Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of October 15th - important conversations and mind-changing information, disruption, the rising feminine won't go away, we are re-evaulating what matters, power imbalances, arguments, forgiveness, compassion, if we get through this week without burning any bridges we didn't want to burn we are doing pretty freakin' good plus a peek ahead to later in the month and the change we have been waiting for

*** by ankazhuravleva

MONDAY -Mercury conjuncts Venus (retrograde), Mercury squares Black Moon Lilith
TUESDAY - Sun opposes Eris
WEDNESDAY - Pluto squares Ceres
FRIDAY - Mercury squares Mars and trines Neptune

Lots of Mercury action this week - so expect to be BUSY with lots of conversations, information and ideas. Mercury is good for thinking things through, figuring stuff out and getting organized/getting paperwork done. The squares indicate potentials for tension,  communication problems, misunderstandings, arguments, computer/transportation/sibling/pet issues and also the potential for some NEW information to come in and totally change our thinking about a situation! Remember squares give us something to push against and move us all forward.

This is another challenging and exciting week - stay grounded, keep a cool head.

We spend much of the work week with the Moon in Aquarius so don't let yourself be drawn into other people's drama (we will have enough of our own to work with!). Back up a bit. Also back up your computer. Right now.

On MONDAY the Moon in Capricorn is going to sextile Venus (retrograding through Scorpio) - this creates an opportunity to meld Capricorn (business, goals, authority, responsibilities, structure, paternal issues) and Scorpio (finances, intimacy, reproduction, death, rebirth, sex, other people's money, loans, taxes, inheritances) themes and get things done.

On the same day Mercury will catch up with Venus at 8 degrees Scorpio.

This is when some information could come in or an important conversation could occur regarding our Venus retrograde (love, money, our values, self-esteem) situation.

With Mercury and Venus both also squaring Black Moon Lilith (the no-holds-barred feminine energy) communications/information could be intense and possibly controversial/disruptive. We could be going deeper with something - taking a second look. Venus and Black Moon Lilith squared each other back in mid-September so maybe something from around that time is reactivated. A relationship or financial situation from the past could come back around again. Remember Venus retrograde is getting us in touch with what we really value. We are re-evaluating things. Words can be profound now. We might be going back over old contracts and agreements.

Keep in mind we are heading to a kind of cross-roads with whatever it is we are going through around October 25th-31st when Venus will oppose Uranus bringing sudden changes and unexpected situations. Both planets will be in a Grand Cross with both the North Node (in Leo) and the South Node (in Aquarius) so whatever is going on will have the mark of FATE stamped clearly upon it.

On TUESDAY the Sun (in Libra) is opposing Eris (in Aries). This feels alot like yesterday's Black Moon Lilith energy and whenever we have a week with multiple aspects that kind of feel like the same thing we know it is IMPORTANT. This is more disruptive energy coming to light around power dynamics, the outsider vs insider energy, repressed feminine potential. This will likely play out within partnerships and the themes of our Libra/Aries natal houses.

The Moon goes void at 5:49PM EDT until she moves into Aquarius at midnight turning our focus to our groups, causes, the internet, technology, freedom, original projects, astrology (!) and the ways we work in tandem with other people toward joint goals - for the next couple days. People could be more distracted and detached. Let's give each other a little space.

On WEDNESDAY we have Pluto (in Capricorn) squaring Ceres (in Libra). This feels similar to the October 8th New Moon we talked about HERE. Power imbalances within relationships and with the ways we nurture others, the nurturing we require of others and releasing what has fallen out of season are ripe for transformation. The square speaks of tension/stress and possible extreme weather.

The Moon goes void at midnight until 3:36AM EDT when she moves into dreamy Pisces making us more sensitive and compassionate for the next couple days. The Pisces Moon is the time each month to focus on our imagination, healing, meditating, music, being in or near water. Keep in mind boundaries will be thin. Things could reach natural culmination points. Be aware of your addictive tendencies, any potentials for self-sabotage (and escape hatches) because that stuff tends to get activated during a Pisces Moon. This continues throughout THURSDAY.

