The astrological theme for July was Embracing Emotion.
It was an emotional month indeed. On the global sphere, we swam through waters of tragedy. We fed from the well of society’s shadows. Stones previously unturned woke from slumber. Their tumbling exposed mossy underbellies pregnant with unfathomable creatures. We held a magnifying glass to parts of ourselves and each other that defy reason. Things that don’t make any damn sense. Things that can make us feel helpless in their history and their enormity. Things that cause some to come up in arms, others to throw up their hands, and many to fall to their knees.
Here we are, in the midst of our exposure.
Some flavor of destruction dismantling around and within us.
A bewildering, deeply spiced dish of disrobement.
Can we meet each other here?
Can we say we walked through the fire, we waded through the depths, and it brought us closer? To ourselves. To truth. To naked reality. To one another.
Amid the tenderness, betwixt all that is arising, can we sense the soles of so many feet, traveling? Making steps. Pairs of eyes, taking views. One world made of so many spheres, like glowing texts in a beautiful library. A glorious feat.
Can we sit in the fire
Of our separateness
And through our hearts,
Find each other?
- Leigh Seeleman
The astrological theme for August is: Joy
Breathe the air.
Each breath, fresh.
A deep fresh.
A brand new fresh.
Each day.
Each breath.
The air we share. We circulate. Within and without.
What is joy?
July had us Embracing Emotion. Is joy an emotion?
On the surface, it may appear as such. But e-motions are just that: external motions. There is a fleeting, undulating quality about them, offering continuous change. Then there is something deeper. What remains constant and unchanging. Eternalness within.
Joy may seem like happiness. But where “happiness is a solid…joy is a liquid.” – JD Salinger
Joy endures.
At the heart of every emotion is a spiritual quality we all possess. An infinite and ultimately un-nameable attribute. Attempts to name it bring forth simple words, weighty with calm: Joy. Peace. Contentment.
Joy is our birthright.
Joy is the accumulation of naturalness.
Joy is an inherent gift of living we can return to again and again. It remains untouched by external conditions.
Joy is something we can nourish. That we can fan and feed within ourselves. Joy develops from a steady diet of radiance. Of giving thanks. Of seeing the world through the eyes of a magical child. Of performing selfless acts. Of relentlessly loving. Of giving generously. Of sharing perspectives. Of being in integrity. Of dancing in the ashes of what was, in honor of where we’ve been, and in celebration of where we have yet to go.
Joy brings purification. Joy houses holiness.
All beings have permission to experience joy,
Regardless. In spite of. Even so.
And when disparate parties come together to share in joy,
Everything heals.
Joy is a liquid.
I think of the Sanskrit term Ojas, considered to be the vital nectar of life. Ojas means “vigor” and “the physiological expression of consciousness.” Ojas is like an inner honey organically produced by the human body that nourishes every part of our being. It is replenishing, sustaining, protective, balancing, immune-boosting, age-defying, and mood-regulating. It is even beauty-enhancing; as true beauty is simply a by-product of love.
All have ojas, and there are ways it can be increased:
Be yourself.
Free yourself.
Be true.
Do what you love.
Engage your passions.
Laugh.
Love.
Eat yummy, healthful foods.
Give of your heart.
Relax.
Open the mind.
Spend time in nature.
Allow for ease.
Play.
Rest well.
Imbibe of life, and allow it to course through you.
Astrologically Speaking
This month we clear some territory. The journey of shadow-diving we have collectively shared since October 2014 (Saturn in Scorpio into Mars Retrograde through Scorpio) is officially coming to a close. As the moon becomes New in Leo August 2nd, Mars leaps from darkness into the light. There is a spirit of renewal. Freedom, growth, and expansion become the way. The search for meaning, for faith, for the ability to live within the skin of the authentic self, comes forefront. It is time to build mutual trust by embracing multidimensional perspectives. Polarization becomes synthesis, fostering global citizenship. New relationships begin, seeding emergent communities. We are children of the world. Born free.
Have faith. The global heart is rekindling.
Gaining Ground
The path ahead is not yet clear. This month, dynamic pressure and tension builds as Mars approaches Saturn in Sagittarius. Frustration and anger can arise as a challenge or obstacle presents itself. We are blocked. Stressed. Something stands in the way of progress. Mars and Saturn meet the morning of August 24.
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Marcus Aurelius
BOOM. Meditate on that.
The obstacle becomes the way. Every challenge is a chance to rise. To gain more authority. Maturation. Ownership. What we feel we lack becomes our hardest work, and eventually, our mastery. Because we put in the time, energy, and effort, eventually we make it real.
What’s your biggest recurring obstacle? The place where there are “should” and “cant’s” and a heavy sense of lack? (Hint: Where is Saturn in your chart?) It will likely be stimulated by the second and third week of August. Daddy issues. Sexual problems. Trouble with the masculine. Problematic authority. The supreme importance of natural will. The invitation to remember what we really want: lasting desire.
Perhaps we were born free, freedom was lost, and we’re earning back our freedom once again. Because when we earn something, we taste the reward. What we gain becomes a part of us; impossible to be lost again. Experience. Knowledge. A permanent imprint.
What happens in August will test our strength. It will ask us if we are aligned with our true soul purpose. If we aren’t, we’ll be re-routed. If we are, we’ll be asked to step it up. It will demand determination, patience, and persistence. If we rise to the occasion, we will strengthen our ability to endure. To overcome. To materialize the drive of our truly passionate spirit. Stepping stones to mastery.
Resistance is futile. Resistance is fertile.
Heed desire. Honor anger. These things are not to be repressed. They are to be channeled into productive achievements. Choose to use your energy wisely. No need for false dominance. Employ bravery. Take the most constructive path to growth. If we trust our inner wisdom, and the supreme intelligence of nature, we can manifest the realization of our goals. Accomplish big work.
The question is no longer “What do you want to do with your life?” The question now becomes:
“How does life want to express itself through you?”
The answer is unique to each individual. And it is also shared:
Fully.
Life wants you to be bright. Life wants you to be a star. How’s a star gonna do a half-shine? Make a light that lasts thousands of years after you’re gone. Let your purpose ring clear. Set your intention and step back.
Nature never hurries. And yet, everything is done.
And nature
Is truly
Unstoppable.
Nature says, “I am what I am.”
And sings the song of enduring joy, within it all.
L'Chayim
Daily transits will be posted shortly.
UPDATE: I typically do an in-depth report full of daily transits. Due to a family emergency, I am unsure whether I can post full month transits at this time.