It’s Friday the 13th and Mars stations direct! At long last, the Warrior resumes apparent forward motion. Direction happens without any direct contact to other bodies–and so may feel disconnected from surrounding events. That is, we may feel a ‘loosening up’ of energy and a resumption of forward motion, especially in matters of the House in the natal chart where Mars is currently transiting and in matters of the natal House Mars rules, but otherwise these may not connect to current happenings in our lives. At this point it may be a ‘So what? That doesn’t help!’ feeling, or one where the potentials for gaining momentum remain theoretical, for now.
And what does this mean, happening on Friday the 13th? Absolutely nothing! Our numbering of the days isn’t related to anything, other than the whole ‘365 in a year, and a leap day once every 4 years’, marking the actual movement of the planet around the Sun. Other than that, the numbering of days, as well as the naming of days of the week, are simply human constructs, and hold no meaning. The reality is, if you look for negative events, anticipating something because of an arbitrary negative designation, you will surely find them–but that in no way suggests that the designation is the cause of the negative event.
The 13th also promises rewards, if we play it right, and offers one pitfall. The pitfall first: rigidity in values expression and/ or in thinking can be misleading and cause unwise decisions (Mercury sesq Neptune, Vesta sesq Pallas). And the rewards? Those are obtained by valuing the future (acting with the idea that you’re building what’s to come–Venus trine NN), exercising creative agency (Neptune trine Juno), and by adding the unique voice and viewpoint in those areas where your commitment is solid (Uranus trine Vesta). Overall for today, take a positive attitude, one where you’re willing to invest in what really matters–and let everything else go.
On the 14th the rubber meets the road, as they say, and that promises that, if we remain focused on positive and productive change that centers on ambition fulfillment, we get very good results (Sun sxt Pluto and Jupiter, Venus conj Zeus). Those ambitions you’ve put genuine and legitimate work into will pay off–if you don’t get the expected benefit, you can be sure it’s because you only thought what you were doing was an adequate investment–let this be your warning that something in your thinking, assessment capability, or method must change (Mercury sesq NN).
Too, what has changed of late will be glaringly apparent–the Sun spotlights things so they can’t be missed (unless all our energy goes into not seeing)–so be invested in responding to this ‘new’ reality, rather than trying to cling to the past.
The 15th brings conflict in relationships or over finances (Venus sq Pluto and Jupiter). We may find transformed circumstances that call for our sensitive and responsive-to realities adjustment. Our choices are: face the need for changes, or set up a stand-off. Be aware of a couple of things: thinking is off right now, influenced by hurt and so alienated from our highest values–meaning judgment at this time is off, as well; and what’s smart will be highlighted, pointed out to us, or otherwise be prominent–so take the hint (Mercury qnx Chiron and contra-parallel Vesta, Sun sxt Pallas).
By the 16th we have to face it: some facet of our financial stance or in our attitude in one or more relationships has to change; allow values to guide, in spite of the way they may point out how we’ve been at fault (Venus sq Pallas and semi-sq Vesta).
Post on the New Moon of the 14th to follow tomorrow.
What do influences active on the 10th tell us? Be smart: concentrate on making the most of your own authority and power, and be willing to make changes within your own sphere in order to maximize reach and effectiveness; be very clear on what comprises your ‘territory’, and what’s actually another’s responsibility; be open to negotiating more favorable power balances, and be honest about what things you are willing to oversee, which you are okay with handing off (Pluto parallel and Mercury trine Ceres).
Mercury, now in forward apparent motion, enters Scorpio after a brutal retrograde, making us naturally more reflective and prone to dig up the bones; don’t let that propensity disturb arrangements that at present are actually complementary, that are in balance with each serving their parts–we need to keep our highest values and commitments at the forefront of consciousness at this time, in order to avoid succumbing to a too-strong inclination toward change or destruction when something isn’t quite as we’d like (Venus contra-parallel Mars and novile Vesta).
On the 11th everything that was stirred up but didn’t settle yesterday prompts unwise or discordant action–so don’t (Mars semi-sq Ceres). Use ideals and goals to re-align efforts, and pull from the imaginative fog those gems that are both inspiring and useful (Venus qnx Neptune, Sun qnx NN).
The 12th may be very active, with a lot of ‘we have no choice’ change coming at us–so disorienting at the least, and super unpleasant and disempowering, at worst. Jupiter, Pluto, and Pallas all pile up together, and the thing is, this may read as the social order telling us what to do–but wise up, as the reality is that what those who are both knowledgeable and in power are telling us to do or asking of us is actually wise and most practical–even if we can’t see this. You notice that key phrase, right? Knowledgeable and in Power–if somebody has only one of those (specifically, someone who holds some kind of sway or power but who can’t point to actual facts), then the smart thing to do is not to listen to them. Can we abandon our prejudices and partisanship long enough to do not just the right thing (from the individual way of thinking) but the smart one? I hope so.
