Today's astrology forecast | Wednesday, July 1, 2020 - daddy comes home ... with one final mission

The Moon continues her journey through intense Scorpio today, touching all those retrograde big-boys as she goes. Trining (brakes off) a retrograde Neptune at 6:01am EDT, sextiling a retrograde Jupiter at 11:05AM EDT, sextiling a retrograde Pluto at 11:19AM EDT and finally going void for JUST ONE MINUTE off a sextile to a retrograde Saturn at 9:20PM EDT (who, you guessed it, will be back in his home sign of Saturn by that time).

Great for solitary work and getting things accomplished. A smooth day.

I wonder if that brief one minute void will allow us to really feel the Moon's move into boisterous/self-righteous and spirit-lifting (booyah!) Sagittarius at 9:21PM EDT? We shall see ...

Mercury (at 9 degrees Cancer) slips into his square to Chiron (at 9 degrees Aries). In Cancer, Mercury is answering to that intense Scorpio Moon (making good aspects to the outer planets but in her fall) and, in Aries, Chiron is answering to as fiery Mars in his home sign. Maybe a family conversation/disagreement triggers an old emotional wound. Maybe it becomes necessary for us to speak up/stand up about something.

The key with Chiron in Aries, and it will be easier to do this now that Mars is in Aries, is to have COURAGE. This is a repeating aspect, but on June 5th, when we had this the first time, Mars was kind of wallowing in Pisces. We are older, wiser and stronger now. No longer a victim. If something needs to be said or confronted - and we don't need to go all ninja warrior on this - here is the energetic set-up to do it. It will be more uncomfortable to just stay silent or sit something out - and I know Mercury in Cancer wants his/her words to be soothing, but with Mercury answering to the Moon and the Moon in Scorpio, and that Scorpio Moon making oodles of supportive aspects to the "structural planets" AND our hopes and dreams - we can go deeper than we are usually comfortable going. Just don't expect it not to hurt.

The BIG NEWS today is Saturn retrograde's return to Capricorn for a final clean-up in aisle six (and seven and eight and, well, the rest of the aisles, too). He will be back here until mid-December when he moves back into Aquarius and meets Jupiter.

With Saturn retrograde in his home sign (so now we have Mars, Neptune and Saturn all in their own signs) we could be stepping back into an old responsibility. Old limits. Old rules. This is NOT  a permanent situation - we are getting another chance at doing this RIGHT/getting it finished it up/getting our ducks in a row, before it is OVER. In some cases before the rug gets pulled. In other cases, where we are already sliding around on the bare floors and looking at bare walls, to make adjustments/re-visions before the paint dries.

Reality check time. 

For those in the midst of 2019/2020's collective HUMBLING, there is something to be FINISHED before Saturn returns to Aquarius in December, not to be back home to Cappy for 28 years.

Maybe we've lost a job. Maybe we are feeling older (keep in mind we are as young as we will ever be). Maybe the good health we took for granted is failing - Saturn rules not only old age, but our bones, teeth and knees (as he brings us to ours). Maybe we are feeling the squeeze/weight of expired contracts we have literally been dragging around for lifetimes. Maybe some of those "10,000 hour" skills we have always counted on, or thought we could, are slipping away or other people's need for them is gone. Maybe we've lost resources/money we thought we could count on. Maybe we've lost a parent. A support system. A plan for the future. Maybe we have a really big freaking mess to clean up. Supported by this weekend's final monster of a Capricorn Eclipse on America's birthday - this is a reminder of this last chapter. A confirmation of what is ending. This is us, moving through our fears. And with Pluto joining Saturn, this stuff is no joke.

Whatever this is for us personally, we can SEE what this is collectively (with the collapse of things we collectively count on, which is really not a collapse but a reality check). This is the part of the unwinding of the patriarchy that everyone clamoring for the 'fall of the patriarchy' needs to be slapped in the face with. Not because we don't want to unwind the patriarchy - it is happening ready or not - but because anyone who thought they would skate through this unaffected probably haven't been. Or won't be.

Saturn's return to Capricorn is NOT bad news.

In Capricorn he strengthens our resolve (and our backbone). Big girl/boy pants on.

We can step into our authority more easily.

Do what needs to be done.

Remember he is only the authority outside of us, if we are avoiding our own.



xo all

photo by the amazing sollenafotografie

Today's Astrology Forecast | Tuesday, June 30, 2020 - second chances, questioning our beliefs, stepping into our power, getting to the root of a home/family situation, winners gotta win

We talked about some of the possibilities for Tuesday/Wednesday in the weekly HERE

There is alot going on. Let's flesh it all out a bit by adding in the Moon. The Moon is in Scorpio now - we are nurtured through intimacy, intense experiences, getting to the bottom of things, truth, solving puzzles, merged money, empowerment issues, powerful (maybe spooky) women.

She will trine the Sun at 10:19AM giving us this month's Waxing Trine - Scorpio/Cancer. The waxing trine - brakes off - is building on last week's Eclipse in Cancer and finishes up with the Eclipse in Capricorn at the end of this week.

(Keep in mind information/a conversation/whatever comes to light now - because the Sun is meeting Mercury and squaring Chiron - can be painful - keep moving through this! It is OK to be vulnerable/ it's helpful, but we don't want to be wallowing. We aren't victims here.)

Scorpio/Cancer is emotional intensity.

Getting to the root of a family/home/security situation. Psychological insight. Maybe understanding or feeling a need for power. In water signs, we are feeling all the feels here.

The Scorpio Moon moves on to oppose Uranus (in Taurus) at 11:21AM EDT. This can lead to breakthroughs/breakdowns/break-ups. Unexpected stuff. Changes. Keep in mind, a retrograde Mercury is sextiling (opportunity) Uranus for the second time. New ideas. Fresh conversations. Re-think it. A second chance (and this is supported by Jupiter/Pluto) at something serious.

Their money/our money. Their resources/our resources. Their values/our values.

Try again. Say it AGAIN.

Just a few minutes later, the Moon will trine (brakes off) Mercury retrograde.

So, the Moon is supporting everything else that is happening (kind of repeating everything written for TUESDAY in the weekly and giving us the Jupiter/Pluto intensity through the Scorpio Moon). The old/new information/conversation/idea (for some this will be about a sibling, transportation, tech or local community issues) is smoothly integrated.

Pay attention to what is said - and with Scorpio involved - what is not said!

Reconnect. Revive an old idea.

And, of course, we are in the energy of Jupiter/Pluto (for most of the year really but very strong right now). Expansion of power. This isn't the Saturn/Pluto that stopped time. This is our other Pluto transit. The three-peating one. And this is the re-peat part where do the "re's" - re-vise, re-do, re-think.

We are questioning/re-imagining Jupiter - and Jupiterian people/situations (Sags, our beliefs, religion, the media, publishing, politics, legal issues, travel, education, weddings)

We are questioning/re-imagining Pluto - and Pluto people/situations (Scorpios, intimacy, finances, divorce, life/death, third party situations, reproduction, power, control).

And, of course, happening in Capricorn this pulls in all the Cappy situations we discussed in the weekly, which again is HERE.

We ARE NOT standing still while we do this.

Mars is in Aries, there is no standing still. The skies offer courage/confidence. The Moon is waxing (growing). 2020 is halfway over now. This is the last day of Saturn in Aquarius until the end of the year.

What do you want to do with the rest of 2020 - not all of this is in our hands, but some of it is!

In a year focused on small moves (that Gemini North Node) this is the energy to make a BIGGER one.

This isn't a leap off a tall building, there is too much retrograde energy for that, but a brave and confident STRETCH!!

We can have deep emotional insights today. Where is your POWER? What do you need? Reach for it. Reach further. Reach AGAIN. 

(not in a grabby way like a demented octopus, but it's yours - STRETCH )


xo all

photo by the talented Jaime Ibarra

Today's Astrology Forecast | Monday, June 29, 2020 - relationship tension, seeking balance and fairness, long Void Moon, Jupiter/Pluto the re-fining of power part where we might get eaten

This is going to be an important (should we say wild?) week for many people.

We start the day with the Moon in partnership and balanced/beauty focused Libra making some tense aspects early in the day (EDT) - she squares a retrograde Pluto at 8:55AM and then goes void off a square to a retrograde Jupiter at 9:02AM (with Jupiter and Pluto backing into the same space late tonight). The Moon is void until she dives into Scorpio at 6:48PM EDT. She squares a retrograde Saturn at 7:01PM EDT. Old roadblocks. Authority, power issues. But mostly the almost all-day Void Moon rules the show. Use it for production/process (ie things we do all the time, so we don't have to do things over again when the Moon is direct, which can happen with new things). Time can get stretchy. Expect some twists and turns. This would not be the day to start something you want something 'to come of'.

