after the eclipses | the baseball cap

final hour by sebastien tabuteaud

So, if you are reading this you have survived the Eclipse season - ha! (although maybe it's not officially over until the New Moon at the end of the month). It feels closed to me though.

The Fall Equinox in two days represents the mid-point of the astrological year. Someone in a store yesterday said to me, "this year is flying" and I said, "yes, we are half-way through already!" and she looked at me like I was nuts and needed to repeat my second grade math class or maybe buy a calendar. 

You might have felt a big adjustment in your life, maybe it was more subtle, maybe it's still to play out in the visible realm. Pisces rules the 12th (and final) house of "everything hidden" and "what we put away" and "what we do last" so it could be the shift was more "behind the scenes".

Usually with Eclipses we start to feel the energy about 6 months prior, so probably six months ago there was some change in our thinking/beliefs and we started to move in a different direction without us consciously moving in a different direction. Then the Eclipse season acts like a portal to connect that thinking/belief realm to our 3D physical reality and over the 6 months following the eclipse the changes manifest ... and life is different.

It's like when we set intentions or make goals, except the intentions and goals that set the changes into motion are outside our conscious control. They line us up with fate/destiny - what we came here to do.

(I always imagine us all lined up in the heavens like children on their first day of school - shiny new shoes and notebooks with smiles on our faces and ready for everything ... before schoolyard bullies (or maybe we are the schoolyard bully), burned out teachers, overloaded backpacks and helicopter parents have their way with us - ack!)

Sometimes we just need a little tweak to get back on track and sometimes we need a more major overhaul. Life can turn on a dime. And when enough people's individual lives turn on a dime - the world turns on a dime, too. This particular eclipse (in Pisces) maybe had a lot of us looking within because there were no answers outside of us.

The eclipse was t-squaring Mars and Saturn (the two planets considered malefic by astrologers) and with a t-square (picture the letter T) the energy gets funneled in the direction of the t-square. That is a lot of energy to change outdated belief systems; stuff that we often don't even realize is constraining us.

my cap circa 1999

Most mornings I get up early and walk at my local reservoir. I throw my hair into a baseball cap and when I first put on the cap it feels tight and annoying, but after a few minutes I don't even notice I am wearing it. Some days when I get home and check my email and get off track with whatever comes up I can find myself still wearing it hours later because I have adjusted to the tight/annoying feeling and don't remember to take it off. I always feel better when I finally do though.

We could think of an eclipse (and this happens with other transits, too, especially those involving Uranus and Pluto) as one way life has to get us to notice and (hopefully) remove that baseball cap; to move past what is constricting us.

I had a memorable eclipse season this month with Olive's accident and in March 2015 with a financial tax matter - to outside eyes these might seem like very different things, but I can see the connections.

They were both about "values, what's most important - what money can't buy" and "other people's money" and my own habit of negative thinking where I immediately take what is happening to the worst possible conclusion in my head and don't trust things to unfold properly without my manipulation.

I took Olive's situation, in my head, to an expensive surgery she would not survive (I have experience with pets having expensive surgeries they did not survive) and the tax situation, in my head, had me going to jail, missing months of Sully's life and losing tens of thousands of dollars. Both these things were extreme and very, very unlikely to ever happen, but I did not see them that way. In my head, they were right in front of me. Both situations were outside my control, resulted in me having to "let go and let God" and offered up lessons about what my negative thinking does to my physical body and lessons in what is most important to me (ie Olive and Sully) and the way I react emotionally to issues around money and security. They have a 'before' and 'after' feeling to them and are situations/times I will remember.

(And now I feel the need to explain the tax situation a bit - hubs business, truck repair, has some customers who do not pay sales tax on their repairs/maintenance because of their gross vehicle weight or the type of work their vehicle is used for, etc - now, some of these rules changed a few years ago, but we were unaware of the changes so exempted sales tax where we shouldn't have and I say we, but I really mean 'me' here. A mistake I made brought this to light and I was told by a tax attorney that although we wouldn't have to pay the missing taxes, since we had tax waivers signed by customers claiming exemptions, we could have to pay the penalties and interest which totaled about $18,000 and I could even go to jail since I had signed the inaccurate returns. Of course, it's probably in his best interest to tell me the worst case scenario so I would hire him, but I was in the circus of eclipse season and this seemed to me like exactly what was going to happen. I also had a long transit in my chart that spring that looked like 'legal' stuff to me. In the end the state waived the penalties and we paid about $1500 interest and obviously I didn't go to jail - although I did watch a couple seasons of Orange is the New Black and cut my hair to get myself ready just in case and I did get on the jury of a very long heroin trafficking trial ...)

Anyhoo, with Mars (action) in Sagittarius (freedom) part of the t-square, life is asking us what we are going to do as we release whatever limiting belief (ie baseball cap) we have taken off. Do we really want our freedom or are we more comfortable staying constrained and playing small, because of course with our freedom comes our responsibility (Saturn in Sagittarius). It's easier to stay constrained and blame something outside our control for the limitations in our life or stay asleep and wait for someone to come along and fix everything - the complaining/blaming thing that Saturn in Sagittarius (through the end of 2017) is bringing to our attention.

This eclipse is releasing a constriction (maybe right away or maybe more slowly over the next 6 months). The wind has blown off that baseball cap and we can either have a really bad hair day or look the world straight in the eye, hat hair and all, set our sights on our target (the hair in our eyes won't stop us, it's only hair after all!) and move forward with this new passion that has awakened now that our head isn't being constrained by 10 ounces of canvas.

(for me, the thinking that keeps me stuck and playing small and thinking "this isn't going to work" so not doing the first step - even though I know the step by step thing changes the outcome and it's not possible to see the outcome anyway - and feeling that I have to manipulate the situation for it to work out and a lack of trust with money and other people that has me making emotional decisions focused on security rather than freedom or happiness)

We might have been so dependent on that baseball cap that we are kind of freaking out now and thinking "where the hell is my cap?!" and, of course, we have free will and so if we keep looking for that baseball cap we will re-manifest/re-create it 

(there is a Target in almost every town after all) 

and this is how we move from one relationship to a new relationship that turns into the same relationship and a new job that turns into the same old job. And then we'll be stuck in it again and get used to it again and it will be comfortable. But maybe a comfort zone is not what the world needs us to be looking for right now and maybe it's not what we came here to find ...

This is how the vibrations that we have in our physical body that are determined by the belief systems we have in our psyche create the world we experience. So we can experience a world with a baseball cap where we are all neat and tidy and our problems are all tucked away underneath and people cannot really see us or get close to us or touch our hair.

Or we can experience a world where our hair is unrestrained even if it gets in our eyes sometimes and maybe even gets caught in the steering wheel of our car (yes, I did this recently - don't judge me) and needs to be brushed and given our attention and also gets to touch and sometimes, yes, be judged, loved, hated and ignored, by others.

And I hope this metaphor is making sense to someone - I think I've lost the thread here - ack!

This is how we all live on the same planet but inhabit very different worlds and how most people, and maybe most of us in some space in our life, just move from baseball cap to baseball cap and never take the damn thing off (whatever is restricting freedom but is providing safety).

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 19th - comfort zone buster, new directions, Mercury moves direct

surreal tiger bubble waterdancer dream by deskridge

This is a busy week with multiple planets changing signs and Mercury moving direct! Whatever Mercury retrograde has had you "re-ing", wrap up the re-do by Thursday when the energy around it will shift.

We start the week with a Taurus Moon (Monday and Tuesday) focusing us on what we value, our money, the stuff we own and our purchases. This is good energy to get stuff done and bring ideas into physical form.

We have Venus (strong in Libra) opposing Uranus (retrograde in Aries) and sextiling Mars (still in Sagittarius). We could find ourselves unexpectedly getting what we want with minimal effort. We could surprise ourselves with actions that choose freedom over security. There could be sudden changes with Venus ruled relationships, money and women. These are good days to meet new people and make new friends.

