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Wave And Water

The Spring Astrological Forecast

April June 1999

By Terry Lamb, MA

Mercury turns direct

20:53' Pisces

Apr 2, 1999

Saturn squares Neptune

4:07' Taurus/Aquarius

Apr 6, 1999

New Moon

25:45' Aries

Apr 15, 1999

Mars opposes Saturn

5:49' Scorpio/Taurus

Apr 19, 1999

Sun enters Taurus

0:00' Taurus

Apr 20, 1999

Mars squares Neptune

4:19' Scorpio/Aquarius

Apr 23, 1999

Sun opposes Mars

4:06' Taurus/Scorpio

Apr 24, 1999

Sun conjoins Saturn

6:45' Taurus

Apr 27, 1999

Full Moon

9:49' Scorpio/Taurus

Apr 30, 1999

Beltane

May 1, 1999

True Beltane (Solar Cross-Quarter)

15:00' Taurus

May 5, 1999

Neptune turns retrograde

4:22' Aquarius

May 6, 1999

Sun squares Uranus

16:43' Taurus/Aquarius

May 7, 1999

Sun enters Gemini

0:00' Gemini

May 21, 1999

Uranus turns retrograde

16:48' Aquarius

May 21, 1999

Sun opposes Chiron

0:44' Gemini/Sagittarius

May 21, 1999

Mars opposes Jupiter

24:37' Libra/Aries

May 29, 1999

Full Moon

8:26' Sagittarius/Gemini

May 29, 1999

Sun opposes Pluto

9:08' Gemini/Sagittarius

May 30, 1999

Chiron returns to Scorpio

29:60' Scorpio

Jun 1, 1999

Mars turns direct

24:27' Libra

Jun 3, 1999

New Moon

24:14' Gemini

Jun 13, 1999

Sun enters Cancer/Summer Solstice/ Mabon (Midsummer)

0:00' Cancer

Jun 21, 1999

Jupiter enters Taurus

0:00' Taurus

Jun 28, 1999

Full Moon

6:45' Capricorn/Cancer

Jun 28, 1999

All dates are based on Pacific Time.

After the weird times of March, the spring months let us get a few things back to what we call normal. Yes, we'll be picking up a few pieces, making amends with others, and recovering from what has been spoiled. But let's look below the surface for a minute: Was what has been spoiled worth keeping the way that it was? Was it even viable alive? Isn't what you're about to begin building now going to be more vital, more you closer to your center? Even if the past month has been devastating, isn't what was destroyed built on something that was false or not quite right?

If you can truthfully answer no to these questions, then what has happened falls into that other category events which we are not meant to understand, or at least haven't yet. I've always been cheeky enough to ask the unaskable and seek the unknowable, but there are times when it is just impossible, as much as we ache to know the truth or go back one day, to call back what we've said or done or to save someone from their fate. There is no doubt that life can present to us heart-wrenching experiences, indescribable pain or unbearable anguish.

It is something we have a tendency to try to avoid talking about, thinking about, or feeling, and so it leaves us unprepared for when pain comes, instead of leaving us replenished by its absence as we would hope. I'm not saying that this is a time when pain is more likely than any other time, but I know that some of us are experiencing pain now, and all of us will experience it in the future. So I've decided to focus on pain and some healthful responses to it in this forecast. No one likes to experience suffering, and yet it is a part of life as we have come to know it. We are not taught that it is possible to alleviate or even eradicate our pain applying healing techniques. Yet it is part of a healthy response to life and its challenges to be willing to take on our pain.

When we are in pain, no one can reach in and take it away for us, especially if we have experienced something especially devastating; no one can explain it away or justify it; no one can make it okay. No one can feel what we feel or know what it's like, because it is our unique experience. And yet the experience of pain is universal. When we have these times (I can't say if, because we all have them), our pain develops and releases in a predictable way. Perhaps the most important thing to realize is that it does release. There are ways we can handle it that will help us to heal.

There are five responses to pain: Some of us dissociate from the pain. Some of us become needy and cling to others for support. Some of us become angry and fight back. Some hold on to the pain and isolate themselves. Finally, some deny that the pain exists and give up feeling anything as a result. Quite frequently, we will experience some or all of these in stages or waves, although one is likely to be our dominant way of responding to our suffering.

