Black Pearl Woman – the Art of Self Creation
The tender flesh of the oyster fashioning the pearl. ~ Amy Palko
Sun in Gemini 21°
Mars in Gemini 22°
Mercury has gone direct!At 4° Gemini
Waning Moon in Taurus in her Balsamic Phase
June 13th Summer Solstice – June 21st, 2015
The waning Moon is like the shedding of a snake skin, one that no longer fits, or has outlived its use, while revealing the new skin growing beneath it.
We are at the Last Quarter Moon phase in Taurus and will shift into the last phase of the Moon’s 28 day cycle, the Balsamic phase, tomorrow, June 13th. Some astrologers suggest not to begin anything new during the waning phase of the Moon… and yet, this does not mean it is not a vital time for creation. In fact, once the effluvia is shed, we can begin to see the form of what is left beneath it. What has lasting qualities. What we are being called to deepen our devotion to.
We are also at the very tippy end of the season of Spring, entering into Summer on June 21st, Summer Solstice. Astrologically, this begins our Summer Selves which covers the astrological time period of Cancer, Leo and Virgo in our chart, ending at the Autumn Equinox on September 21st.
Whenever we change seasons, there is a dramatic shift in our solar energies – without in Nature, and within our consciousness. Indigenous peoples knew this and thus marked these times in celebration and ritual so as to align themselves with the powers of nature upon which they relied.
Cancer is the sign of giving birth to new forms of life.
The primordial ocean which this sign rules is where all lifeforms emerged from. Her waters are influenced and ruled by the powerful force of the Moon, its ebb and flow, its yin and yang, the cycles of women’s blood, birth and death.
As Summer Solstice approaches, I am feeling the stirring of my creative self and endeavors revealing themselves in earnest. So much of our lives is spent in the busyness of work that our desires for our creative works is given little time to. Creative works require dedication and devotion to achieve their fulfillment. While all acts of life can be seen as creative, there is a particularity to those acts which truly deepen and fulfill our sense of self. Jung called this process of engagement with one’s life and creative endeavors, individuation. Maslow, self actualization. These are creative acts which birth and nourish our eternal unfolding unto ourselves.
“Man is no longer an Artist, he has become the work of Art.” ~ Nietzsche
Leo is the sign which rules creative self expression.
It is a fire sun, occurring in the heart of Summer, and represents our creative drive infused by the Sun. Virgo, is an earth sign, Gaia, who supports the manifestation and harvest of our creative waters and fires into form. And thus Summer provides the support for the actualization of our creative selves.
Creating art (in whatever form) is an alchemical process. An act which changes us. We follow the thread of our creative urges into the Mystery of our unfolding selves within the deep of the Unconscious. The ego’s rightful place is the scribe of that mystery in whatever form is true for you. It could be that working in your garden is your encounter with the Self and its expression. Cooking in the kitchen. Climbing a mountain. Writing. Painting. Composing. Movement.
“Art is the method of levitation, in order to separate one’s self from enslavement by the earth.” ~ Anais Nin
The Unconscious is the fount from which the neverending creative source flourishes from. When we access this place in ourselves and in Nature, our works never run dry, and more importantly, our life as our greatest work of Art is fashioned from our original ground of existence. Great works of art and our lives are fashioned from the depth and breadth of the whole of ourselves, which includes our shadows, our wounds, and our dream life.
“Here, when the danger to his will is greatest, art approaches as a saving sorceress, expert at healing. She alone knows how to turn these nauseous thoughts about the horror or absurdity of existence into notions with which one can live…” ~ Nietzsche
**I would like to invite you to enter into a Summer Solstice event to initiate the Summer Self and its Art of Self Creation. The Facebook forum opens on June 17th, at the Dark Moon/New Moon phase in the fertile winds of Gemini and continues in a dynamic creative process through to the Cancer Dark Moon on July 17th.**
There will be a webinar ritual performed on Sunday, June 21st to initiate the Summer Self ~ The Art of Self Creation, and other rituals at the Full Moon in Capricorn and the final one at the Cancer Dark Moon.
The program will include teachings on the Astrological forces of Nature in our midst, Art, Music, Movement, Nature Play and Witnessing as mediums in which to draw forth our raw material for our deepening creative self over the Summer months. I will also be encouraging photography of our most intrinsic acts and works in life as a way to be witnessed and awakened to the sacred creative material in our life in every moment.
“Life is so fluid that one can only hope to capture the living moment, to capture it alive and fresh … without destroying that moment.” ~ Anais Nin
We will be using the archetypes of Astrology… the sacred wild forces of Nature… to support and inform our works: Dark Moon in Gemini; Summer Solstice, and the sun’s ingress into Cancer; the Full Moon in Capricorn; and the Dark Moon in Cancer.
The suggested donation for the Summer Solstice event is $80. As always, if you would like to attend but cannot afford this much, donate what you are able to.
Here is the paypal link to make your donation:
Look for where the upcoming Dark Moon at 25° Gemini on June 17th occurs in your chart. Then look for where your Summer Self lives in your chart: From 0° Cancer, Leo, and all the way through to 30° Virgo. Look at what Houses the Summer Self encompasses in your chart. What areas of Life do these Houses represent? Does this stir into awareness areas of your life you’ve lived over your past? And what are you are in the midst of in this moment?
Bowing to your Sacred Wild Summer Nature.
“And then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to Blossom.” ~ Anais Nin