Venus Conjunct the North Node | affirmation we are moving in the right direction, wild women make history plus a warning about too many green bean casseroles

If the dream flies away by Julie-de-Waroquier

This week we have seen Venus (in Leo) trine (brakes off) Saturn, then the Sun moved into an exact square with Saturn (brakes on) and now Venus (love, money, self-esteem, our values, women, beauty) in Leo (creative work, children, romance, recreation) moves into an exact conjunction - at 23 degrees - with the North Node (our future).

Pay attention to what comes to your attention now.

There should be an affirmation that you are moving in the right direction - or a nudge in a new one! This will involve the themes I have listed above and/or the theme of your natal Leo house - yes, this is the same house/theme we have been talking about for weeks via that total Solar Eclipse in Leo.

Venus is going to hit the eclipse degree next week but we might get a preview now. There could be an opportunity to push a little further toward what "our heart" (Leo) wants. With Saturn playing a part in this week's story line working with Saturn's discipline, limits and responsibilities will be key here. Nothing works unless we do.

At the same time Venus is also trining Black Moon Lilith (the out of bounds woman, the woman who plays by her own rules, sexual freedom, power) in Sagittarius. Interesting that it is Margaret Sanger's birthday (Planned Parenthood founder) and Hillary Clinton has been in the news again lately. Black Moon Lilith will conjunct the North Node in a couple days, so there could be even more of a spotlight/acceptance for out of bounds women/women's issues or personal power.

Her trine to Venus as Venus conjuncts the North Node of destiny hints (not that BML ever speaks softly about anything!) the part of ourselves/the situation/the relationship/the creative project that might normally be in some way "out of bounds" or not conventionally accepted (even offensive, think - the things we don't talk about in polite society - sex, money, power, our flaws, our vulnerabilities) - will need to be included. If we leave the uncomfortable pieces of ourselves to wither on the vine now the whole orchard goes down, too. The trine should make this acceptance process move smoothly.

We might not even notice the trine, we'll just realize later on that some formerly unacceptable part of us has been merged into the whole and we are better for it. Or we take the new job and realize we didn't ask about the money! There is always a flip-side.

We don't want to be putting up with a "dis-empowerment" in whatever situation we are dealing with (although with Saturn involved we know everything won't be all sunshine and flowers). We are connecting with the fire of millions of female voices that have been dis-empowered. We have more power than we think we do. 

The Moon is in Cancer today and tomorrow so we will all be feeling more sensitive, more in need of nourishment and care. The Moon will have some nice aspects with Neptune making us more compassionate and more imaginative. We can hold a space for someone else without judgement more easily now. This is a good day for meditation or some kind of grounding practice.

Mercury isn't covering new ground yet and the Moon is waning - this is the time of tying things up, planning, not rushing into something new. As early as next week we'll have Mercury covering new ground and a New Moon in Virgo - we will be pushed into something new soon enough, trust me on this one.

We might want to push off those big decisions, and we likely can for a few more days, but they need to get resolved this month or life will force our hand anyway.

Decisions made now need to take into account the lessons we learned over the last few weeks. Then we decide. Then we decide to not look back. 

That's all that is required of us. Life can use whatever decision we make to get us where we need to go if we don't disrespect life by disregarding these last few weeks. Really. 

Save the big new moves for a few more days though. Let Mercury start covering new ground and the Moon to start waxing. For now, tie up loose ends. Plan. Do what is right in front of you.

The Moon in Cancer is squaring Uranus and hooking us into the next big aspect - the Jupiter/Uranus opposition on September 28th. That date and the following couple weeks will be challenging for many people (in the collective the Trump vs legal issues or Trump vs media story will be peaking). And Pluto will station direct in Capricorn the same day!

There are BIG changes ahead for all of us - both collectively and personally. By next April we will have 3 outer planets in new signs, including Uranus, who last changed signs on March 11, 2011 (the day of the Fukushima earthquake). And both Mars and Venus will go retrograde in 2018! It will be another big year to go over and over things.

