Category Archives: astrology

Full Moon 17 October 2024 Potent Healing

16 Wednesday Oct 2024

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‘The Love Potion’ By Evelyn de Morgan 1903 {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 4:27 AM PDT of the 17th at 24 Aries 35, with the Moon conjoined Chiron and a loose Cardinal Grand Cross formed with the Sun/ Earth-Moon axis by Mars in Cancer and tense 29 degree Pluto in Capricorn. This suggests action, perhaps extreme action, motivated by emotional hurt, or at least a tenderness around the feeling or intuitive nature that pushes one to choose, to take the ‘next step’, possibly out of fear or a deep desire for change. The energy around the event is precipitous, even dangerous, due to the amount of unconscious material that may push us to act. We can only hope that what we want to change or eliminate (Pluto) is something established, that we’ve already considered changing for a long time (Capricorn), and it will definitely be something we personally care about and see as our responsibility (Mars in Cancer, Aries Moon). Best case scenario is that this Lunar culmination offers potent healing, a chance at permanent change that rebalances personal power across the ‘I Am’/ ‘We Are’ axis (Aries/ Libra).

Remember, all arms of a Grand Cross are activated at once; that means we must recognize that, no matter what form these Cardinal energies take, they are connected, with action in one area affecting all the others. So, that scary Plutonian ultimatum may seem isolated from our beef with our partner (Libra Sun), and both those may seem unconnected to hurt arising from something we ourselves have done (Chiron conj Moon in Aries), but the reality is that each situation feeds off the others–and that means that sources of hurt, change, and actions may all become confused. We may think it’s our partner’s fault something is ending, when our own wounded nature has actually set up the hurtful circumstances so they’re aimed straight at us; or we may in some way feel ‘we have no choice’, and so fail to see that, even in the most dire circumstances, we actually do–it’s just that in our minds, we lack acceptable options, not genuine alternatives.

Consider that what we demand from the landscape, our surroundings, from others, from our lives, only spans a very particular range; perhaps we need to acknowledge that the unacceptable or undesired must become so, in order to open those possible options, and so radically change our viewpoint. Remember, too, that healing doesn’t necessarily mean we will go back to an old state of what we see as ‘whole’; it may instead mean a new state, with the interim period time spent in our very own chrysalis, the Full Moon a new step forward in regeneration, in being remade.

The Jupiter sextile to the Moon-Earth-Chiron is exact by degree to Chiron, suggesting what hurts is exaggerated, overdone, or presents big new opportunity, or may even represent optimistic thinking (Gemini) around the potential for healing or expression of one’s unique, natal Chiron gift. Also of note is Venus sextile Pluto, both at 29 degrees, of Scorpio and Capricorn, respectively. This is not just a potential, it’s a demand from the Universe: Love your Transformation, because this change is here to stay. If you carry a natal planet or point at 21-24 Scorpio that puts that natal entity at the apex of a Finger of God, with your natal point describing some facet of the outcome of learning to love what’s changing in or around us.

The Full Moon Sabian symbol is, ‘The Possibility For Man To Gain Experience At Two Levels Of Being’. That doesn’t call for much explanation, does it? At this Full Moon point we’ll have one foot in our current state, one in the ‘new’ state just reaching readiness–and that’s a unique spot, one that allows us to see our present with a previously unavailable clarity and understanding that we can now carry forward, into our developing circumstances and state of Being.

We also look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon: ‘The Sight Of An Autumn Leaf Brings To A Pilgrim The Sudden Revelation Of The Mystery Of Life And Death’. We are the Pilgrim, obvs, a person in search of something that has a distinctly spiritual flavor–and the time is right now (Autumn), when we are slated to receive some of the most important information we’ll ever get (the ‘Life And Death’ nature of that info). The word ‘revelation’ points us, in my mind, directly toward the energies of Uranus, and when we look we see that body is a busy bee: it works into the Full Moon Lunar picture obliquely, by quincunx to the Sun, semi-sextile to the Moon-Earth (but not Chiron), sextile Neptune and wide sextile to Mars, trine Pluto, and opposing that stressed Venus (I’d mention Pluto’s ongoing stress, but we’ve lived with it so long, it’s starting to fade into background noise–but just imagine the relief when it finally leaves Capricorn for good!) This revelation, then, is not about that potent healing available to us if we are open to current energies (Chiron is ‘missing’), but something ‘other’, namely, Love, the state of Being we discover when we see the whole picture and vibrationally (that is, in attitude) rise above it. It’s a creative energy, one that calls for adjustment of our idea of who we are, even what we are, as well as requiring our acceptance that there are things beyond our control that in the same breath, the same moment, will deliver us to a perfect state of Love. Not bad, getting a glimpse of the eternal, and of the most potent healing force in the Universe–now just open your arms, and take it in.

Bonus: if you have a natal placement between 25 Cancer and 2 Leo, that body fills in a Water Grand Trine with Neptune and Venus, implying you have the chance to experience an ideal Love, in some form, whether that’s finding the love of your life, falling into it with a puppy, utilizing a talent, or discovering a new depth of feeling and understanding with someone who up to now may have been a problematic relationship or matter you’re dedicated to. The nature of and state of the natal body will describe what you can expect, what style this ideal Love may arrive in. Lucky you–savor it.

To all my Readers: have a wonderful weekend!

