Cinched and Crossed

Sunday March 11th

Fireballs, talking statues and abysses rise up from the swirling waters, as if the oceans of Solaris have crept into our minds. Though the Sun remains in Pisces, Venus and Mercury have proceeded into Aries and are beginning to aspect planets in other parts of the zodiac; the very watery few weeks now begin to be punctuated by earth and fire, as black bile again flows through the body of existence, carried by the blood and circulated around, like so many stones segue via sanguinolent sewers to their proper place as the array unfolds, and the territories we hold or come to defend, like archipelagoes surrounded by children’s dreams threatened by adult invasions; this might be a nuanced mix that can filter wonder and whimsy as well as fear polluted intuitions with rational engagement in conflicts, heeding historical war precedents while moving the story along through romantic battles. Plasmic darts that pin Peter Pan and Lord Of The Flies to Paramount Picture propaganda.

With our boots on the ground and our blood pumping, Mercury squares Saturn at 3am EST; independent logic and impulsive communication go up against the system, or confront the laws of nature herself, resulting in a reality check to the clear plan that was at first sounded like go project. Probably a day of quick logic loops to work around myriad obstacles. Concentrate on the mentally athletic footwork, and dance a thought pattern to outrun closing gates and sifting sands. Stay ahead of the curve, as in Saturn’s sickle scythe.

We wake up with this stirring in our heads, but another thing brewing is Mars’ trine to Uranus at 7am which ushers in the the end drive in the quest, the energy exertion efforts to reach the philosophical finish line harmonized with innovation and sudden changes, a chaos infused final stretch push to reach realization of the ultimate truth. Mars also applies to conjoin Aculeus as he applies to trine Uranus: Attacks can strengthen our resolve and insight us to further our forward thrust, as well as deepen our defenses. We are sometimes awakened by assaults, driven and strengthened by being attacked, we begin climbing the sudden strikes like a ladder. Picture the ubiquitous final fight trope in any Kung Fu film; tasting our own blood on our lip, and having our life or victory threatened inspires us to reach into inner resevoires of fire and pull our punches and kicks previously unprecedented. This will not be necissarily physical, but can land also in our spirits and wills, our creative pursuits, or even our philosophy or identity sensibilities. Tap into your kundalini energy if you know how to. Raise your fire to improvise on the fly; although its more than possible for our systems to fry or reach fiery overload as well, so some might try for alternately cooling down instead. Depends on disposition/composition; the bottom line is to be like a boxer, monitor heat and action versus rest and rehydration.

An hour later the Sun sextiles Pluto: The Sun’s royal procession in late Pisces becomes instead an emphatic and intuitive emotional rollercoaster of ecstasy and tragedy, which sextile Pluto is willing to collaborate with ancient mystery, void vision, black holes in the structure, overwhelming strategic blindspots, utter obsession and terrifying power; the tracks take us up to blinding heights, down into dark depths and ultimately beyond the beyond. Pluto aspects are always interesting as its the void itself rearing its head; sometimes its enchanting, and sometimes its even deadly. This combination certainly looks like a swirling psychodrama, but perhaps in a positive way. You have to die to be reborn.

These new flavors taste very different from all the blended beverages and cool broths of the past few weeks where everything seemed to be happening by magic, for better or for worse, and maybe that’s as true as it gets, where as now our sheer wills, our ability to both decide and react, as well as to direct our impulses, becomes an apparent component of our success out at sea. The third decan of Pisces is considered to be ruled by Mars in both traditional systems of attribution, as is the first decan of Aries. We are at the point in the year where our identity, vision, logic and values get violently flushed down the celestial toilet and only to be squeezed through the pipes and shot out of a gun. Swirling emotions swell titanic and then get rapidly compressed into spirit. Water becomes fire through some form of inextricable violence, some escalation of torment. This doesn’t necessarily feel horrible, but it is an intensification and can come along with both stress and exhilaration. Either a literal levy breaking, or screaming fun on the Caribbean Corkscrew slide.