The Weekly Word Image is a tremendous windstorm that should knock over trees, fences, and other vulnerable structures, but doesn’t. Roots and foundations are deeper than they seem to be, and that can be a good thing, when values are clear and others are respected, or a very bad thing, if what supports is sunk in prejudice, hatred, or fear, all of which are almost definitively irrational. Know that right now, surface arguments aren’t worth having; make sure you’re aligned with what is True (and if you’re not sure, just ask if what you see as Truth respects the well-being and rights of others–if it doesn’t, it’s not something to build your life view on–it can’t be True if it imposes your Will)—because if you respect what’s objectively True, then you’re also aligned with Love.
‘A Woman Playing a Clavichord’ By Gerrit Dou c1650 {{PD}}
Merc and Saturn once again perfect their square on the 6th, forcing us all to feel the pinch in our own particular ways. Whatever constraints your mind has been struggling with, you can remedy things with a simple formula: honor a sense of your own responsibility gained through successful efforts of the past (Ceres conj South Node) and then be flexible in allowing healing for those matters you really care about (Chiron qnx Vesta). The tendency may be to insist on rigid expressions of the highest values and to be unyielding when it comes to those matters you’re dedicated to–but that wouldn’t be just Self-defeating, it would be downright wrong. Be open to learning from experience–it’s the only way to keep perceptions both responsive to reality and relevant to the situation. Too, it’s not a day to pursue ambition fulfillment directly–too many denied, ignored, or hidden matters, including our own anger, will pop up to interfere with realization (Zeus contra-parallel Black Moon Lilith).
By the 7th we should be concentrating on doing what’s healthy, especially in relationships and finances, and this may go against our natural inclinations, which could be driven by our own hidden agenda and so focus our efforts on trying to right what we perceive as a wrong (Venus sxt Hygeia and sesq Sedna, Pallas sq Zeus, Sun qnx Mars). Thoughts are too prone to seek ambition fulfillment and to ignore the wonkiness of our own reasoning (Merc parallel Zeus and contra-parallel BML)–wait it out, and go experiential, if possible (enjoy the senses, rather than trying to forward goals).
We balance ourselves and gain empowerment by concentrating on our own responsibilities and then fulfilling them on the 8th. Just as yesterday, don’t succumb to what presents as instinct but is really misperceived situations of right and wrong (Sun conj Juno, Merc qnx Sedna and parallel Juno).
Things become complicated (or more so!) on the 9th. We feel empowered and aware of our own personal authority via our idealism, but this kind of power is merely an illusion if we don’t also embrace personal responsibility (completely, not just selectively) and refuse to act out of hurt. It’s a difficult balancing act, but we do have a single metric that will help us measure our own effectiveness: if we find ourselves reacting to things in an oppositional way (that is, taking the opposite position regardless of our own best interests or what’s logical), then we’ll know that we’re avoiding our own need to assess situations for our own part in things–we’ll know we’re in some way shirking responsibility, and must parse that out before going forward. Some of us may do brilliantly by harnessing energies for creative ventures–if you can, this is the best way to go (Venus sesq Ceres, opp Mars, contra-parallel Chiron, Sun trine Neptune).
Hi Julie, We’ve talked about this a little (this is from a client), but I’d like to know more about my Venus conjunct the south node in my 2nd (Chiron there as well). How this affects my friendships, love and money. How can I work with these energies better. Also maybe more about the south node/north node in general. Thank you!
Hello! First we need to note how your Chiron in Aries in the 2nd sits in the 29th degree; this may be the most important thing about it, as it invests the sense of Self-worth, talent expression, and earning ability (2nd), and the sense of autonomy and agency, and the ability to act, choose, and do (Aries) with a perpetual dual aura of woundedness and of giftedness, which is under continual and enormous pressure, on the one hand to simply survive, and on the other hand to prove itself, once and for all.
The result of this influence of extremes may be confidence that periodically collapses into Self-questioning; a sureness in the possession of unique talents that fluctuates with a feeling that either those talents will never be appreciated, or that you will never be able to adequately express them; and possibly a too-strong idea that you are responsible for everything that does and ever has happened to you, that alternates with a belief that your circumstances would be different, if not for the influence (and sometimes persecution) of others.
Chiron here is a very tender spot, a wound always open to injury as well as a belief in unusual giftedness that is one’s greatest asset, and being conjoined the very close South Node-Venus conjunction, it draws the varied facets of the Chirotic nature directly into the values, the sense of yourself as a woman, into your ideas of Love and Money and relationships as a whole, into matters of the 3rd (thought processes, communication, agreements and contracts, sibling relationships, the early and local environments) and 8th (other people’s resources, cooperative ventures, particularly those where you are subordinate to or dependent on someone else, what you share with others and they with you, and some matters of human nature that may be secret or ‘hidden’) Houses ruled by Venus, and imbues it all with a sense of knowing or experience drawn from the past (SN).
One of the issues may be a perpetual mix-up in your own perceptions: is it me, or is it them? you may ask yourself–and essentially, it’s both! though of course, your own perceptual nature drives how you react to both your own thoughts and outside Chirotic influences.
