Neptune's allure at full moon

Such a strange month has been this November, now concluding with a big planetary arrangement that has been in play now for weeks. Saturn, the solidly rigid authority figure is being squared by Neptune, the invisible, alluring mist of oblivion. The juxtaposition between what's real and what is imagined or obscured has been in everyone's face. For some it has been a hugely unpleasant wake-up call, for others a sleepy arousal from the usual torpor we experience with the onset of cold weather and dark days.

Looking around the human world are multiple examples of the confusion of fanatical thinking with delusions of invincibility. Who is in charge, really? How do we get fanaticism under control? Where are the boundaries for something that has no boundaries? Addictions to power, drugs, weapons and the internet are all under examination at the moment.

Leaving the human world for a walk in the garden seems essential at present, however rainy or cold, just for some solace. Quite unexpectedly at this time of year, passing by the old crabapple wraps me in the fragrance of April violets. The cold snap in October, followed by a warm Indian summer, triggered them into an early bloom. As they have spread into a circle of twelve feet in diameter it is quite a waft of pure bliss! These are the intense pink violets that came from a small division from my mother's garden at least 35 years ago. The scent is full of my memory of her and yet she never lived long enough in one place to have such a spread of them, so it is not the memory of her garden that I smell. It is simply a place in my mind and heart where she resides still that is the comforting memory. It is the essence of Neptune that we all long for in ourselves, the oblivion of the womb, afloat in the mystery of the unknown, without fear, before birth and the reality of life lived. Mother Earth.

Indian Summer

The moon joined the triad of Jupiter, Mars and Venus in Virgo for these past two days filling everyone's life with a myriad of activities. Details were uppermost in our minds - all those emails to write, financial numbers to balance, holiday plans, appointments to make, work - staring at us from the computer.

But outside we were filled with the delights of a glorious Indian Summer - mellow windless days in the balmy 60's - perfect for raking all those leaves, planting the last of those divisions and fall sale purchases and hulling seeds now dried enough for storage. These are the last days of ease this year outside and the computer can wait for the cold days ahead.

Today, the moon has moved on to Libra for a weekend of sharing with friends, old and new, and enjoyment of the beauty all around us. Seize the day!

Clematis tibetana

Chrysanthemum 'Hillside Pink Sheffield '

Abundance / Jupiter conjunct Mars and Venus in Virgo

For the third and final time this year, these three are dancing together in the sky. Their first two meetings were in fire signs, adventurous Aries and demonstrative Leo, but this time they meet in the practical earth sign Virgo at a time of the year when it pays to cooperate and work together for the well being of all. Winter will soon be upon us and it’s time to gather whatever we need to get us through the cold months, putting aside competition and differences while we work diligently to make preparations.

This fall has been particularly fruitful hereabouts. Acorns are dropping with great abundance and passing under the oaks required swiftness to avoid being conked. The squirrels are hiding them in every nook and cranny of tree and pot for hopefully finding later. All the great many bayberries disappeared within two days of cold as chickadees and others gobbled every one. Raccoons are feeding nightly on the salt seared rose hips, chattering as they climb over fences and walls in the moonlight. Hawthorne berries are ripening and the juniper is loaded with clusters of fruit. Will I see the cedar waxwings when and if they arrive to devour them? Nothing is quite so delightful as seeing a whole flock of them descend and stay until they have eaten them all, a day or two, and then they are gone as quickly as they arrived, unlikely to be seen again until next year.

The energy to work efficiently and effectively is here with us for a few more days as we savor the grace and beauty of a benevolent fall.