Jupiter into Libra | beauty, partnership, balance and fairness - part I

tree of libra by fishbot1337

We've had Jupiter, the planet of expansion and 'good luck', in the persnickety sign of Virgo for the last 13 months. We have expanded through the details - gotten bigger by going smaller.

Jupiter is big - larger than all the other planets combined. She rules the sign of Sagittarius (and was the ruler of Pisces before the discovery of Neptune). She is Saturday after a hard week at work. She is the Sun after a week of rain. She is faith and this isn't so much a religious faith (although it can be) - this is a faith that 'things are going to be alright' - that life is worth living, that things will get better. I used to see Jupiter as growth but now I see her more clearly as unfolding. You can decide what you think or if there is even a difference (since we and everything is all connected).

Jupiter is never happy in Virgo. She has had to cram herself into too small a space - the way a woman (or man - this behavior feels more typically feminine) shrinks herself into a job or a conversation or a marriage.

Jupiter wants/needs to go big and Virgo is happiest attending to the small details of things. With Virgo's propensity to notice the tiniest of flaws - remember the word Virgo comes from Virgin which means whole and the Virgo space is in our charts is where we are whole already and often do our best work alone - and Virgo's propensity to want just what it wants, it's been difficult for Jupiter to work her magic.

We still have our North Node (collective way forward) in Virgo until May 2017. So we are still moving forward by taking care of what is right in front of us; the little details of things, our health, service to others, etc.

Our expansion (Jupiter unfoldment - growth?- and good luck) is going to come through Libra now.

Libra is an air sign, ruled by Venus, and all about beauty and fairness and balance and harmony. Libra rules the 7th house of partnership. We can see how Jupiter's expansive qualities can move more easily in a space like this!

Jupiter will travel through Libra rather quickly. She gets to 23 degrees of Libra by February 7th when she retrogrades until June 10th at 13 degrees. She backtracks over old ground for a while (10-23 degrees - do you have planets at 10-23 degrees of Libra - they will get a triple dose of expansion and good luck!) and then begins to cover new ground on September 7th, 2017, finishing up the sign of Libra on October 10th, 2017.

All Libras and Libra risings will benefit from this transit and everyone with planets in Libra. Even those with a barren Libra house will benefit! This can be a breath of fresh air for cardinal signs - Libra, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn who have been dealing with Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn as well as all of us with planets in cardinal signs. This will also, to a lesser extent, benefit air signs. And of course, if you were born with Jupiter in Libra you will have your, once every 12 years, Jupiter return and kick off a whole new Jupiter book (not just a new chapter!). For everyone, think back to 2004-2005, and you can move backward through your  life in 12 year increments - what was happening then? what expanded/unfolded?

Jupiter in Libra is wonderful energy. We get more beauty, harmony, balance and fairness in our Libra houses and our lives. The house itself unfolds. The world has access to this energy and we can have more civility and 'come together'. Partnerships can unfold in new and beautiful ways (and yes, I mean romantic partnerships, but also that flock we've been talking about). We'll expand through our interactions with other people and they will expand through us. Opportunities for lessons around the appreciation of true beauty (nature?) and partnership and balance and fairness will come to us.

The shadow to all of this is that the lucky Libra is lazy. And those scales of balance can get wobbly fairly easily. Libra energy (mental/air) can hold onto some crazy ideal fantasy in such a way that it encounters harsh lessons of reality to loosen its grip. There is a youthfulness and sometimes almost a recklessness to Libra that can shift it out of balance. Libra can also focus too much on their partners and partnerships (although this is also the area in which they are intended to shine).

Libra's opposite sign of Aries has been housing Uranus (rebellion, things happening out of the blue, radical change) for the past few years and while Jupiter is in Libra she will oppose Uranus a few times - these times will be tricky. We'll talk about them as we move through them.

If we are responsible and pull our own weight, if we collaborate and compromise, if we don't get too extravagant, this will be a good transit. There is kind of a feast or famine energy to Jupiter in Libra and it could bring some extreme experiences with comfort, and we'll deal with that, too.

Libra is about beauty - real beauty - not the photo-shopped images forced upon our optic nerves and carried to our weary brains everyday.

Do you know which house holds Libra in your natal chart? Do you know what part of your life that house represents? This space will unfold as well as the universal themes Libra rules - beauty, partnership, harmony, balance and fairness.

How do we feel now about this area of our life and about these themes? What would make us feel better? Can we trust an unfolding here? Can we grow into more of ourselves, even if it is noisy and complex and not so pretty? Or will we shut all this shit down so we fit in / stay comfortable / keep the peace?

I'll be back tomorrow with part II and what this means for each sign/Libra house - time to make the lockets! xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 5th - in between eclipses

seed by laura makabresku

This is another big week!

We are in the middle of Eclipse season and Mercury is retrograde. We've got our Sun trining (brakes off) Pluto (in Capricorn), Jupiter making his move (after about 13 months in Virgo) into Libra (YAY) and the FINAL exact Saturn/Neptune square that we have been dealing with since the end of November 2015.

Let's break this down - 1. we had a Solar eclipse (New Moon) last week in Virgo and we have a Lunar eclipse (Full Moon) in Pisces next week. A little background - from our perspective here on Earth, the Earth is going around the Sun once a year and the Moon is going around the Earth once a month. If you can imagine the earth revolving around the Sun at the same time the Moon is revolving around the Earth - there will be a point during their travels that they will intersect in a line (and this line/plane is what astrologers are talking about when we talk about the Moon's Nodes - North and South Node). Now usually when they meet up, the Moon will be either higher or lower than the Earth and the Sun and we get a regular New Moon or a regular Full Moon. But sometimes, usually twice a year the New Moon and Full Moon are close enough to the North Node or the South Node (the plane where everything is intersecting) and either the Sun (Solar Eclipse/New Moon) is blocked, partially or fully, or the Moon is (Lunar eclipse, Full Moon). I hope this makes sense - not that's it's something you need to know, but it might help to picture this in your head.

So because last week's New Moon was in the plane/line of the North Node and because the effects of a Solar Eclipse can be felt for the next 6 months - this will bring changes, as a collective and individually, with Virgo things. Most people will have some changes in their lives from this energy - maybe move into a new line of work, take better care of their health, master the tiny details of their lives, get a new pet or have a change of relationship with an existing pet, get on a better day to day schedule, start something new that serves other people, etc and the area of life that houses Virgo is your natal (and progressed chart) will experience changes and fresh starts, too. Often with eclipses fresh starts begin with something else being eclipsed out. They can change our course and get us back on 'chart'. If we don't have major things happen with this energy this is probably not an area of life we need to make a major change right now to stay on course with our life purpose (remember eclipses are all about the Nodes of fate), but we will always be impacted by other people who are affected - we are all in this together! I sometimes have eclipse situations hit me one month to the day after the eclipse.

Next week's Lunar Eclipse will be about releasing Piscean themes, so this week, sitting in between two major energetic shifts can leave many people feeling off-balance and over-loaded. Others will be chomping at the bit for something else.

2. Mercury is moving backward through, you guessed it, Virgo. Mercury retrograde is about looking backward - what can we release? what are we re-thinking? what did we miss? what needs to re-done? who or what is back?  This is about those same Virgo themes and the area of life ruled by our Virgo natal (and progressed house) - so something has to be re-done or re-looked at here before we can move forward.

This is the time to be re-leasing, re-doing, re-thinking.

We spend about a third of the year with Mercury retrograde or in shadow, so it is natural to spend a third of our life "re-making" - isn't that interesting for all of us always trying to plow ahead and getting nowhere?! If we really did the re-thinking and most especially the 're-leasing' (think - new lease on life) our life would be much smoother. I've lived through how many Mercury retrogrades and am still like those awful gun bumper stickers and need things pried from my cold, dead fingers. Ack!

3. The Sun (in Virgo, and yes, I'm tired of typing Virgo week after week - ha!) trines Pluto (retrograde in Capricorn). This is exact on Wednesday. This is a good day for dealing with authority figures, your elders and people in power. This transit can give us more power over our own life. This is good energy for stepping into a new position now with more power or responsibility. If we are trying to avoid something with a person in power, the trine could release whatever brakes we have keeping the situation from evolving/resolving. Something karmic (Pluto) may come to light (Sun).

