Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of October 19th - make some kind of move

Last night, Mars joined Jupiter bringing energy, movement and initiating action to a

new 2 year cycle of work and health

and it plays into a forming T-square for extra potency for the next 12 months!

This cycle began to set-up when Jupiter moved into Virgo on August 10th - but between Venus retrograde, Mercury retrograde, Saturn moving from Scorpio into Sagittarius and eclipse season most of us have had too much old stuff on our plates, or slipping off our plates, to notice.

Now we will.

BEST CASE - two years from now we will be fulfilled through the development of a personally meaningful something or other that is of value to others and we'll be enjoying the best health of our lives.

WORST CASE - we'll learn big lessons from two years of endless busyness, perfectionist pit-stops, tasks that have no personal meaning and we'll gain another ten pounds (or worse). This is definitely not the time to still be smoking.

We win or we learn. Or we win and we learn - yeah, let's do that.

Besides kicking off a new two year story with Jupiter (in Virgo) Mars' movement activates a T-square (when points in opposition also form a square with another point). A T-square enables drive and courage but can also create tension and conflict. Natal T-square people are very active. You know that go-getter who packs 30 hours into every 24 hour day and makes us want to take a nap - well, I guarantee she has one. Cardinal T-squares can be very impatient, but also enterprising and initiating. Fixed T-squares don't quite, but are also stubborn and they can hold on to problems for too long. Mutable T-squares are restlessness and change their minds too often, but are great at adapting to changing circumstances.

Last week we had Mars squaring Saturn and opposing Neptune, now he joins Jupiter and these 3 planets (Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn) give us the T-square we will all be working with for the next year. This will play out in our Sagittarius, Pisces and Virgo houses (check your natal chart). This is my 2nd, 4th and 10th houses (so basically money and values, home and work). If you want to know the space this story will run through in your own chart just contact me.

Until mid November we are still in the "dreaming it" stage - this time would be best spent with visioning and detailed planning. Let's use this Virgo focus and attention to detail while we have access to it (the Sun changes signs at the end of the week). Lists are our friend now. Virgo energy sometimes doesn't want to compete unless they know they can win or they don't compete because then they will have to do it really well again - if you are feeling anything like this right now, push through it.

From mid November (when Saturn comes into play) foundations get built. In January and February there is a pause in the action as things slow and separate and then March thru November 2016 we build the dream.

This dream doesn't have to be some big, ginormous dream. It just has to be ours. We need to be working from our hearts with this. If anything special was happening around May 2000 (check your Taurus house) there will be aspects that relate to that time period. Stuff will happen with or without our full participation, attention and intention, but the best way to use astrology is to make the best use of transits as intentionally as we can.

After the Uranus Pluto Square power struggle story we've all been working through, this new chapter is a welcome change.

This week with Mars (action, initiative) and Jupiter (good luck, expansion) bumping together it's a good time for some kind of initiatory action. Make some kind of move. Ambition is a good thing. I'm crashing an event I wasn't invited to - more on this later in the week. Then I'm going away for a couple days to recuperate from the stress of it all (me and public events are going together like peanut butter and mayonnaise these days - yes, that yummy).

Anyhoo, I'll try to get back to do the Moons and daily aspects tomorrow - there is lots of other stuff going on, but if we let this T-square happen without our intentional participation we will regret it, I promise ... plus I need tonight to plan my wardrobe and practice not sounding like I've been practicing .... and like maybe I was actually invited. xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of October 12th - New Moon in Libra (who/what do we want to partner with? who's really got our back?)

Today's New Moon (19 degrees) in balanced and cooperative Libra opens up all kinds of new opportunities involving  partners; both romantic and business, our  agents, our clients, specialists and competitors - think "equals" over the next couple weeks.

It is also excellent re-balancing energy.  

What house holds Libra in our natal chart?

This is our annual opportunity to restore balance here.

Who/what do we want to partner with?

This is an important reset because it will wrap up six months from now with a Lunar Eclipse instead of a regular Full Moon. Makes me think whatever is started now, for better or worse, ends (or evolves) with a BANG.

This New Moon (beginning), closes out eclipse season, and is the run up to the BIG fresh start we all get in mid November.

Now New Moons and other lunar movements do not happen in a vacuum - they affect and interact with other planets. We have had Uranus in Aries since 2011 (through 2018). We know Libra's polarity sign is Aries, so activity in our Libra house is being opposed by Uranus. And yes, opposed means pretty much what it sounds like.

So, we have this need for a fresh start that will give us more balance (more beauty, more love - think Venus ruled Libra here) in some area of our life and it is interacting with other people's fresh starts and we have this opposing energy that we will feel, too.

Uranus is the planet that 'came out of nowhere'.

