Retrogrades, Eclipses, and the Solstice....oh my!
From the full Solar eclipse, 2017. Photo by A. Auset Rohn
As I write this edition of the Goddess Diaries, it’s an absolutely GORGEOUS and perfect day outside my windows. The sunshine is warm and there’s a breeze that makes the trees rustle and move the shadows across the floor. In a few days sands from Egypt will be coming into my area of the world brought from the deserts of Egypt on trade winds to add to the ambiance of the atmosphere. My creative mind is spinning and there’s so much to rein in to be able to get my thoughts out to you about all that’s been happening in …our world.
This might be a long one that will be worth your time to grab something yummy to drink and get comfy so that you can open to the messages you need to hear. It’s not so much about what’s been happening in my own life as it is what’s known in the Ancient Egyptian texts as an “instructional” or “wisdom” text. I’ll share a little from my own life, too, to give some context to things so that you can see where you may have been feeling or going through some of the same types of things. :)
To put it mildly, it’s been a little crunchy and uncomfortable. Coming off of months of quarantine and a worldwide pandemic and now moving into summer where things are beginning to open up in the midst of six…yes, SIX… planets in retrograde, multiple eclipses AND summer solstice has made it intense! If you’ve been feeling out of sorts, having difficulty concentrating, feeling like you’ve lost your groove or your passion, been feeling tired or on an emotional/mental roller coaster of activity and then crashing….you’re not alone!
Additionally, everything happening in the cosmos is supporting everything happening in the world with racial injustice being brought to our attention, inequality and discrimination being examined by people of all races and backgrounds, and the struggle of power between those who represent the law and the people they’re meant to protect. It’s supporting everything happening in your own personal world as you navigate these issues within your own circles. Everything is happening for a reason and it can help to know that while it may be tough or downright uncomfortable and hard, you do have the support for these changes from the Universe.
Retrogrades
There are 6 planets in retrograde so let’s talk about them a little and what it might mean for you. I’ll share some stories from my own life in relation to each and of course, I’ll tie in some of that special Egyptian magic that can help you move through with a little more support and grace!
Mercury in Cancer (June 17 - July 12): Did you know that Mercury goes into a 3-week retrograde 3 or 4 times a year! It’s a planet of communication and technology and this can make things challenging when it comes to trying to get your thoughts and feelings expressed. It can also make things harder to get done where technology is concerned.
It’s in the sign of Cancer which is ruled by the moon and affects our Home life. This watery sign hosting Mercury will bring up issues at home, with family, and problems communicating. Emotions may run high so be gentle on your Self and others. Change the dynamic and come from a place of understanding rather than trying to be heard. Sometimes, it’s as important to listen as it is to speak and the wisest souls know when to do both.
My life: This week I spent all day on my website trying to figure out how to make adjustments to my music page and it wasn’t coming together at all. Finally I decided to let it go for the day and the next day try again. The Mercury Gods were smiling on me then because I got it sorted and I think it’s a good workaround for now. Interestingly enough, I was (finally) uploading my CD of the music of the zodiac. Doing so during this time makes me feel like that process was divinely guided and supported, even with the technical issues.
Venus in Gemini (May 13 - June 25): By the time you read this blog, this planet will be back on track. However, it’s been a player in the events happening around you so we’ll talk about it a little. Venus is best known as the planet of love. Here it’s been in Gemini, the sign of the twins and duality. This sign loves to learn and gather information and relationships are important. This retrograde has been supporting you as you question your place in society or with the ones you love. You may have also been wanting to know everything you can about All.The.Things and have been reading and listening….and some of it has been hard. You may see two sides of things and be struggling with which one is “right”. You may be trying to sift through the information you’re finding to figure out where the middle ground is between the extremes. Now that we’re on the other side of this retrograde, you should be feeling a little more secure in your new knowledge base. You’ll still want to learn and love and network but you may not feel as overwhelmed.
My life: It’s been 5 years now since I separated from my family and farm. Over the past few weeks I’ve really struggled with being there/not being there, missing the interaction of being with people I love, feeling sadness over the loss of what I thought I’d be doing now and where I thought I’d be. It’s been a roller coaster ride of emotions and the mind as I found my Self romanticizing the past. I worked so hard to let the emotions come but not let them distract me from basic truths. I’ve struggled in my mind, too, with the feeling of not knowing enough or being smart enough or scholarly enough in my work but kept coming back to things I know, kept coming back to studying and learning and reading … and breathing. I feel stronger now and feel like I gained more clarity so now I can continue to be of service (which I really love) in the best ways possible.
