Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 21st - confronting our shadow, here comes the light, Virgo season begins, daddy's home

My playful friends by msRainie

This is a big week. I know I say, "this is a big week" alot, so maybe I should say THIS IS A BIG WEEK. And when I shout, remember I am from New Jersey - my hands fly out, Olive runs under the bed and the glasses in my neighbor's cupboard hit the floor.

On MONDAY, we have the Solar Eclipse New Moon in Leo - the Sun and Moon meet up at 28 degrees Leo at 2:45PM EDT. I wrote about this HERE and HERE - keep in mind this is something none of us have ever experienced before and it will impact us over the next few months, so let's go into this with a light and open heart and a gentle prayer for peace. Choose your mood now. Don't be afraid to look into the dark, but stay focused on the moment the light comes back on.

The Leo house in your natal chart is ripe for a fresh start. This could come through a powerful ending or result being delivered. Ceres (in Cancer) opposing Pluto (in Capricorn) at this crucial moment in time could signal a permanent change in a power dynamic within a family, home or nurturing/protective/mothering situation. The Moon goes void from 2:30PM EDT to 4:30PM EDT.

*My personal belief is that the Great American Eclipse is opening the portal that will push the United States to the end of the American empire and ultimately toward the creation of something more inclusive and more equal and more creative than "empire"; something actually managed by the people for the people instead of by and for corporations. And something where "created equal" are more than words on a piece of paper. This is big energy as we move toward the date in January 2020 when Pluto and Saturn meet up in Capricorn and since that is the month we will inaugurate our next President, maybe instead of a new President we figure out a whole new system of government that doesn't divide us into two bickering groups who, at the end of the day, really want the same things anyway. Maybe instead of the patriarchal system of winners and losers, we figure out how to work together in a space where everyone wins. Truly. We can't see how to get there yet, because we don't know what we don't know. But we will.*

On TUESDAY, the Sun moves into Virgo. Since Virgo's ruler Mercury is retrograde there is still something we are reviewing or re-doing here. Over the next 30 days with the Sun in Virgo we are focused on the work that is right in front of us, planning, dotting our i's and crossing our t's, providing service to other people, quality over quantity and Virgo ruled themes - work, health, our pets, paperwork, organization, co-workers and employees.

On WEDNESDAY, Saturn (in Sagittarius) is squaring the Moon (in Virgo) so there could be some tension with any of those Virgo themes I wrote about yesterday or Saturn ruled goals, career, authority, responsibility, time issues or a Sagittarian themed issue - legal, political, travel, foreign, educational, wedding, religious, media, publishing, etc. Then the Moon moves into a sextile (opportunity) with Venus - situations with women, money, self-esteem, things we value - will be looking up.

On THURSDAY, Venus squares Uranus so there could be something unexpected or sudden or liberating happen with a woman or a financial issue or since Venus is still in Cancer with a home situation, real estate, family, parent, mother, renovation, etc. People will be wanting to stand out and be unique in some way. Maybe something we started around June 3rd (when these planets met up) hits some kind of test or tension now. In the long term, stuff started then, especially new relationships, are not meant to last - they are that rebound guy who gets us from A to B but is gone by the time we get to C. Stress can come to older and more seasoned relationships through us wanting change (maybe just for the sake of change) or maybe an unexpected argument happens around expectations about freedom within the relationship. It something is really stagnant and draining our energy this transit can help us break free from the situation. The Moon goes Void at 4:00PM EDT.

On Friday, the Moon in Libra is making nice all over the place providing a good day for partnerships and business - for fairness and justice.

The biggest news, Saturn stations direct after more than four months retrograde. Even with Mercury and three other planets still retrograde, things will slowly but surely start to move forward now.

Saturn has been retrograde at the Galactic Center (28 degrees Sagittarius, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way) since April 6th. This has had us going back over rules, structure, security issues,  and obligations. Since Saturn moved into Sagittarius in 2015 (through the end of 2017) our beliefs and commitment to our dreams have been tested.

If we no longer fit in the space we are occupying or are holding on where our heart is no longer invested or if we are truly needed elsewhere - situations have arisen over the last few months to make this clear to us.

