Venus sextile Saturn, Pluto sextile Mars | rewards for hard work, money/love stabilizes, solid commitments, let go, go with the flow, using our imagination/intuition, a Full Moon and the Solstice approaches ...

Freckle flower by thefirebomb

Today's sextiles are in play now and carry us into the beginning of next week.

There are opportunities now (Venus in Scorpio sextile Saturn in Capricorn at 9 degrees) to stabilize a financial/partnership/resources situation. Think quality over quantity. Think rewards for hard work. Long term investing is favored. Disciplined spending and savings pays off. Putting the time and effort into a relationship will pay off. This is good energy to pay down/off debt or to start a savings plan. Relationships launched now could be long-lasting, security-focused or between a younger/older person. Think mentor. With Venus in Scorpio - people will be looking for a commitment.

What do you place enough value on to be able to commit to? Scorpian/Capricorn commitments are not easily untangled. Keep this in mind.

We show love through taking care of our responsibilities and honoring our obligations. Excellent energy for business dealings. Excellent energy for women to work with and step into authority now.

Venus rules love, money, our values, women and our self-esteem.

That sextile to Saturn (and sextiles are subtle) tells us the opportunities come through time and wisdom and doing the responsible thing with our resources/our valuables. There is a bigger picture we can be 'efforting' toward instead of bemoaning what we don't have (and I am not making light of what we don't have - Mars in Pisces has conjuncted Neptune and is heading toward Chiron - we are feeling our losses and they are not light).

The Sun is in Sagittarius. Jupiter is in Sagittarius. The blue skies are up there somewhere.

EXAMPLE for Libra/Libra Rising - Venus 2nd house, Saturn 4th house - this is the subtle (or not so subtle depending on your natal chart) stabilization between your money/resources and your home/roots. What you get out of this is going to depend on what you put in. Increased attention toward home/family can stabilize resources or stabilizing your resources (budget, goals, planning) can improve a home/family situation.

The Pluto/Mars sextile (again another opportunity aspect whose strength will depend on your natal chart) coming through 20 degrees Capricorn/Pisces is building today and exact tomorrow. This isn't a typical Mars sextile where we have to push for the opportunity. Mars is still in Pisces. We still aren't pushing (except me, last night, to remove some guy's elbow that was in my space at the movie theater).

The opportunity - and again this one is a stabilizing/sobering/lasting Capricorny thing - comes through letting Mars in Pisces be Mars in Pisces. Think sacred masculine. Think spiritual warrior. We let go. We use our intuition/imagination. We go with the flow.

EXAMPLE for Scorpio/Scorpio Rising - Mars 5th house, Pluto 3rd house - you are creating (5th house) what you are thinking/communicating about (3rd house). Of course, we all do this all the time, but the sextile between these power players - one personal planet and one outer planet - gives this more power now. Or words/communication with children/ a romantic partner are opportunistic. Use your verbal superpower wisely Scorpio.

In case I don't get back to the weekly tonight - heads up the Moon is in fiery Aries on MONDAY morning and combined with that opportunistic sextile between Mars and Pluto we should be feeling more energetic and ready to go. There can be some tension/frustration/maybe a power play/authority situation as the Moon squares Pluto - just keep focused on your long-term goals and the big picture - remember Saturn is in Capricorn and Jupiter is in Sagittarius - both time and luck are on your side now. Mars in Pisces says 'hold on loosely'. The Moon will trine the Sun in the evening - so the day should get better as we move through it. The Moon will go void at 2:21AM EST off a conjunction to a retrograde Uranus.

Get things done early in the week. We are building toward the Solstice which literally means the "sun stands still" and a Full Moon in Cancer. It is rare to have them both at the same time and then the next New Moon in two weeks is going to be an eclipse!

January is going to take off like a rocket.

For now take some time to recharge, get enough rest and extra sleep, get out in the Sun whenever possible. Going to do a big post on the year ahead as soon as I finish shipping holiday orders.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives, Friday, December 14th | a whole lot of Pisces lunar action - get responsibilities out of the way early, boundaries are thin, letting go, the cycles of life, emotional compromises, healing, creativity, don't drink and drive

Untitled by Ddenisee

Today's Pisces Moon is very active.

She (as we) is going to first sextile Saturn (2:31AM EST) then conjunct Neptune (11:34AM EST), then conjunct Ceres and finally move into a conjunction with fiery Mars at 9:18PM EST.

