Category Archives: current events in the sky

Current Conditions: Digging It Up, Sorting It Out, and the Yardstick of the Past

27 Thursday Jun 2024

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Retrogrades, T-Square, The Daily Word Image

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Laokoon By Adriaan Korteweg 1914 {{PD}}

Just a couple of things to note in what feels like a kind of intermission, its ending signaled by the Saturn retrograde on the 29th, and the Neptune turnaround on July 1st. Until then a retro Pluto in early Aquarius prompts us to dig into the imagination and the possibilities of what could be, in an attempt to answer the stress inherent in a 29 degree Neptune, while Pluto’s trine to the 29 degree Black Moon Lilith point makes us fearless in digging through material we at other times would resolutely ignore, particularly in that we’ll apply a critical eye, making accountability of ourselves and others a focus.

This is all good–a kind of housekeeping, if you will–and this may spur the action engendered by a Cardinal T-square with Venus in Cancer squaring the Nodal axis=we act or choose according to what we care about, what we are invested in, especially those things that matter to the asset picture or the relationship one; be aware that these decisions arise out of the past, and form the future, essential to remember and certainly influential in what we choose–we’re not pouring our efforts into a vacuum–there’s already a landscape that offers circumstances we must respond to–and our awareness that what we do now really does shape what happens next will be a useful guide when the options lie before us.

That Venus in Cancer is also sextile Mars in Taurus, uniting our emotional needs with a willingness to attend to material matters and emphasizing the necessity of those things that comfort, reassure, and make for a sense of security. And of course this means that Mars is quincunx the South Node, offering a highly valuable perspective: the past as measure, offering insight into the way our actions may play out, and on the repercussions they are likely to have, as hinted at by what we’ve created by our choices before.

And what of the apparent retrogrades of Saturn and Neptune? They’re ‘heavies’, slow-moving planets that typically exert a background energy, and particularly in the case of Saturn, may have different influences on individuals, likely based on the natal status of the planet, where the transiting energy is traversing by House, and what it contacts in the natal chart.

If Saturn is retrograde natally, its transiting retrograde may place us back in a more familiar constructive territory–direct may feel incomprehensible, as we struggle to understand realities and the system that contains them; things may be too restrictive when it’s direct, too straightforward–with Saturn’s characteristic energy (as defined by its natal situation) having the chance to bloom on retrograde for the retrograde natal Saturn. For those with direct natal Saturns, a retro transiting Saturn can skew the sense of reality, with both barriers and things we count on potentially withdrawn, and matters that were making steady progress coming to an abrupt, and possibly permanent, halt. We find ourselves suddenly hemmed in, turned away, blocked, and at least initially, unable to see a way around. The ground slips out from under us, and there’s nothing to be done, not until things change.

Neptune’s turnaround can bring what we were sure of just a moment before into question; suddenly we’re suspicious that there’s something we’re missing, not understanding, or being deceived about, or, something really is hidden or we really are being deceived or mislead. It may be tougher to sort illusions from realities and especially real potentials, and ideals could be gently shaken. Neptune puts a veil over what we most desire to see clearly in the areas of the House being transited, those things Neptune rules in our chart, and in things connected to natal Neptunian perceptions. Whether it’s direct or retrograde in the natal chart seems to matter less with this planet, as it deals so much with what’s nebulous, imagined, possible, or illusory anyway; retrograde periods are likely to shift what about and where we’re feeling its influence, and on the positive side, could bring inspirations and apply creative energies to areas we aren’t natally inclined to see them applied in.

Oh! And there’s this: the July Full Moon falls on the 21st at 29 tense degrees of Capricorn, conjoined Pluto and coinciding with Mars’ entry into Gemini. Mark your calendars. I’m anticipating the status quo and/ or various systems at a bursting point, one that reaches for power with aggressively persuasive words–something along the lines of ‘we must unite those who think alike (us vs them), because if we don’t, they will obliterate you, take your power, destroy what you count on for support–so give your power to us’. By status quo I mean what exists that has been in the process of trying to garner our power–and at this point may try to do so through fear. Beware with whom you network/ unite/ emotionally respond to–if they ask for your support but don’t offer anything but frightening words and encourage extremist behavior against ‘them’, then they are definitely not the ones to follow. Use your own power to think it through (Pluto in Aquarius).

We have a Daily Word Image today: walking a path, a small, agile snake crosses in front of you in an ‘s’ pattern and disappears into the foliage. Something crossing one’s path is typically an opportunity–but then again, if it’s a black cat . . . and ‘crossing paths with’ something or someone is generally considered confrontational, though it can also suggest a fated encounter. And, a snake can represent knowledge (especially knowledge gained through autonomous, assertive, or defiant behavior), the kind that opens one’s eyes, or deceit (‘snake in the grass’). I think the meaning all depends on how the image itself strikes you; for me, I was struck by how young and small the snake was. It made me think of something just started, fledgling, that I needed to put on my radar before it slipped away, something I needed to know, or maybe something that could ‘get by’ me and grow into something larger (and potentially threatening). I’d love to hear what the image means to you in the comments.

