Mercury Conjunct the North Node - the messenger

I want to ride my bicycle by phatpuppyart-studios

With Mercury (in Virgo) hooking up with the North Node today, we could get a message or "transmission of information" or have an insight about something that moves us toward our best future.

This could be something like someone emails us and tells us about a job opening or recommends a book we might want to read. If you have planets or points at 12 degrees Virgo in your natal or progressed chart it could be something even more important. Pay attention.

This can also be a time when we might meet someone who moves our story forward in some way. They could be someone that embodies Mercury - either appearing rather androgynous or fast moving or reminding us of a sibling, cousin or neighbor.

Or a conversation could come to us through an actual sibling, cousin or neighbor that points us in a new direction, clarifies a dilemma or confirms something for us.

This can also show up as a 'moment of choice'. Choose carefully.

This isn't something to strain to find - it will evolve organically and might even be more visible in hindsight. Virgo rules the tiny details and Mercury moves very fast, so it could be easy to miss .....

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 8th - the eye of the summer storm ....

summer eye by lorency

We have the first quarter Moon on Wednesday - this is considered the 'crisis' phase, when whatever was kicked off at the New Moon meets its first challenges. Are we ready?! This is another busy week although with Saturn sitting still in the sky it will be a little like driving with the brakes on! Stay focused. We need to get organized before he meets up with Mars in a couple weeks and we head into our next chapter.

On Monday, the Moon is in peaceful and balanced Libra. We can see the other person's point of view now, but decisions will be harder to make - partly because we can see the other person's point of view and also because we don't want to piss anyone off. With Mercury opposing Neptune our thinking will be fuzzy (maybe even depressed, careless or deluded) and it's not a good time to make an important decision anyway. The Moon opposes freedom loving, unpredictable Uranus. Something out of the blue, exciting or surprising could send us off the rails. Expect the unexpected. Something could end. The Moon goes void at 1:44 pm EST.

On Tuesday, the Moon moves into murky Scorpio - a good day for diving deep. Superficial fluffy conversations won't cut it now. This is a good day to deal with Scorpio stuff - taxes, other people's money, loans, sex and reproduction. This is a good day to do research into something from the past or to toss stuff we no longer need. If we have to step into our power and confront something - this can be good energy for that - we just need to avoid some of the Scorpio pitfalls like manipulation, jealousy or moodiness. Our instincts and ability to get to the bottom of things will be useful.

On Wednesday, Mercury (in Virgo) trines (brakes off) Pluto (in Capricorn). This is excellent manifestation energy - words are powerful with this transit. If you need to have a conversation or pitch something to someone in power - this is the day to do it. Conversations and communications with authority figures can really move things forward now. Mercury enters the shadow of his approaching retrograde (the degrees he will walk three times) - so pay attention to what is happening now, especially if any Mercury ruled stuff gets wonky (communications, transportation, computers, siblings, neighborhood) - we will be dealing with it for a while.

On Thursday afternoon, the Moon is in Sagittarius giving us the energy to deal with any religious, politics, long distance travel, writing, higher education. media, weddings, foreigners or legal issues. We are really starting to amp up for Saturn's direct movement in Sagittarius on Saturday - tempers could flare a bit here. Remember the stationing planet/candle analogy. Don't overdo it. The Moon is void until 1:24pm EST.

On Friday, Jupiter (in Virgo) makes his 3rd (and final!) opposition to Chiron (the wounded healer). The first opposition was back in November. The second was in February. Jupiter (expansion) clashing with the space of our unhealed/unhealable wounding is a mixed blessing at best. Maybe something gets bigger so we can finally see it or are forced to do something about it. There is something here about teaching us about the nature of our pain and hurt - this may or may not be a physical thing, but its roots are deeper than the physical symptoms.

On Saturday, Saturn moves direct. He will be moving 100 miles an hour (the rest of the year is going to fly by folks). Authority gets green lighted. It's still in the Mutable T-Square so far from smooth sailing. We've gotten used to this though. The key to this week may be to do what we can when we can. We won't expect any great rewards (although some will certainly be handed out - it is  Olympic week after all!). We'll take moderate chances but not risks. We'll have a suitcase full of Virgo planets as we head into eclipse season when anything can happen! It's not the worst thing we could carry with us. I'll write an overview post later this week about where we stand in the world.

xo all

I got two emails with similar themes while I wasn't posting from people feeling like they were in an "abyss". Mars has moved out of Scorpio. The abyss really is behind us. Sometimes waiting is necessary but we don't have to wait in a cramped pit! If we feel like we must have things under control before making a move, remember that sitting in the dark makes us vulnerable (depression and confusion and negativity can sneak up on us).

