Nourishing The Temperament

It is the art of Alchemy that is the essence of the Art card or Temperance in the Tarot. This card associated with Sagittarius is about the consolidation and tempering of opposites to create a substance greater than the sum of its parts. The engagement of fire and water to temper a sword, will wield a blade with more strength and flexibility. In cooking the process of heating and cooling ingredients will result in a product more stable, more shiny or more fragrant.
For the Sag native there is often the will to enhance the quality or state of mind - where the integration of good judgement, conviction and passion can be the vehicle to greater enlightenment. Sagittarius signs up for the long journey and as such strives to become more durable and stronger.
There is also the question of balance that comes from the cards above. One foot in the water and one on earth is a reminder that emotional and spiritual health contribute to the physical prowess we hope to maintain. Sagittarius does best when it gives attention to both physical and spiritual processes, and the Sagittarius out of balance can lean towards extremes or excess, which they most certainly will want to impart on everyone around

Fall season is almost complete in the Northern Hemisphere and the Archer is taking aim to shoot us into a new season where daylight will slowly begin to gain traction over the night. As we prepare for Winter, we often add denser foods with more fats to fuel the internal engines keeping our bodies warm and nourished. With that in mind we can include pungent foods - to warm the digestive system, bitter foods for the liver and circulation. Jupiter, the planetary ruler for Sag, has a strong connection with liver, portal circulation and with digestion - fat digestion in particular. I have been feeling sluggish in my own digestion and chalk this up to too much work in front of the computer and not enough time taking my Sag ruled thighs out for hikes.
For Sag season I made fire cider to stimulate the inner digestive juices as well as prep the immune system for the winter months. Take 1-2 Tablespoons before meals 1-2xday
Tarot card: Tabula Mundi MM Meleen

“The center of balance is not a permanent thing but instead found in the ever-roving eye of the storm”
~ Austin Coppock, from 36 Faces ~

The beginning of fall is one of the most glorious times of year. In the northern hemisphere the Autumn equinox aligns with Libra’s entrance on this great stage of life. With Venus as the set director, the scenes are draped with deep hues of chocolates and golds, rich vibrant reds and some pumpkin oranges that only a great artist could curate. With Venus spending most of this Libra season in Scorpio, she has been doing a dramatic dance with the light. Around 5 pm there is this provocative, soft golden glow that seems to gently coat the air so you can breathe in its luxury.
I am often looking to Libra for guidance - how to find that point of equilibrium, in a world that is always changing and in my life when I am constantly growing and I am forever tipping the scales as I adjust in my new form. The goal of balance, justice, equality requires an ongoing sensor. The centre of balance shifts and so must I.
It is most often those who have experienced what is unfair, lopsided or instability in their lives who become the greatest Libran advocates and activists. So to make a stand for justice, one must don a little bit of Aries courage and a lot of practice maintaining footing in a rocking boat.

Apples and Roses are quintessential Venus offerings. I happen to live near a rose farm and so my home is adorned with roses at all times and I have dried roses hanging in every possible nook of my home 🌹 The fall apples have arrived and my local farm has an abundance of unsprayed varieties. I chose to make an apple cheesecake to honour this Libra season which I shared with friends and loves!

♍️ Last weekend I had the luxury to bathe my brain in all things astrology and magic .  As a Virgo rising, Mercury ruled being,  there is not much I would rather feed my head with, than the esoteric banter from these sages and mages young and old.  I truly am in awe of the work and knowledge that was shared and a huge thanks to everyone involved! 

There was a moment was addressing the sacred arts of Hermes, that Gary accentuated the importance of bringing the knowledge and practice of Alchemy into our lived experience as practitioners, to identify as Alchemist as much as Astrologer or Mage  -  alchemy being foundational to these living arts.   
Personally, I identified as Alchemist long before my engagement with astrology, and my magical practice developed through the intersection of these two art forms.  I consider Virgo  a natural alchemist with its ability to dismantle and breakdown so it may skillfully synthesize, rebuild  and organize into different and most often better structures or forms.  The precision and care Virgo takes with subtleties and nuance can elevate any experience from spreadsheet to nourishing meal to healing tonic.  

