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Astrology:
MoonWatching with Dana Gerhardt and Friends
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Cancer Full Moon Reflections:
The Awakened Heart
by April Elliott Kent
A few weeks ago, I found out that I have a tooth that needs to be pulled. Big deal, right? Yet I’m astonished at the intensity of my reaction. Most nights I find myself awake at 3:00 a.m., tormented by thoughts of mortality. What will be the next to go? Which appendage will desert me? Before I know it I’ll be old, old and frail, old and alone!
Gah! At this Full Moon, with the Moon in tender, sensitive Cancer in a close conjunction with threatening Mars, I know I’m not the only one feeling a bit prone and under attack. Even the political conversation is increasingly moving from foreign affairs to domestic concerns, and what politicians are hearing from their constituents is, "We are afraid." Afraid of losing our jobs and our homes. Watching, horrified, as loved ones fall ill and in some cases lose everything because they either can’t afford health insurance or their coverage is inadequate.
Enter my poor old tooth, prompting my fears that growing older will lead to a future in which I drop limbs like a diseased tree. I mentioned these nocturnal worries to a friend, taking care to present the subject with humor so I didn’t seem like an hysteric. He was not unsympathetic, but did take the opportunity to caution me about the Law of Attraction and to wonder why I was inviting this physical problem into my life. He’s a genuinely caring person and I know he meant well; so why did I leave our meeting feeling judged and alone instead of positive and empowered?
It seems to me that trying to inoculate ourselves from life’s difficult side, whether it’s with positive thinking or "retail therapy," is empty — like a false Sun/Jupiter Santa Claus groaning beneath the weight of unearned gifts. Yet variations on this theme are everywhere at this Full Moon, with the Sun conjunct jovial, "everything will be fine if you only believe!" Jupiter and opposed the Mars-wounded Moon in Cancer. Cash-strapped borrowers are defaulting on their mortgages in record numbers, for instance, yet the Christmas retail season got off to a particularly strong start.
At this Full Moon, the Sun and Jupiter in Capricorn, a sign that thrives on overcoming difficulties, remind us that confronting obstacles can yield unexpected benefits. For instance, alone with my sundry terrors in the wee hours, I’ve been finding something besides fear in my heart: compassion. I feel a lot more empathy these days for people who are coping with pain, loneliness, and troubles much more profound than my own. Pema Chodrin calls this compassion "the awakened heart," the bodhichitta. Feeling what we feel, the negative as well as the positive, is a doorway to the complex hearts of others.
The truth is, lots of us are scared, and angry because we’re scared. Where is the extended family that will look after the dying aunt? Or the health care system that takes care of the dying and relieves their suffering without bankrupting the survivors? And the moment my 3:00 a.m. self taps into this fear and pain and hopelessness – really surrenders to it – I’m immediately calmer. Suddenly I’m sharing in the world’s fear and pain and hopelessness, not just dealing with my own lonely mess. In those moments I glimpse an alternate vision of the Sun and Jupiter… not a claymation Saint Nick with a bulging bag of toys, but a kind, accepting, glowing Buddha figure.
Sometimes we’re fortunate enough to encounter these luminescent, warm-hearted souls in real life — the wise elder, the avuncular grandfather, the fun-loving friend who never met a stranger— and it’s as healing as a comfortable nap in front of a roaring fire. Interestingly, these are never people whom life has spared from difficulty and fear. In fact, it’s because they’ve faced life’s problems and retained a hopeful, positive Jupiterian presence that we are reassured we can do the same. "We all get older, we’re frail and afraid," their manner implies, "but it will be okay as long as we help each other out. We just have to be there for one another. We just have to be there for ourselves."
Maybe my friend has it right, and I’ve attracted this sad, wrecked tooth into my life – not as a punishment for thinking negative thoughts, but as a gift of knowing. At this Full Moon, I hope you feel genuinely happy, loving, and at peace. But if you find yourself tangled in the odd moment of sadness, regret, or loneliness, I wish you the confidence to let your own pierced heart awaken. Feel everything that you feel, even if it doesn’t suit the manic cheer of the season. When Mars opens our lunar hearts this holiday season, let’s leave them open and let them teach us, soften us, and bring us closer to one another. Our awakened hearts can draw us, gracefully and naturally, into the joyful sunlight of the Sun and Jupiter, setting us aglow with the comfort, hope, and merriment of our own Buddha natures.
© 2007 April Elliott Kent
All rights reserved
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Dana Gerhardt,
Astrologer
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Dana Gerhardt
A popular columnist with The Mountain Astrologer since 1991, Dana Gerhardt is an internationally respected astrologer.
She has lectured extensively and written for astrology publications on several continents. Her ongoing passions are the moon and living the intuitive life.
Dana worked for many years in the corporate sector, where she observed the undeniable influence of natural cycles. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude from Occidental College in Los Angeles and did graduate work in literature at Columbia University and CSULA.
She is joined on her Mooncircles website by a community of accomplished astrologers.
Jean Hinson Lall
Jean Hinson Lall is a professional astrologer and psychotherapist who has been in private practice in Baltimore, Maryland since 1975.
A former Peace Corps staff member and Fulbright scholar in India, she holds an M.A. degree in archetypal studies.
Her writings have appeared in Spring, Common Boundary, and The Astrotherapy Newsletter. She has lectured widely on astrology, myth and archetypal psychology and is Director of the Institute for the Study of Imagination.
Julia Bondi
Julia has been a busy counseling astrologer, intuitive, teacher and writer for more than 30 years.
With degrees in clinical psychology and esoteric philosophy, Julia draws her wisdom and dedication to spirituality from her moon rising on her ascendant, her 12th house stellium in Gemini and her Pisces midheaven.
Pythia Peay
Pythia Peay is an astrologer and inspirational journalist whose articles have appeared in a variety of publications, including "George" magazine," Common Boundary," and "The Utne Reader."
She studied and taught meditation with the Sufi teacher, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, and is the editor of his book, Awakening: A Sufi Experience. She has also written Soul Sisters: A Sacred Way for all Women and Mercury Retrograde.
April Elliott Kent
April Elliott Kent is a practicing astrologer, writer, and web designer. Her writing has been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and Wholistic Astrologer magazines, and in Llewellyn's 2005 Moon Sign Book. Her specialty is wedding electionals. She recently graduated from the California State University at San Diego with a degree in communications.
http://www.mooncircles.
com/
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