 We all want passion. It makes life worth living. It's the joie de vie that takes life from dull and mediocre, to exciting and fresh. It can keep us going, moving, and actually make us want to expand ourselves in a natural way. Yet most of us are often stuck in neutral, coasting through life, feeling the struggle of life's challenges, rather than the juicy, good stuff on the other side of the struggle. Passion for many, is little more than wishful thinking, a subtle desire, a yearning, or perhaps something that is fleeting. We all have access to greater and greater passion though. It's a muscle that needs to be used, practiced, flexed, explored, played with. It's not something that magically appears, rather it's an intrinsic part of our nature that has to be cultivated and nurtured. Right now, the planets are ripe with passion, helping us each to explore this part of ourselves in more intimate ways. Nature gives us these time periods to dip our toes in, or jump full body, into the rivers of passion. Venus has been chasing Mars for months- and this combination is ideal for inducing passion. Mars is our inner fire, our warrior spirit. He is decisive, clear and action oriented. He doesn't think (that's Mercury's job) but instead chooses to go forth without question. Venus on the other hand is connected to our inner waters (jala) and by default our creative life force, our shakti. Venus connects us, helps us relate, to be in relationship. Venus is a co-creative planet and it helps us to feel nourished, to receive nourishment from life, from others, and ultimately from ourselves. Venus is the planet of love for this reason. The combination of Mars and Venus induces a fire and water combination, yet these two are neutral to each other (they tolerate each other in other words). As Mars moves into Pisces on February 11th, joining Ketu here, our passions increase, as well as our desires. These themes intensify as Venus moves to Pisces on the 15th of February, its sign of exaltation. An exalted planet can fully expand and express itself (for better or worse) and so we will see our inner waters swell and increase as well. This can be a time of maximum creativity, maximum love flowing, and more open channels for all things Venus (such as money, love, the feminine, relationships, creativity, art, beauty, worldly pleasures). With exalted Venus conjunct Mars and Ketu, we get a warrior like re-structuring of our love, our creative flow, our relationships. The combination of Mars and Venus creates a feeling of passion within us. This is a result of fire and water merging, creating steam within us. This steam can be a powerful force- energizing, clearing and purifying. What steam is being created in your life right now? As you look at your jyotish chart, locate Pisces, the number 12. This is where the conjunction of Mars, Ketu and exalted Venus is happening for you until March 12th. You'll want to notice what house Pisces is in (based on your rising sign) as this placement will heighten the theme of passion in this area of your life. Pisces by default connects us to our feet (12th house matters) and therefor working with the feet as a primary body part resource can be helpful right now to assimilate the nourishment arriving, the intensity of the passions we are experiencing, and also to ground us in the now. Working with the feet allows us to "step forward" in our lives and "stand our ground" and also to "leap and land". Simultaneously, Venus connects us to our pelvis. Working with the dynamics, the relationship between feet and Pelvis can help us maximize our creative connection, our feeling level of life, while rooting us in this nourishing awareness. Here are three simple steps to help you create more passion in your life and to capitalize on the increased passion available to us at this time. 1) Connect with your feelings. What makes you feel joyful, enthusiastic, inspired? What induces a feeling of love in you? What makes you feel nourished and satisfied? Get descriptive. 2) What activities inspire the above feelings? Maybe it's cooking a wonderful meal or reading a book with a cup of tea. Maybe walking in the woods with your dog. Write down the activities that induce these feelings of joy, love and nourishment within you. 3) Circle the top three activities that bring you the most joy, love and nourishment. These are your "go-to" activities to create greater passion in your life. These activities will push your passion buttons, open the channels within you and awaken a deeper connection with your life force. Make sure that you are using these activities once a week, or even daily, to connect to the passion coursing through you. Remember, passion is like a muscle that must be flexed, used, and developed. It takes practice. I invite you to notice where the sensation of passion is stirred within your body. Where do you feel the passion enlivening you? What body part is connected to this passionate feeling moving through you? This body part can be a powerful ally of support and an important resource for you so pay attention to what messages it has to share with you. Enjoy the passion moving through you! My Jyotish Basics Classes have begun! Don't miss out on these transformational and healing classes. Sign up for details.
