Category Archives: forecast

Lead Up to the New Moon: Jupiter in Retreat

01 Thursday Jul 2021

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‘A Cool Retreat’ By John William Godward 1910 {{PD}}

Does it feel as if some promised bounty, some dream that appeared to be in reach, some knowledge or luck you were counting on, has been, rather stealthily, withdrawn? That may be the subtle (early Pisces) backtracking of Jupiter. Those pull-backs from retrogrades are temporary, yes, but sometimes what was removed wasn’t really there–and in this case, because Jupiter was in at retrograde point the sign of Pisces, what you thought was right there was most likely an illusion, in terms of proximity, at least. This retro period will take you into territory that offers a new, ‘modern’ take on that dream, telling you where it was outdated, and through ‘Higher Learning’ and/ or accident and serendipity, re-shape what you wanted (or wanted to know about) into a more appropriate form for who you are now. That’s the beauty of a retrograde, it can often save us from ourselves by forcing a hiatus–and that may be the benefit here.

Now if you haven’t had something whisked away, then you might be someone who sports a natal retro Jupiter, for whom this is Jupiter’s more characteristic dynamic, making whatever dreams you were inspired to pursue take a pause for inventory as it shifts signs–and that’s a good thing, allowing you to align things and orient yourself in the desired direction–and making your most characteristic approach to opportunity the right approach, for right now. If you’re someone who’s had good things come out of the woodwork, particularly long-delayed benefits or long-ago invested-in dreams, then Jupiter’s retro period is taking you back into territory where the dream of Pisces becomes the intellectual or group demands of Aquarius. You’ll be called to find (or perhaps shape) your individual role within a larger context: as member (or leader) of a group, within a specific intellectual sphere, within the avant garde in your field, within an experimental effort, or as a disruptor for the ‘old’ system. In every case, it’s energy that will change your thinking (Jupiter in Air) before it goes direct and returns to the creative or inspired Piscean path you were on when the retro started.

There’s also a loose Earth Grand Trine of Vesta-Pluto-Ceres, putting Mother Nature, dietary matters, the weather, and those things we take very seriously (what we find sacred, what or whom we’re committed to, matters of life and death, reform, serious change, transformation, responsibility) in focus, and by drawing our attention, allowing us to achieve a kind of balance. It’s do-your-best, steady-as-she-goes with all these areas, and we’re required to show reverence for the larger, natural world and for elemental forces that are beyond us–and if our efforts or responses involve alterations, as long as they are undertaken with an awareness of the importance they carry and the repercussions that could come, things will work out fine. That is, seeing our own choices as making a deep impact on the Collective well-being and the world at large means we’ll make the best choices on both a large and small, personal scale.

Too, South Node and Juno are tightly conjoined right now, with Venus trine both roughly July 3rd-7th. The power dynamics of the past in relationships and in financial arrangements might seem currently cemented in place, but they’re not as unchangeable as we might think. When Venus makes contact we might find that at least one party in any matter wants to make change, to update the power dynamic–and the other may stubbornly hold tight. The need to adjust, to ‘modernize’ the balance, will become obvious during this period, and the Moon’s contact to the North Node on the 6th will make not just the need, but the way to implement change, very clear.

See more about the period up to the New Moon here–

26 June 2021 Underwater

26 Saturday Jun 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Retrogrades, T-Square

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‘Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida‘ 1947

Toni Frissell {{PD}}

In the past week we’ve had Jupiter and Neptune both station retrograde, and my attention is drawn to two things: that both are not only in Pisces, but are ancient and modern rulers of Pisces, and that Vesta will first oppose Neptune, then will be joined by Mercury as it squares both, creating a T-square (in place by July 6th). With the first point, the abundance of liquid energy in the form of Piscean creativity and idealism is inspiring (and we add Pallas, wisdom, in Pisces, and the Sun in Watery Cancer, bringing both smarts and focus/ attention to the mix). The retro status changes, though, may take us underwater, submerging the conscious mind in the emotional element, bringing forward the liminal, the half-remembered, the things about which we end up asking ourselves, ‘Was it real, or did I just imagine it?’

The process of the T forming starts with the opposition, with the suggestion that a critical view of the highest values and commitments (Vesta in Virgo) comes up against illusion, delusion, or the need to violate something we’ve ’til now held as sacred, in order to create or reach an ideal; then Mercury comes along to square them both from Gemini, implying a message, information, or our own thought processes make clear the difficulties arising from or caused by the working out of the opposition tension.