October 2024: Zombie Issues

08 Tuesday Oct 2024

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1943 {{PD}}

There are a number of current aspects, most waning, that occupy us right now, but my thought is these are largely distractions, influences that feel vital, in need of handling, and yet in a week or a month what was sorted will be no more than a faded blip on our radar. This is chiefly due to the separating Water trine of Venus and Mars. What could draw our attention more completely? Venus is in Scorpio, carrying a much more serious demeanor than she usually does, endowing her energies with a life-or-death aura, and Mars in Cancer is, well, a bit whiny for a Warrior. He wants his sensitivity to be seen (and perhaps celebrated), but everyone knows this is atypical, and he’ll be back to his old aggressive Self (rather than this passive-aggressive Self) in no time. And aspecting each other in Water only serves to make it all feel so compelling, so emotionally important–and yet the urgency here is temporary, even artificial–though by tomorrow Venus becomes apex to a Finger of God with base of Jupiter-Chiron–and boy will we hear some howls of pain, hear of the cost to us of our wounds. Examine them, yes–glory in them, exaggerate them, or try to use them as social currency, no. If we do wear them like a Self-serving sackcloth and ash, the only lasting result will be a reputation as too sensitive (which really translates as ‘aware, and asking for the rest of us to be so, too’) that will gain us an undeserved ostracism from those matters we most want to affect.

Mercury will move along quickly from its opposition to Chiron and trine to exaggerator Jupiter–again, an indicator that our thoughts about our own wounds will lack staying power and so lack genuine, lasting impact–so if you’re plagued by worry at present, especially about the consequences of your own injuries, emotional or physical, or about those dysfunctions so easily observed in the social order, know that the concerns are at the very least overblown, and may in fact not end up being a problem at all.

A Fist of God is formed by a square between Uranus and Neptune with apex of the Black Moon Lilith point (and just a few days ago the apex was filled by the transiting Sun). This may explain more of the underlying feeling that is so pervasive right now. The unexpected seems to be everywhere, things unanticipated or shocking jumping out of the woodwork very suddenly, and we’re unable to discern whether there’s real danger there, or real potential, and that confusion may even be internal, a case of us not even feeling we can reliably trust ourselves (or, worse) trust our perceptions. What resolves this upset is a willingness to admit what we may be in denial of, what we may have tried to bury. ‘Tis the season for issues that just won’t die, zombie matters we just wish would go away–and seeing that these issues won’t may enrage us. A clear-eyed look at those things we’ve been dodging is the talisman we need to ward off so much of our confusion and upset–so do it.

And finally, Jupiter, which has been stationary like an elephant sitting on our chests in matters of the House in the natal chart where this falls, and as well in the compulsive nature of our thoughts and communications of late (Gemini), will officially go retro tomorrow. Very slowly it will appear to move backward, with its first encounter a semi-sextile with Mars in Cancer the 13th-14th. Think of this as a premature trigger, and don’t let it push you into impulsive action fueled by the discomfort that the blind Will can feel when it realizes it must care (Cancer). Better to let the impulse pass. There’s a point, well off, when we are going to need to find a balance between optimism and pessimism, hope and reality, abundance and conservatism: roughly, the period of December 21-New Year’s, when Jupiter and Saturn share a languid square. Not acting impulsively now will put us in a much better place end-of-year. Just a thought.

Have a wonderful week, my friends!

Solar Eclipse 2 October 2024 Harmony In Confrontation

25 Wednesday Sep 2024

Posted by in astrology, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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‘Harmony in Blue’ By James Ensor 1919 {{PD}}

Yes, I’m aware that’s contradictory; how can we find accord in the midst of conflict? It seems impossible, but that’s exactly what we do, with this eclipse, first perfecting at 11:48 AM PDT of the 2nd at 10 Libra 03: we find our new beginnings, after the event wipes the slate clean, through the New Moon and a pair of components of the Sun-Moon conjunction, the Black Moon Lilith point and Mercury, all in Libra, with a less than 1.5 degree spread. This describes a seminal point in relationships (especially intimate or partner-oriented ones), in the Arts, and/ or in matters of diplomacy and fairness (judgment as objective as possible, and the attempt to allocate resources or energies as deserved). The conflict or confrontation may be internal or external (with another), but in either case involves something ignored, denied, or that enrages (BML), while harmony comes from effective, open communication (Mercury, in Air sign Libra) that puts caring and considerate interaction (Libra, a Cardinal, and so action-oriented, sign) ahead of Self-interest or one’s own feelings (the Sun-Moon conjunction=the Self/ Sun meets the emotions or intuition/ Moon). Important to note, if the conflict is an internal one, we will essentially be wrestling with something we’ve set to the side or tried to ignore, and now must face how this affects our relationships or interaction overall; communicating honestly with ourselves becomes the New Moon eclipse necessity.

There’s a loose T-square formed with the opposition of Ceres in Capricorn to Mars in Cancer, with the eclipse, BML, and Mercury as the handle, with the Superior (direct) conjunction of the Sun and Mercury just a day away; this last event will bring some conclusion or revelation planted during the Inferior conjunction, when the Sun met retrograde Mercury back on August 19. Now it’s a realization about us in relationship, what is and should be communicated, that delivers a truce in the tension between what’s natural, real, observable (Ceres in Capricorn) and what we need as an individual to assert, express, attack, or make happen according to our Will, because we care (Mars in Cancer). The eclipse offers a way to resolve the gap between what is and what we want–not a bad influence, at all.

