Change Ourselves, Change the World

“The world which men have made isn’t working. Something needs to change. To change the world, we women need first to change ourselves – and then we need to change the stories we tell about who we are. The stories we’ve been living by for the past few centuries – the stories of male superiority, of progress and growth and domination – don’t serve women and they certainly don’t serve the planet.
Stories matter, you see.”

~Sharon Blackie 
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Photo by Benjamin Lossius

Dark Moon in Virgo

Dark moon time in Virgo, keeper of Earth’s cycles and rhythms. Mama Earth turns towards autumn in this seasonal time of letting go. Honor the shift with an Earth prayer or offering of gratitude.

Fiery change is all around us. Tend gently to your heart. Call on your spiritual support to help hold a vision of the future you desire. Remember that when chaos reigns, anything is possible.

Open your heart again and again. Help others when you’re able. And when you don’t feel able, ask for help. Now is the time to begin loving our world whole.

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#DreamANewEarth

Expansive Full Moon in Aquarius

Expansive full moon in airy Aquarius. We are in the midst of global change and chaos. Expect the unexpected. 

Many people are feeling overwhelmed, tense, contracted and exhausted right now. Shallow, rapid breathing fans the flames of your inner chaos. Take deep, long breaths instead. Make your exhale longer than your inhale. If you are a student of yoga or pranayama, use Ujjayi breathing. Slow down, unwind and expand your energy with yin yoga.

Aquarian consciousness encourages us to expand our perspective. Change is always messy and chaotic. It is impossible to control, so stop trying. This is what is happening right now. Surrender to it.

Take a break from the news. Seek out the beauty and magic of life instead; the colors of sunrise, clouds dancing on the wind, cicadas buzzing in the trees, flowers quietly blooming, the feel of soft pet fur on your fingertips, the sound of a child’s laughter, an ice cold drink on a hot afternoon, the smell of dinner cooking, the full moon lighting up a dark sky tonight… 

Life is still full of magic. Look for it.

And remember that you can be part of the healing medicine we all need right now by simply speaking and acting with kindness.

☾☽

Image: Big Sky and Prairie
by Nancy Lankston

New Moon in Cancer Redux

New Moon in watery, emotional Cancer for the second time this season. Two new moons in the same sign is rare. In addition, Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter all sit in opposition in the sign of Capricorn, the shaper. The dismantling of the status quo is speeding up and intensifying. Old structures and mores are crumbling.

No, things won’t go back to normal any time soon. What we call “normal” is in the midst of being blown up and recreated piece by piece. Our old life — the one that seemed so rock solid — is now splitting and shifting beneath our feet.

If you had your ideal life, what would a normal week look like, feel like, taste like to you? Ruminate on what is most important to you in life and love. Consider all the ways you might fit those priorities into your new normal.

A better way is possible.

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New Moon in Cancer

A New Portal Opens

New moon in Cancer, the nurturing mama. This new moon is amplified by the annular solar eclipse that occurred right after the moon reached zero point in Cancer. New moon energies of change and transformation are running even higher than normal.

This natural seed point is the perfect time to get still and examine your current life. Think about what you want to seed and grow.

What is not serving you that you can now release?
What do you want to turn your energy and focus toward?
What do you want to add to your life?
What does your Soul crave?
How can you move in that direction, even if it’s only a few baby steps?

This time is a portal into your future. Allow yourself to ponder, fantasize and dream about which door you will choose to step through.

Cancer is a watery, highly emotional sign. Be gentle with yourself as you ponder your life and your future.

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HOW TO SILENCE A WOMAN: RETREIVING HER VOICE…

2017 BLM Protest image by Jonathon Bachman

A poem for our times from Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes:

–When someone says, “We’re saying the same thing.”
Say, “We are not saying the same thing.”

–When someone says, “Don’t question, just have faith.”
Say, “I am questioning, vato, and I have supreme faith in what I think.”

–When someone says, “Don’t defy my authority.”
Say, “There is a higher authority that I follow.”

–When someone says, “Your ideas are seductive.”
Say, “No, my ideas are not seductive, they are substantial.”

–When someone says, “Your ideas are dangerous.”
Say, “Yes, my ideas are dangerous, and
why are you so afraid hombre o mujer? ”

–When it is said, “It’s just not done.”
Say, “It will be done.”

–When it is said, “It is immature.”
Say, “All life begins small and must be allowed to grow.”

–When it is said, “It’s not thought out.”
Say, “It is well thought out.”

–When they say, “You’re over-reacting.”
Say, “You’re under-reacting, vato.”

–When they say, “You’re being emotional.”
Say, “Of course I have well placed emotions, and by the way, what happened to yours?”

–When they say, “You’re not making any sense.”
Say, “I don’t make sense, I am the sense.”

–When they say, “I can’t understand you when you’re crying.”
Say, “Make no mistake, I can weep and be fierce at the same time.”

–When they say, “I cant understand you when you’re being so angry.”
Say. “You couldn’t hear me when I was being nice, or sweet or silent, either.”

–When someone says, “You’re missing the point.”
Say, “I’m not missing the point, but you seem to be missing my point — What are you so afraid of?”

–When someone says, “You are breaking the rules.”
Say, “Yes, I am breaking the rules.”

–When someone says, “That’s not practical.”
Say, “It’s practically a done deal, thank you very much.”

–When it is said, “No one will do it, believe you, or follow it.”
Say, “I will do it, I will believe in it, and in time, the world may well follow it.”

— When it is said, “No one wants to listen to that.”
Say, “I know you have a hard time listening to that.”

–When it is said, “It’s a closed system, you cant change it.”
Say, “I’m going to knock twice and if there is no answer, then I am going to blow the doors off that system and it will change.”

–When it is said, “They’ll ignore you.”
Say, “They won’t ignore me and the hundreds of thousands who stand with me.”

–When they say, “It’s already been done.”
Say, “It’s not been done well enough.”

— When they say, “It’s not yet time.”
Say, “It’s way past time.”

–When they say, “It’s not the right day, right month, right year.”
Tell them, “The right year was last year,
and the right month was last month,
and the right day was yesterday,
and you’re running behind schedule, vato,
and what in the name of God and all that is holy are you going to do about it?”

–When they say, “Who do you think you are?” —
tell them …
tell them who you are,
and don’t hold back.

–When they say, “I put up with it, you’ll have to put up with it too.”
Say, “No, no, no, no.”

–When they say, “I’ve suffered a long time and you’ll have to suffer too.”
Say, “No, no, no, no.”

–When they say, “You’re an incorrigible, defiant, hard to get along with, unreasonable woman … ”
Say, “Yes, yes, yes, yes …

and I have worse news for you yet —
we are teaching our daughters,
and our mothers,
and our sisters …
we are teaching our sons,
and our fathers,
and our brothers,
to be
just
like
us.”