weekly astrology forecast for creatives | Week of May 31st, 2021 - love is a verb, a light on our destiny, wanting what feels familiar, stepping into responsibility, love and luck, avoiding impulsiveness/power struggles

 

 

We are in between two powerful Eclipses now. In the washing machine spin cycle. Are we up? Are we down? We can't really tell. Something has been lost or something has ended. Something new is still out of our reach. Saturn and Mercury are both retrograde (in air signs, so we should be doing quite a bit of re-evaluating, re-vising, re-thinking). There is MUCH TO ENJOY this week and a couple pitfalls/dragons to avoid.

 

It's weeks like this that make us GLAD TO BE ALIVE.

 

MONDAY - Mars trines Neptune, Sun conjuncts North Node

 

The Sun, at 10 degrees Gemini, meets the North Node (our best way forward) - a light shines on our future, likely via words, information, a conversation. The right words are spoken. The right book falls off the shelf.  PAY ATTENTION. Small is big. Keep in mind the ruler of the North Node (Mercury) is retrograde, so something here could have its roots in the past. There could be some back and forth with this and we (or someone else) may change our/their mind later. This is a process. All Gemini/Mercury situations can be vehicles for our soul growth here/lining us up with our destiny - communications, words, ideas, siblings, local community, commerce, childhood education, writing, transportation, tech.

 

At the same time, Mars at 23 degrees Cancer trines (brakes off) creative/compassionate Neptune. Neptune dissolves boundaries/roadblocks, adds inspiration/intuition to whatever Mars (as us) is up to. Great for taking action on our dream. Knowing LOVE IS  A VERB. Acting on our intuition. Mars in Cancer is focused on home/family/security (our Cancer natal house theme). The trine says this action won't need to be forced, something here should fall smoothly into place or dissolve if finished. Squares to Neptune sometimes allow situations that may have seemed too important to lose some of their vitality/dissipate. Forgiveness/compassion, especially around home, family situations is especially healing all week.

 

WEDNESDAY - Sun sextiles Chiron, Venus enters Cancer, 4th Quarter Moon

The Sun, at 12 degrees Gemini, now sextiles Chiron in Aries - the knowledge of our vulnerabilities (doubts?) is smoothly put into words/conversations. A light shines on some very old wounds. Talking about what hurts can be helpful/opportunistic (this is Gemini, so keep it light). We don't have to have all the answers, and in fact, if we think we do now, we should think again! Remember the Sun in Gemini is answering to a retrograde Mercury, so this will have its roots in situations from the past. Talk about it. Listen. Stay open and flexible.

The Moon (last quarter now before next week's BIG New Moon Solar Eclipse) at 11 degrees Pisces squares the Gemini Sun. This is kind of reinforcing the Mercury square Neptune we have in play now, may foreshadow the Mercury/Neptune at the end of the week. Here is where last week's New Moon story meets its inevitable tension/frustration via a square to the Sun. Now, the Moon is in Pisces, emotional/lacking boundaries, but gaining intuition. This might be our dreams/illusions/compassionate leanings at odds with the facts. The Gemini Sun insists on applying logic to our imaginings and conversely the Pisces Moon can make what seemed like solid decisions/leanings less certain. Maybe we want to rest/escape/blend into a bigger perspective, but there are these relentless details that won't be ignored. If the Moon in Pisces has tossed us off course, the square to the Gemini Sun can pull us back into reality maybe via busyness or a push for a decision. On the other hand if the Sun has had us running all over the place we might just need a rest. Keep in mind this is part of the Mercury retrograde process/Eclipse process that will allow us to work through the lethargy, lies and confusion.

At 9:18AM EDT, Venus (love, money, values, resources, self-esteem, women, beauty) moves into Cancer until June 27th. Cancer Suns and Risings become more attractive - both able to attract what they want and easier on the eye. Our Cancer houses become more attractive, too.

Venus themes will be emotionally tended to. We will require more emotional connection to feel safe and secure. We will want (or feel the lack of) whatever feels like nurturing to us.
 

Home becomes a more valuable space. Family is a resource. Our empathy increases along with our hurt feelings when we don't get what feels like "mom and apple-pie".
 

What we want (Venus) is to feel safe (Cancer). We want what is familiar. We want our home/surroundings to be more beautiful.
 

Cancer is both the mother and the child. So we get what we want/need by being cared for and by caring for others now. Ruled by the Moon, who changes signs every two and a half days, Cancer can be moody. Our emotions around what we want are subject to lunar whims now, but the actual thing we want can become more solid. The active feminine energy (Venus) connects with the responsive feminine energy (Moon). What we need (Cancer) meets what we want (Venus).

 

Venus is much more comfortable in Cancer (ruled by her friend the Moon) than she has been for the last month in Gemini where she's been attracted to and attracting "one thing after the other". She's been flirting and "keeping things light" but nothing really turns into anything here. For now, we might be more emotional. Maybe a little more needy and vulnerable. These do not have to be bad things.

 
The fly in the ointment with Venus in Cancer is the kind of smothering/mothering that suffocates or we overindulge ourselves in some unhealthy way or we have an unrealistic expectation of someone else filling some childhood need. Watch for emotions that are "over-the-top" compared with what is actually happening. What are we storing that is triggering these emotions?

THURSDAY - Sun trines Saturn, Venus trines Jupiter - 5 STAR DAY

 

The Sun, at 13 degrees Gemini, trines Saturn, retrograde in Aquarius as Venus at 1 degree Cancer trines Jupiter in Pisces. The Sun's trine to a retrograde Saturn might be reaffirming earlier information/conversations or maybe we are committing to something or moving on somehow from that challenging square we had last month. Discussions with authority/father/conversations around our goals should proceed smoothly. There could be rewards for old work. We are stepping into responsibilities/feeling able. At the same time Venus is trining Jupiter - our most benevolent planets having the best aspect is - love, compassion, forgiveness, happiness - benefits flowing to our Pisces house.

 

The Moon in Taurus is making her own lovely aspects (to Jupiter and Venus!) and answering to Venus - so good for money, love, our relationships, beauty. 

 

A 5 STAR DAY, in play all week and makes the whole week better!

 

SATURDAY - Mercury squares Neptune, Mars opposes Pluto

Mars, at 26 degrees Cancer opposes Pluto in Capricorn. This is uber-volatile energy, and like a Full Moon completes a lunar cycle, this opposition completes a Mars/Pluto cycle that started in late March 2020. This might close out a home/family or career/public voice situation. We could feel powerful/powerless. Anger/passion. This is a DANGER WILL ROBINSON aspect, but can also allow us to push past our fears. 

 

At the same time, a retrograde Mercury (our thinking, information, communication) squares confusing/creative and anesthetizing Neptune. This is the second square of three. Not the time to make an important decision. We don't know what we don't know. This can also be the time our delusions/fantasies are hit by the facts. A mini wake-up call or conversely our thoughts are just going in too many directions and our mind needs a rest. Maybe we need the details/facts to yield to our intuition now. This aspect - usually a quickie, but due to Mercury's retrograde in Gemini this year, taking us from late May (first hit May 22nd) until mid June - makes it hard to be sure. We want to be double checking what we are reading/hearing/saying. People can misunderstand us and we can be misunderstanding them. Maybe information isn't all on the up and up. A tricky day to navigate. Keep a cool head/double check the details. 

 

Keep in mind until Mercury meets up with the Sun on June 11th it will hard to know/hard to narrow things down. Best to work with this, go with the flow of this (the flow is backward - re-visions, re-thinking, etc).

xo all

 

painting by the talented Daniel Gerhartz

Today's Astrology Forecast | Saturday, May 29th, 2021 - mercury stations retrograde, our Venus story-line needs some review, going backward to go forward, focusing on something else

 

 

The Moon is in serious/sober Capricorn now. She will oppose Mars at 10:35AM EDT (home vs work, mom vs dad, issues about our security/stability. personal/emotional actions vs goals - people might feel more sensitive/appear more pushy - this opposition could slow down a commitment and that might be a good thing), sextile Neptune at 12:13PM EDT (opportunities to feel better via art, music, our imagination, healing, spirituality, being near water). Finally she goes void off a conjunction with powerful Pluto (good for stepping into responsibilities/power, dealing with authority) at 6:14PM EDT. She will be void for the rest of the night.

This is also the day, and we tallked about this in the weekly HERE (check tomorrow also), Venus meets Mercury and then Mercury stations retrograde. 

This could be about a heart-to-heart talk (more mind than heart though). We probably won't come to any solid decisions/answers, even if we think we do, because Mercury immediately stations retrograde, so we are going back over things - need to re-think, re-view, etc. 

 

This could also be about financial information/situations. 

