A close conjunction to Venus in Leo increases the Sun’s appreciation of beauty and Love, and Mercury in a loose but closing conjunction would probably like to talk about it’s enjoyment of these pleasures but, being retrograde, may be a bit tongue tied. It’s ongoing opposition to Neptune may also be keeping it confused and unfocused. We may find ourselves attempting to rethink, re-evaluate, and refine (Mercury retrograde) … What is it that truly makes us  happy? Do we need to expand our sensitivity beyond our own personal pleasures to include a larger perspective? After all, the Aquarius Full Moon closing on conjunction to Neptune is shining it’s emotional Light on an altogether more universal awareness.

Alas, our Utopian dreams are disturbed by Pluto opposing Mars, both squaring Uranus in Aries, a volatile and angry T Square. It’s been a stressful summer astrologically and folks are still encountering plenty to be mad about. Remembering that this configuration of planetary influences is fertile ground for aggressive rebellion, don’t be surprised by unexpected and spontaneous expressions of frustration that could pop up just about anywhere! Mercury remains retrograde until August 26 so conflict resolution may remain illusive, and, with transiting Mars in Cancer, some folks will be actively hearkening back to old dogmas and ways of being and doing things. These outdated modalities have little applicability to the rapidly changing circumstances of current world concerns and may only add fuel to the fire of discontent.

Though the Full Moon often reveals the results of whatever may have been initiated at the previous New Moon, this retrograde Mercury and the disruption of the Pluto/Mars/Uranus T Square may delay our experience of resolution or completion. The New Moon in Virgo on August 28, two days after Mercury goes direct, should bring us new opportunities and a sense of relief.

Meanwhile, it’s Hug a Sibling Day! Celebrate Raksha Bandhan with sweet cakes and promises of mutuality.

.

This week end we may simply feel like having a good time! Leo rules that which brings us pleasure and the Venus here adds it’s own sweetness. With a square to Jupiter in Taurus just be aware of a tendency to overindulgence.

The tight opposition between Mercury in Virgo and Neptune in Pisces – both in their own ruling signs – cautions us to be alert to miscommunication, even dishonesty, or honest misunderstandings. The potential for verbal aggression inherent to Mars in Gemini confronted with the often confusing Neptune in Pisces energy can lead to arguments and an inability to make one’s point of view heard or understood.

Overall this is a great time to enjoy yourself, your lovers, your children and to make and enjoy Art in whatever form brings you pleasure. Save debates and difficult conversations for another week end. The heart is also under the rulership of Leo so Follow your Heart, hold your tongue and Have Fun!

Highlighted in this process at the Cancer/Capricorn Full Moon are the security of our families and our positions in the communities – our homes, our jobs. No big newsflash there, huh? Home and Family (and Mother & apple pie) are under the rulership of this Sun in Cancer while our public lives are ruled by this Moon sign, Capricorn. (also  fathers, CEOs, Heads of State, other authority figures.)

I wish I could tell you this Full Moon will light up the sky and illuminate The Way Out but it’s not a good time to be making promises. The ongoing political debate over the National Budget is emotionally charged by the opposition of these two signs. Mom & Dad in opposition is a challenging family dynamic. A quincunx from the Moon to the Gemini South Node makes compromise difficult and as one party agrees to adjust, the other might just shift  it’s position enough to require starting all over again. That’s how quincunxes work.  Mars in Gemini sextile Mercury in Leo adds an element of a whole lot of grandiose (Leo) and/or aggressive (Mars) talk (Mercury and Gemini). The sextile’s opportunity to communicate and take action is in danger of being lost in verbosity. On a more hopeful note, with the Moon in Capricorn, Saturns’s rulership can be drawn on to provide emotional stability and the ability to find balance (being exalted in Libra) in the midst of seesawing possibilities. We can also take Heart that there are relatively few major aspects to the opposition. This can work to mediate full blown Full Moon lunacy.

Of course, these stars aren’t just shining on Washington, be alert to similar patterns at home and at work . Don’t forget the potentially harmonizing Saturn influence. With a sextile to Mars, we might also find the energy there to actively pursue productive equilibrium. The more efficiently we dispatch the clutter dredged up by the eclipses, the easier it will be to find our way to what my Libra Moon grandmother used to call “The Happy Medium”.

While working the design I always have the background in mind.  I want to use a very light color to keep the ethereal mood of the pastel glass and mirror.  (My sister suggested a black background which would indeed be stunning.  Maybe the next one!)  One possibility is to lightly tint mortar and apply it to the background using a little glitter around the flowers.  Mortar creates an subtly textured background that won’t compete with the design.  Mortar may be applied like icing a cake, about the consistency of icing is good too.  Work in small sections and clean the glass as you go as mortar is an adhesive and not nearly as forgiving as grout to remove once it dries.  Another option–when the mortar is nearly dry you can blend a little acrylic paint into it to create subtle variations of color.  I’m thinking maybe a lighter shade of the background color radiating out from the larger flowers creating an “aura.”  I’ve also considered white mortar sprinkled with fine white sand with a bit of glitter mixed in.  And then something occurred to me I’ve never tried–Venetian plaster.  I have no idea how to work with it but that’s one of the joys of making art, there’s always an opportunity to learn something new.  I’m off on a trip so I have time to let this percolate.  When I return, we’ll finish the background…

Note:  In most pieces there is a surprise or some part that speaks to me.  In this one it is the pods.  I love the combination of the smooth shiny mirror and little slice of beads, their decided “femaleness” and the curve of the vine.  I couldn’t decide whether I liked the blue Swarovski crystals or the red iridescent ones better so I used them both!

