NEW MOON IN SCORPIO (Nov. 1st 5:25 pm PST)

This New Moon occurs on Samhain, the first day of the year in the Celtic calendar - a time of endings and beginnings, of purification and communion with the Underworld. The Christian celebration of All Saints' Day was created to coincide with earlier traditions honoring ancestors and the occasion when the veils between the living and dead are thinnest. The ancient ritual of Dumb Supper, when one dines with departed loved ones by setting plates of their favorite foods and conversing as if they were present, is a ceremony that can offer great wisdom and healing in modern lives as well. It reminds us that whatever we have shared with another lives on and that we can draw upon those connections to take the next step forward.

Every New Moon is the perfect time for reflection and for setting new intentions; a New Moon in Scorpio challenges us to scrutinize our motivations and examine how we are dealing with intimacy, shared resources, and power. The eighth sign involves the journey into the dark, into the unconscious, the shadow, the repressed, the feared, and the simply unknown. Pluto, the mythic Lord of the Underworld, aspects this New Moon, intensifying our need for honesty and transparency. What we don't know can and often does hurt us.

This New Moon forms part of a very potent grand cross (or grand square), which generates two oppositions and four squares, representing the need to transform rigidity, willfulness, and possessiveness into resilience, determination, and cooperation. Consisting of the fixed signs (Scorpio, Taurus, Leo, and Aquarius), which focus, consolidate, and maintain continuity, a fixed grand cross symbolizes an imperative to confront longstanding issues and imbalances.

This energy configuration exerts a strong influence during the first week of November and beyond: The Sun, after squaring Saturn exactly on November 2 (11° Scorpio-Leo), moves on to square Neptune at 15° Aquarius and oppose Mars at 15° Taurus on November 6. Mars, Neptune, and Saturn are all traveling slowly this season because of their retrograde phases, thus extending the time they are in aspect to each other. As Jupiter penetrates more deeply into Scorpio, a fixed grand cross continues through mid January, increasing the opportunities to transform the "Us versus Them" mindset into a more unified, heart-centered reality.

With a fixed cross, something's got to give, and with a New Moon in Scorpio, what's got to give involves the dark sides of the Bull, the Lion, the Scorpion, and the Water Bearer - greed, tyranny, paranoia, and hypocrisy. Mars in Taurus activates our need for security and pleasure. Saturn in Leo focuses our attention on personal power and accountability. The Sun and Moon in Scorpio cast light on what has been disowned and demonized. And Neptune in Aquarius enlarges our sense of kinship beyond national, religious, and racial identity. A fixed cross paradoxically teaches us that nothing is fixed; the more we hold on, the harder life raps our knuckles to make us let go.

This New Moon occurs in the midst of a longer period of flux. From September 2 to December 24, 2005, every planet except Jupiter changes direction at least once: Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, and Chiron turn direct; Saturn and Venus turn retrograde; and Mars and Mercury turn both retrograde and direct during this period. Although retrograde motion is a normal part of a planetary cycle, ten stations within 16 weeks makes for a whole lot of shaking up of the status quo. Each time a planet turns either retrograde or direct, its energies and messages are intensified. These shifts (and this New Moon, in particular) herald another big fork in the road the choice to stay in the dark, in the illusion of separation, or to take the next step toward the light. "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." (Plato)

CALENDAR

READING SCHEDULE FOR THE LOS ANGELES AREA
I will be available for Astrology, Tarot, and Aura-Soma consultations Saturday, November 12 and Sunday the 13th. Available times are from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm at Misty's home. Contact Wendy@TwixtEarthandSky.com to schedule. Or, you can schedule through the contact section of my website and enter all of your birth info there. www.TwixtEarthandSky.com

Reiki 2 training, Friday, Nov. 11, 12-6 pm, in LA at Misty's home. To participate in this class contact Wendy@TwixtEarthandSky.com .

Reiki 1 training - Friday, Nov. 18th, 12-6 pm, in Vista at our home. To participate in this class contact Wendy@TwixtEarthandSky.com .

Reiki 2 training - Sunday Nov. 20th, 12-6 pm, in Vista at our home. To participate in this class contact Wendy@TwixtEarthandSky.com .

GIFT CERTIFICATES are now available for holiday giving. If you want to give a friend a reading, Reiki, custom power jewelry, pendulum or Aura-Soma, Contact me Wendy@TwixtEarthandSky.com

Basic Tarot Classes a 6 week course on Thursday evenings from 7 - 9 pm, beginning November 10, 17, and December 1, 8, 15, 29. Location: Mystical Gyfte, 210 S. Indiana Ave. Vista, CA 92084. To register call Mystical Gyfte, 760-643-2120. Cost: $25.00 per class.

PLAN YOUR OWN NEW MOON CEREMONY. Give yourself some quiet time in meditation to see where you need to seed new ways of becoming. List these areas within your life you want to change. What areas of your life do you want to break free from the norm and become more productive and discerning? The NEW MOON is the time to manifest the attributes and things you want to bring to you. Possible phrasing: I now manifest ____ into my life. I am now _______ . Remember, think, envision and feel with as much emotion as possible, as though you already have what you want. Thoughts are things and the brain manifests exactly what you show it in the form of thoughts, visuals and emotions about yourself. The Buddha said, and I am paraphrasing, "We are the sum total of our thoughts up to today. " If we want to be different than we must change our thoughts. "If you always do what you've always done then you'll always get what you've always got." CONSCIOUS CHANGE is the key.

OUR BOOK, Words of Love for Men, Secret Formulas for Mastering Intimate Relationships, is available for $12.95 plus shipping. This book outlines, in simple form, the ways to nurture relationships. These proven formulas can be applied to all relationships. It can empower you to achieve the loving and lasting relationship you desire with your partner and all family members. The principles can also be applied to work related relationships as well. Contact: Books@CelestialDesignInc.com to order your copy.

Visit our website: TwixtEarthandSky.com for information on Astrology, Reiki, and Tarot, and coming in the next few months, Aura-Soma, where we will be providing the ability to have an on - line color consultation.

Sky and Telescope website has current sky events. http://skyandtelescope.com/

Readings: Wendy is available for over-the-phone readings any time. Wendy@TwixtEarthandSky.com.