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Full Moon is in Aquarius and Purvabhadrapada nakshatra on September 8th at 20:38 CDT. Moon in Aquarius receives drishti from Venus and Sun in Leo and also from Mars in Scorpio. The feeling you receive from the Moon may be both depth and pressure as well as increased creativity, curiosity and innovation at this time. Aquarius is ruled by Saturn and Rahu which can bring a dualism, a push and pull, as well as polarities. This full Moon brings with it both a desire and a need to attend to our shadows, our haunts and our illusions. The coming waning cycle will be just that- an opportunity for us to face our demons and our challenges with new insights, possibilities as well as hope. This work may directly and indirectly connect to our lineage matters and the pieces that were forcing your attention/intention over the past waxing Moon cycle. Be attentive to the matters of emotion and heart and look for symbols and messages that cross your path.
Purvabhadrapada is ruled by Ajaikapada, which often refers to a form of Shiva standing one leg- Nataraja, or lord of the dance. This form of Shiva connects to cycles and rhythms and the continual dance of life, while also being a reminder of sacrifice, penance and tapas. The reminder here is balance- one foot grounding, supporting and rooting into the earth. The other foot lifted, poised for a step, ready for movement and change. As Aja is considered a Rudra, much strength is available here. Strength to persevere, push through obstacles, work with great challenges and cast off evil. Often Purvabhadrapada and Ajaikapada can balance what seems impossible, while maintaining a sense of center and one-pointedness (which is why doctors often have this nakshatra prevalent in their birth charts). The symbol is the front portion of a funeral cot and connects this nakshatra to purification and the losses that are necessary to understand realms beyond the material plane of existence. Use this waning cycle to bring presence to your path, your struggles and challenges. Honor yourself for your steps, your wisdom gained, and the many obstacles you have overcome. Work diligently to both honor your struggles and also reflect on the openings and progress also alive currently in your life. Look for possibilities, doors that are opening and steps you can take towards them. When you feel the burdens and the struggles overwhelming you, dance, walk, move. Work with themes of balance, steadiness, patience, one step at a time. Honor your feet and their wisdom. Need some extra guidance and clarity? Schedule a session with me. Plan your week in tune with nature. Never miss a planetary update. Sign up for my weekly newsletter. Was this post helpful? Please share it with a friend! Thank you. {When the colors merge within the chaos} A mandala exploration with craypas. In lieu of this week's New Moon in Sravana nakshatra and Vishnu's "three steps", we will play with pattern and rhythm this week during our dance- while using legs and feet as our entry point.
Legs and feet are grounding, support and bring movement- both forward and backward momentum as well as side to side, up and down. There are metaphors with this connection to direction but legs/feet also symbolize the planetary movement and momentum as well. This week, Venus goes from retrograde (backward) motion to direct (forward) motion. This movement can inform our creativity, our dance, our own actions. Begin with slow, calculated steps walking in a circle. Find a rhythm, a beat, as your feet connect with the floor. Keep moving. Find your momentum and find your dance. Notice a movement that is returning. Are you swinging your arms and legs in a certain way more than once? Are you bending and lifting your leg a certain way over and over? Are you rolling and lifting off the floor continuously? Be a witness to your movements and notice your movement cycles. Then hit the pause button and stop. Recycle the movement. Step once again. Then pause. Repeat this cycle several more times. What do you notice? How does it feel to repeat this movement and what body parts are being used? Go back to your fluid dance and then try it again. Notice your movement patterns. Then pause and stop. Recycle the movement. Step once again. Then pause. Take some time to harvest your findings. What body parts were used in your movement sequence? What feelings came to you? Colors? Textures? Emotions? Sensations? What was your connection/relationship to the floor or other surfaces? What was your connection to space (the third) in this sequence? As I step forward in my life, I need____. As I move forward in my life, I want_____. What is the missing piece(s) in my life dance____?
