Mercury in Leo, August 8th - August 23rd - “Communications and Creativity”

There’s a little of the proverbial silver tongued devil in all of us

when Mercury visits Leo.  How much depends on whether or not you have Leo in your natal chart.  If you do, consider a career in sales, or running for political office, because you, my friend, have a superior gift of gab, especially right now.  Mercury in Leo effects all of us in varying degrees.  All of us will notice that in the next couple of weeks we’ll have more of an urge to speak up and get our message across to the world.  The problem arises when we allow ourselves to be influenced by Leo’s negative side, i.e. the ego.

The Sun is ruler of the sign, Leo
The Sun;s tarot card shows us a joyous,
element kind of happy
RWSC US Games©

There are essentially two ways we communicate – through our sense of self, or through our heart.  When you engage your sense of self, or ego to help you determine how, or what you communicate, you put yourself and your feelings of self-importance before the truth of any message you’re trying to convey.  Our ego demands to be fed first and its favorite meal consists of feelings of entitlement, rightness and superiority. The heart is another matter entirely.  Communications from your the heart, sans ego, looks for the truth in all matters.  You more keenly discern a situation and it becomes easier to respect the needs of others and to response to those needs instead of simply reacting to them. 

Enough with the cautionary tales already!  Mercury in Leo is

Mercury's Tarot card is The Magician
Now tell we how cool Leo in Mercury is!
RWSC US Games©

here for us to enjoy and enjoy it you will.  The stories you relay to others will be more colorful, your humor, quicker and your enthusiasm, infectious.  Mercury in Leo carries great creative energy as well.  Dust off your sewing machine, dig out that manuscript you started last summer.  Express yourself in a myriad of ways: Gardening, cooking, painting or general fix up.  The message from Mercury this month is very clear.  Engage in life, honestly and directly.  No sulking, no hiding.  You have something to say.  Express it positively and with love.

LADY ORACLE

August 6, 2013, New Moon In Leo - “A Roar of Confidence ”

#8, Strength is tarot's ruling card for Leo
from Barbara Moore and Aly Fells
"Steampunk Tarot"©

Our New Moon at 14 degrees Leo arrives at 2:51 p.m., PDT, on Tuesday, August 6th.  New Moons set the emotional tempo for the upcoming lunar cycle and likewise, they give us all a chance for a fresh start.  This New Moon, as the Zodiac sign implies, comes with a bit of a bite.  Which is good in this case.  As the harmonious flow of the Grand Water Trine recedes into memory, our assessment of our lives, as well as ourselves, has taken a turn towards self-doubt.  (see blog on August's Astrology Trends) However, this month’s leonine New Moon offers us a healthy boost to our confidence while Mars in Cancer nudges us into action and Jupiter in Cancer urges us to sing out. The Lion’s natural confidence asks you to reflect on all the positive things about yourself during the New Moon.  Learn to appreciate your talents and add this information to your storehouse to combat moments of self-doubt.  

#10, The Wheel of Fortune, Jupiter's ruling card
from Barbara Moore and Aly Fell's
"Steampunk Tarot"©

The 6th is your chance to set the tone for your interactions during the rest of this month.  Mercury moves into Leo on the 8th while we’re all still feeling the effects of the New Moon.  Mercury in Leo gives us a chance to open up ours lines for strong and clear communications.  Resist any temptation to roar your requests or opinions.  Confidence doesn’t naturally include a boastful swagger.  Confidence comes from understanding and accepting what makes you tick.  True confidence requires that you be genuinely grateful for your talents and a little humbled by your accomplishments, because you recognize that there are an amazing group of people in your life who help you make everything possible. Lead with sincerity and follow up with compassion and this month’s New Moon will set the tone for a successful August. 

LADY ORACLE

HELPFUL RELATED BLOGS : 

Dark of the Moon

http://ladyoracle56.blogspot.com/2012/04/i-feel-dark-moon-rising-meditation-with.html

Helpful Crystals 

http://ladyoracle56.blogspot.com/2012/04/crystals-every-person-needs-part-2.html

"Steampunk Tarot"© Available For Sale Through My Tarot Store!  Fabulous Deck - Deep and Crystal Clear for Readings!

Buy Today!

Astrology Trends for August 2013 - “I Think I Can, I Think I Can”

Jupiter's ruling card, #10
Wheel of Fortune romShadowscapes Tarot©
by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and  Barbara Moore

Remember the “Little Engine That Could?”  If not, it’s important that you do. The first days of August leading up to the New Moon in Leo may have all of us doubting our own power and potential.  While Santa Claus Jupiter remains in Cancer, offering both optimism and expansion of our world, the planets, Mercury and Mars also in Cancer move to block by amplifying our inner critic.  Mercury wants to know if we’re sympathetic enough.  Mars wants to know if we have the staying power to succeed in our goals.  On the upside, Leo’s natural swagger will be a little easier to control.  However, the true lesson of these three planets in Cancer is to believe in yourself.  You are important and are here in this place and time by design, not as the butt of some great cosmic joke.  Everything you need to make a difference in this life is already inside you.

