FULL MOON ECLIPSE, NEPTUNE RETROGRADE, VENUS TRANSIT

Venus shines brighly in the night sky.

FULL MOON ECLIPSE

Monday June 4 is a full Moon eclipse in the philosophical and adventurous Fire sign Sagittarius. Sagittarius is a truth seeker who follows instincts, sees the big picture, and goes straight to the point. An eclipse is an absence of light when the shadow is seen, so on this full Moon eclipse, truth that was hidden can now be revealed. Time to be bold and speak what’s in your heart and mind.

Also on this full Moon, the planet of inspirations and dreams Neptune goes retrograde until November 10. Neptune will be retrograde in the Water sign Pisces, which is a natural fit for Neptune. This retrograde cycle can bring more opportunities for imaginative dreams, insightful illumination, and emotional regeneration. Or Neptune retrograde could be your time for a Dragon-year dreams reality check.

Both Venus and Mars square this full Moon, which could cause tension in relationships. So under Sagittarius’ influence, quickly move through relationship issues. Now is not the time to process or reflect, which could just lead to more arguments. Instead, expand your horizons, take a short trip, create an adventure, even go pick strawberries. Love planet Venus is still retrograde in Gemini until June 28 so tread lightly with your sweetheart. Speaking of Venus…

VENUS TRANSIT

Tuesday June 5 starts a transit of Venus whereby Venus will pass directly between the Sun and Earth. This alignment is rare, coming in pairs that are eight years apart but separated by over a century. The most recent transit of Venus was in 2004, but the next one won’t occur until 2117.

Love planet Venus represents the feminine loving, nurturing, and creative principal of life. Venus crossing the Sun (from Earth’s perspective) brings together the creative forces of love planet Venus with the strong vital life force that is the Sun. This astronomical event is all about love, from universal consciousness love to intimate personal partnership love.

Venus will shift from evening star to morning star as She passes directly in front of the Sun. In ancient world cultures, Venus’ transformation from evening star to morning star was symbolic of death and rebirth, rebirth when Venus again rose in the morning.

Happy full Moon,

Susan

HAPPY 75th BIRTHDAY FIRE OX BRIDGE

May 27 1937 Golden Gate Bridge opening day. Check out those planes!

Happy 75th birthday Golden Gate Bridge! This part of our world is symbolized by a beautiful Art Deco masterpiece that separates the vast wide ocean from the quiet gentle bay. Construction began January 5 1933, the end of Monkey year, and completed May 27 1937 in the spring of Ox year. 1937 was the year of the FIRE Ox. Golden Gate Bridge is painted a very fiery orange vermillion color “International Orange.”

Bridges are a symbol of transition. They can represent a transitional period in your life when you will be moving on to a new stage. If the bridge is over water, then it suggests that your transition will be an emotional one because Water symbolizes the emotional realm.

Golden Gate Bridge construction began on January 5th, a New Year project, but in Chinese astrology it was still the year of the Water Monkey 1932. A Water year is lucky for a project involving water, and Monkey is clever enough to make it work. This Water Dragon 2012 is a Water year, as is next year 2013 Water Serpent. Feng shui tips for a Water year are at http://www.susanlevitt.com/fengshui-tips.html

The Golden Gate Bridge opening day May 27 1937 was during the month of Gemini, an Air sign ruled by Mercury and fortunate for travel. Golden Gate Bridge is the world’s most photographed bridge, and the world’s most photographed object. And with the steady Ox influence, this bridge is here to stay. Happy 75th birthday!

GEMINI NEW MOON ECLIPSE

Keep the Peace during VENUS RETROGRADE

NEW MOON in GEMINI
Sunday May 20 is a new Moon eclipse in the exciting, mercurial Air sign Gemini. This new Moon starts a new lighter life cycle with Moon, Sun, and Venus all in effervescent Gemini. Gemini is a very social sign so share your ideas, communicate, network, and brainstorm with others. During Gemini’s cerebral month, it’s easier to learn new skills and grasp abstract concepts. Keep moving forward during this time of fast evolution.

ECLIPSES
An eclipse is an absence of light when the “shadow” is seen. So really listen to what you tell yourself and others. Think in ways that support you, instead of repeating any negative thought patterns or judgements. Integrity of character is key, not Gemini gossip or chatter, because this new Moon eclipse is followed by a full Moon eclipse in fiery Sagittarius on June 4 when the truth comes to light. The effect of these eclipses, and all planetary activity, is more powerful because it’s the year of the Dragon. Projects and endeavors begun during an eclipse come to fruition in six months.

