Category Archives: astrology

Musings on the Signs: Virgo

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Virgo https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/30844op/virgo-stars-heightened-in-gold-bayer
Johann Bayer {{PD}}

Decades ago I’d written most of a book on something I termed the Void, the ways we malfunction when we deny, distort, or otherwise misinterpret our Lunar needs (those signified by our natal Moon placement). I talked about the Gap, the space between our genuine needs and our misunderstanding of those needs, and our inadequate attempts to bridge the two, with a goal of offering ways to recognize and remedy these imbalances. The book didn’t go anywhere (it was never completed), but it seems like now might be a good time to pick the bones for any tasty bits they may contain, and if I find enough worth passing on to you, dear Reader, I’ll probably also include it in the Moon book (as the fundamental need is based on Luna), with the new book to be finished (I’ve been working on it every day!) sometime before I expire. I hope. Here on the blog I’ll be posting, in no particular order, some of my thoughts on sign needs and dysfunction, for your edification, discussion, and rebuttal, as inspired by that old manuscript. First up, Virgo.

It starts with a fundamental need: for Virgo, the need is to accept ‘what is’. With Mercury as its ruler, we might think that the need would be a mental one, and it is; if we tailor that idea to the proclivities of Virgo, what we find is that the mentality is employed in a function of discernment–and it’s this automatic impulse to judge, sort, categorize, assess, and account for, that is to discriminate via characteristics, that can also describe certain weaknesses, namely a tendency to believe that because the inclination is to judge, that judging is necessary, that every circumstance must be vetted and assessed by the Virgo energy. As in all things, for all people, just because Virgo can, doesn’t necessarily mean Virgo should.

Healthy discrimination and discernment are the ability to perceive differences and/ or comprehend relative worth (‘worth’ being defined as uses and/ or functions) between or among persons or objects. This differs from criticism and judgment in a single, important way: it doesn’t assign a valuation or character of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ to what is. It instead encourages the understanding of what exists and the recognition of its worth without imposing an idea of worthiness, or a moral assessment.

Wherever our Virgo energies are by House, we run the risk of failing or refusing to recognize and accept reality, and when in that state of Beingness we’ll be unable to sort appropriate from inappropriate behavior, or know which is the baby, which is the bathwater. For instance, we can easily discriminate between a butterfly and a moth. We can discern their differing functions and note the variations in appearance. If we make a critical judgment of butterflies and moths, though, we may judge moths to be ugly (no pretty colors) and ‘bad’ (they eat our woolens), while we may judge butterflies to be beautiful and ‘good’.

It’s one thing to recognize disparities and understand differences, it’s quite another to make pronouncements on the worth of, in our example, the moth and the butterfly; that kind of judgment means the conclusions reached aren’t objective absolutes, and if there’s room for disagreement, then one has rendered an opinion, not stated a fact, and so wandered into subjective criticism territory.

By Charles J. Sharp – Own work, from Sharp Photography, sharpphotography, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25023269

To work through the shadow side of Virgo, reality must be seen and accepted; that is, Virgo energy must know all about what makes the butterfly different from the moth, and in acknowledging the factual nature of these differences, let go of the prerogative seized, that of believing Virgo is entitled to judge the value of the life and functions of the moth vs. the butterfly. Two things help in acceptance of ‘what is’: 1) refuse to allow the mind to dictate priorities (as in believing in the rightness of its own judgments), and 2) realize that it’s inappropriate to sit in judgment of anything (and remember, this is much different than discrimination/ discernment). As soon as we give a ‘value label’, we distance ourselves, making the world and others into ‘things’ and reinforcing the proclivity to judge.

The difficult part for Virgo is that the facility for discernment is an asset, a strength–but anything used to excess inevitably warps into a liability–and this is what Virgo faces, the need to learn to accept the way things are, and to use that facility for discernment to determine whether judging is even the right thing for them to do. Assessment is Virgo’s natural response to, well, everything, but not every situation requires forensic dissection, nor is a pronouncement about the state or quality of every component of every situation desirable. Virgo won’t know that until the ability for discernment is firmly focused on reality, and simultaneously awareness is achieved that the autonomy and authenticity of others, and of things, situations, feelings, everything that makes up the fabric of life, has not only its own character, but an unquestioned right to exist, and that those things will be what they are whether or not Virgo judges them. Virgo must learn that the very fact something exists isn’t an invitation for a critique.

For Virgo, this all comes from a pure intent, one that strives to improve everything in its sphere. If we’re talking about a Virgo Moon, then we need to understand that there is an emotional need to feel competent, organized, informed, ready to ‘share the harvest’ in whatever form Virgo recognizes it as taking–and as well, there’s a fear of not having a clear accounting, of not having a sense of who’s responsible for what, and a fear of being in possession of a list of criticisms that aren’t being addressed. These conditions, linked with the Lunar consciousness, will feel like chaos to Virgo, like the Piscean energy of its opposite number has thrown a shroud of fog and confusion over Virgo’s attempt to keep careful, detailed books–and for Virgo, nothing could be (or feel) worse.

Though I’ve focused here on the shadow characteristics of the sign, Virgo excels in some of the most vital qualities to guarantee not just survival, but an ability to thrive. The properties Virgo offers allow us to discern the poisonous berry from the edible one, because Virgo took the time to study the fruit’s characteristics, to note in what ways they differ, and to make remembering (another Mercury function) what we know about these berries important. Virgo’s also the one who wrote down the recipe for berry pie, and paid attention to what conditions the berries needed so that we could plant them close to home. Am I making Virgo sound a little plodding, a little too mundane? But that’s the beauty of it! Virgo knows things, knows the details, and shares that knowledge in a clear and comprehensive fashion–and that’s something we should thank them for.