So this may be a heavy, always-on-your-mind influence that presses you to act, to show what you can do–and we see this pressure principally channeled in Chiron as apex to a Fist of God with the very close Neptune/Midheaven-Zeus square as its base. Zeus is in Virgo in the 7th=fastidious attention to goals and ambitions, controlled expression through the Arts, the desire for a discerning audience, a vulnerability to criticism and critique that could separate you from your most inspired plans; and Neptune/ MC are only one minute apart in Sagittarius in the 10th=you want to share your factual knowledge and your inner ‘knowing’, to reach out, to bring disparate elements of the world together, to teach, to impart, with an awareness of the width of human experience, and you want to be known for this, you want it to be seen as your vocation/ career in the forms your ambitions dictate, to be seen as manifesting pure creativity–and yet the square says that they’re conflicts here.
My guess is those contrasts are seated in the friction between what you’ve been taught and what you believe, and the ways those have been contradicted by feedback and personal experience, all as it has formed your Self-concepts, especially as they refer to talent expression (2nd House)–and those shape both the experience of the wound, and the expression of the gift (both Chiron). But, since belief is the underpinning of both the Chirotic perceptions (via the lens they impose) and as they figure in to the creative energy, the public role, and the sense of empowerment (all through locating 10th House Neptune, the MC, and Juno in Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter), we see that a look at Jupiter, as both belief and ‘the facts of the matter’, is in order.
Jupiter is late in Taurus in the 3rd, conjoined Black Moon Lilith (the mathematical point representing what we ignore or deny, or matters that enrage us at the way they violate our rights). This suggests that what you believe is strongly influenced by the mind, which we’ve seen is inextricably linked with both the Chiron wounds and the asset, talent, and Self-assessment picture. It also implies that those matters you’d rather not deal with, or that make you so angry you might explode, are thoroughly ignored, tucked away in a dark vault of the mind–probably so that they don’t spoil a perceptual picture that relies heavily on taking a positive tack to keep you both active, moving forward, and productive, without forcing the processing of the ways you’ve been hurt or feel put down–so overall, a likely healthy mechanism, and for the most part it probably allows you to exclude what could otherwise become obsessive or debilitating and overly critical Self-assessments.
The most striking thing about your Jupiter is that it sits sextile your Mercury-Sun in Pisces in the 1st, forming the base of a Finger of God with apex the Libra North Node. Aha! Suppression that would in other situations cause dysfunction in this case allows you to move forward in ways that are true to who you are and that allows cooperation and collaboration. So, what we can see around your Chiron is that it’s a kind of pivot point, connecting the sense of vulnerability and fear of being overwhelmed by others (your Aries Chiron–the last thing it wants is to lose autonomy!) reaching/ connected to other vital dynamics that allow you to balance influences in such a way that they optimize function. That is, you’ve got a well-oiled machine there–so digging at various parts or functions will only disturb what is already carefully balanced. Trust yourself, and the Universe, which will pipe up when you need to attend to something, and know that it’s not really necessary for you to excavate certain energies–just allow them to work as they naturally do.
Real-Life Symbols of Chiron: LeBron James
So I was contemplating Chiron (as we all do, in idle moments) and a commercial came on TV with LeBron James, whose bottom half was a motorcycle–and suddenly that clicked as a kind of modern-day Chiron figure! Though Chiron was a centaur, his parentage made him special; as the offspring of the Titan Cronus, who had taken equine form, and the nymph Philyra, Chiron was a Being beyond human and yet intimately familiar with many of humanity’s most painful experiences. He was abandoned by his mother, and it’s this part of the myth that likely led to him being representative of the primal wound, one so deep within the psyche that it figures in absolutely everything one does and is.
Chiron was unusual in that, unlike his fellow centaurs, he cultivated a life of the mind, beyond the lusts of the inherent animal nature, fostered by and tutored by the god Apollo. This represents that other major facet of astrological Chiron, its designation of one’s unique and very particular talent or gift, an area or process in which you’re innately educated and wise. And that leads us to how a basketball star (one who is unusually beloved, with little criticism or censure coming his way) may in some small way vibe to the Chiron essence.
LeBron James’s Chiron sits in Gemini in the Whole Sign 1st, but above the horizon, which in the Placidus system would place it in the 12th (birth data: 30 December 1984, 4:04 PM Akron, Ohio, USA). Right away we see someone with the facility to communicate through his own Beingness (the Chirotic gift)–he is the message, in a certain way–and this can carry a spiritual or ‘Cosmic’ knowing–and, we might surmise that his ability is rooted at least in part in an awareness of how much words can mean, of the impact they can have, with the significator of ‘the Wound’ in Gemini.
Ruler Mercury sits in the 7th, conjoined Uranus, ruler of the 9th, both in Sagittarius but not positioned in opposition to Chiron=communicating Higher Mind to all others, to an ‘audience’, through one’s Art (in this case, athletics, well signified by Sagittarius). Merc rules the 1st and 4th=there’s a harmony here between identity (1st) and the deepest inner Self (4th)–not to mention that James was raised to be what he shows to the world.
Most interesting in the Chiron-themed picture, though, may be the way, if we’re generous with our orbs (as we often need to be in natal work, in order to get a truly complete picture), we see Chiron as apex to a loose Finger of God with base of Pluto in Scorpio in the 6th and Neptune (which is widely conjoined the Sun, symbol of the Self/ Soul) in Capricorn in the 8th. So, the Chirotic skills are perfect for supporting change (this may even be seen as a duty) in service to the ideal (Neptune) that benefits everyone (8th).
