Category Archives: current events in the sky

7 January 2019 Monday, Monday

06 Sunday Jan 2019

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‘Monday’ By Wenceslas Hollar mid-17th century {{PD}}

Venus enters Sagittarius, then noviles Zeus. What we see is an awakening, as the Venusian horizons widen and we get the urge to explore, test, and experience what we’ve only heard about, or what has been present, up ’til now, as fact–and this is all in service to some ambition or desire around Love or Money we’ve been denying ourselves out of an overabundance of caution, or outright fear. Venus’ change in sign strips that away–and opens the door to getting what we want.

Today Mercury also noviles Ceres, suggesting our minds are operating at peak efficiency in terms of using our current authority, our mandates, at negotiating, and at showing our power for what it is (and for who we are). Your own behavior can be most illuminating to yourself–it’s a situation where the unconscious point fingers at others, the conscious reflect on what their own choices say about the Soul’s intentions and the inner life.

6 January 2019 Pay Attention

05 Saturday Jan 2019

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‘ Kansakoulu’ By Magnus Enckell 1899 {{PD}}

Uranus goes direct at 28 Aries 36, just past perfection but still within orb to a sesquiquadrate to Jupiter and semi-sextile to Chiron. This may be like waking up mid-step, or mid-action, or mid-choice, with our beliefs about the situation (especially about our own capacities, a la Aries) suddenly awakened to how we are hurt, what hurts we’re causing, and what skills we can bring to bear. May be an ‘ouch!’ moment, or one of exquisite sensitivity, the kind we usually bury as it’s just too potent to carry in consciousness. Whatever you experience, take it for the (shocking, electrifying, revolutionary) revelation that it is, and resolve to remember it, and to let it inform your Beingness going forward.

We also see Mars contra-parallel Juno, Mercury semi-square Black Moon Lilith and Vesta, which are together, and the Sun parallel Saturn. These influences firmly fix consciousness in reality–and it may seem much realer, if you’ll pardon the saying, than it usually does; no blurry filters, no shelter from issues we want to deny or ignore, and a particular focus on what we’re doing that may be contributing to our own disempowerment. The motto today should be, ‘Pay Attention’–and then don’t bury or discard what you learn–that’s the most important part.

Solar Eclipse in Capricorn January 2019 Sideswiped

02 Wednesday Jan 2019

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Lunar Aspects, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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‘The Accident’ By Willem Geets c1899 {{PD}}

Cupped between ruler Saturn and Pluto, the New Moon partial solar eclipse occurs at 15 Capricorn 24, Sun and Moon first coming to the same degree and minute just before 5:27 PM Pacific time. The eclipse forms only two aspects other than those wide conjunctions to Saturn and Pluto, a sextile to Neptune and semi-square to Venus, making both the atmosphere brought forward by other aspects, and those lonely contacts to the Old Man, the Creative, and the King of the Underworld (plus a sideswipe from Love and/ or Money), much more important than they might otherwise be, especially since Saturn is ruler of the solar event itself. A New Moon is an inception point, a beginning, even when we can’t see it as such; an eclipse is a wipe-out, a clean slate in some form. Here the event falls in Capricorn, signaling that there’s something new about the Establishment or brewing in established methods, ways, or rituals, some authority altered, rule changed, restriction broken, or safety net removed. On large, societal terms this might apply to the new congress in the United States, where an unprecedented turnover sees more women and individuals of color, not to mention many young and more Progressive members, taking their seats than ever before.

In personal terms this event speaks of serious transformation that either frees up the creative energy or leads one to accept a delusion or misconception as the Truth. Whichever direction one goes, it will be because there’s some payoff, benefit, or promise of reward, or even of affection, that is driving the acceptance of illusion or the re-making of what’s established into something closer to the ideal. The need for Love or Money will shape our response to the solar eclipse, probably quite subtly, but it’s in channeling the creative and holding to the ideal that we gain some agency over what changes, and so make the best of things, rather than succumbing to moments of confusion or chaos.

