The astrology of 2020 | part IV - major pivot points ahead, revolutionary prepwork, staying flexible, holding the light

I have put off looking too far ahead with everything that is happening and tried to just focus on the BIG picture. I sometimes think I should be looking/thinking ahead, but then feel my energy sucked into a great big void when I sit down to actually wrote about it.

We are being asked to embody a whole new program and it is going to take some time to download!

Our lives are like those little hourglasses spinning around on the screen.

It's not the best time to be looking. But let's look a little bit ahead anyway, keeping in mind you need to use your discernment because it is a time of looking within and who really knows how ineptly I could be viewing all this right now with my own stellium so activated .... :)

Anyhoo, here goes.

At the end of April, a HUGE shift will begin as Pluto stations retrograde. Normally Pluto's retrograde station isn't something we can personally feel (unless it is hitting an important point in our natal chart), but when the planet of death (and rebirth) starts backing up during a pandemic, I think that is going to mean something.

He stations retrograde squaring Mercury (in fiery Aries!) - suspicion, angry words, verbal manipulations and power plays - we are heading for something BIG here.

And just days before mercurial Mercury takes over the North Node!

APRIL 25TH - Pluto stations retrograde (death postponed, outer transformation becomes inner transformation, mess to be cleaned up before he stations direct in October) *
MAY 5TH - NORTH NODE INTO GEMINI, SOUTH NODE INTO SAGITTARIUS - this is also the trigger date for next month's first Eclipse
MAY 7TH - Full Moon in Scorpio (which will be ruled by that retrograde Pluto)
MAY 11TH - Saturn stations retrograde* (rules/limits relax, endings postponed)
MAY 13TH - Venus stations retrograde
MAY 14TH - Jupiter stations retrograde (expansion ends)
MAY 17TH - Pallas stations retrograde

By the middle of May, FIVE planets/bodies will be retrograde (!) including Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter - the energies that kicked this whole thing off - see January HERE

AND the North Node, our best path forward, will be out of Cancer (home, family, our inner life) and the South Node, what we we have stirred up to see what should stay and what we should leave behind, out of Capricorn (work, our outer life). 

So, by mid-May, this first phase of the pandemic will be shifting gears. And this shifting could involve alot of grinding, stops and starts, but should involve a backward momentum - death postponed, time to clean up the mess, rules relaxed, endings delayed.

(Just as I write this, hubs who is going to need a serious YouTube rehab when this is all over - for I have no idea what reason, but synchronistically shows me a video of a guy in a brand new, fancy race-boat backing away from the off-ramp into the water and suddenly putting the boat into forward motion and slamming back into the ramp. "I guess he has wrecked the bottom of his new boat", I say. "And his engine", he adds.)

Let's proceed with a slow and steady backing up plan here. Let's get turned around before we hit that throttle.

Now, because the medical establishment thinks this virus could 'return' in the fall/winter

(and the news media have saturated our consciousnesses with this, and keep in mind, they also think and the media reports the virus may be unaffected by weather and not disappear in the summer, so as to cover all their foggy bases, no doubt)

AND because the astrology could be said to support this - since we are talking about pivots/a slowdown coming through retrograde periods, it is possible this is just what will happen.

Sooner or later the retrograde planets will start moving direct again and we will be back where we were in the spring, although older and wiser.

Jupiter stations direct mid-September (bringing him back to mid-May), Saturn at the end of September (back to mid-May) and Pluto the beginning of October (back to the end of April).

So, by the time Jupiter meets Pluto for the third and final time, near 11/11/2020 (!) - and we have ALOT of other things going on around that time - we could be back in the soup. Again.

Of course, it is also possible, because, here in the United States, this date is one week after the U.S. election - we will not be back in the same soup, but an entirely different pot.

In the United States this is all happening in the United States second house (our money, values, self-esteem) and in opposition to our natal Mercury (so driven by health, Mercury being the ruler of Virgo the sign of our health and driven by the media/news/information, Mercury also being the ruler of Gemini, ruler of information and ideas not all of which are accurate or true), and is part of our upcoming American Revolution Part II (Pluto return 2022), so all bets are kind of off with this one.

Keep in mind, Plutonian transits - and we just had a collective doozy of a Plutonian transit - Pluto/Saturn - and are in the middle of another Plutonian transit, this second one a three-peat - Pluto/Jupiter (April, August and November) - are PERMANENT. 

There isn't a magic wand that will be waved and put us back where we were before. 

Pluto wipes away "back there" - it simply doesn't exist anymore.

This will mean different things to different people.

Whether we are going to rise from our death bed's sweaty sheets or lock the doors and take to our beds forever is entirely up to each of us.

This "permanent change" (and I am not talking about masks and 'social distancing' here) isn't a totally bad thing and, yes, we might have to stretch and reach for the things we can label as good for a awhile.

And if we do this we will find them because they are and will be EVERYWHERE.

We'll talk about this more as we move through this.

*****

Now, this summer is going to have THREE eclipses, so there is alot of change and alot in flux throughout the summer. Eclipses have alot of staying power, work forward and backward and move through cycles.

Eclipses are cosmic course corrections. Things get eclipsed out or out of our way. We get a re-set. Things come to light or to a conclusion. There isn't much we can control about Eclipse energies.

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

If we are looking for things to settle down - that probably isn't going to happen.

JUNE 5TH - Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (15 degrees Sag) squaring Mars - I sometimes find Eclipse events happen pretty much exactly one month before or after the actual Eclipse date - so this takes us back to May 5th when the Nodes change signs, there could be a dramatic event then, and it takes us forward to July 5th which is that third-wheel Lunar Eclipse in the middle of Capricorn possibly giving this Eclipse extra oomph, so all three dates are POWERFUL indicators for change.
JUNE 18TH - Mercury stations retrograde (in Cancer right in the middle of the eclipses!)
JUNE 21ST - New Moon Solar Eclipse (1 degree Cancer, hours after Summer Solstice)
JUNE 23RD - Neptune stations retrograde
JUNE 25TH - Venus stations direct
JUNE 27th - Mars enters Aries - where he will be, due to his upcoming retrograde, FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR. And during which time he will square Pluto three times - August, October and December. Keep in mind that Pluto moves very slowly and is going to be within a couple degrees of his January position all year, so any contact with Pluto activates the Saturn/Pluto AND it activates the Jupiter/Pluto.
JUNE 30th -  Jupiter conjuncts Pluto (for the second time, this is the conjunction where they are both retrograde)
JULY 5TH - Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (13 degrees Capricorn)

So, June, and into the first week or so of July, just looks like a WILD RIDE - almost anything can happen!

You can see there are just too many pivot points to make anything more than educated guesses about what will happen.We are just going to have to hang on loosely.

Just like we could see at the January 2020 eclipse that 'mama-bear standing all alone against the world' and we could see 'time running out' at the January Saturn/Pluto pow-wow, but we couldn't see the collision course of all of this resulting in this exact pandemic/time-out.

I am posting this as the Sun squares that Jupiter/Pluto and as Mercury meets with Chiron. This is tricky energy. And we are still in this 'waiting' space. Mercury/Chiron here is kind of like we have an idea of who we are and then we defend it on a mental level. And then here is life - this stellium at the end of Capricorn/beginning of Aquarius - pushing to change us. Demanding we interact with life on life's terms and not our own.

We are heading into a nodal shift to Gemini/Sagittarius - we want to be holding on very loosely to our ideals and our ideas. We have to be flexible. We have to trust (Jupiter!) that we have what we need for this time we are living through. We have to trust this will all work out in the end (because it will, this is assured - this doesn't mean we get to sit this one out and not participate though, this has clearly been brought home to all of us in the last month).

In the iChing - ARGUING follows waiting. And 'arguing for something' makes a much better beginning than it does an ending. We'll talk about that in tomorrow's post.

xo all

I have had a few people write me about conspiracy theories and about Bill Gates global agenda with vaccines that can be tracked inside our bodies (or ability to change the world through tech/science, depending on how you look at it and both are true probably), so I took a look at his chart and will do a full post about it. It is very interesting with mega-ties to these times. He has a natal Jupiter/Pluto conjunction - huge power potential here - and it exactly trines Neptune, so no limits. His natal Chiron is at 0 degrees Aquarius, Uranus is on his ascendant and his Nodes are Sagittarius/Gemini, so opposite the new Nodes we are heading into. A person with a natal Jupiter/Pluto conjunction in a year when we have three Jupiter Pluto conjunctions is going to be mega-activated. Mega-powerful. One problem I see ahead for Bill's plans - for good or ill - is that nodal opposition because Hillary had that when she looked like she was going to win and then didn't and that natal Chiron opposing his important Uranus - his Achille's heel at the important degree of 0 Aquarius, another uber activated degree, especially at the end of the year when Jupiter meets Saturn. On the other hand that could be his ace in the hole depending on what he does with it. We will take a better look! In the meantime try not to get too caught up in conspiracy theories - true or untrue we can't tell - and even if powerful nefarious forces are at work rest assured God/the Universe/love is stronger than any of them and knows what he/she is doing with all of this!

photo by the amazing Brooke Shaden

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of April 13th 2020 - power struggles, resistance, proof, words hurt, words heal, the end of the week gets better - hang in there

There is lots of Aries energy this week, folks - which means action, initiative, passion, impulsivity, anger, relationship challenges, opportunities to stand up and opportunities to stand alone.

