Mapping the Earth, Bodies, & Stars | Aries Ecologies

[one_third][/one_third][two_third_last padding=”0% 0 0 0″]Writer and creative, Anne Marie Vivienne, joins us with a beautiful exploration through the woven ecological thread that the solar season of Aries and the spring time of year breathe life into.

Spring starts with a seed that has been planted deep inside the earth, in a dark womb of soil where the seed must have courage to break open. The seed cracks, opening to the nourishment around it: the rain that has fallen and that light that is dawning. Roots begin to reach out into the dark, down deep to establish a network of sustenance, while a sprout takes heart and reaches above. It can feel the light before it can see it.

One seed. One plant. Growing in, above, and through the earth.

And so we have courage to crack wide open when in the depths of a dark and unknown place. We’ve been growing roots for months now. We know what we want most. We know who and what we are. And now, now is the time to break through the ground and become visible–to photosynthesize and feed ourselves so that we may feed others when called upon later in the year. We find our place in a natural ecology where our self-care transforms into the oxygen for others to breathe. [/two_third_last]

[one_sixth padding=”0% 0 0 0″][/one_sixth][one_third padding=”0% 0 0 0″][/one_third][one_third padding=”4% 0 0 0″]We walk between the earth and the stars; we are bodies that dance between the tangible and intangible; we are hungry (tangible) and we feel courage (intangible). Somehow, magically, we are living our lives between the cosmos and nature herself.

Often we only think of spring as form coming from the earth–green plants breaking through the surface. But what if it works another way as well? What if spring is a time to give form to ideas that have been taking root in your mind, in the cosmos? What if all the dreaming you’ve been doing for the past few months are the imaginative roots you’ve been establishing, and now your dreams are breaking through the intangible world and sprouting into this tangible world of form and existence. [/one_third][one_sixth_last][/one_sixth_last]

[one_third][/one_third][one_third][/one_third][one_third_last padding=”19% 0 0 0″]What if the cosmos are the fertile soil of our dreams? What if we tend to our imagination just as we would the seeds we plant in the ground? What if we had seeds in both the ground and the cosmos that were growing toward each other to create the life we’ve always wanted? It’s exhilarating, isn’t it? This Aries season your seeds are clearly above ground and thriving.

So here’s to growing in all directions as we walk between the tangible and intangible, creating a cosmic ecology where the earth meets our bodies that meet the stars.
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Illuminated Gathering: Virgo, Spinner’s Full Moon

[one_third][/one_third][two_third_last padding=”0% 0 0 0″]A Virgo full moon masterfully weaves itself into our lives this Sunday, making it the perfect day to plan a moon gathering for this weekend. Seasonal Astrologist, Allie Couch, brings us some fated insight and ideas to get your gathering spun with perfection.

ILLUMINATING SUNDAY’S HIGH TIDE OF FATE

As we swim our way through the dreamy, mystical, and artistic seas of Pisces Season, a grounding full moon will come along in the not-so-emotional sign of Virgo. In opposition to this solar season’s vitality; a vitality that influences all of us to use symbolism and composition to attach meaning to the full spectrum and complexity of life, we blossom with a new found ability to actualize practical purposes in the outer world.

Virgo is a sign of fate and as we stepped into the Virgo new moon initiations, in early September, we started a six month journey to analyze, refine, and hone a skill or skills that we saw as being ‘useful’ or ‘purposeful’. There is a purity to this sign of the Virgin which conflicts with the messiness of human relations. Because of this, a pendulum swing happens as we refine and develop this ‘pure’ and ‘useful’ purpose, one that may have taken us between moments of needing the help of others to develop to one of utilizing what was learned to purify our own lives. At the full moon, this skill is actualized in some way that pushes it, and us, out into the world. An ability to refine, organize, and analyze has gifted us with a beautiful capability and now we recognize that it’s this capability that can bring a recognized purpose and usefulness to our lives. We see that this is a service we can offer and one that is needed by humanity.
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[one_sixth][/one_sixth][two_third]We now start a six month journey to offer our useful purpose to our close peers, communities, and then to the world at large, all the while, spinning a web of connection that maintains purity from needing to engage in the messiness of emotional interaction or subjectivity. Rather, this web is spun to bring support and connection to an objective fate or specific need, purifying health and process. This is where Virgo gets it’s connection to the principle of serving. [/two_third][one_sixth_last][/one_sixth_last]

[two_third padding=”0% 0 0 0″]THE GATHERING

We love us a full moon gathering at CosmoMuse as the high tide that full moons bring creates an opening to put our needs in the spotlight. This complete illumination is urging us to step into the outer world with what’s developed and celebrate the things coming into actualization—or mourn for things that didn’t make the cut and are now needing to phase out of our lives. With a close group of loved ones, either side that you are spilling over with (actualizing or releasing), is given communal support and nurturing.

At this Virgo full moon, take the time to ask your gatherers what it is that they’ve been honing and training in, or taming, in their lives. At 22 degrees of Virgo, the Sabian Symbol speaks to a readied faith in yourself after taming and mastering a wild aspect of ego: An ego refinement.

Here are some great questions to allow each person to address in the moon circle:

What part of yourself do you feel is ready and more polished to give to the world?

Do you feel a rising purpose or fate in your life?

Is there a skill, service, or aspect of your ego that is feeling a need to phase out of your life right now, no longer serving the fate, or usefulness of your life direction?[/two_third][one_third_last][/one_third_last]

[one_sixth][/one_sixth][two_third]With all that is illuminated after these questions, use some critical thinking skills to see if there might be some way to help each person feel more comfortable with spinning their web of use and purpose in the outer world. Do any of the skills or purposes of those at the gathering relate or can some of these things be practiced on others there to help boost confidence in this coming-out time? How does each moon gatherer see the use of each other’s new fateful callings? Maybe allow a bit of response and reaction to each person, adding to the never ending need of Virgo energy to refine, analyze, and purify. [/two_third][one_sixth_last][/one_sixth_last]

[one_third][/one_third][two_third_last]SEASONAL ACTIVITIES

Some kind of seasonal art or activity is always a lovely, grounding, and communal enhancing thing to start your moon gathering off with, followed by a shared meal, and then the moon circle. To learn how to organize the flow of a full moon gathering and our version of what you need, you can find this info in our 2017 Seasonal Astrology Guide (download the PDF version here or purchase the print version here).

With this being a very practical and earth oriented full moon, we think it’s the perfect gathering to actually learn a skill and bring in a professional or one of your crew who’s good at this skill to give a simple and short 101 class: knitting, macrame, crochet. With Virgo being tied to the sympathetic nervous system, making epsom salt bath soaks is another great thing that might encourage everyone to go home and take a relaxing soak, taking a bit of pressure off of the perfection that Virgo is tied to. Have each person bring an herb, dried flowers, or essential oil that’s seasonal so people can make their own soak mixtures that speak to them. Chamomile and lavender are especially great relaxers. As this is the Native American Magpie Full Moon, having soil and little containers for planting seedlings, could also be fun. Have each person bring spring seeds so there’s a nice variety and make cartons of seed starters for herbs, veggies and flowers. Here’s a great tutorial.
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