Get your Treasure Maps ON!!!!!!!

Happy New Moon!
Happy Treasure Mapping!

Hurray. We are here.

At 10:32am EDT April 3 The New Moon in Aries began. And now we build our Treasure Maps!

In an ideal world you will make your Treasure Maps between
April 3 and April 7 12:15 EDT. That is about 3.5 days which gives you time to strategize your maps and make sure they feel right.

However if you cannot make your map during that window---then you have up until April 17 10:43pm.

Those are the best windows to make the map. For those of you who are reading this and it is before the 7th or before the 17th, I trust you will make your maps in the optimal period.

*If by chance you get to this post and it is after the 17th, then you may still make a map because technically it is still Aries lunar cycle so you probably can squeeze one in but your drop dead date is April 28 at 12:29am. I believe people have still have found it effective and I think it is still worth it for you to give it a shot than having wait the following year.


WHAT IS A TREASURE MAP?

A treasure map is a collage made of photos, magazines pictures, words, pieces of things that make sense to you...whatever you want and you put them on a foam core board or just cardboard or just something strong that can handle the collage...you put them all together so you can look at it...it will be a MAP of what you want for the coming year.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, "what do I want for the coming year?"

Exactly what it says. Do you want a new relationship? A new house, a new living room, better health, stronger marriage, reconnect with people, a bigger family, a bigger community? Do you want to write your book? Do you want a new car? What is it you want?
Do you even know what you want?
If you are like many of us, you are so busy running around, taking care of everyone else that you might not have a fig of an idea what you want for your new year...that is the beauty of this process...you must sit down and figure it out...give yourself this time to do it. Be just that selfish and dare to dream.


Why do we do it now and not January?

Treasure Maps are made during the Aries new moon. Aries new moon change from year to year and this year, it will take place on April 3 at 10:32am EDT.

They are made on Aries new moon, because that is the first sign of the zodiac. Aries is when you plant your seeds. It is the real beginning of the New Year. It should not be confused with the first day of spring, which is usually on March 19 or March 20. New moon means the sun and moon are in the same degree. For those who don't know much about astrology (which is totally okay) Aries is the sign of SIGHT. So, that's why it is so important to have pictures of what you want. You need to visualize it. Or if you don't do photos/pictures.. Put up words. It is just important for you to SEE THEM.


So, I'm going to be busy on April 3 can I start it before the 3rd?

NO.

Do I have to buy a bunch of magazines, I'm broke, can I just borrow some old ones from friends?
Personally, when I started my treasure maps I always did them with fresh new magazines. And in the old days, (not married, no children) I spent a lot of dough on them..only because I wanted lots of choices. But with time, I ended up only getting a few magazines. I never borrowed other magazines from friends..but I know that there are people who did it in previous years and I think they were happy with their results. So, it really is your call.


What if I don't want magazine photos, can I just use my own pictures.. like my husband, my baby etc?

Sure. I usually colored xerox them so that I would not wreck my originals.

You can also paint what you want. Again it is your call.

Do I only focus on things?

Heck no! I would also encourage you to focus on beliefs and environments. Affirmations like “I’m abundant” or “I am always feeling loved” “My health is vibrant.” “My partner and I are always growing closer and closer.”

Should I put a photo of me on it? Yes.

Is there any pattern i have to use when i put the photos or the words on my board.
No you can do it anyway you want.

I will say that in previous years my friends and I used to use the feng shui baguas for my pattern. basically I would break up the board into 9 areas. A grid like this:

123
456
789

1-abundance
2-fame/reputation
3-relationship
4-family
5-health
6-creativity
7-self knowledge (and travel)
8-work
9-helpful people and angels.

If you use the feng shui baguas, you will naturally cover all most all areas of your life..as you can see it is all represented there. But again, you don’t have to do it that way. Last year I followed someone’s suggestion and I made a map that was connected to the chakras. I enjoyed it and felt my map had a subtle difference to it than in previous years. In some ways it ran smoother. But then my first map was in 1996 so with age I’m probably getting mellower.


How much time do I have to build my map?
See above.

Do I have to do it alone or can I do it with friends?

You can do it either way. I build mine with my 2 other friends. We are like family and it felt so right to do it with them. We started them together. I know that there are several people who have little parties where they invite those close to them over. I will say this, it is a lot of fun to do them with others..we would all pass around the magazines.. "Hey, I found a great beach bungalow does anyone need a beach vacation? Or it would be, "I have got to lose 10 pounds, any ideas what I should put on my map?" and low and behold someone will come up with a good suggestion.


Do i have to finish it all at one sitting?

No. Often I used to cut my stuff out with my friends. Maybe glue a little thing here or there and then take it home and finish it there over the course of a day or two.

Can my kids do it with me?

