Advice

Alacazem 2010.09.30

September 30 to October 7, 2010
Visible Planets: Morning: Mercury  Evening: Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn

Pairing and Sharing, Trust, Passion and Intimacy

September and October are all about relationships – how we show up in them, our desire to have them, what we do to sustain them and whether or not we are healthy and happy within them. The zodiac months of Virgo - how we prepare ourselves to be attractive and worthy – Libra – how we attract and pursue others – and Scorpio – how we feel and behave once we’ve made a commitment to another – occur at the time of year when we instinctively want to pair and share. Summer ends and autumn begins. Nights grow cool and days are shorter. Brilliant fall colors open our hearts to nature’s beauty and the bounty of harvest invites us to gather together at feasting tables and celebrations of the season. We look for partners and people with whom we can share our time, attention, food, possessions, thoughts, feelings and experiences. The pull to engage and involve ourselves with others is strong.

That said, this week combines the pairing and sharing energy of the year’s traditional “mating” season with a variety of dynamic planetary aspects and stations. Fleet-footed Mercury – ancient “messenger of the gods” – forms a semi-square to both Mars and Venus, a quincunx to Neptune, opposes Jupiter and Uranus, enters Libra, squares Pluto and then conjuncts the Moon, opening our minds and lighting fires in the realms of interactive communication, learning, teaching, education, information and perception in general. Recognize the transitory quality of thought and how quickly emotions come and go. Be on the lookout for words charged with criticism, feelings of urgency, impatience or insecurity and compulsive desires that may lead to impulsive actions, rash decisions or unenlightened behaviors. On the upside, brilliant ideas and exciting experiences can fuel enthusiasm and put wheels in motion regarding creative, romantic and spiritual pursuit. Pay attention to what you think and say – as per The Four Agreements - be impeccable with your word.

Alacazem 2010.09.23

The 2010 Harvest Moon comes to fruition just six hours after the Autumnal Equinox, not only adding extra oomph to an already powerful time of year, but also illuminating the present condition and current state of our affairs – personal, social, global and planetary. We are awakened to what is and what is not, what works for or against us, how we feel and how we deal. Taking place at the very first degree of Libra/Aries, this Full Moon/Equinox is beaming direct rays of light on our most important, significant and committed one-to-one relationships – specifically how we show up for others and how they show up for us – and asking us to take a good, long look at what we see. Aries is all about impulse, action and instinct while Libra is more about strategy, diplomacy and negotiation. Both are concerned with getting personal needs and desires fulfilled, it’s just a matter of style and preference as to how it’s accomplished.

We are being tossed in to a room of revolving mirrors, where the reflections of self and other are constantly changing in size, shape and scope. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself playing the diplomat one day and the demanding child the next. Or perhaps you are simply attracted to change, something totally different and unusual. The bottom line is that we are opening new energetic gateways and revealing new options in our sharing and pairing. What inspired us once, no longer seems to. The world is upside and sideways, nothing makes sense and security is an illusion. The best we can do is to be true to our values and ourselves, treat others with respect and kindness, do the next right thing and take it one day at a time. This is a time to be healthily selfish, accept responsibility for the condition of our relationships and personal affairs, work on doing what we can to make this Earth a better place to live and breathe, and be totally present – at all times and in all ways – be here now! We are embarking upon a fall season of great potential accomplishment, maturity and fruition. Equanimity, self-motivation and sweetness are allies. Good luck and may the beauty and bounty of Harvest be with you.
Peace, love and joy…

Alacazem 2010.09.16

Indian Summer, the Harvest Moon and the Cosmic Bridge

It’s no secret that I love Indian Summer. It’s by far and away my favorite time of year. After all, I chose to enter this earth plane in early October, when the leaves are in full blaze and the skies are so deeply blue it takes my breath away. I always feel a combination of ecstasy and sorrow as summer ends and autumn begins. The bounty of harvest - delectable, delicious vine-ripe tomatoes, luscious homegrown grapes and rose-colored, sun-kissed apples – takes me back to my earliest memories of fall - walking home from school, golden leaves swirling and the sun fiery-hot upon my back. The season of hide-and-seek, swimming pools and freshly cut grass was over. Classrooms, football and homework had begun. A strong sense of anticipation, the awareness of change, the ability to canvas the present with the past and accept myself exactly as I was at that moment - knowing that it was up to me to make the best of it, whatever that might be - be a good student, do my best, embrace the unknown and walk courageously in to the future, one semester at a time – I might move closer to becoming the person I wanted to be.

Alacazem 2010.09.09

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

End of Summer Beauty and Bounty, Labor and Love

The Virgo zodiac month is all about the end of summer, days grow short and nights are cooler. A touch of impending autumn is in the air and we feel the pull of seasonal change. Virgo is a mutable earth sign, which means it’s an energy of mutation and metamorphosis, grounded in the here and now, manifested on the material plane via our physical senses and experiences. We can actually see, smell, hear, taste, touch and feel the transformational magic of the Mother Earth, the Father Sky and the Great Spirit as fruits ripen and meadows morph from green to gold. Harvest season is upon us, firewood is being cut and gathered, kitchens are busy with canning and cleaning as we instinctively prepare for winter.

The poignant beauty of September evokes wonder, gratitude, awe and a delicate sense of sorrow. I know that the blazing days of summer heat and evenings of warm, luscious turquoise twilight have past. I can look forward to those amazing, magnificent days of Indian Summer, but, in my heart, I feel the cooling breeze of seasonal change and know the wheel has turned.

