New Moon Journal

Bombing the Moon for water

NASA bombs the Moon on Friday, October 9, 2009 at 6:13 AM looking for water. LCROSS and LRO launched on Thursday, June 18 @ 5:32pm Eastern Time. Projected Impact at the lunar South Pole is scheduled for October 9th.

One more thing to add to the Saturn/Uranus opposition- at the time of the event Saturn's at 28° Virgo straddled by Mercury 29° Virgo and Venus 24° Virgo opposing Uranus still in Pisces.

The Moon represents the divine feminine within, home, roots/ancestral history, mothering, oceans, intuitive abilities; in the body this is reflected at the 6th chakra [3rd eye] and/or the stomach area.

We are making cosmic clutter...if we don't manage the natural resources on this planet with heart and soul, what gives us the right to go out beyond the borders and create chaos in the solar system?

I offer up my SoulCollage® "give me a Hand, but don't push me around" created after the devastating 2005 hurricane season.

I am the One who lives in the chaos
of the unconscious actions
blinded by science and ego
of Men
Who long for the wonder
that's all around.
Wake up.
Wake up.

As a shamanic healer who works with the subtle energies there are no words to describe the way I feel about this event. When I journeyed to my Teacher I heard "forgive them for they know not what they do". *sigh*

As above, so below. The Moon is a satellite of the Earth, responsible for the tides, the flow of water within us and around us. As an empath you may be subtly affected by this lunar event on an energetic level.

The Earth gives us life.
Air gives us life.
Water gives us life.
The Sun gives us life.

As within, so without:
Our health and the health of the planet are one.
                               -Medicine for the Earth

24 hours before the event on Friday you may want to journey to your Helping Spirits and ask what is needed in service to the Moon and the Earth at this time. I would be most interested in hearing about what happens in the journey either by email or comment below.

Become Light, transfigure and transmute the effects of these actions by working with water in your home and surrounding land, the how-to can be found in Medicine for the Earth.

Leo SoulCollage®

Be Brilliant, step into your power, get into the Vortex...it's time to set a strong intention as the Sun enters Leo (July 22-Aug 22) each year. Leo's energy highlights your issues with creative self-expression by risk taking, being authentic and pursuing your creative dream- nay-sayers be gone!

It may be time to create or tweak your vision board...honor the Leo energies within by creating a Leo SoulCollage® card. Do something.

Where's your creative juice??? When the Sun moves into Leo, be bright, show your brilliance- even if you only show it to your cat- you've still shown up for yourself. How are you honoring your creative expression. How are you called to express this energy? In your birth chart what doorway does the Leo energy occupy? If you don't know then set up a session with me.

What you planted at the New Moon in Aries, those decrees and intentions are now showing up in your life. What were you wishing and dreaming of back in late March? How is the Universe responding to your quest?

Are you born with Pluto in Leo?

Pluto moved through Leo from 1939 - 1957. It's a generational energy- Depression Era through Baby Boomers, we are considered to be the generation of power. The first generation born after the atomic bomb was discovered and used...raised with the threat of annihilation.

Annihilation is defined as "total destruction" or "complete obliteration" of an object;[1] having its root in the Latin nihil (nothing). A literal translation is "to make into nothing".

In physics, the word is used to denote the process that occurs when a subatomic particle collides with its respective antiparticle.[2] Since energy and momentum must be conserved, the particles are not actually made into nothing, but rather into new particles [shape-shifters].- wikipedia definition

The keyword for Pluto in Leo is Shape-Shifter. People of this generation have the ability to use power both positively and negatively. World power and leadership are important issues for those with Pluto in Leo. When the Sun moves through Leo it highlights our collective issues of power. Saturn moved through Leo (1975-78 and again July '05-Sep '07) bringing up Leo issues for healing and empowerment. A new structure was created.

2009 Chiron/Jupiter/Neptune

Aquarius Awakening- currently there is a planetary line-up of great importance in the Aquarius area of your chart. These planets will oppose the next Leo new moon on August 20th. Leo and Aquarius work in sacred partnership. Leo is the action energy of manifesting your creative gifts with authenticity and then using those gifts in service to humanity. If you are caught by the emotions or the timing of something the answers may be found in your Aquarius house. In any case work with the energies whether you understand the astrology or not. Trust your higher self to step forward. It's time to trust and do something!

