Mixed Bag Today, Mostly Good | energized through alliances

long dream by thefirebomb
Lots of aspects today plus an all day Void Moon!

The 'shiniest' aspect of the day (since it involves our Sun) is the Sun (in Leo) sextiling (opportunity) expansive Jupiter (in Libra) - 18 degrees

This is a good aspect for attracting (Libra) attention (Leo). This is a good aspect for joining together (Libra) for creative, fun, romantic, risky or altruistic activities (Leo).

Opportunities come through the king/star of the show/father archetype (Leo) and his/her allies/partners/collaborators (Libra) working together. Be fair - other people must be taken into consideration now.

Mercury (in Virgo) sextiles (opportunity) Venus (in Cancer) - 11 degrees.

Sensible and caring words are what is needed. Opportunities come when we present practical advice or critical information in the form of a 'pat on the back'. This isn't about being "fake", this is about making the other person feel secure and cared for. Words that make us feel safe and nurtured create the opportunities now.

Vesta (in Virgo) trines (brakes off) Pallas (in Taurus). This is probably my favorite aspect today and it involves our female 'drawf planets' or 'asteroids' or whatever the astronomers are calling these two right now.

Remember we are living within thousands of years of a patriarchal system that is dissolving. We would expect small celestial bodies to carry feminine archetypes because they were unconsciously named during patriarchy - we can't really imagine all the ways we serve patriarchy because it is all we have known (in many lifetimes) - small, doesn't mean limited. It doesn't mean weak. The stories of these powerful archetypes may have been dismissed and dis-empowered, but they become more and more alive as we notice them.

Vesta in precise Virgo focuses us on a specific idea or detail in a practical, caring way (remember Vesta is about devotion to home and hearth and safety). Pallas is in grounded "Earth Mother" Taurus. There isn't an overnight quick fix here because this situation/problem hasn't happened overnight and these energies don't rush, but mending one specific part of this thing with a solid and durable solution shores up the important stuff. What is the most targeted, least complex thing to do? Think long term and strategic. That's the move where the healing starts. Release the brakes on that.

And of course, today's opportunities (sextiles, trine) are not without their obstacles and come with a caution - and yes, it has flashing RED lights and is playing the theme song from JAWS.

Mars (initiative, action, anger, war) in fiery Leo is inconjunct dreamy, drifty Neptune.

We could take a foolish or delusional action now (especially in haste or anger) that wipes out the opportunities.

Keep this in mind. Please.

The Moon was in Pisces last night (do you remember your dreams last night?), and is void all day before its move into Aries (1:20AM tomorrow morning). That space after Pisces makes today a good day for HEALING and imaginative, spiritual work. The void means it's not a good day to launch a brand new project. Aries means it may be hard to fall asleep tonight if we get home too late!

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 7th - Full Moon Lunar Eclipse and it's Leo season LET'S HAVE SOME FUN

Mermaid by Mpolskaa

We start the week with MONDAY'S Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius.

Usually, with Eclipses, I find we start to feel the energy about 6 months prior, so probably six months ago there was some change in our thinking/beliefs and we started to move in a different direction maybe without us actually moving in a different direction. Then the Eclipse season acts like a portal to connect that thinking/belief realm to our 3D physical reality and over the 6 months following the eclipse the changes manifest ... and life is different.

With me, eclipse events happen almost exactly one month to the day before or after the eclipse if I am going to be significantly impacted. Other people have events within the week. If this Full Moon brings a conclusion or culmination, we might also have felt it around the time of the Uranus station August 3rd or back on July 10th. Events transpiring now could take us back to February's New Moon in Aquarius. This eclipse is in the same space as the eclipse of August 1999 - does the summer of 1999 ring any bells? Do you see any similar themes to what is happening now?

This all might seem a little vague, but if it is impacting you, you will know about it. You won't need me to tell you that something is being "eclipsed out" or "coming to light".

Results of an Aquarian Full Moon will almost certainly involve themes of liberation, disruption and separation. I wrote about this eclipse in Part I HERE and Part II HERE.

