There are three modes of living. You are either surviving, alive or thriving.

When you are in survival mode, you are only afforded to seek your basic needs. Energetically tethered to the root chakra, it’s more difficult to access the fullness of what life has to offer. Millions of people all over the planet are limited to a life of survival. The average person on this planet walks 4 miles on average just to have access to fresh drinking water. This means that they miss out on time they could be learning, or enjoying other luxuries.

Still, stress is the main culprit which distances us from joy. We can all relate. Stress flushes the body with cortisol, and you simply cannot relax. Even if you drive a nice car, living in perpetual stress is not truly “living” either. Maybe stress is not dominating your life and you feel alive. You’ve got food on your table, you take a vacation here and there, and on the surface, life is great! But you often feel like something might be missing…

The missing ticket? The true passion of your soul. Beneath all of the roles you play in society lives a burning desire that makes life worth living. The upcoming eclipse season aims to reveal to us how we can live more authentically from out heart. Happiness is our birthright. You are thriving when you can look forward to the excellence each day promises. August takes us through a journey to see what needs to be released so that we can make more room for joy.

We’ve already done some of the work:

In the first 5 months of the year, Venus retrograde helped us to get in touch with our desires. We reassessed our values, relationships, finances, and reprioritized where we spend our time and energy. In the sign of Aries, we grew more impatient with the things that had become taxing. We had an easier time saying no, drawing boundaries and perhaps ending certain relationships altogether.

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May and June offered a period of integration, slowing down and smelling the roses, while also offering space for healing. July began intensely, as many people were abruptly faced with their own psyche; deep rooted issues welled up to the surface demanding attention. Befriending the shadow and listening is profoundly enlightening: you become aware of your own bullshit. Now that the emotional-psycho-spiritual master-cleanse is through, now we can hear ourselves better. Let’s get to the heart now.

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New Moon in Leo #1: July 23rd, 2017

Leo rules the heart, which literally sustains the physical body by pumping blood. As a result, it generates our electromagnetic field, also known as the aura. The aura is our energetic projection into the world. On this new moon, we consider the vibrations we are putting out; this has everything to do with what’s in our heart. Not coincidentally, matters of the heart are love, truth, passion and joy. We are invited to check in with ourselves. Are you happy? What needs to change in order to be more vibrant?

Leo also rules creativity, playfulness and children. Children, after all are usually a byproduct of love, play and creation! The prominent Leo energy prompts us to get in tune with our inherent childlike nature. Play for fun’s sake! Also, consider how honest children are. They don’t mean to offend anyone, they are just expressing their truth. It’s time to be honest with ourselves and the world and live more authentically.

Chances are, if you are not as happy as you could be, it’s because you are neglecting the truth of who you are─ beneath the façade of your chosen career or who the world wants you to be. Perhaps you are run down by duty and expectation. It’s time to get in touch with the true desires of your soul. The New Moon conjoins Mars, which gives us the courage to be more authentic and honest with ourselves about what we need. The square to Uranus suggests that if a situation has grown too confining, there will be an itch to create more freedom.

Releasing: Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius

The Moon culminates to a Lunar Eclipse on Aquarius on August 7th. Full of progressive ideas for how the world should be, Aquarius contains the ability to be emotionally detached. This is timely, because we need to think objectively right now. In order to peel more layers back and live fully in our heart’s truth, we have to be able to take a step back, see what needs to change and let it go. The Sabian image is “a big business man at his desk.” You are the boss of your own life. It’s time to have a sit down with that person, place, thing or idea and let it go. When you are the boss, sometimes you have to put your emotions on hold and do what’s best for the whole. Don’t feel too bad about letting something go when you know it’s right for you. This lunar eclipse demands release. Something will be let go in order to free up more space for the things we enjoy.

With Aquarius comes a quality of rebellion. To access the freedom that Aquarius offers, change is necessary. The Sun opposes the Moon at 16⁰ Leo, whose Sabian image reads, “sunshine after the storm.” Everything’s going to be ok. Change is healthy. The pot needs to be stirred to avoid stagnancy. And since nature abhors a vacuum, something else will inevitably fill the void.

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Eclipses in general are Aquarian in nature─ surprise, you didn’t see it coming! Eclipses alter the normal flow of light and you see things in a way you hadn’t seen before. It can’t be unseen and it must change. While we always have free will, eclipse season seems to be a time when the forces of existence seem to play a hand in our fate. We know that the Sun is much larger than the Moon. It’s quite the enigma that they appear the exact same size from our geocentric point of view. It’s as if they were magically arranged this way…perhaps connected to the same force which pushes us closer to our purpose?

