Explore every episode of the podcast Living the Spiral

Hey friends,

I’m trying something new here on Living the Spiral.

For years I’ve moved through forecasts of different shapes - weekly deep dives, then biweekly on the full and new moons, then monthly, always tracking the sun and planets through the signs, gates and seasons. That work isn’t going anywhere- it’s my foundation. But today I felt called to record without a plan, to speak from the hip instead of from research, and to let whatever wants to come through actually come through.

This is new for me in a specific way. I’m a 5/1 in human design, and that one line in my unconscious profile is about investigation, about laying a foundation before anything gets said out loud. I’ve spent years earning trust with myself by going deep before I speak. So sitting down to talk without that groundwork first is its own kind of edge. But as a self-projected projector, I need to speak out loud to know what I mean and what I desire. So it’s also, I think, exactly what today is asking of me.

Listen in the player above or find Living the Spiral wherever you listen to podcasts <3.

The Gate of the Now

It’s Friday, July 3rd as I record this, and we’re sitting inside the Mars-Uranus conjunction in Gemini, in Gate 20, the Gate of the Now. Mars and Uranus meet up roughly every two years, so the conjunction itself isn’t rare. What is rare is the sign. This is the first time this pairing has landed in Gemini in about 84 years, after about a decade of these conjunctions happening in Taurus. A new flavor of energy is moving through, and it’s arriving right as the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

I don’t think that timing is incidental. The Fourth of July always falls when the sun is in the Gate of Provocation (39), whose gift is dynamism and whose siddhi is liberation. There’s no liberty without provoking or bringing attention to the thing that’s making you feel trapped.

The gate of Provocation is a Cancer gate, and I keep thinking of the crab: a creature built to withdraw into its shell, and also built with claws. Hiding isn’t the only option. Sometimes the claws come out because the shell alone won’t do the job anymore.

So we’ve got Uranus and Mars electrifying the present moment while the sun sits in the gate of Provocation, and the message underneath all of it feels pretty blunt: look around at where you believe yourself to be trapped, and take action. Shock the system a little. Move.

My own Chiron in this

My natal Chiron sits in the Gate of the Now, so this conjunction is landing directly on it. Chiron is the wound we hold that can eventually become the thing we teach from, once we’ve alchemized it. For me, this wound is about not feeling heard and not feeling fully seen by my community. Gemini rules communication and local networks, and this placement sits in my 11th house, the house of larger community and friendship groups, so having Uranus and Mars stir that up is landing in a very specific spot.

What I’m noticing under the provocation is a pattern I’ve built without meaning to. I tune myself down sometimes. I round off the complexity of what I actually think so that I’ll be easier to receive, softer to meet in the moment. And that habit, born out of wanting to be understood, ends up being the very thing that keeps me from being fully met.

A Chiron wound reopening tends to work that way. It doesn’t just point at the wound. It points at the strategy we built around the wound so we don’t feel it as intensely, and asks whether that strategy is still serving us. The pain can turn into medicine once it has an outlet.This is where self-understanding becomes part of the medicine. I've spent years with astrology, human design, the gene keys, meditation, and deep reflection, and what they've shown me about my own wiring is specific.

The only channels active in my chart are collective understanding circuits, and my sun gate is Gate 64, the gate that alchemizes Confusion into Illumination. So much of my design leans toward the big picture, toward zooming way out across long stretches of time and pattern. So when my Chiron is met by Uranus and Mars in the Gate of the present moment, I feel real friction there.

For a long time I treated that friction as something wrong with me, something to smooth over or apologize for to my community. Now I hold it differently. It's information about how I'm built, and it lets me meet the now on my own terms instead of forcing myself into a shape of how the now should look that was never mine.

I think this is available to anyone doing this work with their own chart. Getting to know yourself this closely means you can choose your response instead of running the old strategy without noticing. And once that kind of self-knowledge starts to settle in, it stops feeling like a personal project, and starts feeling like part of something much bigger moving through all of us.

From tribal bargain to individual sovereignty

Zooming out, we’re approaching a much longer transition that ties into all this.

In 2027, the precession of the equinoxes moves the vernal point from Gate 37, the Gate of Family and Community, into Gate 55, the Gate of Spirit and Abundance. Gate 37 is a tribal gate. Gate 55 is an individual one. Ra Uru Hu is said to have brought human design through in part to help prepare people for this exact shift.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how Tribal life runs on bargains. You give something, the group gives something back, and the whole structure depends on those trades holding. What I’m hearing from clients, and feeling in the wider culture, is that a lot of those bargains are starting to unravel, quietly failing. Institutions that promised protection in exchange for years of loyalty are backing out of the deal. Insurance companies drop coverage the moment it’s actually needed. Family systems built on the promise of safety in exchange for compliance stop delivering the safety once the compliance has already been given.

We’re standing in the brackish water where one system meets the next, and it’s uncomfortable in a very specific way. It’s not simply relief that a shift is happening. There’s real grief in a transition like this, and real fear in learning to trust your own inner authority instead of an external arrangement.

What abundance actually means

Gate 55 carries the word abundance, and I want to slow down on that word because I think it’s been flattened. Abundance comes from the Latin abundare, built from ab (away) and undare (to surge), rooted in unda, meaning wave. It’s a picture of water overflowing its banks. Abundance, at it’s root, is not accumulation. It’s the opposite. It’s overflow.

That distinction matters a lot to me right now, in a collective moment of time defined by the outer planets all in fire and air signs after a long stretch of earth and water. Water hasn’t disappeared. It’s just moved into the earthen cells of our bodies, into the emotional and energetic current each of us carries. Into the wave that fills and spills over rather than the pile that gets hoarded.

The shadow side of Gate 55 is victimization, and I want to be careful here, because there is real reason for people to feel like they’ve been trapped or targeted. This isn’t a manifest-your-own-reality message. It’s more a question of where our attention goes once the old bargains stop paying out.

Do we keep waiting for a system that isn’t going to fulfill its end, or do we start filling our own cup first, tuning into our internal wellsprings so what we have to offer comes from overflow instead of depletion or an outdated exchange?

Where this is heading

I’ve been deep in research on Egypt this year, on the pyramids as possible superconductors drawing on the Nile’s rise, and I keep landing on the idea that the human body works on a similar principle. The heart generates its own electromagnetic field. There’s a real connection between the water in the earth and the water in our blood, the same abundant overflow I’ve been circling all through this piece, just traced through a different lens.

I think this collective shift toward abundance is going to show up first in the body, before it shows up anywhere else. Abundance was always about what moves through us and spills over, and the body is where that movement actually happens. It’s in the blood finding its rhythm, the breath filling past capacity and letting go, the heart’s own field reaching past the edges of skin. Learning to trust that overflow in your own body is practice for trusting it everywhere else - in your relationships, your work, and the wider shift we’re all living through together.

I’ll be teaching a free masterclass later this summer on these larger planetary configurations, including the Barbault Basket, the grand fire and air trines forming among the outer planets, and the shift to the Cross of the Sleeping Phoenix. Comment or send a message if that’s something you’d be interested in!

I’m also building toward a small group coaching offering in September, back to school season, where we’ll look at your individual chart alongside these collective shifts and work through embodied practices to meet this transitional moment with abundance. I want to talk there about what it means to attune to your own life force, your own frequency, and create from that place, instead of the one that got handed to you before you had a chance to shine your light.

Happy Gate of Provocation and 4th of July, however you choose to celebrate. May whatever’s been holding you tightly loosen its grip enough for you to notice it was never as fixed as it seemed.xo,

Alison

Thanks so much for being here! Here are a few ways you can support me and my work:

Wyrd Magic with Petah Raven

Petah Raven is an editor, writer, and the creator of Pandora's Lost Gift, a Substack weaving together astrology, tarot, myth, and mysticism. Petah writes with the rigor of a researcher and the honesty of someone reporting back from inside the experience - and this conversation reflects exactly that. We meandered through goddess mythology, the magic of words, integrating polarity, and what it means to wield power responsibly in a world drowning in information.

Find Petah at Pandora's Lost Gift on Substack and watch for his forthcoming book, The Living Language of Tarot.

In this episode:

(00:00) Introduction - who is Petah Raven and how we found each other through Inanna

(02:00) The origin of Pandora's Lost Gift - the myth of the jar (not the box), hope as the lost gift, and the feminist lens on Zeus

(07:00) The audacity of hope and the audacity of magic - what it takes to claim either

(09:00) Petah's visitations by the goddess - what they were, what they weren't, and what they asked of him

(13:00) Being initiated into women's business and sleeping under the stars in a sacred circle

(16:00) Imagination, magic, and the imaginal realm - why something doesn't have to be historically real to be true

(19:00) Astrology as meaning-making - why engagement with the symbols matters more than whether the planets "actually" do anything

(21:00) Words as spells - the etymology of wyrd, spelling as casting, and the runes as the original language of magic

(23:00) Imaginal cells and the butterfly - sitting in the goo before the new form arrives

(24:00) Rune notes passed in junior high and the history of codes and ciphers in magical practice

(26:00) Neurodivergence, following breadcrumbs, and why curiosity is the real spiritual practice

(28:00) The pollinators of Gemini season and the Gate of Enthusiasm - on cross-pollination of ideas and following what lights you up

(30:00) The Wild West internet as hyperlinked oracle - and how the algorithm ruined the surf

(33:00) Magic, power, and responsibility - what happens when you hand people chainsaws without teaching them to wield the blade

(36:00) The magician card, Trump as magi, and how trickster energy shows up in politics and propaganda

(39:00) World building, myth making, and who gets to plant the seeds of new stories

(42:00) Finding your path - Petah's long and winding road from private school misfit to writer and archeologist

(45:00) Gnosis, presence, and how you actually know when you're on the right track

(48:00) Polarity vs. duality - why yin yang is one word and what gets created in the space between opposites

(51:00) Full moons, the infinity loop, and integrating the opposite sign's medicine

(55:00) The I Ching's first hexagram - how even pure yang contains the instruction to wait

(57:00) Fuxi, Nüwa, and the cosmic polarity woven into creation myths across cultures

(59:00) The Golden Dawn, tarot, and why creation requires polarity - from Waite and Colman Smith to sperm and egg

(01:01:00) Non-binary figures in the Inanna myth, two-spirit traditions, and the rising integration of the sacred third

(01:02:00) Petah's upcoming book The Living Language of Tarot - developing visual literacy and building your own relationship with any deck

Mentioned in this episode:

Pandora's Lost Gift - Petah's Substack: ravenastrology.substack.com

Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta

The Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck

The Tarot of the Witches (the deck from Live and Let Die - yes, really)

Fuxi and Nüwa - the Chinese creator myth

The Inanna descent myth and Enheduanna, the world's earliest recorded author

The Lord of the Rings / Tolkien on world building and the imagination

The I Ching / Yi Jing - hexagram one and the hidden yin in pure yang

About Alison Dale

Alison Dale is an artist, writer, astrologer, and Human Design guide based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her work lives at the intersection of ancestral systems that track the seasons and the planets, embodiment practices, and earth-based spirituality.

Book a reading or explore more of what she offers at hearthandspiral.com, follow along at @hearthandspiral on Instagram, or on Substack at livingthespiral.com.

Cancer Season 2026 Rising Sign Horoscopes (Part 2) | Chiron in Taurus, Mercury Retrograde & Jupiter in Leo

I welcome you to Living the Spiral for part two of my Cancer season 2026 rising sign horoscopes, and I explain why rising signs are the most accurate way to track how the season lands in your real life (and where to find yours), while noting part one covers Cancer’s history, Human Design gates, and the season’s major transits. Then I move sign by sign, tying Cancer season to the house it activates for each rising sign and highlighting the big dates: Chiron entering Taurus on June 19 (an ~8-year healing journey), the Capricorn full moon on June 29, Mercury retrograde in Cancer from June 29–July 23, Jupiter entering Leo on June 30 (a year of expansion), and the Cancer new moon on July 14 as a fresh seeding moment. I wrap by sharing where to listen, subscribe, book readings, and grab my Cancer season guidebook.

00:00 Welcome and Overview

01:50 How Rising Signs Work

02:43 Aries Rising Home Roots

06:48 Taurus Rising Voice Care

10:50 Gemini Rising Values Worth

17:15 Cancer Rising Season Reset

21:31 Leo Rising Inner Retreat

27:02 Virgo Rising Community Check

31:39 Libra Rising Career Nurture

36:12 Scorpio Rising Big Beliefs

40:09 Sagittarius Rising Deep Healing

45:33 Capricorn Rising Relationship Axis

50:50 Aquarius Rising Routines Health

55:36 Pisces Rising Creative Bloom

01:00:11 Closing and Resources

Cancer Season 2026: The Fierce Embraceif you want to go deep into your own chart and how this season lands for you personally, my books are open for Soulshine Readings at hearthandspiral.com.

The crab is older than you think. This episode traces the sign all the way back to Babylon and Sumer, through the Thema Mundi -the ancient world chart with Cancer rising - and into the Human Design gates of the season and the transits of a busy, electric summer.

We cover Chiron entering Taurus, a very full end of June (full moon, Mercury retrograde, and Jupiter into Leo all in one day), the Mars-Uranus conjunction on July 4th, and the New Moon in Cancer on July 14 in the Gate of Details.

The season's invitation is to go dark enough to find out what's incubating inside you. Come home before Leo season's stage calls you out..