We have October, November and December to make the big personal changes (and you may have already made them - many, many people have - but if you know you were/are supposed to make some kind of move/change, but haven't - this timing is for YOU, get something started with this). At the end of December Saturn comes home to Capricorn. Daddy's home. Things could get more stable but also more stuck. We might miss this mutable, crazy year.

How is that possible? Well, have I said before that winter is coming? 

We are still in the season of the harvest and we are all harvesting something. If you have a kitchen filled with green beans (like me) and really wish you had planted some eggplant and kale (actually the critters ate the kale) - well, it's too late to plant eggplant and kale now!

So stop obsessing over that and make what you can make with the green beans.

Figure out a way to use your green beans to get the eggplant and kale or you will be eating green beans all winter. Maybe you like the stability of knowing what you will have for dinner (green beans!) but most likely you will feel stuck with them.

And now I've made myself hungry ... but not for green beans. xo all

Sun Square Saturn | meet the wall (no, not THAT wall)

the wall by alice faux

The Moon, still in multi-tasking and communicative Gemini has some nice aspects this morning with both Venus (sextile) and Jupiter (trine) - this would be a good morning for communicating with a partner, teaching, some kind of PR opportunity, social something or other.

Before going void, she sextiles (opportunity) Uranus (the unexpected, the future, freedom). Uranus is in Aries for a few more months and her interactions with our Moon today could have us feeling ambitious and looking for something new. 

At 2:35PM EDT the Moon goes void until dinnertime. We'll be left dangling with that sextile to Uranus pushing us to close up early and make a run for it. The Moon will enter Cancer at 6:12PM EDT leading to a couple days where we would all prefer to hunker down at home or with people and places that feel like home. Our emotions will naturally be soothed by what nourishes us and its lack will be more strongly felt.

The Moon is in the last quarter phase of her monthly cycle. And Mercury is getting ready to begin covering new ground next week - this is the time to put any finishing touches on projects started before late July or follow up with any appropriate situations from before that time.

With the Quarter Moon happening in fast moving and "too many irons in the fire" Gemini we could be feeling rushed, under-appreciated or over-worked. The Moon is winding down now. Find some time this week to unwind a bit, too.

In the meantime, back on the ranch, the Sun (in Virgo) is hitting her exact square with Saturn (in Sagittarius) at 21 degrees. These two will be close enough to have this tension/stress in play all week.

This is Saturn's 2nd square (due to his retrograde) with the Sun since we started our new Saturn cycle back on December 10th at 18 degrees Sagittarius when these two power players met up.

This is that wall, or obstacle, we talked about in the weekly (ie fire breathing dragon). There are GROWING PAINS.

The Sun will shine a spotlight this week on whatever this is for us. Our life force/creativity is blocked somehow. There is pressure, tension, frustration. Maybe too much work or too much service is being required of us. We could doubt our own abilities and any space we "don't have what it takes" could be right in our face and possibly even on view for others.

Maybe we'll get a "no". Maybe something that stabilizes us comes to an end or something requiring additional responsibilities/work could begin.

Whatever this wall is for our egos in this cycle - we hit it. "DAM!" said the fish when she did. Ack!

Patience and diligence (sorry!) are the only antidote to a Saturnian wall. We'll get through this. Time is on our side here.

(September is a big decision month and no one is going to feel like they have enough time/facts, etc to make the best decision. In October, Jupiter - higher thinking and remember Saturn is answering to him! - will move from Libra where he can see both sides and wants things to be fair, and into Scorpio where he will not be dealing with any crap.)

This square could be most strongly felt by the mutables - Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo and Pisces - and anyone with planets or points around 21 degrees Sagittarius or 21 degrees Virgo. But since this is the Sun we are talking about we will all be feeling blocked somewhere.

The way through this tangle (since the Sun is in practical Virgo) is working with whatever is right in front of us in the current moment.

Don't look too far ahead or too far back. Saturn likes things to stay exactly as they are, but that opportunistic sextile between Uranus and the Moon today tells us something new needs to happen here. The square makes any move challenging since we are between a rock and a hard place. Just do your Virgo and get through the briar-patch - small, practical steps, focus on quality, don't get caught up in a 'perfectionist/criticism/mired in the details' trap. Keep moving. Do your best. If you don't know what to do - there is probably some weeds to be pulled or dishes to be washed somewhere. 

