Meditation Informs Healing Facilitation

Offering Dynamic Shiatsu

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Shiatsu is a form of Japanese Acupressure which runs Chi and energy (light) through the client’s meridians leading to relaxation, harmonious energy flow and greater vitality. The pressure used is more firm than traditional acupressure (which primarily works with light touch focusing more on the Chi transfer than the pressure).

I learned Shiatsu in massage school – as I went to a very Chinese Medicine focused massage training program in the sacred Sangre de Christo mountains of Colorado – the Crestone Healing Arts Center. It was interesting though – in massage school Shiatsu was my least favorite modality.

It requires a sharp mind, mindful focus and focused energy work. In Shiatsu we are pushing little spheres of light into the client’s meridian system, which is what leads to such incredible relaxation and in some cases, enhanced chi sensations (more on this later). And Shiatsu is very rhythmic – inhale, shift hand / acu-point positions, exhale, firm pressure in, find a still point, count one-one-thousand, inhale, shift… etc. And we do this for 50 mins or more straight! Running all the 12 Principle Meridians!

So let’s just say in massage school I got nervous and I had trouble maintaining that pace and rhythm for more than 5 or 10 minutes. If the mind of the practitioner starts to drift off, the rhythm changes and the client will probably notice (unless they are in a healing trance which happens quite often these days).

When I got back to Virginia over a year ago, I wasn’t sure if or how much I would use Shiatsu at all, especially considering my cantankerous relationship with it in school. Then I started experimenting with muscle testing my clients to see which modality would be most beneficial for them in that session (consider I offer about eight or nine modalities, this created a quick easy method for assessing what might serve them most). And if I wasn’t sure what modality they would need that day, it invariably nearly always came up as Shiatsu!

So now I offer Shiatsu at least once or twice a week. And it is not my specialty! I would say working with the Vagus Nerve – the Polyvagal System – the Autonomic Nervous System settling and resourcing is my specialty. Along with offering Craniosacral Therapy. Plus I offer Deep Tissue and Hot Stones massages. And if you are regular reader, you would know I have been doing astrology for years (since 2004). So Shiatsu is a little bit lower on the pecking order, and yet I find it to be the most settling, integrating and harmonizing of everything I offer.

If I do a deeper session with someone in the Vagus work, then I usually do one or two sessions without emotional process involved, meaning I will do a pure Craniosacral session (less talking involved) or I will muscle check them to see if Shiatsu or Acupressure would be ideal.

In other words, if someone needs to calm down, I offer Shiatsu. If someone is feeling stressed and anxious, I definitely consider offering Shiatsu. If someone has just gotten back from a long journey and they are jet-lagged, I offer Shiatsu… You get the picture!

Recently, with a few clients, when I do Shiatsu, toward the end of the session, I am sending positive well-wishing toward their pituitary and pineal glands (in the brain). And this means I am imagining light streaming from my hands down into their endocrine glands. And with a couple of clients in particular, who have done a lot of their own personal growth work, something amazing happened!

With one, who has done a ton of yoga and energy work, when I did this, their pituitary gland lit up like a prism and it cascaded the light I was sending to it down in a rainbow colored shower throughout their body! It was incredible! Definitely first time I witnessed that! They commented later that it was the most amazing Shiatsu they had ever received…

And another person, with whom I did a similar type of technique toward the end of the session, I was aware that their Brahma aperture was opening. Afterward I actually commented saying, “You know at the end there, when I was sending light and Chi into your endocrine system, it felt like your skylight was opening. The crown chakra was opening.” And they said, “Yes, that was a weird sensation. I’m glad you mentioned it, it wasn’t just me imagining things.” !!!

Pretty incredible for a modality I almost abandoned! I love Chinese Medicine, in school we had to memorize more than 120 acu-points and I use most of those during a Shiatsu session. First we do the head (face down), then the back, arms, hips, legs – including all the 12 Principle Meridians there (the Lung meridian, the Heart, the Kidney meridian, the Spleen, Stomach, Liver, etc etc). There is even an abdominal portion called Masunaga (named after the creator of it). This can be very powerful as well because most of us sweep uncomfortable emotions under the carpet… and it turns out the abdomen is where those unexpressed emotions end up! Better to shine some light on those shadowy areas than to let them fester and ferment behind walls of repressive psychic energy… (in my humble opinion).

So give Shiatsu a try sometime! It is an amazing modality with therapeutic results. At worst you will be more relaxed. At best, the sky is the limit as far as what you might experience!

Thank you for reading!

P.S. Not to brag too much… You may not get all of these benefits above from all practitioners of Shiatsu… I bring a daily meditation practice, a weekly Qigong session and years of doing personal growth work – cleaning and clearing my meridians and energy channels, allowing a powerful circuit for Chi life-force energy to flow to my clients.

Are Quantum shifts in consciousness possible?

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What is a Quantum Shift in Consciousness? I would define this as a leap forward – probably looking like a giant leap forward for the person involved.

