Mary Jo Wevers

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Facing Unpredictable Changes with a Courageously Open Heart

Sunday July 22nd the Sun leaves the sensitive and vulnerable water sign of Cancer and enters the confident and courageous fire sign of Leo. Each succeeding sign of the zodiac provides the means to rectify or redirect the energy of the previous sign. The astrology this summer portends unexpected developments and unpredictable changes. More than ever we need to summon courage and stay centered in our hearts as we witness dramas unfolding on the global stage. Leo redirects our awareness from the realm of feelings and vulnerabilities and inspires us to move out into the world where we can use our inspired creativity to find solutions to long standing problems. Use your will and determination to love life, honor others, and command respect for individual rights during these unstable times.

The positive polarity of Leo gives it an enthusiastic, sunny, and expansive energy. Having a flair for drama and passion, Leo is a great actor and performer. It loves being on stage in the spotlight taking on varying roles. Leo commands attention, approval, love, respect and applause from others.

Leo governs the ego and the conscious process of becoming an individual. As spiritual beings having a human experience, our egos enable us to function in the world. When we have a healthy ego, we connect with our own inner light and find creative forms of self expression. We learn self-mastery by setting goals and directing our energy and enthusiasm towards them. We are generous in sharing our creative powers and love of life.

The key phrase for Leo is “I Will.” Having abundant courage, Leo does not hesitate to act, especially in undertakings in which personal recognition is desired. It participates in life fully and completely. At its best, Leo is generous, heart-centered, and gives to others in loving ways. Leo must guard against being insecure, arrogant, dominating and having an inflated ego.

Proud, regal, and dignified, Leo respects itself. It values honor and is loyal. Leo’s animal magnetism and charisma make it a confident and influential leader. Leo’s goal is to inspire others to become leaders and shine in their own right.

In many cultures Leo symbolizes the ultimate authority, God on earth, represented by the crown and throne and personified by kings and queens. The symbol for Leo is the majestic lion, representing power and authority. Positive archetypes for Leo include the benevolent ruler, and kings and queens who model courage and strength to their people.

Psychologically, Leo rules our Inner Child: the joyful, creative, spontaneous part of our self who is both playful and sophisticated at the same time. Being in touch with our Inner Child in loving ways connects us with our own spark of divine light. We become more lighthearted, happy, and ebullient. We find ways to channel our individual energy and vitality in creative, whimsical amusements. We play, discover pleasures, enjoy recreational activities such as games, sports, vacations, holidays, and parties. We have fun as we learn self-mastery in the world.

Spiritually, Leo represents the generous heart-centered out-pouring of light and love of life. A candle flame used to light many other candles is not diminished by its sharing. The more that is expressed and freely given, the more there is in the world. As we use and share our light, warming and illuminating others, we encourage them to do the same.

Leo rules our spiritual life purpose. Staying connected to our own individual spark of divine light allows us to create out of joy so we can share our love with others. What brings you joy? What do you love to do more than anything else? What kind of activities excite and replenish your energy? What is a heartfelt expression of your life force and creativity?

The color for Leo is golden yellow, the radiant color of the Sun. Visualize the color gold when you want to build self-love and self-respect, increase confidence, or create warm connections with others. Ruby is the gem for Leo. Gold is its metal. Sunflowers, marigolds, orange and citrus trees are Leo plants. Lions, cats and peacocks are Leo animals. Actors, comedians, stage performers and entertainers personify Leo. Parts of the body ruled by Leo include the heart, upper back, spine, solar plexus and spleen.

This month we can align with the Sun’s radiant energy in Leo by shining our unique, individual spark of light into the world. Find joy in your individuality. Take action with courage and strength. Have confidence. Practice your leadership skills. Make heart-felt connections and respect the divinity in others. Communicate with love. Be generous with your gifts.

“The difference between a leader and a demagogue is a leader brings out the best in his or her followers; a demagogue brings out the worst. History is filled with both.”

– Robert Reich

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The Feminine Face of Gemini

Sunday May 20th the Sun leaves the stable, patiently creative earth sign of Taurus and enters the adaptable and interactive air sign of Gemini. Each succeeding sign of the zodiac provides the means to redirect or apply the energy of the previous sign. Gemini lifts the solid and steadfast energy of Taurus to engage the intellect, connect with others, and create movement. It helps us interact with our world, share our thoughts and ideas, and adapt to changing conditions.

Gemini is traditionally viewed as an outwardly directed “masculine” energy, and its dualistic quality is usually represented by a pair of male twins. In ancient depictions, however, the twins are a woman and man joining hands, or an androgynous pair. The expression of Gemini this month has a distinctively “feminine” quality: grounded, inwardly directed, reflective, sensitive and nurturing. In the ingress chart the Sun in Gemini is disposited and expressed through Mercury in Taurus, giving it an earthy, stable quality. Taking in information through all the physical senses and listening to the body’s communications grounds us in the present moment. Taurus’s ruling planet Venus is in the emotionally sensitive, receptive, and reflective sign of Cancer. It conjoins Pallas Athena in Gemini, describing a creative feminine emotional intelligence that knows how to use communication to build strategic connections. Venus in Cancer is linked to the Moon in Leo conjoining Ceres and the lunar North Node. We are invited to nurture our self and others through sensitive heartfelt expressions of our creative life force as we move towards our evolutionary spiritual destination.

