Today's Lunar Forecast | tension, power struggles, the dead won't stay buried, the cat's out of the bag, going deep, all's well that ends well, watch for synchronicities, a light is thrown on our best path forward, stepping into the light

The Moon dives into Scorpio at 5:29AM EDT - we are nurtured through Scorpian themes for the next couple days - intensity, intimacy, power, the resources we've merged with other people, other people's values, other people's money, our spouse's income, loans, debts, taxes, inheritance, sex, reproduction, death/rebirth, third party situations.

She will square Mercury and then Mars after lunch before opposing Uranus at 4:20PM EDT.

We are dealing with fixed aspects now, so we could all be more stubborn and entrenched in our position. Tension. Stress. Deep conversations. Arguments. Power struggles. It will be easy to feel pushed, push back and get into a tussle. With that Uranus opposition, the crap we have been repressing, could explode rather spectacularly at any time.

(keep in mind today's energy will feel alot like tomorrow's Mars/Uranus and Sunday's Sun/Pluto - so the whole week is pretty volatile - we will need to balance keeping a cool head (good idea) with burying our head in the sand - not so good)

Finally the Moon will trine Venus at 9:28PM EDT, so it looks like whatever is shaken and stirred today will lead to greater balance, love, beauty, self-esteem or maybe we shift toward home/family to lick our wounds.

We also have the Cancer Sun meeting the North Node at 17 degrees. We talked about this in the weekly, but let's repeat it here:

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

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

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

This could be in response to all the lunar/emotional challenges today - us stepping up and stating "this is where I am going."

There is also a wide trine from the Moon to Neptune today that echoes and supports our Neptunian assistance later this week and really all year. Meditate. Go for a walk. Paint. Listen to music. Dance. Show compassion. Take the higher ground. Our past/ancestors/God has our back here.

We are in-between eclipses with Mercury retrograde uncertainty is likely.

xo all

photo by the amazing anyaanti

Weekly Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of July 8th - changing our mind, changing our direction, passionate words, breakdowns and breakthroughs, ego drama, preventing accidents and impulsive moves, following the path home, report card time, daddy issues, a battle of wills

This is a HUGE week. AND we are in-between eclipses in the eclipse spin cycle, so anything can happen - BIG changes ahead folks, brace for impact!

SUNDAY - Mercury stations retrograde
MONDAY - Mercury retrograde conjuncts Mars, Chiron stations retrograde, Venus squares Chiron and sextiles Uranus
TUESDAY - Sun opposes Saturn
WEDNESDAY - Sun conjuncts the North Node
THURSDAY - Mars squares Uranus, Sun trines Neptune
SUNDAY - Sun opposes Pluto

We have Mercury and Chiron both stationing retrograde. With the Sun opposing both Saturn and Pluto some situation reaches THE END OF THE LINE and with the Sun conjunct the North Node - here is our future - a more authentic future that feels like it makes us more vulnerable, but is actually the only, truly safe path - CALLING US HOME.

Mars - in loud and proud and ego-driven Leo - squaring an "anything-can-happen" Uranus tells us if we have been thinking about a BIG change (following our heart) - HERE is the courageous energy to make it happen, on the other hand - HERE is also the impulsive energy to burn a bridge, damage our reputation or make a very careless (possibly hot-headed) and costly mistake.  

There are multiple aspects this week, advising us to keep our EGO IN CHECK. 

We might have to eat some humble pie this week - let's hope it's key lime.

Fuses will be SHORT.

The Sun (in caring Cancer) is trining Neptune (in peaceful, compassionate Neptune) at the same time - can we choose the path of the peaceful warrior? Can we bring compassion to this situation? Neptune is helping us all week - our dreams, our guides, our imagination, our ancestors.

With Mars squaring Uranus and the Sun trining Neptune maybe something/someone could threaten some action and then the situation could dissolve or maybe they (or we) might back down. But there is so much other energy around endings and beginnings, and we are in the eclipse spin cycle, it is impossible to get clear on what will happen this week!

Let's unpack the aspects/transits and take a look at some possibilities.

