New Moon in Sagittarius | commitments and coming unbounded

marie antoinette 4 by natalia ciobanu

This morning the Sun and Moon meet up at 7 degrees Sagittarius kicking off a new 29 day lunar cycle!

New Moons are the time to set new intentions and this month working with Sagittarius themes (and the themes of your Sagittarius natal house) allow the natural energies to work with us.

As the Moon naturally waxes (grows) over the next two weeks, so does whatever our intentions set into motion.

Besides the monthly lunar energy of "new beginnings" this particular Moon has its own relationship with the other players in the heavens based on its position.

This Moon is conjunct the asteroid Juno. Juno rules partnerships. The Moon is square Neptune (strong in Pisces). Neptune is about imagination and also about secrets, illusions, lies, escape.

Many people will be dealing with changes within relationships over the next month (or 6 months leading to the Sagittarius Full Moon) - things could dissolve or just fade away. Likely addiction or escape issues or secrets or lies are involved here.

On the flip side, some relationships could see stronger commitments (especially over the next two weeks) as the boundaries between us and our partners blur.

This Moon squares the North Node (of our collective way forward/fate) and activates that solar eclipse from September 1st. If something started or a relationship changed around that time, this period is a natural time of 'choosing' and decision. This could be a good time to get relationship counseling if committed partnerships feel like they are dissolving ....

Venus is square Uranus - not a good time to make impulsive purchases. If someone is feeling too tightly bound or structured within a relationship, they could make a break for freedom or do something unexpected. If we've been repressing a need to do something new and don't act, chances are someone in our world will act this out for us.

The good news - we have Mars sextile (shaking hands/working with) Jupiter and Jupiter sextile Saturn. This is great energy for initiating or acting on something that expands us and for that expansion to be lasting and stable.

The biggest challenge is the square to dreamy and drifting Neptune - this makes it hard to know what is really real here. Things can seem better (or worse) than they actually are. It's a good time to meditate for grounding

(maybe not for actual answers with the Moon squaring Neptune impacting our intuition).

Some other ways I have found very effective to help when I get un-grounded I have written about HERE.

With the New Moon in Sagittarius this is an excellent time to make travel plans. This is an excellent time to set clear goals for the future regarding education. What do we want to learn next? What do we want to teach? Many creative people should ideally be doing some of both.

Sagittarian themes can get a re-set : foreign people and places, travel, higher education, higher thinking, religion, weddings, politics, legal issues, media, publishing, marketing - what intentions can we set in our own lives to grow these areas?

Sagittarius is a fun-loving sign that rules good luck, optimism, problem solving, truth seekers, boldly going where no man has gone before, the quest  -

it also rules carelessness, taking shortcuts, thinking we are right, making assumptions, throwing pink paint on problems and hoping they will go away, overconfidence, impatience and superficial fluff.

Sagittarius is a mutable sign. The mutable signs prepare us for the change into the next season.

Mutable signs are service signs and Sagittarius is in service through the exploration of Truth - this could be legal truth or political truth but its most especially spiritual truth - its highest purpose is enlightenment and expanding what is known. The lower level energies rule religious wars, legal battles and political bullshit.

Sagittarius is a fire sign like Aries and Leo.

Fire signs like action - their reasons for taking action are different though. Aries energy wants to climb the mountain, first because it's there and second because there is a competition going to see who can get there first.

Leo energy wants to climb the mountain because they have heard there is a film crew waiting at the summit and they have a new GoPro themselves and will be broadcasting daily to their fans through Facebook.

Sagittarius energy wants to climb the mountain to see what the hell it feels like to climb a mountain and how it feels to reach the top. They want the adventure; they want the quest.

(they could be unprepared and throw their back out 100 yards from the summit, too, then they will turn their convalescence into a party for the sherpas and make THAT the adventure)

This is the energy we are all stepping into now. What part of your life can use a little adventure? That's the space to use this energy most effectively.

AFFIRMATION TIPS: get into a happy frame of mind - always make affirmations from a  positive place (this month since Sag is so naturally bountiful - positive meaning both happy and certain) - write your affirmations down by hand, speak them out loud - then release your attention from them knowing that your intention is known. Know these things are already yours.

1. Talk as little as possible. Keep idle chit chat to an absolute minimum the day you do intention setting. This will make our words more powerful when we do use them. No complaining. It drains the energy. No superfluous language. Read my post HERE about babble. This is good advice for all the time, but if you are normally a chatterer, toning it down right now will be especially effective for you.

2. Meditate before setting your intentions. Even a few moments of silence stilling our mind makes it easier for us to be clear on what we want and to "hook into" the simplest path to line up with it. We want to approach this monthly ritual consciously and respectfully, so that we recognize the power of the moment and choose our words and actions wisely.

3. Eat whole foods and stay away from flour and sugar prior to setting the intentions. I had a teacher who saw people as "foggy" after poor eating. She was always right about it and she claimed it made our thinking and manifesting foggy.

She said the things we are seeking that are also seeking us (and what we are seeking is always seeking us) cannot easily find us when we are foggy! I believe her.

4. Use positive language. Now, I don't mean positive as in "pink and flowery" and the opposite of negative. I mean positive as in certain. When we write our intentions now we want them to carry the energy of certainty. Just like when we plant a seed in the ground we know it will grow. We know the seeds we are planting with our words will grow, too.

Trust the process. We have cast our spell.

People always say that affirmations "only work if you take action". And this is true, but not in the way most people think because the affirmation is action.

It sets the energy in motion. Words are not just words. If done properly, in the right frame of mind, it lines us up energetically with the thing we are seeking.

The new moon is a time of darkness but there is lots of hidden action in the dark - think of those seeds in the ground.

We want to wait until we see that crescent moon in the sky before taking physical action on something new and we want to set our intentions within the next 1-3 days - tonight is ideal.

There is a strong wind at our back now - let's use it! xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of November 28th - a new direction maybe ...

*** ankazhuraleva

Lots of changes ahead again this week. I'll do daily posts but wanted to pop out something quick tonight.