Until 1781 when Sir William Herschel peered through his telescope and discovered Uranus (first christened George's Star and later renamed for the Greek God of the heavens) astrology was a small, closed system of seven astrological bodies including the sun and the moon.

This fit so well with the seven chakras, seven octaves, seven days in a week, yada, yada - seven being an almost magical number - that the discovery was quite upending to astrological theory that began with the Sun (life/creation) and ended with Saturn (authority/time/death).

Now we had life beyond death, beyond authority, beyond time. When I first began to study astrology in the 90's my first teacher said you couldn't see Uranus with the naked eye - but we (and I) have caught a glimpse now and then. Of course, planets appear to us when we are ready to see them.

It took awhile for astrologers to understand Uranus.

It is now widely acknowledged to represent the development of individuality (which is how he stole the rulership of Aquarius from Saturn). This is the space in the solar system, our collective, our chart, our bodies - where we move beyond our familial and social programming.

This is where we need to break the rules, chart our own path, function without social approval (no thumbs up or likes for you here). Uranus shows us what authorities we are determined to challenge, who we will offend and even where we will receive our most misleading advice.

(where is Uranus in your natal chart? where's Aquarius? this is the space you are asked to step outside the box and work with the idea that you might never get any pats on the back for your contribution)

Rules and regulations are the corner stones of our society. We need them - we can see this. And yet, within every one of us is this little (sometimes not so little) something that really hates being told what to do. It's the space that cheers on the rule breakers, feels the lure of total freedom and secretly hopes the bad guy in that movie drama will get away with it.

So, we've got this New Moon in beatific and balanced Libra wanting something new and balanced for us and this aspect to Uranus adding something jolting, surprising and dare I say liberating into the mix.

New developments could hit quickly, maybe from totally out of the blue and likely disrupt existing balances.

This opposition can also represent an actual person or group or system with Uranian qualities (think : genius, rebel, criminal) or maybe someone we are dealing with through the internet since Uranus rules that space, who is literally standing in our way.

This is wild-card energy. It could spark an uncharted direction for us or create abrupt change. It could push/pull/drop kick us toward greater freedom. It could even empower us with a  "cause". Ruts can be escaped. Think about what would need to happen in your own life to create these kind of changes and then expect ... something else to happen. Ack! You will feel this energy strongest if you have any planets in cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) from 16-20 degrees.

New Moon energy peaks at the actual New Moon 8pm EST tonight and runs its course over the next 2 weeks.

On Tuesday Mercury (communication, fast moving thingamajigs) hooks up with Saturn (authority, time, structure) so this is a good day to schedule meeting and talks with authority figures or to finalize the details of something that will be around awhile.

The big news is still that Jupiter/Pluto trine (thru the 17th) I talked about last week (brakes off) - this continues to provide us with a combination of ambition and optimism. It isn't called the 'wealth' aspect for nothing, folks.

Wednesday is very productive - a lot is going on and we can get much done (Friday, too, results can go either way). On Thursday we have Mars (in Virgo) firing us up and getting us motivated, think empowered practicality here - this can tie in with the new beginning, too. On Friday, Venus in Virgo will oppose Neptune in Pisces - work is just work without dreams and dreams are just dreams without work. It will become clear to us - we need both.

On Saturday Mars hooks up with Jupiter. This is BIG. We haven't had this in 11 years. This is when our Jupiter in Virgo expansion gets some legs. More on this next time.

We are having frequent long void moons this season which are not the best times for initiating new things - so if we are launching something now - the 2 weeks after a new moon are great launch periods - check the void moon chart here for the best daily times.

Lots of closing aspects this week - so stuff/people/situations are leaving (remember life doesn't allow vacuums - letting go is the only way to make room for the new). Do you really want to carry that anymore?

Libra rules marriage, negotiations, teamwork, harmony, sociability and diplomacy. For everyone it is an excellent time for energetic support for new beginnings in these areas.

MONTHLY AFFIRMATION TIPS for the NEW MOON:

Get grounded - we have moved from an earth sign into air so this is important - always make affirmations from a  positive place (positive meaning certain) - write your affirmations down by hand in cursive, we want the letters all connecting and flowing together, speak them out loud. 

I used to write my affirmations on strips of paper and put them into a bowl of rice so I can mix them around every now and then with my fingers if things got stagnant, now I burn them. I'm going to release the ashes into moving air this month - then - and this is the important part - release your attention from them knowing that your intention is known.  