Full Moon in Capricorn 21 June 2024 Emotions Light the Way

19 Wednesday Jun 2024

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

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Sky lanterns, Château de Montsoreau-Museum of contemporary art, Loire Valley, France Photo By Suavemarimagno
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The Full Moon perfects at 6:08 PM PDT on the 21st at 1 Capricorn 07 as part of a compelling Grand Cross of Sun conjoined Chaos and Venus opposed Earth and Moon, squared by 29 degree Neptune in Pisces conjoined Circe in Aries, opposed by the Black Moon Lilith point at 29 Virgo. The Sun-Moon axis is Cardinal; the Neptune-BML axis is Mutable. Usually a Cross has four arms located in the same modality, which means that when one arm is activated they’re all activated, with each arm mobilizing according to that single modality, making for 4-reactions-at-once scenarios, and so typically linking all factors of the Cross through similar character or style of expression.

In the Grand Cross formed at the time of this Full Moon, two modalities are present. That means some of the response will center in taking action (Cardinal) while some, occurring at the same time, will be fluid, and not necessarily manifesting in outward effort or change, but possibly changing ideas or attitudes around what to do and how to pursue and/ or judge things (Mutable). In this case, the implication is that the Sun (the energy to do or achieve, with focus on caring and sensitivity–Cancer) and Moon (emotions around the material and status quo, or that are constrained or otherwise limiting or disciplined–Capricorn) drive action (Cardinal placements), and that those Solar energies are, put simply, chaotic; at the same time this urge to act is offset by crises in creative, imaginative, or misleading energies that prompt change and/ or shifts in meaning from moment to moment (Neptune in Pisces), as well as expressing in a headstrong and sure manner, a ‘must have my way’ energy (Circe conjoined Neptune from her place in Aries), and crises in discernment and accountability that must underlie choices/ impulses that acknowledge matters we’ve swept under the rug or ignored, until now (Black Moon Lilith in Virgo).

Current influences create a pressure-cooker that compels action that must take into account our need to express as creators and requires that we use our most sophisticated tastes and judgment when doing so–and yet we do so surrounded by or generating some sort of anarchy. It isn’t easy to act or make choices while inspiration and the creative urge shift and flow, and things we’ve ignored or denied refuse to remain buried. It’s also notable that the Solar energy that drives everything is characterized by action that arises from caring, and that this is, in some way, without organization or discernible boundaries, perhaps making what we’re doing unrecognizable, either in intent or the realization that we are the engine driving developments. That’s a lot to sort through at one time, and may be especially difficult because each impulse interacts and combines with all the others.

The Full Moon is also opposed Venus, taking that chaotic and caring energy and aiming it at relationships, the partner, and/ or assets, resources, or sources of income. The presence of Black Moon Lilith and Neptune in the equation suggests we might not recognize we’re taking aim at or affecting Venusian matters, even as we look right at them (Sun conj Venus). The Full Moon is also semi-sextile Pluto and quincunx Vesta, warning us that a delicate balance between exercising our own power, dealing with the power of others, and maintaining our allegiance to and support of those things we find sacred and cherish must be achieved.

What should we make of all this? Aside from being aware that we might not be aware (!!!), we find a beneficial clue in the Full Moon’s trine to Hecate. She is the way-shower, that energy that answers our questions and vets our suitability for and readiness for a particular path; in flowing connection with the Full Moon in Capricorn we see that disciplining and containing the emotions might be the way to bring order (at least internal order) from the chaos of conflicting influences and a less-than-clear environment. ‘Feelings as guide’ might be an appropriate mantra, so long as we understand the framework within which those feelings are generated (Is this worth getting angry over? Do I truly understand what’s happening? Why does reality look this way to me, and what could this look like to others?) So, relief and illumination almost certainly rests with our own ability to stay calm in the midst of our surroundings, and the actions and responses of others.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘Three Rose Windows In A Gothic Church, One Damaged By War’. This speaks of how intents expressed through actions are creative, and yet those same energies interacting with each other can inadvertently be destructive. The creative acts involved in conceiving of and creating the windows clash with the destructive act of war, though both are themselves acts of creation: they express the creative energies of human Beings, as one creates Beauty/ Art, one creates conflict–and when those two creative streams interact, destruction is generated simply because it’s the nature of one of those impulses to tear down, obliterate, alter, as part of its very existence, while the other’s nature is simply to exist. Both are generative acts, and it might be worth asking ourselves, ‘Is what I’m creating (in my life) something that just needs to exist, or is my creation such that its nature requires it to alter what’s around it, for good or ill?’

The Sabian for the Sun is, ‘A Man On A Magic Carpet Hovers Over A Large Area Of Land’. Try to get ‘the lay of the land’, to gain an overview, a ‘Big Picture’ perspective, on the current scene–that will definitely keep things in proportion, and our responses on an appropriate scale.