Key dates:June 19 · Chiron enters TaurusJune 20/21 · Summer SolsticeJune 29 · Full Moon in Capricorn (Gate 58) / Mercury Rx begins / Jupiter enters LeoJuly 4 · Mars conjunct Uranus, Gate 39July 7 · Neptune stations retrogradeJuly 12 · Mercury cazimi, Gate 56July 14 · New Moon in Cancer, Gate 62

In this episode of Living the Spiral: Magicians, your host Alison Dale interviews astrologer and community builder Britten LaRue. She's the creator of Emergence Astrology, author of the book Living Astrology, and host of Moon to Moon podcast. Alison and Britten chat about magic as change and the willingness to be moved by it. They discuss skill as a Saturnian devotional practice developed over time, “voice” as the sum of our choices and boundaries, and one of Britten’s guiding phrases, “there’s no such thing as potential, there’s only emergence,” as an antidote to shame and striving. The conversation contrasts astrology as a living language with predictive approaches, distinguishes divination from fortune-telling, and connects desire, unshaming, and self-trust to magical practice.

Britten shares her path from academia to astrology after a mystical period of intuition and lunar guidance, and she describes restructuring her offerings, clarifying Living Emergence as a community space and Emergence Astrology Pathway as a multi-year school.

About Britten LaRue

Britten LaRue is a recovering academic who now teaches, writes, and offers transformational readings from a place of sacred unknowing. She is the creator of Emergence Astrology, the author of Living Astrology, and the host of the Moon to Moon podcast. Her work invites us to think of the signs and planets as a living language designed to equip us to meet what is happening with our fullest, most vibrant power.

Work with Britten:

Enrollment for the Emergence Astrology Pathway opens at the summer solstice. If you've been looking for a long-term home for your astrological studies that feels mystical, spacious, and genuinely transformational, it's worth exploring. You can also find her in Living Emergence, her ongoing community space for practice and belonging, and pick up her book Living Astrology in her shop.

Visit brittenlarue.com to learn more, follow her on Instagram at @brittenlarue, and subscribe to Moon to Moon wherever you listen to podcasts.

About Alison Dale

Alison Dale is an artist, writer, astrologer, and Human Design guide based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her work lives at the intersection of ancestral systems that track the seasons and the planets, embodiment practices, and earth-based spirituality.

Work with Alison:

Book a reading or explore more of what she offers at hearthandspiral.com, follow along at @hearthandspiral on Instagram, or on Substack at livingthespiral.com.

Timestamps:

00:00 Meet Britten LaRue

05:21 Claiming the Magician

05:58 Magic as Change

08:29 Emergence and Voice

11:32 Skills Desire Guidance

15:57 Unshaming Astrology

18:13 Saturn and Skillbuilding

25:06 From Academia to Astrology

28:55 Neptune Awakening Leap

32:38 Why Community Matters

39:06 Maui Intuition Moon Call

40:15 Moon Ritual Beginnings

41:16 Learning Lunar Astrology

49:22 Deconditioning and Unshaming

50:33 Divination and Trust

58:49 Restructuring Offerings

01:03:52 Community vs Pathway

01:05:29 Imaginal Spaces Online

01:07:25 Compost and Rebrand Metaphor

01:08:17 Where to Find Britten

Get your Gemini Season Guidebook here!Alison of Living the Spiral shares Gemini season 2026 horoscopes by rising sign. With Uranus newly in Gemini and a Gemini New Moon on June 15, each sign is guided through the house Gemini activates and what Uranus may revolutionize over the next seven years, with key dates including the Uranus cazimi around May 22, the Sagittarius Full Moon on May 31, the Mars–Pluto square on May 25, Uranus square the nodes on June 12, Venus entering Leo on June 13, and the Venus–Jupiter conjunction in Cancer on June 9. She has a Gemini season guidebook available at hearthandspiral.com and invites listeners to work with her through astrology and human design readings, coaching, and her Tending the Hearth offering.

00:00 Welcome

02:47 Why Rising Signs Matter

03:09 Gemini Season Big Shift

03:31 Aries Rising Third House

06:00 Taurus Rising Money Values

08:26 Gemini Rising Identity Rewire

11:19 Cancer Rising Twelfth House

14:22 Leo Rising Community Shakeup

17:33 Virgo Rising Career Calling

20:21 Libra Rising Beliefs Travel

22:48 Scorpio Rising Deep Transformation

25:39 Sagittarius Rising Partnerships

28:41 Capricorn Rising Routines Health

31:15 Aquarius Rising Creativity Play

33:34 Pisces Rising Home Roots

37:01 Wrap Up Resources and Links

Get your Gemini Season Guidebook here! In this episode, Alison shares a refresh to Living the Spiral, moving from full/new moon episodes to a monthly rhythm with three releases: a season-ahead episode (with rising sign horoscopes, key transits, and a Human Design gate walkthrough), ongoing “Magicians” interviews, and a third, more spacious big-picture episode. She also points listeners to her written Mandala 64 Walk on Substack via livingthespiral.com and mentions a new astrocartography app project in the works. She then welcomes Gemini season (May 20/21–June 20), describing its breezy, curious, pollinator energy and its links to breath, lungs, arms, and childhood. She weaves in Gemini mythology (Babylonian Great Twins; Castor and Pollux) and outlines the six Gemini Human Design gates (20, 16, 35, 45, 12, 15), plus major transits, and closes with offerings like the Gemini season guidebook and astro-human design readings at hearthandspiral.com.Work with Alison

Alison is an ecosomatic astrologer, Human Design guide, and spiritual teacher based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She weaves together astrology, Human Design, the Gene Keys, the Celtic wheel of the year, and somatic practice into readings, courses, and seasonal gatherings that help people attune to the deeper rhythms they're already living inside.

Her Soul Shine readings combine astrology and Human Design into a single session that looks at your chart, your body, your timing, and what's asking to move in you right now. If you want to go deeper into how the current transits and your own design are intersecting, her books are open.

You can find her full offering of readings and courses at hearthandspiral.com, and follow the Living the Spiral podcast and Mandala 64 Walk here on Substack.

00:00 Welcome and Updates

01:21 New Monthly Format

02:38 Mandala 64 Walk

04:43 Magicians Interview Series

06:27 Big Picture Episodes

08:43 Summer Schedule and App

10:00 Gemini Season Begins

11:49 Gemini Body and Breath

14:17 Gemini Childhood and Air

19:23 Mercury and Ecosomatic Lens

23:39 Gemini Myth of Twins

27:30 Human Design Gates Intro

31:19 Gate 20 Presence

35:40 Gate 16 Skills

38:52 Gate 35 Change

41:56 Gate 45 Gatherer

45:04 Gate of Caution

48:21 Solstice Gate Extremes

53:28 Six Gates Recap

55:24 Uranus in Gemini Era

58:29 Uranus Cazimi Revelations

01:01:07 Mars Square Pluto

01:05:00 Sagittarius Full Moon

01:08:45 Mercury into Cancer

01:10:07 Venus Jupiter Sweet Spot

01:11:52 Uranus Squares Nodes

01:15:22 Gemini New Moon

01:17:14 Chiron Enters Taurus

01:20:51 Season Wrap and Offers

In this Living the Spiral: Magicians episode, host Alison Dale frames magic as making the invisible visible through attention and intention. She interviews Rachel Simon Stark, founder of Widening Circles Collaborative, about ancestral reclamation, cultural repair, and collective liberation. Rachel describes being contacted in 2018 by her grandmother Ruth during a rock-bottom period, which initiated Rachel’s ancestral work and led to her nine-week course Cultivating Culture that emphasizes grounding, guided tools, community processing, and service. Drawing on urban planning’s focus on belonging, Rilke’s “Widening Circles,” and identity as a fluid river, she discusses chosen ancestors, more-than-human ancestors, boundaries rather than walls, and meeting ancestors in their wholeness. The conversation addresses trauma, shame vs humility, colonialism and indigeneity, being future ancestors, releasing victimization into agency, and Rachel’s plan to offer the course again around October/Samhain.Thanks for tuning in!

Work with Rachel:To learn more about working Rachel and the Widening Circles Collaborative, visit her website at wideningcirclescollaborative.com.

Follow Rachel on Instagram and on Substack at Rachel Simon Stark, where she writes the deep and thoughtful publication hi•ne•ni : here i am.

Work with Alison:Book a reading or explore more of what I offer on my website at hearthandspiral.com, follow along at @hearthandspiral on Instagram, or on Substack at livingthespiral.com.

00:00 What Magic Really Is

02:31 Meet Rachel Simon Stark

04:41 Grandmother’s Wake Up Call

07:23 From Dreams to a Course

10:46 Urban Planning Meets Soul

14:22 Why Widening Circles

18:37 Homecoming to Lineage

22:46 Inside the Nine Week Container

28:22 Future Ancestor Mindset

30:35 Identity as a River

39:22 Resistance and Hard Histories

43:09 Beyond Shame Toward Humility

49:57 Beyond the Melting Pot

51:27 Ancestral Creativity

54:37 Grandfather on the Road

58:04 Calling In Ancestors

01:00:16 Wise and Well Debate

01:06:46 Boundaries Not Walls

01:11:58 Roots Over Progress

01:23:18 Indigenous Marrow

01:27:38 What Ancestors Need

01:33:57 Course and Farewell

Hey friends, happy New Moon in Taurus. We’re 2 weeks out from that potent full moon in Scorpio… how are you all doing out there? How did that lunation show up for you?

This new moon is conjunct the Medusa Star and happens on the same day that Mars meets Chiron. So while it’s not necessarily gentle, it’s still exalted in Taurus, and the gate that it’s falling in is a deep reminder of the power of our personal agency, care, and contributions.

Thanks for liking, sharing, and reviewing Living the Spiral- it truly helps me to reach more people and continue writing and recording this labor of love.

Living the Spiral is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

xo

Alison

Questions about this moon or my offerings or anything else?

Write me at alison@hearthandspiral.com or DM me at @hearthandspiral on Instagram.

The Full Moon in Scorpio and the Season of Speaking Your Truth

Sign up for the Beltane Ritual next Tuesday at 5pm MST here!I'd love to invite you to my May 5 Zoom ritual “Blossoming into Beltane” (somatic work, a bit of vocalizing, creative practice, and cross-cultural Beltane teachings).

In this full moon episode I riff on the Taurus–Scorpio axis as security and intimacy (throat and genitals) and track it through Human Design: Moon in Gate 44 (alertness/“coming to meet,” splenic instinct, ancestral pattern-recognition) and Sun in Gate 24 (rationalization, getting out of mental loops into invention and silence). I also ground Beltane as a Gaelic fire festival (bonfires, maypole, flowers, fertility) opposite Samhain/Halloween, and share my course “Your Heart is a Compass,” weaving the Wheel of the Year with G-center gates, Inanna dream symbolism, and practices like coherent breathing.00:00 Scorpio Full Moon Welcome01:24 Mayday Timing Clarified02:15 Beltane Ritual Invite03:25 Finding Your Voice05:49 Wheel Polarity Taurus Scorpio09:19 Gate 44 Meeting Shadows12:47 Gate 24 Mind to Silence15:19 Instinct and Reason Integration20:07 Beltane Origins and Traditions23:31 Heart Compass Course Vision31:51 Why We Need New Maps34:26 Grounding Practices and Closing

Uranus moved into Gemini on April 25th, and I wanted to mark this pivotal moment by talking to someone who knows this energy from the inside out.

This is the first episode of a new series I am calling Living the Spiral: Magicians, conversations with practitioners who have not just studied these systems but have been changed by them. There’s a lot more to come, and this Uranian wisdom with the brilliant Christa Hamilton is a wonderful place to start.

Christa Hamilton is a lifelong student of esoteric subjects and an active practitioner of divination. Astrology is the central core of her practice, and she weaves in tarot, plant medicine, animal symbolism, and dreaming as she works. She is a graduate of the Nightlight Astrology School, a founding member of the Asteri Sofia Kairos collective, a contributing writer and lecturer for the Astrologer’s Co-Op, and a volunteer for OPA. She focuses primarily on one-on-one client readings and also creates art, writes, makes videos, and collaborates with other practitioners to make astrology genuinely accessible to anyone who wants it.

🌀 Find Christa at practicalastros.com

📖 Follow her Decan Walk on Substack

📱 Follow her on Instagram and YouTube

Work with me:

If this conversation is landing for you, I have a course coming in May called Your Heart Is a Compass that feels very much in the spirit of what Christa and I are talking about here. It is built around the idea that the heart is a navigation system, and that when you learn to read it you stop needing external permission to know where you are going. This could be especially useful when Uranus is scrambling all the signals!

I also offer natal astrology chart readings, Human Design readings, and more through my practice at Hearth and Spiral.

📬 Sign up for early bird to Your Heart Is a Compass, my upcoming course that runs from May 19-June 16.

💫 Book a reading at hearthandspiral.com

🌀 Follow along at @hearthandspiral on Instagram and Living the Spiral on Substack at livingthespiral.com

This week we're sitting inside one of the most concentrated astrological moments in recent memory. There are seven planets in Aries, stacked into three Human Design gates, all with Thunder in their foundation. The new moon on April 17th falls in Gate 3 (Orderi out of Chaos) with Chiron and Eris, seeding directly into the wound around new beginnings. Neptune and Mercury are meeting in Gate 25, the gate of innocence and universal love. Mars and Saturn are exactly conjunct in Gate 17, asking for far-sighted leadership over rigidly defended opinion.

I open this episode with a short three-minute coherent breathing practice, then walk through each gate with its I Ching image and Gene Keys shadow, gift, and siddhi. I also revisit the April 2024 Great American Solar Eclipse and why this new moon is a direct continuation of that thread.

Your Heart Is a Compass — Early Bird If something in this episode tugged at you, this course I'm offering starting on May 19th the longer work of it. My five-week live course starts in May and is built around the eight G Center gates, the Pagan Wheel of the Year, the descent of Inanna, and what it actually means to let your heart lead. Early bird pricing is open until May 1st- come play!