On FRIDAY the Moon is void most of the day (8:27AM to 4:20PM EDT) so this is not a good day to start anything new or send anything out into the world we would like 'something to come of'.

Mercury (in Scorpio) is going to square Mars and trine Neptune.

The fixed square will mean no one is going to want to bend and arguments/disagreements are more likely. Mars/Mercury is a restless mind, a fast talker and words have the potential to hit us - and other people - right over the head. We want to be the first to think of something, we want to "win" the conversation - communications are pushy. Words can start wars here so think before you speak. Walk away from any loud mouth idiots. Don't fight with your sibling or neighbor. Did I say back up your computer? Drive safely.

The good news is that trine (brakes off) to Neptune shows us the way through the Mercury/Mars minefield. Trines are easy to miss though - so much easier to see the problem than the solution, right? - so we will have to reach for it.

Neptune says - release your grip, use your intuition, use your imagination, reach for peace, offer forgiveness and compassion. Meditate on it. Pray. Let go and let God.

Back with some dailies and the weekend stuff I didn't finish.

xo all

Think about where we are and how the astrology is playing out through us.

Mars is moving full steam ahead now - flying toward an unknown future in Aquarius. Venus is moving slowly backward, pulling our energy back into ourselves. We are beginning to feel more intuitive, more interested in whatever we are digging our way through, more passionately connected to whatever we have going on now.

This is all playing out through a situation involving something of GREAT VALUE TO US.

Venus retrograding through Scorpio is very, very personal. This is why the collective stories in the news now are greatly triggering all of us.

When Mercury meets Venus on Monday - both in Scorpio - this is IMPORTANT.

Pay attention now.

Information/clarity is delivered. 

Venus is still squaring both Mars and Black Moon Lilith, so the information can be challenging as well as exciting. Mars is trying to move forward and Venus is like, hold up there bub, we have something back here to deal with.

Now, next week on Tuesday - and remember you can experience/feel energies as they build and unwind and not always most dramatically when they are exact - but on Tuesday, the Sun is going to ingress into Scorpio, too - joining Mercury and Venus and Jupiter. And when the Sun gets there he will oppose Uranus (shining a light on sudden, unexpected change, liberation, the unexpected) - just like Venus did on September 8th and Mercury did on October 10th. This is three of our four personal planets in the shadow sign of power and life and death (Scorpio) opposing change-maker Uranus (in Taurus) within just a few weeks!  

This is why we have been feeling such extreme uncertainty and unsettling change. We are not in Kansas anymore.

The stuff that has been stuffed is coming up to be healed. And the energies are once again bringing us back to mid-May and the relationship energies that came up then and how we dealt with them back then.

And on the 25th we have the Sun connecting to Venus retrograde at 5 degrees Scorpio - in an exact t-square to the points where the North and South Nodes were at the eclipse last July - so mark October 25th on your calendar! We also have a Full Moon in Taurus that day conjunct Uranus retrograde - so opposing the Sun and Venus retrograde! Whah!

THIS is the change we have been waiting for! Are we ready for this? xo again

Sun Square Pluto, Mercury Sextile Saturn | power games and power struggles, playing chicken, use your grown up voice, just the facts Jack, speak decisively and honestly, grace under pressure, channel E.F. Hutton

Red Chief by anyaanti

The Moon moved into Sagittarius while we slept. Normally the Moon's first change of sign after the New Moon would help ease the New Moon energies - and it will somewhat - but with the Sun moving into a square with Pluto today (part of the New Moon story which is now exact) we might not feel the "let up" just yet. Some people will though.

With the Moon in Sagittarius for the next couple days, we will likely find our focus move onto Sagittarius themes (or the theme of our natal Sagittarius house) - the big picture, travel, stretching our boundaries, the media, legal issues, weddings, religion, foreign people, adventure, places and the things outside our immediate comfort zones. Avoid getting all preachy about something. Avoid taking anything so far it is dangerous - with the Sun moving into square with Pluto this is not the time for any limb dangling.