Something is shaken up here. Opportunity could be calling. We're rattled because something here is not in balance (or maybe something is brought back into balance unexpectedly) and that could be a good thing (lottery winners are rattled, too, eh?). This energy clearly says "the good stuff is just outside your comfort zone - go for it". Results are not guaranteed, of course, but are they ever?

On Wednesday, Mercury (retrograde in Virgo) trines (brakes off) Pluto (retrograde in Capricorn) then Mercury stations direct and changes direction and trines Pluto again on Friday moving direct. Pluto rules obsession, karma, compulsion (also 8th house matters - other people's money, surgery, debt, taxes, inheritance, reproduction, life and death, sex) so whatever this is we think about it on Wednesday (or something is communicated about it) and then on Friday we take action or it wraps up or moves forward in some way.

On Wednesday and Thursday the Moon moves into Gemini. We are busy. Lots of communication and conversations going on. Words can move us emotionally and we can move others through our words. Keep this in mind.

The Sun moves into Libra (Wednesday- I'll do a post) and we all start burning Libra fuel - cooperation, balance, justice. It's the Fall equinox - as day balances equally with night it's another opportunity for us to get back in balance - with Jupiter in Libra this week, balance cannot be over-rated. This is a critical time of year - we'll talk about it on Wednesday.

The Moon (in Gemini) and Uranus (out of the blue) could offer up some surprising news on Wednesday afternoon/evening or maybe it is our emotional reaction to the news (or someone else's reaction) that is unexpected.

On Thursday, Mercury goes direct and whatever we have been dealing with since early August can start to move forward or resolve. There can now be progress and answers. Mercury won't be covering new ground for a bit longer and the period when he stations is fraught with snafus so don't rush back into anything immediately, but know we are moving forward now!

On Friday, Venus says bye-bye to Libra and dives into Scorpio (I'll do a post). Scorpios and Scorpio rising will get more attractive - both physically and able to 'attract'. Our Scorpio house gets more attractive (able to attract what we want). Love (and money and women) situations get intense. Our passions are stirred. We could get more possessive or want what we can't have. Superficial relationships are not gonna cut it. If you are moving through a divorce, loss or separation - this energy will work with you. We'll talk about this later in the week.

The Moon in Cancer on Friday and Saturday has us focused on home and family; squaring Jupiter indicates some, possibly over-the-top, tension and disruption here (on Saturday this same Moon squares Uranus so we'll expect the unexpected - something wants to break free here).

No Void Moons during work hours this week - the Moon is waning so it's a great time to clear out and let go. By the next New Moon, Mars will be in Capricorn, and it will be pretty much all systems go. There is the same aspect with Eris (female energy, discord, Mars' angry sister) and Uranus (unexpected, rebellion) this week that we saw previously in the year with traumatic events - heads up. Take care with fire and electricity and any jealous/angry tendencies around 'being ignored' or not valued - if any new or unexpected health stuff crops up, get it checked out pronto.

Saturn is squaring our North and South Nodes (what we are releasing what we are working toward) - setting boundaries and working with right timing (no rushing through) is a good thing.

We'll talk about this later, too. This is an intense week as we prepare for what comes after. xo all

FULL Moon Lunar Eclipse in Pisces | cry me a river ...

cry me a river by julie de waroquier

We have a BIG T-square Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Pisces today.

It lays out like this - we have the Sun in Virgo at 24 degrees (we also have the North Node of our collective destiny in Virgo). We have the Moon in Pisces at 24 degrees - we have the Moon conjunct Chiron (the space of our wounding and the bridge between restriction and freedom, and maybe why new things are so often birthed by pain) in Pisces (and the South Node of what we are collectively releasing and leaving behind also in Pisces). We have all of this squaring Mars (in Sagittarius and also the space where Saturn is still hanging out). I'll put all of this into english, too, I promise. :)

Full Moons bring energy to a "peak"; to a culmination, maybe to an ending. Eclipses eclipse something out; we get re-set. If you have planets or points near or on 24 degrees Pisces or Virgo your life will be very, very different in 6 months (lunar eclipses play out over 6 months). For everyone else this eclipse is bringing something to a peak, culmination or an ending. It will be complex and we will probably be asked to be compassionate toward ourselves and other people. Emotions will be running high now.

With Chiron sitting with the Moon this is probably going to hurt a bit .... and instead of turning away from what hurts - it is the time to let our defenses down and feel it. We don't have to understand or figure things out. Pisces dissolves. Pisces feels. Pisces is a water sign and heals through wetness - blood, sweat and tears (I would avoid the blood though if possible). If we want/need to cry, and even if it turns into one of those big old ugly cries that has our eyes all scrunched up two days later and people looking at us funny, it's time to cry. You will probably not need me to tell you this though .....

There could be losses, accidents - things beyond our control. Or maybe the controls are still in our hands, maybe we can still steer the ship away from the rocks, maybe .....

Old patterns and ways of thinking and being are very seductive. Our physical body craves, not what is good for us, not what it actually needs - but what is familiar (see the work of Candace Pert and others). 

Whatever fantasy crap is standing in the way of our growth (and the collective's growth) needs a swift kick in the ass now. 

We'll try to remember we need this when we are being kicked in the ass.

(and I'm not talking martyrdom - that crap is part of the Piscean fantasy and the way we keep ourselves separate from others - it needs to go, too)

This Moon culminates the New Moon from two weeks ago, the Pisces New Moon from March 8th and reaches forward from the Eclipse cycle we've worked with since spring 2015. Lots of things are impacted here because one thing brings us to the next and where things start and end aren't really where they start and end. Look at the ultimate beginning "thing" - a baby. The baby doesn't start when she is born, she doesn't even really start when she is conceived - she is set into motion long before that. We can see that right?

If we've been toughing something out and carrying some load that is bending our back into a pretzel - this would be a good time to set it down long enough for us to feel for a moment what we could feel like without it - who we would be without it - what the world might look like if we are standing up straight.

If the tears now make everything a big black, mascara-y blur - we will narrow our focus (Virgo) and remember that every ending, even one that is fated like an eclipse ending, always ALWAYS carries the seeds of a new beginning and the best thing about our Virgo North Node is that a fated beginning will come from doing the next step thing, the thing that is already right there in front of us.

There is a leap of faith here to release the past.

With slippery Pisces the results this Full Moon brings could be unpredictable. We think we are getting X and we really get Y. Our energy could flow here and there and much of it could be wasted (especially with Mercury still retrograde). If something leaves now though, there is no stopping it.

Since this is a Lunar Eclipse a woman might leave or bring news of a change of direction or ending.

As always get out and walk in the Full Moon energy - if you can walk near water or be in water (yes, a bathtub totally counts here), even better!

Now a quick look through the signs (Sun and rising). 

If you know your Virgo house for the solar Eclipse (two weeks ago) and your Pisces house for the Lunar eclipse (today), use the houses (number in parenthesis) for best accuracy!

ARIES (Virgo in the 6th) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago was about your health and your vitality, maybe some change in your day to day situation or day to day functioning or an issue with a pet, co-worker or employee - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 12th) today is about this being "time to go", maybe a move or relocation? events could show you how you sabotage yourself

TAURUS (Virgo in the 5th) the New Moon two weeks ago was about peaks, endings and culminations with creative projects and how you show up creatively, could be changes or endings with a romantic partner or with children - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 11th) today is about changes, endings and culminations with friends and groups and your emotions around them or some adjustment around that 'big dream' you carry for yourself

GEMINI (Virgo in the 4th) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago brought changes in your home and family, maybe a physical move or family member left or moved in, maybe some kind of trauma at home, something you needed to just 'deal with'. This could also be something about your mother or your belief about your mother. - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 10th) today is about your career and reputation in the world, whatever peaks, culminates or ends within this space is meant to go now, so something new can be built. This could also be something about your father or your belief about your father.

