Did you feel that? Over the last 8 hours or so, the Virgo Moon slid over its own South Node point, sending us all on a nostalgia trip–or at least dredging up issues and feelings from the past and framing them in their current forms and contexts–and maybe making us think that now and then are unrelated–but oh they are. Ruler Mercury is poised at 29 stressful degrees of Scorpio, conjoined the Black Moon Lilith point, telling us that what we’ve recently been reminded of is, in some way, on the verge of explosion–or maybe implosion, with Scorpio taking us into a deep, intense, collapsing cave of our own denied or ignored emotions. Add that Neptune is also at 29, trine Mercury from its own sign of Pisces, and we likely feel like it was all a dream, an aberration, or an illusion, not related to the real world–and that would be wrong, too. This interlude has been a preview of major personal stuff that must be addressed. We may tell ourselves we’re done with it (especially if, as it appears we have, we’ve tried to bury it more than once before), but it won’t be put to rest until it’s done with us. Face it as it comes, to minimize trauma and rid ourselves of something that we genuinely need to release.
One other thing I’d like to mention: Mars square Saturn-Neptune and quincunx Uranus. Our energies are hard to handle at this point, as we are prone to both misperceptions and to misunderstandings about actual, real-world situations and circumstances–and it doesn’t help that at the moment we are hair-trigger in our responses. Right now reflexes are faster than brains–they even beat the intuitive and feeling capacities, currently–great for rescues and life-saving quick-thinking, but also priming us to overreact and definitely misinterpret. Take everything with a mountain-size grain of salt, just to be safe.
Why aren’t we seeing more harmony, with this shifting but persisting Grand Water Trine that has been lingering and reforming for what seems like months? Currently it’s made up of Venus conjoined the Black Moon Lilith point in Scorpio, Saturn and anaretic degree Neptune in Pisces, and Jupiter in Cancer; in many ways, that could be a formula for Love applied to what is painful or buried, shaming or denied, healing it, releasing the pain, allowing dreams to become real-world solid and expanding what we care about. Certainly, the possibilities are there at a personal level. At least part of the issue might be that we start every thought with its darkest potentials, with fear, with trepidation at potential change or destruction, signified by the way Pluto is currently body of earliest degree. Casting such a grim shadow on our own thoughts, first thing as we look around, may prompt us to search for what’s wrong (and gods know, there’s plenty of that to be seen!) It doesn’t help that Taurean Uranus is also in an anaretic degree, opposing Venus and Black Moon Lilith, priming us to anticipate the nasty surprise, the shock, the unwelcome revolution, the riot, the group imposing its Will on our own. And the fact that the Trine itself is in Water (along with Merc still retro in liquidy Scorpio) encourages us to use emotion to feel our way forward–and an emotional lens is a notoriously distorting one–for every accurate intuition we perceive we also get a dozen feeling-interpretations that are doubtlessly, even if only moderately, skewed by our own prejudices. Awareness that this is our current perceptual state will go a long way toward calming those crashing inner waves. Today we joked about opening a store that would be filled with nothing but white boxes with something soft in them, no prices or writing on them, and the store would be called ‘Calm Down’. Had a good laugh, but right now I’m thinking a great many of us could use a little something soft–we might have to pull back from the world a little, and offer that relief to ourselves.
Let’s start with this little cluster in Scorpio, the Black Moon Lilith point and Mars, over which Mercury has just passed; by the time the Sun reaches this area, only the BML point will remain, suggesting that illumination of the meaning hidden in these placements will all be internal, a recognition of our own depths and secrets–but for now we concentrate on the group. BML in Scorpio points to all we’ve truly, deeply buried and all that we vehemently deny; Mars conjoined gives us the energy and the urge to dig. That can be a good thing, if we’re looking for the Truth, but a not-so-good thing if we aim that urge at OPB (Other Peoples’ Business). Mercury recently conjoined BML-Mars implies one of two things: we either ‘get the message’ during our excavations, or that our actions, motivated by what we’ve hidden from ourselves, change the way we’re thinking.
Mercury moves into Sagittarius 28-29 October, and at this point opposes Uranus–brace yourself for the shock, surprise, or revelation–it’s unavoidable and honestly, it looks to me like the level of stress will be so high we’ll barely note this lightning strike amid the high-tension wires. Merc into Sag focuses our minds on ‘the facts’ and their interaction with our philosophy and beliefs, then stations and retrogrades (10 November) with the general mission of causing us to examine what we believe and how that motivates us. During Merc’s retro in Sag we ask ourselves, ‘Are we happy with our actions, our choices, with ‘the facts’ as they exist?’ Overall, experiences over the next couple weeks are best used to be honest with ourselves, to get to the Truth and ‘get right’ with the world–and we’ll need to, considering that retro status and the opposition that will gel around the 31st between Venus in her own sign of Libra and Chiron in Aries.