Monday could be best spent preparing for Tuesday's New Moon in fiery Sagittarius. The Moon is void until 3:45 PM EST. We'll be busy - maybe focused on our Sagittarius natal house activities (where is 6 degrees Sagittarius in your chart?) or Sagittarian ruled themes - legal issues, dealing with what is 'foreign', politics, religion, education, media, publishing, wedding or travel.

On Tuesday we have the New Moon in Sagittarius (I will do a post about this tomorrow).

The Moon will be squaring the Nodes and a newly direct Neptune. Many will be starting a whole new chapter over the next couple weeks. There is great energy here for something important to begin. We may still have to release some kind of illusion, addiction (especially alcohol or sugar), tendency to escape or self-sabotage, but if we stay focused on seeking the most grounded (and healthy) path forward - we will find it.

Keep things slow and steady if the fog has rolled in. The path is there. With the Moon conjunct commitment loving Juno - choices (especially regarding partnerships) will be even more fated.

Also on Tuesday Venus (in Capricorn) squares Uranus (retrograde in Aries). This will be about our relationships, money, women, beauty or values. There could be a surprise or something unanticipated here that creates tension. Maybe something we thought we were finished with comes back around.

On Thursday the Moon in grounded Capricorn should steady our feet and make us more ambitious. Mars (in Aquarius) trines Jupiter (in Libra). This would be a good day for something new (and maybe even revolutionary) since Jupiter is the ruler of Tuesday's New Moon (in Sagittarius) and is now getting a 'brakes off' from fiery Mars. We could find ourselves in the right place at the right time. Take action.

On Friday Mercury moves into Capricorn and goes into the shadow of his December retrograde. Our words get more serious and we will need to use serious language to be heard. I will do a post about this later in the week.

Back on Tuesday with the New Moon post! xo all

Venus Conjunct Pluto | Venus Square Jupiter - intense desire for .....

*** by oprisco

Jupiter (in Libra) squared Pluto (in Capricorn) yesterday.

This has been building for a couple weeks and is the first of three squares (tension/conflict) between these powerful planets over the next 8-9 months. This is important and part of a longer story, so pay attention to what is happening in your life (and in the collective) now.

Jupiter in Libra wants expansion through fairness and balance and beauty. Pluto in Capricorn wants transformation and destruction of structures built on shaky ground and structures that have run their course.

Neither wants us carrying around dead things, ie ideas, beliefs, situations. And if you think "that's ridiculous I drop that dead thing immediately", well, maybe you do, but maybe you are like the rest of us and loaded down like Sherpas.

Squares are tension, but tension creates movement and growth. They don't always feel good though.

Since yesterday was Thanksgiving I imagine there were many dinner tables where opposing views were coming together - maybe even for the first time since the election. This energy is tricky.

Hopefully ideas and beliefs were passed around civilly like the mashed potatoes and turnips. We could digest what we wanted without judging what other people were digesting.

For example I don't like that weird string bean dish that someone always brings. But lots of other people do. I don't have to judge them as wrong or weak or 'different than me' just because they like to add crunchy nonsense to perfectly good vegetables (what is up with that?).

It can be the same way with our other, more important, differences. It really can.

Today, Venus (in Capricorn) joins the party. She squares Jupiter and conjuncts Pluto. It can be good to push for what we want, but we can take things too far. If we find ourselves insisting our way is the only way, we'll know we are in the realm of 'taken things too far'. As my grandma used to say, "no matter how flat you make a pancake it still has two sides" (or maybe that was Dr. Phil).

We could become obsessive about what we want. That square to Jupiter in balanced Libra, can make things quite unbalanced as we reach/go for it. Decide if it's really worth it because it might not be. If someone else has to lose for us to win and we do win, at least let's be kind about it.

Avoid over-promising. Avoid over-compromising. Avoid over-controlling. Avoid comparisons with other people. 

Pluto combined with Venus can be intoxicating but also incredibly destructive.

More isn't always more.

Sometimes when we feel that we don't have enough, anything that feels like more could seem like an improvement. It might not be. 

This is how we end up with stuff we don't line up with. 

We focus on the empty (what we're lacking) and get more empty (what we don't need). Keep this in mind today.

The Moon is void all day. Void Moons result in dubious or non-existent outcomes. We could buy some big expensive thing and then realize we have made a mistake. Hold onto your receipts. The Moon, coupled with Venus, advises us to spend wisely this Black Friday.

xo all

Mercury Conjunct Saturn | focus on what matters, use common sense

self portrait by la-child

Mercury (communication, ideas, thinking, siblings, local neighborhood, transportation) meets up with Saturn in Sagittarius today.

This could bring sobering (or stabilizing) news or communications. Maybe a 'no' has reduced our options. That's OK. Now we can focus in on what really matters.  

This is excellent energy for critical thinking. Common sense is favored.

Negative thoughts can flourish with this energy. We don't want to live here, but maybe we can put this to use. The lie or inflated thinking/idea/communication will be easier to "hear". Not easier in an emotional sense, but the stuff without solid grounding will stand out. Maybe we can formulate solid plans to avoid the pitfalls ahead.

If we are already depressed or worried, words and communications can feel heavier. 2016's Saturn square Neptune transit has worked us all over. We are empty of illusion. I am hoping we are all standing with like-minded others as we make our way through the dissolving landscape.

This is Sagittarius season and Sagittarian themes have been prominent for many, many months. What can we learn from those who are different from us? How are we more alike than different? Can we see the ways we really all want the same things .....

It will be easier to argue with older people or authority figures with this energy. Keep that in mind.

xo all

NOTE - The Moon is void until 2:45pm EST. 

(also today's conjunction will connect us to the Sun/Saturn conjunction on 12/10 - so today's information or communication could further impact us then)

Mercury Sextile Jupiter | make that practiced pitch, make time to listen

___ by oprisco

Today Mercury (communication, conversation, ideas) in Sagittarius shakes hands with Jupiter (expansion) in Libra (partners, women, money).