CANCER (Virgo in the 3rd) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago was about changes in your mental thinking, your attitude, your communication, maybe a peak, culmination or ending with a sibling, neighbor or within your neighborhood - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 9th) today is about deeper emotional insight and truth or maybe a peak, ending or culmination or the release of a belief related to education or travel or a wedding or someone or something from or at a distance.

LEO (Virgo in the 2nd) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago could have brought possible losses of money, maybe a check didn't show up or you didn't get your money's worth somehow - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 8th) today is about a financial loss of some kind or inheritance debt, some kind of debt or tax coming due? something impacting 'other people's money', maybe a change regarding your spouse's income. This could also be about sex or reproduction; a peak, ending or culmination

VIRGO (Virgo in the 1st) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago will impact your entire life for the next 6 months - big changes ahead, release and let go of whatever is not needed - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 7th) today is about a possible rude awakening with a relationship, maybe someone leaves or some karmic connection/debt releases - some peak, ending or culmination regarding a partnership

LIBRA (Virgo in the 12th) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago released a karmic debt - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 6th) today is about self reflection (try to flip depression to self reflection and don't repress your emotions), your health, your day to day operations, something is peaking, culminating or ending here, this could also be about your pets, co-workers and employees

SCORPIO (Virgo in the 11th) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago likely brought a peak, culmination or ending within friendships or associations or maybe something in the way of your big dream gets removed or the dream itself evolves through release or loss - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse today (Pisces in the 5th) is about romance, creative projects, children - something here reaches a peak, ends or comes to a culmination. Time to let go.

SAGITTARIUS (Virgo in the 10th) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago brought changes within your career and reputation in the world - there will be big changes in this area within the next 6 months! This could also be something about your father or your belief about your father. The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 4th) today is about emotional changes within your family, possible losses within the family, your home or 'base'. This could also be about the release of a belief about your childhood, what 'home' is or something about your roots. This could also be about your mother or your beliefs about your mother.

CAPRICORN (Virgo in the 9th) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago brought changes in your education or travel plans or with what is foreign, maybe the removal of a belief system and access to greater knowledge (opening of crown chakra) - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 3rd) today is about letting your emotions open your mind, a challenge for Cappys! learning to trust your gut intelligence, maybe a peak, ending or culmination in regard to communication, intellect, something with a sibling, neighbor or your neighborhood

AQUARIUS (Virgo in the 8th) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago was about death, divorce, surgery, sex, deep discoveries, reproduction something about taboo experiences - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 2nd) today is about the loss of something valuable but the loss brings freedom .... what belief about 'security or safety' is standing between you and freedom? what do you really value?

PISCES (Virgo in the 7th) the New Moon Solar Eclipse two weeks ago  was about the loss of a close relationship or belief around a relationship - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (Pisces in the 1st) today is all about you, you will feel the wounding and healing here, take it easy on yourself, meditate don't medicate, get some exercise and skip the alcohol, don't overeat, get healthy. Your life will be so different in 6 months!

If you need assistance determining houses let me know! Eclipses work themselves out over a six month period although big events often happen at the eclipse and, I often find, one month to the day before or after.

Also something about Full Moons and Pisces - it's a time to 'let go'. It isn't a time to 'move on'. The 'letting go' and the 'moving on' times are two different things - we get all screwed up when we push them together like they are one big thing.

They aren't. 

This is how we dis-honor our feelings and try to bypass grief and we get ourselves out of 'right timing'. This is just the time to 'let go' - nothing more ....

Happy Harvest Moon everyone! xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 12th - here comes the lunar eclipse, grab your pillow!

pillow fight by shadow and soul

This is a challenging week filled with twists and turns and big news. All week we are building to the Lunar Eclipse on Friday!

On Monday, we are at the midpoint of this Mercury retrograde. By now we know what this "re" period is about for us. If someone or something connects from the past now -she/it is here to focus our attention on something we missed, needs to be "re-done" or have been avoiding.

We have Mercury (mind, communication) squaring (tension) Mars (war, impulsiveness). This can lead to disagreements, making hasty decisions and jumping to conclusions. So let's not. We might hear or read something that makes us mad. We could say/write something that makes others mad, too. We also have the Sun conjunct Mercury (in Virgo) to increase our verbal and written confidence and maybe offer us one of those Oprah "aha" moments.

On Tuesday, the Sun squares Mars (this aspect is the over-riding theme of this week!). This is another tense transit, but could get us moving. Use this energy to create something bold. Passionate energy will be available. We should think (Virgo Sun) before we act (Mars). We could be impatient and irritable. If you are a road rage prone driver just stay home. If you need to have a meeting with a boss or competitor it could be challenging, stay on your toes, but maybe try not to step on theirs. A good defense is the best offense now. On the other hand, if something is really worth fighting for, we'll have the right energies available. Take care with power tools and with fire.

If you like to fight this could be your favorite week! :) We get these energies a couple times a year although happening during a Mercury retrograde and with Monday's long Void Moon - let's not make any long term, binding decisions!

On Wednesday, we start to get clearer on what will be - ending/ eclipsing out/ coming to light - with the eclipse energy (in our Pisces house).

On Thursday, the Moon squares Saturn and Mars squares Chiron.

(Yes, this is a week of squares. Squares = tension and frustration, but without them pretty much nothing would ever happen. We react with indignation against some status quo thingamajig, situation or person, then we begin to organize a way to change it. Maybe 'crowds' of people, energies and resources gather around the focal point of grievance. Maybe we gather our own energies and resources. The emotions that were birthed in reactive indignation or annoyance become an inner source of strength. Or maybe we just get pissed off and fly off the handle!)

The Moon squaring Saturn is like mom and dad fighting or maybe having to grow up too soon. We have to appear stronger than we actually are, or more stable. We have to step into something we are not quite ready for. Maybe something/someone we relied on for support is no longer available so we become more self sufficient. Or a home issue arises or requires our attention now. It can also make things appear a bit bleak - brighter days are ahead folks and not very far away!

Mars squaring Chiron while the Sun opposes Chiron could indicate we need to take some action (Mars) that won't feel good (Chiron). It may not actually solve anything (it might though), but could need to happen anyway to shift the energies around the situation. It could hurt. With Chiron we are talking about a wound that is old and deep. Words like 'should' and 'guilt' might force us to do things differently this time or wrap things up. Both Chiron and Mars are players in Friday's Full Moon Eclipse so everything that is happening this week will lead us to that culmination, revealing, ending.

There are multiple void moons during work hours this week. The Moon is void all day Monday. On Wednesday the Moon goes void just before lunch and on Friday the Moon goes void at 3:00 pm - all times EST. Void Moons are great times to get things done so we will have a productive week. They are not great times to start brand new things though - if you want anything to come of them (sometimes we don't though). Keep this in mind. If we are starting something important and can wait for Mars to go into Capricorn and the Mercury retrograde to end, let's wait for that. If we can't wait choose times when the Moon is not void.

I'll write another post about this week's Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (24 degrees Pisces/Virgo) in Pisces. We can see from the energies we have building toward it there will be plenty of fireworks!

Venus is also building all week toward her opposition to Uranus (exact on Sunday) so there could be some shock or change of course regarding a woman, our income or love.

If you have anything (planet or point) in the later degrees of the mutable signs - Virgo, Pisces, Gemini, Sagittarius - this would be a good week to get some extra exercise or work done or fall plantings in the ground to burn this Mars energy off in a productive way!

Stay tuned. xo all

Saturn Square Neptune (reality vs the dream) | Venus Square Pluto (love vs power)

jealousy by heatherz

Saturn squares Neptune and Venus squares Pluto today. We're still in the middle of Eclipse season. Mercury is still retrograde. Whew!