Thank you to all my readers, and have a wonderful Full Moon experience!

New Moon 6 June 2024 In Love’s Pocket

04 Tuesday Jun 2024

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By Pieter Claesz c1632 {{PD}}

The New Moon occurs at 5:38 AM PDT at 16 Gemini 18 as the Moon, Sun, and Venus line up–and Venus is latest zodiacally, meaning the Moon and Sun have yet to perfect contact (though admittedly that will happen very soon after New Moon formation, as Venus is only 30 minutes ahead of the lights). The Sun in Gemini puts the spotlight on our thinking, on networking and the sharing and spread of information (or gossip), on the mentality with which we meet life, the messages we send and receive (as much below consciousness as overtly), and the lightning speed with which info is disseminated, including something that’s just ‘in the air’ or that dawns on us with a spark of recognition (whereas a lightning strike of revelation is Uranian, rather than Mercurial). The Moon introduces the emotions and intuition as conduits of this information, and Venus suggests either who’s involved (loved ones, partners, ‘the Other’) or what’s involved (assets, finances, values, treasured connections to others, Love itself). As the Sun and Moon move on, what we find is that Venus in some form is the subject of what we learn, communicate, or receive; in the best case scenario, we find ourselves in love’s pocket, soothed, appreciated, rewarded, the mind verifying what we feel under sunny emotional skies.

A square to Saturn in Pisces and a sesquiquadrate to Pluto in Aquarius may give us pause. In spite of that sunny atmosphere, we’re having a tough time getting a handle on reality and the consequences of current circumstances (Saturn, Pisces); we don’t see just how destructive things could be if they continue in their current form, or we may see that destructive potential but perceive it more as an intellectual exercise, something that won’t seriously affect our world (Pluto, Aquarius). That means we may not be as responsive as we need to be, and we may not take things as seriously as we should, lulled into complacency by the sparkling, love-enrobed energy of Venus, Sun, and Moon. The temptation is to embrace what feels good and ignore what doesn’t–and that’s never a good bet, especially when time is of the essence (Saturn square) and we may feel pressured to lash out and destroy (sesquiquadrate Pluto) trying to gain relief–and so miss that coming reward (Sun and Moon perfecting to Venus) as well as forgoing the power to make real change (Pluto). We can put the Saturn/ Pluto influences in a productive light if we are willing to acknowledge we can’t see everything clearly right now–that reality is unnerving, a little scary–but are still willing to go forward, trusting our ability to respond creatively (Pisces), aware that we can take that Plutonian upheaval and use it as transformative, rather than destructive, even though it’s bound to be difficult to handle (the sesquiquadrate).

So, we end up essentially with two flows of energy that may seem unrelated, but that actually connect through our emotional reality, our Venusian manifestations, and what currently draws our attention. It’s the loving emotions and feelings of prosperity, support, and emotional safety that allow us to tackle an uncertain present and attempt to transform it in positive, ‘modernizing’, even revolutionary ways. The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘The Head Of A Robust Youth Changes Into That Of A Mature Thinker’. Keeping our heads (in the sense that we don’t insist on either denial of negatives–unwilling to see the darker side of things–or immersion in negatives–being willingly deluded and destructive) will mature our approach to what’s around us and so insure the results of our thinking will bring positive and rewarding outcomes rather than chaotic, uninformed, or destructive ones.

A Season of Revelation 29 May 2024

29 Wednesday May 2024

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‘Spring Scattering Stars’ By Edwin Blashfield {{PD}}

So Jupiter and Venus have been illuminated over the past week by the Sun–and what has it shown you? Happening in Gemini, this ideally brought insight on Love, finances, relationships, and what we value, and revealed never-before-thought-of opportunities and ideas for expansion and adventure. Sounds great, right? So why hasn’t everything been kittens and roses?

At the same time, the Sun has also been in dialogue with more challenging energies, making a sextile to a 29 degree Neptune and a trine to Pluto in Aquarius. These contacts may have created crises most notably in creative expression and in Truth-telling–that is, we’ve been pressured to account for our use of our own creative energy–and if we haven’t been productively channeling it (in Art, in personal expression of all kinds, in innovative and inventive ways), then almost certainly that energy has been pouring out as destructive and obstructionist expressions–and the worst part could be that the liar, the fabricator, the confabulist, the misleader may be themselves deceived, unsure, doing the best they can with distorted or deceptive information. We’re all trying to exert our Power, but our success requires a clarity of vision that may be difficult to grasp when sorting through so much that confuses and obscures, or when dealing with the Power expression attempts, well-meaning or not, of others.

