Category Archives: current events in the sky

New Moon in Aries 11 April 2021 Turns in the Road

07 Wednesday Apr 2021

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‘The Arrival of Spring; Two Roads’ By Maria Yakunchikova 1896 {{PD}}

Even though the New Moon of the 11th, 7:30 PM PDT at 22 Aries 24 is still conjoined Venus, that’s actually a separating aspect; whatever the Superior conjunction of the Sun and Venus was meant to convey around relationships or assets, it’s already come to us, though our emotional reaction to it is still in the future, delivered about 8 hours after this Lunar event (and maybe spurred by what happens at the NM). The same can be said about issues around personal power and authority, boundaries, a sense of autonomy, and even health matters, as the Sun and Moon have each both recently conjoined and are now moving away from Ceres. This suggests we’ve hashed out quite a bit recently, and likely believe we know where we stand–so why does it feel like we’ve made no progress, like we remain rudderless and confused, like we’re yearning for something and reaching come up with a handful of water, lost before we can get a sip?

A New Moon in Aries should spark confidence, a feeling that we can do ‘it’, the courage to take the next step, a sureness about taking the lead in our own lives, and when this NM perfects we may want to make a clear ‘I Am’ statement, not for those around us, but for ourselves, to try and ground us in something firm. We have the fire (Aries) to do (Cardinal sign) something to propel us forward–and this NM in particular we’re buoyed by imagination and a wave of creative energy (semi-sextile to Neptune), and we have big ideas (sextile to Jupiter) for change (square to Pluto) with empowerment as the goal (trine to Juno)–but there’s something about our desires or ambitions (opposition to Zeus) that makes us reluctant, or that maybe even outright prevents, that change we’re dreaming of–the potential for action could dissipate into nothing but talk (sextile to Mars in Gemini).

There’s a (brilliant) way out, and there’s also an issue to be dealt with, before the feeling and action impasse can be broken. One is the novile to Pallas in Pisces. This speaks of the wisdom of the imagination and the creative outlet, of the practical benefits of using our skills to do–and so serve both the Arian New Moon impulse and and the need to circumvent issues that have brought us up short, confused us, or distracted us from what we want and need to sort out. The Sabian symbol for the New Moon says it all: ‘A Pregnant Woman In Light Summer Dress’. The image is one of creative potential. Giving our creativity free rein right now is the smart thing to do; we may ‘birth’ our answer, or we may in the process of expressing make other contacts, or take other turns in the road, that will get us past what’s been holding us at bay. The ‘Summer Dress’ of the image implies the creative urge itself is at its peak of productive potential, just as a garden is at that point in the seasonal cycle. We don’t know how far along that ‘pregnancy’ is; we only know that the creation itself definitely exists, and will, sooner or later, be brought forth.

The thing to be dealt with is described by the New Moon’s sesquiquadrate to Vesta in Virgo. A sesquiquadrate is an aspect that promises difficulty, suggesting both trouble within the psyche (problems with accepting and processing what we’re confronted with, for example) and external factors that contribute pressures or force awareness and/ or force us to stop forward progress, at least in terms of the goal we thought we were working toward. There’s usually a measure of upset or outrage, a ‘This is ruining all my plans!’ plaintive cry as we see we’re given no choice but to halt and re-group.

With this being the New Moon’s contact to Vesta, what we’re likely to be faced with is some form of criticism or critique, internal or from others, that assesses our commitments, our values, or what we’re dedicated to as less-than-sacred. This might come in the form of our own internal monologue that recognizes we don’t care as we think we did, or in internal recognition or external feedback that points to some facet of hypocrisy in what we claim to hold in highest regard. Maybe our actions haven’t been supporting our highest standards, or our choices point to an entire other set of values by which we’re in reality living. No matter what, the Aries New Moon offers us a chance to re-dedicate ourselves to choices and actions that reflect our true values; it gives us a chance to align our walk with our talk, and prove what and who we genuinely care about.

A New Moon in Aries is about choice; the issue for this New Moon may be that we’ve convinced ourselves either we don’t have any, or that our options aren’t ideal. Events at this time are meant to show us that the true circumstances are otherwise–we just need to be brave enough to see that the ideal is possible, and that indeed, we always have options.

