Strengthening the Heart in Times of Change…Standing Together
Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse at 5 degrees Scorpio 3:58 pm EDT
Full Moon in Scorpio tonight…time to take stock of whatever was on our minds during the New Moon on April 10th and see how those things are manifesting. For a lot of us it was confidence in our ability to rebuild our lives. Uranus was the first planet between the charts rising and the New Moon and it delivered a wallop with explosions, high speed chases, chaos, earthquakes, things hidden come to light. It’s hard to sift through the news media to actually find all that happened last week. It was extraordinary. The shock and devastation, the inspirational stories and people who pulled together through it all has opened something up in us that prepares up to walk through the next 8 weeks of triple eclipse activity. It is going to be deep kids, so get ready to let go and go with the flow.
Fun note: As the Moon rises you will be able to see Saturn burning brightly right beside the Moon…and will be able to see the rings through most telescopes.
This Full Moon chart has a similar amount of tension, and it is a culmination to the expressed energies of the last two weeks. Pluto is sitting at the bottom of the chart and grounding all we have gone through into introspection and inner work. Most of us just want a chance to catch up and sift through the thoughts that registered. A lot of the past week feels surreal and hard to grasp, it’s hard to take in that we are vulnerable and security goes only so far. The only place we have to be safe is in our own hearts. And this is what the Full Moon is asking of us…amid all the chaos, what can we trust? How do we want to use the power behind our anger and despair at the world and believe that we can change it? What inner ethics to we want to develop to take a stand beside? And how is our purpose evolving in this moment, out of what is happening around us? How can we honor the compassion in our hearts and allow it to lead safely?
This eclipse is powerful and we want to be careful how we channel that energy. A lot of us have been feeling it for a few days now. And I bet that there has been a lot of tension in even good relationships. Look at what that tension is telling you, it is revealing stuck points that need to be worked on. But better to channel that energy into things that are hard to do rather than blasting our partners or people around us! This moon asks us to look at how we can accomplish things with others. To look at joint values and letting the divine help us build things that we can believe in. We have lost faith in the structures around us – banks, religion, schools, and corporations. This set of eclipses is beginning with a lesson in letting go of how we would like to believe the world works and taking stock of what actually is. And for each of us that is different. But we can’t duke it out alone. We need others to help us. Now is the time to choose those others well, to ditch the ones that take our power and work with those who reflect mutual empowerment.
This comes with a dose of reality and letting go of trying to live up to ideals that are just too impossible to handle. That false pedestal is projected onto celebrities, sports idols, and anyone else in power. They are humans! With foibles and weaknesses just like us. Learning to look at ourselves and our true humanity with a sense of humor is the trump card of this lunation. Dropping judgment opens a door to understanding and compassion. It lets us find another road to the heart, and to that, which truly guides us.
Don’t get me wrong; a lot of critical thinking and getting it right is required, but only in the service of uplifting ourselves and healing the open wounds. We must understand the PTSD caused by news footage of destructed bodies and scorched earth. As critical events unfold in real time in front of us, our psyches are swept along with us. Our eyes take it in and our hearts and minds are still sifting through the rubble. Don’t take this for granted. This is where our healing and recovery must lead us…together. We are living shock absorbers that must find the true north even amidst destruction. And ground that trauma back into the earth. She is a living organism that is meant to transmute this kind of energy. Just be careful how much media you take in and if you overload, do something about it consciously.
Speaking of the Earth, it’s no coincidence that in the midst of this energy we have Earth Day. It kind of got lost this year. The Sun in Taurus brings us back to touching and honoring the Earth. Mars is shouting and Venus whispering…be connected. The amount of energy coming out of the Earth right now is stunning. Over the past 2 weeks there have been 10 earthquakes over 6.0, and many more over 5.0. A lot of activity. With this Scorpio moon now the waters are going to come a calling. Flooding, bridges collapsing, and maybe even a dam might give way…I don’t know what exactly, but our infrastructure cannot handle the weather changes. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see that somehow the electric grid becomes an issue as well.