The New Moon is Leo arrives on August 6th (more on that later) and we’ll grab for our chance at a fresh start like the brass ring on a carousel.  On the 7th Jupiter opposes Pluto in Capricorn, activating the notorious Uranus Pluto Square (see blog, “September Full Harvest Moon - 2013” http://ladyoracle56.blogspot.com/2012/09/septembers-full-harvest-moon-2012-7.html ) .  As a point of interest, the

Pluto ruling card, #20, Judgment
from Aly Fell and Barbara Moore's
Steampunk Tarot©

last time Pluto was in Capricorn was in 1776.  Does that year ring a bell?  Yes, the pun was intended. You can stop groaning now. Mercury enters Leo on August 8th and we’ll all benefit from the gift of gab.  Watch the sales commissions soar. Those actually born with the Sun in Leo will become more like silver-tongued devils, but oh, so charming.

Venus' ruling card, #3, The Empress
RWCS Deck, US Games©

As the effects of the Grand Water Trine diminish, the Grand Trine between Jupiter, Saturn and Chiron (think tarot’s #5, the Hierophant) comes to the forefront, peaking on August 21st.  There’s tremendous healing energy here.  Whether you’re concerned with health of body, mind or soul, use this configuration’s energy to meditate and promote healing for yourself or loved ones.  The Sun enters Virgo on the 23rd, but more on that later.

Venus comes home to Libra, her ruling sign, on August 16th.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Air sign Libra brings Venus into her own by granting us the ability to create harmony and beauty around us.  We form and reform strong partnerships.  True romance is in the air – literally. Don’t be surprised if you see the proverbial stranger across a crowded room.

Other points of interest this month include a Full Moon in Aquarius - part deux, and the rocking and rolling Perseid Meteor Shower ( see blog on shower -  http://ladyoracle56.blogspot.com/2012/08/perseid-meteor-showers-august-11th-to.html  ).    As you can see we’ve got great stuff coming this month.  Remember to utilize  this month’s energy patterns to create lasting, positive change in your life. Be patient and loving with yourself and with others.

LADY ORACLE


Buy great tarot decks at Lady Oracle Tarot!

Lammas, August 1st - A Celebration of Firsts

Tarot's 7 of Pentacles show us
our labors bearing fruit as well as
a hint of them being self-sustaining

Lammas is one of the first of three harvest festivals noted on the ancient Wheel of the Year. The other festivals being the Autumn Equinox, or Mabon, and Samhain, or Halloween.  Lammas is also known as the Festival of First Fruits.  It was a time for us to celebrate the harvesting of the first grain crops.  The word Lammas is derived from “loaf mass” and refers to the tradition of farmers bringing a loaf of bread to the village church on August 1st to be blessed.  This bread loaf was made from the first cutting of the new crop of wheat.  

Naturally, Lammas tradition is far more ancient than delivering a loaf to the local vicar.  In ancient days, the farmer and his family headed out into the fields and ritually cut a shaft of wheat while facing the sun.  The shaft was then held aloft and turned about the farmers head as they all thanked the deity for providing fresh bounty for the winter ahead.  The wheat was then threshed (literally separating the wheat from the chaff) and ground into flour.  Talk about organic.  It was then the wife’s responsibility to bake a loaf of bread from that flour for presentation to the landlord, or liege lord.  Wow, and some day’s we think it’s too much effort to drive to the neighborhood Piggly Wiggly® to pick up balloon bread.  

Lammas Bread (not the kind eaten by hobbits) was used to bless the barn where the year’s crop of wheat would be stored.  The loaf was broken into four parts and each part  placed in a corner of the barn.  In England, Lammas was also

Tarot's 9 of pentacles takes the promise of
sustainability and brings it home.

the traditional time for the lord of the manor to gifts his tenants with new work gloves – infinitely more practical than a Starbucks® gift card.

Today, we can still celebrate the beginning of Earth’s harvest season.  Buy, or bring in fresh, organic corn for a barbecue.  Dust off your bread machine and make a whole wheat loaf of bread to serve with your dinner.  Heck, you can even skip the bread machine and use your hands.  It’s fun and kneading is a great stress reliever.  The point is to use this day to stop and think about your food sources.  Think about all the natural events that had to occur in perfect order just for you to enjoy the meal on your table.  Imagine all the farmers and workers who helped to bring this food to you as well – people you don’t even know, but with whom you share a connection.  Giving thanks is an essential way to connect with the Invisible Divine and that is the best gift of all.