A Look Ahead: Early April 2021

31 Wednesday Mar 2021

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Saddle up! ‘Prospecting for Cattle Range’ By Frederic Remington 1889 {{PD}}

I sit here trying to decide what to write, asking myself, What do they need to hear? What is it that’s causing rough edges, confusion, discomfort, or that hollow, yearning sensation that can distract us from what we see as our goals? I’ve never been an astrologer who could spoon-feed readers sunshine everyday; optimism, yes, but too much sugar makes us diabetic, and too much insistence on only seeing the positives leaves us both delusional and unprepared. So, saddle up, and we’ll take a look at what’s coming.

When I look at the chart for today, the 31st, I’m struck by a few things: the way the Sun in Aries is wedged between the ego-hurt of Chiron and the ego hurt of Venus, with both taking an Aries viewpoint that asks, Where is what I want in all this? Venus points us toward what we don’t have in relationships or assets, while Chiron makes it feel like we’ve always been deprived, always been the victim–and that doesn’t help us in the present one bit. The energy connects like a web, with the Sun trining the South Node, sextiling Saturn–a stuck-in-mud-from-the-past feeling, I’m thinking.

And that Chiron, emblem of the primal wound, the thing we walk through life perpetually sensitive over, is precisely semi-sextile Uranus and in the other direction Pallas, placing Chiron at the mid-point=accidents and surprises, spontaneous events and hurtful incidents, seem like the inevitable denouement to something stupid or impractical we’ve done–but with Vesta quincunx Chiron, trine Uranus, and opposed Pallas, we should take it all a little less personally, as what it really is, is a prompt from the Universe to adjust what we’re dedicating our time and attention to, to adjust our critical thinking (Vesta in Virgo) so that it actually gets us what we want and where we want to go–something about our thinking now is distinctly off: Mercury in Pisces, open to the imagination, is square Juno (wondering why empowerment is so hard!), sextile Pluto (we may be perceiving everything, especially any exercise of power, as just a tad destructive), sextile Jupiter (exaggeration!), and still within proximity of current ruler Neptune, which is like being under the spell of some fantastical Svengali–no wonder we’re having trouble sorting things out!

Part of the issue may be the way Mars in Gemini is sextile Ceres in Aries (making for an overly independent way of going forward, a ‘law unto himself’ way of acting), with over the next ten days or so Venus, the Sun, and even Ceres tightening their contact to Mars–and so bringing all the complexes and paranoia that’s been stewing into our actions and choices, if we don’t address them now. The good thing is that over this period it all moves on from contact with Chiron, suggesting we’ll be less sensitive, less inclined to interpret events or even our own thoughts, as hurtful.

Positives center on a persistent sense that we can take things on, do for ourselves–and that helps us handle much of what else is swirling around, as we are both in reality and in our sense of confidence able to deal adeptly with a more-than-usual load at this time. That’s why it’s so important to point out what won’t be working so well: our own thinking or responses are the things we need to keep in perspective, keep from holding us down or back.

The only thing that stays stuck is the Chiron-Uranus contact–which should tell us that the real weak spot in the days to come could be the tendency to see the spontaneous, erratic, accidental, the sudden, the group action, or the unusual as wounding to us personally. We may process things as getting better, more under our control, and then get offended all over again when something comes along to strike at our sore spot. Try to take a step back, before responding to any hurt over this early half of April–it might do us better to let it go than to pursue our own skewed idea of justice or redress, chiefly because we may not have the entire ‘power picture’–that comes next, when Pluto retrogrades on the 27th, and begins a ‘big reveal’ of hidden power structures, systems on the brink of failure, and stirs a few phoenix-like entities re-born from what we thought was just a pile of ash.

Also, the New Moon of the 11th gets a second stage boost on the 18th, with the Sun-Mercury Superior Conjunction. Time any new venture that you must approach one step at a time for this period–brings a bit of unusual clarity, especially in terms of seeing what’s worth going forward with, at this time.

Full Moon in Libra 28 March 2021 The Balance

23 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Finger of God, forecast, Full Moon, Grand Trine, Sabian Symbols, Sun-Venus Superior Conjunction

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‘Tightrope’ By Paul Klee 1880 CC0

Love is central–or is that a money, asset, or credit situation that takes center stage right now? Either relationships are in focus, or our currency status is, at this Full Moon, which perfects at 11:48 AM PDT on the 28th at 8 Libra 18. All the strongest flow for this lunar event is across the Libra-Aries axis, imbuing the episode with an ‘I/ Other’ dynamic. With Venus so closely opposed the Full Moon, we are likely to frame the Full Moon in terms of what we have versus what others have, and this may be about intangibles like Love or tangibles like property or resources, but in any case brings examination of the balance between the ‘I Am/ I Have’ and ‘They Are/ They Have’. Chiron, also opposed, brings in the consciousness of what we don’t have, or makes it clear what unique skills we possess that can help us get what we want. We may get a new, mature perspective on a number of issues or relationships, and a new attitude born of Full Moon conclusions or culminations, especially in reference to the way injuries, past and current, may be at play in either our emotional or asset situations.

