You might not know who you’re hearing from. Top portion of a “Letter from Heaven,” produced in England 18th century {{PD}}
Yes, the aspects discussed may be felt at any time over the coming three days, at least.
Is everything about the power balance? It may feel like it’s ‘Us vs. Them’ (or is it the social circle against lil ol’ you)? Determining where to put our attention, and who it is that really has the power to affect things, may be behind everything we do on the 5th (standout aspects: Jupiter qnx Uranus, Sun sextile Pluto).
By the 6th we may not know what to think, or know the validity of what we’re hearing. The question becomes: are we inspired, or is the imagination running away with us, or are we being deceived? Clarity of thought is unavailable, and standards and priorities seem unsatisfactory as guides for our goals. The best choice is perhaps embracing the Neptunian urge (we might say, immersing ourselves in it!) and allowing an influx of creative energy and thought to be our guiding force (Merc trine Neptune, Sun sesq Vesta)
On the 7th we may be in denial–of our own darker side, of what we’d rather ignore, of what truly matters to us–and that could put us in an emotionally unsatisfying engagement with the past, and this simultaneously significantly affects the direction we’re headed. The more accepting we can be of our own darkness (and that means, being accepting of our wholeness, of the way this is naturally a part of ourselves), the better our choices, actions, and relationships will be (Mars contra-parallel Black Moon Lilith, Venus opp Vesta, Sun semi-sq SN/ Earth sesq NN)
Both Venus and Black Moon Lilith are represented by female figures, a goddess on one hand and the ‘original Eve’ ejected from Paradise on the other, but this doesn’t exclude them from having meaning for everyone; it instead suggests that the original energy matrix upon which the characters were built was one of receptivity, or being rather than doing. Venus carries attributes in counterpoint to Mars, to activity, to doing rather than being, while Black Moon Lilith, which is an empty focal point rather than a body, carries the energy of the original partner of the first man, Adam, who when she demanded equal treatment and status was demonized (and this always gets me, when Lilith and her ilk are described as vengeful, evil, dark, wrathful women who must be exiled, when it’s clear that a woman who believes she is a man’s equal is only described this way by a patriarchy that has no intention of sharing power). But I digress.
Venus is contra-parallel (that is, equidistant from the celestial equator but in opposite directions, one north and one south) Black Moon Lilith, and though this may seem relatively minor, it could underlie some serious tension today, tension not specific to women, necessarily, but tension that arises from certain assumptions about who should have what, who is allowed what–and you may notice that who has what implies there is someone who feels just slightly superior, who then is ‘qualified’ to judge who gets what. The set-up only occurs because someone declares themselves as arbiter–and this kind of Self-anointing counts on the receptive stance of everyone else in order to have validity.
What we may see is a Venusian figure (male or female, but somehow normally receptive, counting on diplomacy and manners, counting on cooperation, or the person who holds the purse strings) contradict a Black Moon Lilith figure (that is, a perfectly competent individual)–and BML will have none of it. Rightly so, BML will refuse the order dressed up like a request or ‘suggestion’ in Venus’ honeyed tones–and BML may be vilified because of it.
This won’t be the centerpiece to everyone’s day, but it could present itself here and there–and may sneak in to your own interactions. If you are in a position to tell others what to do, it would be wise to treat them with complete respect, and if you are in a position where others determine your fate, watch for suggestions that may seem innocent enough but that will in reality subtly deny you power. The assumption that one must serve the other is what we must watch for today. And no matter who you are, have a great one!
Pierre Paul Puget ‘The Education of Achilles by Chiron’ c1690 {{PD}}
Perfecting today is an opposition between Jupiter in Virgo and Chiron in Pisces. We may have this nagging feeling we should be widening our horizons, reaching out, deepening our repertoire, that we really should be creating and using our imagination, and we may be criticized (or may criticize ourselves) if we don’t act in a controlled, precise, yet expansive way. Why the harsh feeling? Virgo is an accountant, one who keeps one eye on the eventual harvest at all times, one who doesn’t let the details slide–and that kind of vigilance goes into hyperdrive when confronted with the need to either ignore hurt in order to advance the Virgoan cause, or when the pressure to manifest the Chirotic skills and gifts (which are so unique it’s unlikely we have gained either total awareness of them or total mastery of them) reaches an extreme–such as can occur at opposition. Inspect the House axis of the natal chart across which this duo lies, and you’ll have some idea not just of the potentials and life areas ripe for expression, but of the pressures and expectations you may be unwittingly accepting and placing on yourself.
