Gaye Mack’s Blog

Keys to What’s Holding You Back-Evolutionary Astrology and Dr. Bach’s Flower Remedies-

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Gaye Mack in Balance, Karmic and Self-Discovery Astrology, Writer's Work Leave a comment

August 20th arrives with a Full Moon in Aquarius.  Ruled by the planet Uranus, individually and globally we’re being pushed to embrace innovation, individuation and collaboration…a mouthful. This said, illuminating this Aquarian moon is the Sun in heart-centered Leo, reminding us that we must not forget to be true to our Soul’s intent for us to evolve as spirit in body.

As I’ve discussed in previous posts, the science of Evolutionary Astrology is about transformation.  In the evolutionary analysis of the birth chart, we’re presented with a powerful tool that metaphorically offers a map and compass which reveals our Soul’s unique agenda and pathway for this lifetime. In addition, this process presents us with the opportunity to confront psychological karmic energy from a distant past that haunts us at an unconscious level; in essence this elusive energy holds us back.  Certainly the prospect of stepping up to this challenge is a daunting one that requires courage and faith to leap into the unknown in order to ‘break the ties that bind.‘ 

Once we become aware of what we need to leave behind and in what ways we need to move forward on this journey of self-discovery, we can call upon several of Dr. Bach’s powerful flower remedies for support.   His remedy Walnut immediately comes to mind, for Walnut expressly helps us to cut binding ties and at the same time ‘stay the course’ toward our ‘next right step.’  

Additionally, there’s another remedy for this situation in Dr. Bach’s famous ’38’—Honeysuckle.  The dynamics of Honeysuckle specifically relate to those emotional states of mind wherein the individual cannot let go of the past.  Often this memory state manifests as unrealistic longings to return to a nebulous history that’s wrapped up in fantasy or it can be recall within the present lifetime that nevertheless, is also conjured up in fantasy.  Such desires can be attached to grief and loss or simply a wanting to escape.   In either state of emotional psychology, it’s the avoidance of the present which prevents movement into the future.  

So, as we enter the energy of the forthcoming Aquarian Full Moon, we have tools to help us move forward on our journey of growth…an analysis of our astrological birth chart through the evolutionary lens, Dr. Bach’s Honeysuckle, or both!

walnut-300x215

 Dr. Edward Bach’s Walnut

 Honeysuckle

 Dr. Edward Bach’s Honeysuckle

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THINK, ACT OUT OF YOUR BOX WITH COURAGE~ THE MESSAGE OF FEBRUARY’S NEW MOON & DR. BACH’S MIMULUS

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Gaye Mack in Balance, Karmic and Self-Discovery Astrology, Writer's Work Leave a comment

Depending on where you’re living, this Sunday (February 9th) closes out with or on Monday, comes in with a New Moon in Aquarius.  As I’ve written previously, the energy of new moons is always about beginnings and new operating instructions for our individual soul’s evolution; and, this one is particularly pushy in its message.  Aquarius, the sign whose psychological energy encourages us to shift our lens with the goal of embracing a wider scope of collaboration with the greater collective, insists that the time is now for each of us to act.  Uranus, the water bearer’s planetary ruler that delights in shock and disruption, is all about challenging the status quo, reformation through change, and in general loves thrusting us forward to be the thorn in the side of mind-sets that find comfort in routine.  

Not everyone will feel this energy so intensely, but for those who have Aquarius, Uranus or the 11th house emphasized in their birth charts, the  focus of the Aquarian/Uranian message is especially for you.  Where are you being asked to innovate, reform or act as an agent of change in your own life?  Again, as if to make the point, this New Moon is positioned in a close square to the Moon’s Nodes, those points in our charts that carry our karmic and evolutional story.  When these points are activated by transit as they are now, the call to action isn’t so much about our Karmic story in past lives, but more about our evolution in the present life.  This Aquarian moon squares the South Node in Taurus, asking us  through its planetary ruler Venus, to revise our values, to let go of the material in exchange for the greater value of love.  Opposite the South Node, the North Node which symbolizes the healing medicine in any chart, lies in Scorpio. 

While the energy of this New Moon is helpful in encouraging us to revise our South Node Taurean script, working with the energy of the North Node always takes conscious effort; it takes effort to disconnect from that which feels so familiar in the South Node energy.   Scorpio with its relentless planetary ruler Pluto encourages us to dig deep, to face that which we fear, to bring those shadowy, icky things up from our unconscious into our conscious so that we can acknowledge them which is critical in our evolution toward authenticity…no easy task!

 Dr. Edward Bach’s flower remedy, Mimulus can be one of the tools to help you in this challenge.  As one of the three original flower remedies which he discovered in 1928, Mimulus is all about the challenge of facing our fears.  As one of Bach’s Twelve Healers, Mimulus can and does operate on multiple levels, meeting us where the positive energy is most needed for the circumstance.  From the mundane perspective, Mimulus is the remedy for those temporary situations that give us heart palpitations– public speaking, flying, going to the dentist and even phobias such as agoraphobia, acrophobia, muscophobia (fear of mice!); in other words we know the source of our anxiety.     

