Today's Astrology Forecast | September 30, 2019 - nurtured by getting to the bottom of things, the power in our core, intense emotions, taking the time to appreciate the darkness

The Moon dives into Scorpio at 5:42AM EDT - we are nurtured through intense and sometimes uncomfortable emotions, mysteries, getting to the bottom of things, truth, therapy, puzzles, research, focus, intimacy.

Our focus turns to Scorpian/Plutonian themes - third party situations, other people's money, spouse's income, inheritance, taxes, finances, sex, reproduction, death/birth, power, control, manipulations, jealousy, compulsions.

AND with Mercury moving into Scorpio on Thursday as Pluto (ruler of Scorpio) stations direct - this is pretty much (toss in Libra themes of relationships, balance, justice, women and beauty) a to-do list of the week.

The Moon will oppose a retrograde Uranus at 2:55PM EDT. Shake ups in our Taurus house - money, our values, self-esteem and resources. The Scorpio/Taurus polarity of ours vs mine, maybe - or our ambitions vs what we really value. The Sun is in Libra - think cooperation, diplomacy, creating win-wins.

With Uranus retrograde any surprising situation/news, etc, isn't really totally new or totally unexpected, no matter what we tell ourselves (or other people) about how shocked we are. Good energy to try something new and break out of a rut or dark mood.

Pallas (in, you guessed it, Scorpio) is trining (brakes off) the North Node in Cancer. There are strategies for moving ahead available, into our most nurturing and comfortable future, if we are willing to go deep and be honest with ourselves.

New answers to very old problems. New, smart strategies.

It's dark outside.

Scorpio dark, which is pretty freaking dark.

This can be our stumbling block - we can't see clearly the emerging and amazing new life that is being born - or this can be the time we plant seeds that grow deep roots. Lots of amazing things happen in the dark - an entirely new world springs to life and if we aren't afraid to move through our days without light - we can be empowered in new and mysterious ways by being part of this transformation this week.

Scorpio rules our 8th house; our shadows. The things we don't speak of in polite (Libra) conversations. With Mercury in Libra it will be hard to make important decisions (so wait a couple days if you can, this will get easier every day) as we will tend to overthink both sides. And win-wins are complicated. Scorpio can help. Scorpio can put us, through our shadows, in touch with our authentic power - the stuff that is only strengthened when shared/merged.

We are moving through a world with too much information. It is overwhelming our nervous systems and we can't tell truth from bullshit or magic from babble. We are moving toward a world where no one else will have the answers for us. Maybe we have always lived in this world, but are just asking deeper questions now or maybe the world has evolved along with us.

This very Plutonian week is not a time to give our power away. We don't have to wait until we know what we're doing to know what we're doing when we are moving through life from our center. It doesn't give us permission to just power through and be a total asshole though.

Plutonian changes can bring up alot of fear/emotional attachment. Know this and take care of yourself. Hang on loosely. Don't be afraid to look under the covers/under the hood/into the dark spaces, but don't be an idiot by blindly, and maybe dangerously, crashing about either. Saturn is still barely moving - take your time.

It's Libra season - strive for balance. And if we achieve this 10% of the time we are probably doing something right.

xo all

photo by the amazing thefirebomb

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 30, 2019 - the death that was postponed, changing course, deep conversations, truth, actions trigger reactions, doing it together

An INTENSE/Scorpionic week folks as two inner planets change signs and the lord of the underworld wakes up! 

SUNDAY - Sun inconjunct Uranus
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY - Venus squares Pluto
THURSDAY - Pluto stations direct (20 degrees Capricorn), Mercury into Scorpio
FRIDAY - Mars into Libra

The week begins with a tricky rock and a hard place - we talked about this a bit in the New Moon post HERE. Uranus inconjunct the Sun. Uranus in Taurus is requiring changes to our values, our wallets, the way we make and save money, our resources, our self-esteem. With the Sun in Libra - these changes are throwing us out of balance/might be seen as unfair/are impacting our relationships.

The inconjunct requires a balancing of the ideal against the real in some way - a need to weigh options. Sometimes we have to give up something to get something else - but the price paid can be so high that the satisfaction when we get what we want is greatly lessened. The rock or the hard place. So no fast, unbalanced moves. Life has shifted and we need to acclimate to this. It's a time of adjustment. Focus on the future.

