Tag Archives: Details

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Mercury Retro Train: Comin’ Round the Bend

The Mercury retrograde train is just a station away. You’re waiting at the platform, minding your own business, expecting it to be on time.

But the Mercury retrograde train is rarely on time. Expect delays, glitches and miscommunications. Like it or not, you’re gettin’ on for a 3-week stint, July 14-August 7, 2012. Once aboard, you settle in with your iPad-but it’s lost its charge. You decide to check your calendar, but it’s been wiped out. You get a call on your cell but the connection’s so bad that you can’t understand a word. Then the train comes to a dead stop. You’re gonna miss your meeting. You’re gonna be late for your date.

All you can do, dude, is chill.

The journey begins in bigger-than-life, fiery Leo, known for its flair but not for its patience. Leo is shiny and bright and charismatic. But during this Mercury retrograde, if you come on too strong, speak out-of-turn, push your ideas on others or blunder onto center stage, you won’t win any popularity contests. Leo is the Star, but it can also turn into the Buffoon. Wait before you speak, and don’t boast. Think things through before you claim them to be true. Instead, rethink. Revise and refine your approach. Take your time and polish it up till it shines. Then you’ll have a much better change at making the best impression on that  special someone or your boss.

When Mercury bursts into direct motion on August 7, make sure that you’ve recharged. If so, then you’re ready to take charge. Those ideas that you’ve been reworking all come together. It will have been worth the wait.

So climb aboard! And keep your window open. The review is mighty fine.

With a wink & a grin,

Joyce

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April/May 2010 Astrological News

Here’s April/May astrological news, just part of what you’ll find in my monthly newsletter. To subscribe, tweet, FB or email me with your contact info at joyce@partnersinhealing.com and you’ll get the next one due out mid-May.  Enjoy!

“For everything, there is a season…” I sit here gazing out at my garden, ocean winds untangling poplar tree leaves. The poplar itself, which itself stands a story above my 2-story Victorian, doesn’t mind: the winds shake debris from the branches and lightens its leaves, which chatter like castanets.

The winds of change persist in our lives, sometimes in gusts of fear, at other times in whispers of faith. Brace against them and your branches might fracture. Move with them and you learn to bend, flex and release. Trust the strength of your roots to hold you steady. As Ram Dass said, “Be here now.”

Following are tips to help you stay fluid and grounded:

Mercury, the planet of communication, is moving backwards (retrograding) from April 17-May 11. In slow-moving, practical Taurus, the key is to think cat: don’t hurry, enjoy simple pleasures, relax. It’s best to not begin (or buy anything electronic or sign contracts) during this time, so chill out. Get into your garden. Get a massage. Go for a hike. Really taste each mouthful of food. For more details on Mercury retrograde, check out this link http://joycevanhorn.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/mercury-retrograde-whats-to-love/

Disciplinary Saturn did an about face (retrograded) for the last time into analytic Virgo on April 7th. Avoid emotional and professional potholes by lending a critical eye to what you implemented before this period. You’ll be better able to catch and clean up discrepancies you may not have otherwise noticed. On May 30, Saturn goes direct. If you’ve done your homework (which Saturn will always reward), you’ll have worked the kinks out of projects and goals so that they can manifest smoothly and successfully.

On April 19th, the Sun lazes into earthy, sensual Taurus until May 20th. This, too, is a cycle that smiles lazily and says, “Give yourself a break.” Eat a peach so ripe with juice that it spills down your chin. Roll down a green, grassy hill and don’t worry about grass stains. You have a body–enjoy it!

Rule-abiding Saturn and rule-breaking Uranus lock horns for the last time beginning April 26th. This can result in power struggles, both with other people and within yourself. Stop and ask yourself what you’re fighting for. Is it really so important? Is a victory necessary? Compromise is optimum, but it won’t always work-you may have to simply walk away. Not all battles need to be won. Remain objective and you’ll come away with a clearer awareness of what power truly means for you. For more details, go to http://joycevanhorn.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/freedom-rules-uranus-vs-saturn

Let the winds of change clear out what’s extraneous, whether gale-force winds or soft breezes. Trust that their currents are guiding you to exactly where is best for you. Go make interesting mistakes-and don’t apologize for them. You are part of nature…and you’re a force of it as well. Never lose faith. There’s always another adventure on the horizon.

Love and laughter,

Joyce


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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.

