Perhaps it is our connection with people that makes us happy. But doesn't that connection need to be real? Heart felt? Could it really be that simple?

Then there is communication. Why are we so afraid to say what we mean? Why do we skirt over what is real and truthful to create lies and inconsistencies?

Astro-Help

The Sun in Aries makes a trine aspect to Saturn in Sagittarius mid-week. This is about living our truth in the most basic, real way possible. At its core, it is about speaking our truth FIRST to ourselves, and then to others. It means placing fear aside and taking the risk of being who we truly are, in mind, body and spirit.

It is about being real!

For how can we make positive choices and changes in our lives without first consulting our inner truth? Then it is our job to honor that truth.The quickening that is occuring at this time is making it nearly impossible to continue living a lie. We are all guilty to some extent of playing these ego games to impress or hide from others. But they can be so tiring and unfulfilling.

Break Free

So this is a call to break free from these games. What would happen if we lived life as we desired. After all, they are our lives to create as we wish. Why is it so hard to break free from the chains that tie us to unhappy, unfulfilling lives?

Let Go

Bottom line for this week – be kind to ourselves. Get real. Take inventory. What can we let go of this week? Start with one thing. Something that we have been dragging around for years that perhaps we feel guilty about letting go. Set it free and feel the freedom from its release.

Getting real with ourselves allows us to move things along in our lives which are out-dated. Perhaps it is a style of clothes, accessories or shoes. Or even a job, where we live or a relationship. Saturn is urging us to simplify. The less we have, the less we have to worry about! Sagittarius reminds us that life is a grand adventure and everything is Spirit. If we are willing, we can live with less, so we can focus on what is most important: our family, friends and interests.

May you have a blessed week filled with self-love and love for all creatures on Planet Earth!

In Love and Light...Nikki

March 16, 2015

Greetings ASTRO TRAVELERS!

News From Planet Earth

Sit still and breathe – about the best you can do this coming week!  Monday, March 16th is the final exact 90 degree hit between the revolutionary planet, Uranus, and the Great Transformer, Pluto.  This does not mean the tension is over – oh no, there is still a lot of work to be done.

In fact, you can almost say that the work is just beginning!  The real work.  This includes work on ourselves.  The letting go, the purging...continues.  Look for things in your life that have gone way beyond their expiration dates.  If you haven't worn it or used it in the past year, get rid of it.  If you don't love it, let it go.  No sense having things lying around collecting dust that you don't love, use or wear. Give it away, sell it, recycle it.

And what about the body?  That thing we are wearing all the time – our space suits?  Time to do an all-over body assessment. There is so much in the news about the junk in our food.  Come on, we all know how to eat right.  It's pretty simple.  The closer to real food we get, the least amount of processing and packaging, the better.   Let's make more conscious choices about what we put into our bodies.  This can only help us on many levels: body, mind and spirit! 

         Go forth in Love, Light and Awareness...Nikki  

March 11, 2015

Hi Everybody!

Lets take a look at the week ahead! And it is a powerful one, indeed.

First off, I'd like to say that the current energy is all about manifestation. There are intense energies available to help us along our spiritual paths. It's about looking within and letting go of the past. We are being supported in our desires to ascend, to move past our limitations and to create the lives we desire.

The last full moon in Virgo was all about regaining our health – on all levels. The message is well-being, being in tune with our higher selves, so where we feel unhealthy becomes nearly unbearable. We are called to be healthy in mind, body and spirit. Luckily there are tremendous energies that are helping us let go of what is amiss in our lives, allowing in more light. Our goal is to shine that light throughout our bodies, to burn away all that is not helping us achieve our highest goals.

This means eating more nutritious foods in appropriate portions. Blessing the food we eat. Being thankful for fresh food and water. Understanding that we truly have all we need, that we do not need a lot to be happy and fulfilled. Virgo says to live simply so others may simply live. To lighten up.

Virgo also likes to clean house, especially our living houses, our bodies, which need proper rest, exercise, movement and sunshine. Many of us sit at desks or are inside all day. It is essential to get outside whenever possible. Many of our aches and pains, whether physical, mental or emotional, are due to too much time in our heads, living and working in small spaces. We yearn for open spaces, fresh air. Make a promise to take action, to create a healthier body, which helps create a healthier mind and spirit. Now that the weather in the Denver area is turning toward spring, get outside, walk, ride a bike, garden, take a trip into our beautiful nearby mountains. Take advantage of the paradise where we live.

On March 9th, Mars made a harmonious aspect (trine) with Jupiter. Energy toward Expansion. What is your biggest dream/vision? This is not a time to think small at all! Dream Big – we are nothing but our dreams. We dream our futures. We create our worlds. Whatever we believe, whatever we envision becomes our reality. So why limit ourselves? Why limit what we do while on planet earth?

