Sun Into Taurus 2012: Love And Money

    When the Sun moves into sturdy, dependable Taurus at 9:12 A.M. PST on April 19th, it initiates a cycle abundant in earth sign resources, and one that includes a full Scorpio moon and the beginning of a Venus retrograde in thinking, communicative Gemini.  This cycle is also preparing us for a set of powerful eclipses on May 20th and June 4th, the Venus occultation of June 5-6th and the Uranus Pluto square of June 24th.  As more systemic change approaches planet Earth, the patient, powerful Bull arrives to share its enduring wisdom.  Its ruler Venus is traveling close by and urging us to make love our guiding principle, a choice that will make all the difference.

    Astrology’s earth signs are associated with nature, finances, health and the physical realms of reality, and Taurus is renowned for its capacity for construction.  Whether a personal chart is heavily aspected by planets in earth signs or not, the cycle ahead is loaded with ample opportunity to turn thoughts into things.  First and foremost, the new Taurus moon of April 21st. with Its trines to Mars and Pluto in fellow earth signs Virgo and Capricorn, sextiles with Neptune and Chiron in Pisces and conjunction with expansive Jupiter, now also in Taurus, offers a sound and inspiring foundation for building.  The Sun follows suit and bolsters our enterprises with a Neptune sextile on the 22nd, Mars and Pluto trines on the 23rd and 29th and a Jupiter conjunction on May 13th.  Those harmonious angles to indelible Neptune and healing Chiron in holistic (water sign) Pisces are important. Taurus’s easy going style agrees with Piscean gentleness, and this combination helps us access our creativity and intuition.  On May 8th, our minds also acquiesce to the Bull’s calm assurance when Mercury enters centered Taurus.  From there it sextiles Neptune on the 10th and trines Mars the 13th and Pluto on the 14th.  On May 16th Mars and Pluto trine, and on May 18th the Moon returns to Taurus.  The earth sign stamina, solidity and stability available throughout this cycle provide especially fertile ground for seeding our immediate and long-range goals.  They can also instill a sense of security that will prove useful as 2012’s larger events (the 99% Spring, earthquakes and changes at the Fed?) unfold.     

     To counteract an unhealthy emphasis on the material side of life, every Taurus cycle includes a full Scorpio moon.  Destructive and transformation, Scorpio demands honesty and necessary change.  This year the annual battle between the tangible and impermanent takes place on May 5th, the same day Mercury, still in independent Aries at the time, will oppose unyielding Saturn in arbitrating Libra.  Our Taurus quest for sensual pleasure and gratification is accountable to no less than the truth, and individual desire must be reconciled with communal concerns.  Part of a larger global trend, these aspects remind us that the exploitation of resources via our economic and environmental practices must be brought into line with our values and balanced with our impact on others.

    In case anyone misses the memo from the full Scorpio moon, pleasure-seeking Venus turns retrograde on May 15th.  Transiting Gemini, this retrograde will ask us to reflect upon what we value and to speak and act from a loving place. Lasting through June 27th, this extremely significant retrograde includes the solar and lunar eclipses and occultation.  Long before cherubic depictions of romantic love and Victorian notions of femininity, Venus was a Roman Goddess associated with sex, fertility and military victory, along with her familiar roles in love and beauty.  Similarly, the full scope, power and meaning of the planet Venus has been understated over time.  However, giving us time to review our resources and priorities through alluring Venus is only part of the 2012 mission.  

     Occurring roughly six months prior to the culmination of the Mayan calendar, this Venus retrograde is a proverbial return to love, with self-love as its starting point.  If we enter this retrograde with a willingness to shine the Light of unconditional love onto our shadows first, completely forgiving and embracing all of our being, the healing begins. Call it Bull medicine.  Call it the Power of Love.  Call it evolution.  The cosmic message is clear; love is the alchemical solution to all that ails us and our planet.  Aligned with its transformative truth, we and the world will shift. If we do the internal work during this retrograde, by the time Venus goes direct in late June, we will emerge lighter and brighter, with a much greater capacity to give and receive love. In the meantime, the celestial Bull is here to ground and nourish our dreams. Happy Birthday Taurus!