On SUNDAY - Mercury stations retrograde at 6 degrees Leo. She/he will move back into Cancer on July 19th, station direct on July 31st at 23 degrees Cancer and then get back to 6 degrees Leo on August 18th (squaring Uranus!) and begin covering new ground. Until then we are doing the "re's" with our early Leo, late Cancer natal house themes. With Mercury retrograding in a fire sign we are re-thinking, revising, reviewing our actions, our passions, what our heart wants, what makes us proud, maybe a collective Leo theme like a creative project, children, romance, recreation.

We are moving toward some of the biggest decisions of our life, but we aren't quite there YET. A retrograde Mercury pretty much eliminates our ability to be certain. Between now and the end of July prepare for delays, mechanical glitches, misunderstandings PLUS conversations, situations and people from the past to re-surface.

We are RE-THINKING SOMETHING.

The Moon is in Virgo today so answering to Mercury and we have this month's Waxing Sextile between the Virgo Moon and the Cancer Sun, so there is an opportunity here to improve/fix/re-examine that Cancer situation - home, family, mother, mothering, family business, home business, renovation, relocation.

MONDAY is a VERY BIG DAY.

We have Chiron stationing retrograde. So, now we have Mercury, Chiron, Saturn. Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto ALL retrograde. If we were a book, this would be a review chapter for a complicated storyline, that requires the reader get a re-fresher before proceeding while at the same time introducing new characters and immensely important new plot-lines! Whah!

Chiron (in Aries) is going back over all the hurts/healing since January.

He squares Venus (in Cancer). Our Venus themes of love, money, our values, beauty, self-esteem (and women), already emotionally felt in Cancer (wanting to feel safe) might make us feel more vulnerable now. Difficult home/family issues are stirred up. Situations can transpire to show us any lack of balance, love, beauty, money or resources in our life. Hurts will connect back to very old spaces and other times we didn't feel safe - maybe woundings through our maternal history.

At the same time something is hurting, Venus (ruler of Taurus) is sextiling (opportunity) Uranus in Taurus.

So, NEW avenues are opening up for money, resources, self-esteem, changes to our values (or our natal Taurus house theme). What do we really want? New attractions are possible now. Change is good.

A retrograde Mercury is meeting fiery Mars.

Words can be used as weapons, and will likely have their roots in old situations. Choose your battles carefully. Our language is confident (hopefully not boastful). We are thinking/re-thinking on our feet now. Fast decisions are possible. Our words and actions are working together, but with Mercury retrograde we might make a move without really thinking it through.

We could change the way we are doing something. We could change our mind about a decision. We are re-thinking our actions.

We need to choose our words carefully and we need those words to be assertive!

I said this is a BIG day, right? I think this day will wrap-up OK thanks to Venus/Uranus, but it will take some frustrations and challenges to get us to OK. We've got this thing, don't worry!

On TUESDAY, we have a big annual aspect. Once a year the Sun and Saturn line up in exact opposition and hand us a report card.

We could hear a "no", we could say "no", hit a limit, have to deal with some kind of burden. A light shines on WHY we are being blocked and what obligations remain. We are being pushed in a difficult direction.

Saturn/Sun can also limit self-expression or bring father/authority issues. The opposition comes from something outside ourselves (appears to) - the action of another person or a situation it seems we cannot control.

At the same time we can see the way our own actions/thoughts have set ourselves up here.

This energy might not feel good. Saturn can be depressing because it is quite literally like a weight pressing down on us.

I am not going to write again about the need to 'step into our responsibility', work hard, do the right thing, yada yada. We know this. And we are just as likely to get off course by stepping into someone else's responsibility, working too hard or neglecting the other muses. Saturn isn't everything and he doesn't run every show as much as he'd like to (although for today he kind of does).

We are all so busy that generally speaking our highest ideal is not to have to do anything. We work so we can take time off from working. We do it today to be free tomorrow. Something is very wrong here, but for today I am too tired (and stiff-necked - ugh) to think too long about this. Of course, with a natal Sun/Saturn conjunction I do not often encounter Saturnian limits outside myself - I am much more likely to encounter a person/situation ready to hand off their own overloaded bag to me and/or to spend my time figuring out new ways to overburden/limit/commit myself.

