one chapter closes, another chapter opens ...

starting point by fox-orian

As Mars meets up with Saturn today in Sagittarius initiating a new chapter of Saturnian lessons we can be grateful for two things

(and gratitude and patience will help us immensely today).

First, even as Saturn narrows our options and requires us to step into new responsibilities, Sagittarius expansion and optimism widen our story.

Jupiter (Sagittarius ruler) is soon to move out of his tiny leased apartment in Virgo where things have been tidy, maybe, but so cramped Jupiter had no space to be Jupiter. The good stuff he's used to unleashing via growth has had no space to unfurl itself.

Well, he's got some new, more spacious digs over in Libra starting next month. He can finally unpack all the goodies he's had stored in the closet the past year. His influence (and the magnetism of Venus who he will be answering to) will be activated.

Influence is what moves us and how we are open and available to be moved. It's good to respond to the power of influence (what are we drawn toward? what do we attract?) with constancy - steadying the motion (action) it inspires and creating a space to contain it. This is where Saturn will be very helpful, because this is what he does.

It might be best to see it in very old fashioned terms. A man (Jupiter) marries a woman (Venus) and brings her into his home (and yes, I know he is actually entering Venus's home, but let's not split hairs, no story is perfect and I'm writing this from my sick bed - play me some violin music and toss me some mentholated cough drops, please) and he makes room for her there. Good luck comes to him from this more feminine way of relating - being open and allowing space for new influences. This will be our good luck, too, in our next chapter.

Influence might first enter our life as a stirring realization that we might be somewhere else. Something starts pulling us thataway with no clear ideas of what it all means other than damn we have itchy feet. 

OK, back to the second thing we have to be grateful for today.

That Scorpio chapter, the chapter that included whatever lessons we learned while Saturn roamed Scorpio from 2012-2015 and whatever was reinforced while Mars retrograded there earlier this year - well that chapter is concluding. Some of the characters and situations make an appearance in future chapters, of course, that's how stories work - but the lessons Saturn tightened up our life to impart on us, well we either got them or we didn't. And I think we did.

So, what have we learned since 2012? Let's be grateful for whatever has made us the people we are today.

Now, we not only have Saturn and Mars getting together today, we also have another Yod (finger of God - fate - cosmic course correction) and something called a Mystic Rectangle, known to ancient astrologers for its power to resurrect old (even very old) dreams.

So, as we head into this new chapter some things will be out of our hands, some dreams will be carried from our past (and our ancestors past) and new influences will soon draw us in new directions and toward new people and experiences and draw others to us (and I hope to hell you've put time into that flock I told you, you were going to need in this next chapter).

Saturn's lessons have steeled us for this next part of our journey. Are we ready?

xo all

Merc's about to go retro - BACK UP YOUR FILES!

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 22nd - hitting that wall (part ll)

OK, let's dig right in.

This week is a bit nuts and I'm sorry I didn't get this posted on Sunday night. I am starting to take more seriously how Mars (Scorpio rising) and Saturn (Sun in Aquarius conjunct Saturn) impact my health.

If we have any options this week with scheduling important meetings maybe avoid Tuesday through Thursday. I know this isn't always possible. We can use our knowledge of astrology to realize there will be alot of crazy background noise everyone will be dealing with. If we must present something, interview, etc during this time - know things could be challenging and channel this energy to BE AMBITIOUS.

Ambition is rewarded now.

It's Virgo season, so stay detail and solution focused if things get hairy or move off course.

On Tuesday/Wednesday, we have the Mars/Saturn conjunction we've been talking about

(hitting the wall and doing what it takes to get over that wall). This is a moment of truth - the culmination of some long and unfolding situation is here.

One reason this is so important is that this is happening on the fixed star Antares which is historically been connected to violence and the military and the Sagittarius themes involved (religion, freedom, politics, foreign) have been so much in the news lately. Anyone planning mayhem could get really lucky with this energy. We'll hope that doesn't happen.

The other reason this conjunction is important is that it initiates a new two year cycle of Saturn lessons expressed through Mars.

What does that mean? We have Mars, finally covering new ground in Sagittarius, remember he was retrograde for most of this year and much of the time in Scorpio. And we have Saturn just beginning to pick up speed and move forward from his own retrograde.

They meet now at 10 degrees Sagittarius.

The last time they met was on August 25, 2014 at 17 degrees Scorpio - this initiated the Scorpio cycle that is currently ending.

So, collectively, we (humanity), will be taking action (Mars) and learning lessons through challenges (Saturn) focused on Sagittarius themes. 

Sagittarius is the sign of the gypsy, the scholar and the philosopher. Sagittarius rules the 9th house of the higher mind and higher (meaning further from the place we started) experiences. It rules religion, morality and philosophy. It rules freedom. It rules what is foreign to us (and that will mean different things to different people). It rules: legal, travel, foreigners, education, media, marketing, wedding, religious and political themes.

So we have Mars, which is our initiative and our drive and our physical energy working through Saturn - and Saturn means roadblocks and challenges and success through hard work and taking the time to get things right - focused on those Sagittarius themes.

Considering what is happening in the world with the refugee crisis, religious conflicts and political unrest it makes sense that our actions and focus would be here. Saturn will show us all the ways what we are currently doing is not working. He will make us walk our talk here.

By the time Mars and Saturn meet up in Capricorn in 2018 - our Sagittarius themes will have evolved (how they evolve is the free will part that is up to us). This doesn't mean we will solve the refugee crisis or religious conflicts or the current political systems that serve the few at the expense of the many, but two years of action and energy directed in these areas will create real change and Saturn will make the changes stick!