Things to think about, related to your Virgo energy: consider that interactions don’t need to be tracked on a balance sheet, of who owes what to whom; in what way do you freely serve related to Virgo? Do you ever give anonymously, and keep it anonymous? That would be your Virgo! List things you like about yourself (not physical features) and consider ways you can share these qualities with others in forms that benefit them; what’s the goal, when you offer criticism? How do you feel about partnership and sharing? Those can be two ‘prickly pear’ issues in chart areas where Virgo is located. Do you delight in attending to details, joyously getting lost in the texture of them, or do you resent them, feeling like they slow down progress?

Signs your Virgo energy is operating in shadow mode: overly critical, sometimes using this as the only form of communication, critical of others ‘for their own good’; detail obsessed (and consequently not giving enough attention to the Big Picture; proud of perfectionism; pettiness; lacking a sense of priorities and proportions (for example, making the color of the car as important as its performance); confusing productivity with busyness; fixes and serves even when those efforts are intrusive; the humble-brag of ‘I’m just a worker bee’ (false modesty) no matter what the actual role, accompanied by a laundry list of what the larger organization ‘needs to do to improve’; cattiness or gossip meant to make yourself look informed or better than the one criticized (where Gemini’s gossip is more about spreading info, even when it’s unproductive)

Signs your Virgo energy is operating really well: a rhythm to proceedings/ efforts; not offering an opinion unless asked; being organized in such a way that a larger purpose is served; knowing what information is important, and willingly sharing it; taking on responsibilities without resentment; taking care of the Big Picture simultaneous to attending to meaningful details; having and using good judgment; you know where everything is! work and play are balanced; any debt is well-handled; appreciation of dry humor and word-play; no issues with sorting through possessions, coupled with an ease at throwing out what’s no longer needed; able to edit the life and keep it on track toward goals; the patience to ‘nurse’ things along, when appropriate

Special note for those with: Pluto in Virgo=when activated this can plunge you down a complicated, labyrinthine rabbit hole in matters related to the House where it’s posited, confusing you, stymieing you, causing you to tilt at windmills, or it can make you a genius at organization and research in House areas, with info at the ready to support change, and an always-transforming-according-to-new-information attitude. You’re not scared of change, sex, death, or the Karmic ledger, you just want to always be completely informed about your status with each

Uranus in Virgo=Higher Mind can get bogged down in details or regulations, with this placement, and the group may exert more influence than is healthy, or activation can liberate you from unnecessary constraint, as you read the contract fine print and see that many conditions don’t apply, due to your uniqueness. You can embrace the academic and flow with the serendipitous accident or spontaneous idea or improvisation, just as long as you feel you know what you’re agreeing to

Saturn in Virgo=myopia is the dysfunctional expression of this, where you miss the forest for the seedlings underfoot, but it also means that under other circumstances reality delivers a sparkling, informative load of detail and meaning to you, giving you a navigation and decision-making advantage. Control of information flow or contract terms may be a big deal for you in some way; you’d do well to learn when you can lighten up and enjoy the fruits of your labor, and when it’s paramount you pay attention and buckle down

I hope you’ve enjoyed this! I don’t know when I’ll get back with a post about another sign, but will be back with a Full Moon report within a week. Until then, thank you, and stay safe!

Being of One Mind

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Keeping action aligned with intention is the only way to exert any control over outcomes. Like parents raising a child together, the varied parts of the psyche must work in harmony, so that what they create is healthy and sustainable. Portrait of Army Surgeon Ernst Boman and his Family, By Johan Krouthén 1888 {{PD}}

Do you live straddling two contradictory streams? Do you say, ‘I only spread love and light,’ and then post politically or religiously or racially divisive statements, attend hate-supporting gatherings, or laugh at those who are different (or who are seen as fair game, in your world)? Do you complain about your significant other, openly contemplating (even planning) divorce, flirting or even cheating, and then play up certain dates with all the romantic trappings and expectations, demanding you be treated as ‘the only one’? Do you prize (and require in others), for example, loyalty, or honesty, but reserve for yourself the ‘right’ to be disloyal or dishonest when it suits you (because your reason to do it is always a ‘good’ one)? No, I didn’t think you did, but there are many who do, and frankly, we’re surrounded by them right now! It’s the effect of Vesta opposed Neptune, challenging every single one of us to put lots of daylight between what we honor and treat as sacred, and the natural human propensity to fudge it all, just a bit, to live in a fantasy, to blur the lines or tell a fib, to ourselves or others, in the name of being gentle, or keeping the peace, or getting our way, or just plain avoiding a hassle.

The two energies actually carry a large number of similar themes: ideals, and particularly the imaginative ideals conceived in flawless form through pure creativity, as well as the spiritual ideal applied not just to the individual Soul but to the state of humanity, are all Neptune, while the Vestal counterpart is the identification and treatment of particular beliefs, practices, things, individuals, causes, and ideals in the life as sacred, honored, with aimed-for realization in an ideal form the goal. When these two oh-so-similar energies meet in opposition, we’re faced with embracing one and denying the other–and that’s an ‘all or nothing’ proposition, requiring a clear-cut choice. We can’t just lie a little, at this time, just do a little dishonest or deceptive thing, because battle lines are drawn–we can’t be a little pregnant, a little dead, or a little Neptunian in our behavior, without claiming it all as our own, because that puts us in an anti-position to the Vestal values of dedication, integrity, and the sacred.