The thing with a T-square is the tension; you have to break it, to unbalance it, or you’ll end up with a fulcrum that see-saws between alternatives and resolves nothing. In this case, you’ll have to choose: stick with old established values, standards, and things you find sacred, or pursue the inspired dream or creative goal. The Mercurial information dump may aggravate things, even mislead you, but in the end the choice comes down to the Vesta end of the see-saw (values, what you currently honor) or the Neptunian end (dreams, creative goals), and keep this in mind: when a new desire or life direction seems to conflict with long-time values and commitments, the thing to do isn’t to automatically reject the desire as unsuitable out of hand; instead it should inspire an examination of the values and what you honor, in order to determine if your values are actually current and in accord with your genuine feelings. Even standards may go stale over time–and yet if you find them still viable, still appropriate for you, then you’ll know that the creative urge was more of a whim or a pipe dream, a distraction or a wrong turn, and can let it go, making room for other inspirations more in line with who you are at core.

Full Moon in Capricorn 24 June 2021 A Freeing Up, A Spark of Genius

23 Wednesday Jun 2021

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

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Edward Middleton Manigault ‘The Rocket’ 1909 {{PD}}

The Full Moon perfects on the 24th at 11:39 AM PDT at 3 Capricorn 27. A Full Moon in Capricorn can feel awfully final, setting boundaries and rules in no uncertain terms, cutting off the possibility of maybe, scuttling speculation along the ‘if things were only a little different’ lines–but that’s not how it happens, this time. The Moon conjoins the Earth, opposes the Sun, and sextiles Jupiter, implying not an ending or conclusion but an opening up, through opportunity, facts, or an expanded belief system. Granted, this may come via the mechanism of one or more options or alternatives hitting a dead end or conclusion–but that should only reinforce the sense that it’s time to move on, and good things are offered to those who do.

If you’ve got a natal planet at 1-4 of Leo, that body will be apex to a Finger of God, suggesting that the FM events and the wider possibilities they bring will energize the natal planet, showcasing expression of related energies as the logical ‘result’.

Out of this constructive (Capricorn) and optimistic and creative (Jupiter in Pisces) energy comes a new way forward or a new way of seeing things–but there are a couple more subtle contacts the Full Moon makes that we need to take into account. One is the novile it forms to Saturn; a novile promises a spark of genius generated by the combining of the two energies, creating a synergy that delivers more than the sum of its parts. Saturn is reality itself, as well as ruler of the Full Moon, and this could mean real world conditions, or solid material results, could come from Full Moon events–and that they’ll be more than a little special, innovative, or inspired.

We also see the Full Moon sesquiquadrate Ceres in Taurus. Again, the Full Moon brings an emphasis on material matters and ‘tangibles’ (Earth signs Taurus and Capricorn, so many Saturn connections, Earth conjoined the Earth Moon, and now with Ceres, the addition of Mother Nature Herself, the Earth’s ‘personality’, in a way). A sesquiquadrate (135 degrees, + or – 1.5 degrees) is an aspect of agitation and tension, the kind of upset that won’t leave us alone and must be addressed. The irritation that comes from the interaction of Ceres with the Full Moon dynamic may take many forms, but will certainly include some Ceres-related matters with which we become uncomfortable: our own sense of personal authority in some Taurean area, something concerning our health and/ or diet, some situation in Nature that directly affects us (including natural disasters–which I guess Nature doesn’t see as a disaster, right? To her that’s just Self-expression!), something that requires negotiation (especially if we’ve believed we can ‘do it on our own’), some matter of growth or sustenance or even finances, to include something potentially related to Venus’ recent journey (see June 22-23). Something we’ve ‘built’ will need addressing or revision with Full Moon events, either necessitating that (having been brought to a breaking point) or making the need to act on this very clear, though maybe not necessitating action just yet (that could build, finally occurring when Merc and the Sun meet up for the Superior Conjunction, on August 1st in Leo, emphasizing the individual personal nature of the choice or action needed).

Yes, it’s a ‘Strawberry Moon’, and yes, it’s a Super Moon, but neither factors in to the astrological picture. To think so, especially with the latter condition, is to assert that the closer a body is to Earth, the more power it has–which we know isn’t true; just look at the impact a Pluto transit can have, or even in practical terms the way the Sun can burn, while the Moon just glows with the Sun’s reflected light (though I do acknowledge that wonderful effect of the Moon’s pull on the tides of the body–but they’re subtle, so capable of escaping notice).

