Author: Cynthia Hansen Zehm

Alacazem 2010.07.22

July 22 to 29, 2010   Visible Planets: Morning: Jupiter  Evening: Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn

On Sunday, July 25th @ 7:37 p.m. MDT, the July 11th New Moon solar eclipse cycle comes to fruition in the opposition aspect of a Full Moon. This lunation takes place in the Leo/Aquarius polarity @ 03º00’ and therefore packs plenty of power when it comes to matters of the heart.

Alacazem 2010.07.15

Visible Planets: Morning: Jupiter  Evening: Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn

Mother Earth Embraces the Proud and Passionate Lion

Summer is in full force as the Cancer zodiac month draws to a close. The sweltering heat sucks moisture from the land and towering cumulus clouds rise up above the wide expanse of Wrights Mesa. Magnificent sunsets give way to a delicate crescent Moon cradling brilliant Venus in turquoise twilight. The nights are warm and embracing. I feel blessed and fortunate to be here now, close to Mother Nature, witnessing the eternal dance of the stars and planets - here on Earth - a part of life, as we know it.

Alacazem 2010.07.08

Visible Planets: Morning: Jupiter  Evening: Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn

Cancer New Moon Solar Eclipse reminds us to "Honor thy Mother"

This week, on July 11th, the Sun and Moon come together @ 19º24’ Cancer in the exact planetary aspect of a total solar eclipse. Although visibility occurs only in the Southern Pacific Ocean and lower South America, the cosmological effects take place all over the entire globe.

Cancer is the quintessential sign of Mother and mothering, home and family, childhood innocence and childlike vulnerability. It’s also where and when we feel dependent and scared, seek comfort and court security. It’s the part of us that fiercely protects and nurtures life, our primal instinct to care take and be taken care of - the unified field of mother and child. The suckling baby and the loving mother, the parent who stays home rather than pursue a career and the parent who works hard to put food on the table and provide for the family are all manifestations of this very strong and powerful, yet gentle and sensitive cardinal water sign.

Alacazem 2010.07.01

“In Telluride, summer begins and ends on the 4th of July…”

When I first moved to Telluride, back in the late ‘70’s, there were two sets of elderly twin sisters – the Wunderlichs and the Rinquists – that represented summer in the San Juans as the shortest season of the year. The verdant aspen, the lush green valley floor, the stunning waterfalls and magnificent wildflowers painted a canvas of captivating, but fleeting, beauty. The black and white valley cows grazed peacefully against the backdrop of Ingram Falls, the town was small and quiet, hard-to-get-to and relatively unknown. The biggest event of summer came on the 4th of July, when the town ignited with flags, parades and games of sport. Native American Ute Indians came up to join in the festivities, the volunteer fire department cooked up a barbeque feast in town park and, when darkness came, deafening blasts and sizzling fireworks rocked the raucous crowd with ooohs and aahhs, whistles and wows.

Alacazem 2010.06.24

June 24 to July 1, 2010    Visible Planets: Morning: Jupiter  Evening: Venus, Mars and Saturn

Memories of Summer and a Cancer/Capricorn Lunar Eclipse

I’m flashing on this time of year and all the memories I have of summer.

Laying in the lush green grass of my childhood home in Denver on a warm summer evening – in shorts and a tank top - watching brilliant Venus glimmer and glow in turquoise twilight, kissing a slender crescent Moon and calling to me above the deep blue silhouette of the majestic Rocky Mountains – the distinctive shape of Mount Evans and the twinkling lights of the city below…

I can remember dreaming of handsome boys and romantic possibilities. So young and full of hope, the world before me and my life an open road. And, yes, there were young men and sweet embraces, porch swings and midnight kisses, ’56 Chevys and hours of sunbathing in the backyard with my two sisters, working on our tans. Tennis and swimming, laughing and lounging, loving every minute of the long, hot summer.

Alacazem 2010.06.17

It’s Bluegrass in Telluride and that means summer. I can remember the first fledgling festivals, Fred Shellman and the old stage. I had a boutique on Colorado Avenue back then, called the Ritzy Gypsy, and my partner, Ginette Petrie, and I designed and hand-screened T-shirts in our garage to capitalize on the summer’s biggest event. It was just as wild and crazy back then as it is today, just a lot smaller and a lot less people. The days were just as hot, the music just as awesome and the food just as tasty.

We have a very special place here in the San Juans, its magic and mystique will never die, no matter what goes on in the world outside. The oil gushing in the Gulf is daunting, but, then, so is the water gushing over Bridal Veil and Ingram Falls. I am always blown away by the stunning magnificence of the Telluride Valley and Box Canyon at Bluegrass. The Mother Earth pours forth her summer season with a power and grace that erases memory, changes the channel and tunes us in to the very, upfront here and now of nature’s dazzling beauty and endless bounty. The verdant, swaying aspen, the crystalline blue skies and the rosy glow of sunset followed by turquoise twilight make these days days of blessing and peace. May you walk in the beauty and swim in the bounty. And don’t forget to celebrate Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year - on Monday, June 21st – when the Sun crosses the zero point of Cancer and the sizzling season of summer officially begins. In the meantime, may Merlin and the Witches - high up above in the couloirs of Bear Creek - watch over you. Happy summer!

Alacazem 2010.06.10

The June 12th Gemini New Moon gives all of us a chance to re-frame the ways in which we perceive, process and define our world. Whether we’re talking personal, social, national, global or universal, it’s all about what we see and how we experience it. Take a room of people and expose them all to the same exact scene and situation, action and activity, and the descriptions of what happened will vary from one individual to another. Perception is colored by experience, education and exposure. A lot of what we see is what we have learned to see, what we have been “told” to see. Reality is relative to what we believe is “real.”

 Gemini follows Taurus, where we learned about finite, physical reality.  Taurus provides for, nurtures and sustains life. Gemini thinks and questions, talks and listens. It is here we gather information, explore ideas, communicate our thoughts and travel around the block to find out what’s going on outside our door. Gemini is curious and clever, loves to laugh and play. Ruled by Mercury, this multi-faceted, multi-talented sign is forever changing, shape-shifting and morphing into whatever or whomever seems to be most appealing, popular or current at the time. Motion oriented, mobile and mutable, it’s difficult to capture or keep Gemini energy still for very long. It is inherently restless, coming and going like the wind.