Albert-Edouard Chazalviel Early 20th century {{PD}}
What we think, and what messages come at us today are smart and practical; they vibe to our highest values and priorities, but they don’t support any kind of power gain or effective action. It’s an odd mix of being on the mental ‘right track’ but needing to be aware that today’s just not the day to take action, make choices, or be assertive, UNLESS it’s in matters of the natal Houses ruled by Venus in your chart, or in the House that holds today’s conjunction of Venus and Mars (in the last decan of Virgo)–but even then, be aware that this could bring conflict with those in charge (or those who think they should be) and negotiating may still be tough. But, with careful attention, Venus ruled areas in the personal chart are where deliberate action and choice can get us exactly what we want. (Chiron qnx Juno, Mars contra-parallel Juno, Venus conjunct Mars, Mercury sxt Pallas, sq Ceres, qnx SN, parallel Vesta)
Louis Léopold Boilly – ‘Conversation dans un parc’ 1812 {{PD}}
What does Ceres have to do with health?
In mythology Ceres’ Greek predecessor, Demeter, was goddess of Nature, abundance, and the fruits of the Earth, but by the time she reached Rome and her current name and form, she was decidedly more tame: a goddess of agriculture, of Nature that’s been shaped and subjugated to man. That suggests that in modern conception she may deal with the balance of the body and its vulnerabilities to natural elements, of being overwhelmed from without (drowning, buried in a landslide, struck by lightning, for instance, or from things like allergens and starvation) and from within by invasion (of germs, viruses, bacteria, fungi). She doesn’t offer a total picture of health in the natal scenario or by transit, but does speak of certain conditions one may be prone to, or illnesses susceptible to, aside from her other meanings: a sense of personal power and authority, a maternal interest in others (which can easily tip into a controlling one), territoriality, and negotiation.
Romantic poet Percy Shelley (4 August 1792 10 PM Horsham England) was just coming up on a Lunar Return in Pisces the day he drowned in a boating accident (8 July 1822 Lerici Italy). He has Ceres natally conjoined the Sun, Venus, Pallas, and Uranus in Leo in the Whole Sign 4th (and though Juno’s close enough to the Sun, it’s too wide for Ceres, in my opinion); Ceres is also opposed Pluto and quincunx the natal Moon and Sedna in Pisces. Already we can see that Ceres was a vital part of the life, and so of the death as well. In the context of the drowning event, the natal scenario suggests sudden accidents (Uranus) based on unwise decisions (Pallas–staying on the water despite the storm) activated the Self-destruction he had always been conscious of, and perhaps at times had to fight (Sun opp Pluto), with Ceres’ involvement implicating the elements, the weather, even potentially activating an emotional attachment to the water, and a need to adjust (the quincunx) to prevent getting lost in it! (the Pisces Moon)
The Cremation of Percy Bysshe Shelley, by Louis Édouard Fournier
On the day he died, Shelley’s Ceres was contacted exact by degree by the transiting South Node, suggesting a ‘pull back’ to a previous (pre-birth?) state; t Ceres was opposed natal Mercury in the 5th=the elements literally in opposition to the lung function; t Merc was conjoined n Chiron in Cancer in the 3rd of lungs, breathe=water water everywhere, water that injures; t Mars was conjoined the n NN, spurring actions and choices that take one into the future; and t Earth sextiled the n Moon-Sedna, forming the base of a Finger of God with apex n Ceres-Pallas=here’s a recipe for the environment ganging up with instincts and emotions to prompt that natal judgment of Nature. Shelley may have believed he was very practical (Pallas) in his relationship to the elements and the natural world (Ceres), feeling that instinct (Sedna) and emotion (the Moon) would inform his choices. There’s a sense that he didn’t fear them, that instead the Pisces Sedna-Moon may have seen the obliteration threat of the natal Pluto opposition as a kind of Oneness with Nature–absorption rather than obliteration. Too, the transiting Sun had just run over his natal Black Moon Lilith=he may have been more than a little in the mood to explore the darkness.