One interesting thing is that we may meet the effects of Time at this point; its passage figures in to potentials not just for change but for destruction. If the eclipse removes something from the life at this time, you can be sure not just that its time is over, but that there’s a need for something new to take its place.

Side currents may be generated by the passing through of Vesta in Aquarius conjoined the Black Moon Lilith point, Venus trine Chiron and quincunx Uranus, and Mercury square Hygeia. These may describe surface matters that overlay (and sometimes obscure) the more intense and likely permanent changes prompted by the solar event that will be happening mostly below consciousness, or possibly out of sight altogether. Anger, especially at injustices, may commandeer the attention and so make us look away from the deeper changes in progress. To some extent, we’ll see events test the viability of our highest values, and if there’s anything wounding in our relationships, we’ll be more than aware of it. Thinking will likely run contrary to what we know to be healthy–and this may be the strongest sign of all that the solar eclipse will be forcing change and challenging assumptions–so do your best to work with the prevailing energies, rather than fighting them.

The Sabian symbol for the eclipse is, ‘School Grounds Filled With Boys And Girls In Gymnasium Suits’. This may emphasize the ‘learning’ nature of the eclipse events, and we see this echoed in the activity of Mercury, Uranus, Aquarius (ancient ruler of which is Saturn), but, in the case of Physical Education class, a learning about or through physical experience–so perhaps pointing us in the direction of the material manifestations of Capricorn and the physical systems that provide security, support, and restriction. Too, this image is one of individuals organized into a single entity, a class–and that could suggest that what changes for one individual may change for many others who hold similar positions.

Do we have command of what will change, with this eclipse? Not really–the best we can do is find creative outlets and use them, knowing that not all changes will be in our hands, nor will shifts in responsibility, restrictions, or requirements in venues where we play a part be totally under control, ours or anyone else’s. Roll with it, and allow this first New Moon of the New Year to reveal itself as it will, without too much resistance on our part.

See the pre-eclipse forecast here–

A Good Day To . . . 2 January 2019

01 Tuesday Jan 2019

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By Jessie Eastland – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23258293

The 2nd is a Good Day To . . . take a good, clear look at what comes along, at what you’re offered, and at what you’re told. Influences today can be massively fortuitous, delivering bounty, reward, and Love, but we have to ask ourselves, Is this an exaggeration, an overly optimistic version of reality? Talk can be fact-based and opportunity-oriented, or it may over-promise and over-inflate positives so that they’re so distorted they’re unrecognizable as real options. The trouble is that our instincts are off, in need of a tune up, so don’t turn to them; instead use core values to measure the accuracy of all that appears before you, asking, If I do this, accept this, or contribute to this, will it be in alignment with those things I hold dear? Will this choice be one I can be proud of? Asking yourself that will offer you all the guidance you’ll need, and help re-align and sharpen your intuition and instincts so they can be applied effectively. Something really great can dawn today, as long as we don’t allow ourselves to live in the land of wishful thinking.

A Good Day To . . . is based on the aspects perfecting on each day, Pacific time.

1-4 January 2019 Happy New Year! + A Glimpse At The Year Ahead

31 Monday Dec 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Fist of God, forecast, future events in the sky, Jupiter-Neptune Square

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‘Masked Ball’ By Jules Alexandre Grün 1934 {{PD}}

New Year’s Eve and day share a Scorpio Moon, ripe for intrigue and bringing matters of hidden or ‘power behind the throne’ realities, as well as ‘powerful anima‘ or ‘powerful women’ scenarios to the fore as it glides over both Ceres and Venus. Exercise care at the equivalent of early AM Pacific time of the 1st; that’s when the Moon sextiles Pluto and conjoins Ceres, when we may grapple for authority or struggle for supremacy (over others or Nature itself) without even realizing we’re doing it.

If we treat the New Year’s day aspects as general harbingers of the year ahead, what we see is stress, a suppressed vitality, constraints, serious questions, and the need to adjust and resolve in order to move forward. We might want to pay particular attention to the forming Jupiter-Neptune square, first perfecting on the 13th, shaking a confused, faith dissolving, or overly optimistic fist at the future (NN apex Fist of God). It suggests it may be about two weeks into the new year before we confront our own beliefs, attitudes, and delusions, a point where we find we must act to reconcile potentials with the odds of making them realities.