It's Day 6 of the 12 Days of Giving

Hello,

I hope that your holidays are going really well. I just wanted to post a quick update on the 12 Days of Giving Promotion. First of all, thank you to everyone who is participating. It has been so much fun catching up with so many of you. It has also been my pleasure to give you readings as we all prepare for momentous 2012. So far my daily winners have picked a wide range of great causes, and I am completely honored to donate to them.

The contest details are all spelled out in the two previous posts below, so please read those for details. Finally, it's Friday and that means that the Hay House Book Club will be on at 11AM PST on Hay House Radio. Today's edition is our interview with Scott Blum from the DailyOM, whose book "Winter Moon Rises" is one of the books contest winners can choose from the 2011 Hay House Book Club Collection. I hope you will tune in for this show. With the Hay House Radio App, you can listen anywhere. It's free and a great resource. Lastly, our 2011 rewind show has been moved to the 23rd.

There you have it! Thank you again for your likes, calls, retweets, etc. Happy Holidays!

With love,
Elizabeth

It's Day 3 of the 12 Days of Giving!

Hello,

Just wanted to post a list of the books from the 2011 Hay House Book Club. Each day's winner of my 12 Days of Giving promotion will be able to select one of these wonderful, inspiring and empowering books and a favorite charity for a $50 donation. Each winner also gets 12 free minutes toward another reading and a beautiful Robyn Nola bookmark. Just got those yesterday and they are gorgeous! Thank you Robyn! Here is the book list.

May 2011: Married to Bhutan with Linda Leaming
June 2011: Peace from Broken Pieces with Iyanla Vanzant
July 2011: Ravenous with Dayna Macy
August 2011: The Angel Therapy Handbook with Doreen Virtue. September 2011: Shift Happens! with Robert Holden, Ph.D.
October 2011: You Can Create an Exceptional Life! with Louise L. Hay and Cheryl Richardson
November 2011: Winter Moon Rises with Scott Blum

To be entered into the daily drawing, come have a reading with me today or any of the designated 12 Days of Giving and be sure that you are a member of my personal email list. You can listen to the Hay House Book Club at Hay House Radio every Friday at 11AM PST and in the archive. Please join us on December 23rd for our year end rewind show. It's going to be a lot of fun and we'd love to have your with us. Happy Holidays!

Love,
Elizabeth

Sun Into Libra 2011: Breakdown to Breakthrough

According to popular author Robert Holden, Ph. D., “If you are alive, you need help.” In his book “Shift Happens” he asserts that defenses are the work of the ego, that unwillingness to ask for help is an invitation to struggle, suffering and loneliness, and that while independence looks desirable from the outside, it is really based on a deep fear of intimacy. He uses the term “dysfunctionally independent” to describe this mindset. The idea of extreme independence also runs counter to the truth of Oneness, that we are all connected and interdependent.  As Holden’s premise seemed intriguingly appropriate for the Sun’s entrance into collaborative Libra, gifted astrologer and writer Aleta McClelland has joined me for this article.

When the Sun enters Libra at 2:05 A.M. PST on September 23rd, it will join Saturn and Venus who are already transiting the sign of cooperation, relationship and beauty. On September 25th Mercury will also move into this mental air sign and prepare us for a transformative new Libra moon on the 27th. On the one hand, five planets (the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Saturn) in diplomatic Libra will make harmonious trines to Neptune and Chiron in fellow air sign, visionary Aquarius. They will also receive supportive sextiles from Mars in courageous Leo and fuel from the presence of a total of eight planets in signs with active yang polarity (Mars in Leo, Neptune in Aquarius, Uranus in Aries and the five in Libra). On the other hand, or side of that famous Libra scale, squares from Pluto and oppositions from Uranus to the Libra bunch are in store. These aspects promise to bring important issues to a head and matters to the fore, especially around that powerful new moon. Lastly, this period will host seven planets in Cardinal signs, marking an auspicious cycle of new opportunities, beginnings and growth. Here’s Aleta on the Aquarian aspect.