Venus is just now leaving Jupiter’s influence, so it may be a kind of waking up, a turn to the practical in relationships and finances over the optimistic and expansive, a ‘bird in the hand’ mentality–and that may be just what we need, in preparation for the meeting of Mercury and Uranus in Taurus, a combo promising the sudden realization with rewarding or comforting repercussions. The one thing to be wary of, perhaps, is the way Mars and Chiron are so close, at present. That can make us feel that injury is inescapable, should we act, or even make a choice. But, this pairing is in Aries, with the way to beat that ‘it’s gonna hurt no matter what’ feeling by completely, thoroughly, willingly accepting responsibility for the Self. Doing so should make us hyper-aware of our obligations, our role in things–and hyper-aware that so much more is in our control than we typically realize, especially whether we will see ourselves as vulnerable, as victims, when our openness will show us we are capable of so much more than we usually think we can handle. That’s another element of Uranian surprise, that we are in charge, and inspired by our own ideals and dreams–and there’s no better way to be.

Full Moon 23 May 2024 The Dream in Crisis

20 Monday May 2024

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‘In the Luxembourg Gardens’ By John Singer Sargent 1879 {{PD}}

When the Full Moon perfects (the 23rd at 6:53 AM PDT at 2 Sagittarius 55) we see multiple energy streams ricocheting off one another, many of them in an unformed or newly formed state (those very early in a sign, including the Moon, Sun, Sedna, Pluto, and Earth) and others at the very end of a sign, fully developed and feeling strain, in crisis mode (Neptune, Venus, and Jupiter, the latter two close together in Taurus). These are all demanding our attention, and then along comes the Full Moon in Sagittarius, which says, “This is all we’re going to know! These are the (emotional) facts–and we need to accept them!” The Moon itself tells us (by being so early in the sign) that conclusions are premature, most especially those based on feeling or intuition–that sense may in the end be correct, but in the present we will inevitably miss something, our timing will be off, and so our awareness of what is and how we feel about it will suffer–and this is so despite the fact that a Full Moon carries the expectation of endgame, conclusion, completion.

Our emotions around knowledge, ‘the facts’, interests at a distance, beliefs, and other Sagittarius-flavored matters (Moon), our sense of purpose and identity, specifically the way we think about ourselves and our roles (Sun in Gemini), how we perceive and assess our instincts, ‘blind spots’, and what we know but don’t know (Sedna in Gemini), our feelings of power and deep perceptions, especially Truth, as seen through a very modern, even revolutionary lens (Pluto in Aquarius), and the way of knowledge and beliefs interact with our material circumstances (Earth) are all in need of guidance, shape, intention, and aim; they’re new to the energy in which they move, and that may leave us feeling unsure of how to handle them in the moment.

But Neptune, Venus, and Jupiter are all at 29 degrees, with the latter two both widely conjoined Uranus (and with Venus parallel Jupiter and Uranus–so, at the same declination on the same side of the ecliptic) reinforcing the idea of a sense of abundance, Love, and dreams working together, or melding or blending in such a way that one can’t be distinguished from the others. There’s electricity in the air, a sense of potentials and the unexpected, in terms of relationships, reward, and opportunity. That sounds lovely, but it also means we can’t tell where our own responsibility ends and the largesse of others and the Universe begins; it also implies we may see ourselves and our assets and relationships as at the mercy of larger trends or accident and chance–and so believe there’s nothing we can do to affect them. Voluntary helplessness is not the way to go–but what is?

Focus on the Moon gives us a much clearer picture. The Moon sits conjoined the Earth in Sagittarius, opposed the Sun, Sedna (both in Gemini), and the closely placed duo of Venus-Jupiter (Taurus). Luna is also sesquiquadrate Mars in his own sign of Aries, sextile Pluto in Aquarius, and trine that 29 degree Neptune. We see the dispersal of knowledge or the culmination of beliefs (Moon in Sag) illuminated by what we know instinctively, may have ignored until now, but have foreknowledge of deep within (Sun-Sedna), and this reveals how our thinking (Gemini) about relationships, assets, prosperity prospects, reward, and social position is challenged by what we learn at the Full Moon. It’s the facts (Sag Moon) versus fantasy (Neptune) and they go down much too easily (trine), especially those illusions or untruths that we thought we could embrace indefinitely–we likely find we just can’t–or at least, we’re presented with evidence that says we shouldn’t.

What we discover fosters some upset, some confusion, and makes it difficult to know exactly how we should respond or what we should do (Mars), but here’s the thing: if we can link informed, Higher Mind thinking (Moon plus Aquarius–the kind of thinking that keeps us aware of both the greater good and our own spiritual imperatives) with expressions of power (Pluto) and manifestations of creative energy (Neptune) aimed at garnering positive results (Venus-Jupiter), we should do very well indeed.

The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘Two Men Playing Chess’. The Sun sits at ‘The Garden Of The Tuileries In Paris’. Think strategically, look for the beauty that surrounds, and remember, it’s all just a game, in the end.