I really haven’t been feeling the Sabians lately; I’m not saying they’re inaccurate, but rather for my interpretation purposes, they for some time haven’t seemed to expand very much on what we’re getting from the planetary picture. So instead I’ll leave you with a Word Image for the Full Moon period (with significance through to the next Full Moon): an individual’s hands, the left with six fingers, the right with seven. Does this read to you as suggesting the individual is tasked with too much responsibility? Too busy, with ‘too many fingers in too many pies’? Or is it that the individual expects too much from themselves, almost along the lines of ‘if I had more hands, I’d get more done’? Does it strike you as alarming or freakish, prompting you to turn away, suggesting you’re observing something unnatural (or at least, not of the norm)? In some symbolic systems, left stands for the spiritual, and right for the physical world, and the number six for responsibility, the number seven for spirituality; that would then translate as ‘spiritual responsibility, material spirituality’, maybe constituting a message that the two factors, the seen and unseen, must intermingle more, or more completely. Your interpretation may vary, though hands themselves almost certainly imply a ‘Doing’ mode, suggesting a need to take action, and perhaps to find balance or a kind of working relationship between two similar entities.

Lead Up to the Full Moon 22 & 23 June 2021 What’s Practical, What’s Wise

21 Monday Jun 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Mercury Direction

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I’m most interested in two things for this pair of days: a sextile between Juno and Saturn, and a progression of aspects, starting with Venus’ still extant trine to Neptune, then tracing Venus as she goes on to oppose Pluto and trine Pallas, then sextile Black Moon Lilith, and finally sextile Sedna. And of course, Mercury’s station direct afternoon of the 22nd, Pacific time.

The Juno-Saturn pairing suggests that maturity, in the form of accepting responsibility for ourselves and the impact we have, not only offers us stability, support from the material world, but also brings us constructive physical results.

Venus’ journey, on the other hand, either started with great inspiration or great delusion–so we’re already on a massively creative track, or a completely wrong one. The opposition to Pluto will be the jolt that makes clear which Venus path we’re pursuing, and requires we either commit (if it’s the inspired one) or eliminate this direction altogether (if it’s the delusional one).

Important to note, though, that at the same time as the opposition, Venus will also be trine Pallas, offering excellent guidance as to what’s practical, what’s wise–and since this involves Venus, we should expect relationships, finances, or both will be in the mix–but whatever it is, with Venus in Cancer, we’re going to care–just don’t allow sentimentality to masquerade as something worth investing in–because it’s not.

The sextile to BML, followed quickly by one to Sedna, suggests that relationships or financial matters bring a glimpse into areas we may have been ignoring or in denial about, and then our instincts or what we ‘know but don’t know’ chimes in to tell us how to handle what has been revealed. The real trick over these next couple days is to be open, to listen to the inner voice–not the one that gets us in trouble, but the one that makes us say after, ‘I knew it!’–because we did.

Mercury officially re-gains direct status at 16 Gemini 09, and soon after receives an opposition from the Moon in Sagittarius. Information may dawn immediately, delivered with a bit of an emotional punch and an urge to contradict it–but facts are facts, and we’ll have a much better time of things if we accept them and move forward. Also note the Sun-Jupiter trine in Water, promising clarity in belief, perception, social situations, and in the authenticity of any opportunities that come before us. The only thing to guard against is overflowing optimism, just because any overflow, even being overly positive in outlook, always causes a bit of a mess.

Your Weekend 18-21 June 2021 Problems, Not Problems

18 Friday Jun 2021

Posted by in current events in the sky, forecast, The Weekend Word Image, Weekend Astrology

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Lichtkunstwerk „Silberne Frequenz“ (Otto Piene, 1970/71, Neukonzeption 2012/14) Photo By Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89122065

Just a few notes on aspects in play this weekend, for your consideration.

On Friday the 18th the trines prevail, to include one between Venus and Neptune-Pallas (the entire period, growing in strength), one between retro Mercury and Saturn, and one between the Sun and Jupiter (stronger each day). Should be wonderful, right? Love and wise ideals work together, we ‘get the message’ (probably in images or feelings, because Merc retro) from the reality picture (and bonus, we are able to ‘control the message’ we convey, a rarity during this part of the Merc cycle), and the sun shines on opportunities, which are abundant. But, to make this all work best, we need to be aware of a few other details: those sunny opportunities may arise out of some unpleasant or hurtful situations–so try to rise above the hurt (instead of just reacting) to see how we can learn, grow, heal, or use our gifts (Jupiter novile Chiron); dreams can become reality right now–and so can nightmares, so use your oh-so-powerful imagination in positive ways (Saturn novile Neptune); and for the entire weekend, be aware of how the past is influencing your actions and choices, and make that work for you, rather than against (Mars approaching trine to the South Node).