  “When we see Neptune and Chiron retrograde in Aquarius, a call to liberate through healing has begun!  The retrograde is here to assist by intensifying our spiritual depth while maintaining the stamina to get the job done. This combo is nothing like sweet dreamy Neptune or wounded Chiron.  These are power players who have come to get to the root of things, heal and move on to their true objective; making the new dream real.  Placed in the fourth house of core foundations, there is an almost plutonian penetration to this event, which is a nice way of saying, the chaos is sincerely on our side.  Neptune and Chiron are compelling us to externalize and collaborate about our healing needs individually and collectively.   Not coincidentally, with the Sun, Venus, Saturn, Mercury and finally the Moon lining up in Libra, there is a ground swell of energy around broad based and quite idealistic community.  We need our peeps right now and we know it! Although these planets are emphasizing the collective energy there is nothing general about it. The Sun and Venus play off of each other to create a feeling of warmth and affection, but not the amorous kind!   Here, we see Venus in her most diplomatic persona, urging us towards a down to earth version of universal love.  It’s the epitome of universality, updated and matured as Saturn conjunct Juno chime in. Saturn wants to insure that what we dream has a practical form so it can become real. The planets in Libra trine with Neptune and Chiron cause us to (often through disruption) reevaluate what we think are core relationship necessities, values, health, and even sanity; however it is not interruption for its own sake.  They are calling in the transpersonal, a new definition of the collective, Oneness…..a taste of the actual qualities of the Aquarian Age wrapped in Libras iron butterfly commitment to balance and harmony…..and none of them are afraid of a little radical housecleaning and healing before creating anew.  Just see what Pluto is doing in Capricorn!”

September 25th-28th is one of this cycle’s hottest spots, and it may will offer some defining moments. Destructive Pluto transforms and it will form squares to the moon on September 27th and the Sun and Mercury on the 28th. Progressive Uranus in independent Aries will oppose the Sun on September 25th, Mercury on the 26th and the moon on the 27th. During this time individual needs will be pitted against collective ones and the call for release will be intensified. At its best, Libra values fairness, partnership and grace. At its worst, it fails to make critical decisions. With the pressure from Pluto and Uranus, indecision will not be a viable option. Paths are being cleared for new beginnings. In fact the new Libra moon will bring the total to a stunning seven planets in the instigating Cardinal signs. With them, we can redefine how we experience life. It’s not so much about acquiring new stuff or starting new ventures. It is all about embracing an enlightening new perspective.

Holden asks us to consider which filters we are viewing our lives through. Do we see endless struggles, grievances, anger and stress? Are we running on fear and lack? Or can we see the negatives as signals to change course? Can we empty our bowls of yesterday’s rice and access our personal alchemy to heal our lives? How often do we recognize the clarity, happiness and trust that are always available to us? Libra Louise Hay’s motto is, “Life loves you.” Astrology’s Libra celebrates the colleagues, friends, partners and family members who have journeyed all this way to remind us.

Elizabeth has just released an exciting new app! It’s free and available in both iPhone and Android formats. It features music, oracle messages and upcoming appearances such as her date with C.A. Brooks on “Simpletales” on 12Radio, and her interview with Robert Holden on the Hay House Book Club this Friday, the 23rd, also at 11AM PST on Hay House Radio. For all the details, download her app now.

Sun into Virgo 2011: Keys to the Matrix

Way back in 1984 Louise Hay published “You Can Heal Your Life,” a book that has sold millions of copies, been translated into 30 languages and made Hay House a self-help publishing empire. In it she espoused her theory that our thoughts play a critical role in our health. Even in her wildest dreams and most robust affirmations, Hay could not have possibly foreseen the tens of millions of lives her work was waiting to reach, aid and connect. We were all on the other side of the third dimensional veil waiting for someone to flip the switch, and she did. Hers is a great example of how a matrix works and of how one voice can active it, and its mind-boggling complexity and intricacy. The Sun moves into gentle, discerning Virgo at 4:21 A.M. PST on August 23rd and becomes part of a grand earth trine. Venus and Mercury will add their strength to this trine, and supportive new and full moons make this cycle fertile ground for establishing the frameworks of our own matrixes. On September 6th, Hay will join author and astrologer Mark Husson on Hay House Radio to talk about her work. In the meantime, the planets are lining up to help us plan, build and transition to new worlds.

