This Libra will be stepping away from the computer, just for the weekend, so comments and book orders will be processed next week. Enjoy the Libra Moon (great for socializing, pairing up, partnering, aesthetic pursuits, decorating, and under the right circumstances, earning) and don’t be shaken by the way the Sun is trining Eris and quincunxing Pallas, inviting discord to rise to the pretty Libra surface and prompting less-than-wise responses to upset. Being aware means you don’t have to take the bait! Scroll down for reports on more of what’s going on right now, and return soon for a report on the spanky fresh New Moon in Capricorn, as well as the New Year’s outlook. Until then, have a lovely weekend!
Jupiter’s lingering at that liminal point, the 29th degree of Pisces, poised to hit the Aries point–and poised, and poised–and we may at this point be feeling like the move into Aries is taking forever–but why are we so anxious for it?
We’re likely seeing it as holding us back, probably in some way we can’t quite define, hobbling our perceptions with that last bit of Neptunian fog that curls right around our eyes and brain and makes everything indistinct. Somehow we believe that everything will be crystal sharp just as soon as the planet moves into Aries, and things will definitely change–but become crisper, allowing us to be more sure of ourselves? Yes, maybe too sure, as ingress to Aries means egos get behind beliefs and push; there’s also the potential for exaggerations of one’s Will, one’s role as leader, or one’s wants–and we’re just as likely to observe these as experience them. Over-blowing our own importance can be avoided with awareness, but the over-blowing of our beliefs really can’t. The danger is we will feel they’re vital, probably not just to our survival but to the survival of the world, carrying a sense that if we all don’t start doing what we believe needs to be done, it may make aggression unavoidable. The argument that going to war, at any scale, is a necessity is the most common way historically that we’ve pushed to have our own way (or one group has pushed to have their way over another). Is aggression ever justified? That’s something we each must answer for ourselves; Jupiter’s journey through Aries will offer us plenty of opportunities to decide where we stand.
But that’s just it: opportunity for the individual to make a mark, to get ‘it’ done, to blossom in terms of affecting who we are and what we produce, will be front and center during this transit–and so offer chances to ‘construct’ the I Am as we’ve always wanted it to be, with retro periods offering re-consideration of our choices and ‘do overs’ for correction, probably focused on assertiveness levels and where we should lead, where we should follow. It may become central to our identity to formulate a philosophy, to adopt a system of belief, to take on religious practice, or to conquer–it all depends on what you choose, which of course speaks to who you are.
By the 20th Jupiter will move into Aries and immediately be closely opposed Ceres and forming a T-square with the addition of Hygeia. Our first consideration may be about health concerns, about diet, about Nature and our relationship to it. It will be the time to focus on our own role within Nature, and any stewardship of it we take on. That launches the identity considerations, and offers a blessedly clear moment when defining who we are in relation to the world we live in becomes our most important task.
Today (the14th) the Sun-Earth T-square with Neptune perfects. It may be difficult to focus, to see clearly, to discern shapes in that fog–but the Sun is shining brightly (at least figuratively!) and if we use what ignites us and what surrounds us (Earth) to orient ourselves, we can make creative progress, especially in terms of seeing what won’t work (the square)–and so then perhaps figuring out what will.
Personal observation shows a predominance of those who are predisposed to lie, to deceive, or to obscure reality are actively at work right now. You know who those people are, and if you’re willing to see what they’re doing, you’ll be able to avoid any pitfalls, including being drawn into their attempts to muddy the Jupiterian waters (that centers on what we will or won’t believe from them, what we will or won’t take as ‘fact’)–but that requires being honest with yourself, in order to not fall victim.
I usually enjoy including a pretty pic with a post, but can’t seem to get one to ‘stick’–sorry about that!
And in the run-up to tonight’s Full Moon, we should note a couple of minor trends, some of which have been around for awhile, such as the Pluto opposition to Pallas-Black Moon Lilith across Capricorn/ Cancer. That has given us an ongoing struggle between revealing the Truth and all hidden matters, and destroying the evidence for good–and both sides believe their choice is the wise one (and the one that will pay off, with Venus quincunx Pallas-BML). With Pluto trine and Pallas-BML sextile Ceres, there’s an element of displaying personal power in the mix, or possibly a sense of feeling responsible for revealing or hiding the Truth.
