Having written about timing yesterday I continue the theme...
    Today, with the moon in Capricorn, has been a very good day to move things forward. Capricorn is the sign that pursues its goals no matter what the cost. However, it is very realistic, practical and reliable in its manner of doing so. No fly by night, mad cap schemes will pass the rigorous test of Capricorn.
    The position of the moon is generally a very good guide to what type of day it is going to be. Each sign has its own characteristics and qualities whilst the moon relates to the unconscious and emotional aspects of life. The moon takes two and half days to travel through a sign, thus completing the full twelve in a month. Its effect is therefore somewhat fleeting yet, since emotions are involved, the influence can be quite powerful.
    The moon also changes shape during the period of a month. At New Moon when the moon and sun align in the sky, the moon does not reflect the sun's light and is therefore invisible. For these three days we are better able to contact our intuition and it is a good time to plan for the future and set goals.
    Thereafter the moon starts waxing or growing larger. The crescent moon is the time between New and First Quarter Moon. During these few days one is able to initiate and overcome any immediate objections and obstacles.
    Then we hit the First Quarter Moon where really going for it is the prime mover. We begin to see the flaws in our plans. We need strength and conviction to forge ahead regardless of opposition, using our will power to create new realities.
    At the time of the Gibbous Moon, as we start to move towards the Full Moon, we are better able to analyse and rectify any faults in our plans. We can then move ahead with determination.
    As the moon becomes Full it is as if a spotlight switches on and the need to share our plans and be noticed evolves. There is more clarity about the issues involved and how to share our ideas.
    The Disseminating Moon revolves around the possibilities of sharing our ideas and plans. What has been learnt and experienced now needs to be spread further afield by applying the knowledge and proving what has been accomplished.
    As the moon further wanes or grows smaller, we reach the Last Quarter Moon which is heavily influenced by the need to change systems and escape from what has been outgrown. This is often accompanied by dissatisfaction and rebelliousness.
    The Balsamic Moon heralds a time of discarding the past in order to bring in the new, no matter how vague that vison may be. It is as if a mission has planted itself in the psyche ready to burst forth with new ideas and ideals as the moon moves once again to the New phase and a new cycle.
    Understanding this cycle of timing and mood can be extremely useful in planning, setting goals, knowing when to give energy to initiating a new project and when to put it into action. It allows us to further comprehend why and when possible obstacles may thwart our attempts or enhanced motivation may enable us to overcome lethargy and disappointment. 
    Just mooning around? Try putting the moon cycle information into practice and see how much more successful you can be.

   I was watching a UTube video the other day entitled 'Smile or Die'. It was suggesting that the power of positive thinking has led to complacency at best. Furthermore it purports that this philosophy/psychological approach was being used to manipulate people into believing that every success in life was totally reliant upon one's own optimism. The extreme result of this is a society in which people are disposable; it is their own 'fault' if things go wrong for them. Nice for the ruling elite of course but not for your average bod! 
   I have often wondered about this very thing myself. All my searching and studying, scientific as well as philosophical and metaphysical research, has led me to believe that there are several layers of 'reality' which interact and provide a background soup within which all actions and their natural reactions occur. To quote the King James Bible:
 
                "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every
                                        purpose under the heaven"     
                                                                             Ecclesiates 3:1

