Excerpt from "Astrology for the Third Act of Life": Ages forty-two-forty-five: The Mindfulness of the Tight Rope Walker

Excerpt from "Astrology for the Third Act of Life".   AGES 42-45: THE MINDFULNESS OF THE TIGHT-ROPE WALKER; THE NEPTUNE SQUARE AND SATURN OPPOSITION These are the years of working with the changes you created at the Uranus Opposition. Now with Neptune square itself, and Saturn opposing itself you are working hard to embody the change you’ve initiated at the Uranus Opposition. You’ve moved across country? Now you have to make roots and friends. You’ve just had a baby? Now you’re experiencing the first few years of keeping that baby alive—a good example of Saturn in action here. And there are the inspiring Neptunian moments too when you look in your baby’s eyes and see how it has all been worthwhile. Is that God in there?

This is the first time we’ve mentioned Neptune; god of the ocean. Every transit has what I call an upper octaveand a lower octave of expression, and Neptune is a good example of this. In a transit we usually experience both the higher octave and the lower octave of its expression. With Neptune we can see the archetype of the highest forms of spirituality: transcendence, compassion, creativity, and self-less love. And yet its lack of bound- aries can bring confusion and every kind of addiction imaginable. Neptune wants to find a sense of transcen- dence; of ease and relief from the mundane—is it having a drink? And then another one and another? Or will you take a walk on the beach at dawn to catch a glimpse of the swans in flight? Neptune transits run the full range between great inspiration and hope, to despair; a higher octave expression and a lower octave. Usually we get a little mix of both, but often the strongest effect can be one of unclarity. You may feel like the fog is rolling in and you can’t see clearly; nothing is clear as the left-brain linear clarity gives way to the right brain imaginative intuitiveness.

You are not losing your mind or developing a case of early Alzheimer’s! Your brain is simply processing things differently. If you lean away from fear during Neptune transits you can access the beauty and imaginative gifts of this time. Allow yourself to linger in nature, take photographs, do paintings, write songs and poetry and generally feed yourself as much inspiration as possible. Go to the music concert. This is “feeding the higher octave” of Neptune and you’ll feel the enchantment that comes with it. So often we have a choice between love and fear in our lives and we always benefit when we choose love. Yet because we usually get all that Neptune offers us, undercurrents of anxiety may still occur as we deal with these transits. What is calling to be done now? How is this going to play out? Sometimes with Neptune it can feel like the bottom falls out of a very organized life. In that case, a careful Saturnian re-evaluation needs to happen because with the lower octave of the Neptune transit there can be a temporary discouragement; a loss of ideals, dreams and spiritual direction. It will return in time, after the Neptune transit has passed.

This is also the time of life when death and separation is not uncommon; sometimes parents may be dying or children leaving home for school. Or possibly the self- reinvention you did at the Uranus Opposition at age 41 may have been so radical that it’s taking time for you to find your ground again. This is a transitional liminal period. It’s like being in the hallway between 2 rooms...you’re neither here nor there yet. Your next big life stage will be at the Chiron Return at age 51 when you turn your life experi- ence and your “wounding” into a gift. That is an anchoring time. But you’re not there yet. For women this is often a perimenopausal time. It’s hard to rest comfortably in this place; these years often have that in-between liminal quality to them, that only patience can cure. Liminal, or in-between times, are like times of reaching for a poetic state of mind. This is the Neptunian element that relates to pure consciousness itself.

The Saturn opposite Saturn aspect now combined with Neptune is like a tight-rope between two fixed anchors, and you are the tight-rope walker. As you walk between them you see where you are going and what needs to be done; you strive for balance--patience and mindfulness are called for now; and Neptune will gladly give us that if we make that our intention. As astrologer, Caroline Casey, once said: “The invisible world would like to help, but spiritual etiquette requires that we ask.” Whether we call this prayer or making an intention, the essential point is that it’s a process of asking, receiving and commitment. It’s about making an intention to ourselves and to whatever we might call our higher power, and not assuming that “God” knows what you want and need. Spiritual etiquette says we must ask for what we want. Caroline’s book: Making the Gods Work For You is a helpful book for under- standing the astrological language of the psyche. More Ponderings from my Journal:

I forget the words she said that day as we were having coffee together. But they were similar to the Eliot quote I was familiar with: "It is never too late to be who you might have been." I've loved the idea of that quote all my life, but today it had a hollow ring to it, and I remember saying I liked Rilke's quote better: "And then the knowledge comes to me that I have space within me for a second timeless larger life.        We both grinned at each other, nodding our heads, as I quietly wondered how this might play out in my life-- because I was not making a career change or getting married or divorced. This felt to be more about a different kind of change—but maybe an important change—of making space within me for that larger life. What would that look like? (Continued in book....direct link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1727202198 )

Excerpt from "Astrology for the Third Act of Life". Age 66

AGE 66: HOLDING THE TENSION OF THE OPPOSITES; SATURN SQUARE SATURN "You are an alchemist: Make Gold of that." --William Shakespeare At age 66 Saturn moves into a waning Square to itself. This isn’t classically a tough transit but it can be a testy time when we are called to finish, complete or change what had its beginning around the Second Saturn Return. It can also be the time when you become an alchemist; but we’re coming to that...

But first, we know that Saturn always responds well to WORK and CONTEMPLATION, and if you’re willing to do it, this transit need not be too difficult. In Saturnian times sometimes illness emerges, and although it’s not specified for this age, it can happen at any time in the Third Act of Life, and it’s worth mentioning now...here is a journal/blog entry of mine that speaks to this issue: March 20 Each day I take 14 pills. I take them 4 times a day spread out from 8:00 am to 3:00 am—yes, I wake up at 3:00 am! Without these pills I wouldn’t be alive—I have to take a blood thinning pill, a blood pressure pill, a statin for heart issues and a post-herpetic pill for nerve pain. (Yes, I had shingles 5 years ago.) And then there are more, including the supplemental vitamins...you don’t need to know the list. Why do I mention this? Because I don’t want my readers to think I’m unfamiliar with illness and the necessary requirements to stay ‘healthy.’

Just after my Second Saturn Return at age 59, I began writing books. I willingly lived with a schedule that got me up and at my writing desk at seven am most days. I gladly pushed myself for 6 or 7 hours a day....I fought back tiredness and moderation as the adrenaline was flowing, and--many cups of coffee later over several years—I ended up with four published books and in the emergency room. When I turned sixty-six, and too many cups of coffee later, I began three years of dealing with the ‘demons’ brought about by the too muchness of my writing life—I was afflicted with issues with the heart, the GI, and anxiety and insomnia aggravated by 3 visits to the ER due to uncontrolled blood pressure and atrial fibrilla- tion. It was made worse by a cardiologist who gave me even more potent dangerous pills than I needed. Grate- fully, my new cardiologist found the right combination of medicines—and I’m now maintaining “healthy” most of the time. What was I not conscious of before I became ill? What did I not want to admit? Was I pushing up against tired- ness or a deeper unwillingness to slow down?  Was I afraid that if I stopped writing intensely every day I would lose my passion and energy for the project?

So, does this qualify me to write about aging? Does seventy years and fourteen pills help me to qualify? Many of you know the story of the spiritual teacher, Ram Dass, and author of the book: “Be Here Now”. He was writing a new book on aging when he was in these years. One day, as he was laying down resting, the phone rang. It was his publisher saying that his book was good; but not good enough; it lacked depth and conviction. Puzzled, he laid down again and proceeded to have a major life-threatening stroke. For the next 5 years Ram Dass fought for his life and his ability to move and speak again. Finally, he emerged with a best-selling book called “Still Here” which spoke to his experience of aging and illness. Now, he had no lack of conviction.

Most of us don’t need to have a stroke of enormous “bad luck” like that. But sometimes that is what it takesto do the humbling things that age demands. In my case it was years of illness and fourteen pills. For Ram Dass it was a phoenix like recovery; a near death experience that took enormous courage and work. Interesting though, he admitted that before the stroke he knew he had high blood pressure and simply didn’t take the pills. Sometimes it takes a lot to acquire the humility that age demands. Sometimes, especially if you’ve been ill, you may find that you have the initial passion to do something, but you’re afraid that you might not have the energy to sustain it. That was my case; I feared if I slowed down I would lose steam, lose the momentum and then fall prey to procrastination. How hard it can be to find your- self at the peak of inspiration only to realize that you fear losing the endurance to express what you love! Sometimes it’s a matter of waiting, healing, and strengthening our body and spirit so that we are strong enough to do what we want to do. And then pacing ourselves. (Ram Dass and I were both impatient with our book writing process and didn’t honor the needs of the body.)