Did I say most interesting? Maybe this is even more compelling: Chiron is apex to a tight Fist of God with base of a Cardinal square (and those demand action) between Vesta in Libra in the 5th and Jupiter in Capricorn in the 8th=tension between the sense that one must honor others even as one observes the restrictions and disparities in the social order can be reconciled via the Chiron energies; that is, through communication that heals, and expression of the gift for communing and networking.
LeBron has recently been involved in promoting voting and educating others not just on right and need to vote, but on how to go about it to insure one’s voice is heard. That’s the ultimate communication, the ultimate Geminian networking, that lifts the Chirotic energy to a Transpersonal level: I use my gift to make sure you are heard.
A final thing of note is that transiting Saturn, Pluto, Pallas, and Jupiter are all for various spans of time conjoining LeBron’s natal Jupiter, encouraging him to share what he knows in the name of making permanent meaningful change to the reality picture, to transform with wisdom and ‘the facts’ so that things are closer to those principles of freedom and enlightenment through knowledge (both Jupiter) that we all believe in.
See my book, Chiron in the Natal Chart here. And to follow next week, a third installment on Chiron–plus, a little something for this weekend later today. Stay safe and healthy!
The Arnold Children, Western Washington, 1939 Photo By Dorothea Lange, available through the US Library of Congress
On the 1st we’re still ridin’ that Full Moon wave (or are they tremors, in humble Taurus?) It’s a matter of trying to square (see what I did there, between Merc and Saturn?) thinking with reality, communication go-aheads with information shut-downs, and travel inclinations with staying put. It’s important to know that the pressure we feel to ‘prove ourselves’ in some way is actually an echo of things we’ve repressed or denied–so that tension is Self-inflicted, and so unnecessary (Juno contra-parallel Black Moon Lilith). In this state of mind, it may seem impossible to use the love in relationships and talent expression to heal what ails us, but that’s exactly what we must do; get past the apparent difficulty, and the ability to ‘fix’ things will occur via supportive relationships and the receipt of timely resources (Venus opp Chiron).
On the 2nd we’d be wise to draw on lessons from the past, and specifically to use what we’ve learned to adjust our approach (especially in terms of what’s practical for us) to shape the future (Pallas qnx NN, Sun nov SN).
The 3rd sees Mercury station direct, and though that could signal a lightening of the thought processes and a general opening up of communications, it could just as easily still feel like a troublesome monkey sitting on your chest if you have anything close to 25 Libra or in hard aspect to that spot–‘when will it move?’ may be the only thing you can think. Ambition and power acquisition and/ or making an impact in our world are all on our minds (Merc parallel Zeus and Juno); take care not to be so distracted by goals that you neglect relationship or financial matters where others are counting on you (Venus qnx Uranus).
Oh! On the 4th our eyes are likely to still be on those aims and wants we were thinking about yesterday–but today we are empowered to go after them, despite the difficulties presented by a mind clouded by matters we’d rather ignore or are in denial of. Have confidence, in spite of the way the social order, or the actual facts of the matter, create problems for us, though be aware that too much focus on desire fulfillment just isn’t healthy. If you find yourself in a mental muddle, take a step back and give the mind a little time to clear–those same opportunities will still be there in the morning (Juno parallel and Jupiter sq Zeus, Merc contra-parallel BML, Sun sq Hygeia).
For the 5th our actions and options need to be consciously chosen in light of our actual empowerment situation–we can’t pretend to have more power, or less power, than we really do, and still expect to get a good, accurate result. Jealousy, a desire for love, greed, or a willingness to compromise values are all super-unwise–don’t even chance it (Mars qnx Juno, Venus contra-parallel Pallas).
Not quite a full week, I know. Looking for the Full Moon that led into this? It’s here–Stay sane, stay hopeful, dear Readers!
‘The Nativity’ By Ghirlandaio, Domenico c1480 {{PD}}
The Full Moon occurs at 7:49 AM PDT at 8 Taurus 38 on the last day of October. This happens just three minutes short of perfection of a conjunction with backward-barreling Uranus, imbuing the whole event with a sense of ‘Ah-ha!’ completion, and not a little potential for shock, surprise, awe, and unintended consequences or events, including accidents. Revelation is the order of the day, and it’s our job to find the meaning behind what the Full Moon brings to completion or ending, or to truly see what events show us, especially in terms of Higher Mind or in insight concerning our own individual emotional nature.
A Full Taurus Moon suggests change in the material circumstances, resources, comfort level, surroundings, available skill sets, and in the sense of security we enjoy (or lack). Other than the close and compelling contact to the planet of disruption, invention, and revolution, there is only one even reasonably close aspect, a loose novile to the North Node point. Of course what happens at the Full Moon shapes the future! That doesn’t tell us anything–or does it? Contact with the Nodal point suggests the extremes of emotion we might experience at any one time; for Luna, contact to its own Node is like looking in a mirror, one that reflects back the extent to which this Lunar event might prompt extremes of feeling, which may be reactionary (in response to something outside ourselves) or internal (in response to revelations about the Self or the Self in relation to the group). Add that a Full Moon brings Earth and Moon together, and that this event is in Taurus this time, magnifies the way in which the feelings will reflect the environment and particularly one’s perceptions of it, and vice versa, the way the emotional reactions will frame perceptions of and experiences of the environment.
