MERCURY RETROGRADE IN CAPRICORN | DECEMBER 29 - JANUARY 18, 2023 - RETHINKING OUR GOALS AND AMBITIONS AND THE WAY WE GIVE AND REQUIRE SAFETY AND SUPPORT, PREPARING FOR "GO" TIME

 

WEEKLY ASTROLOGY FORECAST | december 26 - January 1, 2023 - Christmas and Hanukkah finish up, Mercury stations retro and Venus meets Pluto as we move into 2023

 

the astrology of the New Moon in Capricorn | December 23rd, 2022 - starting over at Christmas, pushed to leap, dealing with relationship imbalances


On Friday, December 23, 2022 at 5:16AM EST, the Capricorn Moon meets the Capricorn Sun at 1 degree giving us this month's New Moon - our annual New Moon in Capricorn.

Last year's New Moon in Capricorn was conjunct 22 degrees Cappy of 2020's "time runs out/power is cemented" infamy. This year we are going back to the very beginning - 1 degree Capricorn and asteroid Hygiea (our health asteroid, very prominent in the pandemic and the events of the last couple years) is EXACTLY conjunct the New Moon. I mean, we can't make this stuff up. This New Moon is EXACTLY squaring Ceres (a part of "time runs out" - she was conjunct Mercury, Pluto, Saturn and the Sun in mid-January 2020) and very tightly conjunct a square to Jupiter, moving through Aries for the second time - back to the beginning with SOMETHING.

 

There is mucho energy in Capricorn now (ruled by Saturn) - responsibility, stability, maturity, security, ambition, mastery - this is serious stuff. Can you feel the weight of everything that is happening in the world/in your own life - the seriousness of it all? Next week, the United States will have its third (and final) exact hit of the U.S. Pluto return (happening in Capricorn), Mercury will station retrograde (in Capricorn, Mercury is conjunct "time runs out" at the time of this New Moon), Venus will be in Capricorn - hitting degrees she retrograded over last year for the first time since her retrograde, Jupiter (U.S. ruling planet) is back in Aries. Can we say 'starting over'?


This is VERY potent energy.


Let's unpack the chart!


The Moon and Sun are conjunct at 1 degree Capricorn. The New Moon is EXACTLY conjunct asteroid Hygiea. The New Moon tightly squares Jupiter in Aries. The New Moon is EXACTLY squaring Ceres in Libra. So, we have a T-Square with the Moon/Sun the focal point and the empty leg in Cancer. Saturn rules this lunation from Aquarius. Both Jupiter and Saturn - our middle planets that connect our inner planets with the outer planets - are retracing their steps from earlier in the year. Jupiter in Aries is answering to a retrograde Mars who is about to be answering to a retrograde Mercury. Chiron stations direct in the hour before the New Moon. 


This is alot, but feels rather neatly tied up with string as Cappy is prone to doing. 


The New Moon is conjunct asteroid Hygiea (hygiene, health) - this is EXACT. Hygiea speaks of the ways we prepare for things to go well/to have good health. This often connects to our physical health. She is EXACTLY conjunct the New Moon/Sun and squaring Jupiter - this aspect is in the past, so something has recently GOTTEN BIGGER/expanded here - and she is squaring Ceres in Libra EXACT, so this might be connected to a partner/other person/child/contract. Maybe an imbalance in nurturing is hurting our health or whatever is happening within our relationship that is "outside our control" is. With Hygiea in Cappy our health is our wealth AND our wealth is our health. We are probably only as healthy as our bank account, those cans we have stacked in our cupboards, our fathers/maybe husbands, our careers/reputations, our security, our structure. 


The New Moon squares Jupiter. We talked about this energy in the Solstice post HERE. Squares are tension/frustration. Often the friction that gets things moving. Jupiter is expansive energy, something needs to GROW. Considered lucky - this growth is how Jupiter gets lucky. We act generously. We act confidently. We act courageously. We believe we can do it/are lucky. We have FAITH. The downside with Jupiter is, being made entirely of gases, things here are not solid/not really real. So, there needs to be a connection with something REAL to make real things happen (like this New Moon's square). Jupiter's tendency to inflate also makes it easy to over-do something. Over-promise. In Aries, maybe take on too much. Squaring this New Moon in ambitious Cappy could make us overly focused on career, goals, security, safety, the-bottom-line. So, we are going to need to, yes, start something with this New Moon in Cappy energy - and, yes, it might connect to career, goals, security, the-bottom-line - without going too big or too fast. Mercury is in Cappy, too, and tends to create negative thinking, we see the dangers/dragons and he is on a HOT degree here and Mars - who is ruling Jupiter - is answering to her/him. We need to stay positive and have FAITH. Jupiter is in many ways providing just what is needed here and speaks of something here being or having the potential to be - a VERY BIG DEAL. With Jupiter in Aries we have to be open to new experiences/be able to pivot. 


The New Moon squares Ceres in Libra. This one is EXACT. Ceres in Libra is about what is 'out-of-our-control' within our relationships. She is seeking balance here - maybe wants the give and take to be more even-steven/wants more peace/wants more beauty. Maybe there is over-nurturing or under-nurturing. Are we treating a partner like a child or are we being treated as such? Are we treating a child like a partner? Maybe we want too much or too little. Because again here is another square. More tension/frustration. This isn't intrinsically a bad thing - again, this is the friction that gets things moving. And, along with Jupiter, turns this whole thing into a Cardinal Square. SUPER POWERFUL ENERGY TO START. Adds turbo-boosters. 


Ceres opposes Jupiter and remember it was their ability to structure a complicated compromise that once saved the world.


Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn and so the ruler of the New Moon is at 21 degrees Aquarius. Ancient ruler of Aquarius, he is strong here, so the rules, limits, boundaries, reality-checks are, too. 


Keep in mind this chart shows how something is STARTING and how it will GROW. 

 

If we follow the Moon through her days in Capricorn we see that after meeting the Sun, the Moon trines Uranus retrograde - the Sun won't do this until January 5th, so we won't get the physical manifestation of this for some time, but we get the feeling shortly after the New Moon (not necessarily through the same events). This is about us being comfortable with change/allowing change/easy updates and then in early January the change - which doesn't have to be the same change remember - happens/is illuminated. Then the Moon meets Venus and then Mercury. She does this tomorrow, but the Sun doesn't meet Mercury until January 7th and Venus is long gone. The Sun won't catch up with Venus until August. So, the news/information/conversations the New Moon promises and we may get a glimpse of on Christmas Eve are manifested near January 7th. The love/money/Venusian story with whatever is starting now is more complicated, requires patience. This isn't surprising with a Cappy New Moon. After meeting Venus and Mercury, the Moon sextiles Neptune (also on Christmas Eve), here is a kind of dreamy nostalgia, connection, the eggnog is flowing. Anytime we have Cappy/Pisces energy we can think about this as 'dream building'. There are lots of other things this energy is about - it can bring endings where things tend to drift off or old-age endings or endings of dreams/addictions/fantasy, etc. But when what we are building is rooted in reality, Neptune pulls in our intuition, imagination, creativity, universal love. The Sun will sextile Neptune on January 13th. Then finally, still on Christmas Eve, the Cappy Moon will go void at 10:10PM EST off her monthly meeting with Pluto (with Jupiter moved on, we will be back to many monthly lunations ending with intense Plutonian aspects). Something buried/raw/intense/honest. This can be a profoundly real moment to unearth something. FEELINGS ARE GOING TO COME OUT. This will be transformative. Then the Moon goes void and we have a chance to rest from all of this. Whew. The Sun reaches Pluto on January 18th and then a couple days later we will get the New Moon in Aquarius and start a new cycle.


So, the Moon's next couple days and the Sun's next month are giving us some idea of how what is STARTED NOW will grow to culmination/peak over the next 6 months when we will have the Capricorn Full Moon next summer. 

 

This is also the day Chiron stations direct. This happens BEFORE the New Moon, so we get a direct Chiron with this fresh start. Chiron in Aries encourages us to be ourselves. To know we can take care of ourselves. To be brave. We might have to face very old wounds/vulnerabilities/hurts - and we have had time with this already since we are covering old degrees here - and MOVE FORWARD ANYWAY.

 

Short and sweet - SOMETHING IS STARTING OR STARTING OVER. This will be connected with your Cappy natal house theme or the collective themes of our goals, career, fathers, security, ambitions. With a Cardinal T-Square, this start WILL NOT BE STOPPED and might come with our backs against the wall (through what isn't working). Avoid going too big, too fast. Also avoid sitting on your ass when life is pushing you to do something. Keep in mind, Mercury is going to station retrograde next week in Cappy, so we are getting some extra time - which will likely come in the form of irritating delays and obstacles - to get this whole thing right. 