Chiron = Blessed Wound
Jupiter = Teacher
Neptune = Addiction
Aquarius = Stepping outside the box, being okay with being weird because you are not the norm.

In the Body- the Sun in Leo informs your High Heart chakra, the place between your heart and throat (see the intersection). The color is a beautiful turquoise, it is considered the seat of your soul energy. Here you'll find your soul's longing.

Allow your hands to naturally go to that place on your body. Tap it gently with both hands. Does this place on your body feel clear, does the area feel sore? If sore so open your mouth, give it a sound with the intention of being clear. Practice this affirmation:

"I create magic when I use my inherent gifts and talents, I manifest my joy now."

If you have been following the New Moon SoulCollage® process then you may want to gather your cards around you. Randomly pick one SoulCollage® card and ask is it time to explore this theme further? Leo rules the creative spark, the fire and joy you came to share. Here are some ideas to work with the Leo energy. It's good to find out where Leo sits, and what your soul call is for the New Moon in Leo.

In Leo I am the One who....

• I am the One who seeks personal heart connections- romance, children, dating, intense love relationships, giving and seeking approval. All things of the 5th House.
• I am the One who honors the Sun and all life. The Sun illuminates, gives life, elevates and reshapes one's past life personalities with new qualities. I am humble.
• I am the One who embraces my artist within. Leo rules all forms of creativity including enthusiasm, artistic expression, total subjective involvement, self-actualization, passion.
• I am the One who gives over to the power of love through loyalty, generosity, bringing joy, encouragement, kindness.
• I am the One who seeks pleasure and celebration- fun, play, games, parties, vacations, recreational sports and taking risks for excitement.
• I am the One who expresses dignity. I desire recognition, being the center of attention, self-confidence, powerful individual expression, radiance, benevolence.
• I am the One who leads. I exude determination, leadership, concentrated focus, follow through, strength of purpose, resoluteness and stamina. Through the power of my presence I inspire others with goodwill.
• I am the One who restores health to your back and spine.
• Flowers of Leo- gladiolus, marigold and zinnias.
• Colors- Fire colors, bright orange, bright yellow and gold. Metal is gold.

Shadow Issues of Leo- shadows issues are grist for the mill, there is great power in working with your shadow, the dark side of our nature that we want to hide. By releasing and healing your shadow, you have more juice to create with...

• I am the One who shouts "look at me!"
• I am the One who gambles too much, seeking thrills outside of self.
• I am the shadow side of your Leo energy, look for issues of being boastful, arrogant, prideful, overly dramatic, self-centered, extravagant, bossy.
• I am the One who creates exhaustion, heart inflammation by not following my inner joy.

Not convinced? then I invite you to read Deirdre Tanton's Leo Season, Initiating Fearless Action Now for Mars Retrograde.

You don't have to be an astrologer or an artist to work with the New Moon SoulCollage® process. Get a couple of magazines, a glue stick and some blank paper. Create a card. If you have any questions please use the comment form below. Learn more on how to create a SoulCollage® card for this month's energy. If you'd like to share your Leo SoulCollage® cards there's a place to upload the card here. Let me know how this practice is working for you. Thanks so much!

Namaste,

Rev. Michele Lessirard, C.Ht. is an artist, inter-faith minister, shamanic practitioner and teacher. Since 1995 she has preformed hundreds of Soul Retrievals, teaches through out the United States and is recognized for her ability to communicate the visible elements with the invisible- the spiritual aspects that are mirrored through one’s day-to day relationships with family, home and work.

Chakra Image by Francene Hart, visionary artist.

Michele pick up the rattle

Chiron is a wonderful planetary energy, when you tap into the Chironic energies; in essence you are dancing with the wound that causes most of the problems in your life. Those drama/traumas that get you when you least expect it. If reading this you hear yourself say “well the past is the past”, well then think again. The places where we hurt make us more human. As healers we are expected to understand the pain; your “blessed wound” is what makes you a healer in the first place. In your birth chart Chiron’s placement and journey through the chart gives you understanding of what is out of balance and how to go about fixing it.