The decidedly feminine quality of the planetary energies described above is reiterated and emphasized by Uranus, newly in the sign of Taurus. For the next seven years Uranus will apply its revolutionary force freeing us to access our feminine side and urging us to embrace the Divine Feminine. It will create changes needed to bring balance to the masculine and feminine principles in ourselves and in our world. Look to the feminine face of Gemini, and tune in to her guidance in the month ahead. Use patience, emotional sensitivity, and heartfelt appreciation for grounded sensibility in your thoughts and communications.

Having been immersed in patriarchy for thousands of years, we are not conscious of the many ways it keeps us from accessing and utilizing our Divine Feminine energy. Patriarchy devalues and denigrates the feminine values of relationship, nurturing and supporting others, having a connection to our emotions, using intuition, and appreciating our Earth, our bodies, and our physicality. Retrograde Jupiter in Scorpio dispositing to retrograde Pluto in Capricorn in the ingress chart speak to the continued unearthing of toxic secrets, corrupt systems, and hidden ways the patriarchy exerts its power and control. In order to restore balance in the outer world, we must deconstruct and transform the old, rigid attitudes and systems of patriarchy that are deeply embedded in us. We can dive deep and eliminate or transform toxic belief systems we carry within us, so that we can hear the voice of the Divine Feminine and embrace her values once again.

In a rapidly changing world Gemini directs us to move with the times. As the structures and systems of the patriarchy continue to undergo deconstruction necessary for evolution, we can listen to the feminine voice of the Messenger of the Gods for direction and guidance through revolutionary change. As we receive her downloads of information and creative insights, we can begin to make sense of the chaos in the world. By embracing Gemini’s feminine communication filter we can be more adaptable, make connections, and bridge divides. Be practical, methodical, deliberate and consistent when communicating with others. Respond carefully, with warmth, serenity and calm. Keep your feet on the ground and a strong connection with your heart. Gemini in her feminine expression will provide fresh perspectives and innovative ideas for supporting others and building a better world.

“Think of yourself as an incandescent power, illuminated and perhaps forever talked to by God and his messengers.”
     – Brenda Ueland

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Restoring our Relationship to Gaia Earth through Taurus

Thursday April 19th the Sun will leave the energetic and pioneering fire sign of Aries and enter the stable, practically creative earth sign of Taurus. Last month’s planetary energies represented sowing the seeds of bold beginnings that will take root and grow through practical wisdom, responsible management of resources, and hard work. This month Taurus rectifies and refines the fire energy of Aries by patiently turning our awareness to our relationship with the Earth, the source of all life. Taurus teaches us to love and appreciate our earthly experience and the tangible things the physical world provides to sustain and support us as spiritual beings having a human experience.

Reforming Uranus is completing its eight year transit of Aries, and separating from its confrontational square with Pluto in Capricorn. The global upheaval catalyzed by this square has resulted in unexpected changes and upsets in our societal systems and institutions. This month Uranus enters the sign of Taurus, signaling a shift into new territory where we can expect disruptions, upheavals and change. We may be rudely awakened to how valuable the natural world is to us, and how we have taken it for granted and misused it. Is it wise to ignore the natural forces and rhythms of life on this planet? We need to review our attitudes and reform our relationship to the Earth.

Moving into Taurus, Uranus will turn our attention to reforming areas of life that pertain to our connection to the Earth, the forces of nature and natural cycles, our physicality, and our dependence on material resources for safety and security. The force of Uranus moving through old patriarchal systems will accelerate the breaking down of old paradigms that denigrate Mother Earth and the Divine Feminine. Will we learn to listen to the quiet yet powerful voice of the Feminine for innovative insight and direction? Uranus will shake up old, entrenched financial and banking systems. What new innovative monetary systems and currencies, such as bitcoin, we will see? Uranus will affect technology and agriculture, impelling us to find ways to align and integrate the two in order to move us into the future. Can we provide greater access among all people to food and resources necessary for human survival?

We can enhance our own evolution in the years ahead by tuning into our physical bodies and engaging with the world through all our senses. As Walt Whitman described in his poem I Sing the Body Electric, the human body is not simply housing the Soul, but connects us through its physical substance to our Soul, and to each other. We can tap into the energy of Taurus this month to find our inner strength and endurance as we witness dramatic changes in our rapidly transforming world. When we focus our awareness on our inner values, rather than deferring to external authority figures, we can align with what is truly meaningful in our lives. As we cultivate our inner sense of peace, safety and security we become less dependent on outer sources to provide them for us. We become stronger and more self-sufficient, satisfied and gratified by the beauty and riches our natural world provides in abundance.

“Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Mars, Planetary Ruler of Aries

The astrological sign of Aries is ruled by the planet Mars. The “Red Planet” is the first planet beyond earth in our solar system. Named after the Roman god of war, its glyph resembles the shield and spear of Mars ♂.

Mars represents the masculine, yang, or outwardly directed movement of our personal energy that propels us into action. In physics it is understood that movement creates energy. When we move our physical body, or use it to create movement, we generate energy. We channel our energy through our actions. We feel vibrant and alive. Mars rules our basic needs and primal urges to achieve our wants and desires.

In the astrological chart Mars represents our desire or urge to take action and wield our life force and vitality in the world. The sign of the planet Mars and the house it occupies in your chart shows the manner and ways you are inclined to act. Mars defines how we feel vigorous, exuberant and dynamic. It indicates how we take initiative, assert our will and exert ourselves. It shows how our enthusiastic, pioneering, adventurousness spirit is expressed. It describes how we can feel potent, bold, take risks and be confident and self-assured. It delineates where we have the courage to be decisive, spontaneous and to take action.

Mars is forthright, insistent and determined. When meeting with resistance or conflicting desires, it uses its force to assert itself. Mars represents our aggressive urges and both our external and internal conflicts and struggles. Mars rules war, the forceful power and will to overcome opposition and rivals. It shows the ways we can be impulsive or impatient, reckless and rash, destructive and accident-prone, consequently causing physical harm to our self or others. Mars is associated with burns and fevers, accidents, trauma, pain, inflammation and arthritis.

Mars rules our need for physical excitement and stimulation, including physical activity, competition and exertion. Mars describes how we use our physical body and defines our stamina and energy levels. Mars drives our primordial need to physically connect with another on a sexual level. It describes what we find physically attractive and sexually exciting in another person.

For the next two months the planet Mars will transit the sign of Capricorn, giving it a more goal-oriented, grounded and practical expression. Mars in Capricorn asserts itself through concrete achievement requiring diligence, perseverance and hard work. It is interested in activities that are practical and create social structure and organization that have lasting value and provide stability and security. This month, the solar energy of Aries is channeled through Mars in Capricorn, directing us to use our will to act responsibly, with self-discipline, and to honor the past as we build for the future.

“Genuine beginnings begin within us, even when they are brought to our attention by external opportunities.”     – William Bridges 

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Neptune, Modern Planetary Ruler of Pisces

The modern ruler of Pisces is the planet Neptune. This large planet is surrounded by a thick atmosphere of gases, water and ice. Neptune’s atmosphere is known for its active weather patterns and storms, driven by the strongest winds of any planet in the solar system. Neptune is named for the Roman god of the sea. Its glyph is the sea god’s trident.

Neptune spends approximately 14 years in each sign of the zodiac, taking about 168 years to orbit the Sun. Considered the second transpersonal planet, it’s transit through a sign affects an entire generation, and represents their idealistic wish to rise up to a higher plane of existence.

Neptune was discovered in 1846 when it was in the final degrees of the sign of Aquarius. Soon afterward it entered its own sign of Pisces and the United States entered into Civil War, in large part due to collective efforts to end slavery. We will undergo our country’s Neptune return soon, and civil rights issues, which stem from our country’s economic foundation in slavery, are being revisited. This is a time to heal the wounds from our past.

In the astrological chart, Neptune symbolizes the need to experience suffering in order to atone for our sins and become more compassionate and empathetic towards others. This is referred to as the “path to redemption.” This path to redemption often creates unhealthy perpetrator/victim/savior dynamics in our relationships, resulting in compulsions, co-dependencies and significant psychological problems for us.

Ultimately Neptune directs us to have compassion for ourselves without martyrdom. It asks us to form universal emotional connections with others through hope, faith, forgiveness and unconditional love. Through sacrifice of our ego needs we redeem ourselves, transcend our material existence, and are reborn again into the human condition transfigured.

Neptune in Pisces

Neptune was in the sign of Pisces during 1848-1863. Since then it has traveled full circle around the Sun and is once again in the sign of Pisces, where it will stay until 2025.

What can we expect during this current 14 year transit of Neptune in Pisces? What collective experiences will we have that will deepen our empathy, compassion and universal love? Must we re-experience the divisiveness  in our country that lead to our Civil War, or can we move forward from a higher spiritual awareness? As a country, can we transcend racism, sexism, “other-ism” and come to appreciate our connections with everyone, regardless of race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation?

On the personal level, how do you need to retreat from the material world to revitalize and replenish your connection to your soul? What spiritual practices will support your own spiritual development? Use this 14 year period to create a deeper sense of your own inner divinity and connection to all of humanity.

“Compassion is more important than intellect in calling forth the love that the work of peace needs, and intuition can often be a far more powerful searchlight than cold reason.”

– Betty Williams