Doing something for someone else (very Virgo-like) can help bring us out of any depressive funk - Saturn can be heavy-duty. Of course, if this over-doing is part of the tension, this would be the thing to ease up on a bit. Virgo also rules our health - if this is the space we are hitting the wall - take things seriously. Make the difficult changes. Do it one step at a time.

Tomorrow, we have Venus crossing the North Node - she is on a roll people! Whatever it is we are doing to bring more beauty to the world is ripe for a BIG PUSH in the right direction.

xo all

Venus Trine Saturn | commitment, investing for the long haul - Rome wasn't built in a day, attracting the stuff that lasts, mentors and muses show up

like stars on your skin by quadratiges

Today, we have Venus (in Leo) trining Saturn (in Sagittarius) at 21 degrees. This has been within orb for a couple days and will continue to be within orb for a couple more when Venus finally pulls away from the old slow poke. It's strongest today though.

Venus rules love, money, our values, women, beauty, our self-esteem (Libra and Taurus) and in Leo, ruler of our 5th house, concerned with romance, creative work, fun, recreation, children. Saturn rules structure and things that are real and have weight, time, goals, hard work, discipline, fathers, older men and responsibility (Capricorn) and in Sagittarius, ruler of our 9th house, concerned with higher education, travel, the things, the people and the places that are foreign to us, legal issues, politics, the media, weddings, higher thinking and religion. Trines create smooth energy - the brakes are off - the vitality will flow and work together naturally.

This trine will apply to our natal Leo and Sagittarius houses (21 degrees) and their themes.

Now these houses are always in trine, but today, inhabited by attractive Venus and hard-working Saturn, the vibes are particularly useful.

For me, this is about my 10th house (21 Leo) and my 1st house (21 Sag). So good energy for my (10th house) career, business, the way I show up in the world, my visibility - to support and jive with my (1st house) physical self, name, brand, image. A good time to make a bigger commitment with this stuff.

We could make a commitment (Saturn) within a relationship (Venus) now. We could make a commitment with our money. We could make a commitment to valuing ourselves. We could commit to the hard work of being more beautiful (ie Venusian) or birthing something beautiful. We could beautify (Venus) our career (Saturn). This would be a great time for cosmetic changes within a business. Spruce ups now will pay off over time.

Venus/Saturn is not going to be about developing some trendy thingamajig because with Saturn the payoff comes over time and our trendy thingamajig will be gathering cobwebs in the corner. For creators this isn't so much about new styles as new methods. Both form (Venus) AND function (Saturn) will matter here. People will be drawn to more traditional, quality items that will last. Venus/Saturn will only be together for a couple more days, but this is the card to play now.  

Our existing relationships can grow stronger. There is a mutual respect here. Relationships between people of different ages started now would likely be long-lasting. Fire signs could be especially ready to settle down (Aries, Leo, Sag). *

Mentors (Saturn) and muses (Venus) can show up. 

When dealing with authority (Saturn), pulled over for speeding for example, it can't hurt to show them some respect (Leo) ... and maybe a little leg (Venus). When channeling Venus in Leo it is best to be unafraid to be noticed - spider veins and cellulite be damned, our legs are coming out!

(Many years ago someone was talking about cellulite and hubs said "Catherine, doesn't have any cellulite". Later I asked him why he said that, since it wasn't true, and he said, "hmm, well what the hell is cellulite?" I think he thought it had something to do with poor phone reception.)
 
If Venus and Saturn were people they would be a young, loving, attractive woman and a serious, responsible older man. You can see how these two people could bring out the best in each other (not in a sugar-daddy kind of way - Saturn ain't nobody's free ride).

We carry both these archetypes within us - what can we do today to cement their merger?

ALSO NOTE - our fast-moving, multi-tasking Gemini Moon is challenged by both Mars and Neptune today.

Numerous distractions are likely. Stay focused on what your heart wants. With Venus stabilized by Saturn and within orb of the North Node in Leo ... our heart's desire (what you seek is seeking you ... Rumi or in astro speak, "what's in your heart is in your chart") is quickly catching up with us and much closer than it appears ... time to check that rearview mirror.

