Venus into Aquarius | stepping back to get a clearer look, attracted to the strange and unusual, seeing the forest, the future is calling, when crooked teeth are more than crooked teeth

anteojos by siesta

Last night Venus (love, money, beauty, women, our values and self-esteem) moved into Aquarius (through February 10th).

Aquarius Suns and Aquarius rising (Aquarius ruler of first house of your natal chart) get more attractive. Both easier on the eye and able to attract what they want (Venus).

All of our natal Aquarius houses become more attractive, too.

Our Aquarius house is a space we experience and evolve through Aquarian energies. Maybe by experiencing unexpected situations and unusual experiences. Maybe by being able to detach and get enough distance from something to be able to see it clearly. Maybe through flashes of genius or rebelliousness. Maybe through chaos. Our natal Uranus placement (ruler of Aquarius) and its contacts will tell us a more complete story.

Now, we have Venus moving into/through this space.

As she moves through Aquarius she will make contact with not only any planets/points we have in Aquarius, but also the planets/points we have in Leo (by opposition), in Scorpio and Taurus (by square) and other planets, too (by sextile, etc).

This is where knowing our natal chart can come in handy.

As a collective influence, for all of us, Venus moves out of Capricorn (the rules) and into Aquarius (the space we let go of the rules).

Beautiful Venus drops her briefcase full of "shoulds". She takes her hair out of its tightly constructed bun and shakes her head. She kicks off her too-tight, office-ready pumps. She wears whatever she wants to wear now. She can do whatever she wants to do now. There is no one to impress in this new space. There is no one to answer to.

Now subconsciously we all feel this (even though there is a hell of alot of planets left in Capricorn and Saturn is home in Capricorn now, so we don't get to drop all responsibilities, plus Saturn is the ancient ruler of Aquarius!) - a kind of relief as Venus disentangles us a bit from what is required of us to be 'acceptable'.

Maybe we start to notice (attract) things we would have otherwise missed. The strange and unusual will catch our eye now. 

We will be attracted to things/situations/solutions/people that are different.

Ruled by unpredictable Uranus, Aquarius is the space that is hard to forecast. When we step outside the rules (Uranus is outside Saturn's boundaries) our outcomes become less predictable, too.

Venus (beauty) in Aquarius (unique) allows us to see the beauty in things we wouldn't normally regard as beautiful. What would it take to see our crooked teeth as beautiful? our messy house? a real loss?

Wouldn't it take detachment? Wouldn't it take an ability to step back a little farther from whatever we are looking at?

To see the big picture -

(maybe those slightly crooked teeth have allowed us to evolve, as we grow to appreciate them, from mumbling our words through a mostly, un-moving mouth to speaking our well thought out opinions clearly and emphatically - maybe without those slightly crooked teeth, we would have learned this lesson in an even bigger, more painful way).

To see what other people, who are not closely connected to the things we are connected to, are seeing  -

(that messy home looks like a busy, happy family lives there).

To see the future -

(that loss now is creating a space something bigger and better will be filling in five years).

Detachment is one of the gifts of Aquarius (and also one of the curses if taken too far - think about technology that detaches us from reality).

Venus's transit here allows us to step back from what we are usually most attracted to. When we step away we can see things we couldn't see before. And keep in mind people (and situations) could step away from us a little bit now to get a clearly look, too. This isn't a permanent disconnection (unless it is) - this is a transit remember. It's a part of the process. A kind of 'sowing our wild oats' part, where we all need a bit more space. A part we skip at our own peril.

Aquarius is the genius, rebel, criminal, humanitarian - the outsider.

This is a good time to step outside of ourselves and view our situation more dispassionately. To be more objective. The energies at play now will assist us. If this was someone else's situation/life we were looking at what would we see?

Venus is about what we want.

Can we step away from what we want just long enough and just far enough to give everything some fresh air? to gain some different insights? to try something else?

xo all

Note - during Venus's travels through Aquarius she will conjunct the South Node (at 14 degrees on January 29th) - this could be a time when something/someone from the past or a situation we thought we were finished with (a love, an attraction, a financial situation) comes back to create a little chaos or shake something up that has grown stagnant.