👉 Enroll here

Find me:Instagram: @hearthandspiral Substack: livingthespiral.substack.com Website: hearthandspiral.com

Libra Full Moon: Tending the Well Before April’s Aries FireYour host Alison Dale welcomes the April 1–2 Libra Full Moon as a doorway into an unusually fiery April featuring a seven-body Aries stellium (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Saturn, Neptune) and Chiron, with all planets direct until Pluto stations retrograde May 6; she also notes Uranus entering Gemini April 25 and the broader shift of outer planets into fire and air, plus the Chinese year of the Fire Horse.

She explores the Aries–Libra “me vs. we” polarity through Human Design/I Ching gates: Moon in Libra Gate 48 (“the Well”) highlighting deep splenic, ancestral knowing (shadow inadequacy, gift resourcefulness, siddhi wisdom) and Sun in Aries Gate 21 (“Biting Through/Hunter”) emphasizing decisiveness, will, and leadership (shadow control, gift authority, siddhi valor). She discusses Lilith sextile the Moon and Jupiter in Cancer squaring both luminaries, offers a spleen-focused embodiment practice, and shares links to her Substack series, calendar, rituals, and readings.00:00 Welcome to Living the Spiral01:16 April Fire Forecast02:45 Seven Planets in Aries04:07 All Planets Direct04:54 Outer Planets Shift08:07 Personal Fire Story11:19 Libra Full Moon Polarity17:17 Gate 48 The Well22:03 Inadequacy to Resourcefulness30:42 Gate 21 Biting Through34:54 Gate 21 Shadow Control36:54 Authority and Valor38:22 Aries Biting Through40:18 Well Versus Ego45:43 Choosing Your Fuel47:30 Quantum Attention Collapse50:00 Lilith and Jupiter Aspects57:17 Fire Horse and Uranus Shift01:07:16 Embodiment Spleen Practice01:10:29 Wrap Up and Resources

Hey friends,

This episode has been a long time coming. It’s the one where I finally lay out the whole architecture… all the systems I work with on Living the Spiral, how they’re related, and most importantly, why I think they matter more than ever right now.

If you’ve been in my world for a while and nodded along when I mention the Fuxi sequence or the 64 gates of Human Design without quite seeing how it all fits together, this episode is for you. And if you’re brand new here, welcome! This is a good place to begin.

The through line is this: all of these systems are, at their root, technologies for locating yourself inside a living pattern. They remind us that we’re not separate from what’s moving around us, that the seasons are not happening to us. I found that when that relationship between my body and the season and ancestral time actually landed in my lived experiences rather than just my mind, something deep shifted. My sense of belonging came alive. And at the heart of it, that’s what this whole project is about.

🎧 Listen to the episode in the player above, on Youtube, or anywhere you find podcasts 🎧

Episode Overview:

The Oldest Question

We start at the beginning, with the impulse that every human culture across recorded history has shared - which is the need to locate themselves inside a larger story. Every culture across spacetime has created systems to address “Where am I in the cycle? What is my relationship with the land telling me? What do the shifting stars and planets say about the quality of this moment??

This impulse long predates writing. What I find remarkable is that across wildly different cultures with no contact between them, people arrived at remarkably similar answers: the sky is a clock, the seasons carry teachings, patterns repeat, and inside the repetition there is meaning. That’s the deep root of every system we cover in this episode.

The I Ching: The Origin Story

We go into the history and mythology of the I’Ching, starting with Fuxi, the mythological sage-emperor who received the eight trigrams (the ba gua) by observing nature. He witnessed the marks on the back of a tortoise shell, reflecting the behavior of water, the shape of wood, and the way things grow and die and grow again. Fuxi saw that reality is made of two forces in relationship, yin and yang, and that stacked in threes they produce eight fundamental qualities of energy: thunder, water, mountain, earth, wind, fire, lake, and heaven.

From there we get to King Wen, who (while imprisoned around 1000 BCE) took Fuxi’s eight trigrams and stacked them into pairs to create the 64 hexagrams - six lines, each broken or unbroken, 64 possible combinations. His son the Duke of Zhou wrote the commentaries for each of the individual lines, and Confucius added his own layers later. The I’Ching we have today is a palimpsest- thousands of years of wisdom in conversation with itself, all built on those same 64 patterns.

I also talk about why I have some frustration with how Human Design sometimes presents itself as if it arrived from nowhere, when so much of it comes directly from these ancient systems that deserve their own reverence and credit.

The Fuxi sequence and binary code

This is the section I’ve been wanting to talk about for a long time, and it genuinely blew my mind when I first found it.

The sequence that Human Design uses on the mandala -the Fuxi sequence, also called the Earlier Heaven sequence - is a mathematically precise ordering of the 64 hexagrams that was actually formalized not by Fuxi himself but by an 11th century Song dynasty philosopher named Shao Yong around 1060 CE. Shao Yong arranged the hexagrams starting from all broken lines and moving systematically toward all solid lines, with each hexagram differing from the next by the minimum possible change.

The result is a perfect binary sequence. If you assign yin the value zero and yang the value one and read the lines from the bottom up, the Fuxi sequence counts in binary from 0 to 63 without missing a single step. Shao Yong drew this as a square diagram, with eight hexagrams across, and eight down, where the top line alternates yin and yang every hexagram, the next line every two, then every four, every eight, every sixteen, every thirty-two. This is exactly how binary counting works.

Six centuries later, the German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who had been independently developing binary arithmetic since 1666, received a woodcut of this diagram from a Jesuit missionary named Joachim Bouvet who was living in Beijing at the Forbidden City. Within a week of seeing it, Leibniz sent his paper on binary arithmetic to the Paris Academy for publication, titling it with direct reference to the ancient Chinese figures of Fuxi. He wrote that the hexagrams corresponded perfectly to binary numbers and that the ancient Chinese were far more mathematically sophisticated than anyone in Europe had assumed.

There’s a wrinkle worth knowing: the Chinese never actually interpreted the hexagrams mathematically. That structure was always latent in the form, but Leibniz was the first to read it that way. And he was working from Shao Yong’s later rearrangement, not Fuxi’s original work, something Bouvet also didn’t mention. But what Leibniz saw was real, and profound. The binary system he developed with it eventually became the foundation of Boolean logic, then electrical circuits, then the transistor, then the chip, then everything you’re using to hear or read this.

📌 [Add image: Fuxi/Nüwa serpent image — Han dynasty silk painting] 📌 [Add image: Shao Yong’s Fuxi square diagram — the 8x8 binary grid]

The Zodiac: The Origin Story

The roots of Western astrology are Babylonian, going back to ancient Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE or earlier. The Babylonians were extraordinary astronomers who tracked planetary movements from clay tablets across generations and noticed that the sky was a clock, that the positions of the sun, moon, and planets marked the seasons, the floods, and the harvests. The 12-sign zodiac solidified around the 5th century BCE in Babylon when they divided the ecliptic into 12 equal sections named for nearby constellations, tracking the quality of light through the seasons.

When Alexander the Great conquered Persia and Egypt in the 4th century BCE, Babylonian astrology collided with Egyptian astronomy and then with Greek philosophy. The Stoics and Platonists gave astrology its philosophical backbone, the idea that the cosmos is a living, intelligent whole and that the movement of celestial bodies reflects and participates in events on Earth. The hermetic tradition’s “as above, so below, as within so without” comes from this period.

I also touch on the precession of the equinoxes here (the reason the tropical zodiac signs no longer align with their original constellations) and why that doesn’t undermine tropical astrology, which was always a season-based system rooted in our relationship with the Earth rather than the stars themselves.

What moves me most is that these two traditions, the I’Ching in China and the zodiac in the ancient Near East, were developing at roughly the same time, with no contact. And they were doing similar things: reading the patterns of energy as it moves through time across the scope of a year, a lifetime, and beyond. People across the globe finding meaning in the turning, and locating themselves inside something larger.

The European Wheel of the Year

The eight holy days of the wheel of the year (the solstices, equinoxes, and four cross-quarter days between them) are the third tradition I work with. The modern Pagan Wheel of the Year was codified in the 1950s by neo-pagans and neo-Wiccans, but it draws from much older Celtic and various European pagan traditions, some of which may predate even the I’Ching and the zodiac.

These were the fire festivals and seasonal celebrations of agrarian communities in northern Europe. They were ceremonies about the return of the sun, about when to plant and when to harvest, when to go inward and when to put yourself out in the world. They are fundamentally human ceremonies rooted in the body and the land.

The beautiful thing is that the Wheel of the Year and the zodiac confirm each other perfectly. The four cross-quarter days all fall in the fixed signs: Samhain in Scorpio, Imbolc in Aquarius, Beltane in Taurus, Lughnasadh in Leo. The solstices and equinoxes happen at the cusps between the mutable and cardinal signs. The zodiac is already a wheel of the year, based on these astronomical observations. These traditions aren’t competing by any means, they’re translating the same pattern into different languages.

How Human Design and the Gene Keys plug in

In the late 1980s a man named Ra Uru Hu received what he described as a mystical transmission and developed Human Design, a synthesis that took the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching and mapped them directly onto the zodiac wheel, as well as onto the chakra centers of the body. The mandala arranges all 64 gates in the Fuxi sequence around the full 360 degrees of the Zodiac.

The Sun transits all 64 gates through the course of a year, spending about five to six days in each one. Your Human Design birth chart is a snapshot of where the Sun, Moon, and every planet were in those gates at the moment you were born, plus a second chart from 88 days before your birth (the end of the second trimester, when all organs are formed). Those two snapshots of the planets superimposed onto eachother create your bodygraph, with defined centers showing where you have consistent reliable energy and open centers showing where you’re most responsive to the environment.

The Gene Keys, developed by Richard Rudd who was a student of Ra’s, takes the same 64 hexagrams into a more contemplative and poetic territory. Where Human Design describes the mechanical structure, the Gene Keys asks you to move through each gate at three levels: the Shadow (the contracted, fear-based expression), the Gift (what emerges when you work with the shadow rather than against it), and the Siddhi (the fully flowering, transcendent potential of that frequency). I love the poetry of it, and feel that it’s a beautiful complement to the more structural and mechanical language of Human Design.

And the Wheel of the Year loops back in here beautifully, too: the eight Pagan holy days on the wheel of the year correspond exactly to the eight gates of the G Center, the center of identity and direction at the heart of the bodygraph. At every solstice, equinox, and cross-quarter day, the Sun is transiting a G Center gate. The wheel of the year is written into the mandala, and the land, body, and sky are in conversation through these 64 gates across time.

Why Cyclical Living Fosters Belonging

I spent the past few years tracking the sun’s progression through the Zodiac and also through the Gates of the Mandala. And when you know the Sun is in a particular gate and you’re feeling that energy in your life, it is truly profound. The collective nature of this ancient archetypical symbolism means you’re not broken or behind, but you can tell that you’re inside a specific quality of collective energy. The more I attune to this, the deeper sense of belonging I feel. It’s the feeling of being inside a larger pattern that includes me.

And when you know your own gates that are activated in your chart, you start to understand why certain seasons feel like coming home and others feel like unknown territory. It can give you empathy and compassion for why certain people light you up and others grind your gears. It’s attunement to a larger resonance field, because the Sun is transiting the same gate for every person on Earth at the same time, but lighting their charts up in very different waays. That shared invisible weather, and these systems that are making it visible to many, has made me feel more belonging, and more compassion, for myself and everyone around me.

A Counter-Eschatology

At the end of the episode I spend some time with an essay by JM at Starnightdwell that I’ve been thinkin about a lot since I read it. The essay is about eschatology (the study of endings, of last things), and how we are currently living inside a cultural and political moment that is being actively shaped by people who believe in a very specific kind of end times. A time when Armageddon isn’t a metaphor but an actual policy goal.

In their essay, JM points out that astrology is by its nature based on cyclical models of time. And an understanding of the cyclical nature of time makes for a very different kind of eschatology. When endings are also beginnings, you can’t have an end time in the way that many people pulling from the prophecy of the Abrahamic religions are leaning into right now. They argue that the attunement to cyclical time changes the ethical weight of everything- if you believe the land comes back and the story continues in a cycle, you make different choices than if it were all to end. You have to live differently.

In the episode, I also talk about JM’s critique that astrology as it’s currently practiced has largely been captured by an individualized, late-stage capitalist frame -all about my chart, my type, my shadow work- and how that can become another way of feeding the ego while the world contracts around us. The antidote lies in remembering that these were always collective technologies, from the start. The zodiac originated with stories about how the quality of the season shows up for everyone. The I’Ching was always a map of how energy moves through universal situations, not just through individuals. The Wheel of the Year was always communal, celebrating pivotal moments in the year when whole villages moved through the thresholds together.

When we track the Sun through the gates, mark the cross-quarters, and do this work in community, we are practicing a counter-eschatology, a reclaiming of the world away from the doomers and end-timers. We are rehearsing a different relationship to endings, living inside the spiral instead of waiting for it to end.

Tools and Resources I Mention in the Episode

For the I Ching: I use an app simply called Yijing — it has five different translations you can switch between including Nigel Richmond’s Language of the Lines, Brian Arnold’s modern English interpretation, Carol K. Anthony’s Oracle of the Cosmic Way, and Gregory Richter’s transcription from Chinese. You can cast coins or shake your phone to cast, or just read straight through.

For Human Design: My favorite structural resource is the Neutrino app. It’s really easy to use and has a wealth of information about your chart, your centers, your gates, and all the substructures of the system.

For the Gene Keys: The Gene Keys book by Richard Rudd is the source. There’s also an audiobook read by a very serious and eloquent British woman that I enjoy. You can also sign up on the Gene Keys website to receive a limited-time audio transmission (called “The Pulse”) from Richard Rudd each time the Sun transits into a new gate.