With Mars there is always the threat of physical violence. Mars is war. Mars is act first and ask questions later. These are dangerous times. I don't want to sugarcoat anything because we will have our collective energy focused on the very themes that have brought us so much violence. On the other hand Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, is about new adventures and new opportunities and new truths coming to light. 

The reason astrology is not a perfect predictor of the future is that the actions we take change what will happen. So astrology can see the patterns and the archetypes we bring to the patterns but we always get to choose how we act and how we re-act. What we do always affects the outcome. There is a great opportunity for the collective here (and yes there are great opportunities for crazy zealots and military crazies, too, because they will have this energy to work with also) - hopefully we will use it well.

Because we have two malefic planets meeting up in a malefic space this week, it is important to dial down any type of conflict. So, let's say someone says something on Facebook you would normally comment on. Maybe this time you step back, take a deep breath, see that they are allowed this other point of view and just let it go. Exhale. Take a walk. Don't engage.

Your daughter has a new boyfriend and his name is Taylor and he wears skinny jeans and thinks she shouldn't have to stay home on Saturday morning and cut the front lawn because you shouldn't have a front lawn. Take a walk. Don't engage.

You get the idea. 

Now, this new two year cycle is a personal cycle in our own chart as well as a collective cycle. I write about a lot of very fleeting transits in these weeklies but this one matters and will be more impactful.

Where is 10 degrees Sagittarius in your natal (and progressed) chart? We will naturally find this house becoming more and more the focus of our actions and energy. AMBITION in this area of our life will reap the rewards. We will see the road blocks and the ways things are not working, but when we do the work to make changes in this area the rewards will be multiplied by tenfold.

(if you don't know which house this is or what this house rules - ask me!)

If you have planets in mutable signs (Sagittarius, Virgo, Pisces and Gemini) from 8-12 degrees you are undoubtedly feeling the pressure of this week's conjunction already.

For many people, some part of our life is a pressure cooker and this week as Mars meets Saturn - exact tomorrow, maybe most challenging on Thursday - it could feel like we have hit a wall. Because we have.

Our energy, our actions and our anger can take us over that wall or create new and different obstacles - wall gone - pool of slimy muck straight ahead! We're standing on the other side like, tell me again why I needed to get over this wall?!

Of course, there's also the possibility of something dazzling on the other side!

We could give up now or climb by our fingernails over the top.

Whether we make it over or let go of trying (which might be exactly the correct course) - something has to end here.

When Mars moves past Saturn later in the week that wall is behind us one way or the other.

After Mars meets Saturn he squares Neptune in Pisces. This activate the Saturn/Neptune square we have been dealing with all year. Our dreams vs reality- what do we really believe.

On Thursday, we also have Venus (love, money, values, women) inconjunct Uranus so there could be an unexpected adjustment with one of those Venus themes.

The Mars/Saturn stress ease up as we hit the weekend although certain tensions will continue to build as we approach the September 1st solar eclipse. 

On Saturday, Venus hooks up with Jupiter (good luck, expansion) at 27 degrees Virgo, this is an EXCELLENT opportunity for all those Venus themes and if you were born around the 20th of March, June, September or December, even better! Single people get out and mingle.

So we have the most malefic planets meeting the same week we have the most benefic planets meeting!!

And still ahead we have the September eclipses - something eclipsed out, something coming to light, big somethings, Jupiter moving into Libra and Mars leaving Sagittarius. Lots of change ahead for all of us.

xo all (back later this week with a big picture post)

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 22nd - hitting that wall (part l)

On Monday, the Sun joins Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and the North Node in detail oriented Virgo.

We are all burning Virgo fuel now! I've been talking about Virgo and our need to prioritize - our health, service to others, small steps, what is right in front of us, the details, quality - since 1. our North Node went into Virgo and it became our collective way forward and 2. Jupiter went into Virgo and it became our way to expand. Little was the new big this year. We are familiar with it. This continues with an even stronger emphasis now.

With a solar eclipse in Virgo on September 1st we can expect major changes for Virgos and our Virgo natal houses.

The shadow of Virgo is self-criticism (and criticism of everyone and everything) and self doubt - setting too high a standard. Perfectionism. Nothing is ever good enough and often things don't get finished so they don't have to be judged and come up short. Since Virgo energy is here to learn to love themselves unconditionally, we are pretty much guaranteed to miss something. 

Learning when good enough is good enough is our job now. This is an excellent time to put our energy (Sun) into Virgo tasks like organizing, sorting, thinking, managing.

The key to getting the most from any Virgo season is focusing our energy in one direction and not getting distracted with all the shiny objects that are outside our control.

With Virgo's ruling planet Mercury about to go retrograde - BACK UP YOUR FILES - we will have extra time to cross our t's and dot our i's with whatever we are about to have in front of us.

The Moon is void all day Monday (working hours) so if you play hookey (or make a big presentation) nothing will come of it. Sleep in. :)

On Tuesday, the Moon in Taurus has us focused on our income, our possessions. There will be adjustments with legal themes or something related to educational, travel, media, marketing, wedding or religion as Mars and Saturn (in Sagittarius) approach their conjunction.

I am going to write the rest of this post tonight - just wanted to get Monday out there. I am sick again -ugh and need a clearer head to write the rest of the week! Big changes ahead! Going back to bed for a bit. xo all