mermaid musings on eclipses, retrogrades, & you

you have nothing to be afraid of. things don't happen because of astrology. as humans, we have a wild amount of free-will. people are still making decisions; you are still response-able for your self & your life. we cannot control what happens externally but that is true at all times- it doesn't become more true during cosmic events- we're just deeply reminded of it. and being reminded of how little control we have can be humbling. so we use astrology to be more intentional with when we decide to push, pull, advance, retreat. we use astrology to remember that it's not just us in our heads/bodies & that there is also a wild amount of interconnectedness available to us. we use astrology to remember that shit ebbs & flows, waxes & wanes, & that's more than okay- it's desirable. 

many have been asking for my advice on this month. there’s a lot of freak out going on. it saddens me. astrology is to help you listen, give attention, & synchronize with what’s actually happening for you. your chart, your context ultimately matters most. this is why we need astrologers- we're not just here to translate & expand on the current mood, we're here to help you look deeper into yourself. your patterns, dynamics, & capacities. how can you have the full range of all your agency? that is my question. astrology as a practice, to me, is about more response-ability, not abdicating it to the stars. 

eclipses aren’t just one day. they are the weeks & sometimes months, before & after. some say years. point is, they are beginnings & climaxes, like the new & full moons they occur with. they end eras & open ways. clarity. please don’t be afraid. you’ve already been shaping towards what next weeks new moon solar eclipse in cancer means for you. and retrogrades- like mars in aquarius right now & mercury in leo later this month- in essence slow things down. the friction may arise when you don't want to slow down, when you don't make space for that to happen. the magic may arise when you do. 

this is why we need to reject narratives of urgency or fear when it comes to this month/eclipses/retrogrades. instead, ask deeper questions. what support do you need to stay cool, calm, & clear? what are you holding too tightly to or not opening up to receiving, that might be causing tension? much of the time, our discomforts are actually growing pains. most of the time, our insecurities are rooted in focusing more on external validation & affirmation than in being in right relationship with ourselves. this is all a never ending learning curve- don't be surprised when shit shows up over & over again. it's all nonlinear. just like every new & full moon is an opportunity to add or remove a layer. to take the time to cycle through. 

the new moon eclipse opposes pluto in capricorn. intensity for sure- yet we also have a grand trine (three planets in sync) in water & earth. you’ll have a life raft & an anchor. everything you need to navigate the waters of cancer. everything you need to begin this (re)new journey deeper into the cancer part of your chart. if you're like- this is all great Ariana BUT HOW- we can talk about what this means for you if you're really feeling it. if you're really in so many transitions & shifts you need perspective or to reclaim agency. you can even come afraid, & we'll talk through it. no answers, just clear inquiry & uncovering the truths already there.

hopefully I will be sharing more with you all during the coming weeks- youI'll also be delving deeper into what the eclipses & retrogrades are offering in the Commune as well, which is always open to welcoming more mermaids & starlings. because we need right relationship with the stars, with the times, with ourselves. 

oxo
saltwater & stars

SABBATICAL


✨JUNE 13-JULY 1✨
 

the moon is waning in capricorn now & we're grounding after that fiery full moon. lovely time for some announcements!
for the dates above, I will be on sabbatical. I'll also be attending the Allied Media Conference & then celebrating my marriage! I will be unavailable for scheduling, responding to emails, fresh content, & other housekeeping during that time. you will still be able to book but if you wanna talk before July, do so asap. there will be a new moon in gemini $15/15 special but none for the full moon. horoscopes will be up in the commune as usual for the gemini new moon & the full moon in capricorn. you can also follow me on Facebook or Instagram to stay in touch! 

AND THEN: come July, you will be able to schedule with me not just on wednesday-thursday, but other days of the week as well! I have quit my "day job" as they call it & will be giving Saltwater Stars my full attention. this is HUGE, exciting, & 7 years in the making. I am looking forward to having the space to create more astral support & share more mermaid musings. I am also curious about what you would be interested in seeing/experiencing from me. what kind of astral support resonates with you from me? lemme know in the comments & I'll muse on it.

grateful you are here, grateful I am supported, grateful for what's next

oxo
saltwater & stars 

 

new moon & uranus in taurus

uesday, may 15 @7:49AM EDT | 24 degrees

happy new moon in taurus!  

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uranus goes into taurus tonight.  

intentions are so important currently- not just so you have a harvest you can resonate with when the full moon in taurus comes late october, but so you can anchor the energy of this 7 year shift of uranus in aries to taurus. you don’t have to know them today, or ever. it may be enough to pay attention to how you feel & know how you want to feel. but if you have space, be with yourself & think about this time container of 6 months (new to full moon) & how the change-god uranus is on your side.  