VENUS STILL RETROGRADE
Love planet Venus is still retrograde in Gemini until June 28. Be careful to not use this powerful eclipse energy for nitpicking in relationships or quarreling over trivial matters.Where Gemini is located in your astrology chart shows which house holds this eclipse, and indicates where to focus. Feel free to call or reply to this email for guidance from tarot or astrology if questions or choices arise.

Happy New Moon,

Susan

MAYAN CALENDAR DISCOVERY

Astrology calendars & entrance to recent Mayan discovery!

In May of 2012, archeologist William Saturno discovered ancient murals in Xultun, Guatamala that indicate the Mayans did not plan for the world to end on 12/21/12. Follow this link to a National Geographic video about Saturno’s most recent and amazing discovery: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/06/explorers-journal?source=news_xultun_mural.

Love that his name is SATURNo!

So no doomsday on 12/21/2012. This day will go by just like 1984, 2000, and Y2K. 2012 is a Dragon year, and in the last Dragon year 2000 people had similar fears.

Even without Saturno’s recent discovery, the Mayan calendar did not end on Winter Solstice 2012; there is another cycle in the Mayan astrological system. It’s based on the number two and is a smaller minor cycle of cooperation and partnership. That challenge will be people polarized between the haves and have-nots, and how to balance that split of stuffed or starved.

But a new age is predicted on 12/21/2012 by many indigenous cultures including the Mayan Indians, the Aztec Indians, and the Peruvian Q’ero Indians. The Sun on this Winter Solstice day will be in alignment with the center of the Milky Way (between Scorpio and Sagittarius). To the Mayans, this place in space was a womb of creation, the mother’s milk of the Milky Way. The Solstice Sun aligns with this galactic center every 26,000 years.

This date also marks the end of the 2,000-year Piscean age and beginning of the age of Aquarius. We’re in a new world of technology, jet travel, globalization, and the internet. Old institutions end as new generations use the electronic tools of the Aquarian age. The world becomes Aquarian, multicultural, a global village.

In Vedic astrology, this is the end of the Kali yuga, the age of iron. The Mayan Indian cycle age began in 3114 BC and ends now. The Kali yuga began 5,125 years ago and ends now. So both cultures foresee another end and another beginning as we all swim together through this sea of life.

FENG SHUI: New Broom Sweeps Clean for Spring

New Broom Sweeps Clean

STRUCTURE IN DRAGON YEAR 2012

Events occur quickly in this Water DRAGON year. It’s easy to let things pile up. But don’t! Clutter = chaos in feng shui. You don’t want to create clutter, only to find yourself drowning in stuff at the end of this Dragon year. You want to ride high and succeed in a Dragon year, not fall because you were unprepared when opportunity knocked — unprepared due to self-created unnecessary chaos from a cluttered and chaotic environment.

CLEAN OUT CLOSETS

If you haven’t done your spring cleaning yet, there’s still time to do it. But if you’ve been cleaning up and keeping organized, then time to clean out your closets. You might be surprised to discover more summer clothing than you knew you owned. No need to buy more when you can use what you already have.

If your closet is too packed, then remove EVERYTHING, give the closet a new coat of paint, then edit as you decide what items to return to your closet, or what gets recycled or donated.

Separate seasonal items, the things you don’t use often like Christmas decorations or crafts projects. Keep them out of sight when not in use. Keep in sight the clothing and accessories that you use most often. Most of us wear only 20% of all the clothing we own, so keep your most used items in easy to reach places in your closets.

DECLUTTER GARAGE

In your garage, simplify any mess by arranging like items in the same area. It is so important in feng shui organization to put LIKE THINGS with LIKE THINGS, meaning that all laundry items are in the same place; all toilet paper, paper towels, and other paper products in the same place; all gardening tools, soil, and pots in the same place. Avoid randomly placed stuff in a big garage.

A feng shui client who I saw this weekend lived in a home with so much stuff in her 4-car garage that she couldn’t even park her car in her garage. The garage seemed overly cluttered, even though there wasn’t that much stuff. And you couldn’t easily find anything, even though all the stuff was laid out and clearly visible.

