Laurie Baum
If you enjoy astrology, you will like this Spring Equinox update written by my good friend Laurie Baum, MSW, a psychological astrologer and psychotherapist in practice in Encinitas, California.
Laurie writes a free astrological newsletter about how planetary alignments affect our lives on earth. Click here to e-mail Laurie to subscribe at no cost, or visit Laurie’s website and click on “Free Email Newsletter.”
Laurie is a former newspaper and news magazine reporter who is profiled in the books Psychic New York and The 100 Top Psychics in America. She is the author of five books:
A to Z Acrophonology: Discover the Power of the Letters in Your Name
Everything You Need to Know About Your Astrology Sign
Astrological Secrets for the New Millennium
Laurie also offers counseling appointments by phone. She will answer your questions about major life decisions and talk with you about the reasons you have incarnated, the lessons you are here to learn, where you are on the wheel of karma, and the psychological developmental cycles you have been through and are going through. She will look at current influences on your health, finances, relationships, career, and any relocation plans that may be necessary. She also will look ahead with you at the next seven years of your life. A reading with Laurie can help you take the next step in your life. Sessions, which are available via landline phone or Skype (audio or video), are digitally recorded.
To make an appointment, click here to e-mail Laurie or call her at (760) 753-7676. Click here to visit Laurie’s website for more information.
The planet Uranus
SPRING EQUINOX UPDATE
Warm wishes for a Happy Spring Equinox! The Vernal Equinox arrives on March 20th. It is the day when day and night are of equal length.
The spring season portends an intensification of the solar flares we’ve seen building since the beginning of the year. When solar flares enter our atmosphere, they intensify the expression of ego energy. Your ego energy is represented by your sun sign (“your sun sign” is the constellation you were born under). The increased number and strength of solar flares will magnify your need to express yourself. The solar storms also will focus light on the sector of your astrological chart where Leo resides (Leo is the constellation ruled by the sun). If you were born between 1939 and 1962, you have at least one planet in Leo, perhaps more. And if you are a Leo, or have a Leo Moon or Leo rising, you will feel your internal voices speaking even more strongly.
In the Mayan calendar, 2012 is called “Ik Manik.” Ik means winds of change. Manik means self-realization. You may have noticed that the wind literally is blowing harder and more frequently than in the past. This is how the earth cleanses herself and her inhabitants of past patterns and habits to make way for new knowledge of self as a representative of Spirit on earth. The axis of the earth also is continuing to shift and the geomagnetic poles are continuing to advance toward a reversal, generating high winds and electromagnetic imbalances. Power is simultaneously shifting away from people and places that have been powerful in the past and moving toward people and places that have not had power in the past. What’s been up is going down; what’s been down is coming up.
In addition to the ego-inflaming influence of solar flares, the pressure from Ik Manik to go through the winds of change to bring your self-realization, and the shift of the earth’s axis and its geomagnetic pole reversal, which will tip the balance of power, there are 4 astrological phenomena to be aware of during the spring 2012.
PLANETARY INFLUENCES
• Energetic Mars has been retrograde in Virgo since January 23rd – intensifying your focus on details, some of which may spell the difference between success and failure, and the rest of which may not matter. Mars will return to direct motion on April 4th but remain in Virgo until July 3rd. Mars’ 8-month voyage through Virgo is 4 times as long as usual, thus dramatically intensifying the sector of your chart where Virgo is placed (In the zodiac, Virgo is next to Leo, mentioned above). The fiery planet Mars typically spends 2 months in each constellation but will be in Virgo for an uncharacteristic 8 months.
• The love planet Venus will spend an unusually long period of 4 months – April 3rd to August 7th – in the dualistic sign of Gemini, again intensifying Gemini’s mental energy for a disproportionate period of time. Venus normally spends 1 month traveling through each constellation. Its prolonged sojourn in the sign of the twins, due to the retrograde motion of Venus from May 15th to June 27th, will intensify your focus on all things that come in 2s – you may be in 2 important relationships, you may decide between 2 jobs, 2 travel destinations, or 2 homes or other alluring purchases. Or, you may try to accomplish 2 things at the same time.
