Mercury Sextile Saturn | an opportunity for new ideas to create stability

self portrait with self portrait by ikai-zixie

So we have two themes this week that are marching us toward Sunday's eclipse - one is the fiery Mars energy I wrote about yesterday and the other is Mercury's connection with the other planets during his last few days in Aquarius.

After his conversation with Jupiter earlier in the week, Mercury (mind, communication, ideas) is now sextile (opportunity) Saturn (time, work, structure, stability, authority).

This is good energy for unusual, cutting-edge, new and even revolutionary communications and conversations to work within existing structures - to be taken seriously.

Ideas about new ways of doing things can be discussed with authority figures. This is excellent energy for new ideas to solve long term problems. It's a time to organize our most unorthodox ideas to give them the legs they need to grow.

Organize your ideas and thoughts. Write them down. 

No one else will take us seriously until we take ourselves seriously, so what do we need to do to treat that new "whatever it is" with respect. There may be more questions than answers now and that's OK.

The opportunities here come simply through working with the energies - combining the new and unusual with the old and tested. It is the meshing (sextile) of these two energies that makes the magic happen.

If we have been over-working Aquarius rebelliousness or looking a little too far into the future or been a bit too detached from a situation, Saturn can sober us up now. We could also have contact with an older or more experienced or more stable person (Saturn) who has just the info or guidance we need. Maybe more self-discipline with our words and communication is needed.

On the flips-side if we have been over-working the old sober Saturnian stuff that just doesn't cut it anymore we could have contact with a newer, younger, maybe less-experienced, but more progressive thinker who could lighten our load. The opportunity comes from opening ourselves to something else now.

With Saturn in Sagittarius, Sagittarian themes (and the themes of our natal Sagittarius house) are in play - travel, foreign, politics, media, education, wedding, philosophy, marketing, publicity.

It will be important to present new ideas with respect to the person we are speaking with. And equally important to be open to new ideas. The space where these two energies intersect is where that pot of gold is waiting for us.

xo all

(see the weekly for more info on the energies at play this week)

Mars Square Pluto | danger and opportunity - be brave

danger by tfavretto

Powerful energies conflict today as Mars (in Aries) squares Pluto (in Capricorn).

Crisis.

Remember the Chinese character for crisis represents both danger and opportunity. 

There is opportunity here to move that mountain

(yes, the one you were assigned to show others it can be moved)

and to push through a limit. Imagine a red flower bursting through a rotted concrete sidewalk.

This energy is being supercharged by the positions of Jupiter, Uranus and the Capricorn Moon.

Remember we are in a five month long Cardinal T-Square. It dominates today.

Wear safety equipment. Drive cautiously. And if you have a fender bender keep your cool, because the other person probably won't. Take care with fire. I'm setting my torch down for the day.

This is the energy to start a war, so let's not start a war. We won't be able to make someone do something they don't want to do. We could win the battle and lose the war here by making a powerful enemy, so tread smartly, but bravely. Yes, some things are worth fighting for, but please don't use this energy for any type of revenge. It won't be sweet.

Collectively, the world has too many people who are angry and powerless. Something has reached a tipping point. One way these collective tipping points get re-balanced is through crazy weather events, other times wars or violence, other times a million small but contentious points of interaction between individual people.

Keep this in mind now.

If you have planets or points from 18-20 degrees of the cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn - you will feel this energy most directly.

Remember we have the Sun hanging out with that South Node and we are releasing the stuff that no longer serves us - a push now toward something empowering could be life-changing/saving.

Evolving that rage into passion would change everything. xo all

(see the weekly for more info on the energies at play this week)

Sun Conjunct North Node, Mercury Trine Jupiter | use different words

The Wind and the Sea by ChrissieCool

Today we have Mercury (in rebellious, eccentric Aquarius) trine (brakes off) a retrograde Jupiter in Libra at the same time the Sun (in Pisces) conjuncts the South Node of what we are releasing.

Changes are afoot and the more open we are to different ideas (especially those that are new and unusual) the smoother things will go. A little distance, and a step back, from the way we have always done it could be needed. Try another approach. Use different words. Ask different questions.