Hygeia trine Eris in Fire signs might move us to act on health matters–or may prompt us to nag others to do so–it certainly has me, as last night I pushed my husband to take a Covid home test to prove his cold was just a cold–and it was–or in a few rare cases it may be that those attacking, upsetting energies themselves prompts stress that affects health. Zeus in Libra is also opposed Eris, suggesting there might be a concern for the partner or some other ambition or desire behind willingness to rock the boat in the name of Health.
Jupiter at 29 Pisces is sextile Sedna at 29 Taurus turning our internal radar up to 11 but also prompting it to be a tad paranoid, to exaggerate what’s perceived (or worse, to only believe what aligns with our beliefs!), or to generally declare things unreliable, despite any supporting physical evidence that exists. *Sigh* Just relax–we not only don’t have to make declarations of the rightness of anything (even though that may feel like what we need to do), we don’t even have to form cogent ideas or judgements about things. This energy can prompt us to believe it’s ALL an emergency, or that we must ‘know what we know’ definitively and broadcast it to the world; neither is required, or even a good idea, at this time.
‘Conversation in the Jardin du Luxembourg’ By Vittorio Matteo Corcos 1892 {{PD}}
The Full Moon perfects at 8:08:08! PM PST at 16 Gemini 01, just 6 minutes from contact with retrograde Mars. Both Earth and Lunar energies are imbued with a Martian thrust that takes on a Geminian form; feelings may form ‘hot’ and just as quickly come out our mouths, go into print, or drive abrupt action, and we may find ourselves involved in a kind of challenge, one that tempts us to make our thoughts realities almost as soon as we have them. Mars’ retro status only encourages the ‘act now, think later’ atmosphere, and could mean we’re propelled forward before we even know we’ve had a thought (and this is especially a potential if this Full Moon is falling in your natal 12th House).
Is this a good thing, this spontaneity? Some people might equate it with following instincts–but then again, acting instinctively can be a life-saver in a crisis, but unnecessarily defensive or destructive in less dire circumstances, as our animal instincts tend to interpret everything as a wee-bit threatening. Currently Mercury, ruler of the Full Moon, is early in Capricorn, sesquiquadrate Uranus–uh-oh. Both are in Earth, their relationship suggesting a precipitous urgency to ‘make it real’, mostly out of a sense that things either must be controlled or shaped along practical lines–so for all the right reasons we may act–but we must remain aware that our thoughts and ideas may have more than a little Self-interest, ego, or aggression behind them, and may arise as much from fear (the sesquiquadrate) as anything else. This doesn’t inherently make those feelings or that sense of urgency wrong or bad, but does imply that if we’re not crystalline clear and as honest as possible with ourselves, we could create unintended consequences because so many subtle influences may be at work below the conscious level.
Aspects formed by the Full Moon include a semi-sextile to Uranus, a square to Juno, and a very wide trine to Saturn. Each echoes a part of the theme: spontaneity or loss of control, for good or ill (Uranus), a test of Self-control and our sense of empowerment (and this could involve discovery of ways in which we are or aren’t empowered, perhaps contrasting with what we previously thought), and it’s all firmly rooted in the present reality picture and current structure of things, specifically that which has been built on the past (Saturn). We can’t forget that much of Juno’s activity can arise from frustration, especially frustration over her own thwarted authority or from a feeling of disrespect, and a square is just that; there’s the possibility that vengeance (a Juno specialty) may come forward in a maelstrom of emotions–so again, the need for control and clarity, which we may find by staying grounded and aware of what is (Saturn).
Avoiding trouble requires we’re clear about what we want, and why we want it or want to do it. A Full Moon in Gemini urges us to come to conclusions, to ‘say it’, and in the moment those thoughts are likely to read as eminently logical and reasonable–but in the presence of Mars, and through the feeling filter of the Moon, this becomes tricky. Being clear about what we’re thinking means we’ll need to be clear on what we’re feeling, as well, and both must fit not just within the reality picture, but into what we hope to build in the future (Uranus), in order to be productive, positive, and what we actually intend.
