Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse This Weekend | the blindspot or yes, what you don't know can hurt you

We have a total Lunar Eclipse Full Moon this weekend.

It's also a Blood Moon.

(yeah, that end of the world stuff - don't worry though, the world's not ending, maybe something about the world as you know it, but that could be a good thing, too - see my example below)

The Moon will be at 4 degrees Aries so see where this one falls in your natal chart (where is your Aries house and what does that house rule). Also look for any other 4 degree planets' houses to see where/how this action could show up.

This is a Full Moon so endings and wrap ups are likely.

I'd like to say the finished stuff stays finished but Mercury is retrograde, so maybe not. Most likely it will though.

This Moon will last for a little over 5 hours so its energy will be felt for a little over 5 months.

(and you may have already experienced it, yes, this stuff can hit one month early sometimes almost to the exact day)

I'll tell you how this has played out for me. 

Our side yard is the back yard of a gas station. Ugh, I know.

New mechanics rented the garage part last spring and the place, which has been quiet and almost empty for years, is suddenly crazy busy.

Now, on the one hand I like having prosperous neighbors and our side yard is wide and we do own a truck repair shop on the other end of town so understand the business, on the other hand the noise was getting worse every week and, of course, I'm home all day long. 

My breaking point (and actually Full Moons and eclipse season in particular are great harbingers of breaking points) came when they moved a noisy air compressor into a tiny wood shed behind their garage.

The air compressor was broken and ran all day, never shutting off the way it is supposed to. The shed got hot so they opened the shed door. The noise got even louder. From our backyard it sounded like they were cutting their grass along our fence line, all day long. I talked to them. Hubs talked to them. They'd nod their heads in agreement with us with cigarettes dangling precariously from their lips while pulling up the waistbands of their hanging trousers with tattooed fingers.

(you can't make this stuff up folks)

Nothing changed.

We talked to the town again and again. I was blasting Irish battle ballads and starting to crack.

Finally I called the Board of Health and they sent out a wonderful little pitbull woman, who sounded exactly like Penny Marshall. I really wanted her to help me and take this seriously. Kella was over my house with Sully and Sully (two years old now) really hates loud noises.

When Penny pulled up I grabbed Sully and pulled a bunch of my hair out of its ponytail, although I probably didn't need to look any more bedraggled than I always do.

We met Penny on the side porch. Sully immediately put his hands over his ears and said "LOUD."

(note to self- buy that kid a Porsche Power Wheels)

"This noise is interfering with our quality of life. Look at my baby!, " I wailed to Penny (actually I used the exact language I read online for fighting a noise disturbance).

Penny pulled a decibel meter out of her side holster like a cowboy at a gunfight and clocked the noise at 65 decibels at my property line. Unbelievably this was the legal limit - you will have to trust me about how loud 65 decibels is, especially day in and out when you work at home. She said she couldn't do anything legally but she would go over there and scare them. The garage is called Good Fellas Garage. I didn't think these guys would scare easily. They didn't.

Hubs told them he would fix the compressor and insulate the shed himself. Then he basically begged.

Finally, I happened to look at the September Lunar Eclipse and my chart. I realized this eclipse was at 4 degrees Aries and I have 4 degrees Cancer in my 4th house (home, family) and 4 degrees Uranus in my 10th house (career, business, social status) and this Eclipse was playing out natally in my 3rd house (neighbors!).

I told hubs this would be all wrapped up at the end of September. I went to sleep that night without thinking about these guys for the first time in weeks.

The next day, August 27th, exactly one month to the day of the eclipse, they fixed the compressor, insulated the shed and fixed the shed door.

Hubs would have been more impressed with the astrology if the situation had resolved this weekend along with the eclipse, and yes, there is still the possibility of a meteor landing on my home business and taking out the neighbors, too, but I'm just happy to have this resolved and I have seen eclipse cycles happen a month early before.

Anyhoo ...

Think about what is happening at a total lunar eclipse - something is hidden. 

