“We are the Music-Makers” by Arthur William Edgar O’Shaughnessy

It’s late, that time of night when silence breathes and moonlight licks at shadows. Your mind yawns and quiets, eyes flickering with the first tug of sleep-but then they startle open. Something’s not quite right. You know-without knowing how you know- that you’re not dreaming. Your senses widen as you slip into an altered state of consciousness. You’re down the rabbit hole.

You’ve been swept away by Neptune in Pisces. In these misty realms dwell the divine and the mad. Where dreams coalesce and then shimmy apart. This is the land of Illusions, delusions and inspiration. It is here that ghosts and saints cross your path. Where the voices in your head are real. Surrender with grace and the sacred waters of knowledge may part before you.

On 4/11/11, Neptune moved into Pisces for the first time in over a century, when it held cosmic court between 1847 and 1861. During these magical years, impressionistic art streamed into the world. The gold rush brought dreams and delusions of wealth. The compassion of Neptune in Pisces inspired the underground railway, leading many slaves to freedom.

You must learn to walk between two worlds: one of the  gods and the other of demons. The siren song of pipe-dreams can distract you from the voice of the true muse (The 9 Muses were Greek goddesses fathered by Zeus, King of the gods, and provided inspiration to humans). Be amused and bemused by the absurdities of life. Meditate. Take space. Space out. Surrender to the ecstatic-but practice this daily mantra: “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.” Casey Kasem

Neptune is caught in a retrograde riptide until 11/9/11. On 8/24, it skinny dips in Aquarian waters of truth for the final time. Let them wash away artifice and confusion. Dive deep to discover your pearl in the oyster–the seed of your authentic genuis. When Neptune flows back into dreams-can-come-true Pisces on 2/3/12, those who have called you crazy may now be your devotees.

Dream your dreams, live your truth. And never lose track of your passions.

Joyce

]]> http://joycevanhorn.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/neptune-in-piscesaquarius-stay-true-to-your-dreams/feed/ 0 joycevanhorn http://joycevanhorn.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/mercury-retro-330-423-slow-down-dont-slip-up/ http://joycevanhorn.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/mercury-retro-330-423-slow-down-dont-slip-up/#comments Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:31:57 +0000 Joyce Van Horn http://joycevanhorn.wordpress.com/?p=456 ]]> “Slow down/you move too fast/Got to make the morning last/Trippin’ down the cobblestones/lookin’ for fun & feelin’ groovy.”

Simon & Garfunkel, “Feelin’ Groovy”

Mercury does the retrograde rag from 3/30/11-4/23/11. Snorting with red-hot impatience, this wily witser  reverses along Aries Avenue. He careens past wild-eyed Uranus (who is orchestrating several revolutions simultaneously), and high-fives Jupiter, who is preaching fire-and-brimstone to anyone who will listen.

Accidents can happen, especially during the next 3 weeks. Be rash and you crash. The banana peel slips under your heel. Haste makes waste. So go to the gym or out for a swim. Break a sweat, pet, and slow your pace. You’ll get more done if you’re having fun.

The cardinal rules of this volatile Mercury retrograde? Think before you speak. Rein in your impulses. Otherwise, Aries bravado can backfire-and you’ll have plenty of time to hang out with you regrets.

During Mercury retrograde, make use of words beginning with “re.” Simon & Garfunkel’s  classic “Feelin’ Groovy”  stresses these “re” words: recreation and relaxation. So rejoice that it’s Mercury retrograde again…and rejuvenate.

Jupiter holds the holy grail containing the alchemical ingredients of diversity, honesty and faith. Mix in the passion and assertiveness of Aries and this brew comes to full boil.

Jupiter entered territorial, warrior Aries on 1/22/11.  Passionate truth boils to the surface. Ask yourself if you want to act or react? There are more than 6.8 billion people living on earth, and swords are clashing–verbally, mentally, philosophically, physically.

But what is truth? It is in the eye of the beholder. Most wars are begun due to philosophical differences. Wake up in San Francisco, and two people of the same sex slow-dancing together won’t get a second glance. Place that same couple in Houston, and there might be trouble.