In terms of personal financial recovery and bringing purpose into our careers, relationships and families, this lunation is a turning point for recovery. There is something bigger at work here and we are starting to understand how we are connected. That some kid on a computer in Watertown can shine the light on that final showdown with the alleged bombers using Skype, is a message to us all. We have an effect, so what we do with our opportunities and our dreams matter. We all were given the tools to deal with this time, and we must use them. Which might mean becoming more technically versatile. To balance this, we must use our spirituality to heal our fractured selves. And be willing to be brave enough to be led by our intuition. This work will lead to financial recovery. Because we will be using the engine of cooperation, empowerment and joint values to fuel growth, guided by faith in ourselves because we are listening to and trusting the divine within. We are being rewired to be part of a larger, grander whole, but only from an exposed, real and grounded place. No room for lies, manipulation and hidden agendas. They will still be there, but we are learning to un-mask the hidden forces. And move ahead anyway.
So this was a rather long missive, but to recap – take the energy of this time to expand and renew, process and listen to the inner whispers/shouts that are urging you onward. Don’t get too caught up in self flagellation, rather have a sense of humor about your foibles and quirks and then expose them and ask for help healing them. Really look at opportunities to join forces with others and to increase your good by doing so. Stand in your power and channel it wisely. Empower and prosper by following your intuitive guidance. And if you have a hard time with that, just pray and use your imagination to create a better you, a better community, a better world.
For more on Eclipses go to http://cathytowle.wordpress.com/astrology/
Forever Family Foundation “Night of Mediums” Fundraiser
This past weekend I had the great fortune to take part in the Forever Family Foundation’s annual fundraiser to support their continued investigation into the proof of afterlife and create a safe place for families who have interest in that connection to learn and explore. And to provide them with Mediums that are certified to be neither fraudulent or fakes. Not only was it a privilege to provide messages to the people at my table, but I also got to spend time with the other mediums who also donated their time to the foundation. So I just want to give a shout out to all of them – Top row from left: Traci Bray, Laura Lynn Jackson, Lee Ashley, Rebecca Locicero, me, Amy Utsman. Bottom row from left: Ginger Quinlan, Kim Russo, Sirry Berndsen, Bobbi Allison. I also got to spend time with the founders, Phran and Bob Ginsberg, who with a whole lot of volunteers, make this all happen, year after year with so much grace and dedication. Kudos to all of you!!
I appreciate the efforts of FFF so much because Mediumship is such a misunderstood endeavor. So many of us have had a brush with the unseen worlds and them rushed on by, not quite wanting to take it in. Fear and trepidation keep us on the outs. I know, because before my gifts opened up to me, I had the same fears. I grew up Catholic, which adds another layer of trepidation onto the mix. It took me a long time to expand my religious world view and allow myself to embrace my gifts. To stop being afraid and experience the pure joy of connection. Still we have questions. How does religious belief intersect with a headlong dash into the esoteric? How does the existence of our loved ones after their death affect one’s world view? How does it affect our healing process?
Listen, Mediumship is a little swishy. I’ll grant you that. I mean, it’s the esoteric. It’s undefinable. Although research is coming closer to proving the validity of what we do, what it all comes down to, for me, is how my clients feel during and after a session. For many of them it is therapeutic. It answers questions. It’s a place to talk about grief. To be authentic. For others it gives a boost, lets them move on to another stage of the grief process and live their life. I find that is what the spirits want, for us to live our lives to our fullest and not look back. To understand that the lineage of our ancestors is healed and helped by every positive action we take. That it really matters to them that we are successful, that we take notice of them and that we honor them and their connection to us. That it is natural to talk to them, to include them in ceremony and religious tradition, and to have a place for them in our homes. That difficult relationships can be resolved after death, because death knows no boundaries, except of having a body.