Virgo has affinities to the small intestines and digestion.  The small intestine being where we break down food into its smallest components and sort through what is useful and what is waste.  So the small intestine is where the Virgo native may experience some sensitivity or weakness, and Virgo with its opposite sign of Pisces can be prone to food sensitivities.  Virgo along with the other Mercury ruled sign Gemini, tend to carry a ‘little’ anxiety or nervous tension and stress.  Virgo probably more than Gemini, as Virgo will be non-stop analyzing the possibilities, the problems, and the steps to the fix….. And of course the fix is forever and ongoing mission.

♍️ Continued in comments
Scroll pics for recipe 🌱

I begin to muse on the sign of Leo ♌️ and the Sun retreats behind the clouds for what seems like the first time this summer. In this moment it feels reflective of my own nature and photophobic tendencies 😎 I like the shade! I can see everything around me while remaining obscure to scrutinizing eyes. I also love to work here and when you join me in the shadows that is where we take a deep dive to explore the brilliance of your own light, however and wherever it yearns to shine 🌞
While I may dodge direct sunlight, I love to be sucked into strong Leonine energies and welcome the warm strong embrace that comes with it. Receiving a smile from Leo is like getting loved bombed, like the explosion of hearts 💕 and confetti 🎊 that burst all over your phone with good wishes.
It’s no wonder that some of the herbs and tonics for the Sun and Leo are as eye-catching and attention grabbing as the Leo native themselves. They uplift, warm and embrace you. Leo’s main domain in the body is the heart and spinal cord and the Sun is indicative of our general vitality - so it also makes sense that the Sun’s herbs can move a tired, depressed, stagnant state both physically and mentally & boost and brighten our vital force.
I was so excited when I literally walked into St. John’s Wort on one of my exploratory hikes. It was nearing the end of its blooming season but I was able to harvest enough flower for both a tincture and an oil. Known for its antidepressant action, it is also extremely valuable for nerve pain and as an anti-inflammatory. While in the groove of crafting some remedies for the Sun, I swung by for calendula, and The Root Cellar for ingredients for fresh Turmeric, Ginger and Lemon shots.
Scroll pics for instructions 🌻

While on a mission to find a Cancer inspired Moon ‘meal’, a wrong turn landed me at a ‘pick your own’ Lavender farm. Although I have most commonly used lavender as a Mercury herb, I can definitely make a case for the Crab and the Moon as welcome recipients of lavender’s remedial properties.

In my first few years of motherhood Lavender was one of the primary herbs/ essential oils in my tool kit. Its ability to soothe a colicky tummy or calm the restless babe for sleep was such a blessing, not to mention its gift of consoling an emotionally and physically drained mama. Lavender is both uplifting or sedating when needed - and this can be a Cancer’s ally with its fluctuating emotions and moods. and Lavender essential oil is one of the few essential oils that is safe for young children and can be used directly on the skin ( with babies just a drop or two will do and I would still dilute in a carrier oil first!)

Lavender is a scent that will conjure memories. If you have been exposed to synthetic lavender scents in the past, it can make your stomach churn, But when I walked into this lavender field I felt like I was being offered the biggest and most nourishing maternal hug. It was just me and the bees sucking up lavender magic and that evoked an emotional well of gratitude.

It was 2 and a half years ago around a Cancer full moon that I made a conscious choice and effort attempting to heal some family wounds I have been carrying, and scars that I have passed on to my own son. Today I am in wonderment of how far I have come, how the relationship has shifted with my mother and to my greatest joy with my son. I was in a 9th house profection year then - the house of my natal Moon and I am in a Moon ruled profection now. How fitting the astrology feels.

GEMINI

Life just gets curioser and curiouser.......
A little over 2 years ago my progressed Sun moved into Gemini. Within a year of that shift, I relocated from my longtime home in downtown Toronto to a rural life amoung the trees on Vancouver Island. My first year on the Island I felt a little bit like Alice falling down a rabbit hole of wonderment. Landing with a brand new lens, the excitment of seeing life through a fresh set of eyes has been incredibly intoxicating.