This seems like a good time to make a pitch about something we are excited about and have some of that enthusiasm brush off on others. More than sweaty palms are exchanged in hand shakes after all.

There is a square to the finicky Virgo Moon that could make us speak without thinking and later regret it, so think through emails and online postings before hitting that enter button. But don't over-think or expect perfection from ourselves or others. Most of the energy is a go to - speak up.

This is also a good time to listen to what someone else has to say and make a connection. Mercury also rules siblings and neighbors - if there is something there that needs to be mended or set in motion - today would be a good day to have a conversation.

Introduce yourself to someone you have been wanting to meet or talk to.

This would also be a good day to start a course of study and learn something new. Science is reporting that learning a new language is one of the best things we can do to challenge and strengthen our brains. With Jupiter in Libra and the ruler of Mercury's host space Sagittarius and ruler of education and what is 'foreign' this would be an excellent time to begin. This is also great energy to make travel plans.

xo all

Sun into Sagittarius - the power of positivity and focus and a BIG week ahead

____ by oprisco

I finished up wholesale orders this past weekend so didn't get to write up the weekly. We'll do dailies this week with looks ahead to stay on target, so here we go ....

The Sun moves into adventurous and goal-oriented Sagittarius today (thru 12/21 winter solstice).

This is the season of making plans and taking actions revolving around Sagittarian themes (and your natal Sagittarius house themes) -

education, travel, the people, places and situations that are foreign to us, publicity, media, politics, religion, philosophy. weddings, legal issues.

Anything we have going on in these areas, or need to get going on, can benefit from the Sun's energy and enthusiasm here.

In Sagittarius we get more done by behaving like its archer icon. We have our target in focus. We hold our bow 'in tension' and hold our intention for what we want to happen. We are positive (positive meaning certain, not "pink paint over problems happy"). We take action - we won't hit anything if we never release the damn bow. Right now the Moon is waning so it is more of a release cycle (emotionally). This doesn't mean we can't take action and get results.

What do you need to do with those Sagittarius themes or the themes of your own natal Sagittarius house(s)? Action there will be supported.

Now, if you are thinking these themes seem very familiar it's because Saturn (restriction, time, hard work) has been hanging out in this area since the end of 2014 and will be here until the end of 2017. And where Saturn goes - challenges, and our attention to these challenges - follow. It's not a smooth sailing month for our Sun here. These themes will continue to be serious and weighty. Grown ups are needed now.

Although challenged, it's important to remember the Sun is bigger (and stronger) than even powerful Saturn. Keep that in mind. If something seems insurmountable (money for college, media coverage for your small business, political happenings, legal issues) know that it isn't. Use the archer's tactics - positivity, focus and action. And, of course, we need to be aimed at the right target in the first place (hopefully we got a little clearer on that last month during our time in Scorpio, but with all this strong Neptune, maybe not).

Know that there will be fewer and fewer misses the more shots we take.

The rest of the week is crazy and busy. Lots of communication, conversations and news plus the first Jupiter square Pluto (series of three that takes us into next year, so 2017 really launches this week!)  - we'll all find out what that will be about within the collective and in our own lives. Thanksgiving may be stressful. Back tomorrow.

xo all

Note- The Moon goes void Tuesday at 12:40EST and stays void until Wednesday at 2:45pmEST.

Neptune Conjunct the South Node | Neptune Moves Direct - the fog begins to lift, something from the past evolves ...

015 by la-child

Neptune has been retrograde since June. This is one of those big deal/not big deal things because Neptune does this every year - spends five months of every twelve appearing to move backward.

Neptune is in Pisces (2012-2025), the space he rules, so he's very strong even when retrograde. He rules imagination, illusion, addiction, healing, escapism, secrets, lies, things and places put away and out of sight.

Tomorrow, Neptune finally moves direct at 9 degrees Pisces.

The reason this is a big deal this year is that yesterday he conjuncted (exact hit) the South Node at this same degree. The South Node is the energy of what we are releasing.

This could pull us back to something/someone from our past.

If you are comfortable thinking in terms of past lives, this could be something from a past life. We can also think of this in terms of something from our familial history that asks to be resolved/shifted now through us.

It's all the same thing - some energy we are carrying has the opportunity to evolve here. With Neptune endings are not usually abrupt - they tend to linger and then dissolve or fade away. We could see that happening now with something in our life. With Neptune on the South Node - something's got to go or something needs a boundary.

(I have no doubt Trump will build some form of wall. He will want some kind of physical monument he can point to later as an accomplishment - he will probably name it Trump Tower :) Sometimes breaking down a wall is the way forward and sometimes building one is. We have become so boundless so fast through technology, the internet and the multiple dimensions coming together I can understand people needing something like this to feel protected. Ultimately it probably won't be our walls that keep us safe, but being boundless in a 3D world is no less challenging.)

This isn't the best time to make a decision.

This energy has made it hard to tell what is real for months (and even years). We can see this in all the fake news crowding the internet.

Waiting a few days until Neptune gets his sea legs and Mercury comes off his square to Neptune will be better. Instead of looking for answers in our tea leaves or Magic 8 Ball, what we need to know will be right there in front of us as we move toward the beginning of December.

These are the last few days of Scorpio season and the last degrees are the most intense and also the most transformational. We will be questioning ourselves. Did we do the right thing? Where are things going? Are we on the right path? Having grounded projects and work and people around us will help. If most of our friends are artsy, imaginative types it would be a good time to have lunch with that serious friend who likes to talk about the life cycles of arachnids. Trust me on this.

With Mercury squaring Neptune there could be a story in the media (probably between now and Sunday) that attempts to shift our belief system in some way. 

If things don't make sense we don't need to buy into this right now. Clearer skies are coming.

It could be an actual person or situation from the past that is the spark plug here but it's maybe our subconscious pushing us or hitting us over the head (pebble or boulder). Whatever this is it could be rewarding (and painful with Chiron near by) to release or restructure.

