Archive for July, 2009



Astrological Insights for 31 July 2009

Posted July 31, 2009
31-july-2009PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Today, we may be surrounded with “EST”s.

Not things that remind us of Estonia, or Eastern Standard Time, or the personal growth seminars famous in the 70s, but rather the suffix that signifies the superlative.

That’s because with the Moon in Sagittarius, Mercury opposing Neptune, and Venus in the last degree of Gemini, there’s the potential for people to get caught in a wave of exaggeration and embellishment. As such, being diligent about words, and the meaning they embody, is especially important today. If we do so, the day can be one where we can deeply connect to the fount of creativity that resides within us.


Astrological Insights for 30 July 2009

Posted July 30, 2009

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The early morning hours are filled with so much planetary action that it’s likely that your dreams were more vivid and revealing than normal. The Moon is void-of-course (VOC) from 5:54 am to 1:10 pm, at which time it enters set-your-sights-high Sagittarius. Remember that the VOC moon is a wonderful time to look within for insights. If possible, wait until the Moon has moved out of this limbo position and taken up residency in Sagittarius before making plans or an important arrangement.

(All times are PDT)


Astrological Insights for 29 July 2009

Posted July 29, 2009

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It may be a stirring-the-pot type of day. While agitating the status-quo to try to uncover hidden desires and motivations may oftentimes be productive, in other instances it just causes unnecessary and unproductive turmoil. Watch out for these murky waters today. And if you find yourself with an urge to stir the pot and yet know that the outcome will not necessarily be constructive, consider channeling this energy creatively instead–for example, prepare a new recipe that lets you literally stir the pot.


Astrological Insights for 28 July 2009

Posted July 28, 2009
28-july-2009PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

The Moon goes into probing Scorpio at 3:56 am providing us with the desire to delve below the surface a bit more. Yet, this need to uncover hidden truths may be met with a resistance stemming from an urge to keep everything upbeat and dignified. See if there is a way to get to the bottom of things in a creative fashion so that it doesn’t appear to upset the apple cart (or at least not all that much).

With Venus squaring Uranus today, the women in your life may appear a bit erratic. The solution is to step back. Literally, by giving them the space and freedom that they may need. Figuratively, by looking at their actions from a larger perspective, and seeing how they may form a well-structured pattern that can be very revealing.

(All times are PDT)


Astrological Insights for 27 July 2009

Posted July 27, 2009

27-july-2009Libra likes things to be orderly and poetic. Honoring the energy of this sign–in which the Moon resides for the majority of the day–I will tidily reflect today’s astrological energy with an evocative quote by the German philosopher Hegel. May his words serve as a graceful compass for your day:

“Beauty is merely the Spiritual making itself known sensuously.”

* The Moon is void-of-course at 7:54 pm. It doesn’t go into the next sign, Scorpio, until tomorrow at 3:56 am. Times are PDT.


Astrological Insights for 26 July 2009

Posted July 26, 2009

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Today the Moon’s North Node* spends its final day in Aquarius, the sign in which it has resided for the past eighteen months. The North Node represents our destiny, the destination–from an evolutionary perspective–to which we are traveling (its opposing point, the South Node, represents where we’ve been and what is second nature to us). Therefore today will likely be infused with concentrated Aquarian energy with out-of-the-box thinking and the global village being some of the themes that may emerge throughout the day.

Since Nodes, unlike planets, have a retrograde direction, tomorrow the North Node will move into Capricorn (and the South Node into the opposite sign of Cancer). With both the North Node and Pluto in reality-driven Capricorn, we are being ushered into a more pragmatic time, one where the ways in which we relate to the Earth’s resources is likely to be seriously questioned and tested.

*Mean North Node. True North Node moves into Aquarius on 21 August.


Astrological Insights for 25 July 2009

Posted July 25, 2009

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Siga, siga is a Greek phrase I learned when I traveled to Crete years ago. It means “slowly, slowly” and is an apt description of the leisurely way that Cretans enjoy the riches of life on their fertile and history-rich island. A siga, siga outlook emphasizes taking life as it comes and being present with what it presents to us at each moment.

This Greek saying is a great mantra for today. Siga, siga can help you accept the thoughtful reality-based energy of the early morning Moon/Saturn conjunction and subsequent Moon/Venus square. Adopting this outlook can also help you balance out and more productively channel the energies of the overly excitory Moon/Uranus opposition that occurs later in the day.

Happy Siga, Siga Saturday.

(Note: the Moon is void-of-course 4:14-10:25 pm PDT. At 10:25pm, it enters Libra.)