As we undergo the New Moon new start, we see not only this opposition but a Venus-Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius that’s notable, because it acts as a kind of positive bridge connecting Vesta-Neptune, the NM, and the Saturn results of later in the month, and it does so via that Uranian-Aquarius commonality. It offers Higher Mind and the belief system a clear understanding of the rewards of a heart-oriented stance, of taking a generous and ideal-guided approach, and offers the opportunity to align the Self with Love, to kindly apply ‘the facts’ to what we care about. When we do that there’s no room for deception, no room to split consciousness along two divergent (and so both inauthentic) paths. If we do by chance grab the wrong end of the Neptune-Vesta stick, we may find ourselves at this point undergoing exaggerated heartsickness or heartbreak, punitively high costs in worldly efforts, we may get a bill for having ignored ‘the facts’, or we may see those beliefs we hold precious directly challenged by something or someone fact-oriented and forward-thinking.

We need to take into account that the Saturn-Uranus square will perfect on the 17th, and is already within orb. This will deliver in real-world terms the results of any rebelliousness, unreliability, erratic behavior, or Self-restriction we’ve imposed–but it will also bring the results of hard work aligned with Higher Mind, inventive or innovative efforts, and those things done in genuine service to the group. This will very likely tie back to the Neptune-Vesta opposition, with that setting the tone, leavened by Venus-Jupiter, showing the outcome to our responses through that mix of Saturnian-Uranian real-world circumstances.

Now, go ‘be intentional’, and of one mind!

The New Moon of the 11th is here–

New Moon in Aquarius 11 February 2021 What Are We Waiting For?

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‘Waiting’ By Henri de Toulouse Lautrec 1887 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 11:05 AM PST on the 11th at 23 Aquarius 16, but before it does, we pass through the pre-New Moon three day period known as The Dark of the Moon, notable for its absence of Lunar light. This is a period when forward momentum can be sidetracked or stalled, and new projects will sputter, fail to get off the ground, or later require a rehaul or restart–and that’s doubly so during Mercury retrograde, currently in effect.

What can we do during this period? Normally we’d do best to drift and dream, meditate and relax, to connect through silence or dreams to the non-verbal perceptions, but during this Dark period we have a slightly different mandate: it starts with the Inferior Conjunction of Sun and Mercury on the 8th, an inception point for development related to matters of the House where the contact occurs, specifically around shifts in thought, plans, and where we’re putting our attention–and it continues as later that day the Sun meets Pallas, with the Moon to pass over Pallas just over two hours before the New Moon perfects. All this speaks to reconsideration of Mercurial subjects that leads to a wiser take on things, and to a smart or more practical new beginning shown by the New Moon event.

Otherwise, this New Moon doesn’t make much notable contact at all. Its closest aspect is a trine to Zeus in Libra, suggesting that Higher Mind revelations (Aquarius) in relationships and their role in ambition and desire fulfillment (Zeus in Libra) will lead to greater understanding–but understanding of what? For some this might be revelation in relationships themselves, a more accurate view of how they work on a daily basis, and what each party gets out of them, but for many of us the emphasis will be on how our interactions with others color, constrict, shape, or curtail our own efforts toward ambition realization. We may become acutely aware of how we modify our efforts to accommodate relationships, and how we modify relationships so we can pursue our goals, and we’re very likely to see where we need a re-think on the whole thing, with this re-consideration informing the latter half of the Merc retro cycle.

Too, Zeus speaks of the power balance within any relationship, the ways in which we get our needs met but must accept that others, too, have needs, and that the clash between these two sets of wants can be chaotic, a contest between our desire for the relationship and our desire for, well, just about anything else that creates an appetite. With Juno, the asteroid of empowerment, and signifier of Zeus’ partner, placed sextile Mercury from her spot in Sagittarius and conjoined the South Node at the time of the New Moon, we definitely see a rise of smoke from smoldering relationship issues, and between the New Moon of revelation and understanding (Aquarius) and the Merc retro cycle, we are likely to find these issues cropping up, many of them as direct power issues and some as an outright clash of wants between partners.

We might also want to count a very loose square to Sedna, only in contention because Sun and Moon are approaching rather than retreating from the aspect. This might give just the barest hint, the vaguest echo, a mere wisp of an idea that trouble may be on the horizon. This might take the shape of Self-sabotaging instincts or an insistence on not admitting that everyone, including ourselves, has a blind spot–and this might be just the time when we need some reflection (the Moon) from those with whom we’re in relationship (that Libran Zeus)–because that’s exactly what we’re offering them, too.

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘A Man, Having Overcome His Passions, Teaches Deep Wisdom In Terms Of His Experience’. I’ve not much to add to that since it seems we’ve already covered this same message via aspects, but will point out that the symbol strikes a hopeful note, as the messiness that is natural to relationships will show us what we need to know, and make us wiser in the process.

Have a lovely week, everyone!

So, Should We Panic? Mercury Retrograde

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‘The Magdalen Reading’ By Rogier van der Weyden Before 1438 {{PD}}

No, of course not! Mercury’s apparent retrograde happens often, in the larger scheme of things, and is merely meant to make us pause, to consider information we might have sped past, overlooked, or need to edit. There’s no negative intent; the mischief maker comes forward when we try to ignore that need to slow down and consider. The pause in the forward portion of the cycle is meant to make us reflect on how we process communication (both going in and coming out) and how we reason, and we are supposed to ask ourselves a different ‘framing’ question, relative to each element in which the planet backtracks: what do I think? for Air signs, what do I feel? in Water, what do I need, or how is this affecting the material situation? in Earth, and what must I do? in Fire.