This will be about our long term stability and security regarding family, work and money.

As always (until next May when we can let our hair down!) the way forward is through service, attention to our health, doing the work, attention to detail. Stay sober.

Saturn moves out of his retrograde shadow today (this is the same space he was in the late 1980's, so interesting politically isn't it?). This is about authority (ours and that outside ourselves) moving into new territory. We have alot of Saturn/Capricorn energy in our future - the better we can get things structured and in place the more 'in control' we will feel.

xo all - have a wonderful weekend everyone - lovely Leo Moon on Sunday for some fun!

Mercury sextile Mars | putting our words into actions - ideas get fired up

garden grounds II by kuzmin photo

Mercury (communication, conversations, ideas) sextiles Mars (action, initiative, anger) now.

Sextiles are handshakes, head nods and agreements. They represent opportunities.

Our words (maybe angry words?) marry our actions and initiative. 

We walk our talk. 

We move toward what we want with new ideas and language. 

Ideas (Mercury) are fired up (Mars).

When we speak with anger we are using our Mars (anger) to do Mercury's job (communication). This is like asking your auto mechanic to edit your blog post or your editor to fix your car.

It's better to use Mars for Mars things (action). Slamming a door or screaming in the shower would be better than to say something mean with reverberations long after that Mars (anger) energy has eased off. Later with Mars no longer running the show we can use our Mercury to choose the better words.

But now with Mercury and Mars in such a comfy cuddle and with Mercury trining Vesta (our ideals, what feels like home, what burns in our soul to warm us, purpose) maybe our impulsive or angry communications about our ideals works somehow?

Remember though it never works to push against what we don't want. We just energize whatever we are pushing against. We always want to be speaking about what we do want.

This is excellent energy to TELL PEOPLE WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO. Sorry for screaming, but it feels kind of appropriate. Maybe this talking will help us actually carry through and do the thing we are thinking/talking about!

This is good energy for people fired up by an ideal or purpose to bring together their words and actions to make a difference.

xo all

Full Moon in Taurus | Mercury Conjunct Juno - how the light gets in

If you have planets in the middle degrees of Taurus or Scorpio you will likely feel the Full Moon energy today. Something is coming to fruition, to light or to a conclusion. For the rest of us this Moon can be very grounding as the Taurus energy pulls us back into ourselves, toward our roots, toward what really matters

Stop and smell the roses.

We also have the planet Mercury sitting with Juno at 2 degrees of Sagittarius. Communication within partnerships is highlighted. This could be the time for some kind of verbal or written commitment or contract. In Sagittarius we want to be sure things are presented accurately and not being exaggerated or glossed over.  

Check the details and the facts jack.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of November 14th - choosing what is real

untitled by oprisco

What a stressful and exhausting week! I was going to write about the election, but honestly only have the energy and heart to say a few words. If you are reading this Sunday night try to get out and walk in the Full Moon energy - it will be very healing.

Trump had a chart to win and he did (290-228). Of course, Hillary also had a chart to win and she won the popular vote (by over 2,000,000 votes). So, they both win, but only one will serve.

Trump's progressed Sun has just moved (after almost 30 years!) from Leo - the sign of the king, to Virgo - the sign of the servant.

This has made him more appealing to the common man (Virgo rules the common man), but will also, I would guess, be quite humbling in the weeks ahead. Actually both candidates have been humbled, along with all of us, now that I think about it. Trump also has a wicked Saturn transit coming up so no doubt the responsibility and change in his lifestyle (have we ever had a President before who's life got smaller when he became President?) will hit him like a ton of bricks if they haven't already.

He has a host of challenges and legal issues ahead and a couple crazy aspects even before the inauguration and they continue into next spring at least. And we still have that third Uranus and Eris conjunction in Aries in mid March 2017. Whew.

I'm going to do my usual week ahead and then post some big picture stuff at the end to kind of remind us all where we are and what is coming up.

There is an interesting site called Blue Feed/Red Feed . It's updated hourly. It's fascinating how, now that we are all looking at different things, we (along with a little help from Facebook) set up our world to see things that we agree with ... a chilling look at the echo chamber of social media and how it insulates us from reality. No wonder we can't agree with each other and each side thinks the other is crazy!

On Monday (early this morning actually, get out and walk in it) we have a Super Full Moon in Taurus. See my post about the Full Moon here. Hopefully it will be some of the healing balm we need right now. By 8:45 am EST the Moon is void and stays void for the rest of the day. It's not a good day to start anything new, but it is a good day to get alot done.

On Tuesday the Gemini Moon is all about our communications and conversations and other Gemini themes - siblings, our neighborhoods, ideas, transportation, meetings, education, teaching, speaking.

On Wednesday, the Moon is again void all day. Later in the evening it moves into Cancer which is great energy for spending time at home with family or nurturing ourselves.

On Thursday, the Moon will be super busy and so will we. A retrograde (but not for long) Neptune conjuncts our South Node (in Pisces). Something has to go here. Then on Friday Mercury (in Sagittarius) squares the Nodes. Maybe we hear or read something and have to separate fantasy from reality. Maybe a decision is required or an important conversation happens with an important person. There are karmic undertones to whatever we are dealing with. The next day (Saturday) Neptune stations direct. We start to move forward (maybe) with whatever this is.

With Neptune on the South Node we want to avoid hanging on to 'the good old days of the past' or escaping/avoiding the thing that is real and needs to get done. If something needs to be 'chosen' now - choose the most stable, real thing.

**********

Sometimes, since I write alot of day to day stuff it is easy to lose sight of the big picture. Let's take a step back.

We still have our North Node (collective way forward) in Virgo. So, we do the positive Virgo stuff to move ahead - careful measured steps, attention to detail, service to others, taking care of our health. We release the negative Pisces stuff (south node collective release point) to move ahead - addiction, escapism, pie-in-the-sky thinking, laziness, lack of boundaries.

