weekly astrology forecast | october 31 - November 6, 2022 - the eclipse spin cycle continues, scorpio on steroids, breakdowns, breakthroughs, break-ups, surprises and fated change, SEEING THE SILVER LINING

 

We are in the Eclipse spin cycle now - in between two powerful Eclipses. Personal and collective timelines are SHIFTING. Old karmas are being burned away. So, I will report the aspects, but it is not really possible to see where things are heading in Eclipse season!

Life is determined - between last week's Solar Eclipse in Scorpio and next week's BIG Lunar Eclipse in Taurus - to spit us out in quite a different state than when we went in. 

 

What is happening in your life? I would guess it is something BIG. Or about to be. 

 

Old issues have a way of coming back around during Eclipse cycles to be sorted out/put to bed. New situations arrive with big ramifications. Some of these old issues are childhood/familial DNA/past lives, so we may or may not be totally aware of the importance of what is happening now. There are connections back to the last Eclipse cycle in May. Old debts are coming due to be marked paid in full, so we can MOVE ON. 

People are often telling me about the things that are falling apart, but the truth is whether something is falling apart or coming together almost always DEPENDS WHERE WE ARE LOOKING. If we are looking at the old structures/what used to support us/maybe even who we used to be - we are going to see what is falling apart. 

But isn't there some place else we can be looking? Jupiter has returned to Pisces - THERE IS A SILVER LINING HERE SOMEWHERE!

This week, Venus, followed by the Sun and then Mercury, is pulled into the ongoing Saturn/Uranus square through the deep waters of Scorpio - intensity/maybe crisis. WE ARE FEELING THE SQUEEZE - finances, relationships, life and death matters or matters that feel like life and death. That Uranus opposition is asking us just how uncomfortable we need to be before we CHANGE WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE. With Venus ruling the North Node of our collective way forward and just coming off her solar cleansing and not so strong in Scorpio - we probably aren't getting exactly what we want here. 

There are hidden motives and drives and desires. There are karmas connected to old lives/ancestors being balanced out. There is more happening than what appears to be happening!

As Venus moves away from the Sun, Mercury moves closer. Our mind isn't clear. It is hard to be objective with Mercury combust. We can't believe everything we are seeing/hearing/thinking. Combustion (planet burned out by its proximity to the Sun) is a point when the old is being seared away. The planet being impacted is weakened. The new is being seeded, but the ground is still scorched. This seeding isn't a quick process. It will be December before we really know what is happening now/what we are starting.

And Mars is retrograde and out of bounds! And, in Gemini, answering to that combust Mercury! While we are in between two powerful Eclipses. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. But, also, good witches and magic slippers and hopefully other people who have our back. 

Jupiter, returned to Pisces for a final few weeks, is asking us to reflect on our highest/most interconnected nature (a remembering of who we really are - who are we at our very, very best) AND our old dreams. Not because we are going backward, because we really, truly aren't. But because there is some gold back there. Something Piscean we need to go back for and bring with us into the future. This connects back to early May (so does the Eclipse!). Jupiter flies through Aries one final time (December 20, 2022 - May 16, 2023) to expand whatever we have been brave enough to start. 

Let's unpack the week!

MONDAY - Sun trines Juno, Ceres trines the North Node

TUESDAY - First Quarter Moon (8 degrees Aquarius)

WEDNESDAY - Venus conjunct South Node, inconjunct Chiron and opposing North Node

SATURDAY - Sun conjunct South Node, inconjunct Chiron and opposing North Node, Venus opposite Uranus

SUNDAY - Mercury conjunct South Node, inconjunct Chiron and opposing North Node

MONDAY - Get work done early as the Cappy Moon, coming off her monthly meeting with powerful Pluto makes an opportunistic and productive sextile to a retrograde Jupiter in Pisces - the dream works when we do/making the dream real. The Moon goes void at 10:15AM EDT through 11:43AM EDT when she moves into airy/intellectual Aquarius. Should be a nice Halloween - Happy Samhain! - except for the possibility of a snafu around dinner time (again EDT) through a square to Mercury - disagreement, misunderstanding, transportation/local community/school/sibling/tech issue. The square does pull Scorpio into Halloween though which this Scorpio rising/8th house Moon feels appropriate :)

This is also the day the Sun trines Juno and Ceres trines the North Node. The Sun/Juno in Scorpio/Pisces speaks of smooth flow with emotional commitment/depth/intimacy/honesty within close relationships/contracts. Ceres/North Node in Virgo/Taurus speaks of tangible improvements/fixes via taking care of ourselves/our work/our pets in ways that contribute to a more fertile/bountiful/simplified future. Brakes off for good things baby.  

On TUESDAY, the weather changes via this lunar month's First Quarter Square (Moon in Aquarius squaring the Sun in Scorpio) which stirs up tension/frustration that creates a need to step back/detach. Too much immersion in the dark waters of Scorpio - secrets, third party situations, dark issues, power struggles, life and death, merged money - becomes uncomfortable/stressful and this is a time to approach things from a smarter/newer vantage. Get some perspective. Get some FRESH AIR. The Moon will also be squaring Venus (love and money) and Uranus (surprises) and meeting Saturn (reality), so definitely some challenges on Tuesday. Channel that Aqua Moon and keep a cool head/be smart. 

On WEDNESDAY, the Moon in Aquarius goes void off a supportive trine to that newly retrograde Mars in Gemini. She is void from 7:08AM EDT until 2:46PM EDT when she moves into Pisces.

WEDNESDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY

 

Venus meets the South Node, inconjuncts Chiron and opposes the North Node (which she rules). The Sun will be making these same aspects on Saturday and Mercury on Sunday. If we aren't already feeling this we probably will be today or maybe yesterday with Luna activating all this through Aquarius first. 

 

These South Node conjunctions - what is opposing our simpler/more abundant future - is about the theme of our Scorpio house or the collective Scorpian themes of - merged monies, other people's money, third party situations, taxes, insurance, inheritance, life/death, reproduction, sex, intimacy, deep research or psychological work, life and death situations, power struggles, manipulations, compulsions. Venus pulls in our values/what we want, love, our resources, money. Mercury pulls in information/conversations. The Sun shines a light on old situations/habits. That Venusian opposition to Uranus creates a shake-up. Whatever it takes to change our relationships. Whatever it takes to change our resources. Whatever it takes to change our values.

 

This is all moving us toward next week's Full Moon Lunar Eclipse with the Moon conjunct Uranus EXACT. 

 

Fated changes. Things are being shaken/not stirred. 

The inconjuncts to Chiron show the discomfort we are feeling. The old wounds from childhood, our ancestors, our past lives activated as we don't feel safe/stable. It could be a loss or some secret that has come out. This looks to be encouraging us to be more independent/liberated. To nurture what really matters/what is most valuable (Ceres trine North Node).

Venus is pulled into the grand finale of the Saturn/Uranus square. The new vs the old. What we used to value vs what we value now. What we used to own vs what we own now. What we used to share vs what we share now. What we used to love vs what we love now. Resource issues. Relationship issues. Our changing values. 

THURSDAY, is a kind of time-out/reprieve. The Moon in Pisces is making nice with what seems like almost everybody. Excellent energy for compassion, empathy, art, music, our imagination, universal love, healing - CONNECTION. Her trine to the Sun is this month's Waxing Trine, a water trine - Pisces/Scorpio. We are feeling all the feels with this one. Take some time to rest and relax. Our boundaries/the veils are very thin. Your ancestors, as well as every good thing you have ever done (every act of compassion, forgiveness, unconditional love), is helping you now. Magic is afoot. 

 

On FRIDAY, the Moon meets Neptune, squares Mars, sextiles Pluto and goes void off a conjunction with Jupiter. She is void from 6:05PM EDT to 7:07PM EDT when she moves into fiery Aries. Alot will be going on. The Moon/Neptune will pump up the Pisces and the magic, but likely make it hard to knuckle down and work if we need to. Would be good for imaginative/creative/spiritual/healing work though. The Mars square could bring some frustration/tension over communications or with community or commerce, but that Pluto trine - Cappy/Pisces, making the dream real - is good for dealing with authority, financial matters, intimacy matters. We are more comfortable with intensity/power/sex/even 'death'. By the time of the Jupiter conjunction and void down-time we will really want to relax, veg out, chill, BIG TIME. 

