We are in the first few days of a new lunation ushered in by the energy of Sagittarius. Sagittarius is a visionary and truth seeker, so the energy of the recent new moon with both Sun and Moon in Sadge infuses this whole “moonth” with a quest for Truth. 

We are wired for compassion.

Neptune turns direct on November 19. This planet rules the sign of Pisces, and inspires the dreamer and mystic within us. As a Pisces Rising, dreams are my lifeline and help give meaning to a life that doesn’t always make sense. Through our dreams, we live into alternate realities where anything can happen and everything is possible. 

People are under extreme stress these days. So is the planet as a whole. Some of us feel our hearts breaking for the devastation of the water, land, and beings of Gaia. Some of us are at the brink of apparent mental breakdown, losing our minds and having to come to our senses. Some of us are angry. Some of us are shameful. Many of us do not feel safe in the current climate of divisiveness and confusion. 

A phrase we hear in yoga time and time again is “let go” - i certainly have had a tendency to over-emphasize this aspect of the practice. But lately i have been reevaluating the cliche’d “let go” and wondering what is actually happening. 

At Samhain, as the moon turns from waning to waxing, we move across the threshold from death to rebirth. To the Celts, death sits between one life and the next. The Goddesses of Death are also Goddesses of Rebirth. They teach us that death is not an end, but a threshold of transformation. 

As we move closer towards the Samhain season, we are turning towards the Great Mystery of death and rebirth. This week our bodies and minds are being activated and prepared for radical transformation and awakening. We are in the death throes of dying paradigms. 

Destruction comes in service of Evolution, hand-in-hand with Creativity. When a cycle comes to an end, we often witness or experience death throws before the Phoenix rises. Holding on at this point is…toxic…Let the energy move.

Do you, like me, carry heavy armor of rigid self-protection, despite a desire for loving connection? Is your armor made of scar tissue - physical and emotional - layered over past hurts and deep wounds? Have you chosen harsh judgment over merciful compassion? Has your mind confused amour with armor?  What would it be like to set it down? For just a moment. Close by. In case you need it again. 

Whatever begins now will influence not only the next “moonth” (until the New Moon), but also the full year ahead as Jupiter journeys through Libra.