The Living the Spiral HD Astrology Calendar: A Google, Apple, or Outlook compatible calendar that tracks all the solar gate transits and major astrological events through the year. Available to paid subscribers of this substack at livingthespiral.com, or you can buy one at hearthandspiral.com.

Come Walk the Mandala with Me!

The Mandala 64 Walk is my ongoing series here on Substack, where I’m writing one post per gate as the Sun transits through the year. Each post will include the I’Ching hexagram, the Gene Key shadow/gift/siddhi, a somatic practice, and a creativity prompt to align with the energies of the week. Free to follow along!

Paid subscribers to Living the Spiral will get tickets to my live rituals that I’m hosting at each of the eight G Center gates/Holy Days, plus a digital calendar of Astro-HD transits.

We started with Gate 25 at the Spring Equinox and we’re moving through Aries season now. Come join at livingthespiral.com.

If you want to go deeper into your own design and explore how your chart is activated inside these larger cycles, my books are open for readings at hearthandspiral.com! I offer astrology, human design, and combination readings for both your natal charts and transits of the current moment.

The next episode will be about the astrology and human design activations of the Full Moon in Libra, happening this week on April 1st-2nd (depending on time zone). See you there!

With spiralic love,

Alison

Living the Spiral is a reader-supported publication. To go deeper into the cycles and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber!

Join me on March 21 from 10am-noon mst for Sprouting Into Action: A Spring Equinox Ritual. Register here!----In this episode, Living the Spiral host Alison Dale focuses on a rare convergence of the Pisces New Moon (March 18/19 at 28° Pisces, later stated as 20° Pisces) immediately before Mercury stations direct and the Spring/Aries Equinox astrological new year, all within about 36 hours. She frames the moment as an endings-and-beginnings threshold and explains the human design and Gene Keys correspondences: the New Moon in Gate 36 (Gate of Crisis; turbulence to humanity to compassion; “darkening of the light”) moving into Gate 25 (innocence/universal love), with Venus in Gate 51 (shock) activating the channel of initiation/awakening. She describes Pisces as boundaryless ocean energy, emphasizes compassion and passion/suffering themes, and notes supportive sextiles to Uranus and Juno. She announces a March 21 “Sprouting Into Action” Spring Equinox ritual and outlines upcoming Wheel of the Year offerings, plus readings and breathwork services.

00:00 Welcome to Living the Spiral

01:16 Pisces New Moon Preview

03:04 Post Eclipse Reflections

04:18 Seasonal Breathwork Rituals

06:47 Sprouting Into Action Event

08:06 Pisces to Aries Threshold

13:38 Offerings and How to Connect

14:49 Gate 36 Crisis and Birth Canal

16:47 Mythic Seas and Darkening Light

21:33 Ages of Aries and Pisces Shift

24:25 Planting Seeds in Turbulence

26:41 Riding Big Waves

27:51 Dark Night Surrender

28:49 New Moon Shift

30:30 Compassion Gene Key

31:28 Christ Symbolism

35:27 Passion Etymology

38:16 Initiation Channel

42:29 Rites of Passage

43:46 Uranus Juno Sextiles

46:43 Mercury Direct Gate 37

49:37 Equinox Gate 25

51:50 Rebirth Invitations

53:43 Closing Blessings

Keywords:

lunar eclipse, Virgo, astrology, human design, imagination, confusion, self-reliance, spirituality, community, transformation____

In this episode, Alison Dale discusses the upcoming total lunar eclipse in Virgo, its significance, and the themes of confusion and imagination associated with it. She explores the role of eclipses in our lives, emphasizing the importance of grounding ourselves in the earthly experience while navigating the complexities of the Piscean energy. The conversation delves into the significance of Gate 64 in human design, the need for self-reliance, and the balance between freedom and responsibility in community dynamics. Ultimately, Alison encourages listeners to embrace uncertainty and trust the process of life as we transition into a new era.

Takeaways

The lunar eclipse in Virgo is a significant event.

Eclipses serve as reminders of our earthly nature.

Imagination plays a crucial role during eclipses.

Self-reliance is essential in navigating life's challenges.

The energy of confusion can lead to illumination.

Community and family dynamics are shifting during this time.

Trusting the process of life is vital for growth.

Embracing uncertainty can lead to new beginnings.

The North Node highlights the importance of family and community.

Living in confusion can be a transformative experience.Want to go deeper?

Subscribe to Living the Spiral for weekly transmissions, new and full moon podcasts, seasonal teachings, and the longer arc: www.livingthespiral.com

More offerings, courses, and studio work live at Hearth & Spiral:

View my current offerings

Daily notes and visuals on Instagram: @hearthandspiral

Celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse: Astrology, Human Design, and Lunar New Year Insights

Dive into an exploration of the powerful cosmic and cultural shifts happening with the Lunar New Year, the solar eclipse in Gate 30, and the Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Aries. This episode blends astrology, human design, and personal reflections to help you navigate these energetic orchestrations with awareness and grace.

Key Topics:

The significance and symbolism of the Fire Horse year in Chinese astrology

The influence of the lunar eclipse and solar eclipse layered into the new year

How the Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Aries in Gate 25 highlights themes of innocence, universal love, and personal awakening

The energetic qualities of fire over fire in Gate 30 and the metaphor of desire and transformation

Practical insights on grounding, pacing, and working with the year's catalytic energy

Honoring the transition from the wood snake to the fire horse with reverence and patience

Embracing emotional awareness as a means of spiritual and collective evolution

Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome and overview of cosmic coincidences this week02:18 - The symbolism of the Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse05:00 - The significance of the solar eclipse in Gate 30 during the New Year07:50 - Energetics of the Gate of Feelings and the Gate of Innocence in the Saturn-Neptune conjunction11:11 - How eclipses serve as moments of revelation and reorientation16:22 - Navigating the transition from the wood snake to the fire horse with patience19:22 - The fire horse archetype: bravery, movement, and the element of fire25:54 - Respecting the ending of the wood snake year and honoring its lessons28:12 - Grounding practices for turbulent cosmic energies33:30 - The energy of Gate 30: desire, fire, and transformation39:10 - The shadow and gift of desire in Gene Keys and how to relate consciously44:18 - Embracing emotional flow and feelings as a vital part of this year's evolution54:22 - Practical tools for working with intense emotions and desires56:13 - The upcoming Saturn-Neptune conjunction: insights and reflections65:57 - Final thoughts on universal love, innocence, and living in harmony with cosmic flows

Resources & Links:

Hearth and Spiral - Readings & Offerings

Living the Spiral Substack

Gene Keys by Richard Rudd

Human Design Official Website

Astrology & Lunar New Year Resources

Connect with Alison:

Instagram

Website

Embrace the cosmic dance of this potent year with awareness, patience, and devotion to your authentic path. Happy Lunar New Year, and may the fires of passion illuminate your journey!

Sign up for next Wednesday's Aquarius Season Breathwork Journey here! In this episode of Living the Spiral, Alison Dale discusses the upcoming full moon in Leo and the significance of Imbolc, a Celtic pagan holiday between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox that symbolizes renewal and preparation for growth. She explores the transformative energies of Pluto in Aquarius, the challenges of navigating chaos and information overload in today's digital age, and the importance of mindfulness and retreat during the full moon. Alison emphasizes the need for personal reflection and nurturing one's inner self while also addressing collective needs and societal pressures. The episode concludes with insights on rituals and practices for growth during Imbolc and the significance of connecting with the goddess Brigid.

Welcome to Living the Spiral!

On this new moon episode, your host Alison Dale explores the fascinating transition from Capricorn to Aquarius, delving into themes of limitation, innovation, and the mysteries of the universe. We discuss the symbolism of the sea-goat, representing ambition and mystery, and how it connects us to universal wisdom. As we move into Aquarius, we embrace the innovation that allows us to transcend natural laws.

We also touch on the significance of the new moon, which marks a time of culmination and fresh starts, blending endings and beginnings. This episode highlights the importance of boundaries as essential containers for nurturing potential, much like the heart and womb. Additionally, we address critical global issues such as water rights and the need for sustainable practices.

Join us as we navigate these cosmic shifts and explore how personal limitations can nurture growth and lead to new opportunities.🌿 Stay in Touch:

If this episode resonated, there are a few simple ways to keep walking the spiral together with me:

• Instagram: reflections, seasonal rhythms, and behind-the-scenes@hearthandspiral

• Youtube: podcasts on Youtube, audio for now, video coming laterYoutube

• Readings & Courses: astrology, human design, astrocartography, and astro-breathworkhearthandspiral.com

• Podcast & Blog: longer-form teachings, stories, and cyclical insightslivingthespiral.com

Thanks for being here and tending your inner hearth!

In this two-hour year-ahead episode, Alison Dale maps the major astrological and Human Design currents shaping 2026, a threshold year that shifts us out of the long Pisces-era haze and into a more fire-and-air driven chapter of sovereignty, movement, and creative direction. We begin with the Year of the Fire Horse, kicked off by a Lunar New Year solar eclipse in Aquarius, then track the headline ingresses: Saturn and Neptune entering Aries, Uranus into Gemini, and Jupiter into Leo, with Pluto continuing its long-term work in Aquarius.

Along the way, Alison weaves in the Human Design gates these outer-planet shifts activate, including Pluto in Gate 41, Saturn and Neptune moving through Gate 25, and Uranus energizing Gate 20, offering grounded ways to work with the themes in real time. You’ll also hear about the supportive harmonic geometry of 2026, including a rare “Basket of Barbeau” alignment, plus a clear walkthrough of the year’s eclipse seasons and what they tend to stir emotionally, relationally, and collectively. The episode closes with a practical look at retrogrades, including water-sign Mercury retrogrades and a Venus retrograde in October and November that reopens the love, money, and values storyline for a needed recalibration.

Listen straight through for the full download, or in chunks. Either way, this is your compass for the year ahead, with timing cues, thematic anchors, and invitations to meet 2026 with discernment, heart, and momentum.

In this episode of Living the Spiral, Alison Dale reflects on the transition into the new year, emphasizing the significance of the full moon in Cancer and its astrological implications. She discusses the themes of nurturing, ambition, and emotional truths, while exploring the dynamics between the Cancer and Capricorn signs. The conversation delves into the importance of self-care, the energy of the full wolf moon, and the Kazimi moments of Venus and Mars, encouraging listeners to align their values and actions for personal growth in the new year.00:00New Year Reflections and Full Moon Insights

05:59Nurturing and Self-Care During the Full Moon

11:53Understanding the Gate of Provocation

16:57Kazimi Moments: Resetting Intentions

21:56Navigating Emotional Truths and Practical Commitments

27:38Aligning Inner Values with Outer Actions

33:41Embracing the New Year with Clarity and Intention

Takeaways:

The full moon in Cancer signifies a time for reflection and nurturing.

Transitioning from a nine year to a one year brings fresh energy.

The full wolf moon invites us to listen to our instincts.

Survival during winter relies on attunement rather than speed.

Self-care practices are essential during this full moon.

Cancer and Capricorn represent different forms of care and parenting.

Ambition is highlighted at the start of the year.

Kazimi moments are significant for intention setting and clarity.

Emotional truths must be balanced with practical commitments.

Aligning values and actions is crucial for personal growth.

P.S. Follow me on Instagram @hearthandspiral, or visit my new website to view my offerings at hearthandspiral.com.

In this episode of Living the Spiral, Alison Dale introduces the evolution of her podcast from Cycles of Time to Living the Spiral, emphasizing a return to embodied experiences and community connection. She discusses the significance of the new moon in Sagittarius, the importance of planting seeds of intention, and the transformative power of self-love. The episode also explores the ecological aspects of Sagittarius season, the role of the solstice, and the intersection of personal and collective growth as we navigate the upcoming changes in the astrological landscape.

Takeaways

Sagittarius season encourages seeking new horizons and perspectives.

The new moon is a powerful time for setting intentions.

Self-love is crucial for personal fulfillment and growth.

The solstice marks a significant turning point in the year.

Understanding the ecology of seasons can deepen our connection to nature.

Gate 10 in human design emphasizes self-awareness and behavior.

The Galactic Center's influence invites us to explore vast possibilities.

Navigating the balance between self-love and universal love is essential.

This podcast was recorded & produced by Alison Dale of Hearth & Spiral. Find me on Instagram @hearthandspiral.

Scorpio season is the time in the Wheel of the Year when the veil thins and the world breathes in shadow. It’s the season of Samhain, Halloween, and Día de los Muertos, when the living and the ancestral intertwine, and when endings and beginnings blur into one pulse.

In this episode of Cycles of Time, I sit with Sarah Belpedio - a yin warrior, teahouse tender, and regenerative business consultant who weaves Human Design through a Daoist lens - to explore what it truly means to live through the transmutation from scorpion>eagle>phoenix and having a Scorpio stellium.

Scorpio’s archetype has been distorted by clichés of secrecy, seduction, and control, yet beneath those projections lies a deep initiatory current. To understand Scorpio is to understand the alchemy of death and rebirth, the composting of what has been into fertile ground for what wants to emerge. It’s the eagle’s laser-focused vision in flight, the phoenix rising from the ashes, and the courage to scorpion-crawl into the underworld and discover that the treasure was hidden in the depths of the soil all along.

The Body of Scorpio

In astrology, Scorpio is ruled by Mars and Pluto, the forces of will and metamorphosis. Mars brings the sword-like capacity to act and to cut away what is no longer vital. Pluto brings the descent into the compost heap of death, surrender, along with the regeneration that follows. Together, both planets initiate the processes that strip away illusion and restore a deeper truth.

In Human Design, these forces appear in specific gates that track through Scorpio’s evolutionary journey. Gate 50, The Cauldron, speaks to moral fire and ancestral values, the principles that nourish community and family life. Gate 28, The Game Player, asks us to face the fear of meaninglessness and find purpose and live life in it’s totality, including both the struggle and the joy.

