// money is energy // ...and so are you

The post below was originally published in the August 13th issue of Vitula Journal, following the solar eclipse in Leo.

In anticipation of this Wednesday’s full moon in Taurus conjunct Uranus, now would be a great time to remember that the money that we attract (and abundance in all of its forms) is related to our relationship to our own attractive energy. Everything is energy…even you. And even money.

(Originally published in Vitula Journal, August 13th, 2018)

// money is energy //

An easy concept to say, a tougher concept to grasp. But one that will become increasingly important as we move forward into a new astrological age, and new astrological energies. 

Everything in our world is a physical manifestation of energy...our bodies consume and create energy, our brains emit waves of energy depending on our state of consciousness and specific thought patterns, every material and molecule on the planet has an inherent energetic signature. Our actions are simply outward manifestations of mental/emotional/intellectual energies, made real through physical energy of our bodies and minds. 

It follows then that money is simply an energy received in exchange for energy. In the most simplistic terms, we receive money (energy) in exchange for labor, services or goods (energy). It's a flow, a constant give and take, but one that undeniably involves attraction, an energy in and of itself. 

Think about someone you find irresistibly attractive - whether that's a physical/intellectual/emotional attraction doesn't matter. Or think about a material thing that you've been lusting over for ages. Hold the image of this person or thing in your mind. Now observe how it makes you feel. It's likely that the sum total of emotions - joy, pleasure, happiness, lust, etc - that this thing or person evokes in you lead to an overall feeling of increased energy. You are attracted to its energy because it, in turn, makes you feel energized. 

In the most simplistic energetic calculus: we exchange love/focus/attention/etc - all energies - for people/ideas/feelings/aesthetics we are attracted to, and we exchange money/other physical goods and services for material good and services we are attracted to, all because they bring us a reciprocity of energy. It's all an exchange of energy. 

// when stagnant energy blocks manifestation // 

We all carry a natural energy of attraction, based on a number of key factors in our natal chart. But if we are not aligned with that energy, or actively block our attractive energies with repressive beliefs/patterns/relationships/jobs that deplete, limit or negate our natural powers of attraction, then we are not going to attract to the fullest of our abilities. 

Quick examples: someone with a Pisces Venus and lots of water energy in their chart will struggle to attract abundance in highly-structured, hierarchical settings. A Leo or Aquarius Venus is likely going to find their attractive energies suppressed if they're staying isolated and out-of-sight. And all of us will fail to attract to the height of our abilities if we repeat energy-depleting patterns and cycles out of fear, lack or other restrictive belief systems. 

When we are happy we are most attractive. Period. Most attractive to people, most attractive to energy, most attractive to money. The things we do and the life we live should make us happy and filled with joy...maybe not all the time, maybe we face challenges and struggles from time to time. But our life and how we live it should contribute to an overall sense of wellbeing, contentment and happiness...however that looks to you. 

It follows then, that our actions, thoughts and beliefs should support this life of happiness; our external, physical world should be in alignment with our spiritual/nonphysical world. Or, at least, should not be actively blocking it. And any time we engage in an activity, or support a belief out of a place of fear or fear-based obligation, we block our abilities to attract. 

Say that person with a Pisces Venus and water-heavy chart, all naturally creative, inspired and fluid energies, is working as a litigating attorney for a family law firm because he was exposed to the belief early on that that was the only path to financial security. He may by default attract a base level of income, but will ultimately stagnate as the repressive energy created by that fear-based belief pattern will block his naturally attractive energies. Energies that would flourish and attract in a more creative or inspiring field.

While this is a vast oversimplification, and I truly believe that anyone, with any chart, can attract and manifest in any field, it's an example of where the baggage of our beliefs, namely fear, are keeping us locked in low-energy patterns, preventing us from manifesting and attracting everything we want and desire. We all have these patterns, whether external or internal, and we're all being given a massive opportunity to release, transmute and transform these energies at this time, liberating our naturally attractive energies, and opening us up for the abundance that's to come. 

// observe, recognize, transform // 

The eclipse cycle over the past month has been heavy with Pluto/Scorpio - Uranus/Aquarius energy, suggesting the need for liberation through transformation: July's new moon solar eclipse in Cancer was directly opposite pluto and trine Jupiter in Scorpio; the full moon lunar eclipse was conjunct Mars and the south node in Aquarius while squaring Uranus in Taurus, and last weekend's new moon solar eclipse in Leo was square Jupiter in Scorpio and inconjunct Pluto in Capricorn. Lots of Pluto, lots of Scorpio, lots of high-energy, karmic Aquarius/Uranus energy. 