Venus square Pluto feels like jealousy (or suspicion) or some kind of manipulation to attract/get what we want. Maybe it's lusting after money or power or someone or maybe it's love and sex feeling like two different planets. Maybe something is shameful or maybe there is obsession. Maybe something is not as pretty as it seems. The shadow of our relationships can rear its head here. Can we be powerful and still be loved? Can we love and hold onto our power? Expectations within relationships could be too high now.

With Jupiter in Libra our relationships will be very much our focus over the next year - we'll be seeking connection and belonging, figuring out how we all fit together and creating a whole new world. We need to trust that whatever happens next we can handle it to let go of the need to manipulate our relationships, other people and ourselves. We need to trust. The fall out from games played will not be worth the results we get or like the bumper sticker says, "Karma is a bitch".

Saturn square Neptune (reality vs the dream) - we have been working with this aspect since last November. It's THE transit of 2016 and today is the last and final exact connection. After today it starts to separate. I don't think we'll miss it! Some issue that has been shifting on us since last year is culminating or breaking through the surface here. Maybe we've let go of some dream and come down to earth. Maybe we've decided to actually work to make some dream a reality. Whatever we do will be the correct way forward here (and other roads may be blocked now anyway).

Saturn/Neptune has been shaking up the outer world by waking everyone up. Here's to hoping this one allows us to all sleep in ..... :)

Our Capricorn Moon will be void almost all Monday (working hours) so we will get a lot done, but it's not a good time to start anything new - just a heads up! xo all

Jupiter into Libra | beauty, partnership, balance and fairness - part II

pencil vs camera by ben heine

Jupiter moves into Libra this morning where she will hang her hat until October 2017. We talked about this in general in in Part I. Let's look at how Jupiter could affect all of us.

Libra is the sign that follows Virgo and the sign that precedes Scorpio. So in Virgo we focus on the nitty gritty details - we get it done as well as we can do it. We don't skip any steps. We do this thing, whatever it is, keeping in mind that it is really to serve other people, and we do it without overtaxing ourselves (and I am very much simplifying it here).

We move to Libra. We share this thing with the world. We take it 'out of the box'. That dream/gift we were building last year in Virgo - it gets opened during this transit. We also get to see/share other people's dreams/gifts. We come together with like minded others. Libra is the space in the zodiac where we love through sharing, cooperation, by looking through another person's eyes. It is the sign of relationship. It is the sign of real beauty.

The polarity sign (opposite) is Aries - which is the sign of me, me, me. This is where the balance comes in. If Libran energy leans too far toward the other person, we lose our connection to our Aries, to ourselves - we have people pleasing, we have living our life for other people, we have pouring pink paint on relationship problems and pretending everything is a-ok.

Then we head into Scorpio where all that crap gets unearthed and looked at. It won't be pretty.

Now Jupiter in Libra is a very good transit - it brings to mind the lyrics 'what the world needs now is love, sweet love", so I don't want to get all negative on it. Just keep in mind the balance thing and the 'we head into Scorpio next year' thing (and we have some oppositions to Uranus before then) that will be harder to deal with if we try to cover up, or float through, our problems now.

The bottom line - Libran beauty isn't about how we look - it's about what we are looking at and what we are sharing with others. 

What are we looking at? What are we sharing?

We will 'expand' during this transit by filling up with and sharing with others what is beautiful.

OK let's go through the signs/houses. You can look at your Sun sign here BUT it will be more accurate to check your rising sign (sign on cusp of 1st house)

BUT it will be most accurate if you know the house where Libra sits in your natal chart (and it can be multiple houses - mine is 11th and 12th). Go to astro.com - free horoscopes - natal chart. Or just ask me!

7th house ARIES- this is about expanding through your relationships. You will have an increased enthusiasm and opportunities to broaden your intimate relationships. This could be a time when you are required to learn compromise, not really Aries strong suit. This transit can unfold the next step in your closest relationship(s). Someone new and significant could come into your life during this next year - this could be personal or professional. With Uranus in your sign you are a catalyst for others now, too.

6th house TAURUS - this is about expanding through your work and/or your health routines. Your relationships with co-workers and employees and your pets will expand and be more optimistic, too. You will likely have an increased work load (maybe an opportunity to travel for work) and the increased energy to handle it or you will have to make changes in your work routine to balance your health needs. Imbalances will show up. This transit gives you 'luck' with health and work matters. If you need to turn your health around - here's where you do that.

5th house GEMINI - this is about expansion through creative expression. This is a great transit to play. This is a great transit to create - art and love and babies. Just don't take a total vacation on your responsibilities. You could travel for love or a creative project. HAVE FUN.

4th house CANCER - this is about expansion through your home and family. Maybe someone new moves in or maybe you move to a bigger/better place. Maybe you re-decorate. Maybe you set up totally new roots. If you have a home business - it expands. This transit offers enthusiasm and positivity with your family situation and opportunities to improve the 'base/bottom line/home'. Imbalances within your home will show up to be worked through and you will have the energy to deal with them.

3rd house LEO - this is about expansion through communication. You can sell and promote and connect with others via the verbal and written word. You will have big ideas and improved, more optimistic thinking. Your relationship with siblings can be more of a focus and can improve. If you have a tendency to exaggerate or embellish with your words this habit could grow bigger until the imbalance comes to your attention. You could travel to visit siblings or to share your ideas or words with others. YES, write that book and get it out there.

2nd house VIRGO - this is about an expanding wallet (here's where you get a little, or a lot, of reward for all the Virgo focus the past year!). You could make more money or increase whatever it is you 'value' - the stuff money can buy and the stuff money can't. This transit can improve your self-esteem. Maybe you raise your prices. Maybe you get a raise. You value yourself more now. Your income can increase and so can your spending. Imbalances with your money and other people's money will show up for re-alignment as well as self-esteem issues. Resources expand.

1st house LIBRA -  this is about expanding your whole life. Dream big. Spread your wings. This transit will increase your charm and ability to get along with other people. It brings love and attention. Someone could show up to assist you with study or travel. Imbalances will show up where you have a lack of boundaries, people pleasing or are too dependent. Make your life more beautiful, share it with others - you deserve it!

12th house SCORPIO - this is about expanding through what is hidden. Unseen forces are assisting here - there is spiritual protection. This is where things fall into place and good things can happen without much effort - this is also a preparation phase for next year's Jupiter transit through your sign. Memories may come up for you that bring expansion and healing. Imbalances will show up with things coming to light that are hidden.

11th house SAGITTARIUS - this is about expansion (luck and opportunities) through friendships and group activities. If you are a homebody or hermit (unlikely!) - opportunities will come up to get you out and about. You will unfold with other people. You can make friends with people who are very different from you now and this friendship will expand your way of seeing the world. If you carry a secret wish for your life - this is where it can come out in the open and manifest. Imbalances will show up through groups and issues with friends can come out to be worked through.

10th house CAPRICORN - this is about expansion through professional opportunities and public status. Relationships with authority figures and bosses will improve. You will have the energy to take on more responsibilities or imbalances will show up between work and home. You might travel for work. Your reputation will improve. This is a great transit for professional success!

9th house AQUARIUS - this is about expansion through travel, education, publishing, spirituality, working with anything 'foreign' to you. Legal issues work out in your favor. Maybe you have a great big wedding. Your wedding, travel, education, legal, spiritual job or business expands. This is a great time to study or explore something new. Your book gets published. You and your work gets media attention. Aquarius trines Libra so 'brakes are off' with this stuff! Anything standing in your way is on its way out!

8th house PISCES - this is about expansion through shared resources. This is a 'luck through loss' transit. A loss triggers an opportunity here. Maybe your partner's income increases. Maybe your tax or loan burden shifts or improves. Maybe you inherit money or something of value. This is also about increased physical and emotional intimacy and reproduction. Imbalances will show up through overspending or those taxes, loans, spouse's money issues. Taboo subjects can bring growth now.