The Venus/Uranus opposition, exact on Saturday, is applying. Breakthroughs. Break-ups. Breakdowns. Changes that won't be stopped. Babies don't need to be tossed with dirty bathwater though. The Moon will be in independent Aries. Give other people, and yourself, some space. 

Radical upgrades are coming.

I will be back before the weekend to sort it out. And back with that Venus post.

xo all

artwork by the amazing Sylvio Porzionato

Mars retrograde in Gemini | october 30, 2022 - January 12, 2023 - rethinking our effort, our anger, our passion, second chances, a time to slow down and reflect, a world split in two

While we manage our lives during these weeks in the Eclipse spin cycle, let's shift gears a bit and take a look at Mars!

 

Mars, God of War - ruler of our masculine energy, our action, initiative, passion, self-assertion, anger, young men, the sign of Aries, your Aries natal house, the ancient ruler of Scorpio - stations retrograde on October 30, 2022 for the rest of the year. Mars stations retrograde about every two years for 2 to 2.5 months. His last retrograde was in 2020 in Aries and his last retrograde in Gemini was at the end of 2007 into the beginning of 2008. Now, Mars tells the story of the end of 2022. 

Mars retrograde works its magic through three cycles:

1. Passing in a forward motion over the degrees 8-25 Gemini - this is when we are introduced to the POTENTIAL (September 3 - October 30, 2022)

2. Turning retrograde and moving backward over these same degrees – this is when we have to find our "RE-SOURCEFULNESS", we turn our attention inwards, what isn't working? (October 30, 2022- January 12, 2023)

3. Going ‘direct’ and moving forward AGAIN over these same degrees – this final phase is the period of INTEGRATION (January 12 - March 25, 2023)

Mars' backward movement (from our vantage point here on Earth) is associated with times our overt actions might not be as effective/sometimes peter out, anger backfires, passions and actions reverse course. It might impact our ambition, energy-level, motivation and libido. We might find ourselves dealing with unresolved conflicts and old efforts/projects/actions we had previously left dangling can be brought back to life. It's a time to be re-thinking the ways we deal with anger, the ways we go about getting what we want, the ways we assert ourselves, the ways we communicate, the ways we START. With Mars in quick witted Gemini, words are going to be very important as will Mercury's journey while Mars is retrograde.

This transit will likely be more challenging for people with planets/points in Gemini or the other mutable signs - Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces and people with natal squares and oppositions (and to some degree probably inconjuncts) between Mars and Mercury. And, of course for Aries and Scorpio risings, your ruler planet is moving backward, you will feel this. It doesn't have to be a bad thing, just different. I am a Scorpio rising and my motivation shot very high when Mars moved into Gemini in August, but as soon as he slowed to station (he has barely moved in weeks), I felt it slowly dissolve. The square to Neptune, which I have natally, too, didn't help!

Venus was retrograde in Gemini during the late spring and early summer of 2020. Venus reworked 5-21 degrees of Gemini and Mars is reworking 8-25 degrees Gemini, so almost the same degrees. Back then we had the North Node in Gemini, too. Like Mars, Venus also made multiple squares to Neptune and sextiles to Chiron. We were re-evaluating who/what we love, our changing values, our need for variety, and, of course dealing with Covid. I wrote about that HERE. That transit, and this upcoming one, takes us back to the Venus Star Point in the spring of 2012. 

(at the end of the Gemini retrograde post I was writing about our somewhat insane 2012, specifically about our year with my schizophrenic brother-in-law David who was found dead last weekend, as the Moon moved over his natal Pluto/North Node exact conjunction, opposing his exact Chiron/South Node conjunction, then Eclipsed the Sun and his Neptune in Scorpio while Pluto sits/having just stationed on his Saturn. Little man who inspired so many to open their hearts, somewhat of a hobbit, has left a big hole in the world ...)

Sedna will move into Gemini next year for a 40 year stay, so the importance of Gemini as duality closes out over the next decades can't be overstated. Lots of positive and challenging 'progress'. I think maybe the most positive being the end of the feeling that something is missing. But, that's a post for another time - maybe while Mars is retrograde in Gemini!

We will continue to find ourselves doing things twice and/or two things at once. Our tribal/familial energy - his-story and her-story - visits us through the Mars retrograde, the Neptune/Chiron aspects and the Eclipse spin-cycle start point. We are pulled into circumstances similar to those of our ancestors (and our own past lives), so maybe we can choose differently this time, finish what they started, make the amends they needed to make, even earn the rewards they (or we in a past life) were denied.

OCTOBER 30, 2022 - Mars stations retro at 25 degrees Gemini 

November 11, 2022 - Venus inconjuncts Mars

November 13, 2022 - Mercury inconjuncts Mars

November 15, 2022 - Sun inconjuncts Mars

November 19, 2022 - Mars retrograde squares Neptune retrograde (first was October 8)

November 28, 2022 - Mars retrograde trines Saturn (first was September 24)

November 29, 2022 - Mercury opposes Mars

December 2, 2022 - Venus opposes Mars

December 8, 2022 - Sun opposes Mars

December 14, 2022 - Mars sextiles Chiron (first was September 15)

December 15, 2022 - Mercury inconjuncts Mars

December 19, 2022 - Venus inconjuncts Mars

December 30, 2022 - Sun inconjuncts Mars

January 9, 2023 - Venus trines Mars

February 8, 2023 - Mars sextiles Chiron (third of three)

JANUARY 12, 2022 - Mars stations direct at 8 degrees Gemini

March 10, 2023 - Mars makes his final square to Neptune - what's left to lose?

MARCH 15, 2023 - Mars reaches 26 degrees Gemini, starts walking new ground

MARCH 25, 2023 - Mars enters Cancer and makes final trine to Saturn - this one Cancer/Pisces

So, what can we see? We can see our actions/anger/initiative will be adjusting (those repeating inconjuncts), somewhat unsatisfying, require give and take. We will have our second Mars/Neptune square which can be confusing/tiring, dilute our energy and efforts BUT if we can channel Neptune and use that energy for our imaginative or spiritual or healing efforts the squares can be VERY EFFECTIVE. Remember Mars can't beat Neptune, so don't try to power through this - if you need a break, take it. The Mars trine Saturn at the end of November will help stabilize our backward efforts/re-workings and they will harmonize with authority/rules/the future/groups. That is quickly followed by a series of oppositions as the personal planets move through Sagittarius. The Sag/Gemini axis is about the big picture vs the details, our beliefs vs the facts, the forest vs the trees, etc - as we get closer and look at the charts to see what else is going on, we will get a clearer picture of what is happening - but, almost certainly our efforts are meeting some challenges from outside ourselves. Then more adjusting as the inconjuncts return - this time with the planets moving through serious/sober Capricorn which could pull authority, rules, our career, limits, paternal stories, etc, into the mix. Just before Mars stations direct he makes a smooth trine to Venus in Aquarius. This looks like our relationships/money/values and self-esteem now working with the airy, detached, future-focused, group-centric, individualistic energy of Aquarius are in a smooth flow with our revised Mars. Our new man meets the woman of the future. Then after his direct station we will have one more Mars/Saturn to firm things up and one more Mars/Neptune to ignite our imagination or exhaust us! 

Mars also has a repeating aspect with healer Chiron (in Aries). This one is a sextile, so an opportunity if we take some kind of action with it - fire/air - so maybe through brave words or new ideas, speaking up for ourselves, being more independent minded - this kind of thing. This could also be about healing with our masculine energy/with men. Mars rules Aries, so this will be even more opportunistic. 

It is not a coincidence Mars will finally leave Gemini (after a few months) the same month Saturn leaves Aquarius (after two and a half years) and Pluto leaves Capricorn (after about 15 years). 

March 2023 is BIG, folks. 

