Gaye Mack’s Blog

MESSENGER OF THE GODS, SPEEDY MERCURY PREPARES TO BACK IT UP

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Gaye Mack in Balance, Karmic and Self-Discovery Astrology, Writer's Work Leave a comment

It’s that time again when speedy Mercury, ‘messenger of the Gods’, slows, pauses and to our visual eyes, backs up in the heavens–often creating havoc with anything having to do with communication.  Over the last few years, I’ve blogged about this three times per year astrological event, particularly concerning the deeper meaning of Mercury’s motion for each of us.  

However, for this posting I’m pleased to have my Evolutionary Astrology colleague, Tony Howard appear as my guest.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with Tony(or his incredibly IMPRESSIVE bio), he’s an Evolutionary Astrologer himself and a guy with his feet in several canoes including the job of keeping all  print, video and website matters running smoothly for Evolutionary Astrologer, Steven Forrest and his Seven Paws Press.  So I leave you now in Tony’s good hands…pay attention!

 

Mercury Retrograde in Gemini May 2015 by Tony Howard

Are you ready for another Mercury retrograde cycle? We almost never are, are we? Since Mercury will retrograde in Gemini this time – its own sign – it’s likely we’ll see more of the stereotypical manifestations of this cycle. To get in the flow, you’ll probably need to slow down in general, but especially in regards to Gemini-ruled topics, like communication, speaking, writing, teaching, and learning.

My approach to a smooth Mercury retrograde period is to soften my will. Frustration only arises if I’m too invested in doing something at my usual lightning pace (I have natal Mercury conjunct Uranus). If I allow myself to slip into ultra-patient mode, I usually find that Mercury retrograde is pleasant. It’s one of the only times I give myself permission to slow down, let things go undone until they get done, and allow life to unfold as it will without pushing too much.

Hey, I should probably adopt a Mercury retrograde attitude all the time! Luckily, Mercury retrograde happens 3 times a year, so we get 3 chances to get it right. (Did I really just say “luckily”?!) If you have planets in early-to-mid Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo or Pisces, you’re likely to notice this Mercury Rx cycle more than usual. Also pay close attention to planets in those signs near 4° or 13°, the degrees of Mercury’s stations. The shadow period for this cycle begins May 4, with Mercury at 4° Gemini. As Mercury begins to slow down this time, it moves into a square with Neptune on May 8.

This usually quick transit takes on more importance since Mercury will retrograde back and forth over that square point at 9° Gemini. It retrogrades into the second pass of the square on May 28th. After stationing direct, Mercury squares Neptune one more time on June 22. Mercury with Neptune can bring shady communications, so let’s steer it towards more spiritual pursuits. You may want to postpone important conversations around those dates. Instead, use the time to connect with something higher than yourself, outside the linear realm of the easy-to-understand. Take an internet holiday (or just look at the pretty pictures instead of reading!).

Spend more time in silence, dream a little. Being too linear or trying to make sense of things on those Mercury square Neptune days feels like going against the flow. You’ll have plenty of time to get back to rational thinking after Mercury goes direct. The only conjunction of Mercury and Mars in Gemini this year happens during Mercury retrograde. Pay attention to the dates May 25-28, when listening is probably a better choice than speaking and taking action, especially if you find yourself peeved. Give Mars a couple of days to march briskly forward out of the conjunction while Mercury dilly-dallies, and wait until your frustration has integrated somewhat before saying what you need to say.

Just before Mercury goes direct, the collective seems to let out a big sigh of relief via Facebook these days, given that so many have become familiar with the cycle. We might see even more of that this time, when Mercury turns direct June 11 as it buddies up to Venus through the sextile aspect, ending the cycle with some good vibes. If any feathers got ruffled during the Mercury-Mars conjunction, or confusion set in with Mercury square Neptune, the sextile with Venus should provide some opportunity for pleasant re-connection. Venus will be in Leo, so celebrate the end of the cycle by spending time with fun friends who make you feel good. Get dressed up and go out to dinner for some lively conversation, or have some of your favorite peeps over for game night. Mercury is totally in the clear by June 27, when it passes the 13° mark, ending the post-retrograde shadow period.