As if this wasn't enough potential for tension/frustration within relationships - the Sun (in Cancer) is squaring Juno (in Libra). Relationship imbalances/power struggles will be felt. If one partners feels all Cancer-comfortable (cared for and safe) and the other doesn't - this is no longer going to work. If one partner is 'mothering' the other partner - this is no longer going to work. If one partner is acting like a big baby - this is no longer going to work. And by 'no longer going to work' what I mean in Libra is that pink paint cannot be tossed over a partnership/contract problem and it called cotton candy. Because the amusement parks - those are closed, too.

In the meantime, the drumbeats in the background will be late tonight/tomorrow's (EDT at 1:48AM) exact meeting of Pluto and Jupiter (24 degrees Capricorn), in play all week and all year - the second of three we have throughout 2020.

This is the one with both planets retrograde. 

Collectively Capricorn rules structure/security in the world, the underpinnings of society, our careers, authority, responsibilities, goals, ambitions, your boss/your father, bureaucracy, the process of putting our 10,000 hours into something and getting good at it. The ladders we climb, fall from and lean against the wrong buildings.

We are making our own luck (Jupiter) with this one through intense (Pluto) efforts - the kind of efforts that are 'like our life depends on it' and sometimes it might. Push too hard and take things too far though and there could be a reckoning with an equally strong opposition force. So think - confidence/energy/stepping into our own authority. Some things can expand and others can meet the demolition ball. We have to trust life here. Have faith. This energy is good for SECOND CHANCES with goals/ambitions.

How are your plans for world domination going? Or are those someone else's plans? This is powerful energy and there are forces in the world who think the world is a better place when we (the masses) can be controlled. When those with the power get to keep it. The North Node is in Gemini - ask more questions, listen, look for facts. Real facts, not media manipulated information. And this isn't about conspiracy theories. With Jupiter/Pluto there ARE actual conspiracies!

Keep in mind we are still in the Eclipse spin cycle with the final Eclipse this weekend. Mercury is retrograde. Venus is direct, but still covering old ground. Mars is full steam ahead in his home sign of Aries. Most of the outer planets are retrograde (minus Uranus).

This is a "re-doing, re-viewing" time, but Mars is clamoring for some new action.

And new action there will be!

More about Jupiter/Pluto in the weekly HERE and through a wider lens HERE and in a bunch of other posts.


xo all

photo by the amazing sollenafotografie

Weekly Astrology Forecast | June 29th - July 5th, 2020 - second chances, eat or be eaten, daddy backs into the garage and lands in the barcalounger, the beginning of the end of that two year Capricorn situation, smart moves, change is good

Sooo - this is the week Jupiter meets Pluto in Capricorn for the second time (of three) - the middle transit of any three-peat with Pluto is the one with the decimated landscape, but we know that already because in some space in our lives we are standing on it. Ground cleared.

AND this is the week of the final Eclipse on the Capricorn/Cancer axis (last of nine over the last two years!).

AND the week daddy Saturn comes back home to Capricorn for basically the rest of the year.

It's Cappy on steroid time!

So what did last year (and 2018!) and the first six months of this year teach us that we can use in the last half?

Something about resilience maybe ....

It will roll out something like:

TUESDAY - Jupiter conjunct Pluto (24 degrees Capricorn - this is the 2nd of 3), Sun conjuncts Mercury and squares Chiron, Mercury sextiles Uranus
WEDNESDAY - Sun sextiles Uranus, Mercury squares Chiron, Saturn retrogrades back into Capricorn, Pallas conjuncts Pluto
SUNDAY - Capricorn Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse (13 degrees) - FINAL ECLIPSE of NINE (Cancer/Capricorn axis) over the last two years. 

Yes, we have alot going on this week. Again.

On TUESDAY, Jupiter meets up with Pluto (the 2nd of three conjunctions in 2020) at 24 degrees Capricorn. They first met on April 4th, so an issue from that time period is RE-ENERGIZED.

And keep in mind all three Jupiter/Pluto conjunctions are also conjunct asteroid Pallas - wisdom, courage, smart moves, recognizing patterns, creativity, sometimes father/daughter stuff ...

This could be a SECOND CHANCE for success with our career/goals/the structure of our life in the world (or with our natal Cappy house theme). With BOTH planets retrograde in Capricorn we might be returning to old employment/old responsibilities as we re-vise, re-imagine how we feel now about success and power.

Jupiter/Pluto can support the powerful work we do to understand our role in our life and grow into it. It can support, sometimes via challenge, our ability to fight for justice, our personal ambitions and our potential to thrive under adverse circumstances. Keep in mind it is up to us to re-frame, to translate our experience into something we can work with and negotiate from there.

On the other hand we could just get steamrolled.

Or maybe we have taken in too much and now face near self-destruction trying to get rid of it?

There will be cats and there will be mice today and it might be best to avoid getting eaten. Meow!

This will also be about our Capricorn natal house theme. Where is 24 degrees Capricorn in our natal chart? You will know this area because it has been a strong focus of your life for the last couple years!

Before Jupiter and Pluto met in April - they had last met in December 2007 (in Sag) and before that in December 1994 (in Scorpio). Do those dates sound familiar? What was going on for you back then?

This is such a fortuitous aspect in a natal chart

(and Bill Gates has one and will be back in the news no doubt or is that already happening?)

it was once hard to wrap our minds around the negative collective potentials. Not so much anymore.

Although in some ways they are just too enormous to be considered. Collectively this is an expansion of power. In Capricorn, most likely - traditional structures of power. This aspect takes us back to the "time runs out" January palaver, when Saturn/Pluto met at 22 degrees, but not as exactly as the final one at the end of the year will. For some, financial gain (especially with Venus recently direct), maybe for others the realization that our hands in someone else’s pockets or theirs in ours will not stand for long.

There could be some kind of major impact this week on the world as we know it.

Expanded and powerful ambitions realized? The destruction of truth/faith? Financial shake-ups.

Whatever this is - it's a catalyst for enormous change.

In the meantime and at the same time, the Sun meets a retrograde Mercury - shining a light on a conversation/idea/information. Clarity. Mercury is sextiling Uranus - pulling us forward into the future, a new story, change is good. The Sun is also squaring Chiron, so something that comes to light here is going to hurt/trigger an old wound. Bring something painful to light.

With the Sun in Cancer this could be about a collective Cancerian matter - home, family, mother, mothering, home business, family business, safety, structure, what feels like home, who feels like family, patriotism - or a matter regarding your natal Cancerian house theme. 

This pulls us back to June 6th - maybe when we heard these words, had this conversation/this idea/ received this information the first time. But we know alot more now than we knew then, that's for sure.

For some people this will be about a local community issue, a transportation issue, tech issue or sibling situation.

On WEDNESDAY, it is the Sun's turn to sextile Uranus. Keep in mind every Uranian event arises from coercion to maintain the status quo, which ultimately produces a personal earthquake. In this case - we have this Uranian opportunity - midweek. A spotlight on change - a smooth move into something new. A new way of being ourselves/making money/working with existing resources. The Sun is in cancer, so again Cancerian themes can be highlighted (or our natal Cancer/Taurus house themes).

At the same time, a retrograde Mercury, who has just moved off the Sun and his/her own sextile to Uranus, squares Chiron - the conversation/idea/words hurt. This could, of course, be all part of the same thing as yesterday and happen yesterday. Or maybe today we are re-thinking it. Talking about it (this is not a new issue) again. Hard conversations. Hearing what we don't want to hear. Words hit a tender spot. Ouch.

This is also the day Saturn moves back into Capricorn. With Saturn (limits) out of Aquarius (the people) - and with the quarantine restrictions hitting just as Saturn moved into Aquarius we could have seen a lessening of the virus restrictions/quarantine, but the opposite is happening in some of the U.S. (and this makes sense with the astro now, too - it's complicated and alot is happening).

With Saturn back in Capricorn, we return to March 20th.

Keep in mind, we are still moving backward - revising, reworking, etc - our careers, goals, father issues, old responsibilities, commitments. If Saturn ie authority/the old power structure thinks this is the same Capricorn he/we left back in mid-March he is sadly mistaken though (and will find this out on this weekend's Eclipse!).

Wise warrior Pallas meets Pluto (she'll meet Jupiter on Saturday, so this could be all the same thing or what happens now expands then). Strategy, courage, expansion, power. Smart moves. Re-analyzing the situation. Dots connected in new ways.

A focus on what we can control.

Pallas and Pluto are both retrograde, so this won't be an entirely new battle - this is more about revising the battle plans - and keep in mind they met back in early April. 
 
Back later in the week with the Capricorn Full Moon Lunar Eclipse post - those Cappy loose ends and our two year Capricorn house storyline is getting wrapped up ... expect a big post by sign!

