The way we approach anything in life is often shaped by our background, and as an energy healer, it is not surprising that natal astrology has provided not only a tool for understanding myself and how I interact with the world around me, but also a roadmap for self-healing. Studying our natal charts reveals many secrets, one of which brings the realization that: My Shadow Is Someone Else's Light.
We all have feelings, desires, and qualities within ourselves that we hide from others, and often, hide them so deeply that we may not be aware of those qualities within ourselves. Eventually, we meet someone who displays those qualities openly - perhaps ambition or frivolity - and it rubs us the wrong way. What we dislike in others is often a reflection of the qualities within ourselves that we have yet to acknowledge. Along the same lines, what we admire in others can also be an expression of the capabilities that we have yet to develop . . .
In healing circles, this is known as our Shadow, and in astrology, those aspects can be explored, healed and integrated by working with the signs that sit opposite each other on the Zodiac. If we think of the Zodiac as six coins with two faces each, a person born under the sign of Libra will have as his opposite Aries. Within themselves, they have Libra's social skills, diplomacy, and fairness, but also the potential for Aries' confidence and the Ram's desire to be first. How comfortable they are with that Fire influences how they react to those qualities in others. Most of us identify with one side of the coin more than the other - feeling uncomfortable with those aspects when we see them in others, etc. That dislike can send us running for the hills, but ironically, the more time we spend with that energy, the more comfortable we will feel with it. Eventually, we may even embrace it within ourselves, using those characteristics to our advantage. All of the Zodiac signs have strengths and weaknesses and to draw on our Shadow's strengths, we have to become comfortable enough to embrace all of it. In this example, the healing comes about when the Libra person can connect with both sides of the coin, interacting with others in a friendly, cooperative manner, while also displaying the Aries qualities of leadership, action and a healthy level of selfishness – standing their ground when necessary. There are several healing methods that can bring about this appreciation for the Shadow. The signs that sit opposite each other on the Zodiac Wheel are Aries & Libra, Taurus & Scorpio, Gemini & Sagittarius, Cancer & Capricorn, Leo & Aquarius, Virgo & Pisces. The first place to look would be our Sun Sign and its opposite, although the Moon and its Nodes are also essential. How Do We Bring About This Healing???
A simple way for us to access both our Light and Shadow sides – without overloading ourselves – would be to work with crystals and with flower essences. We could begin by choosing the essences that correspond with the Zodiac sign that we want to connect with. So for example, if we feel uncomfortable with the energy of a particular sign, we can add a few drops of that sign’s Bach Flower Essence to our drinking water. The relationship between Bach Flower Essences and Zodiac signs was laid out in Peter Damian’s book, The 12 Healers of the Zodiac. Another option would be to choose crystals whose energy corresponds to the sign in question, and carry it with us for a month so that we begin to assimilate its energy. Soon enough, we begin to feel comfortable with that energy within ourselves, while embracing (or at least accepting) it in others.
Here is a list of crystal correspondences, by no means exhaustive:
• Aries: Bloodstone, Red Jasper.
• Taurus: Rose Quartz, Lapis Lazuli. • Gemini: Citrine, Agate Moss. • Cancer: Moon Stone, Smoky Quartz • Leo: Tigers Eye, Sunstone, Clear Quartz. • Virgo: Chrysocolla, Fluorite. • Libra: Aventurine, Malachite. • Scorpio: Garnet, Blue Beryl, Labradorite. • Sagittarius: Sodalite, Pietersite, Red Jasper. • Capricorn: Black Tourmaline, Jet, Obsidian. • Aquarius: Aquamarine, Amethyst. • Pisces: Sodalite, Rhodochrosite.
Crystals need to be cleared and charged before we use them to be sure we are not carrying the energy of the previous owner. This can be done by leaving them on a bed of rock salt for 1-2 hours, and then holding them in our dominant hand, stating the intent. Ask that the crystal work for your highest good! Thank the crystal and clear it when you no longer need that energy. If the crystals mentioned above are difficult to acquire, we can also work with clear quartz, programming the crystal when the Moon is in the Sign that we want to connect with (a bit of moon magick!).
By integrating the Shadow we can access talents that were just beyond our reach, before moving onto other aspects of the natal chart that can also be balanced and healed with crystal healing. Suggested Reading: Chakras, Energy Healing and Planetary Magic! About the Guest Writer:
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Regina Chouza is an Energy Healer, Angel Medium and author of A Personal Guide to Self-Healing, Cancer & Love and Chakra Healing & Magick. She studied angels, tarot and astrology at The College of Psychic Studies in London, and qualified as an Energy Healer at the School of Intuition & Healing UK. Blogging since 2010, Regina's passion is bringing the qualities of love, joy and empowerment to healing pursuits.