Cancer New Moon Solar Eclipse

Posted July 19, 2009
aquaflower1PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

July 21, 2009: Cancer New Moon Solar Eclipse (exact at 7:35 pm PDT)

Today’s New Moon is also an eclipse, the second of this season’s three (July 7 and August 5 mark the other two). Even if we can’t see an eclipse in the sky where we live, these celestial events are renowned for being very powerful in the way in which they can impact our lives.

A New Moon Solar Eclipse signifies a time for beginnings. While something may inherently be coming to a close, there is great focus on the initiation of the new that it brings. Like Lunar Eclipses, a Solar Eclipse is often accompanied by identifiable life-changing events that manifest around the time of this celestial happening.

This Cancer New Moon provides an opportunity to resolve familial wounds. This is not only because Cancer is the sign of the family, the home, and the past, but also because this is the second New Moon in this sign this summer. Reflecting back to the other one that occurred on June 22 can provide you with insights as to the issues that may re-arise—and potentially come to closure—during this time.

The great emphasis on healing also occurs because Jupiter and Chiron are also conjunct today (with their traveling partner this year, idealistic Neptune, close by). Chiron helps us to identify the areas of our lives where our wounds-would-be-strengths lie. Jupiter not only expands that which it touches but is also the planet of the scholar, s/he who awards lessons of wisdom. Taken together, we have the opportunity to become more aware of our personal Achille’s heel and learn what it may need for healing. As this day also heralds a square between Saturn and Venus, it is likely that the issues will center on women relatives or the way in which we relate to females in our lives, including our own feminine spirit (anima).

This month’s New Moon falls at 29 degrees of Cancer (Sun and Moon). While everyone experiences the energies of the New Moon, if you have planets or pivotal points (i.e., Ascendant/Descendant or Nadir/Midheaven) around this degree in Cancer or the other cardinal signs—Aries, Libra, Capricorn—it may impact you more intensely. (This also applies to those with pivotal points or planets within the first few degrees of the fixed signs—Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius.) Also, take note of the house in your personal astrology chart that the eclipse falls in as it represents an arena of your life that will hold special import over the next 6 months.

New Moon Solar Eclipse Apothecary Suggestions

Cancer rules the stomach, sinuses, body fluids, and breasts. Pay extra attention to these parts of the body around the time of this New Moon.

Jasmine essential oil: As the jasmine flower is governed by the Moon—the planetary ruler of Cancer—enjoying its aroma can help support the energetics of this Solar Eclipse. Jasmine has a rapturous fragrance that arouses our ability to connect to the feminine spirit within us. It’s a lauded aphrodisiac as well. Use it as perfume, combine it with body oil for a sensuality-inspiring massage, or sprinkle a few drops in a bath and soak in its feminine revelry.

Brassica vegetables: Enjoy some Brassica vegetables—such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, or watercress—during this New Moon. Not only are these vegetables incredibly healthy, but they are also ruled by Cancer in medical astrology. In addition to fiber, vitamins, and minerals, they are concentrated in powerful sulfur-containing nutrients. These phytonutrients are thought to be cancer preventive and help the liver detoxify chemicals. They can be delicious raw; for example, broccoli with dip makes a healthy snack and chiffonaded pieces of kale are a great addition to a salad. Cooking them into delicious dishes is also easy. For example, try roasted cauliflower. Or steam mustard or collard greens and top them with lemon, olive oil, and sea salt for a quick-and-easy side dish.


Yes We Can: Saturn in Virgo

Posted July 18, 2009

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Astrologically, the planet Saturn has a bad rap. It’s often seen as the party pooper, the bringer of doom and gloom, the one that creates blockages in the pursuit of our desires. When a Saturn transit approaches, people oftentimes bemoan the restrictions and the sense of containment that they fear will follow.

Saturn, many people perceive, is the planet that says “No.” Yet, in reality (something that Saturn loves), the reasons for the “No” don’t emerge from some willy-nilly dictate to deny us of our mortal pleasures. Rather, Saturn’s “No” help us shape our ability to more consciously say “Yes” to those choices that actually better serve our growth, best interest, and higher purpose. Doors close in order that we can recognize that there are other doors to be opened that can lead to a more promising future.

In addition to the effects that Saturn has upon us personally—whether through our natal chart or by transit—it also affects the collective in regular cycles. As Saturn spends 2-1/2 years in each sign, it does a bit of housecleaning therein, making us aware of that which doesn’t work in different areas of our culture and society. Ideally, as we go through these Saturn transits, collectively we gain the tools to more productively express these areas of life.

