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some dream that appeared to be in reach, some knowledge or luck you were counting on, has been, rather stealthily, withdrawn?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This retro period will take you into territory that offers a new, ‘modern’ take on that dream, telling you where it was outdated, and through ‘Higher Learning’ and/ or accident and serendipity, re-shape what you wanted (or wanted to know about) into a more appropriate form for who you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

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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.

Solar Eclipse 10 June 2021 Agreement Between Head and Heart

06 Sunday Jun 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Gemini, Inferior Conjunction, New Moon, Sabian Symbols, Solar Eclipse

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Street art by the Norwegian artist Dolk. Taken in Bergen in 2009.

Photo By Gulosten

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The New Moon/ Solar eclipse of the 10th falls at 19 Gemini 47, poised for the next day’s Inferior Conjunction of retrograde Mercury and the Sun. That makes a kind of double energy of ‘new beginnings’, of germination, in both the realm of ideas and that of the matters of the natal House where this eclipse falls for you. The seminal nature of things means we might not immediately know what is getting its start–but in Gemini, it almost certainly will cause a shift in the mentality, a shift in attention.

The eclipse forms a novile with Mars, already unhappy in Cancer and sitting at the 29th degree, desperate to do, to take action, to make ‘it’ happen–always a bad thing, when we feel pushed to do because we care, or worse, to prove we care, or perhaps pushed by others who care (or pushed by others to care, about something that doesn’t move us)–but if you can connect the passion Mars carries to the feeling nature without conflict or pressure, propelled by ideas, by thoughts we truly want to act on, something may be initiated that can help define your current, personal Zeitgeist and inform thinking and the mentality in a ‘fresh’ way. If you can apply the need for action to what you care about you can expect thought-innovation concerning something that really matters to you, ideas and the energy to put them in motion, as well as knowing who or what contacts will change thought into matter.

The eclipse trines Zeus, and forms a wide square to Neptune and wide opposition to Juno. These contacts suggest that ambition and desire fulfillment is the essence of what occurs at the eclipse–and that this may not agree with what we imagine fulfillment will look like. It also suggests that we may find what starts, at least in the beginning, disempowering–but it’s more likely disorienting, asking us to see things in a new light, one that can work out much better than if things unfolded as we would orchestrate them.

Muddy-ing the mix is a wide square to Vesta in Virgo, perhaps suggesting nothing so much as the potential for stiff-necked and judgmental ‘principles’ to get in the way of what needs to be initiated at this time. With that 29 degree Mars we know something must be done, and if we keep our emotional head on straight, and refuse to succumb to emotional pressures, we can start something big, new, fresh, necessary–so though we need considered judgment, an agreement between head and heart, we don’t need a hyper-critical take on what we want to do.

The Sabian for the eclipse is, ‘A Modern Cafeteria Displays An Abundance Of Food, Products Of Various Regions’. That’s an image of choice–a watchword of Mars, which we know is instrumental to what goes down. Note too that it’s a ‘modern’ image, one that provides options we might not have had at other points in time, or even in history–important as it emphasizes the wide reach we now enjoy, the variety at our fingertips, and the wide impact of our own choices, an effect we might not anticipate as we act, but which we should be cognizant of.

Find balance between the head and the heart, and be willing to act–what’s promised is something you’ve long wanted, though be warned, it may not be precisely what you’ve envisioned, it will fulfill the ambitions, the desire nature, the craving you’ve carried–and like so many things in life, surprise us with the form it takes, with what it brings, with discovery about the true nature of what we’ve drawn to us.

Bonus: if you have a natal placement in the 18-21 degree range of Aquarius, you may find this period initiates a new front with a worked-for ambition or aim, likely bringing a workable approach that leads to realization, as your natal placement fills in an Air Grand Trine with the eclipse and Zeus. Congrats!