 

With Mercury and Venus in Gemini (24 degrees) there could be more than one way through here or multiple steps/phases needed. Think small. Think local.

 

With both planets squaring a confusing Neptune in Pisces (and we've never had Neptune at his current degree in our lifetime - our lack of familiarity with this will pull in older stories, ancestral/past-life) - it will be hard, impossible, to be certain, and we don't want to be lying to ourselves/being lied to/in lalaland with something.

 

Stay flexible and keep in mind this Neptunian energy cuts both ways. When nothing is certain, much, much more is possible. We DON'T KNOW (because, as I've said before we can't know yet), so we'll keep as many doors and windows open as we can. Next week Mars will oppose Pluto and the following week the Sun will meet Mercury (on the Solar Eclipse!), so some things are set to be demolished/others to come to light as a new story kicks off and an old story ends.

 

In the meantime, Mercury stations retrograde, in his home sign of Gemini, conjunct Venus and squaring Neptune - at 6:34PM EDT. Mercury will be retrograde until June 22nd (hours after the summer solstice).

Time to re-think, re-examine, re-visit, re-vise whatever value/attraction/information Venus has brought us. 

We ignore Mercury retrograde at our own peril. Trying to plow ahead re-gardless will not work. It also won't work to stand still and try to wait Mercury out. We must move our ideas, projects, etc through the process of the retrograde period. We are going backward to go forward now!

So talk/think, make plans, today is an important day and with the Moon in Cappy, we can put on those big girl/boy pants with this stuff. Be less emotional (after the morning Mars opposition) and more pragmatic, which is obviously what is needed because it is what life is offering us.

 

Just keep things flexible. We are in between Eclipses folks! Still in that washing machine's spin cycle.

A way through this thing - Uranus is trining (brakes off) Vesta today for the third and final time. Taurus/Virgo at 12 degrees. Being practical/focused AND open to change/the future. And conversely the new and innovative being the practical thing. Innovation/doing it differently, but with a specific focus. A new fix. We have been here twice before since the end of November 2020. Vesta has had multiple oppositions to Neptune as we were called via tension/frustration to fix it or forget it AND she has had multiple trines (smooth flow) with Uranus as we are called to focus on the future/change/something different! 

 

What is keeping you up at night? What are the themes of your Taurus and Virgo houses? What do you value NOW?

 

xo all

artwork by the talented M&I Gamash

the meaning of the Sagittarius Full Moon Lunar Eclipse | May 26th, 2021 - ancestral healing, letting go, living in the crack between the chapters, divine wisdom, fate, going backward to go forward, allowing ourselves the space to get lucky

 

 

 

On May 26th, 2021 at 7:13AM EDT, the Sagittarius Moon opposes the Gemini Sun giving us our first Eclipse of the season (the next is in two weeks) - a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius. 

Full Moons brings things to light, to a conclusion or point of fullness. 

 

Lunar Eclipse Full Moons are different than regular Full Moons because they are happening on the Moon's South Node - the Moon is full but the Sun's light is blocked by the Earth. So although things are still concluding and 'coming to light' other stuff is hidden, too. Nothing is exactly as it seems. Sometimes we think we have failed and then something flips on us. Or we are patting ourselves on the back for a big win and the client calls with revisions that require many hours work. Sometimes bigger, more important things are obscured in the shadows.

Eclipses are cosmic course corrections. Things get eclipsed out or out of our way. Like a computer being rebooted after a change to its operating system - we get a re-set.

Eclipse events do not usually happen exactly on the date of the eclipse - although we will usually feel the 'emotions' of the Eclipse on the Eclipse date. The eclipse sets up an event chart - a kind of marker in the heavens and as planets hit that point - or the exact opposite polarity point (5 degrees Gemini) - via transit THAT is when events happen. And somehow with an eclipse prior events factor in, too. I have often seen events happen almost exactly a month to the day before the Eclipse. Then the changes brought about by the 'eclipsing' unfold over the next six months or so. 

 

Eclipses come in sets. Having the Lunar Eclipse before the Solar Eclipse - the Full Moon before the New Moon in a way, tells us the ending now/the clearing out/the making space is needed, so the NEW can take root in more fertile ground. In two weeks, at 20 degrees Gemini, we will have a New Moon Solar Eclipse. The time in between the two eclipses is kind of like being in our washing machine spin cycle. It's not the time to take out the wash unless we want a soggy mess. Stuff isn't finished. We have to let the machine (the set of eclipses) do its work.

So, if you can, save the big-bodacious moves until after that second eclipse in two weeks. Let things unwind a bit. Gemini's ruler Mercury will be retrograde and conjunct the next Eclipse, so that should be interesting - going backward to go forward?! Let's let the Eclipses work their magic first. See where the washing machine spits us out and what we have to work with. Plus we'll be clean and smell like fabric softener sheets. 

Now, let's unpack the chart!

The Moon, at 5 degrees Sagittarius, opposes the Sun at 5 degrees Gemini. The Moon trines Chiron. The Moon and Sun square Jupiter at 1 degree Pisces. Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius and ruler of this lunation, so this is even more significant. Jupiter is in Pisces answering to Neptune who is EXACTLY conjunct Pallas and Neptune/Pallas are squaring the Venus/Mercury conjunction in Gemini and trining Mars in Cancer (answering to the Moon). 

 

(we had an Eclipse very near this one on 5/25/13 and before that on 5/26/02 and 5/25/94, similar, although not exactly the same themes might apply)

This Lunar Eclipse is all mutable energy. This is about CHANGE. A need to adjust. 

 

The squares to Sag ruler Jupiter in Pisces, tells us these changes are good changes/for the better, even if we can't see that just yet. Pisces makes things uncertain/unclear. With Gemini/Sag, we want to make a plan, get our ducks in a row and Jupiter in Pisces - and keep in mind he is heading back into Aqua to finish up - tells us, this is a PROCESS. We aren't going to KNOW right now because our knowing would just muck it all up.

(imagine being the quarterback in a big game, it's the final play and the crowd is on their feet, it's all up to you - now imagine, that you already know the game's outcome - how that would affect what you do/how you play)

 

The Moon is applying to a conjunction to the South Node. The Moon crosses over the South Node (where we are and what we are releasing) every month, but only once a year during a Full Moon. This allows for a bigger activation of these 'closing out' energies. There IS something here we are ready to release. We have taken something as far as it can go. We have been there/done that. Talked/thought that out and it is OVER. In general this can be about Sag themes - our beliefs, religion, politics, foreign situation/travel, legal situations, publishing, media, weddings. This might mean something to you personally or you might need to look to the theme of the house holding 5 degrees Sagittarius in your natal chart and also to the house ruled by Jupiter (if these are two different houses). With a lunar eclipse sometimes a woman leaves or she relays news of an ending, often we are working through a situation that has its roots in our home/family/maternal line. The Moon's trine to Chiron speaks of healing very old wounds now. 

The square to Jupiter, which can feel over-the-top, is actually helping us - maybe by making something feel so big, we can't act just yet. It can also show us any lalaland thinking we are deceiving ourselves with. In Pisces it can connect us to ancestral story-lines we are working out. Squares work through tension/frustration. Choices that come up now are choices we have called to ourselves - this stuff has been in play for awhile. With Mercury being debilitated by Neptune mental efforting is probably not going to work here. The square from Gemini's ruler Mercury (our mind/thinking cloudy) to Neptune/Pallas as Sag ruler Jupiter answers to Neptune in Pisces tells us the answers are Neptunian/Piscean. 

Invisible. Intuitive. Not of this world. Sometimes just not available yet. Pallas in Pisces offers us DIVINE WISDOM. Inspiration. The caveat with Pallas here is seeing patterns where none exist, but she is also helping us connect very old dots through flashes of insight. Neptune can also help things dissolve in a less painful way - provide some needed anesthesia! 

We are still living the crack between the chapters folks. Hang in there.

 

We don't have to KNOW what all of this means, we just have to TRUST that this is happening. That simply by having the experiences we are having right now, we are untangling some very old knots. 

 

Jupiter/Neptune/Pallas speak of positive forces behind the scenes working through us to BRING GOOD FORTUNE/EXPANSION.

I hope something here is helpful. 

 

Also note, 5 degrees Gemini (where the Sun is now with the Moon opposing) is the degree Venus reached her retrograde shadow (April 19th, 2020) and then stationed direct (June 25th, 2020) last summer during her Gemini retrograde. This was all about changing relationships, values, the way we make money and hold onto resources. And THAT journey - via the Venus Star Point- pulled us back to 2012. So, now we are kind of back where we were last summer, older and wiser/coming at this from another angle, and the NEXT Eclipse in two weeks at 20 degrees Gemini will be conjunct (21 degrees Gemini) the degree of her actual stations (May13th/July 29th, 2020) - here is a post about THAT. Note Venus is conjunct Mercury NOW and so part of this story, too - our relationships, money, our values, beauty, women and self-esteem. 