Coming on the heels of our bold New Moon Solar Eclipse means changes now will be long lasting. What is going on in our lives over the last and next few days will tell us alot about what this Saturn retrograde period has been about for us, where we need to make our final tweaks and the areas we need to be more Saturnian.

Dad's home. Have we been goofing off? Staying out late? Run up the electric bill? Worn out his favorite chair or left his tools out in the rain to rust?

Karmic books are being balanced. Remember, karma isn't about punishment - we are just being served what we ordered. Most of us do alot of this "ordering" unconsciously. But we can choose to do things differently today. Right now.

Please make any course corrections BEFORE December 21st-22nd when the Sun and then Saturn shift into Capricorn. After this date there will be increased responsibilities, deadlines, walls, boundaries, structure, patience needed, authority to deal with, tradition (winter is coming!) - so let's get our sh*t together NOW. Be where you want to be. Be who you want to be. Because things are going to get poured into concrete.

And please no shortcuts - they will just come back to bite us later.

Remember when any planet meets the Sun a new cycle begins. So in late December we will have Saturn starting a new solar cycle and a new Capricorn cycle - the sign he rules!! - at the same time!

(we will have a Fire Trine then with Uranus so one final chance to free ourselves from something limiting before the snow starts to fall)

You want your act as together as your act can be by this date. If you need to make a major change make it before this date. 

THE WINTER SOLSTICE IS YOUR FIRM DEADLINE.

The way we go into this period of time will impact our Capricorn house theme and the stuff Capricorn rules - goals, career, all the Saturnian responsibility, security and time issues thru March 2020 AND will very much set up the results we get. Saturn in Capricorn can produce some very incredible results. It pretty much guarantees success, folks, oh yes, it does.

But the success will be Saturn's success - earned through hard work. If we are not "doing our Saturn" ie stepping into our responsibility, walking our talk, doing the work, being dependable, being honest - we will be screwed.

Someone else - some situation or authority figure outside of us - will step in and be the boss of us. Do we want to be the boss of us or do we want a boss? Some people need a boss. If you need a boss you are going to love Saturn in Capricorn because you will find one. If you are ready to be your own boss you are going to love Saturn in Capricorn. If you are not ready to be your own boss and you do not want anyone else to be the boss of you either - you are screwed.

Please take this seriously. Claim it. I was born with Saturn one degree from my Sun - in the same way Trump is unpredictable Uranus, I am responsible Saturn. I am your Saturn telling you to get your sh*t together. :)

(except Saturn wouldn't smile at you and I will - hell, I'll even wink ;)

On SATURDAY, Venus moves into Leo (I will do a post) making Leo Suns and ascendants more attractive (both easier on the eye and able to attract what they want/need). All our Leo houses become more attractive, too.

The Sun and Mercury will meet up in Virgo. This is called an inferior conjunction and kicks off a new cycle with our Mercury story. An answer, information or conversation could bring something to light now. Maybe it's a fact or visible weakness that will allow us to proceed with the remaining Mercury retrograde period  (through September 5th) - reworking, revising, etc - with better information. Coming so close to Venus's move into heart centered Leo (and with Venus now answering to Leo's ruler the Sun) we might be able to use whatever comes to light now to determine if what we want is even actually possible or it could provide us with the info we need to get it/make it happen.

xo all

New Moon Solar Eclipse in Leo | August 21st - the heart of a lion, creating our brave new future, part II

89-LIon by Lucky978

See Part I focused on the U.S. situation HERE

Monday's Solar Eclipse in Leo is a super-charged New Moon! Hooked up with the North Node of our collective way forward, conjunct the powerful degree of the royal star and king-maker Regulus and it's the second New Moon in Leo this year and it is trining (brakes off) "anything can happen" Uranus (ruler of the South Node of Aquarius) -

this is a potent fresh start

focused on the theme of our Leo natal house (what house holds 28 degrees Leo in your natal and progressed charts - what are those house themes?) and Leo ruled creativity, children, romance, fun, games, our heart's desire, generosity, pride, confidence, courage and love.

August 6th's Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius may have eclipsed something out or brought something hidden into the light. We talked about this eclipse HERE and HERE - this stuff is factoring into the next eclipse, but now we are focusing on moving forward.