Check the weekly HERE for more info.

xo all

* A few words about this "settling down" thing. I have a friend who lived with a man for 12 years. They didn't want children, but she wanted to marry. He was always firm that he would never marry. Then one summer during responsible Saturn's transit of his 7th house (partnership) and her 2nd (values, self-esteem) she drew an equally firm line in the sand. They married within weeks.

All was well for about a New York minute and then ... everything changed, it all felt like work (her words here). He started to feel like her father even though they were close in age. She couldn't figure out what the hell had happened.

Saturn transits grow us up. And the things we commit to during Saturn transits will not be easily discarded. She needed to draw a line in the sand. And he needed to commit. They loved each other, but had suddenly become each other's ball and chain (Saturn!). Ack!

Now this guy has a very challenged 7th house - multiple tense aspects and a very beneficial 5th house. So when my friend moved from 5th house (girlfriend, romance, fun) to 7th house (partner) she stepped right into all these strained spaces he was learning about through his dealings with equal partners. And he stepped into her equally tricky 2nd house self-esteem issues.

She now says she thinks all she really wanted was, "the respect of not being someone's girlfriend" and she wishes things were back as they were before. Saturn rules time and Saturnian commitments often have a "before and after" feel to them. There is no going back. They both stepped up to the plate to play a bigger game. They moved from the minors into the majors and will need some time to find a new rhythm. The good news with Saturn is that time is always on our side ....

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 11, 2017 - moth meet flame, rushing just creates more lack, know when to shut the hell up, a dragon in our path could be a dragon, could be a fire extinguisher

Runaway by Lukreszja

We know whenever the work week includes the complete Gemini Moon cycle it is going to be busy and we have other stuff happening that looks busy, too.

Rushing doesn't seem to get us anywhere faster though.

Remember we have had, through a strange set of circumstances, Mercury traveling with Mars for weeks and we still have one more week of this. This is fast moving energy and can lead to arguments and accidents. People will continue to be quicker to speak out, quicker to be annoyed and will speak out more forcibly.

The flow of information and daily tasks has been challenging to keep up with. Customers/clients can be irritable and want things done yesterday. Good advice (yes, from grandma) if you can't say something nice about someone, well then just shut the hell up (yes, my grandma was from New Jersey).

The Course in Miracles teaches we have two ways we can respond - through love or through fear. Love knows when to shut up. This can be the harder, higher ground. Fear requires little regulation of ourselves as we blather out something to eradicate our anxiety or cement our identity. Let's choose the higher ground this week.

All the chaotic energy that is trampling on Mother Earth's body is trampling ours, too.

There are multiple situations converging, but the Mars/Mercury piece of the puzzle (just a few more days of this one!) is impacting our liver (perfect storm for something like a bladder infection or digestive issues), stomach/solar plexus (2nd chakra).

This chakra is super impacted by Neptune's stomach churning storms (Solar Eclipse plus Pisces Full Moon ruled by Neptune and conjunct Neptune), Leo's fires (Grand Fire Trine, Eclipse, more anxiety!), dis-empowering lies and the media blasting "catastrophe" at us 24 hours a day. This chakra really needs healthy boundaries. If we are feeling something like "I can't digest all this information" or "I have lost my center" or the feeling that our gut instincts are letting us down - it's time to reset our boundaries here.

(and on the flip-side some people's boundaries are drawn so tight - we can be so sure we are right and that what we believe is TRUE - that tightness and rigidity creates similar issues with an out-of-balance 2nd chakra. I know someone who can literally only eat three different foods.)

Life on planet Earth is not for sissies folks.

Flipping that pancake and checking out the positive side (yes, that will be the side with the most visible blueberries)- Mercury/Mars, now that both are in Virgo and moving forward, is good energy for learning and applying our skills - not bad energy for back-to-school if the teachers can keep the kids from bickering and in their seats!

On MONDAY, the Moon will be void until 3:29PM EDT. This is not a good time to start anything new if we want something to come of it (so if you are filing a late tax return or something you want 'nothing to come of' this would be a green light).

