Mercury into Aquarius | just the 'alternative' facts, jack

A breezy day by Jana Cleve

Mercury moves into "new and unusual" Aquarius today, where he will hang his hat until February 25th. Having Mercury answering to Aquarius ruler Uranus can feel like a mini Mercury retrograde -

information can get skewed as alternatives are presented, opportunities can come through misunderstandings and sometimes it can feel like entire conversations/communications are nothing more than someone's need to disrupt or dispute (not necessarily a bad thing).

All these things can move our story forward now.

Aquarius is detached. It's often easier to diagnose other people's problems and situations and decide what they "should" do than it is to have an objective eye toward our own life.

That little bit, or lot, of distance between us and them makes it possible to see things with greater clarity. Our take on the situation is less guided by our 'feelings'.

Well, for the next three weeks it will be a little easier to apply this same objectivity to our own story - we can take just a little step back and see our own bigger picture, if we want to. Our compassion can get a bit dulled now though.

Ideas that catch people's attention this month will be ideas that are new and unusual. Innovation will blow in the wind like dandelion seeds in the spring. Keep your mind OPEN. And your hands. Your creative muses will literally be tossing stuff at you. Think outside the box - all the goodies are outside that damn box now. New strategies are needed. "Facts" will be up for discussion.

Conversations and communications can be disruptive.

Expect that people's communications will be more unpredictable and even rebellious. Telling people what to do will not go over so well right now - you say "do this" and they "do that". We won't want to be told what to do either. Keep this in mind.

Disruptive conversations and ideas can also come through the Aquarius or Uranian people (remember what I said about Uranus this year!) in our lives. 

Mercury has some easy aspects this month for those open to something else and those who are not so wedded to their existing ideas and language that the smooth flowing meeting with something NEW would be overlooked.

If we notice the pebbles (tapping on our shoulder) maybe we can avoid the rocks (hitting us in the head). If we notice the niggling idea that something could be done/said/written/presented differently and act on it, well, that difference can make all the difference.



Here's a post from the Shopify blog about Idea Generation.

xo all 

Jupiter Stations Retrograde | where have we been expecting/giving too much?

untitled by lover and the wild

Today, Jupiter begins his four month retrograde, stationing at 22 degrees Libra.

Maybe some push forward has run into a red light or a detour or a ditch.

Remember these are natural cycles we are working with - delays are helpful. Yes, even when we are sitting in the ditch, in the hot sun, with an empty water bottle and need to pee.

Maybe there is something ahead of us on the road we are avoiding. Maybe there is something that needs to fall into place, or catch up with us, or slow down to meet us, before we can move ahead.

Maybe there is something we need to fix. Maybe there is something we need to change - with Jupiter change usually involves Jupiterian themes so we could need more education or more experience with something foreign to us or more open-mindedness or more positivity or more faith.

Jupiter is the planet of expansion, the space where more is always more. In our world this doesn't always work so well. Stuff that keeps growing and growing and growing is not sustainable. That's what balloons and bubbles do right before they pop, that's what cancer cells do.

This is good energy to look at areas where we are just expecting (or giving) too much. With Jupiter in Libra, the sign that rules other people, this could be an imbalance, or injustice, within our primary (equal) relationships - partners, clients, specialists, competitors. If a return to balance is needed here - events will conspire to create the space for greater balance. Is that picture in our head of how something is "supposed to look" or how someone else is "supposed to act" helping or hurting us?

This is also good energy for improved focus. Imagine Jupiter's expansive energy (in all directions at once) being drawn backward, it creates the perfect vacuum for us to narrow in on that one particular thing. So, that's what we'll do now.

When our boss calls and says our company did not get that big contract we were expecting and belts must be tightened, it becomes very easy for us to focus on what we need to do right now. So that's what we do. Life doesn't stop. We keep moving. But we are moving ahead from this re-grouped space with a focused purpose. This is the energy of Jupiter retrograde. The expansion contracts. And if we are smart and consistent, we are stronger and wiser four months from now when we expand again from a solid, more condensed core.

This is an annual cycle - this year affecting Libra themes (partnerships, relationships, balance, justice) and/or the themes of our natal Libra house? Where is Libra in your natal chart?

Remember all planets have been moving direct for the last month, which is pretty unusual. We have felt this in the collective as GO, GO, GO - it's all been a bit too much hasn't it? Jupiter rules politics, foreign travel, higher education, the big picture, religion - events will conspire to slow things down with these issues so we can re-look at our expectations here.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of February 6th - eclipse season!

that's when the audience died by linteephelien

We have a busy, active week ahead including the first eclipse of 2017 - something comes to light, culminates or is eclipsed out. The Moon is waxing so great energy to get things done and out there!

On Monday, Jupiter stations retrograde at 22 degrees Libra. Jupiter will be retrograde for four months.

During this time whatever has been expanding in our Libra house (or within our life in the Libra themes of partnership, relationship, balance) slows down. Our focus moves from growth to consolidation. Better to concentrate on one thing than to try to move in five different directions. Patience could be required.