It is fascinating – I am going back through and reading older (as in starting from the beginning) blog posts from here… and ten years ago I was skeptical about the possibility of these Leaps of Consciousness being able to happen.

As an aside, I should mention that I still believe we have to have the causes and conditions in place to have what seem like “magical” shifts in consciousness or leaps of awareness. However, some of these causes and conditions might remain unknown to us, so when a significant leap forward does occur, it can seem like it happened quite suddenly and surprisingly. But maybe, just maybe, we put in the hard work previously.

Are they possible though? Well, now I am a lot less skeptical. Why is this? Because I have had some experiences which make me realize significant leaps forward in consciousness are not only possible, but when the causes and conditions are in place, they could actually be likely!

I will discuss the Birth Process Workshop or Womb Surround setup which is the safest container I have ever encountered for doing personal growth work (and I have been to numerous Buddhist retreats / workshops / teachings etc). I will talk about working with a secret yogi and how giant leaps forward in consciousness might be ready to happen immediately but they are just awaiting the proper conditions to emerge. And occasionally meeting the right people / person will trigger a yearning, a strong desire to grow and shift quite rapidly. Finally I will talk about meeting with an experienced and skillful practitioner can assist with taking a Quantum Leap Forward – in particular I will reference my Somatic Experiencing session that I had three months ago. Okay this is a lot to cover! But here goes…

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First the Womb Surround or Birth Process Workshop. This is from PPN work or Pre- and Perinatal Psychology type of work taught primarily by Ray Castellino and Myrna Martin, although thankfully now more people are beginning to teach in their lineage. This type of workshop is always a small group – usually 5 to 7 participants along with the facilitator / teacher and an assistant. If you can find a workshop with multiple assistants or multiple facilitators that is even more support! And as I mentioned above, this is the single more powerfully supportive structure I have encountered for doing personal growth work.

Why is this high level of safety and containment the case? Two reasons: because there are a series of Principles that everyone involved agrees to abide by and because the facilitators have done their own work and comes with a high degree of knowledge of birth and developmental psychology. These Principles discuss how to achieve high levels of trust and safety and when the group does stick to them, I have seen complete strangers baring some tender and vulnerable material within hours. These groups are very private and very confidential, so that is all I am going to say about what gets processed. However, I am able to speak about my own personal experience in them, which I will mention here:

Just three years ago, I was struggling with an unconscious issue (and now I am a lot clearer about it) involving wanting to be here. Disclaimer: these Process Workshops (with high levels of support and containment) ask some difficult questions at times, when the participant is ready… For instance, Did I want to be born at all? Was I wanted by my parents? Were there some hefty interventions at my birth which disrupted my natural instinctual urges and impulses? (And if so, these disruptions often stick with us for decades until they are named, repaired and processed.)

I attended Myrna Martin’s Summer PPN Intensive Workshop – two weeks of steeping in this profound and potent work. Each week was like a separate Process Workshop – so I attended two back to back! And sure enough, in my turn, I went through acknowledging the difficult topic of not wanting to be here, of experiencing a challenging birth situation and more. My turn lasted for three hours total (including nap time afterward to integrate it all). And I would say that those two weeks were the single most profound time in my life, on in which I took a Quantum Leap Forward in my understanding of my own patterns, where they came from, how to move forward through them and using this information to benefit others. Just Wow!

I should point out that I have been on this spiritual journey since 2002. And since 2005, I have been pushing relatively hard to grow, mature and move through deep uncomfortable tangled suppressed emotions etc. In other words, I have put in significant time on a meditation cushion, in other forms of spiritual practice and in giving / receiving emotional-process-oriented bodywork. I think the more of this type of work we do, the easier Quantum Shifts in Consciousness become. (So keep at it! Gently, kindly, gradually.)

This post is getting a bit long.. so I will add more later in a follow-up post with a similar title.

Thank you for reading!

Annual Parade of Personal Planets Through the 12th House

Hello Dear Readers,

This spring has been a bit of an astrological headache for me. Some days I have been disheartened to be certain. As a matter of fact, there was one day in early May that every transiting planet was making a hard aspect to my Natal Chart (thank goodness for my spiritual practice – the only adverse effect I experienced besides a lot of extra irritability was dealing with a traffic violation). These “difficult” aspects or one might say, learning experiences, include Saturn squaring my Natal Pluto / Moon, Jupiter square my Natal Sun conjunct Neptune and more… Ugh!

And now the Transiting personal planets are beginning to enter my 12th house meaning it is a time of more incubation, inside time and continuing to allow the hatching of more presence, awareness and stability. But assuredly not a time of pushing outwardly to get more clients! (Tr. Mars is currently in my 12th, with the Moon entering it temporarily for its monthly 3 day journey, then Mercury enters soon, followed by the Sun and Venus is not too far behind! Should be quite an interesting two months…)

By the way, please make a contribution to my blogging efforts if you haven’t already! Thank you for supporting my spiritual practice / blogging efforts! If you make a contribution, feel free to pass me along a list of names – I will say healing mantras and pray for you and your loved ones each month. (I do this most days anyway, but having a specific name always helps!)