Briefly: Aquarius/Uranus is the energy of radical invention; it cares little for the past and traditional, and will wreak havoc in order to generate new patterns of energy. It values the power of the collective over the power of a single authority, and holds authenticity and individuality in highest esteem. 

Scorpio/Pluto is the sign/planet of alchemy and transformation. Often represented by the cycle of death and rebirth, this is energy that transforms something into a greater state through a process of profound and complete transformation. It's water into wine: the power with Scorpio/Pluto lies in transforming weakness into strength, lack into abundance, less into more. 

Over the past month, we have likely had our blocks, our weaknesses, our lack, our stagnant energy illuminated and exposed. This could be in a material sense, it could be in a psychological or energetic sense. It could have been entirely internal and self-generated, or it could have come at the hand of a person or event external to us. It's likely that this block or weakness falls wherever the Leo/Aquarius axis falls in your chart, where your own nodal axis lies, or where Pluto lies in your own chart by house and sign. Wherever it falls, it's likely that this eclipse cycle has brought this stagnant energy to light at this karmic time for a reason: you no longer need it. 

Hopefully your recognized it as such; the thing with patterns, both healthy and unhealthy, is that over time they become so familiar and routine that we fail to recognize when we're responding simply out of force of habit rather than with intention. It's important in this final week of heavy retrograde energy that we use this time of (relative) stillness to observe and recognize where these repetitive patterns of heaviness and low-energy are, and leverage this recognition into transformation. 

Venus and the Moon's transits through Libra this week are touching sensitive karmic points from the eclipses over the past month, shining a gentle, detached mirror on our actions and responses so that we can see where we need to release and transmute: What has triggered you over the past month? What people, events or things have generated a sort of knee-jerk, subconscious negative response? Where are these negative responses repeats of past scenarios? Where are you manifesting negative responses and reactions that have been learned and programmed, perhaps repeating family or ancestral patterns, rather than generating a unique and individual response? See these things, observe them from a place of self-love, and then begin the process of transmuting this energy. 

// you cannot fill a cup that's already full // 

Clinging to fear, to negative patterns, to outdated responses - all stagnant energy - is preventing us all from attracting in the abundance we want and deserve. With the south node involved in this process, it's likely that these patterns created a comfort zone of sorts, albeit a false one. We cannot be open to receiving all of the abundance the universe has in store for us until we clear space energetically for this abundance to come through. 

Yes, this may sound repetitive, this may be redundant. But with the energies at play this week, there is no moving forward without first clearing your path of anything blocking or hindering your progress; you cannot begin your new life until you've first cleared the stagnant energy of your old one, reclaiming your energy and fully aligning with only those things that bring you a sense of joy and abundance.  

It's possibly that this may look like letting go of a relationship or taking a leap of faith and leaving a toxic job or workplace. You may physically move, recognizing that a particular space or location is no longer supporting you energetically. You may "break-up" with a friend or family member who only seems to bring drama, chaos and negativity into your world. You may throw out old furniture, old clothes or old possessions that no longer reflect your values and aesthetic. 

But it's also likely that this process of transmutation and transformation is much more subtle, quiet, internal - unfollowing that friend from college who is always posting something negative; quitting smoking or other self-destructive habit; changing patterns of negative self-talk; starting a new health or wellness routine; starting a saving plan; moving forward in small ways where fear and old patterns used to hold you back. Recognize that triggers are coming up now for a reason: identify that reason - fear, old patterns, non-self responses - and find a way to translate, transmute and transform that trigger into a source of positive energy in your life. 

Big, and I mean BIG, changes, improvements and manifestations are coming...SOON. If you're feeling stuck or frustrated now, it's likely that you still have work to do clearing, transmuting and making space in your life and in your energy for what's to come. This is really the last week of stillness, of introspection, of energetic cleansing and purging before we start putting new plans into motion. With Venus so heavily involved, know that there is attraction and abundance in this process. Be aware, be observant, be gentle with yourself. But don't hesitate to take action this week to clear the path for the massive forward progress that's coming...very very soon.