Can you take a stand without bloodletting? Can you imagine a peaceful outcome without giving up your position–and letting someone else having theirs? Mahatma Gandhi said, “Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.”

So is it really no pain, no gain? Or can you take a step backward, hold your tongue, loosen your fist, look your “enemy” in the eye and see their humanness? This is how war is won. How peace is made. And how, in these volatile and uncertain times, you can stand on opposite sides of the same fence and, even if you disagree, allow. Take this stance and you find freedom.

I was struck by my friend’s courage and love. In the face of challenge and the very real possibility of loss, she has the courage to face whatever may come with faith and openness. Very recently, friends, clients and community offered their support to her family. Part of her grace is the willingness to receive–to set aside pride and accept what others wish to give.

As Warrior Mars soars into meaningful action in Sagittarius until 12/7/10, ask yourself what it is that you must confront. What is the challenge to your balance? Where are your fears stored and how to you pray to them to show you the light? Mars likes to win. It needs to act. If you do nothing, you lose. Take the warrior’s stance and hit the open road. There is no map that to show you the way, so blunder well and wildly.  Keep an eye out for signs, omens and synchronicities , because information-bearing Mercury, also in Sag through 11/30/10, is leaving you clues and cues along the way. Learn as you go; there’s no better way to be prepared.

Sagittarius represents hope. It wants you to make a direct bull’s eye in the direction of your desires. Coupled with Mars, it encourages you to get messy and make good mistakes. Otherwise, there is a danger of collapsing into rhetoric, chasing your philosophical tail and wandering aimlessly off the trail.

Your blood is coursing now. You smell both danger and opportunity in the air. In Chinese, crisis translates into both opportunity and danger http://www.living-chinese-symbols.com/chinese-symbol-crisis.html Whuffle it up and get a move on. There are adventures to be had. Get started now!

See you on the road!

Joyce

It’s a mountain you’ve gotta climb. If not, good luck–you’ll find yourself stuck or sliding on silt. So put one foot after the other and look ahead, not back.  Saturn is at its best in relationship-driven Libra–but sometimes the scales tip too far one way or the other. You need to remember that you’re not alone and prove it.

Some of the stories I’ve heard lately: “I was thinking of riding my bike out into the street,” said one 13-year-old. “Mom moved in with us,” says a dutiful but distraught daughter of 38. “Now my husband sleeps on the sofa.” A marriage of nearly 30 years comes to a close, especially challenging because both husband and wife are in business together.

Saturn stares you grimly in the eye and says, “Get real, bro. Stand up for yourself, sister. This is about love. And family. And connecting. Prove it or things will get ugly.” Yep, there’s that boulder poised to fall on unsuspecting you as your girlfriend runs off with your best friend. Why, you plead? “You took me for granted for too long,” she says. You do a mental re-run of the past 6 months and realize you remember more about TV shows you’ve watched together than memories you’ve made.

It’s time for true grit, darlin’. No wimps allowed or you’ll fall off the mountain. After all, you don’t build emotional muscle without feelin’ the burn. Saturn doesn’t stand for  slackers or there are consequences. So do those crunches and pay attention. Otherwise you might find yourself all alone on a romantic moonlit night. Or feeling bored out of your skull by keeping company with someone you’ve simply gotten used to.

Saturn is the planetary CEO and has assigned you the job of honoring others as you would like to be honored, capiche? Libra gently reminds you that you have to bend to give, but not break your back.

So take some time to really see and hear your amour/partner/spouse/child/parent. Look deep into their eyes and ask them not only how they are but who they are. Through October 6, 2012, Saturn in Libra is the testing ground for love . And hey! If the world is really gonna end like some prophets claim, make the most out of it. After all, love is what makes the world go ’round.

Y’see, we’re all flaming balls of energy. So are the planets. Human beings need a break. So do the planets. When you’re off the job, it’s a good idea to turn off your cell and put off finishing that project. You need to recharge, refuel, rethink, reconsider, take a time out. Sip the nectar of r&r.