Tuesday March 13th

By 8am Tuesday morning Venus Squares Saturn; caustic pleasure, love of battle and individual aesthetics turn into tension against the hard reality of nature’s laws and the old structure of enduring architectures. This is very easy to imagine as we’ve all been teenagers at some time. The last square they made was on October 8th, when they had relatively equal dignity, and the time before that Venus was turning direct in her highest degree of exaltation, far out-powering Saturn’s significations. On this occasion Saturn has the upper hand in a big way, and so its like the liberty-spiked punk rocker pogoing himself into jail; whether that means our pleasures and passions are locked up in the drunk tank for the night or facing bigger fines and possibly longer sentences behind bars depends on our behavior; how we react to the presence of the police when they come to break up the gig and tell us all to go home. Slashing cruiser tires and tossing bottles at the Bobbies will probably position us at the wrong end of a billy club and have us squashed beneath a badge. Even if it might clash with your regular aesthetic, try to keep your cool when obligations and regulations deflate your mohawk, the insistence on individual indulgence here simply cannot push through Saturn’s stone stacks; its a no go. This may be mother nature cracking down on our itch to fulfill libidinously driven desires rather than the long arm of the law cancelling our party. Either way, its best to always find something productive to do with the energy churned up from a square, so use the friction sparks to light the midnight oil and put your power chords to work toiling around the fortress.

The Sun trines Jupiter later by 4pm as visions of universal dramas, oscillations of omens, and identification with searching and seeking harmonize with daily rituals of dredging the psycho/spiritual depths leading to sound coherence and a greater understanding. This is obviously a great moment to get perspective on the bigger picture considering decisive actions and impulsive frictions are beginning to spark up from the crackling bonfires or flutter down from the torches held up on parapets over formidable stone facades. This will be applying all day, so tap into it when the phalanx arrives. Saturn’s formula loves routines, so he’ll probably sign off on anything you promise to do everyday no matter what, and award considerable progress much later in the game. It is our prayers and our practice that delivers us on the other side of obstacle divides, paired with practical life schemes and oracular vision, you can learn to out maneuver even disasters when they happen. You may not be able to stop them, but can walk from the wreckage and continue on the path.

A few hours later the Sun pulls into the degree of the fixed star Markab, on the saddle of Pegasus and our burgeoning realizations inspire us toward taking leadership during crisis or trying circumstances, as we may have clear vision to command during inclement conditions (metaphorically or literally). We’ve all been there; knowing we are the ones to take the wheel during a storm that makes others cower. We mount the flying steed and vault over treacherous impassable terrain. As Mercury will have passed into the second face of Aries on Monday, it may be our unique logic and perspectives that allow us command, or our particular voice is the one able to be a beacon.

Wednesday March 14th

Over night Mars square Chiron revealing how forcing and pushing to meet goals and motivate to final accomplishment in energetic end games pulls and grinds against old emotional wounds and the process of letting it all go, healing and letting old pain flow away. These may be two separate agendas; we think, we’ll put all that behind us once we finish this thing out; once the house is build we’ll be a carpenter no more and then our knees and elbows can rest and heal, although we might frame it more like, I hereby get this action out of my system by bringing it to closure so that I can let it flow away in the river of excarnation.

Thursday March 15th

Mars passes over the degree Acumen holds putting all energy into accomplishing goals and truths while being faced with opposition and attack, feeling like whenever you are in the homestretch the game heats up and gets dangerous, pushing us to step up to challenges. This reflects other significations earlier in the week, and continues the theme of a winding up the tension of the game.

Friday March 16th

At 3pm Mercury draws towards Alpheratz and we may continue expressing on decisive action, being outspoken and blunt about how we wish to empower ourselves and rely only on number one, as our minds feel clear, and our nuanced thinking that leads to and through such modes of operation. Although, we must be careful here to not tell everyone around us that they are useless to us and make impulsive plans to be dropped off in the wilderness with only a knife before we have trained in primitive skills. Just because we can think ourselves through a simulation in our mind doesn’t mean we could cut the mustard when things get gnarly no matter how much fire flares from our hearts up out of our mouths. Remind yourself in this time of coming confidences that you must be able to walk what you talk, and if you haven’t walked it yet, do a few test strolls before you tell everyone your itinerary.

Saturday March 17th

To round off all these preliminary pyrotechnics over the emotional lagoons, we receive a New Moon in Pisces at 9am on Venus’ highest exaltation degree in the 28th Lunar Mansion, Batn al-Hut. Out of the darkened crossroads is incepted a dream chasing cycle akin to getting in back in touch with childlike imagination, awe and wonder complete with infantile emotions. We might reach out to mount Falkor and follow the luck dragon to Jareth the Goblin King but instead of diving into mysterious reflections first be wise enough to petition for the clarity to proceed and navigate safely through this dreamworld and return in tact. We must ask for guidance, arrange for a worthy guide and be mindful to reap the harvest of the dreamworld as we journey, rather than passively floating through some whimsical preoccupations. There may be ampler fruit, that which has become complete and is ready to pick, but we must actively reach out and grab it, as it might not simply show up in our mailbox.