Halloween-time’s Gate 44, Alertness or “Coming to Meet”, awakens ancestral memory and pattern recognition, teaching us how to discern which bonds and stories are worth carrying forward. Gate 1, The Creative, is the pure spark of self-expression that arises once we’ve faced the void, reminding us that originality is born from inner truth. Gate 43, Breakthrough, brings the sudden clarity that pierces through confusion, illuminating insight that must be trusted even before it’s understood. Finally, the last gate of Scorpio Season, Gate 14: Possession in Great Measure, reminds us of the bounteous riches of Hades’ underworld that can flow naturally when we confront our shadows so that our creative energy aligns with our deeper purpose.

The Inner Season

Scorpio season invites us inward, to compost the excess and meet what we’d rather not face. Transformation doesn’t happen through avoidance; it happens through intimacy with our own shadows, with others, and with the cycles of time themselves.

As Sarah and I discuss, this is where Human Design offers a map, an embodied language for understanding how we process energy and emotion. Each person’s individual chart tells the story of how transformation moves through us. This includes what we cling to, what we release, and how we find resilience as we find the wisdom to know the difference.

The Festivals of the Dead

Samhain and Día de los Muertos remind us that death is not final, it is a phase of the cycle of life and time, a passage. These festivals around this time of year are acts of remembrance and continuity, honoring ancestors and celebrating the invisible threads that bind us through time. When we engage these rituals consciously, we align with the natural rhythm of decay and regeneration that governs all life.

Fall is also the season of the Metal element in the five-element Wuxing cycle, which is a time of refinement, pruning, and distillation. What remains after the shedding is what matters as we enter the dark season of winter, so balancing this season with reverence and discernment is the way to go.

The Work of Relationship

Scorpio rules intimacy and shared energy. In its higher expression, as Sarah so beautifully describes, it teaches synarchy: the wisdom of collective leadership rooted in sovereignty and mutual respect, rather than hierarchy. This shift from control to cooperation is at the heart of regenerative living and the paradigm shifts that lie ahead.

Karmic relationships serve as mirrors, showing us what still seeks integration, what wounds still guard the gate to freedom. When we surrender our need to dominate or be dominated, we make space for true interdependence. This is the dojo of Scorpio: to meet the other without losing oneself.

Scorpio teaches that immortality is the recognition that something within us cannot die, even when the leaves fall and turn into the soil. Scorpio reminds us of the essence that continues through every ending, every season, and every breath.

And that is the medicine of this season: to trust the descent, to let what wants to fall away fall, and to pay attention to the spark of creation that remains.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Cycles of Time with Alison Dale and Sarah Belpedio!

Follow Sarah Belpedio on Instagram and learn about her offerings at @sarah.belpedioJoin Alison for a Scorpio Season breathwork journey on Zoom Wednesday, November 5 at 5pm MST! Sign up here

Want to deepen your understanding of the 64 gates of Human Design? My new deck is available for preorder:

Mandala 64: A Human Design Learning & Oracle Deck

Join the Embody the Revolution Membership

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* a detailed guidebook for each Zodiac season delivered to your inbox (the Scorpio book comes out this Tuesday)

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To join, click the button below to become a paid subscriber for just $8/month. It’s worth it. I promise.

In this episode of Cycles of Time, Alison Dale explores the themes of Libra season 2025, focusing on the concepts of balance, surrender, and transformation. She reflects on the recent eclipse season, the evolution of her podcast, and the significance of Libra in various cultural and astrological contexts. The conversation delves into the connections between Libra and the body, the life cycle, and the cycles of nature, emphasizing the importance of discernment and relationality during this pivotal time of year.

Takeaways:

Surrender is not apathy; it's an active engagement with change.

Eclipse season can bring unexpected connections and insights.

The evolution of projects can lead to new opportunities.

Libra season marks a transition into the darker half of the year.

Balance is a dynamic process, not a static state.

Libra is associated with the kidneys and adrenal glands in the body.

Midlife is a time for relationality and shared responsibilities.

Mabon celebrates the balance of light and dark during the equinox.

The five elements cycle teaches us about discernment and letting go.

Human design gates in Libra season emphasize embodiment and relational values.

Stay in Touch:

Website: Book astrology and human design readings with me at astrosomatics.com⁠⁠⁠

IG: @cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ ,

Substack: Subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠.

In this engaging conversation, Alison Dale and Kodie Smiley explore the intersections of Human Design and astrology, particularly focusing on the 64th gate, which represents the journey from confusion to illumination. They discuss the importance of embodiment practices, the transformative power of eclipses, and the discernment associated with the Virgo archetype.

The dialogue emphasizes the interconnectedness of all experiences and the active role individuals play in shaping their reality through perceptual participation. Through their shared insights, they reflect on the cyclical nature of life and the essence of archetypes in understanding personal and collective experiences.

In this conversation, Alison Dale explores the intricacies of Human Design, particularly focusing on the Reflector type and the evolution of Human Design types. She shares her personal journey with Human Design, discussing the significance of Chiron and midlife transits in personal growth. The discussion delves into the challenges of labeling within the Human Design framework and the importance of understanding circuitry. Alison emphasizes the need for a deeper connection to one's ecosystem and the inherent wisdom within, culminating in insights about Gate 47 and the process of realization.

-------

Stay in touch!

Website: Book readings with me at astrosomatics.com⁠⁠⁠

IG: @cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ ,

Substack: Subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

In this episode of the Cycles of Time podcast, Alison Dale explores the themes surrounding the upcoming lunar eclipse in Pisces, emphasizing the importance of surrender, grounding in nature, and navigating the emotional chaos that often accompanies eclipse seasons. She discusses the significance of connecting with the Earth, the role of doubt and curiosity in personal growth, and offers practical tools for managing the emotional waves during this transformative time. The conversation also touches on astrological insights and the power of music as a resource for emotional support.

Takeaways:

Eclipses signify times of chaos and divine realignment.

Surrender is essential for personal evolution during eclipse seasons.

Grounding in nature helps connect with the Earth and our emotions.

Emotional expression is crucial during eclipses; allow yourself to feel.

Doubt and curiosity can lead to deeper insights and understanding.

Practical tools like breathwork and self-care are vital during chaotic times.

Music can serve as a powerful emotional resource.

Astrological insights provide context for personal experiences during eclipses.

Faith and surrender are intertwined in navigating uncertainty.

Eclipses encourage us to embrace the unknown and trust the process.

-------

Stay in touch!

Website: Book readings with me at astrosomatics.com⁠⁠⁠

IG: @cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ ,

Substack: Subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

In this episode of the Cycles of Time podcast, Alison Dale discusses the cosmic energy report for the week of August 25th to 31st, 2025, focusing on the themes of intimacy and aloneness as we transition into Virgo season. She explores the significance of the new moon in Virgo, the gates of intimacy and aloneness in human design, and the astrological transits affecting our emotional landscape. The conversation delves into the dynamics of love and power with Venus entering Leo, the implications of Pluto going out of bounds, and the importance of rituals for self-connection and restoration.

Takeaways

The new moon in Virgo initiates a season of intimacy and vulnerability.

Virgo season emphasizes the balance between connection and solitude.

Astrological transits this week highlight themes of love, power, and personal boundaries.

Venus in Leo brings attention to our desires and how they interact with collective values.

Pluto going out of bounds signifies a shift in power dynamics and personal transformation.

Intimacy requires honesty and transparency with ourselves and others.

Rituals can help us explore the depths of our aloneness and intimacy.

The energy of the week builds towards the upcoming eclipse season.

Self-care and restoration are essential for maintaining healthy relationships.

The interplay of shadow and light is crucial for personal growth.Stay in touch!

Website: Book readings with me at astrosomatics.com⁠⁠⁠

IG: @cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ ,

Substack: Subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

In this episode of Cycles of Time, your host Alison Dale reflects on recent astrological transits, particularly the Venus-Jupiter conjunction and Mercury's direct station, exploring their personal and collective impacts. She discusses the complexity of astrological energies, emphasizing that they are not strictly positive or negative.

The conversation transitions into the significance of community, midlife transitions, and the upcoming Virgo season, highlighting themes of commitment, intimacy, and the importance of setting intentions during the new moon. Alison also shares insights on the goddess archetypes associated with Virgo and the transformative energies of the changing seasons, preparing listeners for the upcoming eclipse season.

Takeaways:

Astrological transits can bring both positive and negative experiences.

Community support is vital during intense personal transitions.

Virgo season emphasizes service and emotional maturity.

Commitment and perseverance are key themes in personal growth.

Intimacy involves energetic openness and vulnerability.

The new moon is a powerful time for setting intentions.

Understanding the goddess archetypes can deepen our connection to Virgo.

Navigating the complexities of relationships requires discernment.

Eclipse season invites us to surrender to the unknown.

Personal evolution is intertwined with the cycles of nature.

Stay in touch!

Website: Book readings with me at astrosomatics.com⁠⁠⁠

IG: @cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ ,

Substack: Subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

Cycles of Time is a weekly forecast that explores at the energies of the upcoming week through the lenses of astrology, the Pagan Wheel of the Year, the Daoist 5-Element Cycle, the Indigenous Medicine Wheel, and the 64 gates of the I’Ching/Human Design/Gene Keys/ mandala.

Each of these ancient, cyclical systems have the potential to connect us deeply with the changing seasons and also with the wisdom of our global ancestors. Viewed together, they reveal the profound interconnectedness that human beings have always held with mother earth. Thanks for reading & listening!

-Alison

Hey friends and astro-lovers,

Welcome to Cycles of Time, and to a moment of blessings in the wheel of the year as we celebrate the annual Venus-Jupiter conjunction along with Mercury stationing direct this week after 3 weeks retrograding through Leo! If last week felt difficult (thanks to the Saturn/Mars opposition and a tense full moon), this week could provide a little bit of respite, the fog lifting a little bit.

With Mercury direct, conversations should flow more easily, and self-expression will feel more aligned. In the heat of Leo season, it’s a good time to speak from the heart, and to trust that what you’re reaching for might actually be reaching back.

Today and tomorrow, Monday/Tuesday, Venus and Jupiter meet in Cancer, in the Human Design Gate 39, known as Provocation. This is one of the luckiest and most twinkly conjunctions we get each year. It brings a chance for emotional expansion, heart openings, and surprising breakthroughs in love, creativity, and connection. In the Gate of Provocation, it might stir something up in you, but not necessarily in a way that causes trouble. The highest frequency of this gate is Liberation, so this conjunction here is like a gentle nudge from the universe, asking, What would happen if you let yourself want more? What if the discomfort is actually an invitation to bloom, to break free of the chains that your mind has been imposing on your actions?

This week, the seasonal wheel continues it’s turn to the West on the Medicine Wheel, which is an introspective direction, tied to autumn’s approach and the wisdom that comes from reflection. In the Wuxing cycle, we’re transitioning from the element of Fire to Earth, asking us to root in what’s real, what’s nourishing, and what sustains us beyond the quick wins.

Leo season continues to blaze, but with a slower rhythm now. The cross quarter day of Lammas/Lughnasadh has passed, which marked the first harvest, both literal and symbolic. What did you harvest from the seeds you planted earlier this year? Where are you being asked to pause and reflect before the next wave of growth and the next harvest?

On the Human Design/I’Ching Wheel, we’re still moving through Gate 7, the Gate of the Role of the Self in Interaction, through Monday. As I spoke about last week, this gate asks: How do I lead in a way that serves the whole, not just myself? Then on Tuesday, we shift into Gate 4, the Gate of Formulization, where our minds may start searching for answers, sometimes a little too hard. This is a gate of youthful questions and playful ideas, but also of mental overdrive if we’re not careful. It might help to ask yourself: Am I trying to figure it all out too fast? Can I let the answers come in their own time?

The moon is waning now away from last week’s powerful full moon in Aquarius. The energy is softening a bit (finally). Let yourself exhale and reorient. There’s more big growth coming this year (*cough* September’s upcoming eclipse season)…. so take this week to revel in the glow of the kissing benefic planets, and remember that not everything has to be solved right this second.

You’re allowed to pause, to shift, to ask new questions, and to bask in the beauty of Venus/Jupiter this week.

This week in the Wheel of the Year:

* MEDICINE WHEEL Direction: WEST

* WUXING Element: EARTH

* PAGAN Season: LAMMAS/LUGHNASSA

* ZODIAC Season: LEO (July 22-August 22)

* I’CHING Hexagram/HUMAN DESIGN Gate:

* last Wednesday August 6- Monday, August 11:

* Gate 7: Earth over Water “The Army”, aka the Gate of THE ROLE OF THE SELF IN INTERACTION

* Tuesday August 12- Saturday, August 16:

* Gate 4: Mountain over Water “Youthful Folly (The Taming Power of the Small)”, aka the Gate of FORMULIZATION

* MOON Phase: Waning

* PLANETARY Dances:

* Monday, August 11th

* Venus conjunct Jupiter in CANCER (In Gate 39: Provocation)

* Mercury stations direct in LEO

Venus Kisses Jupiter in Cancer Gate 39: The Gate of Provocation

Last Saturday, we experienced the full moon in Aquarius shining through Gate 13: the Gate of the Listener. That lunation cracked open the vault of memory, collective and personal, asking us to hear the stories that want to be told and the truths that want to be witnessed. Aquarius brought the cool detachment that allows us to see patterns, with Gate 13 bringing the willingness to hold space for the raw, unpolished confessions that surfaced. Many of us, me included, have felt like we have been sifting through the archives of our own hearts, deciding which pieces of the past still matter and which we’re finally ready to release.

