Firing Up Our Horses & Blazing New Saddles Into The New Year Ahead

A Full Wolf Moon on January 3, 2026 lays early tracks into the New Year. May our inner Wise Wolf guide us into new pathways in consciousness. The energy of Wolf is a powerful teacher in soul development. Humans have much to learn about the governance of wolves. Their politics of living reveal a hybrid approach that balances a healthy sense of both individualism and collectivism. Like the old saying, no man (or woman if you are one) is an island. Wolves have a clear pecking order but rely on each other for interdependence.

When I think about the wisdom of Indigenous People, it’s hard not to remember the longitudinal seven generations ahead perspective from the Iroquois Nation of the Americas. From a politics of living standpoint, we give purposeful attention to the way our actions now will impact seven generations ahead, or approximately 150-210 years into the future, in human-centric terms at least. And of course the converse is true in the way that we look at the past and how it affects us right now. We have relationships with everything, whether realized or not.

New beginnings on the New Moon in Capricorn on January 18th heats up our saddles, so that we are equipped to blaze new trails into vast frontiers of our technological and social emotional learning in the new year ahead. A lot of people are talking about AI these days. Of course there are both positive and negative applications in the advancements in AI. Find a middle way when walking in the circle of romanticizing or demonizing AI, technology, the human and planetary plight, etc.

And then when we talk about Chinese astrology, it will be the Year of the Fire Horse on February 17th. Unlike the sun based Gregorian calendar, the timing of the lunar-based calendar changes from year to year, depending on where the lunar cycle falls.

An awakening of Fire Horse’s archetypal forces reveal greater movement, decision, freedom and courage so that we can effectively giddy up into unknown frontiers.

The forthcoming Eclipse Season further ignites the changes coming down the pike in 2026; starting with a Solar Eclipse on the Chinese New Year, and then a Lunar Eclipse on March 3rd.

Remember that eclipses are catalysts for change and shaking up the status quo in our inner and outer worlds. New and Full Moons during eclipses are like regular New and Full Moons on steroids. New Moons are always associated with new beginnings and Full Moons are always associated with heightened energies. There’s nothing to be superstitious about with regards to any of these energies because, like the present moment, they are what they are. What matters is how we align with their energies.

In much the same way as horses being key drivers in expanding humanity’s sense of collective freedom; advancements in AI, robotics, and celestial discoveries will be amplified over the next several years. We will be reworking the way that we take care of ourselves, and organize the business of our lives.

It’s as if these shifting energies in consciousness are hitting the reset button. As such, we will be equipped to upgrade our internal systems so that we can effectively integrate, and align with the changing frequencies that we will continue to be faced with, and need to tune into.

Our humanity needs to catch up to our significant technological advances during the digital age we have been living in. This transformation will lead to our collective consciousness evolving into alignment with Cosmic Consciousness, Diversity in Unity, and a generalized sense of Oneness. Check out the short clip below from the 1995 film Powder that illustrates the point:

Keep in mind that the changing tides and new waves of spirituality and consciousness will continue to gain momentum by flowering and blooming into a New Earth; where we are literally co-creating Heaven on Earth in more healthy normative ways.

Like the old REM song, it’s the end of the world as we know it. Gone With The Wind will be the dying old segregationist ways of Us and Them. Rather, we are moving further into a We and Us approach. Check out their music video that artistically amplifies the sentiment:

In this frequency, everyone belongs, and awakens to their soul purpose and recognizes their unique role to play during the transitional process of a New Aquarian Golden Age and Paradigm. When enough of humanity shifts into this frequency in a normative way, consciousness transforms into harmonization with Cosmic Consciousness, aka God, Christ, Unity, Collective Consciousness etc.

Truly, the escalating violence, dirty energy, emphasis on maximum economic profit, rise in polarity consciousness, or the duality playing out in the 3D realm are catalysts to the break down of the old ways that no longer serve. Moreover, these systemic breakdowns will create spaciousness and make room for what’s next for us as we make forward progress in our evolutionary process. The more present we are, the less our suffering will dominate the playing field.

We will continue to move away from the past coveted egoic positions of power, towards soul power, standing in our personal authority, and becoming the change we want to see in the world.

Otherwise, if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem, so to speak.

Paradoxically, living through the digital age gives us incentive to enter into a new chapter of universal planetary consciousness. The Earth already has a heartbeat. Might as well listen to it with an open heart and mind. The ride is far more graceful and joyous when we say yes to it because what we resist persists.

