Category Archives: current events in the sky

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!

Your Weekend 8-10 January 2021 Where We’re Coming From

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‘Lonesome Journey’ By Maynard Dixon 1946 {{PD}}

Despite a lot of angry rhetoric, I have the happy feeling that the 8th brings forward the smartest and most loving of feelings–mainly because, in the case of both aggressive communications and loving practicality, everyone’s focus will be on the ideal (with a sad few lost in their own delusions). That means that even under the shouting or harsh expressions, there’s a strong desire to see things become as we would ideally envision. Of course, that also means there are some who won’t recognize boundaries or the rights of others–simply because they lack that kind of awareness in the first place. Everybody’s tired; today may offer a largely unexpected chance to see our own empowerment blossom, to see positive forces win out, for once, if we’re able to see that communications are what they are because the people involved are where they are (mentally, emotionally, psychically speaking). (Mercury enters Aquarius and sq Mars, Venus enters Capricorn and nov Pallas, Uranus qnx Juno, Sun parallel Mercury and sxt Neptune).

Saturday the 9th sees two distinct ‘flows’ of energy, and each of us will likely choose (or maybe, fall into) one or the other. Both show us the power of our words and thoughts to manifest in the material world; one, though, will ‘put us in jail’ in some form, restricting our thoughts or expressions (or even holding us to some promise or discipline we’ve previously claimed), while the other conjures up our beliefs and assertions in real-world terms that show us the positive power of a mind disciplined and clear in intention.

Add to this two other possibilities: 1) that interaction with the social order, or expressing our beliefs or laying out ‘the facts’ will add to our personal authority and enhance our personal power, and 2) that we have a chance to balance opposing energies so that they are complementary to each other. This latter is due to a Venus trine to Mars that can not only see yin and yang in perfect harmony, but can also make taking considered action (the kind that keeps others in mind) pay off nicely. Warning: if you find yourself suffering under that ‘jailed’ sort of energy described above, you do run the risk of spending or aggressing in relationships in an attempt to break the energy impasse and soothe your own frustrations–better not to, though (Jupiter sesq and Sun qnx NN, and Jupiter nov Ceres, Mercury conj Saturn).

By the 10th we have an interesting opportunity: to focus on and honor those things we truly revere and are committed to. This is not only a good chance to see our values in action, it’s a good chance to see where we need to reinforce our values expression in the everyday (Sun trine Vesta). Other influences are minor, describing facets of what we find sacred and how we need to adjust to make these closer to our ideals, especially in the ambitions we pursue and our ability to ‘walk our talk’ (Juno semi-sq Zeus, Mercury semi-sq Neptune).

By grahamc99 from London, UK – ‘Thirty Pieces of Silver’ By Cornelia Parker CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35249890

The Weekend Word Image is 30 pieces of silver. Of course, we know this as coming from the New Testament of the Bible, as the price Judas accepted for betraying Jesus; in current parlance it means much the same, referring to a benefit someone has received for betraying others, a community standard, or some cause it would otherwise make sense for them to support. It’s easy, especially right now, to point to the many betrayals going on publicly, and we’ve all got a short list of others who’ve done us wrong and left us with a permanent feeling of their treachery that will forever color our memory of the relationship. What I would ask each of us to do is to consider the possibility that there is some significant way in which we are betraying ourselves. This most likely comes in one of two ways: either by ignoring a genuine need we have, or it has occurred inadvertently, over time, as we compromise with others. With the first we are acting against our best interests, and we’re likely aware of this but not totally conscious of how much of a betrayal this is of our own needs and well-being. With the second we may have simply crossed a line without realizing it, in an attempt to cooperate with or respect others; in this case, we’ve come to the point of injuring ourselves and failing to fulfill our own needs out of a blurry line between ‘us’ and ‘them’, very possibly caused by us taking on too much responsibility for others’ needs or happiness. The first step is to become conscious of this condition, and the second is to ask, in what way am I benefiting, what is my ‘pay off’, for betraying myself?

Have you gotten your new calendars for the year?