We can honor our commitments. We can finish what we started. We can take responsibility for the situation we find ourselves in without judgement.

And yes, this could be a good situation, too - it's report card time!

We can resolve to move forward in a more responsible manner in whatever area of life we feel this pressure. And remember that 'in a more responsible manner' will have different meanings for different people.

On WEDNESDAY, the Sun meets up with the North Node (our collective way forward) in Cancer.

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

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

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

Cancer is ruled by the Moon, so think about where the Moon sits in your natal chart and what house is ruled by Cancer. That's your sweet spot.

On THURSDAY, Mars (in Leo) squares Uranus (in Taurus).

This is tension/frustration making us more accident-prone, easier to anger and liable to take impulsive action. We are pushing for something to happen or re-acting to something that is happening.

This feels like an earthquake.

If we have been wanting to make a disruptive change, THIS is the energy to do that.

But, if we are feeling the need to make some impulsive move we have never thought about before - we might want to sit with it/think it through before we do something we might regret later. Uranus pushes for change and liberation, but won't be around to clean up the mess when we fall on our ass.

With Mars in Leo - our pride can be easily wounded now and coupled with Mercury retrograde's meeting with fiery Mars on Monday - if we are in a situation where we are taking alot of crap this could be the week we just lose it.

We want to keep a cool head, but our head shouldn't need to be buried in the sand to do that. Note to self- get a fan.

We might have to take assertive action (Mars) to be seen/respected (Leo) - just be sure you are coming from a heart-centered and not an ego-centered space.

There are two trines to help us through this. Mars is trining a recently retrograde Chiron, and the Sun is trining Neptune. With Chiron in Aries - we act self-sufficiently/stand up for ourselves in a healthy way - we heal through independent action, through courage. With the Sun (in Cancer) trining Neptune - we act with compassion, we pray for answers, we meditate for a peaceful solution. We bring our highest self to the situation - ask your guides/angels/ancestors for help!

On SUNDAY, the Sun opposes Pluto. The Sun is in Cancer, but the Sun is the ruler of Leo and our ego. So here again we have a power struggle to shine our light/to be seen. Maybe something dealing with that home/family situation. Maybe career related.

Pluto's job here is to clear the way for our solar energy (inner radiance) to emerge without letting our short-sighted ego try to run the whole show, so it could bring us a battle of wills. Powerful authorities and uncompromising situations that put us in our place. A crisis of our self-esteem. Changes might be forced upon us now. This is really a self-destructive aspect, because we are projecting our shadow onto someone else, but we might not be able to see this!

This aspect can also bring tremendous focus and extreme experiences. Secrets can be exposed.

Remember this week is leading us to a big Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn next week conjunct Pluto.

Hang on loosely everyone!

Back with the dailies and we will flesh this complicated week out as we move along and add in the Moons! Get some extra rest this week - I think we will need it.

xo all

photo by the amazing anyaanti

New Moon Solar Eclipse in Cancer | July 2, 2019 - new opportunities for home and family, putting down roots, growing where we are planted, moving toward something more authentic, a new focus, a magical escape, the fly in the ointment is the unfinished business that can't be ignored, the dust won't settle until 2020

On Tuesday, July 2nd at 9:31AM EDT the Cancer Moon meets the Cancer Sun giving us this month's New Moon - happening conjunct the Moon's North Node makes this a New Moon Solar Eclipse. 

Let's unpack the chart!

The aspects are mostly wide - sextile to Uranus, squares to Chiron and Pallas, a trine to Neptune, an opposition to Saturn and then there is an almost exact sextile to Vesta (in Taurus). We also have (you can't see it in this chart because the South Node isn't shown) a retrograde Saturn sitting on the South Node and opposing the North Node!

This is the first total solar eclipse since the Great American Eclipse of August 2017 - the Moon blocks the Sun and the flow of energy to planet Earth is interrupted - focusing our attention on that point. We get a cosmic reset, much like a computer being turned off and back on and the program that uploads at restart is a little bit (or quite a lot) different than the one we ran on before.