The Sun is going to square the North and South Nodes next week. A challenge/pivot point. A light is thrown on a bridge between our past and future or maybe a light is thrown on a skipped step. If we are dealing with big changes/challenges it might be good to gain some balance and perspective this week as we build toward that.

On WEDNESDAY, Venus (home in Libra) squares a retrograde Pluto in Capricorn. Here are attractions that are out of balance. There could be power struggles over what we want. Compulsions. Jealousy. There might be a need to confront some relationship/financial secrets. What we want could feel like life and death now. Avoid manipulations and trying to control other people out of this fear. Somehow we must pivot around a threat of loss. Or figure our way around an actual loss because

On THURSDAY - Pluto stations direct - the death that was postponed/the mess that needed to be cleaned up - here we go. Pluto forges ahead again - bent on deconstructing the old order.

Pluto direct speaks of a loss (this could have already happened with Saturn's station a few days ago in the same sign), a total transformation or change of course of some part of our life and/or real empowerment.

Pluto stations direct on the degree Saturn stationed retrograde last April, so events now can again be connecting us back to that time (there is actually a reason I did an April monthly and left it on the bottom of the blog!).

If you have planets or points near 20-22 degrees of the cardinal signs (the middle degrees, too, are feeling something similar with Saturn on the South Node) - you are no doubt feeling this (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn).

Now that Pluto is direct - there is nothing stopping his fated meet up with Saturn on January 12, 2020 - their first meeting in Capricorn (our ambitions, goals, the patriarchy, government, structure, our careers) in 507 years. At the end of this year, Jupiter will join them in Capricorn and we will be in totally uncharted territory (one reason for all these endings/releases/karmic clean-ups and free-ups).

Pluto's direct station (as Mercury dives into Scorpio) is a time for truths to come out. a time for us to consider things we didn't want to have to deal with/think about - the stuff we shoved into closets and pushed under carpets. Situations that require authentic Plutonian power (a kind of fearlessness; a sense of being past-death) - from intimate and honest financial or sexual conversations to indomitable power moves in business are likely.

Also on THURSDAY, Mercury dives into Scorpio.

This is excellent energy for deep (Scorpio) investigation/research (Mercury). This would be an excellent time to go into therapy.

Instead of learning/thinking/communicating about a little of this and a little of that, now is the time to go "all in" with a subject we are passionate about. Our mind can focus. Multi-tasking will be harder because our intellect will want to sit with one thing for longer than we usually do.

I recommend the Netflix series Unbelievable for Mercury in Scorpio season. Good. With smart and complicated female characters.

We will be getting to the bottom of things and will not be satisfied with Libra's (Mercury's last stop) conversational civilities. We'll want to know, and think/talk about, what is really happening.

It won't always be comfortable.

The hard truths won't be blurted out spontaneously - we will have to dig for them. Decide first if you really want to know what is hiding underneath because Plutonian authenticity is not only transformational - it is permanent. There is no going back to "not knowing". Mysteries can be solved. The truth could come out. Secrets can be languaged and spoken out loud.

Difficult conversations will create deeper levels of intimacy now. If you are dating someone and you have sex (also Scorpio ruled) with them you can never go back to not having sex with them even if you never have sex with them again. The intimacy is still there. It will be like this with our words now. 

And once we know the information - we own it. It's our move (with Scorpio the move might be internal). 

It changes who we are and we ignore who we are at our own peril.

Careless language (disrespect for ourselves and others) and our careless treatment of other people's words (and their reaction to ours) will be karmic. Keep this in mind.

There could be battles for mental supremacy and mind games during this transit.

People prone to manipulation could be extremely effective (or someone will finally see right to the bottom of what we are doing - maybe that someone will be ourselves).

This is a time to take a good, long look at what we are really seeking when we are trying to make a situation/person behave in a way that pleases us. Think about it. There are gold nuggets to be mined now. Even tiny specks can be used to create great fortunes.

Scorpio rules our inheritance.

The fly in the jelly here is that we might think we are mining for gold when we are really just obsessing on the same old same old. Scorpio rules obsession and compulsion and our minds could easily go there now. Notice it. Don't judge it. Think about - "what does it mean that I keep thinking about this?".

Scorpio rules death, too.

It's not only what we dig up, but what we put into the ground that matters now.