The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘The Head Of A Robust Youth Changes Into That Of A Mature Thinker’. This emphasizes the message of the planets (that we’ll need to respond maturely), and maybe points to a place of vulnerability, offering us a clue as to where we might be most liable to jump to conclusions: those areas in which our thinking, communications, messaging, or emotional development might still have significant room for growth. This is probably related to one or more of the subjects of the House of the natal chart where the Full Moon falls for you, and this is without a doubt something, some area or weakness, of which you’re already quite aware. The image also suggests the Full Moon events offer opportunity for emotional growth, for moving forward in an area we may have long felt inadequate to address, or where we’ve felt behind our peers, developmentally. This can be a person or life area to which, beyond all logic and our normal behaviors, we respond in emotional, uncontrolled, off-the-charts ways; it can be a trigger, something that sets us off, and is probably something we’d dearly like to tame.
For a Full Moon we also look at the Sun, as generator of the Lunar light we’re trying to interpret. It’s ‘An Easter Sunrise Service Draws A Large Crowd’. So, a chance for renewal, even redemption–and in any case, our response will be something witnessed by many. Remember, Jupiter will still be poised in that last, tense degree of Pisces, stressing our hopes, our sense of optimism, what we can be sure we know, our beliefs, and our social roles/ position in the social arena–and some or all of these stresses can exercise their own kind of influence on our thinking, and so on our interpretations of the emotional landscape.
So, we should ‘say it’, or formulate the thought and do it, but in the saying and doing be sure our expression is creating the reality picture, and the future, we truly want.
Shiny surfaces, figurative and even literal, will help you see what you can’t observe directly. ‘Reflection in the Mirror’ By Grigory Soroka c1850 {{PD}}
So Neptune has stationed at 22 Pisces and will officially begin apparent forward motion at 4:16 PM of the 4th–and it does so with the Moon just leaving semi-sextile and Venus square. It looks like a moment of peak emotional confusion: What or who do I love? What’s happening with my money? Am I victim of a delusion? Are the relationships or financial circumstances I thought reliable just an illusion? Is my idea or creation worth anything? Am I loved? Am I even visible? They’re the kind of nagging doubts that, even as we ask ourselves the question, we know we won’t have access to a useful answer. Such is the mystery Neptune swathes things, circumstances, and feelings with. Reassure yourself that coming head-first at such questions right now only invites frustrations; instead, let’s examine what else is going on at that point. We’ll use other conditions to read obliquely what we can’t see directly, like holding a shiny surface out to see around a corner: our view may be a little distorted, incomplete, or blurry, but we’ll get the gist–and that’s what’s important.
Jupiter’s poised to enter the 29th degree of Pisces, and Sedna’s already there. These define the most blatant stressors we’ll be under: the social order may pressure, the facts may unsettle our viewpoint or define our options, and it’s impossible to vet these against instincts, as what we need either lies in our ‘blind spot’ (those matters where we are unable to see one or more fundamental truths), or, when we turn to that inner knowing, we receive dead air instead of enlightenment. This can be especially true if we’re concerned with ways in which we’ve tried to expand our creative output or to put our beliefs into action–and considering the state of Neptune, what we know is that we won’t know! Not yet.
We also see the Black Moon Lilith point conjoined Pallas in Cancer, opposed Pluto in Capricorn, with Eris and Zeus filling in a Cardinal Grand Cross. No wonder we feel we must do something! It feels important, dangerous (both in the doing and the not doing), presenting a landscape littered with hazards (egos, angry others, ambitious or avaricious forces, ‘the Establishment’, not to mention the tension in confronting the sheer power, human and natural, that exists all around us). But there’s a saving grace in Pallas, if we are willing to allow those things we’ve denied, avoided, ignored, or been enraged over to inform our choices. It’s in acknowledging and facing those very things we’d like to forget that we find the wisdom to triumph, the sharp and just sword with which to fight.