This time the retro happens, and stays within, the sign of Aquarius–‘What do I think?’ with the aim for the re-think directly linked to the meanings related to the sign, in this case, mulling the role of and information from the Higher Mind, the new, inventive, or innovative, with the ultimate goal of understanding. This applies specifically to the matters of the House where the retro occurs, and includes consideration of the element-themed question in relation to any natal bodies or points posited in this sign.

There are currently a great many transiting bodies in Aquarius: the Sun, Pallas, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury, and that means a lot of contact to anything one carries in the sign could be coming from any one, or any combo of, these energies, aside from the Mercury cycle concerns. Add to this the way a Merc retro period, whether we approve or not, removes the ability to think or reason clearly, and we have the recipe for some confusion and not a little bit of frustration. Our attention is here, in the area of Aquarius natally and on the matters of the House that holds the sign (the Sun), we feel pressure to discern what’s wise or practical in related situations (Pallas), we feel the influence of the social sphere (and maybe have the sense that we’re being observed, even as we may be noting opportunities–Jupiter), and we could experience a pushme-pullyou between Jupiter and Saturn, as the energy of expansion and optimism goes head-to-head with caution, the need for boundaries and security, and the pressure to hold back or apply discipline, in an area of the chart that’s already very busy. We may even feel this as a desire to be free, to let go, vs a fear-based urge to hunker down, conserve, to preserve what is, rather than to let loose.

The thing is, Mercury retrograde asks us to stop relying so heavily on the brain. It needs a break, just like anything else! So our best means of handling the need to process information at a time when our usual channels are more or less ‘down’ becomes one that accesses information through senses other than the mind. We need to practice vetting input via the feeling nature; we need to bypass the brain, and listen to the heart.

We won’t, though, necessarily have a clear conduit there, because in asking Venus and the Moon to step in for the mental faculties, we’re asking ourselves to both accept feelings as valid information (with out the kibitzing of the mind), and do our best not to insist on translating what we perceive into the language of the mind, that is, into words. Not an easy task, especially if we’re naturally inclined to sift everything through the thought processes (I’m talking to you, natal Mercury in Air!)

Too, the Lunar perceptions wax and wane, so that the intuition may not always be available when we want it, and both natal Venusian energies and Lunar ones will be affected by any transits they’re receiving, in effect placing a lens over our perceptual abilities that may make them unwieldy or distort what we can glean from them.

That all sounds so pessimistic–but really, this period asks us to practice feeling, to trust the feeling nature to convey valuable intel, and to let the retro period unwind tangled areas where we may lack accurate understanding (Aquarius). This time Mercury turns around without being in major contact with any other energy, and without forming any new aspects for some time, and that suggests a kind of isolation, a period where the mind will be ‘on its own’, so to speak–and that implies an effect similar to meditation, where contemplation occurs whether we intend it to or not, as the mental faculties are largely cut off from their customary patterns of digesting and expressing.

The usual warnings apply, of course, since an unclear mind is one that shouldn’t be making big decisions or commitments. I’m not as convinced that Merc retro has such a clear-cut negative effect on electronics or communication systems, simply because they foul up, retro or no, so take that kind of event with a grain of salt–it’s a truism that once the retro passes we see events during the retro with a different lens–and that means we won’t be judging well during the retro, and that applies to mix-ups and snafus as much as it applies to our own mental processes.

Mercury goes direct on 20 February–so at worst, we just have to wait! And if you’re in need of information on making a purchase during the retro period, check here–

Magic Under the Full Moon

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By Strobridge Litho. Co., Cincinnati & New YorkRestoration by trialsanderrors and Morn – This file was derived from: Zan Zig performing with rabbit and roses, magician poster, 1899.jpg:, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19060350

Such an odd little thing lately, this presence of magic within a larger scenario. It shows up in forms familiar from traditional stage magic acts, but that’s not where the real magic lies; instead the presence of, say, a handkerchief ‘turned into’ a dove by the tap of a ‘magic wand’ on a box is only an indicator of the presence of genuine magic. I know! What’s ‘real magic’ anyway? As far as I can see from recent events, it’s the existence of a force that quite literally can’t be attributed to any known physical action, and that can’t be explained. The top hat, the assistant in spangly dress, the draped table, the disappearing and re-appearing items, the box and saw, the chains and locks on the man placed in the container of water, all are saying: this is pretend magic, now look for the real stuff.

Or are those elements, just as the flourish and the spectacle serve in a magic show, simply announcing that they are distractions, meant to keep us from noticing the behind-the-scenes moves that create the illusion in the first place? Because the stage show and the ‘real’ magic are about illusion, in the sense that we can’t follow one thing to another in a clear fashion–and yet the results are undeniable, as the playing card moves from magician’s hand to the vest pocket of a man across the room, and the thing you never thought would happen, quite magically, does.

Think of real magic as the thrust of energy and intention into the quantum field; just as with stage magic, it’s a kind of sleight of hand, where many of the ‘energy steps’ are unseen, at least from our personal vantage point. With so many bodies and points in Aquarius (Sun, Saturn, Jupiter, Pallas, Mercury) and Taurus (Uranus, Mars, Black Moon Lilith, Sedna) we may be straining to understand (Aquarius) the material world around us (Taurus)–but those signs, one Fixed Air, one Fixed Earth, naturally square each other, with the Fixed modality creating inherent tension in the discord between thought and the material reality. Essentially, we create our own, personal version of sleight of hand as we fail to reconcile the physical with the mental, as some link our minds tell us should be there isn’t.

