Category Archives: Retrogrades

Your Week 16-22 June 2017 Silence

15 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, Horoscope, Neptune, Retrogrades, Sun/Mercury Superior Conjunction, The Daily Word Image

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Plas Newydd (Anglesey) – Terrace gardens grotto – Neptune as gargoyle By Wolfgang Sauber – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16274036

On the 16th Neptune stations retrograde at 14 Pisces 15, in close sextile to Juno in Capricorn, herself in apparent retro motion. This forms a loose Finger of God with asteroid Vesta in Leo–and if a personal body sits 12-16 Leo, you’ll see that natal energy as apex to an attempt at empowerment, one that either brings creativity to the fore, or is misguided, out of following your own delusions or misunderstandings. Juno prompts us to use our status, position, or connections to express our Will, and Neptune focuses that expression through our ideals, whether they are spiritual ones, imaginative ones, or off the mark, skewed by deception or delusion. For everyone, the Finger suggests that effort at exercising our prerogatives through creativity or misperception will result in pinpointing what we really care about, or discovery of what we’d like to dedicate our time and energy to; for those with a natal placement in that Leo range, this suggests you’ll see what matters in terms of the contacted energy, or possibly in terms of issues contained in the House it rules, if any. Vesta tells us what we honor in life; the Neptune station will make something about this clear, whether our efforts spring from a creative urge or a misguided one, though we may find we have no time, energy, or support to enact this particular ideal until Neptune is once again direct, in late November 2017.

Otherwise, we enjoy some very upbeat influences on the 16th, an unusually positive day when what we desire is actually good for us, when we have harmony between the mind and the Soul purpose (and so can choose, think, and act with little if any internal conflict), when we are optimistic about the future, and when we think along lines of ‘natural’ power and authority, and so make the most of our own abilities and influence. Reaching for something? Do it today, but be ready to listen if the internal systems tell you this isn’t your best course, after all–today’s excellent judgment may have you reassessing previous wants and goals.

By Scott Darbey from Canada – bluebells, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42236316

Today’s word image is bluebells. Simplest symbolisms say flowers are a ‘natural’ cheering thing, bolstering spirits just by being, and blue can be seen as soothing, or in its meaning as sad or depressing. Is there something that should be pleasant and happy that’s actually depressing you or making you sad? Are you having a kind of contrary reaction to something? Is there something natural (something you should accept as part of life) to which you’re having an unwarranted reaction? Are you ‘blue’ in spite of the way things are ‘in bloom’ in your life? That last is a signal that it’s time to seek help, if only confiding in another trusted Being to help you gain perspective.

The 17th our viewpoint may be a bit skewed: we see all the benefits as coming from or being found in ‘the future’, and we tend to disregard the role or origins of some rewarding matters where they formed or were earned in the past. Too, we know what we want and how to get it, but we may be willing to do something unhealthy or negative to make it happen–please consider the merit of the means as much as you do the end.

By Iker Cortabarria from Palma, España – Dragó, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4263989

Today’s word image is a lizard, sunning itself on a rock. As pleasurable as sunning itself is, this behavior is actually necessary for a cold-blooded (as we describe them) creature. What thing that you enjoy, and possibly see as Self-indulgent, is really a very necessary part of your existence, one that you can’t do without? This asks us to reassess what we see as an indulgence, a luxury, and what is important to our overall health.

By the 18th we’re feeling both wise and ‘lucky’–and that’s a pretty accurate measure of ourselves in the moment. The only thing to watch for is thinking that rejects the reality picture. The only way to get ‘there’ from ‘here’ is to know exactly where you’re starting out–keep this in mind as you choose, act, and do.

Today’s word image is a clown. People seem to have very personal reactions to this Archetype–consider yours definitive for you, specifically as to what it might say about how you see ‘fun’.

‘Fireworks, Vernon Bridge’ by Theodore Earl Butler {{PD}}

The 19th the fireworks are as much internal as external, so that it’s uncertain how much of this will show in surrounding circumstances, and how much will be firecrackers and flashbulbs going off in our heads. What we’ve got going for us: there’s wisdom in spontaneity, in the ‘new’ idea or impulse, in a willingness to invent or innovate, and diving in to test skills can bring surprisingly good results. The group may offer the smart choice, if we find ourselves wondering, and what the intellect supports as wise very likely is. Positives are seated in showing genuine confidence (as opposed to putting on a show) and relationship or financial connections can bolster personal empowerment and reach. Right now the mind has a knack for drawing on the past in productive ways–all of these things are good, and available to us.

