashe, his first-born. 

From Midrash Rabah:

"Rabbi Isaac states: ‘His seed is scattered and leaves his body through his fingernails, as it is written, 'and the arms of his hands were made supple,' which could also be interpreted as 'and the arms were spread.'" Rabbi Isaac, also citing Jacob's blessing, says that Joseph's sexual desire is liberated not sexually, but rather via his fingertips. Thus, in this view, Joseph is prevented from relations with Potiphar's wife not because of impotence, but rather because of the wondrous sublimation of his sexual power that is forced upon him.”

Menashe is the Tribe associated with Scorpio and Chodesh Cheshvan. Scorpio is legendary for being the most sexual of all the Zodiac signs. Scorpios energetically “Establish Emotion” (Fixed Water) through sexual intimacy. Menashe was the product of permitted and therefore holy sexual union between Joseph and Asnat, but his father Joseph’s initial seminal emission (through his fingers into the earth of Egypt) carried with it an energetic charge as well. This tremendous effort to "do the right thing" is the universally cited reason Joseph is called "Yosef haTzadik", the righteous one, who overcame overpowering sexual urge and therefore elevated the "Yesod" (foundation), symbolized by the Sefirot "Yesod" in Sefirot haOmer and personified by Yosef (as the Tzadik and the Ushpizin of Sukkot's "Yesod" night).

Menashe is, in this sense, the “exchange” or “reward” or “trade” Joseph received for his great effort in sublimating his sexual desire, just as Issachar is to Leah the result of her great effort to increase her portion of the Tribes of Israel. The dudaim which Leah exchanged for Jacob’s company were the fertility herbs that helped Rachel eventually give birth to Joseph, who would become the father of Menashe. The linking of Issachar, the son Leah bore as a result of the exchange of her son’s dudaim for the right to lay with her husband and conceive, to Menashe, the son Joseph bore in exchange for guarding his sexual purity, even to the point of excruciating anguish, is one of the deepest secrets of Torah. 

An even more subtle and powerful level of this linking exists in the person of Asnat, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Menashe and Ephraim. Asnat was the daughter of Dinah and Shechem ben Hamor, the product of Dinah’s abduction and rape. After Dinah gave birth to Asnat, the child was left under the shade of a bush by the roadside (“Asnat” is a version of the word for “bush”), wearing a bracelet which identified her as the grandchild of Jacob. The child was rescued and adopted by Potiphar and his wife, and raised in the royal palace of Egypt. 

Some years after the incident with Potiphar’s wife, after Joseph had risen from a prisoner to Pharoah’s Prime Minister, he was walking through the streets of Egypt and women were throwing tokens at him  - jewelry and such – begging for his attention, for he was very handsome (the son of the beautiful Rachel and the image of his father Jacob). Asnat was watching him from the rooftop of her home, and threw her token to him in the street – the very bracelet which had been with her since birth, signifying her as a grand-daughter of Jacob, and in fact, Joseph’s niece, the daughter of his sister Dinah. Joseph recognized the token, and married Asnat, bringing her back into the family of Jacob by marriage. 

Menashe then, the Tribe related to Scorpio and Cheshvan, comes from the deepest and most mysterious strain of the personal histories of the sons of Jacob and his wives. Joseph, who guarded his powerful sexuality, was able to “redeem” his niece Asnat and complete the tikkun which began when Joseph’s soul and Dinah’s soul were prenatally “switched” between their mothers, Rachel and Leah, and the consequences of that “switch” – one of which was the taking on of seeming sexual impurity in the event of Dinah’s kidnapping, rape and impregnation by Shechem ben Hamor. The birth of Menashe was the manifestation of that tikkun.

Similarly, Issachar, the son of Leah and Jacob, related to Taurus and Iyar, comes from the most hidden convolutions of the personal histories of Jacob and his wives, the mothers of the 12 Tribes. The conception of Issachar was a supernatural exchange in the same way the conception of Menashe was a supernatural exchange.

