Mercury Stations Retrograde in Leo | finding our voice, re-thinking what our heart wants, expect delays, mechanical glitches, give yourself time to think, expect over-reactions when things go wrong

anna-o photography

At 1:03AM EDT last night Mercury (communication, ideas, thinking, fast moving gizmos, transportation, siblings, our local neighborhood) stationed retrograde at 23 degrees Leo.

He will move backward (our perspective) to 11 degrees Leo through August 19th and then reverse course and begin moving direct again, finally covering new ground in early September.

If you have planets or points between 11 and 23 degrees of the fixed signs - Aquarius, Taurus, Leo and Scorpio - you will probably feel this retrograde strongest.

When a planet stations he/she is very powerful. I like to use the finger through a flame analogy - you can easily move your finger quickly through a flame without burning your finger, but if you stop mid-flame (like Mercury is doing now), the heat is much more intense and you burn your finger. We have seen violent acts in the world at the time of Mercury's station and this one takes us into a big (and rather nasty looking) Lunar Eclipse conjunct a retrograde and out-of-bounds Mars, so take extra care with your personal safety.

The usual Mercury retrograde disclaimers will apply for the next few weeks.

It's time to think "re".

Rethink, redo, re-examine, research, repeat, reunion, reminisce, revise, remove (clutter ie the stuff that gets in the way of our life moving efficiently), revisit, relax.

This is not the best time to plow full steam ahead with new things. It's not the best time to sign a contract because things will come to light later that require revision or our thinking (Mercury) can change after Mercury moves direct (September 5th).

It's a good time to READ THE FINE PRINT.

Use clear language - we need to be doubly sure people are understanding what we are saying and that we are understanding other people, because wires get crossed now. Double check the email before hitting 'send'. Mercury, the fleet footed messenger, rules things that are fast moving from our computers to our cars. BACK UP FILES. People and projects from our past can show up because we are looking backward.

Take extra care driving. Slow down. We need to give ourselves extra time to get where we are going. There will be delays - bring a book. This is not a good time to make a major decision and even small decisions will go wonky. THINK THINGS THROUGH. Be clear about the consequences. With Mercury going retrograde in Leo we could be rethinking issues regarding Leo themes (and the theme of our natal Leo house) - things we say/do in public, things we say/do with children, recreation, gambling, romance, creative projects.

Since Leo is a fire sign and fire rules ACTION - we need to be thinking AND RE-THINKING what we are doing. And since fire rushes forward and is impulsive we need to avoid making hasty moves after the re-thinking. We will just have to do things all over again if we do that because more information will come to light later and our ideas/thinking will change.

Be prepared to do the "re's" without any big pushes forward now. With Leo ruled by the Sun and the Sun being the center of the universe - we could be rethinking the way we present ourselves PUBLICLY.

Rushing, while Mercury is moving backward, can trip us up.

Taking our time with important decisions, hesitating, being unsure of which direction to take, needing to think things through slowly and carefully and allowing things to fall into place in their own right timing - are par for the course now.

With Mercury in the white-hot-spotlight of center-stage Leo we can expect people to over-react publicly to delays, mistakes, all the usual Mercury retrograde glitches. Leo is a fixed sign so people will be digging in their heels.

We can catch mistakes and catch up with MISSED OPPORTUNITIES. 

Someone could leave or someone/something from the past could reappear. There could be miscommunications. Stuff could break down. Delays are likely. Plans will change. We can't prepare for everything, but we can slow down and double check what we are doing.

Maybe something from the past needs a second look - something started before Mercury hit his/her retrograde degrees on July 7th. Go back over it. Is it still worth fixing/finishing? Does it stand out (remember this whole journey is in the limelight of LEO)? 

Is it still special? Is your heart still in it?

Until August 19th, when Mercury stations direct, it would be best not to focus too much on future situations, 'what ifs' and final conclusions - let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Let's take care of what needs taking care of in the present and the stuff from the past that has "re"appeared or "re"mains unfinished. Let's take care of the children and our inner child.