Some things that may be answered: Do we feel unity with others, or are our thoughts focused on the solitary nature of our existence? Do we allow others to hurt us, and then hold those injuries tight for our own reasons? Or do we reject the one who hurt us, and is doing so healthy, or filled with rage (and so taking up our energy when it shouldn’t)? Do we actually believe that others have it easier than we do for no reason? Are we feeling less than rewarded for being who we are? Do we avoid cooperation or forming relationships (especially those centered on romantic love) because we believe it will ‘cost’ us? Have we been withholding use of our skills due to past injury? Do we like cheese? Well, maybe not that last one.

The Full Moon is apex to a Finger of God, with base of Pallas sextile Uranus. This suggests that Full Moon events or revelations (something the Full Moon is known for, bringing complete enlightenment, particularly in matters of the House in the natal chart where this occurs) come about either through a meeting of the practical or skills and the unique viewpoint, or via wisdom applied to the spontaneous or chaotic. What is original to us as individuals combines with either what we can do, or what we know (in the form of a profound Truth), and delivers to us the outcome of an event at this time, or a realization that can illuminate our immediate way forward.

A semi-sextile to Vesta and a sesquiquadrate to Jupiter tells us that hopes to get ‘more’ of what we value, or attempts to honor our beliefs, especially beliefs about what’s sacred, what’s important, will have a rough go of it; it’s likely we’ll have to face certain beliefs, facts, or ways in which we dedicate our energies that are causing problems or are difficult to implement, with the Full Moon requiring us to adjust those beliefs, or modify what we dedicate our time and energy to.

There’s also a loose Air Grand Trine involving the Full Moon, Saturn, and the North Node-Mars (we’re stretching, here). It’s worth noting, though, as in the next hours and days both Earth and the Moon will be perfecting that Trine–and this implies recognition of the energies as working together even at the time of the event gives us a little glimpse into the future. We’re talking about emotional understanding or intuitive perceptions that balance out the mental perceptions and then act as foundation for forward moving actions and choices that will have an effect on the reality picture.

The Sabian for this Full Moon is, ‘Three “Old Masters” Hanging On The Wall Of A Special Room In An Art Gallery’. I think this is a clear reference to Venus; the suggestion may be that we must acknowledge what we treasure, what talents we possess, what we hold dear, our assets, but the issue may be this: if this asset or talent is segregated, off in its own room in a special construct (the gallery), does that mean we are treating it as rarefied, not using it or appreciating what it can do for us? Are we viewing our talents or assets as precious museum pieces, as passive, rather than incorporating their potentials (for earning, for sharing beauty, for generosity, for what they can bring us) into our daily life? Do we keep them in special circumstances because we are in some way saving or ‘hoarding’ them, or does keeping them separate allow us to believe there’s more value in them than we might find should we employ them in the real world? These are Old Masters, after all, possibly a salute to the Chirotic skill each individual possesses that is extraordinary in its uniqueness–so, something we shouldn’t hesitate to share or test, as no one can do ‘it’ quite like we can.

The Sun, Chiron, and Venus, this last ruler of the Full Moon-Earth combo, all share a Sabian: ‘A Crystal Gazer’. The future is written in who we are at core, who we are as a Soul (the Sun), how we respond to our wounds (and you’ll notice the kinds of wounds aren’t important–those are irrelevant, in this context–Chiron), and who, how, and what we love and value (Venus)–and at least symbolically, these matters ‘rule’ (via Venus) and contain the Full Moon ’cause’ (via the light generation of the Sun), so are instrumental to, and in fact inseparable from, the Lunar event.

New Moon in Pisces 13 March 2021 Siren Song

10 Wednesday Mar 2021

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‘Ulysses and the Sirens’ By Herbert James Draper 1679 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 2:21 AM PST on the 13th at 23 Pisces 03, after recent passage of both the Sun and Moon over Neptune. That puts a haze on everything, a siren song with no clear origin: what are we seeing? what are we feeling? Also past but still in orb: a square to Juno and a quincunx to Zeus, suggesting that just lately we’ve faced some conflict over the legitimacy of our ambitions and our own autonomy. And what lies ahead, within orb now, are a sextile to Pluto (the impulse to burn it all down, out of shaken convictions around the ambitions, desires, and our ability to act on them), and a sextile to Sedna (the impulse to listen to the instincts, to trust what we ‘know but don’t know’, and proceed as planned). Which will we choose? Right now that depends on your relationship to Piscean energies in general, and to transiting Neptune in particular.