   Firstly there is our own individual timing which is unique to each of us. Secondly there is the timing of our immediate circumstances. This includes our family, friends, colleagues and their issues. Furthermore is the timing of the society in which we find ourselves which widens out to our national timing. This continues into planetary and universal timing like layers of cog wheels in a clock. When all align in a positive manner we find that our life goes through an expansive period in which all 'falls into place', almost regardless of how we think or feel about life at that moment.
    It is possible to be 'in tune' to this to some degree. Listening to one's intuition or following one's gut reactions is what most people would understand by this. Psychological studies show that we are naturally hard wired to have these reactions to events. It is part of our survival instinct. This is how to make 'decisions' without 'thinking'. It is the inner 'knowing' that serves us so very well and which evades egoistic wants.   
   So what has this to do with positive thinking? Well, I have tried and tried to 'will' certain things into fruition and ended up with what I call 'flat forehead syndrome' i.e. banging my head against a brick wall when it comes to making progress. Despite optimism and being made of rubber i.e I keep bouncing back, things just don't move forward. Why? The timing was not right. This has nothing to do with attitude providing success or pessimism leading to failure. It is rather a realistic assessment of what I wanted to achieve not aligning with the layers of reality and timing within which I live.
   This is not just about sitting back and going with the flow, it is not hanging on for the sake of it and becoming a martyr to my own cause nor is it a way of passing blame elsewhere. Indeed it is only when we take full responsibility for our own timeline that we can fully tune into events and feel our way through. This does not however guaranteed that we will get it all 'right'. Many unexpected or disappointing outcomes are in fact a very good way of honing our skills and ability to cope with life, whilst having it all easy can lead to complacency. Ups and downs in life are totally normal. What we learn by 'getting through' these is what teaches us. Reviewing and acknowledging that what we wanted may not have been for the best or has now changed due to new circumstances is also good practice.
   To suggest that the power of positive thinking can create the world of your dreams overnight is totally wrong. Firstly it condems one in four of us who are suffering from depression at any time to a bleak future and possible life of misery. Secondly it is unrealistic in that we are material beings living in a space-time continuum. In other words it takes time for things to become 'real'. More importantly it also takes action. It is no good just sitting there wishing. Knowing when to plan, when to act and when to rest is vital in this rhythmic universe. Understanding that ego driven wants are not always in our best interest is also crucial.
   This knowledge in and of itself however is of no value. What we do with it is the important factor. It's not what you do but the way that you do it that shows whether you have learnt the necessary wisdom to tune in and find your path. Your attitude affects you and the way that you live but it is not the be all and end all. Attitude does not provide opportunity or success in and of itself. Much of that comes from 'luck' or being in the right place at the right time!
  
Smile or Die - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo

  We have a positive force behind us this year, if used well! The Cardinal Grand Cross is seen as stressful and creating major 'challenges' however, if we change the word to 'opportunity' then we can see its real value.
Mars in Libra - changing the way we relate to each other, using our strengths to be more assertive and truthful in relationships, seeing what is fair and just and 'fighting' for it.
At the same time this squares off with Uranus in Aries - definitely a time of learning to assert oneself, to develop true integrity without fear. Not worrying about being the odd one out but rather instigating positive out of the box actions.
Pluto in Capricorn - a time of the old structures falling apart yet also a time to preserve what serves whilst seeking to replace what does not with sensible, enduring and practical solutions.
Then to cap it all Jupiter in Cancer - a time to expand our vision of 'family' to mean clan (hopefully the whole human race), to be more generous and willing to share, to both wish and need to nourish and nuture others.
That's the grand cross, peaking in April this year.
In addition we also have a good relationship between Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio. Neptune in Pisces represents a very powerful return of empathy and spiritual ideals as well as a more romantic, poetic and musical, artistic approach in other words right brain thinking. Chiron the wounded healer is also in Pisces adding to this mix of empathy and the desire to heal others which always truely means healing self. Saturn in Scorpio is bringing much of the taboo hidden secrets out of the closet as the news will testify (rape and paedophilia being the classic examples, drug deaths too). Saturn gives structure and this can helpfully underpin the more 'dreamy' aspects of the Piscean energies. Thankfully this all links in nicely with the Cardinal Grand Cross with Jupiter being in Cancer. Thus the Jupiterian impulse to generosity and an expansive heart as well as optimism and hope joins in the dance in the water signs.
  May 2014 therefore see the first green shoots of a 'brave new world' in which none of us is  ashamed to empathise and find the will to assist, share and believe in better! Stand up and be counted...