Both Issachar (Iyar) and Menashe (Cheshvan) are related to the “incepted” months. The Sefirot haOmer which surrounds Iyar (Chessed Sh’b’Tiferet through Gevurah Sh’b’Malchut) reflect the qualities of Joseph haTzadik, and the “lack” of holidays from Simchat Torah/Isru Chag through Chanukkah which “incept” Cheshvan is prophetically speaking, the “placeholder” for what will become the biggest holiday of them all: the dedication (Chanukat haBayit) of the third, final and Messianic Holy Temple in Jerusalem. 

Midrash Yalkut Melachim 184 as cited in Bnei Yissaschar:

“The Tabernacle of the desert was completed by Moshe in the month of Kislev, however the Holy One, blessed be He commanded him to wait until the following Nisan to inaugurate it. The month of Kislev was embarrassed, and so G-d rewarded her with the rededication of the Second Temple, during the era of Chanukah.

The First Temple built by King Solomon was completed during the month of Mar Cheshvan (the month known as ‘bul;’ see I Kings 6:38) however through Divine Inspiration, King Solomon knew that he was not to dedicate it until the following Tishrei. So, the month of Mar Cheshvan was embarrassed... and G-d promised to repay it in the future, with the dedication ceremony of the Third Temple.”

The energetic reciprocity between Taurus and Scorpio, Issachar and Menashe, Iyar and Cheshvan is evident by these examples. Each month of the Jewish Year is a particular manifestation of the cycle of sacred time, and with the coming of each new month, opportunity arises to apprehend that particular energy and apply it to our own lives and spiritual development.

Issachar has been associated with Torah scholars, “Talmudim Chochamim” and those whose lives revolve around and draw their sustenance from the study of Torah.  There are some (myself included with such great company as Rashbam and Ibn Ezra) which see Issachar as the archetypical Taurus personality – solid, thoughtful, earthy, loving the soil and the land, hard-working, steadfast (stubborn, certainly “fixed” as his sign indicates), a lover of beauty and order (ruled by Venus (“Noga”) and concerned with the sensual (Earth) delights and rewards of a well-lived life. This too, may be “Torah”.

In David S. Zimburg’s “Re-Imagining Issachar”, the author writes:

“Orthodox Judaism promotes neither a single religious archetype, nor an ideal “Torah personality,” nor a monolithic economic theory. Over the centuries, our religion has accommodated multiple paradigms for all aspects of life. There are many great and varied figures in our history and in our literature from whom we can draw inspiration. The Issachar most of us know -- the full-time scholar -- was never held up by our Torah or our Sages as the one and only model of authentic Jewish living. His image has taken on other, no less ideal, forms in biblical and rabbinic tradition, including that of a man who loves to work the soil under his feet and returns home daily soaked in the sweat of physical labor. That Issachar is no less a ben Torah than the one who has never left the beit midrash. With a sense of responsibility stretching beyond his own borders, the Issachar we have described is the one the Jewish people can look to for support and for leadership, on and off the battlefield. It is time to rethink our fixation on the two-dimensional Issachar, to the exclusion of all others. The others, on closer examination, may be even more inspiring.”

The symbols and archetypes of Jewish Astrology are rich and varied. Each of the 12 Tribes, as well as the months, the “Mazalot” (Zodiac signs), the Planets associated with them, and the various other “characters” that inhabit both the pantheon of symbolic imagery and Jewish history, both literal and figurative, imbue particular qualities and characteristics which exist to help us understand ourselves, our world and our spiritual destinies in a deeper and more profound way. Just as Avraham is both the human progenitor of the Jewish people as an historical figure AND the embodiment of the Sefirotic archetype of “Chessed”,  the Planets themselves are both physical objects made of identifiable matter with observable and predictable behavior, AND energetic lenses through which particular archetypes are channeled and focused “as above, so below”. Jupiter is both the largest Planet in our Solar System, AND the “great beneficent” of the Zodiac, acting as an energetic lens for expansive generosity.