We'll give Jupiter his due with our faith/enthusiasm. Give Neptune his due through music, art, meditation, prayer. The empty leg of the Mutable T-Square is Virgo, so some practical action to ground ourselves will help, too. Hold on loosely.

xo all - make sure to get out and walk in this one!

Today's Astrology Forecast | Tuesday, May 25th, 2021 - going deep before going wide

 

The Moon is in deep Scorpio now. We are nourished/nurtured through intensity, getting to the bottom of things, research, intimacy, psychology, power. Our focus might be on Scorpio themes - finances, merged monies, reproduction, sex, birth/death, secrets, mysteries/crime, third party situations. 

 

She trines Mars at 6:00AM EDT (brakes off), Neptune at 11:00AM EDT and goes void at 5:19PM EDT off a sextile (opportunity) to Pluto. She is void until 10:39PM EDT when she comes out of the Scorpian depths into the bluer skies of Sagittarius.

 

Today's Scorp intensity is a prelude to tomorrow's BIG Lunar Eclipse and with the Moon touching both Scorpio's ancient and modern rulers in smooth/easy aspects, should be productive/opportunistic.

 

Scoprio rules secrets and the stuff we've stuffed and don't want to look at/feel. There are opportunities for real intimacy here if we can let go of our need to control/manipulate whatever we have going on. If we, or other people, are dealing with emotions that are out of proportion to the situation - don't judge this. Know we are actually interacting with the energies of older/deeper storylines we are accessing through this Eclipse portal. These triggers are karma - which are simply the energetic consequences of our prior thoughts/actions/experiences. We don't have to completely understand what is happening (although truths could be revealed now), to allow the energies to move through us/release these stories/cords from our bodies. 

Allow this day to flow and notice the Moon's move into Sagittarius tonight - see if you can feel the optimism/hopefulness/confidence/wisdom of THAT regardless of your external circumstances right now.

xo all

artwork by the amazing Lin Jinfu

weekly astrology forecast | week of may 24th - May 30th, 2021 - a lunar eclipse - a story ends, a door closes, a woman leaves, our beliefs shift, good news comes in, we change our mind, mercury stations retrograde

 

Buckle up - this is a really BIG week!

 

We have the first Eclipse of the year - a total Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius, Mercury stationing retrograde and an uber active Venus. ALL the personal planets are out of bounds now - Mercury, Venus and Mars. With none of the inner planets abiding by the Sun's rules and the Moon being cut off from the Sun's light - 'anything can happen'.

 

A timeline shifts. Into the Eclipse spin cycle we go!

Remember what we said about Gemini season - we must stay flexible, light on our feet, expect minds and situations to change - ours just might this week!

WEDNESDAY - Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse

THURSDAY - Venus squares Neptune

SATURDAY - Mercury conjuncts Venus, Mercury stations retrograde

SUNDAY - Venus inconjuncts Pluto retrograde

 

MAY 26TH - FULL MOON TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE | Sagittarius, 5 degrees 

 

The Sag Moon opposes the Gemini Sun at 5 degrees giving us this month's Full Moon, our annual Full Moon in Sagittarius - happening so near the Moon's nodes makes this one our first eclipse of the year - a total Lunar Eclipse. Like a computer being turned off and on - we get a cosmic rest! This is a releasing eclipse on the South Node - a culmination, an ending, maybe BIG over-the-top results.

 

A DOOR CLOSES. An old story ends. A woman might leave. Our beliefs can change ... just ...like ... that - SNAP!

Maybe, and almost certainly a yes to this - we LEARN something.

Could be we wake up Thursday morning a totally different person than went to bed on Wednesday night (it's happened to me) or maybe the 'new you' comes two weeks from now with the Solar Eclipse in Gemini or maybe because Eclipses work backward, too - this has all already happened!

 

(and yes, that's alot of maybes - it's Gemini season this is how life works now)

Expect a BIG post by sign and house!

 

MAY 27TH - VENUS SQUARES NEPTUNE | Gemini/Pisces, 22 degrees

 

Venus/Neptune wants the fairy-tale/the happy ending. So maybe this is tension/frustration between what we attract (which might be multiple things with Venus in dualistic Gemini) and 'the dream'. The 'facts' vs the illusion. With Venus in Gemini we might make a choice/decision that looks better than it actually is. Are our expectations too high? Are we in love with 'possibility'? Is this relationship all in our head? Confusing information about money, relationships, our values and self-esteem are possible. Sometimes squares to Neptune can bring endings as things slowly drift off course/fade away. This aspect can bring a certain disconnect from what used to give us joy. We might be disappointed in other people/maybe we think someone has let us down. This is also a time to watch our wallet.

 

Keep in mind with squares, that although they are considered a 'hard' aspect, not so easy/smooth as a trine or sextile, they actually encourage/show us a kind of 'discontent' that pushes things to change. 

MAY 29TH - MERCURY CONJUNCTS VENUS | Gemini, 24 degrees | MERCURY STATIONS RETROGRADE | Gemini, 24 degrees

 

So now Mercury meets up with lovely Venus - here is "good news", good for social interactions, letting someone know we love them. Peaceful settlements are reached. The fly in the ointment is Mercury immediately stations retrograde, so if this news is so good - why are we now looking backward? Here is an indication that the "news/information/conversation" is subject to revisions. Some things will need to be ironed out via a back and forth. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just keep this in mind. This can also be about an old opportunity/something or someone we once loved coming back around, too.

This can also be about us CHANGING OUR MIND - and we might change it more than once!

 

MAY 30TH - VENUS INCONJUNCTS PLUTO RETROGRADE | Gemini/Capricorn, 26 degrees

 

Venus (through us) is a busy girl. 

 

She has been through the hall of mirrors with Neptune, met up with Mercury just before he turned around (hopefully we got some good news) and now she lands between a rock and a hard place with Pluto (in Capricorn).

 

Venus in Gemini has nothing in common with Pluto in Capricorn. Venus wants to go from this to that in Gemini - flirt/spend some money. She is quick and smart, but doesn't like a narrow agenda. Pluto in Cappy is all business/power. Capricorn just pulls up his bootstraps/puts on a stiff upper lip and doesn't understand Gemini's loss of motivation/interest/inability to settle down. This aspect might show up as an intractable issue with authority. A need to take something more seriously than we want to. Love can be controlling. We might try to control someone via a demand for attention. Money can come with strings attached. Manipulations. Maybe the question is how do we get more freedom/variety and still be able to reach our goals/pay our bills? As always with the inconjunct some give and take is needed along with the knowledge there isn't a quick fix here. 

 

Back with the Eclipse post - hold on loosely!

 

xo all

artwork by Vladimir Kush

Today's astrology Forecast | Sunday, May 23rd, 2021 - Saturn stations retrograde, fix it or forget it - our final shot at this

 

 

The Moon is in Libra now - we are nourished/nurtured through other people, our relationships, peace, beauty, symmetry, bringing things into balance. She trined ruler Venus at 2:35AM EDT, squared Mars at 3:50AM EDT, trines Mercury at 11:59AM EDT and finally goes void off a square to Pluto at 5:36PM EDT. She will be void until 11:00PM EDT when she dives into Scorpio. With Venus in Gemini, the squares can bring disagreements/unwelcome information. The trine to Mercury is good for light, social conversations and interactions.

This is also the day Vesta squares the North and South Nodes from her perch in Virgo (third of three).

 

This is that problem/needed fix we have been dealing with since the end of December. Once again we are reminded via tension/frustration we need to fix it or forget it (if it can't be fixed). 

 

This is standing in the way of our North Node journey forward/some mess from the past that won't be ignored. This is our last passage through here with Vesta in Virgo's devotion to the details. If it can be fixed - fix it. Virgo is small/steady actions - one step leads to the next. It's fix it or stay fixed in place in this God-awful no man's land. If we are too invested in something that can't be fixed/up at night stressing out/planted our ladder against the wrong wall - this is the time to end this situation.

Happening at the same time Saturn is stationing retrograde (and Mercury, ruler of Virgo and Vesta is answering to him/her will station next week) pulls Saturn into our Vesta story and Vesta into Saturn's. We are backing up folks.

 

From the weekly:

 

Generally the best use of Saturn retrogrades is going back over structural issues. Re-considering our commitments. Re-thinking our responsibilities. Re-assessing our goals and ambitions. Re-defining our boundaries. Re-valuing our time. Re-structuring our projects. Sometimes we get to see what is holding us up because it isn't holding us up anymore. Dad is on vacation folks. Some situations will halt/reverse course temporarily. Rules/limits/sometimes responsibilities can ease up.