{Movement Explorations} -SJM So much movement within the planets this week. As Jupiter moves back into Ardra nakshatra, Rudra energy will be enlivened. This is a powerful and forceful energy that brings movement and changes with it. Destruction and chaos as well as emotions and anger. The symbols of Ardra are a tear drop and perspiration- the internal waters flowing; inner tides moving and offering changes. Change requires that there is an ending but also a beginning.
This week we will play with the image of "stepping into something new" and the movement and changes that come as a result of this forward momentum. Feet bring stability and grounding. They offer us the ability to "step forward" both physically and metaphorically in our lives. We sense and connect to the earth (the ultimate support system) through the souls of our feet which helps us find our overall balance, nourishment and resiliency. It's a new year and the time of Makar Sankranti in the Vedic calendar. Time to step forward with momentum and spring into new actions in order to harvest new growth, wisdom and abundance. Use the feet as a starting point for your movement exploration, but let this be a starting point only. Spine (flexibility and support) as well as chest (expand/contract and open/close) can also be important resources for self tracking this theme. Move through space starting with your feet awareness. Wake them up! Call upon them for activation! Let them move you forward! Let your feet speak to you! Then let that wisdom rise up through the rest of your body. Harvesting: What am I stepping towards? What am I moving away from? As I move forward, what do I need/want? As I close old doors, what do I need/want? What are my actions steps for growth and change? This week? This month? This year? As you think about your 2014 intentions/goals that you created last week, what image comes to you? Put this image on paper using a medium that connects to your theme. Example: water color for fluidity and change, oil pastels for commitments, collage for healing old wounds. Moon is waning (dark half/Krishna Paksha) The week starts off with Moon in its sign of exaltation, Taurus, and moves through, Gemini, Cancer and into Leo this week. Moon in its mulitrikona placement of Taurus on Monday 11.18 and Tuesday 11.19 and will be in its own sign, Cancer, 11.22 to 11.24, before Moon moves to Leo early evening on Sunday.
Sun has now entered Scorpio and moves to Anuradha nakshatra on 11.19. Ruled by Mitra, and considered "the friendly star", this nakshatra is concerned with friendship, building support and allies. Mitra is a protector and likes to form alliances and to help give success. Mars becomes sandhi late in the week on 11.25 in Leo and prepares to transit the gap into Virgo on 11.26. Be conscious of anger and aggression, watch for ego trips (yours and others), expect some frustrations. Plan accordingly. Utilize my jyoti/creative arts activities as a healing & awareness tool. This week's Jyoti/Expressive Art Therapy Creative Engagement Activity is centered around support and stability and has us working with the feet. *Horoscopes are based on your Vedic rising sign. You can also check your Moon and Sun signs for further insight. Do the same with your Navamsa signs for further clarity. Do not use these horoscopes with your “Western Sign” as there is likely no correlation. These horoscopes are meant to be used as a broad overview of the current transits and obviously do not address the specifics of an individual’s unique chart. Aries: This is a time of relating and relationship. How do you relate to your Self? Others? Your environment? Frustrations and delays? Joys and celebrations? What seems to feel supportive and what doesn't? Transformations are afoot. Pay attention to children this week. Be courageous with your desire for change. Take action steps in order for improvements to manifest. Taurus: Suddenly you are noticing all the shiny, sparkly objects/humans in your midst. Heart activation in full swing! Some of this ability to "connect" that is surfacing right now will be good for business. Just remember to play by the rules and/or ethical guidelines. Working on boundary issues is still top priority. Right now, you are getting another practice run in with the same old relationship details. Can you bring a new awareness to the same old emotional work? Listen to your gut and watch your diet. Gemini: Ahh, the lovers come and go. Oh how the lessons enter through the back door. And oh how the new awareness settles in, seeps in, gets digested and assimilated. This is a time of grande awareness Gemini. Your old bag of tricks is getting unpacked and you are (finally) doing the unpacking! Keep lightening your load and taking bold action steps. It's the road less traveled for you, but carving a new path will be worth it in the long run. Cancer: Heart expansion, heart contraction. Life feels good, life feels bad. You are