By Andreas Weith – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65253643

The New Year also brings a need to be flexible in fitting our status to our ambitions, and vice versa–that is, keeping desires and aims proportional to our actual ability to make things happen. Though it may sound discouraging, it’s in doing what we can that we open the way to do and achieve even more. Nothing is ever gained by sitting on our hands and mourning the power we don’t have.

We also need to be open to the messages the reality picture delivers, to the knowledge we can easily distill or intuit from real-world matters before us, and commit to making as conscious as possible what we ‘know but don’t know’ about our circumstances. The better we are able to sort ourselves and our reality out now, at the year’s beginning, the better we will be set to weather the other two squares (not to mention everything else we will encounter!)

(Juno qnx Zeus, Chiron contra-parallel Juno, Sun conjoined Saturn and both sesq Sedna, Jupiter and Neptune in a loose square forming base to a Fist with apex NN)

With two more instances of the Jupiter-Neptune square set to occur in 2019, we can use this aspect as a kind of marker that will show the potentials for handling ‘the facts’, dreams, faith, and the tendency to obliterate ‘What Is’ with fantasy, delusions, or outright lies.

The second square, which falls on 16 June, shows Saturn closely sextile Neptune and Neptune trine Mercury-Mars in Cancer (which places this duo quincunx Jupiter). The implication may be that both Jupiter-Neptune positives (a capacity to maximize the dream within the reality picture of both fact and belief, optimism and creativity applied, opportunity to create the ideal) and negatives (delusion through belief, opportunity misunderstood or improperly exploited, the facts in direct conflict with the dream) find real-world expression, and that thinking and actions are driven by the conflict between Jupiter-Neptune. This suggests the square is hugely important in understanding what we may face as a society (Jupiter), as well as what will affect us at a personal level. Thinking and action are both oriented toward what we care for and want to nurture (Cancer), at this point; that presents its own challenges, along the lines of unacknowledged emotionalism and blurry boundaries.

The final square, set for 21 September, finds the Black Moon Lilith point very close to Neptune. That suggests a whole lot of resentment, anger, and vengeful energy behind our imaginings–so it’s more important than ever that we have firm ideals and are honest with ourselves over what really is. The temptation will be to allow rage to fuel creative activity–but that can too easily tip into destructive or unrealistic efforts meant to ‘even the score’, rather than aiming to conduct ourselves (and so enhance our world) by ever-reaching for the highest aim possible.

‘The End of Dinner’ By Jules-Alexandre Grün 1913 {{PD}}

We’re better off addressing a couple of highlights between now and the eclipse, rather than having exhaustive aspect analysis, simply because not much happens, and the building tension toward the Lunar event really garners most if not all of our attention. On the 2nd the standout is definitely a Pluto square to Zeus, reminding us how easily our attempts to exert our power can turn destructive as we seek desire fulfillment. The 3rd shows Venus trine the North Node and opposed Sedna, suggesting we may refuse to listen to our instincts in relationships and/ or financial matters, and so map out our future. This day also sees Mercury square Chiron and trine Uranus, warning us that internalized messages of hurt could prompt spontaneous utterances or ideas–and that can be truly Self-sabotaging, if they are born on a wave of upset that we likely aren’t full aware of. With any luck, though, processing those spontaneous thoughts could yield some entirely new approaches, especially in thinking and reasoning. And for the 4th we see Merc enter Capricorn and the Sun sextile Neptune, taking thinking in a practical vein and offering a better-than-recently-has-been base for creative effort, including pursuit of the ideal.

Next up is the second part of the Cinderella Point, and then the New Moon/ Partial Solar Eclipse!