It takes 49/50 years for Chiron travel round your birth chart-in astrology it’s called a Chiron Return. Each time Chiron enters a sign he brings the deeper message of your “blessed wound”. Chiron is a bridge builder…he builds a bridge from the personal planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) to the trans-personal planets (Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto).

“[This story is] for the children within us who knew there were nature spirits, shining ones and more and the children whose lives we touch. May we open our hearts to the compassion and love of the Spirit world.  May the joy of knowing we are supported be with us each and every day.”- Shamanic practitioner Elaine Egidio

June 2009: Chiron is now enjoined with Neptune and Jupiter at 26 degrees of Aquarius. Neptune rules dream time and the fog of our addictions- drinking, drugging, food, shopping, spending, rescuing, hoarding, etc.

How one chooses to numb out when their pain gets too intense…wound= pain. Jupiter represents the energy of the teacher, Jupiter asks us each to expand into new territory, take a risk. Aquarius represents an original thinker, someone who thinks outside the box.

Chiron = Blessed Wound
Jupiter = Teacher
Neptune = Addiction
Aquarius = Stepping outside the box, being weird because you are not the norm.

Can you see the dance here of these energies? At fifty I breathed a sigh of relief that Chiron was through with me. Whew what a ride!

Yet starting this past December at each quarter turn-solstice, equinox, solstice I am deepening my understanding of long standing issues and taking the healing to a new level of love and understanding. Has that been happening with you? I knew I was in something and riding the wave once again…being rubbed raw to become real. Last week I asked the question…

When was the last time Chiron was at 26° degrees of Aquarius? I looked at the charts last week and thought "oh @#$#!"

Spring of 1959-I was three years old, the time of my first official food binge. I ate so many carrots I turned orange (yes I have clear memory of this, I remember a lot of my childhood). It was also the time I saw my first vision (clear sight). It was also the time I came in from playing and innocently told my mother I was talking to my friends- the nature spirits and shining ones. Mom’s harsh reaction and response to my declaration, “don’t be silly, there are no such things” sent me into a deep silence of shame.

She knew...
before everyone else
she knew

As a child she heard
and felt things
In people
their homes
in places
she knew.

The Unexplainable and
just plain weird
the good and the bad
she took it on
she took it in
she looked at it
sometimes digested it
she knew

She didn't fit
She threw fits.
She felt weird.
Because

No one could explain
this part life to her.
How do you explain
the unexplainable?
She hid it well
kept this secret
for a very long time.

Years later, now a young woman
Dad left her house
She felt it in her bones
the pain of never seeing
her Daddy again.
She cried all day.
Weeks later
the boating accident
then the stroke.
He's never been the same since.
She knew

Sitting in the meeting
the urge to leave.
Her child was in trouble
could she be imagining things?
She rushed home to find
Little girl and sitter
locked out of the house
in a thunderstorm
for over an hour.
She unlocked the door
daughter scared for her life
leaped into her arms.
She knew.

Dreaming
she saw her sister
sick and ill.
she woke up crying
two months later
the truth is revealed
about the tumor.
She knew

Finally one day
she visits The Healer
filled with spirit, laughter and joy.
Who became the mentor, teacher and friend
Re-birthed her gift of knowing
breathing in the truth "I believe in me" and
"I forgive myself for not believing-
I know what I know."

And so began the journey
to be okay,
with the knowing.
That comes and goes
Flows like the Tides
She knows...

It's the nature of women to know, it's part of our sacred feminine mystery; the betwixt and between that is not taught. Our mothers, our grandmothers are wounded, and this soul loss is passed down generation upon generation...are you the one to say "enough is enough, I want to know again?" How did your mother travel the psychic waters of Knowing? How do you discount your own knowing?

Part 1. Refuse to choose - everyone's a Rembrandt at this New Moon.

At this new moon decide you are a Rembrandt. In the Leo area of your life you want to shine. Each of us has come to share our unique spark. As with each new moon cycle we have the opportunity to tap into the energy at hand. Saturn is moving through Leo for the first time in 28 years. This energy is redefining the structure and form of how you create. The creative process for you, not someone else, or someone else’s expectations.