The opposition pits two kinds of predominant attitudes against each other: those who value others and put others first (sometimes to their own detriment, or even out of selfish reasons, knowing they will receive credit for it), and those who, out of their own woundedness, find they must put themselves first, no matter the effect on others. There’s no side in this equation that’s superior; we all carry a mix of altruistic and Self-oriented intention–it’s just that this opposition requires us to find our dominant viewpoint. Why? Because of the T-square created as the opposing bodies align with Jupiter in Cancer. There’s going to be a lot more of something we care about (in itself this may carry its own connotation of positive or negative–sometimes too much is a kind of curse), and we’ll be challenged to respond to this situation of abundance, or ‘too much’ (and this might be a flood of emotion, considering it’s in Cancer).
There’s been an ongoing Water Grand Trine that sees influences (like fast-moving Moon or Mercury) come and go, but the basic frame has been Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn-Neptune–and we must note Neptune is in the stress-loaded anaretic degree (29) of Pisces. This is the source of the persistent sense of intense emotion and a feeling of being ‘on the verge’ permeating the atmosphere. Knowing the strong possibility that things are not what they seem (Neptune 29 Pisces obscuring Saturn=reality) and that Mars and Jupiter are currently entangled in the previously mentioned scenario, just being aware of the preponderance of illusion (and the potential for deception) should be enough to keep us from assuming what we see is what we get, and so know the score–we don’t–but Merc’s dip into Sag may help, as may the retrograde, which will get our minds out of the way and let our feelings, intuition, and extrasensory perceptions speak.
The Word Image is an owl standing on the shoulder of a fast-traveled highway. The owl is Athena’s animal, a symbol of wisdom and Warrior-courage; a highway is a conduit to take us from one place to another–but we need the right vehicle. To travel a highway on roller skates or a bicycle is to take one’s life in one’s hands, and we’re in an appropriate conveyance (a car). So what smart thing, what knowledge, or courageous action or approach, are we speeding past, in our hurry to get from one point to the next?What wisdomwould be accessible to us, if we’d only slow down for a minute?
Watercolor painting by Edith A. Ibbs c1905 ‘Alchemy – Mercury and Sulfur Personified’ {{PD}}
In the run up to the Total Lunar Eclipse we see the Moon in Aquarius trine Mars in Libra, around noon PDT, offering a release for all that building emotional tension, holding all the more potential for upset and outburst as it’s carried in the unconscious (Moon) and translated through the mind (the Air placements), with likely forms being anger easily expressed (the Trine) to partners, those with whom we cooperate, through our Art, and to our ‘audience’ (Libra).
At the same time there’s a config with the Moon as apex to a Finger of God, with base of South Node in Virgo and Jupiter in Cancer. This speaks of the past as trigger, likely through criticism given or received, or in a past incident where accountability was demanded, coupled with a (possibly lost) opportunity or clash with public sentiment that has created the ‘cooler’ emotional vibe we see with the Aquarius Moon (that coolness of feeling a way to avoid hurt). So, the response to recall of that past trauma is to retreat to the intellect, in effect denying the emotional reality, both past and now. We see this spelled out with the noon time PDT square of the Moon to the Black Moon Lilith point, showing how what we’ve ignored, denied, buried, or what just plain enrages us brings emotional conflict (the square) that we must acknowledge and deal with. The past holds the roots of this, but the need to handle it is right now.
The impulse might be to assign blame, either with those in the past or with those who stir up this sore point in the present, but the more useful interpretation (or maybe the more diplomatic one that the presence of Libra offers, which will keep us from doing something we regret) would be to see the surfacing of this past incident tied to present reactions as a chance to purge bad feeling about ourselves that we’ve carried for far too long. How to accomplish this? Be honest with yourself, but also be kind; there’s only so much regret we can generate before it becomes a waste of energy–and we can put to work what we’ve learned from the experience in the present upset, turning it in a direction that we won’t later regret, and thereby, with the help of spiritual alchemy, erase the burden of the past, as well.
Please check past posts for explanations of some of the other influences current in effect.
The Daily Word Image is making a new friend. How often do you do this? As adults it seems as if our obligations, commitments, and everyday tasks prevent us from having much interaction, much less actually engaging in enjoyable ways. Some of us let a competitive attitude spoil potential relationships, while some find it hard to get past the anxiety interaction can bring, but we’ve got to remember how much having friends can bring into our lives. It’s another past feeling we can access at this time, how it felt to be among friends when we were children, accepted and loved, enjoying rewarding communal experiences; know that sense of fulfillment isn’t gone, it’s just dormant, waiting for you to nurture it by opening up and making a connection.
