the enemy of my enemy is my friend

insects by the amazing gollybard

We need wasps.

You may or may not remember the family visit in July that had me running around like a maniac, quickly followed by lying on the ground in a sweaty puddle of overwhelm quickly followed by me running around like a maniac.

One of the things I did to get ready for their visit that was totally unnecessary and pretty much just designed to make myself crazy was - paint the shutters. My shutters have been - black, lilac, mint green and now lemon yellow. Taking them down is precarious business with a two story house especially since we know from previous paintings that wasps (paper wasps) have built elaborate condos and townhouses behind them.

Plus I had been attacked by yellow jackets a few day earlier and was am still suffering from PTSD.

(I am serious as a heart attack and if you do not believe me just buzz in my ear or have your phone set to vibrate go off in my presence and see what I do - I will totally embarrass myself plus I might break your phone or ... nose.)

The back of every shutter (12 total) housed 6-10 wasps. And they were quite pissed. Of course being a law-abiding landlord I had sent them all the legal notifications and was totally clear they could return home and would even have a spiffy new lemon yellow exterior for their trouble. They didn't care.

Paper moths are not usually dangerous - but if you mess with their nests, it's a whole other story. They even send out pheromones that other wasps can pick up for miles that signal "HELP, our house is on fire" and the other wasps will rush over to keep their neighbors from being evicted, probably so they don't have to move in with them.

It was not a good day - for us or the wasps. There were a few casualties, but most of us survived. To cut to the chase (and yes, my friends it was a chase) - we hung some pretend paper bag nests on the lower porch to try and discourage them from building new nests behind the freshly painted first floor shutters, but we thought they would return to the second floor shutters.

They didn't; maybe because rainy weather kept us shutter-less for over a week. I don't know where they went, but it is obvious now, they have moved on. We used to see them all the time around the yard, but we have been pretty wasp-less since mid-summer.

At first this seemed like a good thing. I didn't have to worry about them stinging Olive if she trampled one or dodging them while watering my hanging baskets - but we soon discovered a major drawback to our wasp-less state - MOSQUITOES - we are over-run! And caterpillars and spiders.

On the plus side my shutters look very bright and cheery, just don't stand outside admiring them for more than 30 seconds or you won't be.

There is a business lesson in this, too - the enemy (well, in business I guess we would say rival) - the rival of my rival in my friend. Also eco-systems are fragile (I hope Etsy is listening).  xo all

BIZ Astrology for Tuesday, September 16th - manifesting mud pies

A few things going on today - the Moon moves into mothering, nurturing Cancer late this morning - Gemini's chitchat will go away and we can have some nice emotional grounding. We will want to pull into our shell and go quiet. That's OK (return calls though- today is a great day to make contact with someone important!). The Moon forms a nice trine with Neptune tonight that can make even uncomfortable conversations go well - do the Cancer nurture thing and make the other person all comfy cozy and welcome first. 

Lots of fire with Jupiter in Leo and Mars in Sagittarius, lots of exhilarating energy now and we also have Saturn making us focus. We can see the truth now.

The Virgo Sun's earth coupled with the Cancer Moon's water (think about your own magical mud pies today) makes this a wonderful day for manifesting.

Mercury crosses the North Node of the Moon which can bring people from our past (and past lives if you resonate with that way of thinking) back into our lives - you may not recognize them, but you will recognize them, if you know what I mean.

There are destiny aspects here. We could meet the love of our life now (and yes, maybe that guy from ancient Persia who we cheated out of a camel and now he is back to steal our car). Romantic risks can pay off. We could also meet someone younger who inspires us. We could sign a contract. Our new tribe is starting to form (more about this next month) - the wires keeping us in our chicken coop are all in our head - we can fly right out of there. Lots of clean slates now.

OK back to this manifesting energy today - listen up!

FIRST - with Mercury (and Venus) hitting the North Nodes today we may get some clues about our life direction. Our North Node is the direction our growth lies in this lifetime (our south node is the space we push off from). The house our north node is in is very important. Check your natal chart! This we need to memorize (if I have done your chart email me and I can tell you the house or email me your birthdate, place and time!).

Let's say we have a north node in the first house (or in Aries) - the house of self. Well, in this lifetime we need to focus on developing our own unique identity. Our south node will be in the 7th house (polarity) of partnership (Libra) - this is where we kick off. But if we try to gain our identity from partnership we will feel like we have been thrown into the ocean with anchors on our legs.

If something opens up now (or someone enters our life) connected to that North Node house - consider that a big old GREEN light.

SECOND - In a Tarot deck Mercury is the Magician card - an archetype many makers are familiar with even if they have never heard of him.

The Magician is the alchemist - the great conjurer; the maker of something out of nothing - we channel this energy all the time. I have a post on Mercury HERE that would be good to read now. This is an excellent day for ritual, for lighting a candle and setting the intention for what is truly ours to find us. This is a day where our words will matter.

BIZ Astrology for Monday, September 15th - a logical approach now

Action Mars entered fiery Sagittarius on Saturday - this is a great transit for a fresh, energized new start. If you are normally a risk-taker you may have to dial it back a bit so you don't run off a cliff somewhere, but for the rest of us this energy will get us moving. Doors are opening.

With both today's sun (Virgo) and moon (Gemini) ruled by Mercury - a logical approach is supported now. Do your homework. Stuff comes to light today.