LIKE WITH LIKE

My client loved the LIKE WITH LIKE concept. She organized what was a messy garage into such a lovely space that now she plans on setting up her easel and start painting again in the garage. She now has the open space, and lovely California light when her garage door is open.

Like most garages, her garage walls were barren. In her home, the garage area correlated to the travel area in the Black Hat school of feng shui. So I recommended that she put up travel posters of the places she wanted to go. Hawaii is her favorite place, so adding a couple of travel posters will warm up the garage and offer inspiration every time she drives her car.

CREATE YOUR OWN GOOD FORTUNE

Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity. Make your own luck and create your own good fortune by opening the energy flow in your home and workplace. No need to live in chaos with clutter. Appreciate spring cleaning as something you can do for free that is worth the effort for transformation. Good luck!

Full Moon in Scorpio and Venus Retrograde

Full MOON in Water sign SCORPIO

FULL MOON IN SCORPIO

Saturday May 5, 2012 is a full Moon in the passionate, sexual, and very intuitive Water sign Scorpio. Emotions come to the surface as this full Moon shines light on feelings that were hidden or unconscious. Now more than ever, trust your intuition and note where you focus your attention. Be like Scorpio in the form of the Phoenix and fly high inspired by your inner knowing.

The transformational energy of this powerful Scorpio full Moon is felt most strongly by the Water signs Scorpio, Pisces, and Cancer. This Scorpio Moon is also excellent for gardening and plant cultivation. Under Scorpio’s influence, sexual energy is intensified and relationships can bond more deeply. Be sure to celebrate and appreciate your loved ones because…

VENUS RETROGRADE IN GEMINI

Tuesday May 15 love planet Venus goes retrograde in the mutable, changeable Air sign Gemini. Every year, Venus is retrograde for about 6 weeks. Should a conflict arise, make a big problem a small problem, and make a small problem nonexistent. If there are partnership break-ups during this Venus retrograde, amends can be made after Venus goes direct on June 28.

Happy full Moon,

Susan

Astrological Party Planning in Dragon Year

Garden Party in Dragon Year

Spring is here! And spring is the power time of Dragon year. Dragon loves many things, but Dragon especially loves all kinds of parties and celebrations. In this Dragon year, bigger is better. Nothing is too extravagant or over the top for the mighty Dragon.

But no need to break the bank for a Dragon dream. Instead, try an astrological pot-luck. It provides something for everyone, and creates a communal spirit that Dragon enjoys, along with Dragon’s best friends Rat and Monkey.

An astrological pot luck is based on your Western sign’s element:

Element WATER signs PISCES, CANCER & SCORPIO bring beverages.

Element EARTH signs VIRGO, CAPRICORN & TAURUS bring desserts.

Element FIRE signs SAGITTARIUS, ARIES & LEO bring main dishes.

Element AIR signs GEMINI, LIBRA & AQUARIUS bring side dishes.

If your event is large enough, refine the details:
For Water signs: PISCES brings sparkling water, Champagne, white wines or light beer. CANCER brings juices, red wine & dark ales. SCORPIO brings the hard stuff, or coffee and teas.

For Earth signs: VIRGO brings healthy fruit & fruit pies. CAPRICORN brings cakes & cookies. TAURUS brings chocolate!

For Fire signs: SAGITTARIUS brings what cooks fast like shrimp or tofu. ARIES brings heartier fare like fowl or grain dishes. LEO brings meat or vegan meat substitutes.

For Air signs: GEMINI brings salads & veggies. LIBRA brings chips, dips & appetizers. AQUARIUS brings noodles, pasta, rice, or bread.

This spring and summer, get out and socialize. Next year Serpent 2013 will be the time for reflective contemplation. But now is the time to enjoy and celebrate. Dragon doesn’t need a reason to party — life is the reason!

TAURUS NEW MOON STARTS WOOD SERPENT MONTH

April 21 is a new Moon in the stable Earth sign Taurus. Moon, Sun, and Jupiter are all in Taurus so use the energy of this steady Taurean Moon to get grounded and catch up. This new Moon make a harmonious grand Earth trine with Mars in analytical Virgo and Pluto in realistic Capricorn. Mars brings increased courage, vigor, and optimism. Pluto’s influence brings depth of perception, gain in wisdom, and more resourcefulness.