Unlike Saturn, where growth comes from constriction and loss, Jupiter brings growth and unfolding through expansion, through more, the addition of something new. We'll work with this energy as we move through it - it will be a good thing! xo all

Jupiter into Libra | beauty, partnership, balance and fairness - part I

tree of libra by fishbot1337

We've had Jupiter, the planet of expansion and 'good luck', in the persnickety sign of Virgo for the last 13 months. We have expanded through the details - gotten bigger by going smaller.

Jupiter is big - larger than all the other planets combined. She rules the sign of Sagittarius (and was the ruler of Pisces before the discovery of Neptune). She is Saturday after a hard week at work. She is the Sun after a week of rain. She is faith and this isn't so much a religious faith (although it can be) - this is a faith that 'things are going to be alright' - that life is worth living, that things will get better. I used to see Jupiter as growth but now I see her more clearly as unfolding. You can decide what you think or if there is even a difference (since we and everything is all connected).

Jupiter is never happy in Virgo. She has had to cram herself into too small a space - the way a woman (or man - this behavior feels more typically feminine) shrinks herself into a job or a conversation or a marriage.

Jupiter wants/needs to go big and Virgo is happiest attending to the small details of things. With Virgo's propensity to notice the tiniest of flaws - remember the word Virgo comes from Virgin which means whole and the Virgo space is in our charts is where we are whole already and often do our best work alone - and Virgo's propensity to want just what it wants, it's been difficult for Jupiter to work her magic.

We still have our North Node (collective way forward) in Virgo until May 2017. So we are still moving forward by taking care of what is right in front of us; the little details of things, our health, service to others, etc.

Our expansion (Jupiter unfoldment - growth?- and good luck) is going to come through Libra now.

Libra is an air sign, ruled by Venus, and all about beauty and fairness and balance and harmony. Libra rules the 7th house of partnership. We can see how Jupiter's expansive qualities can move more easily in a space like this!

Jupiter will travel through Libra rather quickly. She gets to 23 degrees of Libra by February 7th when she retrogrades until June 10th at 13 degrees. She backtracks over old ground for a while (10-23 degrees - do you have planets at 10-23 degrees of Libra - they will get a triple dose of expansion and good luck!) and then begins to cover new ground on September 7th, 2017, finishing up the sign of Libra on October 10th, 2017.

All Libras and Libra risings will benefit from this transit and everyone with planets in Libra. Even those with a barren Libra house will benefit! This can be a breath of fresh air for cardinal signs - Libra, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn who have been dealing with Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn as well as all of us with planets in cardinal signs. This will also, to a lesser extent, benefit air signs. And of course, if you were born with Jupiter in Libra you will have your, once every 12 years, Jupiter return and kick off a whole new Jupiter book (not just a new chapter!). For everyone, think back to 2004-2005, and you can move backward through your  life in 12 year increments - what was happening then? what expanded/unfolded?

Jupiter in Libra is wonderful energy. We get more beauty, harmony, balance and fairness in our Libra houses and our lives. The house itself unfolds. The world has access to this energy and we can have more civility and 'come together'. Partnerships can unfold in new and beautiful ways (and yes, I mean romantic partnerships, but also that flock we've been talking about). We'll expand through our interactions with other people and they will expand through us. Opportunities for lessons around the appreciation of true beauty (nature?) and partnership and balance and fairness will come to us.

The shadow to all of this is that the lucky Libra is lazy. And those scales of balance can get wobbly fairly easily. Libra energy (mental/air) can hold onto some crazy ideal fantasy in such a way that it encounters harsh lessons of reality to loosen its grip. There is a youthfulness and sometimes almost a recklessness to Libra that can shift it out of balance. Libra can also focus too much on their partners and partnerships (although this is also the area in which they are intended to shine).

Libra's opposite sign of Aries has been housing Uranus (rebellion, things happening out of the blue, radical change) for the past few years and while Jupiter is in Libra she will oppose Uranus a few times - these times will be tricky. We'll talk about them as we move through them.

If we are responsible and pull our own weight, if we collaborate and compromise, if we don't get too extravagant, this will be a good transit. There is kind of a feast or famine energy to Jupiter in Libra and it could bring some extreme experiences with comfort, and we'll deal with that, too.

Libra is about beauty - real beauty - not the photo-shopped images forced upon our optic nerves and carried to our weary brains everyday.

Do you know which house holds Libra in your natal chart? Do you know what part of your life that house represents? This space will unfold as well as the universal themes Libra rules - beauty, partnership, harmony, balance and fairness.

How do we feel now about this area of our life and about these themes? What would make us feel better? Can we trust an unfolding here? Can we grow into more of ourselves, even if it is noisy and complex and not so pretty? Or will we shut all this shit down so we fit in / stay comfortable / keep the peace?

I'll be back tomorrow with part II and what this means for each sign/Libra house - time to make the lockets! xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 5th - in between eclipses

seed by laura makabresku

This is another big week!

We are in the middle of Eclipse season and Mercury is retrograde. We've got our Sun trining (brakes off) Pluto (in Capricorn), Jupiter making his move (after about 13 months in Virgo) into Libra (YAY) and the FINAL exact Saturn/Neptune square that we have been dealing with since the end of November 2015.

Let's break this down - 1. we had a Solar eclipse (New Moon) last week in Virgo and we have a Lunar eclipse (Full Moon) in Pisces next week. A little background - from our perspective here on Earth, the Earth is going around the Sun once a year and the Moon is going around the Earth once a month. If you can imagine the earth revolving around the Sun at the same time the Moon is revolving around the Earth - there will be a point during their travels that they will intersect in a line (and this line/plane is what astrologers are talking about when we talk about the Moon's Nodes - North and South Node). Now usually when they meet up, the Moon will be either higher or lower than the Earth and the Sun and we get a regular New Moon or a regular Full Moon. But sometimes, usually twice a year the New Moon and Full Moon are close enough to the North Node or the South Node (the plane where everything is intersecting) and either the Sun (Solar Eclipse/New Moon) is blocked, partially or fully, or the Moon is (Lunar eclipse, Full Moon). I hope this makes sense - not that's it's something you need to know, but it might help to picture this in your head.

So because last week's New Moon was in the plane/line of the North Node and because the effects of a Solar Eclipse can be felt for the next 6 months - this will bring changes, as a collective and individually, with Virgo things. Most people will have some changes in their lives from this energy - maybe move into a new line of work, take better care of their health, master the tiny details of their lives, get a new pet or have a change of relationship with an existing pet, get on a better day to day schedule, start something new that serves other people, etc and the area of life that houses Virgo is your natal (and progressed chart) will experience changes and fresh starts, too. Often with eclipses fresh starts begin with something else being eclipsed out. They can change our course and get us back on 'chart'. If we don't have major things happen with this energy this is probably not an area of life we need to make a major change right now to stay on course with our life purpose (remember eclipses are all about the Nodes of fate), but we will always be impacted by other people who are affected - we are all in this together! I sometimes have eclipse situations hit me one month to the day after the eclipse.

Next week's Lunar Eclipse will be about releasing Piscean themes, so this week, sitting in between two major energetic shifts can leave many people feeling off-balance and over-loaded. Others will be chomping at the bit for something else.

2. Mercury is moving backward through, you guessed it, Virgo. Mercury retrograde is about looking backward - what can we release? what are we re-thinking? what did we miss? what needs to re-done? who or what is back?  This is about those same Virgo themes and the area of life ruled by our Virgo natal (and progressed house) - so something has to be re-done or re-looked at here before we can move forward.

This is the time to be re-leasing, re-doing, re-thinking.

We spend about a third of the year with Mercury retrograde or in shadow, so it is natural to spend a third of our life "re-making" - isn't that interesting for all of us always trying to plow ahead and getting nowhere?! If we really did the re-thinking and most especially the 're-leasing' (think - new lease on life) our life would be much smoother. I've lived through how many Mercury retrogrades and am still like those awful gun bumper stickers and need things pried from my cold, dead fingers. Ack!