New Moon in Leo Tuesday, July 25, 2006 12:31 AM est, at 3 degrees of Leo.

The zodiac is a sacred mandala representing the 12 fold way of healing the lower self and integrates a deeper soul force from the archetypal realm. The Sun is your CEO, it’s the leader in the chart. This Astro~Mandala represents the journey of the ‘whole’ potential of you. In the zodiac we have the dance of duality represented by the opposing signs such as Aries/Libra, Taurus/Scorpio, Gemini/Sagittarius, Cancer/Capricorn, Leo/Aquarius, etc.

In the Leo area of your life one needs to see themselves reflected through the creative modes of self-expression. What can I create with my passionate nature that gives me joy? And more important how do I share this heart expression with the world?

Leo ruled by the Sun, represents our sense of personal importance within family and community. In the Leo area I need to feel confident and in charge of my creative gifts so I move out into the world and share with Humanity. Leo represents recognition and the need to take pride in personal accomplishments without getting caught up in the egoic self.

Think of a paint by numbers kit. I loved those kits as a child-the little jars, the brush, the smell of paint, the excitement. Someone designs the canvas or structure and you fill in the blanks. You are directed where to place the paint and through a step by step process you create  the picture.  Now this is fine in the beginning but at some point you are called to step off the known path and work the design out yourself. Become the Rembrandt. Usually this creates a pushing force as well as resistance.  This lunation, this 29 day cycle will highlight issues you have with being creative. Getting pushed around to set down the creative form. Pushing through.  How are you shining your light?

Saturn is the task master we all push against…there is always an obstacle to push through or up against. This is life.  Saturn demands that we respond. You may become aware at this new moon what you are pushing through and/or coming up against. Saturn has been in Leo since July 2005. He leaves next September in 2007. This month you get to see how this Saturn cycle is playing itself out. Where is Leo in your chart? What house? That is where the energy is. The last time Saturn moved through Leo was 1976 through 1978.  What did you create back then? How are you responding today?

Pushing Through. Think of a baby floating in the mother’s womb, and then pushing through the birth canal to be born. In life this is the first energy you meet. Psychologists have found that this birth imprint  colors your life both in negative and positive ways. Your mother’s long labor may mean that things manifest in slow and methodical ways. You may think things are not happening yet in reality they are, you just can’t see it as yet.

Your mother’s short labor may mean that you manifest things in life very rapidly and then find the spark is gone, you or they are ready to move on.  And C-section babies are a whole other story. Once I understood my own birth experience, embracing the healing journey it required I started manifesting differently. My creative spark re-ignited, and that is what this lunation- the New Moon in Leo is all about. Becoming a Rembrandt, the artist you are by…

Finding and igniting your creative spark. Think about your creative babies, projects you start, projects you abort…then do some journaling– see how your birth experience is still effecting your life.  What was happening for you back in 1977-1978?

This New Moon in Leo rules:

• Personal heart connections- romance, children, dating, intense love relationships, giving and seeking approval.
• Creativity including enthusiasm, artistic expression, total subjective involvement, self-actualization, passion.
• Giving attributes of love- loyalty, generosity, bringing joy, encouragement, kindness.
• Pleasure and celebration- fun, play, games, parties, vacations, recreational sports and taking risks for excitement.
• Dignity representing recognition, being the center of attention, self-confidence, powerful individual expression, radiance, benevolence.
• Determination including leadership, concentrated focus, follow through, strength of purpose, resoluteness and stamina.
• Arrogance- pride, being overly dramatic, self-centeredness, extravagance, bossiness.
• Restoring health of back and spine, exhaustion, heart, inflammation.

I was born with Leo in the 9th house. For those astrologers Pluto conjunct Neptune there at 28 degrees of Leo. Uranus sits in the 8th house at 29 degrees of Cancer. This is a lot of raw power. From 1974–1978 I was studying interior design.

I wanted to go into commercial building construction but was afraid of heights. Sending me to a large commercial project and traveling up open construction elevators just put the fear of God into me.

I wanted to be an architect, but felt I couldn’t ‘do’ the math (later I found out architects don’t do the math, engineers do). Instead I opted for interior design with a minor in graphics.