With Pluto stationing direct at the same time almost certainly some words/language/story needs to be put to rest now.

With Pluto stationing direct at the same time Mercury dives into Scorpio - we need to be alert about our personal safety. Take care driving. No dark alleys. Use caution as needed to feel safe.

On FRIDAY, Mars exits Virgo - having done all the fixing, clean up and detailed work he could possibly do (although keep in mind since he met the Sun while in Virgo and kicked off a new cycle until 2021 -  the details of what we are doing and practical action will retain their effectiveness for all of us).

He enters sociable and diplomatic Libra, the sign of the other person, for the first time in two years.

Mars rules Aries, the sign of "me" and is uber uncomfortable and in his fall in the sign of Libra, the sign of "we".

Our actions/passions can get mired in indecision. Mars wants to just go, go, go and in Libra is required to 'see/interact with' the other side of things. There is more flirting than commitment (job hunters prepare for a possible extended interview or 'getting to know you' process). More passive-aggressiveness.

Fiery Mars in our collective 7th house of other people means our actions trigger fast reactions. That whole "I'm rubber. You're glue" thing isn't working. Or maybe it's working backward.

The more Mars becomes a smiling caricature of himself , a phoney Mr. Nice Guy rather than the warrior he actually is, the bigger the eventual blow-up will be when his (ours or theirs) Arian head explodes. We need to be honest about our anger, passions, actions without crapping all over other people. It is a balancing act and Mars' combat boots are not made for tight ropes.

The good news for the next few weeks and there is plenty - more fairness. More balanced actions. More social activities. More compromise. More win-wins. Doing it together.

Back with the dailies where we factor in the lunar action this week!

xo all

If you have something that really needs to get finished/cleaned up. Some responsibility or work you have postponed maybe - get it done before Thursday when Pluto stations!

photo by the amazing firebomb

New Moon in Libra | September 28, 2019 - a major conclusion, a fresh start for relationships, doing it together, putting humpty dumpty back together again

On Saturday, September 28th at 2:27PM EDT, the Libra Moon meets the Libra Sun (at 5 degrees) giving us this month's New Moon.

Everything has been leading us - in the dark - toward that Sun. Unlike planets that get illuminated when they meet the Sun - the Moon, coming between the Earth and the Sun, blocks the Sun's light. The skies are dark. But, like the planets, when the Moon meets the Sun we get a new story. An emotional re-set.

Because this is happening in Libra we look to our natal Libra house (5 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 Venus is doing and where she is. And, finally, we look at the event chart for the time of the New Moon.

So, let's unpack the chart!

We can see the Sun and Moon snuggled up together. Mercury and Venus are past the New Moon. The news/information has come in. The conversation has been had. The impact on our relationships/money/values is visible, maybe starting to be felt. Our masculine/action energy, Mars, is behind the pack. Maybe it is too late now for certain actions. Our hand for this lunation has already been played.

Still plugging away in Virgo for a few more days. Mars met the Sun, and launched a new action cycle back on September 2nd (in Virgo) - he won't catch up to the Sun again until 2021!

(so, in some important ways we will be getting what we want by 'doing our Virgo' until THEN - making something smaller, focusing on the details, making a list, growing a backbone, doing our job, focusing on the details, taking care of our health, quality over quantity, doing what is right in front of us, washing the dishes, skipping the cake and eating the f'ng salad)

At the same time the planet Saturn is crossing the South Node (the past, our history, what is ripe for release) EXACTLY for the final time (third of three passes this year) in his home sign of Capricorn. Responsibilities. Commitments. People leaving as soul contracts complete. Karmic chickens coming home to roost. Weights that held us down, but also kept us grounded GONE. Large projects completing. The consequences of our past decisions/actions or in-actions (even from our past lives or the lives of our ancestors we have agreed to deal with). Something has reached the end of the line. We would have to be blind (and yes, that Jupiter/Neptune square we have had almost all year has kind of made us blind, so please no beating ourselves up here) NOT to have seen this coming.

Endings loom LARGE now. But keep in mind every ending is a beginning, too. The New Moon speaks of this most of all.

Libra is the sign of justice and balance and beauty and femininity and LOVE.

And Venus, ruler of this lunation is STRONG in her home sign.

Moving off her square to Saturn and the Nodes (reality check, karma, fate - in play, but separating) and now EXACTLY into a sextile (opportunity) with Jupiter, who is barely past his own square to foggy Neptune (again still in play, but separating).