Eclipses change us, and we, (vibrating differently), change our circumstances by attracting or repelling what our new self lines up with.

Eclipse events don't often happen on the actual date of the Eclipse. One tricky thing with eclipse energy I have found from personal experience as well as other people's charts is they often work backward. The thing the eclipse is "eclipsing out" or "bringing to light" can happen days or weeks before the physical Sun is overtaken by the Moon. Often almost exactly one week or one month before (or after). Then they play out over several months.

Cancer New Moons - and this one is powered up by the Solar Eclipse - are about collective Cancer themes (so, this theme is applicable to all of us both individually and collectively and then the theme of our personal natal Cancer house will come into play, too).

Cancer rules home, family, our roots, mother, mothering, our ancestry, real estate, country, patriotism, home businesses, family businesses, the root of the matter - our emotional security - this is where we get the new beginning - the Eclipse energy makes this more potent!

With the Moon eclipsing the Sun, and opposing a retrograde Saturn conjunct the South Node(!) there is stuff from the past that still needs to be dealt with. A limit. A rule. Unfinished business. Maybe a commitment needs to end or a responsibility needs to be stepped into.

An ending/outcome - and this won't be a total surprise we already know this is coming - is going to play a big role in the (more intense) Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on July 16th.  

And the two things - the more gentle beginning and the harsher ending/reality check - will be connected even if we can't see the connection (although we probably will) - even if they look like two totally unrelated things. Releasing something in one area - and yes, it can be pulled away from us - creates a more extreme focus for that Cancer house. For some people this could be about work/life balance issues, career changes, family issues, family history issues, the shifting of parenting roles or relocation/renovation issues. Also keep in mind both Pluto and Saturn, the bigwigs bringing us the ending are retrograde, so will be back at 24 degrees Capricorn (the degree of the "ending" eclipse in the middle of July) - in the fall with Saturn and in 2020 with Pluto. This transformation is BIG.

Eclipses (similar to a super charged full moon) will eclipse something out or bring something to light or alternately cover it up and then the New Moon seeding will activate the promise of any slow moving transit currently present in our life.

So we have the Solar Eclipse of July 2nd at 10 degrees Cancer - we are growing where we are planted, putting down new roots, creating a space that feels like "home", new beginnings with family/with our flock, becoming more authentic by not being afraid to be "vulnerable" - when she has outgrown her shell, the crab either gets NAKED, while she grows a new one or she DIES, and there is plenty of energy in the collective that supports "dying", so do you really want to live or not? - by being more compassionate toward others, by seeing vulnerability as a strength and not a weakness, by becoming more secure at our very base (and this includes financial security) through our own efforts. Maybe a man/masculine energy leaves.

Then we have the Lunar Eclipse of July 16th at 24 degrees Capricorn - I am not going too deeply into this one, but it DOES impact the Eclipse we have this week. Something from the past dies. We either transform/clean up the mess or the tower falls. And I am not saying "or" as if we have a say in the matter. We probably don't. If the base is rotted the structure collapses. A job could end. A business could end. The theme of your natal Capricorn house - the theme that is in play through at least the beginning of 2020 in your life gets a major reshuffling. We are releasing the need for control, nationalism (there are no national solutions anymore there are only global solutions), releasing the hold those old hero stories have on us, releasing the old rules, the responsibilities/debts that have us stuck, releasing fear of lack, letting go of dependence AND independence, stop being a whiny baby, stop being a clingy mother, releasing our worship of work and public pats on the back (let's start by getting rid of these stupid like buttons that are training us like mice in a maze). The structures/leaders we have relied on or hoped for will fail us. Maybe a woman/feminine energy leaves.

Both of these Eclipses happen the day before Venus changes signs. We could have a change of heart. A financial change. Money changes hands. Our values shift. Our self-esteem gets re-booted rooted in a more authentic and self-sustaining reality. What we see as beautiful changes. What we are attracted to shifts. 

