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I write regularly at jessicashepherd.substack.com — soft, human words on healing, astrology & intuition:
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Virgo Full Moon: Knowing Woman
I was sharing something deeply personal with a friend, an underworld issue I don’t have the answers around but I’m mucking around in, hard, like looking for something shiny in a swamp, when something she said caused me to reflect on the way we talk to each other when we’re in need of support. When you’re working on perfecting your life, sharing experience, knowledge, experienced advice is a way others offer support. The Virgo archetype says “I have a skill, a proficiency, and I can help...
What To Do During Venus Retrograde
For forty days, March 4- April 15, 2017, Venus will move retrograde in the degrees of 13 Aries- 27 Pisces. Retrograde Revaluations Venus is the cosmic darling, Goddess of Love, Beauty, Pleasure and all we enjoy. With Venus, life is good - we find money under our pillow, our creative achievements win accolades and praise, our friends and lovers shower us with affection and we feel confident and look good. So what happens when Venus goes retrograde? Though we might be tempted to imagine lovers...
Pisces New Moon Solar Eclipse: Divine Perfection
I was attending a meditation at a local meditation center. The dharma talk was about integrity, a pressing question for our times to be sure, but as the teacher threw out questions, a sort of personal inventory about the areas of our lives where we are in or out of integrity, I grew uncomfortable. I know that we are, I am, already whole and undivided - the definition of integrity -and I came for that experience, the opportunity to sit on the cushion in my whole and undivided Perfection....
Working With Mars & Anger
This week, warrior planet, Mars in Aries, squares Pluto in Capricorn (2/22), then conjoins Uranus (2/26). As the red planet heats up our world, it's time to become more conscious about our personal Mars. I read this post by astrologer Michael Lutin about the upcoming Mars-Pluto-Uranus aspects:... "Even the calmest, most patient, spiritually developed, all-chakras-aligned, organic vegetarians can be heard muttering under their breath, I've had enough of this shit." It takes a lot to make me...
Leo Full Moon Eclipse: Be More Leo
I was in Hawaii with my husband, walking by the gift shop of our resort when I saw them: a precious group of hula dolls. My inner child went “oooh!” and I immediately texted a picture to my sister, saying “I would’ve died for one of these when we were kids!” I bought a doll for my niece, whose eyes went wide as plates and then squeezed tightly shut as she hugged her new toy, exclaiming “I love her so much.” So, so sweet. As we explored each glorious detail of the doll’s costume, together...
Saturn Transits the Third House: What Do You Know?
This essay continues my series of my Saturn transiting through the houses, which is, so far the twelfth, first, second and now third. I'm about 1/3 of the way through, and this is my current report. My second house Saturn journey appeared straightforward at first, but in hindsight not at all. The second house holds our gifts, talents and skills; these are the resources we have - material, spiritual and emotional - and these can be liabilities when they are under developmental...
Aquarius New Moon: Get Radical
It's Aquarius Moon time --time to nurture your inner radical. If you think of rioters, hippies and uni-bombers when you think of radicals, you may be surprised to learn the etymology of the word radical comes from the Latin word radix, which means root. Radical literally means “forming the root” or "going to the origin, essence". Uranus/Aquarius reminds us that radical acts are only those that form and strengthen our essence, origin, truth. Our political climate is certainly giving us the...
Cancer Full Moon: Follow Your Whimsy
Cancer is the sign traditionally associated with family, home and the past. And whimsy. Yes, whimsy. It's our best kept secret, perhaps the secret to surviving emotional ups and downs. Whimsy is good for the soul. So when, during an emotionally exhausting stretch of days tethered to my house, due to heavy winter storms, damage and repair, I found myself wandering into a tea & coffee shop, this spontaneous diversion felt so nurturing, so fine, I decided to allow myself to linger. I was...
Capricorn New Moon: The Art of Happiness
Imagine traveling to a land with no Sun. Travel far north enough in Norway and you will find yourself at Earth's northernmost year-round settlement, called Svalbard, located right below the North Pole. Yes, that's Santa's North Pole. I spent Christmas there one year. We even saw his workshop. Which, for the still-believers, looked like a cottage nestled in the glacial mountain range-- but I couldn't really tell you what I was looking at, or anything in Svalbard, really, because it was Polar...
End of Year Clearing
It’s here. The end. And what a year it’s been. There has been more death, and transitions of great magnitude than I can remember. My work as a healer has been taken to all kinds of different levels this year. On all, it's been a demanding, rigorous year in terms of extreme change and adaptation. But it’s all slowing down now. Nature follows cycles. Cycles have acceleration and deceleration points. All new journeys have endings. My husband often notes that critical point when we are on a trip...