Mars retrograde in Gemini is good for:

1. learning to find our voice without arguing/without aggression - and, yes, this will very likely come through dealing with the consequences of our arguments/aggression

2. figuring out why we force ourselves to do things/why we push ourselves

3. figuring out why we are afraid to do things, afraid to get angry/deal with anger

4. redirecting our vision because we are un-motivated by what we are currently doing

5. learning how to handle conflict/negotiate from an assertive (not aggressive) position

6. revising routines that lack passion/are boring

7. with those squares to Neptune - learning to see ourselves as worthy of rest, letting go and letting God, re-igniting our spirituality/our imagination/creativity, dealing with ancestral/past life stories

8. re-vising commerce, re-visiting old commercial ideas

9. re-vising relations with siblings/local community/cousins, etc

10. re-vising our writing, communication, tech

11. re-doing our natal Gemini house themes which are:

GEMINI RISING - 1st house Gemini - our identity, actually our heroic quest for identity
TAURUS RISING - 2nd house Gemini - our values, our resources, our money, our self-esteem
ARIES RISING (and the collective influence) - 3rd house Gemini - communication, information, writing, doing multiple things at once, siblings, community, tech devices, transportation, commerce, 
PISCES RISING - 4th house Gemini - our roots, home, family, our security, mother
AQUARIUS RISING - 5th house Gemini - self-expression, creativity, romance, children
CAPRICORN RISING 6h house Gemini - our daily work, our health, our service, our pets
SAGITTARIUS RISING - 7th house Gemini - partnerships, other people
SCORPIO RISING - 8th house Gemini - merging/purging, other people's resources, taxes, inheritance, secrets, life/death, sex
LIBRA RISING - 9th house Gemini - travel, higher education, publishing, religion, our beliefs
VIRGO RISING - 10th house Gemini - profession, career, goals, reputation, public life, father
LEO RISING - 11th house Gemini - the goals that bring us into connection with others, friendships, causes, networks
CANCER RISING - 12th house Gemini - things done last, things forgotten and put away, imagination, healing, spirit

With a retrograde Mars in Gemini, this could be like the Mercury retrograde of the decade, so it will be a good time to:

1. double check communication, think before speaking/writing/hitting send

2. keep a cool head, words can be used as weapons

3. back up files

4. be careful driving/take care of your vehicle

5. don't rush into new things too quickly, let things play out a bit before deciding, etc

6. find some mindfulness/relaxation tools if you are prone to anxiety/monkey mind/over-thinking

7. slow down, we could be more accident prone

8. Mars rules our strength and vitality, and Gemini rules our hands, arms, shoulders, lungs, so take care of yourself

9. hot Mars in airy Gemini speaks of needing to stay hydrated/wet 

And while Mars is in Gemini (and he has been since August) it will pay off to pay attention to what Mercury - ruler of Gemini - is doing:

October 30th - as Mars stations, Mercury will be in Scorpio, so mutual reception with Mars and inconjunct Neptune. Think of it like this - Mars gets to Scorpio - our passion/our fire, etc - through Gemini - by being versatile/flexible, doing two things at once or things twice, dealing with Gemini things, etc. He will be inconjunct Neptune so some adjustments with our illusions, energy levels, health imagination, spirit, healing. 

November 17th -  Mercury moves into Sagittarius and starts applying to his opposition to Mars (arguments, resentments, clash of ideology)

December 6th - Mercury moves into Capricorn (things get sober/serious)

December 29th, Mercury stations retrograde at 24 Cappy (Mars will be applying to his inconjunct to the Sun, will be challenging while both Mars and Mercury are retrograde as we start the New Year)

January 18th - Mercury stations direct at 8 degrees Cappy (Mars will be direct a few days earlier, so both will be strong/still at the same time)

I hope something here is helpful. 

I think before we dive into the next Eclipse, the gnarly one on election day here in the U.S. - we will step back and look at the recent Venus Star Point (the future of relationships) in its own post. All this Mars/Mercury is making me want to talk about Venus, and she is pretty important right now, too. 

I've stayed away from the collective stuff in this post, but Mars retrograde in Gemini is quite volatile/dangerous/divisive - things will surely be rocking and rolling. 

xo all

artwork by the talented Fintan Magee

the astrology of the solar eclipse new moon in scorpio | october 25th, 2022 - the eclipse portal opens, ending merged karmas, let go or be dragged, a new path is emerging

On October 25, 2022 at 6:49AM EDT, the Moon meets the Sun in dark, deep, powerful and intimate Scorpio, giving us this month's New Moon - our annual New Moon in Scorpio. Happening on the Moon's Nodes (widely conjunct) makes this New Moon a partial Solar Eclipse. 

Eclipses are a kind of cosmic reboot. Like when we download new software and have to turn our computer off and back on for the newly downloaded material to function properly. Except in this case, we are the computer, and our connection to a changing cosmos gets "reset".

 

The New Moon in Scorpio is an excellent time to commit (Scorpion energy is fixed and committed) to goals that express the POSITIVE use of Scorpio energy. Focus. Courage. Passion. Plutonian Scorpio learns and grows through loss. We go down into the underworld, and in the end, it's not so much about what we have brought back with us as it is about what we have left behind ....

Scorpio rules our collective 8th house of intimacy - of other people's values, other people's money. Here is where we take the time to understand other people's motives. It's through the constructive traits of Scorpio - focus, resourcefulness, passion, probing, deep perception - that we experience real intimacy. We merge with other people physically and materially. 

Scorpio is our fixed water sign. The space our emotions get stuck/stagnant. It is the space of our merged karma. Lunar events here create potent energy portals for making deep, lasting and permanent changes. We will be feeling what we've left behind and what we need to leave behind. Mars, the ancient ruler of Scorpio is slowing, preparing to station retrograde in just a few days, so although this chart's Mercury/Mars trine will be helpful to getting things accomplished, the upcoming Mars retrograde speaks of the need to prepare for a slower pace. When trouble arrives with Mars in Gemini, there will be a need to lighten the conversation, stay versatile and look for the 'source' belief/idea that is likely to be creating the problem. How does our thinking need to change?

 

Now, let's unpack the chart!

 

The Moon/Sun are conjunct with Venus at 2 degrees Scorpio. They inconjunct a retrograde Jupiter in Aries. Pluto, ruler of this lunation as the modern ruler of Scorpio, has recently stationed direct at 26 degrees Capricorn and squares the Sun/Moon/Venus (out of sign). Mars, the modern ruler of the lunation is parked at 25 degrees Gemini, about to station retrograde. He also squares the lunation, out of sign. He is moving off his square to Neptune, trining Saturn (also unwinding) and inconjunct Pluto. 

 

The Moon and Sun meet at 2 degrees Scorpio, conjunct Venus. Venus is considered in her fall in Scorpio since she rules Scorpio's polarity sign of Taurus and she is blown out by the Sun. But she is still Venus (!) and still the ruler of our North Node - way forward. Even in Scorpio, Venus wants to cooperate/reach out to others/connect. Pulls those orphaned spaces/our scapegoat stories home. If we have 'over-invested' in something we could be feeling it now.

The conjunction of Venus speaks of a new beginning (in Scorpio, so it comes through a death/ending) with our relationships, finances, values, beauty or self-esteem. Venus rules the point opposite the Solar Eclipse, but she sits with the Eclipsed planets. Something here about our Venusian energies - what we love/what we want/what we have being starkly VISIBLE now. Naked. There is still something in our blind spot, but also an opportunity here to see/feel what is really happening underneath. The stuff we don't normally want to look at about ourselves, our relationships, our money, etc. 

Other than the conjunction with Venus, which the Moon makes immediately following her meeting with the Sun, all the other aspects are separating. Have already happened. There is something here about 'dealing with an aftermath'. We might be feeling very nostalgic. Tired. 

The square to modern ruler Pluto is separating, but still important and can be harsh. Power imbalances. Big money situation. Merged money situations. Life and death (which isn't always life and death, of course, but sometimes is). Squares are tension/frustration, create/enable situations that require us to take action and to make changes. It is a potent time to let go of resentments. 

This Scorpio Eclipse is powerful. Ends merged karma. This can happen suddenly, but most often over the next 6-18 months. Sometimes when the karma ends, so does the relationship/the resource, etc. 