I’ve seen a number of people say that they believe this Full Moon will be comforting, soothing, but I can’t agree, although there’s the possibility that the Uranian influence does bring a kind of other-shoe-dropping relief, possibly delivering something tensely anticipated for a while now. I think going automatically to a ‘comfort’ assumption may be a slight misreading due to the things we can typically count on: 1) that a Full Moon brings endings, and so some closure, and 2) that Taurus automatically means what comes about is comforting. We shouldn’t discount the way loss may figure in to any ending, as well as needing to remain aware that the opposite of comfort and security are just as much a part of the Taurean experience as are facets that are artisanal, nourishing, and soothing.
One thing we should keep in mind is that the intellect may perform in erratic fashion at this point, changing on momentary input and then changing further, and so might the actual surroundings–all we can be sure of is that our feelings about ourselves and about the various groups to which we belong will undergo extremes, and that may involve vacillation, which suggests that we’d do well to let the dust settle before we draw any firm conclusions from events, material results, or our own reaction to them.
The Full Moon Sabian is, ‘A Fully Decorated Christmas Tree’. There are two most likely scenarios that this may represent: the celebration of a symbolic ‘birth’, one that stands for our faith in something or someone, or one that promises a new beginning or even a kind of forgiveness, or a literal marker for Full Moon results that will manifest around holiday time. In the former case we’re looking at something along the lines of a start that offers a renewal of hope (and maybe anticipation of the receiving of gifts or rewards) that arises from something drawing to conclusion with the Full Moon–an ending that makes room for a new beginning–or if Uranus is prominently involved, the end of one revolution and the beginning of another; this also suggests that there will be a Taurean-themed material component to what occurs. In the case of the latter, we can mark our calendars for any ‘incompletes’ that come forward with the Full Moon, knowing that results will be delivered before the New Year.
For a Full Moon we also look at the Sun’s Sabian, since the Solar orb is the source of all light and a symbol of the conscious/ overt energies in play at this time. The Sun’s is, ‘A Dentist At Work’, suggesting that what occurs at the Full Moon was prompted by our own attention to ‘fixing’ or doing vital work on some important part of our lives. It also summons Saturn (teeth, bones, discipline and hard work) to the table, and at the Full Moon we see an approaching square between Saturn and Mercury as the latter moves in retrograde. This may imply conflict with others (Libra) over rules, or over what’s necessary (Capricorn) may kick off the surprises and extremes of the Full Moon, and that these will have material consequences. Look, then, to the Saturnian practices or places in your own life for the genesis of Full Moon events.
‘Park in Autumn’ By Michał Gorstkin-Wywiórski c1900 {{PD}}
Just a peek ahead at what to expect:
Today, the 26th, we have a Moon-Neptune conjunction by late PDT, but that’s not the thing that draws my attention; I’m concerned with a sextile of Pallas-Neptune, with Mars still close in square to Pallas. The Moon proceeding to conjunction with Neptune later today only adds emotion and possibly unsettling intuitions to what is already promised: unwise actions (Pallas sq Mars) based on delusion, fantasy, or misperception (Neptune). Add the Sun’s sesquiquadrate to Neptune, and we see that all eyes will be on an array of misbegotten, confusing, and downright untrue choices, actions and events–and all we can do is hope that a Venus trine to Sedna and quincunx Ceres, and Mercury sextile Vesta, will allow at least some of us to heed our own inner knowing and values (if we can accept our own authority), and avoid the illusory nature of what others may try to choose for us (I’m talking to you, US Senate, as against the will of the majority you go forward with a very unwise Supreme Court confirmation–and ‘unwise’ isn’t just my opinion; every single thing involved with this should warn them off proceeding, not just because of Mars and Mercury both retrograde, but also by the symbolism of the real-life super-spreader event that was her nomination announcement).
And almost immediately, those who chose to act on the 26th will have some regrets by the 27th! Let’s just say that some will suddenly realize what they’ve done, in two ways: it will become apparent that choices and actions actually conflict with highest values (Mars sesq Vesta), and that feedback from others puts the spotlight on what we’ve ignored or denied in order to get to this point (Venus and Mercury enter Libra, the latter opp Black Moon Lilith). Trusting our own personal sense of authority, honoring our right to be and to run our own lives, will allow for some inspiring and brilliant perceptions–and keep us out of the muck, for now (Pallas nov Ceres).
On the 28th standing in our own light, honoring ourselves as worthy, brings problems in relationships, but it must be done–even if it hurts (Venus qnx BML, Mercury trine Ceres, Sun contra-parallel Vesta, sesq NN, and qnx Chiron).
The 29th we’d be smart to allow things we’ve buried or hidden, even from ourselves, to inform (and so adjust) thinking. Right now the facts or even our beliefs will only take us so far–we need to see our world, warts and all, in order to succeed (BML parallel Sedna, Jupiter qnx NN, Merc qnx Sedna).