What happens for us personally depends on our natal chart and our relationship with Saturn. If we have planets/points between 13 degrees Aquarius and 6 degrees Aquarius, (add a couple degrees on either side) we will feel his retrograde strongest. The ease-up thing is probably not happening for these folks. This can also apply to planets/points in the other fixed signs as he squares and opposes them. If we were born with Saturn retrograde, and so the need to face up to certain responsibilities in this lifetime that we, or our ancestors - think patriarchal line here -  have previously avoided, we will likely feel his retrogrades more intensely, too.

 

For everyone else and for all of us collectively Saturn's station will either:

1. ease restrictions/limits/traditions (daddy's on vacation) or

2. create delays/pull back support (again, daddy's on vacation). 

 

It just depends on which kind of "daddy" we have via our natal chart. Saturn retrogrades give us a second chance to get it right.  Wherever Saturn goes, so does our time and commitment. When planets are retrograde, more of the work becomes internal. He will station direct on October 10th and then - it's full steam ahead/report card time. 

Back with the weekly! 

xo all

 

artwork by the talented Dimitri Sirenko

Saturday Night Mystery | the astrology of an Attempted Kidnapping in Florida - asteroid Thereus, the hunter/stalker and how being vulnerable doesn't have to mean being afraid

 

We haven't done a Saturday Night Mystery in a while, so I thought I'd pop up a quickie. I promise to get back to the royals next weekend!

 

Here is a Saturday Night Mystery without any actual mystery since the quick thinking victim escaped physically unharmed and the bad guy was quickly arrested. I thought it might be good to look at a chart where we KNOW what happened and see if the astrology supports what we know. 

 

Here's the story - at approximately 7:00AM EDT, on May 19th, 2021, an 11 year old girl in Florida, is sitting alone on the ground waiting for the school bus when suddenly (and we see him circle around her first) a man with a knife rushes out of an SUV and attempts to abduct her. I will link to the video at the bottom of this post. 

She tries to run away, but he quickly catches her. They struggle and she is able to pull him to the ground or cause him to fall. She is also able to smear some of the blue slime she has been playing with at the bus stop on the perpetrator's arms (so police can find him later, she says - this amazing girl is a Law and Order SVU fan). With this not going according to his plans and most likely approaching traffic, he runs back to his car and flees. She grabs her books and runs off in the opposite direction. It's all over in less than two minutes.

A video camera from a local business (?) captures the whole thing, so we have an accurate time and accounting. Let's unpack the chart!

 

In this type of event chart, the victim is signified by both the Moon and the ruler of the Ascendant. 

 

The Ascendant is 15 degrees Gemini, so answering to Mercury, in Gemini. Before looking at the chart I wondered if Gemini was rising and it was. Mercury in his/her home sign gives the victim added strength, speed and cleverness. Mercury is conjunct Venus (in Gemini, too, so answering to Mercury) and the Ascendant. So we have a female (Venus) child (Gemini/Mercury) waiting for a school bus (Gemini/Mercury) able to escape a car (Gemini/Mercury) abduction in her local community (Gemini/Mercury) by using her agility, her wits and skills she learned by watching a TV show - all very Mercurian! With both Mercury and Venus currently out of bounds (ahead of the Sun/out of the control of the Sun and acting unreliably), she was able to quickly get out of the perpetrator's control. We have done these charts before where the perpetrator has the advantage of a void Moon or an out-of-bound planet to avoid capture, but this time the tables are turned. Gemini also represents duality and pairs, so probably he has either done this before or tried this before.

The Moon is the other significator (stand-in) for the victim. 

 

Here the Moon is in brave Leo (conjunct asteroid Thereus - we'll get back to him) answering to the Sun (in Taurus so answering to that out of bounds Venus - with Mercury again being the final dispositor). The Moon is on the IC/her physical self/home territory and in the 3rd house - Gemini's house of agility, quick thinking, our local community, transportation. If we could see this brave, young girl's chart we would probably see some activated Mars/Mercury. 

The perpetrator is signified by the ruler of the Descendant. 

 

Here we see Sagittarius - the archer/hunter. Textbook Sag physicality (not a Sag Sun sign) is a person who is kind of larger than life, with a well-proportioned body, might be tall, might be overweight, strong, brown hair or possibly bald, brown complexion, oval face, high forehead, handsome, well-spoken. Sagittarius rules what is foreign. I know he was a local person, but am not sure if he was foreign born or was pretending to be or planning to take her some distance away. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter on the mid-heaven/the top of the chart at 0 degrees Pisces. Jupiter is strong in Pisces (and answering to Neptune in Pisces), but Pisces itself could show he is mentally ill/on drugs. 

 

Jupiter (the perpetrator) is opposing the Moon (the victim) and squaring the Sun (the victim here through Leo, but also in general - authority). Within a couple minutes of leaving the scene, the perpetrator calls his boss from his vehicle to say he will be late for work. He is Jupiter here, in the 10th house of career/authority, talking (all the Mercury/Gemini) to his boss (authority). He lies (Pisces) and says he had to drive his own child to school (more Mercury/Gemini). So, he is immediately pulling authority into the event and then authority (police) find him within hours. All visible in the event chart. Jupiter on the top of the chart - he comes to the attention of the public/into the hands of authority very quickly. 

 

His final dispositor is Neptune (22 degrees Pisces) which squares her final dispositor, Mercury (20 degrees Gemini). We always see a connection between victim and perpetrator in this kind of event chart if the chart is usable.

Missing an out of bounds Mercury/Venus acting through the young girl, this story could have gone another way. We tend to think of out of bound planets as trouble, but sometimes trouble is just what is needed. She was able to act unpredictably (to him).. she isn't playing by the rules. He thinks she will just get in the car with him (and we have seen that happen in events like this), but her mind and body are fast. She is one step ahead of him/stronger then he thinks. And he is that Jupiter at the top of chart/knows he only has a brief window before 'he will be seen'. He gives up and escapes (Neptune/Pisces), but not for long, in Saturn's (authority's) natural house. 

 

If he had been able to get her in the car and outside her familiar community, his Jupiter/Neptune would have had the upper hand. Thank God (and Goddesses), he didn't.

Asteroid Thereus popped up within a 1 degree orb of the chart's Moon (the victim), so let's take a look at him. 

 

There isn't much information out there about Centaur Asteroid Thereus. Like Pholus, he bridges Saturn and Neptune - the known and the unknown. In Ovid's Metamorphoses, Thereus was spoken of as a centaur said to hunt bears and then drag them around alive and wounded. Since the story noted Thereus's cruelty as a hunter (also his boldness and strength dragging the large wounded animal around for all to see) he was deemed monstrous. There might also be something here about the hunter (the bear) becoming the hunted.

Alot can be gleaned about these new planetary bodies by studying their discovery charts

 

(see chart at right for the discovery of Thereus keeping in mind I had to chart this for noon since the actual time of day is not recorded, so we can't use the houses and the Moon may be a bit off).  

 

He was discovered on fixed star Fomalhaut (one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse stars, the bright red star that marks the winter solstice) said by Ptolemy to be of the nature of Venus and Mercury, but sometimes inclined toward malevolence. 

 

We see a Pluto/Mars/Chiron conjunction in Sagittarius - that powerful, cruel, traumatizing hunter/stalker. But also something here (with Pluto EXACT opposing Saturn) about protecting ourselves while we expand and maybe especially about protecting our real power; our vulnerability. Even something about our vulnerability (our wounds/Chiron) NOT making us less safe (which feels to me that it somehow fits this attempted kidnapping story).

 

Mars is co-ruling the chart, applying to a trine to the Leo Sun, retrograde in a fire sign AND out of bounds. Powerful Pluto opposes Saturn - Sag/Gemini. EXACT. This is the Pluto/Saturn square in 1990 that preceded last January's "time runs out" Pluto/Saturn conjunction EXACT in Thereus's discovery chart! What? How have I never noticed this Thereus fellow before?

 

Now we are going to go off-road a bit because I had to see what he was up to back in January 2020 when Saturn was meeting Pluto and "time was running out". Thereus was inconjunct the Pluto/Saturn/Sun/Mercury/Ceres 21-22 degrees Capricorn from 21 degrees Leo AND he was EXACTLY inconjunct the Jupiter/Saturn at 0 degrees Aquarius (the world starts up again, vaccines) in December 2020 from his perch at 0 degrees Virgo. WTH does this mean?! Also his glyph, I suppose designed to look like a bear paw, instead looks quite a bit like a CROWN.