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Needless to say, I am anxious to get my business (bodywork, healing facilitation) off the ground. So far, it has been growing in fits and starts, but since March, I am not getting many new clients (that is the trouble with being a good healing facilitator – we turn over clients every 2-3 months as they start to get better! I jest of course about this being trouble.) I returned from the amazing Taoist Massage School over a year ago which you may want to go back and read the posts for – it was a magical experience! I was there from late Jan – late April 2018. And I was all juiced up from doing Qigong and other forms of Chi cultivation for four to five hours / day… yes you read that correctly! So of course I pushed hard for new clients and was all geared up for learning new massage techniques.

It is funny though how when Saturn comes along and makes a hard aspect to Pluto, or in my case to both Pluto and the Moon, we can suddenly start to second guess ourselves as obstacles begin to show up that weren’t there before. In my case, these are mostly inner obstacles. I am not 100% certain what to focus on in my practice (I only offer about 10 modalities…) I don’t know if / when / what I should teach – I do want to teach soon, but just not sure what. Many questions and few answers right now. I am struggling to rest patiently and confidently in “I-don’t-know” mind.

Which is why I sat earlier and wrote out a new intention for my meditation. I want to clear my mind, settle my nervous system and purify karmic obscurations AND asked, “Where should I put my energy?” and “How can I best be of service to sentient beings and rest in ease-full abundance?”

I was surprised (not that I should be by this point) to get an answer in the form of a vision pretty quick. I saw the space around my clients and around my appointments being vacant, almost void like. And I was swiftly reminded of one of my aspirations for 2019 – that is to Fill My Container and to quickly Patch Any Leaks in it. So that is my next mission…

More practice, more inner orientation (at least for another 5-6 weeks) and more weeding out thoughts / conduct that take me out of having an open loving heart. It is a lifelong process – especially for those of us with deeply ingrained habits and patterns of dissociative behavior (in my case, it took the form of computer games and reading / writing fantasy stories). Slowly leaning into support, learning more about the nervous system, resting down, slowing down, spending more time in nature, eating well, etc. Doing the inner weeding is worth it though!

Most years I typically dread the summer time. And I am a Leo Rising who loves the sun and swimming and going to the beach, etc! I believe this sense of dread has to do with the annual parade of personal planets through my 12th house (which always starts around late June if not sooner – at least for Sun, Mercury and Venus). As I increase my inner stability, increase inner light and repair / release more and more shadow material, then this time will only get easier. Thank goodness that change is guaranteed! 🙂

Thank you for reading!

Thoughts moving through re: teaching astrology classes

Hello Dear Readers!

I have recently been doing more astrology interpretations – of a number of sorts: some Pre- and Perinatal focused astrology, some Timing and a few Natal Astrology sessions. All falling under the Spiritual Astrology umbrella (psychological, karmic, birth psychology, Western, Eastern philosophy ingredients).

And I just wanted to mention that I am considering putting together some astrology classes. I would probably teach online via Zoom – as they have a nice recording device imbedded in their system! Then I could put the classes on my site or on DropBox and have people access them when they pay.

Leave a comment if you might be interested!

Thank you for reading!

When Healing Paths Converge

About once a year or so, I publish a post of this type…

If you have a burning question about a topic I have covered in the past – ranging from emotional-process-oriented-bodywork (including CST, Somatic Experiencing, Working the Polyvagal System and Birth Process Work) to Spiritual Astrology (where my specialties are Natal Western Astrology, Karmic, Evolutionary, Relationship Astrology and Timing Aspects) and even blending these two – I am slowly getting research compiled regarding Pre- and Perinatal Astrology and the Astrology of the Autonomic Nervous System.

And by the way, in my own chart, I have Pluto, Uranus, Neptune and Chiron all making hard aspects in my personal Natal chart, so I particularly enjoy unpacking these hefty subjects. Oh and I am a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner (meaning I fumble and bumble around in an attempt to meditate), so feel free to ask about the intersection of any of these areas.

I’d love to hear from you 🙂

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You can also visit my site to schedule an Astrology Interpretation here: http://www.mkirbymoore.com

Some days I have time to respond and write. And other days I feel very inspired. It is possible however that your question will be my muse.

Thank you for reading!

Uranus in Taurus, how to best integrate these uncomfortable bed fellows

This material is copyrighted by M Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Thank you for visiting!

Transiting Uranus is currently in the sign of Taurus. It just arrived in this sign in 2018, so it will be sticking around through 2025 or so. Taurus is the sign of matter, of materialism, of values and it is the sensual side of Venus.