The Solstice post covers much more about the Jupiter square and is HERE. This powerful FRESH START/STARTING OVER with this Jupiter square is a good thing, and for some people a very good thing - Jupiter can bring good outcomes to the most challenging circumstances/better outcomes than we can imagine - but almost certainly there is something in here about asking ourselves, "will this be too much for me?". 


Hopefully Jupiter's journey through Pisces has given each of us some hope/faith in where we can go next even when we don't know the specifics yet. Just remember Jupiter's good luck will come through Saturn's hard work and that square to Ceres in Libra says we need to figure out how to work with whatever in our relationships/contracts "feels like it is outside our control" (probably connected to a loss) or whatever "season of life issue" or imbalanced nurturing is throwing everyone off their game - complicated compromises can be worked out now. 


2023 is going to be a BIG year. We start the year with two personal planets retrograde, but by mid-January will have all systems GO for many weeks. Mars will be re-doing Gemini until March. In May everything starts to shift. Pluto, who has been in Capricorn since 2008, moves into Aquarius. 2023 will only give us a sneak peek of this transit, but is likely to have a major collective impact. Saturn, after many years strong in signs he rules, will drift into diluting Pisces, where he will eventually meet up with Neptune (not until 2026, so we will have lots of build up to this) which hasn't happened in 36 years. When Saturn moves into Pisces, Uranus in Taurus will break free of his chains to Saturn. Freedom, chaos, change, the future. Sedna, who has been in Taurus since 1965, heads into Gemini for a sneak-peek (I wrote about Sedna in some depth HERE, we will be talking about her alot next year). Many planets will be nearing or backtracking over the end of the signs they are in. Hail mary plays will be being tossed out all over the place, but change won't be stopped. 


Lots of posts about 2023 coming up!


xo all

the astrology of the winter solstice 2022 | December 21, 2022 - Capricorn season begins with an enthusiastic PUSH, a time to take stock, stock-up, prepare for winter

 

Happy Solstice everyone!

 

Doesn't it feel better to call the Winter Solstice the longest night rather than the shortest day?

The shortest day sounds like we are missing out on something. The longest night sounds like we can lie in bed and finish our book and still get a good night's sleep.

 

This is the perfect time during the busy holiday season to take stock of where we are, what we have, what we've done and where we are going. In the northern hemisphere we move into the challenging season of winter. And with Pluto still in Capricorn, since 2008, this is the space of our collective humbling. This is also the time of the season, maybe especially when things are not quite as we wish they were, when melancholy can set in. It is a good idea to check in with other people. See if they need anything we have to give. People are needing more than presents wrapped in big red bows this year.


In Capricorn, the Sun gets serious. We are heading into the serious time of year - the time our ancestors could starve if they hadn't stocked up properly or catch a cold that would turn into pneumonia. They would celebrate the Winter Solstice and go into hibernation for a few weeks (exhausted from the harvest, escaping the cold and, intuitively, the germs and bacteria, too, I'm sure), venturing back out sometime mid-Aquarius season for some social interaction and hoping to trade whatever they still had plenty of to restock whatever had grown scarce.
 

This is true for us today, too. Without structure, responsibility and discipline - mandated by Capricorn's ruling planet Saturn - we'll be in trouble when the cold settles in and the stuff we need to survive is covered with two feet of snow and ice.


So Capricorn is a serious sign because it rules very serious things. Capricorn rules our collective 10th house of career, reputation, ambition, hard work, the pinnacle, fathers, patriarchal story-lines, safety, security, tradition, history, our structure, what we need to get us through the winter.


Saturn isn't about rushing and neither is Capricorn. Usually we can catch our breath, take stock of where we are and what we have (probably more than we think we do) before starting this new chapter.

 

With this particular Solstice though, as the Sun moves into Capricorn he moves into a square with Jupiter in Aries.

 

Jupiter in Aries is anything BUT patient. 

 

This square can really help us. The square to Saturn will benefit Jupiter since he will want to go, go, go and he is answering to a retrograde Mars who is about to be answering to a retrograde Mercury, so he (as we) needs to be smart about this whole go, go, go thing. On the other hand Saturn can sometimes use a little or a BIG PUSH. So, Jupiter is pushing solid/practical Saturn to get moving/start and Saturn is giving Jupiter some limits/reality checks. They both benefit, which, of course, means we do. The takeaway from this energy is to get moving (don't allow the retrogrades and Saturn to stop you in your tracks), but, also, don't over-do anything, over-promise/exaggerate and don't allow yourself to be rushed. Keep in mind Mercury is going to station retrograde in Capricorn next week, so we are going to be going back and forth over our natal Cappy house themes and collectively our careers, reputations, goals and ambitions. This is good news because it gives us extra time to get things RIGHT before the real green lights start flashing in the middle of January.

 

With Jupiter freshly into Aries and the Sun freshly into Capricorn, both planets are tied to each other at the start of their new cycles. Jupiter's good luck/expansion is linked to Saturn's hard work and responsibility. And Saturn's achievements are linked to Jupiter's ability to TAKE A RISK. Have faith/confidence. Know what the hell he is talking about. 


I think this Capricorn plus the retrograde hold-up with Jupiter in Aries will help us prepare (buy us some time) for 2023 when so many things will be changing and we are really going to start feeling Uranus in Taurus again. Uranus has been held at bay the last two years through his ongoing squares to Saturn, but once Saturn gets into Pisces in March that all ends and Uranus will just get stronger and stronger until he is really feeling his oats (when Mercury goes into Capricorn, my natal placement, I REALLY start talking like your grandma, do you notice?) when Jupiter joins Uranus in Taurus in late spring. 


This is the perfect time to be STOPPING bad habits, making long-term plans, getting our ducks in a row. The ruler of Capricorn, Saturn, is in Aquarius. This is all about clearing old group trauma/moving into a better relationship with the collective. We need other people. They need us. Aquarius is where we bring our individual selves to the group. How can we remain true to ourselves and also be part of something larger? How are we contributing to society? We are planting the seeds for our future self right now, so what's going into that cold ground? It needs to be hardy to survive until spring. The upcoming New Moon in Capricorn is about finding  a more modest way to move through our remaining time on this planet. 


It's not about building big things, so much as it is about building the right things. 



Like my 5 year old nephew Joel's "Boys Rock" house. 


"It's a moving house that moves around with people in it playing music in different boxes" ... Joel

"Are those musical notes outside? It must be loud" ... his dad (the musician/music teacher)

"No ... no. It's a satellite. It pushes the music to the people all over as it moves." ... Joel


The first time Jupiter went into Aries last May, he moved right into a square with Black Moon Lilith in Cancer (here is a post about that HERE and HERE) - the womb wound/the mother wound/the woman who chooses herself. The energy we carry of that time we were tossed from the plush garden/shamed for wanting something we are perfectly entitled to want. We were right in the middle of the Johnny Depp trial. You might remember both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (born 23 years apart) have their natal Venus at 26 degrees Taurus, the space of fixed star Algol (they fell head over heels in love and then chopped each other's heads off). Here in the United States we had all the Roe vs. Wade stuff going on as Jupiter squared BML. This was around the time of the Cancer New Moon and now we are at the opposite time of year. We were working through the home/family/mother stuff through the summer and now we move into the world/work/father stuff. 


As Jupiter returns to Aries (after his retrograde in Pisces) this week, he is also moving right into an opposition with Ceres in Libra. Poor Jupiter in Aries, can't catch a break, with these feminine archetypes. We will talk about this in the New Moon post next, but we can expect alot to be going on within our relationships. This is a kind of run-up to the South Node's entry into Libra in 2023.


Going to keep this post short and sweet (although it looks like it isn't) since I don't want to be repeating myself in the New Moon in Capricorn post and I am about to be. The New Moon is joined with asteroid Hygiea and the Sun joins her now. With Chiron about to station direct, Capricorn season (which lasts longer than the Sun's time in Cappy) seems to speak of our need for healing and self/collective care (as well as, I suppose, what is going on with flus/viruses, etc).


The Moon hasn't caught up with the Sun quite yet. Today the Moon moves into Sagittarius. This should feel better - at least until this evening when the Moon squares Mars and starts looking for trouble/an argument, watch your words! Shopping tonight, parking in crowded lots, can be aggravating - just sayin' - especially if you, like me, were feeling that Moon/Saturn square yesterday afternoon that took us back to the tense Eclipse energies. Keep in mind the days before the New Moon are the days of the Balsamic Moon, a time to rest/re-coup, so probably the less we have to do now the better we will be feeling.

 

Keep in mind also Mercury's retrograde station next week. 

 

Besides the Cappy/career/goal stuff we will all be re-visiting/re-vising we can help to alleviate some retrograde madness by choosing to consciously release a bit of the Mercury shadow stuff we are carrying in our own lives that needs to go.