With this foundational understanding, we can see the beautiful function of Issachar and Chodesh Iyar in the cycle of sacred time which is the Jewish Year. Iyar’s “incepted” position allows it to gather, refine, establish and lay a foundation for the Spring-like rush of spontaneous growth, newness and rebirth that characterizes the Month of Nissan which precedes it. The Rashbam and Ibn Ezra’s Issachar as the powerful, physical, earthy and wholesome “farmer”, sowing his land corresponds to the classical description of Taurus, the bull, who derives great joy from his physicality and the work that a healthy, well-developed and balanced body might do with the land he is given, bringing forth abundance and “shefah” to share with his brethren.

Of course it’s widely known that Torah study is compared to a field in which the laborer toils and brings forth abundant fruit as well. Not that one need be exclusive of the other, and in a way, it’s the balance between the mental and the physical where Taurus and Issachar reaches his perfection. A Talmud Chocham was never meant to be a pale, sickly, emaciated scholar, bent over an open book for 70 years, his frame distorted and bent from study, his limbs wasted from ignoring exercise in favor of “learning”. A true Torah scholar must find his balance and his physical strength by connection to the Land, and sow not only in the field of Torah but in the literal field itself, by his very labor. True vitality, true health, true beauty lies in the art of bringing heaven to earth, and earth to heaven – and Chodesh Iyar, which begins on Chessed Sh’b’Tiferet (Generosity/Kindness in Beauty/Balance – the “Venus” manifestation in Taurus) and ends on Gevurah Sh’b’Malcut (Strength of Manifestation  – “Establishing Manifestation” function of Taurus, the “Fixed Earth” Sign ) opens the energetic doorway to be able to access the strength, wisdom and endurance to be able to access this potentiality and fulfill it.

Passover 5775 Lunar Eclipse - Blood Moon Tetrad Calling Your Name!

Passover 5775's Lunar Eclipse - Saturday, April 4th, beginning at 4:58am Pacific, 7:58am Eastern and 2:58pm Israel time.

The Sun at 14 Aries and the Moon at 14 Libra oppose each other (as with every Full Moon) but this Full Moon is also a "Blood Moon" and the shortest Lunar Eclipse of the Century.

This is the third in a series of four Lunar Eclipses called a "Tetrad". Passover 5774, Sukkot 5775, Passover 5775 and Sukkot 5776 are all Lunar Eclipses.

This is a relatively rare event astronomically, and as far as the doubling of Lunar Eclipses on the two most prominent "Full Moon" Jewish holidays, that is even more rare.

The Torah teaches a concept which I call "Doubling". It's when something happens twice in order to signify that it is a message from G*d.

When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, he told Pharaoh that his two dreams were "one" (the dream of the fat and thin cows, and the dream of the fat and thin stalks of wheat). Joseph tells Pharaoh that G*d has doubled his dream to indicate that it is true, prophetic, and divine in origin.

Several times in scripture a name is called twice to prove it is a direct call from G*d. "Avraham, Avraham", "Yacov, Yacov", "Moses, Moses", "Shmuel, Shmuel" - these are all "doubled" to ensure nobody mistakes the caller for anyone else but G*d.

The "doubling" of the Lunar Eclipses (twice on Pesach and twice on Sukkot, 2014-2015) is, in my humble opinion, no less than G*d calling to the Jewish People.

The Talmud (Sukkah 29:a) teaches that Lunar Eclipses are indicative of negative judgement towards Am Yisrael. Specific sins are mentioned which bring about this particular judgement: "On account of those who perpetrate forgeries, on account of those who give false witness; on account of those who rear small cattle in the land of Israel; and on account of those who cut down good trees."

Regarding the eclipse of the Blood Moon, the Talmud states: "If its face is red as blood, [i a sign that] the sword is coming to the world".

Aries, the Zodiac Sign in which the Sun is during this Eclipse, is ruled by Mars (Maadin), "god" of War. The Moon in Libra is ruled by Venus (Noga), "goddess" of love, balance, beauty and peace. In the Jewish Zodiac, Aries is Yehuda and Libra is Ephraim.

Both Yehuda and Ephraim are the "supernatural firstborn" of their fathers. Yehuda, although the fourth son of Jacob (Yacov) and Leah, became the leader and "supernatural" firstborn by appointment of his father, Yacov, after the moral failings of his three older brothers (Reuven, Shimon and Levi). Ephraim, the younger of Yosef's two sons, was appointed the "supernatural" firstborn by Yacov, who consciously switched his hands while blessing Menashe and Ephraim, giving the younger son (Ephraim) the blessing of the first-born.