Virgo completes the summer season and like its fellow mutable signs signals a time of change. During August, provocative Mars has been traveling through Cancer, where it formed an exact square to Uranus in Aries and an exact opposition to Pluto in Capricorn. The issues Mars stirred up began pointing the way to needed changes in our lives. With Saturn in Libra in the Cardinal sign mix, the message of release for renewal was powerfully reinforced. From June 2012 through March 2015 we will undergo a series of seven exact Uranus squares to Pluto. The recent Mars activity gave us a small glimmer of the immense energy and new directions available when these planets form challenging angles in Cardinal signs. Virgo is the 6th sign of the zodiac and is recognized as the sign of service. Renowned for its trouble-shooting prowess, organizational expertise and planning genius, it can help us devise reliable strategies for the life-altering times ahead. The forthcoming grand earth trine offers time and material support for building new foundations and paradigms.

Venus ventured into Virgo’s calm, cool and collected realms on August 21st where it met Pluto at 5 degrees Capricorn and Jupiter at 10 degrees Taurus. On the 23rd, the Sun follows suit as will Mercury on September 9th. The earth signs, Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo, relate to finances, career, health, resources and the physical plane of reality. Whether it is involved in the contentious energy of squares and oppositions or the softer, harmonious stimulation of trines, Pluto purifies through destruction. In the upcoming configuration, Pluto will trine Jupiter in Taurus and the Sun, Venus and Mercury in Virgo. We will have to trust that any loss we experience through Pluto in industrious Capricorn is paving the way to necessary progress. The new Virgo moon of August 28th, occurring two days after Mercury comes out of its retrograde, is an ideal time for harnessing that Plutonian power to seed the desired changes we want to see and be in the world.

The September 12th full moon in mystic Pisces provides the chance to tap into more intrinsic and intuitive support. By then Mercury will be in its native Virgo where it, Venus and the Sun will oppose the moon. Impeccable logic and practicality meet stunning psychic insight on the solid ground of the grand earth trine. This full moon is the time to write the software for the programs your developing matrix will run in the future, or more plainly said, a 5-star day to write affirmations. Jupiter will turn retrograde on August 30th (until December 25th) and Pluto goes direct on September 16th, and it will be months before they move past their shadows. Earth signs require projects, goals and aspirations to prove their endurance and reliability before tangible rewards are given. What should emerge during this Virgo cycle is a profound sense of being on the right path and some welcomed confirmation. Keanu Reeves’ character Neo ends the movie “The Matrix” with the line, “Anything is possible.” Louise Hay and Mike Dooley teach us to be conscious of how our thoughts are creating our possibilities, perceptions and realities. Observant, dedicated and mild Virgo prefers to spend her time remembering, our innate perfection.

Be sure to catch Elizabeth this Tuesday when she visits Power Peek astrologer C.A. Brooks on “Simple Tales” on 12Radio at 11:00 A.M. PST. Elizabeth has just released her new app which features music, videos, her writing and much more. You can download it for free here: http://www.elizabethsoralce.com. Lastly, Elizabeth welcomes Dr. Doreen Virtue to the Hay House Book Club this Friday on Hay House Radio at 11:00 A.M. PST.

Book Review: “Ravenous” by Dayna Macy, 5 Spoons For Sure!

If you had to survive for a few days relying only on the food growing in your neighborhood, what would you eat? If you dedicated a portion of your backyard to growing your food, what could you grow there? Where is the closest farm and what is in its fields right now? These are just a few of the many questions that came to mind as I read Dayna Macy’s thoroughly appealing new book “Ravenous.” In it she takes readers on an odyssey through her favorite foods and her lifelong struggle with her weight and eating issues. Along the way she connects us with the sources of our food and acquaints us, in very personal terms, with practices such as foraging, organic growing and humane animal raising and handling. To her credit, her writing about those intriguing and politically provocative topics is never preachy or self-righteous, but thoughtful. To my relief, “Ravenous” is also not some dreary tell-all about food obsessions and emotional problems. Macy is much too keen to fall into either trap. What makes “Ravenous” interesting, enjoyable and ultimately so rewarding is her clarity.