 

It can feel like a bad thing, but it is creating a space for something new. Something deeper/more intimate. Our natal Venus is being transformed, so we can attract different people, things, situations now and over time. Remember where we are in our chapter - things started last spring (and they may have only started then as a longing/an idea) are going to CATCH FIRE/take off in 2023. The things that are leaving now are part of this process. 

There is another Eclipse in two weeks. The next one in Taurus on the North Node and conjunct Uranus. Looks like BIG changes with some of the same themes we talked about with this Eclipse and Eclipses are 'times out of time' so events can happen before or after. We could be dealing with the next one now.

Mars is trining Mercury, so we can get alot done. We just need to keep in mind Mars is already slowing to station retrograde. The pace will change. Certain things will need to be pared down in November to lighten our load as we move toward 2023. 

 

We are in the early days of a 200 year air cycle. The beginning of the beginning. This is kind of our 'seed life' for what comes next. It matters what we do now. What we release. What we hold onto. What we start. It matters how this life goes and it matters how this life ends. You are charged with transforming the energy of "enter your birth-date here". You are transforming your ancestors' story/your past lives. Beginnings matter. And, yes, beginnings and endings can be all squished together and sometimes all we can see/feel is the ending. Especially with all the Scorpio. BUT that Venus tells us the beginning is RIGHT HERE, too.

So, we get a cosmic reset, much like a computer being turned off and back on and the program that uploads at restart is a little bit (or quite a lot) different than the one we ran on before. Eclipses change us, and we (vibrating differently) change our circumstances by attracting or repelling what our new self lines up with. 

One tricky thing with eclipse energy that I have found from personal experience as well as other people's charts is they often work backward. The thing the eclipse is "eclipsing out" or "bringing to light" or "covering up" can happen days or weeks before the physical Sun is overtaken by the Moon. Often almost exactly one week or one month (or two months) before (or after).

I don't set New Moon intentions during Eclipse New Moons - I think it's a good time to trust life/God/the Universe. These times are fated. The fears/habits/memories we stuffed under some sofa somewhere, so we didn't have to deal with them are the very things that evolve us into butterflies through Eclipse experiences that we would often not choose for ourselves. We hold on loosely and go with the flow. Eat less. No drugs or alcohol. Inhale nose/exhale mouth to reset our nervous system. Seek quiet. Go within. It's not a time to be making plans or creating strategy. It IS a time to honor our ancestors because we ARE them and carrying their stories forward.

 

The part II of this - the Lunar Eclipse in Taurus in two weeks - looks rather gnarly and is already in play, too (we will look at that after the Mars retrograde post next). All the pieces we talked about in the weekly post HERE are part of this New Moon cycle, too.

xo all

weekly astrology forecast | October 24th - 30th, 2022 - Scorpio on steroids, the intensity of Eclipse season

 

 

Scorpio season kicks off - and, yes, we are already feeling this - with an INTENSE New Moon Solar Eclipse in Scorpio conjunct Venus (ruler of the North Node). One door closes/another opens. We will talk about this in detail in the New Moon Eclipse post next.

The inner 'planets' are all active this week, so we will be, too. The end of October/beginning of November is a very pivotal time period.

 

We have Mercury making multiple aspects and changing signs. Mars, ancient ruler of the South Node and Scorpio (so connected to the Eclipse) is stationing retrograde after his 'chat' with Mercury. Venus, ruler of the North Node, and in mutual reception with Mars, plus Mercury is answering to her, is trining Juno. And we have the Sun and Moon meeting for a New Moon. And the middle planets are active, too - Saturn, having just stationed direct in his ancient sign, and Jupiter backing into Pisces, his ancient sign. 

This week's Eclipse will be a partial Eclipse, since the Moon/Sun are only widely conjunct the South Node, but South Node Eclipses (Solar Eclipses) are always important/impactful. Something is eclipsed OUT/not everything is seen. What goes into the ground now (the New Moon's conscious/unconscious planting) carries the energy of FATE/the power to right old wrongs, wrap up ancient story-lines. There is more going on than what we can SEE. Jupiter backs into Pisces giving us access to old magic through our faith/hope.

Let's dive into the week and then pull it all together in a separate Eclipse post!

 

MONDAY - Mercury square Black Moon Lilith

TUESDAY - New Moon Solar Eclipse in Scorpio, Mercury inconjunct Neptune

WEDNESDAY - Mercury trine Vesta, Mercury trine Mars

THURSDAY - Mercury square Pluto 

FRIDAY - Jupiter retrograde re-enters Pisces

SATURDAY - Mercury enters Scorpio and inconjuncts Jupiter, Venus trines Juno

SUNDAY - Mars inconjuncts Pluto (doesn't perfect) then Mars stations retrograde (25 Gemini)

With multiple Mercury aspects this week, there is alot here about news/information/ideas/communication, and challenging secrets coming out. There is also much hidden.

Before Mercury leaves Libra next Saturday, following Venus and the Sun into Scorpio, he/she will square Black Moon Lilith, inconjunct Neptune, trine Mars and square Pluto. Then he dives into Scorpio and inconjuncts Jupiter. I can't remember this many Mercury aspects in a week! Then the week closes out with Mars stationing retrograde in Gemini answering to Mercury.Whew!

On MONDAY - Mercury's week starts with a square to Black Moon Lilith in Cancer. At this point Mercury in still in Libra. Our conversational "dance" (avoiding stepping on other people's toes via our words in an effort to keep the peace, make things nice, make us LIKEABLE) is interrupted by BML. The controversial female energy/woman who chooses herself. Our womb wound. Yes, she is still in Cancer! So, this will likely connect to home/family/maybe mother or our maternal line. Scapegoat story-lines. The Moon - BML is answering to the Moon - will be in Libra, making nice with Mars but squaring Pluto. This might pull in power struggles, feeling like something is 'life and death' (sometimes it is). We are pulled under the covers. Into the underworld. Forced to see what's under the hood.

On TUESDAY - the Moon meets the Sun at 2 degrees Scorpio- the sign of the South Node, making this a Solar Eclipse (partial). The Moon is conjunct Venus, ruler of the North Node. Whatever ends/closes/dies/is taken away opens a NEW DOOR. At the same time Mercury is inconjunct Neptune, so we have to watch for unrealistic expectations. Not all words will be true. Not all ideas realistic. This would NOT be a good time to sign a contract and if you must, be extra careful to read the fine print/think things through. 

On WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY - Mercury trines Vesta in Aquarius - our words/information/communication in smooth flow with groups, the future, that thing that is keeping us up at night. Then, Mercury, at 25 degrees Libra is going to trine Mars (in Gemini) and almost immediately (26 degrees) square Pluto in Capricorn. So, new actions/new ideas and then very quickly some kind of tension/frustration/restriction or maybe this is a relationship disagreement that leads to permanent change. Watch those babies when you toss that bathwater. We want to avoid un-needed verbal confrontations with that Pluto square. We could be manipulated/manipulating or dealing with imbalanced power situations, We want to be stepping into our power/holding our center, and not getting all intense/cray-cray with any challenges. If we find ourselves obsessing, we have the ability to step away from the mental circles. Trying to control something/someone will lead to frustration. Mercury's next move will be a rock-and-a-hard-place with Jupiter, retrograde in Pisces. So we don't want to be over-thinking, over-promising, over-ANYTHING, right now either. 

 

Then Mercury dives into the dark waters of Scorpio (Pluto's territory) where he can be brought back to himself (the mutual reception) by Mars. Mercury gets to Gemini through Mars. Mars gets to Scorpio through Mercury. Our words and our actions are working together. Gemini situations - communications, contracts, writing, ideas, siblings, local community, transportation tech - will require a more detailed approach, research, going deeper. Scorpian situations - power, other people's money, merged monies, taxes, insurance, inheritances, life and death, reproduction, sex - will require a more Gemini approach, something lighter, more versatile, communicative, looking at different options, doing multiple things at once, doing things twice, etc.

 

The uncomfortable fears/stuff underneath that becomes ALMOST visible now, at the Mercury/Pluto square, will be playing out for a while. Mercury will be crossing over the South Node right around the time of the Lunar Eclipse in two weeks when something is changing/breaking free, big time.