Pluto (slow and deepest transformation) has been moving through Capricorn since 2008. Sun Capricorns and risings very identities are being evolved. The Pluto generation born 1971-1984 with Pluto in Libra have had Pluto squaring their natal Pluto. It is pretty exact right now for people born in 1978. This is the generation (1971-1984) charged with transforming relationship (and our relationship to what is beautiful and the karmic lesson of it being ok to be flawed). This is about the karmic misuse of power within relationships. It started with their birth families, then through all their personal relationships and particularly their partnerships they are learning the ways they use power instead of love. They probably need to be overpowered and to overpower to transform this.

Venus is going to square Pluto next week and then Jupiter will square Pluto in November - people dealing with these issues will feel the pressure in their relationships. This will also affect all of us through Capricorn (business, banking, power structures) as foundations get rocked and lots of hidden stuff gets unleashed (the Pluto in us is not afraid of the dark) we'll talk about this next week.

4. On Friday, September 9th Jupiter moves into Libra. This one is big and it will be about connection and cooperation and balance! I'll do a post this week and we'll look at this transit through the houses.

5. On Saturday, September 10th, we have the FINAL exact square between Saturn in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces. What have we learned since last November about our dreams vs reality? about what we really believe? about how we relate to what is foreign? what fantasy are we separating from reality? The last two exact squares saw the Paris shooting and the Orlando shooting (also Britain leaving the EU and the alligator attack - this stuff and whatever else was happening then, will probably all be back in the news, too) - hopefully we don't have any more violence with this transit or natural disasters. We'll see during this time period how this energy has evolved - limits overcome, dreams coming true or dissolved, feet more firmly planted in some area of life. Eyes wide open now. Rose colored glasses in the trash can. Last July we had a focus on what was real vs pie in the sky, now we can see more clearly where this way of thinking/being/doing has brought us. Maybe something is solidifying?

There are no void Moons during working hours this week. I'll post some dailies as we move through the week.

Monday - Wednesday's Scorpio Moon is a good time to focus on Scorpio themes - money, taxes, loans, power, life, death, reproduction, surgery, sex, maybe something 3rd party, good time to be cutting though the crap and seeing what can be eliminated. We might meet someone important on Monday or have a pattern made visible to us. If something partnership related ends on Thursday before Jupiter moves into Libra on Friday - know it's for the best, we'll just move on. If someone waffles on doing something now then I would assume it's not going to happen later. Don't worry. Jupiter in Libra (ruled by Venus) will offer us plenty of opportunities for connection, collaboration and yes, LOVE, in the year ahead!

xo all

Sun conjunct North Node | a light on the path

the birthday boy

The Sun (in Virgo at 12 degrees) conjuncts (meets up with) the North Node (our collective way forward) today.

A light will be thrown on our path forward. Something/someone confirms we are on the right track or a course correction is visible. This will probably not be a big spotlight. Through the lens of Virgo even monster sized stage lighting can be reduced to the size of a penlight - what is our next small step .....

Synchronicities are common. So are repeating numbers and patterns. We could be more confident. There can also be a reminder to just be who we are - when it comes to our soul purpose, in many ways we are our own way forward since we were born with all the energetic patterns we will ever need to manifest! It could be a good day to get clear (re: clearing a space, making time or a plan) on practical ways (Virgo) we can move toward or forward on our best, most heartfelt, path.

xo all (the birthday boy, Sully, turns 3 today - the energies at play when your natal Sun meets the degree of the transitting Sun called your solar return, play a big role in your year ahead - and today's energy is very fortunate to build his confidence this year and guide him toward his destiny - lucky fellow!)

situations already in play ....

photo by Katarzyna Kos

A couple of the transits I wrote about in yesterday's eclipse post tighten up today.

The Sun (in Virgo) opposing Neptune (in Pisces) - this shines a light/focus on something ruled by Neptune/Pisces - illusion, deception, compassion, imagination, something hidden or put away, hospitals, prisons. If it sounds too good to be true though, it probably is. Resist the temptation to escape whatever the Sun illuminates with drugs, alcohol or Netflix. This is good energy to edit (Virgo) imaginative (Neptune) work. If a decision needs to be made today, keep a clear head. It is also easy to get a little too self-absorbed with this influence and create resentment in others - stay tuned in, but not boundary-less .....

Mercury is conjunct Jupiter (28 degrees Virgo) - this can bring good (Jupiter) news (Mercury). It can also make communications, conversations, news and ideas over the top and overblown or just BIG in some way. Jupiter is larger than all the other planets combined, but it has no surface - it's all gases. Maybe we could say he's full of hot air (ha!) - couple this with that Neptune opposition and it will be important to keep our heads with any news we hear. This would be a good day for some positive conversations and to have a BIG idea - write things down! This could be a good day for a talk that leads to BIG things, just be sure both parties are clear with what is being said/offered and know there could be some hot air thrown about .....

The Sun and Moon are still in Virgo for a few more hours. If you haven't done your New Moon intentions you still have time to take advantage of Jupiter. With Mercury retrograde and ruling yesterday's eclipse and ruling this New Moon - setting intentions that work with energies and situations already in play, or with a connection to the past, can be very powerful and effective.

Not that we can't make something from nothing here

(seeds planted in the dark earth, especially during an earthy New Moon like this one, can certainly take root),

but I have found I sometimes get the best results working with what I already have going on.

For example say we are going to make something for dinner. We can make whatever we want, but we are limited by what we have in the house. Or we want to buy a new camera. We can buy whatever we want within the limits of our budget.

Even with the excellent manifesting energy we have available right now - we are working with situations already in play. Our previous beliefs, thoughts and actions have supplied us with the food in our kitchen or dollars in our budget. I'm sure if we could see all the stuff we have in play at any given moment all lain out before us we would be exhausted and need a nap!

So, if one of your intentions is to be more organized (Virgo) - get specific about something you have in play that needs more organization. Set the intention for it to be accurate and organized and for this to lead to X (a satisfied feeling of completion, an increased bank balance, etc).

Our new chapter is starting to take shape in September, and yes it is new, and yes, it also builds on all the preceding chapters.

Some of us may be starting a whole new book, but most of us will have characters and storylines that carry over and impact this next section.

And something else to think about - Jupiter is preparing to leave Virgo. How have we expanded by shrinking over the last year? How have we grown by staying small ... or humble ... or focused on the tiniest detail .... or focused on someone else  ... or focused on our health. 

There is a rainbow at the end of September for EVERYONE, stay flexible and focused. xo all

New Moon in Virgo | Solar Eclipse - new realities

eclipse by Tina Apple

Today's New Moon, at 9 degrees Virgo (Sun and Moon both in Virgo), is also a powerful Solar Eclipse, with lots of intimate and complicated conversations with the other players in the sky!

This is the bookend to the lunar eclipse of September 16th. By the Lunar Eclipse we will be in a totally new energy field.

If you are a Virgo or Virgo rising, this time period could bring you to a distinct turning point or usher in some kind of important change. If you are a Virgo, Pisces, Libra or Aries (the polarities the eclipses have been affecting the last couple years) 2015 and 2016 have been/will be eventful years for you and you can expect that to continue for a while.

Everyone with planets in their Virgo house and especially with planets or points near 9 degrees Virgo and its mutable neighbors Pisces, Sagittarius and Gemini will be impacted by this one. You can check your natal and progressed charts or just look at what is happening in your life.

To lay this one out - we've got Mercury (ruler of Virgo and so ruler of this eclipse) just gone retrograde ... in Virgo. This is our mental processes, our ideas, our paperwork, our communication - something here is getting looked at more carefully now. Maybe something is no longer serving us in a positive way - some judgement or belief that needs to shift. Virgo encourages us to prioritize our health, to value quality over quantity, to be of service to others (not at our own expense though), to care for our pets, to take care of the day to day things that make our life our life. It also rules co-workers, employees and our work.

We also have our North Node (collective way forward) in Virgo and this is the last Virgo eclipse for about 10 years (this eclipse also ends a journey we began back in 1997).

We've got the Sun and Moon squaring Saturn and Mars (both in Sagittarius) and opposing Neptune (in Pisces). So, we've got the Saturn/Neptune square we've been dealing with all year impacting this eclipse as well as Mars, recently over his own long retrograde. We've also got the Moon's closing aspect a conjunction to Jupiter (in Virgo)!

