Tag Archives: community

Trump: Disillusionment & Deception-or Divine Intervention?

Neptune the illusionist…Neptune the inspirer. It is simultaneously smoke and mirrors and the high, holy possibility of something good this way comes. He casts his spell upon us now, summoning up that which we might not have anticipated.

I did not cast my vote for Trump. I drank and ate things I normally wouldn’t consume as I watched the election. My heart startled awake with disbelief and fear when I heard “President Elect Trump.”

However, this is a new beginning. Trump is one man. We are many. And, in our souls, in our true selves, we are love. Just that one simple word. Even Trump.

How can we possibly define someone as evil and someone as divine? It’s impossible. So now the road we didn’t expect to take is the one we are compelled to travel. I am putting on my hiking boots and packing the essentials: Faith, love, the expectancy of the best of each moment.

Each time a cat reaches his paw out to say, “I adore you,” I am awash in that. When I take in the glory of the day, the nature abounding, the friends I hold dear, the clients I am so blessed to see, the cosmos that guides me so unfailingly…I am inspired to even greater compassion, to remember that I am blessed with a sense of humor and a gift for speaking the truth as I see it.

Which way do you wish to turn? You can’t go back. So take my hand, and then the next person’s hand, and let’s dance. Feel the blood pumping through your veins, the pulse of aliveness. This isn’t a war to be won. It’s a time to cultivate inner peace and appreciation.

Neptune whispers, “Dream. Imagine. Inspire. Let go.” I let my eyes blur and watch the landscape soften. And I sense, I know, that it’s all okay. That what seems like a dirty trick that pulled the rug out from under my feet is actually a harbinger of positive change and healing.

Thank you, Neptune, for gifting us with this time of weird magic. Thank you, Neptune, for helping me see through the eyes of my heart. Thank you, humanity, for the embrace I feel from each human being who is hurting, confused or angered.

We’re all together now, even if it feels as if we’re not. One final word from Neptune: “Yield. Just be. Breathe.” And that’s when the healing begins.

Neptune 1 - Trump: Disillusionment & Deception-or Divine Intervention?
Disillusionment or Inspiration?

The Language of Love: Saturn in Sagittarius

I visited Paris fresh out of high school, smitten by her unapologetic passion and confidence. All I could offer her was my clumsily accented French and youthful naivete. Her perfume lingers still, a faintly remembered pleasure.

How about if we just focus on the best outcome possible concerning what has recently gone down in Paris? What if we orient ourselves towards peace, love, understanding? I believe it to be possible. I believe that we can all join hearts, look at one another and accept that we are human and stand as one. Perhaps we can stop attacking one another, whether through physical violence or judgment. Perhaps we can come together in our mutual woundedness and reach a compromise. What if we are not enemies to one another, but rather brothers and sisters (and who has ever had a sibling with whom they didn’t argue?).

Maybe it’s just about a really good conversation-a peaceful one-where everyone gets to say what’s on their mind. I don’t condone the attacks, but I sense that there is a deeper reason-disconnect. If we disconnect from one another, we disconnect from that which our souls know to be true-from that which might be called god/dess. Let’s get together and discuss rather than debate. It’s all about love. All about love. There is nothing, nothing, nothing more than love, or more powerful or more healing. It is the life blood coursing through our veins, through the consciousness of our planet. I believe that there is a great teaching in this event that can lead us to higher ground-that which is more sacred and authentic.

In wild celebration of that which is possible,

Joyce

Big Love: Jupiter in Cancer

No matter what sign Jupiter is in, its question is always the same: “How are you underestimating yourself? What leap of faith do you need to make in order to expand your horizons?” On 6/26/13, Jupiter moved into the sign of Cancer, the Great Mother.  The message is, “Trust what you feel. Let the wisdom of your heart show you the way. Seek the comfort of those with whom you feel safe. Those tribal members who are at your side when you hurt.” Like a flower in bud, you’re trembling with the impulse to open. You need others to help you do so. There are helping hands reaching out now to find yours. Clasp them gently and joyously and allow the happy tears of celebration to flow down your cheeks. Then, as you dive deeply into the waters of intimacy, Jupiter rewards your faith with the great gift of vulnerability.

With an open heart,

Joyce

Looking Ahead: The 2013 Planetary Dance

As you leave behind the dying embers of 2012, a flicker of flame illuminates the path ahead. Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio stand sentinel at the 2013 gateway. The gateway arch is engraved with two words: “Faith” and “Surrender.” This is the mantra you must utter as you cross into the New Year. The fever of fear then breaks into the clean sweat of faith. Dreams swim into focus, ready to be realized.