Sweet Venus reviews the love scene beginning October 8 until November 18. Make nice and smooth out the wrinkles. That  fog on the road is thanks to Neptune in Aquarius. Recycle worn-out dreams so that new ones arise when it goes direct on 11/6/10. Let the headlights of truth from Uranus shine into the mists of imagination as it goes back into visionary Pisces until  12/5/10. Jupiter, the planet of all Things Good and Great and Possible, also looks backwards. You’ll win big at the tables of  luck if your bets are more restrained until 11/18/10.

So settle on in for a spell. Let your head nod and drift off into dreamland. Morning comes, you’ll be bright as a shiny penny and rarin’ to go. But for now bide your time. Freshen up when you’re tired. Wiggle toes liberated of shoes. Take in some sun. Take in some shade. Ponder where you’re headed and what it’ll feel like when you’re there. Jot down a few thoughts. It doesn’t have to be hard. Consider what a wise man once said “When you get to the end of all the light you know and it’s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.” Edward Teller

So you know more now than ever before. And the planets are inviting you to hang with them in a state of chill. And when you’re still, when you take time to re-read that passage, to re-work that plan, you come out ahead. And that always feels pretty damned good.

Tense and intense strological energies are gathering, building up to peak pressure from June 26 to August 5 (and most potent on July 29th). Somethin’s gotta blow. It’ll be stinky, but it’ll also be a helluva relief.

Four planetary forces will be facing-off, forming a Grand Cardinal Cross http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_cross_(astrology)  Shamanic Pluto in exacting Capricorn summons forth a part of you that’s been banished in the shadows. Own it consciously and claim your power. Be in your truth, no matter who stands in judgment of you, as extremist Uranus in “me first” Aries gallops sidesaddle with Jupiter the Preacher.  Pioneering Mars in relational Libra impatiently taps the accelerator, while passenger Saturn gets focused on how to get where you need to be. Act with integrity and learn to love the word “no.” Lastly, acknowledge and release where you’ve been too tentative, sensitive or reactive (the South Node in Cancer) and focus on where you need to develop your inner authority (the North Node in Capricorn).

This may sound like a ten-car pile-up (and parts of it will be messy), but this is the kick-off point for positive change. Let’s be frank: what part of your life needs to be opened up and cleared out, like an attic suffocated by dust? Take the risk. Open the door. Be realistic–don’t horde what’s familiar but no longer has value. Dump what keeps you small or limits your aliveness. Shine the  light of awareness on forgotten treasures.  Be the judge of  your own truth, stick by it and don’t fail your dreams. You’re some kind of special. Admit it.

So go get ‘em, ladies and gents. The curtain’s about to rise. And guess who the star is? You are, of course.

Big Storm a-brewin'

So what happens to the “you” that lived before? Your memories? Talents? Skills? Preferences? Intimate relationships? A real-deal psychic might be able to help you “remember” certain things. But much of what lingers is felt. Maybe you’ve visited a place for the first time but it’s strangely familiar. Or met someone with whom you’re immediately at ease with–maybe you were good friends in a prior lifetime. I know someone who is positive that she was drowned as a witch during the Salem witch trials http://www.kidzworld.com/article/2536-the-salem-witch-trials-of-1692 Another woman had a reoccurring dream for years about being surrounded by wolves in the wilderness with her daughter. They had no chance of escape. Her niece had the same reoccurring dream, but neither of them realized it for years. A client of mine was born with knowledge that only a monk of the highest order would have had access to…and a memory of how he had died in that lifetime.

In 1989, I visited the ruins of Chichen Itza http://www.chichenitza.com once a powerful Mayan city in Mexico’s Yucatan area. It was mostly deserted, and so we could wander about where we pleased. I sensed an energy about the place that was inexplicable but very alive. We made our way to the observatory, where the Mayan astronomers (who were also astrologers) viewed the skies. As we settled in, watching the morning sun rise, I knew with unfailing certainty that I had been one of those astronomers. I had been vacillating about whether or not to continue pursuing astrology as a full-time career, but there was no question about doing so after this experience.