The Sun (in Libra) squares Pluto (in Capricorn). This is more of the power struggle energy we have been dealing with. Here is the "peak" of it (note - the energy peaks today, your situation may have already peaked). After today it will unwind a bit.

Someone is determined to come out on top. Someone is playing a serious game of "chicken". The Libra Sun tries to keep everything all cordial and balanced, but there is no balance here and the civility is only on the surface. If you feel someone is trying to control you - they are. If you are the one with the power and trying to persuade someone else (we call it persuasion when we do it and manipulation when it is done by other people) - take a moment here. This is the ultimate stressful aspect - whatever is happening can feel like life and death and it could actually be life and death, but is most likely our ego being squeezed. 

People will want to feel powerful. People will be using intimidation to their advantage. We could attract (Sun) a Darth Vader (Pluto). This energy also feels like trying to control our father/the powerful masculine. We could be feeling overpowered by life right now. Keep in mind this is a transit. It is transitory. 

This is excellent energy for recognizing our own shadow, because we are going to see it in those around us, especially within our close relationships.

The good news, and this feels somewhat similar to the Pallas (Virgo) aspect that was exact yesterday, is we have an opportunistic sextile from Mercury (in Scorpio) and Saturn (also in Capricorn). 

So although there are planets in Libra and Capricorn squaring each other (tension/frustration) and they are major players we also have major players sextiling (opportunity) each other from relatively the same spaces.

So we have Mercury - our communication/thinking/ideas - being supported by sober and stable Saturn. Keep conversations serious. Use your grown-up voice. Actually, just be the grown-up in the room. That's how you get your power back now. Not with any manipulative tactics. Words are powerful. Speak wisely. Your power lies in what you know/communicate. Don't say too much. You know those guys who don't say much and we all think they're so smart - be like those guys.

Don't rush to agree with anyone using any bullying tactics now. Don't be intimidated and just say what you think someone in power wants to hear.

Be honest. And civil. Be the grown-up in the room. Put on your big-boy/girl pants. Be practical. Be strategic. Be serious. Talk about what you know.

Stick to the facts. Be that guy who doesn't say too much and everything thinks he's a genius. Speak decisively. Make every word count. 

Think "grace under pressure" now. 

OK - time to get on with my day. This week's astro is playing out very powerfully in my life. Will write about it this weekend to give you some examples. Try to enjoy this generous Sag Moon a bit if you can - by Sunday afternoon she will be in practical Capricorn and we will be getting down to business.

xo all

Mercury Square the Nodes from Scorpio |what is beneath the words, stuck in a loop, hearing what we might not want to hear, walking our talk, the unavoidable facts, uncomfortable conversations that are worth having, seeing the patterns - MAKING A PLAN

in.my.head by lunariya

Yesterday's astrology was so gnarly that although I wrote about it in the weekly HERE (Mars square Venus, Mercury opposing Uranus) I didn't want to put my thoughts (which are things) onto paper again.

Whatever this was for us - maybe unexpected or abrupt information, frustration - I'm not going to rehash all the possibilities. We know these are challenging times and this week is particularly harsh.

Our Scorpio house is stressed.

After her opposition with Uranus yesterday, Mercury slips into square with the North and South Nodes of the Moon today (2 degrees - Scorpio, Aquarius, Leo).

This indicates an important piece of information comes to us now - maybe something we don't want to know, but just as likely something that points us in a particular direction. There is a conversation/discussion to be had and with that Venus/Mars square still so tight - it could be confrontational and might be connected to something from the past.

Venus (as us) is swimming backward through the dark waters of Scorpio now, so we are re-viewing, re-vising and re-turning to old situations. This doesn't mean we aren't moving forward. We are. It does mean though that totally new things are kind of "moving against the tide". So, when the tides turn (when Venus stations direct or when she starts covering new degrees) our fortunes with those things can, too. So, we could put alot of time/money/energy into something now that won't pan out in the long run. On the other hand the time/money/energy we are using to - review, revise and return - we know are being put to a good use. Maybe what didn't work before, can work out this time. Old opportunities come back around. Remember, Venus is in Scorpio - the sign of other people's resources and the ways we merge ourselves with other people - there is old gold to be mined now.

