The Full Wolf Moon, January 4, 2015

"Full Wolf Moon – January Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon." -The Farmer's Almanac

January's Full Moon in Cancer occurs on January 4th at 8:53pm (PST). This wolf moon will leave us howling for new order as our world gets shaky with decision making. Releasing the past is one way to forge ahead but commitment to our personal integrity is what will open doors. The New Year heralds resolutions but it is the will which produces results. Long standing patterns need to break down for us to really see and plan for our future. That time is now. Say good-bye to what has not worked-time for real change. Harsh words and deeds test the resiliency of forward movement but this is a smoke screen. Judge not by appearances created under such tumultuous conditions. Best take a deep breath, find the space to regroup, focus on the goal not the obstacles, and know, this too shall pass.

Saturn is now in Sagittarius. Thoughts, ideas, and plans will spring forth calling for specific action. Are you ready? Saturn does not care if you are or not. This dynamic Full Moon in conjunction with Saturn highlights developing courage, compassion, initiative, diplomacy, and responsibility. This is a turning point connected to the full moon eclipse experienced last April. What needs healing or resolution that was not available then? What do you need to do to let go? How much conflict will it take for you to finally walk away? If you forgave yourself first what would change?

Happy Birthday, Capricorn and Happy New Year to all!

Second Saturn's First Casualty

Second Saturns are tough.

Anything unresolved from the first Saturn

Erupts with pyroclastic force.

Sometimes ironic, mostly infuriating,

Second Saturn's presence is a harsh taskmaster.

Whether fleeting or chronic,

Intense issues unsettled increase

Forcing flight or fight reactivity.

Unrelenting unpredictable internalized emotion

Humbles even the most rationally arrogant.

The cosmic mirror awakens

Thoughts of inching closer to old age.

Denial melts like butter

Dripping with realizations of time

Speeding toward an unknown finale.

Conflicted hard change becomes a best friend

Teaching lessons of bravery.

The biggest question to answer is,

Who and what do I want to take with me into old age?

Frequently the choice is also delegated by the universe.

Loss figures predominantly in a Second Saturn

As a reminder of the impermanence of reality.

Cozy comfortable living is a memory.

Whether it is death, separation, health, change, or defeat,

Say hello to the process of grief.

Is there a silver lining to a Second Saturn?

Are lessons learned like bridges burned?

Will Saturn's spiritual awakening scorch or heal?

The answers come with deep questioning

Of the soul's purposefulness and future intent.

Bearing up under Saturn's grip

Requires courage, fortitude, resilience, and compassion.

Either armor up or soften up but choose wisely.

Pay close heed of your words and deeds,

Otherwise Saturn's true healing is circumvented.

A comforting shoulder and gentle discourse

Will alleviate the acerbity of Saturn's blows.

Accepting help, seeking solace, being contrite,

And asking for forgiveness, expedites the transformation

Needed to learn Saturn's stringent lessons.

This blog is dedicated to those who passed their second Saturn, those with Saturn in Sagittarius, and the one who made me his first Second Saturn casualty.

Christmas Without Christ

I am a Buddhist. For more than forty years I have not been a Christian, despite being raised in an orthodox Catholic parochial school system. Not many can say they have received as much Christian religious education (in addition to mass six days a week) as me. Years of instruction initially made me devout with a child-like acceptance of Church doctrine. But as I grew older and saw what I felt were aspects of this religion I did not believe nor could I accept. Throughout my younger adult years my search to find a spiritual home led me to other more figurative Christian religions like Unity and the Church of Religious Science. Christ light, as I called them, was certainly more palatable but still I had difficulty accepting Jesus Christ as my personal savior. Then I began to read about Buddhism.

Through Buddhism I discovered a philosophy and way of being I could embrace. Though I do not consider myself to be a skilled practitioner, I do observe the teachings. The most difficult part of acknowledging and sharing my love of Buddhism is the reaction I get from people of other religions.

Today on Christmas day, this point is driven home all the more. My Christian friends are not at all happy with my Buddhist beliefs and constantly try to convince me to come back to Christ. I find their pleas incredibly disrespectful. Finally, after being badgered by one of my reborn Christian girlfriends about converting, I reminded her there is a constitutional right to freedom of religion. But to my Christian friends, it is about Christianity being the only religion and way into heaven.