Let's be gentle with each other (yes, even the people we don't agree with). Get enough rest. And move your body because Mars has come home to Aries people!

xo all

photo by the talented Kistyna Vyslouzilova

Astrology Forecast | Saturday, June 27, 2020 - Mars comes home to Aries for the rest of the year! welcome to the second half of 2020, don't even bother to buckle up, this stuff will just snap the buckle

At 9:45PM EDT, tonight, Mars comes home to Aries. We have the sign of our action/initiative/anger at the very first degree of the very first sign for the first time in two years. In Aries, Mars is brave, impatient, new, energetic, passionate, sometimes angry/sometimes foolish.

And because of his upcoming retrograde he (as us) will be here until January 6th! So, his usual six weeks becomes six months! We are still in the middle of three powerful/unpredictable Eclipses. Jupiter is still approaching Pluto. Mercury is still retrograde. But now we have Venus in direct motion AND Mars out of Pisces (Hallelujah for that!) and into his home sign. As he comes into Aries he crosses the "Aries point" (0 degrees of a cardinal sign), this is a new start TONIGHT, our collective attention on THE SAME THING.

Mars immediately sextiles Saturn, retrograde at 0 degrees Aquarius, so there is support/stabilization for our actions. The old and the new working together. Aries/Aquarius - innovative, original.

It looks like I wrote about this back in April. April feels like five years ago, but here it is:

*****

"Since Mars is going to retrograde in his home sign of Aries this year for a long transit during which time he will square the Cappy planets he mega-impacted in March, when he sent our normal lives hurtling into the stratosphere (and yes, this stratosphere could look something like the inside of a 100 year old center hall colonial with a leaky roof) - it seems like a good idea - knowing what we know now about what is unfolding this year - to take an early look at that.

On June 27, 2020, Mars will move into his home sign of Aries for the first time in two years

(yes, even Mars is sent to his room this year).

Aries is the energy we incarnate through - it is us being born. Pushing our way into our very existence. Starting out all alone. It is our hero's journey. Our "I am".

In Aries, Mars is strong, willful, passionate, impulsive - and at his most Mars-y

(which is something like ballsy only more like BALLSY - I am talking bowling and not tennis here),

and because of his upcoming retrograde, he will be in Aries for THE REST OF THE YEAR.

Mars is the first planet outside our Earth's orbit. Our other inner/personal planets, Mercury and Venus are closer to the center, and, so, visually they travel with the Sun - they never get too far away - but Mars is a fellow who likes his independence.

He isn't constrained by the Sun in the same way Mercury and Venus are.

Ruler of brave and independent Aries he does what he wants.

In Roman mythology, Mars was the son of Juno and Jupiter (in Greek mythology he was the God Ares). We think of Mars as the God of War, because he is, but his ancient role - as a fertility God and protector of crops and animals (herds), might be something for us to keep in mind as we talk about his upcoming retrograde.

In our natal chart Mars rules our natal Aries house and is influenced/and influences the sign and house he calls home. Mars is about our will, our ambition, our action, our passion, our physical self, our selfishness, our rage. His house placement and rulership lets us know what battles we are going to face in this lifetime - the spaces where, if we are not assertive and active (without being self-centered, irritable, impulsive, angry assholes), we will find ourselves steamrolled or in continued stress until we take action/stand up for ourselves/have COURAGE.

The last time Mars went retrograde was in June 2018

(in Aquarius - he moved back and forth over the South Node back then - this was that big summer when something might have ended/never got off the ground/didn't quite work out).

He won't be going over the South Node this time, thank goodness - but he will be squaring that Cappy pile-up - yes, that "time runs out" Cappy pile-up. Ouch!

My post from June 2018 during his last retrograde is HERE and included these words:

"Life is a chessboard (and a box of chocolate, too, of course) and this year we are being pushed and drop-kicked toward the positions we are most needed for a successful collective outcome in 2020. This year is the bridge year - this is why it feels like there is no ground beneath our feet! And yes, I realize there are no bridges on a chessboard (and no drop-kicking) - I need some help with these metaphors and my brain is not cooperating. Physically, mentally and emotionally - we are moving toward where we, and our energy level, needs to be. It can be exhausting, especially when we are dealing with the worn foundational issues we have ignored/procrastinated and the spaces where we have become super-glued to anything."

A couple important things will happen during Mars' visit to his old stomping ground.

He is, as we already said, going to station retrograde - so he (as us) will cover some of this territory THREE TIMES. And a retrograde Mars, isn't his usual self.

Pushy, world-centered activity tends to bite us in the butt when Mars is retrograde - this will start on September 9th - (this might not be true for people born when Mars was retrograde - they could get some kind of butt-bite-protection during retros), so, it's not the time to start a fight, the person who starts the fight will surely lose (or be the big learner if we look at it that way - which is why we won't always be able to stop ourselves from launching that grenade!).

If instead we turn our focus inside and allow our actions to flow from the passion initiated from that this will be a much easier/smoother transit for us personally.

AND, since Aries squares Capricorn, he is going to square Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn (because Saturn's retrograde is going to pull him back into Capricorn at precisely the right/wrong time) THREE TIMES. Sorry to keep shouting. I blame the weather.

We are going to talk through all of this as we move through it, but know this, coupled with a strong Eclipse season where things can flip around on us, means summer is NOT business as usual.

So, we will get to a certain point with something and need to go backward. We will have to re-do something, get to do things we missed doing the first time around - maybe experience second chances with opportunities/people/situations we missed. With Mars ruling our passion - this could be about rekindling an old passion. Life will not be all hand-washing and Netflix, I can promise you that.

Aries rules men, so expect men (maybe especially young men) to be out of sorts this fall when Mars starts moving backward (appearing to from our position on Earth).

Some of us who never hesitate will be hesitating (or pulling the trigger too soon) and others who normally need a push will be out there pushing. And again, this happening during a very tumultuous time, with the South Node moved into Sag and many people likely wedded to very entrenched beliefs, well, Mars retrograde in Aries could stir up some TROUBLE.

Mars kicked the pandemic up a notch when he connected with the Cappy planets in March. He will square the Cappy planets in August, September/October and December - this does not necessarily mean this will continue to be about the virus. Tension. Frustration. Blockage. These will all be needed and necessary, but will be stressful. So, this is a heads up.

What house does Aries rule in your natal chart? What is the theme of that house? Where is Mars in your natal chart, because transiting Mars is impacting his energy and that house, too?

The squares will roll out something like this:

MARS SQUARE SATURN - September 29th (Mars retrograde, Saturn direct) - Saturn definitely has the upper hand. We keep our cool and live to fight another day or we lose. This is unyielding - a denial of aggression/assertion. There is a "no" here. Roadblocks/limits/traditions serve a purpose - sometimes we need to go around, crash over or plow through them and sometimes they keep us from falling off the cliff. On the other hand, Saturn can win the battle and lose the war if he overplays his hand.  

MARS SQUARE JUPITER - (in mythology this would be a son/father battle) August 4th (Mars direct, Jupiter retrograde), October 19th (Mars retrograde, Jupiter direct) - this is going to amplify the Mars/Saturn/Pluto stuff. We could overestimate/exaggerate our strength/power. Move too fast. Use too much force or maybe too little. Jupiter is going to amplify the August and October squares - but, keep in mind Jupiter's basic beneficial nature. He is protective. He gives us faith.

MARS SQUARE PLUTO - This time we get an extra hit. August 13th (Mars direct, Pluto retrograde), October 9th (Mars retrograde, Pluto direct) and December 23rd (both direct) - Mars is powerful in his home sign and Pluto is, well Pluto is Pluto. Expect intense competition and unbridled ambition. Manipulations. Obsessions. Jealousy. Physical power struggles. Excisions/surgical procedures. Our power could be challenged or we could be the one doing the calling out. If we are "waked" this is the time to think about why this situation is "triggering" us.

If we are repressing anger/passion/strong urges - here's where the lid comes off. We could be mad (Mars) at the truth (Pluto). We could be battling (Mars) for power/control (Pluto). We don't want to be ruthless or under-handed, but we might have to stand up for ourselves.  Avoid unnecessary run ins with the boss/authority because THEY WILL WIN. If we are the boss/authority then avoid making other people feel threatened because WE WILL LOSE in the long run. And we are playing a long game here.

Keep this in mind. Mars/Pluto is like a bully aspect, but it is also about having the courage to SURVIVE.

As that final square unwinds itself by January 2021, the ground will have been scorched and there will be no going back. Very deep issues have been challenged. Something, at least sort of put to bed.

The sheets will undoubtedly be in a sweaty pile though

(that whole rising from our death beds thing this year).

Now during all these squares Mars is going to be conjunct his sister Eris. She is our angry outsider energy, the terrorist energy, the whistle-blower, the loose cannon, but she is really about challenging us to adapt/transform - so we will have to see how she factors in during these transits.  Again this year the need to bring everyone to the table.