For today - and you may have received this information yesterday - pay attention to what triggers you. The fight about the garbage isn't really a fight about the garbage. The uncomfortable conversation with your boss is important. That late notice is important. That thing your kid just said to you that made you hold your breath is important. That song that gets stuck in your head is important. 

We are being put on notice. That Aquarius situation, that is very old and very deep - the past life (childhood) trauma, alienation, what happened to us before when we spoke out/when we were uniquely ourselves, when we detached - is ripe for release and here is the information (that yes, could even come through the mouth of an a**hole boss or client) that pushes us toward that Leo North Node - our heart, our children, our creativity, our happiness, that stage that sits empty because it is intended solely for us and we are off hiding in the audience.

Pay attention to the facts that come out now.

There is a nice trine between Pluto (ruler of Scorpio and a hugely important player right now) and Pallas in "dot your i's and cross your t's" Virgo right now. Pallas is excellent energy for strategies, think warrior mode here (where we get to win) and in Virgo is highly effective.

So, make a plan. Step by step. One foot in front of the other. This isn't about making dramatic changes right now (although that Leo North Node does love drama!), but it is about taking practical steps. What has to be done to make the numbers add up? Do more of that. What is working? Do more of that. What isn't working gets cut. Get concise. Look for patterns. Think like a general (or an accountant!). Figure this sh*t out. These energies are activated within us now and want to work with/through us.

We have access to their collective firepower and remember both Venus and Mercury are answering to Pluto!

That trine to Pluto makes the practical VERY powerful right now.

xo all

(whatever news is playing out in the collective now - I admit I have stepped away from it for a couple days - will be important, too)

New Moon in Libra | October 8, 2018 - power imbalances, hard truths, holding ourselves together, planting the seeds of the old fruit, almost time to rebuild

The Catcher by Wonder Milky Girl

Some of today's post I am going to pull from MONDAY in the weekly, but some of it will be new. I thought, after re-reading yesterday's post last night, I might have colored it too darkly with my own current circumstances, so am going to break it down a bit differently here and we'll see if we end up in the same place or with a new vantage point.

The Moon entered Libra on Sunday night at 9:10PM EDT focusing us on Libran themes for the next couple days - partnerships, balance, justice, cooperation, diplomacy. Libra is the sign of relationship.

Before she meets the Sun at 15 degrees Libra (11:47PM EDT) she will square Saturn and trine the South Node (3 degrees), square Vesta (6 degrees), trine Black Moon Lilith (7 degrees) and trine Mars (9 degrees). Note she is doing all of this in the dark (balsamic moon phase) and in Libra she is answering to Venus, recently retrograded into the dark of Scorpio. There is stuff we don't know and can't see here.

The Moon's Capricorn squares today are us reaching limits, dealing with authority, hitting road blocks. The Moon's Aquarius trines (brakes off) speak of an easier time of it off the beaten path now. The Balsamic Moon is a natural time of endings and with the South Node in Aquarius those are supported now. 

She met with Ceres on Sunday, still in play now, which I talked about in yesterday's post HERE. By the time the Moon meets the Sun tonight, this aspect will be waning. The power imbalances within our relationship/situation have been made clear to us (personally and collectively) as well as the things that are out of our hands and any mama-drama we are working through.

Everything is leading us - still in the dark - toward that Sun. Now, unlike other planets that get illuminated when they meet the Sun, the Moon, coming between the Earth and the Sun, blocks the Sun's light. And like other planets when she meets the Sun we get a new story. We get a mini re-set every month.

Because this is happening in Libra we look to our natal Libra house (15 degrees) for the kind of theme we will be working with personally. Then we consider the general Libra themes (relationship, partnership, balance, justice, women, beauty) and we consider what Libra's ruling planet is doing and where she is.