The Catholic training I endured in my childhood also taught this. But the flaw I saw in this conflicted with the idea of loving your fellow humans only if you can convert them to Christianity. Of course, you show them charity, but they are nothing more than heathens. Sadly, this attitude perseveres.

This year I dated a pastor and a man who was a devout Christian. Both of them said I could never be happy unless I allowed Christ into my life. At one point, the pastor told me my natural intuition was really the devil whispering in my ear. I found this ironic. Isn't intolerance of any sort the antithesis of being a loving, spiritual being? I do not expect any of my Christian friends to understand or convert to Buddhism yet they expect me to. When I am with my Christian friends I do not talk about Buddha unless asked. However, my friends feel no compunction about rambling incessantly about Christ wanting me to come back into the fold. What is wrong with this picture?

Religion has been used for centuries as a reason to treat women and children as property, start religious wars, and justify genocide. What I see very little of is the human aspect of religions supporting the higher spiritual values which support our humanity.







 

A Capricorn New Moon, the Winter White Soltice, and the Dawning of Saturn in Sagittarius

"Winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon which marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Winter solstice occurs for the Northern Hemisphere in December and for the Southern Hemisphere in June.
The axial tilt of Earth and gyroscopic effects of the planet's daily rotation keep the axis of rotation pointed at the same point in the sky. As the Earth follows its orbit around the Sun, the same hemisphere that faced away from the Sun, experiencing winter, will, in half a year, face towards the Sun and experience summer. Because the two hemispheres face opposite directions along the planetary pole, as one polar hemisphere experiences winter, the other experiences summer." -Wikipedia

December 21st marks the New Moon in Capricorn at 5:35pm (PST). Just hours after the winter solstice, this new moon marks the need for responsibility, mastery, and rigorous discipline. Where are you sloughing off and where does your focus need to be? This is a new beginning requiring motivation, self-determination, and practicality. Slowly but surely, the dark days will begin to give us more minutes of light to warm our chilled winter bones. We know there will be more winter, but the darkest days are over until next year. So it is with the Capricorn New Moon. We are ready for the challenges spurred on by embracing the work which needs to be done. Capricorns are known as the administrators of the universe because of their devotion to the nitty gritty details. They drive many of us nuts with their meticulous picking but we know without them we would be developing an airy thought instead of a full-fledged plan. It is easy to dream but harder to make something a reality. Use the power of this Capricorn New Moon to take measured and thoughtful action. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their life.

Two days after the Capricorn New Moon is the heralding of Saturn moving into the fiery sign of Sagittarius. Moving from the mysterious, watery stinging Scorpio to the heat of Sagittarius will take some adjustment. Those of you with Sagittarius in any house will feel its transformation in your hard line beliefs, while watching the erosion of how they have no basis in reality. Be prepared to see that things are not as set in stone as you thought. Think of the Archer and his bow and arrow: it takes strength, concentration, and visual perception to hit the target. But are you sure that's the target you want to hit? No one identifies with the arrow. Are you speeding through the air aimlessly or with precision? You'll be asking a lot of thought provoking questions as Sagittarius leads you on your next merry journey.

Happy Birthday Capricorns!

ISIS: Enslaving, having sex with 'unbelieving' women, girls is OK

"(CNN) -- Can you take non-Muslim women and children captive? Yes, says ISIS.

Can you have sex with them, even prepubescent girls? Yes, according to the Islamist extremist group.

Can you sell them or give them as gifts to others? The answer is yes, once again."

Where do I begin? The deeper you go into this story, the more horrific it gets. Women and girls raped and held as sex slaves, not only as the spoils of war, but as a religious right. The fundamental dignity of women and children being savagely violated by predators masking themselves as holy religious followers is akin to psychological and sexual genocide.  One only needs to hear stories from past war 'comfort women' to know these men are murdering the souls of their victims. Sexual assault is not just the episode-it's a lifetime of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and not trusting you will ever be safe or whole again-and that's if these women somehow escape their tormenters.

"Even then, it is rare to see its rationale laid out as plainly as in "Question and Answers on Female Slaves and their Freedom."

In the document, for instance, it is explained that capturing women is permissible if they are "nonbelievers." It adds, "Female slaves are the women that Muslims took from their enemies."

