Wash out the old
Bring in the new
Lesson's wisdom
clarifies the view

The eleventh sign of the Greek zodiac is Aquarius.  The sign of the water bearer runs from about January 20 to February 18.  When this sign comes into play, we are invited to reflect on the past and learn from what we have experienced.  Then the water washes away the past leaving behind wisdom and space for the future to unfold.  With this new future comes new potential and clarity.

Aquarius is a symbol of the mind and community, pouring out inspiration, hope, and healing.  This is a sign of innovation in progressive action for the greater good.  It symbolizes the community, teamwork, and collaboration needed to make a powerful impact on the world.

Even though Aquarius works with the hope of a better future for his community, he is a bit of a paradox.  Aquarius is an independent, rebellious, free-spirit.  This is a sign of intellect and curiosity pushing the boundaries of the unknown.  This is the eccentric free spirit looking for clarity and insight, and maybe to spark a revolution.

When this is taken to extremes, this can be a stubborn, holier than thou attitude that expects the rest of the world to follow his dictates.

So, in this time of the rainy season in much of the north, maybe a little bit of new and unconventional thinking might be in order.  It is a time to work with that fresh flow of ideas.  Hopefully without destroying the apple cart in the process.

Goat of the sea
At the turning of the year
The vision to see
Tradition and spirit both we hear

​The sea goat, Capricorn, is the tenth sign of the Greek zodiac.  It is the sign of the turning of the year, beginning at around the winter solstice.  The season of Capricorn is December 22 to January 19.  This is a down to earth sign that represents trailblazing, vision, and striving for goals.

Capricorn brings two seemingly opposite symbols into one fusion. The body of the goat represents power, courage, striving, and ambition.  The tail of a fish represents emotion, spiritual growth, family, and the cycle of life.  When they are brought together into Capricorn, they represent balance.  Balance between goals and striving, and family and celebration.  Balance between spiritual life and material life.  Balance between responsibility and fun.

On the practical side, Capricorn represents hard work towards goals and ambitions.  It is about getting down to earth and motivated to get things done and taking responsibility for the outcomes in our lives.  This sign represents power and courage in life, facing every challenge, and overcoming adversity.  Capricorn is a visionary, a leader, and a trailblazer.  Capricorn takes action.

On the other side, Capricorn is also family, spiritual, and emotion.  The mischievousness of Capricorn may catch you off guard.  Or, the loyalty and dedication to family can soften Capricorn's hard edges.  This is also a reminder to take time to celebrate, play, and reflect.

In every way, Capricorn represents the turning of the year.  Balance the celebration of past accomplishments and family with goals and vision for the future.  Balance spiritual awareness and practice with physical world drive, ambition, motivation and hard work.  Balance tradition and reverence with vision and play.  

It is the time to take the turning of the year to create beautiful balance in life.

November 22 to December 21 marks the ninth sign of the Greek zodiac, Sagittarius.  This intense and passionate sign is represented by the centaur archer shooting his arrow skyward, as if seeking a higher truth.   As a centaur, Sagittarius is both beast and man.  He is both wild and unruly, and wise and knowledgeable.  Sagittarius represents the quest to balance the two extremes.  And, extremes seem to describe the energy of Sagittarius.

He is full of fire and adventure.  Sagittarius represents bold passion and curiosity.  He lives life large and with intensity, seeking new places, experiences, and people.  This sign brings in an energy of fun, optimism, and change.  The centaur, as half horse, represents wild relentless strength.  He is instictive and intuitive.  Sagittarius is a risk taker, seeking to live life to its fullest and seeking personal growth.

In Sagittarius, the wild and untameable beast is balanced by the unrelenting quest for knowledge and wisdom.  The human part of the centaur represents the rational and the search for knowledge.  Sagittarius is willing to seek the truth where most fear to look.  It signifies an interest in learning everything and a constant quest for higher knowledge and philosophy of life.  Sagittarius looks for the big picture.

The bow and arrow also holds great significance in the symbol of Sagittarius.  It is both a weapon of war and passion, and a tool of protection and focus.  Is it used in anger, or is it used to provide sustenance?  At its best, the bow and arrow points the straight way to truth, purpose, and life path.  In this case, the archer is pointing the arrow towards the sky as if seeking higher purpose and spiritual truth.

This all sounds like the season that we are entering.  It is a time when we begin to seek truth, purpose, and fun.  We begin looking at what changes we can make in the next turning of the wheel.