Every New Moon lends itself to new beginnings and the planting of new seeds. New Moons that carry the energy of a Solar Eclipse, as this one does, are strong predictors of change and the effects are more powerful and longer lasting. But, wait, there’s more? This New Moon Solar Eclipse is the first in a brand new Saros eclipse cycle whose term of influence starts 7-1-11 and ends 7-14-3237. 3237! That’s rather humbling! To think that the thought seeds we are planting today will still be going and growing for over a thousand years. Happy Birthday Saros cycle #S156!

Just as the patterns reflected in any New Moon horoscope are predictors of the overall tone of the month, and those involving eclipses can describe an influence lasting up to a year, this chart can also be seen as a blueprint of the energies carried in this much longer cycle of influence. What can we expect from S156? From this Mew Moon? From this third in the season’s trilogy of eclipses? Change, change, CHANGE!

The challenge of a Cardinal cross is still with us. Pluto in Capricorn by it’s opposition to the Sun/Moon conjunction is asking (dare I say demanding?) a reformation (dare I say revolution?) in the way business and government are conducted. Life and death forces seemingly beyond our control can be represented by Pluto. Long held emotional beliefs about ourselves, our families, our shared ethos can be identified with the Sun/Moon in Cancer. Capricorn has rulership over corporations and authoritarian entities. The square from Uranus on one side of this opposition and Saturn on the other describe a very tense dynamic of constriction and holding tightly to what is known and familiar (Saturn) on one hand and an irresistible impulse to explode into a whole new Being (Uranus) on the other. In Aries this Uranus wants to Blaze Trails in every direction and is willing to confront head on the Powers-that-Be.

This means there are powerful forces in place to support opportunities for us all to embrace an entirely new reality, new ideas, new methodologies, new identities, and in doing so let go of old patterns that no longer serve. This is the day you are encouraged by the stars to rebirth yourself and embody your own ideal expression – not your mom’s or dad’s (Sun/Moon), not society’s (Saturn), not even the hard wired Karmic version you may have brought over from other sojourns (Pluto) – but your own new, perfect Uranus-in-Aries Self. A clue of where to start can be found in the house containing 9 degrees Cancer in your chart, as well as, any planets between 4 and 9 degrees in Cardinal signs and their house placements.

Though powerful transformational influences are working toward the hopeful outcome of a better you, me and us, the risks and challenges are great. Hearts are broken, lives are upended and communities are thrown into turmoil by just these very planetary energies.

We can be a beacon of serenity in this sea of intensity (Aries Uranus), emotion (Cancer Sun/Moon), and sobering reality checks (Saturn square) by holding in our minds a vision of our Rebirth into Perfection (Pluto).

AUM

I needed an element to tie it all together.  I tried vines and some smaller flowers, but nothing resonated.  So instead of thinking of designs I started looking through my materials.  The turquoise mirrored glass stood out and looked great with the gold and silver in my design so far.

Don’t overlook the lowly.  Once I decided on the material, the idea for the tie-together was sparked by a napkin I saw at an upscale market.  The overall floral design is woven together with much smaller leaves and berries of a single color (gorgeous turquoise).  Perfect for the fabric-like look of this piece.

Design note:  Remember this is your world.  You can make things any way you please.  Sometimes the quirkiest idea turns out as the greatest success and morphs ordinary into spectacular.  A good metaphor for life too.  Break the rules!

Where were we?  The flower-shape of my mandala became the first flower of my new design, “Meditation Garden.”  One of the design elements on my mental list of things-to-try-eventually involved cutting some of the images out of 1/4″ wood with the scroll saw and applying to the larger piece.  The flower was a perfect candidate for this application.  After repainting my board, thus returning it to a blank canvas, I cut out the flower and then another and then part of another.  You just never know what’s going to happen!  Since they were “free-standing”  I allowed one of them to subversively creep out over the edge.

I love working with mirrored glass.  I chose clear mirror for one flower and light and medium gold for the other two.  Usually I grout the edges, but this time I painted them with metallic paint to match the mirror and lined each of the glass petals with seed beads.  This is accomplished by loading the beads onto a bead needle and laying them gently on a thin glue-bed.  Be careful not to use too much glue as your beads will easily drown which is sad and messy.

