What's New?

Get astrological reports snail or E-mailed directly to you! The astrology software that I use, Solar Fire, will generate a couple of different reports: a natal report (about fifteen pages of text) and a transit report.

Get a Natal report for insight into your self, potential relationships, children, co-workers, anyone you can get birthdata for. While the natal report cannot provide the synthesis that a human astrologer can, they are useful for refreshing your memory about your consultation or for basic interpretation of the chart - $15.00

You have all received the transit report before (it is the one that says stuff like "Transiting Saturn square radix Mars Entering Oct 15 and leaving Oct 30"). The transit report shows what energies are lining up in your life and is useful to give insight into current and future events. Got a vacation coming up? Planning a move? You need a transit report! 2 month transit report - $15.00

October 22nd - The Sun Enters Scorpio

Or, here in Seattle, let the rain begin! This month marks the transition from colorful Autumn into the cold and dark of Winter's season. Traditionally, this is when some of the heaviest work of the Pastoral year begins. The harvest is stored away, the farm animals are measured against their feed and decisions are made about how many to keep and how many to slaughter and eat. This is why so much feasting goes now now. Preserved meat and fruit only last so long.

October 27th - New Moon

The Moon and Sun are conjunct in the sky. The moon is dark and gradually increases to a crescent. This is the time to begin a ritual involving a new project, to ask for new vision. In honor of Scorpio, ask where transition is needed in your life. This moon cycle is a traditional time to begin automatic writing, ouija board and card reading. The veils between the seen and unseen universes are believed to be more permeable during this moon cycle. Make sure you have your psychic protection ritual down-pat before trying anything new.

October 29th - Daylight Savings Time ends

Click here for the best explanation I can find of Daylight Savings Time: Saving Time, Saving Energy - Daylight Saving Time, Its History and Why We Use It by Bob Aldrich, Former Information Officer, California Energy Commission

October 31st - Samhain, Shadowfest, The Day of the Dead, All Soul's Eve or Hallowe'en

The night when the ghosts walk, when you can contact Hecate at a crossroads and ask her about your future. Samhain is the New Year's Eve of the old Celtic calendar. Bonfires were lit to scare away the demons who would come to feed upon the ghosts (and any living beings who were abroad) Food and lanterns were placed at crossroads to make the departed spirits feel at home. One possible origin of the Hallowe'en costume is so you wouldn't be recognized and followed home by ghosts.

Try this link for an amazing exploration of the twisted urban legends promulgated as history by modern "Christian" Fundamentalists: www.neopagan.net/Halloween.HTML

This link is a "scientific" ghost story: www.britannica.com/bcom/original/article/0,5744,13849,00.html

November 1st - All Saint's Day

Every year the St. James Cathedral on First Hill in Seattle hosts an ALL SOUL'S REQUIEM. This year, on Thursday, November 2nd at 7:30 PM, the Cathedral Choir will commemorate the Feast of All Souls and the dedication of the Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy Millennium Organ with Maurice Durufle's Requiem.

Scott and I try to attend when Mozart's Requiem Mass is played. This traditional Catholic Mass is performed with full medieval trappings: candles, incense, kneeling and chanting. It is a good reminder of how deeply ritual speaks to your soul as well as a moving way to commemorate all those who have passed on and to acknowledge the permeability of the veil that separates the seen and unseen worlds.

For information, directions and times, see www.stjames-cathedral.org/main.htm

November 3rd - The First Friday of the month is the IEM Get-together!

Does anyone have any good ghost stories?

Quite a few people have requested a jewelry sale for Christmas gifts. I've been making a lot of new items and I'll get everything priced and displayed for the November and December parties.

Think about IEM Gift Certificates for friends and family. Please give us a call or send an e-mail to learn more or order.

November 7th - General Election Day

The elections on November 7th are projected to be the closest in 40 years. The futures of several major issues are at stake. Please vote! If you are not registered...you only have until October 23rd. Really, get on it...VOTE!

Check this link for voting and registration information www.vote.wa.gov/

November 11th - Full Moon and Veteran's Day

The Moon and Sun are opposite each other in the sky. The Moon reflects all of the Sun's light. This is the time to perform rituals for protection, clarity of vision and consecration. Scorpio is the final call to clean away the clutter of the passing year to free your mind for those new starts of Sagittarius.

Veteran's Day

"Wars are not acts of God. They are caused by man, by man-made institutions, by the way in which man has organized his society. What man has made, man can change." -- Frederick Moore Vinson (1890-1953) -Speech at Arlington National Cemetery (Memorial Day, 1945)

Excellent Veteran's Day links: www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/1465/vetdaylinks.html

November 16th - Inga's Birthday!

Wear obsidian when you are going through deep change, such as removing a bad habit or obsession. I wouldn't really recommend it for your interpersonal relationships though, so program it very specifically and take it off when you aren't working with it directly. Alternatively, you can add red jasper, rose quartz or hematite to your piece depending on what you are working on.

Did anybody ask me any questions?? I don't remember any questions though I do have a question for you.

Is anyone interested in an ongoing Astrology discussion group? We can start with looking at planets one by one, exploring each person's chart and then move on to Houses, Aspects, etc. You'll need to coach me on what will work you for you.

• How often should we meet? Weekly? Every other week? Monthly?
• When should we meet? On a week night? On Saturday afternoons?