Mars will change signs within two days of each Eclipse also - so our actions change, what we do to get what we want shifts, the way we express passion/anger, what we are angry/passionate about - big shifts. 

These Eclipses truly are game-changers!

This week's Eclipse takes us back to summer/fall 2001 when major Cancer/Capricorn themes were in play in your life, too. What did you have going on then? You can likely see patterns and themes connected to what you have going on now.

The New Moon in Cancer is always powerful because the Moon rules Cancer. 

Factor in the North Node and we get a powerful and emotional new beginning aligned with our path forward. Saturn on the South Node will not let us forget about the past - that responsibility we still have to deal with, but there is something new here now.

The sextile (opportunity) to Vesta in Taurus will give us an instinctive ability to focus on what is most important/sacred and something NEW TO FOCUS ON! Taurus themes - our money, relationships, resources (including the planet), our values - will play a role and with Taurus ruler Venus moving into Cancer the day after the eclipse it will all pull us back into that Cancer primal need to be safe, to be nurtured, to be mothered and to mother (ourselves and others).  

The trine (brakes off) to mystical, magical Neptune speaks of cosmic blessings - prayer and meditation can help activate these energies - there can be an "ease" here, aid from behind the scenes, from our ancestors, from our past, an escape hatch if we need it.

SETTING AFFIRMATIONS 

This is a powerful energy to focus our intentions and make affirmations on Cancer stuff : mothers, motherhood, self-care, nurturing, home, family, real estate, home business, family business, food, breast health, stomach and digestive health, gut health, SECURITY ...

AFFIRMATION TIPS: get into a positive frame of mind - always make affirmations from a positive place (positive meaning both happy and certain) - write your affirmations down by hand in script, speak them out loud - then release your attention from them knowing that your intention is known.  

Know these things are already yours.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of July 1st - 2019's wild card month kicks off, a change of course, delays, wanting what makes us feel safe, a new focus, powerful endings, bold action, intense and uncomfortable pressure

MONDAY - Mars into Leo
TUESDAY - Solar Eclipse (total) New Moon in Cancer (10 degrees)
WEDNESDAY - Venus into Cancer
THURSDAY - Saturn conjuncts the South Node
SUNDAY - Mercury stations retrograde
MONDAY - Mars conjunct Mercury (retrograde)

This is a huge CHANGE week with all three of our personal planets changing signs or directions and a total Solar Eclipse/New Moon in Cancer PLUS Saturn on the South Node - so powerful changes, beginnings and endings. The powerful changes that have been building for some time move into the next phase.

On MONDAY - Mars finally leaves emotional Cancer for fiery Leo. Last week, Mercury entered Leo and our words/thinking/ideas got bolder. Now, Mars follows and pulls our actions and what we have to do to get what we want into new territory.

If you are a Leo Sun (or other fixed sign - Aquarius, Taurus, Scorpio) this transit is going to wake you up. If you are an Aries rising or a Scorpio rising (your chart is ruled by Mars) this is going to wake you up. Everyone's natal Leo house is waking up BIG TIME!  

We will all feel this one.

The great thing about Mars in Leo is that it not only provides that Martian kick off at the starting line, it also provides the Leo ability to stick with it once we get it started!

Leo is the sign of the lion - the king of the jungle. One of the best ways to understand the king of the jungle is to understand the little lions we keep in our homes - those creatures called cats.

Everyone who "owns" a cat knows what a misnomer this word is when applied to the feline species. Cats can't be "owned". We know it and they know it. It is perfectly natural for them to convey an attitude of comfortable superiority.

This energy, this "presence" is what Leo is all about.

Everyone has Leo somewhere in their natal chart - a space we are meant to feel "comfortably superior". Ruled by the Sun, this is an area of life (in addition to our Sun sign) we are meant to SHINE. We are all about to get a whole lot more shiny.

This is a great time to take action with something we are passionate about. Leo energy will not be ignored and doesn't like to wait, so if something needs to happen now - tomorrow's Eclipse will almost certainly force our hand with this.

If we need courage, if we need confidence, if we need attention - this transit will provide the fiery push to take the action we need to take. Mars will be in Leo until August 18th.

