the jumping off place | Mars direct

crystal mark photography
After seventy days (!) Mars (our energy, initiative and drive) has picked up his normal pace and what we thought we began back in February or March finally resumes its development.

After many weeks of waiting, preparing, and planning - new activities, projects (and elusive answers and situations) will propel us forward now.

We are ready (trust me on this!) now that we've undone or redone something or had to wait for something else to be done or catch up with us before we could pick up on whatever we've had to postpone since Mars began to slow down radically in late March.

All things Scorpio and Sagittarius are full steam ahead! Some people will feel these energies more than others, but whatever has been lagging will now be leading.

It's still old stuff because Mars won't be covering new ground until late August - but with Mars in direct motion we can finally get it done, get it right or get it going!

There are also multiple positive aspects right now and everyone is probably feeling at least one of them. So from here we go on ... again.

With Jupiter still in Virgo - let's be focused, clear, and willing to allow whatever inspires us (Jupiter) to transform our everyday life (Virgo).

Let's enjoy whatever accelerates, with a positive focus much that was promised earlier this year, will leap forward dramatically between now and late August. Be confident, we are prepared for whatever comes next.

We'll finish whatever is being reshaped with this and start the next chapter at the end of August! xo all

use what you know | part II - Mars goes direct!

miss halfway by holunder

On Wednesday, Mars finally moves direct (in Scorpio) and we have the Sun, Mercury and Venus all snuggly and simpatico in the same sign (Cancer). Many people will feel some kind of relief or movement pretty quickly.

(keep your head for  a while longer - remember the candle analogy and whole angry Martian thing)

Since someone the other day mentioned Brexit we'll touch on it briefly here.

Remember the background story to everything right now is Saturn in Sagittarius - thru December 2017 - Saturn (restriction, authority, time, hard work, structure, no) in Sagittarius (the higher mind, long distance, anything foreign, higher education, philosophy, our beliefs, adventure, travel, open, exploration, big picture).

During the time Saturn is in Sagittarius he is working through multiple squares to Neptune (home in Pisces) and aspects to Jupiter (in Virgo) and Uranus (in Aries). There are many, many ways this could play out based on the characters (archetypes) and signs involved.

A big part of Saturn's square to Neptune is about letting go of preconceived ideas about what structure and security is supposed to look like so we can build a new (Uranus) reality (Saturn) before/when Saturn comes home to Capricorn in 2018.

This is the work we are all doing without even realizing we are doing it. 

OK, so the United Kingdom (in a very close vote) voted to leave the European Union. The European Union was started on 11/1/1993. On this date Mercury was retrograde in Scorpio. Mars and Pluto were conjunct in Scorpio at 24 degrees - which is pretty much exactly where Mars is now sitting as he prepares to move direct tomorrow at 23 degrees. Remember when we talked about transits impacting natal energies. Entities like unions (and businesses and countries) have natal charts just like we do. In some ways saying corporations are people is not that far off the mark. An organization started with all this Scorpio - especially Pluto, ruler of Scorpio and Mars, Scorpio's ancient ruler conjunct - has some real darkness, secrets and fear connected to it. 

And we still have Jupiter going through Scorpio in 2017 and we have Venus going retrograde in Scorpio shortly after that. So even though I wrote last post that by the end of August we will have some closure with the Mars retrograde piece of the puzzle (as the baton gets handed back to Saturn) - the story is far, far from over. We're not even in the middle part yet!

What this means for the European Union is no doubt major changes ahead! And those changes will transform alot of fear the collective is carrying as the fear comes to the surface for us to "see" it. Just google 'observation effect' - this still blows my mind. We don't need 12 years in psychotherapy to work this crap out. We often just need to really "see" something to shift it.

So what do we do now? For all of us the next step is to 'use what we know' - we really do have all the information needed to work this out by now -  and do 'what is right in front of us'. Roadblocks will start to clear, our energy levels will increase and our Mars ruled initiative will get us moving! We still need to do the work. And when we can't see what we need to do, we'll just do that sink full of dirty dishes - it's a start. Whatever is missing will come to us over the next few weeks as Mars makes his final pass over these same degrees!

Breath work is very helpful now. With Gemini (ruler of our lungs) the odd man out in the mutable t-square we've been working through this year - deep breathing, no smoking, time outside in clear, clean air, aromatherapy (yes, I have a dog in this fight, but she's only a small dog), singing, eliminate the babble, say what we mean, no double negatives (don't say "isn't this great?", "don't you just love it?" - toss the nots!), no lies, no gossip.

We have a New Moon on the 4th of July (on the United States birthday, so we know it's important) - we are all going to get some traction to move forward!


my magnetic aromatherapy lockets - new layered style for summer

My aromatherapy lockets are 10% off for blog readers with coupon code SUMMERTIME - xo all

use what you know .... part I

fear by TheRoflCoptR
July and August are going to propel all of us forward. This is the "ready or not" next steps in our journey and we're all more ready than we think we are.

It's almost time to use what we've learned.

Our Scorpio houses, that carry this lifetime's fear, were worked through by Saturn (2012-2015) and now Mars mission here (since February) is almost complete.

Mars and Saturn will meet up at 9 degrees Sagittarius in late August and that will be that. Our Scorpio houses and the fear we carry will have evolved. We will move individually and collectively forward with the new energies into a new space.