This is not a good time to make a big decision because something is hidden. 

This is not a good time to make a big move because something is hidden. 

This could be a good time to bury the body (don't look at me) ... but I can't really recommend that (legal reasons and all). 

Unless the body is some 'body of work' you are finishing up - this is an excellent time for a wrap up. Just remember you won't be able to see everything that is going on with whatever is happening.

(in our situation the garage guys didn't own the compressor and were trying to get their landlord to fix it and our town had finally actually given them a deadline - we didn't know about any of the backdoor maneuvering and couldn't see what was actually going on and because of the energies at play it was bringing up, for me, other spaces and times when I felt injustice and the inability to get what I wanted from others making the whole situation larger than it had to be)

This is an especially powerful time to wrap up a fight (Aries south mode energy!) - yes, it's probably been worth fighting for, but it's time to move on now.

(maybe I'll bake those guys some cookies .... um, maybe not)

This can also play out (since we are talking about the Aries/Libra polarity here) as some kind of self interest vs cooperation or other person or group. This could be a commitment issue, fidelity, justice, loyalty, freedom - emotions are high during full moons. Stay grounded and cool headed.

This Full Moon wraps up that Aries New Moon from last April. Pray for clear skies so we can watch this one - here's the schedule.

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 21st - Focus, Fire, Endings, Compassion, Uncertainty

hello fall by inspire your art

This is another wild ride kind of week with big emotions.

We are in eclipse season so things end, new chapters are started (usually in the dark) and things (good things, too!) are brought to light.

With Jupiter in Virgo until next Summer we have all this big picture thinking and planning ... and we still have to do the laundry and check the kids' homework.

Details aren't a distraction from our goals and dreams and it hurts us when we look at them that way - they are really clarifying what we want and how we want to spend our precious time. Anyone can have a dream, not everyone can do the laundry so the red towel doesn't turn everything else red.  

We get ahead by honoring the details this year.

It will show up for everyone in different ways but we are all dealing with weighty, ambitious stuff this week. 

Monday through Wednesday afternoon we have a serious Capricorn Moon. This is goal oriented energy and we can get a lot done now. Monday is the best day to reach out to an 'authority'. On Tuesday and Wednesday the energy is less smooth flowing - there are some kinks. If some tension comes up on Tuesday or Wednesday with our goals or an authority figure it will likely come back around at the end of the week.

We need to keep our commitments. We need to keep our insecurities in check.

On Wednesday the Sun moves into Libra! Libra season (and the fall equinox) is here. We all begin to burn Libra fuel. Grace, balance, beauty, partnership, cooperation - will make our world run much smoother. Big week for meeting new people (remember no one wants to listen to our bossiness now). New season energy will have all of us feeling like we want to do something! As we move from earth to air it's an easy time to catch a cold or something else so protect your throat and chest, wash your hands, switch from salads to soups, etc.

Mercury is retrograde so stuff happening now will be a little different than what we expected and will change when Mercury goes direct in October. Stay flexible.

Venus trines Uranus and inconjuncts Chiron (this is exact on Tuesday but can be felt building and waning) - if you have planets in fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) or planets in Pisces from 17-22 degrees you will feel this transit and most likely felt it at the end of June and mid to late August. This energy is screaming at you to take a creative risk. Well, maybe screaming isn't the right word it could just be gnawing at you in your quiet moments like a toothache, but you'll know what I mean.

Yes, you can fall flat on your ass here. You can also deeply regret not even trying. If you shake yourself loose enough from needing to control the results (you can't) you might just manage some real healing here regardless of outcome.

At the end of the week Mars runs into Virgo and immediately bumps into a square with Saturn. This kind of feels like I want this, but I can't get it. Or we have to work harder or we hit delays. This is also a whole lot of fire (again my fire warning - be careful with actual flames now). People (including us) could be critical. Give other people their space. Take some deep breaths (I would recommend my soul scentered aromatherapy lockets for this).