We might want to do some releasing on anything we are ruminating about with a Mercury angle to it - the wrong word we said at the wrong time. The conversation we didn't have. The email we didn't send or the one we did and wish we hadn't. The idea that didn't work out. The research we didn't do. The thought that stopped us in our tracks and so we quit or the thought that kept us going when we should have quit. The sibling crap. The lemon or 'beyond our pocketbook' car we bought when we knew better. The times we were less than neighborly. If we can somehow - between present buying, wrapping and gifting - toss our thinking/ruminating/self-judgements and recriminations about this stuff into the trash bin with those tiny bits of wrapping paper and balls of twisted tape we wrapped around our fingers instead of the packages, we would be much better off over the next couple weeks ...

 

When we personally let go of shadow Mercury the collective Mercury shadow has less to work with/release during Mercury's more intense periods like next week..

 

Drive carefully and with a cool head. 

 

xo all - back with the New Moon in Capricorn post

photo by the amazing Amanda-Diaz

weekly astrology forecast | December 19th - 25th, 2022 - the week our painful vulnerabilities push us toward something better, a second wind and a second chance, new goals and ambitions and upgraded traditions


 

 

I am a bit slammed for time tonight, so let's jump right into the week and we will iron a few wrinkles out in the New Moon post next!


MONDAY, December 19 - Venus squares Chiron, Venus trines North Node, Sun crosses Galactic Center

TUESDAY, December 20 - Jupiter re-enters Aries!!

WEDNESDAY, December 21 - Sun into Capricorn (Winter Solstice northern hemisphere)

THURSDAY, December 22 - Venus trines Uranus

FRIDAY, December 23 - Chiron stations direct, NEW MOON IN CAPRICORN

SATURDAY, December 24 - Mercury sextiles Neptune

 

On MONDAY - Venus in Capricorn squares Chiron, Mars retro in Gemini sextiles Chiron in Aries then Venus trines the North Node In Taurus (a sign she rules


The Venus/Chiron square is painful/hurts. We could be reminded of how we don't quite fit in. Maybe this is a work situation where we do not feel like we are good enough or we feel unappreciated. Maybe we feel unattractive or too old. Maybe we make a mistake/feel humiliated/vulnerable. Venus is inconjunct Mars, so what we want and how we go about getting it are not so compatible right now - our actions/words can be awkward. This is a Cappy/Aries square - authority/rules vs the individual.

 

The good news - Venus immediately moves into a trine with the North Node (our best way forward - something more stable and more simple and more abundant). So somehow this pain/vulnerability is helping us move in a more solid direction. Something falls together as we take small practical steps in a new direction. Time to value ourselves. Keep in mind also Mars retro's opportunistic sextile to Chiron - keep things light, say it again in a different way, do something over, ask another question, make a different decision. Mars in Gemini is quick, so don't dwell on the painful situation/keep going.

 

This is also the day the Sun crosses over the Galactic Center - our homing center/seat of creation/source - pray, meditate, light a candle, ask for guidance.

 

On TUESDAY - Jupiter returns to Aries!! - crossing an Aries point (where our collective attention is all on the same thing) and GIVING US A SECOND WIND and A SECOND CHANCE. 

 

We are back where we were on May 10th when Jupiter moved into Aries the first time, but now we are older and wiser. If we jumped into something back then that didn't seem to go anywhere, or we didn't jump and wish we had, or we jumped too quickly and made a mess of things, well, we might just get a second chance now to do it BETTER. If a situation got stuck or turned around back at the end of July or end of October, well, here's where things can start moving again. Keep in mind, Jupiter's propensity for 'bigger-is-better' - hopefully we used the the retro period and Jupiter's backtrack into Pisces to get an assessment of the reality of something here. If something starts to grow that is not to your liking think about what you have learned in the last few months and use the retrograde Mars in Gemini to make different choices and take different actions.


In Aries, Jupiter will get all of us fired up in some part of our life. Our Aries house expands. Jupiter, the natural ruler of fiery Sagittarius will increase our optimism/faith. We will talk about this in the next few posts. Jupiter will only be in Aries until May 2023, so because Aries is impulsive and this transit will be quick, there will be times we might feel like we have to grab onto things before we are sure and sometimes we will (why Jupiter rules FAITH) have to do this, but, we can also take something too far or go too fast, especially with Mars retrograde and Mercury about to be. Opportunities WILL present themselves. We are going to have to know ourselves/what we really want and need and be smart about things. Sometimes we are going to have to jump onto the train without the itinerary all set out for us and maybe with some of our luggage still at the station. We'll talk about this in the New Moon post and as we move through this. Keep in mind mid-January is going to launch a very clear GO cycle of many weeks.


On WEDNESDAY - the Sun moves into Capricorn (Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere) - we will talk about this in the next post on the New Moon. The standing Sun - 0 degrees Cappy - with beneficial Jupiter at 0 degrees Aries, the FIRST DEGREE of the zodiac - feels like a BIG FRESH START with an extra push. Multiple planets in Cappy should keep our feet on the ground.


Post to follow!



On THURSDAY - Venus in Cappy trines Uranus in Taurus. Like Mercury did last week, now serious Venus in Capricorn wants something ELSE. We are attracted to what is new and unusual. Traditions are upgraded/changed. Maybe we are stepping into new responsibilities, making new commitments, setting new goals. Career changes should provide more freedom. Something can fall into place here. Earth trines are solid/practical. Something here just makes sense/cents. And of course, Venus/Uranus can bring surprises with love and money! 


On FRIDAY - Chiron stations direct. New Moon in Capricorn squaring an optimistic and expansive Jupiter in Aries.


Chiron direct means we are moving forward with whatever hurt/vulnerability we have been re-working since the middle of 2021. Collectively this will be about our ability to take care of ourselves and be ourselves and personally our natal and progressed Aries house themes will apply, too. With Jupiter in Aries now, too, we will have increased confidence and courage to deal with what hurts, trash any self-sabotaging crap and move on. I like the timing of this one.


This is also the day the Moon meets the Sun at 1 degree Capricorn giving us this month's New Moon, our annual New Moon in serious Capricorn. This New Moon is all about setting and applying ourselves to new and realistic, long-term goals and ambitions, making commitments to situations and people that make sense/cents - things we want to grow and taking responsibility for ourselves, BIG girl pants on. That square to a fiery Jupiter is going to push us to take some risks over the next few weeks. There is potential and optimism here, but we will surely have to watch for exaggerated hopes and over-doings. Expect a BIG post!

 

I hope something here is helpful. Short and sweet because I am a bit wiped out from a holiday party we threw tonight and the week looks pretty damn good. 

 

The Moons on Christmas Eve (Cappy) and Christmas Day (Aquarius, so yes the mood will change) both look seriously dreamy and Mercury will be sextiling Neptune for even more 'making our dreams come true' energy.

 

Back with that important New Moon post next!


xo all


photo by the talented LidiaVives

can the astrology of the idaho college student murders show what happened to Xana, Ethan, Kaylee and Madison and who did it | A monday night mystery



I used to do some crime solving (without any of the actual 'solving', of course) forensic astrology on this blog, but haven't posted anything here in a long time. I think knowing the South Node is hovering over my ascendant I haven't wanted to tumble too deeply down any non-necessary rabbit-holes, although I have continued doing charts for a Facebook cold case group from time to time. I looked at these charts for them recently and thought I would post about this case here this time, too, for any readers who might be interested. 

 

This is far from a cold case and in fact the chart is fairly clear this one will be solved. 


Hopefully soon. 


Let's take a look at the charts.

 

On November 13, 2022 sometime between 3AM and 4AM in Moscow, Idaho, three young, beautiful college women and one of their boyfriends were brutally murdered, maybe while they slept, in an off-campus house near the University of Idaho. Prior to the murders, two of the four victims, Xana and her boyfriend Ethan, had attended a frat party and the other two victims, Madison and Kaylee, had been at a local bar. 

 

We have three crime charts to examine. 


The first chart is for the time the police believe the murders occurred, the second chart is the last seen chart - the time two of the women are filmed at a local food truck buying food to bring home after their night out and the third chart is for the time the police are called the next day when the two remaining roommates (who slept on a different floor) woke and the police were called. Then, since we have the birth dates of the four students who were killed (no times are available so we will look at the charts without houses) we will look at their natal charts, too. 

 

This event is uber Gemini energy. The extreme edge of this energy. 

 

Gemini is the sign of duality/twins and is ruled by trickster/magician Mercury. Mars - the planet of war, violence, young men, passion, impulsivity - has been moving back and forth through Gemini since August. At the time of the murders Mars had made his first pass through Gemini and was retrograding backwards. He was out-of-the-bounds of the Sun - not playing by the normal rules - the War God not answering to the king/authority, and historically there are some pretty dramatic examples of violence when Mars has been out-of-bounds (not to mention retrograde). The combination of violent Mars and trickster Mercury can also be said to have a tragic (at times) reputation and in this chart they are in mutual reception, so strengthening and helping each other.