I’ve been thinking about how intentions are different than goals. goals can be useful when they’re reframed by our agency, not determined by obligation. goals feel very pragmatic to me. intentions (especially when we’re working with the moon) feel more like space-making. like we’re creating room in our hearts & minds & life for what we want to show up. we’re shaping a container without necessarily being in control of the specificity of what fills it. like, we don’t really know what will come, how the container will change, what the contents will actually be at the end of a cycle. 

goals feel action oriented- we need to stay focused, accomplish things strategically, & be committed. intentions feel intuitive- we need to trust ourselves, know what we want, & be willing to be flexible with it. we navigate with intention. we arrive at goals. neither is better or worse, right or wrong. it seems like two different ways of moving that are both useful in appropriate contexts & with the nuance of understanding our relationship to the pressure within both. 

creating intentions at the new moon can often feel like pressure. we’re releasing what’s no longer necessary to hold onto, we’re opening ourselves up to something new or more. there is tension in this, stretching that must be done gently but firmly. an intention feels more like energy work & goals feel more like tangible/practical work  

I think it’s important that when working with a collective/outer planet like uranus, we’re remembering that we cannot embody this energy. it’s not your job to BECOME uranus, to change everything all at once, to know all the things. it’s your job to trust yourself, to be willing to evolve, & to move slowly enough to do so intentionally. 

keeping this in mind, what do you want to begin now? what way of being, relating, moving through the multiverse do you want to explore? what seeds do you want to plant, knowing that you’ll water & tend to them as needed? remember that you have agency to shape this transition  

be tender with the lessons of the past 7 years of uranus in aries. be tender with the hopes you have for the next 7, as unknowable as they are, as uranus travels through taurus & brings us new opportunities to experiment. uranus will reframe the taurus part of your chart. some of it may feel like it’s happening fast or already happening. don’t be surprised if you’re anxious. inhale & exhale. there is no room for fear here- connect to the abundance of the multiverse that has brought you to this moment & trust it will continue to support you.   

oxo

saltwater & stars

mermaid musings on money & receptivity

prelude: this is me sharing mermaid musings & thought experiments at the intersection of astrology, decolonization, anti-capitalism, & spirituality. I want to have this conversation so deeply but only if it is centered in an understanding of how capitalism takes from us all & how racism/white supremacy impact the access to resources people like me have. any conversation about the connection between our spiritual/energetic practice & money that isn't centered in an analysis of justice/history has the potential to be harmful because we cannot use spirituality to bypass systemic, institutional, & economic injustices. I. have. no. answers. nor all the questions. only experiments & observations. listening.

 

I was sitting in the sun yesterday in the company of a tree & from somewhere (I think it whispered it to me) I had an epiphany that there is a clear relationship between money & receptivity. the sun is in taurus so material resources are on the mind. I've emboldened the keywords in the definition below that are associated with venus, ruler of taurus. when we’re talking about a season (what sign the sun is in), we are ultimately talking about the expression of the planet that rules that sign. so during taurus season, we’re musing on venus.

definition of receptivity

1able or inclined to receive; especially open and responsive to ideas, impressions, or suggestions
2: a of a sensory end organ fit to receive and transmit stimuli
b sensory

 
something I've observed about taurus is that they absolutely will work their ass off for material security, but really they'd prefer to ease into it. this makes me think of our relationship with the earth, with nature, how we are nature. the sustenance the land is meant to give us is something meant to be cultivated, given attention to, & responded to intentionally. but never forced. it's a relationship of receptivity & response-ability. capitalism & money can try to destroy & replace this organic relationship but it is something we can actually return to, in different ways. not all of us have access to being in relationship with land/the earth in the way we might want to be- in that, I've found that changing my relationship to money has been the beginning of reclaiming a lot of the ease & trust that working with the earth cultivates. because money is the resource that provides food/water/shelter that I need & am attached to at this time. 

the relationship between money & receptivity I am seeing so clearly right now is that when you stop believing that we need to "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps" & just work hard, there needs to be something else to believe in. I've been experimenting with trusting that what I need will come. what that really means is that I center myself in believing that abundance is actually possible. then I open myself up to honoring that it may arrive in multiple known & unknown ways. I solidify my intention of being receptivity by stretching myself into being willing to ask for material support when I need it- and then allowing it in. this is energetic work that I can choose to support with spiritual/magical practice for amplification. it can be deep, painful work. when we talk about energy, we're often talking about the alignment of the mind, heart, & body.

there are so many internalized beliefs about scarcity, work ethic, and "earning our keep" that it's often hard to imagine another way. it's often hard to imagine being supported by the multiverse, by our community, by the truth that we don't need to earn access to basic human rights. and there are certainly times when we need to participate in the system more than other others because survival is an instinct that is useful when we're put in the position to have to rely on it. only you can decide when a more energetically receptive route to getting needs met or being supported is appropriate. I am not saying that we all need to stop working our capitalistic jobs & just trust. I am saying that I am experiencing what happens when I make the energetic & spiritual investment into receptivity & ask for what I need-whether from others or the multiverse. this is the essence of venus-and an element of emergent strategy- decentralization/interdependence. 

I'm a cash poor 2nd generation boricua. these systems we're supposed to rely on for material security (in the context of the USA) were never meant for me or mine. they're not supposed to work. and neither are they aligned with what I believe. so until it all comes crashing down & we ingeniously survive it, I'm going to practice trusting in other realms rooted in the power I know is available to me while doing what I need to do to be secure. I want to be receptive to the support of the unseen forces that conspire with me towards healing, liberation, & abundance. and ultimately, be receptive to the constant circulation of resources that happens among those who are interested in finding alternative ways of being in this world, in relationship with money, & in love with each other. 

oxo
saltwater & stars