Mercury Sextile Jupiter | positive thinking, making plans, releasing our words into the world

the prize of trust by shiny-shadows-art
Mercury (ideas, communication, words) sextiles (opportunity) Jupiter (expansion) at 14 degrees Leo (Mercury) and Libra (Jupiter).

The right words, said at the right time, can move mountains now.

This is good energy for planning our future - whether that means our next vacation or next big venture. Words are not just words - they connect us energetically with what we are seeking.

Don't be afraid to say out loud what you want. Put it in writing.

There is, of course, a fly in the ointment - we could imagine heaven as simply a space without flies!

At the same time both these planets are creating opportunities with each other's energies, both planets are inconjunct dreamy, drifting Neptune (strong but retrograde in Pisces).

Inconjuncts require adjustments and integration. It is pretty much summed up in the expression "between a rock and a hard place". So whatever opportunity the Mercury/Jupiter sextile is stirring up, it is not without complications. The key to working with inconjuncts (especially this one involving Neptune) is to use our INTUITION.

The three planets involved in today's aspect are forming a Yod (finger of God) - pointing at Neptune. In astrological speak - this is like the voice of God speaking to/through us. We have to trust our intuition (gut instinct, hunch) and integrate it into our life. This doesn't have to be some big ginormous thing but there is no standing on the sidelines here waiting for someone else to do it/say it for us.

With Jupiter, things can seem better or bigger or more important than they actually are and the inconjunct to Neptune shows the possibility of the whole thing drifting off-course.

It also shows the possibility of the sky's the limit possibilities here, too.

What does our gut say (and I hope we haven't been clouding it up with white flour and sugar!)? What does our heart want? Get quiet. Meditate. Pray for answers. Portals are open. Positive thinking - yes, positive meaning "certain" - goes a long way now. Stop imagining all the ways we are going to fail and start imagining things succeeding beyond our wildest dreams.

Today's energy can be used to make plans for the future, socialize, make new contacts and say the words we need to say trusting they will be heard by the people who need to hear them.

Make the words compassionate (be kind) and boundless (try to avoid setting too many rules and restrictions now) and the words will surely find their mark. Join with other people (Libra) now in an effort to make an impact beyond our own lives and we will surely make a big impact on our own life, too.

Trust, will play a HUGE part in this because it could appear that 1. we can't find the right words when we need them 2. no one is listening anyway 3. the more we focus, the more we drift off course 4. our memory fizzles 5. what we are saying/hearing isn't logical - we could have to move intuitively through any or all of this crap. 

If we've learned nothing else these past couple years we've learned that what is real is what we/others think is real. So what do we want to think?

I gave a presentation on Tuesday and after finishing I thought I kind of blew it. All I could think about was the stuff I had forgotten to say and the way I had let the questions kind of drift off course. And, I talked too fast. Being polished and professional matters to me (blog readers might be left scratching their heads at this one, but it is very true). I thought it important (and still do) to present kind of "spacey" information with my feet firmly planted on solid Earth.

I have realized over the past couple days though that people connected with what I was saying in different ways and that things had gone much better than I thought they did. It was actually the times I went a little rogue - due to memory lapses and not a plan to "just wing it" - that people connected more with what I was saying. They have asked me back to teach a series (and to speak a little slower). I'll post links when I have them.

Here's the way this Yod could impact us through our Pisces house - if you know what house 14 degrees Pisces falls in your natal chart - use the house allocations with the info below for best accuracy, otherwise check Sun and Ascendant signs:

ARIES (Pisces 12th house) - Yod energies point to something behind the scenes or a "secret" desire/want. Confusion could result between you and another person if your/their glasses are too rose tinted. Adjustments will be required.

TAURUS (Pisces 11th house) - Yod energies point to your friends and groups including online groups. Confusion could be the result of a disconnect between your big ideas and what other people are hearing you say. Your information could have to be adjusted in some way to allow everyone to 'buy in'.

GEMINI (Pisces 10th house) - Yod energies point to you career, responsibility, father and authority - it will be easy to lose sight of what you are really trying to do now. Confusion could result if someone says something that gets your hopes up, but actual results will vary. Stay grounded. Know your dreams will get you where you need to be but things might not come exactly as planned. The key to success here is staying focused on what you really want and need from the situation. 