Everything is accelerating and revolutionizing. This is why it is more important than ever to slow down, be mindful of our breath and stop and smell the roses. Think of the revolution as something different from anything that we have ever gone through yet.

Speaking of revolutionary energies, it’s always a good idea to check your own inner state of consciousness as you navigate life’s everyday aches, pains, pleasures, situations and moments. Remember that you can’t feel good when you’re feeling bad about feeling bad!

As mindful meditation becomes the new normal; these awakening truths will become self-evident within our individual and collective constitutions, if you’ll pardon the Declaration of Independence pun.

Artistic, philosophical, spiritual and technological movements will become further aligned and harmonize with each other toward a deeper and higher reality than the conventional one we have known.

As the old narrative fades away, emerging healthier relationships will leave us with a more perceptible sense of emotional, financial, and spiritual rebirth.

2026 will reinforce awareness and presence in humans embodying love, empathy, compassion and kindness. May we recognize ourselves in the mirrors reflecting back to us any blind spots we might have missed. Everyone matters, and we can all win.

May all people be free and experience inner peace as a way of life,

Ari

A New Moon In Capricorn, New Year, Full Wolf Moon & The Chinese Year of the Snake

A New Moon in Capricorn happened on December 30th; marking the last new moon in 2024. When I think about Capricorn, I think about digging in and finding the determination to keep going along the trails of life. Goat’s energy has been a powerful spirit guide for me at times. Specifically, their medicine remedied some of the more challenging hiking adventures I’ve experienced. Somehow, I was able to keep going by taking it one step, one breath, one moment at a time. Secure footing can be hard to come by. But the Goat has got your back.

Truly, it can be challenging when feeling a strong need for being useful to society; magnified by looking for justification in the outside world. At the end of the day, seeking approval from the outside doesn’t get rid of self doubt and is harmful to the self. Trust your inner values. Or like an old friend’s High School yearbook quote stated, “evaluate yourself by your own standards, not someone else’s.”

New beginnings that are always associated with new moons and New Years. Magnify that with a Full Wolf Moon on January 13, 2025, and then the Chinese New Year of the Snake on January, 29th. Lots of new energies are in the air! In the Northern Hemisphere, it is the death cycle of Winter. Things are quieter now. Energetically, it’s time for the soil to rest (as well as our souls) before the next season of Spring’s rebirth and new growth.

The origins of this full moon also comes from Celtic and Old English ancestral roots. Werewolf myths can be found in ancient Greek and Roman societies, throughout European history and among some Native American tribes. These transformational stories appear to align with the mysterious energy of Snake; where old skin is shed to clear way for a renewed sense of self. During this process, Snake’s eyes glaze over with a misty like mucus that reflects the alchemy associated with the cyclical death of the old self, and forthcoming rebirth of the new self and new growth.

Of course the Lunar New Year is always different because it is based on the moon cycles, and doesn’t line up exactly like the Gregorian, sun based calendar. Nothing against the Sun, but man can our egos can get scorched by our control issues. Too much playing with fire, and we can all get burned.

According to legend, a celestial race took place long ago in ancient China. When the first 12 animals finished the race, their energies were honored to become members of the Chinese Zodiac. All the other animals were reportedly surprised by Snake finishing 6th in the competition because Snake effectively swam so stealthily with the river’s currents; hardly perceptible to the other animals.

Because humans often reflect certain traits of animals; appreciate that snakes are cautious and introverted observers. Snakes are adaptable and intelligent, and their cool and mysterious behaviors intersects with their suspicious and insecure nature. Beneath their coat of armor is abundant sensitivity, wisdom, and passion.

Wishing you all much inner peace,

Ari

A New Moon In Capricorn & The Chinese Lunar New Year Of The Rabbit

Photo by Steffi Wacker on Pexels.com

On December 23, 2022, A New Moon in Capricorn adds to

the new energies of the forthcoming New Year of 2023

Keep in mind that the Moon based Chinese calendar new year will happen on January 22, 2023.

The energy of Capricorn might trigger a strong need for being useful to society.

Sometimes, it may lead us down a path of looking for justification in the outside world.

It can be enticing to underestimate what we want from ourselves and for ourselves.

Resentment can follow shyness when feeling ignored by others.

Rather than seeking approval from the outside, turn yin-ward and trust your inner values.

A gentle and kind inside-out approach will relax harmful self-doubts.

Working Capricorn in the positive awakens self-control.