In the creative process, we don’t want to think: I’ll never do this again! No, instead “doing the Saturn work” can be about waiting as much as by doing, and holding the flame of the alchemical fire at a steady even temperature instead of burning ourselves out. This is the nature of “Alchemy” where we’re holding the flame constant while “holding the tension of the opposites until the third emerges.” Except from New Book: Astrology for the Third Act of Life. Direct link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1727202198

Astrology for the Third Act of Life

               

                                                                                

To read reviews and see "Look Inside the Book Feature on Amazon, click HERE

By combining astrology, Jungian psychology and personal memoir, Elizabeth shows how the "third act of life" gives us a chance to awaken to a joyful connection with the deep Self. By understanding the specific challenges and opportunities of each astrological life transit from age 40 on, we have a practical road map for our journey.

This book will motivate and inspire, helping you to use your insights for better choice-making and helping you to draw the threads of your life into a meaningful tapestry. Previous Knowledge of astrology not necessary; just a willingness to learn something new, as you grow into your wise years with an attitude you'll love!

The book starts at the age of 41 explaining the significance of that age, known as the Uranus Opposition, and then moves to the Chiron Return at age 51, the Saturn Return at age 59, the Uranus Square at age 63, the Saturn Square Saturn at age 66, the Saturn Opposition at age 73, the last Nodal return at age 76.....all the way up to the Third Saturn Return at age 88.

"For me the spiritual journey, marked by the wisdom of astrological insight, allows for re-enchantment in our lives." Elizabeth Spring

Astrology for the Third Act of Life~ New Book by Elizabeth Spring

Interested? Find out about reviews and Look Inside the Book feature on Amazon by clicking HERE.

"Astrology for the Third Act of Life" Just Published on amazon.com

Midlife gives you a chance to deepen and connect with your Soul. But when are the best times to make changes? When is the time to pare down, turn inward and draw the threads of your life into a tapestry? When do you have new beginnings in mid-life? You may be forty, sixty or eighty-eight but it's time to become re-enthused about your next chapter of life! By combining astrology, Jungian psychology and personal memoir, Elizabeth shows how midlife gives us a chance to deepen and connect with our Soul.

Jungian astrologer, Elizabeth Spring MA, has written a book that describes the life passages we all experience in aging: starting with the Uranus Opposition at age 41, to the Chiron Return at age 51, the Second Saturn Return at age 59, the Uranus Square at 63 and the Uranus Return at 84...and beyond. Written in plain English for astrologers and non-astrologers alike--in fact--you don't even need to believe in astrology to get something out of this book.

You can look backwards at the story of your life and see what feels true, and then look forward to what might be coming. Experiment! Each age--each transit--embodies wisdom that can help you navigate these potentially rich times.  In describing each of the astrological transits of aging, Elizabeth gives tools to help you thrive through all these ages; what was once esoteric and unmapped territory is now known. So how and when can you do this?

 By understanding the timing and character of each astrological transit you are more empowered to meet the challenges and see the gifts of each age. As she says" My hope is that as we navigate these waters of the Third Act of Life we will muster the courage to experience both a deepening of our sense of Self and--dare I say it---a re-enchantment of our lives. This journey of aging, marked by the wisdom of the astrological journey, is about meeting all our challenges, but it's also the well with the deepest joy."

"Astrology for the Third Act of Life" available now on amazon.com

Many of you may know how my life has been consumed by my new book-- beginning last year with my blog: 'Ponderings On Turning Seventy.' After a year of work, (whew!)the new book is coming out this Saturday! It is a blend of memoir from my journal, astrology, and Jungian psychology. You can read articles and learn more here:  www.astrologyforthethirdactoflife.com

NEW BOOK: "ASTROLOGY FOR THE THIRD ACT OF LIFE : TO BE RELEASED NOVEMBER 10TH ON AMAZON.COM (SOON ON AUDIBLE AS WELL!)

Here's a little about it:

Midlife gives us a chance to deepen and connect with our Soul. But when are the best times to make changes? When is the time to pare down, turn inward and draw the threads of your life into a tapestry? When do we have new beginnings in mid-life? You may be forty or you may be sixty but it's time to become re-enthused about your next chapter of life. 

Jungian astrologer, Elizabeth Spring MA, has written a book that describes the life passages we all experience in aging. Starting with the Uranus Opposition at age 41, to the Chiron Return at age 51, the Second Saturn Return at age 59, to the Uranus Square at 63 and the Uranus Return at 84. Each age-each transit-embodies wisdom that can help us navigate these potentially rich time.