New Moon 7 May 2024 Genie in a Bottle

06 Monday May 2024

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‘Stories from the Arabian Nights’ By Laurence Housman and Edmund Dulac 1911 {{PD}}

The New Moon perfects at 8:22 PDT at 18 Taurus 02, cupped by Venus on one side (at 10 degrees) and Jupiter and Uranus on the other (at 25 and 22 degrees respectively). Both Jupiter and Uranus can be considered conjoined, simply because the fast-moving Sun and even quicker Moon will relatively soon meet them–it’s a building energy–but what about Venus? 8 degrees past is a wide margin–and yet, with a chart that stars the Moon, we can look at this well-past aspect and know it describes the recent past, the time just before the New Moon. That suggests that we’ve been immersed in Venusian matters in Taurean form, which include issues of comfort, sustainability, security, artisanal efforts and aesthetics, stubbornness, loving nurture, as applied to relationships, finances, and/ or values. Our focus there led us to the New Moon beginning; that fresh beginning offers a different perspective on the involved energies, a new outlook that sends us in a new direction in seeking emotional fulfillment in Venus matters. It’s like letting the genie out of the bottle: it promises power, it’s magical and exciting, we see the potential to have exactly what we want, but there’s an awful lot that’s unpredictable and uncontrollable about the situation.

Now the spark of the New Moon presents to us something optimistic, exciting, shocking, unexpected, in the form of opportunities, prosperity, or startlingly inventive ways of looking at things, engaging the Higher Mind, or even asking us to embrace chaos or anarchy, in order to reap the benefits. It’s a scenario that may cause alarm, and certainly may exaggerate the reality picture, but it also confers a great deal of positive, looking-forward-to-the-future energy–and that can be a rocket engine to accomplishment or the securing of one’s place in the world.

There’s also a trine to Ceres and a sextile to Saturn formed by this New Moon, suggesting we can build real-world personal authority or negotiation power out of these circumstances, and Saturn further promises, along with Taurus, material impacts, ones that we can see around us, or hold in our hands. The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A New Continent Rising Out Of The Ocean’. It’s an image of Taurean productivity–new land!–but it also prompts us toward the state of Neptune, which is at 29 degrees of its own sign of Pisces, and is sextile Sedna, another sea denizen, and in the other direction, Pluto. That implies that what’s birthed with the New Moon is a most basic kind of change, the creation of a new foothold, new territory (and this appearance was inevitable, pressured with that 29 degrees exclaiming how the energy must express), a kind of Truth or circumstance of Power that becomes visible and usable. And what accompanies, or even prompts, this? Emotion, the province of the Moon and every Water placement we have. Neptune says the dream, in some form, may be coming true, at last, and Sedna says that whatever appears to us, our instincts and what we ‘know but don’t know’ will tell us exactly what is happening, and more importantly, why it’s happening. We get the lay of the land through our own intuition and other senses–so we’ll understand, whether we’re truly open to, or happy about, what’s happening around us, or not.

Two other points: Jupiter-Uranus are trine the Black Moon Lilith point, and Chiron and Mercury are closely conjoined in Aries. With the first we may see New Moon energy arising at least in part from those matters we’ve ignored or denied, or that enrage us. Our optimism and the opportunities presented may stir up everything we’d hoped to forget–and yet, if we accept that even what we’re not proud of has had its role in making us who we are today, we’ll perhaps learn that to forgive ourselves is to free ourselves. With Chiron and Merc we see our biggest obstacle: a tendency to allow our hamster-wheel thoughts to wound us, to dig up those things we’ve buried and insist we must hurt over them. We don’t have to; that’s just our own aggressive energy looking for a place to light–and if we see that, we can refuse the Self-inflicted wound, and put that Aries pioneering energy to work for that Neptunian creative goal.

The Local Landscape 30 April 2024

30 Tuesday Apr 2024

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‘Swiss Landscape’ By Alexandre Calame 1830 {{PD}}

Just a few things to keep in mind this week, starting with a Mercury-Chiron conjunction in Aries that perfects May 6th but is already within orb. This is a bit of a slow burn, with Merc still picking up speed after direction, meaning we have an unusually long window (in terms of Mercury) to experience this combo. In Aries this blend of energies can make us feel alone, isolated, our wounds and our thoughts looming larger-than-life. We have the sense that others are exerting their Will on us, but we can’t forget we’ll have the same tendency with them, and likely won’t be conscious of it; there’s also an issue of words, thoughts, and ideas hurting, whether they’re our own or hurled at us by others. This period is the equivalent of emotionally-charged quicksand. To be conscious of it is to give ourselves a chance to minimize damage and to survive what feels like a hostile and unforgiving mental jungle.