Try not to get seduced by its shadow side by trying to control everything.

It will be the year of the Rabbit, according to Chinese Astrology.

Energetically, Rabbit is symbolic of good fortune and reflects the powers of the moon.

It will be a good year to develop your sensitivity and artistic expressions,

as well as ambition, fitness & virtue.

Rabbits are associated with sexuality and fertility.

There are many ways other than physically having sex or childbirth

to play with these experiences in our lives.

For example, you can wear different colors, play music and sing

as forms to explore your sensuality,

as well as give birth to a new creative endeavor as a way to flirt with the fertility of life.

Also, these are all healthy ways to reclaim

and nurture a healthy relationship with your inner child.

Truly, reality is multidimensional or quantum in nature.

Meditation helps access these realms as well as soften our attachments to them.

This writer has heard stories about the writer Lewis Carrol’s clinging to

alternate realities that he could no longer access after writing his classic,

Alice in Wonderland,

which was akin to a shamanic journey.

Similarly, Pink Floyd’s Sid Barrett reportedly heard celestial music in the dreamtime.

Sadly, it drove him mad because he couldn’t capture that sound in this realm.

It can take a long time to learn cause and effect, which is not without its consequences.

At the same time, we can imagine the possibilities beyond cause and effect and predictability.

As a spirit guide, we can leap and hop with Rabbit into the Faerie realm and

magical adventures into rabbit holes of the underworld, middle or upper world.

Let us remember a callback to keep our feet on the ground and safely return to our hutch.

Alternate realities are adventurous places for our minds and souls to travel.

Staying grounded in this reality is just as important,

like the old spiritual mantra of walking with one foot in spirit, one foot in ground.

Soul travel is akin to dimensional bleeding.

(See you on the dark side of the moon)

Dawn & dusk reflect the in between times where the veil

between the spirit and physical realms are thinner.

Shadow building is when we call in our fears from our subconscious

into our conscious experiences.

Remember what we resist persists.

Are you contemplating starting a new project?

Could this be envisioning your new self?

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

A Full Cold Moon, Winter Solstice and Looking Forward To A New Moon In Capricorn & Year Ahead After A Long December . . .

Photo by Joonas ku00e4u00e4riu00e4inen on Pexels.com

A Full Cold Moon arrives on December 7, 2022.

Like all full moons, this one goes by many names.

This name traces its roots to the Mohawk Indigenous Peoples.

Here in Maine, the Western Abenaki name is Winter Maker Moon.

Our ancestors recognized this Full Moon and Winter Solstice signpost as

the coldest and darkest timeframe of the year.

The Winter Solstice, arrives on December 21st,

and signals the darkest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

And then after that we begin to coax back the light.

It is a good time to venture yin-ward,

go into deeper meditation, introspection, contemplation, rest, sleep

and travel into your cave for inner exploration and self discovery.

Yin symbolizes the darker, more feminine energies, like the moon does.

The Blues doesn’t sing about sunshine and rainbows.

Darker emotions are a natural experiences- especially right now on the planet.

The old world, with its wars, dirty energy

and general shadowy conduct disorderly ways is a recipe for disaster.

Might as well surrender to what is and tend

to your inner garden in the seedlings of the present moment.

Rituals focusing on gratitude and letting go are good energy medicine.

In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the opposite.

It will be their Summer Solstice, where the light reaches its zenith,

and the amount of light in a day starts slowly waning thereafter.

Conversely, this is a time to be more of a social butterfly, festive

and outwardly expansive, as yang is more masculine, like the sun energetically.

On December 23, 2022, A New Moon in Capricorn adds to

the new energies of the forthcoming New Year of 2023

The energy of Capricorn might trigger a strong need for being useful to society.

Sometimes, it may lead us down a path of looking for justification in the outside world.

It can be enticing to underestimate what we want from ourselves and for ourselves.

Resentment can follow shyness when feeling ignored by others.

Rather than seeking approval from the outside, turn yin-ward and trust your inner values.

A gentle and kind inside-out approach will relax harmful self-doubts.

Working Capricorn in the positive awakens self-control.

Try not to get seduced by its shadow side by trying to control everything.

Between the Winter Solstice, New Moon and New Year’s Day,

there are lots of new energies in the air.

Keep in mind that the Moon based Chinese calendar new year will happen on January 22, 2023.

It will be the year of the Rabbit, according to Chinese Astrology.

More on that next time.