The book’s chapters are organized around her favorite foods, like cheese, chocolate and olives, and each ends with a recipe. Yet the book never becomes predictable or formulaic. A long-time yoga practitioner, her writing has a presence that guides the mind’s eye through the book’s many settings and subjects. Seamlessly Macy takes us from a meat market where sausage is made to the origins of her food issues in suburban New Jersey, to an olive grove in California, to a joyful family seder and through so many touching and engaging points in between. Ultimately it’s the yoga that helps Macy come to terms with food, her body and her weight. By the end of her journey, and the book, we celebrate her success, her honesty and her newfound peace of mind.

Dayna will be a guest on the “Hay House Book Club” on Friday July 29th at 11:00 A.M. PST over at Hay House Radio. Fortunately I got to be part of the taping of this episode, and I must say that it was the most fun one to date. That may have been because we book clubbers got to talking about food. In any case, being in the delightful company of these readers was a wonderful experience and getting to meet Dayna on the phone made it even better. Her presence is a gift and she has lots to share. As a regular commentator on the show, and for all official reasons, my copy of “Ravenous” was provided by Hay House. You are welcome to join the “Ravenous” discussion on Facebook and to tune in live at Hay House Radio for this edition of this “Book Club” (or one of its many rebroadcasts). Bon appetit.

Sun Into Leo 2011: Here For the Party!

Leo, the bright, shiny and charismatic force of cosmic encouragement is poised to host her annual celebration on July 22nd when the Sun enters its home sign at 9:12 P.M. PST.  From the onset, Leo’s solar journey is shaping up to be one of 2011’s liveliest and most glittering planetary gatherings. Venus will join the Sun in Leo, Mercury will turn retrograde, Neptune will wander back into Aquarius, and Mars is due for a few contentious battles. To enjoy the entertainment and festivities, regal Leo has assembled an impressive and stellar guest list. VIPs chatty Mercury and attractive Venus will be her guests of honor as they accompany the hosting Sun through Leo's glamorous and dramatic domain. Let’s mingle.

That Leo trio will be making electrifying alliances with spontaneous Uranus in instigating Aries. Can you say tequila shots? Aged sipping tequila is probably the better beverage selection. That’s because Venus, Mercury and the Sun are also planning some productive schmoozing with reserved Saturn while he’s in agreeable Libra.  Generous Jupiter has of course been invited. Unfortunately the prized planet of plenty is traveling through Taurus and thus forming some uncomfortable squares to the Sun and Venus on August 1st and 5th. But it’s nothing that a little royal charm can’t smooth over.  After all, both Leo the Lion and Taurus the Bull appreciate life’s luxuries and both recognize the value of hard work. A winning choice for conversation topic would be their latest shopping expeditions.

Though she can clearly spot his mounting oppositions to her and her friends from across any room. magnanimous Leo will also warmly welcome spacey Neptune to her soiree.  He's always good for getting the guests intoxicated.  Then there’s her personally favored attendee, bad-boy Mars.  The tension is already building for his August 3rd entrance into Cancer where his August 9th bout with Uranus and August 11th run-in with Pluto are inevitable.  Lively Leo positively adores passion, and we all know how she feels about an audience.  So, if an anticipated Mars skirmish or two draws a crowd, all the better. Leo would rather die than be accused of throwing a dull party, or God forbid one that is under-attended. If her tattooed love boy becomes too unruly, Leo can always count on Pluto in conservative Capricorn to play bouncer.

Helping Leo slow down long enough to graciously listen to her guests, and to think, reason and converse clearly with them will be Mercury’s retrograde from August 2nd through 26th. While he will have just crossed into calm, analytical Virgo at the start of this retrograde, the Messenger of the Gods will traverse all the way back to 18 degrees of Leo by the time he stations. That means that most of this retrograde will be spent in those incendiary later degrees of fixed, fiery and ferocious Leo. Some party-goers could get a little loud under these conditions. Mercury’s backward motion is cautioning them and us to consciously express ourselves. Another cosmic call for graceful exchange will sound from distant, dreamy Neptune.