Decisive strategies are favored now. 

The stuff that came up for us in the last few days is in some way the stuff we will be dealing with next summer - how was your weekend anyway?

(the world news was all about Isis - maybe the media shouldn't nickname a group they do not want to be powerful after a powerful female Goddess at a time of rising female energy unless of course, somebody wants a powerful enemy for a never-ending war - Hilary in Iowa, Scotland's bid for independence - this one is in the shadow of Mercury retrograde so will no doubt be back if it fails.)

Mercury squares the North Node in Libra - many have cleared a lot of relationship and personal power gunk over the last few years - the Aries/Libra polarity (what house is Libra in your natal chart?). We are stepping into new waters now. Our story might look the same on the outside (although it probably doesn't), we might be doing something we have done before, but we are not the same people - we can do it differently this time.

Tomorrow Venus meets the Nodes (more on this tomorrow) and we could attract someone from our new tribe (especially someone younger than us or with newer ideas), hear some important news or get a significant contract - this could happen next week, too. We need to be clear on what we value now. What is it time for us to contribute? What have we learned? Where do we really want to go? Mars in Sagittarius (the archer) will get us to our target.

No going backwards to repair stuff right now - don't focus on what isn't working - see what is working and focus on that.

The positive spaces this new energy will focus - ARIES: education, legal matters, long distance travel, publishing, religion, encounters with the exotic TAURUS: loans, taxes, debts, inheritance, fertility, partner's money, sex, GEMINI: partnerships, marriage, intimacy, equality, CANCER: health, work, co-workers, routines, skills of value to others, LEO: children, creative projects, romance, the spotlight, play, VIRGO: home business, renovation, moving, leaving something behind, family, LIBRA: meetings, communications, siblings, open talks, clarity, speaking, teaching, writing, SCORPIO: money that is earned, security, what you value, management of resources SAGITTARIUS: personal identity, goals, your physical energy level, ambition, authority over your own life, CAPRICORN: secrets, stuff that isn't developed yet, stuff that is hidden or forgotten, meditation, spirituality, AQUARIUS: friendships, tribes, public life and image, concrete direction PISCES: career, what you are here to give, authority, destiny

BIZ Astrology for Friday, September 12th - establishing priorities and standing tall in our story

brene brown quote

Today, our practical Virgo Sun meets our practical Taurus Moon and makes a great day for establishing priorities and putting down roots - a solid, practical day. I like things simple, we just need to be sure we are not settling for easy today because it might come back to bite us later. Get stuff done. There is money to be made later from the work we do now.

This is a great day to venture into something creative. Celebrate any victories now - this will attract more and bigger reasons to celebrate. This is the space in our story where we stand tall and breathe a little; the place where the hero takes a hot bath and looks at how far he has come (and freaking amazes himself). Every story is hard. Every story is unique. Appreciate ourselves for the strength we have shown so far. We can do this.

The moon makes a square to Jupiter so it is important to stay positive. Mercury has been in this intense cardinal cross and this weekend Mercury opposes Uranus so something unpredictable and exciting could happen. This kind of pushes us to find a new way to handle something; see a new perspective. We can meet new people or a special person now.

When the Moon moves into Gemini this weekend, the winds will pick up. Youthful enthusiasm rules.

(now it is good to be prepared, but if we are the kind of person who has to prepare for every eventuality- well, things may not ever go terribly wrong for us, but they may not ever go terribly right either)

On Saturday night Mars (action) moves into optimistic, expansive Sagittarius thru October 26th and it's been almost a year since we have had Mars in fire. This is mostly a good great thing because this will make everyone a little more optimistic, a little more adventurous, a little more curious about the world.

This will be the push many people need to get moving, make a decision or do something else. Stuck stuff will get unstuck during this transit.

Now the downside (yes this is a planet of contrast, there is always a polarity and it's not always my adorable little locket - warning shameless plug ahead - check out some new necklaces here) is our impulse control might go bye-bye now. We can leap before we look (which sounds nice on a poster - leap and the net will appear, should say 'leap and the adventures will appear', I think). We can be overly trusting.

That smart executive on vacation who wandered into that cave at 3:45 and drowned when the tide came in 10 minutes later because the guide - a distracted and overworked 20 year old scuba instructor with a bad haircut; someone the executive would not have normally trusted his life to, of course - told the executive to leave the cave by 4:00 and hell, it was only 3:55; that trusting guy on an adventure, um, that trusting dead guy on an adventure (and this story is totally made up) was probably a Sagittarius.

Leaping is good during this transit, but there definitely needs to be some looking first - fortune favors the bold, but not the reckless now -

because Saturn is going to join this little Sagittarius party and he will see to it the stuff we put into motion now will stick.

(yes, first we get unstuck then we get stuck again - this is why we need to be following our passion and living from our heart, so if we fall on our asses at least we will have a craft room filled with yarn and pillow inserts to cushion our fall)

It will not be so easy to extricate ourselves from this stuff quickly - we could set something into play that reverberates until Saturn vacates the premises in 2016.

The house Sagittarius sits in our natal chart (print out your natal chart!) will be where this all plays out - this is where we can expand our awareness through the gathering of unfamiliar experience.

We need to be conscious of anything we are creating and signing up for now through the end of October because come December and for the next couple years we will have to live with this.