Uranus is the planet which represents the higher octave of Mercury. So it is all about intuition, ingenuity and creativity – Uranus definitely thinks outside-the-box. Uranus is all about liberation – the truth shall set you free. This is why it rules Aquarius. The truth is that when we take care of others, we are invariably benefiting ourselves. Aquarians know this innately, which is why they typically are more concerned with movements that benefit their neighbors, community or regions.

If you know astrology well, you know that Uranus exalts in Scorpio. The sign of exaltation is where the planet is very comfortable expressing its energy and manifestation. In Scorpio, we find a detective-like perseverance. Scorpio loves to get to the bottom of things. And with the intuitive and enhanced vision of Uranus manifesting through the strength, fortitude and resilience of Scorpio, it can produce great positive results!

Which brings us to Uranus in Taurus. This is where Uranus falls. It is opposite its exaltation. This is the sign where the planet feels a little out-of-sorts, contracted, a circular peg being hammered into a triangular hole as it were. Why is this?

Because Uranus is uncomfortable manifesting in the realm of matter. It would much rather put its intuition to solid use imagining better solutions, solving ahead-of-the-curve and outside-the-box problems and Uranus’ creativity is different from the sensual creativity of Taurus. Taureans love to create something tangible – “I made this pottery” or “look at that beautiful sculpture!” Uranus is all about the mad scientist creating innovative equations for solving the world’s energy crisis or discovering where the fashion trends will be 20 years from now. It can be quite intangible. There is a saying that Uranus’ vision is from 30,000 feet – like viewing things from an airplane, whereas Sagittarius views things from a moderately high mountain top. Uranus is the most visionary of all the energies.

How do we work positively with this current energy? Uranus in the home of Venus (which rules Taurus)?

Bear with me here… For starters, we must practice efficacious self care which begins the process of deeper embodiment. This is what Taurus is all about – can I be in my body? Can I sense further and deeper subtleties about being as a body? Maybe this looks like yoga (which you modify so you get enjoyment out of it). Maybe this is receiving regular bodywork – massage or craniosacral therapy for instance. Perhaps you prefer a regular Qigong or Tai Chi session. For others it is different kinds of stretching. Maybe it looks like dance or swimming… And then if we add meditation to this practice of self care, then we can start to unite these to uncomfortable energies.

Uranus is all about liberation from suffering, liberation from confusion, liberation from distorted emotions. But how do we discover these forms of liberation? Through working with a skillful practitioner or meditation teacher. Looking into an authentic spiritual practice or path – what do we feel a strong connection to? Working with the nervous system through Vagus nerve work or Somatic Experiencing can start the process of untying inner knots. Where do we find resource? Where do we actually move toward gradual progress and growth?

How can we both be in our body and in touch with Higher Selves? Easy – by going slow, being gentle, being kind, softening our edges and by putting the advice into play that I mention above – some form of physical self care (moving toward embodiment) blended with an efficacious spiritual practice (meditation would definitely help). We want to work to heal and resource and build resilience in our nervous system. Then we are speaking the language of Uranus – which along with Mercury rules the nervous system.

The only thing to mention is, if someone has a tendency to day dream, to check out, to numb out, to dissociate, then meditation for them might simply be a recapitulation of this pattern. They would do best working with a skillful bodyworker for a while – and Birth Process Work (PPN Work), Craniosacral Therapy and / or Vagus system work would be very beneficial.

Some of you dear readers may not want to hear this… but my Tibetan Lamas (sublime meditation teachers) have said that people who have extreme emotions or dysregulated nervous systems basically have a difficult time with meditation. When they go to meditate for instance, their paranoia (or anxiety or worries or dissociative tendencies) float right up to the surface. We have to settle our nervous systems first. Establish a solid foundation upon which to build the secure palace of a robust and resilient meditation practice! With all this said however, do attempt to meditate if you feel at all drawn to it! Saying aspirational prayers and setting powerful intentions will start the ball rolling in the right direction!

It is possible. But it will not happen overnight – this is why we go slowly, gradually building upon previous accomplishments. Allowing the body (and nervous system) to digest the work we are doing.

In conclusion, Uranus in Taurus can be a beautiful time of inner and outer work. It might even be a time of tangible creativity – where we get the best of both worlds! Visionary sculptures? We can work with both themes – tangible and intangible, the realms of visionary creative thought and being in our body. We can hopefully put Uranus’ vision and intuition to use best by tidying up our inner blockages and knots. When we start to connect on a regular basis with our Higher Self, then we will automatically get the best from our astrology chart. Whether a planet is exalting in a sign or falling! This is what Uranus demands from us – be in our truth, be in our power, be in our body and be in our intuitive centers.

Thank you for reading!

Jupiter Saturn building steam, authenticity

This material is copyrighted by M Kirby Moore. Thank you for visiting! Please do not copy without permission. Enjoy your time here!