(note to Virgos you haven't had a Mars boost in almost two years so use this seven week shot of initiating energy for all its worth - everyone gets extra energy for Virgo ruled things - work, pets, employees, co-workers, paperwork, HEALTH)

Thursday and Friday our new Libra Sun crosses over the North Node of Destiny -

The North Node is a space of collective discomfort. It's a place we are growing into, but we might rather go to the dentist or have a long talk with our mother-in-law over her homemade fruit cake about her son's amazingness and how lucky we are to have him.

The North Node pulls us out of our comfort zone and into a new version of ourselves.

this is like all of us being in the right place at the right time (note what show up and note what exits!). It can also release something (since we are now opposite our south node been there/done that energy) that is leaving our life. We need to trust the cycle.

On Friday we have a rehashing of that mid-week career/authority stuff. Stuff could get tense. Pluto has been retrograde since last March and with Pluto in Capricorn he is answering to Saturn (Capricorn's ruler) - he turns direct on Friday and since he was last looking ahead Saturn has changed signs (Scorpio to Sagittarius) so this changes things with Pluto energy, too.

Taken together there are a whole lot of transits that will be hitting a whole lot of charts with a whole lot of change. A whole lot of people's options just got limited. The good news - the path ahead gets clearer.

We have a huge lunar eclipse full moon next weekend which will be a separate blog post.  Zero cardinal (initiating energy) planets at this eclipse = one giant fresh start.

Last week big daddy Saturn moved from Scorpio into Sagittarius. I talked about this awhile ago, too. 

Part I is here.

Yes, that post is from December :) If you are going to read this new stuff, please read the old one first because it covers a lot of what I'm going to skip in this one.

(Saturn moved into Sagittarius in December then retrograded back into Scorpio and now, since last Thursday/Friday is fully housed in Sagittarius until December 2017 - Scorpios and Aquarius you can exhale now!)

Since I wrote that post nine months ago, my thinking about this transit has changed quite a bit. It's my new 'glass half full' outlook people! Let's unpack this transit a little differently. Instead of thinking about our beliefs hitting a brick wall - let's talk about dismantling our "limiting" beliefs, (ie the beliefs that are limiting us). Let's talk about stepping into and living up to new responsibilities in Sagittarius ruled areas and let's talk about how this transit illuminates our collective vision and moves along our collective story.

Sagittarius is a mutable sign (along with Gemini, Virgo and Pisces and this transit will affect mutable signs strongest so planets in these signs get tightened up). Mutable energy is rather boundless and stretchy. This can be a good thing. But it can also have its drawbacks. Too much space sounds like a good thing until we get it and don't know what the hell to do with it. Less options always equals more focus. More focus with less options is exactly what we get with Saturn in Sagittarius.

So we need boundaries, right? Sometimes we need to know this is as far as we can go. Or this is where we must concentrate our energy in order to succeed. People who do not see things this way at all may feel their goals and dreams are stifled during this transit or get kicked in the ass at some point. For dreamers that can embrace this way of thinking, Saturn will help us build the kind of stability that supports BIG THINGS. More on this later.

Remember this year our fall season is about planning (our harvest next year depends on it).

xo all

Maker's Fest Tomorrow | Manahawkin, NJ

I will be at Maker's Fest at Beach View Farms this weekend. The festival will have amazing music, yoga, almost 100 artists and crafters, great food, a biergarten, farm activities and yard games. Have a wonderful weekend everyone and if you are in NJ - stop by and visit me in the turquoise blue camper! xo

between eclipses ....

owl and pussycat by the little fox

We are now in the two week period between the September eclipses. With so many important transits this week, I wanted to add a little more info to the weekly post (the same post that, yes, I am thinking of ending and, yes, I see the irony in this).

Let's unpack this a little more. First we have expansive, big picture Jupiter (in earthy, detail oriented Virgo where he is not super comfortable - imagine you just ate a Thanksgiving dinner in your skinny jeans) opposing Neptune (in watery Pisces, where he is uber comfortable - now imagine you just ate a Thanksgiving dinner in your jammies).