The eclipse and friends also form a loose semi-sextile to ruler Venus in Scorpio; This may provide the oomph to investigate, to look below the surface of things, that might otherwise be missing with so much Libran consoling, cooperating, and smoothing over in the air. Also in the air is an Air Grand Trine with the eclipse/ Merc/ BML and Psyche at 8 Aquarius and Hera at 8 Gemini. This suggests that mental balance may be achieved when we know our roles in relation to others, particularly partners. Both these mythical figures dealt with a great deal of friction in intimate relationships (mate, children, mother-in-law) that forced them to discover who they are, and how best to exert their own power. We could say that both of these women have stories that eventually connect them with their own power in the same way Juno does–and Juno just so happens to be at 18 Libra, pointing us back toward right now finding one’s best expression within interaction, especially with those close to us.

Also of note is the way 29 degree Pluto has effectively stationed and is poised to resume forward motion on October 11, though it will still carry stationary status until about a week later. This may either impart a sense to everything (as Pluto sits in the final degree of reality-focused Capricorn) that it’s a general state of emergency, where nothing seems stable and everything is threatening, or it will make us feel the only way to gain a sense of security and freedom is via elimination or destruction. The sextile to Neptune, which obscures or makes our imaginations run wild, doesn’t help. Be aware this feeling of threat is, in some important ways, an illusion, one that may cause us to react to what’s not there, or to overreact to what is there. Note too that Chiron is sextile Jupiter=exaggerated hurt, and Mars is trine Saturn in Water=we may act on feelings in the real world, or suppress action because of hurt feelings, and either reaction actually stands outside what’s really needed now. Mars-Saturn can offer us stability in the emotional perceptions, if we can acknowledge that feeling isolated or insisting on having our way (both dangers when our Martian energies feel sorry for themselves) arise from tender and over sensitive (that is, too Self-focused) ways of interpreting the world.

The Sabian for the Solar eclipse is, ‘A Professor Peering Over His Glasses At His Students’. So much of what we’re dealing with at this time is rooted in the matter of authority: who holds it over us, how we handle it ourselves, how we exert it over others, and how we measure authority in every interaction we have. We might think of it as this: do we assess others essentially as equals, or are we always weighing to see who holds more power? Do we act differently in the presence of those we see as holding authority over us? Do we respect others because they are people, or do we respect those who hold an advantage, and disdain those who don’t? These can be deeply unconscious attitudes, but worth exploring, as you may believe no one can tell how you’re judging them–but oh, they really can.

The only way to find harmony in relationship, really, the only way to feel safe and so able to be open with and to others, is to know ourselves, what we require, and to feel our own sense of empowerment, a sense that is not dependent on the sanction or support of another, and that does not rest on judging oneself superior or inferior, in some way. This eclipse seems to offer us a chance to correct this, with the event a launching pad for better relationships, simply because we stand within our own power, unafraid of what others might say, do, or feel, which makes us truly free, able to handle whatever comes at us.

Have a safe and happy Solar eclipse!

Lunar Eclipse in Pisces 17 September 2024 Reformation of the Dream

09 Monday Sep 2024

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‘World of Dreams’ By Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema 1876 {{PD}}

Though an eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs during a relatively long period of time (minutes or hours), for astrological purposes we’ll look at the moment when the degrees and minutes for the opposition between the Sun and Moon become exact: 7:34 PM PDT of the 17th, with maximum eclipse effect occurring at 7:44 PM PDT (see more details on timing here). Here in Seattle the event actually begins while the Moon is still below the horizon, so unobservable, with the penumbral period starting at 5:41 PM.

A Lunar eclipse is a Full Moon; what makes it an eclipse is the alignment of Sun, Moon, and Earth, with Earth between the Sun and the Moon, so that what we’re seeing during a Lunar eclipse is the shadow of the Earth blocking the Sun’s light from reflecting off the Moon. If we were observing this from the Moon, we would see the Earth come between our vantage point and the Sun, throwing us into at least partial darkness (depending on how precise the alignment, which determines whether the eclipse is partial or complete). Fun fact: the Moon is moving away from the Earth, at the rate of roughly one inch per year. How do we know? We put mirrors on the Moon, then over time shoot lasers at them and measure how long it takes the light to bounce back to us.

The Lunar eclipse of September 17th occurs at 7:34 PM PDT at 25 Pisces 40, with the Moon just short of conjoining Neptune and sextiling Uranus and (barely) sextiling a 29 degree Pluto in Capricorn (though a big orb for an event sextile, Pluto’s stressed status suggests it will be felt, one way or another). Add to this Jupiter forms a wide T-square with the eclipse axis, while Venus will soon perfect a quincunx to the Moon that is already within orb. Eclipses are events where previous energies are wiped out, replaced with a rearrangement of energies based on the eclipse picture; in this case we see the full potentials of both idealism and delusion as they might play out fully formed (FM in Pisces). This suggests that however we imagined things to be before, whatever we believed would be an ideal outcome, whatever delusions we continued to support, knowing full well they were delusions, these will all be undeniable and we’ll have to acknowledge their implications–and in so doing we see a new set of ideals, new dreams, take shape before us, along with new potentials for being misled, for following what we imagine is there, not what really is there.

