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For all of 2017, this blog will feature an artist or entrepreneur resonant with the monthly theme.

Original Lampworking by Raven of Unity Glass Art

March Artist Feature:

Raven Cooper is a living example of this month's theme: Be the Healing. 15 months after meeting the love of her life, she lost him to cancer.

"Someone once said that magic is born from pain. The deeper the pain, the greater the magic and the greater the potential for healing. It's magic when you can heal those cracks in your soul. It’s a form of magic when you melt glass and transform it in to something beautiful." - Raven Cooper

Her glass work is her way of healing herself, and spreading prayerful healing intentions to others. As she makes glass art, she plays uplifting music. She sings. She dances. She loves on cats and dogs, and looks at pictures of beloved friends and family. She concentrates on these feelings as she works: hope, gratitude, appreciation, happiness, peace, and love.

"It is my hope that when worn, these pieces will impart to the wearer those very emotions, and that these talismans will brighten their day and perhaps even their lives." - Raven Cooper

For more about Raven Cooper's story and Unity Glass Art, please see her facebook page here .

The Astrological Theme for February 2017 was Shine Your Light.

We made it through the first eclipse season of the year! Astrologically speaking, it was a doozy. These eclipses will hold influence until the next round of eclipses in August 2017.

When eclipses occur, it's like a cosmic reboot. The lights go out temporarily. When they come back on again, we see things in a new way. We find ourselves in different conditions.

Like all transits, eclipses affect us on the level of collective consciousness. They also influence each individual uniquely, depending on where they fall in relationship to an individual's chart.

For example! 6 months ago, during last eclipse season, I moved into a temporary home. Last September's eclipses influenced my Moon (ruler of home and family). This month, eclipses fell on my Moon again. Lo and behold, I found myself suddenly moving into a more permanent residence; one that better fits the vision of my life moving forward.

What came up for you in February? What were the main themes? What were you working with and dancing with? Notice. Jot it down in a place where, come August, you can look back and see what the next set of eclipses will stimulate. This is how we track evolution.

This eclipse season was a convergence.

It was a bit of a cosmic shit show.

Past, present, and future collide.

It was like a massive, simultaneous influx and outpouring of energy.

Lots was stirred.

Outworn, past patterning arose to surface. The places of us that are wounded or vulnerable gave outcry. The side-effects to this could have been fatigue, illness, confusion, excessive uncertainty, conflict, unexplained uncomfortable emotions, and addictive/escapist behavior. In my town, virus and fever swept through the community. I jokingly referred to it as the plague. Many were down for the count for a couple of weeks. What was most interesting about this virus is that it presented differently for everyone it struck. No two sets of symptoms were the same.

There is a theory that illness strikes for two basic reasons:

To make us rest
To make us fast

In Chinese Medicine systems there is a phrase "Release the Exterior." I envision our beings as ever-regenerating fractal essence, moving in burgeoning spirals. Imagine the past and the future colliding and folding in on themselves. It is like a flood of undifferentiated, unclarified, and undetermined energy. When floods happen, the water is not necessarily clean and pristine. Rather, it is full of all kinds of stuff. Toxicity travels easily in fluid.

Those fluids must be filtered, boiled, or somehow alchemically refined in order to remove the impurities.

Calling in! A giant, cosmic, high-quality water purifier!

It is normal to feel fearful and overwhelmed; whether by the state of the world, or by the state of your own life and inner scape. It is normal to feel worn down.

What helps you to purify? Meditation? Energy work? Music? Qi Gong? Drinking lots of tea? Taking baths? Talking to a therapist? Naps?

Move it through. Allow it to flow.

In order to embrace what is entering, we need to release. Release what is taking up unnecessary space. Release what no longer serves your life vision moving forward. Surrender it. Give it up. Hand it over to a supreme natural intelligence. Who you used to be is not who you are now.

Who we used to be is not who we are now.

Let's hold space for change to take place.

Imagine trimming the fat. Envision yourself with lots of tethers around you. Each tether is connected to someplace your energy and attention are going. Which tethers are ready to drop? It can be so easy. It's as easy as simply letting go.

Allow,

and nourish what remains.

We are being asked to release the accumulated past, and at the same time,

enormous potential energy is arriving on the scene.