Much of the pamphlet talks about ISIS' policy on having sexual intercourse with a female slave, something that the group cites the Quran to justify.

Armed men distributed this pamphlet Friday to worshipers in Mosul, outlining what's permissible to do with non-Muslim captives.

"If she was a virgin, he (the owner) can have intercourse with her immediately after the ownership is fulfilled," ISIS explains. "If she was not a virgin, her uterus must be purified (wait for her period to be sure she is not pregnant.)"

There are other rules as well, like that two men who co-own a captive can't both have sex with her and that a man can't have intercourse with his wife's slave.

As to girls: "It is permissible to have intercourse with the female slave who hasn't reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse," the document reads. "However, if she is not fit for intercourse, he (the owner ) can only enjoy her without intercourse." -CNN

Yesterday's killing of a hundred and forty-three children in a Pakistani school further illustrates no one is immune to being a target. It is unfathomable that anyone who believes in any religious ideology could perpetrate such hatred towards innocent women and children, justifying it by God's will.

 

I Am Always There

I am your ace in the hole
the dependable standby.

I am your mirror
with an unseen reflection.

I am your pursuer
running away from myself.

I am your friend
more peripheral than visceral.

I am your confidante
unable to share feelings.

I am your lover
always last on the list.

I am your past
seeking resolution.

I am your present
struggling with grasping.

I am your karma
needing purification.

Why I Love My Gay Harem

Never did I imagine I would end up with the majority of my support system being gay men. Affectionately, I call them my harem. Most straight people think I am odd or weird because of this, but I know I'm lucky. As a single woman without a close family, they are my brothers, friends, confidantes, advisers, comforters, and supporters. Contrary to what the traditional straight world thinks, they are not my male girlfriends. They are men. And when I am with them, the gay/straight
personalities between us disappear leaving us simply to be human beings. All I know is that they are men I admire and they unconditionally accept me. Plus, they all have a wicked sense of humor.

For the past thirty years, gay men have figured prominently in my life. In the eighties, when HIV/AIDS took over as the number one public health crisis, I worked as a medical social worker for UCLA. During those years the HIV/AIDS patient population exploded, placing me in contact with many men afflicted by a devastating disease with a shameful stigma, a poor prognosis, and very few sympathetic medical clinicians. Even an unbelievable number of my social worker colleagues
voiced antipathy when asked to take HIV/AIDS patients on their caseload. Given their chosen vocation, I found my coworkers disdain and aversion of these critically ill and dying patients reprehensible. My response was to become a stronger advocate. Living through this appalling era watching gay men die enduring rejection and contempt strengthened my convictions about human rights.

As HIV/AIDS became treatable instead of an automatic death sentence, the issues of gay rights and cultural acceptance moved into the forefront. Their struggle paralleled the women's movement tightening my bonds with them. This became evident when I returned in the late 90s to California (from my own private homophobic Idaho) and met a gay man from the Midwest. There was an immediate connection, for me it was friend love at first sight. We had so much in common I kiddingly referred to him as my gay husband. More than any other gay man, he enabled me to see, experience, and understand what it is like to gay in a straight world. He taught me firsthand about the high price of being gay as a minority culture. Through him I met other gay men whose company I enjoyed. Hearing their stories of coming out and dealing with societal rejection made me realize how courageous it is to live life openly as gay. Eventually I found myself attending more events that were gay-related until one day I realized most of my friends are gay men.

When you love someone who is gay, you become sensitive to the slights, slurs, negative behavioral displays, discrimination, and threats they can encounter daily. You wake up to what it is like to be gay in a straight world with the realization of the cost to them psychologically, socially, physically, and spiritually. How can this not teach one to be more compassionate? The most shocking fact  confirmed by numerous studies: high rates of depression and suicide. This is why I continue to be an ardent supporter of gay rights.