Jupiter, the cosmic benefactor, goes direct in Gemini on January 30, gifting you with a preponderance of cues, clues and coincidences. Follow them, and disparate pieces of information begin to match up. Synchronistic meetings with like-minded people are also scheduled through 6/25/13. Put your heads and hearts together and the Information Road is flooded with ideas that breathe life into your collective ideal.

The Clash of the Titans continues. Uranus in Aries breathes the fire of truth, searing away Pluto in Capricorn‘s long-standing rigidity and control. New traditions will be birthed, emphasizing freedom and integrity. Whatever outmodted rules and regulations within your own personal operating system will be overhauled. Be authoritative (in your power) rather than authoritarian (overpowering). It’s time to forgive-yourself, others, circumstances, the past-even if you can’t forget.

Sink your roots deep down into loamy soil. Stretch towards the light of truth. Abandon yourself to the winds of change. Keep company with diversity. More powerfully than ever before, you have the chance to craft your life exactly as you wish it to be. Don’t look back. Don’t look ahead. Be in the present. Have no expectations. Then, when you least expect it, the impossible becomes possible.

May 2013 make you wiser, bring you great adventures, deep insights, laughter and love.

Joyce

What is Truth? Jupiter in Aries

Positive Jupiter in Aries: Faith in yourself, your truth, your actions. Negative Jupiter in Aries: Fear that supports the belief that only your truth is real. Who is to say which is right and which is wrong? Stand up for what you believe. If it feels right, then it is.

Jupiter holds the holy grail containing the alchemical ingredients of diversity, honesty and faith. Mix in the passion and assertiveness of Aries and this brew comes to full boil.

Jupiter entered territorial, warrior Aries on 1/22/11.  Passionate truth boils to the surface. Ask yourself if you want to act or react? There are more than 6.8 billion people living on earth, and swords are clashing–verbally, mentally, philosophically, physically.

But what is truth? It is in the eye of the beholder. Most wars are begun due to philosophical differences. Wake up in San Francisco, and two people of the same sex slow-dancing together won’t get a second glance. Place that same couple in Houston, and there might be trouble.

Can you take a stand without bloodletting? Can you imagine a peaceful outcome without giving up your position–and letting someone else having theirs? Mahatma Gandhi said, “Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.”

So is it really no pain, no gain? Or can you take a step backward, hold your tongue, loosen your fist, look your “enemy” in the eye and see their humanness? This is how war is won. How peace is made. And how, in these volatile and uncertain times, you can stand on opposite sides of the same fence and, even if you disagree, allow. Take this stance and you find freedom.

Evolutionary Astrology: What Makes It So Different?

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I keep on doing that thing that I do?” Y’know, the scenarios that you find yourself in again and again? They’re different for each person, and they’re hard to stop repeating. Could be that you keep dating the same type of person who’s wrong for you. Or having trouble making up your mind (picture this: the kid in the ice cream store who is the last one to order because there are too many choices to pick from). Finding yourself in deadend jobs (or working for the reincarnation of Attila the Hun). It’s a knee-jerk reaction that is both familiar and unconscious and doesn’t help you grow. This can, of course, drive you into the welcoming arms of therapists or taking a pill to “fix” you, but that doesn’t always work.

Want to know why you continue to do trip over your own feet in a specific way? Enter Doc Cosmos, cheerfully toting his Evolutionary Astrology bag of tricks. Grinning hugely (which, initially, bugs the hell out of you), he opens his bag and announces, “I have just the prescription for you.” You roll your eyes; after all, you’ve heard that one before. But with a sleight of hand and a twinkle in his eye, the show begins. This time, it’s the real deal.

And it began before you were born. Yes, when you were someone else whose name you don’t remember, in a time you don’t recall, in a place you may never have visited in this lifetime. Through the lens of Evolutionary Astrology, when you took your last breath, your soul consciousness, or emotional memory of that lifetime, broke free. It started looking around for a child getting ready to be born under optimum circumstances that would allow this soul consciousness to evolve. Otherwise, it could simply repeat the same old, same old (if you’ve ever had to repeat a class or stay back a grade, you know the feeling). But when it became one with that child (who is now you), it didn’t know anything more than what it had experienced in its last lifetime. So it started doing it by rote. The idea is, as you get a little older, a little wiser, you’re so frustrated by this habit, you’re ready to kick it.

I have a client I’ll call Tony, who, from the time he was 2,  knew things about Buddhism that were impossible for him to know without any training. He assumed complex yoga positions, spoke about Buddhist rituals, recognized objects sacred to revered monks. Tony could easily “trance out,” as Buddhist monks do while in deep meditation. As a person, Tony grew up to be charismatic, clever, kind, creative, socially adept, well-educated and successful. Many perceived him as golden, untouchable, throwing him up on a pedestal (a terrible place to be, because eventually you move a muscle and off you topple). He “showed” well, but hid a motherlode of pain and insecurity. Throughout his “ideal” life, he’d been taunted, envied and degraded. His well-meaning parents had taught him that, even when someone was being cruel, he should be nice in return. He didn’t allowed himself to get angry, disagree or stand up for himself.