3. The Sun (in Virgo, and yes, I'm tired of typing Virgo week after week - ha!) trines Pluto (retrograde in Capricorn). This is exact on Wednesday. This is a good day for dealing with authority figures, your elders and people in power. This transit can give us more power over our own life. This is good energy for stepping into a new position now with more power or responsibility. If we are trying to avoid something with a person in power, the trine could release whatever brakes we have keeping the situation from evolving/resolving. Something karmic (Pluto) may come to light (Sun).

Pluto (slow and deepest transformation) has been moving through Capricorn since 2008. Sun Capricorns and risings very identities are being evolved. The Pluto generation born 1971-1984 with Pluto in Libra have had Pluto squaring their natal Pluto. It is pretty exact right now for people born in 1978. This is the generation (1971-1984) charged with transforming relationship (and our relationship to what is beautiful and the karmic lesson of it being ok to be flawed). This is about the karmic misuse of power within relationships. It started with their birth families, then through all their personal relationships and particularly their partnerships they are learning the ways they use power instead of love. They probably need to be overpowered and to overpower to transform this.

Venus is going to square Pluto next week and then Jupiter will square Pluto in November - people dealing with these issues will feel the pressure in their relationships. This will also affect all of us through Capricorn (business, banking, power structures) as foundations get rocked and lots of hidden stuff gets unleashed (the Pluto in us is not afraid of the dark) we'll talk about this next week.

4. On Friday, September 9th Jupiter moves into Libra. This one is big and it will be about connection and cooperation and balance! I'll do a post this week and we'll look at this transit through the houses.

5. On Saturday, September 10th, we have the FINAL exact square between Saturn in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces. What have we learned since last November about our dreams vs reality? about what we really believe? about how we relate to what is foreign? what fantasy are we separating from reality? The last two exact squares saw the Paris shooting and the Orlando shooting (also Britain leaving the EU and the alligator attack - this stuff and whatever else was happening then, will probably all be back in the news, too) - hopefully we don't have any more violence with this transit or natural disasters. We'll see during this time period how this energy has evolved - limits overcome, dreams coming true or dissolved, feet more firmly planted in some area of life. Eyes wide open now. Rose colored glasses in the trash can. Last July we had a focus on what was real vs pie in the sky, now we can see more clearly where this way of thinking/being/doing has brought us. Maybe something is solidifying?

There are no void Moons during working hours this week. I'll post some dailies as we move through the week.

Monday - Wednesday's Scorpio Moon is a good time to focus on Scorpio themes - money, taxes, loans, power, life, death, reproduction, surgery, sex, maybe something 3rd party, good time to be cutting though the crap and seeing what can be eliminated. We might meet someone important on Monday or have a pattern made visible to us. If something partnership related ends on Thursday before Jupiter moves into Libra on Friday - know it's for the best, we'll just move on. If someone waffles on doing something now then I would assume it's not going to happen later. Don't worry. Jupiter in Libra (ruled by Venus) will offer us plenty of opportunities for connection, collaboration and yes, LOVE, in the year ahead!

xo all

Sun conjunct North Node | a light on the path

the birthday boy

The Sun (in Virgo at 12 degrees) conjuncts (meets up with) the North Node (our collective way forward) today.

A light will be thrown on our path forward. Something/someone confirms we are on the right track or a course correction is visible. This will probably not be a big spotlight. Through the lens of Virgo even monster sized stage lighting can be reduced to the size of a penlight - what is our next small step .....

Synchronicities are common. So are repeating numbers and patterns. We could be more confident. There can also be a reminder to just be who we are - when it comes to our soul purpose, in many ways we are our own way forward since we were born with all the energetic patterns we will ever need to manifest! It could be a good day to get clear (re: clearing a space, making time or a plan) on practical ways (Virgo) we can move toward or forward on our best, most heartfelt, path.

xo all (the birthday boy, Sully, turns 3 today - the energies at play when your natal Sun meets the degree of the transitting Sun called your solar return, play a big role in your year ahead - and today's energy is very fortunate to build his confidence this year and guide him toward his destiny - lucky fellow!)

situations already in play ....

photo by Katarzyna Kos

A couple of the transits I wrote about in yesterday's eclipse post tighten up today.

The Sun (in Virgo) opposing Neptune (in Pisces) - this shines a light/focus on something ruled by Neptune/Pisces - illusion, deception, compassion, imagination, something hidden or put away, hospitals, prisons. If it sounds too good to be true though, it probably is. Resist the temptation to escape whatever the Sun illuminates with drugs, alcohol or Netflix. This is good energy to edit (Virgo) imaginative (Neptune) work. If a decision needs to be made today, keep a clear head. It is also easy to get a little too self-absorbed with this influence and create resentment in others - stay tuned in, but not boundary-less .....

Mercury is conjunct Jupiter (28 degrees Virgo) - this can bring good (Jupiter) news (Mercury). It can also make communications, conversations, news and ideas over the top and overblown or just BIG in some way. Jupiter is larger than all the other planets combined, but it has no surface - it's all gases. Maybe we could say he's full of hot air (ha!) - couple this with that Neptune opposition and it will be important to keep our heads with any news we hear. This would be a good day for some positive conversations and to have a BIG idea - write things down! This could be a good day for a talk that leads to BIG things, just be sure both parties are clear with what is being said/offered and know there could be some hot air thrown about .....

The Sun and Moon are still in Virgo for a few more hours. If you haven't done your New Moon intentions you still have time to take advantage of Jupiter. With Mercury retrograde and ruling yesterday's eclipse and ruling this New Moon - setting intentions that work with energies and situations already in play, or with a connection to the past, can be very powerful and effective.

Not that we can't make something from nothing here

(seeds planted in the dark earth, especially during an earthy New Moon like this one, can certainly take root),

but I have found I sometimes get the best results working with what I already have going on.

For example say we are going to make something for dinner. We can make whatever we want, but we are limited by what we have in the house. Or we want to buy a new camera. We can buy whatever we want within the limits of our budget.

Even with the excellent manifesting energy we have available right now - we are working with situations already in play. Our previous beliefs, thoughts and actions have supplied us with the food in our kitchen or dollars in our budget. I'm sure if we could see all the stuff we have in play at any given moment all lain out before us we would be exhausted and need a nap!

So, if one of your intentions is to be more organized (Virgo) - get specific about something you have in play that needs more organization. Set the intention for it to be accurate and organized and for this to lead to X (a satisfied feeling of completion, an increased bank balance, etc).

Our new chapter is starting to take shape in September, and yes it is new, and yes, it also builds on all the preceding chapters.

Some of us may be starting a whole new book, but most of us will have characters and storylines that carry over and impact this next section.

And something else to think about - Jupiter is preparing to leave Virgo. How have we expanded by shrinking over the last year? How have we grown by staying small ... or humble ... or focused on the tiniest detail .... or focused on someone else  ... or focused on our health. 

There is a rainbow at the end of September for EVERYONE, stay flexible and focused. xo all

New Moon in Virgo | Solar Eclipse - new realities

eclipse by Tina Apple

Today's New Moon, at 9 degrees Virgo (Sun and Moon both in Virgo), is also a powerful Solar Eclipse, with lots of intimate and complicated conversations with the other players in the sky!

This is the bookend to the lunar eclipse of September 16th. By the Lunar Eclipse we will be in a totally new energy field.

If you are a Virgo or Virgo rising, this time period could bring you to a distinct turning point or usher in some kind of important change. If you are a Virgo, Pisces, Libra or Aries (the polarities the eclipses have been affecting the last couple years) 2015 and 2016 have been/will be eventful years for you and you can expect that to continue for a while.

Everyone with planets in their Virgo house and especially with planets or points near 9 degrees Virgo and its mutable neighbors Pisces, Sagittarius and Gemini will be impacted by this one. You can check your natal and progressed charts or just look at what is happening in your life.