Now that I think about it, today kind of feels like the whole week's energy repeated and rolled into one day, doesn't it!

That sextile (opportunity) to sober Saturn while we sleep tells us to tackle our toughest tasks early in the day. Buckle down. Get things done. A focus on your responsibilities and doing what you have to do will pay off.

Just before lunch (EST) as the Moon merges with dreamy Neptune we could find ourselves drifting off course - this might be a good day to pack it in early if we can. This is excellent energy for creativity, healing, spirituality, but not so good for practical doings. Boundaries will be thin, stuff is dissolving. It will be hard to know where our emotions end and another person's begin. One drink at lunch could lead to three. One Netflix episode could lead to a marathon. Stay grounded. Meditate. Listen to soothing music. Pray. We could be caring for someone sick now.

With Mars in Pisces this month, for the first time in two years, things that are hanging on by a thread are more likely to let go - this is designed to be a soft, cushiony landing, but will depend on how hard we are hanging onto what is leaving. People, animals, plants who are very ill, jobs and businesses and houses that people are hanging onto by the skin of their teeth - all kinds of endings are possible now. Know there is right timing here. Allow yourself to hurt/grieve as long as you need to.

Today's boundary-less Pisces Moon elevates whatever we have going on to encompass more than what it looks like is actually happening. Grief about your dying ficus isn't really about your dying ficus. It's about all the other times something you cared for died. All the times you blamed yourself for circumstances and reactions that had nothing to do with you. You are actually healing the Redwoods and the Amazon rainforests with your tears. You are healing your relationship with your mother and the mother.

Today's Moon's trine to Ceres (if you have something near 13 degrees Scorpio you might be feeling this strongest) following yesterday's exact Ceres/Neptune trine, still in play, makes me think of the seasonality of life, the ways we move from one stage to the next through pain and joy, about the ways we are forced to compromise.

The Moon's meeting tonight with fiery Mars (a spiritual warrior in Pisces, but still Mars) speaks of a need to merge with the sacred masculine. Something here about being a woman in a man's world. We could be feeling defensive or feeling the need to defend someone. Watch for angry responses. Avoid dark alleys and risky situations. We are still not pushing. Don't fight for that last open space in the mall parking lot, because, even if you get it, you will be ruminating on the other person's actions all night or your own actions and it will spoil your holiday shopping. There might not be a way to actually win. Know this going into something, even if you decide to go in anyway. Channel Ceres - think compromise.

If we need to be assertive or competitive or get things done tonight this energy will help.

xo all

Note the Moon is void all day tomorrow until she moves into Aries at 7:44PM EST. A good day for reflection until that Aries Moon revs everything up. No big purchases or launches during that void. Sunday has some BIG, bold energy - back tomorrow with that.

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of December 10th - forgiving and asking for forgiveness, saying goodbye, uncomfortable and unexpected information, blue skies are beckoning, rewards for a job well-done

Apis Mellifera by zazielona

Let's jump right into it. 

SUNDAY - Chiron stations direct, Mercury trines Chiron
TUESDAY - Mercury inconjunct Uranus
WEDNESDAY - Mercury re-enters Sagittarius
SUNDAY - Venus sextile Saturn

Chiron stations direct on SUNDAY after five months retrograde. A painful situation (a very old and very deep pain) is being put in our rearview mirror and the trine (brakes off) with communicative Mercury speaks of information/communications that are healing and helpful. A time for compassion (remember Mars is still on course to meet Chiron later this month), painful endings, forgiveness, intimate conversations. Remember that North Node in Cancer - our vulnerability is our strength now, it is not our weakness.

We start the week on MONDAY with the Moon in goal oriented and industrious Capricorn. This feels like a Monday morning. Get to work early. Then get to work.

At 3:38PM EST, the Moon sextiles (opportunity) Mercury, at the end of his long journey through deep Scorpio. This is good energy for putting our feelings into words, being able to tell what other people are thinking/feeling, good for chitchat, commerce, conversations with women and the public. With Mercury having just trined hurting/healing Chiron, maybe it is contact with the serious "all-business" Capricorn Moon today that will provide some sage wisdom/inner knowing/stability.

The energy then makes a swift right turn, because about an hour later, at 4:27PM EST, the Moon goes void off a square to unpredictable Uranus. Unexpected situations can be emotional. Things can change in the blink of an eye. Freedom beckons us. We are drawn to innovation. People are moody.

