SUN CONJUNCTS MERCURY AND EROS IN LEO; PALLAS TRINES VESTA ; NEPTUNE OPPOSES JUNO AND VENUS PREPARES FOR HER RETROGRADE

My friends, we’re at the brink of The Sun-Mercury-Eros conjunction at 0 Leo. This is a potent alignment which brings both our conscious awareness to, and the ability to give/receive messages about matters that link with our hearts, wombs, romantic, passionate, creative, co-creative, pro-creative/sensual lives. (Applies for men, and other genders in different ways – but bear in mind we all have a powerful link to the archetype and energy of the Womb.) Leo also links to the archetype of the Inner Child and the vulnerable, authentic self that resides within that tender, layer of self. Eros’ role in this conjunction brings it back to that intrinsic, unspeakably intimate connection we share with the Source of Life itself. It is that quality that excites us about the fact of our existence, and allows us to revel, sparkle and delight in that realization.

We’re looking to our lives, and opening ourselves to messages/ideas/information that will expand our awareness of ourselves in this vital aspect of life. The Royal Sign of Leo fills our worlds with a fearless approach to life, and love. It’s a beautiful energy, and one which can show us the way forward, especially when we may feel stuck in our abilities to express our innermost, authentic selves.

Ceres and Hermes oppose the Sun/Mercury conjunction at 2 Aquarius, energizing current energies. We are likely to be able to provide nurture through or be nurtured by our friends, charitable networks, associations for humanitarian causes – or simple – from the Ether of the Cosmos itself. Aquarian energies seek to bring the Gifts of the Self to the Collective, that they may then be honed to facilitate manifestation of the Mind’s directive. Such forms of nurture can come through social media, other forms of electronic communication and related networks (FB, Skype, Twitter, etc. ). Hermes’ much like Mercury, emphasizes the roles of communication – of giving/receiving messages of use and interest at this time. Stay open to and in tune with your sense of intuition, as it were.

Those of you with placements near to 23-9 Libra-Scorpio / Aries-Taurus will experience this as a Fixed T-Square, or Fixed Grand Cross – with the points of greatest intensity nearest 0-2 Scorpio/Taurus.

The Sun/Mercury trines, whilst Ceres sextiles Saturn Retrograde (28 Scorpio). This indicates that the messages we receive now (with respect to our authenticity / passion / vulnerability / lovelife / kids / creativity / etc.) and the nurture we give/receive in ways that connect the Higher/Deeper Mind, The Cosmos, and the Collective – leave larger ripples in their wave than anticipated. Saturn observes and tests us all methodically through its final retrograde in Scorpio (for another 30 yeas at least). This trine-sextile (i.e. Wedge) alignment provides us harmonious opportunities to work with these elements and find authentic, compassionate ways in which we can address the challenges that taskmaster-Saturn presents us with at present.

There are other supportive aspects present (depending on how you choose to work with their energies/opportunities):

Pallas Athena Retrograde (11 Sagittarius) trined Vesta (11 Aries) – The Goddess of Strategy, Wisdom and Assertion asks us to look inwards, revisiting our understanding of belief systems, ideologies, philosophies, attitudes to travel, ability to teach/preach and so on. Vesta, The Priestess, continues her counsel … She asks us to continue to burn the remnants of the Ego in the Fires of the Self, as she reveals to us our Innate Divinity. Those with placements at between 4-18 Leo will experience this as a phenomenal Grand Fire Trine (as the Sun/Mercury will, over the next few days). It’s already in the works 😉

Neptune Retrograde (9 Pisces) opposed Juno (8 Virgo) – We are asked to look at the ways in which we experience and understand the Formless aspects of Divinity. The illusions of ‘being spiritual’ and what that must ‘look/feel/be like’ are presented to us now, and we are challenged to allow what is no longer required to be washed away into the Compassionate Waters of Spirit and Mystery. Juno, the energy of the Soulmate, opens us to the Divine Feminine at the same time. We are likely to experience encounters – with Priestesses / Facilitators / Service Providers of some kind who challenge our ideas of an otherworldly idea of Spirit. Those of you with placements at/near 1-16 Sagittarius/Gemini will experience this as a Mutable T-Square, or Mutable Grand Cross.

Osiris (9 Virgo) and Niobe (10 Virgo) are nearby, exerting their influence. Osiris asks us to discover a grounded, practical understanding of Service that seeks to heal the Wounded Masculine, whilst Niobe warns us of becoming too attached to the physical trappings to any path of Service – titles, adulation, movements, followings, and so on – these can be useful and needed depending on what you’re meant to be doing, the catch is not attaching the whims of the ego-self to it.