This reformation of ideals, dreams, and delusions is potent (conj Neptune); we’re unlikely to have a totally conscious handle on what’s happening, and we’re unlikely to see the full picture, whatever that is. This is where the Lunar intuition, a sense of knowing that springs entirely from the unconscious perceptions and the feelings they incite, should be employed; to rely on the mind is to ask to misunderstand and misinterpret. Proceed knowing that at least some of what presents itself is inherently deceptive, that we may be in a fog, unsure, confused, or, let’s hope, inspired. A good way to handle uncertainty at this time is to exorcise it through creative effort led by feeling–I’ll rephrase that: a good way to handle everything at this time is by allowing what we feel to inform the impulse to create–and then to follow through on that, not aiming for a finished product, but rather to giving what we can’t bring to conscious awareness a representation that can show us something about who we are, or what direction we need to take.

Expect the unexpected, the original, the unusual, and maybe a little chaos (sxt Uranus) and the potential for real change to the landscape that, up to now, surrounded us (sxt Pluto). There will definitely be a sense that either destruction is imminent, or that if we institute change, we will cause destruction. Neither is necessarily valid; if we want to harness Plutonian energies, we need to think of them as transformative, and accept that anything that is destroyed or falls away in the process needed to go, anyway. Balancing our feelings with the facts (Jupiter sq) will go a long way toward offering stability, as will being willing to modify our choices in order to respect those people and things we love (Venus qnx)–a simple but effective yardstick for measuring the appropriateness of our choices.

There are two asteroid contacts of note, with Karma and Pandora conjoined in Cancer and trine the eclipse. These suggest myriad possibilities–in fact, a Pandora’s box of them–released with the eclipse. I think it’s reassuring (or damning, depending on your own past operations) that what occurs is karmic–that is, earned or deserved. That could bring possibilities, good, bad, or otherwise, that up til now only lived in your imagination (Neptune, Pisces)–but those possibilities can be ideal, and hold the potential to make dreams come true. Someone once said that a good way to know if you’re living up to your own ideals of behavior and beingness is to thing about “getting what you deserve”. If that phrase is appealing, you’ve definitely been doing your best; if not, it’s a signal that you’ve either strayed from your own ethics and standards, or mistreated others, or both, and need to get right with your Soul. No matter what, Pandora’s box contained hope, the absolutely, rock-bottom, vital ingredient for going on, and for each of us personally going in a positive direction.

‘Pandora’ By Odilon Redon c1914 {{PD}}

The eclipse Sabian is, ‘Watching The Very Thin Moon Crescent Appearing At Sunset, Different People Realize That The Time Has Come To Go Ahead With Their Different Projects’. A slender crescent Moon is a very new Moon, symbolizing the new starts we typically associate with this Lunar phase; in this case, though, it’s a symbol of the new creative landscape and outlook we’re likely to develop during the eclipse. At sunset suggests, possibly, that the project we see as ready to go forward has already received sufficient scrutiny and effort (the day that’s now done). It’s a point of realization, offering a significant step forward, if we’ll only take it. The Sabian for the light-giving Sun is, ‘A Boy With A Censer Serves The Priest Near The Altar’. The project of the Lunar symbol is, in some important way, a form of service that fits us perfectly. This may be an odd interpretation of the symbol, but here goes: we’ll know whether we’re going in the right direction, taking the right steps, if it ‘smells’ right (the intense odor of the incense burning in the censer). Intuition, then, is key–good thing we’ve got a Lunar eclipse to pump up the intuitive volume.

Starting tomorrow, the 10th, I’ll be unavailable until Sunday the 15th. All comments will be answered and orders will be filled then. Thank you, and have a wonderful week!

The Party’s Over: Mercury Direct, Venus Stressed, and Neptune at the End of His Rope

28 Wednesday Aug 2024

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By Jean-François De le Motte mid-17th century {{PD}}

Mercury stations direct in apparent motion in the wee hours (2:13 AM PDT) of the 28th at 21 Leo 25, just as the fresh Cancer Moon quincunxes retro Pluto at the 00 degree. The closest aspect Merc forms is a trine to Chiron in Aries. These factors, the turnaround at the same time as Lunar contact to Pluto, with the direction’s closest aspect to the body representing the primal wound, suggest an easy sense of hurt arising from uncomfortable matters that make us feel vulnerable and even threatened. On an individual level Chiron in the natal chart is the deepest hurt each of us carries, as well as a very unique gift we each have that is keyed to that sign energy, and when transiting Chiron is prominent we may feel upset related to the sign it’s transiting that is layered over our own life-long wound, in this case either a feeling that others are too aggressive, or that we are angry, maybe acting out our own hurt through proxy situations (Chiron in Aries). Awareness that this tension is something external may make us less likely to adopt that stressful feeling as our own; we won’t feel it and begin looking for a reason in our own lives, if we know it’s part of the atmosphere. This is a danger especially if we have a lot of Water in the natal scenario, if Aquarius holds personal placements, or if our natal Moon is currently under transit, progression, or Solar Arc stress.

Hours after Merc’s direction, Venus hits the 29th degree of Virgo. Again with the stress! This time a situation where strain in relationships, the compromise of values, or uncertain finances draws worry and criticism. As with the free-floating anxiety of the Merc to Chiron and Luna to Pluto contacts, this tension will exist in the atmosphere and those who are sensitive will be prone to channel it right out of the air and into their lives. Be alert to the ease with which we can fall into critical mode, and know that it’s Venus’ inherent discomfort in the Virgo energy that brings out the nit-picking and dissatisfaction. This is over by late on the 29th; we’ll all breathe a sigh of relief when Venus hits her own sign of Libra, and everything and everyone starts looking beautiful again.