Yes! It is great for them to focus and think about what they want. Have them build their own maps. They also might give you their thoughts about what they think you should have in your life. Helps them to think beyond them, right?


Does it work?
Yep.


Okay. I don't want to sound like a spoilsport but I’m just not interested in building a collage, can I do something else?

Sure you can take a nice piece of orange paper and write down wishes during Treasure Map time. My wishes can sometimes feel like prayers and they are more broad in my desires. But I will say this, I felt like I needed to switch to 'less is more' after several, several years of mapping. So, I had a lot under my belt. I would encourage new comers to make the actual maps. But if you really don't feel the call then just write your desires down. I like orange paper. So, vibrant. So aries.

Is it ok to have things continue over to the next year? Long-term, ongoing stuff that has progressed but needs to continue to progress?


Yes. Of course. But with a small caveat. My sense after doing these for years is that when something really takes time and doesn't gel in the first year. My experience is that there is something still not in right yet. It might be something you are aware of...like one cyber friend shifted from her map from year one to year two by focusing on less things. That kind of energy is really important. What I mean.. is it is NOT important to put up less. It is important for you on the following year's map to go into your gut and say what do I REALLY WANT.

You may need to shift something about your long range goals. My sense is that they need a wee bit refining or broadening. Just a thought. But definitely don't give up on the dream.


For more on the roots of Treasure Maps go HERE

Mercury Retrograde March 30

Mercury turns retrograde today (March 30) at 4:48pm EDT.

And here we go..... At this point we all know how to handle stuff during retrograde.
We don't buy our airline tickets, we don't sign important documents, we watch every business transaction like hawk. We cross t's we dot i's. And most important---we watch our driving! Aries is always racing and this Mercury starts at 25 Aries and continues backwards until 13 Aries. That is three weeks of fast, racing, impulsive energy. Let's take extra time for our driving! If you need to do this and that, and then another that and then race over to so and so's house. Please skip one of the 'those' and 'that' so you don't have to race to get to so and so's house.

I mentioned in my Aries New Moon that I actually kind of thought it was a good idea that Mercury retrograde will slow down our brains. The Aries new Moon is pretty darn fiery and somewhat explosive and maybe we need to be a bit off. Not crazy off but not as sharp as we always are...not that it matters because Mercury in Aries is already sharp.

But as you know, since I will assume you read my last two posts, Aries New Moon is when we make treasure maps and plans for our new year which begins on Sunday. Based on the chart of this new moon I anticipate a lot of you will make big headway's in new areas of your life and will make some big changes. Some of these changes will be so big that you will later say, "How did I even do that?" This is where the benefit of a Mercury retrograde comes in. You did it because you weren't even sure what you were doing. Aries is our primary desires, it is our instincts, that is why it is impulsive. It is not always logical but it is direct and it comes from a desire to survive. That is why Aries is a warrior and having a Mercury retrograde in Aries brings in "the fog of war."

Prepare to do all the stuff you normally do on a mercury retrograde. You take care of those things that have been needing to be done for months. You finally call that person that you have been wanting to call forever. You go down to Kinkos and make copies of the family photos that you have been meaning to send. And ideally, you clean out your desk or your closet or your bookshelves....between now and Sunday to really get ready for Treasure Map. But if you can't then you take the next three weeks to Spring Clean. Remember, if it is broken either get it fixed or get rid of it. If you don't wear it, give it to charity or a recycle somewhere.

And then there is communication. Expect snappy answers to stupid questions EVERY DAY. Sarcasm will be super high. No one has time for long, rambling answers for the next three weeks. Keep it short and simple. And with that, I will wrap up this post. Because you will be annoyed if I continue.

Aries New Moon 2011

Due to a very complicated schedule in front of me for the next week. I got on top of Aries New Moon considerably sooner than I normally put it up.

It is by all means a doozey of a new moon. It is highly energetic and I believe it will speak to a lot of people in stronger ways than in previous Treasure Map Moons. I expect big things from you guys! Go for it!

This is a snippet. You will find the whole article

http://margaretwendt.com/columns.php#copy

Back to the Treasure Map. During Aries New Moon we take our inspirations for our future and put them on a board. A great way to get an idea what you want is to sit down with a bunch of magazines and start looking at photos and captions, sentences, words, anything that catches your attention and calls to you. There will be some images that really beckon or maybe you go to a store and pick out greeting cards. “Congratulations on your New House!” Or maybe there are some images of fabulous vacation spots. Or maybe you will take photos from a magazine of someone doing yoga poses, or running on a soft dirt road. Things that inspiring a great exercised body. The Treasure Map can also have empowering affirmations. I always love, “I’m happy and grateful that all my needs are effortlessly met and more so.” Whatever images and affirmations that you land upon or call to you—put them on your poster board---This is your Treasure Map for your new Year. Cue the Noisemakers, Happy New year! *one small note—remember you do NOT start your map until after 4/3 10:32amEDT

And what else is going on this Aries cycle?