(Eris has a discovery story that amazingly matches her mythological personality. The astronomer who discovered her first wanted to name her Xena. When he learned that was a made up TV thing, he then wanted to name her Persephone (after Ceres daughter, but that name was taken by an asteroid), and so apparently determined to name what he thought would be the 10th planet after a strong female, he settled on Eris.

THEN instead of announcing her as our 10th planet, the astronomy community decided to just demote Pluto - demote PLUTO?! - and call Eris, Pluto and Ceres dwarf planets. If we think about the Eris myth - about her being the angry outsider treated unfairly and enacting her revenge - we can see how this series of events - her being the name third chosen, not being granted planetary status and finally pulling Pluto down with her - while pulling up Ceres - her mother if we think of her as Eris/Persephone - exactly describes her mythology!)

It's hard to say what this will mean with the virus, black lives matter, our financial situation, the political divisions, protests, the election (!), etc, something new tossed at us ...

Most of us have very deep soul memories of abandonment, lack of roots, not being able to take care of ourselves, being an outsider, dying alone, power struggles with authority or through being the authority, terrifying endings, death anxiety.
 
There is a need now to confront these energies. This is all being triggered. We have postponed this confrontation for lifetimes and now face the impossibility of running away from this stuff. There is nowhere to run. Keep in mind the big picture - we are building a bold new world, the fear that keeps us riveted in place will not be allowed to be part of this new structure.

BIG moves (by authority, by us stepping into our responsibilities for ourselves and for the group as our karma with trauma plays itself out) are coming in this chapter.
 
The good news and there is ALOT - Mars moves into Aries and sextiles Saturn (while he is still in Aquarius), AND he sextiles Jupiter and Pluto in the preceding days (from Pisces/Capricorn), so they all start out with their groove on in mid to late June - in harmony. 

Obviously they have their differences later on, but starting out in an opportunistic position is good news. Also Mars will have multiple sextiles with the North Node in Gemini - choices, ideas - lots of options and opportunities.

Life is changing. The only way to work something into the collective experience is to squeeze it down into our personal lives. So, yes, we are - should we survive the pressure and I am guessing most of us will - the actual lemons turning into the lemonade. Cue the red solo cup. Let's hope our quarantined asses fit.

*****

So, Mars will be moving direct between now and early September. We will be pushed to move! That 'no pushing' thing we talked about with Mars in Pisces is kind of out the window.

He will get all the way to the very end of Aries - when oops, we forgot something/missed something/ have to do something again.

Mars will station retrograde on September 9th at 28 degrees Aries. He will get all the way back to 15 degrees on November 15th.

So, 15-28 degrees of the cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn - are Mars retrograde hot spots. People with planets in here will be feeling the heat of this the strongest.

Keep in mind Mars transits are FAST. This passionate/intense/maybe angry/maybe ambitious energy will interact with our natal planet for a couple days and then unwind BUT because of the retrograde this will happen THREE times so provide more of a lasting and substantial impact.

Although squares are kind of unresolvable - just due to their basic natures being so different - squares are problem solving aspects. They require evolution. They are uncomfortable because we are set up to crave what is familiar, but moving through the challenges/surviving the challenges/evolving - always makes us stronger.

The squares will weed out the weak responses we are collectively and personally enabling between those Aries and Capricorn energies.

We have to keep in mind we don't really want either side to totally win - one side left drawn and quartered actually hurts both sides. We need the residual stress/the restlessness. These energies always need some unfinished business. BUT we need evolution/change (it's why we're here) and that's what squares bring us.

The squares will challenge all of us. Personally and collectively. Mars in Aries for such a long time means we will all be working with our initiative, our passion, our anger!

Plan on moving your body, and, yes, I know the gyms are closed - we will need outlets for this stuff!

Long, hot summer? A big, red YES.

xo all


photo by the talented xetobyte


moving the Saturday night mystery to another night this week - stay tuned!

Today's Astrology Forecast | Friday, June 26, 2020 - a new plan, our heart and head together, smothered conflicts rise to the surface, the end of the line, choices, decisions, the shorter/closer road less traveled

The Moon (in Virgo) trines Uranus in fellow-earth sign Taurus at 5:44AM EDT (making an emotional commitment to change/a new plan, coloring outside the lines) and then sextiles a retrograde Mercury at 10:17AM EDT - (good news, stabilizing information) they are in each other's signs and strengthening each other - our heart and head working together! 

Mars at 29 degrees Pisces squares the North Node in Gemini and the South Node in Sagittarius.  T-square with the missing leg in Virgo - cue the Moon!

Frustration. Tension. Smothered conflicts rise to the surface.

A crossroads (while we are still in the Eclipse spin cycle?!)

This is Mars (as us) on his last day in dreamy Pisces. He won't be back for a couple years. In Pisces, we've fought, not like gunslingers or even well-memorized debaters, but as magicians, or maybe as deadly sharks. We can't tell up from down, if the tide is in or out, and maybe the right hand knows what the left is doing, but if he does, he’s not talking.

The game plays out with us or without us. Every move that is not a move is actually a move. And sometimes that's called self-sabotage and Pisces rules that, too. In Pisces we grow or shrink to our advantage/disadvantage and succeed or fail because of or in spite of it.

And with Mars here, most of the work has been done while we sleep anyway.

So at 29 degrees Pisces, he is literally AT THE END.

The final degree of the final sign.

Something could feel like it's now or never/like a last ditch effort is needed (and maybe it is, but keep in mind there will be no pushing in Pisces). Maybe we have come to the end of the road with something, taken it as far as it can go. Or maybe our imagination is FULL of it and now it needs to be made real or erased like something on a chalkboard.

But before we can get out of these Piscean waters, Mars has this one last job to do. He, as us, must get past this square to the Nodes of Fate.

We are at this crossroads and it's not comfortable. We get here by "square" which forces our hand, puts our back against the wall, and in Pisces we can make a decision without even knowing we are making a decision, so STAY AWAKE.

Do we move toward our Gemini House - collectively this is about asking questions, staying curious, moving fast, keeping things small and local and conversations light, making new connections, valuing facts over feelings, making new stories* - see this post HERE or the weekly HERE -  or do we stay in our Sagittarius house (remember the South Node is where we actually are) - our entrenched beliefs about what we know, what we think is right and best, the idea that bigger is better, that the grass is greener over there, that a book is better than a blog, that a college degree is more important than street smarts, our ideas about what expansion means, etc. 

This doesn't mean expansion is necessarily a bad thing, although it could be, but it's time to ask ourselves why something needs to be bigger!

Big ideas are still needed (maybe?! maybe not!), but it will be the small steps and day-to-day conversations/thinking/action that gets us there. And I know we have been talking about the 'long game' for years, and yes, we are still playing it, but it will be the faster/shorter moves that move things forward now.

If we are choosing between something short term and something long term, for most people, and keep in mind I can't see your chart and with Mars in Pisces you have to move intuitively, but in general the short term would likely be better.

(this new stories thing * makes me think about the statues coming down - the statues are our old entrenched beliefs about "heroes" who were really only ever human, the 'taking down of the statue' is the new story/the new history being made - we aren't destroying/ignoring history, so much as we are making new history - think about this in your own life. What statues need to come down now? This is the Age of Aquarius, the age of equality and information, even too much information, and during a year of our great "humbling", heroes on pedestals - will fall.)

Pisces, Gemini and Sag are all mutable signs, so stay flexible. And keep in mind they form a triangle with Virgo in the space of that missing leg that would create a much more stable square. And the Moon is in Virgo, today, helping us out. Stay grounded. Logical.

This is not a restaurant. The restaurants are closed. This is not like ordering dinner, but more like making dinner from leftovers. We are the cooks, but we don't get to choose just anything. We have already done a bunch of things (like saved that pastrami and baked that sour dough) that got us into this position.

So, what are we going to make?

Clever co-creation. Working with reality.

This is also the day a retrograde Mercury - who rules the North Node! - trines Ceres in Pisces. Here's a clue for those who enjoy puzzling their way through things (and remember facts in astrology are found in triplicate). She/he first trined Ceres back on June 7th. So, we are saying/thinking/hearing something AGAIN. Ceres rules nurturing, mothering, things outside our control, season of life issues. And Mercury is in Cancer - collectively ruling our home, family, mother, mothering, home business, family business, real estate, renovations, security, safety, our tribe.

Maybe what we do at this crossroads connects to this revised information/conversation/idea.

Keep in mind we are still in between Eclipses - we still have a final Capricorn Eclipse to get through, and the second of three Jupiter/Pluto conjunctions and Saturn is about to step back into Capricorn.