Neptune in the 29th degree of Pisces is ongoing; I just wanted to remind everyone that the feeling of crisis around the creative and the spiritual, as if things will never reach completion, is, though prolonged, ultimately temporary. Celebrate this liminal space, because the never-ending feel of the tension and effort can break down conscious barriers and open doors to new ideas and new worlds, showing us things we may under normal influences be too quick to dismiss or undervalue. In one sense, the party’s over; we must accept current circumstances as they are, and work with things from there, as staying poised in hopes that things will change on the fly will make us wait for tomorrow and neglect today, and in the process accomplish nothing. The situation with Venus, short-term, and Neptune for a time longer, tempts us to hold out for perfection–but allowing the moment its own shape is a kind of perfection in itself, one we may not, right now, be in the best place to recognize or judge. So, just let it happen.

New Moon report is right here–

New Moon 2 September 2024 Realm of the Gods

22 Thursday Aug 2024

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‘Following the Example of the Gods’ By Henryk Siemiradzki 1879 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 6:56 PM of the 2nd at 11 Virgo 04. Long-time readers know I like to keep aspects tight, in order to get a crisp, unmuddied picture of the event and what it means; in this case, the New Moon makes only a single, wide aspect to other major transiting bodies: a loose opposition to Saturn in Pisces. This is epic, in its own way. A New Moon in Virgo means new beginnings in matters of accountability and the results of our efforts, a ‘clean sweep’ of old methods and previous allotment of assets. Our intentions turn toward getting a clear accounting of responsibilities, what we have, distribution of ‘the harvest’, and accurate critique that focuses on details, especially around the practical and material (Earth sign). Saturn in Pisces has been a trip on its own: fantasies brought to life, delusions shut down, materialization of ideals, and uncertainty about the future, rooted in the inability to see the present clearly. Now, these energies face new and revelatory emotional perceptions, with feeling applying a critical eye to What Is.

These sets of energy, Sun-New Moon and Saturn, oppose each other, and what we might see is a denial of reality, even as one inspects things intently, sifting through circumstances with a fine-toothed comb; we could also see an end (for now) to attempts at meeting the real world with creativity (or, for some, unrealistically), supplanted by a commitment to sort responsibility and reward and distribute these among appropriate parties. One way or another, the emotions that come forward interfere with making dreams real; if you find yourself being hyper-critical (especially if this isn’t your usual MO), you can be sure that the feeling nature is trying to speak, to get your attention, to re-balance what you see as possible, and what you imagine as ideal.

With such a generalized picture, I naturally wanted to see what asteroids where involved with this event, how contacts from the realm of the gods might shape the reassessment of reality. The New Moon is conjoined Apollo, suggesting the power of solar energies like identity and Self-expression, and perhaps a hyper-focus on the Self and the personal feelings (and especially of being critical of them–Virgo)–which can, Saturn-like, limit ones ability to take in information and/ or be relatively objective. Apollo is a figure who’s fairly insistent on having his own way, so keep that potential for too narrow processing/ too constricted attention in mind.

Sisyphus and Narcissus are conjoined in Scorpio, with both sextile the New Moon. Here again we see insistent focus on the Self, to the point of being mesmerized by one’s own Beingness (Narcissus) and/ or persisting in tasks better re-evaluated or abandoned (Sisyphus). This is complimented by a sextile from Dionysus in Cancer, a god known for granting a sense of freedom through pleasure and indulgence. Maybe we end up needing a break from scrutiny of ourselves; Dionysian escapes include religious ecstasy, insanity, attendance at festivals, sex and other expressions linked to fertility (including tending one’s garden), and drinking a lot of wine–so choose carefully. Are these a good idea? Could be, if such license helps us accept the reality we’re seeing. The danger would lie in letting the escape disconnect us from what we need to see, evaluate, and feel.

Then there’s Persephone square to the New Moon (and so forming a T-square with Sun-Moon at one end of the opposition and the Earth widely conjoined Saturn at the other) and Aphrodite quincunx the New Moon. The T-square suggests we have a choice: will we remain above-ground, so to speak, dealing with the surface world (and possibly experiencing the interference of someone nurturing and controlling, as Persephone did with her mother, Demeter, also known as Ceres), enmeshed with material productivity and ‘the harvest’, or will we choose to delve into the Underworld, committing to the experience of learning about ourselves? In either case we are, if not subservient to, then certainly ‘partnered’ with others of great power, which can be both an impediment to what we need and a distraction.

Pluto, planet of power, is retro at 29 Capricorn, implying that our involvement with and awareness of the power of others is at a crisis point (and may be what drives us to concentrate on ourselves, on what we actually can control), though our ability to understand those exerting their power is obscured, and so not necessarily accurate (Neptune at 29 Pisces, sextiling Pluto and so facilitating a perceptual or creative crisis). The contact to Aphrodite, the Greek counterpart to Venus, implies we must continually re-adjust (the quincunx) the relationship and/ or asset picture at this time–and considering how difficult parsing out our attention could be, we just might want to pour that drink or pick up a trowel, and try to maintain enough perceptual distance that our judgement isn’t completely out of whack.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘After The Wedding, The Groom Snatches The Veil Away From His Bride’. First of all, rude. But, this may give us a glimpse into the kind of aggressive energy we’ll have to deal with; even as we want to assess ourselves and our situation, we get some entitled goon grabbing at us, in an attempt to ‘reveal’ us. Whatever point they think they’re making, the only result is they fail to look at themselves, and succeed in distracting us from whatever new tack the New Moon shows us we need to take. A fresh way to measure ourselves and our accomplishments is the New Moon in Virgo goal; how we get there will be a lesson in focus and Self-control, and how much of that is too much.