In Libra, this can be good energy for relationship/partnership do-overs (is there someone you need to reach out to?) and do-overs that create balance. We have four months to get this stuff right (not perfect!) before Jupiter moves direct in June because then it will be full steam ahead until Jupiter leaves Libra in mid October. We'll be ready.

The Moon is in Gemini on Monday so there will be conversations, meetings, emails, errands, dealings with siblings and neighbors today.

On Tuesday, Mercury moves into Aquarius until February 25th. Our thinking will be more detached and forward-leaning.

Our Aquarius house is the space in our chart where we have been charged by the universe to do things differently. Mercury in this space can brings news and information that gets our Aquarius house moving.

After a month in serious Capricorn, Mercury (communication, conversation, ideas, information) is more than happy to buzz through revolutionary Aquarius, offering us access to cutting edge ideas and fresh information. Aquarius is the rebel, genius, criminal - conversations and communications will come through these filters.

The Moon is in Cancer today and not in the best aspect - issues around home, family, mother, real estate, patriotism - could get testy.

On Wednesday, that Cancer Moon hooks into the T-Square with Jupiter (retrograde in Libra) and Uranus (in Aries). This connects our home, family, mother, real estate situation with that partner/relationship do-over or balance do-over and Uranus makes sure whatever is happening is unexpected and surprising. Hold on. There is lots of emotion here.

On Thursday, the Sun (in Aquarius) sextiles (opportunity) Uranus (in Aries). Notice the unusual or  unexpected ideas we attract now and the people we meet. There could be opportunities for us here - pay attention.

On Friday, we have a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse at 22 degrees Leo. Something is eclipsed out or comes to light. This eclipse has the same degrees as the February 1998 eclipse if this time period is memorable to anyone. It wraps up whatever came to light in August 2015 and also connects us back to events from mid September 2016. I'll do a post about this later in the week. There's a Grand Fire trine at the Full Moon and it's anchored by steady handed Saturn - hard work will be rewarded. People will be making commitments. I predict many, many Valentine's Day engagements!

This is a big, busy week and eclipses tend to make everyone more emotional (plus we've got Jupiter stationing so things could feel over the top for some of us) - keep this in mind. I'll do some dailies as needed. xo all

Venus into Aries | being brave, loving a challenge, attracting something new

warrior by Grinch7

Today, Venus moves from Pisces (where she has been exalted) into Aries, where she is thought to be in her detriment

(what do you think - does the woman in the photo above look like she is in her detriment?).

Aries Suns and ascendants (first house Aries) become more attractive - both able to attract what they want and easier on the eye. Everyone's Aries house becomes more attractive, too.

She'll travel to 13 degrees Aries (by March 4th), station retrograde, reverse course (from our view on Earth) until she gets to 26 degrees Pisces and then station direct on April 15th (yes, the planet that rules our money will be very strong, that whole finger through a flame thing, on tax day). It will take her until June 6th to finally make her way into Taurus. This is a LONG time for Venus to be in Aries and Pisces. Whatever we are dealing with now/or about to be dealing with is going to take a few weeks to unwind itself.

It is long considered 'fact' in astrology that Venus doesn't like being in the "me-first", take no prisoners sign of Aries and answering to Mars. I think this view is certainly skewed by patriarchy.

It's true Venus (love, women, money, resources, values) ruler of Taurus (comfort) and Libra (relationship) can attract what she wants in a less assertive/aggressive manner in other signs, but there are lessons for all of us about stepping into our personal responsibility here.

In Aries, Venus functions best when she puts herself first (and we are heading into the Leo North Node in May, for a couple years, where oxygen mask on ourselves first will move the collective forward). In Aries, women need to be thinking "what's best for me?".

In Aries, Venus is a WARRIOR (and love is a battlefield ... cue Pat Benatar).

With both Venus and Mars in Aries now - we can feel a pull toward something new and a push to take the actions needed to get it/make it happen. In Aries, Venus loves a challenge, so that shiny object just out of reach, could become something like an obsession.

Maybe we'll get it, maybe we won't. Maybe the desire will fizzle out - we have a long retrograde to figure it all out. Whichever way the story evolves, the thing that has grabbed our attention will have re-awakened some part of us that needed to wake up. By April 15th, we'll be in a brand new space in regard to some situation involving our Aries natal house theme and/or some situation Venus rules - love, money, resources, our values - everything money can buy and everything it can't.

Something to keep in mind as we give ourselves permission to go after what we want is the impulsive nature of Aries. If Venus was always in Aries our relationships would last 15 minutes and the things we bought/valued would very quickly fall out of favor and we'd be on to the next thing.

Today is also the day Juno (marriage) moves into Capricorn (serious, commitment) and she is squaring Venus in Aries - so she will be a player in our Venus retrograde story, too. There could be competition or issues around authority or commitment within our relationships. 

Juno in Capricorn represents seasoned relationship (even duty), strengthened by firm rules and commitment. Venus in Aries is fresh and fiercely independent and almost precisely the opposite. 

There is tension between these energies, over the next few weeks, as we figure out what works for us now.

Couples in business together, business relationships, whatever we are committed to and feel a duty toward will be challenged with a wake-up call from something else.

For today and this weekend there is a lovely Taurus Moon (think: comfort, nature) - enjoy it!!

xo all