Back in 1978 it was time to put together my Senior Design Portfolio- then I could go out into the world and get a ‘real’ Interior design job. One of the assignments was the Lessirard Residence for my future husband and I. I conceived and designed the floor plan, furniture and finishes for our dream home. I put my heart and soul into that plan and design and I can still see it clearly today.

After graduation I wanted to learn more than what school taught me. In December 1978 I set out to learn how everything in a building was constructed (behind the walls and in the ceiling). If I was going to design something then I needed to know how it came together and communicate that to the contractor on paper (blueprints). I worked for a cabinet shop, spent a lot of time in the field observing and asking questions. Nothing pisses me off more than an interior designer who doesn’t know how to communicate what they want to build- that’s the difference between a designer and a decorator.

My field work served me well when ten years later and seven months pregnant I qualified to sit for the State of Florida contractor’s exam (one of the hardest in the nation). I passed it in August 1989. On the day of our daughter’s birth, I was licensed to build homes in Florida. Three years later I walked away from that aspect of my life…

Currently I am reading four books:

• Barbara Sher’s Refuse to Choose a Revolutionary Program for Doing Everything That You Love
• Moving On by Sarah Ban Breathnach on creating a home that truly reflects your spirit
• The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live by Sarah Susanka
• A Whole New Mind-why right brainers will rule the future by Daniel Pink.

For me Saturn in Leo in the seventies was about building. Is it any wonder that my creative juices are in building and renovation. There is a inner drive to complete the plantation house and get it de-cluttered. There is a drive to get our lake house built so I/we can get out of the city and just be. Here are some pictures from my design of the Lessirard Lake House to be built in 2006/07.

I cannot tell you how strong this need is for me right now. How Saturn in Leo is working me, pushing me backwards and forwards. Two years ago we bought a stock plan from Coastal Living Magazine (they have great plans by the way).  Of course being the ‘interior designer’  the plan had to be tweaked. But what surprised me in April was the huge amount of fear that came up as I stepped into the tweaking process. It was a moment that took me by surprise…the clarity of it all so sweet.

I recognized that my fear had stopped me dead in my tracks for the last three years. Plans in hand I consciously faced this fear and pushed through it, slowly at first. Then in May I found the right CAD software program. This new software woke me up creatively and I burned through the fear and started to play. I created a new plan and went in a different direction. Going from paint by numbers into schematic that works for our family. Along the way these wonderful books came into my life. I pick one up read a bit, it inspires me and then go create. The process is affirming and joyful.

It’s not the linear thing to do, but hey it’s the way I process things these days. I know now that I was always trying to fit myself, and creative people just don’t fit the norm. My life is heading in a direction I did not anticipate (that’s the refuse to choose part of the equation). My creative process does not look very ‘normal’ for someone looking in (inspired by the books Moving On and A Whole New Mind).

I am sharing my story and naming my creative process. I may start something, go great gusto on it and then the energy burns out for a time. Something I started years ago may suddenly be back ready to manifest. I now know I multi-task creatively in a right brain way, that leads to disorder to create order. Some of the projects are viable and some are not. What I am learning to do is to hold onto those I love and let go of the rest. Trust myself and this process.

These projects may manifest in another time, another way, just don’t let me get bogged down by the weight or responsibility. There is such a thing a right timing, and your projects reflect that. Your project and those creative juices may be a blip that moves you into and onto something bigger and better.

And don’t expect to be understood. Quite frankly my creative process drives my husband crazy sometimes, but it is also the reason he fell in love with me. And this energy has picked up speed once again as I step back into areas of my life (interior design, architecture, construction)  I abandoned back in the early 90’s. I joyfully see myself taking things on in a new fresh way. Playing. That is the creative process of us building a ‘not so big’ house together that started with my dream house back in 1977. I feel guilty for the detour I am taking from the healing practice, yet I know when I return I will be better for it. I’ll shine brighter.

Where this is headed I do not know, and that in itself is fun and scary at the same time as I refuse to choose.

Stay tuned for Part 2– I’ll share how these books are informing and inspiring this creative process. Have a wonderful Leo New Moon! Shine brightly for all the world to see!!