Also in retrograde motion, Neptune will arrive back in rebellious and innovative Aquarius on August 4th. Because Neptune is one of the slower moving outer planets, its influence is subtle and in effect over an extended period of time. Its opposition to the Sun, though exact on August 22nd, will be felt throughout the Leo cycle. Its presence is likely to heat up much of the cocktail chatter, especially if the subject of politics arises. Personal responsibility versus institutional responsibility, independence versus interdependence and the individual versus the collective are predictable themes when an opposition between the sign representing the individual will, Leo, and the sign representing groups and community occurs. Moreover, the Sun is the celestial force associated with the sign of Leo, and the astrological symbol for the Sun is a single dot in the center of a circle.  The dot symbolizes the individual and the circle infinity.  Astrologers Douglas Bloch and Demetra George describe Neptune as representing the ability of the finite self to experience transcendence through unity with a greater whole. Thus, we are presented with an axis that at one extreme asks the ego to dissolve into a greater whole and at the other to maintain its unique identity. Ultimately, Lion-hearted Leo was born to lead, to dance, to sing and to play. Through her effervescent expression, she inspires us to do the same. So while her encounter with intriguing Neptune will deeper her compassion and spirituality, she’s here for the party, and so are we!

Please join Elizabeth on Friday, July 29th, for the latest edition of the Hay House Book Club at Hay House Radio featuring Dayna Macy’s delicious new book “Ravenous.” You can sign up for Elizabeth’s free e-newsletter at her site: .

Peace From Broken Pieces Book Review: Life After Loss

Failure. The mere mention of the word sets off alarm bells throughout the nervous system. We want to reject the idea outright, to look away, and to consider something, anything else. The thought of it is far too daunting, and the fear of it is pervasive. New Agers typically respond to even the notion of it with their seemingly inexhaustible supplies of positive affirmations. The “Law of Attraction” crowd will take it one step further and practically blame the fallen for their circumstances. The Buddhists, with their rigorous practice of acceptance, are seemingly well prepared to handle its presence. The ACIM folks seem to share an ability to recognize even the worst parts of life as perfect, in the divine scheme of things. Then there’s Iyanla Vanzant.

Iyanla is a Yoruba trained Priestess who wrote an entire book about it. Failed marriage? Check. Failed major career opportunity, with none other than media icon Oprah Winfrey? Check. Home foreclosure? Yep. Loss of assets due to family illness? Iyanla’s been there and done that, too. Add the untimely death of her middle child to cancer, and you begin to get some idea of what “Peace From Broken Pieces” is all about.

Vanzant does not however, wallow in her misery. Rather she bravely combs through the ashes of her devastation. Like a dedicated forensic scientist, she pours through the wreckage of her life in search of origins, and answers. In the process she unearths family pathologies, but she doesn’t hang her story on those. Her journey is about self awareness and ultimately peace, and her courage and honestly are necessary and remarkable. The scenes, like those of childhood beatings, are at times harrowing. But her persistent search for meaning and understanding carry her and readers through them. Her willingness to share so candidly gives us all permission to take a deeper look at life’s uncomfortable side. Her strength and wisdom light our way through it.

FYI, Hay House provides the books I review, though they do not exercise any editorial control of the content of my reviews. I am also one of the featured bloggers on the new “Hay House Book Club” which air every Friday at 11:00 A.M. PST on Hay House Radio. In fact the show with Iyanla debuts June 24th. You can also join the discussion about “Peace From Broken Pieces” and other Book Club selections on Facebook.

Sun into Cancer: Expressions of Love & Vulnerability

As revolutionary 2011 reaches its midpoint, the intuitive, nurturing and initiating energies of Cancer arrive. Knowing what we want to overthrow is easy. Knowing what we want to replace it with is somewhat more challenging. And building the new utopia? Well, that is another matter entirely. Powerhouse planets Saturn, Pluto and Uranus are already traveling in close degree to one another and occupying three of astrology’s four instigating or Cardinal signs, Libra, Capricorn and Aries. The Sun’s entrance into Cancer at 10:17 A.M. PST on June 21st completes the set and reactivates a Grand Cardinal Cross. July 1st’s new moon eclipse in sensitive Cancer, as well as Mercury and Venus Cancer transits, underscore this cycle’s theme of releasing the past to birth the new.

