Mercury retrograde | Sept 9th to Oct 2nd - galactic messages, mining for old gold, taking our ideas back to the drawing board and our relationships back to basics, re-balancing acts and second chances

 

 

At 11:38PM on Friday, September 9, 2022, Mercury stations retrograde at 8 degrees Libra. 

Mercury goes retrograde (from our point of view here on Earth) three, and sometimes four, times a year. He is retrograde (moving backward) for about three weeks and then stations direct and starts moving forward. 

 

Mercury/think Hermes here - is "the Messenger", the "Trickster", the "Cosmic Magician". He rules the signs of Gemini and Virgo. Collectively this is our - words, communication, siblings, early childhood education, our local community, commerce, tech devices, transportation, our daily life, our service, our health, our work - our collective 3rd and 6th houses. Mercury retrograde periods are times to slow down/to look within. Anything started with "re" becomes the most effective use of our time. Re-thinking, re-evaluating, re-flecting, re-peating, re-unions, re-novations, etc. 

 

Mercury retrogrades are re-curring opportunities to shift out of old mental patterns. We are often asked to pull back from the world and face our shadow self in some way. When we’ve exhausted the possibilities for what we can gain by projecting our shadow self onto the external events and people in our lives, we are ready to face them within our own mind (and heart).

 

On a practical level we see things that were concealed when Mercury was in direct motion. Maybe because we were going too fast to notice them or maybe we took a wrong turn two miles back and need to change direction. Maybe there is a road out up ahead that we don't know about yet. These retrograde periods are always useful/always needed even when we appear to incur delays, re-dos and roadblocks. 

 

Mercury moved into his retrograde shadow degrees back on August 22, 2022 (this was also the day the Sun entered Virgo). That's when he reached 24 degrees Virgo, the degree he will station direct on October 2nd. He leaves his shadow, reaches the degree he/she will station retrograde (8 degrees Libra) on October 17th and then he (as we), having re-ceived all the necessary information/learning from this re-tro period, will move on and will start covering new ground. So, the entire cycle is from August 22 - October 17, but he is retrograde from September 9 - October 2.

Mercury's retrograde starts in Libra then moves back into Virgo. 

 

Collectively we are re-looking at our relationships, in particular our partnerships and our need for balance, fairness and peace. Then we move back into Virgo (September 23rd). Air to earth. The re-looking, re-viewing, re-evaluating, re-novating, etc - continues, but now we are dealing with more solid things. Separating the wheat from the chaff. Our words are given form. It is particularly important what we are saying/thinking/hearing - ABSORBING now. Mercury is back in his home sign of Virgo, so we are fixing, making things better.

 

During Mercury's retrograde he/she will be in multiple conversations with Venus, multiple trines with Pluto and multiple oppositions with Jupiter. He has mutual reception with Venus almost the entire time and winds up back in his home sign - a comfortable space he rules. We really couldn't ask for much better. The Venusian contacts and the fact Mercury starts this retro in Venus's sign Libra, pulls in our relationships, our money, resources, our values, our self-esteem, women and beauty. The trines to powerful Pluto give us MULTIPLE opportunities for empowerment, to speak our truth, to notice TRUTH. The oppositions to Jupiter indicate multiple opportunities to MINE FOR OLD GOLD. We will talk about all this over the next few weeks as we move through the energies of the retrograde period.

A couple things to keep in mind -  Mars is in Gemini for the long haul (through March 2023), so he is answering to Mercury. We are already doing things twice or doing two things at once. Mercury retrograde is going to complicate this. We are going to need to be smart, at exactly the time 'being smart' will be especially tricky.

Also, Mercury in Libra is answering to Venus in Virgo. So, we have this mutual reception thing going on with each planet in the other planet's sign. This will last for almost the entire retrograde and is VERY GOOD NEWS. Mercury can get back to Virgo (his sign) through Venus/Libra. And Venus can get back to Libra (her sign) through Mercury/Virgo. This is better news for Mercury than Venus, since she has to go through a retrograde planet (meaning our relationships/money/values/self-esteem/women - the Venusian stuff - needs to go backward to go forward). For Mercury this means that Venusian tactics get him back to Virgo. This means cooperation, being social, being fair, being kind and diplomatic. With Mars in Gemini, this will not always be such an easy thing because we are also charged with standing up for ourselves/being ourselves/being brave through our language.

 

Here are the pertinent dates:

 

AUGUST 22 - Mercury hits 24 Virgo and starts walking degrees he/she (through us) will walk two more times

SEPTEMBER 2 - Mercury (still direct) opposes Jupiter retrograde

SEPTEMBER 9 - Mercury stations retrograde

SEPTEMBER 12 - Mercury retrograde semi-sextiles Venus

SEPTEMBER 18 - Mercury retrograde opposes Jupiter retrograde

SEPTEMBER 23 - Sun meets Mercury retrograde - mid-point of cycle - ILLUMINATION, here is what the Mercury retrograde has been about for us - this happens at 0 degrees Libra, an Aries point, our collective attention will be on SOMETHING, then Mercury retrogrades back into Virgo, his home sign. Mark this day.

SEPTEMBER 26 - Mercury retrograde meets Venus (26 Virgo)

SEPTEMBER 27 - Mercury retrograde trines Pluto retrograde

OCTOBER 2 - Mercury stations direct at 24 Virgo

OCTOBER 6 - Mercury trines Pluto retrograde (Pluto will station direct 2 days later, is very strong and still here)

OCTOBER 12 - Mercury opposes Jupiter retrograde for the final time, so this will connect to September 2nd and September 18th

Now, besides connecting to the collective energy/the ways we respond TOGETHER, we each have our personal Mercury energy in our natal and progressed charts and the houses he rules within us that are impacted through transiting Mercury. Your natal Gemini and Virgo houses and their themes are affected when Mercury changes sign and direction by transit AND the houses he touches by transit. So, here we are talking about your natal (and progressed) Libra, Virgo and Gemini houses - and we have Mars in your Gemini house and Venus in your Virgo house, and the Sun will move from Virgo to Libra during the retrograde, so this is an action packed area that will be prone to to busyness, delays, repeating patterns, etc.