Keep the secrets of the scorpion's sting
To find the magic of transformation
Live in the body of sensual and psychic
And find truth in emotion and passion

The eighth sign of the Greek zodiac is Scorpio.  The scorpion is in its full power from October 23 to November 21.  In the northern hemisphere, this encompasses the festivals of mid autumn, Halloween, Samhain, Day of the Dead, Thanksgiving in the US, and harvest festivals of the north.  This marks the beginning of the dark time, when all in the northern temperate regions sleeps.  This is a time when, according to many spiritual traditions, the veils between the dimensions are thin and communication between is easy.  The symbology of Scorpio reflects this time of year.

First and foremost, Scorpio is a sign of transformation.  Some see this as a sign of destruction, some as a sign of death.  And it is, to a point.  The reality is that transformation can be difficult and can carry quite a sting.  Transformation often requires an unraveling or disassembling before the threads can be picked and used to create new potential.  So, in Scorpio, we have the symbol of death and destruction, and the symbol of transformation and rebirth.

The season of Scorpio is a time of reflection, honoring the ancestors, and introspection.  With Scorpio, get in touch with your emotions and dig deep into your shadow to find the secrets that reside there.  Scorpio can teach us to truly dive into our own magic and intuition to find our own psychic and spiritual gifts.  When we follow Scorpio's lead, we may find our own truth and power in our emotions and passion.

Ah, yes, but beware of the sting.  When personal power is out of balance, it becomes controlling and power hungry.  Sensuality and passion can become predatory.  Vision sometimes tips over to obsession.  Staying in the shadows can lead to paranoia.

The magic in the scorpion is found when this heavy energy stays firmly grounded in balancing the wisdom of the elders with the passion and vision for the future.

Lady Astraea
Holds the scales
Balanced justice
Harmony prevails

Libra is the seventh sign of the Greek zodiac.  This season starts with the time of balance, the Autumnal equinox, and ends around October 23.  If Virgo brings in the harvest, Libra weighs the harvest.  It is the symbol of balance, justice, and equity.  Libra is Latin for balance and is usually depicted as Lady Astraea, the goddess of justice, holding a balance scale.  She is an air sign, analytical, rational, detached, and balanced.

Libra is a sign of peace, fairness, equality, and justice.  It is a sign of balanced compromise and fair social structures.  In all cases, she asks:  What is just?  What is fair?  Who is being left out?  She works in the big picture ideas and ideals of social justice, fair distribution, beauty, and harmony.  Libra thrives in social situations with diplomacy, tact, and a cooperative spirit.

The flip side of Libra's coin is insecurity.  The quest for harmony can make Libra afraid to take a stand.  Balance and symmetry can lead to uncertainty and indecisiveness.  Analysis can lead to paralysis.  Pushing too hard for peace can make you a push over.

So, we can take the best of Libra has to offer;  balance, justice, harmony, and equality.  We can still stand strong in who we are and our boundries.  We do both by balancing the heart and the head.

Summer's End
Is no time to rest
Down to Earth
Goddess of the Harvest

As summer winds down, we come into the sign of Virgo.  The sixth sign of the Greek zodiac reigns supreme from August 23 through September 22.  This down to earth and practical sign is associated with the goddess of the harvest, or, if you prefer, the fertility goddess.  It is most often depicted as a young maiden carrying a freshly harvested sheaf of wheat.  Virgo is most closely associated with the Greek goddess of agriculture, Demeter, her daughter Persephone, and the myth of the seasons.

Virgo symbolizes order, organization, and the ability to transform information into clear and organized concepts.  It is the sign of intellect, resourcefulness, and problem solving.  Falling at the end of summer and at the beginning of the harvest in the northern hemisphere, it symbolizes a time to take your life seriously and prepare for the down to earth needs of the leaner days of the season to come.

Virgo is a feminine sign that tends to be kind, gentle, and supportive.  It is a very practical sign, taking care of the physical needs, emotional needs, and adapting to the changes of life.  Virgo tends to communicate clearly, have an orderly life, and a strong intellect.  She tends towards elegance, reliability,  healthy living, and service.  On the down side, Virgo can be over critical, fussy, stagnant, and worried.

At this time of year, it might be time to learn from Virgo.  Tend to your harvest.  Get your life in order.   Analyse what is going on around you.  Serve your community.  And, do all of this without worry and being over critical.