Big energy moving through the collective fields means there is big energy moving through us!

This is the time we release our detachment (Aquarius) and we move into our heart (Leo). This is the time we take the thing that has alienated and set us apart (Aquarius) and bring it front and center onto the stage (Leo). It will be the thing we are proud of. It will be the thing that makes our heart happy. It will be the thing that when we think about moving toward it - we feel a little lighter, life feels a little easier. It won't be the big complicated thing we get a headache just thinking about actually doing.

This is the time we step away from the crowd and back into ourselves. We put the oxygen mask on our own face first. We stop revolting against what we don't want and start creating what we do want. We put away the phone and go play with the kids. We turn off the internet and use our computer to write that book we have been wanting to write. We turn our attention away from the masses - our pseudo family who agree with us - and toward the people we love who are right in front of us - who probably do NOT always agree with us. We are connected to the people we are physically connected to for a reason!

We have gotten ourselves into quite a bit of trouble by only looking at the stuff we agree with and talking to and interacting with people we agree with. We have lost sight of the fact we can get along with all kinds of people we don't agree with and the fact that lots of people out there do not agree with us and probably never will - and that's OK.

The trine (brakes off) to unpredictable Uranus (in fiery, independent and action oriented Aries) is a good indicator that we don't have to figure out how to get where we want to be. The universe can use whatever action we take to get us on the path toward our heart's desire. The Leo space in our natal chart shows what we are here to give and the world is hungry for it!

Things fall into place when we get clear on how we want to feel (happy, joyous, lighter) and do more things that make us feel like that. Do fun stuff and the universe will respond by offering us more fun stuff to do.

Things fall into place when we do the things we are already doing - 5 planets are retrograde folks - with more joy and an open heart.

This eclipse is connected to Mercury's retrograde journey AND this year's Venus story AND this year's Jupiter/Pluto story. The new beginning offered up by this potent New Moon could take some time to shake out. We have Mars hitting the eclipse degree on September 2nd (courage, anger, action), Mars conjuncting a retrograde Mercury (maybe an argument, maybe news that requires action) on September 3rd and Mercury stationing direct on the eclipse degree (28 degrees Leo) on September 5th (final decision, some kind of culmination point or results via information or communication). This is all going to take some time to unwind.

We also have Ceres opposing a retrograde Pluto on August 21st. This will play into the eclipse story, too, likely dredging up issues of dependency and control. There could be power struggles around nurturing  - maybe something like "if you want me to take care of you or give you this thing you need, then you must do this thing for me that I want" - maybe something that needs to be given freely comes with a few strings attached. On the other hand nurturing given freely can transform the situation. We'll talk about this more as we move through it.

So start thinking about your New Moon intentions for after Monday's eclipse. We had a New Moon in Leo on June 23rd so we might get another crack at something we started then.

Leo is ruled by the Sun and with the Sun ruling this New Moon - and the North Node of our collective way forward now in Leo also - this is all about following our HEART. Whatever new thing/situation/person/belief/action we choose to work with needs to be something we are excited about, it needs to stir us. It needs to not have any self-sacrifice or victim mentality connected to it. It needs to come with a certain ease. This doesn't mean there won't be work involved, but it can't be only work involved.

With the North Node in Leo now if we really don't want to do something and we do it anyway, it isn't going to work. What we want, what is calling to our heart, is the only thing that will work now. Choices get easier. I will do a post by sign when I do the weekly next weekend.

INTENTION TIPS: 

Let your heart guide you, forget logic with this one, clear your head, write what your heart wants not what you think you should write, write your intentions down by hand in script on a blank piece of paper, speak the words out loud, burn the paper - release your attention from these things knowing your intention is known. 

Life has heard you. 

Know these things are already yours.

If you are lucky enough to get to watch this beautiful eclipse, be sure to have the proper glasses and understand exactly when it will happen in your area. It will only last a maximum of 2 minutes for the totality, so you don't want to miss it by misunderstanding the correct time - Mercury is retrograde and crazy crowds are expected so prepare for travel delays and get there early! Please, please bring your highest, most peaceful and joyous energy with you. Don't be afraid to look into the dark, but carry forward the energy of that moment the light comes back on.