• The communications planet Mercury will be retrograde in Pisces and Aries from March 12th to April 4th. During this period, communications may be muddled, commerce may go awry, routines you normally depend upon may be disrupted and misunderstandings may occur. In general, expect the unexpected. Progress – as we normally define it – will be delayed during this 3-week period. Simultaneously, however, beneficial outcomes will result from taking significant steps toward resolving issues from the past. It is a good time to introspect to better understand your internal life. It’s not a good time to push your ideas to your outside environment. Concurrently, it is a good time to relax and renew your mind, body and soul. The 3-week Mercury retrograde period arrives 4 times a year and presents a fortunate interlude for self-reflection, self-acceptance and healing. It is of no avail to push the river. The natural currents will move slowly and the slower pace will benefit you. Pull back from outer activity – and slow down.
• A solar Eclipse in Gemini on May 20th will bring an end to a way of thinking or form of communications that has been in existence since 1993. This ending will open the way for a more evolved form of thinking or communication. Growth opportunities will abound from this new form of expression. But the concept or lifestyle choice introduced will be a temporary step, and will serve as a catalyst for even greater advancement. A Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on June 4th will bring new people into your life, altering the course you thought you were going to take.
Beware throughout the year that the shift of the earth’s axis and reversal of the magnetic poles is causing a shift and even reversal of the polarities in your body’s energy centers, or chakras. Thus, consciousness that was held in the lower centers of your body is rising to the higher centers (heart, throat and spiritual eye). What was repressed will rise up from your depths to be expressed. Your body is a mirror of the cosmos. Just as the earth itself is going through a cleansing process, you too are experiencing a similar process of mental, emotional and physical purification as you come into a more evolved balance between self and Spirit.
Meanwhile, consciousness of survival, hunger, and of possessions – an awareness normally stored deeper in the lower centers of your body – may dominate your thinking more than in the past because energy from the lower centers in your body is rising to the surface. Your authentic self, or the truth, you held back – perhaps a result of your own lack of awareness – is now becoming integrated into the whole picture of who you are. You are becoming ready to be the person you always have been even if your totality had been partially submerged in your subconscious. This is why many people are beginning to behave in new, unexpected, and sometimes awkward ways. They are experimenting with being themselves. Even if someone’s “true self” initially appears immature or inexperienced, they will quickly mature and grow through experience to live closer to their soul, or true self. And gradually, as you adapt and learn to sharpen your focus, you will re-energize your body with your mind – strengthening its capacities – as 2012 progresses.
Despite the difficulties this period of transition may present, and despite appearances that we are devolving, or moving backward instead of evolving, we actually are traveling an upward spiral of dynamic change. Keep meditating, praying, sending positive, loving thoughts, and repeating positive affirmations. The power of your positive thoughts and intentions is building and will prevail to make the world a better place!
YOUR PERSONAL ASTROLOGICAL STRATEGIES
FOR THE SPRING SEASON
Illustrations by Kagaya, a Japanese digital fine artist.
Click here to visit Kagaya’s website.
ARIES (March 21 – April 19)
While Mars, your planetary ruler, retrogrades until Friday, April 13th, you may make miscalculations and question your own judgment. Interactions may become scrambled, unresolved situations from the past may arise for resolution, or tempers may flare more easily than normal. So, when Mars turns direct on Friday the 13th, rather than having an unlucky day, you will feel on firm footing again, making it quite a lucky day! The movement of Mars in a new direction signals the beginning of great accomplishments! With both Uranus (planet of change) and Mercury (planet of communication) in Aries in March, April and May, you will come up with an important and innovative idea that will attract positive support from others. With Mars in Virgo until July 3, 2012, you will have the greatest success when you focus on details and aim for quality rather than quantity. Also pay attention to improving your health through diet and exercise. There is a small change to your daily health regimen that will make a significant difference to your future.