Mercury ruled Gemini carries a playful trickster spirit and I have a hard time not associating Gemini with the faeries, leprechauns and the inner child who wears the mischevious sparkle within their dancing eyes. Gemini is the first of the mutable signs, those signs that hand us over to new seasons.
I have a highly mutable natal chart, and so the world of Gemini is a comfortable fit. I welcome change and new seasons as inspiration for the curiousity of my mind.
My latest curiosity (obsession 😜) has been in plant identification. My favourite App has become the plant identifier. I have worked for 20-25 years with herbs and creating herbal remedies using the downtown herbal dispensaries to source my medicines. I now find myself in the wild world of natures dispensary, with almost every plant I pass calling to me 🌱My walks are long conversations with the land marking the resources I will tap into next. I think I am much more comfortable communicating with the plants than the average human 😂
I found a fun sparkly recipe to introduce myself to some brand new Forest finds 💚

I put this together rather quickly due to a dance I have had with the flu and the clock ticking on Gemini’s time, but it is delicious! For now let me celebrate the last days in Gemini and the start of my Jupiter return!! 💃🏼

In Ta**us time
the land is boasting its fecund nature. The spouts have ripened into lush new growth and the trees and bushes stretch out and blossom.
The breeze carries the subtle fragrance of spring flowers and is starting to warm the air tempting me to put those sweaters away.
There is a new song alive in the trees as the choir of birds seemed to have quadrupled over the past few weeks. Each member singing from its own pulpit in the sky, no microphone required.
This earthy Venusian sign beckons us to slow down and appreciate the beauty of our surroundings, the beauty of simplicity, the beauty of life.
It also reminds us there is work to be done, till the ground, prepare the garden beds with fertile soil where we plant the seeds that germinated over Aries season.
I have been taking full advantage of this gorgeous time where new life is teeming around me and my first real vegetable garden is now mostly planted and I get to watch my vegetable/herb babies flourish.
Ta**us thrives through the senses - the tastes, the smells, the sounds, the feels, and the eyes delight, which makes Ta**us one of the gourmands of the zodiac.
In my attempt to forage all my zodiac meals I ran into some freshly harvested morels begging me to take them home for dinner. I wish I could say I picked them myself (sadly I did not) but I do have a couple of favorite mushroom foragers who do not disappoint when I come up empty.
Mushrooms both support life and connect life. They clean bacteria and toxins from the environment so other plant species can thrive. They give generously back to the earth and provide medicine, probiotics, antioxidants, and so much more. Morels are rich and meaty giving both exquisite taste and texture to a meal. Nutrient-dense Morels are also high in Copper - the mineral of Venus.

I will be presenting for Astrology Toronto this coming Saturday on Astrological Remediation. In this workshop we will explore various ways to strengthen the weak muscles in the chart and support challenging transits that come to stay for an extended period of time. Building a relationship with the planets can open new areas of consciousness and connection with all aspects of ourselves.

Of all the Aquarian themes, it is that of freedom, equality and free thinking that is making noise in Canada the past few weeks. The co-rulers of this sign - Saturn and Uranus are still at odds in the sky and will be for most of 2022. Saturn wants to limit, contain, repress and Uranus awakens rebellion and the need to break free from restraints.

Saturn is slow, hard and methodical, and Uranus is sudden, electric and unpredictable.
The nature of their conflict in the sky is an apt description of the divide in our country as it is in much of the world, and the clash of these two titans is sure to crack some walls, some regimes and on a personal level some hearts.
It has been a painful two years for many and the emotional and psychological toll is massive – affecting every age group, every demographic, every country.
Aquarius in its nature is rebellious, outspoken and at its core is about defending the right for opinion and diversity.

Aquarius also carries the story of Pandora’s Box, which was a deliberate plot from Zeus to punish mankind with illness and hardship. But what remained in Pandora’s Box was hope.

There is so much hateful rhetoric being tossed around these days and it breaks my heart. Hope is what I cling to. Hope that we may restore some sense of humanity for each and every being, even when we may sit on opposing sides of the most divisive issue.

Listening to a podcast last month, 5 words leapt out at me and they send me to tears every time they repeat in my head. “Nothing breaks like a heart”
I feel so many hearts have been broken, shattered and we need to find hope because lives lost from loneliness and sadness are not being acknowledged.

In the Leo/Aquarius axis – Leo rules the heart and Aquarius rules the circulation of blood. I hope that we can start to circulate as much love as there has been hate so we can spread some healing across this planet for we are ALL its children.