I am very blessed. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will see that I (Kirby) have had my fair share of unusual or sacred or extraordinary experiences. Case in point… I just assisted in a weekend Womb Surround Birth Process Workshop where participants feel very safe to work on deep, early material. It is in fact the most supportive container I have ever encountered (and I have done a lot of Buddhist retreats / teachings / practice groups etc). To keep that more private and confidential and therefore more safe, I will say less (of course).

Then tonight I led a dream group where I got to participate in an unusual and sacred rite of sorts. A dream was shared, and moved, and embodied and sacred transmission occurred…

Which leads me to the topic at hand. Astrology and the current state of affairs: Jupiter is in its home sign of Sagittarius, along with Saturn in Capricorn (flirting with Pluto for now), and Neptune is working its way through Pisces.

It feels to me like this is the time when we are being asked to come more into our truth, to embody our power, to speak truth to power, to offer support and assistance where we can. To slowly and skillfully melt the icy tendrils of fear around our hearts and to offer a more open, compassionate, grounded presence to those around us.

We are getting ready for something to come to a head. Next year, beginning in early 2020 (February is when it starts to become stronger), Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto will be within 4 or 5 degrees of each other. This is a rare, powerful conjunction – which only happens once or twice a century.

It is time to clear out the old. The old fears and bitterness of maga are hopefully on their way out. That level of overloaded, overworked internal organs is making people sick. Time to lean into clarity, truth and support. There is hope. Time to do what we can to have a clearer connection to our Higher Selves and therefore to be able to fully trust our inner voice.

I see dozens of young people who are hungry for true self care. They are thirsty for wisdom teachings. I don’t have a lot to offer yet, but I make that aspiration. May I be a stable foundation upon which people can discover respite and resource.

Old patterns are on their way out now. The old fears represented by Capricorn’s harsh shadow are beginning to melt. The climate-first attitude of Sagittarian’s natural wisdom can be seen in numerous protests and election victories of Green candidates.

The question is, can we get the best of Capricorn’s ingenuity, building, efficiency and structure? Will we let go of this competitive, fear of lack mentality which is currently gripping a good portion of Western culture?

I pray the day arrives (swiftly) that hate-mongering, fear-spraying media is no longer watched. No longer taken into account. Time for us to stand on our own two feet and to sense into our innate wisdom. What is healthy for me? What helps me to rest down into steady alignment of head, heart and pelvis?

Will I choose the path of community, of caring, of ease and abundance? Or will I choose to do things the way my ancestors did them, the Great-Depression-orientation of “we must always be ready for the worst” (in other words, we must contract our brainstems in fear as we assume the worst)?

I would suggest bringing a realistic, pragmatic optimism to bear. When we lean into our healthy ancestors, when we trust the wisdom company which is around each of us, when we begin to establish secure connection to our Higher Selves… then hope, faith and positive surprises are the norm!

Examine your life. Examine your personality. Sense into your body. If we discover any chronically contracted areas, then this is calling out for extra support. Get the help we need and begin to move forward! The world needs us in our greatest manifestation of clarity and potency. This is our time.

Thank you for reading!

amidst busy month, blessings abound, romance in the air

I am writing this post about a relationship I have been in for several months.

Back in March, I wrote a little about how she made my birthday one of the best I have ever had. She wrote a love song to me, about me and then proceeded to serenade me with it! What?! On top of that, she bought me delicious dinner and we went out to a great concert! So that was one of my most memorable birthdays, at least in the past 25 years!

So not to be outdone, I wanted her to have one of the best birthdays – because I care about her deeply (and her effort for mine makes it easier for me to reciprocate!). Therefore I booked an Air B & B location west of Staunton Virginia, in the beautiful rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley. The B&B that I got was expensive (for me anyway – $220 / night for all fees etc) but it turns out it was well worth the cost. The owners did not spare any expense – they had high quality organic snacks available, the fridge was stocked with drinks, the bath and shower products were top notch. And to top it all off, they had a pool, hot tub and a deep soaker tub! Whoa!

We tried to get there early to take advantage of all these amenities. Warming up in the sun by playing outdoor ping pong was fun. Then we hopped from the pool to the hot tub several times. That was quite the healing phenomenon! We ate delicious Mexican style tacos with carne asada. And I had been writing love poems for her on origami paper, which I folded into little cranes. So about once an hour, she took another crane and opened it – there were a total of 14 or so? Which meant she took several home to open on her own. That was pretty special, either my reading them to her, or her to me. I love feeling my love being reflected and reciprocated back to me. It is so easy to be generous in a relationship when it helps me be in my heart so much more fully! Hashtag inspired 🙂

Then the following day we went for a hike at Ramsey’s Draft – which purportedly has old growth forest way back in it. However, we did not have the energy or the hiking-with-packs-practice to hike 12 – 14 miles round trip in an afternoon. Instead we did a ridge hike that had some incredible views looking out toward Highland County – which is also gorgeous by the way! (We took a little detour over there by accident getting out to Ramsey’s Draft. Do not trust Google Maps directions for “Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness” – it will take you to a dead end about 20 minutes past where you want to be.)