When Mercury stations on Friday night he/she (Mercury is very androgynous energy, but I will mostly use the pronoun he here) will be tightly sandwiched between dwarf planet Makemake and asteroid Logos. 

Logos is an ancient Greek philosophical term meaning "the Word". "In the beginning was the word" and the way we think about and describe our world is a powerful aspect of our creativity.  The concept of Logos itself could be considered a drive towards rationality (as the Greeks used it), or a connection with the sacred nature of things. We can expect powerful new insights at all levels from personal to collective during this retrograde.

 

Makemake is one of the group of Trans-Neptunian objects (because they orbit beyond Neptune), that include Pluto, Eris, Haumea, etc. The influence of these planets comes from deep space and moves into our more human realm at certain times. They are galactic messengers -weaving our human-story into a story much bigger than we are accustomed to working with. 

 

Makemake was named for the Creator God of a small isolated volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean known as Rapa Nui or Easter Island. Astrologer, Philip Sedgwick, believes the position of Rapa Nui bears a direct relationship to the Galactic Centre. It is difficult to know Makemake's story because so much of the oral tradition of the islanders has been lost, but the islanders, as part of the 'bird-man' cult, would swim out to an islet each year through dangerous open sea to collect eggs. Maybe this annual ritual was designed to ensure that the strongest and bravest warrior was chosen each year to be a sort of chiefly figure, someone the islanders could trust to provide for them, to bring them continued fertility for example.  The symbolism of the 'egg' is significant, given that the island was originally named Easter Island by the Europeans who arrived there on Easter Sunday in 1722. The planet Makemake was also discovered on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2005, and astronomers temporarily named Makemake “The Easter Bunny”. 

 

How this connects to this Mercury retrograde period I will leave up to you to ponder/discover for yourself, but some things to consider might be that Easter Island is another historical example of  European conquest - the devastation of the native people and resources, enslavement, smallpox was introduced here purposefully with devastating consequences. We might see how this connects to current collective events by considering the underlying power mechanics of slave labor (including the current zeitgeist's 'quiet quitting' movement), viral epidemics, wise/unwise use of the earth’s resources, the loss of spirituality and Goddess energy, and the loss of local culture and a sustainable local food supply. It might seem we are re-living Rapa Nui’s/Easter Island's destruction on a global level. Hopefully Makemake and Logos connection with Mercury as he/she backs up speaks of smart AND practical solutions to collective problems. This will connect to our personal lives and circumstances, too. 

 

Keep in mind our North Node - collective way forward - is still in Taurus, so answering to Venus in Virgo, who is answering to this retrograde Mercury. The way forward/through is BACK. Our words are our fortune and our voice MATTERS. When we speak, we are casting S-P-E-L-L-S and during Mercury's - the God of language - retrograde it is especially important to pay attention to this.

 

Try not to be discouraged/annoyed at the repeating energies, delays and re-dos. This is all happening as it should be and in its own time. Slow down and double check things. Don't take on too much! Re-turn to the things, people and places that brought you comfort or that need fixing. We are moving from air to earth. Taking our ideas back to the drawing board. Our relationships back to the basics. This isn't really a problem, even when actual problems are presented, but part of the complicated process called "life on planet Earth".

 

As always, I hope something here is helpful. 

Back with the BIG Full Moon in Pisces post!

xo all

I am always listening to podcasts while I make and would recommend for this retrograde period anything brain/speech related by Andrew Huberman and also, and probably most especially this conversation as podcaster Aubrey Marcus interviews the amazing and brilliant Laurel Airica.

 

 

photography by the talented sara-with-a-gun

weekly astrology forecast | august 7th - 13th, 2023 - money and relationship shake-ups, taking a calculated risk and then checking yourself before you wreck yourself, clarity around our values as Venus meets the Sun and seeds a new cycle

Venus Retrograde in Capricorn Approaching - heads up creatives

taurus locket by polarity - artwork by oksana grivina

Like Mercury, Venus is one of the inner planets.

She doesn't go retrograde as often, once every 20 months vs Mercury's three times a year, but we will notice it when she leaves the room for her 40 day sabbatical.

(it's like the wittiest, most attractive - the kind of beauty that attracts - girl goes home from the party and takes the party's liveliness and passion with her)

Venus always reminds us to honor our personal affections - she asks us - "what are you drawn to?"

(warning, shameless plug ahead -

it could be one of my polarity lockets)

Venus doesn't have 'likes' - she has passions.

Since the things we are drawn to and feel passionate about are our clues as to how we fit into this game called Life on Planet Earth (how we can make our unique contribution - the space that goes empty if we don't participate) - knowing where Venus is hanging out in your birth chart (the energy at play when you drew your first breath, the energy you are quite literally created from - yes, I'm going to dangle a lot of participles in this post, sometimes life is uncertain and things must dangle) is important. 

Venus energy brings things into relationship with other things - she is the energy that draws us to the right thing at the right time (maybe you to this blog post); the writer to the keyboard, the paint to the canvas, the thyme to the potato. She is also the energy that observes this attraction.

We honor Venus when we make things beautiful. She loves artists and we work with her energy all the time.

(remember the opposite of aesthetic is anesthetic .. the numbing of the senses - either we are living the creative life we were born for or we are still asleep)

Her festival is May Day, her day of the week is Friday - named for the Norse Venus, Freya - her color is emerald green, her metal copper - wearing copper or emerald during her retrograde feels like a good way to honor her absence.