At the deeper levels, emotions with which we have a history, especially those that create a recurring theme of timidity within our psyche and behavior as well as  evolutionary challenges at the soul level, Mimulus gives us unwavering courage to stay the course, to meet the dragons of our fears head on so that we can claim our power; courage to think and act out of the box…courage to be an agent of CHANGE.  

 mimulus

 DR. EDWARD BACH’S MIMULUS

Photography©Dr. Edward Bach Foundation

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REACHING FOR THE STARS WITH DR. BACH’S ASPEN & WATER VIOLET AS DECEMBER’S NEW MOON ARRIVES AND URANUS GOES DIRECT

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Gaye Mack in Ancient Legends of Great Britain, Balance, Karmic and Self-Discovery Astrology, Writer's Work Leave a comment

Not only will  December 13th bring us a new moon in Sagittarius, but a few hours after this exact conjunction with the Sun, Uranus finally ends its retrograde motion which began last July.  And this isn’t all; these two astrological events come packed with significant energy, pushing open the cosmic gate, compelling us to step through.

For more than a year, the doomsday mongers have been wringing their hands in anticipation of ‘the end of days’ through their misinterpretation of the Mayan Calendar coding.  But this isn’t the first time such dire news has been predicted.  Back in 1184 the Toledo (Spain, not Ohio!) astrologers put all of Europe in a panic over an ‘unusual’ forthcoming planetary alignment.  Obviously we’re still here but if you’re interested, you can access one of my prior posts on this event.  As in the case of that misinterpretation, we’ll be here long after this December.  Nevertheless, we ARE due for important shifts in our perspectives and actions; no longer will the focus on the material and duality serve us well.  This ‘Super New Moon’, (when the moon is closest to the earth) marks a momentous fork in the road along with the solstice (December 21st). 

 Cosmic Law reminds us that the macrocosm is a reflection of the microcosm and visa versa.  In other words, the state of our landscape outside is a reflection of the energetic landscape within us as well as the reverse.  As I write this posting, the morning news is full of the ‘level 5’ earthquake in Japan with its Tsunami warning, the escalating concern over Syria’s government using deadly bio-chemicals on its people and the intransigence stalling compromise in Washington.  The energy coming in with this new moon, Uranus’ forward motion and other timely planetary alignments will compel us to adjust our lens to new perspectives around participating in the solution rather than exacerbating the problem.

 Astrologically Uranian energy ‘rules’ the sign of Aquarius-the mental sign that sees the ‘bigger picture.’ Once this planet’s motion begins to move forward, we’ll be pushed in our soul evolution to ‘think and act out of the box’, personally, nationally AND globally.  As refreshing and exciting this interpretation of the Sagittarius New Moon and Uranus’ forward motion might be, they understandably come with the trepidation that always accompanies us when we step into the unknown.    Mythological half-man, half-beast, Sagittarius shoots his arrow to reach for the stars, unconcerned about the mysteries, for the excitement of the exploration is where it’s at.  Archetypically Uranus is the ‘light bringer’-the force behind those ‘light bulb moments’ of insight and wonder of the cosmos.  Nevertheless, some support as we step out into the unknown, is helpful.

Dr. Edward Bach’s flower remedies Aspen and Water Violet come to mind.  Bach placed Aspen in his category of fear, but Aspen’s fear is illusive rather than concrete knowing-not unlike the illusiveness of the Pisces/ Neptune energy, which I blogged on last time.   There’s a facet of Aspen’s energy that’s a mix between nervous anticipation and excitement.  You feel it in your gut, but you can’t quite put your finger on what ‘it’ is.  Often Aspen can be about heightened sensitivity or an intuitive perspective that simply needs quieting and grounding.

 The energy of Bach’s Water Violet is very ‘old’.  In my book, Igniting Soul Fire~Spiritual Dimensions of the Bach Flower Remedies, I discuss the concept that as one of Bach’s original Twelve Healers, Water Violet was a ‘soul type’.  In this manifestation, the ‘Water Violet’ comes into this life with a very deep knowledge, vision and wisdom that’s meant to be imparted for the greater good.  However, because of karmic betrayal issues, the type is reluctant to interact with others or to share its wisdom.  Thus, as a remedy, Water Violet energetically provides the courage needed in order to shift this perspective so that the individual can step out into the unknown with conviction, sharing its vision in the deep knowing that this is its destiny.

 

 DR. BACH’S ASPEN

 

DR. BACH’S WATER VIOLET

Photography©Dr. Edward Bach Foundation

 

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LEO’S NEW MOON-TIME TO WORK FROM THE HEART WITH HELP FROM DR. BACH’S WILLOW AND WALNUT FLOWER REMEDIES

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Gaye Mack in Balance Leave a comment

Friday, August 17th calls in the new LEO moon, the roaring lion of the zodiac.  Inside of a month, we’ve now traveled from the opposite, expansive full moon in Aquarius, that urged us toward courageous, revolutionary thinking with regard to our creativity and perceptions. Now we have come half way around the circle to the spot where Leo’s moon and sun sit together on the launch pad of new possibilities and mindset.