 

Notice in his discovery chart we have Venus conjunct Jupiter/NN and Jupiter conjunct the North Node at 5 degrees Cancer EXACT (this was in August 1990). This is conjunct the January 2020 "time runs out" 8 degree Cancer North Node. Mercury opposes Uranus for impulsivity/chaotic thinking. If noon is anywhere near the actual discovery time, we see the chart has a Grand Fire Trine, with that powered up/chart ruling Mars trining both the Sun and the Moon. We'll have to get back to this guy!

 

For now, let's get back to our near kidnapping. 

 

The police released a birthdate for our perpetrator. He was born with Jupiter (remember he is Jupiter in the event chart) conjunct his mid-heaven, just like the event chart, and sextiling his natal Thereus placement. Transiting Pluto, at the time of his crime, is EXACTLY opposing his Jupiter. He has transiting Uranus conjunct his natal Mars (impulsive actions in his 7th house of other people) and transitting Mars on his natal Venus. He has a potentially nasty and abusive Pluto/Mars opposition in his natal with both planets activated. He has Mercury in Aquarius's natural house and Uranus (Aqua's ruler) in Mercury's natural house, combining the unusual with children and Uranus ruling his 5th house of children. The pile-up in Gemini right now is in his 8th house (sex, death). 

 

This is a very dangerous guy, having some very dangerous transits.

This brave young girl surely saved other lives beside her own. I read she went right back to school which is a good sign, I guess. I hope the people around her understand her need to heal from this and find the right process. She is being lauded as a hero (and she is) - she is also showing us the best use of out of bound planets - he thought he was taking her by surprise, but she didn't react the way he expected. He was the hunter/stalker, but then she turned the hunter into the hunted.

A big week ahead folks as Eclipse season roars back to life. 

 

A BIG story is ending, our view of WHAT IS POSSIBLE is set to morph. Are we ready?!

xo all

the attempted abduction video is HERE

Today's Astrology Forecast | Friday, May 21st, 2021 - a mixed bag kind of day, an evening to be out and about, optimism, confidence, expansion and exaggeration

 

 

The Moon is moving through Virgo now - we are nurtured/nourished by being of service, by being organized/taking care of the day-to-day details, taking care of our pets and our health. 

 

She squares Mercury at 7:47AM EDT, opposes Neptune at 9:24AM EDT and goes void at 3:55PM EDT off a trine to a retrograde Pluto. She will be void until 9:35PM EDT when she moves into partnership/balance focused Libra, where she will trine the Sun at 11:46PM EDT. 

 

The square to Mercury could bring tension/a disagreement. Lots of information, conversation, errands maybe. There might be something here about doing something quickly/spitting it out or taking some time with it/doing it well. Maybe some information comes in that upsets the order of things. There can be a world of space between our thinking/ideas and the practical utilization of what we do with them. Then the Neptune oppositions can bring confusion/we might drift off course. We have this thing all organized (or want to) and then something/someone comes along and ... fill-in-the-blank. That trine to Pluto looks empowering though/intimate/a smooth ending to the work week. All's well that ends well?

The Libra Moon tonight gives us this month's Waxing Trine. Libra/Gemini. Air, so lots of communications and information. Good for socializing. Bringing things into balance with other people/restoring peace. 

Today is also the day, and we talked about this in the weekly HERE, the Sun squares Jupiter at 0 degrees. This is Gemini/Pisces. All mutable/changeable energy. This is optimistic/can be over-the-top, but the Virgo Moon should help stabilize it. We can feel more confident/lucky. Just keep in mind, we can easily overdo this one. Not all information that comes in will pan out as expected, don't count those chickens before they hatch/don't over-promise. 

 

Jupiter squares expand, but they also exaggerate. 

xo all

artwork by the talented Andra Watson

Mercury Squares Neptune | in play for the rest of the month - there's a lie here somewhere, breaking things down into smaller pieces, merging a certain irrationality and magic into our lives

 

Mercury (in Gemini) moves into his/her exact square with Neptune (in Pisces) on Saturday, May 22nd. This is in play now and because Mercury is going to station retrograde and walk these degrees two more times, this square (tension/frustration) is going to be in play for two to three weeks.

 

This is kind of like our left brain challenged by our right brain. 

 

With Mercury squaring Neptune it will be hard to be certain. Hard facts won't be quite so hard. Our thinking can be fuzzy/information confusing. Conversations can drift off track. Sleep might be tricky. 

 

Sometimes this can play out in very literal 3D ways, but there is also a whole other layer with Neptune that is obscured/back in the past. It's not so easy to decipher why we are triggered/responding/reacting the way we are.

The good news - both planets are strong in their home signs and this will alleviate some of the challenges, but not all the challenges and this is a long transit, so let's take a look at the potential pitfalls first and then we'll look at some ways through this and some of the potential opportunities here.

For the last two years Mercury has retrograded in Pisces creating major confusion. This year I was happy to see we were lucky enough to get him/her retrograding in Gemini (her own sign), but then realized he is at the degrees he/she will be squaring Neptune (Pisces ruler) anyway! 

 

When I see Mercury square Neptune, I think THERE IS A LIE HERE SOMEWHERE. As my grandmother would say "something is fishy in Denmark" or maybe she would say rotten, but I can't bring myself to write that about Denmark. 

 

Something, at best un-grounded or misguided and at worst deceptive is in play.

Usually this is about self-deception. Maybe there is something we gloss over and don't want to look at too closely because we know something we badly want to add up, just doesn't. We can retreat into fantasy if the 'facts' of the situation don't line up with our dreams. If we don't actually try to make our dream into reality, we can rest knowing it is at least possible, right? Alot of energy/potential can be drained through this. We might find criticism particularly challenging right now.

 

Or maybe the lie is a misunderstanding. We say one thing and someone hears something else, or we are the ones with the faulty hearing. This is a good time to be speaking clearly and making certain the other person is understanding us. Say it twice. Write it down. Spell it out. We don't want to be making assumptions. 

 

With our everyday perceptions colored by the yearnings of Neptune, it might be hard to separate mundane overtures/casual contact (Mercury/Gemini) from something more intimate. People/situations can be tricky to read. It's like one eye is wearing our magnifying-readers and the other our rose-colored glasses. Choices/decisions could get confusing. Because all the choices are not 'real' anyway, there could be something here about making our decisions by the process of elimination.

It will be important to break things down into manageable pieces and focus on the moving parts, because focusing on the whole will lead us down the fantastical path (imagining things both better or worse than they actually are or we get overwhelmed and things never get off the ground at all). There will be a need to integrate the connection/idealism of Neptune into our daily lives (art, theater, music, meditation, prayer, being in water can help with this), but we will have to take practical steps, too, or opportunities/the days will just drift away.

 

Keep in mind though, some of this drift is intended. 

 

If we needed to be sharp as a tack right now, we would be. 

When we have hard aspects from Mercury to Neptune we might find ourselves curled up in our left brain, not wanting to make a move until we have the 'right' answer. And I know I said in the weekly to slow down and not jump the gun (because this is a repeating aspect - a process, not so much because of the aspect itself). Once we start moving through this transit and understand what is happening here, we are going to be most successful by merging a certain unreasonableness/irrationality/the mystical (Neptune!) into our lives. When we do the 'dreamy stuff' rather than just imagining we are doing it or just talking about it - we start to activate miracles. 

So, as we move through the decisions of the next couple weeks, instead of asking ourselves, "what is the right thing to do?" and getting hung up on that, because this 'right thing to do' will not be obvious and we can sit here growing cobwebs and wide asses

 

 - we are going to have to work both sides of this thing and merge our dreams and our current circumstances. We can't ignore either one. We are going to have to ask ourselves which decision gets us closer to our long term dreams coming true. We don't have to think too big with this because remember we are breaking things down into the moving parts. There will be a decision - and some of this will be a process of elimination - that is better. And we will start to move toward that.

With Mercury/Neptune there will be opportunities to learn by osmosis. To pull the right word/idea right out of the air just when we need it. To talk to ghosts. To connect with our intuition/our pasts/our ancestors in very practical ways. We'll talk about this more as we move through it, for now Mercury (out of bounds, so doing whatever he wants) and Neptune (who kind of always does whatever he wants) are applying to this square, so it's in play.

 

Keep the idea of balancing these two energies in mind and treat life as if Mercury retrograde has already started - double check emails before hitting send, read the fine print, be as certain as you can that you are being understood, don't make assumptions, don't gossip, yada yada. We might be more tired. Need more rest. Neptune squares can bring water problems/infestations/lack of boundaries.

 

This will probably be strongest felt by Gemini and Virgo risings (since Mercury rules your charts), Pisces risings (can be more challenged by facts), people with natal Mercury/Neptune squares and people with planets and points near 20 degrees of the mutable signs. 