Eclipses 'eclipse things out' making this is a good time to get rid of stuff. Sometimes when I am at a crossroads trying to decide which direction to take (or maybe to strike a grand bargain with the universe) - I get rid of something.

Sometimes a whole lot of somethings.

(once an entire business that I flew to Chicago and dumped onto my niece's livingroom floor)

I sell it or give it away or throw it away or often I leave it at the curb with a FREE sign carelessly lettered on a piece of cardboard and it is ... gone ... fast.

One of the great things about the crowded state of New Jersey is that there is a home for every unwanted end table, broken flower pot and bottle of Debbie Gibson cologne circa 1988, although I have two chairs on Craigslist right now that no one seems to be biting on. So I will take a bag of clothes and box of books I've been saving for the Full Moon and drop them at Goodwill.

This is probably something like what our ancestors did when they were fearful of eclipses, bargained with the Gods (please don't take that, here take this!) and fed virgins to volcanoes. But I don't think I have any virgins lying around. Just old sweaters.

On TUESDAY, the Aquarius Moon will sextile (opportunity) a retrograde Uranus. Maybe something old is new again here. Aquarian/Uranian themes could dominate the day - the internet, technology, astrology?, groups, advocacy, causes, freedom, friendship, unique projects or our biggest baddest goals. The Moon will be void from 3-6PM EST, so not a good time to start anything new. After the void the Moon will be in Pisces making us more able to pick up subtle impressions. We'll be more sensitive, more imaginative, maybe more desirous of ESCAPE. Definitely close up shop early.

On WEDNESDAY, the Moon is in Pisces all day. She trines (brakes off) Venus in Cancer, opposes Mercury (in Virgo) and hooks up with Neptune. Favorable energy for healing, women, beauty, money, real estate, home, family, love. Lots of water - so an emotional and sensitive day. There is some adjusting today with an authority figure or with our responsibility or goals (Saturn). Good beach day - if you are playing hookey though, don't post any pics on Facebook or you will probably get caught.

THURSDAY is a great creative day with good energy for relationships. The Moon is void from 9:38AM EST until midnight though, so don't start anything new.

There are two very good aspects today and one that looks like it will all work out in the end! This is a good day to plan something with a partner or work with the public. You can shine!

First, Mercury is sextiling Venus. This brings opportunity through communications, conversations, ideas, siblings, our local community,  involving work, health, pets, women, money or love. There could be good news involving a real estate deal, renovation, relocation, family issue, home issue, etc. If you need to talk to a woman about something - this is the day. Return the call. Send the email.

We also have Mars being a bit cranky with Neptune so maybe something with our Leo ruled stuff - creative projects, children, romance, recreation or maybe something with our Pisces ruled stuff - healing, spirituality, imagination, hospitals, art - gets a bit of a shake up. There could be a bit too much passion or some anger here, too.

We also have the Sun (in Leo) sextiling (opportunity) Jupiter (in Libra), so hopefully that angry/passionate situation Mars is stirring up works out in the end or expands us in some way. This is good energy for relationships and partnerships. Venus will be impacting everyone today. Get dressed. Show up as your best self. Strive for beauty and balance. Play fair. If you meet someone new today he/she might just be a keeper. Of course, they will be showing you their best self so there is that part to consider!

FRIDAY looks like another good beach/hookey day. We won't feel like working. Tell the boss your astrologer told you to take the day off - ack! This is actually a pretty good vacation week. My sister is in town from Olympia, Washington starting on Tuesday. You would think she had some astrological assistance planning her trip. :)

On SATURDAY Mercury stations retrograde (HAVE YOU BACKED UP YOUR FILES?!). Venus (in Cancer) trines (brakes off) Neptune (in Pisces). Events will conspire to have us looking BACKWARD. Post to follow.

xo all

The August Eclipses | Part II - the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse August 7th

Breath by Tanja Moss
Part l is HERE - read it first.

August is a huge game changer month!

The way we go into the month (although some people strongly influenced by what is happening will be going into the month swimming in these turbulent waters already) will not be the way we come out.

If we don't have BIG news (real news, not the current stuff that passes for news where we can't tell up from down) in the collective during August my shock will be 'astronomical'. And, yes, I'm going to use this word often from now on, why the hell have I been saying BIGLY when I can write ASTRONOMICAL - although now that I see it in capital letters I am not liking it quite as much.