Mediums have to deal with a lot of mindsets. We are told we are anti-religion, that we are bad people (evil), we are discriminated against, some people fear us. I guess I can relate, because I was afraid too. TV and horror flicks certainly had the corner of my imagination. I thought if I opened to my gifts I would be taken over, confront the ultimate bad-ass devil. Didn’t happen. At all. I mean I have come up against darkness, in myself, as well as that of others. But that was there anyway. Even investigating haunted houses, I am more interested and expanded by my experiences than afraid. But then I don’t have an arrogant attitude or mess with negativity, the way we wouldn’t walk up to a bank robber and want to engage with them either. You just don’t mess with BAD. Unless you are crazy! But that is not what happens when I am working with a client who wants to connect to their loved ones. It is just joy. And even when someone comes to me with reports of seeing things, activity in their house and incidents with spirit, it is almost always having to do with their own awakening to their gifts of mediumship or psychic ability. If you are pushing it away, they tend to put it right in your face. So you can’t avoid it.
We are told that raising spirits is the devils work. I like that one. We don’t raise spirits, they come a calling! We just facilitate the exchange between your deceased loved ones and their living relatives. Or it’s your guides and helpers that want to give you guidance. But I wouldn’t be fool enough to raise the spirit of someone that didn’t want to be there. That doesn’t work out well. It’s like telemarketers on your cell phone.
I would call myself a witness, not even an interpreter. That is for the client to do. Because I have over and over again given messages that were verifiable, I believe what I see. And trust it. It is all about joy, and the ease of grief, worry and for some of us…guilt. It’s about comfort and compassion and leaves most people feeling better about themselves and their relationship with the person they miss. And I am so lucky to be a part of that process. It’s an honor. for I end up learning with every session I do. It makes me a better person. And isn’t that what religion is supposed to do? Make us better? Connect us to God, or nature, or Jesus? Doesn’t it urge us to listen to our hearts? It’s really the same thing. Especially after you experience it. It certainly does not get in the way of religion. I think mysticism expands it. And gives you a place to start to trust. In fact I think it is the only thing one can trust, the connection to the God inside.
Intuition is the thing we all need to develop and follow to stay safe. So right now, tune into what you are feeling, about this moment, about your day, about tomorrow. Lay aside your emotions, concerns and judgements and let yourself be open. Let the guidance float in. Keep asking and asking and soon enough it will just bellow at you. And whisper, and drift into your awareness. You will learn it’s lexicon. The language of spirit is yours alone to build. And enjoy!
Free Tele-Call – Let Your Intuition Lead in 2013!
Join me Saturday January 5th 2013 at 3:00 pm EDT for this Free Tele-call. Now that we are past the ominous 2012, we can get down to the business of why intuition is calling you and how to let this force unfold in your life. On this call, Cathy will talk about:
• Why the messages about the Mayan Calendar were so strong
• What is really going on and how to align yourself with the new energies that are coursing through our universe
• A glimpse into what the astrology of the year has to offer
• Two Sacred Practices that you can do to start connecting right away
• How to deeply connect with your intuition and inner guidance to let yourself soar in this new year
• Brief Q & A session
So grab a notebook, get a comfortable place to listen, bring your questions, and join in!
EVENT: Let Your Intuition Lead in 2013 – Free telecall
DATE & TIME: Saturday, January 5th at 3:00pm Eastern
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)
To Register go to http://intuitionsoar2013.eventbrite.com/#
Summer Solstice June 20, 2012 7:09 pm EDT, June 21, 2012 9:09 am, Australian Standard Time
This report is going to be a little different than I usually go, because I am in the middle of moving and looking for an apartment so I am pressed for time. Busy living exactly what I will be talking about, as I am sure others of you are doing! Last night’s Solstice Activation Call covered a lot of this, so I am recapping and adding a few more thoughts. So here goes.
Looking back over the year as it has played out so far, we have been dealing with a lot of turmoil in the world as Saturn has swept through the structures that have held us for an entire age – the Age of Pisces – and we are dealing with the shambles. And it isn’t quite over yet. The new is beginning to take shape, but it is allusive and hard to grasp. This is where our spirituality comes in. Now more than ever we need to see grace and goodness in the shambles. And this is not easy, in fact it feels awful. Nonetheless, we must keep ourselves in the game and use the incredible energies around us to keep out hearts full and open. The heart center is what will lead us through.