 

GLASTONBURY FLOOR2

Photography Courtesy of Karen Pfiefer

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EMBRACING THE WISDOM OF OPPOSITIONS IN YOUR BIRTH CHART & IN LIFE WITH DR. BACH’S ‘IMPATIENS’

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

In astrology, birth charts almost always reflect at least one if not several ‘mathematical oppositions‘ between the planets; in other words,they’re placed 180 degrees apart.  Thus the energies between two planets (or sometimes several planets if they are ‘sitting next to each other’) are at first glance, at ‘odds’.   These placements in a birth chart remain constant throughout this lifetime, as do other mathematical relationships between planetary energies such as squares, conjunctions or trines, just to name a few.  What they have in common is that in these relationships, they reflect particular evolutionary challenges or support that we’re meant to work with.  And as with all configurations in our chart, these placements are the Soul’s messengers delivering the syllabus for this lifetime’s Soul agenda.

When seeing one or more oppositions in a chart some traditional astrologers  might sigh and mutter “oh, dear…dear…”  But in evolutionary astrology, we look for the higher expression of the placements; in other words, what are the symbols trying to tell us and how can we best use their energies for our Soul growth? While you might not think so, even with oppositions there’s a ray of sunshine…there is a point of common ground to be had that’s mutually beneficial.  We just have to see it.

Case in point: Sagittarius is on the eternal quest:  what’s the ‘meaning of life’?  Why are we here?  That’s a pretty big question and because Sag is ruled by expansive Jupiter, details are not terribly important…just give the broad stroke of the brush and get to the point… which is why Sagittarians ( or those with significant Sagittarius in their birth chart), can suss out underlying principles faster than a speeding bullet!  

Enter Gemini, the sign opposite Sagittarius in the zodiac.  Gemini is the epitome of ‘curious’… “inquiring minds want toKNOW HOW AND WHY…that’s Gemini.  Gemini ruled by Mercury, is a ‘mind sign’…those Geminis are always thinking and despite their fast minds, they can get mired in ‘wool gathering minutiae’ in trying to decide which train is better to board.  Sagittarius on the other hand says, ‘to hell with that, I’m out of here, I’m just getting on a train and will figure it out later’….So where is the common ground here?  Actually it’s in the middle…both signs have a desire to explore and learn, it’s just that each uses a different methodology.  However in their desire, each is prone to ‘impatience‘ in their search.  

The energy of every opposition in a chart is unique because it depends on the planets and signs involved. Nevertheless, within the nature of oppositions there will be some facet of impatience or agitation involved.  Finding the common ground emotionally is the key to pacifying the energy so that the best of both can be utilized and in this effort, we can call upon Dr. Bach’s ‘impatiens’ flower remedy to help support this process.  

Impatiens was one of Edward Bach’s original ‘Twelve Healers’ and is the one remedy in his 38 flower remedies whose name exactly describes the emotion meant to be addressed; impatience!  The positive action of impatiens (which by the way, is one of the five flower remedies Bach put in his famous ‘Rescue Remedy’) is that it brings about a shift within our perception of calming down and embracing TOLERANCE within ourselves and for others.  

So, when we’re feeling particularly agitated or intolerant within ourselves or with others(!), it’s most likely because one or more oppositions in our natal chart have been activated by a current planetary transit to these  points in our chart.  Nevertheless, Bach’s Impatiens or Rescue Remedy are there for you, you just have to reach out for them!

 

 DR. EDWARD BACH’S IMPATIENS
Impatiens-300x267
Photography©Gaye F. Mack, Inc.

A personal note: Coming Soon! My completely redesigned, reconstituted website~all visits welcomed-stay tuned for launch date.

You can follow me on:

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DR. BACH’S AGRIMONY & CERATO-TOOLS FOR ACCESSING YOUR INNER PEACE & WISDOM DURING THIS SAGITTARIUS FULL MOON

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Gaye Mack in Balance, Karmic and Self-Discovery Astrology, Worth the Read, Writer's Work Leave a comment

Like the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, once again, I’m late! I’d hoped to get a new post up immediately upon returning from the May session of Steven Forrest’s evolutionary astrology apprenticeship program earlier this week out in San Diego, but alas…. in my effort to be consistent with posts… in true Gemini fashion, I’m not. Originally, on the heels of a conversation with one of my apprenticeship colleagues and friends, I’d planned to post on Dr. Bach’s Scleranthus and its relationship to the very busy planetary activity that’s taking place. However, the current full moon in Sagittarius has deemed otherwise as its energy it seems, is making an intense impact everywhere from postings read on Facebook and Twitter, combined with the exact hit of the Pluto/Uranus square on May 20th. This said, I’ve decided to re-post earlier comments pertinent to this full moon! Call on Bach’s Agrimony and Cerato to help you find peace and reason in the energy of these shifts, internally and externally; you’ll be amazed.