Saturn in Aquarius (May 10 - September 29): Saturn is the planet of restrictions and where things get that crunched feeling. It’s moving through its retrograde in Aquarius which is a sign filled with vision for the future, humanitarian efforts and elevated consciousness. When we think of the events that led to the revamping of the Black Lives Matter movement and how people of ALL races and genders and religions came together to protest and overcome oppression during peaceful protests….well, what more is there to say about this one? This new awareness sweeping the nation is most certainly being supported in the heavens by this retrograde and this is exciting news because change is in the air and the timing is perfect for there to be some lasting changes made. It’s in the legal arena, the sports arena, the entertainment industry. It’s big….just like Saturn.
My life: As a Libra with 5 planets in Libra, I’m very pained by injustice. With the death of George Floyd I was touched and moved in a way that I never had been before and that has led me to take a hard look at my own inadvertent racism. Every day I read or watch or listen to the voices of the black community to learn and as I do, I ask my Self what can I do with the platforms I have to make a difference in the world. As a Priestess of Isis I am called to be of service and to uphold the concept of Ma’at, that principle of balance so integral in the lives of the Ancient Egyptians. I made signs, bought the “Fuck Racism” tank top, got the “Black Lives Matter” and “I Cant’ Breathe” face masks. Knowing that this wasn’t enough for me I donated all the proceeds of an online class to two organizations that support black lives and black art. Knowing that this wasn’t enough for me I reached out to some of my black friends and business owners to collaborate on blogs and photography projects to celebrate diversity. ACTION is the name of the game and I’m grateful for the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Jupiter in Capricorn (May 14 - September 12): While Saturn rules restriction, Jupiter rules expansion. Capricorn is the sign of practicality, hard work and stubbornness and here you may be finding your Self trying to grow and not wanting to see where you may be jumping ahead of things. You may want to finish a project in a rush and cut corners to make it happen or want to start something big without first laying a solid foundation to get it on its feet successfully. Tap into Capricorn’s ability to keep it real and look at your situation without bias (soooo hard, I know!)
My life: My creativity is B.I.G. right now and I have to keep reminding my Self that I need to plan ahead. I need to take steps, I need to have conversations, have meetings, then put ONE thing on the calendar, not ALL the Things at once. These are both personal creative projects and in my online work here with you from all around the world! I’ve got big ideas that I know will fizzle unless I take steps and don’t try to do it all at once. Plus, some of the things I want to do need to be done later because part of the change is not to be such a white-privileged person and go back to life as it was before I knew the things I didn’t know that I didn’t know. There’s a Capricorn-ian stubbornness to stay the course and work hard in the months ahead.
Neptune in Pisces (June 22 - November 28): Neptune is one of the planets that rule the sign of Pisces so you might think that they’re right at home here together. In retrograde, however, the shadow side of each can play off of each other in your life and really make you question reality. Both this sign and planet are highly intuitive and help give insight and clarity on a spiritual level. They can, at this time in retrograde, bring you into a place of looking at things that you thought were one way and find out that they’re another. You may find out things about others that you find shocking or be in a situation that lets you see how someone really feels or thinks. This celestial event can have you bouncing back and forth between feeling like you got it to “What just happened?!”
My life: Yes, this has been a tough one for me. I’ve been forced to face more reality than I wanted and felt frustrated to be in this situation again….while also feeling frustrated that I let my Self be naive. Like, if I didn’t really think about it then it wasn’t really happening, and thinking that there’s absolutely no way that this is happening again only to find out that, yes it is. Sad. Frustrating. Personal confidence crushed. Once things settled in and I began to accept them, I felt tired in my soul about the whole thing. A really wonderful thing happened through it all, though, and that was that I felt so much stronger than I did 5 years ago or even 3 years ago. The truth didn’t reduce me to bed unable to function….it only reduced me to the couch and doing dishes and watering my plants while sulking and feeling sorry for my Self. These small steps felt huge even though it wasn’t fun to go through. I allowed the feelings to come so I could look at them. If I can do it, so can you!
Pluto in Capricorn (April 25 - October 4): Here’s a planet in hard-working, stubborn Capricorn again and this time it’s Pluto….the planet of transformation. Changes you may need to make….well, you really won’t want to! You’ll hold onto all of your secondary gains stubbornly while things around you push you into change against your wishes. Even if you can’t control this thing, focus now on what you CAN control and do those things. Remember that you can control your feelings and that you don’t have to give anyone else power over them. Remember that you can control what you’re wearing, what you’re eating, what you’re reading and feeding your soul with. Take control of these things to feed your soul and grow in spite of the changes happening not just TO you but FOR you. Surrender.