Pisces is singing to us right now, of ideals and dreams, of our practicality, skills, and wisdom, of the payoffs awaiting us in Love or Money or maybe just companionship (Pallas, Venus, Neptune transiting there), and the New Moon offers a starting point: face what we want, and either purge it and ourselves (if we find the dream inadequate), or trust ourselves and follow instinctual prompts and the inner knowing. Not a difficult choice, if we know ourselves, if we are not deluded, if we know our dreams, and if we are brave enough to go forward and create, unafraid of what others might say or think. And of course, that little bit at the end may be the hardest part.

The New Moon also falls at the midpoint of the Saturn-Uranus square. That’s reality pushing against the radical, the established pushing against precipitous change, tradition butting up against the modern, authorities clashing with the individual, or with advancement in general. It’s natural for What Is to resist and resent innovation, unless how that improvement is good for all is made obvious from the start–and even then there may be issues. Expect the New Moon to present a point of tension over this kind of revolution, a preview of the coming, just forming Cosmic dream, a glimpse of the future, and look for the positive that will come from letting go and accepting new developments. What’s happening is inevitable; better to have some say in and control over change (by willingly going along), than have it overwhelm when upset and resistance builds too high. Don’t let the siren song of ‘We’ve always done it that way’ stop a good thing.

The New Moon Sabian is, ‘On A Small Island Surrounded By The Vast Expanse Of The Sea, People Are Seen Living In Close Interaction’. I’m seeing this in something of an unusual way: Pisces is the sea, the House of the natal chart an island in the horoscope, with the people in close interaction those we love (Venus), those we idealize or connect with spiritually (Neptune), and those from whose wisdom or practicality we benefit (Pallas). Getting all the human components to mesh in positive ways is something we strive for–and the new start of the New Moon offers a moment when the way to that harmony might be apparent, through the matters of the natal House where Pisces sits. And right now, everybody could use just a little more harmony.

Their Immensity

09 Tuesday Mar 2021

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By Pravin Mishra – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59437020

You’re not a creature in a body./ You exist as the stars exist,/ participating in their stillness, their immensity. from ‘Telescope’ by Louise Glück

Just stepping in to let you know that I’m no longer doing work for individual clients. Though I’ve had a wonderful time working with so many of you, the end is here. But, those who still have already paid for Horaries awaiting them, or those I’ve already told to contact me or with whom I’ve still got obligations, don’t hesitate to get in touch when you need to. I’m working hard to finish the Moon book, but it just keeps growing! What’s that about? Every time I think I’ve wrangled an angle, up comes another thing that I think, ‘Oh! Can’t not cover this.’ So.

And speaking of the stars and lights and planetary bodies, a couple of small things catch my attention and seem worthy of sharing. We have Pluto trine Sedna in Earth signs=a breakdown of those things that wall us off from what we ‘know but don’t (consciously) know’, a purging of detritus that may have gathered around our instinctual knowledge and responses, freeing up alignment of understanding with The Truth, whatever that may be. This offers a powerful re-making, and simultaneously we see Mercury trine Zeus in Air, giving us the opportunity to have a clear mental conduit for ambition and desire expression. Do actively address these energies, because in a week the transiting Sun moves to the midpoint of Pluto-Sedna, illuminating the Truth and Instinct situation–and if you’ve done the required housecleaning and mental ordering, you’ll have a chance to see the results–that is, a manifestation of the clarity you have (or haven’t) brought to goals, aims, and the things you want. And, Venus makes her conjunction to the Sun on 24 March, after chasing Sol into Aries–which should bring another point when all that housekeeping will pay off, in spite of the awkwardness of Venus having to ‘show her stuff’ in a sign that encourages her to be less-than-subtle.

This Week

07 Sunday Mar 2021

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We focus a bit on Neptune this week, over at Fragrantica ‘Triumph of Neptune’ By Bon Boullogne 1699 {{PD}}

I’ve been featured over at my friend, astrologer Zoran Cerar’s site, Fragrantica, in his weekly. Check it out if you’d like!

Be aware, the Sun will conjoin Neptune in just three days, and Venus and the Moon won’t be far behind, with the planet of assets and relationships making conjunction on the 13th. Proceed with ideals front and center, remain cognizant of the possibility of deception (including misleading yourself), and if at all possible, plunge forward with ‘the Dream’, because this is prime time for both seeing it clearly (what a contradiction, with Neptune involved!) and for seeing how to make it pay off.