The Sun is squaring off with that January activation point now, currently the home of some powerful players - when people tell us to stay "safe" we can add "and sane" - it seems four letter "S" words are our friend now.

TUESDAY - Sun squares Pluto
WEDNESDAY - Sun squares Jupiter, Mercury conjuncts Chiron
SATURDAY - Mercury sextiles Venus, Mercury sextiles Mars

BEGINNING/MIDDLE OF THE WEEK

We start the week with the Moon moving into sober Capricorn. This can sometimes feel heavy/depressing anyway, focus us on "winter"/what we don't have, and now adds to the pressure of the Capricorn planets.

We are nurtured by stepping into our responsibilities, work, planning, limits, setting down rules. Taking care of business. Money in the bank and food in the cupboard - we are nurtured by the stuff we have earned.

The Sun (almost through his Aries journey) will square Pluto and then Jupiter. He is also squaring the activation point of January's mega Cappy pow-wow energies. At the same time Mercury is meeting up with hurting/healing Chiron.

This stuff isn't for sissies.

The solar squares are magnified pressure/power/fear.

Something is illuminated. PROOF of what the Jupiter/Pluto 2020 storyline is giving us. 

(this PROOF will be different things to different people - some will see the dry "facts" we are provided with as "truth", others will see conspiracy theories actualized or dissolved and others will see the light they are holding "the positive in what is happening" spotlighted in deeper ways - there are not any right or wrong answers here - this is a process and not a test - everyone is needed and playing an important role now) 

Squares are tension/frustration. Aries/Capricorn is our individual action/passion/purpose vs authority/knowledge that our personal power can be stripped away from us.

Power struggles. Resistance. Tangles with authority will most likely not go our way.

Keep in mind Pluto is always death/rebirth - transformation through the 'dark night of the soul'. We evolve through loss - merging/purging. There isn't any way to hurry this stuff along or away. It just is. Pushing/manipulating as a way to hang onto something that is "dead" (ie no prana, no breath, no life-force) creates tension/frustration.

Avoid impulsive situations where you can be manipulated and check yourself before using these dark powers.

Know with these energies triggering, arguably, the biggest activation point of our lifetimes -  

we need to be strong and brave because we are going to have to face the dark/our fears/any spaces that lack love.

(I have had a few emails from people asking if the astrology looks like this upside down world we are living in is a conspiracy. Life on planet Earth doesn't allow us to have all the answers. Are there illusions/power plays/manipulations here? Undoubtedly. But, keep in mind, this is still a free-will planet and a space of polarity. We can't always control what happens to us, but we do get to control how we respond. We can choose our focus. There are always going to be times when the dark/the fear (because our operating system is really only love and lack of love/fear) gets to play its hand. Just keep in mind, these are transits, ie transitory. We are forever, but these circumstances aren't. We are co-creating a totally different world - maybe what looks harsh and hard is actually the gentlest way to get us there.)

Aries squares can stimulate situations where we are forced to step up and assert ourselves.

At the same time we have Mercury (in Aries now) meeting hurting/healing Chiron. 

Sharp/impulsive language can activate our deepest wounds and insecurities.

Although painful, there are words that probably need to be said/heard. Conversations that need to happen. Information that needs to be looked at.

For some people Mercury will trigger hurting/healing through a sibling/local community or transportation situation.

Still, check your language. Mercury in Aries can use his/her words as weapons. Be thoughtful (ie thinking about what you are saying and the way you are saying it).

Chiron in Aries forms a natural opposition to Libra (and this is part of the Aries/Libra polarity dance) - this would be a time when the other people in our lives, and the people we meet, who have the energetic frequencies that can easily re-wound us (trigger our early wounding/past life wounds/familial karma), will do just that.

Also, keep in mind with Chiron in Aries - no one is coming along to save us. As the Hopi would say - we are the ones we have been waiting for.

We are going to have to pull our own fat asses out of this well. 

When we are the one being triggered (and we will know we are being triggered because our emotions will be out of proportion to what is being said) we can step back a little - that Mars in Aquarius - and think about why this triggering in us.

Why are we so mad/hurt about these words?

We can have compassion for ourselves. Know we are safe/loved/worthy. Know this is just what we needed to hear right now to see what we need to see/feel what we need to feel.

As we heal ourselves we heal everyone else, too.

At the same time Venus (who is now walking degrees in Gemini she will walk two more times) makes her first of three sextiles (opportunities) to Black Moon Lilith - right now at 8 degrees Aries. Maybe we are attracted to something outside the box now. Something taboo. This is a long story-line that takes us into the end of July. With Venus in Gemini, our values are changing. Again there is the need to bring everyone, and every part of ourselves, to the table this year.

By the middle of the week the Moon will make her way into Aquarius (with so much going on at the end of Cappy/beginning of Aquarius, she avoids any void and we don't get any void Moons until Friday which is unusual). We can emotionally take a step back to process what is going on.

Now we are nurtured through our groups, through the goals that bring us into connection with other people, by allowing our freak-flag to fly, by the new and unusual, through technology and Aquarian/Uranian people. We will talk about the Moon more in the dailies.

END OF THE WEEK

The end of the week looks BETTER. The Moon moves into nostalgic, emotional, intuitive and imaginative Pisces. We are nurtured through art, music, the past, our ancestors, what is behind us, stuff we can't touch, water, actual Pisces/Neptunian people, maybe nurtured through our rose-colored glasses, but sometimes we need rose-colored glasses and our masks are fogging our glasses up anyway. 

Mercury (almost to the middle of Aries - she is flying, people!) sextiles both Venus (in Gemini) and Mars (in Aquarius). Our words/conversations/information are now HELPING us attract and take action on what we want. 

There is flow. There are opportunities here.

Back with the big picture timelines - which I know I have been promising for-evah - and the dailies!

xo all

photo by the amazing oprisco

Today's Astrology Forecast | Saturday, April 11, 2020 - more clarity, new thinking, our perspective shifts, impulsive ideas face some restraint which only makes them better, translating the old into the new, something is collectively noticed

The Moon in optimistic, big-picture and faith-holding Sagittarius opposes Venus at 3:27AM EDT and then sextiles (opportunity) Mars at 6:03AM EDT which will color the day.

The BIG news, Mercury finally gets out of the Pisces soup (he's been here since February!) and begins a new cycle in fiery Aries.

The conversation changes. New plans. New ideas. Mercury in Aries is so fast, she/he can solve problems before we even know we have a problem! This is going to be a fast transit (only through April 27th), but that's all we will need for our thinking/the conversation/ideas to SHIFT.

Our language and thinking becomes more focused, clear-headed and passionate.

Mercury (ideas, thinking, language) in Aries puts our instinct into words. Our mind gets faster. Our tongue gets sharper. Words get pushy.

It is easier to speak up for ourselves and ask for what we want/need.

We can also more easily pick an argument as language becomes more competitive. Mercury in Aries says, "I know what I think and this is what I think."

The silence that was so golden in Pisces - gets broken in Aries.

The best use of this transit would be saying what we really think - and yes, this can get us into trouble, so we won't be an ass about it - keep in mind Aries' impulses can be either self-aggrandizing and immature or soulful and sparking a needed fire - also solving a problem (fire brings fresh insights), initiating a new course of study and creating a bold, 'hot-off-the-press' plan. The choice is ours.

Think - fresh start with Mercury themes - words, thinking, writing, learning, teaching, ideas, sibling issues, transportation, your local community. Also bringing fresh words and fresh thinking into your Aries house theme. What house does Aries rule in your natal chart? What is the theme of that house?

Immediately, Mercury moves into a sextile with sober Saturn (now at the very beginning of Aquarius). We can take something from the past (or a limit/responsibility) and use it now in these challenging times. Translate the old into the new. New language/thinking and old structures/authority working together. Keep in mind Saturn always brings the restraints - but with a harmonious sextile, the restraints provide the focus/structure/tradition - they make the "new" longer lasting/make the new better.

Saturn will keep Mercury in Aries from being too impulsive - a good thing.

From the weekly HERE

"Now, it's Mercury's turn to finally bust a move as he swims out of Pisces and into Aries. BOOM. THIS MATTERS.