But, the persistent theme of magic I’ve been experiencing suggests we needn’t strain. All we need to do is take note when something playful comes forward that promises (or at least implies) it will astonish or otherwise amuse–and then we know there’s something working behind the scenes, something making real magic in our lives, and that we should be on the lookout for it. It’s much more easy to both recognize and accept the presence in our lives of the unanticipated benefit, the synchronicity, the fortuitous meeting, if we don’t insist on explaining it.

One of the recent events for me involved a button. I had sewn it to the paper cover of a hand-bound book I’d made years ago, and I just ran across it again after not seeing it for a long time, and reading what I’d written about the incident, it echoed this ‘magic’ very neatly. The button didn’t fall off my clothes (it wasn’t familiar–nothing any of us owned had this precise kind of button), there was nowhere nearby it could’ve come from, I’m sure, as it landed on the open dishwasher door. It seemed as if it were generated from, as the saying goes, thin air, and though I marveled at it, I couldn’t find an explanation for where it came from. I didn’t think about it beyond that until I was standing in the exact same spot a few days later and the lights over the sink started blinking on and off, not like a surge in the power line, but in a very deliberate, turned off then on way, as if someone were at the switch–but they weren’t.

I wondered if someone (let’s just say spirit, in a general way) was trying to let me know they were there. So, presumptuous as I am, I asked a favor: in my mind I pictured a lost earring, one I had been looking for that meant a great deal to me, and I thought about how I wanted to find it; the jewelry was one of those things that feels like you, so when you lose or destroy or misplace it it’s almost like you mourn a little, like a part of you has been misplaced.

Just a moment later I had the urge to walk out to the mailbox, even though I knew it was too early for the mail. I reached the mailbox, looked down, and there was my earring.

Now you could say that some part of my consciousness had registered it when the earring had fallen, and that this was just my unconscious mind prompting me to go back to where I knew it was. But then what about the lights, and the button? I called it spooky, back then, but now think it was just a little magic, making itself known.

Should you be looking for a taste of virtual magic, you might want to check out ‘Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself’ on Hulu, or a series from a few years ago called ‘Shut Eye’, about a con man who finds he’s not the person he thinks he is, also on Hulu.

The Full Moon falls in Leo on the 28th at 11:16 AM PST at 9 Leo 05, closely opposed Jupiter, which the Sun will perfect conjunction to less than 6 hours later, while the Moon will perfect opposition to Jupiter in less than an hour. The Full Moon is also in very close conjunction to Hygeia (only one minute off exact) and a loose novile to Vesta, forms squares to Mars, the Black Moon Lilith point, and Uranus, and a sesquiquadrate to Venus-Pluto, which two are in very close conjunction themselves. There’s also a loose Fire Grand Trine with Chiron and Juno, and if we include the Sun-Jupiter opposition point, we end up with a Kite.

A Full Moon in Leo brings something about ourselves, about our identity, about our passions and reason for Being, into focus, and maybe brings that form of identity or purpose to an end, or readies it for the ‘next step’, but in this instance it almost registers as an afterthought, with the ‘pull’ from Jupiter-Sun balanced between Chiron and Juno giving a dynamism that suggests either facts around the identity, or the Soul in interface with the social sphere, finds a perfect point of empowerment balanced between expression of the unique skills (or capitalization on the wounds) and the level of personal empowerment, and that this is delivered via the Lunar event.

This is healthy (conj to Hygeia) as, no matter what occurs, it will be an expression of the highest values, of what we want at a Soul level (nov to Vesta). Events may arise from conflict, chaos, or the discovery of what’s been hidden or denied (sq Mars-Uranus) and difficult, even threatening, circumstances around Love, relationships, or money, that we may want to classify as ‘moments of Truth’ (sesq Venus-Pluto). So, beneficial things that spring from contention or upset–so look for what good will come from the troubling, the uncomfortable, the needed purge or change, from the ‘Big Reveal’.

Change Is In The Air 23-27 January 2021

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By Michal Klajban – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89274662

The need to make more time for new and already ongoing projects forces me to cut somewhere–and for now, that will be here at the blog and in personal services offered. I won’t be doing a daily forecast in any form, at least not usually, but will try to go with quick updates for some current conditions and articles now and again. Thank you so much to all my readers, and particularly to those who’ve donated–and that brings me to those who have a recurring donation: only you can stop them–PayPal won’t let me, and all who’ve donated in the past 6 Months are on a list for a free Moon book (another thing I’m hoping to finally finish!) so please, though much appreciated, I won’t be offering the kind of consistent work that deserves your very generous support each and every month. I’ll still leave the link up for now, in case I do something singularly spectacular and you want to tip me! but otherwise I’ll be spending most of my time in other pursuits.