To A Star
Sweet star, which gleaming o’er the darksome scene
Through fleecy clouds of silvery radiance fliest,
Spanglet of light on evening’s shadowy veil,
Which shrouds the day-beam from the waveless lake,
Lighting the hour of sacred love; more sweet
Than the expiring morn-star’s paly fires:–
Sweet star! When wearied Nature sinks to sleep,
And all is hushed,–all, save the voice of Love,
Whose broken murmurings swell the balmy blast
Of soft Favonius, which at intervals
Sighs in the ear of stillness, art thou aught but
Lulling the slaves of interest to repose
With that mild, pitying gaze? Oh, I would look
In thy dear beam till every bond of sense
Became enamoured–
That was definitely written by a guy with Sun-Venus-Ceres-Pallas-Uranus conjoined, all opposed by Pluto!
Synchronicities
Synchronicities have been everywhere lately–have you noticed that for you, too? Those little mentions or phrases or events or people that grab your attention simply by the unlikely way they’re brought into one’s compass repeatedly within a short period. To my mind that signals we’re in a kind of flow, that attunement to the optimum vibrational level for you is very close to perfect–and that implies intuition is sharp and accessible, that information is yours to pluck right out of the air, that you can ‘know’ without anyone telling you. Though our tendency is to breeze through these interludes, to remark ‘Isn’t that strange?’ when we hear the same song or its lyrics or mention of the singer in every store and elevator and TV show and conversation we’re exposed to the entire weekend, and at the same time to be very focused consciously on the here-and-now, what we really need to do is pause; this is a point when we are cruising along with a lot of our perceptual abilities working below the surface, and we can see the world very clearly, if we are willing to. We can get our questions answered, if we’ll only stop looking out, and take a moment to look within.
Carl Schweninger the Younger ‘Not Willing’ 19th century {{PD}}
rejecting a Gemini man
Are you thinking there’s some magic word (he’s a Gemini, after all) that will make him take it well, not make a fuss, even see it as a gift? There’s not, and it’s likely that if he senses you are trying to out think him (by manipulating or being one step ahead, the latter of which you automatically are if you know something–that you intend to reject him–that he doesn’t) he’ll be very resentful, indeed. Geminis are highly focused on thinking, processing info, communicating, networking–so he may already be aware, whether it’s through the grapevine or through reading your body language and tone in previous encounters, that you aren’t interested. That puts you in a precarious position: if he does know and he’s still coming at you, he’s forcing you to say it outright, and if he doesn’t know, he’s going to feel especially upset that he didn’t parse it out ahead of time (it’s a Gemini thing–they always think they should’ve known!) All you can do, really, is send a clear, consistent, and polite message through every pore of your Being and, obviously, word spoken: no thank you. Problems will only arise if you’ve been ambivalent in your feelings or in your behavior, wrongly believing that will ‘let him down easy’ (and if so I bet you’re horoscope is chock full o’ Water signs). Come clean without engaging in any way that sends the wrong (that is, an enmeshed behavioral or contradictory) message, and it should go fine–the last thing you want to do, and he wants to feel you’ve done, is mislead him.
‘The View at Lacroma’ Emilie Mediz-Pelikan 1901 {{PD}}
Today’s perfection of the Vesta-Pallas square, though ostensibly of minor significance, actually clues us in to something important: a current, standing conflict between our highest values and what we know to be wise. That puts us in a terrible spot: do we choose to honor what we find sacred, what we dedicate our life energy to, what we care for most, including home and mate, or do we do the smart and practical thing, the thing we know will be the wise choice? Both asteroids are at 29 degrees of their respective signs, and that means stress; we also know that Pallas in Sag will be oriented toward facts and knowledge, and will have a far-sighted outlook, while Vesta in Pisces will, if we honor our highest values, also honor our dreams, our creative nature, and our ideals.
Maybe we should go at this another way; we can consider each side by what it might cost not to get it. The wise choice is likely also the safe choice, but may be stodgy or fail to honor our standards. If we embrace what’s wise, we may lose the dream, but if we grab for our ideals we may end up with an impractical or foolish alternative. Serving the wise and practical Pallas choice will make sense, but serving the Vestal ideals will open creative options, though these options could prove untenable or illusory, and so leave us in a very impractical position. Of course, for each person the issue will present differently, and there is no right answer–but we might ask why this is even an issue in the first place.
This may be a signal that what is smart under present conditions and circumstances is in conflict with our deepest convictions and values because these matters have somehow drifted an unreasonable distance apart. Honoring what’s most important to us, what we find sacred, shouldn’t make it difficult for us to act wisely–but if it does, either our values need revision, so that they accurately reflect our circumstances (a mobster, for instance, would have a tough time honoring an ideal of non-violence), or our circumstances must be altered so that they support the highest values (we can’t continue to be a furrier if our ideal is to see animal goods removed from the marketplace).