CANCER (Pisces 9th house) Yod energies point to travel, education, politics, publishing, media, weddings, legal issues or what is foreign. There are adjustments required with what you want to happen here or what you are trying to do. Be especially cautious in commerce where things could be inflated - keep an eye on your benjamins. Instead of plunging forward, take a deep breath and think about what your real goals are here and if what you are hearing really makes sense. 

LEO (Pisces 8th house) Yod energies point to other people's resources - partner's income, debts, loans, taxes - death, birth, sex, fertility. Confusion could result if you want all the cards on the table now, but someone else is still holding their cards close to the vest. Maybe they (or you) want to pour pink paint on a problem and pretend it doesn't exist. Instead of plunging forward now with a loud voice, really hear what the other person is saying to you (or not saying) or what the situation has opened up. What is your intuition telling you is really going on?

VIRGO (Pisces 7th house) Yod energies point to partners and equal relationships. Confusion could result if you are projecting what you want to see on someone else (rather than what they are really offering) or they could be doing the same with you. Trust your gut about what is not being said now. The real issue is probably the thing no one is talking about. A portal is open for unconditional acceptance/love/appreciation now between equal partners if you are BOTH willing to be honest about what you really need from each other and what you are willing/able to contribute.  

LIBRA (Pisces 6th house) Yod energies point to your day to day activities, work, health, co-workers, pets. Confusion could result if your big ideas are not totally workable on an everyday basis. This doesn't mean you toss your big, bodacious ideas out the window, just that you have to make some adjustments to make it all work - it will be the adjustments themselves that create the opportunity here. Time is your friend. Work the problem. Let the things you can't work fall into/or out of place.

SCORPIO (Pisces 5th house) Yod energies point to a creative or romantic opportunity or an opportunity involving children. Something good is budding here, but confusion could result from things looking better than they actually are. Be sure you are not just hearing what you want to hear. It will be hard to tell solid fact from fantasy now, so double check what you are being told. You will know instinctively if something doesn't feel right. Don't disregard the feeling. Trust your gut.

SAGITTARIUS (Pisces 4th house) Yod energies point to home, family, mother, security, home business and ancestry. Your expansive plans in these areas might require an adjustment due to some kind of energy drain which could manifest as both a physical thing within your structure - infestation, leaks, structural damage, necessary things breaking down or not working properly and issues within what your structure holds - family or security problems that you or someone else has not been wanting to deal with or issues that have been buried. This issue and what is really at the base of it - ancestral story, family problem, real structure not attended to - needs to be integrated somehow. Work the problem. Fix the leak. Trust your instincts.

CAPRICORN (Pisces 3rd house) Yod energies point to your communication house - issues could also involve transportation, siblings or your local neighborhood. You will need to balance the actual facts you are dealing with and your own big dreams for the future. Words matter now. Choose them carefully. Be honest.

AQUARIUS (Pisces 2nd house) Yod energies point to your money or your personal values. There is the opportunity now to increase your earnings or your self-esteem. Some adjustment will be necessary though. The opportunity could come through someone foreign or involve media, publishing, travel, higher education, weddings, politics or legal issues. Keep your feet on the ground though, every rainbow doesn't lead to a pot of gold.

PISCES (Pisces 1st house) Yod energies point to your own dreams. Everything I wrote above about the disconnect between what you are saying (or want to say) and what others are hearing applies to you. The results will depend on your ability to integrate intuition and logic now. At the end of the day, everything will not be able to be worked out - some things will just need to be allowed to move in the direction they want to go ... trust the flow. You're a Pisces and we are dealing with your ruling planet Neptune - you've got this thing.

xo all

Sun Opposite Pluto | outnumbered

outnumbered by dresew

We have the Sun (18 degrees Cancer) opposing Pluto (18 degrees Capricorn) today. This was exact last night.

This is ego vs power. Self destructive habits and self-sabotaging tendencies are activated. Egos get bruised. Physical things can break down.

It's a challenging aspect but can also offer us a burst of creative energy to accomplish what we need to do now.

