By Simone Butler

In one of my earliest memories, my mother and I are bent over the nubby brown living room carpet, painstakingly picking up crayons. I scream as she forces me, her hand clasped over mine, to keep my promise of putting away my toys–no matter how long it takes.

Mom was a Virgo. Though caring and gentle, she was a stickler for order. As the Sun moved into her sign this week, I invoked her patience and perseverance to help me make it through the final lap of renovations. My parents’ home, which I inherited, has been in disarray since April. Now it’s almost complete, and I’m moving back in.

While the Sun is in earthy Virgo (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22) we hone in on details, refurbish our nest, redefine our work and take better care of ourselves. The Aug. 28 Virgo New Moon (8:04 p.m. PDT) is the perfect time to launch a clutter-bust or commit to a hearth or health makeover. The New Moon’s trine to Pluto in Capricorn lends potency, wisdom and efficiency. And, trickster Mercury will have just turned direct on Aug. 26, greasing the wheels of progress after a stressful three-week retrograde. If you need to make an important purchase or begin a creative project, the New Moon energies along with a beautiful Venus/Jupiter trine on Aug. 29 are ideal. Read more

Lately, my altar is decorated with pictures of those in need of healing prayers. A friend who’s had to endure two blood transfusions after a deadly reaction to an experimental drug. Another who must abandon his just-completed mountain home due to a life-threatening lung condition. Each day brings dire news regarding someone I care about: severe fractures after falling off a ladder, nerve damage from a stingray attack, surgery for a gangrenous appendix, and—most devastating of all—the untimely passing of a client’s three-year-old grandson after a swimming pool accident.

My heart is heavy for these folks. Factor in world events like the famine in Somalia and riots in England, and it’s obvious we’re in a precarious phase. Hot-headed Mars just ignited the square between rebellious Uranus and relentless Pluto. And, intense solar flares fanned the flames of outrage and passion. The evolutionary imperative of the Uranus-Pluto square—which demands radical change—will recede temporarily after mid-September, but returns with even more force in 2012, as it becomes exact.

How to channel this energy effectively? It’s very good for breaking through entrenched conditions and habits, especially while Mercury is retrograde through Aug. 26. And, creative pursuits get an enormous boost. This Saturday’s Full Moon in Aquarius (Aug. 13, 11:58 a.m. PDT) trine Saturn in Libra should bring some objectivity to the mix. Perhaps you can glimpse a higher power at work in the chaos and uncertainty. Trust that deep subconscious healing is taking place, no matter how things look on the surface. And, offer your healing prayers for those in need.

by Simone Butler

In a fascinating talk on creativity, author Elizabeth Gilbert relates a story about American poet Ruth Stone. Working in the fields near her home, Stone would sometimes feel the thunderous approach of a poem— shaking the ground as it careened toward her. She’d dash for the house, says Gilbert, and hope she got to pen and paper quickly enough to write the poem down— or else it would blow by and be lost.

This notion of a creative wind that sweeps in out of the blue has ancient origins. The Greeks called it a daimon — a capricious spirit which provokes creative acts in human beings. The Romans called it genius— a spiritual possession that lights our inner fire, inspiring great works of art and acts of courage and devotion. Yet the daimon can also be dangerous. Early Judeo-Christians were so threatened by this energy that they renamed it “demonic.” If your ego identifies with this uncanny power, you may come to believe you’re above reproach— and suffer a painful crash. (think: Anthony Weiner, Rupert Murdoch).

The daimon is associated with the sign of Leo. Fiery and willful, the Lion represents the fierce drive to express yourself. It’s the unstoppable urge to procreate, to tear your prey limb from limb, to paint a masterpiece or party till dawn despite exhaustion. Yet when balanced with Aquarius, its altruistic opposite sign, Leo transcends egotism to contribute to the collective good.

At the upcoming Leo New Moon (July 30, 11:40 a.m. PDT), the daimon will be out in force. The Sun and Moon are conjunct Venus (beauty and love), trine Uranus (genius) and square Jupiter (exuberance). And, Mercury will oppose imaginative Neptune, lending a magical, otherworldly vibe that reoccurs twice over the next month due to Mercury’s impending retrograde. It’s time to share our talents, express our love and let the daimon guide us to our heart’s desire.

Yet the daimon’s dark side may also rear its head in August. Mercury turns retrograde on Tuesday, August 2 (through the 26th) during a long void-of-course-moon that stretches from Monday evening the 1st through Wednesday morning the 3rd. Hold off on starting important projects, making purchases or decisions during this critical window of time, or you’re apt to spend the entire month of August trying to undo what you’ve done.

Mercury begins its retrograde in detail-oriented Virgo, helping you craft a creative plan at the July 30 New Moon. Mercury’s imaginative opposition to slippery Neptune, however, can also be confounding. Believe nothing and make no assumptions in early August. And, double-check
all facts and details throughout the month.

Mercury moves back into Leo on Aug. 8 (where it remains until Sept. 9), amplifying the daimon’s siren call to create and express. Still, be careful not to overdo it, especially from Aug. 8 through 10, when feisty Mars squares Uranus and opposes Pluto, sparking tension or unexpected changes. Uranus and Pluto will be one degree away from their exact square at this time; this call to revolution, which becomes exact next year and continues through 2014, hasn’t been seen since the mid-to-late Sixties, when Uranus and Pluto were conjunct. At that time, people were throwing off shackles left and right: civil rights, women’s lib, back-to-the-land, gay pride. Now we’re gearing up for the next level of liberation— and it all starts within.

Let the Leo New Moon and Mercury retrograde period reconnect you with passions and talents that may have been gathering dust. Rather than succumbing to frustration as Mercury travels backward, allow beauty and love to come to you. Welcome the restless, creative force of the daimon. You never know what might want to come through you!

Ready to create? Here’s an Astro Feng Shui ritual to get those juices flowing.

© 2011 Simone Butler . All rights reserved

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