With Neptune, strong in Pisces, (escape, illusion, imagination, hospitals, prisons - people, places and situations we have 'put 'away') opposing the Eclipse (re-boot). There is something that needs to dissolve before we can make this shift - maybe a belief or way of thinking/being. Maybe there is a dream that wants to awaken to get us back on track.

With Saturn (time, foundations, commitment) in Sagittarius (faith, beliefs, foreign) squaring the Eclipse - whatever we are building now must be something we believe in. Saturn demands our effort here. Results may not be visible (Neptune) and may be delayed (Saturn).

On the other hand with Mars (energy, initiative, our fight) racing through Sagittarius, maybe Rome really will be built in a day this time!

Eclipses can act as a kind of cosmic reboot; like when we download new software and have to turn our computer off and back on for the newly downloaded material to function properly. Except in this case, we are the computer, and our connection to a changing cosmos gets "reset".

Eclipses are some of the most dramatic means life has to draw our attention to spaces in our life that need to change. 

If we have moved too far "off chart" we can expect our attention to be drop kicked just where it is supposed to be. 

There is nothing here to fear or fight. With eclipses - something comes to light, something gets eclipsed out. It is also a New Moon that seeds real, and lasting, change.

All year the Saturn/Neptune square has been reminding some that we need to get our heads out of the clouds and come down to earth and others that there is more to life than certainty and safety and facts and figures. No one is untouched.

We had this crazy summer that kicked off last spring with the March Solar Eclipse in Pisces requiring us to let go of something. With Neptune on the south node (what we are releasing) some dream needed to go. We lost Bowie. We lost Prince. Transgender issues were in the news as our very physicality and the separation of the feminine vs the masculine began to morph. Bernie Sanders (the dream) lost the primary. We have/had continued unexpected violence. We have/had children dying on beaches and in bombed out houses.

The two eclipses this month will shift us back onto more solid ground.

There may be some twists to get us there. And the feet we place on the solid ground (remember we are a planet in flux, so solid ground is not so solid anymore either) are different feet than the ones that carried us last winter.

Opportunities can appear out of nowhere now. So can challenges. And yes, we are up for them, even when they feel insurmountable. The answers, and OUTCOMES, are in process and impacted by our changing beliefs. What do we believe now? Can we hold fast to our highest ideals? Can we release the stuff that no longer serves us?

The way we go with this truly determines the world we get to live in.

If our heart, and our chart, eclipses are fated, remember, are in agreement we can build long lasting and solid things. If what we create is based on false beliefs with shoddy workmanship it will all fall apart when Eclipse season ends with the Pluto trine at the end of September.

And if it does - go deeper!

This is going to be quite a month when we will be required to walk our talk and separate fantasy from reality - let's pace ourselves ....

And remember this is still a New Moon in Virgo (and if you are a Virgo - this is your Moon, don't miss it, do these within the next 3 days - with this Moon's closing aspect to Jupiter's good luck and expansion, I am getting mine done TODAY) so set your intentions and make your affirmations for Virgo themes for the best outcomes - health, quality over quantity, service to others, attention to details, work, co-workers, employees, day to day activities, cleaning, organizing, pets.

INTENTION TIPS: let the earth guide you this month, plant your feet firmly on the ground, clear your head, write what your physical self, grounded by the earth, wants not what you think you should write, write your intentions down by hand in script on a blank piece of paper, speak the words out loud, burn the paper, give the ashes back to the earth - release your attention from these things knowing your intention is known.

Life has heard you. What do you do next? Do what is right in front of you. 

xo all

Remember Mercury is retrograde (and will be squaring Mars) - don't make major changes or major purchases now.

Venus into Libra | Mercury Retrograde in Virgo!

sleeping beauty by suzi9mm
Last night Venus moved into Libra - one of the two signs (the other is Taurus) where she is most at home.

After being cramped up in tidy Virgo, she can breathe again and there is room for other people. Venus in Libra is about love and partnership, collaboration and compromise. Venus in Libra is about balance.

This transit (until September 23rd) makes Libra Suns and Risings, who are already naturally attractive, even more so - both physically attractive and more able to attract what they want/need. Everyone's Libra house gets more attractive, too (what house was Libra in when you were born? where is it in your progressed chart?).

We will be attracted to what we find 'beautiful'. We will be attracted to what we find 'just'. We will be attracted to what we find 'peaceful'. And these are the qualities people will find attractive in us and our work in the world. These are the qualities we'll want to bring to the table (and yes, flowers that would be a good thing to bring to the table now, too) to attract whatever we are wanting to attract now, particularly in the area of life housing your natal (and progressed) Libra.

The potential for peace increases as we (the collective) move from critic (Virgo) to diplomat (Libra).

The potential for people pleasing increases, too. Balance is the key now. Making life too much about the other person is Libra's shadow side. It's easier, or I should say, lazier, to just give in to something to have "harmony" than to work out the win-wins. We need to honor ourselves as well as the other person. It's simple, but not easy. If we think balance is easy we should stand on one leg for a while!

In Libra, there is power in groups and alliances - but the emphasis (for now) is on the shared human experience of connection rather than on what might emerge later. It's not the time for thinking about how it will all play out, what we are getting or giving. It's just the time for the experience. We come into real harmony when we can see each other clearly. We don't have to always agree with each other. Agreeing isn't step two or even step one hundred and two.

If you are in the United States I don't need to tell you we have what appears to be a crazy election going on, but what we really have is an election where our blinders are off (Saturn/Neptune square - reality vs the dream, what do we really believe).

We can see what we are really getting here, so no one looks all that great.

Hillary's chart is all Plutonian power, but who do we think gets to the top of the heap the way the political system is set up? She didn't create the system, the system created her. We created her. We stepped back from our responsibility and created her. She is totally fixed energy.

Donald is totally mutable energy. With Uranus (expect the unexpected) conjunct his natal Sun, Donald truly cannot be controlled and I mean by anyone. It is not possible to predict what he will do. He is a businessman, but what he really is, is a celebrity. Again, he didn't create the system that got him to the top of the heap - we did. Every time we watched some mind numbing reality television or bought into some get rich quick scheme. The entire 'abundance/secret' movement which sounds so much prettier and spiritual than "let's all be greedy bastards" has helped make him a celebrity.

Whoever wins will face a tough road ahead because in 2020 so much changes that I can't imagine they will be re-elected. Probably either candidate will get us where we are going - Donald will likely get us there much faster, although that might be a train ride we don't want to get on. Neither ride will be smooth though. We're moving past the energy of "rulers" and patriarchy and what's on the other side of this we haven't figured out yet. Everybody wins or nobody wins.

For now, the Venus in Libra transit is great energy for being able to feel when other people are putting their stuff on us and when we are putting our stuff on them. It's also great energy to be a lover, not a fighter in our relationships. We'll talk more about this transit as we move through it.

You might remember last week Venus met up with Jupiter, I believe it was last Friday. Next week, Mercury will meet up with him. So something with our Venus story (what we love, what we value) requires more information/thinking/research before it expands.

TODAY, we have Mercury stationing retrograde in Virgo.

So instead of following Venus into Libra - he would typically be right behind her now - he turns around and starts walking backward into Virgo.

Let's think these archetypes through. So, our head (Mercury) instead of following our desires (Venus), says, "hold up a bit, let's double check this.

We missed something - there is some missing information we need or we will need later. Or something that needs to be re-done. Let's go back."

Something gets held up here.

Virgo (where Mercury is back pedaling) rules our day to day activities, our work, our health, our pets, our service to others (without self-sacrifice please) - something here is up for review. He's also backtracking through our Virgo house and if you have planets from 29 degrees from 14 degrees Virgo he will walk right over top of them. This will make this retrograde more impactful for you. He's also going to bump into Jupiter who is finishing up in Virgo himself. Jupiter (expansion) has recently met Venus (what we love, what we value) so when he hooks up with Mercury (communication, intellect) just before he joins Venus in Libra there will be news/thinking/information we will need. Also, maybe news about a woman (Venus) in the public eye.

We'll talk about this later.

As always, a retrograde is a good time for the "re" stuff.