To work this energy in a positive way we need to balance our creative energy (Sun) with collective resources (Pluto) - money, power, influence. Are we making enough money? Are we charging enough? Where is our power? Where is our influence? What are we really afraid of?

This can show us where/how we need more control in our own lives.

Today's opposition could mean an actual opposition to our plans. This could come in the form of other people's expectations of us or someone in power vetoing what we want to do.

The answers don't necessarily show up now, but the problems become more visible. Power games and power plays are likely. Deal with this stuff diplomatically. Channel that inner Libra.

Often (maybe always and certainly for stuff that shows up now with Pluto involved) the stuff out there is really the stuff in here needing to get out.

If we are viewing some person or situation as the BIG problem in our lives, like everything would be good if we got rid of them or that let's remember how this world actually works - this outer stuff is really disowned parts of ourselves. The outer stuff is always inner stuff. This stuff we don't want to look at within ourselves (like how we got ourselves into our current situation) is unconscious and perverts how we see each other and how we see what is really happening. And it doesn't mean the other person or situation is right/good/not a pain the ass just because we can see the ways we have helped create it.

But allowing ourselves to take responsibility in this way (not to beat ourselves up!) - even just a tiny little bit - allows us to know the fact of the situation which is that  

we have more control here than we think we do.

For now, though, we might have to sit a bit with the ways we don't .....

xo all

The Moon is in Aquarius this morning and trining (brakes off) Venus making this a good time for business because the public (Aquarius) will want (Venus) something. Good for harmony with women, too. By afternoon the same Aquarius Moon is opposing Mercury - so some potential for erratic communication or a public/group spat or challenging info. A good day to be out and about and sociable though.

Full Moon in Capricorn | the balance of POWER

Full Moon Service by alltelleringet

This weekend's Full Moon in Capricorn (exact on Saturday night, early Sunday, at 12:06 AM EDT) is a doozy.

The Moon will be at 17 degrees Capricorn, the Sun will be at 17 degrees Cancer, Pluto will be at 18 degrees Capricorn and Mars will be at 22 degrees Cancer. Jupiter is squaring the Full Moon and Pluto.

(if you have natal planets/points around these degrees the Moon will impact you most directly)

This is a whole lot of powerful energy in a tiny slice of polarized sky.

Having both Pluto (power, transformation, karma, birth, death) and Mars (initiative, action, anger, war) involved with a Full Moon ruled by Saturn (Capricorn's ruler) means all the dangerous and powerful movers and shakers are in the same room

(and now this is making me think of the G20 summit - what a time for that!).

The energy of the next few days - and you are probably already feeling this - is about issues of power and control. Hubs and I had the biggest fight we've had in years the other day over an inconsequential nothing - but what it really boiled down to was neither of us wanting to be "controlled" by the other person. And both of us feeling controlled. It wasn't pretty ... or quiet (Mercury in Leo now).

This is about the Cancer/Capricorn polarity.

Family vs. work. The security that comes from nurturing ourselves, nurturing others or being nurtured vs the security that comes from having work in the world and money coming in. Our nest at home vs our place in the world. Summer vs. winter. Preparing for birth vs preparing for death "winter is coming". Childhood vs old age. Vulnerability vs self-sufficiency. Mom (energy) at home vs dad (energy) at work.

There is so much contradiction and conflict here, but like all polarities this is really just two sides of the same coin - likely something labeled SECURITY.

We can't own a coin without owning both sides. But we can only look at (focus on) one side at a time. The other side is in the shadows - so we have to flip back and forth and balance this stuff out with our time, attention and resources. There isn't really an end to this or a way to "win" here. We just do the best we can with what we have.

Spend too much time with one side of the coin and the other side gets all gunky like those pennies stuck in our car cupholder that have had coffee dripped on them. Now matter how shiny the other side looks that gunky side means we never get to actually spend the money

(yes, this could be one of my strange metaphors that don't get us anywhere - except maybe out to the car with a squirt bottle of vinegar and a cup of soapy water).

Being about Cancer (home, family) and Capricorn (work, responsibilities in the world) or our own needs and the needs of other people - any imbalances here will probably show up now to allow us to realign what isn't working. 