Saturn has been retrograde, as well as Venus. Both are going direct in a few days, Saturn on the 25th in the North, the 26th in the south. Venus is going direct on the 28th in the North and the 29th in the South. This is gong to unleash a lot of pent up ugh feelings, so just let it out, but don’t let the ease fool you, there is still work to be done. Use this smoother energy to work through all the spots and difficulties you came up against over the past 4 months. Use the connection with heart centered wisdom to change course.
The New Moon in Gemini on the 19th North, and into the wee hours of the 20th down South, helped us to hold all of the feminine power that was unleashed by the Venus/Sun transit on June 5/6. It’s time to step it up girls! We are holding center stage. Don’t be afraid to take the reins, use our intuition and accept abundance that is around us everywhere. We just need to have the courage to grab it. We might not feel entitled or it might not be easy, but it is our time ladies, and men too to receive from the great feminine inside you. We are full of power, it’s about using it. We are examples of grace under pressure, as we connect with the heart energy, we must let it guide us. We must look at healing our money stories…really take that out of the bag and look hard at it. Write about it, bring it fresh energy. Bring practicality, heart and positive mind together, and keep it real.
So now back to the Solstice. Just the next day after the New Moon, zoom, all the feminine power is quickly grounded into work, and is met with gratitude. Connecting with gratitude helps us be of service, no matter what we do, with an attitude of service, we can transform even the most mundane into gold. Alchemy of the spirit! There is still a lot of tension because a new way of being is settling into our bodies and spirit. What is happening in Europe is a physical manifestation of abundance, and the right to it being claimed by all. In different ways mind you! But the old structures had to fall away for the new to be reborn. This is why the big shifts have happened.
We are also reviewing our spiritual lives, and how spirituality grounds us. And how it relates to our religious upbringings. That structure is being transformed into a more personal spirituality, where we have a very personal experience of the Divine/God, not as we have been told to expect, but how we actually experience that energy. It is very palpable. And it will shape how we create our religious experience over the next century.
The next three months are going to be a very active time, a lot of walking the talk.What are you hiding from yourself about who you want to be? How are you going to direct your insight? Where do you want to be more authentic? Authenticity is the active partner of abundance. What connections do you make about that?
So here’s how I see it – we gave been learning a lot about consciousness, from a spiritual, personal, paranormal, and scientific viewpoint. We have been beginning, and I mean beginning, to integrate not only what we have learned, but what the great spirit, the ancestors, and the spirits of the land are beaming towards us. As well as the Solar energies that are bombarding the planet. Some people call it an ascension process, I call it a quickening. The great experiment of energy exchange we call money or economics s changing form once again and out of that something very different will be born…mostly because of consciousness. Consciousness is changing a lot of things. Our ability to manifest is right there as well. But it doesn’t happen the way it used to. The thought forms, infused with complete commitment, and then acted upon to the best of our ability. This perseverance and blending of all that we have learned about our spirits is now putting us to the test. The astrology of the times is teaching us about the possibilities, it’s up to us to take the actions. There is still a lot of hard work ahead, but it will feel a lot better than it has int he past. We will see ourselves cutting through the wave and letting it hold us.
The things I have for you to consider are:
1. Are you ready to step into your power?
2. What structures in your life are hard to think about you changing? Identify what is hard and how you can soften it.
3. What is YOUR revolution?
4. How can you innovate the systems around you…be they work, home, school, politics?
These energies are going to unfold in some very definite ways over the next 6 months. All the big planets are still retrograde, as well as Chiron, so they are focusing us on getting involved. We are not victims, we are co-creative wise beings that have a very hard job to do…change the world. This is not joke, nor is it some fantasy magical thinking fairy story. It is real, it’s why we all are here, now, in this cauldron. Together. We have the task of creating, not from our lower selves and in survival mode (although some of us will want to go there at times!), but from the heart informing the creative, otherly inspired wisdom that we all possess. It’s a tough job, but it’s our job. So let it rip folks, it’s our parade.
I would appreciate feedback, questions and inspiration, as well as YOUR stories. Please feel free to comment or email me about how you experience the energies. It helps me know how to interpret the planets energies, so that I can be more helpful.