Anyhoo, let's start with a look at where all the players are as we head into our first eclipse, the partial Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius on Monday afternoon.

Venus went into Cancer last week. Venus loves being in Cancer. Her placement here will allow us to value (Venus) Cancer territory ie home, family, safety, security, mother, ancestry, country, women. She doesn't move into anything challenging until around the middle of the month.

Mercury is in Virgo. Mercury loves being in Virgo (a sign he rules). His/her (Mercury is a rather androgynous character) placement here allows our thinking to be more analytical. We want the facts. We want the numbers to balance. We want conversations to get to the point. Virgo rules our day to day activities, our work, our health, our pets, our service to others (without self-sacrifice please) and because Mercury will soon be re-tracing the exact steps he is covering now while moving backward, we know some information we are working with NOW will be up for review, pretty much all month.

He will station retrograde on August 12th (right in the middle of the two eclipses!) and station direct on September 5th - the same day Mars changes signs and at the same degree of the August 21st eclipse so we know Mercury ties into the eclipses AND we will not be totally clear with everything that is happening until at least September 5th and maybe not until Mercury starts covering entirely new degrees a couple weeks later.

Mars is in Leo. Mars loves being in Leo. His placement here asks us - although Mars isn't much of an "asker" - to take action (Mars) from our heart (Leo). Fiery Mars (action, initiative, passion, anger, war, military) in equally fiery Leo (enthusiasm, heart, love, ego, pride, creativity, courage, greed) is a major player in BOTH eclipses his month. At some point during August all the personal planets - Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars and Mercury will be in Leo!

Jupiter is in Libra. His placement here is about expansion within our relationships. It's about art, women, justice and balance. The final Jupiter/Pluto square (the major transit of 2017) was exact yesterday. This has been playing out, since last November's first square, within the collective as media vs government, courts vs government, media/courts vs big business, sexual abuse and sex trafficking stories in the news and courts, etc. In line with this transit we had that greedy "pharma bro" guy going to jail and  U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions tell a room full of reporters yesterday he will make it easier to jail them for not releasing sources (watery Neptune is home in watery Pisces for a good long stay they should let it 'sink in' that leaks are probably going to continue).

And Pisces placement in Trump's chart (which impacts the U.S. chart while he is running the place) makes everything Neptune in Pisces is likely to bring even more likely - leaks, lies, secret enemies, prisons, hospitals, water, poisons, toxins, confusion, addiction, miscommunication, foggy thinking, isolation. On the other hand Neptune in Pisces can make it easier to hide what we need to hide (not during eclipses though!), dream, imagine, see what is behind the curtain, see what others can't, etc.

Uranus is retrograde in Aries. He stationed retrograde right at the beginning of August AND he rules Aquarius and the Lunar Eclipse on Monday. Uranus in Aries has been fighting and disrupting his way through everything since 2011. He is a major player this month, so we know whatever the eclipses "bring to light" or 'eclipse out" will be unexpected. Keep in mind eclipse action can happen for a couple months prior and after the actual eclipses - usually on or near the eclipse date (so around June 21, July 21, August 21, September 21, October 21st).

Saturn is retrograde in Sagittarius. He will station direct a couple days after the Solar Eclipse (August 21st) so he will be pretty much standing still at the time of that eclipse and uber powerful. A stationary planet is like moving your finger through a flame and stopping over the flame!

Pluto is retrograde in Capricorn and Neptune is retrograde in Pisces. So at one point during all the crazy August energy we will have Mercury, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto and Neptune retrograde!

The Sun is in Leo. The Sun loves being in Leo, the sign that he rules. The Sun has just recently moved past Mars for the first time in a very long time. Our intuition, our trust in the universe as a safe and abundant place for us, our higher guidance is leading our actions. I see the Sun overtaking Mars just before eclipse season as a good signal that whatever is happening has a higher purpose for all of us. We need to be following our heart. We need to be brave - and yes, we learn to be brave by encountering situations that require us to be brave, but with the Sun in Leo, we have the courage to face whatever we need to face now.