For the 19th, two things stand out: the Sun sesquiquadrates Saturn, and Saturn squares and Earth sesquiquadrates Uranus. Suddenly, there are problems, where the way seemed smooth before. It may appear that reality is throwing up roadblocks and material matters are not just unpredictable–it may even feel like inanimate objects are opposing us! All these ‘Stop’ signs are really just ‘Slow’ signs, meant to curb precipitous, headlong progress and make it both safer and more carefully considered. Pay attention and take your time; accidents and shocks will be your indication that you’re pushing too hard, too fast.

Sunday the 20th things may seem a bit tense. Identity crises are a dime a dozen, and fears about our material future, and who will accompany us there, may get the upper hand. These are passing perceptions, born of particular stresses that have been around for a while but are soon to ‘break’, like a fever or a wave. That should tell you that these worries are, well, nothing to worry about! If you do start percolating, get busy with something soothing or creative, as upset now is simply a sign of energy that needs channeling to a worthy destination.

Pluto trine Sedna, Pallas at the midpoint, has been around the whole weekend, but now it seems to come into focus,on Monday, the 21st. Though the Pluto-Sedna contact could read as, ‘ too easy destruction fueled by the suppressed, the instinctive, or what we know but don’t acknowledge’, Pallas at the midpoint of the two says that what is eliminated, changed, transformed, or given power is steered by the inner wisdom, and/ or the sense of practicality. That doesn’t mean what goes down will be seamless or even pleasant, but it does mean that even inadvertently triggered events, encounters, and ‘wars’ will have a smart, ‘house cleaning’ effect, as the world or others offer us the chance to shape our circumstances more to our liking, no matter how random or unanticipated it all seems. Also, the Sun enters Cancer, Earth enters Capricorn, making the feelings a little more tender, material matters a little more cut-and-dried.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Photo By Callan Carpenter

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Killer Whales Hunting a Seal.jpg 2018

Your Weekend Word Image is a scene from a dream: a choppy bay is filled with dolphins colored like orcas (killer whales). The setting is emotional (water), chop suggesting disturbance or turmoil. This points us astrologically toward Jupiter, Neptune, and Venus, all currently in Water signs, to be joined at the end of the forecast period by the Sun–which tells us be patient, illumination will come, if we don’t immediately understand.

Dolphins are intelligent mammals, like us, but potentially even smarter–so, we’re looking at an emotional scenario filled with what seem to be ‘regular’ people. But, and it’s a big one, these individuals have coloration suggesting another animal altogether–and I translate that as them actually being quite aggressive, even predators, in their own way, trying to pass themselves off as reasoned individuals, a ‘we’re just alike, you and me’ that they are signaling is untrue, if we are clear enough (that is, unemotional enough) to see. Hint: your clue that someone is running a number may be that they portray the matter as ‘black and white’, mimicking the coloration of the orca–stark, with no in-between.

Or, these could be intelligent, reasoned others who want to seem more formidable than they are. They try to convince you they are more dangerous, aggressive, or battle-ready than they in reality are–which could leave you in a bad spot if you’re counting on their assertiveness or support.

Jupiter, Neptune, and Venus speak in broad terms to opportunity and knowledge, dreams and illusions, and relationships and finances–all areas where it’s vital to see ‘the Truth’. When the Sun arrives in Cancer on Monday, we should be able to discern precisely the genuine shapes and intents of situations, and the others who people them.

Keeping Our Balance 16 June 2021

15 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by in current events in the sky, forecast, The Daily Word Image

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‘Tightrope’ By Paul Klee 1880 {{PD}}

Tomorrow the Sun enters orb of a quincunx to Pluto and perfects a square to Pallas, and more than anything, this may be disorienting, just coming off the Sun’s square to Neptune as we are. The Sun in Gemini isn’t just about communication; it’s as if the very air is charged with information, transmitted invisibly–and yet we know, or at least we suspect, feeling vital revelations as they’re on the verge of forming coherent intel. The contact to Pluto may shake the ground beneath our feet; we suddenly become very unsure of the change we’re witnessing, and question whether we can see its larger meaning. This uncertainty is all because we question our own inner wisdom–or is it that we are being contrary, rejecting the smart or the practical option, because that offers a sense of control, which is something we don’t have if we seem to be acquiescing to a larger authority or a greater wisdom?