Mercury Retrogrades 29 May 2021 Re-Consider

28 Friday May 2021

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Inferior Conjunction, Mercury, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions, Sun/Mercury Inferior Conjunction

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The Lily Pond, a photograph by American photographer Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr. 1916 {{PD}}

If thoughts seem still as a woodland pond, it may be because Mercury is stationary, ready to technically retrograde at 3:34 PM PDT of the 29th at 24 Gemini 43. (Or, if you can’t seem to light on any train of thought for long, that’s also a Mercurial stoppage of a sort, the kind that sends you round and round through the same ‘network’ of thoughts and offers no definitive satisfactions.)

The Moon in Capricorn will have just quincunxed Mercury shortly before turnaround, giving us the feels and probably making for some frustration: the emotions either seem obvious, sitting right on the surface, or seem to be in the depths, hidden even from ourselves–but most likely is a combination, that comes along with an awareness that, ‘this emotion is right in front of me, but I know I have feelings I just can’t pinpoint!’.

Merc in Gemini prompts some overthinking, and probably a yearning to ‘make progress’ somehow, to make up our minds about things, particularly the matters of the House in the natal chart where the retro occurs–or, we have the need to communicate without really knowing what our message is. There are two tendencies at this point, and you’ll likely choose one: thinking you can think your way through ‘it’, whatever it is, or a personal approach that relies on 1) scattershot attention, so that nothing gets focus, and so nothing gets done/ decided, or 2) turning to others for endless surveys of their opinions, what they would do, etc., which does nothing to move the matter forward.

None of those are wrong, but it is just spinning our Mercurial wheels. A retro in Air asks us to, in broadest terms, re-consider what and how we think of our world, so full awareness of our own subjectivity is highly useful, when we bother to compare it to the facts, the info available, to the prevailing thought on any matter. Again, neither is no viewpoint is inherently more right than any other; it’s in the comparison, the review of our own methods cast against the thinking of the wider world or the group, that we benefit, find mental inspiration, sort the wheat from the chaff.

The Cosmic picture at turnaround sets the stage for the retro period itself, with Mercury roughly three-and-a-half weeks ahead. Here we see Mercury at the point of retrograde pulling back just before, in direct motion, it would’ve conjoined Venus, suggesting a pull back in relationships or financial matters, a wait-and-see, or let’s think about this some more approach. First aspect Mercury in retro will form is a square to Neptune, promising that any fantasies we hope to sustain may hit the rocks on retro review, and also making it difficult to connect to inspiration or the creative ideal, probably because the mind isn’t ready to stick with a single idea, just yet.

Right about the same time Merc will also semi-sextile Mars and square Pallas, warning us: you may get antsy, want to act precipitously, but that wouldn’t be smart, or may be impractical. So don’t indulge in impulse, during this retro time. Inferior Conjunction with the Sun comes on the 11th of June, and should be the starting point for beginning to gather your thoughts. If you’re a wordsmith of any kind, work it and re-work it, and if you’re not, just let the mind sort through things at its own pace, and start paying attention to what occupies your mental space on the 11th. Don’t demand answers until a bit after direction, and you’ll be all the better for it.

Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius 26 May 2021 Facing the Depths

22 Saturday May 2021

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

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‘The Gale’ By Winslow Homer 1883 {{PD}}

A Lunar eclipse is by definition a Full Moon, a time when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon as they are lined up along the ecliptic, offering Earthlings a few minutes when the Moon is prevented from reflecting the Sun’s light. All bodies in our Solar system are more or less lined up along this plane; an eclipse is a point when a New or Full Moon occurs as the alignment of Sun, Moon, and Earth are closest, allowing either the Moon (during a Solar eclipse) or the Earth (during a Lunar one) to block the Sun’s light to the other body.

This Lunar eclipse falls on 26 May, at 4:13 AM PDT, at 5 Sagittarius 25, and of course does so close to the South Node (with Full or New Moon proximity to the Nodes being one sign of an eclipse). Interesting that the closest aspect formed is a sesquiquadrate with Mars in Cancer. With the ’emotion point’ of the chart itself being the meeting of Moon and Earth (with the Moon on the side of Earth opposite to the Sun), Martian energy in the Moon’s sign and in difficult aspect to the Lunar event suggests either aggressive, angry emotions stirred up by endings or conclusions brought by the Full Moon, or that actions or choices (Mars) made because we care (Cancer) bring forward a tough situation (sesquiquadrate).