We are straddling two worlds now, sitting in the space between the three powerful eclipses -  this stuff is all working together in ways we can't quite see yet! Hang in there. We are all in this together.

xo all

Sun Square Uranus | unexpected outbursts, out-of-the-blue situations and people, getting ATTENTION, staying open to change, the white hot spotlight, healing by re-inventing ourselves

Seaside by rabbit888

Today we have the Sun (at 2 degrees Leo) move into square with Uranus (at 2 degrees Taurus).

This energy will play an important role in Friday's Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius (ruled by Uranus).

Uranus is unpredictable and will not be fenced in. Changes occur suddenly (although not always totally without warning). Routine is upended.

The square to the Leo Sun creates tension/frustration and speaks of the likelihood for whatever is happening to happen in a "white hot spotlight". Whether attention is sought or not here is hard to say. Ruled by the powerful Sun (center of our universe), Leo naturally seeks the center stage's bright limelight.

This week's situation will, too.

We could also be feeling any lack of appreciation or attention very strongly now. 

If we are stuck, Uranus contacts can attract people/things/situations that allow/force us to break out of stuck constructs. Or require us to see/act on things in a new way.

Uranus is the planet of genius and rebellion and 'anything can happen'. Now keep in mind Uranus only cares about getting us from A to B via the fastest possible route, he doesn't care if we land on our ass or if the route (like my GPS when I get near a certain body of water and it urges me forward although there is no bridge) drowns us in the ocean.

We will most assuredly wash up at point B, but we might not wash up still breathing. 

So when Uranus whispers in our ear "this job sucks, you need to quit this job" remember he will be out of town when the rent comes due and our wallet is empty.

On the other hand without his "quit this damn boring job already!" we might still be toiling at that job when our grandchildren head off to college.

Uranus rules the sign of Aquarius, our collective 11th house, technology, the future, electricity, social change, groups, equality, science, robotics, liberation, fast change, chaos, PTSD, trends, the genius, the rebel, the criminal, anything new and cutting-edge.

Uranus will always seek to overturn anything traditional or conventional that has outlived its usefulness.

Uranus is charged with disrupting the status quo. It rips apart our safety net. It tears up our contracts. It breaks up stagnant energy. It is electricity. It gets our *ss moving. Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury - the way Aquarius is the higher octave of Gemini - Uranus is like Mercury on steroids ... and we have all seen how powerful Mercury is.

And by the way Mercury is standing still and powerful and preparing to go retrograde while we sleep tonight (1:03AM EDT). We have seen violence and trouble before when he/she stations and this time we have the Sun squaring Uranus and we are building toward a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse - so take this seriously and stay safe.

Avoid unnecessary confrontations

(we probably can't totally avoid any confrontation now - our sharp edges will be rubbing up against other people's sharp edges and the rubbing is part of the polishing/smoothing process! - but let's not take things too far).

People could be impulsive.  

Please don't venture into any dark alleys with a flashlight looking for your lost cat. The cat will be OK - the nine lives thing and all, but I can't be sure about you.

With the Sun trining Chiron (in independent Aries) at the same time - changes that "re-invent who we are", particularly in a public way, can be especially HEALING.

xo all

the best way to deal with Uranus is to stay open to changing our mind and direction - big moves are not encouraged with Mars retrograde this summer, but tweaks, especially internal tweaks, are REQUIRED - expect the unexpected - maybe what seems totally crazy will make sense later on

note - with Trump embodying our collective Uranian energy something loud and unexpected will come out with him now and during this next eclipse - although it's hard to say, because eclipse energy moves backward and forward and we have been in eclipse season for a couple weeks - how much of this has already happened, how much will be new and how much is fallout ... with Friday's eclipse activating his 12th house Pluto - secrets will almost surely come out or come to an end.

Venus in Virgo Opposite Neptune in Pisces | when the fantasy clashes with reality

playing with origami cranes by holunder

Neptune retrograde has been very SLOWLY backing through mid-Pisces, and today, Venus, moving industriously through Virgo hits 16 degrees Virgo and opposes Neptune (at 16 degrees Pisces).

I wrote about this transit HERE for Tuesday.