My life: As I write all of this I’m thinking, “Damn it!” and maybe some other more colorful words here. I’m breathing into the changes coming knowing that whatever comes will be “This or something better” and I’m banking on the “better” part.
Eclipses AND the Solstice
Eclipses happen in pairs and sometimes there are 3 in a row. Recently, it began with a lunar eclipse on June 5, followed by a solar eclipse that coincided with the Summer Solstice on June 20, followed by another lunar eclipse July 4/5. Umm, yes….it’s a LOT!
An eclipse will bring to light your shadow side. It can catapult you into confronting truths you didn’t want to confront, finding out things you didn’t want to find out, and put a dimmer on your clarity and focus for your own trajectory. You can choose to use all of this as an opportunity to grow and to use the information to help you move forward. It won’t be easy and you may have fits of crying on the floor or in your car or while washing dishes. You may have a Big Ugly Cry. It’s ok. Again….allow the feeling to come up that you’ve bottled up inside because this is what the eclipse energy is also here to support. Let your voice be heard and first heard by you.
The Summer Solstice was here to help lift you back into your power when everything else got stripped away. With the next lunar eclipse on its way, get familiar with this feeling of confidence so that you can pull it up again when you feel vulnerable.
Egyptian wisdom
Well, if you’ve read all the information above and are still with me, great job! Let’s get into a little more if your mind is still functioning! Here’s where I tie everything all together for you so that you have a little direction on how to work with the energy of the cosmos.
One of the beautiful things about the neteru (gods/goddesses) of Egypt is that their divinity was so closely intertwined with humanity. Of course, it was more the royal family and heirs to the throne and their spouses that were given this position, but over time, all of the people began to align themselves with the gods, in life and after death. All of the neteru had their stories of struggle and some of it wasn’t pretty. Many of these stories originated with the influx of outside cultures but at its core, divinity was an intrinsic part of human life. The stories below reflect “newer” stories of the Osirian Mysteries rather than the pre-dynastic roles of the gods with each other for simplicity.
Control and illusion: The Goddess Isis experienced pain and heartache that was out of her control through the death of her husband, Osiris. She had to focus on what she could control and using her magic, overcame the illusion of this separation by bringing part of him back to life enough to create their son Horus.
Recognition of status: Horus then battled with his uncle Set for eons of time over the rulership of the land of Egypt. Even though Horus was the heir to the throne, Set didn’t want to believe this and he fought against what he knew was inevetable to the detriment of peace in the land.
Truth will set you free: Isis used her ability to shapeshift to achieve something that brought peace to Egypt and an end to the fighting. She portrayed her Self as someone that she wasn’t (an old woman) to gain access to the meeting of the gods over who would rule Egypt. Horus was given the title after she illuminated them all to the truth of Set’s deception.
Lack of confidence/ability: Isis also let her Self be held captive by Set in a tower when she had the power all along to escape her prison. How many times do we as humans do this….stay stuck because we gave someone else our power.
The civil unrest, the perceptions of race and social status, the deception of the media or within relationships, the reminiscing of the glory days of the past, the struggle for power within families were all realities of the gods, the people and pharaoh’s of Ancient Egypt.
We are part of something B.I.G. and remembering that it is all supported by the planets and the neteru who’ve had similar experiences and overcame them brings hope.
During this time one of the things you can do is to make time to commune with the Universe/your guides/Beings or the neteru. Make time to meditate and listen to their guidance and insight. Have an inner dialogue with them and let them hold you during your ugly cry. Light your incense at your altar, smudge your house, write in your journal, plan a ritual. Even though the energies from above may be bringing feelings of being disconnected to your guides, now is your time to shine! Your guides are still there. Isis is still there….this is the time you’ve designed for your Self to do this Thing on your own, using all the things you’ve learned from the past, like my Neptune in Pisces. It’s not the design of the Universe to tear you down completely and leave you there…..you may be torn down but this is so that you can RISE!
If Set didn’t battle Horus, how was Horus going to gain courage or know how resilient he was or how strong his spirit was? Tough times give us an opportunity to grow and use all the tools we have to overcome adversity.
In conclusion
I know this is long but I’m hoping it gave you insight, hope, and inspired you in some way. If it did, I’d love to hear about it! Use the comment section below or the Contact Me option in the menu to tell me more about it!
May you be strong and enjoy everything about today!