Thursday, December 29, 2016

New Moon In Capricorn - Be Clear Now!

 
 
 
A New Moon represents the end of one cycle and the beginning of another new 28 day cycle. When the Sun is conjunct with the Moon, it signals that you can put you and your plans for the future in the forefront. This is the best time to make a fresh start, to begin new projects, or adopt new challenges. It's also the best time for dropping all behaviors or mindsets that don't serve you well any longer.
 
This New Moon's first test is by its alignment with Mercury. Normally, this would be interpreted as focusing on communication and transportation. All good, right? Right now, not so much - Mercury has been in retrograde and it will have a detrimental effect on your communication skills. It might even throw a monkey wrench in your travel plans, so plan accordingly. But, interestingly enough, we're advised that this focus on communication will be about misinformation. Also, because of the always uncomfortable Mercury-Saturn aspect with this retrograde, expect that you may dwell on things past, and maybe meet up with people from your past.
 
We are urged to keep Capricorn's lessons in mind for this New Moon. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, and as such, is the task-master of the Galaxy. He's also the Lord of Karma, so the lessons we take away are to stay disciplined, motivated, and determined when making your plan for 2017. What we can do now with un-festive energy is to make two lists, one for the things we'd like to discard and one for all your goals and objectives for the next year. This is the time to get detailed and use the Capricorn juice of this New Moon to get focused!
 
Also, watch the skies in early January - if we have clear skies, look for the Crescent Moon conjunct (near to or a part of) Venus because it's so pretty! We'd also like to share some words from the Andean Institute, via Shaman Carol Woodliff (who presides over our monthly Full Moon Celebrations):
 
"Consciousness is not linear – it is relational, and all of its processes occur simultaneously. This is the basis of a key teaching imparted to us from one of the great mountain spirits, Chaupi Orco. He reminded us that first we must exercise presence, and then craft each day with vision. In order to do this, things cannot be linear – first one thing and then the next – because we must always be present, and continuous presence isn’t possible in a linear mindset. The secret to exercising presence is this: as we bring closure to each day, we must simultaneously bring forward the vision of each new day – in this way we’re always present. This simple, elegant teaching of consciousness applies to all types of cycles, including this emerging Solstice. However you celebrate the return of the light, the ending/beginning of the world ages, be present and timeless. In this state you will experience full consciousness and collectivity. Remember your experience and live into it every moment, in full presence."
 
Hoopla! Emporium wishes you and yours a happy New Year!                                                                                 

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

December 13 2016 Full Moon In Gemini - Expect Magic





December's Full Moon holds both sobering and exciting elements, which seems to mirror this season of celebration. I suppose we could say this is a bad news/good news situation, however, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the bad news part.

The bad news of this Moon is that it's opposite Saturn. Because of this, you might experience loneliness or difficulty expressing your feelings. Coupled with the festivity of the holidays, that can create distance, and a possible strain in your relationships. Jupiter opposite Uranus can add an extra dollop of rebellious feelings on top of the melancholy you may be experiencing. The thing is, if you recognize that these are just dark aspects of this Full Moon, to be acknowledged but not wallowed in, you'll be able to enjoy the brighter, warm and fuzzy feelings that will also come.

Those warm and fuzzy feelings are on the way - because of the Full Moon trine Jupiter, Jupiter sextile Saturn, Saturn trine Uranus, and the fixed stars Phact, Capella, and Mintaka all bring different but positive aspects to the dark energies at work here. Communication will be crucial, and we're lucky that the stars' influence will make it easier to iron out any difficulties in relationships that may arise. Making changes will become easier, opportunities for growth abound, as will patience and honesty. Mutual respect and understanding can lead to very successful personal and business partnerships. In this case, Saturn will tend to act as a glue, bringing commitment and loyalty.

The December Full Moon is special because it's the last Supermoon of the year, which tends to heighten and magnify its effects. This Full Moon also holds another surprise - the Righteous (or Mystic) Rectangle. In the diagram below, you'll see that the calm blue rectangle surrounds the inner conflicting aspects. A Mystic Rectangle occurs in an astrological chart when four or more planets are connected by oppositions, sextiles and trines. According to Astrologist Kelli Fox, "The four corners of the box represent the four planets involved in the Mystic Rectangle; the short sides of the box represent the sextiles; the long sides represent the trines; and the diagonal lines crossing each other in the middle are the oppositions. This results in six related aspects among four or more planets — two oppositions, two sextiles and two trines. Sextiles and trines are ‘soft,’ or beneficial, aspects, and oppositions are ‘hard’ ones that can cause conflict. But since there are four soft aspects and only two hard ones in a Mystic Rectangle, the overall effect of this configuration is considered helpful — with just enough of a challenge thrown in by those two oppositions to keep things interesting!" In other words, it's suggested that you use your "soft" aspects to correct the "hard" ones.


It should all end up being what we all envision the holidays to be, a season of peace, beauty, and magic! If we all live in our own personal integrity, speak our truth, and work to untie the knots of miscommunication, we'll be able to celebrate without any reservation. Here's hoping that you all have a wonderful holiday!