We explored his past lifetime together through the lens of Evolutionary Astrology, and here’s the story that emerged: He had been a revered monk, the apple in the eye of his community. People looked up to him as the embodiment of what was good and holy. Children of that era must have been told  to respect and honor him. Of course, he was denied “earthly pleasures.” But he had needs-a body and desires. He wanted to know pleasure. To eat foods that he denied himself. To taste wine. To touch a woman and experience the sweet release of orgasm. These were forbidden to him by both position and religion.

But, being human, he couldn’t withstand these temptations. Surreptitiously, he sought out these “guilty” pleasures. Tony has a memory of being caught by righteous authority, incarcerated and sentenced to death. Unable to face the ridicule and shame of his public execution, he went into deep meditation  before he was to be hanged-and, the following morning, he was found dead. He had meditated himself right out of his body.

In this lifetime, Tony experienced a multitude of undiagnosable physical ailments. Certain foods that tasted good gave him severe abdominal cramping and swelling. He underwent endless, sometimes excrutiating tests to see what ailed him. His diet became very restricted, his body enemy territory. Shame and guilt from this past lifetime haunted him. In our series of meetings, Tony apologized endlessly for nothing that I felt needed an apology. These very emotions left him prey to people who would happily take advantage of his low self-esteem.

As a result of our astrological work together, he found a therapist open to reincarnation. She referred him to a bodyworker who helped him release some of the deep-seated emotions trapped in his body. This was several years ago, and Tony’s life has undergone a 360. He’s since married a wonderful woman and is about to become a father. His stomach and digestion problems are virtually non-existent. He eats pretty much anything he wants to without a subsequent physical battle.

Evolutionary Astrology helps you understand where you’ve been-and how to not be held hostage by the riptide of the past.  It gives you specific “driving instructions” on how to move forward, breaking free from limiting beliefs and habits.  It helps you “get on with things” and to be as alive, vital and authentic as you can be.

This astrological approach has helped more people than I can begin to name or number. It informs, it transforms, it heals. It is the medicine of the planets, and the planets love us. Ready for a breakthrough? To realize your potential? Maybe you just might want to give it a try.

With passion and in peace,

Joyce

 

Jupiter in Pisces: Telling Your Truth, Dreaming Your Dreams

Mark Twain once said, “If you tell the truth, you never have to remember anything.” What he didn’t add was, “and it won’t always win you popularity contests.”

To ignore truth is dangerous. Politeness can be toxic. I often encourage clients to speak their feelings at the time they feel them, even if they’re not totally clear. It’s okay to begin a sentence with, “I’m sensing something here,” or “What’s true for me is…,” or “What you said just hurt me/made me sad/angry.”

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve participated in groups. They have been my bliss and my folly. Why? Because I didn’t know how to maintain my autonomy within them. Instead I would shut up, agree when I really disagreed and keep my ideas and opinions to myself. Inevitably one of two things would happen: I’d leave, feeling hurt, misunderstood and excluded. Or what I’d kept caged would fly out of my mouth like a wild beast on the rampage.

These days I try to say what I’m feeling when I feel it. I have opinions. I set boundaries. As the community leader of the Northern California Steven Forrest Apprenticeship Program http://www.gossamerrings.com/forrest.php that’s an essential part of the job. Someone inevitably disagrees. I don’t win all of the popularity contests. But I do sleep better at night.

On January 17, 2010 Jupiter, the planet of possibilities and expansion, moved into Pisces. Jupiter is generous. Whatever sign it’s in, wherever it is in your chart, is where you can expand your horizons. If it’s moving through your career sector, you have a better chance to get that dream job. If you’re looking for love, Jupiter opens the hallowed doorway and says, “Look for the best of the best. You don’t have to settle.” In Pisces, Jupiter heralds a time of seeking truth through connection with the divine. Piscean energy brings an awareness of the unity of all things and beings. Pisces is mystical, magical and inspirational.

But here is the shadow of Jupiter in Pisces: you hit the bottle. Lose yourself in romantic fantasy. While away the time with petty distractions (think whipping out the credit card and charging madly away in a delirium of excess). There is the danger of merging rather than emerging as an individual within the whole. Life can turn nightmarish, fraught with bigger-than-life illusions and delusions.

The voice of the sacred speaks differently to each of us. Trust your own interpretation of what you intuit. Jupiter seeks truth and meaning. It breathes this need into the Piscean state, where time becomes irrelevant: music sweeps you away. You stare out at the ocean, mesmerized. You become one with God-force. Poetry, meditation, sleep…they will take you there. Surrender consciously to this state of pure unconsciousness and generous Jupiter doubles your luck. Then healing happens and truth flows into you. And, when you speak out, you share that truth with others. And all are healed.