Even void the Taurus Moon (ruler of our resources) and the Virgo Sun (ruler of work and service) can get alot done. Work efficiently with what you already have.

After the void, the Moon enters communicative and multi-tasking Gemini squaring Mercury (Gemini's ruler) and Mars. This would not be a good time for any kind of challenging conversation because people can be testy and words sharper than we intended. We could say/do things in haste that we might regret later. Try to avoid rushing - especially if you are a fire sign - Aries, Leo or Sagittarius. Good timing if a hard-headed (hopefully not heart-less, remember that North Node in Leo), strategic game plan needs to be announced/implemented, but not everyone is going to like it.

Jupiter (in Libra) is trining (brakes off) the South Node in Aquarius. This could be a smooth/simple opportunity to interject something Aquarian into a group or social situation. Maybe it's our freak flag - whatever makes us uniquely ourselves. Something quirky, new and innovating (or rebellious - Aquarius is that, too, of course) creates expansion and "luck" now. Since we are talking about the South Node of what we are releasing, we could be stepping away from something that is "distracting or distancing" ourselves from others (technology? many people are without electricity right now). We get lucky by getting involved and being ourselves - just keep in mind that Mercury and Mars are squaring the Moon and take your time, know when to shut the hell up.

On TUESDAY, Venus (in Leo) is trining (brakes off) Saturn (in Sagittarius). This is excellent energy for manifesting into physical form (Saturn) what we want (Venus). This energy is in play all week. This is still Saturn so results come through work and time, but they do come. The investments we make now (love, money, what we already have, women, beauty, self-esteem, values) can pay off later. We can also see the results of our prior labors this week and next.

On WEDNESDAY, the fly in the ointment (damn flies) to yesterday's exact Venus/Saturn trine is today's Sun square Saturn. This could take us back to something started when the Sun met up with Saturn back in December. With the Sun ruling the Leo North Node of our collective way forward AND our HEART this obstacle/restriction/wall is actually a positive. In both the same way all obstacles are positive in the end when we look back at what we have learned and in the sense, at this particular time in our history with the collective way forward about following our HEART - whatever stands in the path of that will need to be dealt with.

For now it might look like a fire breathing dragon. And in fact it could be an actual fire breathing dragon, but it could be the dragon that will lead us directly to the acquisition of the fire extinguisher that we will need moving forward. Whatever we use - skill, resources, etc - to get around or over this thing is going to be needed later on, too. We have the Sun in Virgo and Virgo loves to make something. We might have to build it as we go.

Any tension or challenges now that come up are part of the process that gets all of us to a happier space. Yes, we will have to deal with whatever comes up now, but life is magical and we get the square at precisely the right time - Virgo season! - so we'll use that Virgo Sun to fix what needs fixing here. It doesn't have to be a perfect fix and it won't be some big, splashy thingamajig. Virgo rules the small, practical steps that are helpful. Work small with whatever is challenging while keeping your heart (North Node Leo) firmly fixated on what you WANT (that Venus!).

The Moon goes void at 2:35PM EDT.

On THURSDAY, Venus (still in fiery Leo and approaching the eclipse degree next week - that's when the benefits of that monster Solar Eclipse will become more visible) meets up with the North Node of our collective destiny. Pay attention to what comes to your attention now. Maybe a woman comes into your life and moves your whole story forward somehow. This is the energy for desire (Venus) to meet up with whatever it takes to make the desire come true. Moth meet flame. We'll talk more about Venus's journey this week in the dailies including a sextile (opportunity) with big-time opportunity maker Jupiter on FRIDAY.

Lots more to write about including Mars and Mercury's final exact conjunction on Saturday, but I am out of time this morning. I have a largish store order to get to and another store owner who wants a face-to-face skype - which means I have to think about what my own face looks like this morning. Which reminds me with all this Venus we will want to be looking our best this week (and next week). It will make us more attractive - ie more able to attract what we want.

Venus loves all the lace and polish and we want her on our team now. We will be a stronger channel for our favorite muse's energy if we take a little extra care with ourselves.

xo all