 

We will ALL be feeling this though and we'll talk about it more as we move through it, but I wanted to write a heads up because this is a big part of the upcoming Eclipse season and Mercury retrograde season. Picture yourself merging the two halves of your brain. 

 

Hope something here is helpful!

xo all

artwork by the amazing Silvio Porzionato

Today's Astrology Forecast | Wednesday, may 19th, 2021 - a mixed bag, time to take a little risk, time to commit/step into a responsibility, stressful conversations, tension within relationships

 

 

The Moon is in Leo now - we are nourished by our creative projects, children, romance, fun, risk, putting ourselves out there. She goes void off a square with the Taurus Sun at 3:12PM EDT - this month's First Quarter Square. She will be void until 4:59PM when she moves into practical/caring/organized Virgo. From Virgo, she will oppose Jupiter at 6:06PM EDT.

The First Quarter Square, which we talked about in the weekly HERE is Leo/Taurus. This is part of last week's New Moon story, their first square (tension/frustration/test) since they met in Taurus last week. This is a challenge between what has been stable/reliable and what is calling to our heart now/what we enjoy now. Security vs fun/risk. Our Taurus New Moon story grows stale/stagnant without a showy creative push now, without stepping onto the center stage of our own life. Holding onto what we have (Taurus) won't be enough. 

After the Moon gets into Virgo we will be nourished by practicality, service, getting the job done right. Her opposition to Jupiter tonight is optimistic, but can take things over-the-top. We might need to set boundaries/limits. The Moon in Virgo is answering to an out-of-bounds Mercury, strong, but unpredictable in Gemini - keep this in mind.

 

Mercury (at 20 degrees Gemini) opposes a retrograde Juno (in Sag) and squares Pallas (in Pisces). With Juno's square to Pallas perfecting yesterday - tension/frustration within our relationship/contracts over differing strategies - this is expanding that energy. Arguments/tense conversations/news. With Mercury in Gemini going to station retrograde and square wise/strategic Pallas two more times this summer - this is a process. Some of our choices will drift away. This is all mutable energy anyway, situations/people need to be able to change/change their mind - nothing is fixed/certain here.

This is also the day we get our best aspect of the week as Venus, and remember the Taurus Sun is answering to her, now has met the North Node (the future), sextiled Chiron (an opportunity for some healing of a very old wound around our ability to be ourselves/take care of ourselves) and here she trines - brakes off, and arguably the best aspect in astrology, although we sometimes miss it since things flow easily - 

 

a powerful Saturn in Aquarius, as he prepares to station. 

 

So, maybe here is an official confirmation. Maybe we commit to a solution in a financial, relationship, work, or group situation. Maybe here is a visible result/payoff. Venus/Saturn can also narrow our choices (helpful with all the mutable squares) ... in order to bring focus or for better long-term results.  

 

This speaks of success coming from hard work, time, the group, the internet, through authority or stepping into our own.

Very much a mixed bag sort of day. 

 

Venus and Mercury, today's big players, are out-of-bounds - out of the control of the Sun/not playing by the rules. Things that normally might not work, can work now and vice versa. People/situations can be less predictable. 

xo all

artwork by the amazing Catrin Welz-Stein

Weekly Astrology Forecast for Creatives | May 17th - May 23rd, 2021 - important message for our future, choices, love and money, separating facts from fantasy, don't bet the farm just yet, daddy flies off to tahiti, restrictions/support lessens

 

A busy, interesting week ahead with some twists and turns as the Sun changes signs and Saturn starts moving backward. 

 

The beginning of the week looks especially EMPOWERING - pay attention to news and information/choices that can help set your course/heal/stabilize, especially around themes of money, relationships, values and self-esteem. At the end of the week, situations become less clear/might appear better than they actually are. With 3 planets in Gemini and Mercury walking degrees he will walk two more times (in Gemini!) - we'll need to stay flexible, light on our feet and just generally keep our wits about us.

 

Let's unpack the week!

 

MONDAY - Venus conjunct North Node, Sun trines retrograde Pluto

TUESDAY - Venus sextiles Chiron

WEDNESDAY - Venus trines Saturn, First Quarter Moon

THURSDAY - Sun into Gemini

FRIDAY - Sun squares Jupiter

SATURDAY - Mercury squares Neptune

SUNDAY - Saturn stations retrograde

 

MONDAY -  SUN TRINES PLUTO RETROGRADE | Taurus/Capricorn, 26 degrees | VENUS CONJUNCTS NORTH NODE | Gemini, 10 degrees

 

This is personal/ego empowerment/recognition, maybe based on old work or responsibilities. We might be empowered by a loss/merger/inheritance/loan. New ideas/conversations, more choices about how to make money, attract what we want/need/value, improve our relationships/career are possible now. Venus is following in Mercury's footsteps (the Sun gets to the North Node at the end of the month and we'll get the result of this then), so maybe we are working out the details now of something that came to our attention last week. Or maybe with Venus in Gemini, an important message/information comes in now that has POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR FUTURE. With Venus moving on to sextile Chiron and trine Saturn - this can be both healing and stabilizing.

 

TUESDAY- VENUS SEXTILES CHIRON | Gemini/Aries, 11 degrees

 

This is what we want connecting with 'what hurts'. Talking about what hurts/our vulnerabilities makes us more attractive. There is more than one way to say it/get what we want. Just keep in mind Gemini likes to keep things light/quick/tongue in cheek. This isn't about a heavy emotional interaction. Just know your wounds are not holding you back here - they are actually creating the opportunity. Speak up/keep it light.

WEDNESDAY - VENUS TRINES SATURN | Gemini/Aquarius, 13 degrees | FIRST QUARTER MOON | Leo/Taurus, 29 degrees

We get this month's First Quarter Square with the Sun and Moon at the very, very end of Taurus and Leo. This is part of last week's New Moon story - tension/frustration between what has been stable/reliable and what is calling to our heart now/what we enjoy now. Security vs fun/risk. With Venus, ruler of Taurus, trining a strong Saturn at the same time - we can look to Venus for a way through this.

Venus has met the North Node (the future), sextiled Chiron (an opportunity for some healing of a very old wound around our ability to be ourselves/take care of ourselves) and now she trines - brakes off, and arguably the best aspect in astrology - a powerful Saturn in Aquarius, as he prepares to station. And this is likely all the same thing in the beginning to middle of the week. So, maybe here is an official confirmation. Maybe a commitment to a solution in a financial, relationship, work, or group situation. Here is a visible result/payoff. Logic. Venus/Saturn can also narrow our choices ... in order to bring focus or for better long-term results. Trust this one.

THURSDAY - SUN INTO GEMINI

The Sun moves into Gemini today where he will hang his hat until June 21st (summer solstice). During Gemini season life gets busy - physically busy and mentally busy. We already have Venus and Mercury in Gemini, so the Sun is here playing catch-up.

Do you know which house holds Gemini in your natal chart? A light shines on that area of our life now. The stuff that got stuck in Taurus season, gets moving again in Gemini season. Gemini is the teacher who never stops learning - this is about the processing of information. Ruled by Mercury and ruler of our 3rd house of communications, thinking, ideas, early childhood education, our neighbors, local community, our siblings, transportation, short trips, our computers, sales, commerce.

Gemini is a mutable air sign/flexible. The energy goes wide rather than deep. Gemini wants to look at, and learn about, and talk about and do - a little of this and that and the other thing. Geminis are clever and very good with words. They can say one thing to one person and something else to someone else - they are changeable. Geminis can create the perfect blend of imagination, half-truths and logic making them sometimes less than totally truthful, but they are so freakin' fast and so freakin' funny we might not even notice. Their symbol is the twins and with Gemini duality, things/situations often come in twos. Also, everything has another side.
 

(My Sun is in my 3rd house (Gemini's natural house) in Aquarius ruled by Uranus (in my 10th house of career). With my "career" things almost always come in pairs. In my first job doing taxes I worked in two different offices. When I was in banking I managed two totally different departments at the same time. I once had carts in two different malls selling things in two different sizes and I have two websites and two different jewelry lines both of which carry items that come in two different sizes. I am currently writing two books at the same time (have been for awhile, Saturn in Aqua will likely force my hand with this if they are needed) and have renovated a vintage camper which I have in mind to house two different businesses (this got held up/is in flux due to covid, - so instead I added two more jewelry lines short-term that are less labor intensive). I could go on and on (but I won't, don't worry, I know you are busy now, Gemini season and all). This career "things come in pairs" thing hasn't translated into double the money - go figure.)

With the Sun's move into Gemini things will not be quite so black and white as they were in Taurus. It's a time to be curious. Ask questions. Try different things. We've been going deep and now we want to go wide. The North Node, our collective way forward, is in Gemini, so smart people are already doing this.
 