Uranus conjoined Jupiter is still in force, but waning in intensity as Jupiter moves at a quicker speed than Uranus and puts steadily growing distance between them. At this point the big Taurean splash is over, and we may be left either struggling to deal with the aftermath, or trying to make that outsized spark happen again. If you dealt with this as an ‘individual vs. group’ situation, you are likely feeling relieved but at the same time a tad left behind, as the group moves ahead whether we like it or not. Part of what we need to realize is that this aspect presented things to us in electrified, exaggerated terms, and though that makes the everyday look dull, it brought a shock that would be disastrously debilitating if we had to live it 24/ 7.

Venus in Taurus square Pluto in Aquarius perfects on May 1st; Luna will have just passed over Pluto, possibly igniting dark thoughts or urging us to take extreme action in finances or romance, as the emotional landscape looks bleak, a ‘nobody gets out of here alive’ feeling. Our values may seem threatened, our Love vulnerable to destruction, and relationships or earning circumstances may seem like they’ll have negative consequences–and they just might. We may intuit a depth in the resources or relationship picture and a very specific conflict around it; address this with care, always remaining mindful of the way the Mercury-Chiron pairing may make us entirely too conscious of our own pain, while Venus-Pluto may make us believe there’s only one, permanent way out of getting hurt again–and neither of those is really accurate. Being too aware of a wound means we take our attention away from what we’re doing or faced with–we’re illogically gun-shy–and that puts a barrier between us and perceiving reality correctly; being too frightened of what we might lose will warp our behavior and choices, and will definitely put us on an undesirable track. So, act as if you want to keep what you love, treat those things or people with dignity, care, and affection, and let the rest fall away. The truth around Venusian areas can be tough to take, but it’s necessary to know where we actually stand.

Neptune will reach the 29th degree of Pisces May 3rd. This degree suggests the body is under stress, its energy in some way desperate to express, to be heard. When that energy is Neptune, all bets are off. The only way to know how this might manifest is to know your natal relationship, as well as the current transit picture, to all that Neptune stands for: creative energy, deception, imagination, ideals, with a potential to birth our greatest ideas and to mislead ourselves or others and not even know that’s happening. This influence lasts to July, when Neptune appears to retrograde (bringing confusion over Neptunian choices so far or inspiration gleaned from previous Neptunian experience, and possibly causing us to change our minds or retreat) and continues into early September, then emerges for another go-round when the planet again hits 29 degrees, starting in early March 2025. Hints for handling this include finding and actively employing a creative outlet (or two or ten! Just be sure you’re doing ‘it’, not just thinking about ‘it’), being ‘married to the Truth’ so that you won’t succumb to fantasy, and embracing and accepting (rather than denying) areas of life where uncertainty reigns. To demand answers can undermine that way Neptune has of orchestrating the Universe to hand us the best possible outcome–so I guess trust in ourselves is what we need to practice.

Have a wonderful week!

Full Moon 23 April 2024 A Kassandra Moment

22 Monday Apr 2024

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Waves at sunrise in Corniche (Sète, France) 2020 By Christian Ferrer
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The Full Moon perfects at 4:49 PM PDT at 4 Scorpio 18, trine Vesta, sextile Juno, semi-sextile Pallas, square Pluto (which happens to be conjoined the asteroid Kassandra, more on that later), and not touching much else. It’s a picture of deep change–things are either swept away forcibly or we are put in a position that leaves us little recourse but to eliminate, restructure, resurrect, or annihilate–and this occurs even as we witness our own positive control of our power (Juno), our effective dedication to what we care about (Vesta), and the benefits of our partnerships and cooperative efforts (this latter via Vesta and Juno energies as so often involving–even existing because of or in relation to–the Other, particularly our Significant Other). So, in many ways we are experiencing the harmonious impact of our own power expression, our effectiveness at impressing ourselves on others and our environment–and yet there’s a serious power matter or elimination (Pluto) to attend to, one that the Universe refuses to let us go forward without answering.

A Full Moon is an energy culmination, and presents the collective result of, in this case, efforts in Scorpionic areas or activities, and/ or in the subject areas of the House in the natal chart where the Full Moon falls. We get the results of previously ‘digging deep’; we may put the story together, discover something new that knits scattered evidence into a whole, or we may see the wisdom behind what was removed, destroyed, or forbidden and so understand why what’s happened has happened (the last a product of a loose semi-sextile of the Full Moon to Pallas).

Here’s the kicker: Pluto conjoined Kassandra suggests that the Universe delivers a tough (square to the Moon) moment or incident that offers Higher Mind understanding (Pluto-Kassandra in Aquarius), but we won’t believe what is revealed/ shared. Kassandra, you’ll recall, was a priestess with whom the Sun god Apollo fell in love (and the Sun is actually part of this equation, as it opposes the Moon-Earth and so fills in a T-square with Pluto-Kassandra). Apollo offered her the gift of prophecy, hoping to win her favor; she knew what he expected from this gift (so it wasn’t really a gift, right? It was payment), but once she received it she turned him down, incensing the god. What the gods confer they cannot take back–but they can affect the working of that gift. Outraged at her refusal of his suit, Apollo condemned Kassandra to be always right about what she foresaw, but never believed by others.