The Full Moon is also semi-square Zeus, in wide square to Jupiter, and quincunx Ceres. Our desires (Mars/ Zeus) are under pressure (semi-sq and sesqui), and it doesn’t look like we have the opportunity or support we wanted from the larger social sphere or from the facts themselves (sq to Jupiter), and this may cause a dilemma, a need to adjust course (qnx) and make choices based on a realistic picture of our own authority in the matter (qnx Ceres).

The Sabian symbol for this eclipse is, ‘A Game Of Cricket’. Though we’re likely to take what occurs very seriously, we would do well to keep in mind that everything in life is a kind of game. A lighthearted take, or one that is willing to take reasonable risk, or to not take injury too grimly, will serve us well. Know what you’re risking, make your moves, and be willing to lose once in a while, seeing it as the Universe pointing you in another direction. The game metaphor may be old and even trite, but it applies: to succeed we have to be willing to play, to risk, and to know when a win is really a win, and when it’s a distraction from our actual aims (one indication that it’s a distraction: it seems like an end in itself–also when it only makes us want more/ something else).

The Sun has the Sabian, ‘Workmen Drilling For Oil’. The richness of life is there, if we’re willing to work for it, to ‘drill down’ in the right way and in the right place, if we’re willing to ‘get our hands dirty’, as the saying goes–and that means openness to dealing with the nitty-gritty, putting in the time and effort, hoping we can ‘strike oil’–and knowing there’s no guarantee–and that means when we come up dry (that is, when our goals elude us over significant stretches of time and despite all efforts), we need to be ready to declare it a bust, and move on to more promising ground that is more responsive to our efforts–that latter an important point, when pursuing what we want.

Whether the Full Moon is a trigger, ‘lighting up’ feelings about what we learn, already knew but must now face, or discover (Sagittarius), or an ending that opens space for a whole new way of seeing and understanding the world (Jupiter), we need to see that as an eclipse event, it wipes out old circumstances represented by matters of the House in the natal chart in which the event occurs. We learn might be the motto of this Full Moon as it removes previous conditions and presents us, likely via knowledge gained or revealed, or beliefs tested, with a whole fresh assortment of facts.

If it falls in the 1st, we might learn something about ourselves and our interactions with the world; in the 2nd, something around our true talents or about what assets we bring to the table or are capable of earning; in the 3rd, new knowledge or beliefs change our minds or method of assessment; in the 4th something about the family life is revealed, or we have to face facts about the place we see as our current base, or about who we are, deep inside; eclipse in the 5th in Sag says something about what we must risk, or what we must create, in order to get what we want; the 6th brings knowledge that shakes up the everyday, or that re-orders our sense of duty or obligation; in the 7th we may observe what we need to see about ourselves or our situation acted out by others, or the changes come with or through partners or in response to what our ‘audience’ tells us; in the 8th things shift and are revealed through the act of sharing or interdependence, with our cooperative arrangements likely to re-balance; in the 9th the eclipse may force us to reach out, or makes the very instance of discovery or learning into the event itself; falling in the 10th it’s public–others can see, and that may create changes in the career or status; in the 11th a group of which we’re a part may take on a different role in our lives, or we take on a different one in the group–falling here the eclipse may also alter or deliver a long-sought dream or goal, or pave the way for its realization (or final denial); and in the 12th the Moon’s message may arrive in dreams, meditation, or in a realization about our place in the larger Cosmos, or we may find a new chapter opening when we’re under the sway of something much larger than ourselves.

All these potentials include the possibility of expansion, of widening our world, or of gaining experience; we might also find out about our temper and how it drives us, our true power within our own current situation, the difficult or less attractive parts of our ambitions, or we may discover how much we care, even (or especially) if we thought we didn’t. Prepare to have to face the depths of emotions around things we’ve been framing as casual, as something we can take or leave; the eclipse tells us what we need to know–all we have to do is acknowledge that we really want ‘it’, we deeply care about ‘it’, or that we genuinely need ‘it’–and go from there.

Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY

Addressing the Individual Experience Within the Universal Truth

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