She rules both Taurus and Libra (yes, the Goddess energy is like most women, capable of managing multiple energy streams at the same time) - with Taurus energy she rules the earthly realm - plants, flowers, nature's food - that which nourishes us body and soul - with Libra she presides over social interaction, relationship, art - everything that makes the world more beautiful.

She blends Taurus and Libra and reflects how we relate to the natural world - she is the reason we crave land and nature - a little place to call our own, gardens to work in, animals to love.

She balances Mars (although women are not really from Venus and men are not really from Mars, it is rather energetically accurate for the feminine and the masculine - it is not a man/woman thing though we all have both energies within us) which is why Malcolm Gladwell's book The Tipping Point

(I have been catching up with all his books on Audible this month in my studio while I work and have been falling asleep with his voice in my head)

observations that painting over graffiti and repairing broken windows in NYC were the real reasons for the declining crime rate makes perfect sense.

We dishonor Venus with vanity or idleness - this doesn't mean she wants us to be busy though. Busyness is often an excuse for dishonoring the very things we need to do to take care of ourselves (busyness dishonors our businesses, too).

Venus takes care of herself!

We dishonor Venus when we gossip or mistreat relationships - when we don't take care of our physical selves and surroundings, when we just live with the mess, when we pollute our bodies with crappy food, when we allow our values to become corrupted, when we ignore our passions - we are the caregivers of what we are passionate about in the physical world. 

Venus asks us to think about what part of the physical world; what part of nature attracts us and to embrace that - because that is literally the energy that brought us here.

She retrogrades in the sign of Capricorn on December 21st.

Common advice during a Venus retrograde is to not buy any luxury items (they will not bring us what we are wanting them to), like the Mercury retrograde advises us not to purchase communication/technology devices, not to make any drastic physical changes - so no dramatic haircuts, don't start home renovations - not the best time to start a new love relationship and since this retrograde is in Capricorn (the businessy energy) - not the best time to start business relationships either.

It is a good time for things from the past related to Venus to reappear (yes all retrogrades are "re" periods) in our lives - something that comes back to you now will most likely be more karmic clean up than opportunity though.

The day I wrote this post I had a customer call me I hadn't heard from in 4 years. She was closing her business and looking for something I had designed in my previous business that a customer of hers was wanting. We caught up for a few minutes (I couldn't help her with that old file) and she got another phone call in the middle of my sentence and exited my life as quickly as she popped back in (and as quickly as she exited the first time) - total Venus retrograde energy at play here.

I will pop up another post about this as it hits - I am happy the timing coincides with the end of our maker holiday season - after we have sent our beautiful offerings out into the world! If your age is divisible by 8 (she makes a complete journey every 8 years) this retrograde will affect you more.

xo all

BLOG READERS ONLY - 
get free shipping on ANY order  in either of my Etsy shops thru 12/12
with coupon code VENUS

UNCORKED

 

POLARITY

Venus 's Upcoming Retrograde in Scorpio/Libra | what do we really want/love now, what do we REALLY value, temptations in the desert/dessert and are we too focused on what isn't ours? part I

toxic city 04 by Art-de-Viant

As I write this Venus is moving through 1 degree Scorpio.

She is going to move forward until she gets to 10 degrees Scorpio (October 5th) and then she is going to station retrograde and begin moving backward through Scorpio (from our point of view here on Earth). On Halloween she will get back into the sign of Libra and continue moving backward until she gets all the back to 25 degrees Libra (November 16th) and then she will station direct and start moving forward - walking again, this time direct, all the degrees she has walked before.

So the degrees from 25 Libra (which Venus first walked back on September 3rd when she kicked this whole season off) through 10 degrees Scorpio are the "hot" spots for this retrograde. She won't be covering entirely new ground until the middle of December when she sextiles Saturn and moves past 10 degrees Scorpio. Whew. Got it?!

Anyone with planets and points between 25 degrees Libra and 10 degrees Scorpio as well as people with planets and points between 0-10 degrees of the fixed signs (because Venus will square Aquarius and Leo and oppose Taurus) and between 25-29 degrees of the cardinal signs (because Venus will square Cancer and Capricorn and oppose Aries) will probably feel this retrograde strongest, but we will ALL be impacted - particularly within the themes of the houses in our chart that Venus visits and revisits AND through the themes of the houses she rules in our natal chart AND within the more general themes Venus rules - love, partnership, balance, money, our values, our resources, women and beauty.

If our age is divisible by 8 (she makes a complete journey every 8 years) this retrograde might affect us more. And for all of us what was happening in our life, with our relationships and with our money and self-esteem 8 years ago?

Until Halloween she will be moving through SCORPIO. So, let's tackle Scorpio first.

Scorpios (and our Scorpio planets/houses) will be most directly impacted.

Venus in Scorpio is about the way we merge with other people. In Libra we meet another person, maybe we like the way they look, maybe we like the way they make us look, we cooperate, we come into a balance, maybe we fall in love. In Scorpio, things get deeper and messier. Maybe we merge our physical bodies and have sex. Maybe we merge our money via a joint bank account. We get to know the stuff about the other person/situation that isn't quite so "pretty". We get to look under the hood. Sometimes we go too deep, too fast and lose sight of land or even ourselves! Things get complicated, sometimes even toxic.

Venus retrogrades are typically times when events transpire to show us what we value. 

Relationships are tested. 

The way we handle our money (and other resources including the planet Earth) is tested.   

The retrograde period itself (October 5th - November 16th) isn't really a time to make major changes - it's not such a good time to start a business or love relationship that we want to last, for example - it's a time things happen to get us to clarity so we can take action, if we choose to, when Venus is direct (November 16th).

Venus asks us, "what/who do you love now? what/who do you want now?".