So, we make a move, it's not a big move, but it's still a move. We can do it unconsciously and drift into something unintended or intuitively and move in a fast-paced, more open and lighter direction.

xo all

 
Heads up - as Mars heads into Aries, we are soon to be JOLTED AWAKE (and did we even notice we were sleeping?!) - you won't have to set our alarm. It's come preset and the clock is ticking.

photo by the talented emznocedo

Today's Astrology Forecast | Thursday June 25, 2020 - fine-tuning emotional situations, getting organized, painful experiences pushing us to change

The Moon is Void until she moves into grounded and organized Virgo at 1:05PM EDT - time to clean up that Leo party!

What needs to get done? Small steps. Details. The Moon is answering to a retrograde Mercury in Cancer now, so we could be going back over something.

The Moon makes a fast inconjunct over to stodgy Saturn in Aquarius - so the day favors independent work. Avoid being too inflexible, critical or judgey. 

The Moon sextiles the Sun (Virgo/Cancer) at 9:33PM EDT - this month's waxing sextile.

We are fine-tuning emotional situations from the past. What do we need to feel safe/nurtured? What needs to be done/organized? Think dotted i's and crossed t's. Virgo also rules our health and we are in the middle of powerful Eclipses (one more to go); the last one, conjunct Asteroid Hygeia, ruler of healthy practices - this includes hygiene, but is not exclusively about hygiene - what are we eating? is our home clean? organized? can we find what we need when we need it? Start small - where is the flashlight? Where are the batteries?

Count the cans of beans. We will need them later.

Virgo/Cancer opportunities won't be about leaps into the unknown (and we have the South Node in Sagittarius warning against this right now) - small steps over the wobbly bridge and we'll make it through.

Vesta (from 9 degrees Cancer) is squaring Chiron and sextiling Uranus. Something that used to keep us up at night/keep us safe (feeling nurtured) has reached a painful need for change. Squares to Chiron trigger very old woundings, so maybe not having what we think we need will create the impetus for us to move in a new direction/make a change. With Vesta in Cancer, smother-mothering is possible - let's avoid squashing their little wings, OK, mamas?

The big news - Venus, after her 40 day and 40 night re-examination of our values/relationships/money, stations direct/is a morning star again. Answers/money will come in. Decisions will be made. Knowing where we stand and deciding where we are standing are par for the course as Venus stations. We know what we have (maybe buyer's remorse for any big purchases in the last few weeks). If something/someone we once loved re-appeared during this retrograde period, here's where we find out if that love will be sticky or was loose ends in need of tying off.

Venus not only rules our relationships and our resources/money/values. Venus rules beauty. Think about the things you do to make yourself more beautiful.

Then think  about what you are doing when you actually feel more beautiful.

Dancing? Swimming? Cooking? Being kissed by a child? Turning a stranger's head? Do you need someone else's eyes to see you as beautiful or is the mirror enough? Do you even need the mirror? Do you get what you want? Only what you need? Or less than that?

How comfortable are you with receiving?

If we have been out of touch with our Venus/not knowing what we want - hopefully the last 40 days with Venus in Gemini, the sign of variety/choices, has brought something into greater clarity.

Remember Venus will continue to cover old ground until July 29th, so we get one final pass with this with Venus direct.

Make it count.


xo all


big energies and a big post coming!

photo by the talented PineApplePioneer

Today's Astrology Forecast | Wednesday, June 24, 2020 - something unexpected, the potential for tantrums and turnarounds, all day Void Moon, focus on children/creative projects, have some fun

The Moon in Leo went void while we slept (1:34AM EDT) off a square to Uranus.

A disruption/surprise (maybe good, maybe challenging). Unexpected emotions. If we are taking a risk with something now, the outcome cannot be predicted.

The Moon in Leo (as us) wants attention, and/or someone wants ours!

This is a good aspect for working with creative/future leaning ideas/projects, but direct action, especially putting something/or ourselves into the spotlight could be risky or just premature. Childish displays are possible. A blow to our pride could come out of nowhere.

On the other hand, we could get some unexpected downtime/time to play!

Either way, the Moon will be void until tomorrow - so this would not be the time to launch anything into the world we want something to come of. Practiced, routine work is best. Otherwise we could find ourselves having to do things all over again once the Moon is direct. Play. Work on creative projects. Focus on children. Light romance. The Leo Moon supports bringing some fun into whatever we are doing.

Heads up at 2:47AM EDT tonight, Venus, finishes up her 40 days and 40 night is the wilderness and stations direct.

Financial/relationship issues will start to move forward.

More in the weekly HERE.

xo all

artwork by the amazing borda

Today's Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Tuesday, June 23, 2020 - get your work done so you can play later, illusions start to fade, the way things are for now not forever

The Moon moves into fiery, generous and attention-seeking Leo at 8:33AM EDT. She opposes a retrograde Saturn an hour later and sextiles a retrograde Venus at 6:05PM EDT.

The Moon in Leo wants to play and maybe Saturn says there is work to do or in Aquarius he says "think about the future. think about the group.". Moon/Saturn asks us to emotionally separate from what has been previously comforting/nurturing. Saturn is cold, but builds worlds and in Aquarius he is building the future.

Lucky for us, we will feel the sweet pull of Moon/Venus as the workday starts to draw to a close. Excellent evening for socializing, creativity, making friends, love and money.

The big news today, although it is of long-term consequence and mostly felt by people with planets/points near 20 degrees Pisces (or the other mutable signs - Gemini, Virgo, Sag) is - the station of Neptune retrograde.

We talked about THAT in the weekly:

"Neptune stations retrograde at 20 degrees Pisces (he will be retrograde until November 28th, when he will station direct at 18 degrees Pisces). Yes, Neptune moves so slowly we will spend five months going back and forth over two degrees!

(the last time Neptune stationed retrograde at 20 degrees Pisces was on June 23, 1856)

Collectively a retrograde Neptune means more realism, less imagination, our illusions are highlighted and then dimmed. 

It should help. It should help us to see straight. Our blurry visions will gradually come into focus as the tide goes out. We can revise/review our dreams.

Since Neptune rules viruses we should see a further lessening of the spread of the virus now (it might appear to ramp up a bit first when Neptune is strong and still).

On the other hand if we are depending on an illusion/those rose-colored glasses to get us through something/to make life bearable - Neptune retrograde can make things almost too real/too naked/less buoyant. Because again ... the tide goes out and we can see those colorful rocks at our feet are actually plain old rocks after all.

If we are directly impacted by this retrograde (if we have planets or points in this 'red zone' of the mutable signs - Pisces, Gemini, Virgo or Sagittarius) - certain situations can intensify.

If our boundaries have become too thin, if we are too pie-in-the-sky idealistic about something, if we are believing in things that have no basis in reality, if we are escaping/indulging in addictive behaviors - we won't be able to avoid the ramifications of this stuff any longer. This can also be about the theme of our Pisces natal house.

If we have drained ourselves through too much Neptune - delusion, escape, self-sacrificing, compassion fatigue, turning the other cheek - and are exhausted - we will need to figure that out. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. The elephant behind the sofa will be standing on the coffee table.

And with Chiron in Aries, we are the ones who will have to make things better for ourselves. 

Keep in mind as always with Neptune - there is also powerful magic here. Pray, meditate, listen to music. Neptune rules not only what we have put away, but what is behind us. Our ancestors, and every good decision we've ever made in every life we've ever lived - is lined up to assist us through these times. Just ask."

So for today, think - early day best for independent work, taking care of responsibilities (or else they will be weighing on us anyway), later day great for fun, beauty and time with other people.


xo all

photo by the talented eulalievarenne

Today's Astrology Forecast | Monday, June 22, 2020 - news, communications, taking action, the second time's the charm, get things done early, storm clouds tonight

The Moon is home in Cancer now, staying BUSY. She meets a retrograde Mercury at 4:01AM EDT (news from the past, getting back to work), trining Neptune (making the dream come true) - strong and still at station - at 4:21PM EDT and then finally opposing, first Pluto (retrograde) at 10:18PM EDT and then Jupiter (retrograde), at 11:28PM EDT.

So, a focus on Cancerian themes with news/communications/maybe commerce driving the morning, that trine to Neptune in the late afternoon could make us extra emotionally sensitive and prone to blurring the boundaries between us and other people/wearing rose colored glasses - excellent energetic though for Neptunian healings, dreams, art, compassion, meditation, music, talking to your ancestors. The late evening will be more prone to power plays/challenges. The Moon just wants to be comfortable/protected and old situations (maybe involving career/authority/our Cappy house theme) are creating intensity. Home vs work? Our cocoon vs the big bad world? Maybe something around what we need to keep/what needs to go? Decisions asking to be made (but maybe not tonight).

This is also the day Mars (finishing up in Pisces) sextiles a retrograde Pallas (in Capricorn).

Intuitive actions (we won't need to push) in support of old goals/or through traditional methods solve problems and create opportunities.