Also, I will be doing a monthly chart salon live on the internet/phone line with the Abundance Check gang from Australia. If you want to be connected like the Abundance Cheques on Facebook. It will be a good way to connect to that. I am also doing a 5 week tele-training The Call of Spirit Training which includes a 45 minute intuitive reading. It will help you handle these energies and sustain the heart space we all need to hold…so that our intuition can guide us more fully. That course starts July 14 — Click here for details
Honing your Visualization Skills
I was inspired by a letter I got from someone who wanted to know about why it is so hard to visualize while doing guided meditation (Thanks Brack!). This is a really good question that a lot of people grapple with. In fact, this is one of the greatest stumbling blocks people experience in the beginning of doing this kind of work. Most people don’t realize that there are many forms of psychic experience and that we are better at some than others. Not many people are naturally gifted with a lot of the forms, they might have one or two. These forms are: Clairvoyance (seeing, either in the mind or with one’s eyes), Clairaudience (hearing spirit), Clairsentience (feeling spirit), Clairescent (clear smelling), Clairgustance (clear tasting), Clairtangency (clear touching), and Emapthy (sensing emotion). In order to fearlessly jump in, we might need to practice these a bit in order to feel comfortable.
Our brains are used to seeing with our eyes. Artists use the inner seeing facility easily and are used to letting their imagination take this form. Musicians hear music inside their heads and have an easier time with clairaudience. You get the picture.
Everyone can and does visualize. We see things in our minds, in our dreams. Vision like this can be a snapshot, or a created world where we see whatever we want to create. It can be daydreaming or imagining artwork, seeing color or just plain knowing as well. It doesn’t have to really be as literal as we want to make it.
I call this work with your imagination discovering the language of spirit. It is in the realm of imagination and visualization that many of us make contact. It is a huge part of shamanic journeying. A lot of times during a reading I feel like I am making it up, just BS-ing. That’s when I know I am getting it right, because I cede control and just let it rip. This is the fearless part, and the fun part. We have to let go of the left brain reigning us in and just trust that we can be held by what we are seeing, feeling, hearing.
It’s a matter of letting your imagination have free reign. The relationship between imagination, “seeing” things and desire is interchangeable. In the beginning, we think we are making it up, but in fact that is just us letting go and following what is put in our minds to follow. And if we feel that we are making it up, it’s ok. So go ahead, make it up and let it feel awkward for a bit. It will become automatic the longer you practice. We think it should be totally “put in” our minds, that if we are faking it we are doing something wrong. It takes practice to hold your mind open to receive any impulse from your imagination. Remember, imagination is divine language; it is not you trying too hard. You have to let your imagination work at this.
Here are 2 tricks from my intuition class to help you do this better:
Candle Meditation
Sit in front of a let candle. Gaze at the candle for 2 minutes…really watch it. Then close your eyes and then remember the candle flame. See it. Hold the flame steady for a bit, then let the flame flicker and dance around, the way a flame does. Practice that for a few days.
Shape Meditation
Get some fruit and stare at it. Take in the shapes and the colors. Now close your eyes and see the shapes, the colors and flip it around to see other sides of the object. Now, with your eyes still closed, imagine shapes, a square, a triangle, then a circle. Make them 3 dimensional. Change their color; make them bigger and then smaller. Play with the shapes.
The best way to practice these exercises is to work on them a little bit each day. That seems to work better than big marathon sessions. So take your time working with this and let yourself have fun with it.
I’d love to hear from you what your stumbling blocks are. And if this helps, let me know.
New Moon in Aries March 22, 2012, 10:38 am US EDT
The New Moon, Jupiter and Venus Conjunct in the sky as viewed from Greenland. Photo by Toke Brødsgaard
March 23, 2012 1:38 pm Eastern Australian Time
New Moon in Aries helps us harmonize our inner world with the fiery energies of change and action. With Aries moon further enhancing the Sun’s entrance into Aries on the Solstice, it is a flow between inner and outer mastery, and learning to manifest that relationship in tangible ways. We are called to create and invent our way out of chaos. This isn’t going to sit well with most of us who have had the wind punched out of our sails. But we are going to find that despite setbacks, we have the internal courage and the fortitude to dig deep and begin again.