Choose Your Adventure

19 Monday Aug 2024

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Trees photographed with handheld ICM (intentional camera movement) on Myrstigen hiking trail in winter in Brastad, Lysekil Municipality, Sweden. One photo made with hand-held camera, in a slow movement with a short pause at the beginning for that “double exposure” effect. By W.carter – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=127635920

Or is it that adventures, or at least the messages that urge you in an adventurous or discovery-filled direction, choose you? Here are a small number of Word Images that I’m thinking may come up, stand out, or describe a situation in your life, probably through the period between now and the next Full Moon September 17th, which also happens to be a Lunar eclipse.

Carelessness causes a splash of boiling water on one’s ankle. It’s important to note that the ankle belongs to the person wielding the boiling water. Symbolism linked to the ankle includes the personal ability to receive pleasure, a measure of flexibility in the course of life events, the degree of emotional and/ or spiritual stability, and the ability to move forward in life. Boiling water is an element in an extreme state; it’s never meant to come in contact with the physical body. This image suggests to me an extreme state current in one of the ‘ankle areas’ listed above, a situation where we’ve somehow swung way past reasonable and may be in fanatical territory, almost certainly out of an intense positive desire to deal with life events successfully and/ or to have a positive impact on our world. Moderation is key. If the right side of the body is involved, concentrate on material situations, while if the left is involved, look to the spiritual or the unseen.

A group gathers for a drink, congratulating themselves on something they haven’t done yet. It’s more than the cart before the horse, here: it’s an unwillingness to acknowledge reality. When we are living so far in the future that we believe we’ve accomplished what we’ve yet to really start, we’re in deep trouble, and unlikely to know it. Are you seeing this around you, or are you part of such a group? Your vantage point will tell you whether you actually need to ‘wake up’ yourself, or whether you are an observer who may want to reflect reality back to those who’ve lost their real-world anchor.

A long delayed artistic project is on the verge of completion, and you suddenly find yourself questioning its worth or beauty. If you are a normal human Being, then you have some Self-doubts–that’s to be expected. Is that small voice inside criticizing your choices, questioning your talent, or simply insisting your creation (or you) aren’t ‘good enough’ to be presented to the world? I could say, Ignore that voice, but that’s not an easy or realistic thing to do, so I would instead advise shifting your perspective: realize that after a certain point, artistic creations take on a life of their own, beyond what their creator intended, and probably beyond what that creator is able to fully control. That means that the creation takes on a kind of right to exist that it didn’t have in the early stages, and that ‘right’ allows the creator to step back a bit emotionally and recognize that completion is required for the object or project itself, as a way to honor its evolution from idea to manifestation. With that step back the whole thing stops being so personal, and so allows us to stop trying to impose our internalized criticisms, judgments, and fears onto it. It goes from ‘it will be’ (when we have complete control and responsibility for achieving) to ‘it is’, when we are no longer birthing it, but now for the most part simply observing and appreciating it, as a creation very much separate from ourselves.

A ‘Your Speed Is’ sign goes up on a street where the speed bumps make it very hard to go too fast. What gives, when someone is implying a condition or behavior that really doesn’t exist? It sounds to me like an excuse to exert control over others for their imagined slights or misbehaviors. Is there someone in your life who is insisting that rules or restrictions must be in place, despite the lack of need for them? This is the kind of effort that occurs when someone is trying to gain a preemptive sense of authority in areas where they really should hold none at all. Look to the natal House where Saturn is currently transiting (Pisces) for clues as to who might be trying to exert more control than is appropriate (and is likely trying to obscure, distract, or outright hide those efforts, using the Piscean energy). In the 1st you might be too hard on yourself or your body, in the 2nd those with a say in financial matters or talent management may be involved, in the 3rd siblings or neighbors, in the 4th your family, in the 5th your creative efforts or your children or gambles taken, in the 6th health or work colleagues, 7th with the spouse or the public at large, 8th shared assets or inherited matters and those who handle them, the 9th in laws, teachers, or religious leaders, 10th the career scene or social order, 11th with friends or groups to which you belong, in 12th large institutions or the Collective or even the Universe itself.

You want to exchange all the furniture between two rooms, fundamentally changing the use of each, and it’s a big job. This is about using your space (whether that’s your actual surroundings, the atmosphere around you, or your mental, emotional, or creative space, external or internal) however you want, and not because someone long ago decided a particular ‘room’ had to be a dining room or a living room or a bedroom, even when that doesn’t fit your needs. To follow one’s own course may seem overwhelming, especially if those around you aren’t into how you’d like to alter things, but this large effort is doable, with patience and persistence. Just follow that old saw about eating an elephant: you do it one bite at a time.