Design Note:  Notice designs that attract your attention.  Ask yourself what about them you find appealing–color, shape, the way it makes your feel, something it reminds you of, etc.  If it’s on a card, stash it, in a book, mark it.  If you use someone else’s design for inspiration notice how your own take on it often ends up looking very different from the piece that inspired you.  The images you create reveal your own uniqueness often in ways that will surprise you!  As you look at an image or design take your time.  Give it a chance to work it’s magic on you.  You may not do anything with it for a long time (or ever!) and again it may pop into your mind as creative inspiration when working on something completely different.

The above process describes how frangipani flowers made their way into my garden.  I saw a photograph of them in a magazine and traced them onto vellum paper.  After tweaking and simplifying the design so I could cut it out of glass, I stashed the pattern in my “ideas folder” where it remained for well over a year.  While gazing at the board with the cut-out flowers and trying out different design possibilities in my mind, ta-dah, frangipani flowers bloomed in my garden.  Since “Meditation Garden” is pastel and sparkly I chose Wissmatch iridescent yellow, peach and white for my flowers.

Tomorrow:  Tying the design together.

“Meditation Garden” is constructed on a 2′x2′ primed 3/4 inch board.  Before I settled on my current image the board was a canvas for many different designs I call sand-paintings.  I may lay out eight or ten designs, saving them only in photographs, before disassembling them and starting over.    This process is instructive as color and design elements emerge for later pieces and I’m free to experiment without committing expensive materials to pieces I may not want to live with or sell.

For a long time I wanted to make a mandala radiating out from the center in rainbow colors.  I thought that’s what I was making when I started “Meditation Garden.”  After dividing the board into eighths (corner to corner, then bisecting) I created a swirling flower-like design in the center.  Suddenly, I saw a wholly different piece with the flower-design cut out of wood and applied after it was glassed.  And it was no longer a mandala, but the first flower in a garden.  Here’s where trust in the process comes in and you as the artist have a decision to make.  Will you stay true to your original design or let the design take you somewhere unexpected?  Pay attention to your feelings and you’ll stay on the right track.  Actually, neither is right or wrong.  Each choice takes you down a different path with it’s own lessons and delights for your creative heart and mind.  Commitment to the journey is the only requirement and to have fun, of course.

Tomorrow–reworking the design.  Join me!

“Jack be nimble, Jack be quick…”

That’s right, the Summer Solstice is the time Jack makes his famous leap. The higher he jumps, the taller the crops will grow, or so says old European folklore.

Just as the Sun appears at it’s greatest height in the sky, so are creative powers at their height here on Earth.

This is the time to invoke the Blessings of the Fire Goddesses like Vesta, whose Virgins keep the spark of High Summer fires burning throughout the year. Blessings of clarity, courage and confidence are favored on this long, long, longest day.

It’s a good day to:

• Meditate on the eighth  Major Arcana card, “Strength”, from the Tarot
• Light Bonfires
• Wear flowers in your hair, or your lapel, as the case may be
• And bravely jump over the flames of whatever has been standing in your way

Astrologically the Solstice marks the passage of the Sun into the sign of Cancer. A chart for the moment of that ingress reflects planetary influences that can be seen throughout the summer season. With a Grand Cross in Cardinal signs we can expect to see the energies unmistakably manifested on the Evening News. Even though Saturn, representing the Status Quo, is exalted in Libra, it’s being challenged by a square from Pluto, ruler of the Masses and powerful transformational change – while at the same time being opposed by Uranus in Aries with it’s Breaking News of radical, unexpected ideas and points of view. Uranus, the Bringer of Change, (squaring the Sun representing Heads of State and CEOs) is likely to be the irresistible force that gives the Saturnian immovable object a run for it’s money (in more ways than one, as the last time Uranus was in Aries it brought us the Great Depression.) Mercury in Cancer completes the Grand Cross by it’s opposition to Pluto and squares to Uranus and Saturn. Mercury opposing Pluto can be obsessive in it’s not-necessarily-rational thoughts and words. The square to Uranus can cause Mercury to spout off erratically on whatever outre’ topic pops into it’s head. Given Uranus’ rulership over computers and the internet we can expect some colorful ideas to be bouncing around in Cyberspace this summer. The Uranus Pluto square? That’s pretty much revolution meets revolution, and well, you’re probably getting the picture.

So what’s going to happen?? The form inherent in the Grand Cross will probably, more or less, keep things in one piece – while, at the same time, exerting tremendous forces to DO SOMETHING! Ok, now here’s the question – Do what exactly? Neptune in Pisces as the Final Dispositor – the One who gets the final say – is notorious for not giving straight answers. In it’s own sign Neptune is at ease and in it’s power. It rules confusion, illusion and deceit. The only trustworthy ways to find the solution to this summer’s planetary gridlock are through Neptune’s Roads Less Traveled – our dreams, meditations and intutions. Our connection to the Collective Unconscious is under it’s purview. There, where all our highest hopes, purest ideals and the sweetness of shared Spirit reside, the answers are waiting to be found.

“Neptune gives total confusion if you’re focused materially and total clarity if you’re focused spiritually.” – Jim Buss

One last word, with the Moon Chiron conjunction in positive aspect to Mercury and Pluto, it would be wise to Let the Women Speak, and let them speak of Healing and Revolution.