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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Fun (and Freaky) Fridays: New Moon in Aries; Aries Energy is Fuel For Change









[caption id="attachment_60" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="New Moon in Aries and Aries Energy Sets Tone"][/caption]



 

 

More major planets move into Aries this weekend, as the New Moon in Aries gears up for April 3. What's a New Moon? As I wrote in a previous post "

“ New Moons dedicate themselves to getting rid of the old and ushering in fresh starts. The sign tells us what area of life we’re being encouraged to restart.  What’s even more powerful here is that – as usual, the sign the New Moon is in, is also the sign that the Sun is in.”

Get ready for the  Sun Aries/Moon Aries on April 3!  Do you feel all that creative and independent "Let's Do It Now" energy? (However, remember that the New Moon is happening in a Retro....so Retro rules apply - you may want to hold tight on the BIG ideas, or at least know that it will become easier to put them in place after the Mercury Retro ends on 4/23). Still, this New Moon pushes us to manifest what About.com astrologer Molly Hall calls "our own personal radiance." This New Moon is a great time to manifest your own independence and sheer LIFE FORCE.

You may want to use this time to manifest in the following areas.

  • leadership roles

  • concepts and images about bravery and independence

  • what it means to do your own individual dance in your life

  • what it means to Live In the Moment

  • New identity or self-concept


Aries Key Words:

  • heart

  • bravery

  • self reliance

  • inner motivation

  • self-love or self-trust

  • uncovering your own self - who YOU are, as opposed to who others want you to be


What really gets me excited here is that we have several major planets in Aries right now. Mercury (Retro) in Aries, Sun in Aries, Uranus in Aries, and this New Moon (A reminder: New Moons only last for 2.5 days, but New Moons open the monthly doorway to that planet's energy and potential).

While the Retrograde may make us feel slightly held back, and the Saturn in Libra is still opposing these changes, overall, despite the opposition, we're being ushered into a tremendous new era of change and chance. It's as if we are being given a karmic birthright - and a direct order, even if we don't like it - to rebuild our lives into what we really want. Fittingly, all of this Aries energy is going to push us through the door and both help us and *urge* us to create the kind of life we want.

In Tarot, the first card in the Major Arcana is the Fool, the spiritual everyman who walks through the Wonderland of images known as life. The Fool is creative, direct and innocent. In astrology, the Fool and the Aries sign are similar - they both begin either the Major Arcana or the Zodiac wheel. He, like us, is uniquely posed to reap the benefits of his inner movement and outward manifestation of what he finds.

While these astrological times may seem challenging, they are ultimately liberating. Now, we are directly being assisted to blaze ahead and create from our souls and ourselves the kind of life and truth in which we long to live.

However a reminder. With Aries energy, there's a danger of burnout, of doing too much, of losing our tempers. We can direct the fire of creativity or we can turn it on others. The choice is, as always, up to us.

I, for one, am very excited to see what the next year holds on both a personal and global level.

See you next week for Manifestation Mondays.

take care,

M

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

"Wacky Wednesdays"...Becomes "Writing Wednesdays"

[caption id="attachment_152" align="alignleft" width="300" caption=""Wacky Wednesday" Goes Out to Pasture for "Writing Wednesdays""][/caption]

Into every blog a little transformation must fall.

I try to have a thrice-weekly theme here on Happy Ganesh. Loyal readers have probably noticed them: Manifestation Mondays, Wacky Wednesdays, and Fun Fridays.

 

Well, we're making a change to our HG blog family today. Goodbye "Wacky Wednesdays". You've served us well. Thank you, good luck and enjoy your retirement.

Hello, Writing Wednesdays, where for hump day, I'll blog about writing - the pleasures of it, quotes about it, and how to do it.

Today? Let's talk about how to get started. Just do it, as Nike famously says. In my other offline life, I have worked with students of all ages, most of them struggling with how to write research papers. (When my college students were not texting their friends under their desks while pretending to care about their education, they could be quite charming. Even when they walked into my office, slumped in their chair and looked panicked, some still managed to want to write, even through a haze of college jitters. )

Anyhow, no matter the age or school level of the student (I've worked with nine year olds to post-doc psychologists), these same three questions come up:

  1. How do I get started?

  2. Is this spelled right? What's a comma do?

  3. How do I keep writing? Is this long enough?


The answers to those ever-popular questions are (more or less)

1) Where Do I Begin?: Begin anywhere. It doesn't matter where. Most writers don't actually work from an outline. Some do. Some begin from a rough idea of a plot. Some write entirely from a pre-planned outline and don't deviate from it one bit. Some go until they are done (see #3). Some get a great idea for the One Fantastic Scene and write towards that. It really depends on you. But in order to begin? You have to begin. Just jump in.

2) The Grammar Thing: Google is great for this. Pay attention to grammar and punctuation. Diana Hacker's grammar books are easy to follow and fantastic. Plus, I'm here. And if you ask nicely, I might be convinced to answer a question or two for free - or at least point you in the right direction. (And if you've already written that book and need help, go here.)