Evolutionary Astrology examines the “unfinished business,” or karma, of a prior lifetime. While it can’t tell you who you were by name, zip code or specific date, it paints a vivid picture of the kind of person you were and the nature of your circumstances, how you continue to be impacted by this and, most importantly, how to evolve beyond it into the very best version of you in this lifetime. Call it whatever you wish, but it’s pretty cool stuff, and it works. Practical magic might be an appropriate term. And who doesn’t need some of that in their lives?

Free yourself from the past with an Evolutionary Astrology reading and get on with things that matter now.

Love & laughter,

Joyce

Take charge of your life–do it your way. Veer off onto the road less taken. Honor the fierce desire for independence. Refuse to cater to rules that choke off your authenticity. And hey! Keep in mind that you’re not the only one accelerating. This urgent itch is under everyone else’s skin. As you hit the road, keep this quote in mind: “People don’t do things to you. They do things for themselves.” (Author Unknown)

During May and June, hot, insistent astrological winds strike, fierce and adamant harbingers of change. Turn into them and you’ll be standing eye-to-eye with your inner warrior. This will inspire right action.  Cower under their force, and you’ll be stalked by meaningless conflict and confrontation.

On 5/27/10, insurgent Uranus hurtles into “me first” daredevil Aries. Judicious Jupiter treks into the same sign on 6/6/10, expanding the need for autonomy and passionate individuation. As Eleanor Roosevelt once declared, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”

Don’t look for approval. You don’t need it. Pioneer new wild, wooly and downright magical frontiers. Liberate, individuate, live your passions. Feeling your heart race? That’s how alive you are. Now buckle up and head on out!

With zest and zeal,

Joyce

“For everything, there is a season…” I sit here gazing out at my garden, ocean winds untangling poplar tree leaves. The poplar itself, which itself stands a story above my 2-story Victorian, doesn’t mind: the winds shake debris from the branches and lightens its leaves, which chatter like castanets.

The winds of change persist in our lives, sometimes in gusts of fear, at other times in whispers of faith. Brace against them and your branches might fracture. Move with them and you learn to bend, flex and release. Trust the strength of your roots to hold you steady. As Ram Dass said, “Be here now.”

Following are tips to help you stay fluid and grounded:

Mercury, the planet of communication, is moving backwards (retrograding) from April 17-May 11. In slow-moving, practical Taurus, the key is to think cat: don’t hurry, enjoy simple pleasures, relax. It’s best to not begin (or buy anything electronic or sign contracts) during this time, so chill out. Get into your garden. Get a massage. Go for a hike. Really taste each mouthful of food. For more details on Mercury retrograde, check out this link http://joycevanhorn.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/mercury-retrograde-whats-to-love/

Disciplinary Saturn did an about face (retrograded) for the last time into analytic Virgo on April 7th. Avoid emotional and professional potholes by lending a critical eye to what you implemented before this period. You’ll be better able to catch and clean up discrepancies you may not have otherwise noticed. On May 30, Saturn goes direct. If you’ve done your homework (which Saturn will always reward), you’ll have worked the kinks out of projects and goals so that they can manifest smoothly and successfully.

On April 19th, the Sun lazes into earthy, sensual Taurus until May 20th. This, too, is a cycle that smiles lazily and says, “Give yourself a break.” Eat a peach so ripe with juice that it spills down your chin. Roll down a green, grassy hill and don’t worry about grass stains. You have a body–enjoy it!

Rule-abiding Saturn and rule-breaking Uranus lock horns for the last time beginning April 26th. This can result in power struggles, both with other people and within yourself. Stop and ask yourself what you’re fighting for. Is it really so important? Is a victory necessary? Compromise is optimum, but it won’t always work-you may have to simply walk away. Not all battles need to be won. Remain objective and you’ll come away with a clearer awareness of what power truly means for you. For more details, go to http://joycevanhorn.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/freedom-rules-uranus-vs-saturn

Let the winds of change clear out what’s extraneous, whether gale-force winds or soft breezes. Trust that their currents are guiding you to exactly where is best for you. Go make interesting mistakes-and don’t apologize for them. You are part of nature…and you’re a force of it as well. Never lose faith. There’s always another adventure on the horizon.

Love and laughter,

Joyce