With the Moon's move over the South Node (in Capricorn) just before that square - there can be releases, endings, limits dissolved just before that Uranus energy that urges they be crossed.

The Moon enters Aquarius at 6:39PM EST. Our focus might naturally turn to our natal Aquarian house theme or the Aquarius general themes of - our friends, our causes, our groups, the goals that bring us into connection with other people, the future, the internet, group projects, trying new things, unusual anythings, technology - for the next couple days.

On TUESDAY, Mercury (at 28 degrees Scorpio) inconjuncts Uranus (retrograde at 28 degrees Aries). We had this same aspect on December 2nd when Mercury was still moving retrograde, so it could connect back to then. Inconjuncts are the rock and the hard place. 

This is surprising (maybe revealing) and uncomfortable information.

News we don't want to use. This could also play out with unexpected and uncomfortable situations involving siblings, pets, your local environment, your computer or transportation (all Mercurian subjects). How this plays out for you will depend on the themes of your natal Scorpio/Aries houses.

EXAMPLE for Libra/Libra Rising (Mercury 2nd house - your money, values, resources, self-esteem, Uranus 7th house - partners, partnerships) - maybe news from/through a partner shakes up your bottom line or creates a situation where you have to stand up for your values/self-esteem. Maybe the news hit back around December 2nd and now you are dealing with the fallout, in a more pro-active way, since Mercury is direct this time. Inconjuncts are tough because there aren't any really good answers. We just have to deal with it.

(The 2nd house and the 7th house are not so naturally friendly. We have to get to the 8th house - where we merge more deeply with others before we put our self esteem/money on the line with another person. Lending money to friends - usually not a good idea. You get the picture.)

The Moon is in stubborn, detached Aquarius and squares Venus (6PM EST), no impulsive moves with love/finances please, and then moves into a opportunistic sextile with Jupiter at 9:33PM EST.

That's when we get a significant energetic shift - whatever is weighing on us is moving on and we should, too.

On WEDNESDAY, Mercury re-enters Sagittarius.  Mercury - the ruler of our minds, thinking, communication, the process and physical means of getting things from point A to point B, our local environment, our siblings, our pets, our transportation - comes up, again, from the depths of Scorpio and moves back into the "sky's-the-limit" space of Sagittarius.

The scope of information available to us broadens. All the little details we have been immersed in during Mercury's transit through Scorpio fade from view a bit.

It's like we have applied a wide angle lens to our camera. There is more to see (know) but less to specifically look at. Keep in mind Mercury is walking degrees he/she walked before.

We first hit this degree back on October 31st. Then we dove back into Scorpio - into the details, the nitty gritty, the intimacy of things, the bottom line numbers - and here we are, if we did our work - OLDER AND WISER this time.

Stuff that was delayed back then will begin to pick up steam again.

But this time our cards, and everyone else's, are on the table. We know what we didn't know then. We are full steam ahead (just no pushing!).

People will be thinking and talking BIG. Making BIG plans. Using BIG persuasive, language. It's a good time to sell your "whatever it is", but also a good time to be sold a bill of goods. Words and information could mislead us as our focus moves away from those pesky details and onto the larger landscape.

Sag's mutable energy is rather boundless and stretchy. This can be a good thing. Sometimes a very good thing. But it can also have its drawbacks. The fly in the ointment - always a fly in there even as the weather grows frosty. Damn flies.

The Moon goes void at 5:19PM EST off a sextile to Uranus - here is where that unexpected or unusual whatever it is can pay off. Unusual friends, independent moves, doing something different - can all pay off tonight.

At 8:38PM, the Moon moves into dreamy and imaginative Pisces - allowing our focus to shift to Piscean themes (and the theme of our Pisces natal house) for the next couple days - art, music, our imagination, what is hidden or put away or done behind the scenes, secrets, the ethereal realms, hospitals, spirituality, addiction, healing, dreams, endings, how we end things, what we do last.

The Moon is going to make a gazillion aspects from her Piscean perch and I will write about that - AND THE REST OF THE WEEK - in a later post.

Keep in mind that opportunistic (this is a repeat aspect, too) sextile on SUNDAY - which we can feel anytime late in the week and it will carry us into next week - between Venus (our love, money, relationships, self-esteem, resources, values) and Saturn (structure, our goals, time, yada, yada).