And let's bring our pets indoors - they can get eye damage, too.

xo all

New Moon Solar Eclipse in Leo | August 21st - birthing a new nation, midwifery, the heart of a lion, Trump and the United States, part I

midwifery quote

Monday's total Solar Eclipse (New Moon) falls at 28 degrees Leo.

In mundane astrology (the branch of astrology connected with nations and global events) the Sun represents the ruler of a country; the king. The Moon represents the people. Our ancestors thought solar eclipses brought the death of the king as the Moon (the people) blocked out the Sun's rays (the king). Eclipses created panic because they were blamed for every single misfortune that followed them, and also because astrologers who tracked patterns often linked them to actual stressful events related to their perfection degrees.

I am not saying we should be panicking about this one, although I am not so sure millions of us should be trucking our butts into eclipse totality zones to give our attention (unconscious intention) to this powerful energy either.

Of course, if it was possible for me to view it from where I live, I would almost certainly get myself into the lightest, brightest state of being I could muster up (I mean people would need those glasses to look at me!) and watch it, too.

I am hoping people do not bring their most stressed out energies (from crowds, traffic, staying up all night before to get a space to sit?!, current events, etc) into this change-making vortex. Please take a few deep breaths and send out prayers for peace and happiness into this one, eclipse watchers. Hopefully this moment of "coming together" will result in all different people with all different views and backgrounds coming together in bigger ways, too!

Eclipses have also been known to be harbingers of bad weather - earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, fires - and I will admit that U.S. eclipse zone map all over social media with the crack across the U.S. makes me a little nervous

(also makes me think of civil unrest and the way our country is so politically divided - I am not loving that map being burned into so many brains).

I would take seriously any sober weather preparations over the next few days, weeks and months. We should all have at least a couple weeks worth of food on hand.

This particular eclipse is the first total Solar Eclipse visible only across the entire United States since the eclipse of 1776 - the year of this country's birth. Many astrologers think that the physical location where an eclipse is visible increases its impact on that location. At its peak, 90% of the Sun in Washington DC - the seat of power in the world - will be eclipsed out. 

AND we have a President whose natal ascendant (many astrologers believe this to be the most important point in a natal chart) AND Mars are both conjunct 28 degrees Leo so the solar eclipse next week impacts Donald Trump's ascendant (his physical self) and natal Mars (war, action, violence, anger). This is bigly people. BIGLY.

The eclipse is also trining (brakes off) rebellious, chaotic and unpredictable Uranus (I have said before that Trump IS Uranus with the planet conjunct his natal Sun).

It literally feels to me like he can do anything he wants to do with this energetic line up

(or whatever is holding back his power from being eclipsed out is removed and he will be, too - impossible to know which is which).

For certain though the brakes are off something!

At the same time transitting Mars (war, violence) is conjuncting his natal Mars AND Trump was born on an eclipse making eclipses in general more impactful for him!

You can't make this stuff up folks.

The chance of this particular eclipse (total solar across the entire country) occurring at a time in our country's history (Pluto's impending return to its 1776 position) when it can so strongly influence the country's leader (via planets and points in his natal chart) would surely give it odds no Vegas bet maker would touch. And yet, here it is.

He is the catalyst for something here. Our avatar for this watershed moment in United States history. This is the entire reason he was elected. This is the entire reason he was even born.

The United States will be a different United States after Donald Trump and after this eclipse energy plays itself out (probably over the next 2-3 years).

He is here to do the thing he is going to do, even if we (the people) do not like it.

Let's hope he and we get this thing right this time

(it could be his action here that leads to his demise as we "the people - represented by the Moon that eclipses him" decide this is not the way we define America, since America is approaching its Pluto return and in the midst of re-birthing itself and the last time we had an eclipse like this was when our country was born in 1776 - he could be the catalyst that brings us back together or finally breaks us apart AND he could just as easily be ruling the United States at this pivotal time to make the right decision as he could the wrong one). 

It is the karma of the United States itself playing out here - and how well or how poorly we have lived up to the promises of our July 4th, 1776 birth chart.


If Trump has some kind of personal demise, and I am not saying he will, it could be his demise has prevented a larger United States demise (although I think the United States as ruler of the world winds down fully one way or the other by the mid 2020's).