Next time we will go back with camping gear and proper supplies to hike in to the back of the wilderness area the first day. And then hike back out the next. I do want to hug a 300 year old old-growth Hemlock or Ash tree! The Sequoias of the East?

This new relationship has me thinking. About life, about my future, our future hopefully. And also about what I want to be when I grow up. It sounds crazy (because it is), I am 40 years old and I am still questioning what I am doing with my life. I am a talented healing facilitator, I can resource a traumatized nervous system with the best of them, and I am a competent astrologer. But I still haven’t found “it” yet. That which grabs me, ignites my passion and makes me say, “This is what I want to do with the rest of my life.” I pray I can be of more consistent benefit to sentient beings than I am currently and be appropriately reciprocated for it.

It seems I am on the verge of something big spiritually / emotionally / psychologically. Up to this point in my life, I have had the mistaken (I know this cognitively but something deep within still has fear) view that in order to have money, I have work my butt off. I have to work very hard for any little thing I get. In other words, I succumb to a popular view that the concept of lack (of abundance) is how the world is and I have to scratch and scrape for every little morsel and scrap I can get. And I have made a few financial mistakes – but nothing major – in my life and I am human and might make a few more mistakes. Sometimes I wonder if I want money at all – is there an aversion? But we need it to survive and especially to thrive. I do want to support a family soon, of my own. I want to take my new family to Hawai’i to show them my birthplace. So I need money. I am really tired of not having anything tucked away for retirement. Yet even if I am relatively poor, I have love in my heart, for me, for her, a beautiful co-created generous warm-heart-embodying relationship. What else do I need? While this deep inner pattern works to re-organize, I will be leaning into this blossoming partnership I have discovered. Love is all there is. Money is energy. Gotta love ourselves first!

May it be so for all sentient beings!

Thank you for reading,

Excellent Relationship Astrology Discussion continued

This material is copyrighted by M Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Thank you for visiting and feel free to search Spiritual Astrology or for any other terms you are interested in learning about. You can also check out the Astrology category for more posts on the topic. Visit www.mkirbymoore.com to schedule a session or Astrology interpretation with Kirby.

This is a continuation from a previous post. Go back and read that one first. This post is in progress. Over the next few days more will be written. 🙂

Why do relationships occasionally come to people who are wholly unprepared for one? Or which aspects do I look at to see a potential romantic relationship coming my way?

This was an interesting question! For someone who knows astrology well, then a new relationship possibility would not be a huge surprise. You can look at any number of aspects in the Timing Charts (Transit Chart, Secondary Progressed Chart, etc) to see whether there will be a possible romantic tryst (if you are into that kind of thing) or a more serious potential partnering.

These aspects include Progressed Venus conjunct Natal / Pr Mars, Natal / Pr Sun, Natal / Pr Moon (at these times love will be in the air for two to three years so you would look at shorter Transit aspects to actually see “when”). Progressed Mars in the Natal 7th house is when we have a lot of energy and drive to partner up – especially closer to the Descendant. Pr Mars will be in the 7th house for up to 50 years… so the first 10 degrees of that house are more poignant in this case. Having an accurate birth time makes a big difference in cases like these.

I wrote an entire post on marriage aspects in astrology. Go back and read through the astrology category or search marriage aspects for more on this topic.

If we have done A LOT of work on ourselves, then Transiting Saturn entering the 7th house can indicate a time of a romantic relationship deepening. More commitment, more responsibility, more discipline required to keep it a harmonious relationship. But still quite possibly a healthy, happy, lively relationship!

There are other aspects – lots of them – that indicate a time of potential pairing or even of juicy short love affairs… better to work with a skillful astrologer to discern what and when. 🙂

Keep in mind what I mention on that first article / post – if we resist meeting someone, if we do not put the causes and conditions into place to meet a potential partner, then we might be able to resist these astrological suggestions.

Is a relationship set in stone? Regarding the dynamic between the two people?

In other words, are the ways of relating between two people stuck or fixed OR subject to change and mutability?

The immediate answer to this question of course is “No.” However, there are a number of people who are “stuck in a rut” or many people say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” So only if we are willing to acknowledge that there might be an issue, or I might have a blind spot, or that suppressed emotion is starting to really get in the way of my giving and receiving love… then we can make changes, work on improving ourselves and therefore shift the relationship to a better place. If we can peel ourselves away from self-grasping and focus on how can I make my partner’s life better today? Then this will make things change really quickly.

The Composite Chart is set in stone – it is like the Natal Chart for the relationship. So if two people have serious quarreling for years on end.. then that might be the baseline. But Progress (progression) happens, change is inevitable. But it might not be fast enough if there are too many problems in the relationship.

Being more flexible, adaptable, open, curious, spacious and having a sense of wonder of what this day will bring will help. How will I be pleasantly surprised today? How can I joyfully surprise my partner today?

Why are we attracted to some people but not others?