What’s not so great? The ego, if it’s ascendant, will keep us away from every healthy option–it’s a matter of feeding negative emotions as a way of enslaving us to our own capricious nature. No one can ask anything of us, if we’re unreliable and unable to take care of ourselves, right? It’s easy to put our attention on hurts, at this point, and that can offer the ego the foothold it needs to run away with things. Too, we see a Finger of God, base of Jupiter-Black Moon Lilith, apex Venus in Taurus, that suggests both beliefs and what enrages us must adjust, if we are to receive the comfort and sustaining nurture of Love or Money.

Not an easy day, but a lively one, where following our best impulses is much more than worth it.

Today’s word image is a phrase I’ve heard multiple times within just a couple of days, from sources ranging from real life to media: “You’re so lucky you must have a golden horseshoe up your ass!” This is a thing? We’ll proceed on the assumption that it is. My first thought was, ‘That can’t be comfortable, so is this luck in spite of the situation being difficult?’ I think that sums it up. Find the spot in your own life where you’ve been very fortunate, despite the pain.

The 20th we may feel at odds with ourselves and the social scene–there’s no safe harbor for Self-expression without critique, the facts don’t support our empowerment, and the worst may be that it’s our own ‘wounded thinking’ that’s creating most of the mess. If we are willing to reconcile with some less-than-positive aspects of the past, we can move on to reap rewards from the creative, the innovative, and the use of skills–and we can do it as the Sun moves into Cancer, pulling our attention toward caring, nurturing, and finding a prominent place in our lives for our emotional reality to shine.

Today’s word image is an old song, ‘The Girl From Ipanema’. If you don’t know it from the radio, you probably know it from the Muzak in elevators and grocery stores. What quality makes a song seep so far into the Collective consciousness that one can’t go long without hearing it in some form? What ‘song’ have you been singing all these years that has now become part of your consciousness–and are you aware of what it says to and about you? Ask yourself, Is it time to change the track?

The 21st sees the Superior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury (their meeting while Merc is in direct motion). This should bring us the results of something seeded at the Inferior Conjunction. It’s not always evident, and may be so subtle that it seems a matter of course–but it should answer some question, no matter how oblique, that has been up in the air, or bring some communication or thought to a close, offering a form of ‘silence’. To make this meeting possible, we see Merc join the Sun in Cancer; don’t be surprised if what concludes has a prominent element of feeling, or brings an emotional conclusion that will often present as relief.

On other fronts, we see some resistance to what we know instinctively, we see some Self-destructive tendencies that endanger what we really care about, and we may find the imagination running away with us and focused on what we are in denial of or ignoring. You do the math; this is about facing things, pure and simple.

From our yard 2017

Today’s word image is peonies. On a gardening site I saw someone write in, frantically asking how to get rid of the ants that were swarming her peony plants; I and several others wrote back, ‘Don’t! Peonies need ants to help them open!’ This is the danger of engaging with something we know nothing about: not so much that something bad will come to us from it, but that we can cause harm in our ignorance. Whatever this brings to mind, just make sure you really do know what you’re doing.

On the 22nd no new aspects form–both our outlook and our word image for the day will be a kind of Silence. Find it, deliberately make room for it, sit within it. It’s likely to reveal to us just how much noise we’d like to be rid of.

Sorry I’m a little late getting this out. Windows hijacked my computer with a massive update that then wouldn’t allow my astrology program to open–so it took me hours to straighten things out. Have a wonderful week!

 

 

 

Your Week 3-9 March 2017 Enjoy the Moonlight

02 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, forecast, future events in the sky, Horoscope, Mars, Retrogrades, Sun/Mercury Superior Conjunction, The Daily Word Image, Venus Retrograde

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'Moonlit Landscape' Archip Kuindshi 19th c. {{PD}}

‘Moonlit Landscape’ Archip Kuindshi 19th c. {{PD}}

3 March just enjoy the growing moonlight.

Today’s word image is actress Tilda Swinton. She’s not everyone’s cup of tea for the very reasons we should all embrace: not feeling the need to conform to others’ expectations, responding from genuine feeling and concern for others/ the planet, allowing the creative essence within to drive the existence, not fearing one’s own uniqueness (and this latter is particularly tough, since we are instinctively ‘programmed’ to feel that conformity is safety). Today, have yourself a Tilda moment: be, or do, whatever you are moved to.