Relationships

Conscious Listening is Active Loving

I admit it, I jump to conclusions. I overlook details. Sometimes I move too quickly. This is the shadow side of my Sagittarian nature, constantly restless, exploratory, on the road to the next adventure. Admittedly, this can have some gypsy magic to it…and it can also drive people nuts.

Listening is a skill associated with the planet Mercury. Paying attention to the details is yet another Mercury function. When we listen, we show that we care, that we have interest in and respect for what others are saying. This demonstrates that we’re truly paying attention.

Most of us have probably had an ultimately frustrating experience like this: You’re sharing a story with a friend that’s important to you. They appear to be paying attention and listening. But when you finish, they look at you blankly. It seems as if they’ve listened, but have actually spaced out instead. Their vacant gaze says it all, or their haste to change the subject. If you’re checking out someone as serious love material, would that response be a turn-on? Not!

Conscious listening requires concentration and discipline. There are a million distractions from sun-up to sun-down. At one point I realized that I couldn’t multi-task anymore. The phone conversations that I used to be able to have while checking email, paying bills or even watering the plants are no longer possible. I wasn’t being fully present. This wasn’t just Sagittarian scatteredness, but the old, bad belief that the person on the other end of the phone wouldn’t notice. When I’d hang up, I wouldn’t be satisfied. The connection hadn’t really been made.

Don’t forget, we’re part animal. Animals know instinctively how to be present. That instinctive part of us tells us if we’re being listened to or not. So even if you find yourself on the receiving end of a conversation with someone who is about as interesting as dirt to you, make their day–for a minute or two, genuinely listen. Ask questions. Take in their answers. There was probably a time in your life when someone felt exactly the same way about you…and perhaps their kindness, their ability to listen, made all of the difference.

The more that we’re heard, the more that we feel connected…to ourselves and others. I know a wonderful man who usually considers himself invisible and unimportant. A group of friends gathered together to celebrate his 60th birthday with a surprise party. He arrived at his apartment that night, arms full of groceries for one, when the lights went on and everyone yelled, “Surprise!”

Here’s the topper: for gifts, each friend had decided to share a memory of why this man was so special to them. Mercury is the storyteller and, as the birthday celebrant listened, he both wept and laughed. He felt seen and acknowledged. Since that birthday, he’s come out of his shell. A woman too shy to approach him before the party was one of the friends who shared. Now they’re together.

So make a difference. Listen. Listen with love. You just might learn something yourself.

Posted By Joyce Van Horn on Wed Oct 7 19:09:21

Saturn Return

Saturn Return: What Is It, Who Does It and When?

Born between November 17, 1977-September 20, 1980? You’re experiencing one of the most pivotal, life-changing astrological events of your life: the first Saturn return. When did it begin? September 3, 2007. It comes to a close on July 21, 2010.

Saturn is the planetary CEO. The Goal-Setter. The Timekeeper. At the time Saturn returns to the place and sign it was when you were born, it’s time to grow up–for real. The twenties are a vision quest, during which you make youthful mistakes and prepare to enter adulthood. In the later twenties, there is a sense of urgency. The need for direction. An awareness of responsibility, and the consequences of your actions.

The Saturn Return is a red-flag. It alerts you to the fact that you’ve matured beyond certain beliefs, attitudes and conditioning of family, culture and society . It’s a series of shocks: it heralds such life-altering events as marriage, divorce, becoming a parent, buying (or selling) a home, changing careers, leaving it all behind and traveling the world, developing a new philosophy.

How to optimize this experience? There is a certain ennui, or boredom, built in. A sense of stagnation. An urge to change things up in a way that reflects your entry into true adulthood. You must choose mountains to climb. Goals to reach. Worthy challenges to face. This requires faith and true grit. Meet these demands and Saturn helps you achieve them. What you achieve during this time lays the foundation of your life until the second Saturn return at approximately 57.

Fail the Saturn return and you fail yourself. I did this; I left my husband at 30 and began living the wild life I’d lived before in my 20’s. Before too long, it became obvious that my friends were settling down. Becoming adults. I was a big kid in a grownup’s body. It took a long time to get back on track–Saturn is the planet of karma. It will be patient for a long time, but then there is payback. On the heels of this realization, however, I began to devote myself to my astrology practice which, over 25 years, now thrives. If I had used my Saturn return time wisely, however, it would not have been such a long haul.

On October 31, 2009, those of you born from September 21, 1980-August 23, 1983 begin your Saturn return. It concludes on Oct 6, 2012. You’ll notice that yours overlaps with those a few years older than you. More about that later.