This could be something we tried/thought about before, since Pallas is retrograde and remember Pallas is our wise, warrior energy and Mars' sister. So, Mars (as us), likely frustrated by now, after spinning his wheels in Pisces for the last few weeks and about to come HOME to Aries, can maybe move something forward or leave something behind with an ease and diplomacy he is usually lacking. Pallas recognizes patterns/utilizes strategies - retrograde in Capricorn, this won't be anything new (the problem or the solution), but now with her brother a little more "live and let live" in dreamy Pisces - their combined efforts can work. Smoothly. Easily.  

Take some action. Maybe something you have tried before or something in support of an old goal. Things can fall together. 

(think of the energy like this - hot-headed young upstart cooling his heels on vacation meets brilliant diplomat cooling her heels in retirement at the bar by the pool. Both themselves, but not themselves, too. Out of their element. Right? They chat. The upstart leaves the bar, inspired to be smarter. The diplomat leaves the bar, inspired to be a little faster/more passionate. And if they haven't had too many margaritas something comes of this merger that is bigger than their little chat or the tequila. Even if they never meet again. Opportunity has knocked.)

Just do things before those challenges to the Moon start to hit late tonight.

And know, if they do hit you and leave you feeling lonely/depressed - that these feelings are transitory. The Moon changes faster than a wirey six year old getting into a bathing suit on his way to the pool.

Lots of changes this week. Hang in there.


xo all

photo by the amazing Natalia Ciobanu

Weekly Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of June 22nd - June 28th, 2020 - Neptune retrograde, Venus direct (!), Mars into Aries - is our place in the world where we left it or has it moved, I think we are going to find out!

Yes, another HUGE week.

I will just copy and paste that in here every week, until, oh, I don't know 2023 maybe!

We start the week in the energy of this weekend's uber strong/uber impactful Cancer New Moon Solar Eclipse and Solstice focusing us on a beginning/ending/beginning regarding our Cancer natal house theme or the collective themes of -

home, family, our roots, mother, mothering, our ancestry, real estate, country, patriotism, home business, family business, our need for safety and security, our moods and emotions, the root of the matter, what is home, where do we belong, who are our family

and keep in mind Mercury is retrograde in this same area of our chart/life asking us to go back over something here - to re-view, re-do, re-work something.

Then, another planet goes retrograde - more looking backward. Are we surrounded by ghosts, or are we surrounded by ghosts?! The circumstances and people we feel we are done with, but who, one way or another are not so done with us! 

More dues to be paid before we move on. 

I think I am going to sew some deeper pockets into my pants ... 

Then one personal planet stations direct - TADA! - and one personal planet charges home to his own sign - another TADA!

But, is our place in the world where we left it or has it changed/moved? I think we are going to find out.

The week ahead rolls out like this:

SUNDAY - Summer Solstice, Cancer New Moon/Solar Eclipse (0 degrees)
TUESDAY - Neptune stations retrograde, Mars squares Galactic Center
THURSDAY - Venus stations direct
FRIDAY - Mars squares the North and South Nodes (as he exits Pisces)
SATURDAY - Mars enters Aries - for the rest of the year! - crossing the Aries Point
(squaring the 0 degree Cancer Eclipse point and sextiling Saturn)

Here we go!

SUNDAY - See the Solar Eclipse New Moon post HERE

TUESDAY, Neptune stations retrograde at 20 degrees Pisces (he will be retrograde until November 28th, when he will station direct at 18 degrees Pisces). Yes, Neptune moves so slowly we will spend five months going back and forth over two degrees!

(the last time Neptune stationed retrograde at 20 degrees Pisces was on June 23, 1856)

Collectively a retrograde Neptune means more realism, less imagination, our illusions are highlighted and then dimmed. It should help. It should help us to see straight. Our blurry visions will gradually come into focus as the tide goes out. We can revise/review our dreams.

Since Neptune rules viruses we should see a further lessening of the spread of the virus now.

On the other hand if we are depending on an illusion/those rose-colored glasses to get us through something/to make life bearable - Neptune retrograde can make things almost too real/too naked/less buoyant. Because again ... the tide goes out and we can see those colorful rocks at our feet are actually plain old rocks after all.

If we are directly impacted by this retrograde (if we have planets or points in this 'red zone' of the mutable signs - Pisces, Gemini, Virgo or Sagittarius) - certain situations can intensify.

If our boundaries have become too thin, if we are too pie-in-the-sky idealistic about something, if we are believing in things that have no basis in reality, if we are escaping/indulging in addictive behaviors - we won't be able to avoid the ramifications of this stuff any longer. This can also be about the theme of our Pisces natal house.

If we have drained ourselves through too much Neptune - delusion, escape, self-sacrificing, compassion fatigue, turning the other cheek - and are exhausted - we will need to figure that out. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. The elephant behind the sofa will be standing on the coffee table.

And with Chiron in Aries, we are the ones who will have to make things better for ourselves. 

Keep in mind as always with Neptune - there is also powerful magic here. Pray, meditate, listen to music. Neptune rules not only what we have put away, but what is behind us. Our ancestors, and every good decision we've ever made in every life we've ever lived - is lined up to assist us through these times. Just ask.

Also on TUESDAY, Mars (finishing up in Pisces) is going to square the Galactic Center (our homing signal, center of our Milky Way Galaxy).

Squares bring tension/frustration. The need to adjust, but these are mutable signs, so maybe that shouldn't be too hard. Maybe!

Mars is a personal planet so a contact with the Galactic Center can take the collective energies and make them PERSONAL. Mars in Pisces is like "I want to do this" (maybe escape/sleep/dream/dance the day away!) and the Galactic Center is all like "no, you came here to do that." Or maybe Mars has his blinders on as he barrels toward Aries and the Galactic Center (homing signal) is like "don't forget about this!" - some Piscean ideal/act of forgiveness/compassion/bit of magic up her/his sleeve, etc that we need to adjust to/deal with first.

Heads up Wednesday/Thursday has a very LONG Void Moon (10:30AM EDT Wednesday to 1:05PM EDT on Thursday).

On THURSDAY, TA-DA! Venus stations direct at 5 degrees Gemini!

As Neptune stations retrograde and Venus stations direct - relationship and financial issues gain greater clarity and can MOVE FORWARD.

Money that was held up will start to come in. Job searches can end.  

Maybe people will start getting their hair cut again!

Note - Venus won't be covering totally new ground until the end of July, but it is good news she is direct before Mars squares the Nodes of Fate and before Mars gets into Aries!

We have been back and forth over what we want/our relationships/creative projects/financial issues - we have one final pass over the next month and we get that final pass without a delusional Neptune and with a strong Mars in his home sign.

Venus's retrograde has made clear to us what we want; what we value.

The story isn't over - she is still covering old ground, but the re-examination is over.

Do you still want to do this/be in this situation/with this person or people/make money in this way? Is this still beautiful/loving/FAIR? Do you still value THIS?

On FRIDAY, Mars, at the final degree of Pisces squares the North Node in Gemini and the South Node in Sagittarius.

This is a CROSSROADS. Maybe a quick decision is needed. The North Node is in Gemini - small moves/conversations/ideas create big changes.

Are we going to stay with our old beliefs/thinking we KNOW/thinking bigger is better/farther is fancier than what's in our own backyard (South Node Sag) or are we going to move in a new direction (untested) based on new information/ideas/choices/new questions/new conversations/going smaller/getting closer (North Node Gemini).

What's it gonna be?

Keep in mind, Mercury, the ruler of the North Node is retrograde, so this NEW might not be totally new. Mars in Pisces is intuitive action. A spiritual warrior. Or else he's asleep or he's drunk. If we are awake and sober we are 2/3 of the way good already.

Do what you can. As well as you can. Without making yourself and everyone else batsh*t crazy and  without any particularly lalaland kind of hope. Hopeful is good, of course, but don’t rely totally on hope (Jupiter is retrograde and in his fall in Capricorn), there are not a million open doors, but there is at least one. There is always at least one. So ask for what you really want, take the steps, make the effort. Look for facts. Read between the lines. Do your homework.

On SATURDAY - Mars, the God of War and Passion and Anger and BEGINNINGS comes home to Aries for the first time in over two years

and due to his upcoming retrograde will be here FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR. If this can't wake up our Aries natal house, we had better stick a fork in it, because it is DONE.

Mars loves to be in Aries, because he can be the most himself here, but since he is the God of War - this 'most himself' thing has some issues with it to start with and also there is the whole 'we have six months of this' thing. On the other hand, even with multiple planets still retrograde including Mercury - we are going to want to get moving.

He crosses the Aries point (0 degrees of a cardinal sign, squaring the Eclipse degree from last weekend and activating that) - this brings our collective attention to SOMETHING, so the world, our hive-mind, will be focused on some NEWS.