Remember she/he was part of January's Pluto/Saturn conjunction. She has been back and forth through virus-ruling Pisces for many weeks because of her retrograde (and remember Mercury is not only the messenger God but also the trickster God).

She has just squared the Galactic Center picking up a need to adjust her message.

So now in Aries - a cardinal sign demanding initiative/a fresh start - new information comes in. 

Our perspective shifts. 

A new spell is being woven with new words.  

As she moves into Aries and crosses the Aries point - something here is collectively/universally noticed.  

Our attention goes HERE.

New solutions. Fresh conversations. Words will be faster and more impulsively stated.

Assertive language.

I am thinking and hoping, because the astrology points in multiple ways (to me) as Mercury being an important driver of this pandemic (and the death anxiety) we will reach an important pivot point at the end of this week/beginning of next week when Mercury enters Aries."


xo all

photo by the talented Grinch7

Today's Astrology Forecast | Thursday, April 9, 2020 - stressful situations and then a kind of peace, staying present as the sleeping desire for life is powerfully re-awakened in us, this is just how it is

The Moon continues her journey through Scorpio today - we are nurtured through intimacy, truth, getting to the bottom of things, purging what is no longer needed. She has some tense aspects - a couple last night while we slept that could color the day (stir up our fears, obsessions, control struggles) and then a nice trine to dreamy Neptune late tonight.

Perhaps the kind of peaceful ending that comes when we realize the things we are stressing over are outside our control and we relax our grip from that disconnected steering wheel we've been clinging to for dear life.

Tomorrow's lunar aspects are smoother, more opportunistic. If something important can wait until then I would push it off.

Keep in mind where we are - the Moon is waning now.

We've waded into the river. Wait. Scratch that. We rushed into the river. We are fleeing something. And then the shocking cold water and mud at our feet has brought us to a complete and sudden STOP.

Forced to take shelter here, in a kind of in-between space. There is no going backward (maybe picture a snarling raptor on the shoreline or a disappearing island engulfed by the hot lava of a volcano), but every step forward just creates more mud. The shocking situation we find ourselves in is designed to wake us up. Stay present. There is no clear way forward (ie no way to move forward without muddying the water) because there is no clear way forward.

That's just how it is.

And instead of saying, "that's just how it is right now" see what it tastes like to say something even more expansive like "that's just how it is".

This is about living in uncertainly because when nothing is certain then anything is possible. This isn't just a bumper sticker.

Ask someone who has had a near-death experience about the euphoria that follows that; the desire for life that is stirred up. Then imagine for a moment what almost 8 billion people could create with that desire.

If we could talk to our great-great grandmother (and we can actually) we could ask her what it was like to wake every morning not knowing if her family would survive the day or how she became pregnant without going insane not knowing if the baby, let alone her own body, would survive the birth. We could ask our great-great grandfather (and I almost certainly don't need all these 'greats') what it was like to spend 100 hours a week working a field not knowing if the weather would even allow the crop to survive let alone thrive.

They would just look at us and shake their heads and say something like, "that's just how it is", they would wonder at our sanity for even asking the question.

"Life is uncertain", they would say. 

And then maybe, if we are lucky and I think we are (because there wouldn't be an "us" in the first place if we didn't have a lot of strength and a little sass in our gene pool) - they would wink.

xo all

photo by the talented RaphaelleM

Today's Astrology Forecast | Wednesday, April 8, 2020 - mountains out of molehills, long void moon, good for routine stuff, time gets stretchy, healing through stepping back, taking care of ourselves, independent action

Coming off last night's big Full Moon - situations/relationships could be frustrating/maybe feel overwhelming this morning as the Libra Moon clashes with first Pluto (8:17AM EDT) and Jupiter (8:49AM EDT).

She then goes void until her dive into deep Scorpio at 4:17PM EST - focusing us on Scorpian themes for the next couple days - other people's money, taxes, loans, sex, intimacy, life/death, divorce, reproduction and nurturing us through depth, substance, power, getting to the bottom of things, merging and purging.

In Scorpio, she will square Saturn at 6:02PM EDT (tension with limits/authority/deadlines) and then tomorrow afternoon she will square Uranus (liberation/the future/change/rebellion). With Saturn in Aquarius (except for the time he backs into Capricorn during his retrograde this year) and Uranus in Taurus - fixed signs that square each other - this is a pattern that will be playing out now and throughout 2021 - authority controls/limits/focus on the past followed by rebellion/change/a focus on the future.

We are in for quite a ride during these Scorpio (and Leo!) Moon days.

In other parts of the skies we have Mars (in Aquarius) sextiling Chiron (in Aries). This is healing through stepping back/staying a bit detached. Maybe things aren't as bad as we first thought. As we gain some distance from the situation - which Aquarius allows us to do - we get a new perspective. Both Aquarius and Aries are independent signs, so this could require some time spent alone or some actions taken alone.

Coming off that big Libra Full Moon and with the Moon in Scorpio starting late this afternoon - we want to watch out for jealousy, compulsion, manipulation, taking things too personally, analyzing something to death.

Today's long void Moon is good for routine action or taking a break. Time gets stretchy. Know the Moon going void off that square to expansive Jupiter could mean we (or someone else) is apt to make a mountain out of a molehill. Chill out.

A good day for independent action.

xo all

photo by the talented NotBlackEnough

Full Moon in Libra | April 7, 2020 - a focus on our relationships, balance is the new black, a long look in the mirror, breakthroughs and break-ups, who/what are we partnered with? what is balanced? what is fair?

On April 7, 2020 at 10:34PM EDT, the Libra Moon moves into her exact opposition to the Aries Sun giving us this month's Full Moon.

Full Moons are always a time of PEAK energy. There is a culmination, a completion. Something comes to light.

Last year we had TWO Full Moons in Libra - one at the Spring Equinox and then another one four weeks later. Two Full Moons in the same sign in the same year is very unusual. Coming in the relationship focused sign of Libra with the "we vs me" polarity of the Libra/Aries axis - something here was really wanting our attention. From our older/wiser/"what the flying frig is going on here" vantage point a year later - we can see it was uber important that we got really, really clear on who (and what) we wanted to be on this next leg of our journey with!

Because on the one hand, we were going to be stuck in the house with them ... for weeks. And on the other hand, we were moving toward the kind of challenges that would be best met hand-in-freshly-washed-hand with the right person/people. By that second Full Moon we knew who had our back. We knew who we were on the same page with. We can't say we weren't warned. 

Anyway back to this year and this Full Moon chart.

The Libra Full Moon is the time to bring something into greater BALANCE. Libra wants beauty and harmony and peace.

But with a strong desire to avoid conflict, Libra imbalances can get pretty mega-imbalanced and the Full Moon can amplify this even more.

Libra rules our partnerships and our collective seventh house of other people/commitments/alliances, so, watch for projections. We are responsible and in charge of our own feelings/our own needs. Something that could "come to light" now is how we project expectations on other people based on our own desires and then they fail to live up to our imagined plans for them and we get hurt/disappointed/angry. These are really feelings we are having with ourselves, but the other person gets to be our mirror here. We are the mirror for other people, too.

Libra rules fairness and justice. The reason Libras can sometimes seem so indecisive is because they can see both sides of an issue - so maybe that is what is illuminated now - another point of view. Too much certainty assures we are shown the very things that will make us question ourselves/and others.

Although, Full Moons are about endings, happening in the cardinal sign of Libra (cardinal signs usher in the new seasons) - there is a beginning here, too.

Let's unpack the chart!

The Libra Moon is just past her conjunction with Juno (partnerships) and moving toward her opposition to angry-outsider Eris. We are in the middle here. So the partnership/the contract - whatever we have going on in a committed way with another person - is moving away from the warm and fuzzies and toward some strife coming from some outside situation.

The whole thing is in process. At the time of the Moon it isn't settled.

The ruler of Libra is Venus (ruler of this Full Moon). She is newly arrived in versatile/multi-tasking Gemini and just off her trine to stable Saturn and moving toward her trine to fiery Mars. She is in Gemini for the long haul with her upcoming retrograde, so whatever we have going on with Venusian themes (love, money, values, self-esteem) and with that Gemini house theme of ours (collectively this will be about communications, information, siblings, our local community, commerce, transportation) it's a long story - and remember the sign impacts her (and our natal Venus) and she impacts the sign (and our natal house).

So, she's come out of Taurus (a space she rules) where she has tried to hold this whole house of cards together. She did her best. She is alot of what we've had going right these past few weeks - let's give her a thank you. She's moved onto Gemini to allow us to make different choices/want and value different things. The things she rules (again, this is our relationships, love, money, our values, beauty and self-esteem) are more complicated now and she has moved into a more complicated space.

Again, she is, divinely appointed, to be exactly in the right place at the right time. There are two sides to every coin here. She wants to talk. She wants to plan.