Look at what is keeping you back. Check your fear levels. Can you replace your fear with faith? With trust? What if that meant you could finally live the life you desire? To become your authentic self? To be radical and brave enough to live the life you have always wanted? Look deeply at what is stopping you from reaching your goals. Know that by taking risks you will either land on your feet or sprout wings to fly. But you will never know, unless you try!!

So if you've been feeling a bit frazzled, anxious, or angry lately, well, you are not alone! March 11th brings about a tense Mars conjunct Uranus square Pluto aspect, a precursor to the powerful exact square of Uranus and Pluto on March 16, the seventh and final exact square since mid-2012. Revolution and Evolution. Inner and outer revolution and change, as well as deep transformation. This is a turning point for all of us. Will we grow into our authentic selves or be swallowed by our fears and block our inner truths?

On March 12th Mercury enters the sign of Pisces. Mercury is our thinking processes, our mind. Pisces represents intuition and and feelings. At its best, this is a time for artistic, creative thinking, a great time to let go and let God.
Be like the Hanged Man in the tarot, ruled by Neptune, Pisces' home planet. The suspended mind in meditation. What a beautiful way to deal with all this crazy energy floating around. Take the time to breathe deeply, reflect, retreat, renew.

The flip side of Mercury in Pisces is confused and vague thinking. It's wanting to escape, to run away. If this describes your feelings at the moment, know that everywhere you go, you are there. There is really no escape - eventually we need to face the truth of our hearts and souls. The sooner we step up to the plate and become our authentic selves, then the quicker we find our inner joy and create more meaningful lives.

There are numerous forces outside of ourselves seeking to control us. It is imperative that we bring our focus back within.  Listen to our inner voice, our inner teacher. Take this time to be still and quiet. To listen. To hear what our hearts are revealing to us in every moment of our lives.

Saturn turns retrograde at 4 degrees Sagittarius  on March 14th, emphasizing the need to concentrate on our goals and life path. This is a great time to focus on designing an inner and outer course to follow. Perhaps we have scattered ideas of who we are and what we desire. During Saturn's retrograde period, we can look deep within to set the guideposts needed when Saturn turns direct on June 20th at 28 degrees Scorpio. As Saturn dips back into the sign Scorpio, we can expect to revisit some of the fears that were brought up over the last year, for a final opportunity to face them head on, bring them out of the shadows, shine light on them and then move on. See them from a non-judgmental point of view, as an objective observer, learn from them, then let them go!

Along with Uranus squaring Pluto on March 16th Mercury forms a square aspect with Saturn. We might feel limited in our lives and desperately desire to break free, at nearly any cost. It will be important through this week and next to stay grounded, connected. Practice grounding negative energy, let it go down through your feet to the center of the earth, to be transformed into light. Then open your crown chakra to let in light, allow it to flood your body with love and pure light energy. Prepare a “light” box, filled with things that help you re-call love and light in your life – cards from people who love you, healing stones and oils, photos of loved ones, and ideas of things to do like going for a walk, listening to music, visiting a favorite restaurant, reading a beloved poem or calling a good friend. Have those ideas hand, for those times when thoughts turn hurtful instead of helpful. Know that you are never alone – you have the universe within you!

On March 17th, Venus enters the sign of Taurus. Love of comfort. This might encourage us to overindulge in these stressful times, but we can still find comfort without ultimately hurting ourselves. Snuggle with a loved one, go to the movies and buy a big bag of popcorn, take a walk along a river, read a good book, find positive ways to escape in the moment. Venus will spend about a month in Taurus, spot-lighting the need for joy and pleasure in our lives. So this is an excellent time to indulge in what makes us happy. It's about sensual pleasure, really enjoying what planet earth has to offer, here on the material plane. 
Feeding all of our senses, flooding ourselves with beauty, love and light. Perhaps we have been denying ourselves real pleasure for too long and it is time to allow positive flowing emotions back into our lives. Look for beauty in the everyday. Let others know how much you love them. Go ahead and buy that piece of clothing that makes you look and feel good. Indulge in a concert, a theatre production or just a delicious meal out with friends. After winter, spring is here urging us all to come back to life, by feeling all the wonderful things that life has to offer.

We are living in such powerful times. It is our choice to stay positive and hopeful, to keep moving forward. Connect with like-minded, supportive people. Find your tribe. Know that you are not alone on your quest to create a better, kinder world, where all beings are respected. Keep the magic alive. Our hearts are united as one, creating a more beautiful, joyful and loving world for all.

In Love and Light...Nikki

March 4, 2015

Hi Everybody!

Today is a fine day to begin my astro-blog here at virtual SpiritWays, as  Mercury leaves its post-shadow retrograde period and communication and thoughts become clearer.  I will be offering a weekly look at the current astro-weather, so please stop by often to see what energies will be predominant for the upcoming week, and beyond.