We might achieve some insight as Mars ingresses Capricorn by 1pm and squares this New Moon in Aries by 3 In this ingress Mars becomes exalted, and exceedingly strategic, playing life like chess. Rather than outright attack, out maneuvering becomes key and utilizing positioning to your advantage. As Saturn is co-present in house this is a definite big power play period, we may find that we can play a heavy game, but be mindful that we are also likely being played ourselves. Look at the “board” of life and consider your moves and start getting your defenses in order. Arrange your pawns and rooks across the squares, look for weaknesses, advantages, strengths, openings, opportunities, making sure you’ve got yourself covered while beginning to develop what your own plan of attack looks like; failure to do so might find you bowled over by the competition. Study your own position thoroughly and decide how you want to stand your ground and protect your territory. If this requires moving to a different spot quickly before the action heats up, dash quickly and get in position. The fact that this squares the Moon just entered Aries implies that we will feel this gathering storm in our belly and bones and be naturally motivated to get ready. In all this, it is very important to stay calm, and to not burn yourself out. Find Saturn’s pace and sync up to it. Steady, respectful and calculating. We may be riding Falkor, but we ride him into conflict with The Red Queen, and the game we play is for keeps, so considering the rules gravely and studying them with intent is likely a wise idea; this game has survived from antiquity, so there is a long history to refer to, and tomes which collect establish strategy. In all of them finding footing on a hilltop or some other position that is easiest to defend begins the match, then comes taking them by surprise, divide and conquer, blocking their ports, barring their retreat and all the rest.

Jupiter may be of help, as he is pulling out many internal secrets and exposing the most primal motivations for greater understanding of what options you’ve got. This may be your man on the inside, or the intelligence agency you need for the upper hand. He may be telling you more about them or more about yourself, but either way, he provides many resources to succeed, even if you have to meet with him by night in an empty parking garage. He wants you to improve your game, keep a direct line to him open and follow his advice.

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Moon of Hyldemoer Herbal Notes for Liminal Light

March 11-17, 2018

These notes are suggestions for herbal allies to assist with the effects of the cosmic influences of this week. Before imbibing any of the herbs recommended, research recommended dosages, & ask yourself & research such questions as, Does this herb interfere with any medications I am taking?, Does this herb match with my constitution?, Do I really need to take this herb into my body? Be wise: listen to your own body, intuition, guiding spirits & the plants themselves.

Imbibing the herbs recommended is of course only one way of meeting the herbs. There are multitudinous manners of developing relationships with our herbal allies including sitting with the fresh or dry herbs, or a picture/drawing of the herb, making an amulet to wear or have on your altar (adhering to planetary hours/days), visioning or meditating with the plant, & taking an herbal body or foot bath (In this case remember your skin is the largest organ of your body). Use your imagination & listen to the plants, they have been on this planet much longer than we have, are our Elders & have much wisdom to offer.

Sunday, March 11

As stated in the forecast, one may wish to match the fire of Mars’ trine to Uranus (in Aries) at 7 am EST with warming herbs, or one may wish to call upon cooling herbs to quell any excess heat, depending partially on ones constitution. Some warming herbs that could be called upon are Cayenne (Capsicum annuum), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), or Turmeric (Curcuma longa).

Cayenne, a member of the nightshade family, is a great stimulant & warming agent that moves stagnant circulation, clears the capillaries & brings blood to the surface of the skin. Cayenne works by irritating the mucous membranes & the urinary-genital organs, thereby bringing attention (blood, increased circulation) to these areas. Taken with milk, cream or some dairy substitute can reduce excess irritation to the mucous membranes. Small amounts of Cayenne in ones food, on a regular basis, helps to keep ones heart & circulatory system strong. Cayenne is often added to formulas to quickly bring the medicine around the body. Cayenne is an anodyne, as one of its constituents, capsaicin, restricts the messages of pain to one brain.

Ginger is one of those herbal allies that one cannot say enough greatness about. It is a warming herb; biting into the fresh root of Ginger will bring this heat directly to ones tongue. Like Cayenne, Ginger is a circulatory stimulant allowing stagnant circulation to flow freely. In fact, it can be taken as a warm cup of tea to bring on menstruation as well as relieve cramps with its antispasmodic qualities. As a carminative, Ginger soothes indigestion & nausea. Ginger also is a great heart & circulatory tonic & moves stagnation so that harmful inflammation allayed. This one of the first herbs to call upon as a strong tea or juice when one first feels the inkling of illness creeping in, as Ginger has such strong antiviral, antibacterial qualities.