Is G*d is sending a message to the Jewish People by "doubling" the Lunar Eclipses - Pesach, Sukkot, Pesach, Sukkot - and not just on "any" Full Moon, but on the most significant Full Moons of the Jewish Year. Yehuda/Ephraim (Aries-Libra), Ephraim/Yehuda (Libra-Aries), Yehuda/Ephraim (Aries-Libra), Ephraim/Yehuda (Libra-Aries)?

What is G*d trying to say to us?

The answer is a very serious warning about Jewish unity. Ezekiel 37:16-17 unfolds the answer here:

"And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.' "Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand."

• Perhaps HaShem is telling us by doubling the Lunar Eclipses that our lack of care for one another and for the Land (and the Earth herself which we have been given) as detailed in Tractate Sukkah is bringing Divine Judgement on us.
• 
  Perhaps HaShem is telling us that unity between Yehuda and Ephraim, the two sticks becoming one, is the key to sweetening judgement and avoiding catastrophe.
• 
  Perhaps we are being called to remember that Tiferet ("Beauty and Balance") associated with Jacob (Yacov) in the Sefirot and demonstrated by his appointment of Yehuda and Ephraim as "supernatural" first-born is symbolic of the balance between Mars (war) and Venus (peace). Perhaps the divisions between members of Claal Yisrael have their roots in too much imbalance. 

We clearly see that some of us lean too heavily on the "Yehuda" side without considering the claims of "Ephraim", while others default to the "Ephraim" side while discounting or ignoring "Yehuda"'s validity. The lack of balance - in other words, the presence of EXTREMISM on both sides - is destructive to not only the Jewish People, but the world at large.

Ezekiel 37:16-17 is part of the Haftarah we read on Shabbos Vayigash, typically right after Chanukkah. In this Parsha, Yehuda and Yosef (father of Ephraim) enact the drama of revealing the concealed truth. Identities long hidden come to light. Truth is outed, tears are wept, hearts which have been broken are mended, regrets long held are dissolved in forgiveness, long-lost loved ones are reunited.

Maybe - as individuals, as communities, as a global and spiritual Claal - maybe we need to internalize the Yehuda/Ephraim paradigm, maybe we need to find beauty and balance in the opposites, maybe we need to hold space for the full spectrum of each other, maybe we can listen to what G*d is saying and find a way to hear the voice of the Divine as if our own name is being called, twice.

Solar Eclipse, Vernal Equinox, AND Rosh Chodesh Nissan - the Trifecta of Energetic Renewal!

PUSH THE RESET BUTTON TODAY! Full Solar Eclipse, Vernal Equinox, New Moon at 29 Pisces AND Rosh Chodesh Nissan, there is no better day of the year to start over. 

Anything you think you've failed at, abandoned or think is too late - dust it off and try again, this time the energetic configurations of the Universe are supportive to any and all new beginnings, particularly in the area of your life where the Pisces/Aries cusp is located on your natal chart. You can do it!!! Chodesh Nissan Tov, redemption is right around the corner, can you feel it?


5775 has been the year for eclipses in the Hebrew Calendar. There was a Lunar Eclipse on Sukkot (October 14, 2014), a Solar Eclipse on Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan (October 23rd, 2014) and today's Solar Eclipse/Vernal Equinox/Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Still to come in 2015: The Lunar Eclipse on Pesach (April 5th), the Solar Eclipse on Rosh HaShannah 5776 (September 13th) and the Lunar Eclipse on Sukkot (October 27). 

Is it "good for the Jews"? Is it good for HUMANITY? The Talmud is fairly negative on this topic, stating that Solar Eclipses are times of judgement for the nations, while Lunar Eclipses are times of judgement for the Children of Israel. 