His soul could have agreed to take one 'for the team' in the way a beloved pet can be our avatar for a health situation. When I tell you he is the only person on the planet who could be withstanding the pressure he is feeling right now, and it doesn't look like he is handling it all that well, I am not exaggerating! If we, and maybe he, get through the rest of his term unscathed I can assure you he has done, something right even though it may appear he is doing everything wrong - the challenges are that great.

(I know everyone is worried about North Korea and I did look at Kim Jong-un's chart, but it is hard to work with, since his birth year is uncertain)

The eclipse is happening in Trump's twelfth house ruled by Pisces - secrets, secret alliances, hidden enemies, self-undoing, leaks, lies, illness, germs, lack of boundaries, things put away, hospitals, prisons, poisons, memory, confinement, slavery, water, the Navy - too many possibilities that involve things currently in the news to see what is happening here. Plus the twelfth house is all about what is hidden!

There are surely big changes ahead for him and since he is the leader of the United States for all Americans and since the United States is leading the world, most likely for everyone. 

One tricky thing with eclipse energy that I have found from personal experience as well as other people's charts is they often work backward. The thing the eclipse is "eclipsing out" or "bringing to light" can happen days, weeks or months before the physical Sun is overtaken by the Moon.

And remember within two hours of the North Node moving into Leo Trump fired Comey.  And the day the North Node (the point in space that sets up the eclipse) hit 28 degrees Leo - Mueller was appointed special counsel. And this is an uber powerful degree of the zodiac since it historically houses the royal star Regulus - which promises kingly glory if revenge is avoided. Whether or not Trump sees his firing of Comey as revenge will probably impact the outcome here. Other stuff happening now in the news has its roots in May, too, though, and eclipses can portend many different events within the same chart.

And I would say we are already a very different country than we were before Trump, so I think some of this eclipse energy has already played out. Let's hope. With five planets retrograde the eclipse events are certainly already in play. And, yes, I realize this isn't particularly reassuring because lots of crap within various degrees of "scaring the hell out of us" is already in play. With Uranus trining the eclipse - whatever it is, we won't see it coming. But we didn't see Comey's firing coming .... so it's possible that event is the shocker and what we have ahead are the repercussions.

I started looking at the royal star Regulus while studying Princess Diana's chart many, many years ago - her natal chart and important events in her life have amazing connections to Regulus and 28 degrees Leo (her North Node of destiny is here in her 5th house of romance, children and fun - all things that played a huge part in her life story). Maybe something will "come to light" now about her, too. It has been proven our chart points continue to be activated after our death. The chart of Great Britain and Prince Charles also have connections to this point and to next week's eclipse.

(Regulus has since moved into Virgo, the sign of the common man and service to others, one of the reasons both Princess Diana and Donald Trump have a connection with the "common man" - although Trump's life reads more like 'service to self' than others, maybe the eclipse will change that! I wrote about Regulus HERE last summer and HERE)

We can't tell what will happen because the future is still being written - by the energy all of us are bringing to our own situations - which are playing out within different story lines in varying degrees!

This time in history also has interesting connections to the astrology of not only the founding of the United States but also to the French Revolution's Reign of Terror - as noted by vedic astrologer, Sam Geppi HERE  - a time when after the citizens rose up and toppled the monarchy, the ones doing the toppling turned out to be equally or even more authoritarian and ruthless than the aristocracy/clergy, etc, they had deposed. So, is Trump's administration like the revolutionaries - are they "draining the swamp" only to be providing us with even more dangerous crocodiles? Or are they the "monarchy" - Trump does rule like a King and has installed his family in the White House - that the people will toss out? Either way, it feels like particularly challenging times for us. It is important to remember that big challenges present big opportunities though.

Eclipses are part of cycles called Saros Cycles and repeat every 18 years. Solar eclipses are super charged New Moons. They can 'eclipse something out' or 'bring something to light'. And, of course, every ending ushers in a NEW beginning. What was happening in your life in 1999?