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
Lucky Jupiter in Taurus until June 11th will bring you unanticipated good fortune from unexpected sources. Stay open to receive the abundance of the universe. Fortify your receptivity with the power of prayer, faith, gratitude and random acts of kindness. If you do your part, you will receive unseen, but strongly felt, spiritual protection in return. If there is a challenge you have been trying to surmount, this is a good time to pray, focus on your positive intentions, and invite spiritual support for your worthy endeavors. You are undergoing a spiritually uplifting and mentally expansive period of your life. This is a good time for travel and study of a spiritual philosophy. Sweets may appeal to you more than normal under this celestial influence. So partake of sugar carefully, and balance with nutritious and healthy raw fruits, seaweeds and vegetables. The love planet Venus, your planetary ruler, will be in the dualistic sign of Gemini for an unusually long period of 4 months, beginning April 3rd until August 7th. Venus usually spends 1 month in each sign of the zodiac. Its prolonged sojourn in the sign of the twins, due to the retrograde of Venus from May 15 to June 27, will intensify your focus on all things that come in 2s – you may be in 2 important relationships, you may be choosing between 2 alluring purchases, or you may be trying to accomplish 2 things at the same time. A person with whom you’ve previously had a fascination will return. Rely on Geminis to brighten your day. They will show you the other side of the story.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)
Mercury, your planetary ruler, turns retrograde in Pisces and Aries from March 12th to April 4th. During this period, communications may be muddled, commerce may go awry, routines you normally depend upon may be disrupted, and misunderstandings may occur. In general, expect the unexpected. Progress – as we normally define it – will be delayed during this 3-week period. Simultaneously, however, beneficial outcomes will result from taking significant steps toward resolving issues from the past. It is a good time to introspect to better understand your internal life. It’s not a good time to push your ideas into the outside world. Concurrently, it is a good time to relax and renew your mind, body and soul. The 3-week Mercury retrograde period arrives 4 times a year and presents a fortunate interlude for self-reflection, self-acceptance and healing. It is of no avail to push the river. The natural currents will move slowly and the slower pace will benefit you. Pull back from outer activity – and slow down. A solar eclipse in Gemini on May 20th will help you create a new image. Think about what direction you would like your life to go with your life. Pray for positive support. A similar eclipse occurred in Gemini in 1993. You will be able to experiment again with a concept you considered 19 years ago. Dynamic growth will spring from this experiment and will be the catalyst for the next step in your life. A full moon lunar eclipse on June 4th will help you meet a new person who will alter the course you thought you were going to take. Then, there will be 2 choices. The 2nd choice presented is the one to take. Don’t be tempted by impulse. You will be rewarded for your patience and will benefit as you wait for something better to come along.
CANCER (June 22 – July 22)
The Aries new moon on March 22nd will help you initiate a new procedure in your work environment. The full moon on April 6th, Good Friday, will then bring an enlightening perspective to a situation you have seen from only one point of view since October 2011. Stay open to new possibilities. New options will bring you an advantage that motivates you to higher achievement. The full moon in Taurus on May 5th will help you focus on a friendship you value. Show your appreciation to this person you care about. A powerful solar eclipse in Gemini on May 20th will awaken memories from the past through your dreams. Cultivate objectivity during your waking hours so you do not become carried away or engulfed by images that drift through your subconscious mind. A lunar eclipse on June 4th will temporarily shake up a relationship you depended upon. But all will be healed when both partners get onto equal footing and the relationship comes back into balance. Use the days leading up to eclipses to become balanced within yourself through deep breathing, yoga, and brief periods of meditation to connect with the loving energy of Spirit. Acts of loving kindness and compassion help you to attune to the soothing rhythms of nature during the spring season.
LEO (July 23 – August 22)
You have just passed the half-way point of the year between your previous and subsequent birthdays. This is a time to evaluate your progress since your last solar return (the anniversary of your birth). Look ahead to assess the direction you would like to go between now and your next birthday. This is a good time to adjust your course and make refinements. The hard work you do to stay on your path will be rewarded in late 2012. Allow yourself to let go of a past pattern so you may adopt a new habit that better suits your evolving lifestyle. Two eclipses – on May 20th and June 4th – will help you start new friendships. Enjoy the new influences for the next 6 months, and be prepared for a new set of people to enter your life under the influence of 2 more eclipses in mid-November. The presence of loving Venus in Gemini from April 3rd to August 7th will put you in contact with friends from the past. Seeing an old acquaintance in a new light will open a new opportunity. Be on the look-out for creative opportunities by contacting people you already know for new ideas and creative input. The growing light of the sun will give you the energy you need to maximize your opportunities and enjoy time with the people you love.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)
You have more energy than is normal for you during the spring season due to the passage of energetic Mars through Virgo until July 3rd. Make sure to step back to maintain your perspective as the powerful energy of Mars may cause you to become overly focused upon details. You have reached a turning point in a challenging relationship. Try to view the complexities of the association from the other person’s point of view. You may discover that you have analyzed the facts from far too subjective a viewpoint. When you assume a more detached perspective, you may feel more compassion and understanding for the other person’s predicament. Mercury retrograde from March 12th to April 4th will help you see situations from an alternative point of view. Let go of fixed opinions. You are ready to experience a more relaxed, positive outlook. Venus in Gemini from April 3rd to August 7th will compliment your efforts to see situations from alternative points of view. While it sounds like this could initially be confusing or could shake up your organized world, it also will help you to relax your focus and allow in new – and important – information. You have a strong intellect and a quick mind. You usually figure things out before everyone else. But, the downfall of such mental acuity is that you may miss other kinds of emotional or sensory information that would otherwise mold your opinions. Allow unconventional influences to shape your thinking. This will give you some time to relax and let go of worry.