To lay this one out - we've got Mercury (ruler of Virgo and so ruler of this eclipse) just gone retrograde ... in Virgo. This is our mental processes, our ideas, our paperwork, our communication - something here is getting looked at more carefully now. Maybe something is no longer serving us in a positive way - some judgement or belief that needs to shift. Virgo encourages us to prioritize our health, to value quality over quantity, to be of service to others (not at our own expense though), to care for our pets, to take care of the day to day things that make our life our life. It also rules co-workers, employees and our work.

We also have our North Node (collective way forward) in Virgo and this is the last Virgo eclipse for about 10 years (this eclipse also ends a journey we began back in 1997).

We've got the Sun and Moon squaring Saturn and Mars (both in Sagittarius) and opposing Neptune (in Pisces). So, we've got the Saturn/Neptune square we've been dealing with all year impacting this eclipse as well as Mars, recently over his own long retrograde. We've also got the Moon's closing aspect a conjunction to Jupiter (in Virgo)!

With Neptune, strong in Pisces, (escape, illusion, imagination, hospitals, prisons - people, places and situations we have 'put 'away') opposing the Eclipse (re-boot). There is something that needs to dissolve before we can make this shift - maybe a belief or way of thinking/being. Maybe there is a dream that wants to awaken to get us back on track.

With Saturn (time, foundations, commitment) in Sagittarius (faith, beliefs, foreign) squaring the Eclipse - whatever we are building now must be something we believe in. Saturn demands our effort here. Results may not be visible (Neptune) and may be delayed (Saturn).

On the other hand with Mars (energy, initiative, our fight) racing through Sagittarius, maybe Rome really will be built in a day this time!

Eclipses can act as 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".

Eclipses are some of the most dramatic means life has to draw our attention to spaces in our life that need to change. 

If we have moved too far "off chart" we can expect our attention to be drop kicked just where it is supposed to be. 

There is nothing here to fear or fight. With eclipses - something comes to light, something gets eclipsed out. It is also a New Moon that seeds real, and lasting, change.

All year the Saturn/Neptune square has been reminding some that we need to get our heads out of the clouds and come down to earth and others that there is more to life than certainty and safety and facts and figures. No one is untouched.

We had this crazy summer that kicked off last spring with the March Solar Eclipse in Pisces requiring us to let go of something. With Neptune on the south node (what we are releasing) some dream needed to go. We lost Bowie. We lost Prince. Transgender issues were in the news as our very physicality and the separation of the feminine vs the masculine began to morph. Bernie Sanders (the dream) lost the primary. We have/had continued unexpected violence. We have/had children dying on beaches and in bombed out houses.

The two eclipses this month will shift us back onto more solid ground.

There may be some twists to get us there. And the feet we place on the solid ground (remember we are a planet in flux, so solid ground is not so solid anymore either) are different feet than the ones that carried us last winter.

Opportunities can appear out of nowhere now. So can challenges. And yes, we are up for them, even when they feel insurmountable. The answers, and OUTCOMES, are in process and impacted by our changing beliefs. What do we believe now? Can we hold fast to our highest ideals? Can we release the stuff that no longer serves us?

The way we go with this truly determines the world we get to live in.

If our heart, and our chart, eclipses are fated, remember, are in agreement we can build long lasting and solid things. If what we create is based on false beliefs with shoddy workmanship it will all fall apart when Eclipse season ends with the Pluto trine at the end of September.

And if it does - go deeper!

This is going to be quite a month when we will be required to walk our talk and separate fantasy from reality - let's pace ourselves ....

And remember this is still a New Moon in Virgo (and if you are a Virgo - this is your Moon, don't miss it, do these within the next 3 days - with this Moon's closing aspect to Jupiter's good luck and expansion, I am getting mine done TODAY) so set your intentions and make your affirmations for Virgo themes for the best outcomes - health, quality over quantity, service to others, attention to details, work, co-workers, employees, day to day activities, cleaning, organizing, pets.

INTENTION TIPS: let the earth guide you this month, plant your feet firmly on the ground, clear your head, write what your physical self, grounded by the earth, wants not what you think you should write, write your intentions down by hand in script on a blank piece of paper, speak the words out loud, burn the paper, give the ashes back to the earth - release your attention from these things knowing your intention is known.

Life has heard you. What do you do next? Do what is right in front of you. 

xo all

Remember Mercury is retrograde (and will be squaring Mars) - don't make major changes or major purchases now.

Venus into Libra | Mercury Retrograde in Virgo!

sleeping beauty by suzi9mm

Last night Venus moved into Libra - one of the two signs (the other is Taurus) where she is most at home.

After being cramped up in tidy Virgo, she can breathe again and there is room for other people. Venus in Libra is about love and partnership, collaboration and compromise. Venus in Libra is about balance.

This transit (until September 23rd) makes Libra Suns and Risings, who are already naturally attractive, even more so - both physically attractive and more able to attract what they want/need. Everyone's Libra house gets more attractive, too (what house was Libra in when you were born? where is it in your progressed chart?).

We will be attracted to what we find 'beautiful'. We will be attracted to what we find 'just'. We will be attracted to what we find 'peaceful'. And these are the qualities people will find attractive in us and our work in the world. These are the qualities we'll want to bring to the table (and yes, flowers that would be a good thing to bring to the table now, too) to attract whatever we are wanting to attract now, particularly in the area of life housing your natal (and progressed) Libra.

The potential for peace increases as we (the collective) move from critic (Virgo) to diplomat (Libra).

The potential for people pleasing increases, too. Balance is the key now. Making life too much about the other person is Libra's shadow side. It's easier, or I should say, lazier, to just give in to something to have "harmony" than to work out the win-wins. We need to honor ourselves as well as the other person. It's simple, but not easy. If we think balance is easy we should stand on one leg for a while!

In Libra, there is power in groups and alliances - but the emphasis (for now) is on the shared human experience of connection rather than on what might emerge later. It's not the time for thinking about how it will all play out, what we are getting or giving. It's just the time for the experience. We come into real harmony when we can see each other clearly. We don't have to always agree with each other. Agreeing isn't step two or even step one hundred and two.

If you are in the United States I don't need to tell you we have what appears to be a crazy election going on, but what we really have is an election where our blinders are off (Saturn/Neptune square - reality vs the dream, what do we really believe).

We can see what we are really getting here, so no one looks all that great.

Hillary's chart is all Plutonian power, but who do we think gets to the top of the heap the way the political system is set up? She didn't create the system, the system created her. We created her. We stepped back from our responsibility and created her. She is totally fixed energy.

Donald is totally mutable energy. With Uranus (expect the unexpected) conjunct his natal Sun, Donald truly cannot be controlled and I mean by anyone. It is not possible to predict what he will do. He is a businessman, but what he really is, is a celebrity. Again, he didn't create the system that got him to the top of the heap - we did. Every time we watched some mind numbing reality television or bought into some get rich quick scheme. The entire 'abundance/secret' movement which sounds so much prettier and spiritual than "let's all be greedy bastards" has helped make him a celebrity.

Whoever wins will face a tough road ahead because in 2020 so much changes that I can't imagine they will be re-elected. Probably either candidate will get us where we are going - Donald will likely get us there much faster, although that might be a train ride we don't want to get on. Neither ride will be smooth though. We're moving past the energy of "rulers" and patriarchy and what's on the other side of this we haven't figured out yet. Everybody wins or nobody wins.

For now, the Venus in Libra transit is great energy for being able to feel when other people are putting their stuff on us and when we are putting our stuff on them. It's also great energy to be a lover, not a fighter in our relationships. We'll talk more about this transit as we move through it.

You might remember last week Venus met up with Jupiter, I believe it was last Friday. Next week, Mercury will meet up with him. So something with our Venus story (what we love, what we value) requires more information/thinking/research before it expands.

TODAY, we have Mercury stationing retrograde in Virgo.

So instead of following Venus into Libra - he would typically be right behind her now - he turns around and starts walking backward into Virgo.