We have Jupiter (growth, expansion) in Libra (balance, fairness, love, women, partnership) until next autumn. Libra is a cardinal sign. It forms angles to the other cardinal signs. So since we have Pluto in Capricorn (since 2008) and Capricorn is a cardinal sign, we will have transits over the next year, as Jupiter moves through Libra, that aspect Pluto (transformation, death, rebirth, karma, authority).
 
And because Uranus is in Aries (since 2011), and Aries is another cardinal sign, as Jupiter moves through Libra he will also be aspecting Uranus (rebellion, sudden change, innovation). Jupiter also goes retrograde from February 6th to June 9th so we will be dealing with some of this multiple times. This stuff will be challenging.

The dates follow:

Jupiter square Pluto
11/24/2016
3/30/2017
8/4/2017

Jupiter oppsing Uranus
12/26/16
3/2/17
9/27/17

We can see these transits are squares and oppositions - these are tense aspects. Let's see what happens around November 24th (yes, that's Thanksgiving - good luck if you are hosting) and we'll know what we are going to be dealing with until the end of next September

We are going to talk about this alot as we move forward. Cardinal sun signs and people with planets in cardinal signs (probably everyone) will be impacted to various degrees. This will almost certainly impact the U.S. chart and Trump's presidency.

OK, we still have Saturn (restriction, hard work, responsibility) in Sagittarius (what is foreign, foreign travel, higher education, philosophy, weddings, legal, politics) for another year. Sorry Sagittarians, but you are more than half-way home free!

If Trump is actually going to build a wall (or whatever restrictions are placed on immigration and what is foreign) - it will happen in 2017.

Now when Saturn leaves Sagittarius (where he has been answering to Jupiter) he will come home to Capricorn. Capricorns won't feel this weight in quite the same way Sagittarians have because Capricorns walk around carrying a load of rocks and responsibility at all times anyway! Saturn (father figure, structure, security, responsibility, restriction) will be very strong in Capricorn.

(what was happening in your life the last time Saturn was in Capricorn early 1988 to early 1991 - we will likely see some similar themes start to arrive at the end of 2017, early 2018).

Even after Saturn leaves Capricorn and moves on to Aquarius two and a half years later he will still be strong since Saturn is the ancient ruler of Aquarius. Hopefully it doesn't feel like 5 years of winter - ha! If Trump survives the rest of 2016 and 2017, 2018 will be a whole new presidency for him.

We still have Uranus in Aries until 2018. This is the revolutionary aspect influencing war, rebellion, unexpected events that turn us in new directions. When Uranus moves into Taurus (2018-2025) he will bring that wrecking ball energy to our money and values.

Neptune is home in Pisces until 2025. She's helping us imagine a whole new world. She's also the slippery slope when we drift off to dreamland and don't get anything done. A strong Neptune is also making it hard to tell fact from fiction, fantasy from reality.

The other big aspect for next year - besides the Jupiter transits is Saturn trine (brakes off) Uranus. 

This could be good energy for the power structures and the rebellious masses or innovative energies to come together. 

It can also create power structures from rebellious masses or innovation, most likely technological, or create rebellion within the power structure. 

Anyway you slice it, it is probably a good thing - at least in the long term. This energy could help bring order out of chaos.

The dates follow:

Saturn trine Uranus
12/24/16
5/19/17
11/11/17

The eclipses next year will be HUGE in spring and autumn. The North Node moves into Leo! We have a transit on 12/31/2016 (Mars/Neptune on an eclipse degree) that we last had on September 11, 2001 (this does not mean it will be another 9/11). 

At least the Saturn/Neptune square of 2016 (dream vs reality) is finished. Some dreams are in ashes. Some feet are on more solid ground or at least our knees are.

It's been a hell of a year and it's not over yet!

xo all

Venus into Capricorn | women get to work

Old city 3 by Natalia Ciobanu

Venus (love, money, women, values) moves into Capricorn today.

Capricorn is the sign of structure and discipline. In Capricorn season (winter) these are the qualities that kept our ancestors alive. When Venus visits this space of the heavens these are the qualities that help us attract what we want and need.

Capricorn Suns and Risings get more attractive now (more able to attract what they want and easier on the eye). Our Capricorn houses (natal) become more attractive, too.

This is the time to get serious with Venus ruled themes.

Time to balance our checkbook. Make a budget (even if it means we give ourselves a cash allowance each week and stop spending when it's gone). Check our insurance policies - do we need more insurance? Do we need all this insurance? Can we find our insurance policies if we need them? Do we have the right paperwork in our car?

Where are we investing our resources - time, esteem, money? What are we getting back? Are we putting a whole lot of time into one thing, but all our revenue is coming from this other thing? Sometimes this is ok, but maybe it's not. It's time to check in with ourselves.

Venus in Capricorn is an excellent time for organizing our finances so we can attract more money that sticks.

I used to be a Bank Manager and noticed that how a person attracted/earned their money usually correlated to how sticky that money was. I once wasted a ridiculous amount of money on something I hadn't done enough research on because the money had come to me in a way my self-esteem wasn't connected to. Venus in Capricorn allows us to recognize we attract what we earn (ie if we've attracted it, we HAVE earned it), so this doesn't happen.

We only have to earn everything by the sweat of our brow if we believe we do, although with Venus in Capricorn there will be sweat!

Tradition will become a focus - the way something has always been done. This doesn't mean we have to continue doing things the way we've always done them, but these things will come to our attention now.

We get more serious about love, too. If something isn't going anywhere, this can be the transit we cut it loose. Our focus returns to what is real. We attract stability and longer lasting success/love/money by finishing what we start and honoring our commitments.

Venus will be in Capricorn until December 7th - it's time to get to work.

xo all

Super Full Moon in Taurus on Monday | we either own it or we don't

untitled by oprisco

I am going to write a post on the election/weeks ahead this Sunday.

I've been busy with work and also working through my own feelings to detach from them.

The reason almost every (every?) well-known astrologer predicted a Clinton victory is that we all bring ourselves to whatever we are looking at. All I can really see in you is the place in me that vibrates to it.