This new Moon also starts the month of the Wood Serpent. Take time when needed for introspection and reflection, but the element Wood is about growth, excitement, and accomplishment. And spring is the power season of this Dragon year, so now is not the time for procrastination or delays. In this Serpent month, shed the skin of what holds you back. Springtime is for renewal, so start shedding, release, and embrace your new life cycle. This Taurus new Moon is strongest for the Earth signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn and those born in Serpent, Phoenix, and Ox years.

FENG SHUI in CHILDHOOD

Antiques hold energy of previous owners.

While reading the memoir by British aristocrat Ivana Lowell “Why Not Say What Happened” I noticed many circumstances of bad feng shui in her life. Even though she was very wealthy and lived in stately manors, here is a description of an early childhood home in Mayfair, England:

“My mother’s idea of decorating was to place as many rickety antiques as could fit into a room onto a comparable number of worn antique rugs. The place was always untidy and unruly. If a television set in our living room broke, the replacement would simply be put on top. I have a photo of me as a small child perched on an old broken sofa next to several defunct TV sets and other pieces of unidentifiable furniture. I look confused and out of place, as though I had just been dumped and left in some builder’s scrap yard. It is only when I look closely at the picture that I can tell that I am, in fact, in our drawing room.”

This sounds gruesome due to clutter, neglect, and bad feng shui! About antiques; be cautious with antiques. They can carry energy of the previous owners, and that is not always good. Don’t live with an antique if it does not feel right, or is rickety and not strong enough to be used. And notice exactly what the antique is. For example, an antique gun is unlucky just because it is a gun!

Don’t end up with piles of unused furniture, or piles of computer equipment and other gadgets. This stuff takes up way too much space to allow it to just keep piling up. You don’t want that “left in some builder’s scrap yard” feeling in any room of your home.

Children are sensitive and know what’s going on. They know when a room is a cluttered mess. I’ve seen infants start to cry when they are carried into a room that is chaotic. So for the sake of your kids and to keep family peace, tidy up and don’t let clutter pile up.

If you don’t have kids, or you don’t share your home with anyone, still be aware of the environment that you create. Ivana Lowell describes the studio of her musician father (who turns out to not be her father):

“(His) apartment was only slightly more normal. It was dark and smelled of halva and cologne. His piano was a studio at the end of dark, long, and narrow corridor. When we visited, he would often lock himself in the room and try to compose his music. All we would hear was the sound of the metronome ticking in an otherwise painfully silent room.”

Of course this does not end well. Air out the place, add some lights, paint the walls, and add bright color and patterns. Play music to break the monotony of the metronome.

Bad feng shui continues in another childhood home:

“My bedroom was at the very back of the house, and the easiest route there was by means of the narrow staircase at the end of one wing. I hated going to bed. I was convinced that the house was haunted (I still am), and my room was cold, damp, and lonely. Every night I felt as though I was being exiled into some unfriendly and isolated world… One night I experimented to see what would happen if I screamed at the top of my lungs. After ten minutes of yelling, I realized that no one could hear me.”

This led to, “I think I was about six years old when Mike began to visit me in my bedroom.” The author decribes her childhood molestation by Mike, a handyman who worked on her family’s estate.

The author’s life challenges continue, all in horrible feng shui environments in castles and estates of the wealthiest and most privileged people in the world.

Some things in life we can do something about, and some things in life we cannot change. But we can all make the conscious choice to live with good feng shui by cleaning up messes and being aware of what we chose to live with. Good feng shui closes the door to chaos and violence, and opens the door to peace, harmony, and success.

ANOTHER TRIPLE DRAGON

Friday the 13th is a very fortunate day that brings opportunities for
inspiration, action, and change. Like April 1, April 13 is a
powerful triple Dragon day when luck is increased threefold: a
Dragon day, in Dragon month, during Dragon year 2012.

Luck is even stronger than on April 1 because Mercury is no longer
retrograde since April 4 for clear communications. And the fiery red
planet Mars is no longer retrograde as of April 13 for successful
action.

Ride the wave of energy during this Dragon year peak because there
won’t be another Dragon day like this for twelve years. Luck for
innovation, success, good fortune, and new doors opening is for all,
especially those born in Dragon, Rat, and Monkey years.

Happy Dragons,

Susan