That’s a particularly bitter outcome, when we receive what we need to hear, know, or perceive, and yet we are unable to see the Truth of it; that’s exactly what we should expect here: deep, intense perceptions that we will judge to be incomplete or inaccurate. How do we answer that?

We may not accept the power situation and/ or knowledge presented, but we do have a clear, strong influence of Self-confidence and personal autonomy aligned with highest values and commitments (Juno, Vesta) that, if we’ll accept our own emotional Truth (those things we know because we feel their Truth deep within–Moon in Scorpio) we’ll be able to go round the misleading Pluto-Kassandra square and so effectively make the ‘right’ decision, do what needs to be done.

The Sabian for this Full Moon is, ‘A Massive Rocky Shore Resists The Pounding Of The Sea’. The reality of the moment is a rocky shore: ‘What Is’, heavily resistant to abundant and persistent emotional assault of waves of feeling and upset. This is the Full Moon square Pluto-Kassandra. The Sun, light-giver that we always examine at a Full Moon, has the Sabian, ‘A Widow At An Open Grave’. ‘Widow’ describes a particular status: receptive, anima energies without their balancing animus, doing energies. This implies our energies are lopsided: too receptive, too passive, too ready to accept the way things are, too accepting to demand answers, or to insist we must know what that grave is for (and note: there’s not necessarily any connection between the woman’s status and the fact that an empty grave is before her–if we find ourselves looking without and connecting externals to our own internal state, we may be drawing parallels where there are none).

The suggestion may be that, when it comes to the Full Moon scenario, we’re too likely to see ourselves as helpless in the face of greater forces (like death–and Pluto can certainly feel death-like), to perceive ourselves as all feeling, no action–which is never truly an accurate perception, is it? Abdicating our own part in things, remaining passive, is its own kind of action, its own choice. Maybe this reminds us that to see ourselves as subject to outside forces (even to see ourselves as victims) is to pretend we have no part in what’s happening, and that this perception denies our responsibility for our own lives, our own fates.

PS Though there’s been a lot written about this week’s Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, I thought it worth adding that this is an aspect of ‘The Big Big Picture’; that is, a coming together of immensities, of large groups or populations, of huge ideas and all-encompassing concepts, of philosophies and facts and urges toward independence, toward free thought and expansion, toward the kind of impetus for shifts and change that comes in surprising and overwhelming ways. We’re talking about societal moments, rather than individual ones–but we can’t over look the way the social order affects each of us, in uniquely individual ways. Look at the matters of the two Houses in the natal chart that are ruled by Jupiter and Uranus=that’s where you see personal movement, in a blending of their subjects, delivering a dynamic message. If the conjunction aspects something in the natal chart (no more than 3 degrees variation) that is likely to expand that energy and activate it in big, surprising, exciting ways. But of course, it won’t necessarily make a big splash in everyone’s week, or month, or year, and you shouldn’t feel badly if this week has been on the less revolutionary side for you. For many, it will be as if they’re riding a current that after this point flows, just slightly, in a new direction, with the energies acting as a background to more personal, more immediate, developments.

Venus Conjoined the North Node

17 Wednesday Apr 2024

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, aspects and placements, current events in the sky, North Node, the Vertex

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‘Path in the Wheat Fields at Pourville’ By Claude Monet 1882 {{PD}}

I’ve been seeing a lot of commentary on this event, specifically described as bringing a fated meeting, love, or benefit into the life. In my view this isn’t quite accurate. Can it bring that? It’s possible, of course; but the North Node, a point of extremity in the Moon’s cycle, I interpret in the natal chart as indicating our ultimate life direction–not an end point or goal, but a heading, like finding a region on a map (the sign) and moving toward it throughout our time here. In a transiting situation, like now, this brings, in matters of the natal House where it falls, something Venusian related to aspects of our Path/ current life direction. These may touch on issues around our relationship to the energies of the sign where it occurs and/ or our relationship to Archetypal Venus energies: Love, partnership, the Arts, social interactions, assets/ income, or those natal Venus energies found by House location, House rulerships, and/ or Venus’ sign in the natal chart. We have to customize our assessment of a transiting aspect’s impact on the individual–it takes some parsing, especially if the aspect makes contact with other natal placements–and typically the meaning of this will fit well into some scenario we’re currently part of. Naturally, the conclusions we reach, and the intensity or lack of it we experience, will be different for each of us.

What would I read as bringing a fated meeting, inevitable reward, the creation of something (in the Arts, particularly) that defines who we are? That would be transiting Venus meeting our natal Vertex. The Vertex is a point of intersection, where the ecliptic and the prime vertical meet; it’s opposite point is the anti-Vertex, and like the Nodes and the Sun-Earth axis, Vertex and anti-Vertex are always located exactly opposite each other in the flat chart. Anything touching the Vertex, by natal aspect or transiting contact, takes on a definite, life shaping aura. It marks points of crucial decision making, encounters that mark direction altering milestones or experiences, and even if the astrological event seems to occur without causing a ripple, it can often mark a time we will look back on as important because we reached a particular conclusion or make one of those passive, anti-choices that end up determining so much of our way forward. This, too, must be customized, with focus on our relationship to the transiting energy natally, and to what it rules or contacts.