LADY ORACLE

July 27, 2013 - Faerieworlds Festival, Eugene Oregon - A Sojourn To the Realm

The entrance to the lair of The Lost Boys,
a place of special enchantment for children
Faerieworlds Festival© Eugene, Oregon

At one point or another almost everyone believes in faeries.  Look at how many children put teeth under their pillows, or clap to save Tinkerbelle’s life in act three of Peter Pan.  Okay, I clap too.  I’m not willing to take the risk.  If you spend any time alone in a forest, particularly a Red Wood grove, it’s easy to accept the existence of such elementals, or at the very least, gnomes.

When you spend serious time in America’s Pacific Northwest, you learn several things about Oregon relatively quickly:  The trees are enormous, the beaches are publicly owned, the scenery is majestic, and while Portland values its reputation for weirdness, Eugene, Oregon, the true Emerald City, is an actual state of mind.  If you were to select any city to host Faerieworlds Festival, hands down you’d choose Eugene.  It’s surrounded by forest, its parks and recreational areas are legendary and it is probably one of the most environmentally

Official barbarian 'fae wackers' stalk faeries
throughout the festival - a young faerie prepares
to defend herself - Faerieworlds Festival©, Eugene, Oregon

friendly places on earth. In Eugene, recycling is a bonafide sport.  Lots of places talk about honoring diversity, but for more than fifty years Eugene has walked the walk. No wonder the Fae love it.

Once a year, denizens of the faerie world gather at Bufford Park on the outskirts of Eugene.  Tents sprout up among the trees like mushrooms – yurts, domes, tepees, one person tent-bags – you name it.  The costumes are truly amazing and the atmosphere, intoxicating.  Live music, Celtic, as well as Pagan/Folk rises above the trees from three stages.  Vendors display exotic fares.  Children follow the trail of the Lost Boys to discover a mermaid lagoon as well as various games that blend magic with cognitive skills.  Hey, after all, Eugene is a university town (Go Ducks!) and known for creating new trends in education. Wizards and trolls hoist tankards together at Oberon’s Traveling Tavern. (Four distinctly different styles of mead!)  Young ladies, wearing little more than strategically placed feathers dance with Cernunnos and his consort while families casually stroll by.  This is the enchantment of a place like Eugene.  Breech-clouted, barbarian men dance right along side mothers and daughters in matching Barbie© fairy costumes and no one minds because they share an elemental link – a longing to escape the mundane and for the brief span of three days, entertain the magical.

As the sun goes down, the faery revels begin in earnest.  Aerialists twirl and pose above their audience.  Incandescent jellyfish and willow-the-wisps flow against the backdrop of a night sky.  Revelers dance to Pagan/Folk music long into the night.  And somewhere along a ridge top, not far from the festival site, underneath the Douglas Firs, ferns and branches of Oregon Grape, you’ll see the wee folk, the faeries, smiling indulgently at their human counterparts.  They understand that imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery.

LADY ORACLE

Below are links to YouTube clips that give you a taste of the Faerieworlds experience.  Please check them out. I'll post more links as 2013 videos are posted.

Faerieworlds 2012 from Oak Myth Masks©


Official Trailer for Faerieworlds© 2013


Best cross section of spectacle for 2012 (my opinion)

Shadowscapes Tarot© is available for sale through
Lady Oracle Mercantile

July 23rd - August 22nd, Leo, the Lion - “Walking With Pride”

Leo's ruling tarot card, #8 Strength
Steampunk Tarot©
by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell

It is said that pride is a sin and that it ‘goeth before a fall.’ However, when you look at a typical Leo, you don’t see pride in the negative sense of the word.  You see self-assurance and a steadfast commitment towards creating something better in life.  For Leo that doesn’t necessarily mean having more, or having the best.  Lion people generally seize opportunities that make things better for all concerned.  They recognize life’s inequities and make a whole-hearted commitment to fix them.

Leo is the fifth sign in the Zodiac’s wheel.  It is a fixed sign connected to the element of fire.  In layman’s language, this means that Leo is consistent and dependable.  The element of fire makes them idealistic, passionate and energetic.  The sign of Leo the Lion carries male energy and as a result, Leos appreciate direct action and plain speech.  They have little tolerance for ego-driven, mean-spirited people.

Lions are hard workers. Granted, they love their down time, but you should stand clear when they decide to act.  They are natural leaders; both idealistic and confident in their resources.  Leos don’t give up easily on the people or situations that are important to them. They are, by no means, fair weather friends and often assume responsibility for everything in their world and in yours too, if you let them.  Leo

The Sun rules Leo and #19, The Sun
rules the Sun - Barbara Moore and Aly Fell's
Steampunk Tarot©

is ruled by the Sun which lends a particular glow, or magnetic mystique to their leonine natures.  You yearn to be invited to their parties and to bask in their light.  Naturally, their gemstone is the luscious, rich ruby.