Fresh off that stabilizing trine to Saturn, her attention - which can get quite scattered in Gemini - has been brought into focus through limits/restrictions. THIS is what we want. THIS is what we don't want. THIS is what we can't have. She is moving toward a meeting with Vesta - toward something we hold sacred, something that will keep us up at night. THIS is what matters most. So a situation has occurred to create a commitment or to allow us to take something seriously (now we know she has a retrograde coming where we are going to go back over all of this, so it's not a rock solid thing, but a focus has come into play here). This would have just moved smoothly into place. AND she is moving toward her trine with Mars. Again this is smooth energy, nothing needs to forced here. This is about what we want and what we have to do to get what we want working together. Mars is in Aquarius - so this could be something focused on our future, something new and different, something group focused. AND she is closing in on her conjunction with Vesta - getting closer/clearer on what really matters.

Venus is conjunct Hygie (health/hygiene). So we want to be prioritizing our health and hygiene - duh! This is about the practice of taking care of ourselves. In Gemini there will be more than one thing to do now/more than one way of thinking about this, too.

The Full Moon is inconjunct Neptune (strong in Pisces). This could indicate confusion, as neither Libra nor Pisces provides any certainty. Keep in mind, too, that need for balance/peace/fairness shouldn't mean we have to over-sacrifice or fall for someone else's gas-lighting/untruths. 

We are currently undergoing a HUGE past life/ancestral integration - mega challenging for existing relationships, joint projects, etc. 

Mars has moved into an exact square to Uranus. Breakthroughs. Breakdowns. Break-ups. Somebody/something is going to SNAP! This is our action/ambition/initiative vs our freedom/the future. Take care before making any sudden decisions - think about your security, your resources, your money. This aspect also makes any fast moves more likely to result in physical accidents (head, knees, etc) - so slow down.

Mercury is sextiling (opportunity) Jupiter and Pluto. To be exact, at the time of the Full Moon - he is past his sextile to Pluto (power, death/rebirth, transformation, other people's resources, merging. purging) and EXACTLY sextiling expansive Jupiter. Maybe we can see the big picture with a greater sense of optimism/confidence. Also good for spiritual work, art, our dreams, intuition.

With Libra this is all about our relationship to others. Imbalances will show up now. We need to really take a look at the disagreements we are having with other people - what are we projecting onto them that we need to take ownership of now. What are they projecting onto us?

Full Moons are about release - how can we let go of what isn't working? Cardinal Full Moons are also magical beginnings - this is Cardinal Air - new ideas/new thoughts/new conversations/fresh perspectives. 

Let's allow this chart to move forward a bit. Let Mercury get into Aries in a few days ... let's see where we are then. Things could look quite different.

xo all

The Moon is the closest to the Earth she will be all year RIGHT NOW, so this Moon is going to look HUGE - try to get outside and walk in her, fully absorb where we are right now, we might be "taking shelter to protect the flock", but we sure as hell aren't hiding!

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of April 6th - a light on what is out of balance, relationship challenges, opportunities to heal, information/perspectives/the conversation changes, the revolution is coming ...

SATURDAY - Jupiter conjuncts Pluto (24 degrees Capricorn)
TUESDAY - Full Moon/Super Moon in Libra (18 degrees), Mars squares Uranus, Mercury sextiles Jupiter and Pluto
WEDNESDAY - Mercury squares Galactic Center, Mars sextile Chiron
FRIDAY - Venus sextiles Chiron and enters her shadow degrees for her upcoming retrograde
SATURDAY - Mercury into Aries
SUNDAY - Mercury squares the Nodes of Fate

We are living through challenging times as we shift from the Age of Pisces into the Age of Aquarius. Many have been sent to their rooms for a much needed time out, others called to the 'front-line' and still others are challenged with illness or the illness of someone they love.

Collectively awakened to the importance of home and family and our inner world (that Cancer North Node!) and the need for big, structural changes to the work side of our lives, our outer world and ambitions/those bright, shiny rewards we have spent so much time chasing that don't look quite so shiny these days (that Capricorn South Node).

All of us charged with gently working through our FEAR. Unraveling lifetimes of "death anxiety", so the DNA codes we were born with and will need for this New Age can wake the hell up!

Even as Jupiter/Pluto's meeting on Saturday can amplify these "dark night of the soul" energies, Jupiter/Pluto also gives us the confidence and courage (and the kind of 'luck' available when these courage/confidence energies are accessed) to handle these extraordinarily transformational changes.

This is another BIG WEEK with multiple twists and turns.

BEGINNING OF THE WEEK

We start the week with the powerhouse energies of the first of three (June, November) Jupiter/Pluto conjunctions this year.

I am not going to sugar-coat it - the planet of expansion (Jupiter) passing over the planet of death (Pluto), could make things more challenging (this conjunction happened during the second wave of the Spanish Flu, but this was during a World War when people were already stressed and weakened), BUT keep in mind this aspect is already waning (weakening/separating). It is strongest as it builds and when exact (Saturday night EDT) and we start this week with it already waning, so that is good. They will meet again HERE during their retrogrades over the summer, so we are going to come back to this point again. Something was missed. And then they will meet for a final time on the January Pluto/Saturn degree in November. Then they are done. This doesn't mean we will be where we are now until then, but it does tell us this is part of a longer story-line ...

For now check in on the news as you need to, but don't obsess with it. Keep in mind always with Jupiter his ability to make things seem bigger than they actually are ...

We have a Super Moon/Full Moon in partnership/balance/fairness focused Libra. The Moon is squaring the Cappy energies (that Jupiter/Pluto) and pulls our focus to how everything going on is impacting our relationships with other people, our sense of what is fair, our ability to maintain our balance.

Full Moon post to follow.

At the same time Mars (in future focused Aquarius now) moves into his square with Uranus - who is busy shaking up our money, resources, values, self-esteem. This is tension/frustration. Abrupt action. Breaks-ups. Breakdowns. Breakthroughs. Squares require adjustment. If we are making some abrupt/new move we are going to need to think about how this will impact our finances and resources.

(our last Full Moon was that huge Full Moon in Virgo conjunct Neptune, with Mercury stationing direct and Venus conjunct Uranus - this really PUSHED forward this "doomsday" chapter - HERE is the post about that - at least that Full Moon is in our rear-view mirror now!)

MIDDLE OF THE WEEK

Mercury (at the end of Pisces now) is going to square the Galactic Center (our homing signal/center of creation/black hole in the middle of our Milky Way Galaxy). He/she is given an adjustment to the story; an edit to this chapter. And keep in mind Mercury was at the "time runs out/here is the death that was postponed" palaver back in January. AND he/she has been back and forth in Pisces, the sign that rules viruses - since February 3rd!

At the same time Mars (in future, group and tech focused Aquarius) sextiles (opportunity) healing Chiron. This takes the edge off the tension we had with those unexpected challenges with Uranus earlier in the week. New actions focused on the future are healing. We help ourselves by helping others. We are healing very old, very deep ancestral wounds by bravely moving into the future!

END OF THE WEEK

Venus (ruler of that Super Libra Full Moon and ruler of our relationships, love, money, our values, resources and self-esteem) starts walking the degrees in Gemini she will walk two more times. When she wraps up her retrograde and shadow period in August we will be back HERE. So, pay attention to what is happening now. What house does Gemini rule in your natal chart? What is the 'theme' of that house? We all have alot of work to do HERE.

She, like Mars yesterday, but from a different space in our chart, sextiles Chiron. More healing opportunities - this time through different choices, flexibility, loving something else, our local community, our siblings, humor, words, keeping things light. It is good news for us she has this sextile at the start of her shadow period!

We'll talk more about this in the dailies.

Now, it's Mercury's turn to finally bust a move as he swims out of Pisces and into Aries. BOOM. THIS MATTERS.

Remember she/he was part of January's Pluto/Saturn conjunction. She has been back and forth through virus-ruling Pisces for many weeks because of her retrograde (and remember Mercury is not only the messenger God but also the trickster God).

She has just squared the Galactic Center picking up a need to adjust her message.

So now in Aries - a cardinal sign demanding initiative/a fresh start - new information comes in. 

Our perspective shifts. 

A new spell is being woven with new words.  

As she moves into Aries and crosses the Aries point - something here is collectively/universally noticed.  

Our attention goes HERE.

New solutions. Fresh conversations. Words will be faster and more impulsively stated. Assertive language.

I am thinking and hoping, because the astrology points in multiple ways (to me) as Mercury being an important driver of this pandemic (and the death anxiety) we will reach an important pivot point at the end of this week/beginning of next week when Mercury enters Aries.