Friday the 30th we have a challenge before us: honor and accept who we are and the responsibilities we hold, especially those things that are unique and original to and about us–we excel in relationships and/ or financial matters if we do–or pay the psychological piper with inner discord if we don’t (Juno contra-parallel Sedna, Venus nov Juno, Sun contra-parallel Uranus).
On the 31st we have a Full Moon (report to follow in a separate post), and we’re offered a unique opportunity in a deja vu sort of way: again, if we will honor our uniqueness and autonomy, and the responsibilities to act with integrity and to create that these imbue us with, we can heal in important ways (Mars parallel Chiron, Sun opp Uranus).
Vintage postcard {{PD}}
It’s a week to act with integrity, to trust ourselves, and to refuse to be fooled or misled–so, like a regular week! Have a great one, and Happy Halloween thinning-of-the-veil!
I’m sure many of us are feeling the heightened energy in the current atmosphere–and even as I write this I’m aware of the inadequacy of that phrase, ‘heightened energy’–it’s really more like the heaviest breeze you’ve ever felt, or maybe like floating inside a lead cloud. My symbol choices may be clunky, but I have no doubt you all know what I’m talking about.
For me it’s manifested as an inability to go to sleep. Now normally when I suffer insomnia, it’s either caused by a hamster wheel of overthinking spinning to the tune of free-floating anxiety, or it’s sheer, unfettered resistance of the ‘I’m a big girl and I don’t have to go to bed right now’ variety.
This time, though, it’s a pure alertness that doesn’t cause and isn’t prompted by anxiety; instead I’m simply AWAKE, with no agenda trying to push its way to conscious consideration–and for me, that’s really weird.
Clearly, this is a wave that’s lapping the globe, generated by a spectacular array of world events–and right now might be a good time to put a pin in the whole thing (with so many bodies in Capricorn, including today the Moon), so that any upset this frequency is creating can be seen for what it is: a Collective ‘web’ in which we’re all vibrating, and so it’s only natural we’re concerned there’s a spider that will emerge at any time to either eat us or wrap us in silk for later!
Here’s something that may help: the big changes, the big traumas, are already done–Saturn and Pluto are done with their dance, and that means that the real-world manifestations of change have already fallen into place (even if we haven’t yet seen those results, or you haven’t seen the dust settle in your part of the world, yet). By mid-December Saturn will be moving into Aquarius, fostering the processing of previous material events in intellectual terms, finding where they fit into and reflect both the modern Zeitgeist and our own future, and delivering revelations that push some of us to rebellion, some of us to the avant garde in our arena, some of us to erratic (and probably Self-destructive) behaviors, and some to show our most unique and original qualities and creative abilities. And really, it’s your choice, since it’s all seated in our response to prevailing energies, rather than determined by any one thing or series of things that happen to us.
The real culprit shakin’ our web is Jupiter. I really hesitate to call Jupiter by one of its traditional names, The Greater Benefic. It’s not that the moniker is untrue, but that Jupiter can be big, loud, colorful, overwhelming, sweeping in its effects–and that can feel a lot like bullying to more sensitive types, especially those heavy in Water (they need to feel and then sort through those feelings around what’s happening, before they can enjoy it) and those heavy in Air, as they need to digest events mentally, before they can determine their reactions (and that’s so even when onlookers might see things as unreservedly positive–how can they be, asks the Air individual, if I don’t yet know what I think of them?)
As easily as Jupiter can bring bounty, it can bring too much–and if it’s too much of something we didn’t want in the first place, that can be its own kind of trauma. So, now that we’ve properly recognized that Jupiter can be indiscriminately too too, we’ll look at his role in the current situation; we won’t worry about past contacts much, because honestly, at this point so much has happened that going back to sort through with a fine-toothed comb is a waste of time, simply because we don’t need the past illuminated–it’s what’s coming that’s important, now.
Jupiter’s direct and rapidly approaching Pluto, which is also direct as of earlier this month–but at this point the latter is barely moving, lingering on the 22nd degree, where Jupiter will, by November 12th, meet him. Are our beliefs destroyed, transformed, or seen for the darkness they carry? Or is it that what we know takes on meaning via matters of Power and the way they play out? Are we too quick to rage, our upset grown out of all proportion, or do the facts set us free by the way they transform the situation, our outlook, our world? No matter what, Jupiter and Pluto together mean an exaggerated effect, and too many of us respond to Pluto with fear, especially when our own sense of Power is inadequate, damaged, or we have rejected our own strength; that can spell dangerous misunderstanding about what’s happening, what’s changing, that may spiral us into destructive mode out of fear, when a better response would be to reassure ourselves that the Universe is working to our benefit (Jupiter) no matter what those changes (Pluto) we’re facing look like on the surface.
At this point Mars will be poised to go direct, on the 13th–and that adds a strong impetus to move, act, do, that rides on the energy wave of the Jupiter-Pluto meeting. What we learn may prompt our choices and motivate us–but we need to take care, as tendencies to exaggeration and extremes (Jupiter-Pluto specialties) may distort what we glean so that we essentially make those choices based on misleading impressions. It may be difficult to see at the time that the heightened atmosphere is meant to help us ‘receive’ what we need to know–but awareness that it doesn’t reflect reality in its correct proportions is vital to not overreacting, to not destroying or raging out of misunderstanding.