You can also find her on: Amazon - Facebook - Instagram |
Learning astrology can seem like a daunting task at first, but one of the good things about the internet is you can find a plethora of resources online to help you learn. Back in the day, you used to have to read a ton of books in order to learn astrology, or be personally mentored by an astrologer (which is hard if you don’t know one!). The internet provides an alternative that gives everyone access to loads of astrology information that may not have been accessible before. So let’s go through some of the online resources you can use to learn astrology:
Online Charts and Chart Generators
You used to have to create charts by hand, which is time-consuming and very easy to mess up, but with the internet, you no longer need to do that. Astro.com is essentially the standard for generating charts, and even many professional astrologers now use it (the upside for newbies, it’s totally free). You can create all manner of charts on astro.com - natal charts, progressed charts, solar and lunar return charts, midpoint charts, relocation charts, composite charts, and many more. You can also buy computer programs like Solar Fire, but they can be pricey, so unless you’re going to do this professionally (or you’re blessed with money to burn), there’s not a big need to rush into that. You can also use the internet for finding charts online for celebrities, world leaders, countries, and corporations to use and study. Astro-Databank is a go-to resource for that, with a good reputation for accuracy.
Forums
Forums may be squeezed out someday by social media platforms, but they continue to be a good place to meet other astrology enthusiasts and astrologers and gain more astrology knowledge. They’re also a great place to get free readings from budding astrologers, or to practice doing astrology readings yourself. Consider giving Lindaland or Elsa Elsa's astrology forum a try.
Social Media
Social media will surely take over forums someday, especially with growing capabilities to create groups within social media, like Facebook Groups. Social media pages for astrologers and astrology websites can be good places to meet other people learning astrology, and many of the accounts will share astrology information you can use to learn as well. Social media can also be one of the best ways to connect with actual astrologers since most modern astrologers use social media to connect with their audience.
Mentors
An offshoot of the previous, you can use the internet to find a mentor to help you learn astrology. It used to be that if you didn’t happen to know one personally or couldn’t get to a convention, you were outta luck having a mentor. Now, you can use social media to reach out to astrologers, contact them via their websites, and if you play your cards right (lie, don’t be obnoxious), you can find an astrologer to mentor you. Forums can also be helpful for finding an up-and-coming astrologer to mentor you. And it can all be done online, via email, chat, on social media, Skype, whatever you fancy.
Youtube
There are many Youtube astrologers out there that you can follow and learn a ton of astrology from across the spectrum, from beginner stuff to more advanced techniques. Just do a search on Youtube for whatever you want to know about, and you’ll probably hit a load of videos you can watch. For those of you who prefer audio or video learning, this can be a way for you to learn without doing too much reading.
E-books
If you do want some more traditional book learning, you can now get many astrology books as e-books online. Amazon offers Kindle versions of a lot of astrology books. Skyscript offers many astrology texts online as well and for free (mostly as PDF files).
Interpretations
You can find cookbook interpretations in a variety of places online, including on The Dark Pixie Astrology. Other popular websites to use for cookbook interpretations and various learning are Cafe Astrology and Bob Marks Astrologer.
Online Courses
Since everything has gone online, why not astrology courses? If you can take a college course online, of course you can take an astrology one. You can go formal and take courses, or you can take courses from astrologers themselves. Most of these will be paid though, but you can find some free out there (like on the Free Astrology Courses page). Online courses can be best when you want to get serious about your learning, or learn more advanced techniques.
Astrology Blogs
Many astrologers have blogs where they’ll put up astrology articles. They can run the gamut, and you can find an astrology blog article for almost any topic you want to learn more about. They can be helpful for natal astrology, predictive astrology, specific specialities, specific techniques, abstract approaches, getting started as a newbie, or as an advanced student.
Using Google
Or any search engine really! Just search whatever it is you want to learn about, and let the search engine find it for you. You can search specifically for blogs, books, PDF files, forums, news articles, or videos.
Suggested Reading: Could YOU be an Astrologer?
General horoscopes are always meant for entertainment purposes only. For a more accurate view, read your Sun sign, Rising sign, and Moon sign.
