December 2004 Alignments Newsletter - Happy Holidays! http://ezezine.com December 2004 Alignments Newsletter As 2004 comes to an end, we are completing a five-year period of intense transformation guided from above by dramatic planetary alignments. Now we stand at the threshold of a new and wondrous phase. The Winter Solstice on December 21 marks just eight years to the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012. Let’s cross this threshold consciously, reclaim our mastery, and continue the journey toward a brighter future for the Earth and all beings. If you’d like to subscribe to this newsletter, see the instructions below. Namaste. In this issue... 1) Season of Light 2) Planetary Alignments Update 3) Making the Most of Mercury Retrograde 4) ‘Alignments’ Re-Alignment 5) Holiday Discounts -- Soul Readings, Astrology, Numerology --------------------------------------------------- Season of Light by Allison Rae --------------------------------------------------- "The great work for each soul is to lift the personal viewpoint to such heights in consciousness that it becomes one with the whole." - Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East December marks the advent of light in this holy season honored by spiritual traditions around the world. From the darkness of winter, the light of higher consciousness emerges at the Winter Solstice on December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere. An important cycle of star alignments concludes at the Winter Solstice this year, creating a turning point for humanity. The cycle began with the Grand Fixed Cross Solar Eclipse on August 11, 1999, and culminated with the Grand Quintiles and Solar/Lunar Eclipse series of October 2004. Within this period, we’ve experienced a Grand Stellium in Taurus, three direct Saturn-Pluto oppositions, two Wesak Full Moon Lunar Eclipses, the Harmonic Concordance Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, the historic Transit of Venus, and the Grand Quintiles of the Harmonic Concordance II. This is a spiritual wake-up call for individual souls and humanity as a whole. In the past five years, we have shed lifetimes of karma, released subconscious fears, healed old wounds, and firmly stepped onto the return path to Source. What’s next? Quantum consciousness. Personal mastery. Ascension. The Winter Solstice this year marks just eight years to the end of the Mayan calendar, generally accepted as December 21, 2012. We have been preparing for lifetimes for what we are experiencing now -- the birth of the World of the Fifth Sun. This is an ascension process, of sorts, as we activate a higher potential within the Earth grid for all of humanity. Our Sun is now transiting the sign of Sagittarius. Each of us has the opportunity to integrate five years of accelerated learning, healing and experience as we emerge from the darkness of our own illusion into the light of higher consciousness. Sagittarius, represented by the archer, aims for the heavens, higher wisdom and freedom. Sagittarius seeks understanding, meaning and purpose. Where are you on this path? What have you learned in the past five years? Where are you headed? Winter Solstice is the shortest, and therefore the darkest, day of the year. It is from this darkness that the light emerges. With each Winter Solstice we are reborn into the light of higher consciousness, just as a Christed being named Jesus was born into a world of darkness 2,000 years ago. We are nearing the end of the Piscean cycle associated with Jesus and entering the Aquarian Age, which heralds the potential enlightenment of all beings. Beginning in 2005, this potential expands exponentially. We are entering a new phase, a new cycle where our fears are replaced with determination, our weaknesses are transformed into capabilities, our dreams and visions become manifest in moments instead of years. New realities are ours to create. This is the path of mastery. As we embrace our powers of manifestation, guided by Divine Will, we will fulfill the dream of the Ancestors. This is the Shift of 2012 made famous by the Mayan calendar. The countdown is on. Through the particularly intense series of planetary alignments over the past five years, we have experienced a call to action, a request from the heavens to make it a priority to assist in the planetary activation now at hand. Transforming our own lives is the first step, then we reach out to others. What is your role in this transition? Later in the month, as the Winter Solstice passes, we begin building steadily toward the Summer Solstice, the day of most light in the Northern Hemisphere, the solar radiance shining within each of us. Like the stars from which we descend, we give our lives in service to the Divine Plan, for the advancement of all humanity, all consciousness, as well as our individual soul evolution. And so it is. -------------------------------------------------------- For information on traditions and festivals from around the world in this holy season, visit Dan Furst’s Universal Festivals web site http://www.hermes3.net --------------------------------------------------- Planetary Alignments Update --------------------------------------------------- Messenger Mercury turned retrograde on November 30, so the month of December begins with the energy of review and revision. Mercury resumes forward motion on December 19, just in time for our annual celebration of the season of light. As we gather with friends and family to honor this high holy season, it’s important to take time to finish old business, review our intentions, set new and higher goals, and honor the opportunity for transformation that the New Year brings. Mercury