 

"everyone is a moon and has a dark side" ... Mark Twain (Scorpio rising, Mercury in Scorpio, Moon conjunct Pluto)

On FRIDAY - Jupiter retrograde backs into Pisces. We are back to May 9th/10th when Jupiter left Pisces the first time. This might indicate the need for rest. An enthusiasm/passion can drift away/dissolve. Sometimes it is an illness that takes our legs out from under us for a while. Take your vitamins. In Aries, Jupiter has been focused on the new - new projects/new initiatives, the NEW YOU - now we go back into Pisces, the other sign that deals with what we CAN'T SEE - have I said there are things we can't see now?! - something here wasn't finished up back in May. There could be an opportunity we missed the first time through. Time to "re" our Pisces house theme. Think - old hopes, dreams, faith.

 

On SATURDAY - Mercury, having had enough of Libra's pink paint and indecisiveness, dives into deep, intense, committed, and, yes, sometimes deadly SCORPIO. Happening as Venus in Scorpio trines Juno in Pisces, our close relationships are pulled into the mix.

 

This is excellent energy for deep (Scorpio) investigation/research (Mercury). Greater verbal intimacy. This would be an excellent time to go into therapy. We are going deep/talking about and thinking about Scorpian topics.

 
Normally with Mercury in Scorpio - our mind would need to focus. Multi-tasking would be harder because our intellect would want to sit with one thing for longer than we usually do. We would want to puzzle our way through things/get to the bottom of things. 

 

BUT, this year with Mars in Gemini, while Mercury is in Scorpio, things are a bit different. Because remember, Mercury doesn't really WANT to focus. He wants to move quickly and stay on the surface of things. This intensity is not usually comfortable. But this year, maybe this will be easier/smoother. We can focus AND we can flit. We can commit and we can flirt. Can we? Maybe. We can try! This can come though our own abilities or we might pull in someone who has the skills here we are lacking, but either way we CAN WALK AND CHEW GUM AT THE SAME TIME or maybe I should say, we can walk and eat a four course meal at the same time (although I wouldn't recommend it).

Still, Mercury will be in Scorpio, so we will be getting to the bottom of things and will not be satisfied with Libra's (Mercury's last stop) conversational civilities. We'll want to know, and think/talk about, what is really happening.

It won't always be comfortable.

Usually with Mercury in Scorpio, the hard truths won't be blurted out spontaneously - we would have to dig for them, but this year with Mars in Gemini, there might be some BLURTING.   

 

You might want to decide first if you really want to know what is hiding underneath because Plutonian authenticity is not only transformational - it is permanent. There is no going back to "not knowing". Mysteries can be solved. The truth could come out. Secrets can be languaged and spoken out loud.
 
Difficult conversations will create deeper levels of intimacy now. If you are dating someone and you have sex (also Scorpio ruled) with them you can never go back to not having sex with them even if you never have sex with them again. The intimacy is still there. Although maybe this isn't true right now, because, well, Mars in Gemini!
 
Once we know the information - we own it. It's our move (with Scorpio the move might be internal). 
 
It changes who we are and we ignore who we are at our own peril.
 

Careless language (disrespect for ourselves and others) and our careless treatment of other people's words (and their reaction to ours) will be karmic. 

 

Keep this in mind.
 

There could be battles for mental supremacy and mind games during this transit. People prone to manipulation could be extremely effective (or someone will finally see right to the bottom of what they or we are doing), although with any Scorpio super-powers there is the chance of self-harm if used to gain power/control over someone else. This is a time to take a good, long look at what we are really seeking when we are trying to make a situation/person behave in a way that pleases us. Think about it. 

 

There are gold nuggets to be mined now. Even tiny specks can be used to create great fortunes. Scorpio rules our inheritance.
 

The fly in the jelly here is that we might think we are mining for gold when we are really just obsessing on the same old same old. Scorpio rules obsession and compulsion and our minds could easily go there now. Notice it. Don't judge it. Think about - "what does it mean that I keep thinking about this?". USE that versatile Mars in Gemini to DO SOMETHING ELSE. Something lighter, funnier/funner, more casual.
 

Scorpio rules death, too, and the South Node. It's not only what we dig up, but what we put into the ground that matters now.

On SUNDAY, Mars stations retrograde, at 25 degrees Gemini - lots of 25 degree action this week - for THE REST OF THE YEAR. Now, we really are going backward to go forward. This station happening with Mars in mutual reception with Mercury is a good thing. For now at least he can get back to himself, his Scorpio-self that is - through Mercury, so by doing multiple things, two things at once, being more Gemini, etc. 

 

I am writing a BIG post about the Mars retrograde because it's a BIG deal and a LONG chapter. Whatever we have been working on is subject to "re-dos" now. With Mars in Gemini, we can change our mind. So can other people. We will really need to measure twice before we cut once. Situations/conversations with siblings, neighbors, cousins, our local community - will be re-visited. Words/contracts/agreements will be rewritten. Commerce can change. Our Gemini house has been and will be a strong focus. Drive safely. Back up your files.

 

I hope something here is helpful. Back with the Eclipse post next!

xo

artwork by the amazing xetobyte

Sun square Pluto with Mercury opposing Chiron | when the shadows come looking for us, no pain no gain

 

Let's dive a little deeper into the mid-week's energies since they are volatile and already active! 

Gut-punched me today.

 

THIS is the time we want to be diving into them - before next week's Eclipse. I wanted to clear up when I said in the weekly, "don't go looking for trouble, leave what's under the bed under the bed", I am talking about NEXT WEEK and really throughout the Eclipse cycle. 

 

This is the week to get things cleared up/to go deep. Before the Sun meets up with Venus this weekend which can be very healing for these Pluto squares!

Mid-week we have the Libra Sun, at 26 degrees, squaring a direct Pluto in Capricorn and we have Mercury, at 13 degrees Libra, opposing a retrograde Chiron in Aries. The Sun is answering to Venus who is squaring Pluto, too!

The Sun in Libra wants to keep things light/balanced - will pour pink paint over problems if she must to keep things on an even keel. Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio and the freaking 'king of the underworld' will have none of that. So, when the solar light in polite Libra squares powerful Pluto we get to see what is underneath the polite smile, the charming words, THE PINK PAINT.

Here are the fears, control issues, the stuff we have stuffed, the stuff our relationships have stuffed, our compulsions, our jealousies - that are driving us. 

It is important to be REAL now; to be honest. 

 

If we are trying to manipulate someone or some situation - ie get someone to do what we want them to do - this will backfire. If we are thinking someone is trying to control/manipulate us they probably are. We don't want to be trying to control anyone or letting anyone control us. The only control we have/need is over OURSELVES. 

 

The real power comes through the honesty. The lack of sugar coating, The lack of pink paint. The Pluto square is to the Sun, our solar energy, our ego, so if we can release the fear of failing, of not being seen, of not standing out, of not being accepted/loved and respond (not react) from our heart we will be MORE POWERFUL. 

With Mercury opposing Chiron at the same time, the whole thing is likely to come through challenging words/information or a tense conversation. This can't be glossed over because of the Pluto square. The Moon will be in Leo answering to the Sun, so our emotions will be all caught up in our ego. In our relationships. Maybe in what other people think of us. We can't avoid the uncomfortable words even when we are feeling vulnerable/naked.

 

It is brave (Aries!) to speak of the way we are hurting and to really hold space/listen to someone else. It is brave to apologize if we are being/have been acting in ways that we are less than proud of. 

The upcoming Eclipse energy, which is MEGA, will have less to work with/will inflict less damage if we are BRAVE now; if we are honest and real. And, this doesn't mean spewing crap all over someone else and if we do this, we will need to man up and apologize for it. We also can't be a 'crap' target.

 

We need to take responsibility for the situations we find ourselves in. We need to take responsibility for our part in challenging relationships/with challenging financial or intimacy situations.