This particular Saros cycle (in king of the jungle Leo) is known for eclipsing out kings or attempts at eclipsing out kings - 1999 Bill Clinton impeachment (I think we might have found ourselves enmeshed in a Hillary Clinton impeachment trial before the end of the year if she had been elected), 1981 Reagan assassination attempt, 1963 JFK assassination, 1945 death of Hitler and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1927 death of FDR, 1909 Taft assassination attempt - astrologer Marjorie Orr has catalogued some others HERE.  

The last two eclipses that metaphorically "cut the country in half" were in 1918 and 1869.

In 1869 Grant was sworn in as President succeeding Andrew Johnson who became President when Lincoln was assassinated. Johnson's "restoration" policies aimed at bringing the southern states back into the fold after the Civil War did little, if anything, to protect the rights of newly freed slaves and he even vetoed the Civil Rights Bill (Congress overturned his veto). He was impeached but managed to serve out his term.

By the time Grant came into office and passed the Ku Klux Klan Act and established the Department of Justice to enforce it, the KKK (formed on Christmas Eve 1865 with a monster natal chart connecting to the U.S. birth chart in a way that hurts my heart to look at) had already established covert political power.

So, 1869 was the beginning of a time when laws and real political pressure began to reel that monster (the KKK) in. In 1918, the year WWI ended with fewer jobs and increased immigration - the KKK resurfaced under the guise of "nationalism, protectionism, America first" and within a few years, the klan claimed that 15% of the eligible population (I guess that would be white men? or white protestant men? or white protestant men and women?) were members.

It was during this revival period of nationalistic insanity that statues, like the controversial one of General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville were erected. We can see how this energy is playing out today and how Trump's Presidency is a lightning rod. Moving into the Age of Aquarius (equality) this behemoth darkness needs to come up and be healed. Let's hope we can get this right this time.

With Mars (war, violence) heading toward the eclipse point (he gets there on September 2nd, conjuncts Mercury on September 3rd and Mercury stations direct at the 28 degrees Leo on September 5th) we can pretty much be assured of lots of ego-centered aggression between the eclipse and Labor Day. 

With Mercury retrograde there is the potential for lots of misunderstandings, bad decisions (and possibly more violence involving transportation) now and especially around the first week of September. 

I'm not going to sugar coat it - this is dangerous energy. Especially the last few days of August and the first few days of September. There can also be information "coming to light" that connects to Trump's and/or the United States twelfth house secrets. 

Eclipse events do not happen exactly on the date of the eclipse. The eclipse sets up an event chart - a kind of marker in the heavens and as planets hit that point - or the exact opposite polarity point - via transit THAT is when events happen. And somehow with an eclipse prior events factor in, too.

Whatever has happened, is happening and will happen - everything feels like it is falling into place for some big changes over the next few weeks and months.

I think this post has posed more questions than answers because during eclipse season when the lights go out and we are being quite literally "reset" - anything is possible. I hope it hasn't been too negative, but those who know me know it is easier for me to see the dragons than the daisies - I am working on this! Note to self - plant more flowers ....

We are in the process of birthing a brand new nation (our exact Pluto return is in 2022 when Pluto returns to its exact position of our country's birth) - gentle hands, strong hearts and mad-crazy midwifery skills are needed now!

Part II is HERE

xo all

Sun Conjunct the North Node | breadcrumbs ...

Ease by Hengki24

The Sun meets up with the North Node (our collective way forward) at 24 degrees Leo today.

A light (Sun) is thrown on our best path forward (North Node).

It could be a bright spotlight we can't miss or maybe it's a tiny flicker that catches our eye and pulls us over to investigate a new direction.

We might receive some confirmation we are on the right path now. Or a gentle shove in a direction we hadn't before considered.

The thing to keep in mind during the 18 months the North Node is in Leo: the best way forward will be heart-centered. It will require we be proud of what we have created. It will require us to take the center stage of our own life. It will require us to have some fun. It will require courage.

Leo is ruled by the Sun, so think about where the Sun sits in your natal chart. That sign is how you will shine in this lifetime. That's your sweet spot. So what's your Sun sign and how can you be a better version of that.

xo all

The Moon is in conversational and multi-tasking Gemini today answering to a retrograde Mercury. This would be a good time to follow up with communications/ideas from before July 25th. Maybe something that didn't work out then, can work out now. Maybe someone who couldn't help us then, can help us now.