Mercury's story-line includes - his participation in January's Pluto/Saturn conjunction, his long journey since then through watery Pisces where he met Pisces ruler Neptune three times (the sign and planet that rules viruses, pandemics, foggy thinking and a space where we can lose all connection with outcomes), his rulership of Virgo - the sign of our health and that BIG Full Moon last month AND Mercury's rulership of communication, the transportation of everything from ideas/information to toilet paper and even to things like our little corona fellow. In Pisces, he isn't known for his sharp thinking. Ask a Mercury in Pisces person for some number related information and, unless they have some strong earth in their charts, you are more likely to hear about how they "feel" about the numbers/facts.

And that Cappy pile-up (and the Jupiter/Pluto conjunction) were and are opposing the United States natal Mercury (in emotional Cancer), so the United States news and information in particular has been especially slippery and de-stabilizing. We've been down the rabbit-hole with this one!

Finally Mercury (in fiery and impulsive Aries) squares the North and South Nodes. 

Big picture - we are in the process of incredible inner change. An emotional reset in order to build a brand-new world that works for all of us - and this includes the animals and the Earth. It looks like the changes are happening outside us/forced upon us - and they are, but only because the changes within us are calling them into activation. 

If we think of all the ways this "time runs out" thing could be playing out - we are probably having a best case scenario even though it feels like a worst-case scenario. With Uranus in Taurus - the ways we make money, the resources we have, our values - all of this is in line for major resets. This was already going to happen in very big and unexpected ways without this pandemic.

And keep in mind the way the energies worked out in January when we got a taste of them through Trump's impeachment/the Iran situation with the killing of the general and then Iran's follow-up bombing - things felt like life and death (in Trump's case felt like life and death to him) and some people did die, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The situations kind of fizzled out, although they didn't exactly resolve and still kind of hang over our heads. In the case of the virus we had wily Mercury - never doubt the power of our closest planet - picking up that story-line and running with it, so let's see what happens when he gets out of the Pisces soup and into Aries at the end of this week.

And again we'll see what happens when Mars (because he lit the fuse when he got into Capricorn) untangles himself from Saturn and gets out of Aquarius in the middle of May.

There are many, many pivot points ahead for us, so don't make yourself crazy looking too far ahead right now.

The time-out caused by this "time runs out" pandemic (as horrific as the pandemic itself has been for some people and as much havoc as this is going to cause financially going forward), has been a great salve to planet Earth. Keep in mind Ceres (Mother Nature - that mama-bear) was at that palaver in January, too. Maybe some of these changes forced upon us - working at home, less travel, less consumerism, more electronic connections, etc - are some of what is needed to keep this many billion people (and maybe in a sense we are like a virus to the planet) alive and take care of our beautiful world, too. Momentary, fake fixes are not an option.

xo all

photo by the talented TheFoxAndTheRaven

Today's Astrology forecast | April 4th, 2020 - how have we used our power the last 12 years, what is growing, what needs to hit rock bottom, making something a bit more solid, another new chapter begins

The Moon (in fiery Leo) is void for most of the day until she moves into Virgo at 5:18PM EDT. Her only aspect today is a square to Venus (now in Gemini for the long haul) at 7:08PM EDT.

So most of the day we have fun-loving Leo and then tonight maybe some emotional tension/frustration.

The Virgo Moon is nurtured by things being practical/concise/done right while Venus in Gemini wants to try new untested things and has a hard time with practical AND they are both answering to mystical, but foggy, Mercury in Pisces. 

The big news today though is we have Venus trining (brakes off) Saturn (0 Aquarius) and the BIGGEST news - we have Jupiter meeting Pluto at 24 degrees Capricorn.

Since Jupiter/Pluto is one of the biggest aspects of the year, and with the planets' upcoming retrogrades they will meet three times, let's unpack this one first.

Something to keep in mind here, is that although these planets are exact today, they have been building toward this day all year, and even at the same degree for days - and after we 'move on' from today and they aren't exactly exact anymore they will still be close enough to engage each other, basically for the rest of the year.

Jupiter/Pluto is immense power and transformation. Our biggest planet - Jupiter expands. We grow through enlargement/breadth (as opposed to Saturn who teaches through contraction). Good things get BIGGER and sometimes bad things, too, the way situations have to reach some kind of bottoming out before we can get up again. Pluto takes things down to the ashes, so they can rise like the phoenix, in a new form.

In our natal charts our Cappy house has been laid nearly bare already. Most of our Capricorn planets criss-crossed by deadly Pluto for months or even years (the transformation of any planets at the very end of Capricorn are still ahead of us). They are all in various stages of the death/rebirth cycle. 

What Jupiter does at this point depends on where we are in this cycle. And we are all exactly where we need to be. Exactly where we are needed. Some things can't be rushed.

Our Cappy situation grows/expands/accelerates. Jupiter brings the opportunity to make something as big as it can possibly get/to go as far as we can possibly go. This can bring success or the kind of 'hitting bottom' that precedes a new start.

We are closing out a twelve year cycle that began in December 2007. What were you starting/doing in December 2007/early 2008? Jupiter/Pluto met at that time on the Galactic Center (28 Sagittarius). There is a complete and final ending here.

AND there is a new beginning at 24 Cappy.

So, how have we worked with our Plutonian energies these last twelve years? What secrets have come out? How have we used our power? What have we merged? What have we purged?

We'll talk more about this as we move through it and in the big picture post.

At the same time we have Venus (freshly minted in curious/wordy/tricky/versatile Gemini) trining sober Saturn in Capricorn. So, Mars hit the wall with Saturn at the beginning of the week - was that just the beginning of the week? why does that seem like a month ago? I am aging in dog years now folks (have I said this is all happening conjunct my natal Mercury) ..

And now Venus (relationships, love, money, self-esteem, our values) gets the nice trine.

Venus is Gemini can have us all over the place and Saturn focuses on one solid thing. What matters most? This isn't about a lifetime commitment to someone/something, but sometimes we have to narrow our focus to get something done.

Make a plan. A schedule. Make something more solid. Seek out a mentor. Trines are smooth energies, we will want to do this, the right thing won't be something we have to push ourselves to do. Venus is in changeable Gemini for the long haul with her upcoming retrograde, so nothing will be a solid long-term commitment right now, but it will pay off for us to make something a bit more solid.

For the collective, the last time Jupiter met Pluto here in Cappy it was 1771.

In the United States - which didn't quite exist yet - we had the drumbeats of war and the Battle of Alamance, a pre-American Revolutionary War battle between local militia and a group of rebels called "The Regulators" in present-day Alamance County, North Carolina. 

If you are an Outlander fan - a wonderful series of books, by Diana Gabaldon, turned into a mini-series on Starz - you know they had this very battle in this week's episode! 

Anyway, we will talk more about this in the big picture, which for some reason has been like pulling nails to write .... hopefully the next post in the series will be up tonight. If it still doesn't want to come out, I will get the Full Moon in Libra post up a couple days early and of ourse we have the week ahead post tomorrow which looks like, you guessed it, another big week!

Enjoy the Leo Moon today!

xo all

photo by the amazing Natalia Ciobanu

Today's Astrology Forecast | April 3, 2020 - staying positive, brave action, keep moving forward, new choices, attracted to planning, long void Moon

Our Leo Moon moves along unaspected for most of the day until she goes void with a trine to the Sun at 3:29PM EDT. This is positive - keep going forward. The Moon will be void until 5:18PM EDT TOMORROW.

This month's Waxing Trine - Moon in Leo, Sun in Aries - is about finding happiness/passion in where we are right now. This is about bravery/pride and standing up/initiating/feeling passion. The brakes are off something. Where is the silver lining. Find it.

Mercury meets Neptune (again). Information comes to light - and maybe, with Mars on his way to square Uranus - seems like it is totally from out of left field. But this is Pisces, so news/communications can be confusing, Even unintentionally or intentionally deceptive. What does your intuition tell you? Meditate. Pray. Talk to your ancestors - you carry their story forward - they are helping you.

(information being true/not true could be exemplified by the UK scientist whose devastating virus projection models were used by the WHO, the United States, etc - clearing up the fact these numbers were if "nothing was done" - he had projected 500,000 deaths in the U.K. and is now projecting 20,000 including 10,000 people he states would have likely died by year's end even without the virus - maybe we will never know if these 'doomsday" models were valid, and he has stated the downgrade comes from, yes, actions taken to prevent the spread of disease, but mostly the fact the virus is likely even more transmissible than they thought and so a greater number of people had already had it  - showing once again we need to all stay calm when they toss crazy numbers at us. Not because they are lying, although some people will have agendas here, but most likely because they just don't know. Mercury is in Pisces, just out of his retrograde and still walking old territory. Our brains are frying on the sidewalk. In another week when Mercury starts covering new ground, and in another two weeks, when Mercury gets into Aries the information will be much more accurate. In the meantime, we need to remain cool headed - fear will choke off our breath long before any virus.)