New Moon in Capricorn | chomping at the bit to do something, worrying about the future, making responsible decisions, making an EFFORT, finishing what we start now or not starting at all, something comes out of left field, shocking news, watch your mouth

Climb by mickeybob00

The Moon meets up with the Sun today at 26 degrees Capricorn.

It's a complicated New Moon chart. And late degree New Moons always make me feel like I need to rush to finish something.

First, the basics. Capricorn is as rich as an earth sign gets, is ruled by daddy Saturn and presides over the darkest time of the year so you know he is one serious dude. I'd call him "sir" if I were you. I'm sure he shops at Barneys (sometimes Home Depot) and carries a platinum card - that he has earned. He was most decidedly not born on third base and does not believe in the 4 hour work week.

This New Moon is all about hard work, ambition, common sense, perseverance, efficiency, organization and responsibility.

It is about ambition. The whole sky is. Are you feeling that? And, yes, the motivation is likely to come and go since we are (at least where I am) in and out of a cold-weather coma - and the collective is moving into a natural balsamic-like last quarter of the astral year - which begins in April, not January.

Just remember our ancestors froze to death in the cold if they were lazy. There is some part of all our lives where some wood needs to be chopped now, too. 

The Sun/Moon are conjunct Venus so Venusian themes - love, money, our values, self-esteem, women, beauty - will factor into our Capricorn New Moon beginnings, too. Relationships and our finances can get a fresh start now. It won't be without its complications. Complications are not bad things. Without complications we would never move off the couch.

The Moon/Sun energy is coming off a square to Uranus and Pallas (in Aries). And Uranus is inconjunct (where the rock meets the hard place) Mars (our actions).

Pallas is about strategy - in Aries, the most successful strategy would likely have an Arian quality - favoring courage, directness and/or a focus on some kind of initial 'surge' or whatever is best for us.

Uranus (unexpected, humanitarian, futuristic) could be upsetting some apple carts now. There is something here that can't be predicted - maybe something comes from out of left field that we don't see coming or maybe (with attractive Venus involved now) we don't get exactly what we want. Maybe our strategic maneuverings run us off the rails.

This could also be about us not really knowing what we want or knowing what we are doing or us not operating from our own unique energy - not being ourselves. 

Whatever is started now is very likely to take us in an unforeseen direction (where is that damn crystal ball anyway?). We think we are going here and suddenly we are going over there.

It is also likely to make us more independent.

Multiple aspects to Uranus will have us chomping at the bit to get going with something.

Machinations set into motion over the next couple weeks will have this rather unpredictable energy in its DNA. Expect the unexpected. Know you won't be able to control (as this expands over the next 6 months) exactly where this thing is going. That doesn't mean it isn't going to get you what you want. We are in Saturn's territory now. Work the process. 

Don't cut corners. The way we do one thing is the way we do everything so take whatever you are needing to do and make it a physical thing. So if cutting corners is what you need to work on to grow more in line with Saturn's discipline, for example, start with driving. Don't cut corners when driving. Don't skim when reading. Follow the recipe in the order given. You get the idea.

At the same time a retrograde Ceres is conjunct the North Node (yes, again, and we will have this aspect one more time at the end of April when she is direct). Ceres is about nurturing and understanding the seasonal nature of life/whatever we are doing. The North Node (in heart-centered Leo) is our collective way forward.

We had this conjunction in the beginning of December, so we could be going back over something from that time period or just re-working, re-visiting, revising something that is calling to our heart. A passion project, romance, situation with a child/children. Whatever this is can also get a shot of something new and innovative now, too. Maybe this is the thing that needs a change of direction.

The North Node active at the New Moon could add to our worry/concern about the future because we are literally "in the dark" about something now.

PLUS we've got Mercury (our thinking, ideas, communication) conjuncting Black Moon Lilith who will not be controlled, boxed in or told what is "acceptable". This could compound any anxiety with regrets, upsets, feelings of being an outsider or somehow not being accepted. We, or someone else, will probably be speaking out. Know some people are not going to like it, so let's choose our words carefully.

Jupiter is squaring the Nodes and trining (brakes off) Neptune. If we are committed to something we might find ourselves out of patience with 'fence-sitters'. If we are trying to broker some kind of peace we could find ourselves out of patience with anyone wedded too strongly to their own point of view. Some people will be looking to escape into delusion or addiction.