Remember this is a time when very small actions, really the smallest possible actions will keep our momentum going if it supports our highest good. We want to be noticing what is coming into form (Saturn about to station direct!) and how our actions are contributing to this. We want to be fast on our feet with small changes as things veer off in unintended directions because they likely will with Mars in Gemini. We are born with an internal GPS and a natural impulse toward growth and integrity and wholeness. We are kind of just waiting for the circumstances to present themselves to support our blossoming. Sometimes those circumstances present as challenges. In this case - how do we handle or avoid POWER or becoming more POWERFUL?

xo all

photography by the talented Camelia Baican

weekly astrology forecast | October 17th -23rd, 2022 - another BIG week ahead plus a look a bit further out!

 

This week is BIG, needs no introduction because we are already in it. At the end of this post we will take a longer look at a few things.

 

MONDAY - Sun trines Mars and Vesta, Sun inconjunct Neptune

TUESDAY - Venus trines Mars and Vesta, Venus inconjuncts Neptune

WEDNESDAY - Sun squares Pluto, Mercury opposes Chiron

THURSDAY - Venus squares Pluto

SATURDAY - Sun conjuncts Venus, Mercury trines Saturn and Vesta

SUNDAY - Sun and Venus dive into Scorpio, Saturn stations direct, Juno stations direct

MONDAY - TUESDAY - We begin the week with the Sun and Venus (traveling together and meeting up on Saturday), from separate perches at 24 degrees Libra, trining Mars in Gemini AND Vesta in Aquarius. 

Our words/ideas/conversations are favored/attractive/bring harmony. Something is moving forward/falling into place (we will keep in mind that Mars is going to station retrograde next week, so this is likely part of a process). Passionate communications are likely. This is good energy for commerce/making money. We are more magnetic. Good for peacemaking/mediating. For versatility/more options within whatever we have going on in our relationships. The trines to Vesta pull in some futuristic/smart Aquarius air. What is most important/where should our focus be? What flame/passion needs to be KEPT LIT? Here is that Grand Air Trine - which we have access to for a few days - this is unobstructed smooth flow with conversations, ideas. 

 

Last week's Grand Air Trine continues with a change of players. This week is about our light/versatile/flexible/multiple actions (Mars in Gemini) in unobstructed flow with what we want/our relationships/our resources (Sun/Venus in Libra) in an unobstructed flow with our sacred devotion, what we are focused on/paying attention to, the rules, our responsibilities/the future (Saturn and Vesta in Aquarius). At the end of the week, Mercury steps in for the Sun/Venus and speaks of things like official contracts/commitments, compromises, grown-up diplomacy, walking our talk - our attention drawn to what matters most. Sometimes we might need to take a step back/detach, air signs are not so sentimental.

The inconjuncts to Neptune warn of confusion, rose-colored glasses, exhaustion, escape mechanisms like alcohol/drugs/Netflix, etc, self-sacrifice, self-sabotage - getting in the way of us using the powerful Grand Air Trines to their best advantage. 

Focus on what matters most. Do first things first. Big girl/boy pants on. Be civil. Be kind. Eyes on the future. Don't take things personally. Hold your center.

As we move into the middle of the week, on WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY the energies get more tricky. Now we have Mercury opposing Chiron which can bring a painful conversation/news. The squares to Pluto could bring something 'to a head' through power struggles, difficulties with limits/authority, challenges with women. The loss or transformation of solar figures/father figures and then women/relationships. Financial stress. Intensity. Jealousy/compulsion within relationships. Third party situations. Mercury is applying to his/her trine to Saturn, so the way through the hurtful words/information - whatever is making us feel vulnerable here - will NOT be found fighting Pluto, but in merging with Saturn. Lean into responsibility, structure, commitment. We don't want to be destroying something. We don't want to focus on what we are losing. 

We want to focus on what we are building. What goals bring you into connection with other people? This stressful/tense energy in the middle of the week will really be in play all week as it applies and releases. Channel the Grand Air Trine and keep a cool head.

 

On SATURDAY, Venus catches up with the Sun concluding a chapter and starting a new STORY (Venus Star Point, 28 degrees Libra - first Venus Star Point in Libra since the days of the American and French Revolutions!).

If we are getting what we want here is when it can show up (or maybe in the past week or so as this aspect was applying). Financial gains are possible. With Saturn stationing direct tomorrow and Mercury in a smooth trine to Saturn now, the reality of the situation likely via rules, formal commitments/conversations and contracts are highlighted whichever way our personal winds are blowing. Hopefully we are experiencing the Libra harmony, cooperation, love and attraction. 

 

Remember this meeting is in diplomatic and balanced Libra, so we want to be playing by the rules here, not trying to rock the boat. 

 

On SUNDAY, something is likely to change direction with both Saturn and Juno turning direct. Daddy's home and it's report card time. Venus and the Sun leave Libra TOGETHER and dive into Scorpio, yes, the boat will rock, setting the stage for the Scorpio Solar Eclipse next Tuesday. 

 

I hope we got some of these relationship hard edges and power imbalances smoothed out over the last few weeks in Libra because things are only going to get more intense/dramatic/bumpier! 

My philosophy with Eclipses is not to go looking for trouble. 

Things are hidden for a reason. Some of the things we have stuffed under the carpet can stay stuffed for now as far as I am concerned, unless Eclipse energies drag them out - and they might! The opposite will be true for health situations - I am talking especially to my fellow Scorpio risings and Gemini Risings (even some Taurus risings), take health things, that come to light, seriously over the next couple weeks. For other signs this can apply to partner's health, pet's health, parent's health, your career's health, etc. 

Saturn stationed retrograde back in early June and now he stations DIRECT. Saturn's retrograde "review" wraps up in our Aquarius house - collectively this will be about our groups, goals, causes, etc - Aqua stuff. We should have a better idea of who and what we want to associate ourselves with. Some situations will be left behind.

 

Saturn's direct motion can release pent up pressure in our Aquarius house. It could have felt, during his retrograde, that we were getting further away from our goals or where we want to be in this area of our life. Maybe obligations weighed heavily. Commitments to groups/causes might have been re-evaluated. Walls and limitations had to be faced. Corners we had previously cut were noted to be missing. Bills came due.

Maybe we were re-evaluating, re-assessing, re-affirming our responsibilities and commitments. Maybe we learned to say, "no". Maybe we learned to say "yes" to something we had been avoiding.

Saturn always gives rewards, but they are Saturnian rewards - coming after we've put in the time and hard work to build something that lasts. And yes, the thing that lasts IS the reward!

Our long range goals that have been stuck can start to move forward now. 

With Saturn (father time) direct - daddy's home! - greater external structure is brought into our lives. This can feel supportive and rewarding (if we have been doing our Saturn retro work) or like a wall/limit/roadblock (if we have been partying like it's 1999 - does anyone remember 1999??).

Have we been goofing off? Staying out late? Running up the electric bill? Worn out dad's  favorite chair or left his tools out in the rain to rust? Well, he's home. 

Karmic books get balanced. Remember, karma isn't about punishment. It is simply cause and effect - we are just being served what we ordered. Most of us do alot of this "ordering" unconsciously. If we don't like what we are being served - we can choose to do things differently today. 

 

NOW is an opportunity, with Saturn covering old ground for the third time, to FIX ANY MISSED STEPS in that Aquarius house. We are older and wiser. 

With Juno stationing direct in Pisces at the same time, this direct movement is also about our RELATIONSHIPS and our dreams. Some kind of 're-evaluation' period is over. If we have been overly-idealistic about someone/something/a creative project - here is where the reality of the situation will be made more clear. Has the help/prestige from Jupiter that Juno depends on been there or hasn't it? Again, the winds here will CHANGE DIRECTION.

 

With Scorpio season coming in with a BANG next week - things feeling much more like 'life and death' and some might actually be - we need to get whatever needs to be wrapped up this week, wrapped up. By the end of this week, the Moon will be in her balsamic phase, so something should be winding down. Either completing as we prepare for a BIG New Moon Solar Eclipse conjunct Venus or preparing to move into a new/more intense chapter. 

*****

To recap where we are - October started with Mercury turning direct in his/her home sign of Virgo. 

Mercury was squaring Mars and opposing Neptune. That's not the best 'welcome home' Mercury could have received, so as I write this in the middle of October, we are coming off a couple weeks, at least, of some pretty challenging and uneven communication. 