I do not claim to know much about the mechanisms of karma. However, we can often see attraction in the birth chart. There are many aspects that reveal this.

For starters, one of the hottest (spiciest, juiciest, etc) aspects between two charts is Mars square Venus – whether synastry or in the composite chart. This is one square the works real good. “Oh you mean there is tension between my conquering warrior and your delicate damsel, oh my…” (Don’t worry this won’t get X-rated. I hope.)

But there are some interesting aspects for attraction as well. Jupiter trine / sextile / conjunct Mars – a fun playful flirtatious competition; Jupiter / Venus – this may not be hot passion but it will mean you two are very generous and kind with each other.

There are the soul mate aspects (I’ll just leave this one blank on purpose. Some cards need to stay close to my chest. Message me for a personalized interpretation. My site is http://www.mkirbymoore.com)

Pluto / Mars aspects when soft are pretty amazing. There might be fireworks. If hard aspects, attempt to be gentle!

There is even the weird mother / oedipus attraction piece of Mars in aspect to the Moon. Especially if it is a male / female relationship and it is his Mars / her Moon. This can be another piece in the attraction puzzle. But I wouldn’t base a long-term relationship on it.

Is there one karmic pre-destined person for us to be with?

The answer to this question is “No.” I believe that there might be a primary relationship with whom we have a strong karmic connection, someone who will provoke us enough to grow and mature and ripen. With that said however, if I choose not to be with that person (for any number of reasons), then I also believe that there are many secondary relationships out there which will also poke and prod us into growth and evolving for the better.

Actually, different people will inspire or reflect what we need to see / feel / experience in order to work through some deep psycho-spiritual issue. And different people will reflect different aspects or levels or ages of what we need. Here is an example:

I am currently dating a woman who has a four year old daughter. The woman I’m dating is just wrapping up a divorce. (They signed the separation agreement long before we started dating – I made sure of this. No need to commit any sexual misconduct!) When I started seeing her, her daughter was three and a half years old.

This current relationship I’m in, which is going really well by the way, was the perfect catalyst for me to see how wounded I was by my own parents’ divorce (which I was three and a half years old!). Previously I thought most of my unmet needs / wounds came from a difficult birth… (I have done a lot of work on myself btw.)

Now, having brought this unconscious wound(s) to the surface, I lean into support as I work to resource my little 3 and 4 year old parts, I repair his / my nervous system / brain and I work to slow things down. Because the big ball of emotions was too overwhelming for a three-year-old nervous system at the time. Now we can skillfully, patiently, compassionately and gently untangle that big psycho-spiritual knot!

In conclusion, there may be several people who reflect different things I need to work on. I am very happy and content being in this current relationship. But say I had chosen differently 6-8 months ago, I might be with someone else who reflects another unconscious part of me that need healing.

Why does it seem that some people can’t resist being with their partners?

This was another interesting question! Are we compelled to be with someone? People sometimes talk about irresistible lust. And when we are younger, and the reproductive hormones are flowing mightily through our veins, then maybe it might seem irresistible. But for most rational people, we always have a choice.

It might seem we are “fated” to be with someone – always bumping into them at the store, being in class with them all the time, sharing the same spiritual path, or whatever. But if we can meditate, if we can peel our minds away from the groove we have started making – about how they are the perfect partner or about how they will solve all our problems – go for a walk in nature, spend time gazing at the vast sky, go for a trip to physically get separation from them – then we would see that it really is a choice.

If you feel you need to be with someone, then go for it. I am not saying not to! If you feel the irresistible urge to partner / be near them / romance them, then there is probably a reason. Learn from them. Grow with them. Practice generosity! And on a different note…

Being aware of our early unmet needs and developmental wounds is very important. Because this is what causes this magnetic attraction. As an example, the abandoned part of me will be fulfilled by the giving assertive part of you. And if my early developmental unmet needs template matches up very closely with yours, then it will feel like the “perfect match!” But in reality, it can be unconscious forces at work.

And of course it might be the case that we have a strong positive healthy karmic connection to someone or maybe multiple someones. And in this case, we feel drawn toward them, we love spending time with them, it feels like we grow or get fed by being with them. Then this is very positive and healthy! Go with it!

So if we have done a lot of work on ourselves. If we are pretty clear about our psycho-spiritual drives and needs, then we can go into a relationship with less unconscious yearning (inappropriate feelings of will-you-take-care-of-my-little-one?). Then we can have a co-creating, inspiring, supportive, spacious, reliable, committed, generous, light, lively, spontaneous, grounded partnership! Yay!

Is there a monastic signature in the birth chart? When you see this, you might think to yourself, yes this individual (at least on some level) does not want to be in a romantic relationship this lifetime?

Whether it is personal choice or due to our karma… if you see someone with Venus in the 12th house and in Virgo, then unfortunately (sorry folks) relationships might not be easy for that person. This could also be true for Venus in Scorpio – although for a different reason. Venus in Scorpio in the 12th house could be more on the scheming / manipulative side and therefore have trouble keeping relationships as a result.