  A friend sent me a link to a TedX talk by Roman Krznaric - "How to start an empathy revolution" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT5X6NIJR88#t=466
This 17 minute talk is excellent and requires us to consider the value of empathy and how it has floundered, particularly in the last 10 years. Through history however, there are numerous examples of people pulling together and there are innumerable projects spreading across the globe right now promulgating the benefits of empathic relationships and leadership.
  We are natural empathisers. The disinformation spread by the misinterpretation of Darwin's 'survival of the fittest' to mean we have to fight and compete, has falsely denied us our true heritage - Love. When we empathise, our bodies produce more oxytocin, a hormone which supports heart health and promotes a sense of well being. Physically therefore we are wired to be of use to each other. Altruism is also natural. Afterall, in tribal times we all needed each other in order to survive, "no man is an island" (John Donne For Whom the Bell Tolls - see below). Nothing has really changed in that respect. It is in our interest to help each other, each and every individual's survival depends upon it. This we need not only to remember but to promote, develop and expand. It is no longer right or just to sit back and say someone else will do it, what can I do on my own? These thoughts are irrelevant now.
  Love thyself as thy neighbour. We are all one. What I do affects you and vice versa. When I have self respect, I shall respect you and the earth upon which I walk. When I love myself I will no longer blame you for my 'mistakes' or any  'misfortune'. Taking full repsonsibility is not something we are taught, quite the opposite. It is therefore threatening and frightening to do at first but without this positive attitude of assertiveness and empathy we are all doomed to a quarrelsome existence.
  To further quote John Donne (1572-1631) a metaphysical poet:
No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.
John Donne, Meditation XVII

  Saturday saw the arrival of the Year of the Yang Wooden Horse. This is the latest New Year to meet us head on in 2014. Interestingly the wooden horse has a very similar feel to this Cardinal year that astrologers are talking about. The two compliment each other nicely. From this we can assume that the energies present this year will be as the predictions say.
  In western astrology the Cardinal signs/houses are those where a sense of leadership and initiative taking are very strong. The Cardinal impetus dominates 2014, in particular over the month of April when there will be a 'Cardinal Grand Cross' in the sky. This will involve the planets Uranus, Pluto, Mars and Jupiter. The Uranus-Pluto square is a connection we have got used to in many ways as it has been triggering on and off since 2012. The revolutions around the world are a very apt and powerful descriptive for this energetic combination due to their positions in Aries and Capricorn respectively. Adding Mars and Jupiter into the mix gives it all a more personal feel as we are drawn by these 'inner' planets to question our relationships both to self and to other. It is going to be an interesting time which I hope will give us all the strength to align with our own truths and stand in integrity.
  The wooden horse heralds a Wood year after two years of the Water element. We were forced to face our emotions in many ways during this time, something that can be intensely tiring. This again has been reflected in the emphasis on water signs during 2012 and the Grand Water Trine of 2013 which left many of us drowning in our emotional responses to situations. Wood, like Cardinal however, is about action and forward looking attention to purpose and stimulation. This is a massive turn around from the self-reflective, introvert approach in which all boundaries and certainties dissolve. We are now faced with a sudden burst of extrovert action and forceful energy which is going to carry us galloping into the future. Wood represents the Spring time and new growth, growth that has to push its way out of the dark underworld of the earth and into the sunlight. As it does so the horse brings our intuition clearly into focus from the unconscious into the light of the conscious mind alongside a palpable urge for freedom.
  So, on a personal level, it is clearly time to free yourself from any old outworn ideas and behaviours. Don't reign yourself in! Saddle up and follow those intuitions with gusto, embracing opportunity. On a mundane level I am ever hopeful that we shall see the first green shoots of a just and more civilised approach to the problems we all face, answers which look to supporting humanity and the environment at the expense of corporations rather than the reverse as has been the case.