Saturn in Virgo: The Craft of Growing and Preserving Food

In September 2007, Saturn entered Virgo, the sign that represents labor, crafts, and health. As Virgo is the sign of the harvest, it is also associated with agriculture and our food supply. Not surprisingly, for the last 2 years the topic of our food—its safety, its healthfulness, its availability, its cost—has assumed a much-deserved spotlight in the media and around the dinner table. Saturn shows us what doesn’t work, and with its recent attention to our food supply, great inefficiencies and insufficiencies have been revealed.

Yet, as Virgo is also connected with attention to detail and craftsmanship, some solutions to the problem inherent in our current food supply have organically emerged. People are taking back their power to provide for themselves and we are experiencing a renaissance of interest in vegetable gardening. In addition to the First Family, millions of Americans are gardening at home, with polls by the National Gardening Association suggesting we’ll see a 20% increase in home vegetable gardens this year compared to last.

Yet, the interest in nurturing ourselves through and taking responsibility for our food hasn’t ended there. There’s also been a concurrent upswing in food preservation, including canning, pickling, and curing. Saving the summer’s bounty for the wintertime has become a craftful hobby for many looking to provide food for themselves and their family in a more economic way. We’re seeing the emergence of “root cellars” and “larders”–popular with generations past–not only into the vernacular but into our homes as well. And there’s a rash of books on food preservation and home cooking projects released this year that are filling the shelves next to classics such as the Ball Blue Book.

The fact this homegrown food movement is so culturally shifting is a reflection that there is something more at play than just Saturn in Virgo; rather, from fall 2008 to spring 2010, we are experiencing Saturn in Virgo in opposition to Uranus in Pisces (in summer 2010, these two planets will also oppose each other from the signs of Libra and Aries). Uranus is the bringer of change, the evolutionary, the revolutionary—words that also describe the mid-1960s, the last time we saw these two planets in a similar alignment. It’s also the planet associated with technology.

Putting this all together, is it any wonder that we are experiencing a revolution in our foodways and one that is being ushered along, in part, by the Internet and social media sites. Never before have we been able to access information so readily nor can we so quickly come together as a group to inspire each other and promote our collective well-being.

A great example, one in which I am thrilled to be a part of, emerged this past week via Twitter. Inspired by the very aptly named “Yes We Can” community canning project in San Francisco, a group—spearheaded by food writer Kim O’Donnel—interested in canning and home preservation coalesced on Twitter. Within 24 hours, we initiated the idea for Cans Across America, a nationwide canning event the weekend of August 29/30. The idea for the event is to bring more attention to the hows and whys of canning and to inspire community get-togethers centered on food preservation. (If you’d like more on the event, go to the website Cans Across America. If you’re on Twitter, you can also get more information by following @Canvolution.)

Yes We Can

Hopefully, another outcome of this Uranus-Saturn opposition is that we change (Uranus) our astrological perspectives on Saturn. Transits of Saturn both individually and collectively need not be thought of as periods of restriction or want. Remember, Saturn points out the “No”s so that we can more readily discover the true “Yes”s, the ones that help shape our lives in more authentic ways. Saturn helps us realize that, in fact, we have the ability to fruitfully pursue life in a more productive and empowered way, in the spirit of “Yes We Can.”


Looking at the French Paradox on Bastille Day

Posted July 14, 2009

redwinebottles

Today as the French celebrate Bastille Day, it seems fitting to discuss a health-related topic de français. The French Paradox is the quippy term given to the finding that despite high intake of saturated fat those living in France have a lower rate of cardiovascular disease.

If you like to drink red wine, it was this scientific discovery that you have to thank for your doctor giving you the green light to have a glass or two a night as a means to promote your heart health. That’s because much of the initial French Paradox research spotlight focused on the potential benefits of this libation, cited as playing a large role in the country’s culture and foodways.

Since then researchers have discovered many unique phytonutrients in red wine, the most talked about being resveratrol. This flavonoid has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; in test tube and animal research it has also been found to promote the health of both vascular and heart cells. Additionally, there is currently a lot of research attention being paid to its suggested anticancer and anti-aging benefits. Yet, resveratrol isn’t the only beneficial phytonutrient in red wine; others, such as oligomeric procyanidins, have also caught researchers attentions for their ability to promote cardiovascular health.

Yet, is red wine truly the fountain of youth, the reason that the French have that wellness je ne sais quoi? Read More…


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