We can prepare ourselves for the experience of pain in several ways, and it helps to begin before the pain starts. First, recognize that pain already exists inside us. We all have pain that we have stored away that is waiting to be released. So, when we experience a painful event, we are adding to our pain of the moment the pain of any previous experiences that mimic the one we're in now. For example, if we feel abandoned through the loss of a loved one, any other time that we have felt abandoned is likely to come up from the depths of our being. Second, learn to be aware of your pain as it occurs. We're not just talking about big pain we're talking about little pain. Big pain may overwhelm us and make it difficult to stand back from our experience. For instance, if a friend says something that we experience as hurtful, take the time to look at it. Be aware that you felt pain. Identify the pain and any feelings you associate with it. Are there any other times in your life that this reminds you of? Is all your pain related to this moment? This may not help you to resolve the situation with your friend, but it may help you to separate yourself from your pain. This will teach you the important truth that you are not your pain. Third, accept your pain and allow it to be with you. Pain that is resisted is more painful. Although we think we are doing ourselves a favor by fighting it, that we are keeping it from entering into us, we may actually be increasing it by resisting it. One technique that teaches this fine art is yoga. Yoga teaches us to sort out the sensations of stretching, pain, and pleasure to be more aware of our bodies. As a result of my training in yoga, for example, I learned that my pain increased when I was afraid. If I was afraid of the pain, I would stiffen up, and the pain would increase. I learned to separate my fear from my experience of pain, and I often found that my pain would disappear entirely. By befriending your pain, you allow it to pass through you. It does not define you; it is not you, and so you will outlast it. Fourth, apply these techniques in the moment of pain. You may not be able to do this at first very well at all, and the bigger an experience is, the more likely it is to sweep us away into identifying with it for a time. If we have practiced well, we will retain some shred of an identity separate from what we are experiencing. We can enhance our ability to do this by having in our bag of tricks a meaningful mantra, such as I am not my pain. It shall pass over and through me, and only I will remain. It helps if we have been developing our focus on who we really are our Higher/God Self through meditation, ritual, and other forms of inner discipline that develop our ability to contain our focus at will.

Containing our focus is perhaps the most important purpose of all spiritual practice, from ritual to meditation to prayer. Yet practice is just that practice. Once on a retreat, I was working in the kitchen preparing lunch. One of our retreat leaders was there as well, helping out. One of the other workers asked her if we should say a prayer before we began cutting the food for the meal. The leader said, What? Aren't you always praying? Her point was that everything we do should be a spiritual act. Every moment should be a prayer, a meditation, a way for the God/dess to experience Him/Herself. There is no separation, in reality, between the spiritual and the mundane it is only we who hold this illusion, who have been taught that they are separate worlds. In paths such as Wicca, Buddhism, or Sufism, we are taught that spirit is immanent in life. The Sufi dzikr, there is nothing but God tells us that all is God/dess/Spirit/One. It is okay to meditate if you need to practice, but don't miss the point that this meditation should be carried with you throughout the day.

This ability to focus in such a way serves us well in times of pain, and we can appreciate its benefits almost immediately, even if we can't totally disengage from our suffering. What may not be as immediately apparent is the need to do this in times of joy and pleasure as well. It is not that we should not embrace these more buoyant times; it is that we should not seize upon them and cling to them. Bring our meditative focus to them as well. They are, as with pain and suffering, transitory experiences. Even though they will pass, they will also return again. No matter what we experience, we are always the same constant, centered, and knowing. When we can remain in that place where we feel that, we are in our True Self, and any experience, whether painful or joyful, is less likely to lead us astray. From this place, we may come to know the purpose for an event in our lives or close enough to be able to derive some peace from that notion. No matter what, all pain is meant to take us closer to that place of centeredness, where we know and recognize that we are a part of the One Being.

This is one of the lessons that the planets are always reflecting back to us, as ambassadors of the forces of the universe. Right now, and over the next few months, we will have the opportunity to work on the balance of spirit and matter in our lives or should I say our awareness of spirit in matter in our lives. This should strike every pagan as particularly apropos to their path, for wicca and the other pagan faiths all recognize the unity of spirit and matter. They and we celebrate life in the glory of all its pleasures, the joy of the senses, and the wonder of all consciousness. Pain comes only when we think we live in separation from all other things and beings.