Redo, reconnect, rethink, repeat, revise, redesign, recuperate, repair things or buy recycled (rather than new) - stuff like this (warning shameless plug ahead) amazing jewelry.

We'll talk about our great big eclipse in Virgo (the last one in Virgo for about a decade) next post.

xo all

Meanwhile in my neck of the woods - on Sunday, Olive's right eye was badly clawed by a neighbor's cat in our backyard. The emergency vet told us to find an eye vet on Monday. He gave us all kinds of worst case scenarios and basically scared the hell out of us. On Monday (knowing Venus was talking to Mercury) - I called everywhere trying to find a female eye vet.

Hubs thought I was nuts, but I wanted good news. No luck finding a female eye vet (I should add that I have never had a male vet - most vets around here are women, so as you can imagine, I took it as a bad sign I couldn't find one).

When we got to the new vet's office though - the eye vet wasn't able to meet with me. He saw Olive briefly in the back, but sent another vet out to talk to me (a female vet) - she gave me a slightly better, although guarded, prognosis.

Olive goes back to the vet on Friday when we see if she gets to keep her lens and vision. This is the day after the solar eclipse eclipses something out - hopefully just my money (happening in my house of other people's money) and not Olive's eye! The Moon (emotions), Mercury (information) and Jupiter (something gets bigger) will all be meeting up that day, and Olive is a Virgo, so I'm worried. :(

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 29th - truth and reality coming our way

precious illusion by pinkmango77

On Monday, Mercury (in Virgo) conjuncts Venus - we could get information or have a conversation or meet someone (most likely a woman) with a helpful message. This is excellent flirting energy if we are up for that! People will like what we have to say and we will like what we hear. This is a good time to reach out to someone. Or maybe some words/ideas (Mercury) are both beautiful (Venus) and truly useful (Virgo) now!

Right after she meets Mercury, Venus comes home to Libra (until September 23rd), the sign she rules. I'll do a post about this tomorrow. Know this will make Libra Suns and Risings more attractive (both able to attract and yes, easier on the eye, too) and make everyone's Libra house (natal and progressed) more magnetic and able to get what it needs. Our focus will be on our relationships. Also because Jupiter is about to move into Libra (after his last year in Virgo) next week - we may get a little preview this week of what we have to look forward to over the next year!

(this will be about our partnerships and diplomacy and equal relationships in all forms - did someone say flock??)

Also on Monday, Mars (in Sagittarius) squares the Nodes. This could feel like a crossroads or point of decision regarding what action to take or what to aim for. The way forward is still Virgo - small, measured, accurate steps toward a chosen target. It will be easy to put a lot of energy into the wrong thing. The "dream" (south node/Pisces) needs to be do-able and actionable right now. This just means we break it down into bite-sized pieces. The next step is do-able and right there in front of us.

On Tuesday, Mercury goes retrograde (in Virgo) - time to "re"visit, "re"view, "re"evaluate - you know the drill! We can imagine Mercury leaning conspiratorially toward us, "OK, we've gone as far as we can go at this point in time - we need to backtrack a bit to recheck a few things, allow the stuff we've lined up with to catch up with us and gain a little more experience".

Stuff ruled by Mercury gets wonky because he is looking over his shoulder - this includes communications, electronics and transportation (think - stuff with fast moving parts - he is the fleet footed messenger, after all).

We get re-routed. Something gets put on hold here.

Now, we can try to plow ahead anyway and sometimes things must be plowed through - we will just know that some of the stuff we have plowed through, would have been easier to move through later or we will have to plow through this stuff again when Mercury moves direct and passes over these same degrees. We'll talk about this as we move through it. If you haven't backed up your files - DO IT TODAY.

On Wednesday, the Moon (in Leo) hooks up with "anything can happen" Uranus. Have some fun - this feels like a good hookey day to me! If you do work though, you could get a lot done.

All week we are building toward Thursday's New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo. Something is eclipsed out of our way. 

For the next 2 weeks - take the meeting, make the call, the universe will bring in stuff and say "this is for you" - people, places and things (and yes with Mercury retrograde they could have a connection to the past) and the universe will take away options, people, situations that no longer work. Holding on will only break the nails we haven't bitten off stressing out about what is leaving. Whatever this is if it impacts you - this won't be totally out of the blue - we can already see this coming.

Most of life is free will, but eclipse seasons are fated folks.

This eclipse also activates the Saturn/Neptune square. Mercury meets Jupiter. There could be fear and paranoia here. This one is rather epic and we will talk about it in lots of detail on Wednesday! Next year we will have Saturn trining Uranus and be done with this damn square (we actually have the last exact square this month!) and that will feel much better!

xo all

not a time to rush .....

the magic of literature by ponti55


Mars has moved past Saturn - the young upstart promoted over the old faithful employee, the brash young soldier plowing ahead of his commander's orders, the new bride tucks her mother-in-law's gifted china into a cabinet and displays the assorted, handmade pieces she loves and has chosen for herself - PERSONAL WILL is asserted.

(and if these analogies seem strange I just binge watched 20 episodes of Manhattan, a tv series about the Manhattan project and am lost in the 1940's right now)

Yesterday we had Venus (love, money, values, women) inconjunct Uranus (the unexpected) and with all this Virgo maybe our careful plans were disrupted. Inconjuncts require adjustments.

Remember this isn't the time for big, splashy moves (unless they flow into place and are the result of past efforts) or big decisions (unless our heart leaps with joy at the thought of the choice and our mind agrees).

We are in eclipse season. Mercury is going retrograde on Tuesday. Jupiter is about to change signs. Pluto will move direct. Stuff is in flux. After the New Moon in Libra things will get a lot easier. We have to get through September first and see what is eclipsed out, what comes to light (maybe something big involving a female?). We still have another week to see what the Mars/Saturn conjunction could shake up.

If we are starting something big and splashy and it can wait until October, let it wait. If it is business related and can wait until Scorpio season when Mars is in Capricorn, even better. If not, just move ahead with it, knowing things will require adjustments. Let's not make a big deal out of everything - this is Virgo season and everything can feel like a major thing. Most stuff isn't.

Tomorrow, Venus will conjunct Jupiter. This is about what we want, what we love or what is beautiful -a fresh start maybe? an opportunity? a little luck? The Moon will be in Cancer, so home issues will be emotional and also satisfying. There may be some adjustment required with a male. See the weekly for more info.

Today, Mars squares Neptune. This is tension and frustration (think of that young upstart getting the corner office and then the reality of that responsibility hits her or maybe there is some let down after the climb when that peak is reached or maybe we are starting back down the mountain without ever reaching the peak). Maybe we feel lost or disillusioned or like we have lost the plot of our own story. We have a Gemini Moon squaring a bunch of Virgo planets today so making a half-baked decision, or move, is not a good idea.

There is no rush right now. There aren't any shortcuts that won't come back to bite us in the butt later. We still have some summer left ..... enjoy the weekend.

 xo all

BACK UP YOUR FILES!

one chapter closes, another chapter opens ...

starting point by fox-orian

As Mars meets up with Saturn today in Sagittarius initiating a new chapter of Saturnian lessons we can be grateful for two things

(and gratitude and patience will help us immensely today).

First, even as Saturn narrows our options and requires us to step into new responsibilities, Sagittarius expansion and optimism widen our story.

Jupiter (Sagittarius ruler) is soon to move out of his tiny leased apartment in Virgo where things have been tidy, maybe, but so cramped Jupiter had no space to be Jupiter. The good stuff he's used to unleashing via growth has had no space to unfurl itself.

Well, he's got some new, more spacious digs over in Libra starting next month. He can finally unpack all the goodies he's had stored in the closet the past year. His influence (and the magnetism of Venus who he will be answering to) will be activated.

Influence is what moves us and how we are open and available to be moved. It's good to respond to the power of influence (what are we drawn toward? what do we attract?) with constancy - steadying the motion (action) it inspires and creating a space to contain it. This is where Saturn will be very helpful, because this is what he does.

It might be best to see it in very old fashioned terms. A man (Jupiter) marries a woman (Venus) and brings her into his home (and yes, I know he is actually entering Venus's home, but let's not split hairs, no story is perfect and I'm writing this from my sick bed - play me some violin music and toss me some mentholated cough drops, please) and he makes room for her there. Good luck comes to him from this more feminine way of relating - being open and allowing space for new influences. This will be our good luck, too, in our next chapter.