Have a lovely Sunday, and a great week!

Full Moon in Virgo 27 February 2021 Due & Payable

24 Wednesday Feb 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Full Moon, Sabian Symbols

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‘A Jar Of Peaches’ By Claude Monet 1866, well before deteriorating eyesight made the impressionist painter’s work even more impressionistic!

Keeping our nice, tight Lunar event orbs, we see that this Full Moon, falling at 8 Virgo 57 at 12:17 AM PST, makes only a few, crisp aspects–but of course, they tell us everything we need to know.

A Full Moon brings related energies to a conclusion or peak, and in Virgo this most likely involves matters where accounting and balance sheets (including intangible spiritual or emotional ones), criticism and critical discernment (again, including those that are mere thoughts, or that address the personal and subjective, as much as those aimed at the Collective and objective), and the gathering and allotment of some kind of ‘harvest’, are prominent. This can be anything from actual bills due to the subtle workings of Karma, from a quiet judgment inside our heads to a very vocal assessment of someone or something, and from the literal distribution of goods to the gain or loss of rewards, in either case likely anticipated in some, possibly very nebulous, form (a notion that occurs to us, right out of the blue, and is just as quickly gone, for instance).

The Moon-Earth conjunction forms apex to a Finger of God, with base of Chiron-Saturn. Oww! We may be asking ourselves just exactly where and why ‘it’ hurts (or where and why we’re having this sensation, which is not necessarily painful, it may just be new, or something we haven’t felt for a long time), and we may be acutely aware of how our own responses to reality have created this denouement. The presence of Chiron gives us two possibilities: one is that we’re seeing the real-world consequences of our own woundedness, which may have driven previous actions or choices, and so brought us to this point. The other possibility is that we are seeing the results of what we’ve built through unique talent expression, through utilizing that particular ability that is so unique to us.

The Full Moon also trines Uranus and, with a little leniency, the Black Moon Lilith point. This suggests, very simply, surprise, probably centered in something we’ve been striving not to think about, or that has angered us, implying that what’s delivered may have the ring of justice, or the requirement that we accept things as they are. And, we see a sesquiquadrate to Pluto, telling us that whatever occurs may through difficult circumstances change everything, or that the Truth will be exposed, transforming for the good, or conversely the rot will be exposed, with the tough option of cleaning it up. It’s especially hard to know if Pluto in the mix is a good thing, as so much of what Pluto brings, even when the ultimate result is positive, can be especially hard to process, get through, or even survive, and it often temporarily gives an ‘end of the world’ feeling.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘An Expressionist Painter At Work’. I’m thinking this tells us that we need to take a ‘higher up’ view of events around this Lunar occurrence, one that takes in the broad picture, rather than focusing too much on any one detail (and this Full Moon may throw many details at us, considering its placement in Virgo). It reminds me of a scene in the immortal, Jane Austen inspired work, ‘Clueless’, a movie where the main character, the teenage Cher, describes someone or something (and I’m paraphrasing here) as ‘a real Monet’–that is, a mess if you insist on getting up close to it, but making a beautiful picture if you pull back and take it in at a distance–or, in the case of a person, someone who seems together, until you get a gander at their actual circumstances or coping skills.

We also look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon: ‘A Jockey Spurs His Horse, Intent On Outdistancing His Rivals’. This suggests that competitiveness may drive us (and is echoed by a minor aspect of the Full Moon, a semi-square to Zeus). What we want, and what we can do about it, is spurring us on at this time. We need to be aware that it’s ourselves, rather than externals, that have created the current scenario, with circumstances we’ve initiated determining its outcome.

It’s a time of ‘getting what we deserve’. If that phrase makes you excited, then good, you know deep within that you’ve been adding to the Collective in a positive way, and it’ll be paying off; and if it makes you uneasy, then just know there’s something, either in your methods or your motives, that needs purging–and Pluto will be around to help.

Thank you, everyone! Take care out there, and Happy Full Moon!

Being of One Mind

08 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by in aspects and placements, astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, future events in the sky

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

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

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

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

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

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

The New Moon of the 11th is here–

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

07 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Dark of the Moon, forecast, Inferior Conjunction, New Moon, Sabian Symbols

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a lovely week, everyone!

So, Should We Panic? Mercury Retrograde

31 Sunday Jan 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Mercury retrograde, Transits and Cycles

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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–