We have had Saturn and Neptune working together to teach us how spirit and matter are One, but they have been doing it by challenging us to perceive separation. When we perceive that events in our lives have taken a bad turn, we are really seeing our own darkness/fears made manifest. One of the ways we are taught to know differently is through a testing experience. This is what Saturn and Neptune have been presenting to us since June of last year. If we haven't yet learned the lesson, a test may seem out of place; yet, tests can be learning experiences too. When we experience pain during such a test, it is a sign that there is more to learn about the pertinent lesson. It may spur us to investigate further and actually focus on the lesson. That's all it takes to eventually get it. The lessons we focus on are in part suggested in our natal chart, since it indicates how we are likely to perceive our world, what our bias is.

When Saturn and Neptune come into testing contact with each other (whether in the heavens as they are now or with one of them in our natal chart), we often feel a dark night of the soul. This crisis in faith would not exist if we were truly walking in meditation, truly in grounded spirituality, God/dess immanent on earth. I should say, does not exist when we are truly..., because we all have moments of bliss when we experience oneness with our Source. In reality, we all go up and down with our perception of reality, but we are taught to only see the way things are supposed to be. But what if we began to give those blissful moments more attention? What if we experienced them with full awareness, without guilt, without a feeling of pressure that it's time to move on to something else? What if we felt we deserved to feel good? What if we talked to other people about our moments of serenity instead of our moments of discontent, anxiety, and separation?

We might find that we affirm the existence of this other reality and give it strength. We might find that others feel encouraged to focus on their bliss. Bliss is just as infectious as anger or sorrow even more so because people hunger for it. When we take up this task, we are following the path of the saints and sages, because this is all that they have agreed to do. They have agreed to do their best to bring light and harmony to the planet and its inhabitants. The saints and sages have moments of fear, discomfort, pain, and negative emotions, but they have learned to see them as not a part of their True Identity. It's true, they often have learned techniques for working through their suffering, but are these techniques not available to us in our wonderful modern world, when all truth is available?

This is also the lesson of Saturn in contact with Neptune, and it speaks as well to the process of Saturn in Taurus, which shows us our next Herculean task: to learn to recognize that we are already spirit in matter, to learn to be in matter but not totally of it. In John Fowles' The Magus, his mysterious mentor-teacher Conchis asked our hero, Which are you, the wave or the water? When we know that we are spirit in matter, we are the wave and the water.

April: Work on What Has Been Spoiled

March has left us more aware of things that need fixing. We may have wanted to ignore them, weren't aware that they existed, or it simply wasn't the time to deal with them. However, now they are squarely in our laps. This is the good news and the bad news: The bad news is that we have to deal with them; the good news is that we get to deal with them. The even better news is that it is in our power to deal with them. Because so many planetary cycles are active now, our issues exist in layers (one for each planet), and each layer will resolve according to the planetary cycle that governs that layer. This is a good time to take stock. What are the layers of your current dilemma(s)?

One should relate to communication, focus, and perception. In other words, what thoughts, concepts, attitudes, behaviors do you connect together? Are they wisely connected? Are you communicating about them wisely? Are your actions based on a clear approach? This layer will resolve itself (as much as we are able) in about four months.

Another layer should relate to deep changes that have taken a long time to develop and will take a long time to resolve. If we are willing to let go of some cherished ideas, objects, and people, we will find out what really belongs with us and how that belonging should work. This layer will take about nine months to resolve; it started to come into focus for us right after Thanksgiving. It could, depending on the placements in our natal chart, take another year to completely clear. If true, it means that we get to go deeper in eradicating any problem areas and gain a more powerful success.

A third layer has to do with wounding and healing, the magical side of transformation, where we are changed through spiritual, as well as physical, experiences. This cycle has nine months remaining of a 12-month cycle.

The fourth and final layer brings our aggressive, ego-centered (therefore, fear-oriented) side to the surface. Whatever we have become attached to is likely to have reared its ugly (or cute) head during March. This cycle has been ten months in the making, with about 14 left to go. However, we'll feel its pinch for about three months starting in mid March.