Commas are not exactly pauses for breath. While they may sound like that, here's what they actually do

  • punctuate a list ("Mary likes apples, carrots, and grapes.")

  • go in front of a transition word ("Frankly, I don't give a damn!")

  • separate two independent clauses from each other ("The cat drank milk, and the dog drank water.")


Really dying to know more about commas? I know you are. I know you're gagging and dying and writhing to know. Then go here.

There's more of course, but that's enough for now. The gist of that is all to say that - if you really want to write - don't worry about grammar, at least not right (write! ha!) away. Get started. Do a draft. Worry about punctuation later. (Or if you want to learn more, check out Diana Hacker's site)

3) How do I keep writing? How long is long enough?: You keep writing by putting your butt in the chair and putting your hands on the keyboard and moving them around until you produce first letters, then words, then sentences, then entire paragraphs that help you build a story.

It really is that simple. If you do it enough, you will learn how to open up communication with yourself. It's an amazing and wonderful thing.

What's also simple is time. If you want to write, you find the time. It's that simple. If you have to set an alarm, and you write from 5 pm to 5:05 every single day for a week, at the end of seven days, you have 35 minutes worth of writing. 35 entire minutes that belong to you and your story.

For more inspiration, check out my Fiver List blog from a few months back.

Try a few of these questions to get started.

1) A woman is alone on a dirt path. She carries a suitcase. Where is she going?

2) The dog bounds up to you, friendly and wagging his tail. Where did he come from?

3) Your favorite book character shows up at your front door, unannounced, as favorite fictional book characters tend to sometimes do. Who is there? What does he or she say to you?

Happy, happy writing!

See you on Friday, when I'll have more Astro updates. <3

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Aries Mercury in Retrograde Mondays

[caption id="attachment_157" align="alignleft" width="260" caption="Mercury in Aries is a-coming! 3/30-4/23"][/caption]

Note the title. It's usually "Manifestation Mondays", I know. But Mercury in Retrograde is almost here.

Mercury in Aries will be in Retrograde from March 30, 2011 to April 23, 2011.

What's a Mercury in Retrograde? (More about that here.)

As I stated in a previous article "As with all retrogrades (more about that here) this is going to guide us to focus our attention on the areas of communication and travel. To sum up, during a retrograde

  • Don’t sign on the dotted line unless it’s for something from your past.

  • Redo, Rethink, Reflect.

  • Back up computers.

  • Careful with spoken or written communication.

  • Old friends or lovers (with, in this case, Aries planets) may resurface during an Aries Retro in order to heal past events.


In a nutshell, with Aries Mercury Retro, there can be a tendency to be too fiery or incendiary. It reminds you to look before you leap and please, please, please don't go blazing off into the Great Unknown to start something new unless it's something that's come back around a second time.

Also, Astro Hint!

Wherever Aries falls in your chart is where this Retro will hit you.

In the section of your chart that Aries falls is also where Mercury in Aries in Retrograde falls. This is where you may experience any of the bulleted points above, from communication confusion to old friends/lovers returning.

All astrological transits (when a planet is in a certain placement RIGHT NOW instead of on the day you were born) can be calculated in terms of your personal chart by looking at two things: your Sun Sign ("What's Your Sign, Baby!") and your Rising Sign, which is in your first house. Not sure what your Rising Sign is? Go to Astro.com and find out for free. Go on. I'll wait right here.

Ok, now with both of those in hand, use the list below to see what you can expect for Mercury in Retrograde in Aries.

For example, Mary's Sun Sign is in Libra because she was born on October 11. Astro.com says her Rising Sign/Ascendent is in Gemini because she was born at 10:15 PM.

Mary will read BOTH the Libra section (for her Sun Sign) and the Gemini section (for her Ascendent/Rising Sign).

Aries Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retro in their 1st house of self.

Taurus Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retro in their 12th house of secrets and hidden things.

Gemini Sun Signs or Rising Signs may feel some communication confusion in his 11th house of friends and associations.

If you have a Cancer Sun Sign or Rising Sign, you may feel some communication confusion in your 10th house of work and career.

Leo Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Retrograde in their 9th house of travel and higher learning, and so on.

Virgo Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 8th house of death, sex, and other people's money.

Libra Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 7th house of partnership and marriage.

Scorpio Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 6th house of work and health.

Sagittarius Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 5th house of love affairs, children, and creative pursuits.

Capricorn Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 4th house of home and family (and mom).

Aquarius Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 3rd house of neighbors, communication and siblings.

Pisces Suns or Rising Signs will feel this upcoming Aries Mercury Retrograde in their 2nd house of money and property.

 

And...sometimes I have special updates about astrology that are exclusive to the Happy Ganesh Facebook page. Join in order to get allll the good stuff.

 

And here's the most recent episode of Bob Decker's Blazing Blog, a show that I co-host with Bob Decker.