Influence might first enter our life as a stirring realization that we might be somewhere else. Something starts pulling us thataway with no clear ideas of what it all means other than damn we have itchy feet. 

OK, back to the second thing we have to be grateful for today.

That Scorpio chapter, the chapter that included whatever lessons we learned while Saturn roamed Scorpio from 2012-2015 and whatever was reinforced while Mars retrograded there earlier this year - well that chapter is concluding. Some of the characters and situations make an appearance in future chapters, of course, that's how stories work - but the lessons Saturn tightened up our life to impart on us, well we either got them or we didn't. And I think we did.

So, what have we learned since 2012? Let's be grateful for whatever has made us the people we are today.

Now, we not only have Saturn and Mars getting together today, we also have another Yod (finger of God - fate - cosmic course correction) and something called a Mystic Rectangle, known to ancient astrologers for its power to resurrect old (even very old) dreams.

So, as we head into this new chapter some things will be out of our hands, some dreams will be carried from our past (and our ancestors past) and new influences will soon draw us in new directions and toward new people and experiences and draw others to us (and I hope to hell you've put time into that flock I told you, you were going to need in this next chapter).

Saturn's lessons have steeled us for this next part of our journey. Are we ready?

xo all

Merc's about to go retro - BACK UP YOUR FILES!

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 22nd - hitting that wall (part ll)

OK, let's dig right in.

This week is a bit nuts and I'm sorry I didn't get this posted on Sunday night. I am starting to take more seriously how Mars (Scorpio rising) and Saturn (Sun in Aquarius conjunct Saturn) impact my health.

If we have any options this week with scheduling important meetings maybe avoid Tuesday through Thursday. I know this isn't always possible. We can use our knowledge of astrology to realize there will be alot of crazy background noise everyone will be dealing with. If we must present something, interview, etc during this time - know things could be challenging and channel this energy to BE AMBITIOUS.

Ambition is rewarded now.

It's Virgo season, so stay detail and solution focused if things get hairy or move off course.

On Tuesday/Wednesday, we have the Mars/Saturn conjunction we've been talking about

(hitting the wall and doing what it takes to get over that wall). This is a moment of truth - the culmination of some long and unfolding situation is here.

One reason this is so important is that this is happening on the fixed star Antares which is historically been connected to violence and the military and the Sagittarius themes involved (religion, freedom, politics, foreign) have been so much in the news lately. Anyone planning mayhem could get really lucky with this energy. We'll hope that doesn't happen.

The other reason this conjunction is important is that it initiates a new two year cycle of Saturn lessons expressed through Mars.

What does that mean? We have Mars, finally covering new ground in Sagittarius, remember he was retrograde for most of this year and much of the time in Scorpio. And we have Saturn just beginning to pick up speed and move forward from his own retrograde.

They meet now at 10 degrees Sagittarius.

The last time they met was on August 25, 2014 at 17 degrees Scorpio - this initiated the Scorpio cycle that is currently ending.

So, collectively, we (humanity), will be taking action (Mars) and learning lessons through challenges (Saturn) focused on Sagittarius themes. 

Sagittarius is the sign of the gypsy, the scholar and the philosopher. Sagittarius rules the 9th house of the higher mind and higher (meaning further from the place we started) experiences. It rules religion, morality and philosophy. It rules freedom. It rules what is foreign to us (and that will mean different things to different people). It rules: legal, travel, foreigners, education, media, marketing, wedding, religious and political themes.

So we have Mars, which is our initiative and our drive and our physical energy working through Saturn - and Saturn means roadblocks and challenges and success through hard work and taking the time to get things right - focused on those Sagittarius themes.

Considering what is happening in the world with the refugee crisis, religious conflicts and political unrest it makes sense that our actions and focus would be here. Saturn will show us all the ways what we are currently doing is not working. He will make us walk our talk here.

By the time Mars and Saturn meet up in Capricorn in 2018 - our Sagittarius themes will have evolved (how they evolve is the free will part that is up to us). This doesn't mean we will solve the refugee crisis or religious conflicts or the current political systems that serve the few at the expense of the many, but two years of action and energy directed in these areas will create real change and Saturn will make the changes stick!

With Mars there is always the threat of physical violence. Mars is war. Mars is act first and ask questions later. These are dangerous times. I don't want to sugarcoat anything because we will have our collective energy focused on the very themes that have brought us so much violence. On the other hand Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, is about new adventures and new opportunities and new truths coming to light. 

The reason astrology is not a perfect predictor of the future is that the actions we take change what will happen. So astrology can see the patterns and the archetypes we bring to the patterns but we always get to choose how we act and how we re-act. What we do always affects the outcome. There is a great opportunity for the collective here (and yes there are great opportunities for crazy zealots and military crazies, too, because they will have this energy to work with also) - hopefully we will use it well.

Because we have two malefic planets meeting up in a malefic space this week, it is important to dial down any type of conflict. So, let's say someone says something on Facebook you would normally comment on. Maybe this time you step back, take a deep breath, see that they are allowed this other point of view and just let it go. Exhale. Take a walk. Don't engage.

Your daughter has a new boyfriend and his name is Taylor and he wears skinny jeans and thinks she shouldn't have to stay home on Saturday morning and cut the front lawn because you shouldn't have a front lawn. Take a walk. Don't engage.

You get the idea. 

Now, this new two year cycle is a personal cycle in our own chart as well as a collective cycle. I write about a lot of very fleeting transits in these weeklies but this one matters and will be more impactful.

Where is 10 degrees Sagittarius in your natal (and progressed) chart? We will naturally find this house becoming more and more the focus of our actions and energy. AMBITION in this area of our life will reap the rewards. We will see the road blocks and the ways things are not working, but when we do the work to make changes in this area the rewards will be multiplied by tenfold.

(if you don't know which house this is or what this house rules - ask me!)

If you have planets in mutable signs (Sagittarius, Virgo, Pisces and Gemini) from 8-12 degrees you are undoubtedly feeling the pressure of this week's conjunction already.

For many people, some part of our life is a pressure cooker and this week as Mars meets Saturn - exact tomorrow, maybe most challenging on Thursday - it could feel like we have hit a wall. Because we have.

Our energy, our actions and our anger can take us over that wall or create new and different obstacles - wall gone - pool of slimy muck straight ahead! We're standing on the other side like, tell me again why I needed to get over this wall?!

Of course, there's also the possibility of something dazzling on the other side!

We could give up now or climb by our fingernails over the top.

Whether we make it over or let go of trying (which might be exactly the correct course) - something has to end here.

When Mars moves past Saturn later in the week that wall is behind us one way or the other.

After Mars meets Saturn he squares Neptune in Pisces. This activate the Saturn/Neptune square we have been dealing with all year. Our dreams vs reality- what do we really believe.

On Thursday, we also have Venus (love, money, values, women) inconjunct Uranus so there could be an unexpected adjustment with one of those Venus themes.

The Mars/Saturn stress ease up as we hit the weekend although certain tensions will continue to build as we approach the September 1st solar eclipse. 

On Saturday, Venus hooks up with Jupiter (good luck, expansion) at 27 degrees Virgo, this is an EXCELLENT opportunity for all those Venus themes and if you were born around the 20th of March, June, September or December, even better! Single people get out and mingle.

So we have the most malefic planets meeting the same week we have the most benefic planets meeting!!

And still ahead we have the September eclipses - something eclipsed out, something coming to light, big somethings, Jupiter moving into Libra and Mars leaving Sagittarius. Lots of change ahead for all of us.

xo all (back later this week with a big picture post)

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 22nd - hitting that wall (part l)

On Monday, the Sun joins Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and the North Node in detail oriented Virgo.

We are all burning Virgo fuel now! I've been talking about Virgo and our need to prioritize - our health, service to others, small steps, what is right in front of us, the details, quality - since 1. our North Node went into Virgo and it became our collective way forward and 2. Jupiter went into Virgo and it became our way to expand. Little was the new big this year. We are familiar with it. This continues with an even stronger emphasis now.

With a solar eclipse in Virgo on September 1st we can expect major changes for Virgos and our Virgo natal houses.