On a metaphysical/psychological level, the Solar Eclipse is when the light is removed from our reason (the Sun) and we find ourselves in darkness, and it is our job to reconnect to the light when it returns in a whole new and higher way. When we are in darkness and can suddenly see, we are freshly illuminated. The Lunar Eclipse is when our emotions (the Moon) obscure our reason, and it is our task to find emotional wisdom even when our hearts are obscured with fear. 

At the very least, this should give those of us who follow the cycle of sacred time known as the Jewish Year pause. Yes, there are Solar and Lunar Eclipses every single year. No, they don't always fall on Jewish holidays in such a cluster. Yes, a preponderance of Jewish Holidays fall on Full Moons (Tu b'Shvat, Purim, Pesach, Pesach Sheni, Tu b'Av, Sukkot) and each of the 12 Hebrew Months contain a New Moon, but because of the Metonic 19-year Cycle and the fact that Rosh Chodesh in some years falls up to 36-40 hours after the astronomical New Moon, there hasn't been a confluence/cluster of Solar and Lunar Eclipses on Jewish holidays (6 in 13 months) in I don't know how long (possibly 500+ years, still trying to do the math).

Wishing everyone everywhere a sweet and holy Shabbos Hachodesh Rosh Chodesh Nissan Shalom! May we stay connected to the light with our minds, hearts, bodies and souls - and to each other.

Israeli Elections May Depend on What Happens This Friday

I really want to write about the upcoming Israeli election from an astrological / Astrolojew-ish point of view, but I don't want to be alarmist or scare anyone. The outcome of the election will depend largely on what happens on or around this Friday, March 13th. The waning Last Quarter Moon at 22 Sagittarius will be in the same position as it was the night of June 12th, 2014, when the three Israeli students Eyal, Gilad and Naftali OBM were kidnapped and murdered. The events of the night of June 12th, 2014 set into motion what would become the Gaza War. 

The position of the Sun/Moon in June 2014 (with attendant Planetary angles) indicated religious extremism gone wild, propaganda, misinformation, the distortion and hiding of facts that were later revealed, and dogmatic belief systems reinforced by social pressure (on all sides). 

The position of the Sun/Moon this coming Friday, March 13th (with attendant Planetary angles) indicates the same religious extremism gone wild, with exaggerated and enhanced paranoia, delusional perceptions of what constitutes "peace", "negotiations", "compromise", etc., hidden agendas by powerful people, and the deliberate spread of misinformation in the attempt to stir up fear (fear that may be well-founded, with an extra side order of super-sized fear served with it).
I would very calmly and without hysteria caution my friends and loved ones in Israel to use great caution and conservatism in travel on Thursday and Friday of this week. I would most definitely caution against tremping at this time, and also against spending time in vulnerable outdoors areas. I would be extra alert in travel conveyances such as buses, trains, cars, etc. 

If nothing at all happens on Thursday/Friday/Saturday of this week (and I HOPE AND PRAY nothing will!!!!) then the election next week simply comes down to one thing: Bibi or Anyone But Bibi. If something does happen that increases security fears, Likud will definitely win.
The problem with the other political "Anyone but Bibi" parties is that they're all reactionary instead of initiating. That is, they are all reactive against the status quo but not original or initiating any kind of new, vital, viable, sustainable platform that will address the real problems in Israel (poverty, economy, systemic racism, religious hegemony, environmental woes) without sacrificing national security.
That's my take on the whole Megillah. I desperately hope I'm wrong, wrong, wrong about the potential dangers of this coming Thursday/Friday/Saturday. 

Pictured below are the Charts of Israel with Transits from last June 12th and Israel with Transits for this coming Friday.

Next week I will share Bibi's chart with Transits for the election, with Israel's Transit chart for the election, with analysis.

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"

A special offer to my Astrolojew clients!
If I've done your Natal Chart before, I'm offering you first dibs on my new product: The 2015 AstroloJew Weather Report!
Completely customized to your individual Natal Chart, this written report is a month-by-month detailed overview of the energetic movements of the Planets through the Houses of your Chart and what kind of "weather" you can expect in the coming year.
Special price for current or former clients only - $50.
Order now for delivery by the end of December!
Email me at: lorelaikude@yahoo.com

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!