4 March Venus retrogrades! Here’s something on dating during a retro, and then there’s this: “Any Venus area where we have met a dead end while she’s direct is an area prime for rejuvenation during retrograde. This means that the changed tastes and willingness to try the new and unusual in Venusian pursuits that typically surfaces during this time can be a means to re-generate a part of life that we have worn into a rut with too narrow a viewpoint, taste palette, or definition of what’s ‘right’ or appropriate for us. ‘New’ can definitely be the keyword that frees up an area and an approach leading to new relationships, experiences, and an enhanced aesthetic sense that lasts and benefits us long past Venus’ direction. The retro period can serve to modify our Venusian standards and perceptions so that they are wider and at the same time more refined once the planet appears to move forward again.” This rejuvenation is related to the House subjects where the retro occurs, which are likely very close to where Venus reversed direction 8 years ago, with the retro energy now re-visiting these topics in new form (or, sometimes, picking up precisely where they left off). And there’s also this on the current cycle.

It’s an odd mix today, as actions shape the future even as thoughts and reasoning are obscured, inspired, deluded, or steeped in deception. Opportunities and ‘luck’ come from tackling hidden, ignored, denied, or enraging matters head-on and doing one’s best–everything else simply turns in upon itself.

Too literal? By misocrazy from New York, NY - Cropped from Kipper, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17673198

Too literal? By misocrazy from New York, NY – Cropped from Kipper, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17673198

Today’s word image is a shack with a sign that reads ‘Red Herring’. What established thing in your life (possibly something that has a sense of ‘shelter’ about it) is actually a ramshackle distraction or misdirection–a red herring?

The 5th is a day when our physical actions and choices are highly effective in real-world terms–in shaping our surroundings, in producing material results, in stopping or containing the impact we have–and this is doubly so if our acts have spiritual or creative inspiration behind them. Just be aware: thoughts are thoroughly divorced from instinct, and in order to make things work, we must be our most reliable, by-the-book selves.

Today’s word image is a cement retaining wall with this spray-painted on it: ‘Please let me get what I want this time.’ A retaining wall holds back something, typically earth, preventing it inundating another area or collapsing beneath a structure. So, perhaps we can see this plea as requiring our own restraint or holding back in order to get what we want. Maybe we need to ‘firm up’ the foundation of something important to us. Or we can see the spray-painted sentence as the internal mantra of so many people, those who are always focused on the next thing, always believing their wishes aren’t heard or fulfilled; inevitably these people fail to see and appreciate what they have, since a good part of their Self-image is wrapped up in seeing themselves as denied. Take a good look around, beyond gratitude, and consider that singing a song that’s always got a sense of deprivation at its center simply attracts that very quality.

For the 6th, which just so happens to feature the Superior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury (their meeting when Merc is in direct motion), also shows a kind of serendipitous array of contacts that promise both a strong awareness of opportunity, the social order and its requirements, the facts, and/ or the need for more, and a clear sense of ambitions and goals. Simultaneous to that, though, is a sense that we are not empowered, and that the opportunities spread before us are, one way or another, unwise in what they offer or require us to do. Concentrate today on what’s presented whole, done, or completed, in such a way that we can contemplate a new approach or venture without actually having to take too many steps right away.

No creator info provided {{PD}}

No creator info provided {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a paper doll. Remember those? We practiced our cutting skills on these cheap, easy-to-carry-along and fun-to-change-the-look-of representations. Though wonderfully entertaining, they weren’t durable, and they had their limits as they were difficult to make stand and required some patience when dealing with clothes and accessories. What in your life brings joy but is ephemeral, and may need extra care in order to preserve?