This is Venus - ruler of Taurus and Libra - love, money, relationships, our resources, our values, our self-esteem, women, beauty - standing across from Neptune - modern ruler of Pisces and the ancient ruler of Jupiter - our imagination, spirituality, connection, no-boundaries, water, escape, victims, sacrifice, addiction, illusion, delusion, the things we put away/put behind us/ do last, hospitals, healing, our undoing. Venus is in careful, cautious, dot your i's and cross your t's Virgo and imaginative/drifting Neptune is strong at home in Pisces.

My natal Jupiter is at 16 degrees Pisces in my 4th house (home) and trines my natal Neptune which sits on my ascendant (self).

Neptune activity brings water issues - rainy weather, flooding - and because this is my 4th house usually leaks, etc. Little things, too, that only a crazy person like me would connect - like hubs drops a huge stack of ice cube trays and 100 cubes bounce to the floor and wet every crevice of the kitchen. The washer fills with water for no reason. Our backyard pool (remember we buried that above ground in the ground a couple years ago because we are cheap and think we're crafty) that has had crystal clear water for weeks no matter what the weather is suddenly cloudy and starting to grow algae, and with guests expected next weekend the problem is taking up this huge space in my brain - which luckily for me is kind of swiss-cheesy anyway after months/years of a Pluto transit - so has plenty of space to worry about this kind of crap.

Neptune in the 4th house, because it dissolves boundaries, sometimes brings insect/rodent infestations (also other unwanted pests including the kind that walk on two legs). Last week I bought some ant stuff because like a fortune teller with a crystal ball I knew they were coming and sure enough, late last night, while we slept, their little scouts invaded our kitchen. Olive started scratching (fleas?) and needs a bath (more water) today.

Now Venus opposes Neptune and brings our Venusian themes into clash with Neptune's imagination.

On Sunday I went to the baptism (more water!) for my brother's son.

I always wear a gray or black t-shirt (yes, always, I KNOW!), so was having trouble finding something to wear that was kind of "celebration church-y", but finally settled on a colorful, summery dress I bought back in early spring and had never worn. I thought, "wow I look really good in this - I need to wear more color!".

All afternoon and evening I was thinking "damn, I look good".

The next morning I headed to Madewell/Anthro to find me some "color".

Now, I knew the Venus/Neptune thing could make my money boundaries leaky too and encourage overspending, so I left my cards at home and brought $100 cash - which I admit didn't work - damn you Visa - because my hand found a loose card in the bottom of my bag at exactly the moment "more COLOR!", another really cute and colorful top caught my eye. I bought myself a kind of splurgy lunch and came home with my bulging bags which dropped to my studio floor with a satisfied plop.

Before getting back to work I decided to check Instagram, which I don't do much anymore, and a photo collage from the baptism/reception caught my eye.

WTF. I looked terrible. Really terrible. They were bad pictures, yes. Bad lighting and my eyes were half closed all the time - I swear I didn't get into the Priest's stash - but even beyond bad pictures the colorful dress (and safety pin I used to make the neckline a little more church friendly) didn't work in reality the way it worked in my imagination. My hair was a mess. I looked a wreck.

Ugh! Venus always seems to be hitting my vanity/self-esteem button lately. 

I grabbed the bags of goodies from my studio floor and tossed them in my car along with the RECEIPTS. This shit was going back. I was kidding myself and it was depressing.

Driving back to the stores I was thinking about the Venus/Neptune opposition, because although I write about these things I don't always practice what I 'preach' and kicking myself but then realized that even as I was kicking myself ("there is no point in even trying here!") I had only flipped the whole thing around again - I was still in a Neptunian delusion!

Drowning in anything is Neptunian trickery.

I am a Neptune expert, but he still gets me.

One of the Virgo (where Venus is), Pisces (where Neptune is) TRAPS is avoiding reality because of the whole perfection thing. We will never be perfect enough or have enough money or enough love, yada, yada, so why bother at all. It is a good excuse to 'escape'.  

I stopped the car. I pulled into a parking lot. I took a deep breath and sorted the stuff in the bags. I kept a couple pieces I knew I would wear, but took most of my purchases back to the stores.

When I got home, my feet were firmly on planet Earth. There was something I could do that was pretty obvious in those photos. I made a hair appointment. I tossed the chocolate donuts. Ack!

