by Teri Parsley Starnes

Teri’s interest with astrology lies with helping people see how following a practice of intention and self-awareness leads to a fuller relationship with Mystery. Astrology is a wonderful tool for this. Her weekly column orients readers to the seasonal energy of
each month’s Sun sign in order to set magical/mindful intention for the lunar month beginning at the New Moon.

Each week Teri will write about the unfolding energies that support and challenge our intentions. The ebb and flow of the lunar cycle resides deep in our souls. Through following the phases of the Moon, we remember the natural cycles that guide us.

Astrologers divide the lunar month into eight phases. These are:
New Moon: Dreaming
Crescent Moon: Beginning
First Quarter Moon: Manifesting
Gibbous Moon: Perfecting
Full Moon: Illuminating
Disseminating Moon: Sharing
Last Quarter Moon: Evaluating
Balsamic Moon: Surrendering

Come follow the Moon as we practice intentional awareness together.

Teri’s interest with astrology lies with helping people see how following a practice of intention and self-awareness leads to a fuller relationship with Mystery. Astrology is a wonderful tool for this. Her weekly column orients readers to the seasonal energy of each month’s Sun sign in order to set magical/mindful intention for the lunar month beginning at the New Moon.

 

Each week Teri will write about the unfolding energies that support and challenge our intentions. The ebb and flow of the lunar cycle resides deep in our souls. Through following the phases of the Moon, we remember the natural cycles that guide us.

 

Astrologers divide the lunar month into eight phases. These are:

New Moon: Dreaming

Crescent Moon: Beginning

First Quarter Moon: Manifesting

Gibbous Moon: Perfecting

Full Moon: Illuminating

Disseminating Moon: Sharing

Last Quarter Moon: Evaluating

Balsamic Moon: Surrendering

 

Forecast August 19, 2012 – August 25.

“Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone; I am enough.” Brene´Brown

Let’s forget about affirmations that attempt to gloss over reality and go for the “feel good” moment. Let’s compost the helplessness that comes from having to have an affirmation in the first place. Let’s move beyond wounds that are so old we can’t even remember when we first started thinking we were wounded. Instead, let’s live wholeheartedly! I like Brene´ Brown’s writing. She acknowledges the shame that creeps up in our lives, names it, and then invites us to claim authenticity.

This New Moon cycle in Leo* is a perfect time to embrace wholeheartedness, to damn the torpedoes, to turn toward the Sun and reflect back our own strength and vibrancy. Are you ready to go on that journey with me? We are stronger when we are in the company of other wholehearted people.

Wholeheartedness is not about feeling good or even positive all the time. Wholeheartedness dares to see with “open eyes and open hearts”  what is really there. So this journey of wholeheartedness must include shadows, doubts, fears—all those things we’ve been fooled into thinking prove that we are doing it wrong.

Leo rules the heart. The word “courage” comes from the Latin for heart. Leo is ruled by the Sun. The Sun is the symbol for identity—who we authentically are. The Sun is the center of the solar system; the Sun’s journey from the dark phase of the year to the bright, back to the dark, represents our core experiences of knowing and not knowing who we are. And that becomes a lesson: It isn’t about the destination. It is about the evolution of self through light and dark. It takes heart/courage/wholeheartedness to live our full human lives never forgetting that we are the Sun.

As the Sun encounters aspects from other planets this week and leaves Leo for Virgo, notice the shifting lights and shadows within. How will you wholeheartedly embrace what is showing up for you?

Sunday, August 19. The Moon colors the energy of our day-to-day lives. Today’s colors include the expectancy of a New Moon phase, tinged with the industriousness of Virgo (where the Moon is today), and subtly tweaked by a Void-of-Course (VOC)  period that lasts almost the entire day until the Moon enters Libra at 11:45 pm.**   VOC is the least important quality of today but it may offer us a sense of being outside Time. And that can be helpful in any practice of self-awareness. Pay particular attention to your expectations for perfection. What projects are brewing right now to which you can devote yourself wholeheartedly? Make a list! I have more to say about Virgo on Wednesday’s forecast.