It’s important to also note that Venus (0 Virgo), in proximity to Jupiter (26 Leo), prepares for Her Retrograde, in a little over 24 hours’ time (July 24). The Lady herself questions her material form, her value system, the ways she relates to things, people, and different aspects of her self. We’re going to feel this, at first, intensely focused upon our understanding of what constitutes a Practical Path of Service – then she shifts backward into Leo, circa July 31st. Her lessons then focus upon Leo-related concerns as delineated above (circa July 31). I feel the messages we receive from Sun/Mercury now will also help us understand and prepare for the Venus Retrograde Transit.

There’s more happening in the skies (there’s always more, e.g. Mars squaring Uranus), but I think this should be enough to give you a sense of what’s up with the skies right now 😉

Blessings to All,

Bairavee Balasubramaniam

The Sky Priestess

For those of you seeking readings, please contact me via ( http://wp.me/p4OUNS-zB ). I might be travelling after the 26th, and so I’m leaving my calendar wide open. Not sure when it will be as free after that. Blessings.

Text © Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2015. All rights reserved.
Image – 1873 Pierre Auguste Cot – Spring.jpg

AWAKENING THE GODDESS THROUGH ASTROLOGY – AN INTERVIEW WITH PRIESTESS BAIRAVEE BALASUBRAMANIAM, PHD & HOST JANET HICKOX ON THE LIVING ASTROLOGY SHOW (DEC 2014)

In this interview, I talk about the Awakening/Reclaiming/Re-Membering of the Divine Feminine as expressed through astrological tools and constructs. I discuss the mythology and history behind the Goddess Asteroids (Ceres, Juno, Pallas Athena and Vesta) and Black Moon Lilith. Together, all these astrological energies allow us to paint a more complex portrait of how the Goddess, The Sacred Feminine is rising through All Beings at this time. We also explore the different ways in which men and women access the archetype of the Divine Feminine differently as I perform live readings for two people calling into the show. Each of these energies (the Goddess Asteroids, Black Moon Lilith) is truly multidimensional and casts so much light onto our pasts, present and potential futures – for astrology can lead to a sense of spiritual liberation by giving us the tools to rewrite the influence of the patriarchal (and any other limiting) narrative upon the story of our lives. There is so much to be learned from a study of these astrological bodies and we will continue to deepen our knowledge about them in the years to come.

Here’s the link! ❤

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/empoweryouradio/2014/12/19/awakening-the-goddess-through-astrology–on-living-astrology-12-18-14

Many thanks to host Janet Hickox for having me on her show Living Astrology to discuss such a powerful topic, and during the conjunction between the Sun and our Milky Way’s Galactic Center! It was a wonderful, blessed interview. For further reading on the Significance of this conjunction, seee:  http://wp.me/p4OUNS-eU

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Blessings and Love to All

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Images: (Left) Guercino’s Astrologia (Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons); (Right) Sky Priestess by Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD

ASTRO UPDATE 25 OCTOBER 2014: MERCURY RETROGRADE ENDS & MAJOR SHIFTS UNDERWAY!

Blessings Everyone! The Mercury Retrograde ends today! Over the next few weeks, we will be revisiting decisions, communications, negotiations we made in partnerships and relationships with others. We will have the chance to make amends in situations which can (and ought to be) repaired, and the opportunity to find new approaches to move past old obstacles. Mercury Stations Direct at 12:28 pm (GMT + 8) at 16 Lib ’48.

Here’s a Head’s Up: At 7:11 am, Oct 30, Mercury will conjunct the North Node for the final time this year at 18 Libra ’16, activating a Nodal (Karmic) T-Square with Pluto and Uranus Retrograde. This will be a key opportunity to use the information you gathered during the Retrograde Period to work on some aspect of your relationships/partnerships/contracts or other negotiations.

Today, we’re also feeling the effects of Mars at the Anaretic Degree (i.e. 29 degrees) of Sagittarius. The lessons we have learnt from the ‘Action/Assertion’ planet in this sign to do with our sense of expansion, adventure, travel, higher education, philosophical understandings, Path in life, and our relationships with our Teachers/Gurus will be heightened. At 6:27 pm, October 26, Mars will move into the sign of the Sea-Goat, i.e. Capricorn.

At 10:38 pm, later today, Ceres will enter the 29th (Anaretic) degree of Scorpio. Here the Goddess Asteroid of Nurture (showing us how we best give and receive nurturing energy) is revisiting the lessons of her stay in the Scorpionic Underworld. Ceres or Demeter is the Goddess of the Harvest, of verdant abundance, of agriculture and the bounties of the Earth.