We want to keep in mind with Venus (ruling our desire nature) retrograde  - we could be wanting something we don't usually want. And with the Sun - remember it is the Sun's meeting with the Moon that creates the New Moon - moving toward a square with Pluto (ruling power, but also death/the finality of situations) on Friday - any big moves toward that thing we want could set energies into motion that cut off other options. We might want to carefully consider any big moves this week because they won't be so easily undone later.

That square to Pluto (and general theme of relationship and other people) could indicate the new from the New Moon is forced upon us, maybe not totally welcomed, and grown from the seeds of something that has reached a conclusion - which I guess new things always are, but maybe it is somehow more obvious here. Maybe we are working through a loss of power here. There could be further destruction before we can get to a place to rebuild - like when workers go into a rotten house and tear down the old walls before the new walls go up.

Or maybe we don't have the power to make the things happen we want to happen or to get what we want from the place we now stand.

Neptune is making an inconjunct (that rock and a hard place) to the Moon/Sun, so something involving a Neptunian theme - self-sacrifice, self-sabotage, illusion, delusion, connection - will not be easily reconciled here. It makes me think things may not be quite as we see them - possible not quite as scary or, with Neptune ruling the 12th house of the ethereal realms, just being handled by larger hands than ours. We could spend alot of time/energy working out something we don't actually have any control over anyway.

Remember the energies influence us in subtle and not so subtle ways. Our stories are always in flux. We always, always have the chance to start again with ourselves.

(Astrology forecasting is like predicting the weather. The weatherman can tell you it is going to rain today, but it up to you whether you change your plans, bring an umbrella or just decide to walk in it! Take what is helpful, toss the rest, the Moon is trining Black Moon Lilith and Mars today, so make your own choices)

So we move toward the New Moon on wobbly legs having been unbalanced by the last two weeks, five months, 8 years - who knows. The New Moon's chart, a launching pad, is a lunar reset. We get a fresh emotional start (remember the Moon is about our emotions) with that Libra theme! Let's not waste it - set those intentions!

Now here's the part that is a repeat from yesterday -

MONTHLY AFFIRMATION TIPS for the Libra New Moon:

What house holds Libra in your natal chart?

This is our annual opportunity to restore balance here. Who/what do we want to partner with?

Get grounded - we have moved from an earth sign into air so this is important - always make affirmations from a  positive place (positive meaning certain).

It is a good idea, since the New Moon is literally a blank sheet, to work in a clean, uncluttered space and maybe right after a bath or shower. Definitely when you are alone.

I find affirmations are most effective if I speak less on New Moon days so my words will hold more weight when I need them to. 

I usually burn a white candle to help me focus and thin the veils between me and me. It also helps to channel ancestral energy a bit since I am always thinking as I move my story forward, their story moves forward with me.

Write your affirmations down by hand in cursive, we want the letters all connecting and flowing together. Speak the words out loud. 

I used to write my affirmations on strips of paper and put them into a bowl of rice so I could mix them around every now and then with my fingers if things got stagnant. Then I decided to burn them. I have written them on rocks and buried them.

This month, I'm doing something I did a few weeks ago to line up with a specific thing that happened pretty effortlessly afterward -

I'm going to write my affirmations

(astrologer Jan Spiller recommends writing 10, but I have found myself stretching to do that or writing the same things every month which feels silly, so I have worked my way down to 3 which feels like a powerful number to me)

on my chalkboard while burning a white candle - when the candle burns out, all by itself - don't burn your house down - I erase the words first and then clean the blackboard with water.

Some people store them until the corresponding Full Moon (in this case during Aries season next April) and burn them then. Do what feels right.

I don't think it's terribly important what we do with our writings as long as we are not pulling them out and checking on them all the time. Setting intentions is like baking a cake - checking on how things are going just slows things down.

We are not handing a honey do list to the universe! We are lining up with the universal energies of creation here.

And I wouldn't be sharing them with other people, which also feels like it dilutes the process or pulls them into our story. I was writing them on my blog for a few months, as examples for people, and that definitely wasn't helpful.

Then - and this is the important part - release your attention from your words knowing your intention is known.

Know these things are already yours.

 

xo all 

(please read MONDAY in the weekly for more about this New Moon)