There is so much going on with this Aries Cycle that the only thing missing is the kitchen sink. But then kitchens and Aries do not go together. Well, except for the flame and the knives.

First of all, the Sun and Moon in Aries conjunct Jupiter which expands anything it touches so the fact that he is right next to Sun &Moon puts the emphasis on stretching, growing and expanding. This will surely be felt by all of us more than perhaps other years when we make our Maps. We will be shooting for big, bigger, biggest. I, of course am a Sagittarius so I say, “Bravo to Big”. And adding to this Jupiter energy is Mercury. Although he is too far away from the Sun and Moon he is close enough to Jupiter putting the emphasis on “Big Talk”. Expect a lot of people to shoot off their mouth this 28 day cycle. Lot of rhetoric will make the news not just globally but personally. There will certainly be energetic words that gets us riled up but also a lot of fighting words. Some of it will be strong but a lot of it will be jabs and stabs and then on with the day!

Curiously, at the same time that there is this accent on “BIG” there is an aspect by Saturn putting the emphasis on “Constrict”. So, there we are feeling Aries energy which always wants to break new ground, with impulses that are high and even people who are quite sanguine will be more riled up than usual. But at this exact same time, Saturn is saying, “Whoa! Wait a darn minute! Let’s not swing too far!” “Let’s not push our boundaries too much!” Of course, the restrictive energy although something of a downer may be there for a reason. The truth is that Sun/Jupiter are pretty darn strong and have a tinge more weight to them than Saturn. So, the energetic will prevail but perhaps Saturn’s role is to try reigning it in so that if we are practical about our stretches they will last longer. As one astrologer reminded me, “Saturn delays but it does not deny.” So, our goals to stretch and head towards big are not wrong but if they are simply a “knee jerk” reaction and not measured they will be far less effective than Big and ‘workable’. This tension will bug, (no kidding) and will be frustrating but trust is key. It is there for a reason.

Mars & Uranus: Warriors at heart

This would definitely be a dynamic Aries lunar cycle if our only players were Jupiter; pushing us to be big and Saturn yelling at us; “Wait—find your balance there are relationships over here!” But adding to the cuckoo is Mars and Uranus and with those two together in Aries----well, this is NOT a picnic in the country.

Two days before the New Moon, Mars moves into Aries. The minute he gets there are two objects in his sights—Uranus & Pluto. A few hours after the New moon starts (4/3) Mars makes contact with object number one when he gets on top of Uranus and says, “Hey, if you bring your wild revolutionary ideas, I will bring my warrior shield and weapon.” This will be VERY interesting for us both personally and globally. Most likely we will start to feel the energy shift during the Pisces Balsamic phase when Mars moves into Aries (4/1). While Mars was in Pisces the focus was on being a spiritual warrior, a cosmic warrior, a karma and dharma player, a warrior for humanity and a warrior for things that almost can’t be defined. But in Aries he is more of a, In-Your- FACE warrior, he brings piss, vinegar and bullets.

That energy will of course serve us well when New Moon starts as it will be the extra fuel in our engine. Cosmically, the volatility

..... CONTINUES ON LINK

Clean Sweep Not just the clutter but also the mental

Okay, we are down to the final week before Aries New Moon. I have posted it various times on this blog and on other websites that it is VITAL to clean your house and clean your brain before we get to Aries new Moon on Sunday 4/3.

When I say clear the clutter I mean clear it all out. Go into the corners of your house that haven't been dealt with in years and finally deal with them. Get in your closets and clean those corners. What is going on under your bed? And what about your kitchen? If there is any space in your house that when you look at it you immediately, sigh or feel guilty---then fix it! Take the broken things to be fixed or ditch them. Take the unwanted clothes to goodwill. Get rid of stuff that is not being used. If you have not used it in a year you are never going to use it. Give it to someone who will use it.

And what about your Brain!!!!

How are you clearing out the debris that is in your brain? How many people do you have in your life out of guilt? Or what about people who are in your life because of fear? You think you need to have them because if you don't ____ will happen to you. You store these people like you put canned food in your emergency shelf. HOwever you have long outgrown these people. Well, what are you going to do about it between now and April 3. I'm not saying you should ditch them. Not at all. But what you should do is get out your journal and write down your fears around these relatioships and clear it out of your brain.

"I keep booking dinner with Mary because I am sure she will have a job for me down the road and I am fearful that if I let her go I will be cutting myself out of future work."

Then turn that fear around into a positive affirmation. Like,

"I am happy and grateful that there is plenty of work for me no matter what relationships I have in my life."

Do this with all your fears.

Clear the clutter in your life and the clutter in your brain and you will be amazed by how liberated you feel and what you attract for your Treasure Map on Aries New Moon. This is the final week to clear the cobwebs.