Just when we thought we’d survived the solar eclipse in Taurus on May 9-10th, ready or not, May 24th-25th (depending on where you live) arrives with a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius. Such is the nature of eclipses, they always come in pairs, making sure that we have enough ‘opportunity’ to reflect and adjust! The message of the Solar eclipse in Taurus was for us to focus on jettisoning attitudes, beliefs and ways of being that no longer serve us well, a theme that’s been repetitive for some time now. Currently it’s exacerbated by the on-going tightening square between Pluto (in Capricorn) and Uranus (in Aries) which will make the third of seven exact ‘hits’ on May 20th.

With the Sagittarius/Gemini lunar pairing, we’re further encouraged to integrate heart and head, faith with logic and intuition with thinking in order to manifest our intended purpose in this lifetime…a pretty tall order. Fortunately, we can call upon Dr. Bach’s Agrimony and Cerato remedies to support us in this quest. Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter…the planet that operates on faith, can easily become restless. This is especially true when Sag is faced with its core mission, the quest to discover the meaning of life. Ironically such an undertaking requires a ‘sense of peace’ in order for the archer to keep true to the mission. Bach’s Agrimony is often paired astrologically with Sagittarius for many reasons. In this instance, his own words describing Agrimony as the remedy that brings “the peace that passeth understanding,” leaves no doubt as to what is called for.

Operating on intuition, the Moon doesn’t think and in Sagittarius, intuition and faith are mutually supportive. We don’t need to understand. Additionally, this lunar eclipse comes with other factors that intensify, for lack of a better word, this message. Mercury, the planet of thinking (and ruler of Gemini) is in Gemini during this eclipse and conjuncts (sits next to!) Venus. Shortly thereafter they’re both joined by…Jupiter. Clearly the universe wants us to get the message that more information input does not guarantee knowledge.

As Agrimony is often paired with Sagittarius, Dr. Bach’s remedy Cerato is paired with Gemini. Classically, the ‘Cerato negative state is described as manifesting in someone who’s very verbal, needing constant input from others or approval when in fact, they’re meant to trust their own ‘wisdom.’ With the message of this eclipse emphasizing heart and head working together, Cerato frankly helps us to shut up, go inside where we can work on learning this lesson!

Finally, there’s one more small detail into this mix…Neptune, that nebulous planet of other-directed awareness. With this lunar eclipse, Neptune is in a tight ‘T-Square’ to the Sagittarius Full Moon and Gemini Sun. Squares are turning points…which way are we going to go? Are we going to remain stagnant in the same patterns or are we willing to make changes offered to us for our evolutional growth? Neptune in its square to the luminaries is just making certain we get its message: there’s more out there beyond the boundaries of our consciousness and the time is now to embrace it. There’s no escaping, this will have been quite the month for progress along our evolutionary path!

DR. BACH’S AGRIMONY
Agrimony-300x295

AND CERATO
Cerato
Photography©Dr. Edward Bach Foundation

A personal note: Coming Soon! My completely redesigned, reconstituted website~all visits welcomed-stay tuned for launch date.

You can follow me on:

http://www.facebook.com/gayemackauthor, http://www.gayemack.com, https://plus.google.com, http://www.twitter.com/gayemack or http://www.linkedin.com


DR. BACH’S AGRIMONY & CERATO-REMEDIES FOR MAY’S LUNAR ECLIPSE IN SAGITTARIUS

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Gaye Mack in Balance, Karmic and Self-Discovery Astrology, Writer's Work Leave a comment

Just when we thought we’d survived the solar eclipse in Taurus on May 9-10th, ready or not, May 24th-25th (depending on where you live) arrives with a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius.  Such is the nature of eclipses, they always come in pairs, making sure that we have enough ‘opportunity’ to reflect and adjust!  The message of the Solar eclipse in Taurus  was for us to focus on jettisoning attitudes, beliefs and ways of being that no longer serve us well, a theme that’s been repetitive for some time now.  Currently it’s exacerbated by the on-going tightening square between Pluto (in Capricorn) and Uranus (in Aries) which will make the third of seven exact ‘hits’ on May 20th. 

 With the Sagittarius/Gemini lunar pairing, we’re further encouraged to integrate heart and head, faith with logic and intuition with thinking in order to manifest our intended purpose in this lifetime…a pretty tall order.  Fortunately, we can call upon Dr. Bach’s Agrimony and Cerato remedies to support us in this quest.  Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter…the planet that operates on faith, can easily become restless.  This is especially true when Sag is faced with its core mission, the quest to discover the meaning of life.  Ironically such an undertaking requires a ‘sense of peace’ in order for the archer to keep true to the mission.  Bach’s Agrimony is often paired astrologically with Sagittarius for many reasons.  In this instance, his own words describing Agrimony as the remedy that brings “the peace that passeth  understanding,” leaves no doubt as to what is called for. 

