Last week was full of difficult transits. You may have read about it here, and I'm also guessing you could sense it in the air. The solstice this Sunday brings a welcome pause.
Even though the difficult transits through Capricorn are ongoing into 2020, now is a moment of calm amid the storm. The winter solstice is a moment to take a breath and remember that all things are temporary; journeys into darkness happen for a reason.
Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Puns aside, is it just me or does it feel as if Capricorn season has come early this year?
There's an astrological reason for that. Today, Venus, the planet of love, pleasure, and beauty teams up with Saturn, the planet of boundaries and restrictions. All of this is happening in Capricorn.
So right now: Capricorn is housing Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus, and you may be feeling more boundary-ridden than normal. If you've been reading these for awhile, you know that Capricorn is being pressure-cooked for a prolonged season of churning out a proverbial diamond.
Capricorn energy has been under immense pressure for the past year (and will be for the next one); this prolonged season is seeking to poke and prod the Capricorn-ruled area of your chart until it churns out a proverbial diamond.
Yesterday, Jupiter entered Capricorn for a 13 month stay. Jupiter's entry marks a time when you can finally begin to see the glimmer in the forming diamond. Now is your time to beneficially expand your approach to measured, sustained effort over time. What is it you're working toward?
In my experience the vast majority of people react one of three ways:
Roll your eyes, whatever.
OMG I am not booking any plane tickets or attending any meetings for the next few weeks.
What is that again???
None of these responses are bad, per se, however they lack a degree of nuance. In astrology, we need to develop a space somewhere in between taking things too seriously (#2 above), writing them off (#1 above), and total confusion (#3 above).
A lot of you have been sending questions about the eclipse, and about Mercury and Mars in retrograde.
These are phenomena that we talk about A LOT in popular astrology these days. (Note, I actually don't think mercury/mars retrogrades are as big a deal as some claim--more on that in a future post).
And chances are, you have mixed feelings about it. I know I do. Freedom sounds good at first to the ego… after all anything you want is possible. But then, upon reflection, most people will find that total freedom doesn’t sound so good because we also love boundaries. For example, we like our soul to be free...but for it to also adhere to the boundary of our bodies. And we’d like the flow of cash to be free… so long as some of it stays in our bank account.
Happy Memorial Day!
Lately, advanced yoga postures have been on my mind. This past week I attended a remarkable six-day advanced posture training here in Eugene, Oregon, and I’m not sure I have ever sweat so much!
It was nice to step back from teaching yoga classes in order to fully participate as a student. I find when I do this I always learn something new, and last week was no exception.
In the course, we had a discussion about what it means to have a truly advanced practice. Each person shared a different perspective. What struck me is that none of our answers were directly based on physical aptitude or even attaining advanced postures. Rather, the milestones mentioned by the group were internal.
In the days since the training, I find myself returning to this question. After all, it’s not merely certification, years of practice, or the types of classes you attend that turn you from an intermediate to an advanced practitioner.
Do you ever unintentionally pick up your phone and scroll through email or social media? Or, do you find yourself picking up your phone (or iPad or laptop) during even the briefest moment of stillness?
Yeah, me too.
By this time in our techie world, we know that our devices aren't great for our attention spans. Human beings are, on average, losing length in our attention spans as computers grow faster and faster. I even find myself, when planning a yoga class, tempted to speed up the tempo, to keep people (and myself) from growing bored.
I wanted to write this post in defense of SLOWING down. If you read my posts, you probably enjoy yoga and astrology. Here’s some benefits of slowing down in each of these disciplines:
Those who know me well know that I LOVE a good book. I also don’t like to waste time reading things that aren’t helpful or don’t connect with me. But when I find a book I love, one that really juices up my soul, that’s when I want to spread the word far and wide!
On Sunday, May 6 I’m going to present a yoga philosophy workshop at Mudra Yoga in Eugene. I’m excited about this not only because I LOVE working with yogis, but because I get to talk about some of my favorite texts on this topic.
I know my readers are far and wide, so if you can’t make it to the workshop in Eugene (register here if you can!), you can at least know my top picks for your yogi bookshelf.
"When the wisdom of well-considered experience is joined coherently to well-grounded factual knowledge, you have a strong foundation from which to successfully navigate both the path of yoga and the world in general." -Christopher Wallis in his book Tantra Illuminated
I first began a daily yoga practice in 2004. Like most beginners, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and that was a good thing. I knew that yoga would meet my goals of staying fit and relaxed, and those physical benefits were enough for me.
Perhaps my introductory years of yoga sound familiar to you. In my experience, physical yoga is what most often attracts people to yoga. Perhaps you came to yoga seeking some degree of fitness (cross training, stretching, strengthening, or physical upkeep) mixed with some degree of relaxation.
There's no denying that the physical benefits of yoga come without needing to study old texts.
Yet, as you deepen your practice and move from the beginning levels of yoga, studying yoga philosophy helps.