The 7th it’s all about health, mental, emotional, and the healthiness (or lack of it) related to our choices and actions. Changes and choices made today build the future, but we are in danger of making at least some of those out of fear or a compromised sense of our own wants, abilities, and power. Kinetic energy in all its forms contains a certain genius at this time–get moving and get inspired. If you can trace ‘it’ back to a fear, don’t go forward, but if you can be confident in your integrity and aims, then absolutely move ahead.

Ilja Repin 'Apples and Leaves' 1878 {{PD}}

Ilja Repin ‘Apples and Leaves’ 1878 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is an apple. What does that bring to mind? The Adam and Eve story? One a day keeps the doctor away? The story of William Tell–and are you the archer or the potential victim, with the apple on your head? Do you think of your favorite apple thing–cider, pie–or do you think of the orchards, with their delicate blossoms and their twisted trunks? In order to create the same kind of apple again and again, we resort to grafting–apples in nature are distinctly different from every tree, with no two alike. Think of the role some humble component plays in your life, and discern whether it’s a freakish natural gift, or whether it’s taken a lot of intervention and engineering just to be what it is.

For the 8th action and choice bring us power and automatically help us stake out our territory, and thoughts and reasoning are easily aligned with the highest values and priorities. The down side? We can only seem to see what’s not working with our ambitions and goals, and may spend too much energy on trying to adjust and correct, rather than pursue.

Today’s word image is a white rabbit with red eyes. When you think of a rabbit, do you think of a pet, a casserole, the Chinese zodiac symbol, Alice in Wonderland, cosmetics testing, the old-fashioned pregnancy test, the way they multiply like wildfire, how some so casually carry the rabbit’s foot for luck right up until they realize how grisly that is? Personal associations are important with this, and at least part of the meaning may lie in how often and varied have been the cultural associations projected upon the rabbit, all of which spring from how we decide to relate to this rather unresponsive and unconcerned animal.

On the 9th Mars enters Taurus, and so the Will, ego, and actions become more material and sense-related in expression. At the same time, thinking resists the facts–it may seem like too much to adjust our prejudices to reality–but at the same time we may demand sweeping change. Try to get the entirety of the psyche on the same page.

Thomas Gainsborough - 'Mary and Margaret Gainsborough, the artist's daughters' c1758 {{PD}}

Thomas Gainsborough – ‘Mary and Margaret Gainsborough, the artist’s daughters’ c1758 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is two sisters who seem to be polar opposites but are actually very much the same. Where in your life are there two elements that you’re assessing as very unalike that are in reality two peas in a pod?

Enjoy your week!

13 June 2016 Focus On: Neptune Retrograde + Revealing Words

13 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Neptune, Retrogrades, Saturn square Neptune, The Daily Word Image

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'Canada Geese and morning fog in Golden Gate Park' Brocken Inaglory Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

‘Canada Geese and morning fog in Golden Gate Park’ Brocken Inaglory Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Of course, our old friend Neptune has been virtually motionless late in the 11th degree and early in the 12th of Pisces for some time now; we may have worked this energy and its impact into our own chart through its contacts (or lack of them, isolating this massive dose of inspiration, confusion, spiritual enlightenment, and energy-suckage in matters of the House its transiting), and convinced ourselves things may always stay that way. The retrograde point of something so sluggish as Neptune may resemble the slow-turn of a heavy stone wheel: it’s moving almost imperceptibly, grinding down what it touches, compressing that point and those natal bodies it forms major aspects to in such a way that the alteration in direction brings no relief, and little hope for change. Instead it threatens to take the slow-grind over territory we thought we’d already dealt with, and give the matter another layer of grist, so to speak, grinding away at new aspects of the same old subjects.

So, we shouldn’t expect immediate results from the retro–what we most likely feel is the return of something we thought we’d just dealt with a minute ago–and now we see it with the Neptunian influence withdrawn or changed somehow. We may question or re-examine our spirituality, our creative efforts or urges, may become confused to the point of do-overs, or just unable to navigate with any confidence. We could also see the imagination, spiritual efforts, or creative talents freed of their conventional Neptunian ‘beliefs’; that means that how we see and define those areas might get the chance for permanent alteration, should we decide to explore, experiment, or feel our way through the fog.