On TUESDAY - the Cancer Moon meets the Cancer Sun widely conjunct the Cancer North Node giving us a Total Solar Eclipse in Cancer (10 degrees). This is the first total solar eclipse since the "Great American Eclipse" of August 2017 and this is a New Moon - so bringing new opportunities and fresh beginnings and at the same time eclipsing something "out" of our life or out of our way.

HERE is the post about the eclipse.

On WEDNESDAY - Venus (love, money, values, resources, self-esteem, women, beauty) moves into Cancer until July 27th.

Cancer Suns and Cancer risings become more attractive - both able to attract what they want and easier on the eye. All of our Cancer houses become more attractive, too.

Venus themes will be emotionally tended to. We will require more emotional connection to feel safe and secure.

We will want (or feel the lack of) whatever feels like nurturing to us.

Home becomes a more valuable space. Family is a resource.

Our empathy increases along with our hurt feelings when we don't get what feels like "mom and apple-pie".

What we want (Venus) is to feel safe (Cancer).

The active feminine energy (Venus) connects with the responsive feminine energy (Moon). What we need (Cancer) meets what we want (Venus).

The fly in the ointment with Venus in Cancer is the kind of smothering/mothering that suffocates or we overindulge ourselves in some unhealthy way or we have an unrealistic expectation of someone else filling some childhood need. Watch for emotions that are "over-the-top" compared with what is actually happening. What are we storing that is triggering these emotions?

On THURSDAY - Saturn conjuncts the South Node at 15 degrees Capricorn. Saturn is retrograde, so this is a repeating aspect we first experienced back on April 30th. This is a MAJOR ENDING or turning point, but with Saturn retrograde this is happening slowly (we will be back here at the end of September). The clock is ticking down. This is also a time when results can come in from the work we did (or didn't do) in the past.

On SUNDAY - MERCURY STATIONS RETROGRADE. He/she stations in Leo and will move back into Cancer. We are rethinking our Leo house theme, rethinking what our heart wants, reworking our relationship to a child/children or to a creative project - expect delays, mechanical glitches, over reactions when things go wrong. People and situations from the past can re-appear. Maybe something from the past needs a second look. Read the fine print. Double check the email before hitting "send". Rushing ahead while Mercury is moving backward can trip us up, but there are powerful forces moving things forward now, so this transit will be extra tricky.

On MONDAY - (this is Monday the 8th, we are looking a little further ahead because this one is important and already in play anyway) Mars will meet up with Mercury (retrograde).

Here's where we are re-thinking our actions.

This whole thing will square Uranus so we need to be careful with impulsive decisions. BIG disruptions and battles can start with this energy, so proceed with caution. Add to this the fact we are in-between Eclipses AND this meeting is happening in fiery and ego-centered Leo makes this energy even more INTENSE. Patience and self control will be needed and in short supply. Arguments. Temper tantrums.

These planets hang close together until the middle July - this will increase our energy and focus, keep our mind and actions on the same page, but also increase the intensity and pressure. Keep in mind we need to be thinking/re-thinking things through, and yes, Mercury is retrograde, so this is challenging - think before acting - keep a cool head. We need to pick our battles carefully or we will be fighting over everything. Mars/Mercury will be trining (brakes off) Chiron so important (very deep and very old) hurting/healing is happening this month.

Be compassionate. Know that people who are over-reacting are people who are hurting. This is good energy to stand up for people (like children) who can't stand up for themselves.

July is challenging and a WILD CARD month. 

The North Node in Cancer/South Node in Capricorn - the stuff that is climaxing when Saturn meets Pluto in January 2020 (Jupiter will be in Capricorn, too, by that time!) is IN PLAY big time.

The stuff we didn't do last summer, more likely the stuff we needed to let go of/change that we didn't take care of (when Mars was retrograde) will be kicking us in the ass.

If you read this blog, please read the eclipse post HERE.

This isn't about anyone else telling you what to do. You decide what you do. But knowing which way the wind is blowing and what tools may be available to you can be helpful ....

xo all

photo by the talented oprisco