And in case you are reading this and thinking what the hell is Cat talking about, let me say this -

I didn't start this blog to write about astrology or world events and some days, believe me, I regret my writing here has taken this turn. The last thing I need or want to be is 'preachy' and it's easier and faster for me to write funny anecdotes about what Olive and I are up to. But since it is the most fun and interesting (and hopefully useful) subject for me to write about right now, we'll plow on. I am going to change things up this summer a bit and get back to more business posts.

Anyhoo, back to astrology. Astrology is a language. It's a system of archetypes and patterns and a belief that above effects below (and vice versa). It isn't a religion or spirituality and people who love and study astrology come from and practice all different religions. Some are non-religious. It's a language that fits many paths.

The basics is this (and this is my elevator pitch interpretation and there are many types of astrology that would say something somewhat differently) - our astrological birth charts are our contracts and road maps. They are an imprint of the moment we took our first breath - we literally are the universe at exactly that second.

And we carry this energy for the entire collective for as long as we exist on the planet.

Our chart isn’t fate or destiny – it’s really a blueprint of potential!
 

(astrology sees free will as the central axis of any chart - some things we will have to meet up with, how we handle them is always up to us)

Now, after we are born the universe just keeps on spinning, so as we move through our life we activate certain energetic points that line up in particular ways with the spaces they occupied when we were born. These are called transits. So let's say when you were born the Moon was at 10 degrees Cancer - at various times throughout your life the moving planets will affect 10 degrees Cancer either by landing on 10 degrees Cancer or on an angle to this space and we say they are 'transiting your natal Moon'. 

(Also your chart keeps progressing. We are not static and our charts aren't either. Your chart progresses one day for every year you are alive, so if you were born on March 1, 1977 and you are 30 years old, you will look a bit like a chart prepared for March 31, 1977. So let's say on March 31, 1977 the Moon was at 11 degrees Leo. Today's moving planets affecting 11 degrees Leo are said to be 'transiting your progressed Moon.'. And, yes, since we move our chart one day for every year we are alive, if we live to be 90 years old we will have moved the energy only 90 degrees, ha! So you can see that small things are big things!)

Since our natal chart is the energy we are composed of, it is the lens through which we see the world. So, for example, the 'mother' in our natal chart isn't the reality of who our mother is, it is the way we perceive and experience her. We are already energetically prepared to line up with a certain kind of 'mother'. Our mother is reacting to us as much as we are reacting to her! The energy we carry (beliefs) determines what we notice. And what we notice (believe) sets up a certain trajectory for us. And this works the same with all our experiences and spaces in our charts (not just mom).

OK, now back to our Scorpio houses and this Mars transit. Scorpio rules the stuff we don't want to look at; the stuff we push down - our dark side. This is the fear we carry for ourselves and for all of us. When we, as individuals, transform some of this energy by bringing it to the surface, it has an impact on the collective energy - and the trajectory (and future) for all of us.

God, the Universe (pick your comfort zone) has been giving us an opportunity to work through our fears and transform this fearful energy. Some of us, those with planets and points in our natal and progressed charts that Mars is walking back and forth over, are feeling this transit the most (and there are multiple transits at the same time we are all working with) but since Mars is an important inner planet we are all feeling it.

Astrology houses also relate to the energetic centers in our body known as chakras (which makes perfect sense since we are literally mini versions of the universe). For example, I am a Scorpio rising - Scorpio is in my 1st house (also 12th house). The first house of our astrology chart corresponds to the solar plexus chakra. The solar plexus rules over our lower emotions like anger, fear and jealousy. We need a good balance of these emotions because they protect us but too much and they can overwhelm our entire system. This chakra also has to do with gut instincts. People with an abundance of this energy in their chart are assertive and can protect themselves. When it is under-active, we have trouble standing up for ourselves. I have little fire influence in my chart and have issues with keeping my solar plexus strong. I also have stomach problems which I know relate to suppressed anger, fear and jealousy. I'm working on all of this and it's a process. We are all a work in process ....

Ok- I will finish this up later with the Mars Goes Direct post! xo all

(if you would like me to look at where this Mars retrograde has worked through your chart I'd be happy to - just drop me a note or comment)

Mercury into Cancer (Wednesday) | taking it personally

love my soul by rapid heart movement


Mercury (communication, ideas, intellect) enters Cancer on June 29th.

There are multiple ways we will find this playing out. First, Mercury will bring an even greater focus to our natal Cancer house and to the things Cancer rules (home, family, country, history, roots, mom and apple pie - well maybe only apple pie if it's baked by mom).

Since Cancer is a cardinal sign initiating a new season we will enter into new conversations that move existing things along or take us in new directions.

Words can bring comfort. Nostalgia wins hearts here. It will be easier to connect emotionally with others through conversations and communications.

On the flip side, we (and others), might take things too personally. Words can also make us overly emotional as they carry us back to other times we have heard/experienced them.

Our thoughts and decisions could be influenced by the past, even the distant past, and we want to be certain we are not romanticizing something from our history or being too needy with others. It will be good to give those needs a voice - just think through whether it really applies to the current situation.

We will be most successful when we speak and write with the intention to make the other person feel safe, secure and connected.

A Cancer's first impulse is usually to retreat into the safety of their 'shell', so privacy, and time to get our thoughts together, will be important now.

We could regret oversharing information with others. As writer and researcher Brene Brown says, "we share with people who have earned the right to hear our story."

The stories we tell ourselves and each other and our shared history will be what connects us now. Keep that in mind. xo all