May the blessings and grace of summer’s end be beautiful, bountiful and filled with the fruits of our Virgo labor and love. Happy Harvest!

Alacazem 2010.09.02

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

"Fillm" in Telluride and Returning to Revisit, Relax and Review

Mercury is retrograde in Mercury ruled Virgo this week and will remain so until September 13th. Combined with a waning Moon, the ongoing conjunction of Mars and Venus in Libra, and incredibly dark, blue-black night skies, we are certain to have plenty of opportunity to get lost (in romance, on the road or at the movies) and be deeply intrigued by what we see, what we hear and where we end up. As always, Mercury retrograde periods favor all things beginning with the prefix “re” – return, recharge, relax, review, regenerate, research, revise, remodel, redo…the list goes on and on. It’s kind of like driving in the rain, with wipers flapping and our vision slightly impaired. The world is mystical and magical, edges are blurred and distinctly delineated boundaries disappear.

Alacazem 2010.08.26

Life is all about balance and polarity. Night and day, dark and light, good and bad, boy and girl. We are individual human beings dancing a cosmic dance of action, attraction and interaction with invisible and visible forces; pursuing dreams and desires, chasing rainbows and running or hiding from what scares us. We need courage and strength to fight our battles and sweet love to nurture our souls and sustain our spirits. It’s a process of push and pull, give and take, come and go, here and there, holding on and letting go. The River of Life is ever-flowing, on and on, up and down, fast and slow, around and around. Riding the rapids of change or floating the calm waters of peace and contentment, we will forever be particles and waves, electromagnetic bodies repelling and attracting the negative and positive forces of the physical and metaphysical planes.

Human survival and evolution depend upon procreation, the union of opposites – male and female – the process of sexual interaction that reproduces life. And in order for that to take place, a man’s sperm and a woman’s ovum must come together – the classic act of Mars and Venus – bond with each other and stay together long enough to bear fruit. The miracle of birth – new life – is the ultimate expression of Mars/Venus, but there are plenty of Mars/Venus acts that don’t result in fruitful unions. In fact, billions of Mars/Venus acts go on in every second of every day of every year, and they’ve been going on for millennia! It’s the game of predator and prey, win and lose, king and queen.

Alacazem 2010.08.19

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

Awakening and Change Afloat on an Ocean of Emotion

Planet Uranus, the Great Awakener, has recently moved in and out of Aries - the very first sign of the tropical zodiac – and, in so doing, has awakened us to what’s up in the road ahead. Aries is the sign of primal instinct, self-awareness and survival. Aries is ruled by the “red-planet” Mars – ancient god of war and champion of desire – and is the sign most associated with new beginnings, fresh cycles, initiation, motivation and action. It is a positive, masculine sign of cardinal modality, the energy of pursuit and prey, passion, competition, exertion and assertion. Whenever a planet moves into Aries, we enter new territory and explore new frontiers. It’s also a time of rebirth and recovery, when we are called upon to reincarnate or regenerate what has died or disappeared, been destroyed or fallen into dysfunction. It heralds the revival of important ideas and forces, as well as a period of broad and significant individual and collective change.

Alacazem 2010.08.12

The Eternal Heart-Flame of Life after Life and Love after Love

The Leo sun-time is full of passion and power, courage and heart. The wild sunflowers are in full bloom, Olathe sweet corn is on the table and sweet Palisade peaches pop up at fruit stands and in local markets. The seasonal monsoon rains bring flash-floods and mudslides, dramatic lightning and crashing thunder, followed by shimmering, vibrant rainbows, magnificent sunsets and evenings of stellar beauty, peace and grace.

Leo is a love sign. It’s all about loving life, embracing and living it, holding it tight, close to the heart. It’s hugging the people we love, kissing our babies, showing affection for others and demonstrating heartfelt emotions. It’s the creative force and power of creation. It’s the creative spark, the goddess within, dancing divas and magical beings, flamboyant fairies and laughing lions. It’s imagination, art and romance. It’s however, wherever and whenever we experience the primal power of Heart - our own life force, our personal truth, self-will and ego - our individual connection to the Divine - in all its mystery and magnificence – in the moment, in the now, in the burning fire of the present.

Alacazem 2010.08.05

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

Astronomy & Astrology - the Visible & Invisible

The other day I had a friend come up to me and ask, “Is that Mars and Saturn conjunct in the evening sky at dusk?” When I responded in the affirmative, he said, “Well, that explains it!” and gave me a piercing, knowing look.

I always love it when people comment on the visible – and invisible – planets. A few years back, a woman who has risen well before dawn for years asked me about a brilliant point of light she had been watching each morning above the eastern horizon. Could it be a UFO or space station? No, it was only Venus at perihelion, awesome and dazzling in the predawn blue-black darkness.

Alacazem 2010.07.29

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

The Love of Leo and the Power of Heart

The green, green, green of early summer has morphed in to the green, gold, brown of late July. The tall meadow grass has gone to seed - it looks like wheat swaying in the morning breeze. Irrigated fields patchwork the mesa in shades of emerald green and bright yellow sunflowers dance along the roadsides. The winter snow has melted on the peaks and monsoon rains flash-flood canyons and valleys, causing mudslides and stopping traffic. Rainbows blaze and hummingbirds feast, while bluebirds perch on fence posts and teach their young how to hunt.