Operating on intuition, the Moon doesn’t think and in Sagittarius, intuition and faith are mutually supportive.  We don’t need to understand.  Additionally, this lunar eclipse comes with other factors that intensify, for lack of a better word, this message.  Mercury, the planet of thinking (and ruler of Gemini) is in Gemini during this eclipse and conjuncts (sits next to!) Venus.  Shortly thereafter they’re both joined by…Jupiter.  Clearly the universe wants us to get the message that more information input does not guarantee knowledge.

As Agrimony is often paired with Sagittarius, Dr. Bach’s remedy Cerato is paired with Gemini.  Classically, the ‘Cerato negative state is described as manifesting in someone who’s very verbal, needing constant input from others or approval when in fact, they’re meant to trust their own ‘wisdom.’  With the message of this eclipse emphasizing heart and head working together, Cerato frankly helps us to shut up, go inside where we can work on learning this lesson!

 Finally, there’s one more small detail into this mix…Neptune, that nebulous planet of other-directed awareness.  With this lunar eclipse, Neptune is in a tight ‘T-Square’ to the Sagittarius Full Moon and Gemini Sun.  Squares are turning points…which way are we going to go?  Are we going to remain stagnant in the same patterns or are we willing to make changes offered to us for our evolutional growth?  Neptune in its square to the luminaries is just making certain we get its message: there’s more out there beyond the boundaries of our consciousness and the time is now to embrace it.  There’s no escaping, this will have been quite the month for progress along our evolutionary path!

 

Agrimony-300x295

DR. BACH’S AGRIMONY

Cerato

  AND CERATO

Photography©Dr. Edward Bach Foundation

 A personal note:  Coming Soon! My completely redesigned, reconstituted website~all visits welcomed-stay tuned for launch date.  

 You can follow me on:

http://www.facebook.com/gayemackauthor, http://www.gayemack.com, https://plus.google.com, http://www.twitter.com/gayemack or http://www.linkedin.com


THE FASCINATING PATTERN OF ECLIPSES AND OUR SOUL PATH

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Gaye Mack in Balance, Karmic and Self-Discovery Astrology Leave a comment

For those able to witness it, yesterday’s solar eclipse presented a stunning image, even if you aren’t into astrology or astronomy.  But for those of us intrigued by, work in or study astrology, yesterday’s event signals change.  Change isn’t easy.   In fact most of us resist it on a sliding scale that ranges from extreme resistance, to ‘well this will be interesting’ (that would be the mutable signs!).  Solar eclipses work from the outside in.  In other words, our external environment changes in a way that affects us internally.  Specifically how this manifests depends on one’s own birth chart and what if any, planets and houses are triggered. 

This said, it’s important not to lose perspective here.   From an evolutional perspective, eclipses are the universe’s tool to help us grow and advance within our soul’s agenda.  Thus, the energized shift doesn’t necessarily have to be a massive event; it can be something smaller but nevertheless important to our personal journey as it stimulates internal change within us that’s significant in some way. And, sometimes this shift isn’t even realized until after the fact.  Yesterday’s eclipse took place at 00 degrees Gemini, so for example if your birthday was yesterday or within five days, you can expect some effect.  The same is true if you have natal aspects 0 to 4 degrees in the other air signs, Libra or Aquarius…or opposite Gemini, Sagittarius, or Sag’s fire partners, Aries or Leo.  

Much is written about the effect of both solar and lunar eclipses and to be honest, there are some astrologers who don’t assign much weight to them at all; but astrology is about patterns and as eclipses always come in pairs roughly 5 ½ to 6 months apart, patterns seem inevitable.  Personally, I find it fascinating to look at these patterns closely.  As for this pair, last November 24th we had a solar eclipse at 2 degrees Sagittarius , the opposite sign of Gemini.  If yesterday’s event affects your natal chart, think of the November eclipse as a type of preview…an introduction to the initial energy intensified by yesterday’s new moon.  It’s almost as if the first event gives you time to absorb the energy, get used to it so that you’ll be ready for the second act.  Think back to last November 24th and the days that followed…see if you can make a connection to events and shifts within you…you might just see a pattern!  And just when we think we can exhale….guess what?  June 3rd brings  the second of the  Gemini/Sagittarius Lunar eclipse pair !

Gemini’s Ring of Fire

 One of the many images posted on Facebook


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