‘Adieu, Cocottes!’ By Jules-Alexandre Grün 1903 {{PD}}

31 December 2018 Deep Cuts

30 Sunday Dec 2018

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‘Mist in Kanab Canyon, Utah’ By Thomas Moran 1892 {{PD}}

Channeled by the Truth-tellers, the Self-promoters, and the power-seekers, the conscious and unconscious alike, our surroundings are thick with an elemental kind of knowledge, a window into what lies beyond the material, and it cuts deep as a knife, or penetrates like an x-ray, or submerges us in feeling that can’t be denied. Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? Instead of responding as if someone just plucked our last nerve, we should embrace the intensity and simultaneously take a step back from it. Communication is a perfect, unmistakable vibration; believe what you perceive. If we can create some distance from the emotions, allowing at least a small part of the Self to act as impartial observer, then we can know by today’s messages, interactions, and events where we stand with the Universe and with each other–and that’s highly valuable knowledge to have.

(Pluto trine Juno, Mars conjoins Hygeia at 29 Pisces, then enters Aries, Sun parallel Mercury)

30 December 2018 The Hand We’re Dealt

29 Saturday Dec 2018

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‘The Card Players’ By James McNeill Whistler CC BY-SA 4.0

The real focus today isn’t on how much power we exercise, but what kind of influence and effect we wield. It may be a matter of struggling with authorities in our sphere, trying to claim as much say as we can, or it could be that we struggle against someone’s inappropriate effort to exert influence over us, or that we struggle with ourselves over how much power our inherent authority conveys. No matter what, the one thing that opens the way to our most potent expression is through ‘natural’ roles, ones that mesh with our current standing, place in the world, abilities, skills, and that we are eminently suited for. That might be disappointing to some, but the reality is that unless we exploit effectively what we currently hold, we won’t get ‘more’–and to discard the real-world position in the hope that starting over deals us a better hand fails to recognize that we took the hand we were dealt and we’ve played it–and where we are right now is the result–meaning that the same central player, ourselves, won’t be any different than before, and that means that what we could make of things from a new start would likely develop along oh-so-familiar lines. That is, we have created what is in our lives right now; no matter what you think, a new starting point would have made very little difference, in the end. And that means we aren’t victims of others or circumstances nearly so much as we are conspirators with (or perhaps ‘experiencers of’) our own natures.

(Perfecting today: Juno opposed and Pluto sextile Ceres)

‘Street Musicians’ By William H. Johnson c1939 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is: overhearing, and so being ‘forced’ to listen to, other people’s music choices. Do you go with this, or are you annoyed? Does your reaction differ according to the environment, your expectations, or what they are choosing to play? Consider that your reaction to this scenario may say something about how you respond to others’ ‘songs’, that thing we create and ‘sing’ by living. Do you judge, criticize, praise? Do you find it intrusive when others’ songs waft into your space? Do you deliberately not ‘sing out loud’, believing you’re more considerate, or out of fear? Is there something about your attitude concerning this you’d like to change?

29 December 2018 How We Think

28 Friday Dec 2018

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‘An Interlude’ By William Sergeant Kendall 1907 {{PD}}

It’s all about how we think, today; the lenses we use and priorities we bring to the reasoning process are all-important and for best results should be part of our conscious awareness. Positives involve an ease with being practical and applying earned wisdom to the thought process, as well as being cognizant of our desires and ambitions; without honesty around what we really want, we may miss goals and avert success out of misplaced modesty, fear of being seen for who we are, or in trying to uphold values that aren’t actually ours. Communications and reaching agreement goes well as long as we are willing to adjust our idea of what constitutes empowerment, and if we aren’t too attached to some particular status we fancy holding (especially a status that we might hold, currently or in future, only in our own minds!)

(Mercury sextile Pallas and Zeus, and quincunx Juno)

Your Week Ahead 23-28 December 2018

22 Saturday Dec 2018

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, future events in the sky, The Weekly Word Image

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‘Wintergewitter’ By Albert Ernst Mühlig 1909 {{PD}}

To give myself a little breathing room (and honestly, you’ve probably got a lot to do, too!) I’ll choose one or two (or three!) aspects for each day to talk about. I’ll go for what may add an unusual influence, what may have the biggest impact, and/ or what may be the one energy to concentrate on, and let the others go by. If you’re really longing for the dulcet tones of my-voice-in-your-head, then you may want to try one of my books–

