By Michelle McClunan

Well, it’s been a pretty hectic few months and many of us feel as though we’re still taking one step forwards and a few backwards … a little like wading through the mud!

Astrologically, a couple of planets that were retrograde have turned direct, but Saturn and Pluto are still going backwards… so there’s a lot more reflecting and reassessing on the cards and a bit of shadow play too.

The sun’s journey through Taurus is helping us to do this in a real, down to earth way.

I love this passage from “Love it Forward” by Jeff Brown. I am not interested in enlightenment if it means detachment from the emotional body, the earth plane, the challenges of being human. I am interested in “enrealment”, because it means that my most spiritual moments are inclusive, arising right in the heart of all that is human: joy and sorrow, shopping list and unity consciousness, fresh mangos and stale bread. Enrealment is about living in all aspects of reality simultaneously, rather than only those realms that feel the most comfortable. We are not just the light, or the mind, or the emptiness, or perpetual positivity. We are the everything. It’s ALL God, even the dust that falls off my awakening heart. ‘

So how can we bring Enrealment to the remainder of the retrograde season?

I’ve covered the retrogrades a bit in recent blogs, but let’s explore Saturn and Pluto a bit more, as they both deal with the shadow, which we tend to try and avoid, even though it is always attached to us. Have you ever considered that the brighter the light, the bigger the shadow?   There are a multitude of gifts to be found in our dark bits, as long as we’re prepared to shine the light there.

Saturn has been retrograde since April the 5th and will be until 27th August.  When the stern teacher is in Sagittarius, he kind of finger-waggingly demands  that we look beyond our fears and blocks and try to see things from a higher, broader perspective.  We have the chance in the next couple of months to really become compassionate parents to ourselves and to reflect on  our self -imposed limitations. If we experience what might feel like a betrayal during this time, we need to ask where we might have betrayed either ourselves or somebody else and what it may be teaching us.  Saturn asks us to reflect on where we are over-critical or merciless with ourselves and others, how we are handling stress, responsibility and the practicalities of life.  How committed are we to what we really want to do and are we sabotaging ourselves in any way? Where do we push ourselves beyond our limits and what are the consequences? How do we deal with hard knocks and problems? You will feel Saturn’s effects most clearly in the house that it’s moving through. If you have a copy of your chart, look for 21 to 26 degrees Sagittarius. Here’s a brief description of the houses that you can use as a reference.

Pluto, the planet of transformation,  is still retrograde too, and will be until October. We’ll feel the effects more acutely if he crosses over a planet or house cusp in our charts.

During a Pluto retrograde period,  issues of power, control and transformation can arise – and unconscious patterns can come drifting up to the surface. (the area in your chart and life will be where 16 to 19 degrees Capricorn is situated).

Where do you feel manipulated or controlled?  Where and how do you manipulate or control? What are you holding on to, that you might need to let go of?  This might be a person, a home, a habit, a belief or an ideal. What, in your life needs to die, in order for something else to be reborn? We are asked (without judgement) to observe our unconscious knee-jerk reactions, as well as the stories we tell ourselves. When you think about it, pain and struggle usually arise when we attach a story to a particular event.

For example.

FACT – The rain is leaking through my roof. On it’s own there is no pain, no struggle. It’s just a factual statement. A child might even see it as a joyful event!

STORY – The pain enters when our minds start to tell us stories about the leaking roof.   For example:  “It wasn’t installed properly in the first place;  I told Blogs to fix it – he never listens;  I’m not able to cope with all these responsibilities;  This house is falling to bits; I don’t have the money, time or knowledge to fix it; I’m useless.…and on and on it goes, until we’re right in the middle of an almighty struggle with yourself and life.

As we spiral further and further down into our stories, we can start to feel more and more overwhelmed and disgruntled.  Only when we can employ the mature observer (Saturn), can we see it as it really is and detach from the drama.

If we’re not able to find the observer, our stories and struggles can feel like a never-ending looped recording.

Remember the story of the road?  Here it is with a slightly different spin.   You’re walking down a road in the dark and you fall into a hole.   The second time, you carry a torch, so you can see the hole, maybe you look inside it and then walk around it. The third time, you choose a different road.

If there is a particular situation that keeps on repeating in your life, it might be an idea to approach it from an entirely different perspective, shine a light into the corners and see what you find… or make a completely new choice!

If you would like more clarity on how Saturn and Pluto are working with you, to shine a light into your particular dark patches, and reveal the way forward,  you might want to  book a one hour session with me.  See below or email me for details.

We’ll be celebrating the last day of the sun’s journey through Taurus on the 20th May with my ART OF EARTHING workshop, where we’ll be re-establishing our connection to mother Nature. I have two spots left, if you’d like to join us. See below or email me for details.

The Sun moves into  Gemini on the 21st, ushering in a month where the focus is on communication. To work with this energy, I will be hosting two ORACLE CARD workshops, where you will make and interpret your very own deck of cards. If you’ve done this workshop before, it’s absolutely fine for you to do it again, as you will be adding to your existing card deck.  Every time I work with these cards on my own or with others, I find the guidance that comes through absolutely astounding, particularly in a group environment. See below or email me for details.

In realment

Love

Michelle