Aries June 2017 Monthly Horoscope
On June 6th, Venus enters earth sign Taurus, the sign after yours, and you can enjoy slowing things down and relaxing in the moment. You can be more sensual, indulgent, and grounded. In love, you may focus more on physical connections, and want to splurge on your loved ones, or be splurged on. This can be good for improving your finances, as long as you control spending. Mercury enters air sign Gemini on June 6th as well, and you can come up with new ideas, work on short-term plans, and focus on the ideas that excite you. You can be more engaging, and want to work on projects that challenge you mentally. Your mind can move faster, and you can become interested in a variety of subjects and projects.
Aries June 2017 Monthly Horoscope
On June 6th, Venus enters earth sign Taurus, the sign after yours, and you can enjoy slowing things down and relaxing in the moment. You can be more sensual, indulgent, and grounded. In love, you may focus more on physical connections, and want to splurge on your loved ones, or be splurged on. This can be good for improving your finances, as long as you control spending. Mercury enters air sign Gemini on June 6th as well, and you can come up with new ideas, work on short-term plans, and focus on the ideas that excite you. You can be more engaging, and want to work on projects that challenge you mentally. Your mind can move faster, and you can become interested in a variety of subjects and projects.
Having better timing in life means you’re more likely to be in the right place at the right time, and less likely to get run over by a flying toilet (not sure where that visual came from . . .). Having better timing can help with pretty much everything in your life, and astrology can help you find the better timing you need. The focus is on predictive astrology, which focuses on the transit (moving) planets and how they impact your natal chart, as well as other charts used in prediction (like progressed charts and return charts). Using predictive astrology helps you determine when you’ll have good energy for certain things, and when you’ll have challenging energy, so you can plan accordingly, or at least prepare and react better. Here are 6 predictive astrology focuses that can help you have better timing:
1. Transits
Transits involve the transit planets, and their aspects to your natal (and other) charts, as well as their movement through your natal houses. There are 12 houses in a chart, each representing different areas of life and parts of your personality, and there are 10 planets, each with their own energy, so as the transit planets move through the houses, they bring their own energy to the parts of life the house rules. As they make aspects to your chart, they bring their own energy to whatever they aspect, and the aspect itself can determine if it’s beneficial or challenging.
2. New & Full Moons and Eclipses
New moons occur when the transit Sun and Moon are in the same spot, and full moon occur when they oppose one another. Eclipses occur with new and full moons, and are when they’re within a certain distance of the lunar nodes (the points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic). New moons and solar eclipses are times of new beginnings, while full moons and lunar eclipses are times of endings. By following the new and full moons and eclipses, the signs they occur in, the houses they occur in with your natal chart, and the aspects they’ll make to your natal chart, you can get a better idea of the best times to start and to finish.
3. Progressions
The progressed chart adds one day to your date of birth for every year you’ve been alive to create a new chart that reflects your maturation and growth with age. This chart can be used to show changes in your personality and life as you get older when the progressed planets change signs or houses, progressed houses change signs, progressed planets or houses come to critical degrees, and more. Progressions should always be considered with transits when you’re using predictive astrology.
4. Returns
A return occurs when a transit planet returns to the exact location it was at when you were born, and a chart can be created for that moment which shows how the return impacts you. Often, important events can occur around a return related to the return planet since they signal the start of a new return period.
5. Electionals
Electional astrology is a little different than the above because you don’t need to use the natal chart. Instead, you strive to find the most opportune time for an event to occur based on charts created for the moment of the event. Electional astrology is helpful when you don’t know your time of birth (as many don’t) but still want to be able to use predictive astrology for timing. You can use electional astrology for planning first dates, taking tests, asking for a promotion, applying for a loan, having a wedding, etc.
6. Mundane
Mundane astrology is also a little different because it focused on the transit planets on their own, without specific impact to your own chart. As the planets move through new signs, make aspects to one another, or impact charts for cities, countries, and organizations, they have a broad impact on all of us. Mundane astrology requires no personal birth data since you don’t base it on your own chart at all, but by studying the general impact of astrological occurrences, you can improve your own timing.
Astrology may seem like this abstract thing when you’re unfamiliar with it, and you may not understand how it could possibly help you. But ask an astrologer, and they’ll probably give you a looooong story of how astrology changed their life. SO why can’t that be the case for you too?
What is astrology?
Astrology is the study of the planets, asteroids, and other bodies and points on us. They can impact our personalities, our families, our relationships, our professional lives, our health, our karma, our hopes and dreams, our fears and downfalls, our opportunities and struggles, our past, present, and future. Basically, everything!