I have a family member with a Neptune/Venus opposition in her natal chart with Neptune on her ascendant (we are a family of people with Neptune on our ascendants) - she attracts all kinds of illusory partnerships. She sees all kinds of things in these guys that are not really there - with Neptune on her ascendant they see what they want to see in her, too, of course, until they see what they don't want to see and then things go bad. Then everything is the guy's fault. And it looks like it is. The guy's fault. The other person. The opposition. But she is really setting all this up herself.

Like is tricky people.

Keep it grounded today. Let's look at what we are avoiding because it isn't perfect. Check your bag for that loose Visa. Take care of your roots.

xo all

Astrology Forecast For Creatives | Week of July 23rd - unpacking Monday and Tuesday, wanting and wanting and wanting, something could be looking a little too shiny right about now

Perceive the light by anaispopy

I hope everyone enjoyed Sunday's relaxing sextile between Venus and Jupiter.

This is setting up an energy we are going to be working with later when Mercury goes retrograde off a square to Jupiter - we will get back to this later in the week.

I didn't have much time to write on Sunday so I am doing dailies this week. Let's unpack the first two days.

If you have something that absolutely, positively has to be done this week I would try to get it done on MONDAY, the Moon will be waxing in optimistic Sagittarius. Yes, there will be squares to Venus (love, money, women, our values, resources and self-esteem) and Neptune (our imagination, illusion. deception, escape) that will create tension and stress, especially with Venus in critical (though perceptive) Virgo, but squares get things done. It is energy we can work with. Sagittarian themes - higher education, legal issues, foreigners, travel, weddings, media, publishing - could be especially worth the effort, although not without some challenges.

On TUESDAY the Moon will go Void at 4:22AM EDT off a trine (brakes off) with Mercury, sitting very strong and nearly still in Leo and preparing to reverse course this week - BACK UP YOUR FILES.

The Moon will be void all day until she moves into stable Capricorn at 5:49PM EDT.

This would not be a good day to start something new or launch something you need "something to come of", but the trine to mental Mercury pre-void tells us it could be a good time for productive writing, public speaking, communications and commerce.

The BIG news on TUESDAY though - and this will be building and then unwinding all week - is an opposition between Venus (in Virgo) and Neptune (in Pisces) at 16 degrees.

Venus in Virgo has had us taking a closer look (like magnifying glass close or bad breath in the morning close) at our relationships, our money, what we want and what we already have.

In "just the facts Jack" Virgo, Venus wants to keep it real.

Now she moves into opposition with, and yes, an opposition is just what it sounds like, imaginative Neptune in confusing "unlimited" Pisces.

Neptune can dissolve Venus's ability to focus in on the details - things can get confusing.

Yes, more confusing than they already are, especially if this is hitting a planet or point in your natal chart!

It can be hard to tell what is real now. Maybe with an opposition to boundless Neptune we want and we want and we want. Things can appear better than they actually are, maybe easier to have. And those things that seem to be just a hair's breadth away from our reach are actually a mile up the round, around the corner and buried under 40 feet of cement. Remember with Neptune we are looking through water.

Things can fall short later.

This would not be a good time to invest/make large purchases since Venus rules money and Neptune dissolves. Bye-bye logical Virgo, bye-bye hard earned cash.

Watch for unrealistic expectations around love and relationships and women, too.

Oppositions can also play out as actual people - so if we are being dutiful Venus in Virgo with our head down in a pile of paperwork, we could come up against a dreamy Pisces-type person - maybe our girl Polly calls with a plan to ditch work and head to the beach. Or maybe we are the dreamy Pisces energy and our creative work comes up against a nitpicker-type who wants i's dotted and t's crossed in a very specific way that cramps our style.

This opposition CAN expand romantic/financial possibilities AND this can be excellent energy for spiritual growth - Neptunian experiences are designed to open us up and Neptune and Venus can work well together 

BUT we have to be CAREFUL, so we don't screw up and fall into some kind of illusion/delusion.

With Venus set to trine powerful Pluto (brakes off) in a couple days we will know soon enough what is true and what is rose-colored inspiration.

We NEED inspiration, we don't need to marry it or hand it our Visa card.

Stay focused - keep it real. Tuesday evening's responsible Cappy Moon will help.

xo all

back up those files!