April gives us time to pause and gain clarity. Our best chances for it are on the 1st and 2nd. After that, we may have more success at knowing what we don't know or are confused about. The waters of life are likely to be choppy on the 8th through the 10th. We will have a chance to become more aware of the wounding-healing process in our lives on the 7th and 8th. The way our relationships contribute to this process will be highlighted on the 14th, and we are likely to gain insight that day, especially if we allow someone else into the picture.

Act in haste, repent at leisure is the key phrase for the 15th through the 17th, when the full moon adds its sense of urgency to our perceptions. We are almost certain to become aware of heavy-handed tactics being used by those who seem to need to dominate us for the moment up to the 20th. This may come from people who would have no apparent reason to do so we just seem to have hit one of their sensitive points! It may also be a time of treading resolutely when we need to do something that we know we will experience conflict over, but we must do it all the same. This often happens when we must stand up for some person or principle.

The sun entering Taurus on the 20th will slow things down a little, bringing more leisure into our experiences. However, it can also bring more resistance and pleasure- or material-orientation to our perspective. A strike while the iron is hot mentality shifts to a tomorrow is better than today way of thinking. This is good: It isn't always wise to strike while the iron is hot (as in anger or aggression), and the tomorrow mentality does ensure that the desired actions are sustainable once the passions have cooled.

The 24th through the 27th are red-letter days. Watch what you perceive and experience during this time. It will relate to faith issues I mention above, to a cycle begun in mid-January and to a cycle beginning now. What's more, we reach a climax in the fourth layer mentioned above, having to do with aggression, ego, and survival instincts. We may find it very hard not to react like flashpaper to a fire at this time. The up side of this is that we're sure to know what our current weakness is. The down side is that we may work against our own best interests.

What's more, we may feel as though the moment of opportunity never occurred, or that it slipped through our fingers. Well, the secret is that the moment of opportunity never arrived it hasn't happened yet. Be patient, even if you must be misunderstood for now. Your time will come. The energy will drop as we approach the new moon on the 30th. Take the time to replenish and regroup, even if you don't particularly feel like it.

May: Innovate and Renovate

Is it confusion and illusion, or am I the only one who knows what's going on? This is the feeling we may have as we enter May. We could succumb to a fantasy world, button our shirts askew, fabricate a romance, or lose our sense of direction in life. Bear with all; do not try to remember what it was that you were doing before the fog hit. Surrender to the confusion of the moment as much as possible, because out of it can arise inspiration. In fact, the more that you let go of preconceived notions achieve a blank mental screen the more likely you are to attain the Cosmic Viewpoint and receive guiding impressions. This is also a good time to open to the unseen forces through ritual, and the festival of Beltane conveniently presents itself at just the right moment! Typically celebrated on May 1st (May Day), astrologically it nonetheless occurs around the 5th because our calendar has lost its roots in the planetary cycles.

Beltane is a pagan festival of spring well actually of summer. It was considered in the north countries to be the beginning of summer, which is why the summer solstice ritual (Mabon) was called midsummer. Beltane is a sensual, sexy ritual, when in days past, orgies of food, drink, and love were permitted. Nowadays, we are more likely to see wreaths of flowers and ribbon on the heads of many a fair maid, the Maypole dance, and a handfasting or two to go along with one heckuva potluck!

We will feel a relief in any oppressive energy over the past couple of weeks once we pass the 5th. It's not that the problem will go away, only that everyone will be seeing things differently, and that results in different approaches to existing situations. Often, in the energetic pattern emerging now, the interest in action goes underground. We may be tempted to think that the issue went away, but it will return to the extent that we cannot release it when the pressure is off. It may not be there for us to work with directly during this interlude, but in the meantime we can prepare its return.

After the 6th, a real issue shows itself. It may appear to be out of the blue, but it may be a possible outcome that we preferred not to think about. Whatever form it takes, it sets up the situation through which we will learn to see things as they really are and to be present in our True Self. It may not seem like much right now, but by the 21st, you may be seeing deeper implications. This will relate to experiences of February 1st, May 21st, August 7th, October 22nd, and November 5th.