The Sun’s movement into Cancer transforms the current T-Square the outer planets are forming into a Grand Cardinal Cross. Mercury strengthens the Cancer aspect of the Cross as it travels through the sign of the Crab until July 1st. Venus then takes up the cause on July 3rd when she enters Cancer. Encompassing all four of astrology’s elements, water, air, earth and fire, a Grand Cardinal Cross positions at least one major force (planet) at each of the four initiating points of astrology’s wheel. These energies signal and support new beginnings. The angles created between the planets however, form squares and oppositions. These aspects bring up conflicting issues in need of resolution. In an atmosphere of what astrologer Stephanie Austin describes as “change or be changed,” here are some hot spots to be mindful of. On June 26th the Sun squares radical Uranus, on the 27th it opposes destructive Pluto and on July 2nd it squares unyielding Saturn.

Cancer’s psychic prowess, maternal instinct and inner drive are some of this sign’s most valuable resources. Its motive after all is to create and foster emotional security. In 2011 however, if we are intent on birthing something truly transformational, we will need to access one of protective Cancer’s most guarded traits, her vulnerability. In part that means getting in touch with our emotional bodies. From the impact of a Tsunami, to the devastation wrought by flooding, to the ability of even calm water to eventually erode solid rock, the power of water is indisputable. Symbolized by that element, our feelings carry a similar force. Whether expressed or repressed, their magnitude shapes our lives profoundly and in ways that we rarely stop to examine. The new moon solar eclipse of July 1st gives us a sweet opportunity to connect with the emotions driving our actions and consequently writing our stories. Even the unpleasant ones are messengers. When fully embraced, they will serve as a fine-tuned navigation system for those new realities we are birthing. Later that day, Mercury will enter Lion-hearted Leo where, due to an August retrograde, he will be active until September 8th. A new moon eclipse with this Cancer-Leo combination is a cosmic invitation to begin living with less fear and more courage.

More moments of sublime clarity about how to build those new paradigms arrive on June 22nd when the Sun trines dreamy Neptune, July 7th when expansive Jupiter trines Pluto and during the July 15th full moon in constructive Capricorn. Under these conditions, Cancer’s intrinsic beauty and power are like cascading moonlight pouring onto a glass ocean. Wordless, their effusive lunar magic speaks to the deepest corners of our being. Under their luminous influence, hoarding Cancer freely surrenders old resentments, hurt feelings and perceived slights to the past. Unlocked, the Crab’s hardened shell retracts. Our crusty little creature bravely ventures into the unknown, fully exposed and completely vulnerable to life’s softness, poetry and romance. So while this cycle’s Grand Cardinal Cross is certain to bring discordant issues and messy feelings to the stormy surface at times, the mantras “It is safe to feel” and “It is safe to love” echo in the heart’s chambers.

Please join Elizabeth for two very special radio appearances this week. On June 21st at 11:00 A.M. PST she is the guest host for vacationing C.A. Brooks on “Simple Tales” on 12Radio. She will be welcoming Vedic astrologer Mo Abelbaki to talk about those Nodes and why they are such a significant part of the chart. Then the Cancer Confab begins when Cancer natives Reverend Keith Ruback, 12Listen Advisor Jamie Dawn and Hay House Radio Producer Diane Ray join Elizabeth to talk about the Crab; the good, the bad and the moody! Come celebrate the Summer Solstice with “Simple Tales!”

On Friday June 24th at 11:00 A.M. PST the latest edition of the new “Hay House Book Club” debuts on Hay House Radio. Elizabeth joins host Diane Ray, author Iyanla Vanzadt and fellow Hay House bloggers to talk about Iyanla’s powerful book “Peace From Broken Pieces.”

Sun into Gemini 2011: Flying with the Gods

Those affable, talkative Twins of Gemini arrive on May 21st at 2:21 A.M. PST when the Sun enters the mutable air sign associated with broadcasting, technology, socializing and travel. True to form, their speedy ruler Mercury will move from Taurus, through Gemini and into Cancer during this solar cycle. Neptune and Chiron will turn retrograde, Jupiter will enter Taurus, Mercury and the Sun will make conjunctions with the South Node and two eclipses will occur. Meanwhile Saturn, now traveling through judicious Libra, will trine the planets in Gemini and emerge from its annual retrograde. Such a hotbed of astrological activity seems only fitting for our hyper-chatty, multi-tasking Twins. Any less and they would be bored senseless. That being said, during the Gemini journey ahead, our inquisitive, adaptable Twins may find themselves wanting to abandon life’s uncomfortable headlines for its crossword puzzles. The planets however, will ask them to read the entire Sunday edition, thoroughly.

