By Jen Sorensen
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Stickin’ It To the Elites!
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Author Archives: Amanda Painter
Greetings from Portland’s Women’s March
In Portland, Maine, we had an estimated 10,000 marchers (another 10,000 marched in the state’s capitol), stretching almost an entire mile down Congress Street. Energy and friendly vibes were high; signs were mostly positive and inclusive with some ‘anti-Trump’ thrown in. The crowd was diverse (for Maine), with many pro-women men joining the pussy-hat-clad. Hopefully I’ll be adding more images to this set (or will make a second post) later in the day. Photo by Amanda Painter.
What If ‘Age of Aquarius’ Is a Choice?
By Amanda Painter
Today the Sun enters a new sign: Aquarius. We’ve reached the middle sign of the winter season here in the Northern Hemisphere, one day before the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States.
Photo by Amanda Painter
Does that event feel like a fresh, revolutionary beginning to you? Or more like the crystallization of questionable (or disturbing) cultural and political trends from the past year? Interestingly, either sensation could be an accurate illustration of Aquarius.
This is a reflection of Aquarius having two rulers: its traditional ruler is Saturn, and its modern ruler is Uranus. Saturn signifies the force that concretizes and limits. Uranus represents the force that surprises and shatters old forms.
It would be easy to cast one as the ‘bad guy’ and the other as the ‘good guy’. How often have you heard people speak of Saturn transits as ‘hard’, or you’ve had difficulties with authority figures and restrictions? How often have you longed for freedom, or wished that something would come along to shake up systems that no longer work?
Yet neither of these planetary energies is ‘just bad’ or ‘just good’. In fact, we need both forces working together in proportion to live in balance — to grow, to establish clear structures, and then to open them up and grow some more.
Cancer Full Moon: Action From All Directions
Note: this post is the full members’ issue, complete with your Moonshine horoscopes by Len, the Create feature, and more.
Dear Friend & Reader:
Today’s Cancer Full Moon takes place in direct contact with several major planets around the zodiac. On one level, it’s a symbolic illustration of how life feels right now: issues pushing and pulling us from all directions, each insisting on immediate action.
Photo by Amanda Painter.
The challenging thing about such a situation is often deciding what takes priority.
For example: If you’re tuned in to numerous calls for social justice, plus you work a full-time job with many responsibilities, plus you actively foster a creative passion, plus you care for a family, plus you try to keep up with social media, life quickly becomes a real juggling act.
You need to decide on an order of operations. Sometimes that means doing a little of everything daily; other times, that means allotting certain days to focus on some things rather than others. Occasionally you must drop your plan and respond to an unexpected demand; but we live in a world where, increasingly, everything seemingly demands our immediate attention all the time.
That’s a little what this morning’s Full Moon chart looks like to me. The Moon in Cancer opposed the Capricorn Sun at 6:33:55 am EST (11:33:55 UTC), with both luminaries at 22+ of their respective signs.
Meanwhile, Eris is at 22+ Aries (with Uranus and Ceres within two degrees on either side). And Jupiter is at 22+ Libra.
Action From All Directions: The Cancer Full Moon
By Amanda Painter
Today’s Cancer Full Moon takes place in direct contact with several major planets around the zodiac. On one level, it’s a symbolic illustration of how life feels right now: issues pushing and pulling us from all directions, each insisting on immediate action.
Photo by Amanda Painter
The challenging thing about such a situation is often deciding what takes priority.
For example: If you’re tuned in to numerous calls for social justice, plus you work a full-time job with many responsibilities, plus you actively foster a creative passion, plus you care for a family, plus you try to keep up with social media, life quickly becomes a real juggling act.
You need to decide on an order of operations. Sometimes that means doing a little of everything daily; other times, that means allotting certain days to focus on some things rather than others. Occasionally you must drop your plan and respond to an unexpected demand; but we live in a world where, increasingly, everything seemingly demands our immediate attention all the time.
That’s a little what this morning’s Full Moon chart looks like to me. The Moon in Cancer opposes the Capricorn Sun at 6:33:55 am EST (11:33:55 UTC), with both luminaries at 22+ of their respective signs.
Meanwhile, Eris is at 22+ Aries (with Uranus and Ceres within two degrees on either side). And Jupiter is at 22+ Libra.
On my street this week
First responders across the street from my house Monday night, Jan. 2. The building on fire was further down the block, on the other side of the street. Photo by Amanda Painter
By Amanda Painter
Monday evening I was doing my little workout in my apartment after work and was almost done. I noticed lights and sirens going by; glanced out a window or two; went back to working out. I live near the fire station, so lights and sirens drive by very regularly. But then I realized that these lights and sirens were not continuing onward — they seemed to be hanging out nearby.
Mercury Direct: Write It Down, Speak It Without Fear
Note: this post is a full members’ issue, complete with your short January horoscopes, the Create section, and usual features.
Dear Friend & Reader:
Welcome to 2017! This first week of the new year also ushers us into the final days of the current Mercury retrograde. And while this could mean that you’re feeling some difficulty in launching (especially if you’ve had significant time off for the holidays), there’s a deeper and more distinct message when Mercury stations direct this weekend.
Write It Down, Speak It Without Fear
By Amanda Painter
Welcome to 2017! This first week of the new year also ushers us into the final days of the current Mercury retrograde. And while this could mean that you’re feeling some difficulty in launching (especially if you’ve had significant time off for the holidays), there’s a deeper and more distinct message when Mercury stations direct this weekend.
Photo by Amanda Painter
Mercury has been retrograde since Dec. 19, the day the Electoral College cast their votes and affirmed the Trump presidency. It will station direct this Sunday, Jan. 8, at 4:42 am EST (9:43 UTC).
At that time, Mercury will be in the next-to-last degree of Sagittarius, after having spent more than two weeks moving backwards through Capricorn. (Mercury crept over the threshold from Capricorn through the back door of Sagittarius on Wednesday.)
The last few degrees of Sagittarius are currently populated by several complex and powerful bodies that suggest some very clear and evocative themes. Chief among them are the Trans-Neptunian Object Quaoar, centaur Pholus, and the very core of our Milky Way Galaxy. These bodies combine to emphasize kind of a two-pronged message for Sunday’s Mercury station direct.
I’ll start with Pholus. This is the centaur that signifies, provokes or suggests the sensation of something being right on the brink of going out of control. Its main key-phrase is, “small cause, big effect.” Think of it as that feeling of letting the genie out of the bottle, with all of the unforeseen consequences that calls to mind.