Neptune, Saturn, Vesta, and Jupiter are still forming a Grand Cross, and with Neptune’s retrograde we may apply those creative changes to the reality picture, the social role, and/ or to those causes we dedicate ourselves to, or to the home or mate. The shift in direction of Neptune offers us a new way to see all or part of the energy involved in the Grand Cross, and so to address it more accurately through the beliefs, the spirituality, or the creativity.

We also have a Fist of God with apex Mercury and base of Zeus-Pluto, with the impact continuing for a couple of days. This suggests that concerns surrounding power and desire combine, possibly through conflicts that arise, or that naturally exist between those power needs and the ambition/ desire picture, and fill the mind, the communications, and those things that are communicated by others. It may be an unavoidable free-for-all as no one will be terribly successful at keeping what they want, and how much reach they wish to have, under wraps. Brace yourself to hear some surprising power wants–and some even more surprising lusts, desires, and goals. The only ones who come out of this without revealing themselves are silent and invisible. A square of Venus to Chiron says this might hurt, especially in the way it reveals things about our relationships, and Venus quincunx Mars says we are vulnerable to awkward acting out or poor decisions that could jeopardize our assets, if we’re not careful.

Today’s word image is a red suit. A suit is something we ‘put on’, and red suggests energy and possibly power or influence. In what way are we perhaps pretending we have more power or ability or energy to handle things than we really do? We may think we have to wear this suit when we really don’t–if we can just admit the true situation.

10 June 2016 A Drink From the Cauldron

09 Thursday Jun 2016

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

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Emil Carlsen - 'Study in Grey' 1906 {{PD}}

Emil Carlsen – ‘Study in Grey’ 1906 {{PD}}

This could be Ceres, currently in Aries, Mars' sign, brewing up said potion. John William Waterhouse - Magic Circle 1885 {{PD}}

This could be Ceres, currently in Aries, Mars’ sign, brewing up said potion. John William Waterhouse – Magic Circle 1885 {{PD}}

Mars, still on his backward course, offers us a drink from the cauldron; do we accept? From his place in Scorpio, the Warrior could be offering us a potion that makes us choose and act from emotion, and so probably not respond in our own best interests; he could also proffer a potion that urges us to dig deep (and whether that’s beneficial or not is a personal matter), and he almost certainly puts us in a position of acting and choosing in contradiction to our own instincts. We act out of our ‘blind spot’, and so in a fundamental way don’t know what we’re doing.

However, we can access enormous strength and authority (the kind that allows us to confidently command our own lives) with two positive steps: by reconciling ourselves to the social sphere in which we move (this involves accepting differences as they exist, and so refusing to condemn the social order as a whole, rather than debilitating ourselves by railing against them), and by paying careful attention to those areas where we actually hold significant power, and thereby seeing where we can successfully make the most change, or do the most good. It’s in accepting our personal capacity to affect things while still respecting the social order that we find our most effective and impactful means of empowerment (Perfecting today: Mars opp Sedna, Jupiter semi-sq Juno, Sun sxt Ceres)

'Marinha' José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior 1894 {{PD}}

‘Marinha’ José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior 1894 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a glimpse of the ocean. What does that mean to you? A tantalizing, fleeting vision of something desirable, or are you frightened of the sea? Does it mean that your attention is elsewhere, on some other part of the environment? That you’re not able to experience it close up, but are stuck in the ‘cheap seats’? That you are traveling too quickly to enjoy what surrounds you? Bodies of water typically symbolize our emotions; to ‘glimpse the ocean’ might be to be conscious of just a portion of very deep and restless feelings. Consider your response to today’s phrase, and then what it’s saying symbolically about your emotional state, and a potential sea of unacknowledged feeling.

Mars and Pluto Retrograde April 2016 Impact Withdrawal

15 Friday Apr 2016

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Mars, Pluto, Retrogrades

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'At Low Tide' Edward James Poynter 1896 {{PD}}

‘At Low Tide’ Edward James Poynter 1896 {{PD}}

What happens when, within less than 24 hours, both Mars and Pluto begin apparent retrograde motion? These are the agents of energy, power, and drive in the horoscope, and fuel all choice, change, and action; with both symbolically withdrawn, we may find the wind taken from our sails, both individually (Mars) and Collectively (Pluto). And, considering that first Mars (at 5:14 AM PDT of the 17th) then Pluto (12:26 AM PDT of the 18th) recedes, we may find first an individual breakdown or denial of initiative, quickly followed by a larger tide of energy removed from the landscape. A recession of impetus on both a personal and societal scale may offer the impression that there’s no way forward, and nothing to be done–but it’s important to remember that these are particular points in a cycle, and we just happen to have experienced them in close proximity to each other, creating the sense of an extreme loss of power, a sudden and seemingly insurmountable weakness–but of course, all we need do is wait for another turn of the wheel.