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Total Solar Eclipse: New Moon in Leo #2

On a personal level, this solar eclipse offers us a second opportunity to shift our focus to more heart-centered living. We must be the change we want to see in the world (to quote Mohandas Ghandi). One really helpful exercise to live more joyously is very simple: Gratitude. It’s amazing how your entire day shifts when you begin by counting your blessings. It could be as simple as saying, “I’m so grateful that I have coffee to drink this morning,” or “I’m so thankful that I got a good night’s sleep.” This is something that everyone can practice, no matter the circumstances. Practicing gratitude eventually leads to complaining less─ then watch your reality change!

It gives me a cosmic giggle that the most dramatized Solar Eclipse ever in our lifetimes occurs in the unapologetically regal and flamboyant sign of Leo.

More people will be tuning into this eclipse than any other in the history of the world. Not only will it be visible from coast to coast in the continental US, drawing people from near and far, but people will also be able to tune in live via computers and live broadcasting. All it takes is for 1% of the population to focus on something to create a quantum shift. Eric Francis, one of my favorite astrologers,recently speculated on the quantum effects this eclipse could produce.

To take it further, the Sabian image for this degree reads: “a mermaid emerges from the ocean waves ready for rebirth in human form.” We are evolving from survival based homo sapiens to consciousness based homo luminus, as coined by Alberto Villoldo,  and where I get my namesake, Astro Luminus from. When enough people choose gratitude, love and compassion, it causes a ripple effect in the collective and inspires others to do the same.

We have the technology, but do we have the courage? Things are changing on planet earth and we are at a critical point where we either choose plentitude, by evolving our current structures, or we choose scarcity by maintaining our way of living. The reality is that we are going to have to deal with the exponential rise of the population and learn how to live more sustainably.

“Imagine all the people, sharing all the world….”-John Lennon

Seriously. Imagine a world where technology helps every human live more efficiently by meeting our basic needs, thus allowing more time and energy to live more joyously. This is not a fantasy. Technology is already replacing jobs and the notion of a “universal income” becomes increasingly popular. This could very well be where we are headed.

Begin to imagine what you would be doing instead, with all of your free time. What would that look like? And further, would you be able to begin living that dream now?

The total Solar Eclipse, stretching coast to coast of the United States, forms a harmonious grand trine configuration with Saturn and Uranus. In other words, this mighty eclipse reflects the readiness to revamp the current systems. It’s not time to overthrow; we just need to update the aspects of societal structure which no longer support. This eclipse affects the entire world, but it seems to be a direct plea to the United States to get with the program again! Coal and oil are on their way out; free energy is the future. Saturn exactly conjoins Lilith, which calls for the preserve of nature. We need to protect our wildlife. No more excuses.

I’d be remiss if I did not mention that this eclipse will directly affect both the natal chart of Donald Trump and the natal chart of the United States (yes, countries have birthdays too!). There’s a lot of hype about this, and while I wouldn’t brush it off, we must remember the message of this eclipse season: stay centered in your heart. While chaos swirls in the world around us, we can still wake up grateful each day, do the things we enjoy and cherish our loved ones. 

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Lastly, Mercury retrograde is going on:

Everyone’s favorite astrological gripe is here. And I will vehemently defend the value of Mercury’s retrograde until the days end. Weaving its way through the entire eclipse season, this one is particularly precious. Mercury retrogrades are periods of going within. The emphasis is more on listening and intuiting rather than logic and rationale. We should be kissing the Messenger God’s winged feet, as he supports our inward dialogue, and getting to the heart of our truth. When you

feel

it, you know it’s real.  

On August 12th, Mercury stations retrograde conjunct Vesta, who rules devotion, ritual and the hearth. In the old days, the hearth was at the center of the home, to radiate heat evenly. Just one letter separates “heart” from “hearth.” The symbolism here is strong: what makes your fire burn? What are you willing to devote yourself to?  

Mercury and Vesta trine Pallas Athene, which helps us recognize patterns and create new ones. Pluto completes a grand trine, supporting the regeneration of brain cells, thought patterns and focus. Pluto also helps us to go deeper inward to get to the heart of our true desires. And we need all the help we can get to pierce through all of our facades, walls and ingrained perceptions of how we think we “should” be. Truth isn’t always pretty. It takes a ton of courage to embrace it.

Finally, Mercury completes his retrograde motion on September 5th, stationing exactly on the Solar Eclipse degree. This is huge! and echoes the messages we’ve received throughout the month. Now we are ready to move forward. Add two letters to “love” and you get “evolve!”

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In Summary:

Don’t be afraid to be unapologetically you, express yourself; choose love over fear and have the courage to seek joy everyday despite the chaos in the world around you. Love yourself, love your life and radiate love to uplift and encourage others to seek the same. Happiness is our birthright. You are alive. Now it’s time to thrive. 

Aho Mitakyue Oyasin. You are all my family.

May we all be awakened to our heart, and align our hearts together to create a

New Earth, rooted in righteousness, love, equality, abundance and compassion for all.

Wahe Guru

​-Catherine O

Title photo credit

For more on the North Node in Leo, click here