With Venus in Scorpio - the ruler of our 8th house of other people's money/other people's values and possessions - we will surely be figuring out where we have been too focused on what isn't ours. This will also be about the way we handle power - either by abusing it or avoiding it. The ways we obsess and manipulate to get what we want. The ways we merge ourselves and our resources and how all of this is working out for us.

She rules both Taurus and Libra (yes, the Goddess energy is like most women, capable of managing multiple energy streams at the same time) - with Taurus energy she rules the earthly realm - plants, flowers, nature's food - that which nourishes us body and soul - with Libra she presides over social interaction, relationship, art - everything that makes the world more beautiful.

She balances Mars (although women are not really from Venus and men are not really from Mars, it is rather energetically accurate for the feminine and the masculine - it is not a man/woman thing though we all have both energies within us).

We dishonor Venus with vanity or idleness - this doesn't mean she wants us to be busy though. Busyness is often an excuse for dishonoring the very things we need to do to take care of ourselves (busyness dishonors our businesses, too) because Venus takes care of herself!

We dishonor Venus when we gossip or mistreat relationships. When we don't take care of our physical selves and surroundings. When we just live with the mess. When we pollute our bodies with crappy food. When we allow our values to become corrupted. When we ignore our passions - we are the caregivers of what we are passionate about in the physical world.

While she is in Scorpio she is going to oppose Taurus - Taurus will face something from the outside - a "me vs you", maybe an ending, a culmination, maybe a confrontation - maybe with a woman, maybe with a Scorpio or another water sign. Taurus gets the opposition.

While Venus is in Scorpio she is going to square Aquarius and Leo. Aquarius and Leo get the tension/crisis. They get the square that requires the pivot.

Scorpio gets the full impact (and anyone with those 0-10 degree placements). What do we really want? What do we really value? How do we share what we have with other people? How do we take what other people have? How to we merge with other people? Are we too focused on what isn't ours? There can be situations that bring us to a brutal honesty with ourselves here.

Common advice during a Venus retrograde is to not buy any luxury items (they will probably not bring us what we are wanting them to), not to make any drastic physical changes - so no dramatic haircuts, not the best time to start home renovations because you might not like what you get and have to redo it later, not the best time to start a new love relationship because when Venus walks back over the same area the relationship could fall apart.

It is a good time for things from the past related to Venus to reappear (yes, all retrogrades are "re" periods) in our lives - something that comes back to you now will most likely be more karmic clean up than opportunity though. Old loves. Old passions. Sometimes we might re-discover a love we had lost ...

I think with Venus retrograde in Scorpio (for 40 days and 40 nights which sounds familiar although we are more likely to be tempted by dessert than in a desert) we might have to face some kind of TEMPTATION. We could seduce or be seduced - and this doesn't have to be about a person, but it might be (it could also be about an idea or an object)!

We will talk more about this in Part II with Venus's morning star/evening star cycle and Venus in Libra and then in Part III we will take a look by sign.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of March 26th - female warriors, unexpected situations, another brick in the wall, something becomes unavoidable now as the fate train rumbles on, break-ups, break-downs and break-throughs

SNOW MAYAKI by K-E-I-T

This is another blockbuster week, and another week where the end of the week looks more challenging than the beginning, as we all roll toward the unavoidable

(yes, the fate-train continues folks which just means our past actions create our current effects)

if this week were a blockbuster movie it would have it all - the intense desire, the mid-week Uranian shocker about what we want, the end of week Saturnian limit/pivot/rules, the weekend's Full Moon consequences, culmination or balancing of accounts and Mercury retrograde's information/answer coming to light!

I have written in the past about how we can't see the future from where we are now. Well, this is one of the weeks we might just get a glimpse as some timeline(s) get tightened up for all of us!

Remember I said March was going to roar out like a lion this year!

The major aspects this week are:
March 25th - Venus conjunct Eris
March 28th - Venus conjunct Uranus
March 29th - Sun square Saturn
March 31st - Full Moon in Libra, Venus into Taurus
April 1st - Sun conjunct retrograde Mercury

We start the week with the Moon in Cancer which might be having a stressful, emotional time of it on SUNDAY.

We have multiple planets in Aries now and multiple planets in Capricorn. The Capricorn planets (Saturn at home and Mars exalted) are more powerful than the planets in Aries so our natal Aries planets/houses - and also our Libra and even Cancer planets/houses are feeling the squeeze.

Venus meets up with Eris in Aries. Eris is known as the Goddess of discord and Mars' sister and credited with starting the Trojan War.

Singled out to be left out (due to her already disruptive reputation) at a party celebrating the arranged marriage of Peleus and Thetis - she crashed the party anyway (picture Angelina Jolie in Maleficent here) offering a golden apple inscribed "to the fairest" for the fairest Goddess of them all to be chosen by Paris, Prince of Troy.

The Goddesses vied for the apple and they were not above trickery. Athena tried to bribe Paris with the promise of skill in battle, Hera with the promise of political power, but it was Aphrodite (Venus in Roman myth) who won the apple with her bribe of Helen (of Troy fame), the most beautiful woman in the world, and wife of Menelaus of Sparta. Long story short - this didn't end well for Paris. The Spartan army went on to destroy the city of Troy in battle as they demanded the return of their Queen - and yes, I am skipping the famous Trojan horse part - this is just the Eris starting trouble part.

Venus (Aphrodite to the Greeks) was also kind of Eris's sister-in-law, not really (Venus was actually married to Vulcan), but kind of that energy existed within their relationship as she romanced Mars/Ares.

So, it is the story of the disruptive outsider. The part of ourselves we hide from fancy company. It is also the story of something that seems somewhat insignificant blowing things all out of proportion - so watch for that in the collective and within your own life (also be nice to your sister-in-law this week).