Mercury/Neptune wouldn't be a good time for a big leap, because we won't be seeing things as clearly as we will in another week or two, but it is an excellent time to work with our dreams/art/music.

This is also the day Venus moves into Gemini. Gemini Suns and Rising become more attractive. Both easy on the eye and more easily able to attract what they want. All of our Gemini houses become more attractive, too. With her upcoming retrograde, Venus is in Gemini for the long haul.

We are most attractive (use our Venus) through Gemini (our mind, words, flexibility, humor). It's a good time to be talking and communicating with lots of different people about lots of different things.

We are attracted to ideas/planning.

Venus in Gemini is about variety. In the mutable air sign (Gemini) the themes Venus rules - love, money, value, self-esteem, women, beauty - become more versatile. There are quickly more options available. There is also more duality - this is the space where our heart is saying one thing and our brain is saying something else.

We could suddenly recognize a mismatch between what we have and what we want. Or maybe what we thought we had (during Venus in resource-rich Taurus) could be up for grabs a bit.

It's a good time to set aside any existing constructs about what we like and what we don't like and stay open to new experiences, new people and new situations. This isn't the best energy to make an important decision (regarding our Gemini natal house theme or Venus ruled love, money, self-esteem, values, women or beauty) or commit to something permanently.

Keep in mind the drumbeats of Jupiter toward Pluto and the launch of another new cycle. One of the main reasons for all the tumultuous energy of 2020 is the starting and ending of so many long term cycles! This one brings us back to December 2007. 

With Jupiter (expansion) and Pluto (power) meeting tomorrow exactly opposing the United States natal Mercury (information), at the same time we have transiting Mercury on foggy/illusive/virus ruling Neptune - expect the press to be ALL OVER SOMETHING.

(people with natal Jupiter/Plutos will find this energy activated - cue the gazillionaires with this natal aspect like Bill Gates)

But, not everything will be true.

And that opposition likely indicates some back channel power-grabs that may or may not be visible.


xo all

photo by the talented RonnyEngelmann

Today's Astrology Forecast | Thursday, April 2, 2020 - early part of day best use it or lose it, partnership/contract challenges, finding new ways to be happy/creative, the need to be flexible, hold the light, anything is posible

The Moon (in Cancer) opposed Jupiter and Pluto in the early, early A.M. EDT, going void off a sextile to Venus (at the end of Taurus now) at 12:49PM EDT.

The opportunistic sextile is good for our money, values, self-esteem.

She will be void until 2:26PM EDT when she moves into Leo. Late this afternoon and into tonight (EDT), our Leo Moon will oppose Saturn and Mars in Aquarius and square Uranus in Taurus.

The Moon (as us) in Leo is nurtured through fun and recreation, happiness, generosity, creative projects, children, our natural spotlight.

Having challenging planets in Aquarius (which opposes Leo) and Taurus (squaring Leo) this month, we are going to be challenged to find new ways to make ourselves happy/new creative outlets. Our "happy place" is shut down for the season (not forever!).

Limits/rules/authority (Saturn in Aquarius) opposing our happiness, changes to our stability that come out of nowhere (Uranus in Taurus) challenging our happiness.

Now, keep in mind, these challenging planets HAVE TO BE SOMEWHERE. We haven't had a Leo Moon opposed by Saturn in 28 years, so tonight could feel heavy/depressing.

Know this is transitory. The good news about Mars and Saturn being together is we get this emotional sh*t show, all at once (people with planets/points in the early degrees of the fixed signs will feel this strongest), and then can move on.

We also have the Aries Sun opposing Juno (13 degrees Libra). Yesterday, we had our independence/initiative/what we do to get what we want challenged by home/family/security situations, today our independence/initiative/what we do to get what we what is challenged by our partnerships/contracts. And, of course, this could be all the same thing.

There could be a culmination/conclusion.

Our circumstances have changed and our contracts need to be flexible. Aries wants what he wants and Juno in Libra wants collaboration and partnership. She is willing to bend, but she shouldn't have to bend herself into a pretzel here. We are all going to need a little space. And we are all going to need other people, too. 

We are approaching Jupiter's exact meeting with Pluto this weekend (first of three), and Mars is setting up to square Uranus. We are going to have to keep our minds and bodies loose. Holding ourselves in a space of anticipation is stressful on our nervous system, especially when Uranus (the ultimate April foolster) is prowling about.

This is the time to be using what we already have - we are lining up with new goals/new dreams - stuff we could have never imagined before when it looked like the old world couldn't possibly budge/shift/change. When it felt like there was no out - well, here comes the ultimate out. It's not the way we thought it would look or what we had hoped for, but it's what we have.

When it feels like anything could happen, then that means that anything is possible, too, keep this in mind.



xo all

photo by the talented kuzminphoto

Today's Astrology Forecast | Wednesday, April 1, 2020 - protecting home and family, stir crazy, what needs to be attended to, being a part of it and not apart of it

The Moon is home in Cancer now, nurturing us through home, family, mother, mothering, real estate, home business, family business.

At 6:21AM EDT, she squares the Aries Sun giving us this month's First Quarter Square.We talked about this in the WEEKLY and I will recap here:

"Maybe here is home/family vs our independence/what we want to do.

Fueled by the Sun in "let's get something started" Aries, staying at home/feeling tied down can get challenging now. With the Moon in Cancer this will be emotional. We want to be safe/secure AND we want to be able to do our own thing/take risks/do something.

The words 'stir crazy' come to mind. Squares require adjustment."

This can also be about protecting our home or standing up for someone in our family.

After the dust settles, the Moon moves toward a lovely trine with Mercury and Neptune. Our words/dreams meshing with our internal needs/maybe with that home or family situation. This is pretty late in the day, so might be influencing our dream state more than our waking hours.

Tomorrow our Cancer Moon will move into her monthly challenges with the Cappy planets including Jupiter and Pluto as Jupiter makes his way to his exact connection with Pluto on Saturday (first of three). 

Venus, at the very end of Taurus - bags packed for Gemini (and don't worry that she is leaving her exalted position into a space where she is less strong - because in Gemini she will be trining the Aquarius energies and we have Saturn AND Mars in Aquarius now - she is going to be in Gemini for a LONG time with her upcoming retrograde, she knows what she is doing!) - goes outside the Sun's path tomorrow. Venus "out of bounds" means she is no longer constrained by the usual 'rules' she operates under. Old rules about money/love are bypassed. It's a new world now.

xo all

We talked about the "not knowing" and the "confinement" HERE near the time of the last Full Moon and now that we are at the First Quarter Moon of the next New Moon cycle, maybe we can use the wisdom of the iChing to move our "being" forward a bit.

The iChing is one way our inner guidance can come into resonance with the present moment and although, of course, we don't need the iChing to do this, it can be helpful to give things a kind of 'container' based on powerful ancient wisdom.

Using the Chinese oracle - 'not knowing' turns into "waiting" and confinement turns into "the well".

Waiting sounds passive, but it is really about a state of non-resistance.

We, wait, like a child for the rain to stop, or like a farmer, for the rain to come. 

"Waiting" isn't meant to be inactive. We can dream of what we will do when the sun shines again or we can dance/prepare for rain - but we cannot force this stuff to happen. We can only attend to it. This requires wisdom and patience.

When we are fully present in waiting - our attention is like a beacon to the universe.

HERE I AM!

Not because we are actively working on something necessarily, but because our thoughts and our groundwork show our faith. If we don't lose sight of the possibility of something BETTER we invite the possibility to come nearer. Waiting requires consistence. It's a practice which means it needs to be practiced. Now, because waiting means often no progress is visible it is challenging for our patriarchal conditioning/the muggle world to see/feel this as an active thing.

But we magical thinkers know it is.

And sometimes when the iChing gives me "waiting" it means actually waiting on someone/something - performing a service

- so instead of waiting on what we had in mind (the sun or the rain) while we stare at the horizon, we go inside and take care of someone else.
Waiting also meant "official attendance at court" back in the days of King Henry VIII - whose Saturn/Pluto in Cappy cycle we are repeating now.

So, what needs to be attended to? Where/how do we need to show up?

The other energy at this time is the "well", which follows "confinement" in iChing and is our deepest/most reliable resource of nourishment.

In ancient China they would move an entire city to a better location when things had gone bad. They moved everything except for the well. We can't carry our well with us either. We have to dig a new well when we reach the place we are headed. The Chinese did this together.

So, confinement - which brings us to reaching downward (Cancer) instead of upward (Capricorn) means turning inward, so the "well" follows.

Now, digging a new well is tricky work. The cleanest, most life-sustaining water is found very deep in the earth and it will take a steady (and committed) hand to raise those first buckets. And, of course, there is the whole 'fall into the hole and break your neck' thing that cannot be denied when we get to this kind of uncharted territory as the "well".