Whatever this is will take work and commitment - it could also provide a nice reward for work/commitment previously accomplished - and will be worth it.

xo all

New Moon in Sagittarius | December 7th - the quest, the kick in the pants that gets us moving, information that points us in a new direction, grounding in reality, our beliefs are shaping our future, the seeds go into the ground

It's cold outside, by Luna Lemon

Sagittarius is a mutable sign. The mutable signs prepare us for the change into the next season and this Moon really has her work cut out for her!

New Moons are the time to set new intentions and working with Sagittarius themes (and the themes of your Sagittarius natal house) NOW allow the natural energies to work with us.

As the Moon naturally waxes (grows) over the next two weeks, and really over the next 6 months, so does whatever our intentions set into motion.

Sagittarius is a fun-loving sign (ruled by Jupiter and ruler of our 9th house) that rules travel, freedom, adventure, legal issues, higher education, politics, the media, good luck, faith, religion, weddings, optimism, truth seekers, boldly going where no man has gone before, THE QUEST  -

it also rules carelessness, taking shortcuts, thinking we are right, making assumptions, throwing pink paint on problems and looking at something else, overconfidence, impatience and superficial fluff.

Besides the monthly lunar energy of "new beginnings" this particular Moon has its own relationship with the other players in the heavens based on its position. That is where the real juice of any particular New Moon can be found. We talked about some of the energies in play as we moved through the week.

Let's recap and see what else is happening.

We have the Moon meeting the Sun at 15 degrees Sagittarius. You can see from this chart the Moon and Sun all snuggled in there between Jupiter, who they have already talked to - the expansion, the quest, the skies the limit, the stuff that might be too much or over the top - and Saturn, who they are approaching - the reality, the foundation, authority, limits.

Mercury is DIRECT in Scorpio, he/she has walked these degrees twice before, and won't be totally out of shadow for a couple weeks, but he is still moving DIRECT. Retrograde over. Thank goodness. So, the New Moon chart has a freshly direct Mercury (he stationed direct just hours before the Moon), still moving slowly, but powerfully and with a focused concentration and ability to get to the bottom of things in Scorpio. He/she is sextile the North Node in Cancer - opportunities come through our ability to focus on what matters most, on our roots, on our home/family/nurturing and to not be afraid to be vulnerable.  

News/information/ideas come in now that can point us in a new direction - the direction of our QUEST.

The biggest energy at the Moon, though is Mars, traveling through Pisces this month, meets up with Neptune (ruler of Pisces) at 13 degrees. And those two planets are squaring - tension, frustration, crisis, the obstacle, the kick in the ass - the New Moon energies.

So, the kick in the ass - the stress that gets us moving is coming from our Pisces house and the fresh start is coming from our Sagittarius house.

EXAMPLES for a couple signs and you would need to check your natal chart to see what is exact for you or email me and I will check your chart for you -

SCORPIO/Scorpio Rising - Mars/Neptune in Pisces 5th house, Moon/Sun in Sagittarius 2nd house - the fresh start is in your 2nd house of your money, your values and what you really value, your resources and self-esteem. The kick/tension is coming from your 5th house of creative projects, your self-expression, what you give birth to, children, romance and recreation - so maybe you want more money for something here or there are expenses that push you to make more money or get more value from what you already own. The 2nd house (Taurus house) also rules food, so it would be a good time to make a fresh start - that sticks - with diet - the square from your 5th could mean poor eating through recreation/parties/eating out pushes the changes. Maybe challenges with a creative project (5th house) are pushing you to find a new source of income (2nd house). With the house of gambling (5th house) squaring your house of money (2nd house) you might be encouraged to spend BIG on something that isn't such a sure bet. Or invest too much of your self-esteem (2nd house) in a romance situation or a situation with children (both 5th house) or a creative project. Use some caution here. We have that Saturnian sextile indicating the opportunity comes through the long game, through the building of  a stable foundation for that financial dream. There is a reset happening with your money/resources/values/self-esteem - that 5th house square is your kick in the ass that gets the party started. With Jupiter in your 2nd house all year this area of life is expanding for you, lucky Scorpio!