Maybe our dreams have grown so big they have us at a dead stop. What can we do about that? Remember we are left-brained logical people right now - use common sense. What is the next step? Make a plan. Don't clutter up whatever you are doing with loose ends you will only trip over. It's winter - pare things down.

We also have Mars sextiling (opportunity) the New Moon and trining (brakes off) wounded healer Chiron. We need to avoid responding to whatever is happening from our wounded spaces - think 'childhood wound' here, think 'reacting out of proportion' to the situation at hand.

If we can avoid that - we can use the energy to take action (Mars) that is healing (Chiron). Mars is inconjunct the Sun/Moon so our actions are kind of in between a rock and a hard place. Maybe there is something about what we need to do to get what we want that isn't going to work right now.

Keep in mind this Moon is activating our collective mother energy (Ceres/Moon), our maiden (Venus) and our pissed off outsider/unequal partner (Lilith).

Rising feminine energy has relationship inequality and power struggle issues rocking and rolling now.

All the planets are moving direct for the next few weeks and after that we have so much retrograde energy coming in 2018 - this is as full steam ahead as things get this year - use this energy for something.

With this much Capricorn if we really want something we would be taking action. We won't be able to not take action. Maybe that is how we will know if we really want it .... maybe that's what this New Moon is really all about.

NEW MOON INTENTIONS

Some Capricorn new moon affirmation areas to think about: security, time, self-discipline, career, business, how the world sees you, ambition, opportunity, goals, delegation, releasing control, father figures, reputation, your bones, knees, skin and joints - anything related to the theme of your natal Capricorn house.

Get grounded - we're in an earth sign now, so this should be easier - always make affirmations from a  positive place (positive meaning certain) - write your affirmations down by hand in cursive. We want the letters all connecting and flowing together. Always speak them out loud.

Then release your attention from them knowing that your intention is known.

This month I am going to burn mine with a white candle, let the candle burn down and then bury the ashes in the ground. I feel a little more connected with the finality of the results when I do something like this. You don't have to do this part. Do what feels right to you.

With Capricorn - serious is best. Whatever you do, take it seriously. Don't tell anyone what you are doing who won't take it seriously. And do it solo. Saturn works alone.

Know these things are already yours. xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of January 15th - financial and business opportunities, stepping into new responsibilities and goals and stepping back from anything that feels a little too close for comfort, keep a cool head, no dark alley meanderings, intense situations

Winter Birds by Das-Lauralein

Here we go!

On MONDAY, the Moon and a bundle of other planets continue in ambitious Capricorn.

The Moon is in the final hours of its monthly Balsamic Phase of release and time-out (I wrote about this phase a couple years ago for Create and Thrive HERE).

We have Jupiter (in Scorpio) sextiling (opportunity) Pluto (in Capricorn) at 19 degrees (19 degrees Capricorn was also the degree of last week's Venus Star Point).

Jupiter increases Pluto's power. Bigger/deeper transformations are possible now.  

Our faith/confidence in ourselves - or what we are doing - or in someone else - increases.

Results now could come from balls that started rolling around January 6th-8th when Mars - our courage/action/initiative - sextiled Pluto.

This is a culmination aspect so if we took some kind of action then, something good/expansive could come of it now.

We will get this aspect two more times during Jupiter's stay in Scorpio - April 14th (21 degrees) and September 12th (18 degrees) - Scorpio and Capricorn sextiles are good energies for financial and business opportunities.

(also increased intimacy, the wedding of our resources with other people's, opportunity with partner's finances, mortgages, loans, investments, inheritance, reproduction, career, authority, goals and also transformation for Jupiter themes - travel, education,foreign issues, media, marketing, religion, legal issues)

A sextile doesn't get much more more powerful than when a sextile is between Pluto and Jupiter!

So something between now and mid-September is growing, deepening, adjusting - opening up for us in a BIGGER WAY.

There is just no comfortable way to play small this year!

We could be growing/thriving under tremendous pressure, releasing an attachment that is keeping us from moving forward, there could be behind-the-scenes forces working to our benefit - there are too many ways to list for this sextile (opportunity) to play itself out. What houses in your natal chart hold Scorpio and Capricorn - what are the themes of those houses?