Your Week 5-7 January 2021 Heeding the Warning

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‘Speak! Speak!’ By John Everett Millais 1895 {{PD}}

On the 5th we may want to ask ourselves, How much power is healthy? Ceres quincunxes and contraparallels Hygeia, asking us to adjust our expressions of personal authority, especially when they affect those we take responsibility for or that we hold some power, big or small, over. Thinking may be too highly influenced by the past or by what we get from those relationships (Mercury parallel SN and Venus), making it that much harder to step back and recognize the rights of others–though to embrace what’s genuinely our responsibility will have immense payoffs in ways we never anticipated (Sun nov Juno).

On the 6th Mars enters Taurus–will we breathe a sigh of relief or just get possessive over our stuff? Either way, the shift may allow many to take their foot off the gas and slow their too-aggressive roll. Relationships and finances need careful handling; we’ll be seeing them too much through the lens of the past, with not enough attention on what’s healthy or what we’re sensing below the shiny surfaces (Venus qnx Sedna, sesq Hygeia, parallel SN). Though it may be tough, be hyper-aware of any sensed and unarticulated knowledge–whatever makes your skin prickle as you think about it is worth heeding the warning over–as true power may be hidden, subtle, and so make more of an impact on things than we anticipate–and this is so even of our own personal power, including our buried destructive impulses, so tread with care (Mercury trine Sedna, Sun parallel Pluto).

For the 7th we need to recognize how truly powerful words and communications of all stripe really are today. The past may be too strongly shaping our thoughts and our viewpoint, and because of this inaccurate measuring tool we may end up putting ourselves in a difficult position. Recognize two things to help you get through the day: we are too steeped in old ways to see things clearly right now, and we are thinking so much about power that this may limit our understanding of it as it currently exists in any situation–and that latter means that those who ‘go physical’ today may momentarily get the advantage, but will ultimately suffer the consequences, as they too will be operating with an inaccurate lens. The past does hold beneficial information, we just have to be very clear about what bygone experiences are really telling us (Mercury parallel Pluto, semi-sq Ceres, nov SN).

The Weekend: Your New Year, New You Edition for 1-4 January 2021

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What exciting things does next year hold? This guy thought he knew what was ahead. ‘Leaving the Paris Opera in the Year 2000’ By Albert Robida {{PD}}

New Year’s Eve is just about my favorite point in the year. The idea that time itself has a ‘new beginning’, that we get a fresh start in the midst of life, one that comes without upheaval, trauma, or stepping off a figurative cliff, one that comes on a regular basis, that condones us re-thinking ourselves and our practices so that we can re-make ourselves for the better, makes me happy. We can easily be too hard on ourselves if we make resolutions that for whatever reasons we won’t keep, and it’s common to feel a sense of let down and even like a failure once we leave the party and go back to the demands of the every day. In that vein, I’d like to suggest that we embrace a sense of renewal that isn’t accompanied by a compulsion to judge. It starts with accepting ourselves as we are in the moment, taking in that fresh, open, ‘new year’ energy without treating ourselves as if we’re a building (or Soul) in need of a remodel. Are we all flawed? Of course–the problem comes with the expectation that we have the potential to eliminate every un-perfect thing about ourselves. Let me just remind everyone: there are no perfect people–so don’t hold yourself in the unkind light of unreasonable expectation–instead focus on the things about yourself that you like, focus on what you want to be as a human Being, and go from there.

As noted in my previous post, New Year’s Eve is a day for caution, particularly when we note Venus conjoined the South Node, square Vesta, and parallel Pluto; that’s like a recipe for bad decision-making, based on seeing the past as ‘better’ than now, on feeling that living your highest values only creates conflict and makes things difficult, and perhaps seeing Love as destructive, or that Love and desire lead us to destruction–or will it be that Love already feels eliminated, or that it’s transformed to something dark we never anticipated. Maybe it’s just that we’ll be keenly aware of the dimensionality of Love, that it has many faces, of the way we have trouble recognizing genuine lovingness if we have lived too-attuned to cruelty or indifference, mistaking those for love, instead. And then there are the potential worries about money that so many will face in the New Year; it’s devastating to think that loved ones may suffer for lack of personal resources, which is especially hard to take when we consider how much money goes to bombs, to vanity, is wasted on the useless and the foolish.