She is the mother of Persephone, the maiden who is abducted, raped and instated as the Queen of the Underworld by Hades/Pluto. The mother manages to secure 6 months out of 12 in the year where her daughter is free to roam the earth – the remaining months cause her mother to lament. The world experiences her grief and joy through the seasons: spring/summer (joy), autumn/winter (grief) or the simpler divisions of fruitful/unfruitful agricultural seasons (associated with Ceres) . Ceres moves into Sagittarius at 9:31 am, October 28.

The energy of Nurture, represented by Ceres, is focused upon the Deepest Moment of Darkness (Scorpio). We may find healing self/others by engaging in deep emotional catharsis and exploration as nurturing at this time. Physical touch and intimacy with a loved one can also bring us this sense of deep fulfillment. Others may fulfill Ceres’ longings through an exploration of the occult and the Deeper Mysteries it represents. As with all things, there is a balance called for in this placement – to ensure that the recipient of your healing, touch, explorations, etc. is firstly willing and able to participate in the process. Boundaries and the right use of power must be managed, particularly in parent-child relationships (owing to the Ceres-Persephone-Underworld connection).

On top of that, at 6:32 pm later today – we see the start of a Grand Fire Trine between Uranus Retrograde (13 Ari), Juno (6 Leo) and Vesta (9 Sag), whose effects will begin to build from this time. More on that in the days to come.

We’ve got other powerful influences already operating in the sky right now. Strongest of all is the aftermath of the Scorpio Solar Eclipse (see http://wp.me/p4OUNS-au for full article).

Blessings to All,
Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD.
www,bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image Information: Palazzo Grimani a Venezia – Foto Giovanni Dall’Orto – 8 Ago 2011 426 – By G.dallorto (Own work) [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons

THE LESSONS OF THE ASTEROID GODDESSES AS MARS TRINES NEPTUNE RETROGRADE – Astrology Self-Study Article # 2 by Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD

Blessings to all,

All Asteroid Goddesses are connected in two powerful alignments in the sky right now: Juno, Ceres, Vesta, Pallas Athena – linked together by the Mother-Archetype of the Moon. They make a Wedge and T-Square aspect (described below). These Goddesses collectively teach us the value of self-nurture as we seek wholeness through the Divine Feminine in the Self and the Outside World. These lessons comes just as Mars (Masculine, Yang energy) is about to trine Neptune Retrograde (vision, inspiration, spirituality).

As this is an Astrology-Self Study article, I go into these aspects to some depth. Here is a shorter piece with the gist of what’s happening ❤ ~ http://wp.me/p4OUNS-3D

In this article I also introduce my understanding and experience of Juno, the Goddess Asteroid traditionally associated with Marriage and the Soul Mate. Juno will be working her magic all throughout August and till late September 2014

ASPECTS

We’re having an intense Wedge and T-Square in the skies – Peak Phase: 6:59 pm till 11:28 pm (GMT + 8), 7th August 2014

Both aspects share the same opposition (Moon-Juno).

The Wedge (opportunity to bring harmony to a situation) involves
Moon sextile Ceres
Ceres trine Juno
Moon opposed Juno

The T-Square (crisis that can precipitate creative breakthrough) involves
Moon square Pallas
Pallas square Juno
Moon opposed Juno

To summarize, what we’re going to see is two different energies – the Moon in Sagittarius and Juno in Gemini seeking to find a common meeting ground, or place for coexistence.

The Moon in Sagittarius seeks freedom through adventure, and has the ability to connect emotional, sub-conscious and intuitive energies through the exploration of Self-through-the-World. It can also symbolize escapism from the true work of exploring the Self by becoming overly hedonistic, seeking experiences solely for the pursuit of pleasure, and not deeper growth.

Juno – is a complex character to analyze – Whilst astrology calls her the Goddess Asteroid of Marriage and The Soulmate – I see her as a lot more than that. I shall be doing a post on her separately. I see her as representing the very essence of That Cosmic Other Half – The Divine Feminine in balance with the Masculine. Call her Asherah, Shakthi, Sophia – whatever your tradition guides you to do. But She essentially calls us to find and reconnect ourselves with that Primordial Feminine Energy that permeates all of Creation. Neither stronger, nor weaker, than the Masculine – without Her (or rather, the principle she Represents), spiritual experience is essentially incomplete. I would re-frame her as the principle of Feminine energy seeking completion, which is a more nuanced exposition on the way she is commonly understood – Intuitively, it feels more accurate to analyze and interpret her in this way. She is far too complex a goddess to pin down in a single category of ‘marriage and the soulmate’.

In the sign of Cancer, she calls to us – in our physical, environmental and metaphysical-primordial relationships to the Womb. She asks us to reach out and find, in ourselves, or in others (whichever appropriate), the ‘missing half’. Where is the Divine Feminine principle within yourself, and in the people you share your ‘truest nature’ with?