If we don't expect to make progress, we won't.

If we sit in the dark too long we start to lose sight of the world beyond the abyss. Sometimes we have to do whatever it takes to change our state - to not let our current experience define us.

How can we see anything from its true perspective when we are sitting in a hole?

question everything ....

everytime I breathe by princess of shadows

With mental Mercury (in Virgo) opposing dreamy Neptune (in Pisces) it is probably best to take a second look at any ideas/communications presented to us now.

Words can be exaggerated or untruthful. It will be easy to connect higher meanings to things than what is factual or intended.

Things could clear up tomorrow when Mercury hooks up with the North Node (our collective way forward).

Saturn (after his lengthy retrograde and preparing to go direct in Sagittarius) is stopped in the sky.

Maybe something in our Sagittarius house or with something Sagittarius rules - religion, politics, long distance travel, higher education. media, weddings, foreigners, legal issues - has come to a stop, too. We could feel a push to make a decision or make a move, but we're not quite there yet.

If the stuff we stepped away from in March (or have been going back over since March) didn't move back front and center or end to make room for a next step, when Mars went direct a few days ago, it likely will by this time next week (for me, it's those taxes we filed an extension for - ugh). We're all about to get our focus back. xo all

strange and breathless days ....

"The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color. Often at night there is lightning, but it quivers all alone. There is no thunder, no relieving rain. These are strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for after."
 - Natalie Babbitt my mind, it wanders

i'm a superman by snieeeeg

Hopefully everyone is sleeping in today - the Moon is void until after lunch, so take advantage!

Since Virgo naturally squares Sagittarius and opposes Pisces as planets move through Virgo over the next few weeks they will be squaring Saturn (currently in Sagittarius) and opposing Neptune (currently in Pisces).

Squares denote tension and frustration - something happens that pushes us into a new action, thought or feeling. Oppositions are exactly as they sound - two opposing viewpoints, actions, situations, people, etc. Although stressful, without squares and oppositions, nothing would change and we would get nothing done, so we'll think of this as a good thing!

Today Mercury (in Virgo) squares a retrograde Saturn (in Sagittarius) and opposes a retrograde Neptune (in Pisces).

This aspect might improve our concentration on "the facts" but serious conversations will be challenging today. The answer could be "no".

We need to stay awake to situations involving lies, too much idealism and a tendency to want to escape. We could have planned to get some serious work done now and lose ourselves in a a hokey romance novel or People.com. Neptune oppositions are strong pulls to float off into lalaland (and yes, I know it's the weekend!) but the square to Saturn tells us it's best if we don't. My plan for the day is to clean my studio while listening to a book on Audible then have some fun later - although a good book on Audible is fun to me!

It is about to be all Virgo all the time folks - capping off the year of Virgo in a big way - or as big a way as possible in the 'keep it simple stupid' world of Virgo.

We need to be claiming responsibility for the order of our Virgo space now. With all these mutable T-Squares over the next few weeks, we might find ourselves arguing out and changing how things will work best.

Some of this might be painful at times, but it leads to clarification of what is 'real' (Virgo style real) for us.

For example Virgo in the 4th house of home and family is about creating "real" and grounded relationships in the home - that is Virgo's (and our) job here. It's also about home organization because the two go hand in hand. If we are running from our power and responsibility here situations will show up to move us back on track. Virgo energy is an excellent homemaker and housekeeper (caretaker of the resources). We won't be able to 'play house' with Virgo in the 4th - this job will be taken seriously.

Our Virgo house is the space in our life things will work best and flow smoothest if we keep things nice and neat.

For now it might be hard to know if we are coming or going. Let's not make assumptions. Stay grounded. Things could be hit or miss and that's OK and par for the course now.

This weekend it's Mercury's turn to be in harsh angles to Saturn and Neptune (next week it will be Venus and then Mars and the following week the Sun) so this is about our communication, thinking, local community, siblings, transportation, computers, etc - all the Mercury ruled stuff. If everything doesn't work out exactly as planned - we'll deal with it.

xo all - also it's still summer and Leo Sun season - get outside and have some fun in the sun!