 

Two of the victims, Madison and Kaylee, are best friends since grade school. They are both Geminis with Gemini stelliums,  and were born within a few days of each other. Gemini is the energy of duality - the twins. The girls look very much alike, almost like twins. They both also have, one an EXACT, and one a nearly exact Chiron/Mars conjunction in Sagittarius - very near/on the Galactic Center with Pluto also in Sagittarius (Gemini's polarity sign). Chiron (wound), Mars (young masculine energy, passion, anger) in Sagittarius (college). They also both have 24 degree retrograde Aquarius Uranus placements, which were exactly trining (brakes off) Mars (male violence, weapons) at the time of the murders. There is also something in their charts that could speak of EXACTLY who is responsible, and we will look at this later, too. 

 

The other two victims are a romantic couple. Ethan, the boyfriend who was visiting the house and didn't live there, was a triplet. Both Ethan and his girlfriend Xana (one of the room-mates) have multiple Gemini placements and Uranus on/conjunct the same 24 degrees Aquarius - like the other two victims. Ethan was a Scorpio (the Sun during the murder), Xana was a Cancer (the Moon during the murder). The Cancer Moon had trined the Scorpio Sun some hours before and we were still in the energy of this fall's gnarly/dangerous Eclipses in Scorpio and Taurus. Both Ethan and Xana have mid-degree Pluto in Sag placements and North Nodes (of fate) in Gemini. Of course, many of the students at this college, born during the same time frame, would have some of these placements (and, have been affected, too, in a more peripheral way), but we will see when we get to the crime charts and these particular students' natal charts how the volatile energy of that out of bounds retrograde Mars in Gemini in mutual reception with Mercury in Scorpio was greatly amplified with all these people together at the same time and in the same place. All the trickster Gemini, the volatile Mars on a triggered degree, all the retrograde energy, all their natal Uranus placements - chaos/trauma - trining that dangerous Mars with transiting Uranus conjunct the North Node of Fate and a yod/Finger of God at play and pointed at Mars - it's all rather unbelievable.


We are going to start with the crime chart and work our way backward and forward.


I have set the time for this chart at 3:30AM. This is unlikely to be exact, but we will quickly see the chart is radical (able to be used) and is close enough. 


Remember this is November 13, 2022. A late, late Saturday night. The Sun is in dark Scorpio, the Moon is in her home sign of Cancer and has just trined (brakes off) Venus, (this was preceded by an opposition to Pluto). The Sun in Scorpio is answering to both Pluto and a retrograde and out-of-bounds Mars in Gemini. Note in the chart we have a fated Finger of God formation pointing to Mars from Pluto and that pileup in Scorpio. We had just been through Eclipse season and all that energy is still strong, especially the 16 degree Taurus Lunar Eclipse (Uranus is still on this degree) conjunct the North Node. So, at the time of the murders Uranus is still retrograde - so old stories of chaos/trauma that we carry in our charts/DNA - on the Lunar Eclipse degree. Lunar Eclipses are often energies that speak of women leaving.


Libra rules the ascendant (first house) of the murder chart - this shows the victims, so they are ruled by Venus in Scorpio answering to Mars and Pluto. If you look at the Sun, Mercury and Venus in Scorpio it is hard not to think of the victims. Even though this is an unconventional way to view this chart and nothing in a chart is EVER only one thing, one of the things I am seeing here is - the Sun (Ethan), Mercury (the two girls who look alike, Kaylee and Madison) and Venus (Xana, all the feminine energy). Venus as the victim energy shows women/feminine energy/beauty, In Scorpio, maybe something about what we can't have, jealousy, vengeance, obsession. There could also be connections to money and resources. The ruler of the first in the second might speak of the victims being in the possession of the perpetrator, maybe he even takes something of their or hers with him. The ruler of Libra, Venus, is in her detriment (weak) in Scorpio and answering to Mars - the perpetrator. Since Scorpio rules things hidden it might indicate the victims are asleep/maybe not totally sober, maybe he is hiding or hidden, somehow they don't see this coming. Venusian injuries include injuries to the neck and top of chest. A typical Libra look (in general obviously) is feminine, delicate, round and fair face, cheerful, red lipped, nice looking. Scorpio would make this all a little more lustful/sexy.


The Moon is also a significator and will also represent the victims. The Moon looks strong in her home sign of Cancer, but is on the MC (top/public part) of the chart, so as far from her home in the 4th house as she can get. The Moon here is also showing the public attention this event and the victims in particular will garner. The Moon is sextiling (creating an opportunity if action is taken) chaotic/traumatic Uranus and also the North Node of Fate. Her final aspect in Cancer, and so the way actions taken during her time in Cancer will kind of turn out, will be a couple days later when she goes void off a trine (brakes off) to a retrograde Jupiter - making things BIGGER.


Pluto (death) and Saturn (endings, death) are both in the 4th house of home. Uranus (chaos, trauma) in the 8th house of death. 


The descendant shows the perpetrator. The kind of 'open energy' of that person.

 

Here we have Aries, so the perpetrator's significator is the ruler of Aries - Mars, in the 9th house in Gemini. Mars is retrograde and out-of-bounds (out of the control of the Sun/authority/normal functioning/the rules). We also see Chiron retrograde almost exactly conjunct the DC. This speaks of a Chironic killer - someone with a strong Chiron or someone connected to a Chironic story (adoption, medical doctors, maybe strong Virgo or Sagittarius, feeling unaccepted/turned away, mother issues). Maybe this shows the killer was wounded in the attack. Maybe this shows he is a 'wound collector' type of person, harboring grudges and resentments. He is almost certainly operating from very old, very deep wounds. Typical Aries 'looks' (in general) are people who walk fast with head leaning slightly forward/walk might be distinctive. Light hair. Reasonably tall. They might be prone to headaches or sinus or vision problems. There is a youthful charm about them or they are youthful. They are fast, quick to anger and bore easily. They have an athletic build. With the Aries DC (perpetrator) squaring the Moon in Cancer we could also be seeing dangerous/angry tension with his mother, likely a powerful mother with the Moon at the top of the chart.


Mars in Gemini is most likely a young male. Maybe he is a student. Maybe he works with cars or in some type of local commercial establishment. He is probably angry. He is probably isolated. Mars in Gemini could indicate two perpetrators or multiple perpetrators, but remember Mars is retrograde and out of bounds, answering to trickster Mercury, and the sign on the DC is actually independent Aries, so I don't really think so (it is possible though). I think this is more likely to be one person who is like two people somehow or there could be another person involved in a peripheral way. Maybe saying something that sets him off or that he takes as a "sign" it is time to act. Someone could say something that stirs him on and not even realize it. In the food truck video chart which happens before the murders, the perpetrator is Neptune/Jupiter so quite delusional. Mars is in the 9th house/Sag's house, so maybe the perpetrator is in college, too, (or was, with the retrograde) or maybe this is showing he puts some distance between himself and the crimes afterward, goes back somewhere he has been before. Mars also shows the use of a knife/weapon (in Gemini, so maybe it was kept in a car) and likely says something about the speed of the attack. Things happened fast. 


Mars (the perpetrator) forms a Yod/Finger of God with the Scorpio planets (the victims) and Pluto (death in the 4th house of home). This is very powerful. I would never call something as horrible as this fated, but something like fate is playing out. 

 

With Mars retrograde, there is some kind of repeating nature to this. I think this is almost certainly past life connected and is also showing the perpetrator likely thought about this before doing it. It might have been impulsively acted out that night, but he had thought it through before. Maybe there is a connection with what happens this night to when Mars was direct at 24 degrees Gemini - which would have been back on August 11, 2022. I wonder when school started and what everyone was doing back around this date, especially the killer. I think the young Aries energy shows he hasn't murdered people before in this life, but the retro and Gemini show he may have done something similar in this life, maybe connected to an animal. He could be a hunter, which I guess might be common in Idaho. With Mars ruling weapons, he is likely familiar with the weapon he used, it isn't something he just stole and used for the first time that night. Mars in Aries on the DC could also show the crime was fast. The retrograde and out-of-bounds nature could make sexual Mars impotent. 


So we have a Venus vs Mars, victim/perpetrator story-line. When Venus and Mars are at odds in murder charts, they often speak of relationship murders. Victims and perpetrators who know each other - and the inconjunct between Venus and Mars supports this. In Vettius Valens book, "Anthologies, Book I" (an astrologer who lived in ancient Eqypt in the second century), he said, "when Venus and Mars are at odds they make men weak of mind and unsteady, they cause rivalry and murder and men to be wronged by women or to believe they have been".