Now, Venus and Jupiter in Cancer pick up that emotional thread and pull it straight into the kitchen, the living room, into the heart of the home. In Cancer’s Gate 39 -the Gate of Provocation- these two planets known traditionally as the benefics are not content to just listen to your secrets, they want to shake them free. The stories that surfaced under the full moon aren’t meant to sit untouched in a journal. This is the moment to bring them into conversation and to risk vulnerability.

Venus in Cancer through the Gate of Provocation feels like love with a mischievous heartbeat. It’s the kind of affection that dares you to drop your guard and see things in a fresh light. In Cancer, Venus wants closeness, comfort, and emotional safety, but in Gate 39, she’ll poke and prod to get to the real root of the issue. This is tender button‑pushing, playful tests of loyalty, and teasing that’s really an invitation to share more of yourself. Venus here is about deepening bonds through the spark that comes when you’re stirred awake, and meeting up with the great expander Jupiter will give wings to whatever is opened up.

The full moon in Aquarius gave us the download, helping us find balance between listening and speaking. Venus–Jupiter now gives us the courage to stir the pot, to weave those revelations into our relationships, and to see what changes when we stop holding it all in. Expect heartfelt talks that start soft and meander into emotional truths. Expect to be lovingly pushed toward showing more of your real self. Together, these two moments in a row work like a tide: the moon pulled some memories to the surface, and now Venus–Jupiter wants to carry them to shore.

Also Monday: Mercury stations direct in Leo

On the same day as the Venus/Jupiter conjunction, Mars is finally stationing direct in Leo after three weeks of retrograde on Monday. How has the backwrads ride been for you? Have you felt your fire dim, your momentum stall, or your confidence wobble in unexpected ways? Retrograde Mars in Leo has a way of pressing pause on bold moves, forcing you to question where you’ve been pouring your energy and whether it’s truly aligned with your heart. As the planet of drive turns forward again, notice what you’re ready to pick back up, what battles you’ve decided aren’t worth fighting, and where your courage feels freshly renewed.

As Mercury stations direct in Leo, it does so under some potent company. It is still opposing Saturn and Neptune in Aries, which can feel like driving with one foot on the gas and the other lightly on the brake. Saturn asks for patience and discipline, while Neptune blurs the road ahead. Even with Mercury direct, this opposition can bring moments of self‑doubt or a sense that your motivation is tangled with uncertainty. The best way through is not to rush. Instead, channel Leo’s fire into focused, deliberate action and let Neptune soften the edges of your ambition so it aligns with something meaningful rather than reactive.

The combination says: you have the power to move mountains, but Saturn and Neptune will insist you know why you are moving them. If you stay patient and purpose‑driven, this aspect pattern can turn the weeks ahead into a launchpad for truly transformative momentum.

Some questions to ask yourself as these 2 transits start off the week:

* What heartfelt conversation have you been putting off that now feels ready to be had?

* Has someone’s loving “provocation” helped you see a truth more clearly?

* Where are you ready to speak from the heart without overthinking it?

* What connection or relationship is calling for a little more warmth and a little more honesty?

* How might you turn recent misunderstandings into deeper understanding?

Cycles of Time is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Tuesday: the Sun moves from Gate 7 (The Role of Self) into Gate 4 (Formulization)

On Tuesday, the Sun is moving from Gate 7, The Role of the Self, into Gate 4, Formulation. This is a shift from the heart of leadership into the mind’s search for answers.

Gate 7 lives in the G Center in Human Design and holds the frequency of the democratic leader. Its essence is not about power over others but about guiding with integrity, attuned to the shared direction of the group. In the Gene Keys, this is the journey from the Shadow of Division to the Gift of Guidance to the Siddhi of Virtue. Division here is the mindset that separates self from others and loses sight of the whole. Guidance arises when you understand that leadership is not self‑appointed but emerges from trust and alignment. Virtue is the luminous state where leadership becomes an expression of universal truth. In the I Ching, this is Hexagram 7, “The Army,” which speaks of discipline, unity, and the wise use of power in service of the collective good.

As the Sun enters Gate 4 in the Ajna Center, the energy turns toward the mind’s way of handling uncertainty. Gate 4 is called the Gate of Formulization or “Youthful Folly” in the I Ching. This hexagram tells the story of the eager yet inexperienced mind seeking understanding. It teaches that true answers require patience, humility, and openness to the process of learning. In the Gene Keys, Gate 4 evolves from the Shadow of Intolerance to the Gift of Understanding to the Siddhi of Forgiveness. Intolerance here is the mental rigidity that wants quick answers and closes the door on alternative views. Understanding emerges when you allow questions to be lived rather than forced. Forgiveness is the higher state where all mental judgment softens and compassion for human imperfection becomes second nature.

This transition asks us to carry the wisdom of Gate 7 into the curiosity of Gate 4. Bring the inclusive vision of the leader into the process of forming solutions. Use your mind not as a weapon to be right but as a tool to uncover insight that serves the whole. What you seek to solve now will carry more weight if it reflects the integrity of the heart and the humility of the perpetual student.

How This Could Show Up for You

This week’s mix of energies could feel like a slow emotional tide turning. You may notice conversations that stalled or went sideways in the past few weeks suddenly opening up again. That could look like reconnecting with a friend you’ve been distant from, finally addressing an unspoken tension with a partner, or realizing that something you’ve been holding back is ready to be said. With Venus and Jupiter in Cancer in Gate 39, honesty is best served with warmth. If you need to provoke, let it be a loving nudge rather than a sharp jab.

Mercury stationing direct in Leo might give you a burst of courage to re‑enter a project, passion, or pursuit you had put on hold. You may feel the desire to take up more space again, whether that’s speaking more boldly in a meeting, showing up more visibly in your creative work, or simply moving through life with more confidence. If you’ve been second‑guessing yourself, this shift can help you shake off hesitation and step forward.

The Sun’s move from Gate 7 to Gate 4 brings a natural change in focus. You might go from leading or guiding others toward thinking more deeply about your own questions. This could show up as brainstorming solutions to a problem at work, deciding how to restructure a daily routine, or reassessing how you’re approaching a personal goal. The key is to bring the integrity and service‑mindedness of Gate 7 into your problem‑solving so that the answers you land on work for more than just yourself.

With Mercury direct, clarity starts to return. If you’ve been misunderstood recently, you may get a chance to explain yourself. If you’ve been carrying someone else’s story, this is a good time to gently reflect it back to them or ask for more context. You may notice that listening feels easier now, and speaking feels more natural. This is the week to take advantage of that flow before the pace of life picks up again.

Until next week,

Alison

Stay in touch!

Website: Book readings with me at astrosomatics.com⁠⁠⁠

IG: @cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ ,

Substack: Subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

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Cycles o fTime is a labor of love! To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Embody the Revolution membership and get all the goodies listed below.

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To join, click the button below to become a paid subscriber for just $8/month.

Thanks so much for reading, y’all!

xox,

Alison

Cycles of Time Podcast: Weekly Forecast for August 4th to 10th, 2025

Episode Overview: In this episode, your host Alison Dale guides you through the astrological landscape of the week, focusing on the Lions Gate, the Full Moon in Aquarius, and the Grand Trine Kite. These celestial events offer a unique opportunity for personal growth and collective transformation.

Key Themes:

Lions Gate Portal: Explore the symbolism and significance of this cosmic alignment, celebrated for its potential to amplify manifestation and heart-centered awakening.

Full Moon in Aquarius: Understand the polarity between self-expression and collective consciousness, and how this full moon invites us to balance leadership with listening.

Grand Trine Kite: Delve into the dynamic energies of Mars, Uranus, and Pluto, and how their alignment fosters quick thinking, radical insight, and transformative force.

Leo Season Breathwork:

You're invited to a Leo season breathwork and community reflection session on Zoom. This session focuses on integrating the themes of radiance and courage, aligning with the heart's energy. Astrological Insights: Gain deeper understanding of the week's planetary movements, including the Grand Air Trine and its impact on personal and collective dynamics.

Practical Takeaways:

Embrace the heart-centered energies of Leo season to foster courage and self-expression. Harness the transformative power of the Grand Trine Kite for breakthrough thinking and strategic alliances. Balance leadership with listening to align personal will with the collective good.

Call to Action:

Register for the Leo Season Workshop & Breathwork session ⁠here⁠!

Connect with Us:

Instagram: @Astro.somatics @cyclesoftimepodcast

Substack: cyclesoftime.substack.com

Website: astrosomatics.com

#Astrology #LionsGate #FullMoon #Breathwork #Transformation

In this week's Cosmic Energy Report, Alison Dale discusses the transition into Leo season, the impact of Mercury retrograde, and the significance of the new moon in Leo. She emphasizes the importance of storytelling, personal reflection, and authentic leadership as we navigate these cosmic energies. The conversation explores the themes of influence, community, and the courage to express oneself, encouraging listeners to embrace their narratives and set intentions for the upcoming lunar cycle.

Takeaways:

Leo season brings a shift in energy and self-expression.

Mercury retrograde in Leo encourages reflection and review.

Storytelling is a powerful tool for personal growth.

Gate 56 symbolizes the transition from introspection to expression.

Leadership should be rooted in humility and community.

The new moon in Leo is a time for setting intentions.

Astrological aspects influence our personal narratives.

Authentic leadership resonates with the collective needs.

Embrace the messiness of life and leadership.

Writing and sharing stories can be therapeutic and enlightening.Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

In this week's episode of Cycles of Time, Alison Dale discusses the significant astrological events occurring from July 14th to 20th, 2025, focusing on the impact of multiple retrogrades, including Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto. She emphasizes the importance of reflection, reassessment, and the integration of past experiences as we transition from Cancer to Leo season. The conversation highlights the themes of detail orientation, storytelling, and creativity, encouraging listeners to embrace the energies of the upcoming season.Takeaways:

This week features multiple retrogrades, urging reflection and reassessment.

Saturn retrograde emphasizes the need for hard work and commitment.

Neptune retrograde invites a deep inward journey to clarify dreams.

Mercury retrograde in Leo may lead to miscommunication and creative revisits.

The Gate of Details encourages attention to the small things in life.

Cancer season stirs deep emotions, preparing for Leo's self-expression.

The transition to Leo season is about storytelling and adventure.

Gathering experiences enriches our understanding and creativity.

The importance of details can shape larger patterns in our lives.

Embrace spontaneity and exploration as we enter Leo season.___________Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

In this episode of Cycles of Time, Alison Dale discusses the astrological events of the week, focusing on the new moon in Gemini and the Mercury Cazimi. She reflects on the energetic shifts from Saturn's transition into Aries and how these changes impact personal growth and new beginnings. The conversation emphasizes the importance of presence, exploration, and communication during this transformative period.

-

Takeaways

The recent Saturn ingress from Pisces to Aries has brought significant energetic shifts.

Many people felt a sense of closure and new beginnings during this transition.

The new moon in Gemini invites exploration and curiosity.

Mercury Kazemi offers clarity and insight into our thoughts and communications.

This week is about being present and self-assured in the moment.

The new moon encourages us to express our truths and initiate new projects.

Astrology can provide a framework for understanding personal experiences and growth.

The importance of community and shared experiences in navigating astrological changes.

The upcoming changes in the podcast format aim to enhance listener engagement.

Feedback from listeners is crucial for shaping the future of the podcast.

In this Cosmic Energy Report, Alison Dale explores the themes of provocative liberation during the Cancer season. She discusses the significance of the recent new moon, the influence of Pluto, and the energetic transition this week from stillness to provocation. The conversation emphasizes the importance of community, healing, and the integration of ancient wisdom with modern practices. As Venus and Uranus align, themes of sudden change and liberation in relationships and values emerge, culminating in a call to embrace authenticity and let go of outdated beliefs.

Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

In this Cosmic Energy Report, Alison Dale explores the themes of stillness and extremes as we transition into Cancer season. The report emphasizes the importance of humility, balance, and the power of quietude, particularly during the new moon in Cancer. With the influence of Jupiter Cazimi, listeners are encouraged to embrace their unique rhythms and the diversity of experiences in life. The report also highlights the significance of stillness as a fertile space for reflection and growth, inviting individuals to cultivate presence and acknowledge their emotional landscapes.Takeaways:

Strength in Stillness is the theme this week.

The most sustainable power is quiet, even invisible.

Jupiter brings expansion, but not always in a good way.

The Gate of Stillness teaches us to trust divine timing.

Stillness is not stagnation; it's a fertile pause.

Embrace your extremes; they are part of your genius.

Let your nervous system lead this week.

This new moon is about listening to your emotions.

Cultivating presence is essential for growth.

Mark moments of stillness in your calendar.

Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

In this episode of the Cycles of Time podcast, Alison Dale explores the Human Design Gates of Cancer season, weaving together insights from the I Ching, Human Design, and Gene Keys. She delves into the archetype of the crab, discussing its evolution, emotional intelligence, and the significance of each gate during this season. The conversation highlights the importance of stillness, storytelling, and the duality of experiences as we navigate our emotional landscapes.

In the Human Design Mandala, based on the Fuxi sequence of the ancient I’Ching, or Book of Changes, the 6 gates/hexagrams that correspond with Cancer season are: 15 (Extremes), 52 (Stillness), 39 (Provocation), 53 (Beginnings), 62 (Details), and 56 (Stimulation/Storytelling). As the sun an other planets transit through the part of the sky known as Cancer, these changing energies can be felt in the collective.

Takeaways:

Each Human Design gate tells a story arc through the zodiac.

The crab archetype represents emotional sensitivity and protection.

Emotional truth can guide us through life's challenges.

Stillness is a powerful state for reflection and clarity.

The crab evolves by embracing discomfort and provocation.

Storytelling connects us and enriches our experiences.

