Mercury Retrograde Is Over (Now What?)

8 Comments

Mercury Storms, Mars and Saturn Station, Pisces Full Moon – August 2018

Chaos birds - Painting by Hermits International, Vermont 2018.

Painting by Hermits International, Vermont 2018.

Not Quite Full Speed Ahead

Although the massive planetary retrograde energies that have colored the last few months are starting to shift, we aren’t out of the woods quite yet. Mars stations direct on August 27, just after the Pisces Full Moon on August 26.

While Mercury resuming direct motion should bring mental clarity, the energetic whirlpool doesn’t really clear until September 7 when Saturn, which has been retrograde since mid-April, also returns to direct motion. Here’s how to approach the next two weeks…

The Mercury Storm

Astrologers often refer to the three or four days surrounding the exact moment when Mercury stations retrograde or returns to direct motion “the Mercury storm.” These periods tend to produce the most concentrated negative effects associated with Mercury retrogrades: technical malfunctions, traffic snafus, garbled communication, and a general inability to think or communicate clearly.

This particular Mercury storm was off the chain! Mercury returned to direct motion on Sunday, August 19. I talked to my daughter on the phone on Monday evening.

“Dad, what’s going on in the skies that is making it IMPOSSIBLE for me to focus?!” she demanded. “Something must be happening in the astrology. I mean, I start on my homework –  then I get distracted. Then I go back to it. Then I get distracted. Then I go back to it – distracted again! I’m so frustrated.” Continue reading →

The Big One – Total Lunar Eclipse Aquarius Conjunct Mars July 27 2018

Leave a comment

The Good News (Did You Know Mother Earth Loves You?)

The Naked Songwriter Podcast #29

Aquarius lunar eclipse astrology podcast July 27 2018 Mars retrograde Mercury retrograde

This may not be “the” Big One, but it’s big. The blood moon total lunar eclipse at 4 Aquarius 44 on Friday, July 27 is tightly conjunct Mars and square Uranus in Taurus. It’s also conjunct the USA’s South Node, indicating a time of karma coming due for the United States.

(The eclipse, which is supposed to be the longest lunar eclipse in 100 years, will not be visible in the USA but should be visible in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.)

If we project all the bad news of the last two years onto this eclipse, it’s pretty easy to conjure up some dire disaster scenarios. So…what do we do? Is there anything we can do?

Yes, there is. It requires a leap of faith. It may require unplugging a couple devices. But it’s a solution based in Reality, not the illusions we are being sold by the parasite-infested overlords of the degraded reality (and likely by some of the people closest to you).

[podcast]

Hey there! If you like the podcast, I’m passionate about helping creatives, healers and visionaries see through the big illusion, tap into their soul power and create a new reality. I’m listener-supported: I make my living writing, singing, teaching, and creating. Here are some ways you can join me in imagining and bringing into being the kind of world you and I prefer to live in:

The DK List. Weekly (or thereabouts) bulletins + first dibs on new classes, special offers, etc. for my tribe. Sign up here: https://dkbrainard.com/list/

Facebook Live – Astrology and Musical Improv/Performance Art. Click the ‘Follow’ button to stay in the loop: https://www.facebook.com/d.k.brainard/

You can support me on Patreon and get cool extra content and music downloads.

Transformational coaching packages: https://dkbrainard.com/personal-coaching/

 The Book of Spells  – This powerful self-guided webinar series will show you how to liberate yourself from the collective ‘reality game’ and become the author of your own reality.

Become your own astrologer with my comprehensive, self-study astrology course: Foundations of Astrology – Understanding Your Birth Chart

Last, but not least, my virtual tip jar welcomes your virtual cash!

 

 

The Antidote: Cancer Solar Eclipse July 12 2018

1 Comment

Solar Eclipse Opposition Pluto

Cancer Solar Eclipse July 12 2018

This is the first of three consecutive eclipses and the only one of the series that’s not in Leo-Aquarius. It’s also interesting because the Sun and Moon at 20 Cancer 41′ are opposition Pluto at 20 Capricorn. That’s pretty heavy. But, as you can see in the chart, the eclipse Sun and Moon also form a creative, inspirational Grand Trine in the water signs with Neptune and Jupiter.

So what does that mean, and how can you work with it? Continue reading →

The Breakup of Linear Time

Leave a comment

Opportunities in Chaos: The Naked Songwriter Podcast #28

Disruptions in linear time can lead to profound restructuring of your worldThis summer looks like a grind, with the Mars retrograde, three eclipses, more super moons, and Mercury retrograde later in July.