Last week and this week the air trines take over - communication, information. The pace can quicken. This week there will be squares to Pluto from the Libra planets - power struggles, financial and relationship challenges that can lead to permanent TRANSFORMATIONS. Squares aren't bad things. Not much happens without them. But take them seriously because Pluto don't play. 

We have the beautiful and harmonious October 22nd meeting of the Sun and Venus. So, between now and then we are working on strengthening our relationships - which will, yes, be challenging - balancing our books, looking at our resources/what we value, seeing the ways our self-esteem is connecting to our current situation. 

 

Once we get past October 22nd, things get more INTENSE (and don't read 'intense' as 'bad'). 

Venus and the Sun dive into Scorpio together. They will inconjunct Jupiter - making relationship and financial situations feel bigger. Here is where we want to avoid heated arguments that can become out-of-control. Wanting too much, taking too much, over-promising, over-committing, over-confidence that leads to brashness - think twice. Scorpio's modern ruler will be direct and finishing up in Capricorn. Scorpio's ancient ruler is in Gemini, slowed, preparing to station retrograde. How deep we want to go with things after the 23rd is questionable - and much will be out of our hands because the Eclipse energies will take over - some monsters might be better left under the bed, because things could get scarier than we want them to. 

Halloween is more than a date on the calendar. 

By the end of this week, we will want to be SUPPORTING each other because we will need it. Our "people" may be in much smaller numbers than they used to be, but hopefully they are the 'real deal'. Hopefully we have people we value and who value us. There doesn't have to be alot of them, and, of course, ultimately with Chiron and Jupiter in independent Aries and Saturn in individualistic Aquarius - much is up to us anyway.

With Mars in the beginning of his LONG journey back and forth through Gemini - small steps are most needed. Facts are needed. Options are needed. Duality is needed (even though NASA is kind of intent on blowing it up). Tech, our local community, our siblings/cousins, communication - all needed. 

Mars is squaring Neptune, so we can't see what we can't see/don't know what we don't know. We can get tired and drift off course. We want to be taking action, YES, but in a way we want to be taking the LEAST necessary action. Especially with blockages and problems now. The bigger the move we make to fix something the more off-course we can make ourselves because Mars/Neptune creates DRIFT. 

We want to respond and not react. What does this mean? Think about it. Responses are natural/innate. They require our trust/faith in life. Something happens and we do what comes naturally. Reactions can be overthought/get overblown. There can be a tendency with Mars/Neptune, with Gemini/Pisces, with Pluto just stationing direct, to OVER-ADJUST - and we unconsciously hard-wire MANIPULATION into our reaction. This leads to unintended consequences. We get what we want and don't want it. We want what we want without being clear on what this is because again there is this kind of DRIFT.

So, take things slow. Neptune will always beat Mars, so see/feel what Neptune in Pisces is bringing you (besides a potential head cold this season). Don't be so quick to full-steam ahead it with that Mars about to station. These energies dancing with Neptune (and Jupiter) give us the rose-colored glasses we NEED to be OPEN to better outcomes. But they are also making it hard to see past the idealized version of something to the reality of the situation. And, they are draining, and did I say DRIFTING, yes, I think I did. 

We need to have faith. There are BIG things happening in this lead up to Eclipse season, and really all the way through March 2023 and through May 2023, that are OUT OF OUR HANDS. 

Jupiter is Zeus, the God of Gods, the God of FAITH, and he is retrograde in the sign of "man". The universal man, but also our masculine energy. He is answering to Mars right now, but is headed back into Pisces, a sign he once ruled, and then will return to Aries. So, we will be going back to the dream through action/through courage/through Mars. Next year we will be back where we are now. At the end of 2022 we are just laying the footings - or maybe ripping out the old growth.

THIS IS A LONG GAME. Or a long book and we live it chapter by chapter. Looking too far ahead doesn't ruin the ending - it can actually CHANGE THE ENDING. Stay centered. The North Node is in Taurus - what is most important? What do you actually NEED to stay alive?

Mars is bringing us the options/choices. He is going to station retrograde at the end of the month FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR. There will be stop signs and road blocks. These are not punishments. They are not designed to actually stop us. Well, sometimes they are. But more commonly they are like those bumps in the road made to slow us down, encourage us to pay more ATTENTION. And through the ongoing Saturn/Uranus square we will be charged to find new ways to deal with the changing circumstances we find ourselves in. 

When Mars stations retrograde in Gemini at the end of October, he will be answering to Mercury who will be in Scorpio, and Mars and Mercury will then be in mutual reception. There will be ways through. We will talk about this as we move through it. We will wring the most from that mutual reception. While Mars is retrograde is an EXCELLENT time to PREPARE. We will be doing the background work before next spring's BIG show.

Our first Eclipse is a New Moon Solar Eclipse in Scorpio on October 25th. This will be followed two weeks later by a particularly VOLATILE Lunar Eclipse in Taurus on November 8th. We will talk about this in the next posts. The two weeks between the Eclipses is a kind of 'report card' for how we deal with CHAOS (which is a natural part of feminine energy). This will also be when Mars stations retrograde!

What is really happening here is we are being forced to face the energy (which has created fear) we are absorbing/have absorbed from other people. Scorpio's memory is long. This can have past-life/ancestral implications. We are being asked to REALLY look at ourselves through our relationships and our values and our connection to money/resources. We all have very old beliefs about who we are/what we need, what other people expect from us. We are moving from a tribal society to a more individualistic one (over a very long time, but also very quickly) - what needs to be re-negotiated?

The New Moon Solar Eclipse in late October is at the very early degrees of Scorpio. Something is starting and being in Scorpio, the start is coming through a death/what is leaving. The North Node will reach the degree the Eclipse is activating, in the middle of 2023 - maybe THEN is when the seeds that go into the ground now take root. Maybe THEN is when we see what is lost. With the South Node in Scorpio much old karma connected to our natal Scorpio house is bring released/burned off. 

This Eclipse powerfully hits both Biden's and Putin's charts. We will look at that in the Eclipse post.

 

On November 8th, we get the second Eclipse - this one a Lunar Eclipse in Taurus. Mega-powerful. Conjunct Uranus. Change/chaos. Again, how do we deal with chaos? We are breaking free of old agreements/old values. We might lose some resources. This is tricky territory. We will look at this in detail.

In 2023, alot will be going on. 

 

Pluto will move into Aquarius (temporarily, he will be back in Capricorn by summer). Saturn will move into Pisces and Jupiter into Taurus (where he will square Pluto, in May, while Pluto is at 0 Aquarius - the "world starts up again" degree where he met Saturn at the end of 2020). There will be 4 Mercury retrogrades and 4 Eclipses. In March 2023, all the planets except Ceres will be direct and in a three week window - Mercury and Saturn will move into Pisces (Saturn coming off a mega-USA reality check visit with the U.S. Moon - the people), Juno and Venus will enter Taurus, Mercury and the Sun will enter Aries, Ceres will back into Virgo and Pluto will enter Aquarius. Jupiter will be on Chiron (our wound, but also our gift). Next summer, while Venus retrogrades in Leo, the Nodes will shift into Aries/Libra. The Eclipses will be wonky with an Eclipse in Aries followed by an Eclipse in Scorpio (both in the spring) then in the fall an Eclipse in Libra followed by an Eclipse in Taurus. Our relationships/our resources/our values/our money and self-esteem - all this stuff is changing.

The work on/in our relationships continues and ultimately this is about working on ourselves. 

For now, with two major planets/celestial bodies (including the one that rules, well, reality) changing direction this week, something in our life will be, too. The air trines this week are smooth flow - our actions, our communications. The squares to Pluto are power struggles, third party situations, Plutonian theme issues - taxes, inheritance, insurance, joint money stuff, spouse's income, sex, reproduction, surgery, power, obsession, jealousy. etc, or some actual 'life and death' challenges/relationship pivot points. The Venus/Pluto now will be a pre-cursor of Eclipse season (Scorpio/Taurus, so a decidedly Pluto/Venus flavor), so pay attention to any challenges/intensity in the middle of this week.