There is a sense of great opportunity. A climate of rapid change. A chance for wondrous expansion and unprecedented growth. There is an urgency to leave what may be comfortable and familiar; and take calculated risks that lead us to fulfilling our potential.

The tension between spiritual and material gives birth to reality.

The Astrological Theme for March 2017 is Be the Healing

We are made for these times.

If it's happening, it is meant to be.

Settle into that.

Claim it.

At times, this defies logical sense. It transcends linear processing. It leads us into the territory of trust. Presence. Acceptance. Pure being.

Nature heals.

Healing is an automatic function of nature. We are nature.

Life-force energy is healing. This omnipotent energy resides within each of us.

The more present we are to what is, the more we feed and nourish the natural process of healing that is destined to take place.

Some things that happen in life do not make sense. Contrary to the popular claim, some things don't happen for any comprehensible reason. And it is not okay in any way, shape, or form.

But we are resilient.

We are hardy.

Our lives are robust with instinctive willingness to regenerate, recuperate, and restore.

Despite and in service of it all, we are still here.

Not only are we here. Not only are we meant to be here. But each individual being comprises a whole reality. More than just participants,

We literally are the world we live in.

Raven's story is heartbreaking. Rather than enjoy a long-lasting future with the love of her life, she ushered him swiftly into the afterlife.

After sitting with thousands of clients in sessions over the years, I can tell you that Raven's story is one in 7 billion. Every person has a story of tragedy. Every person has a story of loss. Loss is not always what it seems. It is not something we can comprehend with our linear mind. Things that look like loss on one level are gain on others.

Raven's story is real. And Raven is here. Her loss changed her life. Raven's love helped her to let go and transform. It provoked her to slow down enough to see where she wanted to make changes that supported her priorities. Her love sent her to a newfound home. It delivered her to even more love in the form of community. It sent her deeper into connection. It motivated her to make beautiful glass art.

Now, Raven knows the importance of soothing and remembrance. She anchors the power of healing intention. She processes her pain through creation and communion. Each piece of glass art Raven makes is a prayer for healing. Healing herself is linked with creating tokens to help soothe and heal others. Healing is as healing does.

What sticks out to me is how Raven infuses healing into her artwork:

She takes ownership over the process.

She chooses an intention, then creates an environment absolutely infused with that intention. She calls in influences that support the intention. She steeps herself in the feelings she wants to transmit through her work.

Raven knows that glass, like water, is receptive to energy. She maintains that her art absorbs, and is distinctly infused with, what she puts into it.

Raven's glasswork is a metaphor for anything in life. Each of us is a creator. We are invited to step more into conscious creator-hood. Mastery. We have the power to infuse every breath, every action, every word, with intention. We can be tuning forks to permeate our world with more of what we deeply love.

The astrology of 2017 invites us to claim our lives, and in doing so, claim our world.

We are charged with the task of resolving and clearing up old karma. We are asked to embody just ownership. This means becoming more responsible - to exactly what it is we are meant to be responsible for. Nothing more, nothing less. This means becoming more accountable and sustainable. This means owning what we know, and cultivating our relationship with the mysterious and unknowable.

It can be simple:

Starve what you want to see and be less of in this world.
Feed what you want to see and be more of in this world.

Allow your life to be a masterpiece of engagement with the creation of Heaven on Earth.

Gracefully release what isn't meant for you, and nourish what remains.

And Love. Every step of the way.

Life is a process. Life is the gift of being present.

To your process and your presence,

L'Chayim

Stone Medicine for the Month from POUND Jewelry

"Known as the 'Master Healer,' Crystal Quartz is one of the most common stones on the planet. It is a stone of many shapes and varieties and is known to carry codes of light and energetic transmission within. Clear Crystal Quartz is a power stone for amplifying and transmitting whatever energy you need most. It is highly adaptable and resonates with what YOUR intention and needs are in this moment. Clear Crystal Quartz is an incredibly versatile and magnetic stone that has many different purposes. It has the capability of clearing or "cleansing" other stones in it's vicinity and are very susceptible to your personal energetic vibrations and needs. Since ancient times, Crystal Quartz crystals have been declared to hold their own living consciousness; storing memories or information that will be gifted to their owner when their owner is open and ready to receive them.