Some may feel that the North Node and the Vertex are essentially the same thing, but I would argue that the North Node is about our choices, and the way the Universe will nudge us in a particular direction, one we have a Soul deep need to explore and experience; the North Node is our True North, a compass point we inevitably orient ourselves to. On the other hand, the Vertex strikes me as involving the orchestration of a great many external elements; those encounters or events or even acts of creation (or, more likely, their recognition) largely happen to us, even when we are catalyst or initiator. One is the Universe gently pulling us, the other is the active hand of the Universe reaching into our lives and shuffling the deck, putting a card that we must play in front of us, challenging us to see the import of the moment, and its potential consequences. We can only hope to recognize those moments, when they come.

Promises in the Aftermath

10 Wednesday Apr 2024

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

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‘In the Land of Promise’ By Charles Frederic Ulrich 1884 {{PD}}

Where do you find yourself, days after the total Solar eclipse? In talking with others, I’m hearing two distinct kinds of experiences: one that is a laundry list of what we’re sure to see as negative effects, things we must face that there’s no way around–some of which may have been at the edges of our conscious mind for some time, anticipated for ‘someday’–and the other appears fortuitous, but still haunted by an awareness of our vulnerability, our mortality, ‘good’ happenings that contain within them conditions that reflect how lucky we are in the moment, how one day ‘it’ will end. That tracks, considering the trip to the Underworld we were promised; what may be surprising (and we were promised a surprise, too!) is the solemnity of what we’re facing, the potential for life turning points that seems to lurk beneath even the most casual of decisions.

This is all good. It’s causing us to choose with care, to think about the impacts on others and the future, and it’s fostering a very positive kind of sensitivity, the kind that gives empathy and Love a prominent place in consciousness, and so in relationships and decision-making. Ruler of the eclipse, Mars, is currently in Pisces conjoined Saturn=this is action, choice, reality generated against a background of the creative energy of All-That-Is; it’s our personal creativity and ideals shaping the Cosmos, and the Cosmos shaping us. We’re offered disciplined choice guided by ideals, constructive creative energy, and a chance to build reality as we imagine it should be.

The other important influence is the upcoming meeting of Jupiter-Uranus, perfecting soon (19th-20th April) in Taurus=the most obvious potential possible with this is sudden opportunity, surprising expansion, fortuitous chance, the individual acting on the group, the group affecting the individual, innovation or invention that opens the way, with Taurus suggesting a material outcome, a shift in prosperity, artisanal output, quality, or productivity, a surprise around our sources of security, stability, or comfort. But, for a more personal glimpse at what this means, we may want to first note the matters represented by the House in the personal natal chart that contains Taurus–this is where the action is–and as well to note the matters of the Houses ruled by Jupiter and Uranus–these matters are likely to combine in some significant way involved in those Jupiter-Uranus meeting effects. Then there’s the matter of Venus, ruler of Taurus, at the time of conjunction just past mid-Aries=this emphasizes the power of the individual to affect things, and again emphasizes the role of choice and of taking action, and how this will largely determine results for the individual.

An example: A Whole Sign Sagittarius Ascendant puts the eclipse in the creative output/ children/ risk-taking 5th, along with Venus, and sees Jupiter-Uranus in the every day, duties and obligations, work 6th, and Mars-Saturn in the core Self/ home and family of origin/ end-of-things 4th (and you’ll note, this is likely to be mostly or entirely in one quadrant of the chart, in this case the one that deals with preparing efforts to put out into the world and be judged for, 4th-6th). Jupiter rules the 1st, Uranus the 3rd, suggesting the individual and their thinking are key to what happens; the eclipse offered healing around creative efforts or matters of the individual’s children or ventures, and promises reward if this is addressed (the presence of Venus). This comes in the course of the every day, fulfilling obligations or work, and responds to the core Self (beliefs, especially about who this person is deep inside) and is reflected in home or family matters. In this case, the ‘children’ could be artistic output, or a risk-taking venture, but in any case centers on how this person is viewing this matter, and how open they are to implementing what they (ideally) want, via work, taking on or fulfilling duties, or in dealing with colleagues (the ‘where the action is’ 6th).

All this together, major conjunctions plus eclipse, may offer that promised healing–at least, that’s how I’m seeing it, not only because it makes sense, but because that attitude is it’s own promise, it’s own magic, it’s own blend of the opportunity and optimism of Jupiter and the willingness to risk and overturn of Uranus that can deliver what we seek. Willingly or not, consciously or not, we’ve taken a big step forward; reach out, choose, give it the shape of your dreams.