Some affirmations I am working with today are:

1. I effectively negotiate my situation with ____ creating a win-win for both of us. 

2. I am balanced and peaceful.

3. I easily attract, recognize and begin working with the right people for my highest happiness.

4. I am easily at ease in social situations.

5. I have total clarity and am able to take action to make my relationships more satisfying.

6. I easily make decisions.

7. The habit of wanting 'peace at any price' is easily lifted from me.

8. I easily take actions that successfully restore perfect health to my adrenal glands.

Another great week for fall cleaning. xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of October 5th - don't take it personally ... and brakes off

"You must close your eyes…otherwise you won’t see anything." ... Alice in Wonderland

rebel locket by Jessica Van Braun and me

It's Libra season - sort of, but we (and others) might be feeling more rebellious than cooperative this week.

Libra is the sign of partnership, cooperation and balance (not so much rebellion, she saves that action for her sister air sign Aquarius). Venus and Mars will not enter Libra until November this year so we only have the Sun (no small thing, but you see what I mean) and a retrograde Mercury in Libra. Not the typical October energy. With Venus entering Virgo this week and the North Node moving into Virgo (and let's not forget Jupiter) - it's feels more like a Virgo October season!

(not that Virgo energy is rebellious either, maybe it's just me or maybe I wanted to show off my cute locket by being rebellious!)

Virgo still rules - so that means a work and health focus, taking care of the details and our obligations, we know the drill. We've been here awhile.

We have Mars (action) in Virgo (details) opposite Neptune (dreams) retrograde in Pisces (intuition, escapism). Glass half full - we put our energy and focused attention on our creative work. Glass half empty - we drift off into never, never land and get nothing done (all I really want to do is see the Martian and smell the movie popcorn). Action will be easier as the week moves along. We have a lot of time spent with void moons this week, so it's not the best time to launch anything - it's excellent productive energy though if we can push past the inertia.

The back story this week is a trine between Jupiter (in Virgo) and Pluto (in Capricorn). A trine is considered a positive aspect because it removes all obstacles. But even something good isn't only or always good.

(yes, here comes Cat with her rain cloud again and yes I do carry it around in my purse and pop it out like the other girls pop out their tic tacs - you're welcome)

Imagine you are sitting in your car with one foot on the brake and one foot on the gas. You're not going anywhere. If your foot is suddenly yanked from the brake - you'd move forward ... fast.

Now this could be a good thing - the red light turns green and you really want to beat that annoying guy in the hot yellow Lamborghini who's revving his engine in the lane next to you.

But this could be a bad thing - your foot is yanked from the brake and you plow forward into oncoming traffic.

Rapid (and maybe epic) achievement or rapid (and maybe epic) failure.

If we are striving for something positive, a dynamic trine can make our dreams come true. On the other hand if we are trying to prevent something negative from happening a dynamic trine can rapidly hasten the happening of what we are trying to stop. With Jupiter in the picture we know whatever is being stirred up - the ultimate outcome is growth. It could even enable us to accomplish something significant. This aspect is exact on Sunday.

The trine is at 13 degrees Virgo (check your natal chart for the house) and we will have two more. One at 13 degrees Virgo in March and one at 17 degrees Virgo in June. When Jupiter and Pluto are joined in a chart it's about wealth - in this case it's in the sign of Virgo - work and health.

These trines will take us back to when they first cozied up in December 2007. Yes, that's when the U.S. recession began (brakes off remember!).

The best way to work with this - we will want to be organized and get stuff done. Yes, more Virgo good stuff - this work and health focus isn't going anywhere.

If we haven't had our September eclipse "thing" happen yet - it will happen this week - sometime before Monday's New Moon. 

Saturn will be asking us to prove our value now - this could take the form of an authority figure saying we can/will only pay us this when we really want/need that ... what we decide to do is up to us, but what we need to do with whatever we decide is not take it personally. I know that's easier said than done, which is why I'm saying it.

The biggest news for creatives this week (although depending on your chart, a tiny transit can be big news and vice versa) is Venus finally sashays out of Leo and into Virgo.

It's been a long, hot summer people!

Venus took all of us on a wild ride. This week when she finally puts Leo in her rear-view mirror there could be an opportunity to set boundaries and expectations with things that come up. This will pertain to the people and situations we have dealt with since she first entered Leo on June 5th. We saw sides of people during this transit we haven't seen before and showed others sides of ourselves. As she changes signs (and Mercury stations direct!) there will be opportunities for lots of miscommunications. Keep that in mind. Sometimes miscommunications are good things - they can trigger conversations and kick stuff into the open that needs to be addressed.

Remember what we say, people will hear now. We will choose our words accordingly. We will also remember other people may not mean things exactly the way they say them - that "don't take it personally" thing again.

Note - the Moon is void quite a bit this week, so not the best time to launch anything new. Better to wait until next week when Mercury is moving smoothly forward and we have a New Moon in cooperative and artistic Libra!

