PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

With the Virgo Sun conjunct Mercury and Venus also moving into Virgo, today feels like a haiku day (after all, Virgo loves the piece parts and the form).

Venus steps into
Virgo today, and we’re drawn
to notice details.

Arts are top of mind,
Seeing grace in the handmade
Containers of skill

We are drawn towards.
Their beauty in part relies
Upon their function

And the offering
They provide, the gift to help
Us know, understand.

Find Virgo in Blake’s
“Auguries…”:To see a world
In a grain of sand”

Or Bhagavad Gita’s
Teachings: Act with detachment
from fruits of labor.

Virgo, The Virgin.
Delights in pure intentions,
Service to the world.

ARTWORK © ALEX CARRILLO

With the Libra Moon square Mars in Cancer, today our need for fairness may come up against a strong desire to ensure that our personal needs are met. We may experience a pull towards parcelling out resources equally that is intermixed with a push towards a more territorial perspective. Beautifying our living space–buying fresh flowers, breaking out the fine china, lighting candles–may be especially rewarding and is a great way to constructively channel the astrological energies of the day.

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

With four planets in Virgo today, it’s all about the details–focusing on and appreciating them (but hopefully not getting bogged down by them).

One detail that’s especially important not to miss is that today is the Virgo New Moon, an auspicious time to plant a seed for what you want to create for the next month. Consider doing an intention-setting ritual. It need not be anything complex–saying your intention in your mind or writing it down on a sticky note will do.

If you want to be really Virgoan and detail-oriented, consider doing the ritual at 11:44 am PDT, the exact time of the New Moon. But if you’re not able to do it then, don’t worry (as Virgo is inclined to do). The truly perfect time to do it is the time you choose.

For more details on the Virgo New Moon, see this post.

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

September 18, 2009: Virgo New Moon (exact at 11:44 am PDT)

“Are You Being Served?” is not only the name of a BBC comedy show but it is also a mantra that we are called upon to embrace during the Virgo New Moon. As Virgo is dedicated to helping and healing, today is a great day to focus our energies on being of service to others as well as showing gratitude to those who have extended themselves graciously to us.

It is also an auspicious time to use Virgoan discernment to inventory what areas of your life are serving you and which ones are not, committing to making changes that will help you to feel more consistent with your life’s goals. With this New Moon connecting to the Saturn/Uranus opposition, our ability to plant the seeds today for positive and real change is enhanced.

During the Virgo New Moon, there’s also a focus on arts and crafts. Read More…

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

I love the mantra “This too shall pass.”

It’s a great one to recall when challenging situations are upon us. It can help us to remember the cycles of life, how things move in and out of being. It can connect us with the trite–but usually very true–notion that time heals all/most wounds.

Yet, it’s also helpful on some level when life isn’t challenging–rather when life is full of abundance and joy. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t envelop ourselves in the joy and happiness nor to imply that we don’t deserve the abundance. She should, and we do. But rather “This too shall pass” inspires non-attachment, which can be incredibly liberating.

This mantra feels very fitting for today as it’s likely to be an intense one. Not intense bad, mind you. Just intense.

The Sun is square both Uranus and Saturn, reigniting the themes we may have experienced earlier in the week when these planets were in opposition: Change vs. Stay the Same, Think Out of the Box vs. Draw in the Lines, Risk-taking vs. Security, Kinetic vs. Static. The energy of this planetary interplay can cause many opportunities but may also cause tension. Remember: “This too shall pass.”

Additionally, Pluto squares Mercury today giving us the opportunity to dig deep down in ourselves to find words and images to more honestly express our feelings. As such, expect that others may also be more candid, or even prickly with their speech. There may be a lot of verbal “stirring the pot” going on. Pluto is deeply connected to the cycles of life, reminding us again that “This too shall pass.”

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Here’s a exercise for early in the day, as Venus–the planet of beauty–aligns with the Moon in self-embracing Leo:

Look in the mirror. Smile, and declare to yourself (and by virtue to the world): “I am magnificent. I am a creature of beauty. I am loved.”

Even if this seems challenging, give it a whirl. Self-appreciation is a great muscle to exercise. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

Today, with Venus opposing Neptune, we may experience a sweet infusion of beauty and grace in our lives. Our ability to connect to our deep well of compassion may be greatly enhanced. In addition, our desire for having our relationships provide us with a space of unconditional acceptance may likely be heightened; remember, though, that this is something we should ideally first look to our selves–rather than others–for.

Oh, yes…and today is the Saturn/Uranus opposition. A great way to use this energy is to create a “Change List” for the coming months. Include on the list, goals you would like to accomplish in the coming months. These can be related to attitudes, behaviors, projects, relationships, or anything else that feels right. There’s no need to make the list long. In fact, in honoring of Saturn, consider keeping in short, so that what you put on the list will more likely be focused upon and accomplished.

Celebrate the upcoming equinox with Stephanie Gailing and Melina Meza as we explore yoga and astrological wellness for the fall season.

In order to reach a wide spectrummed audience we have decided to offer a version of our Autumn Equinox: Yoga and Astrological Wellness workshop online. This is the first of what we hope will be many online classes that we will offer. Future classes may include more videos, podcasts, and other media where we co-present our teachings. For our initial class, we would like to offer you: Autumn Equinox: Astrological Wellness handouts by Stephanie and a Restorative Asana Sequencing for the Fall video by Melina.  We hope you find our presentations inspiring and educational.

* Autumn Equinox: Astrological Wellness

Download a PDF of Stephanie’s class handouts. This class focuses on the Saturn/Uranus opposition and how it can inform our wellness strategies.

* Restorative Asana Sequencing for the Fall

Link to Melina’s Restorative Asana Sequencing for the Fall video

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

For today’s post, I was thinking about writing how the Moon goes void-of-course at 6:57 am PDT until it enters Leo at 3:39 pm PDT. I was then going to add that the the Moon makes a harmonious aspect to the Sun, Saturn, and Uranus in the morning, casting a synergistic hue over the early day. I was then going to close by wishing you a wonderful day.

Except then I realized that I would be disregarding the elephant in the room (or solar system, to be more exact). That would be the Saturn-Uranus opposition that occurs tomorrow morning and whose shadow we live in today, as we have for many days past.

This opposition can be incredibly productive and liberating, notably if you can be careful not to pull into Saturn-based fear or Uranus-based anxiousness. Think of it this way: Saturn provides structure and containment; it makes things happen. Uranus ushers in the new, in hopes of doing things better in the name of progress and enlightenment. When they dance together, as they can in the opposition, we can create lasting change in our lives that can greatly benefit ourselves and those around us.

(Reflecting Uranus, I took a slightly different course with this post than I had originally intentioned. Yet now, honoring Saturn, I want to get back to my original framework of intention of how I wanted to close this post: I wish for you to have a wonderful day.)

PHOTO © ALEX CARRILLO

With the Moon in maternal Cancer conjunct willful Mars, today we may experience an enhanced tendency to protect our brood, whether it be our children, those we consider family, or creative projects that we have birthed. As Cancer inspires sensitivity, we may also find ourselves meandering in brooding spaces, dwelling in nests of emotions. In astrology, Cancer is ruled by the Moon, famous for her cycles; so if you find yourself especially moody, just remember the sage advice that “this too shall pass.”