If we are on the fence about something, this isn't really the best time to make an important decision and jump off (unless we are pushed, of course) - let's see how everything shakes out by the end of August/early September. Some splinters in our ass will be a small price to pay for letting the stuff that is going to unravel, unravel FIRST.

Know that stuff is happening to get us in touch with our hearts (the north node in Leo) and detach us from our detachment (Aquarius).

I want to stick with talking about Monday's Lunar Eclipse until we are through it.

The big Solar eclipse a couple weeks later will take a couple posts to unpack. With unpredictable Uranus ruling the first one - let's see what that one shakes loose first. 

During the first week of August we have Venus changing signs, Mercury hitting his retrograde degrees, Uranus stationing retrograde, the final Jupiter square Pluto AND a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius. Whew!

So in early August we might feel a strong urge to make a big change (and this change could be made for us and we'll talk about that next). But we can't see everything we need to see yet. Jupiter in Sagittarius needs to check out everything and Pluto in Capricorn wants to focus like a laser beam on one specific and probably ambitious move. We might be willing to take risks that are too big here. We need to take a breath and look around some corners and under some beds. If we are wanting to break away from something now, let's slow down and think it through. Are we sure will be better off on the other side of these shifts without this thing/situation/person? Maybe we are. But does it really need to happen right this second?

(this doesn't mean we don't make the move away from something or someone or some group, but if we can wait, let's wait until Mercury is direct on September 5th and then we will know for certain it is the right decision)

With Jupiter in Libra in the middle of this Full Moon we should be looking at the big picture within our relationships, thinking more diplomatically, weighing the pros and cons, being willing to compromise.

Now, if this change is forced upon us. Poof! Something is gone. Or maybe something come to light that pushes us to make a change. Maybe we see something we can't un-see. Let's not panic and make a crazy move that is the first thing that pops into our head. Slow down. Take a breath. Let's let a little bit of this erratic energy unwind a little. It may not be possible to control what is happening but we can control our response/reaction. Take small actions if possible until you have a clearer picture of everything that is happening.

Monday's Lunar eclipse is in our South Node of Aquarius. The South Node is what we are releasing. We need to release in order to move forward, so for certain something's gotta go here.

My first astrology teacher in the early 90's said in the late 2010's and early 2020's people would be going mad as a hatter and mad as a hornet. She was right, but since she couldn't imagine both the gifts and challenges of the technology headed our way she was wrong, too. She saw the future, through astrological patterns, where we were 'all connected' but couldn't see the technology that got us there, so thought the 'all connected' thing was a more solid way of being connected. She saw it as something like we would be reading other people's minds in a way that made it difficult to tell fantasy from reality, borders would be thin and we would all be 'blending together'.

We aren't reading each other's minds, but we do know what is happening around the world as it is happening. The line between what is truth and what is a lie is very blurry. Our news has become like the commercials we watched as children with an agenda and corporate sponsorship. The borders between us are thin. We are blending together - nationalities, sexes, etc.

She saw the patterns, but couldn't see the vehicles we would create to get us there. It's the same for all of us now when we look ahead into the Age of Aquarius - we just don't know what we don't know.

At the end of 2012 many intuitive people were feeling that the world as we knew it was ending and we were ascending into a higher energy (which it did and we were). In the 3D world, this process looks more like the 'Facebook effect' where we are all seeing different things. We are all living in different realities. There are problems inherent in only looking at the stuff we want to look at, in only seeing the stuff we agree with, in only relating to our own flock. And now we have to figure these problems out. That's one of the things the Age of Aquarius is all about. Learning how can I stay me and let you be you and we can get along and live together even though I do not agree with you.

We are moving from the age of patriarchy (Pisces) into the age of equality (Aquarius) ready or not. Keep in mind this will not be the age of matriarchy (yes, we have the rising feminine now because the feminine in all of us, women AND men, has been suppressed and is rising to meet the masculine energy, not to run the whole show) - we've been there, done that - although most of the age of matriarchy has been erased from our 'his'tory books.

For now, we have this Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius asking us to release our Aquarius shadows. 