Take care, as the old year turns to the new. It’s definitely a time for celebration, not least because of the horrendous events delivered by 2020. New Year’s Day itself shows two opposite sets of influences, so it may read positively for some, negatively for others, or may present a mixed bag that could confuse or make us throw up our hands and declare there’s no way to know what’s up!

We may see true profitability and genuine, concrete expressions of Love and caring that take real-world forms, that manifest in ways we can hold in our hands, and these may be delivered in unexpected and brilliant ways (Venus novile Saturn). We also see creative thinking in good form, and if we allow ideals to guide our reasoning, we could end up making effective changes to life direction (Mercury sextile Neptune and quincunx the North Node).

But, if we hedge our bets by refusing to be truly Self-responsible, if we blame our own most unreliable or erratic impulses or insist it’s the fault of ‘the group’, then we end up making poor choices and unwise decisions just because we’re trying to avoid certain realizations or certain burdens we need to face (Mercury semi-square Juno, Venus sesquiquadrate Uranus, Pallas square Black Moon Lilith).

By Saturday the 2nd of January we’ll be facing a whole new set of positives and a few new challenges. Creative energy and highest ideals can inform choices so that we do the wise thing, the practical thing (Neptune novile Pallas, Mercury trine Vesta), building confidence and leading to innovative decisions and inventive answers to problems, and this helps us on the social scene, in absorbing and using effectively ‘the facts’, in gaining ‘more’ of those positives, and facilitates moving toward our goals (Venus sextile Zeus and novile Jupiter, Sun sextile Ceres).

Negatives? They live in undermined trust of ourselves, in fear that there are dark and divisive things hidden in what we care about or in relationships, and in a refusal to look at what we ‘know but don’t know’, or to accept that we have blind spots, and need others to help us point out and deal with these (Mars contraparallel Juno, Venus sesquiquadrate Black Moon Lilith, Sun sesquiquadrate Sedna). Do you notice a theme? In short, bad things happen when we refuse to look at the whole picture; shying away from reality puts us at a disadvantage–so don’t.

A switch flips for Sunday the 3rd. The magic of Self-responsibility, of that New Year’s work of accepting ourselves, pays off. Healing is possible and actions are inspired; we see the worth of doing what’s wise or practical, and we understand the value in being ourselves (as the old joke goes, be yourself, because everyone else is taken!) The only pitfall may be too much attention to ambitions and goals–if we attend to our own well-being, our careers, accomplishments, and efforts will naturally flow out from there, so no extra attention required (Chiron trine Juno, Jupiter semi-square and Mars novile Neptune, Venus semi-square Pallas, Mercury square Zeus, Sun parallel Venus and quincunx Hygeia).

Monday the 4th there’s only one thing to do: Speak, Think, Communicate the Truth, with a capital ‘T’. That means that what we deal in intellectually must be real, factual, and without ulterior motive for its communication. Words can be power, and can destroy, more completely than usual, so honor yourself and others with a commitment to a positive honesty (Mercury conjoined Pluto).

‘Hyacinth’ By Paul Fordyce Maitland 1883 {{PD}}

Your Weekend Word Image: Hyacinth. I heard this word, which I’d not heard in years, 4 times in less than twelve hours in 4 different contexts. That was enough to draw my attention. So, I went looking for the myth of Hyacinth–do you know it? Hyacinthus was an athletic Spartan youth with whom the god Apollo fell in love. They were throwing a discus (Apollo declared he wanted to “scatter the clouds”) and Hyacinthus, trying to catch the discus, was hit in the head and killed. Apollo used his skills as a healer, but to no avail, and from the blood of his fallen boyfriend Apollo made a flower grow. Though there’s some dispute over what kind of flower this was (as it probably wasn’t what we call a hyacinth today), that’s the legend in a nutshell. So, what does that episode say to me? Well, that depends on if you’re Apollo (the god figure) or the eager youth who is, in terms of both capability and safety, playing way outside his league. Of course mortals break when the gods play with them–so maybe this is a small warning, to know who your playmates really are, and what they’re really capable of.