(I think this is true of everything not just astrology charts)

His victory (and there are twists and turns ahead before Inauguration Day people so stay tuned) shows to me the power of Uranus and the power of our progressed charts. Next year, or the end of this year, we are going to focus on our progressed charts here and regular readers will learn to work with their progressions.

I think we'll all feel a little better if we prepare for Monday's Full Moon in Taurus. The Moon loves Taurus (the sign of Mother Nature) and this is a "stop and smell the roses" moment.

Sometimes not getting what we want let's us see very clearly what we already have.

The Full Moon is at 22 degrees Taurus. People with planets or points 20-24 degrees of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) will feel this energy strongest.

Taurus is ruled by Venus and rules the 2nd house of everything money can buy and everything money can't. She rules finances, love, stability, security and comfort. She rules our values and also represents Mother Earth. Taurus energy is nurturing - it brings us back to ourselves.

It also represents fear based thinking when our security is threatened (real or imagined) focusing us on all the reasons something we want to do won't work or all the reasons we can't have what we want. Taurus energy is stubborn (like the bull) or passive (like the cow).

We either own it (whatever "it" is) or it doesn't belong to us.

Like all Full Moons, this a Sun/Moon opposition. The Sun is in deep, dark, transformative Scorpio and the Moon is in earthy, grounded Taurus. Full Moons represent fullness, peak power, endings - that moment of our breath when our lungs are full just a second before we begin to exhale.

Oppositions are just what they sound like and often at a Full Moon we might find ourselves working with the polarity

(and speaking of Polarity - warning shameless plug ahead - have you seen my lockets?)

of the two energies involved. With Scorpio, some transformation comes to light (Full Moons bring things to light) maybe we have to surrender, there could be a loss of control - with Taurus, we turn toward the present moment - what already exists. We take solace in what brings us comfort - nature, food, our physical senses.

So, all of that applies to every Full Moon in Taurus which happens around this time every year. There are also some energies that apply specifically to the Moon next week.

Remember that Venus (ruler of both Libra and Taurus and ruler of this Moon) is in Capricorn - the sign of business; the energy of 'just get 'er done'. This Moon isn't about any pie in the sky dreams for the future, this is about what we can hold in our hands, see with our eyes - stuff that is real and practical. She will have us focused on our money and on our relationships. If we are a positive thinker we will see clearly what is working. If we are a negative thinker we will see clearly what isn't. Either view will show us what we need to see.

The Moon and Sun will trine (brakes off) Chiron (the wounded healer) and Black Moon Lilith (female taboo energy). A light can be thrown on something hidden. The taboo female energy of Lilith is threatening to existing power structures (male and female). The healing salve of Chiron can make disappointments easier to handle and make us more compassionate for those who are disappointed and for whatever this Full Moon illuminates.

Something simmers here .....

We'll talk more about this Full Moon on Monday. I had some of this post written a couple weeks ago and decided to post it now .... hang in there everyone.

xo all

Sun sextile Pluto | transformation and trusting our future self

autumn angel by ankazhuravleva

See my weekly forecast HERE. Today we have the Sun (in Scorpio) sextile Pluto (in Capricorn) at 15 degrees.

Sextiles represent opportunity. Sextiles with Pluto represent opportunities for transformation. Transformations must be allowed with this energy - we can't push for them or we end up all Frankensteiny.

Power (and stepping into our responsibility) comes through the path of least resistance - stuff falls into place, if it's the right stuff.

This feels especially opportunistic for those Aries, Cancers, Libras and Capricorns being affected (since 2008) by Pluto's journey through Capricorn AND everyone with planets in these signs can benefit.

This is a good time to get our finances in order - opportunity comes of it. This is a good time to reconnect within our relationships - opportunity comes of it. This is a good time to work with authority figures or step into our own authority - opportunities come of it.

This is a good time for career and business opportunities - with Capricorn there will be work involved here (plus we've still got that Virgo North Node urging us to not skip any steps), but if we have been working hard already there can be rewards now. Even maybe a breather. The situation can shift in our favor.

Fresh starts offer rebirth opportunities with this energy, but there is no forcing anything. It will happen or it won't. This is not an energy to push. This is about power and it is friendly. When wielding or working with power and powerful people and situations now - it pays to be respectful.

Our Sun is much more powerful (Scorpio) when focused (Capricorn) - imagine this energy a magnifying glass clearing the way to your new opportunity. Don't stress yourself about how something is going to happen or if you have what it takes. Your future self can handle it. You are ready.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of November 7th - a change is gonna' come

knitting in november by ankazhuravleva

By Saturday all three personal planets - Mars, Mercury and Venus - will have changed signs (and we'll have a new President elect).

What a week!

First, Mars leaves Capricorn for Aquarius on Tuesday night (thru January 28th).

Mars (energy, action, initiative, anger) hasn't been in Aquarius for over two years. Aquarians and Leos will feel this change in energy and everyone's Aquarius natal house will have more energy and be more active.

On a universal level this will have our collective Mars energy focused on Aquarian themes : groups, the internet, technology, sudden change, rebellion, invention, freedom, independence, charity, our vision and the 'collective'.

We'll have Mars in Aquarius (ruled by Uranus) and Uranus in Aries (ruled by Mars) - there's that mutual reception (extra power) thing we had going on for the last few weeks with Venus. To me, this would seem to fuel anarchy or rebellion .... or vision and invention. Probably both. Hold onto your hats, people.

EXAMPLE for Scorpio Rising - (Aquarius 4th house) Mars into your 4th house could increase family squabbles, bring increased activity to your home or home business, be used for renovation - even small changes can create big energy shifts - makes this a good time to relocate - active energy will be focused on home and family

Next, Venus (women, love, our values, money, beauty) leaves big-picture, freedom loving Sagittarius and moves into serious and security focused Capricorn on Friday (through December 7th).

Venus grows up and faces responsibility here. We get more serious with our money. Relationships take a more serious turn. Flings and flights of fancy in our relationships no longer cut it. There is an emphasis on tradition and respect for personal authority and boundaries. Women get to work.