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

A New Year, New Moon In Capricorn And A Full Wolf Moon Guides Our Tracks In 2022

A New Moon in Capricorn on January 2, 2022 inspires meditation on accepting that reasonable boundaries and rules actually do offer us freedom from things like worry and chaos. For example, setting goals for ourselves allows us to focus on what really matters. Following an internal path with commitment through the Sea Goat’s footsteps transcends the judgements of the audience, whether or not they boo you offstage or give you a thunderous applause in the theater of life. Remember that without that roaring laughter, there would be no Tao. Strategy is dependent on finding practical supports for self-sufficiency through enthusiastic transformative opportunities for solitude. A mighty will of oneness of the inward and outward reality reflects the Aquarian Age’s mantra of Diversity within Unity. We have our diverse expressions but we are also cut from the same cloth.

The Full Wolf Moon rises on Monday, January 17, 2022. The Western Abenaki Indigenous Peoples called this moon Greetings Moon, while the Ojibwe Native Americans called it the Spirit Moon. Our ancestors observed that wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time. Wolf communication generally reflects defining territory, locating pack members, reinforcing social bonds, and coordinating hunting.

Artwork by Barbara Merlotti

Become the Full Wolf Moon by allowing Wolf to guide you

beneath your anger into your deeper and higher wise mind.

Yes, there was a time to howl in the night at the madness in the world.

The time is now to feed our Wise Wolf within,

whilst making friends with our angry inner wolves.

When Nature blows in the hot air of the Big Bad Wolf

There is no need to freeze dead in your tracks or tear

everything you see into tiny little pieces

Remember to picture the moon and breathe your spirited Wise Wolf into your being

Are you feeding your calm, peaceful wise wolf, or the

pouting/temper tantrum ways of your angry wolf?

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is wolf-ii.jpg

Wolf guides us along the trails to balance

our own unique tracks with our kindred pack connection . . .

Do you remember when hungry wolf packs howled outside old tribal villages?

Humans, like wolves have a strong orientation of rugged individualism –

Coupled with a strong sense of pack family kinship

A passing Winter Solstice reveals an exit strategy for many souls

that leave behind Earth at this junction . . .

But their imprint lives on . . .

Wolves embody a delicate balance of authentic soul expression

with respect for the pack mentality

Our key connections to the Moon –

unlock hidden knowledge and wisdom

What is lurking beneath your conscious experience with reality?

Let Wolf awaken your own wise teacher within

May we learn to sit with Life’s unfolding mystery

Contemplate on your experiences with anger for a moment . . .

Are you feeding your inner wise wolf or the angry wolf?

Feel the fire of a wolf’s heartbeat . . .

Picture a Wolf to fully become the Moon –

Lay the tracks of change you want to see in your field of vision . . .

Lighten-up your energy field to see positive and constructive pathways ahead

Commentary:

Anger is a primal emotion that is an integral part of being human. Some of us do not go any further than our anger – constantly reacting to the ways of the world without reserve. Intimidation, aggression and even violence are a way of life. And it is easy to stop at justifying our anger by looking at someone or something else as the target of our problem. But Wolf can guide us into the deeper, hidden dens of our souls. Meditation is a process learning to self-reflect. Our emotions are part of being human. We are here to learn how to effectively integrate our emotions into our lives for authentic living. We still have a long way to go. But take a look at the Civil Rights movement and remember how Apartheid was driven out of American culture. Wolf government is inspiring to our developing New World because it is a complex hybrid of a hierarchical and socially democratic culture. Within this balanced system is a carefully woven tapestry of novelty, structure, consistency and predictability. By feeding the wise wolf teachings, we can learn to transform the energy of our anger and use it to take constructive action. Perhaps you get involved in politics to stand up for social justice. Or you could start meditating everyday to lead the sea of change by starting with yourself. It will have a ripple effect that will help heal the whole wide world and beyond. We are not victims to the dictates of the Universe. Rather, we are the Universe. And it is here to serve us as we serve it. Let Wolf show you the way.