The duality of extremes is essential for growth and understanding.

Precision in communication can lead to deeper connections.

The crab's journey is about balancing inner and outer worlds.

-----------

Stay in touch!

You can learn more about me and my offerings at astrosomatics.com, follow me at ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

In this episode of the Cycles of Time podcast, Alison Dale discusses the cosmic energies surrounding the summer solstice and the beginning of Cancer season. She explores the significance of Jupiter's recent entry into Cancer, the emotional nurturing associated with this sign, and the importance of the summer solstice as a time of abundance and reflection. The conversation delves into the astrological implications of current planetary alignments, particularly the interactions between Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, and how these energies influence our personal and collective experiences. Alison emphasizes the need for balance between action and introspection during this transformative time, encouraging listeners to embrace their own rhythms and the natural cycles of life.

Takeaways:

The summer solstice marks a significant turning point in the year.

Jupiter in Cancer brings a sense of emotional nurturing and expansion.

The energies of Jupiter and Saturn are currently in a dynamic square, influencing our actions.

Cancer season encourages introspection and care for oneself and others.

The Gate of Extremes highlights the balance between light and dark, action and rest.

Litha is a celebration of abundance and the peak of the sun's power.

Astrology can provide insights into our personal and collective experiences.

Embracing our natural rhythms is essential for growth and well-being.

The solstice invites us to pause and reflect on our journey.

Nurturing our emotional landscape is key during this transformative time.

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Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠cyclesoftime.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

And don't forget to click the subscribe button or leave me a comment- I absolutely love hearing from you!

In this episode of 'Cycles of Time', Alison Dale discusses the cosmic energy for the week of June 9th through 15th, 2025, focusing on the themes of gathering together, the transition of Jupiter into Cancer, and the significance of community and leadership as represented by the Gate of the Gatherer in Human Design. The conversation reflects on personal experiences and broader societal changes, emphasizing the importance of emotional truths, boundaries, and the nurturing of community connections. In this conversation, Alison Dale explores the interconnectedness of individuals through the concept of holobiont, emphasizing the relationality of being. She discusses the significance of the upcoming full moon in Sagittarius, highlighting the integration of opposites and the karmic crossroads represented by the grand cross in the sky. The conversation delves into the themes of egoism versus community, the nurturing energy of Jupiter in Cancer, and the importance of discernment in our actions. Ultimately, it encourages listeners to ground their dreams and aspirations in reality while remaining open to the expansive possibilities ahead.

Takeaways:

The theme for this week is gathering together.

Many are craving a change of scenery and stimulation.

Jupiter's transition into Cancer signifies a fertile time for emotional growth.

The full moon in Sagittarius brings adventure vibes.

Jupiter in Cancer emphasizes emotional truths and safety.

Boundaries should be seen as containers for nourishment.

This year is about building something real and rooted in care.

Gate 45 highlights the importance of leading through care.

True abundance comes from sharing resources equitably.

The concept of ownership dissolves into a shared collective field. We are not distinct individuals but part of a larger ecosystem.

The concept of holobiont emphasizes our interconnectedness.

Full moons serve to highlight the polarities in our lives.

Sagittarius and Gemini represent the tension between truth and persuasion.

The full moon in Sagittarius encourages us to release outdated truths.

Egoism can be a positive force when aligned with community care.

Jupiter in Cancer brings nurturing energy but requires discernment.

Not all expansion is beneficial; we must choose wisely where to direct our energy.

The grand cross in the sky represents a karmic crossroads for the collective.

Trusting our intuition is essential in navigating our dreams and aspirations.

In this episode, Alison Dale explores the six human design gates associated with Gemini season, drawing connections to the I Ching and the Gene Keys. Each gate represents a unique aspect of personal growth and transformation, from the voice of the now to the gate of extremes. Through poetic storytelling, Alison illustrates how these gates reflect the journey of the Gemini archetype, emphasizing themes of presence, skills, change, community, discernment, and the rhythm of life.

Takeaways:

The six human design gates that the sun transits through during Gemini season corresponds to the evolution of the archetype of Gemini

Gate 20 emphasizes the importance of being present in the now.

Gate 16 focuses on developing skills and mastery through practice.

Gate 35 represents the hunger for change and new experiences.

Gate 45 highlights the role of leadership and community gathering.

Gate 12 teaches the value of caution and discernment in expression.

Gate 15 explores the balance between extremes and the rhythm of life.

Each gate offers a narrative that reflects the evolution of the Gemini archetype.

The journey through these gates is interconnected and fluid.

Understanding these gates can enhance astrological practices and personal growth.

In this conversation, Alison Dale explores the astrological energies of the week, focusing on the transition from the Gate of Change in Gemini to the Gate of the Gatherer. She discusses the importance of honing personal skills, embracing adventure, and grounding oneself in the sensuality of Venus in Taurus. The conversation also delves into themes of community, leadership, and emotional communication as Mercury moves into Cancer, emphasizing the need for nourishing connections and values.

Takeaways:

The energy of Gemini encourages interaction and collective progress.

Honing personal skills is essential for meaningful connections.

Venus in Taurus invites grounding and sensual experiences.

Gate 35 (Mon-Sat) represents the journey from hunger to adventure.

Not all experiences lead to satisfaction; discernment is key.

Adventure can be found in everyday moments, not just travel.

True leadership is about community and shared purpose.

Gate 45 (Sun-next Friday) emphasizes the importance of gathering and synergy.

Mercury in Cancer fosters emotional communication and connection.

Nourishing relationships and values is crucial for personal growth.

**Cancer Season Astro-Breathwork Journey: Wednesday, June 25:

Click here to register!

**Walk the Wheel of the year with the

Embody the Revolution Membership

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Stay in touch!

You can learn more about me and my offerings at astrosomatics.com, follow me at ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠astrosomatics.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

In this episode of Cycles of Time, Alison Dale discusses the astrological events of the week, focusing on the new moon in Gemini and the Mercury Cazimi. She reflects on the energetic shifts from Saturn's transition into Aries and how these changes impact personal growth and new beginnings. The conversation emphasizes the importance of presence, exploration, and communication during this transformative period.

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Takeaways

The recent Saturn ingress from Pisces to Aries has brought significant energetic shifts.

Many people felt a sense of closure and new beginnings during this transition.

The new moon in Gemini invites exploration and curiosity.

Mercury Kazemi offers clarity and insight into our thoughts and communications.

This week is about being present and self-assured in the moment.

The new moon encourages us to express our truths and initiate new projects.

Astrology can provide a framework for understanding personal experiences and growth.

The importance of community and shared experiences in navigating astrological changes.

The upcoming changes in the podcast format aim to enhance listener engagement.

Feedback from listeners is crucial for shaping the future of the podcast.

In this episode of Cycles of Time, host Alison Dale discusses the astrological forecast for the week of May 19th to 25th, 2025, marking the transition into Gemini season and the significant astrological events occurring, including the Sun-Uranus conjunction and Saturn's entry into Aries.

She reflects on personal transformations experienced during her recent Central America travels and the impact of these cosmic shifts on values and creativity. The conversation delves into the themes of presence, self-assurance, and the importance of being in the moment, as well as insights from human design related to the gates of contribution and now. Alison emphasizes the need for authenticity and the courage to embrace change as we navigate the new energies of Gemini season.

Takeaways:

The Sun-Uranus conjunction brings breakthroughs and shifts in values.

Personal transformations can be recognized upon returning to routine.

Gemini season invites curiosity and exploration.

Presence and self-assurance are key themes this week.

Saturn's entry into Aries marks a new chapter of responsibility.

The importance of being in the moment and authentic expression.

Human design insights highlight the gates of contribution and now.

Navigating mutable energies requires trust in intuition.

Embracing change is essential for growth and authenticity.

Somatic practices can enhance connection and presence.

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Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠astrosomatics.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

And don't forget to click the subscribe button or leave me a comment- I absolutely love hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

In this episode of Cycles of Time, your host Alison Dale explores the transition from Yang to Yin energy in the wheel of the year, the deep significance of Monday's Scorpio Full Moon, and the insights that arise during this transformative period.

She discusses the role of motherhood, the importance of authenticity, and the dynamics of relationships in personal transformation. The conversation delves into the 43/23 axis in Human Design, the channel of structuring, and the journey through Gates 43 and 8, emphasizing the need for individuals to embrace their unique insights and contributions to the collective.

Takeaways:

The transition from Yang to Yin energy is significant.

Motherhood embodies both receptive and fierce energies.

The Scorpio Full Moon invites deep emotional transformation.

Insights may come across as genius or far-fetched.

The 4323 axis highlights the tension between insight and expression.

The channel of structuring connects intuition to vocalization.

Gate 43 represents breakthrough insights that need time to mature.

Gate 8 emphasizes authenticity and contribution to the collective.

Relationships play a crucial role in personal transformation.

Embracing individuality is essential during this season of blossoming.

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Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠astrosomatics.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

And don't forget to click the subscribe button or leave me a comment- I absolutely love hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

In this conversation, Alison Dale explores the themes of nature's pace, the wisdom of abundance, and the significance of Pluto's retrograde in Aquarius. She emphasizes the importance of receptivity and embodied wisdom, particularly through the lens of Gate 2 in human design. The discussion also touches on the interconnectedness of self and nature, the role of communication as Mercury enters Taurus, and the transformative power of listening and presence in navigating life's changes.

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Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠astrosomatics.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

And don't forget to click the subscribe button or leave me a comment- I absolutely love hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Hey y’all,

Hope everyone is doing well and feeling the grounded beginnings of Sunday’s new moon in Taurus.

Thanks for bearing with my intermittent access to internet as I travel in Central America on a nature-schooling voyage with my daughter. It’s been a transformative and deeply eye-opening journey along with various compositions of family, where we’ve had the chance to connect deeply, gain new perspectives, and learn from a plethora of more-than-human friends (sloths, toucans, crabs, dolphins, jellyfish, monkeys, and even some incredible bioluminescent plankton in last night’s dark seas of the new moon!)

How are you feeling on this cross-quarter week between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice?

Here is a somatic practice for the energies showing up in the Wheel of the Year this fire-heavy week: The fire festival of Beltane/Mayday in the Pagan/Celtic world, Venus entering fire-sign Aries, and the seasonal shift from Earth/Wood to Fire in the Indigenous Medicine Wheel and Taoist Wuxing cycle.

Through simple breathwork, gentle movements, and moments of stillness, we’ll explore how the shadow of mental addiction and thought-loops, represented by Human Design’s Gate 24- can transform into the gift of embodied invention.This is a grounding yet activating practice designed to help you reconnect to your body’s wisdom, awaken creative fire, and pause long enough to truly listen to your soul’s direction.

Also: You should have received an email with a link to your Taurus Season PDF Workbook- here it is again in case it got lost in the fray:

In this episode of Cycles of Time, Alison Dale explores the astrological influences and personal reflections surrounding Beltane, a significant fire festival in the Pagan Wheel of the Year.

She discusses the powerful astrological alignments of the week, including the Venus-Saturn conjunction and the Mars-Pluto T-square, and how these energies manifest in personal relationships and growth. The conversation delves into the themes of sacred union, creativity, and the transition from the East to the South in the Medicine Wheel, emphasizing the importance of embodiment and authenticity.

Additionally, Alison highlights the significance of the sun's transit through Gate 24 (the Gate of Rationalization) in the Human Design Wheel this week, focusing on the journey from addiction to invention, and concludes with insights on the upcoming Pluto retrograde and its implications for personal transformation.

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Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠astrosomatics.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

And don't forget to click the subscribe button or leave me a comment- I absolutely love hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

The 6 Human Design Gates of Aries Season

In this episode, we wrap up the season of the Ram by exploring the energetic blueprint of Aries season through the lens of Human Design.

As the Sun moves through six powerful gates in the Human Design/ I'ChingMandala, it tells the story of new beginnings — from the wild innocence of Gate 25 to the fierce individuality of Gate 17.

With insights from the I Ching and the Gene Keys woven throughout, I trace the arc of spring’s awakening through the life cycle of a ram, and indicate how the energy lives in your body, your choices, and your path forward.

If you’ve been feeling the fire to begin again, this episode will help you align with the deeper rhythm behind that urge.

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Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, Youtube, or subscribe at ⁠astrosomatics.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

And don't forget to click the subscribe button or leave me a comment- I absolutely love hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

The Caring Bull – Taurus Season, Gate 27, and the Heart of Altruism

In this episode, we explore the deeply grounding energies of Taurus season through the lens of astrology, Human Design, and the Gene Keys. Broadcasting from Dolphin Bay in Bocas del Toro, Panama, I reflect on the quiet power of care — inspired by the pod-minded dolphins that live in these waters year-round. We unpack this week’s cosmic weather, including a powerful T-square with Mars, Pluto, and the Sun, as well as the new moon in Taurus in Gate 27, the Gate of Caring.

We dive into the wisdom of Hexagram 27 from the I Ching, the Gene Key journey from selfishness to selflessness, and how true nourishment begins with boundaries, clarity, and self-trust. Plus, a somatic practice to embody sustainable care and reconnect to your own pod of support.

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Stay in touch!

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, or subscribe at ⁠astrosomatics.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

And don't forget to click the subscribe button or leave me a comment- I absolutely love hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Hello, and happy full moon hangover… :)

How did that full moon in Libra treat you yesterday? I’m writing this exactly as the moon reaches her fullness, as I sit on the deck of a log cabin in the Panamanian mountain jungle, watching hummingbirds flit around me in the humid evening air. I’m here on a trip with my entire family: my partner and daughter, my brother and sister-in-law, and my parents, who both just celebrated their 75th birthdays (and are the reason for making this journey).