The Sun in Gemini is a good time to talk about what we are doing and what we are going to do. It's a good time to advertise. It's a good time to promote what we are doing. It's a good time to try something new/even two things, focused on where our heart is leaning. It's a good time to read, learn, write and teach about what we love. The fly in the ointment (yes, the fly, it's spring, the fly is back) is that in Gemini quantity can rule over quality as thoroughness/accuracy loses out to speed.

 

FRIDAY - SUN SQUARES JUPITER | Gemini/Pisces, 0 degrees

Mercury squared Jupiter back on May 3rd -  tension/frustration, maybe between traditional/entrenched ways vs new information/big ideas.  Back then, Mercury was in Taurus and Jupiter in Aquarius. So, now things have moved on. The Sun, freshly minted in inquisitive/information-rich Gemini squares Jupiter in emotional/connecting Pisces. A light is thrown HERE, but with Jupiter's tendency to enlarge/exaggerate and Gemini's tendency toward trickery/duplicity/endless words or choices - this can be tricky and not the best time to make an important decision because things can look better/bigger than they actually are. ONLY MOVE FORWARD WITH WHAT MAKES SENSE AND IS CLEAR/TRUE. Double check information. There is a need here to separate facts from fantasy.

SATURDAY - MERCURY SQUARES NEPTUNE | Gemini/Pisces 22 degrees (first of three)

 

This is repeating yesterday's message at the powerful 22 degrees. Mercury (home in Gemini) moves into her square with Neptune (home in Pisces), so it could be tricky to separate the fantasy from the reality now. Keep that in mind with whatever you have going on. We could be dealing with Neptunian themes - hospitals, healing, things put away, things from the past, addictions, medications, meditation, spirituality, imagination, etc. This isn't the time to quickly run with some information that comes in unless you are very, very sure it is correct. It would be the time to speak with a conservative kind of caution (am I saying what I really intend to say, what I really feel, what I really KNOW to be true?). Listen the same way. Avoid gossip. Avoid rushing too far ahead with half thought-out decisions/ideas. Keep in mind, with Mercury's upcoming retrograde in Gemini, we will have this aspect two more times, so this is PART OF A PROCESS - this is only our first pass, treat it as such. 22 is a master number, but also a 'self-sabotaging' degree. Keep this in mind. ONLY MOVE FORWARD WITH WHAT MAKES SENSE AND IS CLEAR/TRUE. Double check information. Drive safely/know where you are going. This doesn't stop the new ideas/conversations from happening, but gives us a protracted period to figure them out. Squares to Neptune are also asking us if we need to meditate, pray, rest.

 

There could be disappointing news now.

The Neptune square here is also asking us to have faith. Use our intuition. We can get really stuck in our heads with Mercury in Gemini, and maybe we need to release something here/go with the flow/let it go. This transit (Mercury retrograde) can be good for releasing negative thinking - maybe we are getting in our own way, avoiding opportunities, looking for reasons to say "no" when Gemini is asking us to be more spontaneous.

 

Retrograde season AND eclipse season has started, lots of stuff is going to change - there is no need to rush.

 

SUNDAY - SATURN STATIONS RETROGRADE | 13 degrees Aquarius

 

We can think of a retrograde as if we are pressing the wrinkles out of a shirt. We move the iron forward, then we slow down a bit and move backward being careful not to iron in any new creases. Then we make one final pass forward more forcefully before we move on. This is kind of how it goes.

 

Right now we are starting the backward swivel part where we try to avoid ironing in any new creases.

Generally the best use of Saturn retrogrades is going back over structural issues. Re-considering our commitments. Re-thinking our responsibilities. Re-assessing our goals and ambitions. Re-defining our boundaries. Re-valuing our time. Re-structuring our projects. Sometimes we get to see what is holding us up because it isn't holding us up anymore. Dad is on vacation folks. Some situations will halt/reverse course temporarily. Rules/limits/sometimes responsibilities can ease up.

What happens for us personally depends on our natal chart and our relationship with Saturn. If we have planets/points between 13 degrees Aquarius and 6 degrees Aquarius, (add a couple degrees on either side) we will feel his retrograde strongest. The ease-up thing is probably not happening for these folks. This can also apply to planets/points in the other fixed signs as he squares and opposes them. If we were born with Saturn retrograde, and so the need to face up to certain responsibilities in this lifetime that we, or our ancestors - think patriarchal line here -  have previously avoided, we will likely feel his retrogrades more intensely, too.

For everyone else and for all of us collectively Saturn's station will either:

1. ease restrictions/limits/traditions (daddy's on vacation) or

2. create delays/pull back support (again, daddy's on vacation). 

 

It just depends on which kind of "daddy" we have via our natal chart. Saturn retrogrades give us a second chance to get it right.  Wherever Saturn goes, so does our time and commitment. When planets are retrograde, more of the work becomes internal. He will station direct on October 10th and then - it's full steam ahead/report card time. 

 

xo all

 

artwork by the talented Asiza

Today's Astrology Forecast | Friday and Saturday, May 14th - May 15th, 2021 - all day void Moon, dazed, confused, needing rest, intuitive/inspired thinking, stop-signs, getting comfortable with unusual things

 

 

The Moon is moving through the end of Gemini - we might feel rushed, alot to do/alot to say, our minds scattered. She goes void off a square to dreamy/confusing Neptune at 6:50AM EDT and is void until 9:30PM EDT when she moves into Cancer and then trines Jupiter 15 minutes later.

There is no limit to the mental connections we can make now, but with confusing Neptune, we might be connecting the wrong things. Good energy for unrealistic thinking and liars. Water issues. We might need more rest. Our boundaries are thin, so it becomes easier to catch a cold or feel what someone else is thinking/feeling and take it on as our own. It might be challenging to get a precise message across, but good for inspired work - meditation, creative writing, painting, music. If we have something we need to do/communicate, the Neptunian square and the Void Moon could pull things off in unintended directions, so if possible, save important conversations for after the void when things will be more emotional, but also more healing. 

 

Note today's Moon isn't interacting with other planets (and she needs to be to 'make things happen') - not a good day to start anything new if you need something to 'come of it'. I often find when I have to do important things during a long Void Moon, I end up doing them all over again later anyway. Best for routine work we do all the time. Roll with the twists and turns which will be all about nothing in the end. If you take today off you won't miss much.

Tonight, once the Moon gets into Cancer, her home sign, and starts trining Jupiter (brakes off) there will be a shift from busy/disorderly to something more mom and apple pie/safe/comforting. Cancer/Pisces will be emotional, but connecting. 

SATURDAY'S MOON in Cancer (nourishing us through home, family, real estate, renovation, home business, family business, our tribe, mother, mothering) will be sextiling Uranus - making us more comfortable with the new/unusual/the future and there is an inconjunct from Mars to Saturn (Cancer/Aquarius) 

from the weekly for SATURDAY:

"Mars, at 13 degrees Cancer, inconjuncts Saturn at 13 degrees Aquarius. Here is where our individual efforts, maybe centered on home/family/renovation/home or family business/mom/mothering are at odds with the group/the rules. This is a rock and hard place. Adjustments are needed. This can also be something about Cancer's tendency toward possessiveness coming up against Aqua's detachment/need for freedom. A child vs an adult perspective. Cancer, may be emotional, but the energy is also able to make hard choices which can bring out the intelligence of Aquarius (maybe one way to make this work?)." 

 

Mars/Saturn also speaks of stop signs from limits/authority or impulsive actions that might undermine our efforts to be responsible. Passive-aggressive action/anger. The new vs the old. The Moon's sextile to Uranus on Saturday will help - do something else, detach a bit from overly emotional scenes. Spend time with family out in nature or in new spaces. Spending 'future-focused' time/money on what you love. It won't totally alleviate the Mars/Saturn tension (which requires the need to adjust and know there is no real answer here), but can provide a smoother way through the tangles.

 

xo all

artwork by the talented Andrea Kowch

Jupiter into Pisces | 2021 through 2022 - more compassion, connection and forgiveness, emotional healing, santa claus gets back to the north pole, this unstoppable movement toward a more detached future begins some much needed unraveling

 

On May 13th, 2021 at 6:36PM EDT, for the first time since 2010, expansive/lucky/confident Jupiter enters magical, mystical Pisces!

 

Jupiter's role is expansion; to create the BIG PICTURE. 

 

Jupiter is huge, but not solid. He grows whatever he comes in contact with, then, through contact with the other planets, this unchecked growth gets form/structure/limits. 

 

Considered the greater benefic (as Zeus he was king of the Gods), he promotes abundance, wisdom, our ability to stretch outside our comfort zone. As ruler of the South Node, his move into Pisces will change our current circumstances and the way we are releasing/letting go of the past.