Fake connections, detachment, over-thinking, over involvement with the group at the expense of the individual and at the expense of ourselves, over investment of time and resources in technology. 

It is not a coincidence that the last New Moon, the one in Leo, had us working through issues of real family vs our hive mind family and tribal shock.

So hold on loosely. Focus on the highest attributes of both Leo and Aquarius - following our heart, generosity, dignity, enthusiasm (Leo), logical thinking, non-judgement, vision, non-conformity (Aquarius). 

Don't get into a power struggle now. Compromise maybe or don't commit until you are clear. For certain, the high road is the one with the best view and the cooler breezes.

Individually this eclipse is about the polarity themes of our natal, and progressed, Leo/Aquarius houses -  if you don't know where they are in your chart just leave a comment or email me.

We are preparing for Pluto's move into Aquarius (Age of Aquarius - we are probably already in the Age of Aquarius, but by the time Pluto hits the sign we will all be certain) in just 6 short years!

Whether we get a robotic future, run by a small elite class, where the many, the rest of us, are numbed out and equal in our hidden desperation or an egalitarian society where we can all live together, expressing our authentic selves in a free society. This isn't wishful thinking (although there is always the possibility I am mad as a hatter AND  a hornet) - this is truly our only options. Ages last over 2600 years, so we won't get to see the full roll out. We are here for the kick off though, the ones to get this whole party started. We are the ones who matter (LEO!).

My best advice for this first eclipse if you have stuff hitting the fan now, is to make small solid steps where you can, but not to make any big moves until we come out the other side of this crazy month.

xo all (back with the weekly tomorrow)

Final Jupiter Square Pluto | 3rd times the charm .... what are we willing to risk to succeed

1935 by arvael18

Jupiter (in Libra until October 10th) and Pluto (in Capricorn 2008-2024) have squared off three times this year. First in late November, then in late March and for the last time today. 

Squares create friction and challenge. They are stressful. They test us. They reveal to us how we react and respond to tense situations.

Jupiter in Libra wants justice or peace. Pluto in Capricorn wants power or transformation. In our own lives we could feel this as a hunger to succeed at something and the questions around what we are willing to do or risk to succeed.  

This could be conflicts between work responsibilities and our personal relationships, power dynamic tension within relationships, authority issues and even infidelity issues - some kind of unfaithfulness within a relationship or partnership structure. Imbalances will show up if one person is compromising too much and/or one person has too much power.

If this stuff is hitting personal planets in your chart, major breakthroughs are possible now.

This is a series of aspects that started around last Thanksgiving, so where are we now? Maybe we have taken a leap of faith (Jupiter) and increased our power (Pluto) or maybe we have taken on too much and are dealing with the realities of that now. Know however the story is playing out in our lives, things will start to cool down as the planets begin to separate and this square unwinds itself.

This could be a major turning point (with its connection to next week's Lunar Eclipse - you might not see results for a few days) for some 2017 stories since this is a major transit for this year.

For today, let's check ourselves when trying to push our beliefs on other people - not a good idea. Judgemental attitudes will create conflict with others. Know everyone else is dealing with this, too, so keep a cool head. 

Relax. Fear of the future is what is getting us all tangled up now. It's eclipse season and we just don't know what we don't know. Loosen the reins a bit ....

xo all

(I had two people tell me that advice to let someone's mother move in with them and sleep on their couch was very bad advice - this was something I wrote about in a recent post. Now, I didn't tell the person to take in her mother. I asked her what her heart wanted to do - what was the simplest, least complicated thing. This person gets along well with her mother. Her mother is already in her house about twenty hours a week watching her children. She just didn't want the added interruption/responsibility. She was really asking me "if I let her move in - will she ever move out?" so we were looking at timeframes, etc. The couch part is my own invention. I have no idea if an actual couch is going to be used, although if you want someone's stay to be short, offer them your couch - turning over the master suite and having it painted in their favorite color is probably a bad idea. Please don't take this story as meaning we need to help other people at our own expense - which I think is what both readers were saying I was saying. I wasn't saying that. Or if I was saying that I wasn't meaning that. This was her mother. And maybe mom sleeping in her car would be more heartache than safe in our livingroom, right?")