All astrology pretty much breaks down between one of two categories, natal astrology or predictive astrology.
All astrology pretty much breaks down between one of two categories, natal astrology or predictive astrology.
How Natal Astrology Can Change Your Life
Natal astrology is based on the natal chart, which is a snapshot of the location in the Zodiac of the planets, houses, and other bodies at the exact moment of your birth from the location you were born at. Your natal chart is the key to who you are. It shows what you need in relationships, how you emotionally react to situations, where you feel most restricted in life, your strengths and weaknesses, and so much more. You can use your natal chart to better understand yourself, and the natal charts of others to better understand the people in your life.
Using your natal chart, you can determine what crutches you need to let go of (South Node), what lessons you need to learn (Saturn), where your power lies (Pluto), what you should work to become (North Node), how to connect with others (Venus), what you ultimate goal are (Midheaven) - just to name a few of the powerful, profound ways you can use your natal chart. You can better understand yourself, and know what you need to do to achieve your own happiness. Your natal chart is a blueprint for your life.
Using your natal chart, you can determine what crutches you need to let go of (South Node), what lessons you need to learn (Saturn), where your power lies (Pluto), what you should work to become (North Node), how to connect with others (Venus), what you ultimate goal are (Midheaven) - just to name a few of the powerful, profound ways you can use your natal chart. You can better understand yourself, and know what you need to do to achieve your own happiness. Your natal chart is a blueprint for your life.
How Predictive Astrology Can Change Your Life
Predictive astrology focuses on the transit (moving) planets and how they impact your natal chart, as well as other charts used in prediction (like progressed charts and return charts). Predictive astrology benefits you by helping you see when you’ll have periods of positive energy to make the most of opportunities, and by showing you when you’ll have periods that are challenging or disruptive so you can prepare accordingly and lessen the difficulties. The main benefit is predictive astrology helps you to have better timing in life. Something we could all use!
Using predictive astrology, you can see when you’ll have good energy for finding a new romantic partner, starting a new business, going to college, getting a loan, taking a vacation, having surgery- pretty much anything that can occur in your life. At the same time, you can also see when you’ll have challenging energy, and you can either avoid those times and try to use the periods of good energy, or you can work to mitigate the challenging energy by focusing on the best ways to use the planets and points involved. No difficult aspect occurs without giving you a way to work through it, even if the options aren’t great. But it’s the idea that when you fight against the current, you may drown. Predictive astrology can be used to keep you afloat. Having better timing helps with everything, so even if you’re not blessed with it naturally, you can find it with predictive astrology.
Using predictive astrology, you can see when you’ll have good energy for finding a new romantic partner, starting a new business, going to college, getting a loan, taking a vacation, having surgery- pretty much anything that can occur in your life. At the same time, you can also see when you’ll have challenging energy, and you can either avoid those times and try to use the periods of good energy, or you can work to mitigate the challenging energy by focusing on the best ways to use the planets and points involved. No difficult aspect occurs without giving you a way to work through it, even if the options aren’t great. But it’s the idea that when you fight against the current, you may drown. Predictive astrology can be used to keep you afloat. Having better timing helps with everything, so even if you’re not blessed with it naturally, you can find it with predictive astrology.
The month of June's full moon occurs on the 9th at 9:10AM ET, and this full moon is in Sagittarius. Usually, Sagittarius full moons aren't as serious and emotional as normal full moons. This is because Sagittarius rules optimism, expansion, new experiences, and wants to focus on the good in life, so with a Sagittarius full moon, we're not as down and out emotionally. Now that we're nice and far away from the Venus and Mercury retrograde of March - May, that's probably why! We're all whistling along with a happier tune now, and want to focus on the positives, even in more serious and emotional situations.
This can be a good full moon for finishing a trip, coming home if you're abroad, completing a course of study, or becoming more invested in a subject of interest. We can finalize plans for expansion or exploration, and there can be an undercurrent of positive energy.
Sagittarius does rule our beliefs, so one thing we have to be careful of is being defensive of our beliefs. It can be a good time to become more dedicated to our beliefs or to walk away from beliefs we no longer feel connected to, but we need to avoid getting defensive or preachy. That high horse you're on might just be a pile of *bleep*.