Mercury is Gemini’s ruling planet and the Messenger of the Gods. In astrological shorthand, Mercury represents mental activity and the Sun represents the ego. Glimpse at any chart and the two will not be far apart. That is because Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. At any given moment, the amount of information coming at us is staggering and simply impossible to fully comprehend. It is Mercury’s job is to instantaneously mine the massive and exhaustive databanks of the past and present to cull the material vital for decision-making. With such a close alliance with the ego however, the danger lies in Mercury becoming our “yes man.” Under its unconscious influence, we selectively choose the facts that support “our story” and conveniently dismiss the irrelevant rest. Positioned in Libra, the sign concerned with balance, truth and fairness, is stern, astute Saturn. If the Sun and Mercury are like two eager young journalists intent on breaking a dramatic news story, then discerning Saturn is their old-school newspaper editor. He will put these brash upstarts through the rigors of solid journalism, like extensive fact and source background checking. Old Saturn knows the damage one faulty variable can do to an entire equation and the painful consequences for us from acting on erroneous information. In noble Libra he is diligently working to insure that we do not allow our minds to play unhealthy tricks on us.

Assisting us with a much more subtle and subterranean sort of review, will be Neptune and Chiron beginning retrogrades in holistic Pisces on June 2nd and 8th respectively. Their influence takes place far beneath the surface of our endless streams of thought. From their deeper vantage point, we can get in touch with the emotional sources and motives behind our stories and the passages and narratives of it needing revision and healing. Pisces assimilates, integrates and completes and Neptune and Chiron further compassion and healing. This June they embark on a five-month-long process that ends in November when Neptune turns direct on the 9th and Chiron on the 10th. Note how closely they are traveling.

Please join Elizabeth on the debut of the Hay House Book Club on Friday, May 27th at 11:00 A.M. PST on Hay House Radio when she will be a guest blogger talking about "Married to Bhutan" by Linda Leaming.

Another large-planet, big-picture concept that will give our lovable Twins food for thought is expansive Jupiter’s journey into earthy Taurus on June 4th. With it perhaps an old phrase from the national lexicon will be amended. Can you say “rational exuberance”? The happy-go-lucky planet of plenty has been in fiery, impulsive Aires since late January. On March 11th quirky, inventive Uranus joined it there, and the two very likely bestowed some truly brilliant flashes of insight and inspiration, as well as some golden new opportunities. The calm, stabilizing presence of the bull will ground us long enough to give those Aries-born ideas form, and the bull’s patient disposition welcomes the hard work most meaningful endeavors require. With a favorable trine from truthful Pluto in pragmatic, disciplined Capricorn, Jupiter’s year-long run with the bull is likely to produce long-lasting success where we employ its energies consistently.

Then there’s the business of those Nodes. Presently the South Node is in Gemini and the North in Sagittarius. On June 13th Mercury will connect with the South Node and the Sun will make its South Node conjunction on the 14th. The South Node represents the resources we bring into this lifetime. Via genetics or reincarnation, its placement in our birth or natal chart often describes our natural gifts and abilities. The North Node suggests our growth challenge this time around.

Underscoring this activity will be this cycle’s forthcoming eclipses in Gemini on June 1st and Sagittarius on June 15th. Gemini gathers information and Sagittarius gives it context and meaning. For example, a well-functioning instrument panel with its precise and sophisticated measurements is essential for safely navigating an airplane. Who would want to fly without it? But an airplane flight is not merely a function of the math and science that make it possible. Through aspiring, philosophical Sagittarius, we begin to appreciate the magic of flying. In its awe-inspiring presence, we remember that sitting in a chair, perched thousands of miles above the earth, while hurling hundreds of miles for per hour through time and space, was once the sole domain of the gods. The new Gemini moon of June 1st will yield new data, and the Sagittarius full moon of June 15th will offer moments of enlightenment. So during the 2011 Gemini journey, if it feels like the planets are conspiring to encourage those adorable Twins and us to exchange old patterns, people and places for new adventures, concepts and horizons, they are.


You can sign up for my monthly astrology newsletter here. Also check out the new media page of my website for back issues of my newsletters as well as archived radio appearances.