The Human Experience of Intimacy

"In my firsthand experience, there is nothing as exhilarating as being

"close" to another human. It is the sharing of your inner most self;

frightening to allow someone to truly know you. But it is as beneficial as

true introspection because much is revealed to you and to them. It is confirming

and comforting to be accepted for who you truly are. Most wonderful of all is

to be a trusted partner and have a trusted partner. Someone that believes in

what you are and is in your corner. Someone for you to love, to comfort, to

encourage. When I was married, I did not even contemplate any plans that did

not include her. She was an essential part of everything, an essential

part of me which is why it is so hideously painful when it comes apart. But

nothing ventured, nothing gained. You will never experience the best there is

without taking that chance. You will never be truly close to another without

laying yourself bare. No, I don't want superficial close. Forgive me here, but as 

in the act of physical intimacy which as a stand-alone is quite pleasurable, 

when it is with someone you are DEEPLY and MUTUALLY in love with, it is 

THOUSANDS of times better. I would hands down prefer to sit on the couch 

and watch a movie with a woman I truly love, than to have sex with the 

best-looking woman on the planet. Snap decision.”

Simple, yet pure and honest, this email stopped me in my tracks. Something

resonated in this passage which softened my stance, lowered my defenses, and

opened my mind. At first I could not believe a straight man wrote this to me.

Surprisingly, he touched on a number of things I had secretly hoped for, dreamed

of, or visualized but all have evaded me. Is it because I have almost no faith this

kind of intimacy is attainable in an intimate relationship or no faith two people can

sustain it? I want to believe an intimate meaningful love is possible but I also

wanted to believe in fairy tales, too.

The parts of this passage I found most unsettling: “never truly be close to another

without laying yourself bare.” Years of fortified seclusion have added layers of

protection which now calls for dismantling. Baring my naked self sounds not only

incredibly vulnerable but seems like a considerable tactical error. This is the risk we

all fear taking. In Buddhism they refer to this as removing your armor. Though my

humanity is drawn to intimacy, the rational side of me worries about making poor

judgments and being eviscerated emotionally. There is also another question I

have about intimacy versus enmeshment. What does healthy intimacy look like?

I can see my work is cut out for me.   

Full Cold Moon in Gemini, December 6th

"The traditional Full Moon names for December are Full Cold Moon or Full Long Nights Moon, because this is the month when winter cold truly begins to fasten its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.
This year, there are actually two Full Moons in December. The first will take place on December 2. The second will appear on New Year’s Eve, December 31. Only the first of the two will take December’s Full Moon name. The second will be called the Blue Moon. It’s not winter’s cold that makes this New Year’s Eve’s Moon “blue,” though. Blue Moon is the name traditionally given when two Full Moons occur during the same month." -the Farmer's Almanac

Welcome Gemini Full Moon, December 6th at 4:26am (PST). Feeling at a critical juncture? With the Gemini Full Moon we reach a culmination about spiritual matters. Conflict, division, and questioning core beliefs will present us with choices on how to resolve these important matters impacting our lives. The potential here is for opening up so the rigidity that is weighing us down can be dissipated. In the process we may find new perspectives and alternative ways to interpret current challenges. This full moon highlights spiritual transformation and your relationship with your Higher Power. It's all about questioning your purposefulness or lack thereof, being open to guidance, and finally saying good-bye to what's not working in your life.

The Full Moon in Gemini precedes the six of the critical seven squares that have been oppressively operational since 2012 on December 14th in Aries and Capricorn. This square reinforces the Full Moon's message of leading a spirit centered life as an anecdote to fear and feeling disconnected. Realizing we have a divine nature supports us to make heart-based decisions which diminish competition and encourage cooperation. Time to ignore what might be true for the underlying gut instinct telling us what is really tearing us apart. Thus, this will be a Full Moon to pray, meditate, and commune with spirit. Listen carefully and act compassionately.

Astrology's Dark December

The stars are cooking up some action as we move into the darkest month of the year. A critical juncture starts to form after the Full Moon in Gemini on December 6th. This Full Moon encourages us to use the thinking air of Gemini to design, create, and visualize new possibilities and greater realities. Staying stuck in our fears only mires us down in the nightmare called reality. But this bright orb will also be lighting a path at a crossroads ahead of the sixth in the series of seven powerful Uranus-Pluto squares on December 14th in Aries and Capricorn. Don't underestimate the significant punch which is sure to illicit intensity needed to precede change or break bad habits. We then move into the New Moon in Capricorn and the winter solstice. The day before Saturn moves into Sagittarius for its stay in the fiery sign until September of 2017. These two events herald the moving from woundedness to actively cultivating a faithful understanding of the spiritual nature of healing.

Happy Birthday, Sagittarius.