Successes here (and we get multiple lucky chances here over the next 9 months to make use of this) bring added power/influence (and maybe more money, honey!).

We could also meet someone now - a mentor/guru type, maybe, although our relationship might not fall into this category - who has a profound impact on us.

With sextiles, action on our part is needed to get the 'whole enchilada', but good things can sometimes get started with minimal effort (work will certainly be required as we move along). Maybe we are in the right place at the right time. Maybe just the right person reads what we have written or sees what we have made. If some kind of opportunity comes up now, especially related to career or finances - I say GRAB IT.

(not in a pushy attack while screaming "It's MINE!", but definitely with BOTH HANDS)

On TUESDAY, we have the New Moon in Capricorn (26 degrees). Start thinking about your New Moon intentions for your Capricorn natal house (what is that house's theme?) and for your work in the world, career, business, ways to solidify any less than solid structures in your life - get things onto firmer ground.

If you are starting something new hold off until at least 5PM EST. You have two weeks to get something going here!

This is Capricorn and Capricorn IS what is happening (with ruler Saturn getting settled in now) over the next couple years, so please let's not miss setting New Moon intentions this month. We won't have another Capricorn New Moon for a year.

This is a really BIG New Moon.

The Moon will be conjunct Venus (what we want - love, money, values, self-esteem), but squaring unpredictable Uranus. So probably not everything will go as planned. Mercury and Black Moon Lilith will meet up in Capricorn at the same time AND Ceres will be conjunct the North Node (in Leo) so this New Moon is all about the ladies - the mother (Moon/Ceres), the woman who cannot be controlled (Lilith) and the lovely maiden (Venus, about to move on into Aquarius).

We'll talk about the New Moon tomorrow. I will write a post. Keep in mind the companion Moon to this New Moon, the Full Moon at the end of the month, will be an eclipse - yes, eclipse season starts in 2 weeks!

On WEDNESDAY, Mars (in Scorpio) inconjuncts (Uranus) in Aries. This is volatile energy - acting on impulse. We, and others, could be headstrong and ambitious now. This could stimulate a kind of restless desire to provoke something. If you have an urge to make a sudden change in your life right now - I would wait a few days!

Arguments could pop up quickly and so could acts of anger or violence. 

We had this same aspect at this exact same degree (Mars has traveled the entire zodiac and Uranus is sitting on the same degree!) on July 15, 2016 - if that date rings any bells for anyone personally.

In the collective we had the Bastille Day terrorist attack in France that killed 84 people, the attempted military coup in Turkey that killed 300 and resulted in 6000 arrests, tens of thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in the streets, classified information on the Saudis ties to 9/11 was released and Trump picked Mike Pence as his running mate.

Also Game of Thrones garnered 23 Emmy nominations - winter is coming here.

Don't wander down any dark alleys. You know the drill. 

Also on Wednesday, the Moon, and beautiful Venus say "hasta-la-vista baby" to buttoned-up Capricorn and shift into future leaning and love the one you're with Aquarius.

Aquarian and Aquarius rising people get more attractive - both easier on the eye and able to attract what they want. All of our natal Aquarius houses get more attractive, too.

The unusual, the out of place, the "I've never seen that before!" will catch our eye. If you are marketing something, for the next month focus on what makes it different. Odd is the new black. Beauty is more than skin deep. Instead of being attracted to the sameness we find in others, we will find ourselves more drawn to those who are different from us

Unusual ways of making money and spending/investing money, could present themselves over the next 23 days.

In Aquarius, social Venus becomes more detached. She values her space and so is able to allow other people theirs, too. If we begin some kind of relationship now - business or personal - know this need for freedom and individuation will be one of the cornerstones it is built on.

Since Venus rules love, money, women, beauty and our values - all of these areas get a shot of something new and different now. Aquarius is a fixed sign and changes (especially changes that are future or humanitarian oriented) made now have a way of sticking. 

On THURSDAY, we are still dealing with the Mars/Uranus inconjunct and now have both the Moon and Venus in Uranus ruled Aquarius. This is alot of energy focused on liberation.

We could be taking a big step back from anything that feels smothering now.