That said, here are a few alerts for the upcoming week, through to the Full Moon of the 28th:

Saturday the 23rd is a little magical, as long as there’s more ‘we’ than ‘I’ in the mix, and as long as power plays are avoided; otherwise, it’s a good time to make plans around ambitions and goals, and, applying a little idealism, imagination, or spiritual mo-jo, you could see a dream or two come true (Keys: Sun conj Saturn, Venus sxt Neptune, qnx NN, and parallel Pluto, Merc trine Zeus)

For the 24th, two things: loving relationships or the Arts offer positive arenas for personal power expression, and a steady mentality wins (Keys: Venus sxt Ceres, Merc contra-parallel Uranus)

On the 25th we’re inclined to charge toward goals and actively shape the future–and we’ll be successful, as long as we use our highest values and commitments as a guide (Keys: Juno parallel Ceres, Mars nov NN, Venus trine Vesta and nov Juno, Sun sxt Chiron and sesq Vesta)

Oh! I don’t like the 26th! We may be confused, deluded, or misled concerning life direction, we may act against our own health interests, we may sacrifice love or a financial source we need to pursue ambitions (with it unlikely to work out–see the first part of this sentence!), we may act erratically, unreasonably, or we may alienate ourselves from the group, and everything that goes down is exaggerated, based on beliefs (and so potentially ‘fact free’), or waving a mirage of opportunity at us that disappears when we approach. Stay in bed today, at least in a figurative sense, and wait out the madness (Keys: a bunch of squares!!)

Things improve by the 27th, with a few caveats. Though upholding values may seem to curtail our power, it may be the way to go, as a healthy mindset that vibes to integrity may be our best asset. If you need to act, to get out there, to secure opportunities, make what you do an expression of pure creative energy, or make it a paragon of spiritual virtue–temporarily take on an Archetype that fits the goal, then shed it and see how really good you feel (Keys: Vesta opp and contra-parallel Ceres, Jupiter nov Neptune and opp Hygeia, Merc contra-parallel Black Moon Lilith and nov Chiron)

One more thank you–I’ve had a great time ‘speaking’ to you and with you all these years, and I know that’s something I’ll miss.

19-22 January 2021 Fevered and Real

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‘Heat’ By Florine Stettheimer 1919 {{PD}}

Today, the 19th, it may seem like our highest values are a nuisance, rather than the foundation of our thinking and responding (Mars sesq Vesta). We’re sure minor power conflicts are chipping away at our autonomy (Pluto semi-sq Juno)–and rather than shrug them off, seeing them for the annoying noise that they are, we’re taking them to heart and overreacting. I’d like to blame that pugnacious Aries Moon, squaring Venus and Pluto through the day, fueled by emotion and throwing punches when its Will is denied–but it might just as easily be Mars and Uranus converged in Taurus, also spoiling for a fight and within square of Jupiter, blowing ‘it’ all out of proportion. Try to remember that today perceptions are skewed toward the reactionary and radical, and that no response is better than an ill-considered, fevered one.

Much the same exists for the 20th, with this handy exception: we see Mercury trine the North Node and Juno quincunx Black Moon Lilith, suggesting that if we are willing to meet those matters we’ve been avoiding with a sense of personal responsibility, and if we’ll do so with the future in mind, we’ll be able to skirt a great deal of the unreasoned and reactive energy filling up the air waves right now. It also helps if we’re willing to note where and how reality diverges from fantasy (Saturn semi-sq Neptune), which should help anchor us in the real world, rather than letting the imagination run wild.

The 21st conjures a powerful set of conditions, as Neptune conjoins Ceres, bringing together ideals, creative energy, and the personal authority to enact these, or uniting delusion with an overwhelming urge to interfere and dictate to others.The world will likely sort itself into these two groups; if you can, surround yourself with those in the former camp, rather than the latter.

The 22nd is a day for repercussions, and what some may call ‘tests’. We are forced to acknowledge the reality of our personal power position in relation to our life direction–how much autonomy, how much say, do we really have?–and we may get a big jolt (or an unforeseen opportunity) arising from our own actions, choices, or assertions–even our simple identity, a statement of ‘I Am’, may bring the social sphere or a fortuitous opening within reach. Answer conflicts honestly, stare straight at what’s presented, and when that helping hand or new chance comes, take it (Ceres sq the Nodal axis, Saturn semi-sq Ceres, Mars sq Jupiter, Mercury qnx Vesta)

Your Weekend 15-18 January 2021 Smoothing It Out

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‘Peacock’ By Archibald Thorburn before 1935 {{PD}}

Why is it that on the 15th it feels like we can’t ‘be ourselves’ and still be taken seriously? There’s a strong disconnect between expression of originality and holding authority; somehow they seem to be at odds, and we are certain to fall on one side or the other, either seeing our ideas and contributions unappreciated, or seeing our empowerment position as plodding and non-creative. The problem is twofold: our thinking is skewed, and we are basing our assessments of things on either poor choices made in the past, or in angry response to what isn’t, anymore. The way out may be this: experiment. With so many energies in Aquarius right now (Saturn, Jupiter, Pallas, Mercury, with the Sun soon to join), it may be that trying something new will at least break the impasse, and may actually offer innovative solutions (Uranus contra-parallel Ceres, Mars sesq SN, Mercury opp Hygeia).

Thinking is smart, aligned with what we know to be right, so why is it that opportunities, and maybe ‘the facts’, conflict with our priorities or what we honor in life? The 16th brings this dilemma forward, and offers an answer: find the worth in what you are ignoring, deriding, denying, or enraged over–and then incorporate this into your reality. It adds depth, dimension, and gain that you otherwise wouldn’t have had a chance at. The mind is attuned to wisdom, and is likely to know it when it hears it (Jupiter sesq Vesta, Venus trine Black Moon Lilith, Mercury conj Pallas).