On MONDAY we have a Cancer Moon so a good time to nurture something we have birthed, take care of ourselves, take care of our home, act with tender loving care toward ourselves and others - on TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY a productive and generous Leo Moon goes void with a square to Uranus, so expect the unexpected. Mars will be approaching an opposition so our energy may be low and we might be feeling a little 'under water', we will be taking action with a health or work matter - it's great creative energy. On THURSDAY, Venus shifts gears into Virgo - how this feels to you will depend on whether your chart prefers Leo or Virgo. This could bring a more cautious approach with our love and money. Venus will smooth out and attract whet we need regarding any paperwork issues, issues with our pets, our health, our co-workers and employees. On FRIDAY, Mercury stations direct so Mercury things (communication, fast moving devices) may get a little wonky. Things will get smoother after that. Thursday and Friday will be very productive, too.

This weekend we will be in the Balsamic Moon phase, so don't over-schedule things (also watch out for fires we've got a fire trine and yes, this means actual fires and verbal fires, too - no fanning the flames people!).

Next Monday we will kick off the autumn season in earnest - back when the Sun went into Libra the Moon was void, on Monday when the Moon joins the Sun it will feel like ... OK, LET'S GO .....

xo all

Clean Up on Aisle 6

kleangrips

"What does want not get?"

(you might have to say this out loud and drag out the 'get' part)

I overheard this last night while shopping in Target for a new bathroom rug.

The words were said so crisply and emphatically that even though I was lost in my thoughts (does a bathroom rug have to be a bathroom rug?) and minding my own business, it made itself my business and stopped me in my tracks. My sneakers actually squeaked to a stop on the cold tile floor and I never did get that new bathroom rug (or the six other things I would have probably thrown into my cart while I was there).

A mom (very tidy and put together looking) was wheeling her toddler through a space filled with "wants" - colorful things thoughtfully designed (most likely by others and then copied), hastily made and carefully arranged to make us want them.

The kid wasn't screaming or throwing a tantrum. I guess she had used a sentence with the words "I want ..." a few seconds earlier, but I only heard the mother. Her tone was firm, a bit sharp, a little tired. She caught my ear and then my eye. The child did not kick up a fuss. No drama ensued. She had heard it before.

For the rest of my shopping trip her words rolled around in my head. 

I saw the mother as a child hearing the same words with the same tone from her mother. I saw a woman who was disappointed by life and probably attempting to prevent her daughter from being hopeful and disappointed. I saw a child being methodically disabled from her ability to go after what she wants and maybe even know what she wants.

And you're probably thinking, "Cat, get a grip." But I'm telling you it was depressing.

It brought me back to all the times I had been told or had been shown I couldn't have what I wanted.

And all I wanted was that damn rug .....

Even though we've been told by law of attraction snake oil salesmen (apologies to Oprah) that wanting something is exactly how we get it (or step 1 at least) - I have never really believed this. 

I've always found it's when I stop wanting something, when I release my grip on the thought of having it, is when I attract it ... or when the allure of it floats out of my life, usually rather quickly.

The mom's words felt true to me (and excruciatingly hurtful) and so did the girl's shrinking heart. 

Who wants to live in a world where everything you see is something you can't have?

I think people and situations come to us to play out in front of us the energy we are carrying. We can literally look at everything in our lives as manifesting the energies we carry.

We carry this energy through our beliefs. Changing our beliefs is at the root of changing how things are working in our life. This is how good stuff takes us to more good stuff and bad stuff can lead us quickly to everything falling apart. Most of us are pretty freaking ready to fall apart. We've done it before. Sometimes it's more comfortable than getting what we want.

Sometimes we are so used to not getting what we want, or sending out such mixed messages, we don't even know what we want anymore.

We have Mars in Virgo now so we will not miss the tiniest detail. We've got Mercury (Virgo's ruler) in Libra (retrograde) so he is less inclined toward focused attention and more inclined to noticing the point where things overlap, the place where we connect. Jupiter (expansion, luck ie positive beliefs) is enabling us to tap into our best possible self and write a new story. Jupiter has the very best of magnificent intentions and we've got taskmaster Saturn answering to him now! What's to stop us? This is the time to clean the slate and start over.

Maybe all those old stories about why things happened, about how we messed it up (too quick, too slow, too loud, too quiet, too smart, too dumb) were really just a disconnect between our best intentions and life just not quite caught up with what we wanted to create. What if us not believing it was possible really was the only thing making it im-possible? We are that little girl in the shopping cart and we are her mother.

Today I'm chewing on:

1. wanting and hoping are good and wonderful and necessary things and can absolutely be untethered of outcome  2. we're all a bit of a mess even when we look tidy and 3. an old bathroom rug can be flipped over and look exactly like a new bathroom rug (maybe we can, too). xo all