The Law of Impermanence teaches us that everything changes in the naturalistic environment. Even in a sterile laboratory, or in a carbon copy, no snowflake is exactly the same, just as no scientific experiment is not without a subtle mutation. And we know from thermodynamics that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Our modern culture, in its over identification and over emphasis of materialism – including being in our bodies, has left us with little regarding stories about death and dying, loss, letting go, etc. In many cases, the mystery of our experiences have been explained away and squelched. But the truth is, “the Lord works in mysterious ways.” Fixed ideas about the after life are no exception. The reality is, none of us really know all of what is going on, or where we are going, not really. We have been taught to be afraid of the dark, and be scared stiff of ghosts – of things that aren’t supposed to be real, or seem to lack rational/logical explanations. I have come to look forward to life, including its deaths and rebirths as surprise birthday parties. Like the box of chocolates metaphor depicted in the popular film Forrest Gump, you never really don’t know what you’re gonna get. Isn’t that what makes novel experiences grand – that you can’t really predict what will happen by a completely controlled design?  

By imagining a world out in nature, you can get a feel for nurturing your natural need to support your own individual needs versus your need to be part of a group to support the needs of the collective whole. Human beings are part creature and part divine. As such, we all need to learn how to work together in social circles, as well as go back to our dens and be alone with ourselves by sitting with is going on inside our being.

There are old stories that our elders passed down from oral traditions that humans descended from wolves, and from the skies. Given that dogs have been called “man’s best friend,” metaphorically this makes sense. Humans, like dogs, have been genetically engineered in a variety of ways. Even our sciences have discovered that we all have stardust in our constitutions. And we also now know that we have the built-in capacity to change our DNA, but changing our thinking, our attitude, shifting our perspective, and our power to choose the meaning about how we experience reality.

Just because much of humanities experiences to date have been to a large degree unconscious and subconscious creations out of the shadow building of a men who know not what they do, does not mean that we are victims to circumstance. Part of the reason the elite few have stayed on top is that they have learned the secrets of how to manipulate and control the masses by tapping into primal desires, and also dividing and conquering by driving people to distraction. People who march to the beat of their own drum, question authority, and dream of a different world where everyone can win are lucid dreaming. The trick is to remain grounded in the reality we live, so that we can empower ourselves to remember that we are spiritual beings that live on this world, but are not of it. When you dig a little deeper, and tap into the kingdom of heaven within, you know the experience of inner peace. Happiness as a way of life is not without pain, and uncomfortable experiences or tension. Inner peace and experiencing happiness as a way of life is about leaning into the unwanted scenarios and exchanges, facing your fears about them head on, building up your tolerance for that, and coming to an acceptance, and even embracing any arriving imperfections.

We all have an inner genius within our being. The difference is that only a minority of people either believe it, or are even willing to entertain or imagine this possibility. I remember a time when I at least started to consider the idea of an inner genius as an intellectual possibility, and started focusing on it in my mind, and reading books that were spiritually instructive and inspirational in content. And I craved talking with people that were tapping into this kind of thinking. But like anything, you have to test it out for yourself, and be willing to move beyond the intellect, and into your heart, deeper into an intuitive understanding of just knowing. And you can’t do that without trust, and a leap of faith. Not blind faith of dogma, but a faith that makes the jump when you’re not really sure where it will take you in your consciousness. To do that, you need a callback to stay grounded in this reality. Wolf is good energy medicine for making friends with that.

Anger is a primal emotion, and I came into this world with a built in anger. I also had many experiences in my early years, and of course later in life that have made me angry. Whether it was not every knowing what it was like to have two parents living together, and taking care of me, my behavioral struggles in schools, heightened sensitivity to the moods and emotions of others, and then reacting to that by not knowing the difference between what was mine and what was theirs, or seeing people out there that seemed to either have it better or worse of than me. I remember when an older friend told me the truth about Santa Clause, and then another one told me about the truth about nuclear weapons. I was enraged at being lied to, and the hypocrisy of our species to be so intelligent on the one hand, but doing such stupid things with that intelligence on the other.

The wisdom of Wolf is to understand that we all have two wolves in our heads at any given moment. And they are always fighting. But it is the wolf that we choose to feed that wins. It’s akin to the saying that energy is energy . . . it’s what we do with it that counts. We can either work it in the positive or the negative. The choice is ours. Meditating on Wolf in the positive can help lead you in the right direction.

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

Transformation Within During The Process Of Letting Go Without Revisited Classroom Mothership Earth

A Podcast Version Of An Article Written By The Author.
  1. Transformation Within During The Process Of Letting Go Without Revisited
  2. Overcoming Old Ghosts, Mindful Moments & Awakening To The Spirit Of Inner Peace
  3. Remembering Grandmother's Spirit
  4. Mirror Of The Mind Meditation
  5. A Gemini New Moon, Full Strawberry Supermoon & The Energetic Butterfly Effect