Also imbalances with authority and authority figures and the way we use and mis-use our own authority. 

The Capricorn Full Moon throws a light on what power can do and also on the finality of choices we've already made. 

Both Cancer and Capricorn are concerned with issues of SECURITY, both value TIME and are guardians of the legacy of our ancestors.

Full Moons bring culminations, so maybe something ends now. With Jupiter and Pluto in the mix endings will be big. That opposition to Cancer would make things even more emotional. Some people will experience big wins that lead to increased power. Some, maybe especially if power has been misused, could suffer big losses where their power is greatly reduced.

Full Moons bring things to light. Capricorn themes (and your personal Capricorn/Cancer house themes) will be highlighted - tradition, structure, work, obligations, responsibility, authority, ambition, limits, boundaries, restrictions, goals. Pluto will make sure we really see what is exposed now. Cancer will make sure we feel it. There probably won't be any space to turn away and shield our eyes.

Remember the Achilles heel with Capricorn and Saturn is that this energy often values stability over everything else. Its strength is in being 'un-moveable'. But stable things grow stagnant. Being un-moveable is not a good or realistic way to move through a life that is so changeable. We don't want to be un-moved by what is happening in the world!

This has been a rough few weeks, months or years for lots of people. Many people are speaking/acting from their fearful and wounded places now. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it might not be a good thing either. Our vulnerability links us and grounds us in our humanity. Some things must be shared even when the sharing is painful.

This is a war-like Full Moon, so keep that in mind, too, over the next couple days. Power issues will come up. Other people will not want to be controlled - neither will we. Keep a cool head. Drive safely. A fight could turn into a war and not many things are worth going to war over. On the other hand if something needs to be protected now - this is excellent energy to defend ourselves.

This is also excellent energy to establish a POWER BASE - whatever that means to you.

Don't be too tired or too busy to get out and walk in this one. The energy will be crackling on Saturday night.

xo all

Mercury into Leo | creative self-expression, dramatic conversations, blowing our own horn, speaking from our heart

blow my horn by crilleb50

Mercury moves into Leo late this afternoon. Until Mercury moves on to Virgo on July 25th,  conversations will be more dramatic. Volumes will be set to HIGH. This is excellent energy for self-promotion and creative self-expression and speaking from our heart.

If you are a girl who likes things quiet, invest in some ear plugs - you are going to need them. 

Everyone will tell us what they are thinking and doing. Yes, our Facebook feed will explode. Leo loves an audience! Keep in mind that alot of things we will be listening to/talking about now could be exaggerated. 

Our Leo natal house (where is Leo in your natal chart?) wakes up with increased activity and requires more of our attention.

Leo is our fixed fire sign. People's positions, and we will hear all about them (!), will become louder and more entrenched.

No one will be changing anyone else's mind now. This is not the most cooperative energy, but it can often bring out the best in people. Mercury in Leo can be idealistic and enthusiastic.

The BIG picture will be easier to buy into while the tiny details get lost in the expression of big, powerful ideas. That's OK - we'll take care of the details when Mercury gets into Virgo at the end of the month.

For now, it's the time to think big, talk about what we want, get the word out about what we are doing. If there is something we want to take center stage with or "announce" to the public - this is the month. Think - loud and proud baby!

Some especially auspicious times could be:

July 7th when Mercury sextiles Venus  - our words/ideas/communications create opportunities for our money, values, self-esteem, beauty, love, women. July 14th - when Mercury sextiles Jupiter - opportunities for communication/ideas/words to create expansion, luck and growth - watch out for exaggerations though. July 19th when Mercury trines Saturn - roadblocks lifted, clear sailing regarding activities with authority, responsibility, structure, time. July 21st when Mercury conjuncts the North Node (our collective way forward) - words/conversations coming in that sync us up with or help to confirm our best, most simplest and happiest path forward. July 24th when Mercury trines Uranus - unexpected/surprising news that moves things forward - brakes off!

Note these dates are when the aspects are exact, but the energies are working together for a couple days before and after. That sextile to Venus is in play now!

xo all