Interesting the Stormy Daniels (what an Venus/Eris archetype!) interview is scheduled to air during the conjunction. A disruptive outsider for sure! I guess we'll see what comes of her story, noting Venus also rules money and there is a hush-money angle here, too (and remember Jupiter is retrograde in Scorpio digging up old dirt). I saw a picture of her waving her hand and couldn't miss her extremely low placed thumb - a sign, if palmistry is to believed, of an old soul. Yes, a porn actress can be an old soul. Why not.

I haven't looked at her astrology chart or know if her birth date is even public because I am guessing it wouldn't be accurate anyway since she might be older than she lets on - but you know I love the linguistic synchronicity of a woman who calls herself Stormy bringing some stormy weather (you remember all the storms and weather devastation after last summer's eclipse that didn't seem to touch Trump although it's main star promised glory if revenge was avoided and a downfall for him otherwise - hard to imagine Trump has avoided revenge) on a day when Venus (love, beauty, money) and Eris (disruption, the outsider) are working together!

Venus/Eris also makes me think of Marjory Stoneman Douglas student Emma Gonzalez and her six powerful minutes of silence at the March for Our Lives on Saturday.

OK, on to the week ahead. On MONDAY and TUESDAY - the Moon is in fiery Leo - good for creative work on projects, time with children - self expression, confidence, courage, maybe some drama. On Tuesday morning the Leo Moon will trine (brakes off) Mercury - this would be a good time to communicate ideas with other people - take the stage, close the sale. Information, ideas, communications began before Mercury started hitting his retrograde degrees and before Jupiter stationed retrograde - so before March 8th, will probably have the best shot. There could be some adjustments between the Leo themes and our responsibilities, work in the world or an authority figure. The Moon goes void with a trine to Uranus while we sleep Tuesday night.

On WEDNESDAY, the Moon is void until 10:30AM EDT and then enters Virgo. Get organized. Be of service. Do the dishes. Dot your i's and cross your t's today and tomorrow.

Venus meets up with Uranus in Aries.

We knew once Venus got into Aries - she was going to have to square Saturn the wall (since he is in Capricorn and Capricorn squares Aries) and square Pluto and she was going to have to face unpredictable Uranus (since Uranus is in Aries).

We could meet someone new and unusual or experience something unexpected/explosive/sudden/liberating with a Venusian situation - love, money, our self-esteem, our values and resources.

This follows our "I must have this or I will die" or whatever compulsive, obsessive Plutonian story was magnified by last week's square between Venus and Pluto.

To toss out a few astrological word-salads this could play out as something like - being attracted to/or seeing the beauty within (Venus) something/someone unusual (Uranus), a sudden (Uranus) love (Venus) or a romance/partnership with a Uranian type - an Aquarius, genius, rebel, criminal - a sudden partnership (Venus) break-up (Uranus), an unexpected (Uranus) change in finances (Venus) - this could be good or bad - buy a lottery ticket just in case - an unusual (Uranus) woman (Venus), an unexpected (Uranus) purchase (Venus) or the purchase (Venus) of a Uranian object - a computer for example - not recommended with Mercury retrograde unless this is something you were planning before March 8th though. You get the idea.

Depending on how directly this is hitting your personal chart - this could be a big deal or a blip.

For everyone we could get a hint of what Uranus's entry into Venus ruled Taurus will be bringing us over the next few years and starting in a few weeks, so pay attention. The financial markets will likely be volatile this week. If you have bitcoin or other crpyto-currencies (like I do) keep an eye on what happens this week, because it will almost certainly signal whether Uranus into Taurus will be liking the cryptos in general and which ones specifically.

Do something different today. Be social. Get out and about.

With Venus/Uranus we could be saying a spontaneous "YES" to something unusual

(keep in mind the Full Moon in Libra this weekend - things coming to light, conclusions- that Libra Moon answering to Venus and squaring both Mars and Saturn coupled with the Sun meeting up with a retrograde Mercury - will have something else to say about it!).

On THURSDAY, the Sun will square Saturn. The Sun is our will and Saturn is our functional limit in the physical world - what holds us in place and keeps us stable - our career, the structures in our life, etc.

The Sun in Aries wants to make her mark on the world and Saturn says - hold on a minute baby - let me see your credentials.

Squares are tension and this one could have us focused on the struggle for success. This is a depressing square and we could feel tired, isolated and put-upon (a forming diamonds under pressure kind of thing) - it's best dealt with by staying on top of what we have to do - our duties and responsibilities - and knowing this is transitory.

Don't ignore problems that come to light during this square - this will only turn the pebbles hitting us in the head into boulders when the Sun opposes Saturn this summer.

The weekend will be HUGE and the energy will start to make itself known on FRIDAY. The Moon is void on Friday until 1:52PM EDT.

On SATURDAY, we have the Full Moon at 10 degrees Libra/Aries (ruled by Venus), squaring both Mars and Saturn and trining the South Node (in Aquarius which is about that Uranus again!) at the same time Venus moves into Taurus - a sign she rules!

Then on Easter Sunday we have the Sun meeting up with a retrograde Mercury at the mid-point of his/her retrograde story.

I will write a Full Moon post by sign later this week!

I also have a Trump update post to finish. Remember we last looked at him standing alone (as Uranus) at Jupiter's retrograde station so his staffing shake-ups and maneuverings (you're fired!) shouldn't surprise us and aren't over. It is also likely that the Mueller investigation is isolating Trump behind the scenes as well as the consequences of his prior interactions with women (including Hope Hicks departure and the recent Stormy weather) potentially isolating him from support.

We'll talk about that this week, too (yes, we will - pinky swear!).

I apologize if I sometimes write - "we will talk about that this week" and then don't get back to it!

I know that sucks. Not that anyone is hanging on my every word - ha! - but I know it is a sucky thing to do. Like not returning a call or a text or promising to bring a hot apple pie and showing up with a box of half empty tic-tacs.

