North Node into Leo | South Node into Aquarius - being visible

The skies shift today.

More immediately felt could be the Sun (in Taurus) trining (brakes off) Pluto (in Capricorn) at 19 degrees at the same time Juno (partnerships) stations retrograde at 18 degrees (in Capricorn).

Juno retrogrades have us re-looking at our relationships and commitments. In Capricorn, this could also be about our relationship to authority and to the power structures that support us.

Relationships and commitments are ripe for "re-structuring".

Juno stations at 18 degrees and Pluto is at 19 degrees. She doesn't quite meet up with the planet of transformation before she turns around. Whatever is happening here we (via she) aren't quite ready for this!

They finally catch up with each other in mid November. That's when the relationship transformation (Pluto) is confirmed. In the meantime, the next 6 months are a crucial period to figure this all out. Then in the fall, the power structures/allegiances shift. We had the Sun trining (brakes off) Juno yesterday, so much of this stuff will fall into place. In November, power will shift - major relationships/commitments can start, outdated/dead relationships will finish.

(since Capricorn rules government it will be interesting to see how much this transit factors into our current political machinations)

We also have the Nodes changing signs today.

Since the Nodes are points and not planets the energies are more collectively felt. On the other hand if we look at the North and South Nodes in our natal chart, and their houses, we will find how remarkably well just these two points mirror our entire story. Babies born for the next 18 months will carry these energies for their entire lives. And we all have a new "north star" to work with and new energies to release or transform.

My first astrology teacher said the North Node is unfamiliar space where we "make steady progress over time" and the South Node holds the familiar, comfortable tools we use to make that progress happen (it also stores the barbed wire and banana peels we use to trip ourselves up).

With the South Node in Aquarius and the North Node in Leo - we need to do Aquarius better so we can do Leo better.

And since our bodies are craving what is familiar (see the work of Candace Pert and others) the North Node can make us uncomfortable. That's OK, comfort can be over-rated anyway (except for right now during Taurus season - I even grocery shopped in slippers yesterday).

We will talk about this alot over the next 18 months.

For now, have a look at your natal chart (astro.com). Go to free horoscopes (top), natal chart. Look for not only your Leo/Aquarius polarity, but also the houses that hold your Sun and Uranus (the rulers of Leo and Aquarius) - let's say you have, like me, a 3rd house Sun and a 10th house Uranus - google 3rd house astrology then 10th house astrology - to see what themes those houses reflect, this will give you an idea of what you have to work with (and what stands in your way): Aquarius, and where you can make progress now: Uranus. Email me if you can't find this and I will tell you what houses to be looking at and what Leo/Aquarius polarity is in your chart.

Growth will come when we move from aloofness toward passion,

from an outsider to an insider perspective (this isn't about selling out or losing our own unique mindset, but watching from the sidelines isn't getting us anywhere, we need some skin in the game now),

from unique idea to creation, 

from the audience to the stage,

from being detached about an outcome to proud of what we have accomplished or attempted, 

from trauma, chaos and PTSD toward influence, effectiveness and leadership.

I read an article about Melania Trump's Instagram feed from before her husband was running for President. There is a certain mean spiritedness to the article I do not like, but the photographs and story they paint of Melania's "backseat" life are fascinating.

(will be interesting to see what she does with the next year and a half)

They sadly remind me a bit of my family album from when my daughter was younger. Not the chandeliers or skyscrapers though - ha!

For years I had thrown family photos into boxes and then a couple summers ago I took them all out to put them in albums. Seeing how few photos I was in was eye-opening, especially since I have so few photos of my own mother. I know I took alot of the photos but couldn't I have spent five minutes learning how to use the automatic timer or handed someone else the damn camera.

Lesson to all moms and grandmoms out there - we can learn alot from the millennials - get yourself in the damn picture! Get a selfie stick. Grab the kids. Whatever it takes.

I think this Leo North Node will be all about "photo-bombing" for me.

You can expect to see me everywhere.

I might even show up in your family photos ("Wait, is that Cat behind Aunt Dorothy at the family picnic? I didn't even know she liked tuna salad sandwiches.") - don't hate me for this.

I am just doing my part to move the collective forward by doing my "Leo".

I promise to comb my hair and check my teeth for poppy seeds first.

xo all