Retrograde -- November 30-December 19 This final Mercury Retrograde period of 2004 arrives as we prepare for the Bear Lodge of winter. Mercury’s “backward” motion from November 30 to December 19 encourages us to go within, to review our progress in the spiritual and material realms and revise our goals and plans where needed. Mercury rules communication, transportation and some aspects of technology. As always, it’s good to have your car serviced, double-check on meeting times and appointments, be patient with computer glitches, and take time to slow down, relax, review, re-evaluate. Venus conjunct Mars -- December 5 Sparks are sure to fly on and around December 5, when goddess Venus rendezvous with warrior Mars in the steamy sign of Scorpio. The laws of magnetic attraction will be in full effect! Venus and Mars together teach us to balance our feminine and masculine aspects, and harmonize our relationships. As you move toward balance, notice how your internal harmony is reflected in your relationships with others and with the world. New Moon in Sagittarius -- December 11 8:29 p.m. EST All New Moons are about fresh starts and new beginnings. This lunation brings closure to a cycle of immeasurable change and growth, and heralds a new beginning as we aspire to embody higher consciousness. Pluto and retrograde Mercury conjunct this New Moon, bringing even greater transformational energies to the party. It’s time to re-evaluate our priorities and release ourselves from illusions still buried within the unconscious. Sagittarius loves learning and exploring the higher mind. Expand your perceptions this season with a special holiday read: “Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East” by Baird T. Spalding. Or the consciousness-raising film: “What the Bleep Do We Know?” http://www.WhatTheBleep.com Sun conjunct Pluto -- December 13 Pluto acts as a spiritual plunger to clear out excesses of ego and attitude within the Self when the planet of transformation aligns with the Sun. This purification process may not be fun, but it is necessary and powerful as we journey to wholeness through a mixed bag of celestial alignments this month. Sun enters Capricorn -- Winter Solstice -- December 21 7:42 a.m. EST When the Sun enters Capricorn, we experience the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (it’s Summer Solstice and the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere). This is the turning point when light emerges from the darkness and we begin the ascent toward the Summer Solstice in June. The solstices and equinoxes are powerful interdimensional gateways that help us anchor more light -- higher consciousness -- in the Earth grid. We may do this in groups or individually with candlelight or fire (puja) ceremony, drumming or other ritual. Because the actual alignment occurs in the morning of December 21 in North America, Winter Solstice ceremony is particularly powerful the night before, on December 20. Full Moon in Cancer -- December 26 10:06 a.m. EST The Full Moon rises on Christmas night this year, affirming our prayers and intentions for the New Year. She represents our unity, our humanity, our faith and our hope for the future. The sign of Cancer is ruled by the Moon, so this is an especially potent lunation. Cancer is deeply intuitive, sensitive, nurturing, caring and giving. Cancer is the sign of the Mother, the Goddess, the sacred feminine, the void from which new realities are born. What will we choose to create in the coming year? New Year’s Eve -- December 31 As 2004 draws to a close, it’s appropriate to empower our intentions through individual and group prayer. What are we releasing? What will we draw to us in the New Year? How do we choose to be in the world, and with whom? These are themes throughout December as we re-examine, revise and prepare to move forward into 2005. New Year’s Eve is a time to pause, reflect, release and recreate our identity free from illusions that have held us back. Namaste. -------------------------------------------------------- Making the Most of Mercury Retrograde -------------------------------------------------------- This final Mercury Retrograde of 2004 arrives at the perfect time. The messenger planet invites us to review, refine, revitalize and regroup as we prepare for the coming New Year. Then, just before the Solstice, Mercury stations direct again to support the festive and sacred mood of the holiday season. Mercury Retrograde periods are ideal for… - Going within - Re-visioning your life - Tidying up your physical space - Clearing out what’s no longer needed physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually - Cleansing the body, inside and out - Finishing up old business - Re-evaluating (and possibly reconfiguring) goals, plans, projects and relationships And, of course, there are the standard Mercury Retrograde cautions and tips… - Re-confirm communications - Double-check meetings and appointments - Don’t sign contracts or launch new projects - Have your car serviced - Be patient - Relax, refresh and rejuvenate - Laugh! Because of the retrograde motion, Mercury will be in the sign of Sagittarius for two months (November 4 through January 9) rather than the usual one. This gives us ample opportunity, as we bridge from one year to another, to redefine ourselves, to evaluate the ways we are in the world and with each other, and to make necessary adjustments based on our values and our recent growth. Mercury Retrograde plays an important role in our spiritual and physical development. Relax and enjoy it! --------------------------------------------------- ‘Alignments’ Re-Alignment --------------------------------------------------- For