But I am an armchair astrologer and only have access to the armchair after my work is complete and family is asleep and some nights I just fall asleep in it myself! And I know now you can hear the violins ...

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 3rd - part 1 - smooth communication and information flow on MONDAY

diagonal people by Igor-Demidov

We have a very active week with multiple planets changing signs, one planet stationing direct and a New Moon!

I had family over for a barbecue yesterday, so didn't get to the weekly. I will either finish out this post later today or tomorrow morning or do dailies this week.

MONDAY - Mercury sextiles Venus 
WEDNESDAY - Mercury inconjuncts Mars, Mercury moves home to Virgo and inconjuncts Chiron
THURSDAY - Saturn stations direct in Capricorn (2 degrees)
FRIDAY - Mercury trines Uranus and Saturn - Grand Earth Trine(!) - and the Sun opposes Neptune
SATURDAY - Venus squares Mars
SUNDAY - Venus moves into Scorpio and we have the New Moon in Virgo (17 degrees)

On MONDAY the Moon continues her two and a half day monthly journey through Gemini. We are busy. We are communicating. We are running errands. Information is moving. Maybe sibling issues and the local community are keeping us active.

At 8:58AM EDT, Mercury (in confident, loud and proud Leo) will sextile (opportunity) Venus (in Libra) at 25 degrees.

This is a three-peat aspect with the last sextile on August 18th when Mercury was retrograde. So something now could connect back to that date and/or to the previous Mercury/Venus sextile.

This is easy communication, the ability to get someone else to "buy in" to what we want. An opportunity between our Leo (creative projects, children, romance, recreation) and our Libra houses (relationships). Reach out to other people early in the day while this aspect is hottest.

Note - we are still under the influence of yesterday's Moon square Sun (Gemini/Virgo) - choices, decisions, information overload, obstacles.

At 1:37AM the Moon will go void and then move into Cancer at 8:03AM EDT on TUESDAY (turning our focus to home, family, home business, mother, nurturing issues for the next couple days).

Also on Monday, Venus enters her upcoming retrograde shadow.

This means Venus (as us) begins traveling degrees she will travel again while retrograde (October 5th to November 16th) - she will be back to this week's exact degrees in November. Right now she is still in her home sign of Libra. She will move into Scorpio next week and spend most of her retrograde in Scorpio.

So, if we have planets or points between 0-10 degrees of the fixed signs - we will likely feel this retrograde strongest, but everyone will be impacted either directly or through our interactions with other people. The most directly impacted will be planets/points in early Scorpio. Taurus planets (opposite the retrograde Venus) will experience oppositions - issues coming at us from the outside, culminations. Aquarius and Leo planets/points will experience the tension/stress of squares. The other water signs - Pisces and Cancer - will experience trines (brakes off).

29-25 degrees of Libra and the other Cardinal signs will also be impacted. The most directly impacted will be planets/points in late Libra. Aries planets (opposite the retrograde Venus) will experience oppositions - issues coming at us from the outside, culminations. Cancer and Capricorn planets/points will experience the tension/stress of squares. The other air signs - Gemini and Aquarius - will experience trines (brakes off). We'll talk about this as we move through it.

With Venus retrograde we will be re-examining WHAT WE TRULY VALUE.

In Scorpio, events can conspire to show us the ways we merge our emotions/bodies/finances/resources and if this stuff is still working for us. Venus rules relationships, balance, love, money, women, beauty, our resources, our values and self-esteem.

Relationships are tested. Our values and self esteem are tested. Our ideas of beauty and women are tested. The ways we handle our money and resources are tested.

If we have lost ourselves in something - maybe this autumn is the time we come up for air ...

In the meantime, this week, we will want to pay attention to the Venusian themes in our life (the stuff she rules) because with Venus set to revisit the degrees she is walking now (two more times) - these situations are going to be in play for awhile. It could also be that something that starts now will come to a dead stop later on (and with Scorpio ruling death I do not use this word lightly), so keep this in mind.

xo all - back tonight or tomorrow

the upcoming retrogrades of Venus and Jupiter | what do we really want

The Bee by Natalia Drepina

Normally I don't pay much attention to Jupiter retrogrades, unless he is backing over planets or points in my natal chart. He is retrograde for large chunks of time (four out of every thirteen months) and similar things seem to occur when he is moving forward or appearing to move backward.

But this year we have Jupiter in Libra and answering to Libra's ruler Venus and Venus is also retrograde (March 4th- April 15th) for part of Jupiter's retrograde amplifying whatever is happening.

Also remember we have Saturn - the other middle planet, along with Jupiter, that impacts both of collective energies and our individual energies in somewhat equal measures - still in Sagittarius and Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter - who, as I just said, is hanging out in Libra and ruled by Venus.

There is a strong picture here of VENUS RULES. So her retrograde will be felt.

Now, looking ahead to after the Venus retrograde, which is like looking at the dessert menu before we have even eaten our salad - but yes, let's do that! From May through November - we will have a passionate Grand Trine in Fire involving Saturn, Uranus and the North Node (by this time in "I am not afraid to shine!" LEO) - this will allow us to move mountains and more than make up for the crap we have to wade through before we get there, I promise. But first we will have to put on our waders, which I hope for your sake are very TALL, and get through March and the first half of April.

Now, let's look at the degrees so you can look at your natal chart (or ask me) and we'll see what areas of life we are talking about for you personally - you are also influenced, often strongly if you have no planets or points at the following degrees, by the general themes of a Venus retrograde we will talk about.

Jupiter will station retrograde on February 6th at 23 degrees Libra. He will station direct on June 9th at 16 degrees Libra - then he'll walk forward getting back to 23 degrees Libra and proceed into new territory sometime in early September (he actually entered his shadow period on November 11, 2016). If you have planets or points from 16-23 degrees Libra (or to a lesser degree the other cardinal signs since he will square and oppose them - Aries, Cancer and Capricorn) you will have multiple opportunities for growth (or waste) and expansion.