Painting By Amrita Sher-Gil ‘Two Elephants’ 1940 {{PD}}

Full Moon 19 August 2024 The Tree of Life

16 Friday Aug 2024

Posted by in astrology, Full Moon, Sabian Symbols

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‘Cypress Trees, Carmel’ By Mary DeNeale Morgan {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects at 11:26 AM PDT at 27 Aquarius 15, with the Sun/ Moon-Earth axis balanced on the fulcrum of the very close square to Uranus in Taurus. Meaning comes almost exclusively from the Moon’s location in Aquarius, its relationship to Uranus, and its status as the Lunar orb at maximum; it cannot get any bigger, any more ‘complete’, and neither can the matter of freedom, anarchy, academics, independence, innovation, invention, originality, leadership, or group participation that sits before us. Involved is some life area, signified by the House of the natal chart where the Full Moon occurs, where we’re ahead of the pack, where we’re trying to modernize, where we’re trying to apply Higher Mind concepts, where spirit guides us not as a nebulous ideal but as a ‘new’ principle, one that we embrace with our mind and aim for.

This is a remarkably conscious energy for the Moon to carry, and as such may make us feel uncomfortable, as if we’re missing some emotional realization we’re sensing we should be having. In actuality, this Full Moon acts as the point of emotional enlightenment related to the new beginning in thought seeded at the Inferior Conjunction just the day before, on the 18th. That means revelation is achieved as we consider matters and consciously make choices–but of course this happens with the awareness that Mercury is still retrograde, so that our feeling nature needs to be used for decision-making at least as much as our mind–and so we welcome the Moon in Aquarius, that aids the thought processes, enhancing them with significant emotional realizations and bolstering or discouraging our thinking with active intuition.

Are we as open to the feeling messages, and to the Aquarian form revelation takes, as we need to be? It all depends on our relationship to Uranian energies. The good thing is that Uranus is currently moving through Taurus, grounding the lightning-quick insights and shocking reveals by giving them material components, expression through circumstances in our surroundings and in our comfort, security, asset situation, sustenance, and survival. If we’re unsure of the ‘message’, all we have to do is inspect the landscape and the way the present atmosphere makes us feel, and all will be clear. The square to Moon ruler Uranus suggests these messages via the material must be filtered through and interpreted by the personal conscious mind (Sun in Leo, Moon in Aquarius) and balanced with our ‘read’ of our surroundings and the feelings these stir and the insights these deliver (Moon and Earth in Aquarius).

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘A Tree Felled And Sawed To Ensure A Supply Of Wood For The Winter’. This implies what happens prepares for the future–even if it doesn’t seem to. Framing what occurs with future repercussions in mind would be smart, and may change our idea of what we’re seeing. The Sabian for the Sun, source of the Full Moon’s light, is, ‘Many Little Birds On A Limb Of A Big Tree’. Interesting that both images involve trees; they push up out of the ground like living extensions of the Earth itself. What lights on us, in our minds and hearts, at this time may seem minor, but these will be ‘living’ matters, things we must respect and allow the freedom to develop, even to ‘carry the message’. ‘A little birdy told me so’ may not be so far from the way revelation arrives with this Moon, but in no case should something small be dismissed as something irrelevant.

Have a wonderful, safe, and happy Full Moon, my friends!

Current Snapshot: 13-16 August 2024 Mad Mad World

13 Tuesday Aug 2024

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Mars-Jupiter Conjunction

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Earthrise Over Compton Crater NASA {{PD}}

The Mars-Jupiter conjunction in Gemini is the headliner–but it may not bring the impact we anticipate, since it could consist of Big Talk about action, rather than actions themselves. Is that a bad thing? No–it may be a useful exercise in floating options and measuring reaction to them in ourselves and others. Action is less likely than talk simply because ruler of Gemini, Mercury, is currently retrograde at 0 Virgo, suggesting that the inner consciousness is busy trying to organize, trying to account for our own methodology and internal logic. Pluto in Aquarius is quincunx that Mercury, stirring up the depths; it’s why we keep obsessively going back to mull over certain thoughts, certain situations, and it may be the engine that keeps us trying new solutions that we think will solve old problems; our success rate will directly reflect how accurately we perceive the issue in the first place (Uranus sextile Neptune, the latter at 29 tortured degrees, reaching the limits of both imagination and illusion/ delusion).

There’s a willingness to trot things (especially things we see as facts) out in public, making it easier than usual to see and consider the potential impact of what people think if they try to make these things a reality; too, this period can act as a compass, pointing each individual toward what matters to them, and making that clear to those around them. Our communications are useful sources of information, beyond the words: what we focus on, what we accept as real, factual, logical, will shape how we see the world, and so respond to it.

The Mars-Jupiter duo is square Saturn in Pisces, which offers two possible effects, one suppressing Mars-Jupiter (so probably keeping matters in the talk-speculation arena), or making an almost magical effect that manifests almost as soon as something is expressed, a ‘speak (or think it) and it becomes so’ formula. Saturn in Pisces can put a glamorous sheen on reality, and suggests creative responses to the ideas put forth by Mars-Jupiter. Making the ideal real, though, carries a possibility that we get what we want, but that it has effects we either didn’t consider or didn’t believe might come to pass. Ask for what you want, but think it through, as you just might get it.

By the 14th the most notable change is that the Leo Sun is close to perfecting trine to Chiron in Aries. It’s like both our pain and our most unique skills are put under a spotlight. If you can do something about what causes you pain, then do it, but don’t waste what could be a glorious expression of your abilities by staring too much at your wounds.

The 15th sees that retro Mercury move back into 29 degrees of Leo–and the caterwauling of the individual who believes they haven’t received due attention may be deafening. For the rest of us, this may bring a moment or three of displacement, of feeling like we’re not who we think we are. It’s all part of the Mercury retro cycle’s gift of returning our attention to what we should be reconsidering, namely, ourselves, this time around.