Early AM PDT the Moon sextiles tense 29 degree Saturn, then enters Aquarius, conjoins Pluto and sextiles Neptune, at the same time trining Uranus. Sudden onset emotions take us to the brink, roiling, agitated, with potential for fueling destruction and delusion–but also a possible impetus toward creativity and transformation, IF we can avoid fearing reality itself; letting uncertainty and anxiety seep in to the mind can send us careening off on tangents of worry and blame, rather than using that as an engine for creative accomplishment and Truth-finding. You know which direction to take.
Please see previous posts for still-extant influences, particularly the Water Grand Trine.
The Daily Word Image is two big koi in a pond, swimming in opposite directions. Kind of like the Pisces symbol–apropos for the coming Total Lunar Eclipse, and certainly a dominant energy right now: we’re dealing with creative energy looking for form and expression, immersive experiences, spiritual messages passing from world to world, the sensory, the nebulous, deceptive, and illusory, perhaps leading us the wrong way but also possibly inspiring us or endowing ideas with vivid detail and the kind of realism enhancement only available through the imagination. Let it all in; remember, right now fear of what is is the stumbling block–focus instead on what things can become.
The energy is still found in a Finger of God with Mercury as apex to a Pluto-Neptune sextile, with Saturn at 29 tense degrees of Pisces and still conjoined Neptune; it’s a recipe that fairly shouts about how reality is a mess (deceptive, nebulous, unfathomable), and can only be sorted via a willingness to eliminate illusions and untruths once and for all–but how do we do that? The potential for shock and upheaval is still present (Merc square Uranus) but so is the ability to make hard choices and take significant action based on righteous motives and the facts as they apply to what we care about (Mars in Libra square Jupiter in Cancer). Current conditions say we find equilibrium, as well as gains that help align us with our ideal future, if we’re honest with ourselves, if we’re willing to acknowledge what we may have, to this point, ignored, denied, or buried (GT in Water with Jupiter, Black Moon Lilith, and the NN). It seems that sincere action, the kind that’s rooted in what we truly believe, is our north star right now. An eclipse is just days away, and promises to wipe the slate clean in some important areas/ ways; until then we need to address issues as if no change is coming, no rescue is on the horizon, simply because we don’t know whether our problems will be with us indefinitely, or if they’ll vanish in a moment.
The Daily Word image is a slip of paper on a restaurant table; it looks like it’s from a fortune cookie, so you think of it as bringing a message. You turn it over and it reads, “All Sales Are Final”. What is it that you looked to for reward or satisfaction, believing it was temporary, a step forward, or upward, along the way, only to find that circumstances have a resiliency and stickiness factor you never anticipated? Of course, nothing is truly forever, but it can feel like it when we’re long-term enmeshed with something that doesn’t feel like ‘us’, that we inspect and see as foreign, not representative of who we are or what we’re contributing. It might embarrass us, or make us irritable as we struggle to prove that isn’t a reflection of who we are–but we might do better to consider that it does reflect us, and our struggle is about acknowledging and accepting the parts of who we are that we don’t like–because if we don’t, we’ll find change impossible, and no space for a better something else.
Yellow beach umbrella in the summer sun, Photo By Molku 2008 {{PD}} Thank you, Molku!
Mercury moves into Virgo on its way to Superior Conjunction with the Sun (Superior Conjunction is when Mercury meets the Sun while in direct apparent motion). Its contacts right now take the spotlight: heading out of quincunx with tense, 29 degree Saturn highlights yesterday’s mind games but promises a critical eye will be applied, as soon as the energy’s freed up–but in fact with Neptune still conjoined Saturn from Aries, and Pluto sextile, Merc becomes the apex to a Finger of God, suggesting it will all get cleared up, if we think about it. It may take the 5 or 6 days mentioned in yesterday’s post to come clear, but now we know how to do it: through careful assessment, a focus on honesty and Truth, a desire to see things as they really are. The square of Merc to Uranus introduces the only real problem, one of being shocked, surprised, or downright rebellious at what we learn. If we are withholding things from others, we shouldn’t be surprised if they withhold from us, too–that said, never underestimate the ability of what we call life to deliver something we never anticipated.
The Daily Word Image is a line of yellow parasols on a yellow beach under a glowing yellow sun. Whatever the scene, or the color yellow evokes–there’s your message for today.
‘Alice in Wonderland’ By Arthur Rackham Advice from a Caterpillar 1907 {{PD}}
Saturn retrogrades back into Pisces; the effect is dizzying, nauseating, with a big helping of ‘I can’t believe we’re in this very spot again!’ Where the transiting body falls in your chart, along with any aspects it’s making, as well as the natal situation of Saturn, will all figure in to where in life and in what way you feel this. The thing is, a heavy moving back into the previous sign typically has a uh-oh! feeling that’s distinctly temporary: usually we know this as a brief backslide into what’s largely finished, a momentary and tiresome rehash. This time, though, it feels like our own individual fresh hell; maybe that’s the other energies with which it’s still in contact, whispering their worst, or the fact that it’s Saturn, which tries to plant us firmly in the material world, no blurred edges or pleasant dreams allowed.