If you have something you are wanting to start do it BEFORE February 6th and Jupiter will help expand it! Let's use every moment Jupiter is in Libra!

Now, Venus, the piece of the puzzle we are going to pay the most attention to because SHE RULES, is going to station retrograde on March 4th at 13 degrees Aries and move backward until she gets to 23 degrees Pisces (you can see she is much closer and faster and covers more ground) and station direct on April 15th. If you have planets or points in your natal chart from 23 - 29 degrees Pisces or from 0 to 13 degrees Aries, you will feel this retrograde the strongest as well as people with Libra or Taurus rising, because your chart is ruled by Venus.

But we will all be impacted - particularly within the themes of the houses in our chart that house 0-13 degrees Aries and 23-29 degrees Pisces AND within the themes Venus rules - love, money, our values, women and beauty.

HOW THIS WILL LIKELY PLAY OUT - Venus retrogrades are typically times (her last retrograde was the summer of 2015) when events transpire to show us what we value. 

Relationships are tested. The way we handle our money (and other resources including the planet Earth) is tested. 

The retrograde period itself isn't a time to make major changes - it's NOT  a good time to start a business or love relationship that we want to last, for example - it's a time things happen to get us to clarity so we can take action, if we choose to, when Venus is direct (after April 15th). Got it?

When Venus stands still in Aries in early March (and think of a planet standing still as you stilling your hand over a candle - much more powerful, and in the case of a candle painful - than a moving hand) we will also have the Moon, Uranus and Mars (very strong here) in Aries. AND the Sun, Mercury and Neptune all in drifty Pisces.

Something within the theme of our Aries/Pisces houses - or involving the Venus themes of love, money, or values - could (to use Pisces terminology) "drift off course", "evaporate" or "fade away". 

Something/someone that looked like a sure thing or our next big thing may turn out to be anything but and something/someone we had written off as over might "drift back into our lives", "re-awaken" or "re-appear".

We move from Aries (I want what I want, I want it now, I want what's mine) to Pisces (we are all one, the bigger picture, connection) and back and forth again. We figure out what we really want, what we value. This process is important.

Remember we really need to be going after the right stuff this year because we have the greatest chance we've had in a great while to actually get it!

And we want to get this stuff figured out NOW - there is no longer any "I'll figure this out tomorrow". Tomorrow is TODAY. I don't write this so we will all run off doing crazy ass things without thinking about them (although that crazy ass thing that makes your heart sing that you have been thinking about for quite a while well this could be exactly the year for THAT).

I write this only so we are all paying attention. If we are putting off stuff until we have all our ducks in a row - well this is the year those ducks line up, so be ready. The row of ducks may only look like a row of ducks if we drink two glasses of wine and squint into the Sun, but at some point even that will be good enough to get us moving. I promise.

By the end of the year Jupiter will be in Scorpio, Saturn will be in Capricorn, by the middle of 2018 Uranus will be in Taurus, Neptune in Pisces, Pluto in Capricorn and the North Node in Leo - this stuff is biblical - we want to be on course, and STRONG. Heroes and heroines will be needed.

I have a friend with a daughter disappearing (Pisces) on heroin (Pisces). There is a little less and less of her everyday. In many ways this is all of our stories now in the spaces we aren't vigilant, isn't it?

I have been poking and prodding this girl's natal chart for the times and ways her mother might reach her.

We have Neptune, so strong in Pisces until 2025, coaxing so many people with beautiful, imaginative energy into the dark void of illusion and delusion with its promises of "escape" - we all feel it to varying degrees, don't we? When the South Nodes moves out of Pisces in May and the North Node moves into Leo and especially when Saturn comes full strength next December in Capricorn - heroines will be needed. I just keep thinking of that little letter "e" that turns heroin into heroine.

And how when we hear the word spoken out loud we think first of the drug and not the woman and how we need to change that.

I have no idea what specifically this means you have to do - I do know we have to do what is right in front of us and follow our heart - we need to trust that this will get us lined up with the right stuff. Eat clean and meditate - truly there are so many studies and we need to fight this fogginess (sugar, wheat, drugs)!

(so many people say they have terrible memories now - and we are made of our memories! on the one hand this fogginess might make it easier for us to let go of things since it detaches us - on the other hand it makes us detached from each other since we are not remembering the things that keep us together!)

For now let's take NEW action by February 5th, then we'll back off a bit BUT KEEP MOVING, we'll see what Jupiter's station and the eclipses in February expand and eclipse out.

xo all

weekly astrology forecast for Creatives | January 3rd - 9th, 2022 - an obstacle, an opportunity, knowing what we value, starting something fresh and new, detaching from the drama

 

 

Sunday's New Moon kicks off a two week cycle of practical/stabilizing fresh starts focused on the future/change/something NEW. 

 

Magical new beginnings are possible people!

 

Let's take a look at the biggest aspects of the week ahead:

 

MONDAY - Jupiter squares North Node

WEDNESDAY - Venus sextiles Neptune

SATURDAY - Sun conjuncts Venus

SUNDAY - Mercury sextiles Chiron, First Quarter Moon

On MONDAY, Jupiter, at 1 degree Pisces squares the North Node in Gemini

 

This is the FINAL major North Node in Gemini aspect before the node switches into Taurus in the middle of January. One more course correction folks!

 

Squares are tension/frustration. Piscean squares can bring up our delusions, addictions, lack of boundaries, spiritual bypassing, illness, escape, self-sabotage tendencies. Jupiter will exacerbate the situation, show us the problem if there is one here, so we can't miss it, by pulling in Jupiterian excesses - what just got BIGGER?

 

Nodal squares are skipped steps - something needs to be addressed before we can proceed any further. Keep in mind we are still working with the North Node in Gemini - so there can be more than one way forward, more than one thing that needs to be decided, etc. As we have for the last 18 months we want to point our sails toward GEMINI. 