The shadow of Virgo is self-criticism (and criticism of everyone and everything) and self doubt - setting too high a standard. Perfectionism. Nothing is ever good enough and often things don't get finished so they don't have to be judged and come up short. Since Virgo energy is here to learn to love themselves unconditionally, we are pretty much guaranteed to miss something. 

Learning when good enough is good enough is our job now. This is an excellent time to put our energy (Sun) into Virgo tasks like organizing, sorting, thinking, managing.

The key to getting the most from any Virgo season is focusing our energy in one direction and not getting distracted with all the shiny objects that are outside our control.

With Virgo's ruling planet Mercury about to go retrograde - BACK UP YOUR FILES - we will have extra time to cross our t's and dot our i's with whatever we are about to have in front of us.

The Moon is void all day Monday (working hours) so if you play hookey (or make a big presentation) nothing will come of it. Sleep in. :)

On Tuesday, the Moon in Taurus has us focused on our income, our possessions. There will be adjustments with legal themes or something related to educational, travel, media, marketing, wedding or religion as Mars and Saturn (in Sagittarius) approach their conjunction.

I am going to write the rest of this post tonight - just wanted to get Monday out there. I am sick again -ugh and need a clearer head to write the rest of the week! Big changes ahead! Going back to bed for a bit. xo all

Full Moon in Aquarius | August 18th - freedom, self-expression and individuality, something's gotta change

in your atmosphere by sara linn

On Thursday, we have a Full Moon in Aquarius. There is more information on it in the weekly forecast HERE. Full Moon are always oppositions. The Sun and the Moon are on opposite sides of the earth or more precisely the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon are 180 degrees apart.

The Sun is in the sign of Leo (25 degrees). The Moon is in Aquarius (Leo's polarity sign at 25 degrees). Leo and Aquarius are fixed signs - they stick with things. They are dependable.

Leo is represented by the lion. A lion is a cat. If you live with a cat you have some idea of what this 'king of the beasts' thing is all about. It becomes the cat's house. You become the cat's human. Cats rule. The male lion doesn't just get to mate with his choice of lioness. He gets all the lionesses.

(and now I am picturing a whole lineup of that little guy from Peanuts dragging his blanket)

Leo represents royalty and generosity and fun and creativity and greed. The shadow of the Leo archetype is a kind of arrogance or self-importance, but what you will find with most Leos is that they have a presence - they impress us.

It is hard to see when a Leo is not OK and needs help because they unconsciously give us a feeling that they can handle anything. So, when Leo energy (and this can be a Leo Sun or ascendant or anyone speaking from the space we carry Leo in our natal charts, ie if you have Leo in the 7th house and are talking about your partner or if you have Leo in the 2nd house and are talking about your money) is asked, "how's it going?" and Leo energy says "not great, actually I am barely hanging in there" - the other person, instead of asking "why, what's going on?" would be more likely to laugh it off and say something like "me, too" and launch into their own story. It's hard for other people to relate to Leo as "one of us". There is a reason the king of the jungle is the king of the jungle. There is dignity here.

Leo rules the space we are meant to shine through self expression, so yes the energy needs a lot of attention and needs to feel special and, yes, it cares what other people think. Because there is a need to leave a legacy here, things can get overblown. Leo has trouble with 'humble' (hence this energy leads us to the next sign the 'humble' Virgo). Leo is ruled by the Sun and must shine (the Pluto in Leo generation was called the Me Generation, pretty appropriately). It is attached and emotionally reactive.

Aquarius energy is the opposite side of the same coin. It's the energy of "we". It is detached (this doesn't mean unaware or involved) and emotionally non-reactive - note I mean the energy and not all Aquarians, no one is just one thing! It doesn't need to feel special because it already knows it is special. It knows everyone is special. Ruled by Uranus it is the sign of the genius, rebel and criminal. The Aquarius space in our chart is where things will work best by being 'outside the box'. It is unpredictable. Aquarius doesn't do humble either. It's hard for other people to relate to Aquarius as "one of us", too.

So, we have this opposition at any Aquarius Full Moon this me/we energy - this heart/head energy.

And Thursday's Full Moon is even more powerful and very complex.

Besides the opposition we have a Yod (called a finger of God; ie fate, cosmic course correction) which is an isosceles triangle in the sky. We have the Aquarius Moon sextiling Uranus (retrograde) at 24 degrees Aries and the Moon and Uranus are inconjunct Jupiter, in Virgo, at 25 degrees and Mercury at 23 degrees.

With Uranus (Aquarius ruler) sextiling the Moon (in Aquarius!) - we know this Moon will have the fingerprint of Uranus - freedom, liberation, unpredictability -there is something chaotic and unexpected here. With the cosmic course correction (Yod) pointing to Jupiter (and Mercury) in Virgo we know the way through this, and the overblown information and ideas that may be brought forth, is with careful consideration, attention to details, attention to our health and a focus on being of service to others.

Virgo will help us ground this electric energy (be cautious with machinery, computers, fire, stored data - anything that can spark including our temper).

With Uranus ruling this Full Moon from its retrograde position we might find someone from our past resurfacing -

this could also be a familiar ego or archetype energy in the form of a new or unexpected person or situation, with a resonance to something from the past. 

This would be something we need to release or reclaim that has to do with the Full Moon's themes of self-expression, freedom and individuality. 

This could relate to change we are resisting or some responsibility we are resisting. This could be about releasing something our ego has self-identified with that needs to go before our new chapter kicks off (Mars/Saturn) next week.

Within the energy of unpredictability and change Aquarius offers the space to step back and look at things dispassionately - to step outside our own drama.

With Jupiter conjunct Mercury information could be overblown. There could also be 'words of wisdom' now.

Let's slow down and take our time here. We might want to leap and there is certainly support for leaping, but with that Yod pointing to Virgo and opposing Chiron (wounded healer in compassionate Pisces) it feels more like a birth from an ending - something fated that needs to happen. Right after this Full Moon we get another mutable t-square. The mutable signs (and people with planets in mutable signs) have had a hell of a year and it's not over.

We are headed into a very heavy duty eclipse season where some very important things are going to be brought to light and some very important actions will be taken. We won't be the same people in October that we are now (particularly the mutable signs) - this Moon is just one of the steps to getting us all there ....

As always get out and walk in it - definitely start tonight as it builds - don't worry if you can't see it, it's there. This is an air Moon so a good time to get a head cold - take precautions. An Aquarius Full Moon could make us (and others) a bit out of touch with our emotions. Keep this in mind. The gift of emotional detachment is the ability to see things from another perspective .....

Anyhoo, check your Sun and Rising sign below (if you know your Aquarius house check the house number for best accuracy) to see where any abrupt, unexpected change (or something from the past that hasn't been energetically resolved) would be most likely to show up:

ARIES (11th house) friends and associates, groups you connect with, a secret goal gets reactivated
TAURUS (10th house) career, reputation in the world, father
GEMINI (9th house) travel to somewhere you have been before or picking up where you left off with some course of study, foreigners, wedding, publishing, marketing
CANCER (8th house) something hidden or taboo, other people's money, divorce, reproduction, taxes
LEO  (7th house) equal partnerships, marriage, something reflected through another person
VIRGO (6th house) health, day to day work, maybe a new work opportunity or a past opportunity resurfaces, your daily routine shifts
LIBRA (5th house) romance, children, creativity, gambling
SCORPIO (4th house) change in home or family, visit from someone unexpected, sudden news regarding your home, be especially careful with fire in the house, mother
SAG (3rd house) changes in the way you think about things or the way you communicate, siblings, your transportation, local neighborhood
CAPRICORN (2nd house) - your values, your money, the things money can and can't buy
AQUARIUS (1st house)  all about you, move something forward in a new radical way or release it
PISCES (12th house) something hidden revealed, some wound from the past, something to do with hospitals or prisons or something that has been 'put away', deep changes here

xo all

I'm going to do a post tomorrow or Friday about the big picture next few weeks  in terms of world events.


Sun trine Uranus | Venus on the North Node - getting noticed by doing our own thing


miss kI by thephotogenesis
Today the Sun, in Leo, trines (brakes off) Uranus, in Aries.

This is a good day to put an innovative spin on something or step into the spotlight in some unusual way.

