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I write regularly at jessicashepherd.substack.com — soft, human words on healing, astrology & intuition:
Blog
Gemini Full Moon: Remember Your Spiritual Tools
We’re selling our 85 year old house, moving from California to Hawaii in January. There’s a lot to coordinate, and with many details, inspections, timing issues, repairs, and unwanted discoveries (like a 60k sewer fix) it is too easy to get caught up in my mind, into anxiety and worry, to hold the perspective of “What if…this doesn’t work out?” Not a creative mindset. So when my teacher told me that I was not supporting the energy of “this is happening” but rather a negative ego vibration, I...
Scorpio New Moon: Your Family or Your Life?
The holidays always hold several guarantees: tinsel and lights, Christmas music being played far too early in the season, and lots of difficult emotions about family. This is the time of year when we replay old hurts, traumas. And this is as predictable as hearing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer in every store we visit. This isn’t conscious. Our expectations creep in unawares, like a child tiptoeing around late at night, looking for Santa -- except it is us, looking for the love, approval,...
Scorpio Is Forgiveness Season- Or Is It?
It’s painful to lose a true friend of the Soul. Most of us would choose not to ever lose them. It would be nice if those relationships went on forever, forever inspiring, raising us to be and see our highest, brightest self. But often they don’t, and since it felt so wonderful to be in their presence, it leaves us wondering- what happened? Or worse, What did I do wrong? Closure is something humans reach for and usually don’t get in the way we want. People may ghost us, disappear entirely, over...
Taurus Full Moon: Come to Your Senses
Mars is currently transiting my Third House (of neighbors, communications, transportation, mind), and as Mars transits goes it’s textbook aggravating. Seeking relief, I decide to go shopping but my stress-relieving trip proves more stressful. The mall is crowded with people wearing sour looks. I feel shamed, by the body language and tsk-tsk of both customers and salespeople, for bringing my friendly puppy to “pet-friendly” stores. While driving back home, a driver lays on her horn because I...
A Month to Stay Inside: Sun in the Twelfth House
From my dream journal: I’m in a room with a group of women. Each woman is being asked the same question about the world events we’ve been experiencing. As I listen, I realize no one has answered from the perspective of spiritual consciousness. I get excited to share and start formulating what I would like to say. It’s finally my turn when the group suddenly disbands and leaves. I’m left with words on my lips, but no one to hear them... This is a dream I had while the Sun was transiting my...
Libra New Moon: What’s Resonating?
Not everyone nor everything you encounter in your life is for you. This is a neutral fact. But boy, do we get confused. I was reminded this while trying to order a dress, of all things. The dress was so delicate, feminine, delicious and yet trying to buy that dress was like attempting to squeeze blood from a turnip. Everything went wrong from square one. The customer service, the sizing, the returns and exchanges. Yet I tried again, growing more frustrated. Until I had the epiphany that, for...
Jupiter in Scorpio: Dancing with Fire
"If you cannot tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people." -Virginia Woolf I’m not one to use another’s tragedy to prove astrology’s accuracy. That strikes me as disingenuous and gimmicky, kind of like people who chase tornados and post them to their YouTube channel. However, facing the potential of one’s death is a Scorpio phenomenon itself, and being on the hairy edge of death has a thrill of aliveness in it, as any Scorpio knows. And sometimes the collective...
Aries Full Moon: Born This Way
I was feeling very vulnerable last week, struggling with feeling too open and too emotionally raw. You know those times when you feel too tender, too fragile, when just about anything can set you over the edge? I was on that edge. Then I watched Lady Gaga’s new documentary 5’2”. I was immediately struck by her rare vulnerability. When she hurt, she openly wept; when she felt raw and messy, she let everyone know; when she accidentally hit her producer’s car on the day she was recording with...
Vesta Wants Your Devotion
It’s relatively easy to match certain archetypes to well-known people who carry their signature. Pallas, healer, warrior and Amazon Queen? Wonder Woman, of course. Ceres, the Great Mother? I chose Beyonce, but there are others who would fit. I’ll nominate Frida Kahlo for Juno, the Divine Consort. But, first, Vesta -a bit trickier. Why? Her invisible nature. In art, human characterizations of Vesta, the Goddess, are difficult to find. Most commonly she is represented by a hearth, altar or...
Virgo New Moon: Humble Harvest
Astraea, the Goddess associated with Virgo, was the last immortal to live on Earth, until she left in disgust, so disturbed by humanity’s wickedness, evil and corruption. Being a Virgo, she probably also developed a physical ailment from all the pollution and toxicity. Nonetheless, Astraea became part of the starry constellation we call Virgo and when the planets pass through her piece of the sky, we too can become peevish, turning a critical eye on our life and our world. All the things that...