There is one other aspect perfecting today, a Ceres trine to the North Node, with both at 00 of their signs. The more Self-possessed we are, the more clear on our priorities, boundaries, responsibilities, and abilities, the more easily we shape our life direction. If we can connect to that elemental power, we may not have to worry so much about what’s wise vs. what’s valued–it may naturally just shake itself out.
Today we’ve got our illusions or our imagination trying to resolve disparities with those things we’d rather ignore or deny (Neptune qnx Black Moon Lilith), we’ve got the social sphere surreptitiously aligned with the individual, whether that person is rebellious, attempting to lead, to disrupt, or to innovate (Jupiter parallel Uranus), and communication is fraught, suffering between our inability to access instincts or to peek within our own ‘blind spot’, and each person’s particular delusions that underlie their ambitions (Mercury sesq Neptune, parallel Zeus, contra-parallel Sedna). It seems to me that the key phrase for today might be, ‘congenial exchange’; gather with others of similar vibe, talk about your own hopes and dreams and allow for a kind of mirror effect offered by others through their remarks and reflections of your own assertions. Concentrate on refining ‘the dream’, and especially in noting that the thing most preventing realization may be your own thinking.
In spite of all this, have a great day–it can be very pleasant if we allow ourselves to relax into that Taurus Moon–and support the blog, buy a book! A new piece, ‘The Venus Collection’, will be coming out soon; it’s a compilation of articles, essays, and commentary, much of it previously published (so long-term subscribers, you probably have already read a lot of this!) on the planet of Love, Money, Relationship, Values, and Pleasure–plenty to talk about!
Hoodoos at Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Area. Northwestern New Mexico. Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Photo by John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
The Full Moon arrives at 5:04 AM PDT of the 27th at 3 Taurus 44. Keeping our usual tight orbs, we see the FM quincunx Saturn and sesquiquadrate both Mars and Venus, form a very wide sextile to Neptune–and with generous orbs we might stretch to a square to Ceres, and semi-square to Chiron. Full Moons mark culminations, endings, denouements, conclusive ‘next steps’, and often delineate the farthest we can go with a matter, at least for now. Here the thrust is likely a material or asset-related one (Taurus), shaped by the natal House into which the FM falls, and all the aspects made suggest struggle, conflict, or at least awkwardness or discomfort, with the Neptune contact either offering escape (through distraction, substances, or deception/ delusion) or spiritual or creative ‘answers’ to what comes forward.
The real world/ reality picture will call for adjustments, and significant power struggles may ensue. Man/ woman matters, issues involving expression of Will and choice, values, concern with asset use, and/ or relationships foster the most disharmony, with minor wounds inflicted. The Sabian symbol is, ‘The Pot Of Gold At The End Of The Rainbow’. This tells us that no matter how difficult, obstructive, or ruthless the circumstances we’ll face, there is a great deal to be gained from continuing in this direction and dealing with what comes. So, this FM may designate a tipping or turning point, one where power issues are sorted out and the balance between yin and yang, assertion and receptivity, acting and being, are achieved.
We receive even more guidance when we look at the Sabian for the Sun at the time of the Full Moon: ‘A Youth Carries A Lighted Candle In A Devotional Ritual’. Where our attention goes right now needs to be approached with reverence and a respect for tradition and the way things have been handled (ritual) in the past. What seems, then, like a fight, like discord, or like a power struggle is much more–it is a redistribution of power, best achieved by taking a fresh or energized approach (we are the ‘youth’ of the image) and applying our energy to working out the problems, especially problems of whose territory is whose, of who has a say over us (both Ceres), and of Will, choice (both Mars), finances, and relationships (both Venus) as they affect our personal power picture, particularly in terms of asset accumulation and talent expression (Taurus).
There is also the curious matter of a Finger of God formed at the time of the Full Moon by the local Ascendant (Seattle) and Saturn. Those quincunxes suggest ‘adjustment’, Saturn is reality or the physical picture, and the horizon or Midheaven often, in my observation, is involved with an earthquake event. Will we have an early morning shake-up here in the Northwest? It wouldn’t be the first.