But even this combination is not a life sentence of being alone. We must take into account aspects! Jupiter trine either of these Venuses in the 12th house and maybe they will benefit quite nicely from a relationship (and benefit their partner(s)).

So yes there could be a monastic signature, but it is complex. A good astrologer can help you to sort this out.

Excellent Relationship Astrology Discussion

Yesterday, as I drove home from a Dharma teaching in the Tidewater region (about 2.5 hours away from home), I had the good fortune to be questioned by a friend and Tibetan scholar about how does relationship astrology work? He grew up as a monk but gave up his robes and vows around the age of 23.

This is going to be a post in progress. So if you come back, you can read more over the next few days. 🙂

First off, what is relationship astrology? What in particular do you look at in the astrology chart?

Relationship astrology in general refers to looking at two people’s charts and comparing them, using the synastry between them and sometimes even creating a new chart of the relationship called the Composite Chart. With that said, first we will look at how we can see someone’s relationship needs from their own Natal Chart – their birth horoscope.

All of the planets, signs and houses in the astrology chart can play a role in relationship astrology, however Venus and Mars would be the best place to look first. Venus represents what we want (what do we desire?) in the simplest explanation, and Mars represents how we go about getting what we want.

This sounds very straight forward right? Well, astrology is a very complex topic. So it isn’t that simple. For instance, Venus’ sign can tell you a bit about how the person will like to love and be loved. It will tell you about their sensuality level, their passion or lack thereof, what kind of aesthetics they prefer, are they more romantic, do they like to take their time, how do they like to be wined and dined, etc. But here is the catch – so will the house position of Venus, so will the aspects to Venus, so will planets in the 2nd and 7th houses of the birth chart… Are you getting how intricate and interconnected astrology (in general and relationship astrology in particular) can be?

Likewise, Mars’ sign will tell you how assertive someone will be, how competitive, how driven, how direct, how aggressive, how passionate, how sensual, how romantic, how sexually driven, etc. And likewise so will the house placement, the aspects to Mars and planets in the 1st or 8th house.

Either of these planets aspecting Uranus, Neptune or Pluto will tack on an entire new level of dynamic twists and turns to either Mars or Venus. People have written entire books about each of these planets alone.. so I won’t go too deep here. Saturn or Jupiter in aspect to either relational planet will have different unique effects and persuasions.

Relationship astrology – why do some people yearn for a relationship really hard but never get one?

First of all, we are social creatures, so pretty much all people need social contact. Ideally we like to touch and be touched (consensual, comfortable, loving, appropriate touch), we want to be seen and heard and appreciated. But how much touching do we enjoy? Are we a Type A personality – driven, muscling through, a “no pain, no gain” type? Or are we more laid back? Are we more sensitive? And does that affect our romantic needs? (It often does!)

The first place to look is at the Natal Venus. The sign and house placement will tell you A LOT about the individual’s needs in relationships – and possibly if they even want one at all. By the way, it is rare for someone to be totally averse to any type of romantic relationship (see the last question below). Even if someone has less sexual hunger, we still get lonely and benefit from human contact!

Venus in the 2nd house will be different from Venus in the 5th and very different from the 12th house! So house position is quite important. The sign plays a major role, and alas, so do aspects to Venus.

The astrology chart is a reflection of our gross karma. So if someone has abused their power in relationships in the past (lives), then it is possible they will have poor relationship karma. But keep in mind that karma is not permanent – it can be transformed. If you have a spiritual practice, it can be transformed even faster. Negative karma can be worked off as it were.

Also we need to put the causes and conditions into place. If we are abrasive and angry, then we need to work on ourselves before we could possibly attract a harmonious relationship! And the conditions involve meeting people. There might be a great partner out there for us, but if we are too scared to go out, or to try GreenSingles or MeetMindful or other legit dating sites, then we might successfully avoid them for a while.

But the key is to work on yourself first. I told my mother back when I was 20 that I was going to work on improving myself so that down the road I could attract a good partner. That is how you can be prepared. If we don’t work on ourselves, then the “universe” (or really our inner need reflected in an outer person) will send someone who really triggers us around our blind spots.

To answer this question… be wary when you see the word “never.” You can be more prepared by working on yourself. Especially work to resource your inner developmental parts – this work is done via Birth Process Work (PPN Work), EMDR, Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS), some Somatic Experiencing if the practitioner is really experienced and a few other modalities.

Why do we need to be aware of our developmental needs and unmet needs? Because this is what gets stirred up as soon as we get intimate with someone – we go straight back to our attachment style with our caretakers. This is true when we start having sex with someone and especially when we start living with someone. So do repair work for your little one. 🙂

Then you will have less unconscious stuff to be triggered by! And we will have much more psychic energy to put into creativity and joy!

To be continued in the next post!

Thank you for reading!