Fire's Passion
Grace and Power
Majestic Strength
With a Lion's Roar

The fifth sign of the Greek zodiac, Leo, rules from July 22 to August 23.  Coming in the full heat of the northern summer, Leo is a sign of fire and passion.  Leo, the lion, symbolizes full masculine power, strength and courage.  Majesty and grace are natural with the lion as a symbol.  So is standing tall in personal truth and confidence.  All in all, it is no surprise that in Swahili, the word for lion and the word for king are the same word, Simba.

Leo is fully out front and leading with the bold courage of knowing what he wants.  He creatively pursues his ambitions with assertive power.  Leo carries the energy of confidence and charisma, and is unafraid of standing in the full light of day.  This king leads from a place of knowledge, wisdom, justice, and balance.

However, passion and raw power can get out of balance.  When taken too far, assertiveness becomes aggression, confidence becomes arrogance, being in the center becomes being self centered, and powerful leadership becomes oppression.

To bring the lion into your life with balance is to guard against excess.  Speak your truth from a basis of knowledge and wisdom.  Maintain balanced power in leadership and justice.  Stand proud in who you are and protect those who are weaker so they can stand in who they are.  Creatively pursue your passion and provide space for others to pursue their passion.  Step up and lead from a place of grace and courage.  Show the way without demanding others live your way.  

Whether you roar like Leo or you have a Leo in your life, balance is the key.

Spring ends
Summer begins
Life's waters
Ebb and flow

As spring fades and summer begins, we come into the time of Cancer.  In the Greek zodiac, Cancer reigns from about June 21 through July 22.  The summer solstice has just past and we in the northern hemisphere are speeding into the dog days of summer.  The passionate enthusiasm of spring begins to cool to the moodiness and endurance of summer.  Cancer, the crab, is the perfect symbol of this transition.

Cancer is a water sign, in tune with the moon and the ocean.  It symbolizes the ebb and flow of emotions.  It can be loyal, supportive, and committed, or moody, pessimistic, and manipulative.  Cancer symbolizes home, tenacity, and protectiveness, but that tough exterior can be an illusion.  It can be shielding a vulnerability, or protecting a boundary.

At its best, Cancer, the crab, is an intuitive, creative empath that rides its emotions.  It tenaciously works for its ambitions and protects the home and those who have its loyalty.  The crab symbolizes finding creative ways around challenges and conflicts to create healthy environments.

At its worst, the crab symbolizes selfishness and manipulation.  That hard outer shell can hide insecurities.  The protective nature of the crab can become aggression.  The boundary of the shell can become a way to hide.  Creative ways around problems can become avoidance.

I choose to take the lessons of Cancer and grow stronger and, hopefully, wiser.  As things heat up, it's time to step aside and slow down.  Try to set clear and healthy boundaries, and honor and protect self, home, and what is sacred.  I try to approach life with creativity and tenacity.  And, when I learn to balance protectiveness with vulnerability, I might let you know.  Most important, crabs create a healthy environment in which to thrive.

As spring transitions into summer, we come to the third sign of the Greek zodiac. Gemini is the sign for May 21 through June 20, the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.  The weather still seems to have a split personality, sometimes cool, sometimes hot, but the frigid weather should be in the rear view mirror.  The crops should be in and the house aired out.  It's time for a little fun, and all of nature agrees.  The twin ground hogs are out playing on the back drive and the fledglings will soon be flying.

The playful Gemini twins fit right into this time of year with their child-like innocence.  This is the sign of curiosity, passion, and intellect.  However, Gemini reminds us to keep it light.  Like Gemini, feed the mind with a sense of adventure and play.  Gemini is the sign of passion, flirtation, and communication.  Anything that involves interaction and communication falls within the symbol of Gemini.

Gemini is the rule of two.  Twins, the Roman number II, dialog, and debate are all of duality.  Gemini reaches across the duality with a gentle embrace.  Gemini teaches us to be flexible and inventive in reconciling the duality, for when opposites collaborate, creativity comes to play.

So, we can take some lessons from Gemini at this time of year:
- Approach life with a sense of passion, joy,            and play.
- Learn and explore with a sense of                          indeflatable curiosity and adventure.
- When differences occur, engage with                      communication, flexibility, and creativity.
- Above all else, be gentle with yourself and
​      others and live artistically.