The Week Ahead---Hello, Aries!

On 3/20 The Sun enters Aries. This of course is the first day of Spring. Even if it is snowy, cold and everyone is hidden away in their houses, they will still feel the pulse of renewal. Something good is around the corner.

On 3/21 The Sun will be conjunct Uranus. This aspect happens every year but this is the first time in over 80 years that the Sun and Uranus have been together in Aries. What can we expect? I dunno, last time they spent seven years of spring together, Shirley Temple was keeping people out of the emotional dumper, warriors in Europe were building their troops, FDR was rolling out his new deal. Let's see what comes up this week that reminds us of those bumpy days.

on 3/26 we end the week with a nice aspect between Neptune and loving Venus. Accent is on groups, humanitarian issues, resources and values. In short, sometimes the kindness of strangers will do more to move the soul than anything done by a loved one. Often "church" is just an elevated moment between two strangers.

Full Moon-Virgo 2011

Virgo Full Moon March 29 , 2011 2:10pm EDT

This weekend astrologically is punctuated by the Full Moon in Virgo. I apologize for not getting this up on Friday but I was pedal to the metal over here with crazy deadlines. Did any of you get to see last night’s supermoon? Los Angeles had a lot of cloud cover so I missed it but friends sent photos of it from their home towns and it looked glorious.


The Moon in Virgo on its own is highly nervous and although it strides for organization and order it can be wrapped up so tight that it can cause its own chaos. Lists are great, but when lists are put on lists and you spend more time going over what you need to do on your list instead of actually doing it, well, that can generate a level of chaos.

Accenting the chaos is the Moon Opposing Uranus at Zero Aries. The desire to breakfree is palpable especially with the Sun so close to Uranus but the mind is a mental quagmire. “If I do this then that will mean that.” “If That happens then I can do this.” Virgo has a lot more fear than it owns so watch and see how your nervous energy presents itself this weekend.

Although, at this posting (Sunday a.m.) the moon is no longer in Pisces that does not mean the full moon is over. Remember, each phase of the moon is about three days long so we are still in the middle of the Full Moon phase and the tension is strong. How many of you woke up extra early today? There’s that Virgo influence calling again.

Perhaps the most significant planetary aspect in the full moon chart and actually in the earlier report on the New Moon (month long lunar phase) was the influence of Mars. As we discussed back at the beginning of March, Mars is the warrior planet. He is always gunning for a fight or gunning for action. No surprise here that the UN sanctioned a NO FLY Zone on Libya on Thursday and by Full Moon strikes were launched against Pro Gadhafi forces on Saturday. Smells like a full moon with strong Mars and Uranus to me! It is hard to gage these things even if you are a military expert, but from an astrologers perspective, whatever Mars brings now in Pisces is considerably more muted then what he will bring on May 11th. At that point Mars will be in Aries and in conjunction with Uranus. These two planets together in Aries are HIGHLY competitive, volatile and lack any kind of patience. Each day as we head toward May, Uranus and Mars will grow more intense. Under those circumstances we need to expect the unexpected and realize everyone will be a hair triggered. Given that is our climate, god only knows what krazy Gadhafi will do. Although, my instinct is he’ll be out by then and we’ll have another hot mess somewhere else demanding our attention.

In the meantime, don’t let your mind go into overwhelm, take every thing on your ToDO list and do it in bits. Bit by bit, you will get there . And don’t worry what you don’t take care of, I’m sure Mercury retrograde (3/30) will help get to the right things on your list. Even if they aren’t on your list now, Mercury will help you find them.

Capricorn---Old is New(s)

Ever since Pluto went into Capricorn in 2008, I have stated that the focus will move away from Youth to Elders. While Pluto spent sixteen years in Peter Pan Sagittarius, "I won't grow old---even if it kills me" was the the mantra for individuals and industry. Plastic Surgeons made a car load of cash keeping everyone tight. Even TV series like "Nip&Tuck", "Sex&TheCity", "Survivor" made it clear--Youth rules. But now with Pluto in Capricorn the emphasis is moving towards seniors both their vulnerability and their value. This week especially "Being Old" has been highlighted by the Japanese disasters. I am sure all of us have heard that the reports that the population in Japan is an older demo. There are less children being born as the population ages. Additionally, in the epicenter area of Northern Japan is much older since many of the youth move to Tokyo further south. There has been a plethora of stories of elderly trying to outrun the Tsunami waves. Sadly, many were not successful but then the stories of the old man riding on a roof of a house ten miles out to sea. An old couple found on a log and then today, there was a report of an 82 year old woman outrunning the tsunami on her bicycle.

Pluto will be in Capricorn until 2023 so we have many more years to get our 'old' on. And I believe by the end of this cycle we will NOT be focused on collagen and face lifts as much as endurance and strength. And together we say, "Thank God!"