The most beautiful aspect of this stone in our opinion is that is gives us all the opportunity to be our own oracles. YOU get to feel into yourself and recognize what intention you wish to set with the stone and you also have the opportunity to interpret the stone's messages. We highly recommend you TRUST yourself and the meanings/healings you feel in your heart and in your body when working with or wearing this stone. BE THE HEALING. Because you are the healing. We all are. We just have to remember!"

In-Depth Transit Forecast

All times listed in EST

March 1 Sun conjunct Neptune (9:44pm)

Illuminating the dream. The light of the conscious mind shines through fog today. This can feel like fatigue and confusion. If so, rest. Calm down. Bathe yourself. There is a grand dream shaking loose, but the dream of our future is still intertwined with that of our past. Be still. Meditate. Listen to the subtleties and be washed clean. Patience and forgiveness will take us into relationship with that which is unconditional and transcendent. Wherever we find ourselves today, use a compassionate embrace. Imagine gathering all the energies available and organizing them for healing. We are perfect. We are healed. We are whole.

March 2 Jupiter opposite Uranus (8:15pm)

Big change. Radical revolution. Unexpected accidents. Progressive leaps. Reinvention of self as autonomous supports harmonious rebalancing in relationships. The future is here. It is now. It is us.

March 4 Venus stations Retrograde in Aries (4:09am) Mercury conjunct Neptune (6:10am)

Venus has been blazingly bright in the sky for the last many weeks. Venus, the feminine archetype. The Goddess of Love, Beauty, Harmony, Worth, Sensuality, and Balance. Aries, the archetypal Warrior, Leader, and Pioneer. This Venus Retrograde is of profound importance, as it will lead the Goddess Venus into rising as a morning star in Aries for the final cycle in our lifetime. What does this mean? The Fierce Feminine is Rising. I am co-teaching a retreat in Costa Rica from April 1-8 to embody and ceremonially honor this particular potent expression of presiding Venus. During this retreat, we will activate and set truth into motion. Venus in Aries wants to Arise. Aries is a sign of impulse, instinct, passion, and direct action. It is time to move swiftly and distinctly to blaze new trails around what we believe in, that we may restore balance. Each of us has a unique contribution. The key is taking what ignites us and DOING something about it. Venus in Aries is strong, bold, and courageous. She looks fear in the face and runs towards her desires with wild abandon. Spirit-directed, she embodies achievement of her soul mission. She is a pioneer protector, willing to be clear and decisive in her dealings. As she sets her own trail ablaze, she lays a path of light for others to follow. In this way, Venus in Aries moves us all forward at the speed of Light. Take lead.

From Tami Brunk of Venus Alchemy (one of the co-teachers at the Fierce Feminine Retreat):

Preparation and Training for Battle

During the Venus Retrograde Window, from March 4 through April 15 can be seen as a time to prepare for "battle"--in other words to reflect, plan your strategy, get clear on your commitments and priorities and build your strength so you can be "all in" in the coming months where you'll need to be fully engaged in your life purpose and mission.

Reflection and Self Honoring Practice

March 4-18: Venus prepares to cross between the Earth and the Sun. Take time for deep reflection on what you have experienced from August 2015 until now (the full Leo Venus Cycle). Give gratitude for everything you have learned. Celebrate all the ways you have grown. Cultivate practices of Self Love every chance you get to anchor the energies of your own inner Leo Sovereign Queen within your being at the cellular level. We need her deep and fully resonant inside of us.

Meanwhile, Mercury conjunct Neptune in Pisces is foggy, cloudy, and dreamy perceptions. We might be feeling fatigued or distracted. We can be so porous to information, emotional and psychic content, that we can become flooded. It can be difficult now to tell what is really and what is illusion. Sense the subtle. Free your mind through meditation, rest, music, art, and inspiration. Notice your intuitive perceptions and allow them to cleanse your experience. Surrender anxiety, doubt, and avoidance. Instead, become even more present through compassionate communications and prayer. You are not a victim to this life. You are an integral part of spiritual oneness. Clarify yourself, and let source channel through unobstructed. Great day for healing communications.