August 20—Crescent Moon: Beginning. The Sun (near the end of Leo) and Mars (near the end of Libra) do a beautiful dance today. I like Liz Greene’s description of Mars as the “right hand of the Sun.” We feel more confident when these two are in harmony. With that thought in mind, let the spirit of balance in action lead you to wholeheartedness. This is a day when diplomacy will be called for to bring understanding and calm tensions. The Moon is also in Libra and will trigger the hard square aspect between Uranus and Pluto today. The Crescent phase of the Moon is eager to get things going. The Mars/Sun aspect feeds that sense of possibility. Taking a chance is worthwhile, even if we don’t see the benefit right away.

Tuesday, August 21. A misperception, I think, is that if Libra is about harmony and balance, then everything should run smoothly when this sign is emphasized. Too bad that isn’t true. I think the way it really works is that the presence of imbalance and disharmony on these days provokes stronger reactions from us. Yesterday the Moon contacted the ongoing revolutionary energy of Uranus/Pluto, and today contacts Mars and Saturn. We may be in a reactionary mood, kind of mad that things are running more smoothly. Saturn gives us our work, and while in Libra (since 2010), we’ve been pushed to notice the imbalance in our lives. What imbalance in your life gets in the way of living a wholehearted life?

Wednesday, August 22. The Sun enters Virgo today. We don’t have to look very hard to hear messages about how we aren’t good enough, and how we should try harder, and how out of control we really are. Those messages are all around us, and sometimes the Virgo message gets fused with these kind of self-defeating expectations. I think that is a grave disservice to what Virgo is really about. Perfectionism is a disease. I want to reclaim the healing Virgo gifts of holism, discernment, and humble yet effective practice, so that I can continue my spell for wholehearted living this lunar cycle.  Today is the day to begin. In this season, when the Sun graces the tips of the corn stalks with gold, when healing herbs attain their full powers, and apples reach their perfection of sweetness, that is when we know we’ve entered into Virgo. It takes a certain amount of diligence and patience for our efforts to yield the best results. Virgo reminds us to stay on the path.

Mercury reaches the degree where it turned retrograde on July 14. Think through all the experiences around communication and ego you experienced this last month. What enlightenment do you carry forward as Mercury moves swiftly now through a new portion of the sky? To honor that momentum, Mercury makes a favorable aspect with Jupiter in Gemini today too. This is creative energy. How will you use it?

This is a day of important shifts. The Moon moves into Scorpio­—a dark counterbalance to the bright light of Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter transits. Strong undercurrents of emotion are present too. Honor all parts.

Thursday, August 23. Mars enters Scorpio today, joining a void-of-course Moon also in Scorpio. For introverts, this may be the best day of the week. It can be nice to get some quiet time while people process their inner workings. Mars is strong in this sign and will remain here until October 6. The action of Mars in Scorpio is penetrating, passionate, and sometimes even ruthless. Now, we get to practice accepting our shadows as well as our lights.

August 24—First Quarter Moon: Manifesting. I name this phase of the Moon “Manifesting,” not because we are done with our work but because we are just beginning to see an inkling of what it may produce and now encounter direct challenges to that possibility. Thinking back to your New Moon intention, what do you hope for and what do you see as the roadblock?

The challenge today may be felt as a lack of focus or a yearning to escape. If this desire is strong, it isn’t an indication that something is wrong with you or your goals. I invite you to think that this is the part of yourself that needs to go on a walkabout to get more information. If we honor the call to dreaming, we may find that these dreams feed our intentions too.

Saturday, August 25. Yesterday, the Moon entered Sagittarius, where it remains today. The goal of this sign is to push past boundaries, discover new truths, and tell the Big Story. How will you honor that energy today? Notice what inspires you as well as what challenges you to expand your horizons. Make this a gift to your wholeheartedness.

*See the forecast for the week of the New Moon August 17 to follow along with the developing energy of this lunar month.

** All times are CDT.

Contact Teri at teri@starsdanceastrology and visit her website at http://www.starsdanceastrology.com