Please call or e-mail me with your suggestions and ideas. Thanks! - Inga

We think of this newsletter as a community forum. You, our friends and clients, are welcome to participate. We celebrate diversity and we'll print whatever you send in whether it be Wiccan, Christian, Pagan, New Age, etc. as long as it reflects Love. You may choose a one-time holiday to write about or have a regular column. I'll give you space and a byline! Send in your own book reviews, ideas for rituals, ideas about stones, send us your journal excerpts, experiences, and ask us questions. We love answering questions!

Experience is a dim lamp, which only lights the one who bears it. -- Louis-ferdinand CéLine (1894-1961), French author.

The greatest mind altering drug is Truth. -- Unknown; posted at the Pit Stop Espresso stand in Burien

We've always wondered what would happen if we got the friends we've made through Inga's Earth Magic (IEM) into a room together. Why? Because every one of us has a unique gift to offer to the world. And if we get enough of us in one place at the same time, something magical is bound to occur.

• When: The 1st Friday of every month. We start eating at 6 PM so please join us but feel free to drop in later, too!
• Where: Our place (click on LIBRARY in the navigation bar at the top of the screen and then MAP ROOM for directions)
• What to bring: Just your enthusiasm and love! There's a big pot of pasta on the stove and plenty of microbrews and red wine. If you have specific preferences, please bring whatever you'd like.
• How long: Until the witching hour, midnight, at which time Scott turns into a pumpkin. It's quite a sight! If you'd like, you can spend the night on one of the couches with the kitties or bring your sleeping bag and mat and camp out on the floor of Inga's office.
• RSVP: Just let us know in advance via e-mail or phone if you are coming and if you are bringing guests so we don't run out of food or beer!

You know how you'll be going along in life and at some point you become aware that pressure is building up deep within your mind? Pressure to do something, to change your life somehow? At first, you feel a bit restless but as the pressure builds, you become flat out uncomfortable. If you are like me, you'll start inventorying your life and wonder what you're doing wrong. Finding nothing too terribly out of line, I make a desperate call to my astrologer and ask, "What the hell is going on???"

Inga invariably will say, "Well, let's look at your transit report." I can never quite remember what a transit report is but I vaguely recall it being something like an "Oh shit!" report. So I grabbed a book off Inga's shelf in her office and here's what I found about transits in "Predictive Astrology - Understanding Transits as the Key to the Future" by Frances Sakoian and Louis Acker: "Transits are, by definition, the aspects formed between the positions of the planets in the heavens at any given time in relationship to the positions of those planets in the natal or birth horoscope. Aspects, transiting or natal, are specific angular relationships that exist between planets in the heavens at any given time."

Wow, that's real helpful, NOT! These astrologers are as bad as computer people with the technobabble! All I know is that I'm on the verge of blowing up. So Inga e-mails me the "Oh shit!", I mean transit, report and as I read it, my jaw drops and hits the floor! It's like cracking open a Chinese fortune cookie and having this multi-page report fall out that EXACTLY spells out what is going on in your life right now.

Being a natural systems analyst from birth, my logical mind starts racing to figure out how this report based on my natal chart and keyed into the current calendar can be so dead on accurate. The synchronicity of it is staggering! How can my current home and work environments be providing me with the challenges that are detailed in this report? This obviously is something I'm going to have to figure out! In the meantime, what does the report say about all this pressure I'm feeling to change certain areas of my life?

The good news is that the report not only provides a narrative of what my challenges are but also how the planets in my chart are affecting each other. With that information, some of Inga's handouts and some coaching from her, I can determine what energies I have to work with in facing my current challenges. What does "Transiting Saturn Sesquisuare Radix Midheaven" mean? The text in the transit report states, "Your profession and status can be the focus of much frustration during this time. Perhaps you are waiting for some news of a job change or promotion which entails greater responsibility but which continually seems to be delayed." Well, there's no perhaps about it! That is exactly what is going on!

Inga looks at the report and says, "Ooooh! Look at all those Saturn transits! No wonder you're feeling all that pressure!" I flinch and hoping for the best, I ask, "What's the big deal about Saturn transits?" She excitedly grabs a book off the shelf, flips to a page and hands it to me to read. "Saturn transits pressure an individual to make the indicated dimension of experience more definite and concrete." Sounds like a fancy way of saying I have to get my life organized and structured. Damn!

Well, at least now I know what's bugging me and what I have to work with. Instead of reacting ignorantly, I can shift into pro-active mode and use that Saturn energy to tackle my challenges. For instance, I can meditate after yoga and have Inga take me via astral travel to meet Saturn as an entity so I can ask for his help and guidance. I can wear some Saturn aligned stones that I've programmed to assist me with my goals. I can note in my spiritual journal what thoughts are coming to me and what action I'm taking during this difficult phase so I can actually see and review my progress.

Most of all, this approach moves me beyond the "minimize pain/maximize pleasure" mode that we normally operate in and into a transformative/generative state. In that enhanced state, I reach out to collaborate and co-create with other people and entities. I realize that I am not alone or without resources or allies. The mere act of opening up to the possibilities of growth and asking for loving assistance turns challenges and problems into opportunities for miracles. Ah, I'm feeling better all ready! -- Scott Bruce Duncan */:-)