Remember The Future–On the 23rd I’m all about Pluto trine Juno and Venus square Black Moon Lilith; the first suggests easy transformation of status or empowerment standing–just remember that can go in either direction–and the second describes the conflicts arising in relationships and/ or financial matters, with their origins found unquestioningly in those things we’ve ignored or denied. These two may mix, via Mercury sesquiquadrate the North Node, which makes it difficult to keep future effects of current thinking in mind–meaning we may, dealing with others or assets, fail to think of what we’re hoping to build or achieve. We may think only in the moment, probably in trying to justify those matters we’ve chosen to ignore, and so miss the impact this thinking has on our standing, our interactions, and on our future. Proceed with caution.

Photo by David Ellis/USFWS {{PD}}

Trickster Mode–For the 24th the mind tries not to operate in Trickster mode, but almost can’t help it. With Mercury square Neptune, sesquiquadrate Uranus, and parallel Jupiter, we are processing things erratically, unpredictably, creatively, and this likely makes conclusions fall in line with beliefs–which can mean that our Self-reinforcing view wrongly makes us think we are perceiving the world without significant filters. If anything, we’re in danger of fooling ourselves, with Self-honesty the obvious, but highly effective, antidote.

A Touch of Genius–The 25th the noviles set the tone–one between Jupiter and Pluto, and one between Mars and Black Moon Lilith. The facts or following one’s beliefs can lead to real, permanent change–the issue is, how strongly will you be influenced by what you don’t admit to or acknowledge? Whether you mean them to or not, choices and actions will be tailored to what you ignore or deny–be aware.

Bertha Lum 1913 {{PD}}

Mixed Bag–Here are the influences for the 26th; you decide what to do with them: action follows instinct or is subsumed by ‘blind spot’ material (Mars sextile Sedna) and that means we’re operating only half-consciously–and this is so despite our depth of thought, much of which is focused on the past (undoubtedly, it’s that turn to the past that keeps us only half aware of the now (Mercury parallel Pluto and novile the South Node). And how does it all look to us? As if we are disempowered or disrespected at every turn (Sun sesquiquadrate Juno). Keep your head in the present, and realize that your perceptions are skewed toward the negative, and that may prevent any serious missteps.

Smart Money–Choices keep the future in mind, and we know the value of asserting our own authority, of showing our personal competence in the roles we inhabit, and of maintaining awareness of our own agency–the smart money is drawn to expressions of power–so what are those shadows dancing at the edges of our otherwise sunny vision? They are everything we’ve been in denial of. Yeah, I said it right out–and you should face it, negotiate new terms–that’s the thing that must be done on the 27th that will allow inner wisdom to apply itself to empowered actions, making what you do smart and effective (Pallas quincunx Juno, Mars trine the North Node, Venus conjoined Ceres, Sun novile Black Moon Lilith)

‘Salzburg’ Alfred Gelbhaar {{PD}}

What’s The Difference?–we may have a hard time today, the 28th, when it comes to telling what’s smart from what we want, and whether we’re acting and choosing out of hurt or out of the chance to mobilize our most unique skills. How do we sort this out? Dig deep, really deep, into inner wisdom, searching for Truth with a capital ‘T’–that’s the thing that must be your guide in all things today–that, and a little Love (Pallas conjoined Zeus, Mars conjoined Chiron, Pluto square Pallas, Venus sextile Pluto)

This week’s word image is an episode where life hands you a metaphor–mine is, ‘You’ve run out of thyme’. What have you been putting off and putting off, always thinking you’ll do it tomorrow? That’s what you have to do right now.

See the recent Full Moon in Cancer here–

 

 

22 December 2018 Full Moon in Cancer: Beacon in the Dark

21 Friday Dec 2018

Posted by in astrology, Configurations, current events in the sky, Fist of God, forecast, Full Moon, Lunar Aspects, Sabian Symbols, T-Square

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‘Vuurtoren in de branding’ By Hendrik Willem Mesdag c1885 {{PD}}

This Full Moon in Cancer (22 December 9:48 AM PST at 00 Cancer 49) follows on the heels of the solstice (21 December 2:23 PM Pacific time–winter in the Northern hemisphere/ summer in the Southern hemisphere). For we northerners, the closeness of the two events makes the revelations and conclusions of the Full Moon a kind of beacon in the dark, both literally and figuratively, as Luna lights the way out of the longest night of the year, at least here in North America.