March 5 Mars trine Saturn (3:45pm)

Our actions can be inspired, a bit reckless, and supported if they are authentic to who we are and what we are meant to accomplish. Employ strength and passionate determination. Take steps that will lead you down a path of truth for the long haul. Measure it - and then DO it. Sometimes the only thing that separates us from fulfillment is clear and determined action not yet taken.

March 6 Sun conjunct Mercury (7:29pm)

The messenger is in court with the King, the Queen, the Sovereign. This could be one of those days where it is hard for people to see outside their bubble. On the negative, we can be dogged by victim mentality, apathy, or self-doubt. Foot-in-mouth-syndrome could ensue. On the positive, we have the opportunity to connect empathically with our highest dreams and ideals. Not just dreams for ourselves, but for the collective. Let emotions flow and treasure the messages received today as signs pointing us to pure communion with One.

March 8 Mercury sextile Pluto (12:25am)

Mental transformations. Excellent time to dig deep into the inner workings of subconscious. DNA and ancestral patterning can be accessed and utilized with potency. Great day to hermit alone in meditation or goal-oriented activity; or come together with strong intention with other purposed individuals in ceremony.

March 9 Sun sextile Pluto (3:33am) Mercury inconjunct Jupiter (9:57am) Mars enters Taurus (7:34pm)

Magnetism is emphasized, now. So attract consciously where possible. And unwind inner tension to support the ways in which you attract.

Place focus on what you want to grow. Remove direct attention from that which you would like to shrink. Hold space for it, yet withdrawal engagement. This is how we allow things to find their own way, by natural law. As for your own mental and behavioral patterns; strike a balance. Everything in moderation.

After galloping forward with great speed since January 28, Mars slows down as he enters Taurus. Mars in Aries was great for getting things going. But in order to sustain, we need to pace ourselves. Take your time. Work strongly and steadily, and then take time to rest. Sometimes we need to lay on the Earth. Sometimes we need to smell roses and slather ourselves with sensual oils. This is a time of banking - investing time and energy into things you would like to see grow over time. This is how we ripen so the fruits of our loving, loyal, dedicated actions become juicy and ever-nourishing. Feel into it more, and let your body guide your direction.

March 10 Mercury conjunct Chiron (8:35pm)

Words can heal. Thoughts and conversations can be painful, but they may lead us to experience the missing pieces of our soul. These want to be integrated. If it feels sensitive, it's an indicator that this content can act as a bridge to deepen our understanding of self and one another. Experiment. Chiron rules the parts of ourselves that potentially never really heal; but as we experience these "missing links" in our humanity, we are driven to try myriad remedies and tools of solution. We gain the knowledge of self-healing, which we can pass on to others.

March 11 Sun inconjunct Jupiter (3:00pm)

Personal love and universal love. Companionship relationship and oneness. How do they intersect? Sometimes we get lazy in love. We can take partnership for granted. We can forget oneness. We can become complacent. Use this transit to take honest stock of relationship and invigorate connection. Partnership can be a path through which we experience greater oneness. At the same time, solitude and meditation can bring us closer to our loved ones and companions. Find a harmonious balance.

March 12 Mercury square Saturn (8:10am) Full Moon in Virgo (10:54am)

Feeling scattered? Blocked? Mercury square Saturn can be pessimistic as it is highly aware of obstacles. This can be a time of mental stress. Excellent use of this energy is focusing on overcoming negative thinking. An obstacle is always an invitation to gain integrity. Be practical in your dealings and communications. Big visions currently abound. Our dreaming is wonder-full. Let's be sure to ground those visions in practical reality. Dreaming meet doing. Let word and thoughts become carefully manifest. We can heal karma. When we've had our revelation, we then bring it down from the mount and make use.

The Full Moon in Virgo on March 12, 2017 (10:54amEST) is an evolutionary reweaving. Imagine your life is a rainbow crocheted infinity scarf. The scarf was carefully crafted through self-consistency. Each stitch is like an echoed reverberation of your own story. You have worn this scarf for a few seasons, and it is showing signs of wear. What once was a congruent linked pattern is becoming unraveled and frayed. Its resistances, dissonances, and dysfunctions are obvious; and seem like great excuses to throw it out. It might be easy to get down and out about how things are and let it all fall apart. But the same excuse to stop is the invitation to begin. This is where dreaming meets doing. Patch and fortify the rough places. With dedicated craftsmanship, turn them into the most beautiful elements of being. Remain as careful in the end as you were in the beginning, and there will be no mistake. Your stubborn connection to that which is enduringly real is impossible to discourage. Channel your life in selfless service to return our world to its perfect design. It was there all along, and it is everlasting.