The Sun will be trine Chiron at this point, making us far too aware of our own wounds and vulnerability–but remember, those items appear bigger than they actually are right now, and if we shift our vision, just a bit, we can change the focus to our most unique talents. These may have been undervalued of late or put to the side as irrelevant or impractical. Now’s the time to dust them off and apply them, for best results (check your natal Chiron placement for clues as to the nature and uses of your personal Chirotic treasure).
We’ll also have Mercury square Ceres, trine Eris, and quincunx Pallas-BML. Again, there might be a lot of pronouncements, orders given, and attempts to prove personal worth and right through exercising personal power. Silence, or at least a refusal to tangle with those who seem to want a fight, might be our best course. Beware the overly assertive, who claim a ‘natural’ right to tell you what to do–and take care not to act out that role yourself.
The apparent retrograde of any celestial body often reverses our sense of the flow of that body’s energy, or at least changes it, alters the presence of those related forces as we’ve come to know them. It’s the sometimes abrupt nature of those changes that disorients and disturbs—and when that body is Mars, one of the most personal energies we have, the ‘I Am’ that gives us the impetus to pursue what we need and want in life, those changes may feel threatening, messing with our heads and causing fractures to how we see the identity and Will.
The current Mars retrograde is in Gemini, prompting examination of how our thoughts have led (or have failed to lead to) choices and actions, and likely prompting re-consideration of the effectiveness of both our thinking and our efforts. That’s all good; it’s what a retro period is for. The problem comes when we externalize those energies we need to be dealing with internally. Projection can have its benefits: it allows us to gain some distance, look with a more objective eye, and so see what we need to do in a more realistic (and therefore more effective) light.
But our first impulse, almost always, is to see projected energies as belonging to the Other we’re observing them in/ with. They definitely play a role for the other party–nobody dances alone—but we must remember that Other is a mirror: what we’re seeing is a version of something we ourselves need to address.
We may be tempted to balk at that idea; we may be tempted to tell ourselves, “I’m not pushy, angry, aggressive/ passive aggressive, Willful, insistent, doing it for myself” and so on. And that may be true: the essence of the energy is where we have to look, being careful not to be distracted by the form or the subject matter. This is the retro effect, the reversal of flow, so that we may see our own flaws or misjudgments and the effect these have on others in enacting our own roles.
Remember, too, this isn’t all negative—it’s just that those less-than-positive experiences seem to jump out at us, to rankle in a way that’s upsetting—and that upset is our clue that what’s happening is that same energy in us, looking to rise to the surface, to be seen, acknowledged, addressed, and probably offering us the opportunity to employ it consciously in a much more useful form. Positive expressions are also meant to draw our attention, specifically to keep us acting and choosing in ways that harmonize with our Being. We can be shown how and where we’re doing it right—and that can be invaluable, when choosing how to allocate our ‘I Am’, ‘I want’, and ‘I Will’ in the future.
Mars is on its way to the halfway point in the retro cycle, occurring the 8-9 of December when Mars will oppose the Sagittarius Sun. This should bring illumination of our Martian-themed efforts, a bright light shone on all that we do and specifically on how our thinking guides our choices. This coincides with the Full Moon of the 7th-8th (depending on your location) which falls in Gemini conjoined Mars and Earth. Think of it as a delivery point for a number of messages, including how you feel about your environment and your efforts, giving a kind of education on what you think you need versus what you really do need, and pointing out the ways your outreach, incorporation of what’s new to you or foreign, or ‘the facts’ of a situation can be worked with.
At this same point Jupiter, recently gone direct, will be entering the 29th degree of Pisces, and in crisis mode, feeling around in the fog in anticipation of hitting the Aries point of manifestation and decisive action. The Mars retro cycle helps prepare you for this, for the expansion that’s coming to the concept of ‘I Am’—and if you deal with those projections of Mars, if you own and accept them, you’ll be more than ready.
The New Moon occurs at 1 Sagittarius 37 on the 23rd, at 2:57 PM PST, and in terms of major bodies (planets, lights, 4 main asteroids) it is earliest in degree save one: Vesta, at 00 Pisces 51, which the New Moon squares. That means on its journey through Sagittarius Luna will create aspects (major, minor, and super-minor!) to every other body, suggesting a tale to be told of unspooling Sag energy, fresh and, in this sign, poised for discovery, learning, teaching/ propounding, and covering some ground, literally and figuratively.