So, how do we keep our balance? Accept that we have within us the wisdom and maturity to know what we know, to take the right steps, to do the smart thing. We have the choice to see the nudge from Pluto not as an earthquake but as a display of real power that shows us where we stand in relation, that points out where we do (and don’t) hold true power ourselves. And we can respond to the tough circumstance that calls on us to access our inner adult gratefully, knowing that we have the answer within that will make everything go well–just as long as we aren’t too stubborn, Self-sabotaging, or flippant to ignore it.

Today’s Word Image is a dense forest, uninhabited, where explorers suddenly spot high in the trees a clutch of bright balloons caught in the branches. In blazing ‘new territory’ (in relation to your personal experience) where have you found something incongruous and unexpected? What was your reaction to it? Did anyone try to ‘sell’ you on this being a good thing? Is the shine and flash of celebration distracting you from something important? The reality is, those balloons don’t belong in the woods, and in the end those Mylar creations will be nothing but trash. I think this is a message to not be too impressed by, enamored of, or misled by something, just because it’s shiny–if it doesn’t fit the overall picture, it doesn’t belong there, and treating it as if it does could waste valuable time, or just end up polluting something that should be kept pristine.

Catching My Eye 12 June 2021

12 Saturday Jun 2021

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Matt Langbehn


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‘Young Eyes Constantly Watch’

Two things catch my eye today, and I’m not sure how random they may be, considering we’ve just been through the punch/ caress of the eclipse, followed immediately by the Inferior Conjunction. All I can do, I suppose, is share my thoughts.

The first is the lingering together of Ceres and Uranus in Taurus. This has been going on for a while now, and for some reason I’ve been ignoring them–but they’re under my skin, so I guess I’d better pay attention! This speaks of Mother Nature, the sense of personal authority, the ability to negotiate, the sense of personal responsibility, met by (or maybe bedeviled by) accident, serendipity, rebellion, revelation, Higher Knowledge, or the group Will. That makes for a number of combinations that boil down to: shock and shift that affects those things that let us know who we are and what our function is within the larger scheme, that may challenge our sense of ourselves as good, responsible people. And you know how bad and unreasonable people can be when their sense of themselves as upstanding is perhaps pointed out as not-so-much as they pretend.

But what is a shock and shift in slow motion? Because that’s what we’ve had, a slowly dawning reveal of something around our responsibilities and our prerogatives–and this is definitely something in the material world, something affecting our comfort, well-being, or surroundings. Where are you pretending to be responsible, doing the ‘right’ thing, when you’re not? That will have to be answered, one way or another.

The other thing dogging me is the quincunx just now in orb of Mars, newly in Leo, to Jupiter in Pisces. They’re both recently arrived in their respective signs–and things are bound to chafe in any case, as they adjust, so add a dissonance with another body, and you get–maybe a heat rash, with friction, Fire, and Water, or maybe just a maddening humidity. The desire to act, to alleviate the situation, may be both driven by ego and filled with illusion/ delusion–so a waste of effort, time, energy, and in the end not likely to make us feel one bit better. Frustration is the keyword here–so maybe better to sit back and treat it like a sauna (throw your clothes off, luxuriate in the heat, not think too much) rather than rail against a sticky heat you can do effectively little to escape.

Bonus: those with a natal placement in the first few degrees of Libra receive the quincunx as a Finger of God. This couples action or choice with the natal energy, leading to something Jupiterian–public, published, or belief or fact based–with the suggestion that it all turns out as you imagined, but probably exaggerated, in some way.

A final note: in just under two days the Sun perfects a square to Neptune–and considering that Merc is retro right now, don’t strain too hard to sort out what the problem is–you don’t have to, because the ‘problem’ will present itself to you in short order, and from there it will be clear what actually needs doing, most importantly, because the tension may not be caused by a genuine problem at all, just a change we may not have envisioned, until now.

Have a great weekend, and relax–it’s all going to be okay.