 

Twenty four degrees Gemini (Mars position at the time of the murder) is the degree of fixed star Al Hecka. Al Hecka is the bright blue star at the tip of the southern horn of the Taurus bull (stabbing). Al Hecka has the nature of Mars and is said to speak of male violence. In Arabic it comes from the word 'hakka', meaning 'to gore'. In Hebrew the words 'hakhah" is a fishing hook and also means 'to wait', and is, of course, similar to the English word hook. Fishing requires patience as well as angling with a hook, so we see the infamous Taurus patience followed by something like an explosion of horned anger. I found this degree prominent in the charts of multiple college murders and murderers. Twenty four degrees Gemini is conjunct Ted Bundy's Uranus (chaos, trauma) and conjunct Jupiter at the time of his college spree murder in Florida, Danny Rollins' Mercury, Edmund Kemper's Uranus and exact on Marc Lepine's North Node of Fate. This doesn't mean this killer is a serial killer, but speaks of the dangers of the energies at play that night - what the energies are holding, something like a powder keg waiting for a match. This degree is also prominent in the victims' of the Idaho murders natal charts - conjunct Ethan's Saturn and EXACTLY trining his natal Mercury, the mid-point of Madison's Jupiter/Mercury, in the midst of Kaylee's Sun/Jupiter/Mercury and EXACTLY opposing her natal Mars and EXACTLY trining her Part of Fortune (in Mars ruled Aries) and is the midpoint of Xana's Mercury/Saturn and conjunct her North Node of Fate. This is most likely a prominent degree in the murderer's natal or progressed chart, too. 


Uranus and the North Node of Fate are conjunct in the 8th house of death. They are opposing the victims in Scorpio and sextiling the Moon - another significator for the victims. Mars, a stand-in for the perpetrator, is inconjunct Black Moon Lilith and Pallas in Cancer EXACT - the womb wound plus strategic mother and sextiling EXACT, Eris in Aries - chaos/disorder/the discontent that stirs change/often trouble. 

 

What one bad apple can do.

 

The good news - the 4th house cusp (the end of the matter) is in Capricorn, the natural sign of authority and answering to a strong Saturn in Aquarius and also conjunct the murder charts' "Part of Fortune" another significator for the 'final outcome'. Both are good indicators the perpetrator is going to be caught and the case solved. Saturn rules time, requires patience. Aquarius rules technology, the internet, groups of people, friendships - maybe something in here is where the answers will be found (also astrology I should add). The 4th house is Cancer's natural house/holds things close to the vest. The authorities would not be telling the public everything they know. 



If we back up to the food truck - keep in mind, this is BEFORE the murders, the rising sign is Virgo, pretty much exactly squaring that Mars. Virgo is ruled by Mercury (the victims here), so the victims are still those Scorpio planets, but now they are in the third house - out and about in the local community, maybe focused on things like food trucks and transportation issues (Mercury rules such things). Unlike the murder chart they are not in the perpetrator's 'possession' here, and I don't think he is in the house at this point. Mercury is blown out by the Sun, so the victims are not strong in this chart either. The perpetrator in the food truck video chart is found through Pisces and both Jupiter (ancient ruler of Pisces) and Neptune (modern ruler) are in Pisces, so the perpetrator IS strong. Notice how Neptune (the perpetrator) is just below the DC, just a hair's breadth away, like a stalker in the background. Someone right behind them. This might also speak of him stalking one or both of the women in their daily life - that 6th house. The Pisces is showing he isn't thinking straight. He is drunk/drugged/mentally ill. Notice at the time the victims are 'last seen' (the food truck video), Mars from the murder chart (the perpetrator) is at the top of the chart, so he is out in public, too (or maybe at work). The Moon (the other significator for the victims) is EXACTLY trining Uranus retrograde here - chaos/trauma happening in the future with its feet in the past. Could any of what happens later be stopped at this point? Is something happening RIGHT NOW, in this video/or at the time of this video, that is tipping this story in a certain direction? 


This chart makes me think the perpetrator goes to the house with some delusional ideas, maybe about how he can get a specific woman to see him/love him. And he brings the knife with him, some part of him thinking he might need it if things go wrong and some deeper part, because this is a very old story he is repeating and there is that stellium in deadly Scorpio answering to the Mars he will become, with even darker thoughts about what that knife might be used for. But then the one woman becomes two women and then the murders get repeated again when he goes down to leave and is possibly confronted. Or something like this. Because everything is about that retrograde Mars in Gemini and is repeating/doubling.



If we move ahead to the day after the murders to the chart for the time when the police are called, we have Pluto on the ascendant and in the 12th house of the past - a call about a death that has already happened comes in to authority (that first house Saturn), Uranus/North Node in the 3rd house of community speaks of the chaos/trauma that will spread through the community as news of this event becomes known. The Aqua ascendant could be showing a more detached/peripheral/logical 'friend' who is making the call as well as the public waking up to the event/to what has just dawned on them. The Scorpio victims are now in the 9th house, and to me, this speaks of their having 'moved on' from the 8th house of death. Sagittarius naturally rules the 9th house of those greener fields/God/heaven. The Mars perpetrator from the murder chart is now in the 5th house. This might be showing him in a bar/watching a sporting event or doing something recreational, I am unsure. I would think at this point he would be terrified he is about to be caught, but this is the Sun's house of ego, so I am not sure. The chart has a Grand Water Trine between the victims, the delusional or mentally ill or drunk/drugged perpetrator from the last seen chart and the Moon still in Cancer. This makes me wonder if his mother has been pulled into the story. The Moon is trining the Sun, so maybe both parents are. Is mom protecting him? Is he lying to her/is she lying for him - that trine to Neptune? The chart's rising is 1 degree Aquarius, so is considered "too early to judge", so we won't spend alot of time on it, its accuracy isn't guaranteed, but since it is an auxiliary chart to the murder chart, we have looked at it.


When I am posting this, almost a month after the murders, the murderer hasn't been arrested. 

 

I think based on the strong authority right at home in the murder chart they should have a pretty good idea of who did this. That Cappy 4th house will be practical/make a strong case. The police could be watching their suspect or suspects, getting their ducks in a row. With Saturn in futuristic Aquarius, maybe they are waiting on DNA evidence to come back. On March 13, 2023, Mars will have returned to 24 degrees Gemini and the Sun (illumination) will be on the Neptune of the murder chart - hopefully he will be caught long before this time, but maybe this is when he is sentenced or something is wrapped up with authorities.


There are so many 'Gemini' connections to this crime. 

 

That explosive Mars retrograde in Gemini strengthened through his mutual reception with Gemini ruler Mercury in Scorpio. The victims interacting natal Uranus (all retrograde except for Madison) placements. The two Gemini best friends who look so much alike. The one victim a triplet. All the victims duplicating natal planetary placements and extremely potent natal connections with the transits that dangerous night. The crimes committed on two floors. Two people murdered on each floor. Two room-mates on the first floor who survived. Kaylee, just about or having just graduated and about to move on, returned to the house to show her friends her new car (cars very much Gemini energy), so the car being the reason she comes back to the house that weekend. Then the food truck video - both the truck and video very Gemini, maybe a key to this whole thing. Kaylee in the food truck video likely texting for a ride home/Uber. Lots of vehicle stuff which might sound trivial, but Gemini is the sign of the trivial being not so trivial, so something to think about.

 

There is also another Gemini - the sign of two is better than one - connection to this case. There are two guys named Jack. There is an ex boy-friend named Jack who two of the girls tried to communicate with when they got home via phone/text (and the chart is showing a relationship between the killer and victim, Venus/Mars style) and there is a hovering hoodie-guy in the food truck video named Jack, who told someone he was making sure the girls got home safely that night (more transportation/Gemini stuff that looks trivial but maybe isn't), just before they left the food truck in an Uber/car ride without him. 


So, with the Gemini focus, I thought about tossing a Jack asteroid into the murder chart, but there are just too many Jack asteroids and none just named "Jack", so I scratched that. An ex feels like a logical suspect with the retrograde planets and Venus/Mars significators, but this "ex" thing could be all in the killer's head, it is hard to know.

 

The last name of one of the Jacks does have a named asteroid though and it is a VERY unique name. 


I am not going to print out this guy's name here because this certainly isn't any kind of evidence and please don't take it as such. Mercury is magician/trickster energy and even stronger than Mars here, the whole two Jacks thing can be a total red herring. Whether this is 'just the facts jack' or something 'I don't know jack about', well, who knows. It is asteroid 18499 and it is quite uniquely named and this fellow's exact ten letter last name. Astrology sleuths out there familiar with the case might find this interesting. 


Because when we put asteroid 18499 into the murder chart it shows up in the 7th house. The perpetrator's house - in Aries and answering to that out-of-bounds and retrograde Mars. 

 

AND when we put that asteroid into the victims' natal charts it is again very interesting. Especially one chart where asteroid 18499, the uniquely named asteroid of one of our Jacks - is EXACTLY conjunct her North Node of Fate (in Cancer and answering to her Moon which the asteroid is also conjunct, the Moon was also in Cancer the night of the murders).