Leo is the space in our chart (what house is home to Leo in your natal and progressed charts?) where we embrace our passion and make ourselves visible to other people (Leo's polarity space of Aquarius). What looks like is just for us is really for everyone.

Now is a good time to claim our passion; claim our creativity in a new way. It's never too late to begin again! New opportunities and breakthroughs can happen now. If you have the opportunity to show a different side of yourself - take it.

Leo, and the Sun, rule our 5th house of creativity, romance, children, joy, games - it's the house of pleasure - a shake-up in any of these areas (and/or our Leo natal and progressed houses) is possible now - doing something different is the key to making the house of pleasure pleasurable.

Venus, hanging out on the North Node of Fate, is making us very attractive to our best future. She is pulling us toward our greatest and most beautiful good. Can you feel her? xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 15th - the small beginnings of a BIG eclipse season

disappear by spell-bound 170
There is some disagreement between astrologers as to whether Thursday's Full Moon in Aquarius is or isn't a partial lunar eclipse (astronomers say no).

I think since part of the Moon will be red and part of the Moon will be missing (get up super early to see this for yourself) - this is a partial eclipse but even if it isn't it can't hurt to factor this into our thinking. A Full Moon reveals and an eclipse conceals. So, just know that if something is brought to light now we may not be able to see the whole picture.

Let's take a look at this Full Moon and a brief look at what September's solar and lunar eclipses (September 1st and 16th) are going to look/feel/behave like and what the whole season will offer up.

ECLIPSE SEASON IS GOING TO BE BIG!

Now, this week's eclipse isn't a 'true' eclipse (those start in a couple weeks). Eclipses can act as a kind of cosmic reboot; like when we download new software and have to turn our computer off and back on for the newly downloaded material to function properly. Except in this case, we are the computer, and our connection to a changing cosmos gets "reset".

Eclipses are some of the most dramatic means life has to draw our attention to spaces that need to change. They allow us to move from one level to another in some area of our lives very quickly. They can have influence weeks before and sometimes kick in 1-3 months after they have happened (often to the exact day).

Eclipse or not, significant changes are not far away - this would be a good time to slow down and take the time to analyze situations. We will be dealing with energies and situations we haven't worked with before so we need to be gentle with ourselves and other people. 

It is very difficult to see what is real and what is not real right now 

and sometimes we can only navigate through our sensitivity to our own discomfort. As we turn away from undermining beliefs and habits and relationships we can find ourselves heading in the right direction almost by accident!

Let's start with a sneak peek at the Full Moon partial lunar eclipse on August 18th - this is in our Aquarius house (natal and progressed) at 25 degrees.

This eclipse includes a Yod (finger of God, yes means exactly what this would make you picture in your head, it's saying LOOK HERE) pointing at Jupiter (in Virgo).

We've got the Moon sextiling Uranus (in Aries) and both the Moon and Uranus inconjunct to Jupiter. So, we've got the Moon in Aquarius (ruled by Uranus) and also sextiling Uranus. Uranus is very strong here and sextiles represent opportunities. Uranus and Aquarius are about stuff that is "out of the blue", unpredictable, new, technology, freedom, rebelliousness, genius, humanitarian - you get the idea. Aquarius is the sign of the genius, the rebel, the humanitarian, the criminal - and yes, sometimes all in the same person!

This Full Moon offers unusual opportunities to be brilliant or to be a humanitarian or to rebel against something impinging on our freedom or to devise the perfect cyber crime! 

(although maybe skip the cyber crime because although eclipses often conceal things - this one being more Full Moon than eclipse it is more likely to reveal than conceal)

I'll do a Full Moon post, but know with this Moon sextiling (opportunities) Uranus - the planet of  "anything can happen", well, anything can happen. The Moon has Jupiter getting uber close to Mercury.

(the exact conjunction is the following Monday, so maybe if whatever happens involves a communication or conversation or an announcement it will happen then, although with Mercury's upcoming retrograde he will be hanging out with Jupiter for quite a while)

The last time we had an eclipse in Aquarius was on August 7th - 8th, 1998 (anything special happening in your life then?). August 7, 1998 was the date the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya were attacked with car bombs (killed more than 200 people). If you are old enough to remember the Bill Clinton presidency, this was during the time of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and was just a few days before Bill admitted on national television that he had in fact had a relationship with her. Two weeks later the Clinton administration bombed (August 22nd) Afghanistan and Sudan in retaliation. You might also remember there were some critics at the time who thought the whole thing reminded them of the movie "Wag the Dog" - a movie about a politician who invents a war to take people's attention off what was happening at home. Not sure what this says about what is happening in the world today - but it is interesting the time period reflected back to us now.

Before the next eclipse (the Solar eclipse in Virgo on September 1st) a lot is going to happen including Mars meeting up with Saturn in Sagittarius. This is BIG.

We'll unpack this later in the week in more detail. 

Just know that Mars is not only meeting up with Saturn (August 23) - he is going to move past Saturn. If Saturn is the old man who sends the young man off to war to keep him busy so the young man will not think about unseating him then Mars is the young man back from battle and running right at him. We can also think of Saturn as that wall we can't get past ... except now we do. And what it takes to move us past that wall is the " unknown thing" that is going to happen here. Then Mercury goes retrograde, so whatever happens we will have plenty of time to think about it. Next comes a challenging solar eclipse. Then we have the final exact Saturn/Neptune square on September 10th (the last two exact square dates lined up very closely with the Paris and Orlando terrorist attacks). Then we have the lunar eclipse.

What this will all look like is still to be determined.

OK back to the week ahead - On Monday, the Capricorn Moon keeps us busy and on task. On Tuesday, coming off her opposition to Neptune, Venus, maybe a bit disillusioned from analyzing 'the dream' and facing her 'wall', hooks up with the North Node (our collective destiny, the best way forward) - this is a great day to start something or work on something or meet up with something or someone that aligns with where we want/need to go. If it's our best way forward things will click into place and we will attract what/who we need (remember this is still Virgo - so our attention to detail and focus on little things can make a big difference). Let's pay attention to what happens now. This is positive news for Venus and Virgo themes - love, money, women, our values, our work, our health, our animals and co-workers. In Virgo we will find real, workable solutions and improvements. Mercury is also preparing to go retrograde and walking the degrees he will walk two more times, so whatever we are working with will be in play for many weeks. On Wednesday, Venus trines (brakes off) Pluto so the Venus themes of women, love, money and our values have an easier time with authority figures, applying a stricter focus and maintaining our sense of purpose. We start to break through any lock ups and move forward. On Thursday, we have a Full Moon in humanitarian and freedom loving Aquarius (next post) so all week the energy will be intense as we build toward whatever the Full Moon will eclipse out, reveal, conceal or complete. On Friday, the Moon (in Pisces now) hooks up with Neptune and squares Mars and Saturn, triggering the approaching final Saturn/Neptune square (we've been dealing with this dreams vs. reality stuff, our beliefs, boundaries, etc, all year) and probably focusing us on whatever it is we need to release/finish before the final Saturn/Neptune square on September 10th. We'll want to step up and take action on any responsibilities that come up now (Saturn/Mars). With Uranus and Mercury again aspecting each other there could be unexpected news. Dreams may prove important and even prophetic.

There are no Void Moons during business hours. The basic energy is on releasing, finishing up, cleaning out and creating space for what is next! We are approaching the end of Leo season, and with so much energy in Virgo it may feel like summer is already behind us, but it's not gone yet. Remember, to enjoy these last few days - get outside and have some fun! xo all

knowledge is power ....

magnifier by nuno canha

Today's first quarter Moon (in Scorpio) puts whatever was started at the New Moon to its first tests. Maybe we are learning something now to help us choose a different/better/simpler way forward.

With Mercury (in Virgo) trine (brakes off) Pluto (retrograde in Capricorn) - knowledge is power. Details are powerful, too, and carry the seeds of our success or failure. Look closely and carefully. 

Good energy for making important plans - a conversation or communication (Mercury) with an authority figure or someone or situation holding power (Pluto) can move something forward in a big way.  

Excellent energy to present a well-thought out idea to powerful people.

Trines release restraints. If we have our foot on the brakes trying to keep some information from reaching someone in authority - this could be the transit (brakes off) that opens the flood gates. Trines can also help us deal with indecision by releasing cleanly all that doesn't belong in a particular situation.

daddy's home | Saturn Moves Direct August 13th

dad by pete barker

Here is a link to my post when Saturn went retrograde at the end of March.