There is ALOT of good news here AND a few caveats/buyer-beware notifications. 

 

As the ancient ruler of Pisces (before the discovery of Neptune), Jupiter is uber comfortable/powerful in Pisces. That's good news. Leaving Aquarius detachment/logic for Piscean emotional attachment - takes Jupiter out of serious Saturn's domain for the first time in a COUPLE YEARS. Think, Santa Claus gets out of Scrooge's sweatshop and back to his merry band of elves. So, more good news. 

 

This is the planet of expansion/luck/that greener grass over there in the sign of unlimited magic/unlimited everything. 

 

Sound good?! You bet!!!

 

We just want to keep in mind the nebulous nature of Jupiter/Pisces/magic. The whole 'not counting our chickens before they're hatched' thing will apply for the next few weeks. Not everything that flows in (between now and June 20th) will be quite as big/good as it seems. 

 

Sometimes with Jupiter things get too big to get finished. We can get overwhelmed. If more is good, then even more is better ... until it isn't. Things can grow in unintended ways. Taurus season will keep some of this in check, but Gemini season will be here soon (and Taurus ruler, Venus, is already in Gemini) and this 'more, more, more' thing can really escalate.

 

Still, after two years with our expansive planet of 'hope and luck' answering to sober/stingy Saturn, having Jupiter in his old stomping ground, even for just a few weeks, has to be a good thing!

With Jupiter in Pisces - our Piscean spaces will EXPAND. Our intuition INCREASES. We are more able to feel/offer compassion and forgiveness. Our ability to connect with those around us increases. Those hard edges we have developed in logical/detached Aquarius will soften/our borders relax. 

 

Dreamers will dream BIGGER. Escapists will run FARTHER. Victims and martyrs will play out some endless saga we will all have to hear about. Saviors will march into action. Seekers will look within - the gold mined here now will be HUGE. Artists will make MORE and better art. Drifters may drift a little more/or alot more off-course. 

 

Our Pisces natal house, where our boat is only lightly tethered to the dock anyway could be pulled out to sea ... and maybe this could get us into real trouble or maybe this is just what we need right now. And probably both is happening at the same time.

Big picture - Jupiter in Pisces will show us our need for emotional healing. We are a burned out species, largely unaware of how the past is impacting our present. The Cappy self-destruct button/end-game, the Aquarius rescue plan - has been exhausting. We need the masculine Aqua detachment/over-thinking/logic to move into the more receptive/feminine mutable waters of Pisces. This unstoppable movement toward 'progress, the future, tech titans and 'trust the science' will dissolve a bit now as our boundaries loosen, we move a little closer, check each other's pulses, connect/offer compassion/love. Feel instead of think.

 

See what expands in your life. 

 

We get a little preview until June 20th when Jupiter stations retrograde and the expansion will retract/there will be some kind of reality check. We'll be back in Aquarius in a New York minute (end of July until the end of the year), older and wiser, so let's enjoy this. 

Here is a quick look at the signs. If you know the house in your natal and progressed charts of 0-2 degrees Pisces, check by house, otherwise check by rising sign and you can always pull your Sun into the first house and check your Sun sign. Aries applies to Aries, of course, but is also the collective influence. You are probably already feeling this ....

ARIES | Aries Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 12th house - this is happening in your 12th house of what is hidden or put away or done behind the scenes, art, music, relaxation, meditation, water, compassion, forgiveness, secrets, the ethereal realms, imagination, hospitals, spirituality, addiction, healing. Something here EXPANDS. Your intuition increases. Your dreams get bigger. Faith. Luck. Confidence. The desire for MORE.

TAURUS | Taurus Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 11th house - this is happening in your 11th house of the collective - your friendships, your tribe, groups, causes, the internet, the public, the goals that bring you into relationship with other people, your advancement, technology. Something here EXPANDS. Your confidence/optimism in social situations grows. Faith. Luck. Confidence. The desire for MORE.

GEMINI | Gemini Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 10th house - this is happening in your 10th house of your career, your calling, your achievements, goals, your father/paternal story, business, authority, responsibility. Something here EXPANDS. This could be about a change of career, recognition or the beginning of a dream/the confidence to explore something in a bigger way. Faith. Luck. Confidence. The desire for MORE.

CANCER | Cancer Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 9th house - this is happening in your 9th house of travel, higher education, weddings, politics, legal issues, the media, publishing, foreigners, everything outside your comfort zone, exploration, your beliefs and higher thinking. Something here EXPANDS. Faith. Luck. Confidence. The desire for MORE. This is Jupiter's natural house, so should be a good thing!

 

LEO | Leo Rising, 0 degrees Pisces, 8th house - this is happening in your 8th house of other people's resources, other people's values, intimacy, other people's money, spouse's income, loans, debts, taxes, inheritance, death, rebirth, sex, reproduction. Something here EXPANDS. Faith. Luck. Confidence. The desire for MORE. 

VIRGO | Virgo Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 7th house - this is happening in your 7th house of partners and partnerships. Something here EXPANDS. Faith. Luck. Confidence. The desire for MORE. A new/idealistic person could enter your life or a partner could become more dreamy/soften. You will experience Jupiter in Pisces through your relationships/other people. This could speak of the ending of a relationship in which case it probably wouldn't be a sudden break, but more of a drifting apart. Maybe partnership limits soften as one or both partners desire more freedom. Worst case a partner takes this Pisces magical energy too far/checks out. Best case the relationship grows in optimism/faith.

LIBRA | Libra Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 6th house - this is happening in your 6th house of your day-to-day activities, your routine, work, co-workers, pets and your health. Something here EXPANDS. Take care of your health. This house can get tricky, so you want to keep things in balance/avoid burnout/growing the wrong things. Faith. Luck. Confidence. The desire for MORE. 

SCORPIO | Scorpio Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 5th house - this is happening in your 5th house of creative projects, your self-expression, what you give birth to, children, romance and recreation. Something here EXPANDS. Faith. Luck. Confidence. The desire for MORE.  Enjoy this one Scorpio!

SAGITTARIUS | Sagittarius Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 4th house - this is happening in your 4th house of home, family, your roots, mother, mothering, your ancestry, real estate, renovation or a home business. Something here EXPANDS. Jupiter is your ruler, so you will feel this one - his move from fixed air to mutable water. With the South Node in Sag and Pisces ruling endings, something from the past could come back around for healing.

CAPRICORN | Capricorn Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 3rd house - this is happening in your 3rd house of communication, information, writing, siblings, transportation or your local neighborhood. Something here EXPANDS. Jupiter's move from over-thinking Aqua into 'live and let live' Pisces can help you settle your over-active mind by expanding your optimism/faith. Your mental health or communication could become a top priority under this transit and you will find ways to improve it. A good transit to learn something new, write, talk, grow in your local environment.

AQUARIUS | Aquarius Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 2nd house - this is happening in your 2nd house of your money, your values, your resources and self-esteem. Something here EXPANDS. This transit can increase your income/expenses which can be a good thing or maybe not, so keep an eye on the bottom line Aqua and focus on increasing what you really value/need/want to keep.

 

PISCES | Pisces Rising, 0 degrees Pisces 1st house - this is YOUR TRANSIT Pisces and is happening in your 1st house of yourself. Faith. Luck. Confidence. The desire for MORE. You can physically take up more space during this transit/stand taller/get noticed (just watch that one donut doesn't turn into the whole dozen). Just keep the more, more, more thing in balance and know this is a sneak peak of what you can expand during the first half of 2022. Life is good Pisces!

 

With Jupiter ruling the South Node of what is ripe for release and Pisces connecting us back to our ancestors/past-lives, some things will only make sense intuitively and that is OK/how it should be now. We are going to feel our way through this one. With Jupiter in Pisces opposing our Virgo planets, we want to watch for excesses that impact our work/health/day-to-day/pets.

 

For everyone, note Jupiter is just getting his big toe wet in Pisces in 2021. He will reach 2 degrees Pisces, stop, station retrograde on June 20th and start backtracking. He will be back in Aquarius by July 28th to finish up there and then back in Pisces at the end of December to plow through the rest of the sign through May 2022.  

So, from now until June 20th we get a preview of this energy/a chance to learn how to work with it. If things expand we are not so happy with, we will have a chance to re-structure/re-vise before he comes blasting back here at the end of the year. If things expand nicely - greater optimism/connection/relaxation maybe - just know we have six more months of Jupiter in Aquarius to finish up later in the year. Don't count those chickens just yet! But, DO allow yourself to feel/explore this new growth/hope. We'll talk more about this transit as we move through it.

xo all

artwork by the talented Gareth Lloyd Ball