Capricorn Sun and Risings (1st house Capricorn in your natal chart) get more attractive (both physically attractive and more able to attract what they want). Our Capricorn natal houses get more attractive, too.

EXAMPLE for Taurus Rising (Capricorn 9th house) Venus into your 9th house can bring travel and educational opportunities, relationships with people or one special person from another country or background. Publishing, media and legal avenues can attract women, love and money.

Then on Saturday, Mercury moves from deep, dark Scorpio into big-picture, expansive Sagittarius (through December 2nd).

This is fertile ground for both words that feel good and positive and optimistic and words that are overblown, overstated and conspiratorial. While in Sagittarius it will square Neptune in dreamy Pisces the results could be over-promising and probably some talk about things that are too good (or too big) to be true.

Conversations and communications will revolve around things/people that are foreign, legal issues, media, education and politics - yes, more politics - sorry!

EXAMPLE for Leo Rising (Sagittarius 5th house) Mercury into your 5th house can increase communications and conversations around creative projects, children, romance and fun and games. Excellent time to write. Great transit for teaching. Great transit for flirting and romantic chitchat.

If you are an artist or craftperson headed into the holiday season maybe the things to keep in mind with all of this are:

1. People will take action (Mars) on things involving their groups, technology, innovation and that give them a sense of freedom
2. People will be attracted (Venus) to things that make them feel safe and secure with a connection to tradition. I know this is a bit of the opposite of Mars - but that's just how it goes. Things don't always fall all one way.
3. People will be communicating about and listening to (Mercury) BIG words and ideas - use optimistic and positive language. Avoid over-promising.

In our personal lives we will experience all these transits over the next few weeks, but depending on our individual chart one may take precedence.

I will try to write a post on each transit but I'm trying to get my wholesale orders orders out today and will probably blog about the election again tomorrow (I did one here over the weekend and no, I won't choose sides, so everyone can read without feeling that their candidate might get bashed)- I'll see how much time I have.

The Moon is void pretty much all day Tuesday (working hours) 8:54am to 4:45 pm EST so this would not be a good day to start anything new or launch anything that you would like to lead to anything. This is the only Void Moon during work hours this week.  

And it's Election Day - ack - it could make things rather problematic or messy and then it moves into dreamy and elusive Pisces which won't help much!

Are you ready? Change is coming (although not as much as 4 years from now!).

If you are in the U.S. please vote - every person counts!

xo all

the bigger picture and next week's election ...

crystal ball by heroinx-x

Astrology can be a tool for prediction, but not a very good one. It is a language of archetypes and patterns. Our chart isn't fate or destiny - it's really a blueprint of our God given potential!

(astrology recognizes free will as the central axis of any chart - some things we have to meet up with, how we handle them is always up to us)

Astrology looks at what has happened in the past when planets and points were in similar spaces and rubbing against each other in similar ways to see what we experienced then. Then it hypothesizes and imagines what those energies could bring to current situations.

And, of course, the experience and intuition (and bias - we all see what we are looking for to a large degree) of the astrologer play an important role.

As an armchair astrologer I am not going to wade into prediction - but it might help to put the election into a bigger framework.

Think about it this way. This election is an epic battle between two warriors. Either of these warriors could win or they couldn't be in the ring. There is no future set in stone for any of us. Either of these warriors can take us on the next leg of our collective journey, too.

Let's not get caught up in thinking one of the two of them is going to destroy us (or save us - that's up to us) - the road we are on is the road we are on.

We have been on this road since 2008 when Pluto moved into Capricorn and really we have been on this road since the last time Pluto was in Capricorn and our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

The United States is four years from its exact Pluto return (Pluto the planet of karma and transformation will be back in the exact position it was in when the Declaration of Independence was signed) and four years is a blink of the eye to Pluto. The unethical and corroded structures of Capricorn (government, big business, banking) are transforming.

One of the most active planets these past few months has been Eris (dwarf planet). Eris is Mars' trouble making sister - she is the outsider. Aided by Uranus, planet of revolution and 'anything can happen' they have been turning things upside down (not just in the U.S.!).

And as we move from the Age of Pisces (patriarchy) to the Age of Aquarius (equality) the conservative/liberal split is strongly emphasized. We are polarized with a father based mindset or a mother based mindset. Whichever one we most connect to, the other side looks nuts. They just don't make any sense to us, but the truth is, it's literally the ways our brains are wired (see the studies of George Lakoff).

Both sides have wonderful gifts and both sides have their problems.

Let's take a peek at the warrior's charts.

Clinton's chart (which like Hillary herself is somewhat hidden since her birth time is unknown) shows she is an intense person leading an intense life. It's a BIG chart. She is undoubtedly reliable and steady and will see things through. But with multiple planets in Scorpio, what we see is not always what we get.

She is predictable but there is a lot going on behind the scenes she doesn't show us.

She has a compassionate Moon that gets overshadowed by her Scorpio Sun (I bet her mother who she has a strong spiritual connection to was overshadowed by her father). She has a past life victim/scapegoat story and needs to be careful taking advice from men or subjugating herself to male energy. She will fight for what she thinks is right, for what she wants and for her own survival.

She is manipulative and cunning. And if we see this as always a bad thing - we have probably never won a game of Monopoly.

Life is complicated. Clinton is complicated. She was born with Saturn conjunct Pluto and Mars which is a very powerful and ambitious combination (with an ability to survive almost anything and almost a death wish). She moves in a ruthless world. She fits in.

With all the scandals (and yes, some and maybe many are fabrications and exaggerations) she has weathered, it is amazing she could be the next President of the United States. Think about it - we had a candidate who yahoo'd or yodeled or whatever you would call it (does anyone remember Howard Dean's Presidential run?) and was practically run out of town.

How is this woman still standing (maybe in much the same way all women are still standing)?

Love her or hate her (and with all this Scorpio energy she will engender strong reactions) she is mirroring the feminine shadow energy we need to see right now. Some will see a manipulative witch and some will see a woman who does what she has to do to get things done - both will be right.