Saturn’s still technically conjoined Neptune, but now that it’s back in Neptune’s sign everything takes on a fun house mirror quality, exacerbated by Pluto in Aquarius in sextile playing with the mind, worrying us about what the future holds and emphasizing the down side of all that’s modern, while the sextile to Uranus now shocks us with all we hadn’t noticed, before. The unreliability of our own perceptions will be the most prominent effect here; if you treat yourself as if it’s a Mercury retrograde, that is, be cautious and aware you might not be seeing things realistically (let alone not seeing them optimistically!) then you can hold off until you adjust, which will take only 5 or 6 days. Then it becomes a wait-it-out, as you deal with every little Piscean thing Saturn didn’t handle before his exit.
The Daily Word Image is a wild bird perched on a person’s finger. To me this is astonishing, that rare moment of communion with the natural world that you can’t make happen, it just does on its own. There is wonder to be had, right now, and experiences of awe and hope. Know that they’re real, and not as rare as you might think.
Northern Lights Viewed From the International Space Station, Photo By Mike Hopkins, NASA {{PD}}
Much of what’s been happening last week still holds (except for the Moon contacts), though today Luna is in Sagittarius, and early afternoon PDT the Moon quincunxes Jupiter, semi-sextiles the Black Moon Lilith point, and squares the Nodal axis. This may be the peak experience of the day, one that reverberates well into the evening (or maybe just rattles around in our brains, a thing we compulsively mull over, again and again); we may even feel it as it builds up, the anticipation of something that calls for adjustment of what we know or believe, during the course of which we may have to deal with a thing ignored, denied, buried, or that enrages us–and the way we process and deal with this will have effects on our future (and perhaps, if you accept quantum mechanics, our past, as well). This little ripple in the Cosmos may seem like nothing at the time, but go through the day aware that what you do will have a bigger impact than you can currently anticipate and you’ll do, choose, speak with care and thoughtfulness that will insure the outcome is as positive as possible.
The Daily Word Image is repeated calls from an Unknown number, where the caller doesn’t leave a message. Someone ‘has your number’, but doesn’t want you (yet) to know who they are–so who comes to mind? When you hear that phrase, ‘Someone has your number‘, how does that make you feel? Caught? Discovered? Unconcerned? Does the caller (that is, the person who sprang to mind for you) feel this gives them some sort of advantage, and if so, why do they think they need that? Is their knowledge, or are the assumptions they’re making, right? And do you need to care?Or can you ignore this, as someone trying to intimidate or manipulate you?A lot of questions, and a situation that depends entirely on whether or not you can trust those around you.
Two things: a Mars-Jupiter square, and a Mercury-Chiron trine, with the Moon entering saucy Sagittarius AM PDT. The square is Cardinal, pushing us to do, to choose, in front of the whole world, or at least our social circle, and the effect can be intimidating; we hesitate because a misstep seems as if it would be disaster, but that’s just the ‘we think everyone’s watching’ effect. In reality, everyone else is feeling the same. And with all of us worried about our own performance, we don’t have time to critique anyone else’s! Knowing that doesn’t necessarily make our own actions or choices easier, but it should take some of the pressure off; we can choose according to our own wants without fear of immediate blow-back.
The trine is the dangerous thing: it makes it far too easy to speak or think hurtfully (and that includes toward ourselves). It doesn’t help that Merc and Chiron are in Fire signs, suggesting words or thoughts might be generated in flares of temper, out of misguided anger or tension, or out of a restless need to express, contributing to the likelihood of inadvertent wounding or thoughtless offense. But, this same energy can be channeled into active planning for expression of the Chirotic talent, the unique ability, made possible by your own very particular experience and knowledge, that you have available to share with yourself and others. If you’re not acquainted with your natal Chiron, find the sign it’s in and think about the gifts you might see as having roots in that sign energy, as well as areas associated with House placement; also consider the state of that sign’s ruler in your natal chart. For instance, if you have Chiron in Pisces in the 1st, your Chirotic gifts might center on the creative, the spiritual, or on realizing the ideal, with yourself (1st House) as the conduit, and ruler Neptune in Scorpio in the 8th brings in others, who may support your endeavors, or for whom you may use your gifts in their quests around the creative or some form of Self-realization.
Please see previous posts for other effects that may still be in effect.
The Daily Word Image is a brief rain shower that doesn’t get anything wet! Is there something you’ve tried, made an effort toward, or just begun that seems like it’s not going anywhere? If you hold genuine hopes for success (as opposed to approaching it with a casual roll of the dice) then you shouldn’t give up just yet. Give it more time, more effort, share more of your psychic and emotional ‘waters’, before you turn away from it.
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
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