The past looks awfully pretty from this vantage point, doesn’t it? Especially when we think about relationships–but there’s a reason things are different, now. For the 17th we may feel the current scene trips us up with all that we don’t know or haven’t dealt with, and this would be partly correct–as long as you listen to instincts, and are willing to respect feedback that may point to your ‘blind spot’, you can exceed your own expectations. How to avoid real trouble? Don’t dissipate your energy by setting up a ‘You against the World’ situation–because the world will definitely have greater energy reserves, and so manage to wear you out (Venus parallel SN, Sun trine Sedna, Jupiter sq Uranus, Juno contra-parallel Black Moon Lilith).

Why is everybody so contrary on the 18th? Could it be that when we think we’re asking with a loving attitude, it comes across like we’re trying to take advantage–and that’s causing others to back away or even turn away. The only way to make the relationship right is to look at the past, to the events that may have prompted the other party to see us as manipulative, to put a predatory lens over our actions that takes an innocent request and makes it look as if we’re motivated by Self-interest. Not pretty, but illuminating for us to realize others may see us that way, and useful in that it allows us to rid ourselves of a certain artifice that’s kept us from really connecting–and connecting, of course, makes for better understanding, and better feeling, all around (Venus sesq Sedna, Sun nov SN).

The Weekend has two Word Images 1) a peacock strutting along the side of a busy highway, oblivious to any danger from speeding traffic. What beautiful thing has escaped your control, and is now in danger? What threatens it is specifically linked to it being in the ‘wrong’ place–so get it back to where it belongs.

2) you meet three little girls in a row, all with the same name. Whenever we run into multiples of something, it’s meant to draw our attention; encountering the same name (and in my case an uncommon one, at that: Clarice) suggests almost a deja vu-like repeating of experience. That’s when we should start scouring the landscape for incidents, perceptions, and events that have visited us before, and are now back. Awareness of this can alert us in the moment to the potential to change our response, and so to change the course of events, a kind of ‘learning from history’ episode that allows us to change, dare I say it? Our karma.

Your Week 11-14 January 2021 Echoes From the Future

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‘A Bather (Echo)’ By Jean-Jacques Henner 1881 CC0

On Monday the 11th we have to face where our thinking is taking us, and this can make for distress (fear as we project the current circumstances into the potential future they may bring, or upset generated by compromises to our values and priorities), and for some healing and genuinely inspiring moments, as we get an awe-inspiring glimpse into our true power and the originality and inventiveness we contain as human Beings. It’s a day for deep insight; it’s also a day when things may take on a larger-than-life quality. That should be reassuring: we’ll be seeing into the depths, with components exaggerated in order to draw and focus our attention on what really matters. For some the attention will be on what’s not working; this dissatisfaction will be in direct proportion to one’s honesty about the reality picture and one’s willingness to learn from the past. Expect to face some hard truths about desires and ambitions; also expect some amazing revelations about the Self, some serendipitous occurrences and spontaneous events, and the chance for authentic healing. Note: Mercury, newly entered into Aquarius, the sign of understanding and Higher Thought, will act as apex to a Fist of God with base of North Node square Vesta, offering an unusual depth of comprehension, once we accept the import of living and honoring our priorities and highest values, and the way the results of those commitments may seem to echo backwards from the future; we’ll see that, no matter the source, what we honor will surely shape what comes (Sun sq Zeus, Merc also conj Jupiter, nov Ceres, and sxt Chiron, with Jupiter also sxt the latter, and Mars parallel Uranus).

On the 12th we may face some difficult conflicts, many of them internal, that will require we answer a few questions: what in our relationships hurts us, and are we responsible for that condition? Does the very idea of money carry a wound for us? Do we expect Love to hurt? Do we play games when communicating, and if so, do we believe that withholding info and then springing it on others confers us an advantage? Do we get a thrill out of shocking? Do we resist Higher Thought? Would we rather generate chaos than change our minds about something? All are relevant today (Venus sq Chiron, Merc sq Uranus, Sun semi-sq Juno).

See the report for the Full Moon of the 12th here–

By the 13th we are facing the consequences of our real-world actions, especially those where we misjudged and actually ended up disempowering ourselves. If we use ideals as a guide, we will find valuable answers within spontaneously occurring ideas that are both original and innovative. Focus on the kind of role you want to play in the world, use the power of the creative to craft that role in optimum terms. Make this a mantra: what’s unwise is also unhealthy (Mercury sxt Juno, parallel Saturn, and nov Neptune, Venus trine Uranus, Mars sq Saturn and contra-parallel Ceres, Pallas opp Hygeia).

On the 14th Uranus stations direct, with the likely result a sense of freedom unfolding over the next few weeks as Uranus picks up speed in apparent forward motion–but freedom from what? For the individual this is tied to matters of the House that holds Taurus in the natal chart, and may also show in natal facets ruled by Uranus (bodies or points posited in Aquarius) or in aspect to it natally. Look for a lightening up in attitude and lightning-quick responses, some of which are brilliant–though an overload to the nervous system can definitely cause accidents, if you’re someone sensitive to the electricity Uranus will dump into the ether.

Today we also see examination of many things we’ve recently been avoiding, with the pleasant result that facing the ugly, the hidden, or the embarrassing lays the groundwork for enormous change–so make this purging and re-shaping a positive one (NN nov Black Moon Lilith, Mars semi-sq Neptune, Merc sq BML and parallel Jupiter, Sun conj Pluto).