Now, let's take a peek at Trump's chart.

He actually published his birth certificate online when he was claiming Obama wasn't born in the United States, so we know it is 100% accurate..

His Sun is in Gemini. His Moon is in Sagittarius. Geminis are clever and good with words. They are fast thinking and often funny. They can say one thing to one person and something else to someone else - they are changeable. Sagittarius is the sign of the adventurer. It's the sign of big beliefs and BIG (or I should say bigly) EVERYTHING.

They are opposite each other in his chart so we know he was born on a Full Moon. He has the North Node conjunct his Sun so we know he was born on a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse. He has Uranus, the planet of 'anything can happen', the future, rebelliousness and genius conjunct his Sun and North Node - this is a pretty big deal. Yes, I'd say his chart is bigly.

With Trump's chart what we see is what we get. Stuff isn't hidden but things are always in flux. Lies aren't always lies (although with a Gemini Sun, yes, there are definitely lies and exaggeration) as much as they are the way he previously thought or operated that he is done with. He used to do this and now he does that. He used to think this way and now he thinks that way. He used to say this and now he says that.

Uranus conjunct his Sun and North Node makes him a human lightning bolt ... and you know how we never know where lightning will strike! He carries that electricity we feel in the air right before a storm.

So, yes, he was born to do something big and his energy is totally unpredictable. No one can know what he will do, even Trump himself. When he says he will not be controlled by big money (or foreign countries) I actually believe him. He cannot be controlled - even by the people who elect him though. If someone thinks they know what he will do, they are mistaken.

Remember eclipses bring things to light and eclipse things out - this is his destiny. Could he eclipse out corruption as some people believe? Yes. Could he eclipse out the important stuff we really need as other people believe? Yes.

Trump's lunar eclipse is closely aligned with the United States' Mars.

His Sun (life force) conjunct the United States' Mars (initiative, anger, courage, war) is one reason so many people see him as powerful and energetic and capable of leading the country. It also explains the "anger at authority" and "fear about security" he "shines a light on".

Having his Sun conjunct the United States' Mars at a lunar eclipse (Full Moon) means his Moon is opposing this same Mars. The Moon represents emotional, feminine, maternal, nurturing energy. The Moon rules Cancer and the United States has the Sun in Cancer. This is where his woman problems come in and his troubled relationship with feminine energy.

Love him or hate him he is mirroring the masculine shadow energy we need to see right now. Some will see a bullying narcissist and some will see a powerful, energetic man who does what he has to do to get things done - both will be right.

No one is just one thing and these two are just people after all - even though they are both working with some strong archetypal energy and showing us their shadows.

There are things we can do to have an impact on how all this plays out. I don't mean the election results but how this journey we are on plays out.

And I am not talking about telling other people how to vote. Everyone has made up their mind - although maybe not - looking at election day maybe people get up thinking they will vote one way and then end up voting the other way!

We can watch our language. This election has a lot to do with truth. We spent the entire year dealing with the Saturn/Neptune square of dreams vs reality. It is very hard to know what is real right now.

We can see how the media and 24 hour news cycle is a big problem and draining our energy.

There is a totally different energetic signature when we say "the truth is being revealed" than when we say "lies are being revealed". Can you feel that?

There is nothing happening in the collective that isn't happening within us, too. What is our own truth - specifically an event in our own personal life we are being challenged by now?

Somewhere here there is a truth we don't want to look at. This isn't a time for judgement. This is a time for every one of us to move closer to a truth that is pressing against our paradigm and needing to break free.

Can we get to a place of observation and objectiveness within ourselves where we can ask - what is the truth needing to be exposed? Also women need to hold a clear space without apology. If this sentence resonates with you there is a reason.

Election Day could be a nail biter. We start the day with a Void Moon! 

Void Moons are not good times to launch things and I take this seriously because the Moon needs to be aspecting something else to get results. With the Moon by itself we would just dream our life away!

When we start things during a Void Moon the saying goes "nothing will come of it". I have found this to be true over and over again. Then late in the afternoon EST, the Moon moves into Pisces. 

(the Sun will be in Scorpio and the Moon will be in Pisces which is Clinton's chart - this election is really all about her and what she stands for in the mind of each individual voter)

Maybe one of our warriors will look like they are doing well early in the day but then things will flip around.

Or maybe whoever pulls out a win has something happen after the election and "nothing comes of it" (the win).

Or maybe there is a recount needed after election day or someone contests the results - I guess this is the most likely scenario. There are multiple possibilities.

The Moon in Pisces is drifting energy. Stuff can slip right through our fingers ...

More on this in next week's forecast. Have a nice weekend everyone - relax! xo

Sun trine Neptune | connection, healing and creativity or in way over our head

by Adam J Kurtz

Today the Sun (in Scorpio) trines (brakes off) Neptune (retrograde in Pisces) at 9 degrees.

This will increase our sensitivity, empathy and need to connect with like-minded others (where's that damn flock?) or people in need.

Kind and compassionate actions, even small ones, push us forward in big ways now. 

Our physical life-force (Sun) can work smoothly with Neptunian themes - creativity, romance, spirituality, escape, delusion, addiction, the things and people 'put away', healing, research, institutions.

Maybe some kind of charitable (Neptune) work beckons (Sun) to us.

Maybe a creative project (Neptune) needs our energy and attention (Sun).

Maybe we shine a great big old spotlight (Sun) on our dreams and wishes (Neptune) - yes, please.

Maybe we work (Sun) a meditation practice (Neptune) or spiritual practice (Neptune).

Our intuition is high; dreams (the kind we have when we are sleeping) colorful.

This would be an excellent time to make a vision board!

The potential downside with this energy is getting in over our head or becoming too unbounded.

Trines (brakes off) can take us from zero to sixty very quickly - they are that slippery slope our grandma warned us about.

Avoid temptations that could lead to excess.

Toss the extra Halloween candy in the trash now.

xo all