Hello Friends:

I received a text yesterday informing me that our furry family member, Percy, had passed away that morning. It was the new moon in Aquarius with a stellium (traffic jam) of planets in that sign, amplifying the collective, innovation, and new beginnings.

Percy came to us through Small Chance Rescue (we’re sure he was rescuing us) on November 3, 2014. I had hoped for a companion and friend for Gabe during his weekly change of homes during the start of the divorce and family rebuilding. At the same time, I was in the throes of renovating our home after the house flood we returned to from my successful Tuscany gastronomic tour and Greece/Turkey family vacation.

It went well until Percy’s peeing was wreaking havoc at the other house. I’m sure he was also healing from landing at a rescue shelter. Eventually, Percy lived in our Cahill home exclusively while I was also trying to build a business, and keep it all together.

A few years later, our friends Susan and Mason visited and fell madly in love with Percy and we considered co-parenting and ultimately rehousing him to live an adventurous life in Manhattan and the beaches of Florida. He flew out on September 28, 2017. We knew he was in great hands and hearts, but it was still hard, especially for Gabe who sadly agreed to the arrangement. Google Photos reminds me. Percy would come to Austin to visit us, the last time being November 22, 2020.

About nine months ago, Mason informed us that Percy suffered a tracheal collapse and all the complications associated with that. He skillfully and tirelessly administered Percy’s recovery through holistic experts and means. Until they woke up yesterday and Percy decided to go on his terms. He was always very confident, a little ornery and audacious, but always loving and sweet.

We grieve the goodbye and know he has escaped the slippery bonds of a limited pained body to embark upon his next adventure. He loved suitcases and carry-on bags, and Mason was generous to include him in all his trips with Percy’s own car seat and travel gear.

Endings. He was there for the ending of our marriage and family structure as we knew it. But also the beginning of a new dynamic through upleveled parenting skills and healing our shadows. He was there for the end of the old home and rebuilding of a new one, welcoming all souls blessing the new spaces. He was there for Mason & Susan’s uncoupling and the end of Soozy’s, their successful CPG company, to help heal Mason’s heart and inspire him to new endeavors.

While there was a stellium in Aquarius, with the Moon, Sun, Mercury, Pluto, Ceres, and Chariklo, there was also a grouping of planets in Pisces with Saturn, Venus, Neptune, and the North Node. Aquarius is the head, thinking, the collective, genius, while Pisces is the heart, emotional connection, oneness, and unboundedness. This new moon asks us to combine our head and heart, honor paradox, and recalibrate our inner compass.

The world reflects what we see in ourselves. We can’t escape this filter, this mirror. Cognitive bias can lead to wishful and magical thinking. If we’re confused and conflicted, we see our surroundings as that. If we’re positive and confident that life is an adventure, we see where we can make an impact. Percy taught me that with his believing he was a “big” dog—he paid no attention to the bullies who would bark at him on his walks. His curiosity won over any doom, which came in the form of our impatience at his constant peeing on everything.

This is also a time of disillusionment with imaginative Neptune in watery Pisces with the authority of Saturn. In this nebulous time, we feel the uncertainty and the instability, which compels us to find solid ground. Perhaps we’ll double down on what we knew to be true and what served us before. This is where we can stop romanticizing about the past and previous structures that are now outworn and outdated. “Better the devil you know than the one you don’t,” is pragmatic but not helpful.

This is a time for us to shake up our beliefs and values with Uranus stationing direct in Taurus. Perhaps you've had an epiphany about what no longer fits, about what makes your heart beat faster with possibility. As we enter the Year of the Wood Snake in 2025, we're invited to shed and move like the snake--with wisdom, focus, and the courage to leave behind what no longer works for us.

Percy knew something about this wisdom. From his rescue in Austin to his adventures in Manhattan and Florida, from weathering our family changes to bringing healing to Mason's heart, he showed us how to navigate life's shifts with confidence and curiosity. He arrived during our endings, stayed through the rebuilding, and chose his own moment to depart under this powerful Aquarius new moon.