New Moon 12 January 2021 A Fissure Filled With Light

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Kilauea’s Fissure 8 cone erupting in the early morning of June 28, 2018, in the Lower East Rift Zone. {{PD}}
Courtesy of the United States Geological Survey

Usually we get that ‘wipe out’ feeling/ energy from an eclipse, when the old patterns are disrupted by new ones; this time, we get the same experience from a New Moon as it meets the god of the Underworld. The Lunar event of the 12th falls at 23 Capricorn 13 at 9 PM PST, closely conjoined Pluto–in just over two hours the Moon will perfect contact, while the Sun will take a tad longer, a little more than twenty-four. This suggests the dawning of new emotions or intuitive perceptions that transform our Beingness, or that change what we pay attention to; we are plunged down, to the depths, perhaps in the birth pangs of a new world order arising from the institutions, rules, and constraints of the old order a la Capricorn, and we’re given a clear insight into what this change means for us as individuals.

A New Moon in Capricorn promises two things: new rules, and efforts at ‘building’, whether that’s something intangible, within the psyche, or an actual, literal structure or figurative framework within the social order, but when the Sun-Moon meeting is on the way to conjoin Pluto, we are effectively stunned by the energy–hence the similarity to the eclipse ‘wipe out’. In this particular case, the new feelings, followed by a new sense of ‘I Am’ or ‘I See’, then gets the Plutonian treatment. We can’t be sure if the emotions and changed efforts are undertaken in anticipation of serious, inevitable, even extreme change that is before us, or if they’re the result of such thorough, deep, and irrevocable developments–all we can know is that this New Moon is the first glimpse of an ever-growing light shining at the bottom of the bottomless fissure that opens up beneath us: the New Moon shows us a way out, a new way of structuring or processing, or the resurrection of something, as it delivers an inspiring and instructional glimmer of not only what’s to come, but what we can build from it, that will culminate with the Full Moon two weeks from now.

How much this New Moon will bring change to the individual is dependent on the contacts the event makes to the natal chart. This is precisely why general forecasts aren’t ‘one size fits all’. That said, see below for a brief lesson on reading a configuration filled in by the New Moon event. What all of us will be influenced by: the New Moon semi-square Juno=we see our own relationship to pure Power, and see just where out limits are (but that also means we’ll get some idea of what we’re missing, and so how to go about getting more); New Moon square Zeus=we see where our ambitions, relationships, or desires are making it difficult to start anew, or to make the changes we really want to, or what we learn at the New Moon creates tension or conflict with those ambitions currently on our agenda; and lastly, the New Moon forms an Earth Grand Trine with Vesta and Sedna=I’m counting this despite Vesta being more than six degrees from perfection to Sedna 1) because Sedna is in apparent retrograde right now, so moving back toward Vesta, and 2) because trines are major aspects, and 3) because this configuration is in Earth, same element as the New Moon, and 4) because the presence of Pluto and the Sun together gives a big energy ‘punch’ that I see as carrying farther than I normally would accept. Ties of the placement together make up for the looseness of the orbs, particularly the way the NM and Pluto ‘bridge’ the degrees between Vesta and Sedna. The Grand Trine suggests that what changes/ evolves/ is forced/ transforms/ resurrects at the New Moon is in harmony with our actual highest values, and with our instincts and what we ‘know but don’t consciously know’. We may not see the benefits of the GT energies right away, because they have a good chance of emerging from our own ‘blind spot’, and so carry the feeling that they’re coming from external events, rather than that they’ve been orchestrated by our own intents, even though they have.

‘A Nun’ By Ragnhild Beichmann 1878 {{PD}}

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘A Woman Entering A Convent’. This implies that though what occurs seems excessively restrictive or that it requires an inordinate degree of discipline or supplication, it’s actually based on what we’ve chosen to dedicate our life energies to (Vesta). A look at your Vesta will help tell you the intent behind what manifests, and may give you a greater understanding of the nature of what you genuinely care about in life.

A Little Something on Configurations, as Demonstrated with the New Moon

When judging whether a configuration is formed, we need to keep in mind the various strengths of the aspects. The loose Grand Trine I describe above is allowable at least in part because a trine is a major aspect, and that allows for a greater orb; in the Fist I describe below, we have a square between NM and Zeus, which is a major aspect and so can take a greater orb, but in order to form the Fist, we need both bodies to sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) a third body, and since this is a more minor contact, we need a closer orb, something around no more than two degrees from exact in either direction, which in the following example would be 8 Gemini. In this case, anyone with a natal placement 6-10 Gemini will find their natal energy at the apex of a Fist of God with base of New Moon-Pluto square Zeus. This suggests the New Moon will bring change that arises from conflict over or forces change to the ambitions or desires, particularly as this applies to relationships (Zeus is in Libra). What happens or is revealed by the light of the New Moon shows how the current ambition picture contrasts, and requires modification of, what you’re aiming for, and this is because of what you learn now–and this will affect the natal apex planet, either through expression of its characteristic energies or through something it rules, House or other bodies, in the natal chart. (And just a reminder: please don’t write and ask if the aspect, for instance, applies to your Ascendant at 12 degrees Gemini, or your Sun at 5–I’ve told you the range of things already: anything between 6 and up to but not past 10). Keeping in mind what aspects any configuration contains, and then keeping orbs crisp, will insure you not only get a clear picture, but also that you don’t lead yourself astray or distract with an inaccurate or exaggerated picture, though there are exceptions, as I describe using the example of the Grand Trine aspect, above. Thus endeth the lesson!

Forecast for the 10th is here–

Tomorrow the Weekly will go up. Have a great rest-of-the-weekend!