We have 3 retrograde planets putting a lot of influence into this mix. Mercury is retrograde till April 4, and Saturn is still retrograde for a while, and Mars will go direct on April 14. Retrograde Mercury conjunct with the New Moon asks us to look deeply into our ability to act on intuition and asks us to remember our dreams, and visions. Retrograde Mars is calling us to get more settled, deal with our anger and take grounded actions. And Retrograde Saturn, influencing the new moon as well, is asking us to to be fair and equitable to children and our own inner child. So issues around the protection of children and laws that get in the way of that will be in the news.
Time to set our Aries Moon intentions
Setting our intentions with the power of the moon enhances our mental resolve to move through issues. Harmonizing our efforts with nature’s gentle rhythms shifts our intuition into its rightful place, as our guide and internal monitor. This moon, the energies are of blazing new trails, honing our instincts, remaining honest and straightforward, taking risks, being self-sufficient, having courage and being BIG. It tests our impatience and impulsiveness and tendencies to be isolated. Statements that harmonize with this moon are: I want to easily find myself trusting my instincts because I know I am being guided by a greater wisdom I want to find myself being authentic with others and communicating with them in a kind and non-blaming way. I want to find myself taking risks that expand my concept of what I am capable of. I want to easily explore my goals with a sense of trust and an open mind.
You get the idea.
New Moon Astrology
We have a lot of energy and feel uneasy because of increased electromagnetic activity around the earth’s poles. (check out http://www.spaceweather.com for more about this). A lot of us have had headaches, excess energy, maybe even depression, all of these could be the affect of this energy that our bodies have a hard time handling. This jittery energy is being tempered by that Grand Earth Trine I spoke about which started before the Equinox. This gentle influence encourages us to heal our bodies and pay attention to our health. Are we exercising, are we putting off dental appointments? Look at using new ways to harmonize the excess energy with your own flow. Energy therapies are a good way to do this, which one is best for you? By energy therapies I mean Reiki, Polarity, Shamanic techniques, Acupuncture, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Hatha Yoga, Heller Work. All of these help release blocked energy and get the body into it’s natural flow. Get up to date with your health care providers. Look at your body as the strong support that it is, and maintain it.
There is a shift towards thinking about humanitarian issues, we want to support others because our hearts are opened and we feel deep compassion. Big shifts are happening all around us, and we need to notice, stop, and take it in. We are feeling uneasy, and all of the electromagnetic activity is hard for our bodies to hold. Despite what is happened out there, we need to focus on our goals because our work is even more important now.
If you are working on yourself, and who isn’t, it is an excellent time for receiving insights, which might show up as earth shattering awareness. Now, it you are adept at handling awareness, through therapy or ongoing introspective work, this will be good and maybe the insight you are looking for. If you are not engaged in deep introspection, this may come as more of a shock. I advise working through what comes up with someone, even if just a friend, because you want to follow these threads. Write about them as well, they will be an important shift that will be in play for the next 3 months.
One thing we might find challenging, but again a good energy for a lot of us nonetheless, is really being able to see the dark side of our personalities and how that can lead to anger, upset and affects society in general. There is an ability to really see how the themes that run under our own complexes have a big affect on the whole at this time. If we want a world of peace, we are able to see now what gets in the way, in the very personal realm. It is also a good time to see how our own struggles that might have been hidden to us, work with our true purpose in the world.
How do we divert our true impulses to our underground motivators and how can we match them up to redirect sabotaging energy to do good in the world? So if we really struggle with issues of insecurity, and we are taking that challenge seriously by being more out there and maybe promoting ourselves and bragging about our successes (good bragging!), then we will have moved ahead in this arena. At the same time, we might find that others around us are suffering from the same thing and we are inspired to share how we have overcome insecurity, in fact it becomes a theme around us. In fact we are so motivated that we decide to give a seminar on this and a whole new path opens up before us. This is a natural flow that will just feel right and be easier than struggling to create something.
This inner-outer relationship is going to teach us how to navigate the changes we all have to make to get more involved in our communities and move our dreams of a better world into reality. It’s totally up to us to do that. And that comes from our attitudes and vision.
Have a wonderful month!
