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.

Forecast January 19, 2014 – January 25

What is your relationship to Time as a Mysterious One? Does this question catch you by surprise? Have you never thought of Time as a being with whom you could have relationship? If so,  I invite you to entertain that notion. It could shift your whole life. I know it has mine.

Pressure and panic are signals that I am not in alignment with Time. Too focused on the future, I lose my anchor to Present Being. Like a child who feels neglected and who knows she is the center of the world (don’t we all know this?), Present Being warns, “If you lose me, you lose everything! Future won’t help you and it won’t help me. Come back to me. I need you.”

Anchored in the present, I am free to expand my relationship to Time. The capital letter Time is frankly beyond my true comprehension, but that doesn’t stop relationship. I have a friend who opened my mind to respectful and accountable relationship to Time. Claudia taught me to stop blaming Time for my choices. When I say, I don’t have time, or time is running out, or there isn’t enough time, I am really talking about my choices, not Time’s. If I feel pressure or panic, I have forgotten that Time is infinite and is more than willing to be my ally in helping me focus my desires and choices in this very present moment.

Time is important to the current Capricorn lunar cycle.* Focused on both limitations and possibilities, Capricorn makes us aware of reality. I’ve been looking at my foundations during this Moon cycle. I am aware that we are in a very important moment of choice in our world. Resources are crunched. Systems are out of balance. Change needs to happen foundationally. If this isn’t a formula for panic or escapism, I don’t know what is. And so, how do I remember my lost child, Present Moment? How do you? As the Moon wanes to the next lunar cycle that begins on January 30, I want to practice shedding the obstacles that keep me from the present moment.

I really need this. I hope to shift my worries into abundant possibilities. For the next two weeks, I hope to lighten my hold on the qualities that keep me from the present and add those I want in my foundation.

Five things to shed: shame — scarcity fear — comparison — deadening emotion — despair

Five things to invite: gratitude — calm mind — joy — beauty — devotion

Will you join me?

Forecast January 19, 2014 – January 25

Moon in Virgo
Sun enters Aquarius 9:51 pm CST
Sunday, January 19. The grounded awareness of this Capricorn lunar cycle gets a jolt from the Sun’s ingress into Aquarius today. As the Fixed Air sign, Aquarius loves the realm of ideas. Thought plays with Time, speeds it up, and tempts us to initiate change by inviting us to imagine a different future. All that is good, however do you notice stress creeping in too? Rather than get caught up in the future, can you bring this infusion of inspiration into your present moment? With the Moon in Virgo, we are drawn to tinkering with systems to bring better efficiencies. Balancing effort with pragmatism brings wholeness. This adjustment helps us to be healthier as well as calmer. The Virgo imperative isn’t about perfection. [I always say this, because I need to be reminded.] However, Virgo’s gift invites a purification that helps us begin again in wholeness. Every one of us can return to the present moment with new attention and willingness to work. Notice communication mix-ups or assumptions that create misunderstanding. Jupiter and Mercury are asking us to reconsider something we thought to be true.

Moon in Virgo
January 20—Disseminating Moon: Sharing. I believe that each person is significant. We matter. Many times we don’t know what impact we are having. If everyone is connected in a giant web of interbeing, there is no way we are not continually influencing others. This phase of the Moon invites us to accept our impact and consider what impact we wish to have. The paradox is we can never really know and we can’t control how others will be influenced by what we share.

We’ve been looking at the bones of our foundations this lunar cycle. How has this journey influenced what you want to share? The Moon in Virgo encourages us to look at both the parts and the whole. What is your access to wisdom—the big picture or the small details? Both ways will create reverberations in the web as we continue to interact.

Venus has made her big migration from the evening sky to the morning. Venus is till moving retrograde in Capricorn, encouraging an investigation of our foundations. Perhaps you are noticing a new point of view in the Venusian areas of life, which include our relationships, resources, and values. Venus, as the planet of balance, spends an equal amount of time as Evening Star and Morning Star. Consider what needs to shift for you to bring more balance into your life.

Moon enters Libra 6:43 am CST
Tuesday, January 21. Open the channels of dialog, even if it just with yourself. What do you need to say? Will you also be ready to listen? The Moon in Libra emphasizes partnership and collaboration. We are reminded that we don’t have to do it alone. Cultivate allies in your journey and reach out to one of them.

Moon in Libra
Wednesday, January 22. We are checking in with the forces of change and transformation today. When the Moon hits a Cardinal sign (in Libra today), it activates the other planets—Uranus, Pluto, Jupiter and Mars—which are moving in and out of tense aspects with each other currently. The emphasis is on restoring balance. This could look like frustration about injustice, isolation, or inertia. Interactions could be tense because of impatience or mounting stress. Communication issues will become increasingly important over the next three months. Today Mercury enters what is often called the shadow zone of its next retrograde journey. We begin to get an inkling of the kinds of communication improvements we need to make. Mercury won’t turn retrograde until February 6, so the real impact may not be felt until then.

Moon enters Scorpio 3:43 pm CST
January 23—Last Quarter Moon: Evaluating. Scorpio is known for its x-ray vision. This sign sees deeply. With the Moon entering Scorpio, we each acquire this superpower for a few days. We are encouraged to ferret out any remaining insights about Capricorn foundations as the Moon wanes into darkness over the next week. Are you down to the bones yet? Do you understand your foundations better? Are you ready to let the extraneous go? Another Scorpio superpower is the ability to purge what we don’t need so we can focus that intense x-ray vision on what really matters. In this week’s introduction, I wrote about shedding the obstacles that keep us from the present moment. Consider using your Scorpio superpowers to purge shame, scarcity fear, comparison, deadening emotion, and despair. That’s a big list but the payoffs are great. When we let go of these things, we make room for the strong foundations of a good life. That is the Capricorn gift.

Moon in Scorpio
Friday, January 24. A lot falls into place today. The Moon supports ongoing transformation in our lives. Although it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, we feel rewarded by the efforts of sorting, purging, and getting down to the gritty essentials. Let that strength flow through you today. I recently read a description of psychological resilience. The author observed that the difference between those who give up and those who persevere is the belief that transformation is possible. We can change, and for the better. Mars and Mercury encourage active communication of ideas, inspiration, and connection. Notice what inspires you. Will you incorporate that into your transforming foundation?

Moon enters Sagittarius 9:12 pm CST
Saturday, January 25. We don’t get the uplift of the Sagittarius Moon until tomorrow (in CST). Today, we complete the Scorpio tasks of reaching down deep and purging what we don’t need. As the Moon and Mercury contact Saturn in Scorpio today, we are reminded of our responsibilities and commitments. How do Scorpio’s superpowers help you in your work? One of these superpowers is the ability to maintain focus. If we can get past being overwhelmed by the magnitude of what we want to accomplish, we find inner resources to enjoy the effort. Really. The hardest step may be communicating your truth today. The tension is between transparency and power. Neither of these urges is completely right or wrong. If your tendency is to keep a tight grasp on information, perhaps take a risk to share it. If your tendency is to let everyone know everything, then try keeping silent and see what happens next.

*The Capricorn New Moon began on January 1. See more about the beginning of this lunar cycle at: http://tinyurl.com/mt3p9sx

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