The Moon (in Aquarius) will square Jupiter (in Scorpio) in the evening - watch for revealing too much within a public or group setting. You might have the urge to post something online more personal than what you would normally post. People could be moody - moods subject to change. Good energy for socializing just avoid anything too over-the-top.

On FRIDAY, the Moon moves into dreamy Pisces mid-day and we have Mercury (in Capricorn) sextiling (opportunity) Neptune (in Pisces). Since the Moon is void until 3:36PM EST anyway, it could be a good day for working with our imaginations, healing words, writing, creativity, meditation. Any part of our work that could benefit from working with fantasy and inspiration would be a good use of our time today. This wouldn't be the best day for a serious meeting because things will tend to drift off-course and not be followed up on. It could also be a time when something else, maybe that New Year's resolution?, jumps a rail.

On Friday night, the Sun moves into Aquarius, kicking off Aquarius season. The Aquarius Sun always offers us an opportunity to step back (detach/disentangle) and look at the big picture. It's energy pushes us to step outside the box and try something else. It allows us to put some space between us and that challenging, draining situation.

As always with Aquarius - detachment is helpful until it isn't anymore. 

Try not to over-think everything and waste the next few weeks of this innovative energy. The way it used to work, whatever "it" is, isn't going to work now. 

xo all

Looking Ahead to the Weekend - Astrology Forecast for Creatives | where fair and square meets what the hell was I thinking, something comes unglued

w03 by mymadeleine

This weekend is a bit of a mixed bag as we build toward Tueday's New Moon.

We have Mercury/Saturn in play so serious conversations, contracts, decisions, endings, goals - especially long-term goals, career issues, family issues, responsibilities, security, situations with authority, realistic planning.

Whatever we have going on here will continue.

Friday night is not the best "date night" of the year (although the Sagittarius Moon will help) unless you are up for a long, sober talk about his business (snore) or his approaching court date (yikes!) or are going to see The Post, like I am, which seems serious enough to satisfy my appetite for reality that has bit someone other than ME (heads up by Sunday afternoon we will have the Moon in Capricorn, too!).

By Saturday mid-afternoon EST Venus (in Capricorn) will be squaring Uranus (in Aries). In the collective this could be about women, love, money, our values and/or self-esteem needing more freedom.

Anything fitting even slightly tightly (slightly tightly!) will feel like a dog collar right about now.

If we are repressing this urge - our partner/child, etc, could be the chicken to fly the coop.  

Something unexpected could come up - so keep plans flexible.

If you have planets or points around 24 degrees of the cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn - you would be most likely to feel this square in whatever areas of life are impacted.

Expect something else. Ruts can be jumped now. We will be attracted (Venus) to the cutting edge, the strange, the unusual (Uranus). This is good energy to break bad habits. Unexpected expenses might pop up, too.

Tension within relationships (picture a rubber band stretched to its breaking point) - could cause some people to snap. Maybe something has to change here. Business as usual isn't going to cut it.

Don't overspend.

That new piece of pricey technology that looks so tempting today, will look like "what the hell was I thinking" by Sunday afternoon (the same goes for that guy with the strange tattoo - trust me on this one).

On Sunday, the Moon will be void until 2:42PM EST, so sleep in. Avoid garage sales because "nothing will come" of your purchases (except maybe filling a space on the table of your own garage sale next year). After the void the Moon moves into Capricorn - for the first time in 2018! - we will be feeling even more ambitious or like a blanket left out in a rainstorm - there is probably no middle ground here.

By late afternoon EST Sunday, the Sun will square Uranus so everyone will want to do things their own way. There could be sudden outbursts of ... well, just about anything ... but also access to bursts of creativity and unusual solutions.

Instead of waiting for life to surprise us, let's take the bull by the horns, or maybe with all this Capricorn I should say take 'the goat by the horns' - and yes it can be one of those adorable fainting goats, why the hell not - and make some beneficial changes.

This is our second square to 'change-maker' Uranus this weekend

(although with the Sun and Venus so close together this could show up as just one thing or multiple things that feel kind of chaotic)

so keep plans flexible. Did I say that already?  

Expect people could be irrational/rebellious. This energy is going to get stagnant stuff unstuck one way or the other - so be pro-active through positive change.

We will be looking to experience something different. We will probably find what we are looking for.

xo all