 

I have read both Jacks have been cleared, so we will have to wait and see what the police come up with. We will revisit this when someone is arrested if we can get a birthdate. The chart is clear the case will be solved.


xo all




weekly astrology forecast | December 12 - 18, 2022 - things get more stable as we release the dream/illusion, mercury hits shadow with some painful conversations, news or information, but then a new way forward

 


 

A little bit of everything this week as we move into the last week with Jupiter in Pisces for 12 years! 

 

Jupiter always does his job and ALWAYS leaves something bigger than he found it, so as he makes his exit, expect something in your Pisces house to expand this week. 

 

Next week Jupiter will move into Aries, AGAIN, re-awakening all the projects/situations from last spring that briefly awakened then went to sleep when he stationed retrograde and backed into Pisces. 

 

Just keep in mind, Mars is still retrograde and Mercury is about to be - let these new ideas/actions PERCOLATE. Continue to expect delays, do-overs and re-inventions. Allow yourself to experiment/change your mind. By mid-January we want to be ready to GO - so what needs to happen BEFORE that green flag comes down (is it green? that sounds wrong doesn't it)? No point stumbling out of the starting gate, when we can do the wrap ups and prep work NOW, and start with the wind at our backs LATER. 


Let's unpack the week!

 

MONDAY - Sun sextile Saturn

WEDNESDAY - Sun square Neptune

THURSDAY - Mercury square Chiron, Mercury trine North Node, Mercury inconjunct Mars

FRIDAY - Third Quarter Moon

SATURDAY - Mercury trine Uranus

SUNDAY - Ceres enters Libra


MONDAY - the Sun in Sagittarius sextiles Saturn in Aquarius (20 degrees) and Mercury enters shadow

 

Sextiles are opportunistic aspects, but they require action to get to the OPPORTUNITY. We are moving forward with our goals/whatever is expanding in our life. Working within limits. Stepping into responsibilities. The Sun in Sag is 'bigger is better' and Saturn in Aquarius reins this in enough to make things more solid and real. We can see what we are dealing with whether we like it or not.


Mercury starts walking degrees he/she will walk two more times in his upcoming retrograde (see Thursday for details).


WEDNESDAY - the Sun in Sagittarius squares Neptune in Pisces (22 degrees)


Now, the Sun (following Mercury and Venus from earlier in the month), after showing us some hard-earned possibilities for stability with yesterday's sextile to Saturn, is making his own foggy square to Neptune. Squares to Neptune can be exhausting, so slow down. Give yourself a break. It will be hard to know what is true. Our ego/will can be depleted or undermined. Our beliefs - big picture, expansion, hope - are questioned. We can't be sure. We could feel invisible. We could be gaslighted or gaslighting someone else. We get these kind of 'ego-dissolves' from time to time. Some people will feel this more than others - people with planets/points near 22 degrees of the water signs will feel this strongest and likely be impacted in bigger ways.

 

Keep in mind also, whenever the Sun is in an open portal with Neptune we can't see what is being done behind our back. It is easy to self-sabotage. Our addictions/escapist tendencies are activated.  Our past - even our very distant past/past lives/ancestral inheritances - are in play.


With the Sun sextile Saturn and then squaring Neptune in this last week of Jupiter in Pisces - are there boundaries we need to draw? Energy leakages that need to be plugged? Self sacrifice/delusions/inflated situations that just need to end?


This can be good energy to make art, listen to/make music, meditate, pray. Keep in mind the effects of drugs and alcohol will be magnified and not in a good way.

 

THURSDAY - Mercury is FLYING through Capricorn (keep in mind he/she will station retrograde next week, so the flying is short-lived and we will be doing all of this AGAIN) squares Chiron in Aries (11 degrees), trines the North Node (12 degrees) then inconjuncts Mars (13 degrees).

 

First up is the square to Chiron. A wound/vulnerability/embarrassing conversation. Words might be hurtful. We could say the wrong thing or get information wrong or be afraid to say something. There could be a disappointment or we might be reminded of regrets/failures. Keep in mind this is a repeating aspect and this is our first pass through here. Whatever this is, with Mars answering to Mercury, we are TRIGGERED. 

 

Mercury's quick trine to the North Node of Fate tells us whatever these uncomfortable words are, it will be best NOT TO DWELL ON THEM. Keep your thinking, words, actions on the FUTURE. Something more simple/stable/practical. Something new and different. Move on. Make the call/send the email. Fate has her hands in events now - what is meant to go - goes, what is meant to come in - comes. This is BREAKTHROUGH energy.

 

Then Mercury ends her/his busy day with that inconjunct to Mars in Gemini. Mercury is serious in Capricorn and Mars in Gemini is all over the place, so we are adjusting from both sides of this. Do we need to take something more seriously? Do we need to lighten up? 

 

Whatever we have going on now - ideas, conversations, local community situations, tech or transportation issues, sibling issues plus our career, ambitions, reputation, natal Cappy theme - it is all going to be re-worked as we move through the next few weeks anyway, so look at this week and these aspects as a kind of HEADS-UP around some situations we will be dealing with again.


FRIDAY - The Virgo Moon squares the Sagittarius Sun.

 

The Virgo Moon has us dotting our i's and crossing our t's and now she squares the expansive and bold Sagittarius Sun, so this is tension/frustration between the details and the big picture. The Sag Sun comes in and scatters our focus/broadens our view, pulls our eye to the forest and not just the trees. This is a necessary part of our journey from last week's Full Moon in Gemini to next week's New Moon in Capricorn. We need to get the details right and be practical, but also note the push for something more, something riskier. Action is needed, and yes, we need to look up at the bigger picture, AND it is important to stay on our game and focused on those details.


SATURDAY - Mercury in Capricorn trines Uranus in Taurus (15 degrees)


This is practicality and convention and our goals/career in smooth flow with change/the future/updates. New information. Original ideas. Unexpected plans. Our routine changes. The conversation changes. Our career changes. Traditional words somehow blend nicely with thinking outside the box. Our lower mind is open to higher hive-mind. Again, with Mercury stationing retrograde next week, we will be back here two more times. Once to re-work whatever is happening now and then a final time when we are moving on and into the future.


SUNDAY - Ceres enters Libra and opposes Jupiter. She will only get to 6 degrees Libra when she stations retrograde on February 3rd. Then she will get all the way back to 23 degrees of Virgo before she will station direct on May 6th. She is back in Libra on June 21, 2023. Note this is the Summer Solstice (northern hemisphere) with the Sun moving into Cancer the same day, The next day, Juno will enter Cancer and Vesta will enter Gemini.  


So, whatever we have going on with nurturing, mothering or season of life situations in our Libra house or within our closest partnerships/relationships/contracts, whatever shifts gears now - we know this will be a PROCESS. We will be back where we are now on the Summer Solstice. Ceres is about how we give and receive nourishment/nurturing, mother/mothering issues, the ways we deal with loss and separation that is outside our control. She sometimes speaks of complicated compromises. In Libra, we will be dealing with issues of balance and fairness between partners. Issues around women. We will talk about this as we move through it. She will quickly oppose Jupiter making whatever Ceres move into Libra is stirring up BIGGER. Keep in mind 0 degrees Libra is an Aries point, so our collection attention will be on a Ceres situation now, too. 


I hope something here is helpful.


xo all


photograph by the amazing metindemiralay



Full Moon in gemini | december 7th, 2022 - moving on from the old dreams and disappointments, simmering tensions can erupt, making grown-up decisions we have been avoiding



On Wednesday, December 7th, 2022, at 11:08PM EST, the Gemini Moon opposes the Sagittarius Sun giving us this month's Full Moon, our annual Full Moon in Gemini. 


The last Full Moon of the year!


Full Moons are times of heightened emotions. The sky is bright. We see what we are holding onto/where we are/what is reaching its peak/what is finishing up. Gemini is the sign of duality (and how, yes, two things can be true/right at the same time) - think of its symbol of 'the twins' - and we often find we have more than one situation peaking/finishing up at the time of a Gemini Full Moon.

 

Let's jump right in and unpack the chart!

 

The Moon, at 16 degrees Gemini, opposes the Sun at 16 degrees Sag. The Moon is EXACTLY conjunct Mars to the degree/minute - there is only a 5 second difference! So, the Moon opposes the Sun and only 5 seconds later meets Mars. Note Mars is retrograde and EXACTLY opposing the Sun. The Moon squares Neptune and trines Saturn (both applying), sextiles Chiron (separating) and squares Juno (separating). Mercury, ruler of Gemini, and so ruler of this lunation has just moved into Capricorn and is at 1 degree Cappy (note Mercury will go retrograde in Capricorn in just a few days, but won't be re-walking this degree). Mercury is conjunct Venus (out of sign) and Venus is conjunct the Galactic Center and has just risen as an evening star. Mercury squares Jupiter (again out of sign). Both Mercury's aspects are waning/separating. Pallas, retrograde, is EXACTLY conjunct Black Moon Lilith. 