The Venus sextile Jupiter speaks of good fortune/expansion. More love. Stronger connections.

The Moon/Sun are opposing Chiron at 5 degrees Aries. New beginnings have their roots in the projection of old hurts. Injuries to our self-esteem/ability to take care of ourselves or stand up for ourselves, to initiate or to get angry. We can see/feel our own woundings through other people now. This aspect, too, is separating.

The New Moon is also inconjunct Uranus, so a rock and a hard place with change. And this one isn't separating, but still to come. A shock. Surprise. Something unexpected. A need to adjust to more CHANGE.

Black Moon Lilith is conjunct Neptune in Pisces. This speaks of the ways the stuff we haven't wanted to look at/deal with factors in here. Or maybe we've been lied to. Maybe we've been banished in some way or it feels like banishment. Maybe our need to stand apart from the group (be independent, be special?) created a kind of cloudy thinking and caused our own exile. Regrets. Grief. Maybe feelings of isolation.

Sedna is conjunct Vesta in Taurus - look at all the bundles of two in the Libra New Moon chart - how appropriate for the sign that deals with relationships! Vesta rules what really, really matters (what we would stay up all night tending) and in Taurus speaks of our money/values/self-esteem, resources. Sedna is kind of the opposite in a way - the part of us that wants something to come easier than maybe it should be expected to come, that part of us who doesn't read the fine print. They are working together here.

Pallas is moving toward a trine with the North Node - she's in Scorpio now. Strategies with big money/with what we are merging/by going deep/by being honest - this is exact in a couple days.

And here's something interesting that I am not really sure what to make of - asteroid Isis and asteroid Humpty Dumpty (yes, there is an asteroid Humpty Dumpty?!) sit exactly with the New Moon today. Isis was the Egyptian Queen (married her brother) famous for putting her husband back together again (with some help) after he was literally ripped apart (limb by limb) by his brother. So, we have magical Isis putting her spouse back together (and then having a child with him or maybe putting him back together for their child - it's unclear to me) and Humpty Dumpty, who 'all the king's horses and all the king's men' couldn't put back together again .... draw your own conclusions here.

(Does this mean our efforts to put something/someone "back together again" are best accomplished TOGETHER rather than alone, like poor Humpty on that wall , I don't know, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to type the name Humpty Dumpty, so had to toss this in!)

An interesting chart. Plenty of air this month. Plenty of cardinal energy to start something new. Big endings. New partnerships/fresh starts. New love. Turning our focus toward the future. Take the time to think about, speak out loud and write down what you want!

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. Usually when you are alone, but this month it feels OK to partner up with this.

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 when they have fully ripened (in this case during the Libra Full Moon next spring) 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

Today's Astrology Forecast | September 27, 2019 - busy, productive, overwhelmed but good progress in the end, don't go blindly crashing into new spaces, finish up

Our organized and practical Virgo Moon is UBER busy and we might be feeling this, too -

try not to let a need for perfection make you cray-cray now -

she trined Saturn at 4;49AM EDT (productivity, progress, getting stuff done), opposes a retrograde Neptune at 9:21AM EDT (clouding our thinking, maybe hard to prioritize/organize, maybe someone else or an outside situation appears to be taking us off our game/away from our plan, loss, emotional endings), squares Jupiter at 1:44AM EDT (expansion, something is over-the-top, overwhelm) trines Pluto at 3:19PM EDT and finally goes void at 11:57PM EDT off a conjunction with Mars.

The trine to Pluto in the late afternoon is grounded and productive. Good for business. Good for dealing with power situations/authority.

Venus is inconjunct (rock and hard place) Neptune. This is tricky energy and even trickier with Black Moon Lilith (the outsider female energy) sitting with Neptune. We could be attracted to aspects of other people we aren't seeing clearly. Maybe these aspects don't even exist. We somehow can't tell what is valuable or are pushing the stuff we don't want to deal with under the rug. This could trip us up.

The New Moon tomorrow is opening all of us to new relationships and changes within existing relationships!

That post is NEXT.

For today, the Moon is dark. Don't go blindly crashing into new spaces. There is no support for making a big/new decision now - so don't make one. Finish up. Clear your inbox and workbench. 

xo all

photo by the talented thailinh