22 October Tough or destructive talk seems empowering, doesn’t it? Be aware, though, that we’re feeling rebellious toward ‘What Is’, even as we care deeply about our relationships, assets, and effectiveness within the reality picture. It may feel as if we can express ourselves, do anything, really, and that nothing will change, but that kind of security just isn’t attainable–time flows on, and it’s imperative that we realize our actions have consequences–so think carefully about what may come next before lighting the match (Perfecting today: Uranus sesq Saturn and parallel Venus, Merc conjunct Juno and square Pluto, Ceres sq the Sun-Earth axis)
23 October we still have a little of yesterday’s unreasonable fight in us, but today actions and choices are naturally guided by internal wisdom; that means that even if we do something destructive, we can be assured that there’s a reason we believe (that is, the Higher Self believes) it’s the smart thing to do (whether we’re aware of it yet or not!) Relationships and financial situations can be altered with ease, but do remain cognizant of the fact that they can disintegrate and disappear just as easily. We’re distracted by matters on the home front, by interaction with the mate, by our dedication to a cause, or by some sort of feedback, knowledge discovered, or public opinion, so that real-world changes seem to happen before we know it–just know that what does morph today really was chosen, one way or another (Mars qnx Uranus, opp Chiron, and parallel Pallas, Venus trine Pluto, Sun qnx Vesta/ Earth sesq Jupiter)
24 October expressions of power, reach, and marking of territory can all be guided by wisdom and have Love behind them, if we don’t allow ourselves to get caught up in or bogged down by the past. Be especially attentive to the material effects of choices aimed at shaping the future (Venus sesq Ceres and parallel Pallas, Sun qnx SN/ Earth qnx NN)
25 October actions and choices are propelled on a wave of Love (or jealousy) and are right in line with the social sphere, for better or worse. Thoughts and communications are a tad unrealistic, as they focus on ambition fulfillment or desires and in the process somehow hurts us or others, denying the need for each to feel unique in her or his own skin. Attention could go to those wounds–and so waste our time. Train efforts on getting more Love, more Money, or both, or just embrace a fact-affiliated, optimistic attitude toward Life–that’s where the real payoff is today (Venus conjunct Jupiter and parallel Mars, Merc conjunct Zeus, opp Uranus, and qnx Chiron, Sun sesq Chiron)
26 October we can parse out the power situation surrounding our priorities to our satisfaction, but be warned: the mind (and secondarily anything communicated today) is of no use whatsoever; it’s somehow anti-wisdom, anti-Love, and anti-Free Will, so that if we insist on using it, we get sh*tty results. Expose yourself (figuratively) to the intuition-boosting light of the approaching Full Moon, and use that, instead (Vesta sxt Ceres, Chiron qnx Zeus, Merc contra-parallel Pallas, Venus, and Mars)
Concentrate, trace the waves of the past, see where they’ve pushed you to contact the material world, and you may see what’s coming. ‘Girl Seated by Shore’ George Elgar Hicks 1877 {{PD}}
Right now Vesta and the South Node are together at the Aries Point; that is, they’re conjoined at 00 Aries. This point is notable for a couple reasons: in time it marks the Spring equinox, when the Sun hits this point going from south to north crossing the equatorial plane, so we might think of this as a Node of the Sun-Earth path, a point of extremity; it also marks the point in the natal chart where spirit meets the material–or we can think of it as the point where who we are reaches out into the world and is received–and that means that those natal placements and points that contact the Aries Point will indicate those ways in which we will be noticed by others, at what vibrational frequency (related to the body contacted) we can make our mark, or may indicate for what we become known, whether that’s in a group of two or two billion.
The current combination focuses those still-living waves from the past (the South Node), both what we’ve built on and what resounds like an echo, informing our thoughts and actions as if the circumstances continue to exist, through the lens of highest values, those things to which we dedicate ourselves and our efforts, our sense of ‘home’, and our interactions with the mate (Vesta). Placed at the Aries Point, the implication is that something seminal may occur in terms of our values; something may begin, find its seed, start gestation of a proto-essence that doesn’t have a name yet. This should alert us to a new thing that will break the horizon in the future, a thing born of the past and our previous choices surrounding home, mate, and energy dedication. We can’t be more specific than that, yet, though we may want to look for the natal placements of Mars and/or Vesta, as well as the matters of the House ruled by Mars, and the current transit or progressed situations of these, for clues as to what might be, even now, setting out roots, developing, moving to emerge.
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
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