Turmeric, a relative of Ginger, is another warming herb that also is pain-relieving, as well as can relieve that inflammation in stiff joints & muscles. It has been confirmed to be as effective as hydrocortisone in diminishing inflammation, with none of the negative side effects. All three of these are well-known culinary herbs, so that Turmeric (as well as Cayenne & Ginger) is wonderful added to soups, vegetable dishes, as well as I like to add it to coffee offering a warming, golden hue.

Some cooling herbs that can be called upon are Venusian Violet (Viola odorata), Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) or Lunar Chickweed (Stellaria media).

All three of these herbs have cooling, mucilaginous qualities that refresh an overheated system or constitution. Taken as tinctures or vinegars, these three will help to diminish the heat of Mars. All three are soothing to a dry, irritating cough or to a hot, aggravated skin condition

As spring continues to step forward, Violet is one of our first flowers, these purple, yellow or white flowers are not its reproductive flowers, but instead a joyous celebration of spring. These can be eaten in salads, on their own, or taken as a moistening, heart strengthening tea.

Marshmallow’s roots, leaves & flowers can be used in tea, a root tincture, or vinegar taken to soothe any hot irritation in the body or spirit.

Chickweed, as mentioned in last week’s herbal forecast, is an excellent lymphatic system mover. As Chickweed is such a moistening, succulent being, one should take a tincture, vinegar, fresh tea, or eaten the leaves & flowers fresh in a salad, as the dried herb will lack such vitality.

Tuesday, March 13

With Venus squaring Saturn & the Sun trining Jupiter combined with the day before, Mercury having stepped into the second decan of Aries, some focus & confident clarity are called for. In this instance, I recommend Venusian Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) & Jupiter ruled Linden (Tillia cordata). These are two herbs I call upon quite often. Motherwort taken 3-5 drops of tincture in times of confusion, self-doubt, or indecision, will quickly bring to the forefront the solutions, possibilities, & promising pathways that can be tread with self assurance. Good to keep a tincture of Motherwort nearby during such times, or dry herb in ones pocket.

Linden, as mentioned in past herbal forecasts as well, taken as a tea is a supreme ally for focusing on the task at hand with great mental clarity & interest. One to be kept in ones herbal cupboard.

Wednesday, March 14

As Mars in Sagittarius squares Chiron in Pisces, and much can be let go off that does not serve anymore, calling upon our lymphatic system allies, Chickweed, Cleavers (Gallium aparine) & Calendula (Calendula officinalis) as a triad will support our lymphatic system in functioning with great strength in eliminating toxins. It is always important to remember that our lymphatic system does not have its own pump, as many systems in our body do, but instead relies on the movement of our body to perform its function. So dance, exercise, walk, & stretch the old pain & energies out of the body.

Thursday-Saturday, March 15-17

As tension builds towards the new moon in Pisces into Aries on Saturday, having Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) once again as our guide through the heated Martian landscape as well as the dreamy Piscean landscape will continue to filter through the unnecessary, allowing the important, essential to come forward. As well, bring Motherwort along for the warrior stance & focus. Drinking Martian Nettle (Urtica dioica)/Sun ruled Chamomile (Chamomilla matricaria) commands the calm warrior within ones being & spurs them to action (or non-action as the case may be).

A combination of Saturn & Jupiter herbs as Mars ingresses into Capricorn where Saturn is residing as well as Jupiter is still in Scorpio, ruled by Mars will further assist the warrior mode in this chess-like time. Continuing with Jupiter ruled Linden as well as adding Wood Betony (Betonica officinalis) & the expansive warming herbs of Nutmeg, Star Anise, & Clove will aid in petitioning Jupiter to be ones ally during this time. All these herbs offer some level of focus & expansive clarity. Saturnine Kava-Kava, Skullcap or Poplar will keep one steady on ones slow, effective path.

References:

Cunningham, Scott. Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs Llewellyn Publications, 1997.

Culpepper, Nicholas. Culpepper’s Colorful Herbal Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 1983.

Edwards, Gail Faith. Traversing the Wild Terrain of Menopause. Bertha Canterbury/Rosina Press, 2003.

Wood, Matthew. The Book of Herbal Wisdom North Atlantic Books, 1997.

Wood, Matthew. The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants North Atlantic Books, 2008.

Wood, Matthew. The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants North Atlantic Books, 2009.

Moon of Hyldemoer, Suzanne Stone, Community Herbalist.

This information is not a substitute for a health care practitioner. Not to be reproduced without permission.