The funny thing is, there just aren’t any other contacts made, though there is a still-extant opposition to Sedna at 29 tense degrees of Taurus, and I suppose we can stretch to include a past trine to Jupiter in Pisces. That says that what’s born at the New Moon might be the outgrowth of Jupiterian dreams plus our instincts and inner knowing, what we ‘know but don’t know’ but are pushed through the emotions or intuition (the Moon) to respond to. This might entail either gaining or disseminating knowledge or facts (Sagittarius), or traveling to ‘foreign’ territory in some form, in order to fulfill, or at least pursue, that expansion dream.
Though not contacting the New Moon, we have an interesting Cardinal (action-oriented) pattern in place at this time: Eris in Aries opposed Zeus in Libra, a T-square created with the Black Moon Lilith point conjoined Pallas in Cancer. So, is this a distraction or an engine? Probably both; the formula involves either our own or another’s initiative/ action that immediately stirs conflict, specifically related to the ambitions and desires of a partner or an ‘other’. That is, our choices upset the relationship apple cart because they clash with what someone else with whom we’re cooperating wants–or we are the ‘other’ who is upset at our partner’s independent choices. In either case, the tension was already there, below the surface, with the person who acts or chooses breaking a kind of energy stalemate that lets differences rise to the surface.
This awareness of conflicting wants then creates its own issues, namely a genuine question as to whether that independent choice made unilaterally is wise or even practical. The only way to know is to look at those things we (and the partner) may be in denial of, or enraged over. What we’ll find is that either this is a good thing to have happened, with any unease based in (possibly groundless) fears, or that the action was taken or choice made driven by anger, a lashing out that makes it no longer possible to ignore feelings.
The Sabian for this New Moon is, ‘White-capped Waves Display The Power Of Wind Over Sea’. This alerts us to the way the unseen, unacknowledged, unspoken will strongly influence conditions, especially emotional ones. The tale here has its origins in dreams and sublimated desires, in what we expect from others and what we expect we must give ourselves, in what we learn and ‘know’, and perhaps most significantly, in what we are hiding, even from ourselves. It’s that emotional component, the wind’s (the unseen’s) influence on the water (the emotions and intuitive knowledge), that will determine how effectively we respond to new awareness and facts that can inform our way toward the dream, with a clue offered here: we’ve just had an experience that illuminated something about our highest values, that has shown us, perhaps to our own surprise or shock, what it is we really honor in life (previous perfection of the square to Vesta). This event is what paved the way to the New Moon beginning; and pay special attention to what comes at us over the time the Moon remains in Sagittarius (through about 1:19 PM PST of the 25th)–that will be like a mini-blueprint of what to aim for or avoid, and how to move forward.
Not all the time, just today. Venus sits at 29 stressful degrees of Scorpio, either making us feeling we’re missing something important in relationships or finances (and so worrying about loss), or that it’s our last chance to ‘dig deep’, to gain some essential truth, to grasp how to get that reward or to draw in that love or to finally feel materially secure. With that as the running undercurrent, no wonder most of us are feeling ragged! It doesn’t help that Jupiter is trine Venus, exaggerating our reactions to Venusian tensions, and Venus makes a T-square by opposing Sedna, also at 29, both squared by Vesta. That’s a picture of instincts under stress, being dogged by a sense there’s something we know but just can’t recall, and that it really matters, that what we care most about in the world is at stake.
Moon in Leo, as it is right now, tends to make all of us a little too Self-focused–hence we take ourselves a little too seriously–and with the Moon squaring Uranus and opposing Saturn, we’re just sure there’s a nasty surprise right around the corner. And the Sun in a Grand Trine with Neptune and Black Moon Lilith magnifies the uncertainty, the confusion, the sense of hopelessness fed by those things we deny or are enraged by.