TAURUS/Taurus Rising - Mars/Neptune in Pisces 11th house, Moon/Sun in Sagittarius 8th house - the fresh start is in your 8th house of other people's resources, other people's values, intimacy, other people's money, spouse's income, loans, debts, taxes, inheritance, investments, sex, reproduction, power struggles, life/death issues. The kick/tension is coming from your 11th house of your friendships, groups, causes, the internet, the public, the goals that bring you into relationship with other people, your advancement, technology. So maybe something happening within your group/causes/friendships is getting too intimate or invading some intimate space. Maybe it needs to be more clearly defined or needs a boundary - that Saturn sextile. There could be advancements now with that 8th house financial/intimacy situation. Just don't count your chickens before they are hatched and be sure you are reading and understanding the fine print on any contracts or obligations now. Your New Moon reset is happening in the house of powerful, and irreversible transformation, so changes could come at you fast. With Jupiter in your 8th house all year this area of life is expanding for you, lucky Taurus.

If you want to know where this is happening in your chart email me or leave a comment. For example you could be a Scorpio rising but this New Moon is not happening in your 2nd house - check for 15 degrees, etc.

The challenge here for all of us, because Mars - our fire/energy/ambition/passion - is in watery Pisces, is that the New Moon energy could be diluted. Opportunities wasted or we jump the gun on something that looks better than it actually is. We've talked about this Pisces stuff for the last couple weeks and it is in play for the rest of the month (and for the next six months in relationship to this New Moon chart and your Sagittarius house fresh start) - the whole avoid the pushing/rushing thing. Let stuff flow.

This New Moon is squaring that conjunction. So Mars gets to Neptune - our actions meeting the dream - at the same time the Moon is reaching the Sun in the sign of expansion and "luck". On the surface this looks like a good, maybe great, thing. Like the whole 'leap and the net will appear' thing, but with Neptune and Jupiter both energies that are impossible to pin down - it is hard to know just how big the holes in that net actually are and if we will get all tangled up in it.

Pallas is inconjunct the Mars/Neptune conjunction from her space in partnership/balance focused Libra. An inconjunct is a rock and a hard place. Maybe the dream/escape/addiction - whatever we are doing with the Mars/Neptune - isn't so compatible with our relationship strategies, with whatever we need to keep our relationships with other people in balance.

The good news - Saturn is sextile (opportunity) the Mars/Neptune energies - and he is strong and stable in Capricorn - this can keep our New Moon expectations more grounded in reality.  

Which although it can sound/feel like a drag on the Sagittarius blue skies, can actually aid us in getting what we want here!

The New Moon has some challenges, but, honestly nothing happens without some challenges; some friction to create change! 

And we will see in our own lives it is the problem/the friction/the obstacles we face now that is forcing us to make real this New Moon's offerings.

This Moon has a real Christmas-y, miracles, anything-can-happen feel to it. 

We just need to keep our expectations in check to avoid waking up on Christmas morning that disappointed kid with six pairs of socks in a box where a Barbie dream house should have been.

We could get the Barbie dream house - that Sag New Moon, that Saturn sextile to the squaring energies - but it might not be magically tossed down our chimney and under our tree.

We are going to have to believe in the dream (yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus).

And we are going to have to build it. This is going to be work, but that is OK with us, because the building/the work will be part of the quest; part of the fun.

It will be like we look at our watch (if we still wore a watch) and we've put in 8 hours of work, but we didn't notice because the work was fun. 

This energy plays out until the Sagittarius Full Moon next June.

As always, write your New Moon intentions down by hand in script. Use strong ink and a clean sheet of paper. Do this in a quiet, respectful manner in a clean space. Light a candle.

Trust the process. We have cast our spell.

People always say that affirmations "only work if we take action". And this is true, but not in the way some people think because the affirmation is action.

It sets the energy in motion.

Words are not just words.

If done properly, in the right frame of mind, they line us up energetically with the thing we are seeking.

The New Moon is a time of darkness.  

Think seeds in the ground. Our words are our seeds.

We only get 3 fire New Moon a year folks, let's not waste this one! Set your intentions around your Sagittarius house themes and/or general Sagittarius themes. Take action without pushing or rushing. Meditate. Pray. Avoid drugs/alcohol/addictions. Make art. Color.

Seeds go into the ground. Hands get dirty. Muscles get tired. Backs get strengthened.

Mercury is sextile the North Node of Fate so pay attention to news/information that comes in. Conversations can point us in a new direction. Ideas can pop into our head. Books can fall off their shelves and into our laps. Read them.

xo all