So trust the intuitive process. Enter into altered states of experience in order to access your highest potential. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day—but it was built on a dream. Therefore, trust your dreams…and dream big.

Want to know more about Jupiter? Check it out at  http://joycevanhorn.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/making-jupiter-work-for-you To find out where your Jupiter is and how to make the most of it, come in for a private session https://joycevanhornsf.com/service.php and I’ll tell you all about it.

Signs, Omens & Synchroniticites: The Breadcrumbs on the Path

Recently I did a reading for Glen, whose catastrophe of a relationship had just detonated. It had been tempestuous from the start, punctuated by Jenna’s coldness, extreme mood swings and unsubstantiated accusations. Her exaggerated jealousy had alienated Glen from his friends. Even his grown children saw little of him.

Her demands on Glen were relentless: she wanted more time, money, energy and love. Marriage came up with abrasive regularity. Worn down, Glen finally agreed and bought her a DeBeers engagement ring. it wasn’t good enough for Jenna and she exchanged it for a more expensive one. She went on a $10,000 shopping spree at Barney’s and he paid the bill.  Glen missed a doctor’s appointment because his fiancee had taken his new BMW 750i Sedan out for a spin.

Glen was in an active Mercury time. When we’re engaged with  Mercury, omens, signs and synchronicities flood our lives. Why? Because Mercury is the Messenger. Mercury directs information flow, sometimes in weird ways, giving us clues and hints, answers to the questions that we seek.

And Glen’s life was overflowing with them. Jenna complained that he hadn’t replied to her emails–but he had mysteriously never received them. While waiting in a Starbucks line, he noticed a man reading “Why Is It Always About You?” a self-help book about narcissism. Days before before they split up, Glen dreamt that he was trapped in an iceberg surrounded by wilting roses with thorns the size of crocodile teeth. He woke up in a cold sweat. If he had paid attention to these Mercury prompts, he might have saved himself a world of trouble.

After the break up, he heard from a friend he hadn’t spoken to in years. She invited him to  dinner with she and her husband that weekend—another Mercury clue . Glen accepted. Venus, the planet of relationships, was also giving him the high sign to accept this sorely needed support.

Next time you’re uncertain of what step to take next, turn to Mercury. Look for clues. They’re swarming about you constantly, and not just during a Mercury time. Stop, listen, look and learn. It doesn’t take detective work. Just be curious and alert. Have an open mind. As you surf the seas of information, pay attention. Then it’s a pretty safe bet that you won’t get swept away.

Want to know what signs to look for so that you can point yourself in the right direction? Check in with your Mercury and the rest of the cosmos with me in an Evolutionary Astrology reading.

Making Connections

A few years ago, my sweetheart and I were sitting by an ambitious little river in Northern Thailand watching oxen grazing on the opposite bank. Hesitantly, a thirsty calf strayed to the lip of the river. In the same moment, with a series of wildly joyous yips, a golden retriever threw itself into the currents.

Hastily, the calf retreated, legs buckling like soft green bamboo. Its firm but encouraging mother nuzzled it back to the river. It slid first one hoof, then the other, into the water and began to drink. The patient mother stood by her calf’s side until it had finished. Meanwhile, the retriever seemed to watch with quiet pride. We were strangely and powerfully moved by this sweet and simple scenario. Such is the unspoken mood of the town we couldn’t leave. It is the kind of place that you could drive right through if you weren’t paying attention.

This is a town that refuses to put on makeup. It whispers and bellows and laughs and chatters. It’s an amblin’ town, not efforting to make anything happen. Because of that, things do. It hasn’t outgrown its sense of community. Connections still happen, and they don’t have anything to do with business networking.

One morning a 6-week-old puppy, Vodka (so named because his person owns a bar), was hit by a truck. Everyone within earshot stopped to see if they could help. Two locals who practice Reiki (Ray-KEE) a form of energy work used for healing, scooped the squealing puppy into their arms and started giving him this channeled energy of universal love. After a couple of hours, Vodka began to squirm so they put him down. He danced off on four fat legs, whirligigging his tail in gratitude.

Certainly, the energy work helped. However, what was most striking was the obvious fact that Vodka was securely wrapped in a blanket of love and care by everyone involved. He knew it, they knew it, and a small but significant miracle occurred as a result. When we left town several days later, he was still being tended to by the community—and was frisking around the streets.

When was the last time that you slowed down long enough to ask someone “How are you, really?” and mean it? Connecting can be cool– really, really cool. It just takes a little courage and initiative. Like the young calf, if you’re thirsty for true connection, be willing to get your feet wet. And If you happen to fall in, a helping hand will pull you back to shore.