Why Astrology?

In a word, astrology is all about awareness. Our birth charts reflect the energies present when we were born and represent a symbolic “picture” of our souls. A thorough understanding of our charts brings light to who we are, in all areas of our lives - it is our personal navigational tool.  So awareness of the energies we were born with, along with the current planetary energies, can help us to understand where we are right now and how to proceed. In other words, we can navigate our lives more successfully, realign with our authentic selves and become happier and healthier in the process.

A Little About Me

I have been exploring astrology and spirituality for many years and am looking forward to sharing some of my insights here. My hope is to make this blog accessible to beginners and seasoned astro-fans alike. Astrology is such a vast subject which can become quite intimidating, so I always strive to bring this cosmic science/art down-to-earth, to make it more understandable. Whether I am doing an astrology reading or teaching a class, I explain the basics to demystify and clarify this extraordinary system.

I first became interested in astrology when I was in middle school, after my mom had charts created for everyone in the family. I was completely mesmerized. But it really wasn't until I was about 16, when a friend did an in-depth reading for me, that astrology really crackled to life. That's when it became clear that astrology was much more than just our sun signs, which many people still believe today. (We have a sign associated with each planet, the sun, the moon, and the important rising sign.) I began to devour every book I could find on the subject. Then, along the way, I was fortunate enough to work with excellent teachers and belong to an incredible astrology group. After years of isolated learning, I finally found my astro-tribe and began to truly understand the complexities of this ancient practice.

Please look forward not only to the astro-weather, but to articles concerning many aspects of astrology and spirituality, as well as tid-bits on the tarot, my other great love, which is full of astro-connections. 

So let's take a look at the week ahead:

We have a lot of fiery energy, with Mars, the south node, Venus and Uranus all in Aries. If your temper has been aroused a bit more than usual these days, it's no wonder. Actually a lot of pent-up energy and emotions from the past are pressure-cooking just below the surface and in many cases must be released! Understand that this is a necessary process, designed to help bring us back into alignment with who we are, our purpose here, and anything contrary to that purpose will become subject to intense frustration and possibly explosive anger. Again, Awareness is key! What needs to be released and transformed?

The sun at 13 degrees Pisces is positioned between Neptune at 7 degrees and Chiron at 17 degrees  Pisces.  Healing is needed...plain and simple. We need to heal our inner nature, meaning our authentic true selves. And this can be done through our spiritual practices, a deep connection with nature or whatever brings us back to our center core. We have been so conditioned to fit in and be a part of our dominant society. At every turn, we are told how to act, what to say, how to dress or how to be. The result is that many of us are so far from our inner truth and disconnected from our true selves that we don't even know where to begin on our true paths. This week's astrological configurations say “Look Within,” like the High Priestess in the tarot deck - the answers lie within. You will never find them outside of yourself. Look at where your life is in disarray for major clues as to what you need to change to come back to center, to your true self.

What do you love? What do you love to do? What makes you happy? Think back to your early childhood, around age 9, for clues to what inspired you. This can help you remember your dreams and goals. This is when you were closer to your heart. Listen to your heart, for it, and only it, tells you what you should be doing in this lifetime, at any time. Your job is to be brave enough to listen and take action!

Currently, we have some pretty powerful configurations called yods or 'The Finger of God” or “Finger of Destiny.” This exemplifies our “missions” in life.  And, yes, each one of us has a unique destiny, something we need to accomplish, what we have to offer. Too often we are taught to “think small” when in fact this is not the time to be thinking “small” at all! It is time to Think Big! Expand on who you are, what you dream of, and make it happen. We arrive on planet earth with inherent gifts and talents to cultivate to share with others. It is what we have to give. When we can tap into this, when we can hear what makes our hearts beat louder and quicker, then we know. We need to be courageous enough to follow that heartbeat!

So this is an excellent time to tune-in to our inner heartbeat to hear our truth. Take time in nature. Be still. Be near water. Bathe yourself in spirit and light. Meditate. Tap into your inner psychic and listen to your spirit guides. Listen to your emotional body which is always telling you the truth, moment-by-moment.

Lastly, Pluto, the Great Transformer, is aspecting many of the above configurations. Pluto can bring about personal power or our own personal hell, where we give into our worst fears. We always have a choice. The current astro-weather asks, “Can we let go of fear and have faith and trust? Can we let go of what is not working in our lives or will we hang on until the bitter end, forced into change?”  Part of the remedy is streamlining and simplifying our lives, focusing on what matters most. Pluto asks us to  cut away what is not in our highest interest. Think about it.  Now is the time to follow our hearts – there is no time like the present, for it is truly all we have.

In Love and Light - Nikki