But we are also experiencing the disruption of linear time, introducing profound moments of discontinuity that can facilitate evolutionary quantum leaps. If you’re prepared to take advantage….

Read more about the Mars retrograde here: The Summer of ??? Dealing with Mars Retrograde in Aquarius

Listen to the podcast:

 

[podcast]

The Summer of ??? Dealing with Mars Retrograde in Aquarius

Leave a comment

Mars Retrograde and Out of Bounds: All Bets Are Off

That’s the phrase I keep hearing in my mind whenever I think about the astrological storm brewing over the next two months. Meaning (I think):

No one knows what’s going to happen. A lot of what happens will be beyond my control. So I’m going to make up my mind right now that I’m going to roll with the punches, keep my expectations light, stay limber, keep grounding and centering….and trust that it’s all proceeding according to the master plan.

Mars retrograde: activate your inner warriorI’m sure you’re feeling the energy already, especially after the Capricorn Full Moon conjunct Saturn on June 27/28 (depending on time zone). I’m going to give you my take on some of the major astrological events happening between now and September.

If your mind glazes over at the mention of aspects, retrogrades and the like, just know that (a) this time period promises to take us on a pretty wild ride and (b) there are things you can do to improve your experience of this summer. Besides drinking heavily or rocking yourself to sleep in the fetal position every night.

Mars Retrograde and Out of Bounds

Expect frustration, delays, unseen obstacles, angry people projecting their shadows onto you, and weird energy patterns (such as heavy fatigue punctuated by bursts of manic productivity).

When the red planet goes retrograde, our assertive, aggressive, anger energy gets turned inward and backwards in time. Generally speaking, Mars Rx periods are not good times to launch a new business, roll out your new membership program, or start a brand-new creative project. Continue reading →

New Workshop: Touch Yourself In Ann Arbor!

Leave a comment

Don’t Let the Word “Yoga” Scare You

Come Home to Your True Self:  Saturday, July 7 – Purna Yoga Ann Arbor

This “workshop” is going to be really chill. And also really deep.

Seriously, if I were designing a workshop to include yoga, this is the kind of yoga I’d include. Oh, wait a minute. I did design this workshop! Sweet!

Ann Arbor Workshop - DK Brainard and Raisha Love - Purna Yoga, Music & Nature July 7 2018

And I designed it with my good friend Raisha Love, who is way more of a physical bad-ass at yoga poses and shit than I am. But who totally shares my sense of what yoga really means, and who is just as committed as I am to facilitating an incredibly safe and nurturing and delicious environment where you can feel supported in touching yourself.

(No, not in that way, you perv!)

What we’re talking about is setting up a sacred space where you can naturally-come into contact with the real you. The eternal, timeless consciousness within you, sometimes called the I AM presence or the essence, or essential Self.

We’re going to do some gentle yoga positions to get our hearts and minds and bodies relaxed and receptive. And then I’m going to play some mellow music while you relax just a little bit more deeply into a place where you feel so good. And while the music keeps on flowing, seemingly as if guided by unseen hands of light, I’m going to invite you to allow my voice to lead you into an even softer space within yourself where you can see so clearly who you really are. And where you can feel better and better as you’re now seeing this image of the real you so clearly you can actually feel the immense lightness of your eternal truth saying something like, “Wow! It’s all gonna be just fine. Because I’m me! I AM who I AM, and that’s all that I need to feel good and feeling good lights up my soul and my soul lights up the world around me and…”

You get the picture.

Next we’re going to choose an image from Raisha’ deck of soul cards to help us attune even more deeply with our essence self. Then we’re going to do a little walking meditation through the woods and down to the river.

We’ll come back up to the studio (probably noticing for the first time since we arrived a couple of hours ago how it sits on a carpet of green grass that stretches invitingly to the trees all ’round) and do a half hour of gentle restorative yoga.

And then we’ll close our time together by sharing how amazingly wonderful it felt to feel so nurtured and the sights, sounds, colors and feelings we discovered in our lives as we lounged in connection with our true selves.

The workshop runs from 1-4 pm on Saturday, July 7 at Purna Yoga Ann Arbor.  The studio is quite petite so if you want to join us, please call or email Raisha using the digits on the flyer above to reserve your spot.