If you could see down an old Chinese well, you would see a frame of logs had been built at the bottom for drainage and support. And, of course, if the well has been built in soft silt the walls will be fragile and need to be lined. This, like "waiting" requires commitment, patience, consistence and probably won't produce an immediate reward.

But we need to build this "well" .. pretty damn well. 

We are starting a new 500 year cycle - we don't want to be drinking dusty water for the next few centuries!

And sometimes when the iChing gives me "well" it is something like a "spa" that is needed - a time of self-care. And sometimes it comes up when I am feeling like it would be safer to cover the well - hold myself apart from the receiving and giving out of fear of losing my freedom/autonomy or fear of showing my vulnerabilities. But we can only tap into the "well" and become part of the flow when we experience the real essence/potential of the situation - we have to allow ourselves to be a part of it and not apart of it.

Staying trapped in the pain of our "if onlys" keeps us from recognizing the clean water that flows freely beneath every situation. And if we cannot imagine our "well" which seems in such poor condition right now, becoming a permanent, dependable, shared resource we will not be inclined to invest so much of ourselves into it to do it right in the first place (we need vision people!) and we will end up with sticky mud.

There is an ever-present resource we can draw from here. What can we do to realize its potential?

I hope something here is helpful. The best use of many people's time now will be "going within". Raising our vibration, not falling into the fear-story, helps all of us.


xo all

photo by the talented bliXX-a

Today's Astrology Forecast | Monday, March 30, 2020 - all day void moon, rest, pray, meditate, new goals, new actions, fuzzy facts, bringing everyone to the table

Today's Moon in Gemini goes void at 11:10AM EDT off a square to Neptune. She will be void for the rest of the day.

It's not the best day to start anything brand new, but good for routine actions, errands, projects - time gets stretchy. So do facts. Good for writing projects. Conversations with siblings. Avoid gossip. Avoid fatalistic information/conversations. It is important what we are feeding our minds now. Words are portals - we want to be lining up with the best possible timelines. Meditate. Pray. Any aspect with Neptune strengthens our pipeline to the ethereal realms - your angels/muses/guides/ancestors/everything you need to feel/know now but have forgotten - are standing by. Ask for help.

Mars (our personal ambition, initiative, passion, anger) leaves the sign of his exaltation (Capricorn) for airy Aquarius today. Mars isn't always as effective in Aquarius because everything can't be so easily nailed down through ambitious action, BUT he is out of the sign of the South Node (our past) and into the sign of the future, and gets to use his ray guns and techie stuff, plus we can think before we act now. The only problem might be over-thinking before we act.

With Mars (our warrior, but also our hero) in group-focused Aquarius - expect our actions to be focused on what is best for the group and some outliers (because Aquarius is also the energy that can step away from the group and go her/his own way) to fight against the group if their individual liberties are threatened. Both sides will be right. Keep in mind always, our need to bring EVERYONE TO THE TABLE THIS YEAR - even though, the table is, yes, six different tables at a zoom meeting.

Mercury leaves his shadow today and starts walking new degrees (she/he is still in cloudy Pisces though).

I looked back at the news from the day Mercury went retrograde, link HERE (drag down to that picture of Fauci) - Dr. Fauci is stating the risk to the U.S. is 'very minimal', and now, as Mercury finishes his retrograde journey, Fauci is saying to prepare for hundreds of thousands of deaths. Until Mercury gets out of Pisces - mid-April - I wouldn't take anything he says as "truth". Not because he is lying, but because he doesn't know either.

Stock your house for a couple weeks. Stay home (North Node in Cancer). If you are in a job that is necessary and you must work, stay as safe as possible. Take care of yourself. We are all just doing the best we can. We don't know what we don't know.

Stay hydrated. Get extra sleep. My acupuncturist, who is kind of a miracle worker from China, says to eat three cloves of garlic a day right now. Take some long walks in the fresh air. KNOW you are safe - because remember we are safest when it appears we are most vulnerable now - we have talked about this for more than a year and we are in the home stretch of the North Node in Cancer.

We are building a brand new world. How can we take care of each other without losing ourselves? That will be one of the important questions of our time. The world doesn't need a hero. The world needs 8 billion heroes. We are the heroes of this story.

xo all

photo by the talented la-child and a little more leonard ...

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of March 30, 2020 - crisis = opportunity, limits, frustration, from earth to air, emotional intensity, compassion, massive money shifts, massive control moves

TUESDAY - Mars into Aquarius, Mars conjunct Saturn
WEDNESDAY - First Quarter Moon Cancer
FRIDAY - Venus into Gemini, Mercury conjunct Neptune
SATURDAY - Jupiter conjunct Pluto

Another uber important week of the year, folks!

The week starts out tense/frustrating with roadblocks/limits, but lightens as we move toward the end of the week with more options and information coming to light.

We finally get some air this week after weeks of solid earth and water (mud!), but we also lose stability/grounding as two inner planets move out of their exalted earth signs.

Then on Saturday, it's the biggie - Jupiter meets Pluto - the first of their three-peat conjunctions this year - for a major new chapter that carries us all through to the end of the year!

On MONDAY, we have Mars leaving Capricorn (the sign where he is exalted) and moving into airy Aquarius. He hasn't been in Aquarius in two years - are you ready for some increased motivation and energy Aquarius/Aquarius rising?! Our Aquarius house themes WAKE UP and begin a new two year chapter.

This is GOOD NEWS because now we have our warrior energy in the sign of the future instead of the past. Fresh interactions with other people/new ideas/new projects.

Our actions become more innovative/more outside the box. We lean into what is modern/future focused. We just need to be cautious of us or someone else using the future/the group/our smarts/the internet/astrology/detachment as a weapon/ammunition in a fight. 

Keep in mind though - it was Mars activating the Cappy planets that kicked into full attack mode much of the world's battle with this virus, so now Mars (as us) can use Aquarian super-powers (which yes, includes social distancing/detachment) to fight this thing over the next couple weeks  (although there could be some bureaucratic red tape) because Mars doesn't muck around. New treatments/testing/technology assistance are all coming.

Mars is our initiative, our action, our passion, our anger. Aquarius is the space in our natal chart where it's never going to work to follow the crowd just for the sake of fitting in. Our rough, uncomfortable edges are there for a reason. Mars comes into this space saying, "I am going to do my own thing and I am going to do it RIGHT NOW".

On TUESDAY - Um, not so fast buddy. 

Me thinks our hasty fellow neglected to read the fine print in his Aquarian travel brochure because Mars immediately runs into a stop light/a limit/a rule in the form of "serious as a heart attack" Saturn

(for many people, since Aquarius also rules our collective experience, group karma/trauma, this will be about the quarantine/limits we are living under).

This will be most strongly felt as tension/frustration/pressure by people with planets or points around 0-2 degrees of the fixed signs - Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, but everyone else will feel it, too. 

Impulsive people who are already antsy will be fire ants in their pants antsy.

Mars' move into freedom-loving Aquarius could exacerbate/intensify the stresses of 'social distancing' that came along with Saturn in Aquarius and motivate us to find new ways to connect, maybe through technology, etc. - because our power, with both Mars and Saturn together here, is going to be with our groups and the ways and goals that bring us into connection with other people.

(At the end of this week Venus will lighten things up as she gets into Gemini and starts trining (brakes off) Saturn, so maybe something in our life that gets held up in the beginning of the week, could start to move forward at the end of the week.)

Remarkably at the Winter Solstice on December 21, 2020, Jupiter is going to meet Saturn at exactly this same degree - 0 Aquarius. So whatever we have going on now will connect us to the end of December mega-powerful energies and the biggest new chapter of the Age of Aquarius!

As Mars moves through Aquarius he is moving toward a square with Uranus (at 5 degrees Taurus) which will be exact next week. 

A square with Uranus often indicates some kind of sudden break (although it's actually been building for a while). This could be a break-through, break-down, break-up. Maybe we are the one initiating this or some situation/person/event outside of us is. Either way something SNAPS.

Mars will be in Aquarius until May 13th. Mars/Saturn is also about strength and patience and discipline - if you want something done right and done well, give it to someone with a Mars/Saturn in their natal chart - we will have access to this energy now, too!

On WEDNESDAY, the Moon in Cancer will move into a square with the Sun in Aries, giving us this month's First Quarter Square. For many people, again with so many of us having a group experience under quarantine it is very easy to interpret these aspects - here is home/family vs our independence/what we want to do.

Fueled by the Sun in "let's get something started" Aries, staying at home/feeling tied down can get challenging now. With the Moon in Cancer this will be emotional. We want to be safe/secure AND we want to be able to do our own thing/take risks.

The words 'stir crazy' come to mind. Squares require adjustment.