This is a potent influence, and so relatively strong for awhile; the most dangerous point for action based on misperception or illusion will be 5th-9th of December, as Mars moves to semi-sextile Neptune (thanks, Maree!), with the semi-sextile shouting loud and clear that what we base our actions and choices on at a personal level (Mars in Aries) needs adjustment and re-assessment, especially the small kinds that sneak under the radar (the semi-sextile). Those ideals (Neptune) we’ll think we’re serving won’t quite align with reality–so we must tread with care.
Let’s look at the Sabian for the meeting of Jupiter and Pluto: ‘A Soldier Receiving Two Awards For Bravery In Combat’. It’s going to feel very much like that; we’ll want to respond as if in the heat of battle, believing we’re doing the right, the noble, the brave (Mars in Aries!) thing–but as we can see from the larger picture, our viewpoint will be exaggerated, off, over-the-top–and that means our judgment of what to do, how to act, and how it’s all going to work out, will simply be a fantasy (Mars-Neptune).
So, we need to be prepared to feel things ‘too much’, at times, in the coming months, and we must also know that to act on our initial impressions will create problems, simple because what we learn, see, and experience will suffer some sort of distortion. But knowing that, we can go softly, and not need that big stick at all.
The New Moon perfects at 12:31 PM PDT on the 16th at 23 Libra 53, after just recently passing Zeus at 21 Libra and so still conjoined, and still within opposition of Mars, which recently conjoined Earth as the Warrior continued apparent backward motion. Immediately the New Moon takes on the tone of the near-past, where emotional aspirations and attentions toward ambitions and passions have been faced with the effectiveness (or not) of choices and actions meant to bring those goals into concrete realization. What dawns here may derive from recent choices and interactions, and let us know who will help us, who has hindered us, and who we must cooperate with or accept support (or even criticism) from, in order to make ‘it’ happen. With whom do we want to bond, with whom partner or share, in whom are we interested romantically, with whom are we aligned? This New Moon brings forward these important questions–but do we get an answer, during Merc retrograde?
Merc in Scorpio is prone to dig, and that doesn’t always sit well within Libran relationships–too, our Mercury cycle may focus our thinking in directions other than those brought forward by the New Moon, so it may be highly individual whether these two tie together in any way. If we don’t learn who is vital to our efforts and our happiness at the New Moon, we’ll definitely get an inkling at the Inferior Conjunction–simply because our excavations will naturally have at least some effect on our relationships, and vice versa.
This time the Lunar event forms one end of an opposition (the other end being the Earth and Mars), with both ends squared by Capricorn residents Jupiter (yes, we’ll give the orb a little more than usual, this time, because this body touches the two that have closer aspects to the NM), Pluto, and Saturn–and of course, that makes a Cardinal T-square. That’s a configuration of tension, stretching all energy components to their extremes within the situation, but it promises us something: we can resolve the basic opposition if we can resolve the conflict the ‘arm’ introduces to the general dynamic.
That presents a picture of ambition and desire fulfillment, and who or what is helping (or hindering) with that, as it stands in relation to our own actions and choices, and how these have affected the material situation. We’ll be seeing the disparities between enacting our Will (Aries) and our desires (Zeus–which naturally involve others, even if only in the form of an audience or witness, because we might ask if we really find satisfaction in a totally unnoticed act–even with an anonymous one, we want to see it affect others–Libra).
We sort through these disparities between getting our way and getting what we desire by recognizing what we’re doing that works, and what is impeding us–and this New Moon says we do so using the three energies of the square in a disciplined and controlled (Capricorn) way. There is a strong element of responsibility in all this, via both the need to assess our own behavior and its effectiveness, and in the ways to modify that in order to get what we truly want.
Jupiter says we need to face the facts, especially those that are restraining us or hemming us in, or it suggests that it’s our relationship to (or perhaps subjugation to) the social order that is causing problems, or that our expansion attempts are poorly engineered, or that our faith is somehow misplaced (probably invested in an unworthy authority figure). Saturn says we just need to stop! or that authorities have deemed we must, or that we are failing to follow ‘the rules’ or to discipline ourselves–and so we miss at least some of our marks. With Pluto the idea of power struggle is introduced, again possibly with authorities, or we either fail to recognize that change has occurred, or that changes need to be made. We underestimate the force behind the social order, the inevitability of evolution, and the march of time, and this New Moon allows us to re-calibrate, in terms of our own efforts.
Remember, it’s natural to weigh things, with this Libra New Moon–we’re meant to assess one thing against another–so don’t succumb to internal critics that may confuse discernment in matters that directly affect you with judging things that have nothing to do with you. Right now, weighing your own choices, actions, and goals is what it’s all about.
Though I don’t typically talk about other aspects in a New or Full Moon picture, because I prefer to keep the energies discussed Lunar-relevant, I want to mention a close square currently in place: Ceres in Aquarius square Sedna in Taurus, both late in the sign but not so late that they demand our attention (right now, at mid-28 degrees, they’re just whining and pulling on our sleeves!) This may bring an entirely different tension that we could mistake for New Moon conflict; in reality this shows more as our own intellectually held concepts of our personal authority as they clash with those matters that either sit in our ‘blind spot’ or that we ‘know but don’t know’. Here the clash is internal, and likely highly distracting, stirring all kinds of feeling–but not the same ones stirred by the Lunar need to measure our actions, and our effectiveness, as it applies to goals and the World.