the past six years, I’ve offered the Alignments Newsletter each month to subscribers around the world interested in personal and planetary transformation. We’ve detailed significant star alignments, offered support during especially challenging times, explored the transformation of consciousness that’s sweeping our planet. The newsletter began prior to the Grand Fixed Cross Solar Eclipse in August 1999. As 2004 draws to a close, we are coming to the end of a five-year period that included the Grand Fixed Cross, a Grand Stellium in Taurus, three direct Saturn-Pluto oppositions, two Wesak Full Moon Lunar Eclipses, the Harmonic Concordance Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, the historic Transit of Venus, and the Grand Quintiles of the Harmonic Concordance II. In the next three years, there will not be dramatic “sky pictures” like we have experienced since 1999. This is a time of internal processing and integration, of receiving and anchoring higher frequencies of light, of embodying more love. The newsletter will continue with the intention of opening our minds and hearts through exploration of spiritual and metaphysical topics guided by the ascended realms. We’ll keep the astrological focus and continue providing the monthly Planetary Alignments Update while expanding the scope and breadth of the articles. In the January issue, we’ll feature our annual “Celestial Calendar Preview” updated for 2005 with dates of the Mercury Retrograde periods, solstices, equinoxes and eclipses so you can plan ahead. Here are some new topics we’ll also explore… - Attuning to Natural Cycles - Soul Alignment, Life Path and Purpose - 2012 Shift Report - Quantum Reality - Manifestation and Personal Mastery - New-Paradigm Relationships For four of the past six years, Alignments was available free, and we’ll return to that format in 2005. All current subscribers will continue to receive the newsletter, and we encourage you to pass it along to others who would benefit from the information. If you believe in energy exchange, you’re invited to make a donation to honor the time and energy I invest in researching, writing and distributing the newsletter each month. Donations in any amount are welcomed and greatly appreciated. To contribute, visit http://www.TheStarCenter.org and click on Payments. Follow the instructions under “Donations.” New subscribers are invited to sign up to receive Alignments beginning with the next issue. Just visit our web site and fill out the form. Please do not send an e-mail to be added to the list. You need to sign up directly from the web site. Thank you! It’s my joy to provide information each month to help you navigate your path in grace. Thank you for reading and sharing in this journey. -------------------------------------------------------- Special Holiday Discounts - Soul Readings, Astrology, Numerology -------------------------------------------------------- To celebrate this holiday season, I'm extending special offers on my readings through the Winter Solstice, December 21, 2004. Year-end is the perfect time to update your Astrology and Numerology for the coming year. We also look at the major life cycles marked by movement of the outer planets to give you a heads-up on the energies you'll be experiencing in coming months. Astro mapping ("astrocartography") is also available if you're considering a location change or extended travel. Soul Reading Gift Certificates are a beautiful way to honor someone you love and cherish for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions. Readings are available with Astrology and Numerology, or on their own as a channeled session. We will deliver a personalized card via e-mail or postal mail to the recipient notifying him or her of your gift. During the holiday season, if you purchase a gift certificate for someone at the regular fee, you will receive $50 off a reading for yourself. Both Soul Reading Gift Certificates need to be purchased by December 21, 2004, and they're good for up to a year. Or, gift yourself with a Soul Reading and enjoy $25 off through December 21, 2004. I’ve also just introduced the High Priestess Reading -- an informative session that blends intuitive guidance and divination to answer your questions about life path, career, relationships, business, family, education and other matters. I combine Tarot, Astrology, Numerology and other divination arts with channeled wisdom from your Higher Self to create a personalized reading by phone or e-mail. This session may also be taped and mailed to you without the phone call, with e-mail follow-up. For information about any of these readings, please visit my web site http://www.TheStarCenter.org and click on Soul Readings. Sessions are available by phone or e-mail, or recorded on audiotape and mailed to you. Order gift certificates early to ensure holiday delivery. Blessings of light, love and peace in this holy season… Allison Rae Soul Readings / Astrology / Numerology / Metaphysical Workshops / Spiritual Retreats Web site http://www.TheStarCenter.org P.O. Box 1225 / Crestone, Colorado 81131 (USA) / allison@TheStarCenter.org ______ Allison's free monthly e-mail newsletter, “Alignments,” offers in-depth information about star alignments, personal and planetary transformation, metaphysics, personal mastery and more. Her free ezine, “The Star Path,” supports enlightenment and peace in daily living with a selection of articles, resources and related links each month. To subscribe, visit http://www.TheStarCenter.org. Please do not send an e-mail to be added to the list. You need to visit the web site to sign up. Thank you! All Content Copyright 2004 Allison Rae/TheStarCenter.org