 As I wrote in the full moon blog post, Leo works from the heart when the lion is in his/her glorious fullness, shinning like the sun to which this sign is astrologically connected.  However, for each of us this life is anchored in one or more Karmic Contracts grounded in relationships, reconciliations and life missions, interconnected more often than not, with the purpose of impacting soul growth and evolution for our and this planet’s, greater good.

 But because we are human, none of us escapes from our metaphorical hearts being hurt.  Losses, shattered dreams, unrealistic expectations, compromised skills of discernment…these ‘matters of the heart’ all bear grief…such life experiences impact each and every one of us.  For some, these experiences are repetitive bearing deep pain. When this happens self-pity, bitterness and resentment wait in the shadows making it difficult to pick oneself up, dust off and carry on.

During 1934-35 Dr. Edward Bach discovered the ‘final 19’  of his famous 38 Bach Flower Remedies, declaring that these ‘19’ functioned at a ‘higher vibration’ (and therefore deeper) than the earlier discovered 19; the remedy Willow was among these discoveries.   Willow  comes from the ‘weeping willow’ tree with its boughs that bend so sadly over water.  If one is a student of the ‘Doctrine of Signatures’ philosophy, it’s easy to see why this is the remedy for positively shifting the perceptions of self-pity, resentment and bitterness.  Several years ago I had a female client who through various circumstances of life had worked herself into all three of these mood states.  After adjusting her remedy formula several times I decided to add Willow; the outcome was dramatic within days, which sometimes but not typically, happens so quickly.  She called me crying, saying “I realize I’ve been sabotaging myself and that I have a piece in my outcome.”  This self-realization and accountability was most definitely the action of the Willow, giving her a new lens that allowed her to move forward in a positive manner.

 So now we have this wonderful new moon of Leo’s energy encouraging us to take charge of who we really are at the HEART of our being.  As I blogged nearly a year ago (see the 9/24/11 posting) on Dr. Bach’s remedy Walnut, I won’t belabor it here again other than to say that Walnut is THE remedy for making such changes, as in Dr. Bach’s own words, Walnut is “the Remedy for those who have decided to take a great step forward in life, to break old conventions, to leave old limits and restrictions and start on a new way,”

 What perfect remedies for this Roaring new Leo moon!

WILLOW

WALNUT

Photography©Dr. Edward Bach Foundation


LEO’S FULL MOON-CREATIVITY & HEART, MIND & VISION

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Gaye Mack in Balance, Karmic and Self-Discovery Astrology, Writer's Work Leave a comment

 

Admittedly, it has been almost two months since I last blogged…definitely a faux-pah in the eyes of the blogging police.  However, I have a good excuse for this temporary absence…at least in my mind and it falls into the category of ‘there are no accidents’. 

It has been almost 20 years since I attended my last mystery/thriller writer’s conference, but at Thanksgiving an opportunity appeared (notice I did not say, ‘by accident’) out of the blue for me to attend such a conference that was held in Chicago this past weekend.  The important thing about this conference was that not only did it offer the opportunity to really schmooz with some of the best mystery/thriller writers we have, but to  ‘live pitch’ one’s  latest project to some of the country’s top literary agents… but there was a catch. 

In order to do this, I had to finish my ‘current project’ which I’d already been  working on since last spring.  The expression, ‘pedal to the metal’ was an understatement as I became glued to my keyboard(and my wonderful, selfless editor up in Minnesota) racing against the clock, while dosing myself with numerous flower remedies.  I hardly saw anyone and only had clean clothes thanks to my husband who took over laundry and shopping duties…Christmas?  When did that happen?  You get the picture.  Thus my long apology for the silence as I endeavor to get back to work!

The outcome of this effort  is that the book is done, the conference was a success and my pitch was a success insofar that agents want to see the full manuscript….so now I wait. Even if I receive an offer for representation there’s no guarantee  a publisher will offer a contract…it’s a dicey business that’s becoming more chaotic by the day(note the current stand off between Amazon and BN), but writers are compelled to write, myself included, the torpedoes be damned.

In the midst of all of this effort,  my astrological work and studies languished(along with the previously mentioned laundry and shopping duties).  Only today did I realize we are under the influence of  Leo’s  shinning full moon, lit by the fire of February’s Aquarius Sun.  Astrologically, Leo rules our heart and creativity for it is from the heart that this authentic piece of ourselves resides.  Aquarius, the sign of the collective is ruled by that rebel of the planets, Uranus with its mental energy and vision.   If it weren’t for Uranus thinking out of the box, we’d all be still writing on clay tablets and I don’t mean IPads!  So what a better ‘opportunity’ than to sit in the energy of this full moon where we can each contemplate the job that is uniquely ours, that evolutionarily, we came to do?

This pairing of the Leo full moon and the Aquarius sun reflects the Divine message that we are to align our heart and head in carrying out the job, whatever that may be.  One thing’s for sure…each of us has one!  And if you need a little self-confidence, try some of Dr.Bach’s Larch flower remedy….having drunk a bottle of it this past weekend, I highly recommend it!