Here are my thoughts: know that this is all temporary, more temporary than most conditions under which we operate. Venus will be out of Scorpio in hours, not even days, and the Sun moves at a clip that will dissolve that GT (Grand Trine, not Gin & Tonic!) in no time. For the most part, the tension will simply fall away, if we can just wait it out–and at the very least, we’ll see Venus enter Sagittarius (late on the 15th PST), where she’ll take action (Fire sign), either because she wants to know, or because of what she knows–and getting ourselves moving is half the battle, as anxiety is so often firmly rooted in feeling helpless, in believing that there’s nothing we can do. Venus will let us know that’s not true; trust her to make clear what it is you really value, and who it is you really care about.
It won’t be this dramatic. ‘The Execution of Lady Jane Grey’ By Paul Delaroche 1834 {{PD}}
The total Lunar eclipse begins just after 3:02 AM PST as Moon aligns with Earth and Sun at precisely 16 degrees of Taurus. The dynamic is very much one of oppositional energies, as Moon-Earth conjoins Uranus and the Sun is poised for Superior Conjunction with Mercury (as you know, that’s when Mercury and the Sun meet with Merc in direct apparent motion), this latter bringing to fruition something planted around the Inferior Conjunction of 23rd-24th of September, though there are three additions to the picture that add their own twists to the sense of denouement that may arise: a trine of the eclipse to Ceres in Virgo, a novile to just-retrograded Mars in Gemini, and a square to Saturn in Aquarius.
Being Total we should expect no mercy with this eclipse. Falling in Taurus, we’ll experience the wipe-out of circumstances related to some aspect of our own comfort, security, resources, assets, or even talents, or to matters of the House in the natal chart where Taurus falls, and this will bring certain emotions and conclusions about our own feelings to consciousness. The Sun in Scorpio is the light-giver, but in this situation it’s temporarily and completely blocked, implying that our view must change: the Scorpionic light currently cast on things (a light that looks to illuminate the need for change, to ferret out the Truth, to destroy what’s unnecessary or detrimental, to x-ray what surrounds us and reveal what’s hidden) is suddenly removed, with the suddenness of the alteration only emphasized by the eclipse’s conjunction to Uranus. What we see when that critical light of dissection and Truth-delving is gone will not be what we expect. It may in fact be something so new, so unanticipated, that we are shocked, by what happens, or by our own reaction to it, or by the message/ information contained in events (Sun conj Mercury).
Did I say no mercy? That’s not quite right; we find extenuating influences in those other aspects the eclipse makes. The change wrought by the eclipse may easily come about through Mother Nature (trine to Ceres in Virgo) in her critical response to current conditions–and those may be global, like climate change, or personal, like diet or responses to Nature via allergens or disease–so that we may quite abruptly be facing a situation that is the perfect storm of what’s natural combined with our own choices. This could also imply we’ll be faced with the results of our own exercise of personal authority, or our nurture (or failure to nurture) those for whom we’re responsible. Nature will try to re-direct us, and in most cases this won’t be traumatic; it’s up to us to take the hint.
There’s also that novile to retro Mars.You may have wondered why I haven’t made any specific comment on Mars going retro–and I don’t know why, either. Maybe it’s that it’s happening in Gemini, giving me the impression that so much that is aggressive, threatened, imposed, or potentially violent will actually turn out to be ‘all talk, no action’. Maybe it’s the way Chiron and Eris are the only bodies in Aries at the moment, suggesting we could all use a little relief, possibly offered via retro ruler status, from our wounds and from those major sources of aggravation I like to call sh*t-stirrers. But, in terms of the eclipse, Mars’ novile implies a little bit of genius implicit in eclipse events, the kind that may see our hesitation, reluctance, or changed choice or action as a good thing, keeping us from stepping in it.
If you’re concerned this is all too nebulous, don’t be: the eclipse square to Saturn in Aquarius promises real-life effects, solidly grounded, but that must be viewed through the lens of Higher Mind. Is, say, the loss of an asset at this time really about the circumstances surrounding that loss, or is it more about what that loss says, about what we find reward or profit in, about how we spend our energy, about the role of possessions (or possibly the impermanence of these)? If it is about the circumstances of the loss, then it may be that we need to look at our own vulnerabilities, or to the ways our ideas do (or don’t) transfer to reality. For some it may be a bit of the opposite, a question of whether we are playing an intellectual game with reality that keeps us from connecting the dots; in this case, we may be so mired in our own reasoning or tortuous mental justifications that we don’t register how these are seriously at odds with the real-world picture. The ancient ruler of Aquarius traveling through the sign and squared by an eclipse definitely says the brakes will be put on somewhere, that we’re going to come slamming up against something of the real world–the good news is, we can use the mind to de-code what happens.