You May Never Know

4 Comments

The Lives We Touch When We Live True to Our Souls

So, I went to Minnesota last weekend. I love Minnesota in the summertime. The trees….the trees! (I’m a big tree-hugger, in case you didn’t know/hadn’t guessed.) The water. The energy of the land. Yummy.

Celebrating Cathryn Taylor’s life on the occasion of her 70th birthday.

I was invited by my friend and colleague, Cathryn Taylor, on the occasion of her 70th birthday celebration. Cathryn and I met through the Edge magazine, where I was the monthly astrology columnist for a few years. She is a true pioneer in the healing community, author of The Inner Child Workbook and several other books. She’s also a generous, kind, honest, funny, and curious soul.

So when Cathryn asked me to come and call in the directions for her celebration…well, how could I refuse?

My initial plan was to do what I usually do – let people know I’m going to be in town and schedule readings around the main event. But this was one of those trips where almost nothing went as planned. I hadn’t visited the Twin Cities since 2011 — when my organizational skills were worse than they are now. So when I looked up my Minnesota contacts, I only found a handful of names.

Cathryn booked me at a hotel near the airport for my return flight on Monday because we both thought the flight was departing at 8 a.m. When, in fact, it was really scheduled for 8 p.m. (And, true to form, didn’t leave until much later because of thunderstorms in the area.)

Anyway, there was a lot of driving back and forth, uncertainty about hotels, general low-level chaos, no clients, and…IT WAS A GREAT TRIP! Continue reading →

“Guns Don’t Kill People, People Kill People”

1 Comment

It’s Father’s Day. It bugs me that I have to even think about my kids doing “Code Red” drills at school, preparing for the day a shooter might walk in and take out his anger on a bunch of innocent children. After the Parkland shooting in February, I started thinking about all of the pro-gun slogans I heard on endless repeat growing up. This little ode to America’s love affair with guns is what came out.

I originally performed this version of the piece on Facebook Live on Sunday, June 3. This video is a couple minutes shorter with added infographics showing how our society’s obsession with “the right to bear arms” affects women, children and black people.

And, for the record, as a Galactic citizen with an Earth visa, I am not a Democrat. And I’m certainly not a Republican. But I would love to hear one right-wing nut job try to convince me that it was the intent of the authors of the Second Amendment to protect the rights of 20-year-old white boys with daddy issues and a headful of Zoloft or Paxil to buy semi-automatic rifles at Walmart or the traveling gun fair. These weapons were developed to enable soldiers to kill as many people as possible in as short a time as possible.

Sell the kid a top-loading musket – I’m OK with that, see?

Out of Bounds – Mars Retrograde in Aquarius 2018 Preview

Leave a comment

Roseanne Barr’s Natal Chart and Transits and the Astrology of June – September 2018

In this video I explore the upcoming Mars retrograde in Aquarius through Roseanne Barr’s astrology. The Sagittarius Moon on May 29, 2018 was exactly conjunct Roseanne’s Mercury and was opposition her Gemini Moon during her early morning Twitter session. Her show was cancelled during the Full Moon later that morning.

This is a fascinating study in how transits can trigger underlying themes in the chart, especially when supported by aspects from progressed planets.

The other fascinating thing about Roseanne’s chart is that her Ascendant (persona, identity) is conjunct the USA’s natal South Node at 7 Aquarius. And, guess what else is happening at 7 Aquarius this summer? Continue reading →

The Pleasure Revolution – Gemini New Moon 2018

2 Comments

Debunking the Myth of Sacrifice with Corin Grillo – The Naked Songwriter Podcast #27

Corin Grillo talks about the "fear virus" with DK Brainard - The Naked Songwriter PodcastToday’s Gemini New Moon falls at the midway point of the Great Attractor and the Galactic Center, suggesting a cosmic upgrade in consciousness is on offer.

Psychotherapist, healer, and fearless role model Corin Grillo knows a lot about consciousness – and specifically what it takes to move out of depression, despair and poverty consciousness and into authenticity, pleasure, and bliss.

In this interview, Corin and I talk about the parasitic fear virus that has afflicted humanity for thousands of years and how we can free ourselves from it. We discuss the curious case of “born-again” Doreen Virtue and the cost of refusing to face our shadows. Corin talks about the dead bird that regenerated before her eyes and convinced her that the angels are real. And a whole lot more! Continue reading →