By the 16th Mars is starting to pull away from Jupiter, giving us more realistic perspective on our own actions and choices, and Mercury retro moves out of the 29th degree, de-stressing Self-reflection, taking it from our stressful imaginings (quincunx Neptune) to the realm of genuine surprises, not all of which will be positive (square Uranus in Taurus) but at least some of which will answer our questions about the availability of resources, our own comfort with current circumstances, and what we can do to feel more secure in this mad mad world.

Mercury Retrograde 5 August 2024 Living With Uncertainty

05 Monday Aug 2024

Posted by in astrology, Mercury retrograde, Sun/Mercury Inferior Conjunction

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Bangasayusang, semi-seated contemplative Maitreya probably from Silla, circa early 7th century. Height: 93.5 cm. National Museum of Korea Korea Open Government License Type I: Attribution.

Mercury began its apparent backtracking motion earlier today at 4 Virgo 05–so what should we expect? This retrograde starts in an Earth sign, one that’s ruled by Mercury itself, one that is focused on thought processes, language, comprehension, mental perceptions, the harvest/ results of efforts, and keeping careful track of these (Virgo). Add to this those things Mercury stands for: quickness, facility with thought and language, on-a-dime changeability, communication, contracts and agreements, and then focus difficulties with or withdrawal of forward progress in these matters through the lens of the natal House where the retrograde occurs. We must also look to Houses ruled by Mercury (Virgo and Gemini) and any aspects transiting retrograde Mercury makes to natal placements. That’s the formula for understanding the personal picture–but there are some general things that apply to the cycle no matter what House it occurs in with the natal chart, or what things it aspects for you personally.

Mercury starts retro motion poised to meet Venus, which has just entered Virgo; they’re already close enough to be considered in contact, and that paints a particular picture, one where we may try very hard to apply the mental faculties to relationship and/ or asset-related matters but find that either the mind is a distracting chatterbox that won’t let us focus, or that we can’t seem to form a clear thought at all. Mercury in Virgo asks us to make an accounting, to keep track, to know where we stand, to know who is entitled to what, and is dedicated to keeping both the facts and the results of our labor distributed accurately–but along comes the retro and we lose our mental grip–and though it’s uncomfortable, it’s supposed to happen. We are meant during a Mercury retro to stop relying so heavily on cognitive functions and open ourselves temporarily to the senses and the feeling nature to gain information.

The Moon will move over Merc just hours after retro, injecting a spark of intuitive insight or information delivered through the emotions, just the kind of thing a retro is meant to bring about. Note how this feels, and use that feeling throughout the retro time; taking a feeling-centered approach will provide your best and most accurate sources of both info and understanding, until Merc goes direct, on the 28th.

The next contact will be a quincunx to Pluto, itself retrograde at the moment. That likely delivers an urge to dig, overturn, reform, resurrect, or stirs our impulse to transform, and this is probably something we’ve either been contemplating through Higher Mind or involves radical alteration or ahead-of-the-pack innovation or creation (Aquarius). These aspects kick off our Mercury in Virgo retro experience, which overall will ask us to review material matters by asking ourselves: what do I have, and what do I think I should have? With both Venus and Pluto involved in the retrograde point, we shouldn’t be surprised that this question will be asked in relation not just to assets and their distribution (Venus, Virgo) but to relationships (Venus) and to big energies of permanent change (Pluto). We could, by the end of the cycle, discover we’ve made up our minds about what (or who) must go, about what must be eliminated, for our own good.

We should note that Mercury will pass back into Leo, where it will quincunx Neptune and then meet the Sun in Inferior Conjunction (the 18th), while at the same time as this latter aspect square Uranus. Moving back into Leo brings the focus back to ourselves as individuals, and asks: who do we think we are? and what do we think we’re good at? The contact to a 29 degree planet of creativity and delusion (Neptune)may be especially stressful, ramping up the feeling both that ‘something’s wrong’ and that we are out of control or unable to receive any info accurately. Again, this is a perception, not necessarily a reality. The Inferior Conjunction marks a point in time where new things are born–in this case, likely new ideas about who we are (Leo)–and the square to Uranus adds the element of surprise, the influence of chaos, or a shock, possibly related to our role within the larger group.

In just over three weeks (the 28th) Mercury will resume forward motion–but that’s the thing: it doesn’t really move backwards at all, it just looks that way from our vantage point on Earth. When the retro occurs we think (Mercury) things are suddenly different, that Mercury-related things don’t work right, are uncooperative, or can’t be fathomed by our mysteriously addled thought processes–and certainly, the feedback we get during the retro reinforces this; the mistake would be to think these things are happening outside ourselves. They are perceptual, and that means they are distortions of the norm, specifically meant to make us pause and re-think, to access and use the feeling nature and the intuition (which in too many of us are neglected, or spurned in favor of more tangible info, even, and particularly, when those feelings contradict what seem to be the facts before us), and access to the intuitive and feeling is spurred by the fact that how we typically process and judge information just isn’t working. That’s the gift of Mercury retro: it slows us down and realigns the ways we take in information. Relying too much on any one thing to process life events, our choices, our needs (the mind, the intuition, the feelings, what others tell us) will hobble the perceptual abilities overall. The Mercury retro helps us break out of those constrictions we assign ourselves. Relax, embrace as many ways of gaining input as possible, and accept that it’s likely we’ll have to wait until after direction to draw very many conclusions or make definitive statements. And that’s the way it’s meant to be.