Thomas P. Anshutz - 'Low Tide' {{PD}}

Thomas P. Anshutz – ‘Low Tide’ {{PD}}

Like a tide going out, the sense of being impacted by events, as well as moving to create impact ourselves, may dissolve, leaving a sort of turning inward in its place. With Mars reversing direction in Sagittarius the sense may be of having optimism removed, knowledge negated, no way to reach out, and with Pluto in Capricorn the sense of institutions, barriers, and obstacles as insurmountable may become acute. The prospects for change may seem nil, both from our own viewpoint in personal matters and on the larger social scene. Again, what we need to remember is that this is a figurative low point, in energy terms, not a death knell to either evolution or progress.

Mars’ first contact in retrograde will be a square to the Moon. This suggests the change takes a heavy emotional toll, especially in areas where we have expressed or absorbed criticism, or where we have labored or served in hopes of a positive result (Moon in Virgo). Pluto’s first contacts in retrograde will be a square from Zeus and a trine from the (still in Virgo) Moon. Here the emotions absorb the bad news a little more easily, probably because we see that denial of or irreversible changes to widespread ambitions and desires is shared by whole swathes of society.

What we need to do is adjust; we need to see that a straightforward assault won’t bring the results we want, and neither will one that threatens destruction or transformation–both extremes of the Plutonian coin will lose credibility in this environment. Considering that the Moon is an immediate contact of both bodies, it may pay to take a more receptive route to facilitate both action and change; a sensitive stance where the intuition and feelings play as great a role as the Will may be the most effective way to deal with the energy shift. There is also the potential for channeling wants and efforts through the Arian Venus, who can muster behind the Will exceptionally well, and who keeps the ‘I Am’ in mind even as she seeks the cooperation and assistance of partnership.

If you have placements in 15-17 degrees of the Cardinals, you’ll no doubt feel the grind by withdrawal of an energized environment (in fact, it may present some serious problems), and if you have hard aspects to Mars (in the 6-8 degree range) you may find at least part of the energy withdrawal could involve your own ability to deliver being questioned. Since this likely occurs in adjacent Houses of the natal chart, we may find that our own actions in the matters of the House where Mars is currently transiting may trigger the withdrawal that follows in the Pluto House. No matter what, dear Reader, take it all in stride, for this too shall pass.

This is super-helpful, from Astrologer Leah Whitehorse—

Feeling Retrograde Ourselves: late July 2015

27 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by in current events in the sky, Retrogrades

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You may feel helpless as the little figure in the tin side car. Photo by D J Shin 2010 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Thanks, DJ!

You may feel helpless as the little figure in the tin side car. Photo by D J Shin 2010 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Thanks, DJ!

Oh! Venus and Uranus are just sitting there, at 00 Virgo and 20 Aries, respectively–and if you’ve got anything in the region (no more than a degree or two either side) of 00 of the Mutables or 20 of the Cardinals, then it may have been a little like having an elephant make himself comfortable on your lap–so, not comfortable at all. Venus and the Mutable contacts (they’ll be playing the lounge at the Paramus Holiday Inn on Friday!) are the lesser of the two stressors, moving from Virgo to Leo and taking our minds, well, right back to ourselves, but the improvement will be that we’ll have the lens of our own needs, ego, and our sense of generosity through which to gauge things.

Uranus, however, has been at this spot since late June–giving us plenty of time to see matters involving those related Cardinal points grind to a halt. Now, with the Uranus retrogradation, what we’ll observe will likely be our own Will doing an about-face, a kind of reticence where we once pushed forward so confidently. Add to this that Pluto is less than a degree from the point where he will go direct in late September, and you have a patchwork of energies in stop and go mode, mostly stop (or lingering painfully, maybe inching forward).