For every New and Full Moon, find a complementary Movement Ritual on the Qoya Blog.

March 13 Mercury enters Aries (5:07pm)

Forward, march! At last, clear, decisive mental direction. It's as if our minds have moved beyond the territory of loss, confusion, and feeling limited by inner beliefs and external conditions. Done with feeling lost at sea? Choose something! No more mulling it over. Identify what you want and what you're after. Follow what lights your fire. Speak boldly from a place of personal strength. It's your story. Own your view and live what you came here to bring. Ignite. Don't wait. Get things going now.

March 14 Sun conjunct Chiron (10:41pm)

Ah, the pain and vulnerability of being human. We are so much more porous and absorbent than we seems. The desire to be boundless can free us or bind us even more. What comes up today is sensitive, and it is ready to be healed. Our healing process is illuminated, like sunlight streaming into the ocean's surface. Rest into it. Drift and dream with it. See what naturally dissolves when you forgive and accept. Sometimes all we have to do is let go. Let flow. Allow. We learn, over and over, how to see and be the bigger picture. The pain of separation is the same gift that allows us to experience wholeness.

March 17 Sun square Saturn (5:47pm)

Hard surfaces block out light, but they also seem to focus it. The cracks in the wall where the light does shine through feel potent in their brightness. Our creative essence and personality can feel blocked today. Or is it being condensed into something of practical use? Meet pressure and duty with dedication and ethic. Molding ourselves into something more masterful and sturdy takes time. Work it, get it done, and you might find the pressure subsides.

March 18 Mercury conjunct Venus (8:27am)

Speak beautifully. Write poetry. Tell tales of love and passionate harmony. Think and talk about the relationships that feel like real reflections of your individual brilliance. Love is strong and courageous. Light it up.

March 20 Spring Equinox. Sun enters Aries (6:29am)

Resurrect! Today, the length of day and night are equal and the return of the light is upon us. Sun leaves water territory of confusion and dissolution, the Pisces realm of self-undoing and sacrifice in order to experience spiritual oneness. Warmth of the Sun now encourages the young, brave shoots that have been fertilizing underground to emerge into the light of a new day, a fresh season. Ah, to be! I Am essence. Independently me. An identity. Each individuated self shines with the raw courage to merely exist within the miracle of life, Now. As the Sun traverses Aries over the next 30 days, we will see and be our arising self for the sake of balance. We will embody ourselves more fully to reinstate justice. We will use our struggle to train and emerge ever-stronger, ever brighter, full of the fiery passion that blazes in our power center: the place between our hearts and where we gestate new life. The new cycle that unfolds says: go forth and be yourself!

March 23 Mercury square Pluto (8:45pm)

Thoughts and conversations can be deep or intense today. There may be an authoritative flair. Shadow elements can nag underneath the surface. Is a power struggle at the heart of your unease? Dive deep and do your research but avoid paranoia, obsession, or extreme words/thinking. Great day to alchemize and transform deeply ingrained unconscious patterns. Therapy, trauma-release, and shadow work are recommended. What's in the unconscious? Mine it and make it gold. This precedes some deeper, more complete awakenings.

March 24 Mercury opposite Jupiter (8:45am)

Self wants to be set free. But there is tension. Can self be free and still be in connected relationship with others? How does free self inform and engage in society at large? Can one follow their passions and remain in balance? In truth, One is a morsel of All. Accept the task of being more of yourself. This is what enables you to foster connection with others. This is what heals society at large. Adapt to the changes that beseech you. There is radical growth swelling for you and for us; and it is bound to make all more free.

March 25 Sun conjunct Venus (6:17am)

Today Venus, Feminine Planetary Goddess, passes between the Earth and Sun in what's known as an interior conjunction. This happens approximately once every 19 months. Venus is on her way to transitioning into a new cycle for the feminine on the planet. Wild Warrior Women are called to Arise and Lead. Fierce Feminine blazes the trail forward for us all. It's all about active LOVE, balance, and reunion. Love is a verb!