A collective crisis point maybe.

Mars immediately sextiles Saturn, retrograde at 0 degrees Aquarius, so there is support/stabilization for our actions. Stepping into a responsibility. Keep in mind he is squaring the Eclipse degree from last Sunday - post HERE - so activating THAT.

And we are building toward next week's second meeting of Jupiter/Pluto and will be feeling the bigness of THAT.

So, the end of the week is super-charged.

Back with some dailies.


xo all

photo by the talented catgottongue

Saturday Night Mystery | the astrology of the Disappearances of Madeleine McCann and Inga Gehricke and a new suspect comes to light - part II

We talked about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann last week in THIS post.

Eight years later (minus exactly one day) five year old, Inga Gehricke, disappeared while gathering firewood during a family day trip in a forest in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Her family (Inga, her parents, two brothers and one sister) had driven about 50 miles from their home to meet friends for a barbecue.

This part is taken from a news source called, The Mirror, "Keen to help her parents, little Inga, in an adorable butterfly T-shirt and blue jeans, was carrying bottles of water to the table where they would sit down to enjoy the barbecue.The table was in a sun dappled clearing at the edge of the forest and as the sun started to fade in the sky, two of the other children saw her heading to the home of the family friends through the trees. Her heartbroken father said: "It was only 100 meters to the house. But she never got there." Police and local volunteers scoured the woods for days, but beautiful little Inga was never found.

The exact time of Inga's disappearance varied in different online sources and the details were very thin, but this chart, although a very late and critical degree, seems workable.

Inga is represented here by the Moon and the first house/sign on the cusp/Ascendant.

The Moon is in Libra, in the 12th house of endings/what's hidden/karmic story-lines (along with the North Node - fate). The Moon is answering to Libra's ruler Venus, here in the 8th house - the other house of endings, also secrets, death. The chart shows Libra rising, so again answering to Venus, in Gemini, so answering to Mercury also in Gemini and the ruler of Gemini. So, we stop here - 1st house, Inga's physical self and that dark 8th house.

Gemini could mean multiple victims, with Venus in Gemini, multiple young female victims and we know this is happening almost exactly on the anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance. The degree of this chart is very late - very strong/dangerous.

Like Madeleine's chart, the Moon is void.

With the Moon in Libra and Libra rising, it is not surprising Inga's appearance is rather textbook Libra - delicate, fair, pleasant facial features, light hair, kind or friendly demeanor, girl-next-store. The first house can also show us where the victim is and in this case, she is at a social event/the barbecue with other people (Libra).

On the opposite side of the chart - the descendant - we will find our perpetrator at the critical degree of 29 Aries.

Ruled by Mars in the perpetrator's 7th house (conjunct fixed star Algol - the demon star, Medusa's head - murder/mayhem - possibly the worst star in the sky).

Like in Madeleine's chart, the significator (Mars in this chart) for the perpetrator is near the Sun,

but where in Madeleine's chart they were exactly conjunct combusting the significator and making it (and the perpetrator it represents) invisible - here we see him not close enough to be blown out, but ahead of the Sun, out of bounds. Not restrained by the Sun's rules.

So, he catches a break similar to what he had eight years before that makes him somehow hard for authority (the Sun) to see/catch up with. Coupled with that Void Moon (waxing toward the Full Moon, whereas Madeleine's was waning) - he is hard to see/catch, yes again, but almost certainly in this case not impossible to see.

I would be surprised if he hadn't come to the investigator's attention in some capacity back in 2015. It's another Full Moon and like a dead-hearted werewolf or knife come to slice open the night he's right there!

Mars (the perpetrator) is in Taurus answering to Venus, again with Venus answering to Mercury in the 8th house, so we have an energetic loop between the 7th and 8th houses for the perpetrator and the Sun/Mars, although wide, powers it up.

The 8th house connection can not only describe his connection with whatever happens to Inga (the death pattern in this chart which we won't get into), but also describes him as a criminal-type person. Aries could mean he is quick to anger, hot-headed. A textbook Aries appearance is possible - quick walk, maybe with his head leaning forward, headaches/eye problems, slim hips, light hair, Arian features, fast, fidgety. He could use a weapon. I would wonder if he played with fire as a child. The final dispositor here is Mercury who is opposing Saturn in the 2nd house - showing the control the perpetrator has over the victim. He is in possession of the victim. Older. Maybe he even approached her saying he was a policeman (authority) or saying her parents had sent him.

With both victim and perpetrator tied into that 24 degrees Venus (and note the Moon - Inga - at 25 degrees Libra is exactly opposing Madeleine's natal Moon at 25 degrees Aries) which connects us to the 24-25 degrees Venus in Madeleine's charts.

(24 degrees Gemini is the home of fixed star Al Hecka- the tip of the horn of the bull - known for male violence, violent death, pedophilia and deviation - I would be very surprised if our suspect's birth chart doesn't have a strong connection to very near or exactly this degree)

Mars in the 7th can also describe the motivation of the perpetrator and here we see Mars is the ruler of the 6th house and Uranus. He wants to do violence/destruction/make chaos. This would not have been as planned out as Madeleine's disappearance. Uranus is spontaneous. He is reliving his crime of eight years before. Again he can't be contained/controlled - for him there is a need to be challenged by dark/hazardous situations. With the ruler of the 6th in the 7th (and Uranus in the 6th) maybe he is moving from one work situation to another or having unusual health issues. His day to day life is chaotic/disorderly. But mostly I think this just shows the impulsive nature of his actions and the chaos they unleash. The ruler of the 10th (Leo/the Sun) is also in the 7th again showing his control over the situation.

Like with Madeleine's charts I have added asteroid Christian (for the recently announced suspect, in jail on another offense) and asteroid Inga (in this case the closest asteroid to her namesake is Inge) and they are exactly opposing each other.

He is at the top of the chart, in control, again, and conjuncting expansive Jupiter. She, alone at the bottom, in Aquarius so in a strange place and Aquarius is answering to ancient ruler Saturn in Sagittarius (his authority over her, again that second house having possession of her and also maybe showing the vastness of the forest and it's foreign-ness or size to Inga, him taking her farther away) and modern ruler Uranus in Aries (in the sign and house the perpetrator rules).

As to Inga's final resting place we could look to Saturn - in Sagittarius, so maybe the forest/hills/high lands, maybe a farther distance from where she started out than they were looking or we could look to the 4th house (end of the matter) cusp in Aquarius - somewhere in the open air or high/hilly.

It is hard to imagine a more heartbreaking crime. Maybe some of the reasons so much has remained hidden is there are things here no one would really ever want to know ...

Inge's mother has said she knows/feels her daughter is still alive. That is because Inga is still alive. We don't really die when we die. I am sure she feels her daughter near her because she is near her. And of course, this post is just one person's interpretation of this chart, there are many interpretations that could point in very different directions.

There is another case, a teenage boy whose asteroid namesake at the time of his murder (which was fast and vicious and maybe our perpetrator's first victim) was exactly semi-sextile asteroid Christian - which you might remember, at 30 degrees, was his asteroid's exact connection to Madeleine's asteroid. Venus is also in Gemini when this boy is murdered and our suspect was living nearby.

Maybe we will look at that chart next .... then I think we will flip back to adult victims and stay there for a very LONG time.

xo all

New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer | June 20th -21st, 2020 - where do we belong, where is home now, social restlessness, beginnings and endings, starting something that will last if we can get through the problematic beginning

On June 21, 2020 at 2:41AM EDT - the Cancer Moon meets the Cancer Sun at 0 degrees giving us this month's New Moon, happening so close to the Moon's Nodes and on an Aries point gives us a collectively focused Annular Solar Eclipse. Happening on the Summer (or Winter for those down under) Solstice gives us an even more powerful new beginning!

So we've got a beginning, an end and a beginning again all at one time. 

Maybe the question, first asked by some smart chicken somewhere probably not in any hurry to cross the road - can we peck our way out of our crumbling structure or is someone going to have to crack us on the griddle? 

If we need to stop doing what we have been doing, then let's go ahead and stop. If we need to begin something new, here is a space for a fresh start. Trust it and by "it" I mean yourself. 

We can't just call this a New Moon because it may as well be a new world. Keep in mind in Cancer what begins might begin very personally/in secret/in private/within the family/within our shell.

But it's surely the start of something and also the ending.

The Moon/Sun are again aspecting asteroid Hygie (our health practices/hygiene - our focus still here) and we have an exact inconjunct to a retrograde Saturn who has just backed into 0 degrees Aquarius on his return visit to Capricorn. Cancer's ruler is the Moon, so this is HER lunation. Mercury is retrograde in Cancer, answering to the Moon and Venus is retrograde in Gemini answering to Mercury who's answering to the Moon.