LIBRA (September 23 – October 23)
You will be making an important decision that will help you establish a solid foundation for your life for the next 7 years. There is pressure upon you to initiate a new venture, and to be most successful at this endeavor, please consider deep emotional forces that you may have previously ignored. The new emotional insight will help you be clear about how to move most purposefully into the future. You also will better understand what you need from others and what you need for yourself. You tend to accommodate others while ignoring your own necessities. But current celestial influence are creating a concentrated emotional pressure on your psyche, which will require that you take care of your own emotional, mental and spiritual needs more than you are accustomed to doing. When you cultivate an attentive relationship to yourself, you will have more to give to all around you. While the love planet Venus, your planetary ruler, moves through Gemini from April 3rd to August 7th, you may experience a desire to travel to a faraway place – either in your mind or in reality. Any opportunity for a long-distance trip will bring you positive results – meeting new people, connecting with old friends, or in having enriching experiences while you learn about a new culture. Venus typically spends 1 month in each sign of the zodiac. This spring and summer, Venus will spend 4 months in the sign of the twins due to the retrograde of the love planet from May 15 to June 27. This placement of Venus will highlight communications, travel, commerce and your openness to exploration and adventure. Try to think strategically about opportunities presented to you so you will be able to balance with the more established routines in your life.
SCORPIO (October 24 – November 21)
Your planetary ruler, Pluto, is traversing territory in the sky it has not traveled since the years leading up to the American Revolution in 1776. Consequently, you too will feel a revolutionary spirit surging within you – whether or not you are American! It is time to cast off an oppressive situation and move forward asserting your own power. It is best for you to cultivate a spirit of equality rather than seeking to dominate others or be submissive to them. You are a powerful soul, and you will have an opportunity in the coming months to find balance between your inner and outer power. Exercise your authority in an enlightened manner. Be respectful of others, and request that they do the same for you. The eclipses that will grace the skies on May 20th and June 4th will help you re-think decisions you made in late 2011. During the final weeks of the past year, you made several commitments in your mind and it is time to un-do them. Better opportunities will present themselves during the spring and summer seasons. The full moon in Scorpio on May 5th will bring a love interest into your sphere of influence. Jupiter, the planet of luck, in your opposing sign of Taurus until June 11th, will help attract what you need.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)
Lucky Jupiter, your planetary ruler, in the sensual sign of Taurus until June 11th will bring you closer to nature, beauty, and peaceful, harmonious relationships. Practice gratitude for all the good that comes to you and this will open a channel for more beauty and grace to come your way. This is a time when great abundance is available to Sagittarians. Use positive thoughts, affirmations, and visualizations to attract what you need. You will meet people who are important to your future under the influence of a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on June 4th. June is the month to pay attention to and cultivate relationships with the new people. Distractions in the second half of 2012 will make it more challenging for you to focus on relationships. Set your priorities prior to June 11th and you will be able stay on track throughout late 2012. Otherwise, you may feel pushed off course by other people’s desires or tantalizing suggestions. They may want to you follow their way. Stick to your own strategy and your own path. Believe in yourself.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
You are discovering feelings and thoughts that have been hiding behind your reserved façade for most of your life. It may be difficult for you to break out of established patterns because you enjoy the rhythmic quality of fixed routines. However, if you change at least one routine every day, even in a small way, you will set the stage for positive change to come to you. Practice flexibility to experience life from a more relaxed perspective. Your self-discipline and ambition have gotten you far. Now is the time to enjoy the fruits of your labors. The retrograde of Saturn, your planetary ruler, until June 24th will make it easy for you to reconsider actions and decisions from the past. You are likely to deal with an issue you have ignored regarding your health. This is a good time for a course correction. After June 24th, you will be called to complete a project and take steps toward a new course. You are a methodical soul, so study your options and systematically take action to build a strong foundation for your next step. Consider deepening an important relationship or letting go of one that is keeping you on the surface of your consciousness. There are depths within you that you are ready to explore.