happy, you are angry, you are sad. Lesson: find new ways to be in relationship with your emotions. Be with what is, without resistance. Ask your Self in the moments of upheaval "what do I need right now?" and "what part of my Self does not feel safe or supported?" How can you move towards emotional Self-acceptance? This week, take a step forward. Metaphors abound. Leo: What is the tussle between head and heart here Leo? Running over the same old ground and feeling stuck? It's a trust issue. But it's not about the other person- it's about you. What are you missing here? Turn the lens inward and ask your Self where this lack of courage to trust and feel support is coming from. Don't use the past to dictate your future. Carve a new path for your Self and be bold with your direction. Take a creative approach to this journey and let your heart swell and swoon a bit. It's good for you. Virgo: Should I stay or should I go? Do I expand or do I contract? Do I think big or stay small? Do I dream and desire or be safe and practical? Questions, concerns and worry continue to arise over issues of safety and security vs. taking big leaps of faith. Courage is expanding this month and yet confusion continues to keep you doubting your Self. Act anyway. Action steps are vital to your life force at this time. There is support for you, but it will look and feel different than the past- so keep senses awake. Being still and pausing is also important so you can get all the messages. Speak, express, use your throat to get your needs met. Libra: The same old lessons are returning and resurfacing. You feel the expansion, then the contraction, and then the confusion sets in. It feels hard to take action when the storms cloud your thinking. But action steps are crucial for movement, change, new options to arise. Think of life as a dance- you are learning some new more graceful foot work right now. Whether a cha cha, a samba or a waltz, or even a free movement flow, use this metaphor to artfully take action. What does your dance look like? What patterns do you see in your footwork? What is the rhythm you are dancing to ? Are you staying connected to your breath? Scorpio: Rise and shine Scorpio! The spot light is on you! Not time for stage fright right now! Career takes forward strides this week and yet you still feel some discomfort and mistrust looming in the background. It's the old voice, that old pattern from past disappointments and heart breaks talking again. What will it take for you to fully feel supported and safe? Certainty doesn't exist, but you can still cultivate a new relationship with the unknown. I urge you to move into the unknown, the uncertainty with more intention/attention. The best part is, you have full control over your response to it! So some of life is predictable after all. Sagittarius: Love has set in, is settled in. You see with a bit more rose suddenly. Feeling new possibilities? New options? Heart expanding? This is a time of counting your blessings, finding your gratitude and sharing it with others. Friends and siblings continue to offer support and guidance- but be careful of who and what you listen to. You can trust your instincts now- and should. Don't second guess your Self. Ultimately love is all there is and love is all you need. Continue to work on digestion and watch your intake of sweets and alcohol. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Find your moderation button and use it. Capricorn: It's been a slow few months with a fast and furious edge simultaneously. Your ability to face challenges with courage and bravery has taken a few twists and turns- with a great learning curve alive and well. Let the dust settle and the awareness to set in this week. Notice the pluses and minuses of the past few weeks and months and honor the transformation you've been going through. You can allow the acceptance and healing to enter now. Aquarius: Now is the time to take some action with your career. Some old relationships will help you get ahead. Perhaps a good friend or an older sibling? Challenges arise, but stay awake and willing to take your blinders off in order to get the full meaning from this time. Don't let the challenges derail you! The lesson here is about trusting your Self more, honoring your needs, and to quit relying on others to have all the answers for you. Step up to the challenges within you and around you. Pisces: Look for the heart swells this week. Those big internal expansions. Open your heart valves and let this love flow as an offering. Your work is about feeling this constant flow and endless supply with out attachment to outcome. It's just there. It always is and always will be. Be the channel, the portal for it. Create new pipelines for sharing and offering your natural, abundant supply of love and support. No control or manipulation of others, or of outcomes masked by your own needs and wants. Just love. Love and let go. Love and let go. |