Be glad; this is a chance to really, truly, get yourself right with these energies and the points they’re contacting in the personal chart. They’ve slowed it down so we can catch up, ponder, really learn how to control this specific point of contact, and/ or are offering us a chance to refine what we’re trying to rush forward with. We’ve been feeling frustrated, thinking we know what we want and how to get it–this slowing is the Universe tutoring us on all we don’t know that we thought we did. Think about what you’ve been dealing with, and consider what it means to you (Venus), how original or inventive your urges, or how well they serve the individuality (Uranus), think about what really needs to change (don’t worry about how you’ll make it happen–Pluto), and for good measure let’s acknowledge Neptune, which is dragging the creative energies along the highway like tin cans tied to the bridal car. It’s time for a sort of Zen contemplation that can happen even as we go about our daily tasks. And we can look forward to at least a small denouement with the Full Moon of the 31st.

See a previous post for more on the Venus retrograde. My books are here, and the Vesta book is almost wrapped up. Enjoy your week!

Seeking Advice During Mercury Retrograde

13 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades

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Anonymous c1460 {{PD}}

Anonymous c1460 {{PD}}

This is a re-print from 2008 I thought might be helpful now–

Just a reminder that, in these tough times when so many of us are looking for effective guidance, we must remember that most basic of admonitions: seek advice from those who really know. Sometimes we lose the logical connection during a Mercury retrograde; we forget that the proof is in the ‘life pudding,’ so to speak. Does it make sense to ask for relationship advice from someone who can’t sustain one? or to ask financial advice from someone who can’t make a living? how about health advice from someone who is not able to resolve their own health issues in a timely way? No, it doesn’t make sense at all; but we can easily forget this in the midst of Mercury retrograde, when we feel a lot of pressure to decide, get things done/ going, to make up our minds; this might be an especially pressing issue for those experiencing a hard transit from Mars right now. If we use our intuition in seeking advice, we’ll do well–as long as it’s truly our intuition speaking, and not our agitated and frustrated mental faculties as they struggle against the retrograde tide.

Are we requiring perfection of those who offer guidance, formally or informally? Not at all; nor should we–learning comes through experience. But to seek, say, financial advice from those struggling to make ends meet makes no sense–if one can’t do ‘it,’ whatever it is, for themselves, then how can they advise others? It’s the same in any area–would you call an electrician to handle a plumbing problem? You see my point. (This also implies that the individual has some asset they could and probably should exploit, that’s being ignored in favor of something else, likely something that is feeding the ego, and little else).

What about those who offer advice but are not truly up to the task? I have a theory about what people choose to do in life; they either choose to do something they’re really good at, or they choose to do the very thing they actually need done for them. I realized this when I met a nurse who desperately desired nurture from the Universe; and she wasn’t a very good nurse!

This doesn’t mean that we avoid learning new functions, or that we only undertake what we are already competent with; it does mean that we don’t ‘practice’ on others until we are very clear about ourselves.

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Pluto Retrograde 14 April 2014

14 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Pluto, Retrogrades, Retrogrades + Directions

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'Nocturne in Blue and Silver' James McNeill Whistler c1870s {{PD}}

‘Nocturne in Blue and Silver’ James McNeill Whistler c1870s {{PD}}

Pluto retrogrades at 4:47 PM PDT, and may get lost so close to the Lunar eclipse. It’s not that this won’t have an effect–it will send out the psychic equivalent of infrasound–but that it will likely be attributed to the boogy man of the eclipse, which has become the catch-all Lunar basket for every menacing vibe around. The turnaround of Pluto happens below consciousness; we don’t notice it, until we notice it, typically as a shift in background, in tone, in luck–suddenly things aren’t going smoothly, secrets can’t be kept (or, conversely, something is submerged or ‘gotten away with’ which we can count on being revealed on direction), something hidden nags, something dark lingers at the edge of the light. It’s all very ominous–except it’s not; Pluto is just as much a part of the Universe as any other energy. When it’s direct we see the wisdom in taking out the trash, cleaning up the mess, in death and decay as part of the cycle, but on retrograde all we see is the trash, the mess, or the death and decay–we may be so riveted by this display that we forget it’s an integral part of making the whole thing work.