These times are not for sissies. 

 

Appreciate all the good things that come your way, always!

Back with a Saturn direct post and then a BIG Solar Eclipse in Scorpio post!

xo all

 

This post feels a bit all over the place. Some of it was supposed to go up last week, but the auto-post didn't auto-post (!) for whatever reason and I neglected to double check it. It is future-focused, so still timely - hope something is helpful.

photography by the talented temporary-peace

weekly astrology forecast | october 10th - 16th, 2022 - I hope you like your dance partners because October looks like a long and fated dance with destiny

 

BIG week ahead with some crazy possibilities as we head into Eclipse season. 

 

I hope we heard whatever news/information Mercury received from Pluto last week - MESSAGE DELIVERED - because we will need that info in the weeks ahead. Pluto's direct station on Sunday takes us back to January 2022. Something from that time period could be changing direction or moving forward.  

 

(People with planets nearest 26 degrees of the cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn - will feel this energy strongest. At the moment Pluto stationed - here is the death that was postponed - my 26 degree Cappy Sun cousin's 22 year old, much-loved cat passed away, you will be missed Mikey)

 

The Sun and Venus are pulled into the ongoing Saturn/Uranus square this week with both planets having their individual conversations with both Saturn and Uranus (both Saturn and Uranus are retrograde, so something here will have a 'been there/done that' or "re" feel to it). The trines to Saturn speak of smoothly stepping into responsibility, our integrity, movement through mature relationships and long-term investments. This is sober/practical energy we can count on. The inconjuncts to Uranus speak of dealing with relationship/financial disruptions. Unbalanced responses. Rocks and hard places. Adjustments needed.

 

Traveling together again next week, Venus and the Sun will trine Mars (our actions attracting what we want, good options, choices) and square Pluto (power struggles, third party problems, financial/career challenges) before meeting up with each other at the end of next week when SOME GOODIES GET DELIVERED. 

 

Yes, for all of us!

In the meantime, this tag-team (Sun/Venus) double dose of partnership-focused LIBRA, will bring some extra challenges and opportunities to our RELATIONSHIPS.

 

There is ALSO some potential good news this week as Mercury makes his final opposition to Jupiter - that OLD GOLD is back in play! With Mars squaring Neptune the same day, we want to keep our head in the game here, not let our actions drift off course or sabotage ourselves. Stay focused on the details/the facts. We are still in the danger zone of taking something too far and things falling in on themselves. 

 

One thing at a time. Focus on your next right step. What is working? What needs to change? Keep one eye on the OTHER PERSON.

Let's unpack the week!

MONDAY - Venus opposes Chiron and squares Pallas, Mercury re-enters Libra, Mars trines Vesta

TUESDAY - Sun inconjuncts Uranus, Sun trines Saturn

WEDNESDAY - Mars squares Neptune, Mercury opposes Jupiter

THURSDAY - Venus inconjuncts Uranus

FRIDAY - Venus trines Saturn

SUNDAY - Sun inconjuncts Neptune and trines Vesta

On MONDAY, Venus, following in the Sun's footsteps and blown-out/under the beams of the Sun, reaches 14 degrees Libra and opposes Chiron.

Venus/Chiron can bring healing/love - IF we use what hurts to create change - we will need to work with whatever vulnerability the Sun illuminated last week. Feelings of being unappreciated/unloved can come up to be worked through. Financial vulnerability can be felt and we will need to take some kind of action to be/feel less fragile. We might need to stand up for ourselves/pull ourselves together. KNOW OUR WORTH. Embrace our flaws.

 

Instead of Libra's tendency to gloss over discomfort, pour pink paint over problems, grow old and bitter - if we WORK THE PROCESS OF THIS (release what is unhealthy, admit something hurts then work to change the situation and/or our reactions/responses) - we can end up on more solid ground. Very old, very deep wounds are being visited for healing. Relationship imbalances/injustices/hurts that reached a tipping point last week are re-visited. Or new situations are stirred up. Maybe we were wanting something and didn't get it. What have we learned?

This is also the day Mercury re-enters Libra. So we are back to August 25th and September 23rd when Mercury previously visited early Libra. Conversations/ideas from those times are reactivated. Hopefully we are older/wiser - having taken something relationship or financial or self-esteem/values related back to the drawing boards of practical Virgo. HERE WE GO AGAIN. Mercury moves from logical Virgo into diplomatic, but indecisive (the problem with being able to see both sides of the story!) Libra.

So, to be successful our words are more polite now. We need to listen. If we want our communications to hit their target we need to make the other person feel listened to. 

Communications lighten up. We smile. We talk about the things everyone can agree on. We find common ground. That is the energy that moves communications, ideas and conversations forward now. Mercury will be in Scorpio by the 29th, a space he/she is much less comfortable, so use this energy while you have it. Yes, it's schmoozy, but if we used what we learned during Mercury's retrograde, the schmoozy can work. 

Venus squares Pallas which speaks of our relationships/need for balance/finances at odds with the rather foggy - or imaginative - strategies we have for achieving our dreams. Luckily we also have Mars trining Vesta allowing us to FOCUS on what really matters. Make choices/decisions, take actions and have conversations that are future focused and smart.

The Moon is void for most of the day today, so not a good day to start something brand new until after the Moon gets into Taurus - the sign of her exaltation - at 5:04PM EDT.

On TUESDAY, the Sun reaches 18 degrees Libra and enters the Saturn/Uranus square via a trine to Saturn and inconjunct to Uranus

This is about the old vs the new. Stability vs change. The Sun is in a smoother flow with Saturn - so good for our connections with groups, rules, limits, structure. The testy 'rock and a hard place' with Uranus will have us adjusting to uncomfortable changes. 

On WEDNESDAY, Mercury opposes Jupiter for the last time and Mars squares Neptune for the first time. Both are repeating aspects.

Mars/Neptune could see us initiating something that will have a tendency to drift off course. We can't see clearly what we are getting into/where we are heading. It's a draining aspect. We could be exhausted/mentally exhausted. We have talked about the need to pace ourselves with Mars in Gemini until March 2023. Sometimes Mars/Neptune brings water issues. Or Neptunian-style distractions/escapes. With Mars in Gemini there will be choices/multiple ways forward. Imaginative/creative work is favored. Movement toward our dreams won't be simple, but square aspects are what get things done.

 

The Mercury/Jupiter could make this whole thing even bigger or bring us miracles/old gold. We need to be confident, expansive, reaching further. This is their third of three conversations so something could be concluding/wrapping up here. Just keep one foot on the ground with the Mars/Neptune happening at the same time!

On THURSDAY/FRIDAY, Venus, at 18 degrees Libra, again following the Sun's footsteps, is pulled into the Saturn/Uranus square through a smooth trine with Saturn (rules, limits, the old structure, commitment) and an awkward inconjunct with Uranus - change/the future/mixed feelings within new or changing relationships. 

 

This is all part of Venus's dance with the Sun until she finally catches up with him at the end of next week. This week, I'd say dance with the one who brought ya'. Or the one who knows how to dance. Does that make sense?

On SUNDAY - the Sun inconjuncts Neptune, so here is the need for some adjustment between our relationship/need for balance or fairness and the dream. Venus will make this aspect the next day, so there is a need for an honest look at what we are attracted to/attracting now. There is some kind of uncomfortable mix of insecurity - via relationships, self esteem, finances - and elevated expectations. Inconjuncts are not really fixable when they occur, we just kind of deal with them/work with them - learn to adjust.

 

The Sun's trine to future-focused/smart Vesta in Aquarius will help. Be smart. Focus on what matters/what keeps you up at night/the flame that needs to stay lit. Don't get overly emotional. Step back and detach a bit.

I hope something here is helpful. The Air Grand Trine from the Full Moon continues so ideas/information are pulling us forward! 

 

I will get a BIG picture forecast up so we can see further ahead - this piecemeal week to week is only so helpful with the next set of Eclipses bearing down on us. The end of October/beginning of November is about BIG CHANGE. Next post we will focus further out - get our bearings.

xo all

 

artwork by the talented mercuryferns