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)
The passage of your planetary ruler, Uranus, through the fiery sign of Aries until 2019 will enable you to make significant changes so you will have greater freedom to pursue your dreams and passions. Do what you believe in to feel energized and enthusiastic about your life. If you strictly follow tradition under this energizing planetary influence, your enthusiasm may drain away and you risk becoming fatigued. You have much to offer, and you will feel most exhilarated when you set an example and offer your ideas and energetic contributions to others. Follow the path that inspires you so you may live most authentically. Be open to new opportunities that will make you really happy. Innovations are supplanting traditions at an accelerating pace. Seize an occasion to become engaged in a pioneering project that excites you! A new influence that did not exist a year ago will have a great impact upon your life. This is a year of dynamic change as you explore new possibilities and set the foundation for a new direction. It is important to pick an avenue previously unexplored by you so you may tap into latent energy within yourself. Abandoning the old and experimenting with the new promises to take you to a higher and more uplifted state of consciousness. You are about to experience greater meaning in your daily reality.
PISCES (February 19 – March 20)
Mercury, the communications planet, in Pisces until April 16th, makes this a good time to listen to – or write – music, poetry, or a piece of literature, or to paint, draw, sculpt or create a work of art. You are a highly creative individual who sees and experiences the world in a more multi-dimensional way than most people do. When you allow your mind to drift from practical reality to the world of art and ideas, your true genius can emerge. Devote your energy to a non-traditional project to discover the gifts that lie within you. As your planetary ruler, Neptune travels through the sign of the fish during the next 14 years, you will have a fortunate opportunity to teach others how to benefit from the spiritual state of consciousness so natural to you. You see the big picture that so many others have lost sight of. The upcoming solar and lunar eclipses on May 20th and June 4th will prompt you to make a change in your home followed by a similar change in your place of work. Make sure to integrate an element of your spiritual philosophy into the decisions you make. The passage of Venus through Gemini from April 3rd to August 7th will help you connect harmoniously with family members you have not seen for at least 6 months.
OM!
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ABOUT PHIL BOLSTA
Phil is the author of Through God’s Eyes: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Troubled World, a comprehensive guide to living a spiritual life. Who will benefit from reading it?
Anyone who is on a spiritual path, or wants to start one
Anyone who loves life, or wants to learn how to
Anyone who is happy, or wants to be happier
To order your copy of Through God’s Eyes, go to GodsEyesOrder.com OR order from Amazon at GodsEyesAmazon.com OR for an inscribed copy, click here to e-mail Phil for information.
Click here for more information about Through God’s Eyes.
Click here to ask Phil to add you to his e-mail list for updates on his blog and books.
Here is a two-minute video introduction to Through God’s Eyes.
Want to learn more about Through God’s Eyes? Here is a free 40-page PDF sampler from the book that includes:
• an overview of the book
• the complete table of contents
• the Foreword by Caroline Myss
• my Introduction
• chapter excerpts
• a sample end-of-chapter story
• endorsements from authors and thought leaders
Just click on the link below to download your free PDF sampler!
THROUGH GOD’S EYES PDF SAMPLER
Schedule a Mastery Mentoring phone session with Phil to learn how to apply principles of spiritual living more effortlessly and effectively. Priced affordably! Click here to e-mail Phil for details.
Phil is also the author of Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything, a collection of 45 inspiring, life-changing stories from prominent people he interviewed, including Joan Borysenko, Deepak Chopra, geneticist Dr. Francis Collins, acclaimed sportswriter Frank Deford, Dr. Larry Dossey, Wayne Dyer, Dan Millman, Caroline Myss, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, Dr. Bernie Siegel, James Van Praagh, singer Billy Vera, Doreen Virtue, Neale Donald Walsch, and bassist Victor Wooten.
Here is a three-minute video that introduces you to Phil and his book. Click here to order Sixty Seconds. Click here to ask Phil to add you to his e-mail list for updates on his blog and books.
Reading this book is like spending a few minutes face to face with each of the contributors and listening to their personal stories. Click here to read unsolicited testimonials from readers. Learn more by visiting the official Sixty Seconds website.
Sixty Seconds was one of three finalists in the General Interest/How-To category at the 12th annual Visionary Awards presented by COVR (Coalition of Visionary Resources) in Denver on June 27, 2009.
Tags: astrology, Spring Equinox
Triumph of the Spirit 
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