Keep in mind the Aries Sun is very self-sufficient and self-absorbed and Mars/Saturn can get kind of cruel and we are building toward an important Full Moon in Libra (relationships/other people) next week. Mars will be off Saturn by then and squaring erratic Uranus. I would expect relationship imbalances to be amplified. These are unprecedented times (and now bringing up our larger stories about safety vs going after what we want) and for many relationships, something's going to blow.

On FRIDAY, we have Venus leaving Taurus (the sign of her exaltation) and moving into airy Gemini. So we have two, of our three, personal planets leaving the sign of their exaltation this week and moving from earth into air!

Because of her upcoming retrograde, Venus will be in Gemini until August 7th! We are going to be back and forth over something major here, especially if this interacts with planets and points in your natal chart. What is the theme of your Gemini house? That will be the field of play.

Gemini Suns and rising signs get more attractive - both easier on the eye and able to attract what they want and need. Whatever house in our natal chart holds Gemini hosts a visit from lovely Venus now - bringing blessings/protection/kindness/fairness and making it easier for all of us to attract what we need in that area of our lives - especially beginning now until she stations retrograde on May 13th.

We are most attractive (use our Venus) through Gemini (our mind, words, flexibility, humor). It's a good time to be talking and communicating with lots of different people about lots of different things.

Venus in Gemini is about variety. In the mutable air sign (Gemini) the themes Venus rules - love, money, value, self-esteem, women, beauty - get more light-hearted. There are quickly more options available. There is also more duality - this is the space where our heart is saying one thing and our brain is saying something else.

We could suddenly recognize a mismatch between what we have and what we want. Or maybe what we thought we had (during Venus in resource-rich Taurus) could be up for grabs a bit.

With Venus in Gemini life becomes more of a flirtation. Communications are more casual, more lively and humorous. It's a good time to set aside any existing constructs about what we like and what we don't like and stay open to new experiences, new people and new situations. This isn't the best energy to make an important decision (regarding our Gemini natal house theme or Venus ruled love, money, self-esteem, values, women or beauty) or commit to something permanently. She is kind of paving the way for the North Node - which moves into Gemini on May 5th.

Venus, like Mars earlier in the week, quickly moves into aspect with Saturn. But unlike Mars with his tense/need to adjust square - here's where we get the smooth air trine. Something (love, relationship, money, our values, beauty, self-esteem) falls smoothly into place and we'll have this trine in play (waning) at the time of the Libra Full Moon (Venus rules Libra), so that will be good as we move something toward a culmination/fulfillment next week.

The biggest downside to Venus in Gemini - is that she is now answering to foggy Mercury in Pisces, so this could add to the emotional impact of the stuff we have going on now.

At the same time Gemini's ruler, Mercury, is meeting Neptune for the third and final time. She/he is finally out of shadow and covering new ground. Yay! Information comes to light. Clarity returns - this will be especially true after we get past the Full Moon on April 8th. And when Mercury finally gets out of slippery Pisces (the sign of everything we can't see including this tiny little corona fellow) and moves into 'fresh start' and fiery Aries on April 11th, we have another pivot point.

On SUNDAY, Jupiter meets Pluto at 24 degrees Capricorn (bringing us back to December 2007), and obviously these guys have been within spitting distance for awhile now (although I hope no one is actually spitting right now).

Now, they are going to meet THREE times this year and strangely enough, because this is all magical and amazing - because of the timing of everyone's upcoming retrogrades, all three conjunctions will also be conjunct Pallas (wise warrior woman who uses strategies and patterns to win) and square Eris (disruptive outsider, showing us the need to bring all parties to the table or face the consequences).

There are many ways this could go and the easiest to see from my perch on Sunday morning within the collective at this time is - smart strategies based on patterns that create disruption regarding 'massive wealth', as in re-distribution and 'massive control' probably as in controlling the masses. 

There is also the possibility that the growth of something ends. The death of expansion. Equally I have seen this as a kind of 'luck runs out' aspect if there is some kind of mess that hasn't been cleaned up (we are dragging around something dead that is stinking up the place, etc).

Pluto is always the death of something, but he's not the death of everything.  

Having our cosmic Santa Claus meeting up with the Lord of the Underworld in Scrooge's house

(but also at a time when Scrooge isn't home, this is important because if Scrooge, ie Saturn, was home this would be a whole other story, but he's not and it isn't - thank goodness)

is making for some interesting times for us humans!

This is also about the power (Pluto) of faith (Jupiter). What do we have faith in?

This is a major pivot point toward our collective destiny folks. In our personal lives this can be about colossal success/confidence - especially in regard to our careers/work in the world. Increased power. Rewards. And we get this aspect three times this year! Really the whole year we have access to this!

We'll talk more about this in the dailies.

I am sorry I haven't gotten back to the big picture post. I have been under the weather, but will get it finished this week. Some dates that will likely be important to what we have going on now are:

• March 31: Mars conjunct Saturn (0 Aquarius)
• April 4: Jupiter/Pluto conjunction #1 (24 Capricorn, both planets direct)
• April 7: Full Moon at 18 degrees Libra (squaring the 22-24 degrees hot spot, opposing Eris), Mars squares Uranus
• April 23: Mercury hits 22 Aries (squaring that hot Cappy degree)
• June 29: Jupiter/Pluto conjunction #2 at (24 Capricorn, both planets retrograde)
• November 12: Jupiter/Pluto conjunction #3 at 22 Capricorn (Pluto retrograde)
• December 21: Jupiter/Saturn conjunction (0 Aquarius)
• August, October & December: Mars will be at 22 Aries three times during his retrograde cycle (squaring that hot Cappy degree)

And besides this we have multiple major summer Eclipses, the Nodes changing signs and an important Venus retrograde!

There is just no way to 'predict' what is going to happen here. We can see there are many, many pivot points when things can change, but until we get to the Winter Solstice - this cycle we are in now doesn't really "end" - this doesn't mean the virus will last until then though. The U.S. has a crazy election cycle ahead and every country has its own situations of "crazy" that could certainly work with any of these upcoming transits as well as any pandemic can.

We are in a time of unknowing. We just can't know.

By the middle of April, when Mercury is in Aries, we will certainly have much more information and after she/he squares that 22 Cappy degree around April 23rd - we will have quite a few weeks when the energies settle down ...

Back with a big picture connecting some of the dots here.

xo all

photo by the talented Asilwen

Today's Astrology Forecast | Friday, March 27, 2020 - practical action produces results, financial stability, smart money moves, the growth of what really matters

Now the week is really looking better.

The Moon is in Taurus, the sign of her exaltation. Her only aspect today is an opportunistic sextile to Mercury (in Pisces). Good news. Stabilizing news. She has all nice aspects tomorrow, too!

Keep in mind we have the Sun in exaltation AND the Moon in exaltation now. This dynamic duo combination won't last, so if there are moves you need to make, this would be the time.

Venus (ruler of Taurus) is trining Jupiter - this is good for financial decisions, getting our money organized. I know things are chaotic, but there are choices/moves we can make now. With Jupiter in sober and earthy Capricorn this is about practical stuff. There won't be oodles of choices, but there will be SOMETHING. Maybe money that is owed to us can be collected now. Maybe something can be sold. Call your mortgage company and see what can be done to ease your burden over the next few weeks. Call your credit card companies (a friend had their mortgage rate reduced by 1% saving her $300 a month plus all her credit card payments delayed for a month with just a few, fast phone calls). Make the effort. Money saved is money earned, too.

Stay on top of stimulus programs/state programs - and if nothing applies to your situation, be thankful/grateful for those who are being helped.

Count your blessings and those cans of beans.

Doors that were previously closed can open now.

This isn't about grabbing for something out of fear - this is smooth energy and things will fall into place if you take practical action.

This is all RE-INFORCED by Venus (at 23 degrees Taurus - she won't be on her home sign of Taurus forever folks and we need to take advantage of this) trining Pallas in Capricorn.

Smart strategies with our resources. Making the most of what we already have. The growth of what we have. Wisdom. What is most important right now? Again this is Cappy/Taurus, so realistic/practical. Trines create flow - the brakes are off. Collectively this is our money/values/resources and our career/life in the world/authority.

What house is ruled by Taurus in your natal chart? What house is ruled by Capricorn? What are the themes of those houses? They always work together, but now we have the two most beneficial planets and our wise warrior energy Pallas lined up here to help us!

There is potential here. The Moon is waxing. Take action.

xo all

Heads up - Venus will move from a trine to Jupiter into a trine to Pluto. This is more good news. Improved financial stability. The growth of what we really value. If you have any planets/points from about 23-25 degrees of the earth signs - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn - you will feel this strongest.

I have a big picture post almost done - hopefully I will have it up tonight!

photo by the amazing Natalia Ciobanu