In his way—confident despite his size, curious despite the bullies, loving through all the changes—Percy embodied what this new moon asks of us: to combine our head and heart, to trust our inner knowing, to see adventure where others might see uncertainty. He reminded us that sometimes the biggest gift in an ending is the space it creates for what comes next, and that love travels far beyond the boundaries of time, space, and even goodbye.

Aquarius's Unique Invitation

Although we're feeling like we need to stay still for a moment to assess WTH is going on--thank you Mars retrograde in Cancer--the Sun in Aquarius is asking us employ our genius, our unique understanding, to imagine new solutions to old, nagging patterns and problems.

To this calling, my dear friend Joi Chevalier of The Cooks Nook and I have partnered to offer an evening of connection in community by sharing our different perspectives of the stars. Joi is an astronomer, who uses her technical telescopes to educate and her background in literature to enchant sky students. I'm contributing my love of the symbolic languages of astrology, mythology, and folklore as keys to healing within and without.

In this intimate gathering, we'll share ancient wisdom and modern science, discovering how the stories written in the stars have guided travelers, seekers, and dreamers throughout human history. Learn to read the night sky like a book, understanding both its scientific mysteries and mythological significance.

Stay for the evening session or the weekend intensive, which includes overnight lodging and a morning program for personal deepening. We have five rooms in the beautiful Bodega House at Ruby Retreats in Wimberley, nestled on a 100-acre private ranch. Those who have come to my retreats, know it's magic.

"Wimberley has earned the prestigious title of the 2023 International Dark Sky Place of the Year, a testament to its commitment to preserving the celestial wonders above." - Visitwimberleytx.org

What to Expect

• Expert guidance from both astronomical and astrological perspectives
• Electronically assisted telescope viewing sessions
• Traditional storytelling and myth exploration
• Community connection over shared meals
• Optional overnight intensive including morning yoga and deeper program exploration

This is our offering of ceremony to set your intentions and gather with friends to share a meal and meaningful conversation. It is the day after the New Moon in Pisces--an emotional call to Oneness--and what better way than to commune with the land, the sky, and one another. Please share with anyone who could greatly benefit from a deeper connection.

The Stories That Heal Us

I have a Substack, which is my commitment to my writing and a way for me to get off of Social Media. I've tried so many times but don't know how else to post on a public bulletin board, so I go back. Like I said I was getting off of FB, but then I had to post our Myth as Medicine Event in a shareable way for my friends. Quite dissonent and I'm trying to figure out how to do this. My Substack is free until I know what to do with it--the community in there is encouraging.

Sacred Strategy & Guidance

Book an Astrology, Tarot or Life Design session to make the most of this energy. Where do the Aquarius and Pisces stellia affect your personal chart?

Gentle Flow Yoga & Sound

On Sunday evenings, I teach a Kripalu Yoga class that includes sound bath instruments to reset the nervous system. They are held at the gorgeous Yoga Common in the Balcones Woods neighborhood studio from 6 - 7 p.m. Reserve your spot here.

Things That Keep Me Up

This year, five of Austin’s most celebrated chefs will collaborate to create an unforgettable meal—all to benefit two incredible local nonprofits. These are the hottest seats in town, and you won’t want to miss this culinary experience!

Texas Table: A Feast for a Cause. February 25, 2025, at the enchanting Lenoir in South Austin for an evening of culinary excellence, live music, and community impact. Get your tickets here. Fun fact: I staged at Lenoir under Jasmine Jones as my Baking & Pastry Arts externship from the August Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in 2013.

​How She Built a Marketplace for a Million Nurses | Iman Abuzeid (Incredible Health). Such an inspiring and educational talk from an incredibly accomplished woman of color about the conviction of vision.

My sister, Donnabelle Casis, of Sonorous Light sent me the book, "Mother Hunger: How Adult Daughters Can Understand and Heal from Lost Nurturance, Protection, and Guidance" by Kelly McDaniel if anyone would like to read it.

Thank you for being a part of my community. Your support means the world to me.

With much love,

Monica