The gift of aging is that we can look at the canvas of our lives and know how connected we are...

Elizabeth has a Master's degree in psychology with an emphasis in the work of Carl Jung. She's been a professional astrologer since 1992 and has written 3 astrology books and a memoir. At the age of 71 she became passionate about learning how to age well, and how to use this time to ponder the Mystery that is us. 

She has found the metaphors and symbolism of astrology to offer profound clues as to how to age with grace and wisdom.

Come visit my new website! http://AstrologyfortheThirdActofLife.com  This site will connect to the new book I'm writing on Astrology for the Third Act of Life which I hope will be published and available in January on amazon.com  I'm excited to be exploring how midlife gives us a chance to deepen and connect with our truest Self.  I'll also be giving a workshop on this Saturday morning Oct 6th in Newport, R.I. Contact me at 401-297-5066 if interested with your birth info as well. Preregistration required as birth charts will be made for all participants.

Seven Planets Retrograde this Summer!

Yes, starting with Mercury Retro on July 26th 7 planets will be retrograde this summer! Right now, there are 5 retros: Mars, Neptune, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. What does this mean? As I've written about before with retrogrades, think of all the words that start with RE and do those activities: reflect, reorganize, repair, redo, repeat, review, redefine...etc.  Turning inward is the key and sometimes retreating from action. Think again about your current course of action and let it brew a little. Is it truly right for you? Ponder and plan but don't jump ahead yet. And, this isn't the best times for risky new ventures, such as financial investments when Mars is retrograde. (JP Morgan always consulted his astrologer about this!)  Remember too that the word recreate counts here...as in recreation! Enjoy the process...www.elizabethspring.com. Beautiful mandala art by Tamarah Alister Rose Antares at www.mysticalartofpeace.com  

Astrological Weather Patterns

What is happening to me now? Why am I feeling this way? These are questions we ask ourselves or our astrologer or our Tarot reader. I often remind myself how much my feelings are like a passing mood---like the clouds or changing weather patterns—they come and go. As an astrologer, I should be keenly aware of this as I observe the patterns of the Moon and planets continually moving through the heavens and our lives. But it’s not so easy to always remember that ‘this too shall pass.’

Late yesterday afternoon I fell into a low energy vortex and ended up on the couch unable to do anything but question the aching in my spine and the complaining of my psyche. I’ve been diagnosed with low iron anemia…and I’d forgotten to take my pills for weeks. And then there was ole Saturn and Mars squaring my Sun exactly. Saturn rules the bones, and squares bring out the tension or underlying problem…so there was the arthritis in my back and the pain. I reminded myself that I’m like a 1947 model car…what can I expect?

 I wasn’t happy despite coming up with multiple reasons for my sudden “downfall.” I lay down and forced myself to rest for 20 minutes then made myself get up and walk to the drugstore to buy iron supplements. On the walk home I popped one along with a chocolate Cadbury egg…and slowly I began to open like a frozen daffodil just cut and put into warm water. It was Easter, so one can indulge a bit, I told myself. Tomorrow I will start losing weight. Sigh…

Just as I walked in the shop at home a FaceBook friend dropped by, and in the course of our conversation she mentioned she hadn’t seen a blog post for me in quite a while. Yes! Someone had noticed. That felt good.

Someone had missed hearing from me! Here was more warmth, like sunshine, flowing in...even better than the chocolate egg.

Spring is slow in coming this year. Snow is forecast for tomorrow. My spine aches so intensely I must lie down again, and plan on calling the doctor tomorrow.  But I’m going to return to the drugstore and buy sunglasses that will change the color of the world from mundane gray to warm amber hues. Simple solutions! Followed by the hard phone call…

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference”…and God bless friends who remember us…and notice when we are missing.

Ponderings: On Turning Seventy: "In All It's Moods I See Myself"

Ponderings: On Turning Seventy: "In All It's Moods I See Myself":                                            “In All Its Moods I see Myself…” Yesterday after a perfectly lovely day—in fact a day m...

Ponderings: On Turning Seventy: Give Back Your Heart to Itself

Ponderings: On Turning Seventy: Give Back Your Heart to Itself: Give Back Your Heart To Itself “The time will come when, with elation you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your ...

Putting On My Astrologer's Hat

Ponderings: On Turning Seventy: Putting On My Astrologer's Hat: I was just asking myself why I was feeling this impatient, edgy mood. I haven’t been in the “groove” of my life today. I’ve been flo...