Although outwardly confident, Leos harbor insecurities just like anyone else.  The difference is that lion people feel the fear and do it anyway - whatever ‘it’ happens to be.  

Lest you think Leo the Lion is the most perfect sign in the Zodiac, think again.  Off center, ungrounded Leos are arrogant, boastful, pompous and selfish.  They can be easily flattered and therefore are easy to manipulate.

Lions love amour.  They give much in terms of loyalty and adoration to their mates and likewise, they expect much in return.  They deal best with other fire signs such as Leo, Aires and Sagittarius.  Their opposites, Gemini and Aquarius also stir their heart strings.  Moody and sexual Scorpio brings about a glorious and sometimes frightening clash of will and passion.  Boy, howdy – keep a fire extinguisher handy for that one.

Tarot’s #19, The Sun rules Leo’s governing celestial body – the Sun.  Handy, huh?  In tarot, the Sun means greatness, vitality and self-assuredness.  Pretty much sums it up for Leo, doesn’t it?  Leo’s ruling card is (of course) #8, Strength.  That’s probably why the classic depiction shows a maiden soothing a lion through compassion and understanding.  Power through, never power over.  That’s Leo for you.  Leos are complex and extreme, but here’s the thing.  Leos are never by nature, dull.

Here's a YouTube link to Bruce Cockburn perform "Wondering Where the Lions Are," recorded live at KINK Radio's Bing Lounge.  KINK has been helping to keep Portland weird for many years!  

LADY ORACLE

Steampunk Tarot© available for sale through  Lady Oracle's Mercantile - click here!

July 22, 2013, Full Thunder Moon in Aquarius - “The Eagle has Landed”

High Priestess ruler of The Moon
Barbara Moore & Aly Fell's
Steampunk Tarot©

Our Full Moon in July is called the Full Thunder Moon or Full Buck Moon.  These names come down to us from Native American tribes who noted that July heralded the beginning of the summer thunder storms.  They also observed that July was the time that young male deer, or bucks, started growing their antlers.  

This year’s Full Thunder Moon happens in zero degrees and six seconds of Aquarius.  The neat thing about having a July Full Moon in zero degrees Aquarius is that August’s Full Moon will also be Aquarian at 29 

The Star ruler of Aquarius
Barbara Moore and Aly Fell's
Steampunk Tarot©

degrees.  Aquarius carries an intellectual energy that emboldens the independent thinker in all of us.  We hankers for freedom and variety in our lives.  The Water Bearer’s house is ruled by Uranus, planet of revolutionary, societal change.  It’s also interesting to note that the tarot card for Uranus is The Fool (beginnings, spontaneity) and that the card for Aquarius is The Star (hope, inspiration). 

Under the influence of July’s Full Moon, we’ll see some dynamic breakthroughs for people who’ve done their homework during the past couple of months.  If you’ve used the power of this month’s Grand Water Trine to release and redirect your life – no matter how seemingly small the changes – you’ll be soaring just like Aquila, Zeus’ trusty eagle of legend. ( see Eta Aquarids blog) This is exciting stuff because these changes will be far-reaching and lifelong.

The Fool ruler of Uranus
Barbara Moore and Aly Fell's
Steampunk Tarot©

Also on the 22nd, Venus enters the sign of Virgo. This is Venus at her most practical and discerning.  Venus has much to offer and she wears it with confidence. She knows what she wants and it’s not just some flash in the pan sort of romance.  We’ll all be seeking the deeper meaning of the word, ‘relationship.’  Male or female, Venus in Virgo tells us to seek true depth of character in a partner.  “Faint heart never won fair maid (or male for that matter).”

The Thunder Moon is still at perigee (closer to Earth in its orbit) this month and you’ll continue to hear the term, ‘super moon’ used. Check out "June’s Full Strawberry Moon," blog for more complete information on the term. The important thing to remember, however, is that July’s Full Moon is pretty powerful.  It will be 12 percent larger and 26 percent brighter than a regular Full Moon. No need for night vision goggles on the 22nd, that’s for sure.  Remember to manifest, people.  As an added perk, Lady Moon rises as the sun sets this month and she may well cloak herself in sunset colors - rosy pink, lavender or even orange.  Go somewhere with that certain someone and enjoy a quiet, romantic picnic as you watch the moonrise.  

LADY ORACLE

The incomparable "Steampunk Tarot©" is available for sale through Lady Oracle's Mercantile - click here!

(This is a fabulous deck for all levels of reader.  It's considered on of the best decks of all time and I can't say enough good things about it!  Rich depictions, clear, crisp readings! Buy today!)