The 8th through the 12th may lead us into tenderer feelings, in spite of what's really happening. We may be indulgent of others' weaknesses, hate the ambiguity of the situation that we're in, or be tired of waiting without seeing any progress. The new moon on the 15th coincides with this to once again give us a bit of a breather.

On the 17th through the 21st, we will be dealing with more of what we experienced on the 6th and its related dates. The events of the 21st will also tie into the experiences of mid-March (layer 3 above) related to wounding and healing. This date may show us how we can heal the wound we've been nursing for the past few months.

The sun enters Gemini on the 21st, lifting our spirits and taking us out of the depths of our inner world. A little getting out, circulating with others, can give us a new light on our own situations more objectivity. Suddenly our problems don't seem so bad. Life goes on, we can resolve what is not in harmony in our lives. It's a good time to get out, to laugh, share with friends see a comedy movie or a comic act. Laughter is the best medicine.

We will probably want to talk after the 23rd, and after several days of working at it, a greater level of clarity will be achieved. It is important, however, not to give up, because we are likely to want to. The 30th brings another important culmination, relating to occurrences on or near November 30th, March 1st and 13th, and August 18th and 31st. This series of dates relates to the cycle of deep transformation mentioned above, when things from the unconscious come to the surface, often uncomfortable but surely necessary for our growth. If this cycle is touching our natal chart, we are likely to feel overwhelmed, pertinent to learning that we are not in control.

The full moon on the 29th adds emotional fuel to the fire. Everything may seem bigger than it is, but it can bring the benefit of getting everything out in the open. Because of other aspects at this time, the fires of passion may run high as well. Give yourself some time to kindle the flame in a sleeping relationship.

June: True Peace or False Security?

Sometimes a conflict, or at least a difference of opinion, must occur before true harmony can be achieved. To explore every aspect of a situation honestly can be an act of love if it is done so compassionately, even if it brings pain for the moment. This may be part of what we are learning as we enter June.

Things will move forward, even if it doesn't seem like it at the beginning of the month. By the 3rd, we'll see some shift, but it may be subtle and unsatisfying. The first week may seem to reveal more than it resolves. Around the 9th, you may feel as if nothing is going to change. You may feel abandoned, or like giving up. Whatever you are feeling at this time will continue until the 21st, when we may have a chance to clear the air. Being patient is the key! Don't get caught in the drama of the moment. It doesn't have to be dealt with immediately, if you look at it carefully. Giving it some time will allow other options to emerge and make it more likely that you will respond from your True Self rather than your ego.

On the 21st, the sun enters the softer, gentler sign of Cancer. Its soothing, mothering energy is something we can all use right now. It can lead us to be more compassionate with others, more forgiving. Make sure, however, that the person you are forgiving has mended their ways (or that they want to be forgiven). If not, it is important to hold to our own sense of what's right. The entry of the sun into Cancer also signals, the summer solstice midsummer or Mabon. It's time to rejoice in the fullness of light of this time the long summer evenings and time of rapid growth, internally as well as externally. It is time to get ready for the harvest that is to come, to make adjustments if any are required.

The 22nd through the end of the month brings action and possible clearing of some of the issues surrounding the situations in your life. Once again, the full moon on the 28th lends its force to the clearing process. The opportunity for overcoming obstacles is there if we are willing to take on the challenge of potentially unpleasant communication.

We know that life brings a constantly unfolding continuum of events, where one situation or experience flows into the next. We know that life's challenges never end; although we learn lessons, we are tested on them, and we move on to new lessons. There's always more to learn. This year, we know that the end of June finds our situations in mid-chapter, the ending yet to be written. This makes life full of hope, potential, and a fertile ground for the creative consciousness. May your own fertile fields yield a bumper crop of joy and fulfillment!

Terry Lamb is an astrologer and healer, mother of two boys, and the author of the newly released book, Born to Be Together: Love Relationships, Astrology, and the Soul. She offers a full range of personal and business services as an astrologer and a variety of techniques as an energetic healer. This column arises out of the convergence of her training in both fields. She can be reached for bookings and appointments (locally or long-distance) at 619-589-1774 or tlamb@flash.net. Check out her website at www.flash.net/~tlamb.