Too, Black Moon Lilith at this time is found at 29 Aries 29, placing those things we’d like to ignore or that enrage us at a precarious, hard-to-maintain position that could become explosive–and that means this tension might factor in, as well.
This New Moon really is about knowing ourselves (Mars in Aries, retrograde, and so going over territory we’ve already seen but need to reassess), and this knowing must be in the context of our relationships with others. New interactions or bonds can be born at this time, just as long as we face what we need to. This NM may feel a lot more like a Full Moon because of the Mars opposition–so don’t be surprised if it brings as many endings as beginnings.
The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘ A Butterfly With A Third Wing On Its Left Side’. This New Moon seems to be about discovery, specifically about our own assets and what we can do with them. An extraneous ‘third wing’ may at first appear useless, random, even in the way of our successful ‘flight’, but on a butterfly a wing is an object of delicacy and beauty, with location on the left suggesting a spiritual purpose or meaning to it. It may be that with this New Moon we find something, in the course of all our other weighing and measuring, that offers a profound spiritual connection to our own beauty and ability–do your best to accept it as genuine, and to incorporate it in your idea of You.
Feel like Saturn’s giving you a hard time lately? Are you near a Return? You may want to visit (or re-visit) this real-life Saturn advice.
The Messenger (and Trickster) enters apparent retrograde motion at 6:05 PM PDT of the 13th at 11 Scorpio 40–and his first move will be to reapply by opposition to Uranus, which is also retrograde. That aspect last perfected on the 7th, and perhaps offers a glimpse into this Water (Scorpio) into Air (Libra) cycle.
Mercury always means review: re-visiting, re-considering, reflecting, and perhaps going over plans or making plans to ‘try again’. We start that period in emotional, intuitive Water, and will initially be asking ourselves, “What am I feeling, and what do I think about that?”
In Scorpio this kind of review involves digging, getting to or acknowledging secrets, assessing our feelings about change and determining what further change we might want. It also encompasses those situations where Power is in play, and any relationships or situations where passions have been stirred, or betrayals have occurred (and remember, the concept of betrayal is seldom objective, when it comes to personal interactions–often it can be a matter of perspective, and this retrograde may bring consciousness of this to the fore).
With the re-visit to the Uranus opposition the first aspect, we may find that something we ‘knew’ (especially something Higher Mind or academically. i.e. fact-oriented) is overturned. We are likely to be surprised by some discovery we make, or shocked at something we witness, perpetrated by others in our direction or by ourselves unexpectedly, that latter as we ‘explode’ from accumulated pressures or act erratically in a bid for freedom. It could be that we wrap our minds around some spiritual concept for the first time (something we may have sensed or ‘known’ but been unable to put into mental forms like words), or we may find that accident illuminates our feelings about something–and so changes our perceptions.
House matters that come forward for this retrograde always have the chance of involving the subjects and energies of the natal Houses Mercury rules, and we must typically add to this the House where Mercury is currently transiting. That gives you some idea of where to be on the lookout for change, research, and re-thinking, as well as the potential ‘surprise’ factor of this particular retrograde, and can offer a head start if you know present circumstances in one or more of these realms are dicey.
The Inferior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury (‘Inferior’ referring to Mercury’s retrograde status) occurs around the 25th-26th of October, marks a point I would characterize as a ‘birth’ point, where some attitude or mental choice takes form and perhaps is decided upon or simply becomes conscious, and this is based on what’s been revealed so far during the retro. Just remember not to act, yet.
Fountain with head of Mercury on Mercury Street in Pompeii watercolor by Luigi Bazzani from the book “Pompeii”, by Amedeo Maiuri (Pompeii superintendent from 1924-1961) {{PD}}
We re-align our passions, explore what we’ve been hesitant to think about or to really know what we feel about it, and then Mercury retros into Libra–and all the focus moves to our relationships, or, less probably, to financial or aesthetic matters. This occurs in the final few days of October, and is characterized by a back-and-forth square of Mercury to Saturn, which happens one more time after Mercury turns direct (on November 3rd, with the final square very close the 4th-7th).
This back-end bookends the retro period with a hard reality check for each of us, concerning all that we’ve reviewed and concluded over the cycle. Our present realities, as well as any boundaries, limitations, and requirements of duty or obligation come into direct conflict with at least some facet of our thinking–and this is a good thing, meant to show us where we might have slipped into thinking that doesn’t take into account where we really are or what we’re actually surrounded by or must deal with.
Use this retro period to see where you can transform the thinking or perceptions about those things you feel passionate about, have an overwhelming curiosity over, or need to investigate for what’s been hidden from you, and how this can constructively be applied to relationships with those you care about–and be ready for revelation, that can spin the whole game in another direction. The usual admonitions apply, with no signing or buying of major items, unless you’ve already pre-retro thoroughly inspected conditions and agree to them, and with the expectation that any agreements reached or conclusions drawn will likely need review or revision after Mercury goes direct.
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
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