Have I said this is going to be emotional? This is going to be emotional.

Cancer New Moons - and this one is powered up by its position at 0 degrees, the Solar Eclipse AND the Solstice - are about collective Cancer themes

(so, this theme is applicable to all of us both individually and collectively and then the theme of our personal natal Cancer house will come into play, too - see the themes by sign below).

So, what are we being asked to begin?

Cancer rules home, family, our roots, mother, mothering, our ancestry, real estate, country, patriotism, home business, family business, our need for safety and security, our moods and emotions, the root of the matter, what is home, where do we belong, who are our family

and because Cancer opposes Capricorn where we do what we have to do and push ourselves through no matter what, it also rules the care we take of our physical body (so make it a rule now to take as excellent care of yourself as you are able), the way we feed ourselves/nurture ourselves and others and the wee beginnings of things that we sometimes rush through on our way to the top of that mountain (or bottom of that pile of "things to do") - somewhere in here is where we get the new beginning (or two),  

and, because, remember a Solar Eclipse is the eclipsing of the Sun (our life-force) - the beginning can come through a powerful ending (if something/someone is leaving, it is already gone - keep this in mind). Sometimes a masculine energy/father figure leaves.

With a retrograde Saturn inconjunct (there is some old and frustrating incompatibility with this new start) the New Moon will have to have patience and make adjustments to rules and limits. Maybe maintain a stiff upper lip at times because unless we are an actual blubbering baby we probably don't want to behave as one.

Let's look at some potential themes by sign.

I was going to write a different kind of post, but fractured my foot jumping off a swing and THEN not wearing the boot at the moment I most needed it, fell down the stairs, hurting, what feels like it just might be, everything else. The good news, I don't notice the pain from the fractured foot anymore (textbook Mars/Pisces and my natal Mars is in Leo, so some fiery - sometimes rash - action on my part always setting off an injury when I do have one - ugh).

Anyhoo - let's look at this by sign for some potentials to think about.

Please remember "by sign" is kind of a guideline. We are all under the energetic of the Aries themes - because Aries rising, Aries in his natural 1st house - in a whole sign house system (which I don't use for personal charts, but I must use for these kind of mundane forecasts) is a collective theme.

Sometimes we find the theme of our Sun sign - regardless of house - at play and other times our Rising sign (sign on the cusp of our first house) theme fits better. Of course, just because you are a Taurus rising, doesn't always mean you have Cancer ruling your 3rd house, etc, so if you know the actual house check that first and you might have to feel your way through this.

Depending on your individual chart (if you have planets or points near 0 degrees of the cardinal signs this will be stronger for you) you may feel this Eclipse to a greater or lesser degree, but all of us get eclipsed.

The energy we carry for the collective - the energetic lineup when we drew our first breath - shifts.

We change and then we attract changing circumstances - and because there is no time and eclipses somehow work backwards, too - these changing circumstances can precede the actual eclipse!

ARIES/Aries Rising - (Cancer 4th house/Aquarius 11th house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 4th house of home, family, your roots, mother, mothering, your ancestry, real estate or a home business, so something here is BEGINNING/new. A retrograde Saturn is inconjunct from your 11th house of your friendships, groups, causes, the internet, the public, the goals that bring you into relationship with other people, your advancement, technology, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

TAURUS/Taurus Rising (Cancer 3rd house/Aquarius 10th house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 3rd house of communication, information, ideas, writing, siblings, transportation or your local neighborhood, so something here is BEGINNING/new. A retrograde Saturn is inconjunct from your 10th house of your career, your calling, your achievements, your achievement goals, dad, business, authority, responsibility, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

GEMINI/Gemini Rising (Cancer 2nd house/Aquarius 9th house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 2nd house of your money, your values, your resources and self-esteem, so something here is BEGINNING/new. A retrograde Saturn is inconjunct from your 9th house of travel, higher education, weddings, politics, legal issues, the media, publishing, foreigners, everything outside your comfort zone, exploration, your beliefs and higher thinking, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

CANCER/Cancer Rising (Cancer 1st house/Aquarius 8th house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 1st house of yourself, so a new chapter is kicking off for you. A retrograde Saturn is inconjunct this from your 8th house of other people's resources, other people's values, intimacy, other people's money, spouse's income, loans, debts, taxes, inheritance, sex, reproduction, the resources you share with other people, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

LEO/Leo Rising (Cancer 12th house, Aquarius 7th house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 12th house of what is hidden or put away or done behind the scenes, secrets, the ethereal realms, imagination, hospitals, spirituality, addiction, healing, so something here is BEGINNING/new. A retrograde Saturn is inconjunct this from your 7th house of your relationships so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

VIRGO/Virgo Rising (Cancer 11th house, Aquarius 6th house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 11th house of your friendships, groups, causes, the internet, the public, the goals that bring you into relationship with other people, your advancement, technology, so something here is BEGINNING/new. A retrograde Saturn is inconjunct this from your 6th house of your day-to-day activities, your routine, work, co-workers, pets and your health, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

LIBRA/Libra Rising (Cancer 10th house, Aquarius 5th house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 10th house of your career, your calling, your achievements, your achievement goals, dad, business, authority, responsibility, so something here is BEGINNING/new. A retrograde Saturn is inconjunct this from your 5th house of creative projects, your self-expression, what you give birth to, children, romance and recreation, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

SCORPIO/Scorpio Rising (Cancer 9th house, Aquarius 4th house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 9th house of travel, higher education, weddings, politics, legal issues, the media, publishing, foreigners, everything outside your comfort zone, exploration, your beliefs and higher thinking, so something here is BEGINNING/new. A retrograde Saturn from your 4th house of home, family, your roots, mother, mothering, your ancestry, real estate or a home business, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

SAGITTARIUS/Sag Rising (Cancer 8th house, Aquarius 3rd house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 8th house of other people's resources, other people's values, intimacy, other people's money, spouse's income, loans, debts, taxes, death, inheritance, sex, reproduction, the resources you share with other people, so something here is BEGINNING/new. A retrograde Saturn is inconjunct from your 3rd house of communication, information, ideas, writing, siblings, transportation or your local neighborhood, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

CAPRICORN/Capricorn Rising (Cancer 7th house, Aquarius 2nd house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 7th house of partners and partnerships so something here is BEGINNING/new. Saturn is inconjunct from your 2nd house of your money, your values, your resources and self-esteem, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

AQUARIUS/Aquarius Rising (Cancer 6th house, Capricorn 12th house) daily activities, your routine, work, co-workers, pets and your health, so something here is BEGINNING/new. A retrograde Saturn is inconjunct from your 1st house of yourself, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

PISCES/Pisces Rising (Cancer 5th house, Aquarius 12th house) the Sun and Moon are meeting in your 5th house of creative projects, your self-expression, what you give birth to, children, romance and recreation, so something here is BEGINNING/new. A retrograde Saturn is inconjunct from your 12th house of what is hidden or put away or done behind the scenes, secrets, the ethereal realms, imagination, hospitals, spirituality, addiction, healing, so something here - and this part won't be a new thing - is frustrating/incompatible and somehow must be integrated with the fresh start.

There is also a wide square to Mars, that we discount at our own peril because keep in mind Mars is uber uncomfortable in Pisces and rushing to get home to Aries (June 27th) for the REST OF THE YEAR. He is going to square this Eclipse point as he enters Aries and THAT might be when we see/feel the ramifications of THIS or when something gets moving.

So, factor that in to the above "by signs" - the action coming through your natal Aries house!

This Eclipse is hitting the United States Venus/Jupiter conjunction, so this might not be pretty for us (finances/expansion and ruling (through Venus) 6th house health/work, 10th house worldly reputation/career and (through Jupiter) the 1st house of the country itself/our spirit - but keep in mind Eclipses also work backward and we can see the virus forcing a focus on safety/home (also continue to keep your pantry stocked), financial and health challenges and the government restrictions that can be at the same time frustrating and also inadequate and with this stuff being emphasized at the Solstice this is going to continue to have a lasting impact. With Mercury nearby this also means we can't believe everything we read in the news/media - but we know this already. The square from Mars; the protests that seemed to come out of nowhere, but have been brewing for centuries - and are, yes, going to be more lasting and effective in provoking change/newness.

Big news and events coming next week.

There are multiple "war" aspects now, and we had a similar Eclipse the summer before 9/11 - but let's hope the "war" is the war on this virus and the protests war on police brutality and second class citizenship and not an actual "war" as it has historically been born out. Trump's natal Mercury (which squares his delusional, but also psychic Neptune) is in the line of fire here, so it's anyone's guess what he could say now. Hopefully he is taking care of his health/safety.

If you find yourself getting lost in all of this, keep in mind always our North Node in Gemini now - we talked about it HERE (Part I and Part II are both in this post).


xo all