So, a little thought experiment with the Sabians: I’d been taught that a placement at, as our eclipse is, 16 degrees, no minutes, of a sign meant it actually was part of the preceding degree picture; it hadn’t yet proceeded into the 16th degree because there are no minutes. That’s the way I’ve always read them, but today I questioned that interpretation, so I’ve decided to take a look at both possibilities. I’m not beyond learning a better (more correct?) way, so here goes:
The eclipse Sabian is, ‘An Old Teacher Fails To Interest His Pupils In Traditional Knowledge’–or is it, ‘A Symbolical Battle Between “Swords” And “Torches”’? The old teacher could be Aquarian Saturn in hard aspect to the event indicators, suggesting we won’t learn from what’s come before–that argues for the way I was taught to read them, as this is the preceding symbol. The ‘battle’ is of course between a Water placement (the Scorpio Sun) and an Earth placement (Moon-Earth)–not exactly symbolic of swords or torches, but we could see it as torches being the fire of feeling (Scorpio Water) and swords being something physically effecting (Taurus Earth), though a bit contradictory to the retro Mars aspect–but let’s look at the possibilities for the Sun–maybe that will sort it out. The Sun is, ‘A Girl’s Face Breaking Into A Smile’, and ‘A Woman, Fecundated By Her Own Spirit, Is “Great With Child”’. Hmmm. No help there, in my view. This may be my signal to step back from the Sabians for a while–just not feeling them–I’ll return to them when I do.
But I can offer you this unusual dream Word Image: at an open air market there are steps down which water begins to flow. Someone has placed several small children, no bigger than the palm of your hand, along the steps, and the water is knocking them over, sometimes face down, and the person responsible for them is nowhere in sight. I go and lift each one out of the water, make sure they are breathing, and as I work anticipate that whoever is in charge of them will be rushing up any second, angry that I am handling these delicate creatures. What ‘other person’s baby’ are you in a position to in some way ‘rescue’? If you step in somewhere to help, who will be angry, and why? Or maybe that’s the point: we need to show mercy, in the face of dangerous times, no matter the personal cost. Just a little something to think about–have a great weekend (don’t forget to take that hour back), and an enlightening eclipse!
‘Venus at her Mirror (The Rokeby Venus)’ By Diego Velázquez 1644 {{PD}}
On the 22nd, mid-afternoon Pacific time, Venus and the Sun perfect their conjunction, offering us a preview of what the eclipse may shake loose, shake up, or deliver an answer to. The question is, will you be asking questions about Love, Money, partnership, aesthetics, Art, or some other relationship or asset type? They conjoin in Libra, at 29 stressful degrees–this issue isn’t new, and may be at a breaking point, one we likely are just now recognizing–and we are faced with a single, telling aspect, a Finger of God that will, in slightly different form, be part of the eclipse picture in a few days.
Venus in Superior Conjunction to the Sun (that is, conjoined when Venus is direct) is symbolically brightly illuminated–even to herself. Our Venusian energies will be visible to our inner vision in stark detail; take advantage of that, in spite of the way Venus might lobby to be seen in a more flattering light. Venus-Sun receives as Finger apex the energy of Jupiter fresh in Aries (at 00) sextile Sedna at 29 Taurus. That’s a potentially volatile mix, probably out of naivety (the 00 placement in the sign of the ‘I Am’ with the significator of knowledge/ belief or the social sphere) combining with stressed instincts (so likely to be warped by other factors, such as want and wish, or what in Taurus probably feels like need) or an insistence on operating in an area where we carry a significant blind spot. The result is a statement about Love, Money, et al, that will be reiterated, possibly in a more stunning form, at the eclipse. Just after the eclipse, the Moon will catch up with Venus, giving us a look at how it all feels, what emotional conclusions we’ve reached–and that may be the point when we understand things, at least in the sense of how we feel, most fully.
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
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