Join myself and 3 other teachers in an embodied celebration of this planetary activity at the Fierce Feminine Retreat in Costa Rica, April 1-8.

From Tami Brunk of Venus Alchemy:

March 19-31: Venus is With the Sun in the "Metamorphic Underworld." This time of High Magic contains worlds within worlds of possibility. We are all going through a deep metamorphic process, taking the quantum leap, and it is good to surrender within this window to whatever Spirit has in store for you, to go with the flow, allow change, unexpected miracles and opportunities and dramatic reversals and releasing to all happen knowing it is in perfect, Diving Timing.

March 26 Mercury conjunct Uranus (12:06pm)

AWAKEN! The time is now. Collective mindsphere, activate! Take us higher and broader.This is a transit of big AHA's, instantaneous flash insights, and collective genius. Independently, we don't necessarily have all the answers. But when we sit in circle or engage in a community of hearts on fire, magic happens. Answers and inspiration arrive. A huge change has the potential to take place now. Something we never could have seen coming. Something unpredictable and miraculous. An innovative leap. A renaissance of now!

March 27 Mars sextile Neptune (12:44pm) New Moon in Aries (9:57pm)

Mars sextile Neptune aligns empathy and action. Take steps in the direction of your sweetest dreams. Rather than reach for an illusion of perfection, embrace the perfection that already is now and put that to good use. This is a beautiful transit of moving towards the dream. Mystical and magical in nature; it's a great time to turn imagination into reality.

The New Moon in Aries on March 27, 2017 (9:57pmEST) is a quickening for the sake of ripening. Center your New Moon intentions around Love. Love as a verb. Active, decisive, courageous love. Love that does not turn away from conflict, but blazes a trail through it instead. Love with a persistent will and a fighting spirit behind it. Love that demonstrates itself clearly through action, and thus is undeniable. Love is as love does. Passions run high now, and swift response is indicated. Aries is a quick-burning ignition. But haste makes waste. Ensure that the decisive actions you take will carry you through the long haul. Keep your values intact. Move in such a way that you remain linked to your enduring center. Deepen your investments around what truly matters. We have the chance to seed love into the primal soil of our being, and nourish the good abundant Earth with lavish yet simple attentive action. The energies alive right now in the cosmos are unstable. They are inventive. They are revolutionary and progressive. Let’s thoroughly anchor! As we deepen into presence with self and Earth, the only way to go is up. Towards the highest dream held in our collective heart.

For every New and Full Moon, find a complementary Movement Ritual on the Qoya Blog.

March 29 Mercury trine Saturn (2:17pm)

Thinking and communications are grounded today. They may also be spirited, invigorated, and inspired. Pay attention to messages you receive, as this is the stuff that can roll out over longterm with careful planning and decision-making. Calculated risks are favored.

March 30 Jupiter square Pluto (2:19pm)

A hunger for power. A thirst for growth. This is one of those combinations that promotes unstoppable expansion. It can carry us forward no matter what. Source can flow through us, a formidable and unstoppable force with the power to overcome any perceived obstacle or restriction. All it takes is faith. Beware the shadow side. Sometimes we can be so believing that our minds become dogmatic. Sometimes in the embracing of our power, we can overlook the dark underpinnings that drive us from the unconscious, primal, or reptilian state of being. The best way to use this transit? Believe in and align with the inherent goodness of life. Allow that to guide how you utilize your connection to source.

March 31 Mercury enters Taurus (1:31pm)

The planet of the mind exits the quick-burning sign if initiation and enters a more grounded view. Let us concern ourselves now with values, pleasures, slowing down and anchoring into our investments. A garden scarcely grows when we scatter seeds recklessly ontop of soil and hope it take. When we return each day to put love into the seeds, when we water them regularly, when we learn about companion plants and fertilize them with appropriate nourishment; then we are able to sustain the Earth in a way that sustains us back. Set your mind to the task of deepening, of sustaining, of ripening, and of nourishing. Recognize the reality of your finances and do some tangible work to improve. Mercury in Taurus always benefits from being present with what is, and sensing the sights, smells, tastes, and feelings available; connecting with the elementals of each experience.