The Sun is shining a light or bringing to light something from the past - maybe an old dream or an old wounding. With all this happening in illusory Pisces, it's hard to get a grip on the situation and know what is real. The thing that is pushing our button isn't really the thing that is pushing our button. The best course of action is to release (Pisces) what is unhealthy, un-boundaried and undisciplined. Our North Node (collective way forward) is still in discriminating Virgo.

And with Virgo ruled by Mercury and Mercury aspecting Uranus (change) yesterday and Jupiter retrograde (focused expansion) today - it's probably best to let go of any restricting idea about what is possible. 

We are in between eclipses (karmic portals) now - ANYTHING is possible.

See the weekly forecast for more info on the energies this week. xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of February 20th - the slap in the face that clears our head and spins us around

Tidal Wave by Chrissie Cool

This is a BIG astrological week (understatement).

On Monday, the Moon (in Sagittarius) conjuncts Saturn and aligns nicely with Jupiter. The energy is on our side to work with Sagittarius issues - legal, foreign, travel, higher education, wedding, philosophy, politics, publicity, marketing, media - and particularly in association with someone else. Saturn (time, authority, stability, work) adds security and structure to whatever we are working with. This is good energy to deal with authority figures. Or step into our own authority.

Mercury (communications, news, conversations) hooks up with Uranus so there could be surprising news or an out-of-the-blue meeting or conversation now.

On Tuesday, the Moon moves into 'just get it done', all-business Capricorn. Mercury moves into an easy alignment with Jupiter (news expands, conversations and communications are expansive .. and could be over-blown). Jupiter is retrograde so talks could be centered on old issues and what needs to happen to move things forward.

The Sun (now in Pisces) conjuncts the South Node. This energy will carry us right into the space of Sunday's Solar Eclipse at 8 degrees Pisces (what house is 8 degrees Pisces in your natal chart?).

Something is being eclipsed out, coming to light or moving to a new level. A spotlight (the Sun) is thrown on something from the past (South Node).

Wednesday is a BIG day. We will probably start to feel this on Tuesday. Mars (in Aries) squares Pluto (in Capricorn). Mars squares Pluto opposing Jupiter - this is a biggie. Squares are tension and tension between the active, impulsive, angry and war-like Mars and the powerful, karmic ruler of death and destruction, Pluto, is not something to take lightly. There are power struggles and confrontations. With Mars a major player in Sunday's Solar Eclipse - the situation will be related to something from the past.

This could be the slap in the face that clears our head. Badda bing.

The tension might allow us to move something large and unwieldy out of our way. Or it can bring us face to face with a challenging situation that requires our instinctual action.

On Thursday, the Moon is void until lunchtime, EST, so don't start anything new until after you've had your mid-day meal or 3rd cup of coffee - depending on what kind of day you are having! Mercury is again communicating with Saturn so talks with authority or conversations about security or things we are building over time, should go smoothly. Situations involving Sagittarius themes - legal, foreign, travel, higher education, wedding, philosophy, politics, publicity, marketing and media - get some structure, confirmed plans, some legs placed under them.

On Saturday,  Mercury moves into Pisces. I'll do a post about this later in the week. In Pisces, Mercury (communication, ideas, news, conversations) reminds me of those 80's commercials "this is your brain on drugs". It's great energy to work with our intuition and imagination though. The illogical becomes logical now. Just what we need, right - ack?!

On Sunday (the energy carries us into next's week's aspects), we have the BIG Solar Eclipse New Moon in Pisces (8 degrees). Up is down and down is up. That situation from Tuesday and Wednesday (that had been in play for quite some time before this week) clicks into place and with Uranus in the driver's seat could EXPLODE upon impact. Think tidal wave.

This is ginormous fresh start energy. But something has to end first. And there could be wreckage. Or water damage. Know that the breeze from the door that is slamming shut is forcing another door open. This won't be something we have planned - this will be something else. There is magic afoot.

I'll do a post about this later in the week by sign.

In the meantime use the powerful and positive Mercury energy to get any information, reports, news, communications, dealings with siblings, teachings or transportation issues out of the way before Friday. And use your knowledge of the astrology at play to keep a cool head - not by sticking it in the sand - but by having faith that things are unfurling just as they should be. Because they are. xo all