If the representative of the god of the Underworld turns around in hard aspect to any of your natal bodies or points, you may become especially aware of the darkness associated with those areas–or you may need to deal with your own or another’s power displays related to it. Pluto retrogrades for almost six months at a time; this time it goes direct on 22 September 2014 at 10 Capricorn 59. The sheer length of its apparent backward movement means we sooner or later accommodate the planet’s motion within the psyche; it soon feels like it’s ‘just the way things are’–and for nearly half a year, it is.

Neptune Station, Retrograde 7 June 2013: ‘Offering Inspiration’

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Dreams, Neptune, Retrogrades

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A very Neptunian idyll at the beach, by Rupert Bunny c1891, {{PD-Art}} in both the USA and country of origin, Australia

A very Neptunian idyll at the beach, by Rupert Bunny c1891, {{PD-Art}} in both the USA and country of origin, Australia

Neptune retrogrades at 1:25 AM Pacific time of the 7th; what can we expect? Neptune will have just risen on changing motion, hovering above the horizon, in a Grand Trine with Saturn and Venus, and square the Mars-Pallas conjunction. The Grand Trine is a Water one, and with the transiting Moon in Gemini and heading for conjunction with Mars-Pallas, the picture is one of emotional realization and (probably) manifestation of ideals, values, or the creative in relationships, or through earning capacity, either arising from previous or current intelligent action or choice, or prompting this in the immediate future. Whew! That’s a mouthful. What we’re likely to be looking at is a powerful and balanced situation of either realization through the feelings, or manifestations in the reality structure, of something related to our values or our creative activity, and we have either been smart about what we’ve done to get to this, or this will bring us to a smart future choice. This is likely to sneak up on us, coming across as a ‘given’, not really drawing much attention, and probably showing up via House matters where Neptune is now transiting, in the matters of the House Neptune rules in the natal chart, and/ or through anything transiting Neptune currently aspects in the natal chart. Satisfaction in some way is the likely outcome, though it may be tough getting there; initially we could react badly (or have rejected in the past) the very smart moves that are now presenting themselves as ‘the answer’–but it would be unwise to reject this out of some delusion of how things should be–in order to create what we want, we must acknowledge how things really are. Dreams, both the literal kind and those involving our goals, should be examined, because that’s where all the potentials have been showing up, of late. Use them as inspiration, as guidelines, and as a springboard to action.

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A Little More on the Pluto Retrograde

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Current Affairs, Current Events, current events in the sky, Pluto, Retrogrades

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Another day, another time. 'Rainy Day, Boston' Childe Hassam 1885 {{PD-Art}}

Another day, another time. ‘Rainy Day, Boston’ Childe Hassam 1885 {{PD-Art}}

The bombings in Boston yesterday are, like all such events, horrific, and asto enthusiasts may note this occurred with the Sun-Mars conjunction in Aries–a fiery and martial placement and combination–and with these two sextile Vesta, and widely conjunct a distressed Venus at 29 Aries. This points to values as the motivating force, and, considering the kinds of injuries involved (shrapnel and limb, especially lower limb) and the choice of place and time (Patriot’s Day, a world-renowned marathon) my thought was that this was sparked by rage at such injuries, which are distinctly the kinds created by war, and especially by IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device). I believe the perpetrator (and I think there’s only one) has either suffered this kind of loss him- or herself, or that this has happened to a loved one, and shattered their respective worlds. No matter what their pain, it is no excuse for inflicting the same on others. I send my thoughts and prayers to those who were injured and traumatized, and my gratitude to those who ran toward the blasts, to help–and I’m sure most, likely even all, my readers do, too.

The bombing can be seen in the light of the Pluto retrograde, as part of the need to express that often surrounds a change in direction point. I had planned to talk a little about venting those smaller matters that we bury until such an astrological event cracks open the cellar door, as described in the previous post by the retro’s sextile to Chiron, signifying mild hurts; but of course this applies to deeply seated rage, to passion and obsession, as well, if that is what has been suppressed or ignored. I think we’ll find our personal subjects for the retro period in the House(s) in the natal chart ruled by Scorpio; at least, that’s where I’m finding mine! What House is Scorpio on for you, and what experiences have you correlated with the Pluto retro over the past few days–and are these the same areas, or do they differ?

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