The Moon in Sagittarius can give us the courage to go forth (externally) to seek-in-the-World those connections and energies – with the understanding that all is but a Reflection of the Self. Alternatively, it can facilitate an escapist adventure that takes us away from our truest Selves in search of Union. That the Union we seek must first be found in ourselves, than in other people is an oft-forgotten idea – thanks to the plethora of cultural productions in the media that romanticize codependency and the idea that we cannot be whole in ourselves. (For instance: I love Disney, but man, did it take a while to de-program from that idea that a woman cannot be whole/happy without a man to protect her and rescue her!)

So we are called to Seek out the Union we desire. How and where and with whom we do is our choice entirely. This is where Ceres (The Nurturer) and Pallas Athena (The Strategist-Healer-Warrior) enter the picture. Ceres creates a beautiful flow of nurturing energy from its position in Scorpio (having just entered Scorpio). She beckons us to find our answers in ways that nurture and honor the deepest parts of our Spirit, our sexual/intimate selves and the parts of us which have been hidden under the label of ‘taboo’, ‘shame’ or the proverbial ‘blind spot’. She asks us to look past superficialities and into the deeper Mystery of the Sacred Self, often Veiled in Shadow.

— Remember that Vesta is close by (2 degrees from Ceres) encouraging us to nurture, honor and tend to our inner flames, burning in the Sacred Temple of the Body — Her influence (The Priestess, The Guardian of the Sacred Flame) is also felt in this alignment.

I am thankful for the T-Square, as an abundance of Trine and sextile energy in combination can create powerful flows of energies towards things in ways which may seem ‘fated’, but in actuality, are not. Not all that we are drawn to at this time will be right for us – and having that pressure to choose, that reminder of the need for discernment in our spiritual choices and the experiences that result from them is a blessing.

At this time, Pallas Athena in Virgo calls us to stand up for ourselves, assert our space, our worth and and integrity in the space/ground we stand on. She challenges us to find strategic ways to heal ourselves and discover greater self-sufficiency. Whilst Virgo is associated with the notion of service, we often forget that self-care, and self-nurture is equally — a gift that we can give to the Universe. For the love and wholeness we can create in ourselves, first of all, radiates into the Universe and (to paraphrase Marianne Wiliamson) subconsciously gives others the permission to do the same.

In search of our ‘missing half’, within or without, we may get carried away by the flowing energy of the Trine. Pallas reminds us with its sharp square to Juno and the Moon that we need to put our pursuit of spiritual growth and wholeness as a priority. Seeking wholeness in other pursuits or with others can be as important (ideally), but it is important not to neglect the qualities of self-assertion and self-care. This is further validated by the semi-sextile between Pallas Athena and Ceres – this creates an opportunity to harmonize both energies, whilst remaining cognizant of the fact that both work differently. Pallas charges forth in Virgo (Earth) whilst Ceres nurtures in Scorpio (Deep Water)

And what a time for the asteroid Goddesses to be collectively teaching us such a powerful lesson in finding Balanced Love – for – at 8:20 pm later today (GMT + 8) Mars trines Neptune Retrograde. Masculine energy (Yang, Shiva, God Energy) flows beautifully with the planet of Transcendentalism, Ego-Dissolution and Universal Merger. In Retrograde, the illusory aspects that can accompany Neptune are reversed – We see what lies beyond the Veil, as the Bubble of Illusion bursts. This can manifest as a man, or someone manifesting powerful masculine energy coming suddenly into your life to facilitate powerful spiritual realization — through disillusionment (if you’re holding onto ideas not in alignment with Spirit), or, deep, internal awakening of a gentler fashion.

There will be the strong desire to romanticize or idealize this Masculine energy as it comes to you, but view it through balanced eyes as best you can. Know what it teaches you, and what it does not. Know what it represents, and what it can not.

This is how I interpret the metaphysical aspect of this Trine.

In the material sense – and I thank Maria DeSimone’s article for reminding me of this lovely aspect of the Mars-Neptune trine (paraphrased) – That you may have a powerful, assertive drive to manifest spiritual principles, visions or inspirational ideas at this time.

I would add: Harness this energy well, but remember the lessons of the Goddesses as you do. For there must be Balance.

A final note – the Moon will be septiled to Mars (1/7th of a circle, the 7 vibrational frequency) as its trine with Neptune occurs. What you choose at this time – the ways you choose to connect with your Divine Selves will mark the beginning of a new cycle, and the end of an old one. It is a powerful, karmic indicator of the magnitude of this event. To borrow the a phrase from Robert Wilkinson, the septile represents the ‘Karmic Fork in the Road’.

So ultimately – which Path do you choose to find Spiritual Wholeness at this time?

Blessings to All,
Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com