A spotlight is being thrown on a lot of information now. Almost too much to process. Speak clearly now. Slow down. This is not a time for babble or childish gossip. Let's not say one thing when we really mean something else - even habits like saying "this isn't bad" when we mean something is 'good' dilute our energy. Just say, "this is good!".
 

This Full Moon could bring us to a decision point with something we have been thinking about for a while - a conversation or communication with someone now could help us decide and even strengthen our resolve to take action, although the action itself might happen after Mars goes direct closer to the end of the month. There can also be more than one way forward, because again, Gemini is our sign of duality and holds space for the crossroads. This Moon is about choices and endings.
 

The Moon is complicated, and everything is really overshadowed by that EXACT conjunction with that retrograde Mars. Mars is a TRIGGER and he is at an important part of his retrograde cycle - the part where he opposes the Sun, illuminating our Mars retrograde STORY. So, having Mars join the Moon and we could also say, having the Moon join Mars, at this important point in both their cycles/story-lines with the Sun MATTERS. 


Important matters are closing out/reaching a peak/coming to light.


Mars here can make the Full Moon energy more impulsive, agitated, active, angry. I would expect to hear cutting sarcasm. It's NOT the time to be making demands, jumping into arguments, making important snap decisions. On the other hand, and this is why we have two, the words that need to COME OUT almost certainly will. 


Mars in Gemini is very much 'trickster' energy, so we need to be smart. Drive safely. Back up your files. Measure your words. Manage your conversations. Avoid rushing. 


This is the mid-point of the Mars retrograde cycle and we will have some clarity via information/situations about what we have had to review, re-vive, re-do, what was postponed or turned around or the results of what we have done while being so flipping unfocused and exhausted since, October 30th when Mars stationed retrograde. This can also be a SPOTLIGHT on what we've been refusing to act on or suppressing anger about. 


If a fight has been brewing - BOOM here it is. If an action is needed that we have been avoiding, there might not be any avoiding it any longer. The Full Moon in Gemini is crossroads energy where decisions are MADE. Keep in mind every decision is really two decisions - 1. we decide and then 2. to keep from going crazy, we decide to not look back - in this case Mars is still going backward and Mercury is about to be, so, just to warn you, there will be LOOKING.


Both Mars and the Full Moon are answering to Mercury who has just moved into sober Capricorn, so we do have access to more rational energy. If a conversation needs to happen, we want to be drawing on the more conservative/mature Cappy energy as much as possible.


We might have to make a decision/choice about something that has been making us UNCOMFORTABLE for some time. With the Moon's best aspect that trine to sober Saturn - who is also the final dispositor of this whole thing - what is the best LONG TERM decision here? Just keep in mind Mars is still retrograde and Mercury is about to be, things are not set in stone.

 

The square to Juno speaks of partnership/contract tension and frustration. It might indicate the need to sacrifice for a partner. Of course a square to Juno on a Mars-y Full Moon could just as well speak of something akin to vengeance, especially if one party is feeling power-less (perfect astrology for a power grid attack - ack). If the decision/choice is relationship connected, the trine with Saturn looks to me like many couples will stick things out/commit/put in the effort to make it work. Obviously, this won't be true of everyone, Juno in Pisces can help troubled relationships heal or drift on out to sea. Either way, think LONG TERM.


The other separating aspect is a sextile to Chiron - healing through Gemini/Aries, keeping things light and local, adding humor, not making a mountain out of a molehill, starting fresh. 


There is also an applying square to Neptune, and we have just been through a week of squares to Neptune from various planets, so, although we will likely be NOSTALGIC - and we always are at the end of the year as Cappy season approaches and plays out - we don't want to be pulling the past into the present and then fighting about it. Remember that Mars (God of war) will color EVERYTHING during the Full Moon cycle and Gemini is the sign of small things, so a tiny thing/small words can light a fire we may not want lit. 


The square to Neptune speaks of releasing something that isn't real or something that is OVER. Yes, I know I said 'stick it out', but that isn't always possible or in our best interest. Hold on loosely, let go and let God. It's good energy to allow regrets to diminishThe cords/ties/knots to the old stuff that is quite literally holding us back/strangling us - is only kept alive through our attention.  

 

Neptune has stationed direct just a few days before this Full Moon, so we are MOVING ON from the delusions, old dreams and disappointments.

 

The smooth trine to Saturn indicates our best bet is to be making choices/decisions/actions now that are designed for our LONG-TERM benefit. 

 

The "long game" we talked about. 

 

Saturn tells us we DON'T have to jump into anything, we can TAKE THE TIME TO DECIDE. We want to be picking our way carefully through all the possibilities, asking questions, discovering what supports us, what strengthens and enriches us as we move toward the new year.


Mercury, ruler of this Moon, is making a tight, although out of sign, square to Jupiter in Pisces. Jupiter is walking these late Pisces degrees for the THIRD TIME. What energy do we still have tied up in holding onto the old dominant Age of Pisces stories? Where are we trying to push our luck? Where might we be still trying to take control, rather than ALLOWING life to increase our blessings (Jupiter in Pisces)? Jupiter is almost through with Pisces and won't be back here for 12 years, so what did we miss??

 

Once Jupiter gets into Aries, on December 20th, we will feel a push to go, go, go. Opportunities will be fast and furious and fleeting, especially once Mercury and Mars are direct in mid-January - and lots of things will look better than they are and how are we going to know the difference between an actual opportunity and a wild goose chase?


By using these days - the time before Jupiter gets into Aries, in the best ways possible. 


Something to keep in mind - and this is why we are going to start looking long-term with the posts - we are simply one player within a spectrum of possibilities. We are all carefully created and choreographed to be here now. As we change/hold/shift/strengthen/DO OUR PART, we are changing the world that is being born. We are changing ourselves, our future, the lives of the people who will come after us. This Full Moon in Gemini conjunct Mars is about our personal revolution/evolution. Small changes produce big - square to Jupiter - and lasting - trine to Saturn - RESULTS. 

 

The conclusions and releases happening now are even older stories - square to Neptune, sextile to Chiron - than we can KNOW in this 3D reality. Although we can intuit them if we are open enough and certainly we all know feel bigger things are happening than what looks like is happening.


December looks much easier after we get past this Moon, so just don't go nuts here. No sudden actions we could regret later. We don't need to rush into new enthusiasms right away. No dropping information BOMBS on other people. Keep a cool head. Watch your words. Know that suppressed anger will be coming up for many people and be smart about how you are dealing with it.


Once we get to the Cappy New Moon in a couple weeks we will begin the process of building new goals and dreams and businesses and stability/footings AND Mercury's retrograde in Cappy, will help us be sure to get it right. By about the third week of January 2023, ALL planets will be full steam ahead for many weeks and our hard work, patience, maturity and humility will start to pay off BIG TIME (think about the efforts we have made since last spring that haven't gone anywhere suddenly going somewhere - Mars direct, Mercury direct and Jupiter in Aries - and what that will mean!). 

 

xo all

weekly astrology forecast | December 5th - 11th, 2022 - powerful and passionate Full Moon on fiery Mars plus two planets change signs off squares to bigger-is-better Jupiter, whew!



With a Full Moon in Gemini conjunct a retrograde Mars, both Mercury and Venus squaring Jupiter and then changing signs, this will be a BIG and busy week!


Both Mercury and Venus are going to square Jupiter in 'no limits' Pisces from the over-the-top energies of Sagittarius and then move into sober/serious Capricorn within hours.  

 

This can be where we have a dream/stretch/hope that we immediately get to work on to make it real, or, we over-do something and then are faced with the immediate ramifications of this. Buyer's remorse. We over-share information and regret it. We over-share resources/ourselves/our hearts and regret it. We get TOO angry, impulsive or agitated - Mars this week! - and regret it.

 

Now, the 'regret' part isn't built into this, but the reality of anything we have "over"-done will be quickly felt as the planets move into Capricorn.

 

Instant karma. 

 

AND, of course, this 'instant karma' can be a good thing, too, depending on what we do with these Jupiter squares - our faith, hope, confidence, optimism can be REWARDED.

 

Our best use of this week's energy is to SEE the possibilities because, THEY ARE THERE, without buying into the urgency to do too much or act too fast then GET DOWN TO BUSINESS with the possibilities once Cappy has reined them in a bit - it won't take long. This isn't about waiting, but if it feels like we need to be leaping and expecting the net to appear - take a breath, gather your common sense. With an almost immediate landing in Cappy energies, we definitely want to be building the net before we jump.


Also this week, the Gemini Full Moon on Mars retrograde is a potential powder-keg. Almost makes this a double Full Moon. I have already written that post, so it will be up tomorrow night.

 

The Full Moon is also (Sun opposite Mars) the mid-point of the Mars retrograde cycle and brings us clarity/illumination, sometimes an ending focused on what we have had to re-vise, re-view, re-do, do twice or what was postponed/held-up since the end of October.  


