The effects of a powerful Beaver Moon last week are reverberating still, and its message of change will last for two years before a new cycle of astrological drama gets under way. 

Despite the protection of the mountains all around, today the wind roars in harmony with the great River Wye creating a cacophony of sound and movement that is both overwhelming and soothing; this place is a mosaic of flying golden leaves and flocks of thrushes and other birds filling the skies, and every level is transformed.  It is impossible to control this natural force of beautiful nature that takes over every autumn, and I will not try: equally, nature will never try to control me.

Wednesday’s Full Moon is redolent with the memory of running and hiding, running and hiding in fear of giant black-caped horsemen seeking everywhere to find me.  It is my recurring nightmare since childhood.  They were hunters wreaking vengeance, and the Full Moon to come fittingly is the Hunter’s Moon, and the Moon of Decision.

The beginning of 2020 saw the first public signs of a pandemic that broke global cohesion and changed society in ways that were far more profound than is understood even now.  The astrological design of the time reflected what was happening, and it is significant that some key features relating to Pluto, Saturn and Mars are being repeated this month, but with the added hazard of a strong Mercury Retrograde.

We choose our way, our path, our life with every breath, and the Full Moon sitting esoterically in the sign of Virgo on Monday is a reminder to us of our absolute power and personal responsibility to direct our human journey.

Today, 22^nd August, brings the second Full Moon in August, one filled with renewed lunar strength and energy, and one that is pivotal for each of us as we share the pain of the disintegration of Afghanistan.  Through the collective consciousness and as members of the human race, we have responsibility for what is occurring everywhere, and we have work to do to put right what we have wronged.

A two acre plot in a remote part of the Upper Wye valley has been my home for 18 years, and my focus of attention from the start has been to transform it from a much-admired weed-free and highly controlled show garden to a place that is a haven for wildlife.

The Cosmic Rays affect everything, highlighting inherent strengths and weaknesses and forcing change through our reactions.  All opportunity and challenge in life are a result of how we see and use the Rays, particularly those that are significant to us personally.

As July starts to have form, the clash for survival between mind and heart is becoming stronger, the one increasingly aggressive and the other intent upon emergence.

The energy of long Solstice light woke me early today on this the longest day, along with the pre-dawn song of early blackbirds and the chatter of bats returning to their roosts in the cedar shingles under my windows.  It feels momentous, infinite, rich and transitory, a day to remember but which in the human passage of time I am likely to forget.  It does not matter.