We arrived here when the sun was in the Gate of Shock, and I’ll just say this: I wouldn’t recommend traveling with family during the Gate of Shock (haha), especially when everyone is detoxing (slash having withdrawals from) the American shitshow that is this current moment in their own way. Lots of relational issues have been rising to the surface, which can be expected when you’re crammed into a van together cruising along windy roads, but especially when a full moon in the relational sign of Libra is acting as the energetic overseer.

This was the first full moon out of eclipse season, that long and deep underground portal that sucked us under for the past month. On the same day, Libra’s planetary ruler, Venus, stationed direct after 40 days retrograde— and she brought with her lots of new relational revelations out of her cave of reflective mirrors. Making this full moon all the more exciting, Chiron, the wounded healer, was sitting opposite the moon, conjunct with the sun, bringing deep wounds (and hopefully some healing balms) to the surface.

During her fullness, luna was shining bright in the Human Design Gate of Continuity (Gate 32) across the sky from the sun and Chiron in the Gate of Growth (Gate 42). This opposition highlighted the polarity between emotionally holding on tightly to patterns from our past (moon in Continuity) and consciously helping an old pattern to end in order to make space for a new dynamic- and hopefully some healing. (sun and Chiron in Growth).

Sometimes full moons can bring tension to the surface, and other times they can provide the perfect opportunity for balanced reflection and breakthrough. How did all this show up in your world?

This week, we have a whole new slew of powerful energetics: Mercury (recently direct) enters the fire sign of Aries, Mars enters the fire sign of Leo after the longest retrograde ever in Cancer, the sun continues it’s transit through the Human Design Gate of Growth (42) and enters the Gate of Ordering (3). On Sunday, Taurus Season begins.

The Gate of Ordering moves from the Shadow of Chaos to the Gift of Innovation to the Siddhi of Innocence- returning us back to the first gate of Aries season, the gate of the baby lamb-ram that ushered Spring in on the Equinox. In a state of fear, we believe that chaos means disorder and that we must control it through order. But what the energy is all about this week is actually that chaos means Void- similar to the root word for Chasm- and that something completely new can be formed in a void through the powers of creativity and innovation, rather than an obsession with order and control.

Aries season began in the Gate of Innocence and then proceeded through the gates of Opinions, The Hunter, Shock, Growth, and now Ordering. The baby lamb has grown up into a fully mature ram. He has learned that we can only go after our own desires after we learn about the opinions of others. He has learned that the periods of the greatest growth often come after a shocking revelation, and come when you are willing to let something end in order for a new, better thing to begin. He has discovered that the messiness and chaos of the void is the perfect birth place to blaze a trail, to spark a truly different innovation.

As we move into Taurus season at the end of this week, I invite you to reflect on how Aries season, and all of it’s micro-seasons and energetic frequencies, showed up in your world. Journal about it, visualize yourself as a lamb growing up into a ram on a mountain peak over the past month. This year, situations are changing incredibly fast, and so we too have the opportunity to change quickly too, into the version of ourselves that we truly wish to align with.

Let’s dive in a little deeper to the energies of the wheel of the year this week. Sending you all the beauty and power of Venus as she returns to her forward speed and motion.

This week in the Wheel of the Year:

* MEDICINE WHEEL Direction: East

* WUXING Element: Wood

* PAGAN Season: Ostara

* ZODIAC Season: Aries > Taurus (April 19)

* I’CHING Hexagram/HUMAN DESIGN Gate: 42 (April 11-15) > 3 (April 16-21)

* 42 = Wind over Thunder (Yi: “Increase”) or The Gate of GROWTH

* 3 = Water over Thunder (Zhun: “Sprouting” aka “Difficulty at the Beginning”) or The Gate of ORDERING

* MOON Phase: Waning

* PLANETARY Transits:

* April 16: Mercury enters Aries

* April 18: Mars enters Leo

Let's dive in.

The Sun’s Journey through the end of Aries: From Growth to Ordering

The Gate of Growth (Gate 42): April 11–15

I’Ching Hexagram 42: Wind over Thunder ("Increase")Gene Key 42: Expectation → Detachment → Celebration

As the Sun continues to move through Gate 42 this week, we’re being invited into a powerful, sacred journey: to complete what we start. In Human Design, Gate 42 is the energy of Expansion and Maturation — but not the frantic, scattered kind. It’s about nurturing a process through its full cycle, from seed to bloom to harvest.

In the I'Ching, this is Hexagram 42, called Increase — symbolized by Wind over Thunder. It teaches that true abundance and success come from adding energy to what is already growing, not constantly chasing something new. It's about tending to what’s alive within you, patiently and joyfully.

The Gene Key for this gate goes from Expectation » Detachment » Celebration:

* At the shadow level, we meet Expectation the trap of trying to control how things unfold.

* Through awareness and acceptance, we move into Detachment trusting that life’s rhythms are wiser than our timelines.

* Ultimately, we arrive at Celebration fully embracing each moment as sacred, no matter how messy or unexpected it looks.

This gate is often misunderstood. Growth doesn’t always feel glamorous. Sometimes it looks like tending a project long after the excitement fades, watering your inner world even when the results aren’t instant. It’s showing up with faith, knowing that with time, your efforts will bear fruit.

🌱 Reflection for the Week:Where am I being invited to commit more deeply?Can I let go of how I think it should look and celebrate how far I’ve already come?

Practical Tip:

* Pick one thing you’ve started recently and recommit to it.

* Rather than rushing to the next shiny idea, give your energy to what’s already sprouting.

* Watch how life rewards that steady devotion.

Mantra for Gate 42:

“I honor the journey from seed to flower. I celebrate each step of my growth.”

The Gate of Ordering: Gate 3 (Wed, April 16– Mon, April 21)

Midweek, the Sun shifts into Gate 3, bringing a totally different — but equally vital — flavor to the energy around us: Order emerging from Chaos.

In Human Design, Gate 3 is known as The Gate of Ordering, but don’t think of it as neat, tidy organizing like lining up books on a shelf. This is about natural, organic ordering, the messy, beautiful way a river carves its path through rock over time.

In the I’Ching, this is Hexagram 3, called Difficulty at the Beginning, symbolized by Water over Thunder. It reminds us that every new beginning feels chaotic at first. Structures are still forming. It takes time for a new life, idea, or relationship to find its footing.

The Gene Key for this gate tells an equally rich story:

* At the shadow level, we encounter Chaos — that wild, unpredictable energy that feels overwhelming.

* As we surrender to the unknown, we discover Innovation — creative solutions that could only emerge through improvisation.

* At the highest level, we reach Innocence — a state of pure openness, where we meet life without fear or judgment.

The Gate of Ordering is the bridge from Aries to Taurus

I love thinking about Gate 3, this last gate of Aries season, as the time when we shift our focus from our selves to our selves that exist within our environment. In the human life cycle, Aries correlates with infancy, and after it comes Taurus, which is correlated with toddlerhood. I think of Aries as the “me” sign and Taurus as the “mine” sign, shifting from the individual to the individual’s relationship with the world around it.

In the Gene Keys, the chapter on the Gate of Ordering refers to the realm of quantum biology, which I found fascinating. In it, Richard Rudd talks about the difference between Newtonian physics and Quantum Physics, as well as the difference between Darwinian “selfish-gene” biology and modern biology, like the studies of quantum biology by Dr. Bruce Lipton and others. Essentially, the older models of these sciences hold the individual as the center, while the quantum models look at the relational nature of existence as the truth behind reality. Dr. Bruce Lipton's groundbreaking research in quantum biology identifies the cell membrane, rather than the nucleus, as the cell's "brain." While classic biology has always presented the nucleus as the “brain”, the cell membrane functions as an interface between the cell's internal environment and the external world, processing environmental signals and directing cellular behavior. ​

This understanding of cellular behavior can also been seen parallel to the way human emotions operate. Just as the cell membrane interprets external stimuli to guide the cell's actions, our emotions are responsible for processing environmental inputs to inform our responses and decisions. Often, these emotional insights precede conscious thought, suggesting that our feelings can be more attuned to our surroundings than our rational minds.​

Integrating the insights from Gate 3 and quantum biology encourages us to trust the innate wisdom of our emotions, especially during times of change or new beginnings. By valuing and understanding our emotional responses, we can navigate the complexities of life with greater authenticity and adaptability.

Gate 3 is a deeply creative energy. It teaches that messiness isn’t a mistake, it’s the birthplace of genius. The early stages of anything new are meant to feel awkward, confusing, and even a little scary. That's the signal that something truly original is trying to emerge.

Reflection for the Week:Where in my life am I feeling overwhelmed by a messy beginning?Can I lean into it with curiosity instead of trying to control it?

Practical Tip:

* If things feel chaotic this week, take a breath and resist the urge to "force clarity."

* Trust that, like water finding its course, order will naturally emerge.

* Give yourself (and others) grace to be beginners.

Mantra for Gate 3:

“I welcome the unknown. I trust that within chaos, new life is finding its way.”

Planetary Movers and Shakers

April 16: Mercury Enters Aries

Mercury (our cosmic messenger) bursts into fiery Aries, leaving the dreamy waters of Pisces behind. Expect sharper thoughts, quicker words, and maybe a little impatience in conversations.

You’ll want to say what you mean and mean what you say but remember, not everything needs to be a debate.

Tip: Channel this fast-thinking energy into fresh ideas or bold moves, but pause before hitting "send" on that spicy text.

April 18: Mars Enters Leo

Just two days later, Mars (planet of action) roars into Leo. It's time to act from the heart, take creative risks, and be seen. Mars in Leo doesn’t just want to move it wants to move with style.

This is a big shift from the inward, watery vibes of Mars in Cancer. You might feel a sudden surge of bravery, ambition, or even a little dramatic flair. (Yes, your inner performer is invited.)

Tip: Go after what you want loudly and proudly. Just watch out for ego clashes — not every battle is worth the performance.

The Moon’s Mood: Waning Wisdom 🌘

The Moon is waning this week, helping us release and reflect. This is perfect timing: as you step into new beginnings (Gate 3, Mercury in Aries, Mars in Leo), you’re also clearing out the old clutter that doesn’t fit anymore.

Tip: Take some time midweek to journal or sit quietly with what’s shifting. You’re making space for the new.

Mini Ritual for the Week: Honor your Growth, and Embrace New Beginnings

As we finish off Aries season and enter the sensual new energy of Taurus season, the theme of this ritual is to:

* Complete what you’ve started.

* Release expectations.

* Welcome bold new beginnings with an open heart.

Why Now?

* Sun is finishing its wild ride through Aries — we’re wrapping up a season of initiation and raw energy.

* Mercury is entering Aries (April 16) — sharpening our voice and thoughts.

* Mars is entering Leo (April 18) — lighting up courage, creativity, and heart-centered action.

* Solar gates are shifting from Gate 42 (Growth/Completion) to Gate 3 (Ordering/Beginnings) — moving from finishing cycles to starting new ones.

What you’ll need:

* A candle (ideally red, gold, or white)

* A journal + pen

* A bowl of water

* A small object to represent growth (like a seed, crystal, or even a little leaf)

The Ritual

* Light Your Candle:As you light it, say out loud:

“I honor the growth I have tended. I open my heart to new beginnings.”

* Reflect (Journal Prompts):

* What am I proud of completing or nurturing lately?

* Where am I still holding onto expectations about how things should be?

* What messy, exciting new beginning is calling to me now?

* Release with Water:Dip your fingers into the bowl of water and sprinkle a few drops onto your object (seed/crystal/leaf).Imagine releasing any old pressure, stress, or perfectionism into the water.Water holds the wisdom of flow and trust — perfect for the Gate 3 energy.

* Call in Bold Beginnings:Hold your object in your hand. Feel the fiery power of Aries and Leo coming alive in you — the fearless words (Mercury in Aries) and the courageous heart (Mars in Leo).Whisper:

“I welcome the unknown. I trust my voice and lead from my heart.”

* Close with Gratitude:Blow out the candle with gratitude, knowing the flames of Aries have prepared you for the fertile ground of Taurus season ahead.

Final Thoughts

This week is a perfect cocktail of initiation energy: new ideas budding, messy starts happening, and fiery planets encouraging bold action. Trust the process, stay curious, and celebrate the chaos. Growth doesn't look perfect, but it’s alive -and that’s what matters.

Happy turning of the wheel,

xo,

Alison

EMBODY THE REVOLUTION MEMBERSHIP!

Join the Embody the Revolution Membership by becoming a paid subscriber (for only $8/month) and get weekly somatic practices, a dope PDF workbook for each Zodiac season, and live monthly breathwork journeys and community reflection sessions on Zoom to connect with the energies of the season as it passes. It’s so worth it- come on in!

Join us to Embody the Revolution and deepen your journey with the seasons of the Wheel of the Year in community:

Stay in touch:

You can find me at astrosomatics.com, ⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, Youtube, or subscribe at ⁠astrosomatics.substack.com⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

And don't forget to click the subscribe button or leave me a comment- I would love to hear your thoughts, hopes & dreams <3

This is a somatic video practice for members of Embody the Revolution (aka paid subscribers here on Substack). Embody the Revolution is an offering that invites you to walk the Wheel of the Year in an embodied, connected way.

In this session, I guides you through a somatic practice aligned with the Wheel of the Year. This practice is designed to help you ground into your instincts (aligned with the full moon in Gate 32: Continuity), embrace change (Aligned with the sun in Gate 42: Growth), and integrate the shocks and insights of the early part of the week (Gate 51: Shock).

Stay in touch!

You can find me at ⁠astrosomatics.com⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠@cyclesoftimepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠@astro.somatics⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram, ⁠Youtube⁠, or subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠⁠astrosomatics.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get the pod in your inbox every Monday.

And don't forget to click the subscribe button or leave me a comment- I absolutely love hearing from you.