This can also focus a white hot spotlight on what we've been refusing to act on or suppressing anger about.

 

Mars retrograde has many of us exhausted and scattered and acting on repeat.With a BIG Full Moon at the same time Mars opposes the Sun we want to take care not to act impulsively or over-react from this tired/scattered space.


Let's unpack the week!

 

MONDAY - Black Moon Lilith conjunct retrograde Pallas (second time)

TUESDAY - Mercury square Jupiter, Mercury enters Capricorn

WEDNESDAY - Sun inconjunct Uranus

THURSDAY - Mars retrograde opposes the Sun, FULL MOON IN GEMINI

FRIDAY - Venus square Jupiter, Venus enters Capricorn

 

MONDAY looks tricky. The Moon is exalted in Taurus, but challenged by meeting up with chaotic Uranus and inconjunct the Sagittarius Sun as the Sun inconjuncts Uranus. Black Moon Lilith meets up with Pallas again today, too, this time with Pallas retrograde (both still in Cancer). 


The Moon meets Uranus every month. She is strong in Taurus and can hold her own. We might feel rebellious or just be more comfortable with change (or need to be). We might find ourselves attracted to unusual things or people. This month as the Moon meets Uranus, the Moon is inconjunct the Sun, so it's trickier/more uncomfortable. 

 

The Moon's inconjunct to the Sun is this month's Waxing Inconjunct - one final tweak to our New Moon story before this week's Full Moon in Gemini. 

 

This is Taurus/Sag. Change can be frustrating to fixed earth Taurus. Taurus likes to accumulate for security/comfort. Sag likes to circulate/spend. Taurus commits, Sag not so much. The Sag Sun wants to do something, is hopeful, maybe wants to EXPAND or spend money and the Taurus Moon comes along and says hold on now, "CAN WE REALLY AFFORD TO LOSE WHAT WE HAVE? Shouldn't we hold onto this for our security/comfort?" And, if we are a more lunar type and keyed into the Taurus Moon - sitting tight and holding on - here is where the expansive Sag Sun comes along and ask us to take a chance, to take something further, to spend, to stretch outside our comfort zone. There isn't a right or wrong with an inconjunct or even an answer - (unlike a square that requires action) it just shows the problem/conflict/tension. It's a rock and a hard place. Sometimes we have to decide and then decide to not look back. The Sun is inconjunct the North Node, so adjustments are happening in order for us to have a more stable/simple future. Stay in your integrity with this one.


This is happening as Black Moon Lilith - doing her long dance through Cancer this year, I did some summer posts about her HERE and HERE - meets up with Pallas again. This is their meeting with Pallas retrograde - so the part where we are re-vising, re-viewing, re-doing, etc, most likely something within a home or family situation. One thing to keep in mind with Pallas - our smart/strategic energy - is that, like her brother Mars, Pallas is a WARRIOR. Her strategies, even in nurturing Cancer, are about WINNING. Joined with BML, this is dangerous energy, but potent for working with 'mother wounds', 'mom as scapegoat' or 'mom as victim' story-lines that need to be addressed. This is making me think of the Casey Anthony mini-series, in this case the dad is the likely scapegoat mom energy. I did alot of astro work on her case many years back for a Facebook group and might post it here this week if anyone is interested. 

 

Keep in mind with the Full Moon/Mars this week that is building we want to keep a cool head - passionate words, maybe angry words are going to come out, but we don't have to cut anyone's head off or lose our own. Drive safely. Don't go looking for trouble.


TUESDAY is all about Mercury. She/he squares Jupiter - this is good news/expansive opportunities/conversations/ideas - also the possibility that what is being said or heard or read or hoped for is exaggerated. AVOID OVER-PROMISING. Take a breath. If we get too preachy or over-promise or over-do something we will get a quick reality check. Mercury, at the Galactic Center, squares Jupiter who is at the last degree of the last sign, so, to me, this looks like it has a soul connection to something similar we have done before in a previous life (or an ancestor has) to wrap something up and now we have the opportunity in this life, to wrap it up in a better, more conscious, more responsible way.

 

With Mercury (thoughts, communication, ideas) moving into Capricorn today, our words will want to be taken seriously. Communications will be fact-checked. Sentences will be properly punctuated and spell checkers will be applied. Ideas will be more traditional. Words that are focused and precise are most effective now. Traditional stories and songs will resonate. 


This isn't Mercury's favorite place to hang out - and because of his upcoming retrograde, he will be here until February 11th. Mercury prefers words be fast and flexible and Capricorn is the opposite of this. Words are solid and sober here. Flowery language isn't welcome. When we take our words and ideas seriously other people will, too.
 

(this is also true of all Capricorn ruled things such as businesses - if we don't take our business seriously no one else will. Women say to me "my husband doesn't take my business seriously and he won't take it seriously until it makes serious money" and I'm always thinking "he won't take it seriously until you do and you won't make serious money until then either". Some people do get lucky, and I have a few times, making money without taking things seriously. I've always found that money doesn't stick though - I need to be serious, ie have sustainable systems in place, to make "sticky" money. And even then keep in mind everything is cyclical, nothing lasts forever.)

 

Ruled by Saturn, Capricorn, does alot of what it does out of fear (it's the whole winter thing, that Cappy rules along with Aquarius, there is a need for seriousness when the world is frozen if we are to survive). We will be able to see how fearful thinking and negative language holds us back and/or is connecting us to the wrong things (maybe old things once worked for us) and holding us separate from the stuff we want now. Your words are your fortune now.

 

Mercury will start traveling Cappy degrees he will walk three times starting on December 12th (she stations retrograde on December 29th), so keep in mind there will be a need to re-work our Cappy house theme and the collective theme of our careers, goals, fathers, the structures of our lives. This is all part of the work we need to do before 2023's late winter 'all systems go' and then the changes coming in spring 2023.

WEDNESDAY is the day the Sun inconjuncts Uranus, so more Sag/Taurus rocks and hard places. Adjustments are needed between those greener pastures and the future.

THURSDAY is the BIG Full Moon in Gemini exactly conjunct Mars. Mars is back where he (as we) was near the middle of September. Some people will be triggered into anger/impulsivity so another reason to TAKE A BREATH. Expect a BIG post tomorrow.


FRIDAY is the day Venus is doing what Mercury did earlier in the week. She squares Jupiter - we love more, spend more, want to give more/get more, want to go for it. Then she immediately moves into sober Capricorn - think buyer's remorse, hangover, waking up in bed next to someone and they don't look so grand as they did last night. You get the idea. Take a breath. What do you truly value/need/want? We don't want to miss the Venus/Jupiter optimism, but it will pay off to keep in mind the Venus in Cappy reality that is coming.

 

And like Mercury earlier in the week, and, of course this can all be part of the same thing - Venus, crosses the Galactic Center  - our homing signal at the center of creation - and squares Jupiter who is at the last degree of the last sign, so, to me, this looks like a soul connection to something similar we have done before in a previous life (or an ancestor has), maybe toward the end of that life or to wrap something up - likely financial or relationship focused - and now we have a new opportunity in this life, to do this in a better, more faith-filled, more conscious, more responsible way which will lead to more ABUNDANCE - because the way a void is created has much to do with the way it gets re-filled/re-stocked (or maybe better said would be 'the way we respond to the void' has much to do with how it gets refilled). There is a reason the Galactic Center is in optimistic Jupiter ruled Sagittarius! We will talk more about this, too, in the Full Moon post. 


After her square to expansive Jupiter, Venus (love, money, women, values, self-esteem, beauty) moves into Capricorn. 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 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. Enjoy this energy dear Cappys - with Pluto in your sign for so many years, you have most decidedly earned it. Invest in yourself now!
 

This is the time to get serious with Venus ruled themes. There is beauty in a balanced 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. 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.
 

Tradition will become a focus - the way something has always been done. This is a Cappy season/winter thing that can make us nostalgic. 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 January 2, 2023. 


Last year Venus retrograded in Capricorn, so this is her first time through here since her 2021, 40 days and 40 nights - will be interesting to see what happens when she gets to 21-22 degrees Cappy this time. Last year Omicron was announced and it dialed down the pandemic death rate dramatically over time. This was before Mars passed Venus and crossed those same "hot" degrees (time runs out from January 2020) himself and Russia bombed Ukraine for the first time. Venus will reach these degrees this year at the end of December just as Jupiter moves into Aries and starts answering to Mars and Mercury stations retrograde (so Mars retrograde will be answering to a retrograde Mercury for the first time). The final dispositor of all this will be Saturn in Aquarius. Will be interesting and we will be ready for it!


I hope something here is helpful, will post the Full Moon next. My wholesale orders are wrapping up this week, so I should be able to post more often, so we can look at the big picture and 2023!


xo all


please excuse any typos too tired to re-read this one


photography by the talented marina kochetyga