The Full Moon is apex to a Fist of God with base of Venus-Ceres square Black Moon Lilith, out-of-element sextile Uranus, T-square with close Chiron-Hygeia conjunction, novile to Juno. Always, a Full Moon brings an ending, a culmination, a conclusion, and this can signal a definite end or can usher in a new stage, or an entirely new beginning. In Cancer these endings carry a heavier-than-usual emotional component, a sensitivity to the import of what’s concluding, and intimations through the feeling nature as to what’s beginning. Emotional conclusions are reached and intuitive information received; that is, we realize with surety how our feelings resolve on some subject related to the House (or across the axis) in the natal chart in which the FM occurs. This resolution may come consciously (more likely if the FM falls above the horizon in the natal chart) or through the unconscious ‘assembly’ of information learned and intuited, presented to the conscious mind as it coheres into a relevant picture under the Full Moon’s light. It’s a ‘just dawning on us’ event, so to speak, represented by the very early sign degree in which the culmination occurs.

The aspects for this Lunar event suggest that what arises is conflict, stress, or tension that once expressed creates a more healthy atmosphere, leading to a new, unanticipated level of empowerment or a rise in or change of status. The challenge will be to stay true to our best Self even as we deal with what may be a messy situation; with Black Moon Lilith involved we may have to face what we’d rather ignore or suppress, what we may feel ashamed of or guilty about (though as we know, those are distortions, re-directions of anger as we avoid sending it to the appropriate target), and we may be required to deal with matters that enrage us, making things even more difficult.

There is also a matter of conflict among authorities, with authorities, or over who holds authority and so who holds the reins to assets. We may only observe this authority-centered upset, or we may find it angers us in the way it threatens to wrest agency from us or those we love. Know that misdirection of energy is a real possibility, and that inappropriate anger and overstepping of boundaries are the avenues of least resistance–and knowing that you can take a step back from the fray, receiving or causing no harm.

But, there’s a promise of healing, once we’ve located what or whom we care about, what needs our nurture, or what may offer nurture to us (Cancer), and caring mobilizes skills, especially the ones that only we can wield in just that particular, individual way we have. The key is twofold: pinpoint our feelings, and see where they can and should be ‘applied’, and be fearless in meeting, dealing with, and then letting go of whatever conflict transpires. Take care not to confuse the order of this–it doesn’t do anyone any good to fight first, then figure out what they want! This scenario probably won’t unfold in an easily palatable way, but will serve the cause of necessary emotional processing that supports both our health and our unique expression and empowerment.

The Sabian Symbol for this Full Moon is, ‘On A Ship The Sailors Lower An Old Flag And Raise A New One’. This may be a change of signal flag–letting others know changes in our intents or destination–or a complete change of authority, the new flag showing who is now ‘running the ship’. In any case, it’s a symbol of communicating identity, which is something we do quite naturally when we set priorities (identify what we care about) and then speak up in defense of or in dealing with what comes before us (with our Self-image shaping the forms and character of our assertions).

We also look at the Sun’s Sabian, as it’s the source of the light play that gives us the Full Moon event in the first place: ‘An Indian Chief Claims Power From The Assembled Tribe’. In this Full Moon’s aspects we have seen a recurring thread concerning individual authority; this symbol suggests that what generates the conflict, the expression, and the eventual healing, all stem from issues surrounding who holds the reins, who should hold the reins, and these may be best determined by who is supported by the group–but then again, the upheaval may come from the fact that this is tribal thinking–and if there’s anything we know at this point, it’s that blind tribalism is positively the most destructive way of organizing our priorities and our lives.

This Full Moon offers a beacon in the darkness of tribalism, help in sorting out the competition for authority, and shines a light on both our duty to use our skills and the ways in which we can access healing and enhance overall health.