(Hmm, I am not sure what all this Thanksgiving talk is about - we do suddenly have 6 wild turkeys wandering around the reservoir where I walk most mornings. I have to resist the urge to toss them into my back seat and protect them until Black Friday - and now that I think about it, they can earn their keep by clearing the garden of the tiny worms that have ended our kale season ... )

Before Jupiter was discovered in the mid 1800's, Jupiter was considered the ruler of Pisces (now he rules Sagittarius). This opposition lasts for the entire month of September and is exact (strongest) on Thursday. Then it starts to unwind itself. If your stomach (digestion) or skin (think bacterial overgrowth) is in some kind of distress right now - this is probably why.

Now normally Jupiter vs Neptune would have us lost at sea in a beautiful pea-green boat. And we might be. But with Jupiter grounded in Virgo and Saturn moving into Sagittarius (answering to Jupiter, but also adding a little more lead to his boots) we should be able to tell the fantasy from reality. If something appears too good to be true now. It is.

We also have Mercury turning retrograde in Libra (ruled by Venus barely back in action since her own lengthy and challenging retrograde in firey Leo this summer - when our relationships were tested over liony - how is this not a word? come on spellcheck!) issues of pride "who's in charge here?" and fidelity "where's your loyalty?". Then we have Saturn (in watery Scorpio) moving into firey Sagittarius (ruled by Jupiter). And I almost forgot asteroid Juno (marriage, commitment) moves into Libra (where power is often given away) so we've got power imbalances coming up again ... and loyalty issues, sound familiar?

So what does this mean for you? Well, that will depend where all of this hits your natal chart. For Libra the Jupiter/Neptune opposition is a 12th house event (hidden potential, secrets) so Libras could have the urge to go public with something or something that was recently rather inconsequential could become a major focus or some kind of secret fantasy or hope could peak (although this might only happen in her head). For Virgo, the Mercury Retrograde is a 2nd house event - so she will be rethinking her earned money, does she have what she needs, if a Virgo has been making emotional or financial 'sacrifices' they will come up for re-evaluation now. For Leo, Saturn's move into Sagittarius (thru December 2017) is a 5th house event - her house of self expression, creativity, children, love, fun - so extra effort and focus in these areas will be needed for her to get what she wants.

You can see how all of this is different for everyone and these scenarios (and all general astrological predictions by sun sign you see anywhere) do not take into account the time of your birth, they assume you were born at dawn and they use a whole house system with one sign per house and do not take into consideration your actual houses. This is why having your own natal chart handy is important if you are interested in this stuff.

In general we are facing a time of being "lost at sea" (we see the literal examples of this in the news everyday) although there is solid ground  in sight if we take the time to look for it and think things through, compassion works miracles now - a time of  needing to slow down our communications and certain actions, we are relooking at relationships (again) and beginning (again) the longer term changes of Saturn into Sagittarius.

While task master Saturn has been in Scorpio, he has been reinforced by Pluto in Capricorn (since Saturn rules Capricorn and Pluto rules Scorpio) making the last two years very challenging with the energy favoring the powerful and those "in control".

In Sagittarius (ruled by expansive, benevolent Jupiter, the only planet larger than Saturn) Saturn's structure will be different. I'll write about this later.

This is almost certainly the most powerful month of the year - we all will need patience and the willingness to support each other through the ups and downs. Any space in our life we are feeling over-zealous will be a space there are more possibilities available if we can just get out of our own way. Let's try to relax into what life is offering up and - yes, I know this is easy for me to say since I am not in your exact situation, that's why I'm saying it - instead of obsessing over how we think things need to play out.

See what is changing in your life. Beginnings and endings during eclipse season are designed to get us 'back on track' with our original purpose for being here. If they have you on the mat, hold on, October is coming! xo all