Let's think these archetypes through. So, our head (Mercury) instead of following our desires (Venus), says, "hold up a bit, let's double check this.

We missed something - there is some missing information we need or we will need later. Or something that needs to be re-done. Let's go back."

Something gets held up here.

Virgo (where Mercury is back pedaling) rules our day to day activities, our work, our health, our pets, our service to others (without self-sacrifice please) - something here is up for review. He's also backtracking through our Virgo house and if you have planets from 29 degrees from 14 degrees Virgo he will walk right over top of them. This will make this retrograde more impactful for you. He's also going to bump into Jupiter who is finishing up in Virgo himself. Jupiter (expansion) has recently met Venus (what we love, what we value) so when he hooks up with Mercury (communication, intellect) just before he joins Venus in Libra there will be news/thinking/information we will need. Also, maybe news about a woman (Venus) in the public eye.

We'll talk about this later.

As always, a retrograde is a good time for the "re" stuff.

Redo, reconnect, rethink, repeat, revise, redesign, recuperate, repair things or buy recycled (rather than new) - stuff like this (warning shameless plug ahead) amazing jewelry.

We'll talk about our great big eclipse in Virgo (the last one in Virgo for about a decade) next post.

xo all

Meanwhile in my neck of the woods - on Sunday, Olive's right eye was badly clawed by a neighbor's cat in our backyard. The emergency vet told us to find an eye vet on Monday. He gave us all kinds of worst case scenarios and basically scared the hell out of us. On Monday (knowing Venus was talking to Mercury) - I called everywhere trying to find a female eye vet.

Hubs thought I was nuts, but I wanted good news. No luck finding a female eye vet (I should add that I have never had a male vet - most vets around here are women, so as you can imagine, I took it as a bad sign I couldn't find one).

When we got to the new vet's office though - the eye vet wasn't able to meet with me. He saw Olive briefly in the back, but sent another vet out to talk to me (a female vet) - she gave me a slightly better, although guarded, prognosis.

Olive goes back to the vet on Friday when we see if she gets to keep her lens and vision. This is the day after the solar eclipse eclipses something out - hopefully just my money (happening in my house of other people's money) and not Olive's eye! The Moon (emotions), Mercury (information) and Jupiter (something gets bigger) will all be meeting up that day, and Olive is a Virgo, so I'm worried. :(

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 29th - truth and reality coming our way

precious illusion by pinkmango77

On Monday, Mercury (in Virgo) conjuncts Venus - we could get information or have a conversation or meet someone (most likely a woman) with a helpful message. This is excellent flirting energy if we are up for that! People will like what we have to say and we will like what we hear. This is a good time to reach out to someone. Or maybe some words/ideas (Mercury) are both beautiful (Venus) and truly useful (Virgo) now!

Right after she meets Mercury, Venus comes home to Libra (until September 23rd), the sign she rules. I'll do a post about this tomorrow. Know this will make Libra Suns and Risings more attractive (both able to attract and yes, easier on the eye, too) and make everyone's Libra house (natal and progressed) more magnetic and able to get what it needs. Our focus will be on our relationships. Also because Jupiter is about to move into Libra (after his last year in Virgo) next week - we may get a little preview this week of what we have to look forward to over the next year!

(this will be about our partnerships and diplomacy and equal relationships in all forms - did someone say flock??)

Also on Monday, Mars (in Sagittarius) squares the Nodes. This could feel like a crossroads or point of decision regarding what action to take or what to aim for. The way forward is still Virgo - small, measured, accurate steps toward a chosen target. It will be easy to put a lot of energy into the wrong thing. The "dream" (south node/Pisces) needs to be do-able and actionable right now. This just means we break it down into bite-sized pieces. The next step is do-able and right there in front of us.

On Tuesday, Mercury goes retrograde (in Virgo) - time to "re"visit, "re"view, "re"evaluate - you know the drill! We can imagine Mercury leaning conspiratorially toward us, "OK, we've gone as far as we can go at this point in time - we need to backtrack a bit to recheck a few things, allow the stuff we've lined up with to catch up with us and gain a little more experience".

Stuff ruled by Mercury gets wonky because he is looking over his shoulder - this includes communications, electronics and transportation (think - stuff with fast moving parts - he is the fleet footed messenger, after all).

We get re-routed. Something gets put on hold here.

Now, we can try to plow ahead anyway and sometimes things must be plowed through - we will just know that some of the stuff we have plowed through, would have been easier to move through later or we will have to plow through this stuff again when Mercury moves direct and passes over these same degrees. We'll talk about this as we move through it. If you haven't backed up your files - DO IT TODAY.

On Wednesday, the Moon (in Leo) hooks up with "anything can happen" Uranus. Have some fun - this feels like a good hookey day to me! If you do work though, you could get a lot done.

All week we are building toward Thursday's New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo. Something is eclipsed out of our way. 

For the next 2 weeks - take the meeting, make the call, the universe will bring in stuff and say "this is for you" - people, places and things (and yes with Mercury retrograde they could have a connection to the past) and the universe will take away options, people, situations that no longer work. Holding on will only break the nails we haven't bitten off stressing out about what is leaving. Whatever this is if it impacts you - this won't be totally out of the blue - we can already see this coming.

Most of life is free will, but eclipse seasons are fated folks.

This eclipse also activates the Saturn/Neptune square. Mercury meets Jupiter. There could be fear and paranoia here. This one is rather epic and we will talk about it in lots of detail on Wednesday! Next year we will have Saturn trining Uranus and be done with this damn square (we actually have the last exact square this month!) and that will feel much better!

xo all

not a time to rush .....

the magic of literature by ponti55

Mars has moved past Saturn - the young upstart promoted over the old faithful employee, the brash young soldier plowing ahead of his commander's orders, the new bride tucks her mother-in-law's gifted china into a cabinet and displays the assorted, handmade pieces she loves and has chosen for herself - PERSONAL WILL is asserted.

(and if these analogies seem strange I just binge watched 20 episodes of Manhattan, a tv series about the Manhattan project and am lost in the 1940's right now)

Yesterday we had Venus (love, money, values, women) inconjunct Uranus (the unexpected) and with all this Virgo maybe our careful plans were disrupted. Inconjuncts require adjustments.

Remember this isn't the time for big, splashy moves (unless they flow into place and are the result of past efforts) or big decisions (unless our heart leaps with joy at the thought of the choice and our mind agrees).

We are in eclipse season. Mercury is going retrograde on Tuesday. Jupiter is about to change signs. Pluto will move direct. Stuff is in flux. After the New Moon in Libra things will get a lot easier. We have to get through September first and see what is eclipsed out, what comes to light (maybe something big involving a female?). We still have another week to see what the Mars/Saturn conjunction could shake up.

If we are starting something big and splashy and it can wait until October, let it wait. If it is business related and can wait until Scorpio season when Mars is in Capricorn, even better. If not, just move ahead with it, knowing things will require adjustments. Let's not make a big deal out of everything - this is Virgo season and everything can feel like a major thing. Most stuff isn't.

Tomorrow, Venus will conjunct Jupiter. This is about what we want, what we love or what is beautiful -a fresh start maybe? an opportunity? a little luck? The Moon will be in Cancer, so home issues will be emotional and also satisfying. There may be some adjustment required with a male. See the weekly for more info.

Today, Mars squares Neptune. This is tension and frustration (think of that young upstart getting the corner office and then the reality of that responsibility hits her or maybe there is some let down after the climb when that peak is reached or maybe we are starting back down the mountain without ever reaching the peak). Maybe we feel lost or disillusioned or like we have lost the plot of our own story. We have a Gemini Moon squaring a bunch of Virgo planets today so making a half-baked decision, or move, is not a good idea.

There is no rush right now. There aren't any shortcuts that won't come back to bite us in the butt later. We still have some summer left ..... enjoy the weekend.

 xo all

BACK UP YOUR FILES!

one chapter closes, another chapter opens ...

starting point by fox-orian

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xo all

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