On Saturday, Dad (Saturn) is back from vacation. Have we been goofing off? Staying out late? Run up the electric bill? Worn out his favorite chair or left his tools out in the rain to rust?

With Saturn back in direct motion by next week - we might find ourselves having to confront tougher deadlines, stricter limits or road blocks. We could be up against "external authority" and "time" restraints in some way. Whatever we've been going over since very late March or early April when Saturn began to backtrack over 16-9 degrees Sagittarius (what house(s) does this hit in your natal/progressed charts?) can begin to move forward now. We will still be covering old ground here until November though.

He'll immediately square Venus in Virgo. We will have to adjust our approach to what we want. Something is ready for our renewed effort and attention now. What is it?

While Saturn was retrograde we fed ourselves on power that came from the past - maybe strong personal values (what did Dad teach us by his presence or lack of presence, by his examples good or bad), deep instincts or the qualities of ancient heroes and heroines or our ancestors. This was maybe potent nourishment or it wasn't and we felt weaker, but either way, the question now is how this will find a place in our life going forward.

If we keep trying to shape our world to fit something in the past (the good old days that only existed in our heads because we were asleep) we will certainly fail.

These are uncomfortable times - we are almost certainly better off hooking our coattails to what is in flux than anything covered in mothballs. 

All this Virgo is showing us we have to face our fear of imperfection; of being rejected. We can't stay comfortable anymore. It's better to allow the ancient story to be complete in itself. Its own chapter. Its own story. We don't really wish our grown children to be babies again, do we? We can let the old chapter be a source of strength and then get on with the business at hand.

We have a brand new chapter kicking off when Saturn meets up with Mars later in the month and damn it will be a doozy - the kind of chapter people will sneak ahead to read and want to re-read later when the book is finished!

As we move into Virgo season, we will accomplish more when we let go of the need for achievements and recognition this doesn't mean we won't have these things only that we can't need them if our true goal is peace and happiness.

We could simply move through life by doing what works then changing course when it stops working.The problem is we don't let go of what isn't working - remember our bodies crave what is familiar over what is good. We could waste this push forward in struggle or we could just move another way in constancy.

We'll move with an open heart and yes this will be tricky with Venus in Virgo wanting to dot I's and cross T's but it's the only way we ever really get anywhere anyway ...

Mercury Conjunct the North Node - the messenger


I want to ride my bicycle by phatpuppyart-studios
With Mercury (in Virgo) hooking up with the North Node today, we could get a message or "transmission of information" or have an insight about something that moves us toward our best future.

This could be something like someone emails us and tells us about a job opening or recommends a book we might want to read. If you have planets or points at 12 degrees Virgo in your natal or progressed chart it could be something even more important. Pay attention.

This can also be a time when we might meet someone who moves our story forward in some way. They could be someone that embodies Mercury - either appearing rather androgynous or fast moving or reminding us of a sibling, cousin or neighbor.

Or a conversation could come to us through an actual sibling, cousin or neighbor that points us in a new direction, clarifies a dilemma or confirms something for us.

This can also show up as a 'moment of choice'. Choose carefully.

This isn't something to strain to find - it will evolve organically and might even be more visible in hindsight. Virgo rules the tiny details and Mercury moves very fast, so it could be easy to miss .....

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of August 8th - the eye of the summer storm ....

summer eye by lorency

We have the first quarter Moon on Wednesday - this is considered the 'crisis' phase, when whatever was kicked off at the New Moon meets its first challenges. Are we ready?! This is another busy week although with Saturn sitting still in the sky it will be a little like driving with the brakes on! Stay focused. We need to get organized before he meets up with Mars in a couple weeks and we head into our next chapter.

On Monday, the Moon is in peaceful and balanced Libra. We can see the other person's point of view now, but decisions will be harder to make - partly because we can see the other person's point of view and also because we don't want to piss anyone off. With Mercury opposing Neptune our thinking will be fuzzy (maybe even depressed, careless or deluded) and it's not a good time to make an important decision anyway. The Moon opposes freedom loving, unpredictable Uranus. Something out of the blue, exciting or surprising could send us off the rails. Expect the unexpected. Something could end. The Moon goes void at 1:44 pm EST.

On Tuesday, the Moon moves into murky Scorpio - a good day for diving deep. Superficial fluffy conversations won't cut it now. This is a good day to deal with Scorpio stuff - taxes, other people's money, loans, sex and reproduction. This is a good day to do research into something from the past or to toss stuff we no longer need. If we have to step into our power and confront something - this can be good energy for that - we just need to avoid some of the Scorpio pitfalls like manipulation, jealousy or moodiness. Our instincts and ability to get to the bottom of things will be useful.

On Wednesday, Mercury (in Virgo) trines (brakes off) Pluto (in Capricorn). This is excellent manifestation energy - words are powerful with this transit. If you need to have a conversation or pitch something to someone in power - this is the day to do it. Conversations and communications with authority figures can really move things forward now. Mercury enters the shadow of his approaching retrograde (the degrees he will walk three times) - so pay attention to what is happening now, especially if any Mercury ruled stuff gets wonky (communications, transportation, computers, siblings, neighborhood) - we will be dealing with it for a while.

On Thursday afternoon, the Moon is in Sagittarius giving us the energy to deal with any religious, politics, long distance travel, writing, higher education. media, weddings, foreigners or legal issues. We are really starting to amp up for Saturn's direct movement in Sagittarius on Saturday - tempers could flare a bit here. Remember the stationing planet/candle analogy. Don't overdo it. The Moon is void until 1:24pm EST.

On Friday, Jupiter (in Virgo) makes his 3rd (and final!) opposition to Chiron (the wounded healer). The first opposition was back in November. The second was in February. Jupiter (expansion) clashing with the space of our unhealed/unhealable wounding is a mixed blessing at best. Maybe something gets bigger so we can finally see it or are forced to do something about it. There is something here about teaching us about the nature of our pain and hurt - this may or may not be a physical thing, but its roots are deeper than the physical symptoms.

On Saturday, Saturn moves direct. He will be moving 100 miles an hour (the rest of the year is going to fly by folks). Authority gets green lighted. It's still in the Mutable T-Square so far from smooth sailing. We've gotten used to this though. The key to this week may be to do what we can when we can. We won't expect any great rewards (although some will certainly be handed out - it is  Olympic week after all!). We'll take moderate chances but not risks. We'll have a suitcase full of Virgo planets as we head into eclipse season when anything can happen! It's not the worst thing we could carry with us. I'll write an overview post later this week about where we stand in the world.

xo all

I got two emails with similar themes while I wasn't posting from people feeling like they were in an "abyss". Mars has moved out of Scorpio. The abyss really is behind us. Sometimes waiting is necessary but we don't have to wait in a cramped pit! If we feel like we must have things under control before making a move, remember that sitting in the dark makes us vulnerable (depression and confusion and negativity can sneak up on us).

If we don't expect to make progress, we won't.

If we sit in the dark too long we start to lose sight of the world beyond the abyss. Sometimes we have to do whatever it takes to change our state - to not let our current experience define us.

How can we see anything from its true perspective when we are sitting in a hole?

question everything ....

everytime I breathe by princess of shadows
With mental Mercury (in Virgo) opposing dreamy Neptune (in Pisces) it is probably best to take a second look at any ideas/communications presented to us now.

Words can be exaggerated or untruthful. It will be easy to connect higher meanings to things than what is factual or intended.

Things could clear up tomorrow when Mercury hooks up with the North Node (our collective way forward).

Saturn (after his lengthy retrograde and preparing to go direct in Sagittarius) is stopped in the sky.

Maybe something in our Sagittarius house or with something Sagittarius rules - religion, politics, long distance travel, higher education. media, weddings, foreigners, legal issues - has come to a stop, too. We could feel a push to make a decision or make a move, but we're not quite there yet.

If the stuff we stepped away from in March (or have been going back over since March) didn't move back front and center or end to make room for a next step, when Mars went direct a few days ago, it likely will by this time next week (for me, it's those taxes we filed an extension for - ugh). We're all about to get our focus back. xo all