New Moon in Taurus 11 May 2021 What We Want

07 Friday May 2021

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

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‘A Beauty With Doves’ By Charles Joshua Chaplin 19th century {{PD}}

On the 10th, during the Dark of the Moon, we may get a shock, as the Moon conjoins Uranus in the world-weary material realms of Taurus. At roughly the same time, Moon-Uranus sextiles Mars and finds itself caught at the midpoint of Chiron and Mercury-North Node. Normally the Dark period is quiet, at least psychically speaking, the energy muted with many of us having the sense that we’re a little apart from the world. Things happen, but we either aren’t yet aware of them or we’re not aware of the full implication of events, as if we’re having trouble intuiting, or maybe feeling, our connection to what occurs.

This time we we may be surprised, or just enlightened, by some revelation, or even some revolution, that we’re witness to. It affects material matters, our security, or our comfort, and at the same time prompts us to act or choose, with the spurring event either evolving from the convergence of past hurt and current, clear thinking about the future, or leading us to a better understanding of the past, ourselves, and where we want to go–and so making what we need to do to get there clear.

That’s the lead-in to the New Moon, which forms at 11:59 AM PDT on the 11th at 21 Taurus 17. We’ve received some flash knowledge the day before, and we see the results of that in two potent aspects: the NM conjoined the Black Moon Lilith point, and the NM as apex to a perfect Finger of God with base of Juno and Zeus. These tell a story that may be a little scary, a little hard to take, simply because we may be faced with some of the more hidden parts of ourselves–and the things we deny, or repress, or think are behind us when they’re not, are some of the most difficult things we ever have to deal with–and they’re all inside us, so challenge us to be unflinchingly Self-responsible–and that’s never easy.

The conjunction speaks of the New Moon beginning/ event as driven by things we’ve ignored, denied, or that have in the past enraged us. It’s the kind of powerful energy that can move us to major feats, to redemption, but also has the potential to simply enrage us all over again as we’re forced to acknowledge something we thought carefully buried! So, we can make the best of it by recognizing what we’ve put aside and then using it as a catalyst to do what needs doing, or we can sink into an abyss of anger at our own choices, pointing fingers at who’s responsible–but by now it’s obvious, the Finger points at us.

With a base of Zeus (the ambition and desire nature) and Juno (empowerment, status, the role we play), this configuration suggests that the dissonance created by the New Moon revelation/ event is the direct result of our own wants and our attempts to bring them to fruition. These two components of our lives have worked together to bring about this New Moon result, and vice versa, the New Moon tells us a great deal about our actual wants, and our actual empowerment situation.

The New Moon also sextiles Neptune and Pallas (wisdom, practicality, and creative energy are all available to address what comes forward; we just have to make a little effort to apply them), trines Pluto (change or transformation is easy–in this instance a kind of ‘magical power at your fingertips’ aspect), and noviles Chiron. This latter is interesting in light of the 10th, when what occurred (or occurred to us) was related to our sense of hurt (or, in some cases, our very unique personal skills); now a novile says that we have an exceptional ability to heal and/ or utilize that energy in positive ways–it’s so strong, we don’t even really need to try, which means that appropriate healing will occur, even if we don’t see it as such–at least, we may not see it that way yet.

Neptune and the New Moon create another Finger of God base, this one with an apex of Zeus in Libra. This suggests that our purest creative urge, when driven by the New Moon energy (that is, a likely material, Arts-related, or comfort-keyed energy), may inform our ambition pursuit, and possibly connect us with others who can make our desires a reality.

Also of note: Jupiter sits at the stressful 29th degree of Aquarius, signalling one of several things: that the intellect suffers under strain that comes from what we’ve learned or realized; that the social sphere around us is in some way at a tipping point, when feeling (Pisces) will soon overtake the mental lens (Aquarius) we’ve been using for some particular subject; that we’re presented with a crisis or stressful situation that is in reality a major opportunity; that knowledge we’ve acquired or ‘the facts’ of the matter will force us to choose or act–in this case, we’re at the end of the road, there’s no getting out of it.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A White Dove Flying Over Troubled Waters’. This might be the stance we need to take for what’s coming: bring nothing but a pure kind of peace, an intent to do no harm, to whatever roiling situation you’re faced with. If you find a particular situation is missing something, rather than blaming someone else, what we need to see is that we didn’t bring the missing ingredient, either–and if we choose peace over anything else, as long as it isn’t camouflage for passive-aggression, then we’ll be, at a personal level, in the best position possible to cope, to thrive, to ‘rise above’. And that’s what we all ultimately want, isn’t it? Peace?

New Moon in Aries 11 April 2021 Turns in the Road

07 Wednesday Apr 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, T-Square

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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

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, future events in the sky

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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.