This full moon occurs at 18 degrees 53 minutes Sagittarius. The major aspects for this full moon are:
Conjunction: 16 degrees 53 minutes - 20 degrees 53 minutes Sagittarius
Sextile: 16 degrees 53 minutes - 20 degrees 53 minutes Libra or Aquarius
Square: 16 degrees 53 minutes - 20 degrees 53 minutes Virgo or Pisces
Trine: 16 degrees 53 minutes - 20 degrees 53 minutes Aries or Leo
Opposition: 16 degrees 53 minutes - 20 degrees 53 minutes Gemini
June's new moon occurs on the 23rd at 10:31PM ET in water sign Cancer. Cancer is the sign of home and family, so this is a good new moon for us to come together, to connect as one big family, and to support each other. We can be more nurturing and encouraging, and care about our families, communities, and countries. We can work on strengthening things at home, and having a solid home base.
Cancer rules comfort and familiarity, so we can stick to the things we know best, and take advantage of opportunities to do things we're comfortable with and are familiar to us. This may not be a new moon where we're pushing the envelope too much. The tried-and-true may work better.
This is also the sign of emotion, so we can be more positive with our feelings, continuing the energy from the full moon. We can focus on the positives and want to feel good about life.
This new moon conjuncts (aligns with) transit (moving) Mercury in Cancer, so communication can be strong, we can focus on new ideas and new plans, and we can open up about what we're feeling. The mind and our emotions can work together with this new moon. How will we use that in positive ways?
This new moon occurs at 2 degrees 27 minutes Cancer. The major aspects for this new moon are:
Conjunction: 0 degrees 27 minutes - 4 degrees 27 minutes Cancer
Sextile: 0 degrees 27 minutes - 4 degrees 27 minutes Taurus or Virgo
Square: 0 degrees 27 minutes - 4 degrees 27 minutes Aries or Libra
Trine: 0 degrees 27 minutes - 4 degrees 27 minutes Scorpio or Pisces
Opposition: 0 degrees 27 minutes - 4 degrees 27 minutes Capricorn
This can be a good full moon for finishing a trip, coming home if you're abroad, completing a course of study, or becoming more invested in a subject of interest. We can finalize plans for expansion or exploration, and there can be an undercurrent of positive energy.
Sagittarius does rule our beliefs, so one thing we have to be careful of is being defensive of our beliefs. It can be a good time to become more dedicated to our beliefs or to walk away from beliefs we no longer feel connected to, but we need to avoid getting defensive or preachy. That high horse you're on might just be a pile of *bleep*.
This full moon occurs at 18 degrees 53 minutes Sagittarius. The major aspects for this full moon are:
Conjunction: 16 degrees 53 minutes - 20 degrees 53 minutes Sagittarius
Sextile: 16 degrees 53 minutes - 20 degrees 53 minutes Libra or Aquarius
Square: 16 degrees 53 minutes - 20 degrees 53 minutes Virgo or Pisces
Trine: 16 degrees 53 minutes - 20 degrees 53 minutes Aries or Leo
Opposition: 16 degrees 53 minutes - 20 degrees 53 minutes Gemini
June's new moon occurs on the 23rd at 10:31PM ET in water sign Cancer. Cancer is the sign of home and family, so this is a good new moon for us to come together, to connect as one big family, and to support each other. We can be more nurturing and encouraging, and care about our families, communities, and countries. We can work on strengthening things at home, and having a solid home base.
Cancer rules comfort and familiarity, so we can stick to the things we know best, and take advantage of opportunities to do things we're comfortable with and are familiar to us. This may not be a new moon where we're pushing the envelope too much. The tried-and-true may work better.
This is also the sign of emotion, so we can be more positive with our feelings, continuing the energy from the full moon. We can focus on the positives and want to feel good about life.
This new moon conjuncts (aligns with) transit (moving) Mercury in Cancer, so communication can be strong, we can focus on new ideas and new plans, and we can open up about what we're feeling. The mind and our emotions can work together with this new moon. How will we use that in positive ways?
This new moon occurs at 2 degrees 27 minutes Cancer. The major aspects for this new moon are:
Conjunction: 0 degrees 27 minutes - 4 degrees 27 minutes Cancer
Sextile: 0 degrees 27 minutes - 4 degrees 27 minutes Taurus or Virgo
Square: 0 degrees 27 minutes - 4 degrees 27 minutes Aries or Libra
Trine: 0 degrees 27 minutes - 4 degrees 27 minutes Scorpio or Pisces
Opposition: 0 degrees 27 minutes - 4 degrees 27 minutes Capricorn