 

Following the facts/details/asking questions/working through your natal Gemini house theme.

 

(collectively, one of the things this might speak of, because nothing is ever just one thing, is the virus or even wet weather situations - Neptune - squaring off with our Gemini situations, for example children's education)

 

On WEDNESDAY, Venus, retrograde at 20 degrees Capricorn, sextiles Neptune in Pisces

This is Cappy/Pisces - 'making the dream real' energy - a creative opportunity. With Venus retrograde, something here feels like a second chance. Neptune softens Venus in Cappy's harder edges and brings the 'dream/our imagination' into Capricorn's more practical realm. Venus gives Neptune a sober/concrete support for the 'dream'- something solid is being built now. Something lasting. 

 

As we've talked about before with Cappy/Pisces (Saturn/Neptune) aspects, they often involve a sacrifice/release - we may have to willingly give up this, to get that.

 

If we are working too hard, we might get a rest/break. We could even get sick if that's what it takes. Which doesn't sound like much of an opportunity, but somehow it is. If we are being too escapist/lazy, well, here is some kind of responsibility/situation that requires we put in the effort/get to work. 

 

Either way this is - Creative Opportunity. Practical magic. Unconditional love.

On SATURDAY, Venus, retrograde in Capricorn, reaches the mid-point of her retrograde cycle and meets the Sun at 18 degrees, her inferior conjunction as she moves from an evening to a morning star turning invisible. People with planets/points near this degree will probably be feeling this strongest.

For all of us - a light shines on what this Venus retrograde has been about for us, even as Venus is occulted by the Sun, as she/we reach a symbolic turning point in this 40 days and 40 nights journey. Venus' cycles particularly pertain to Venus things - love, money, our values and self-esteem. Cappy has pulled in collective themes of our work in the world, careers, goals and reputation. What do we want? What do we value NOW?

 

On SUNDAY - the Moon at 19 degrees Aries reaches her First Quarter Square with the Cappy Sun while Mercury sextiles Chiron.

The square is Aries/Capricorn. Tension/frustration. The self/identity vs work/career/reputation. The new vs the old. Independence/doing it our way vs responsibility/commitment/tradition. First quarter squares require ACTION and Aries doubles down on this. The New Moon energy is checking up on us - are we doing something new? Are we STARTING? Have we set out intentions

 

At the same time, Mercury will be sextiling Chiron in Aries giving us a way through. 

 

We can discuss what hurts/our vulnerabilities/what we are needing without alot of emotional drama. Detach. Use logic/intellect. With Mercury in future-focused Aqua - here is another aspect about doing it differently/trying a new approach to an old problem. 

 

This week continues the New Moon in Cappy story. What are we starting from this older/wiser position? What needs to change?

xo all

 

(this week isn't about some giant leap forward, just get some seeds into the ground)

artwork by the talented agnes-cecile

Venus Retrograde in Aries | what really belongs to us plus a blog break

the black by kosmodisk

Venus stations retrograde today at 13 degrees Aries. She will travel back to 23 degrees Pisces before she turns around and heads back on April 14th.

(we also have Jupiter and Saturn retrograde now)

I've written before about how uber important the position of Venus is this year.

We have Saturn in Sagittarius and Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter so Saturn is answering to Jupiter. And we have Jupiter in Libra and Libra is ruled by Venus so Jupiter is answering to Venus. So we have Saturn and Jupiter both answering to Venus. The buck stops with her. She is QUEEN.

The learning and growth we experience this year both through expansion (Jupiter) and through constriction (Saturn) come through Venusian energy. AND even after Jupiter moves into Scorpio in October and begins answering to Mars - Mars will be in Libra and answering to Venus. She has 2017 pretty much under her spell.

She came to a complete stop a couple days ago (in Aries), but Mars is still in Aries pushing things along. Once Mars moves into Taurus at the end of next week - action will slow down quite a bit.

Since Venus rules love, money, women, beauty and our values - these areas will be impacted by her retrograde as well as the themes of our early Aries/ late Pisces natal house(s). Check you chart here.

Something within the theme of our Aries/Pisces houses - or involving the Venus themes of love, money, or values - could (to use Pisces terminology) "drift off course", "evaporate" or "fade away". 
 
Something/someone that looked like a sure thing or our next big thing may turn out to be anything but and something/someone we had written off as over might "drift back into our lives", "re-awaken" or "re-appear".

First she moves us through Aries - the sign of me, myself and I. It will be clear to us what needs to happen to make ourselves a priority

or maybe this feels more like - I must have this my way. Whatever we are dealing with we are going back over it. There will probably be delays. The delays are important.

This is not the time to start a brand new relationship or launch a new business. It's not the time to do anything permanent or long lasting connected to beauty - no new tattoos, nose rings or elective surgery. It's not a good time to invest money in something new or buy something new and expensive. Whatever you do don't run off and get married - unless you are marrying someone again whom you were married to before.

If we meet a new love (person, thing, idea, situation) now, take things VERY slowly and be prepared for stuff to reverse course later. If someone from our past shows back up it doesn't mean "this is meant to be" - it's possible it could work out, but more likely there is just some unfinished business - so we'll finish it.

At the same time Venus stations retrograde (today) we have the Sun, Mercury and Neptune all huddled together in the middle of Pisces. Maybe something we thought we knew for sure, turns out to be an illusion (external) or delusion (internal). Or maybe something we had written off as a fantasy turns out to be actually real.

If the events of 2016 and early 2017 haven't shown us that anything is possible but not everything is real, I can't imagine what would need to happen for us to believe this! It's like we are characters in a video game and a shaky handed grandpa has appropriated the controls from his steady handed grandson. I am honestly not so sure this is far from the truth. Up is down and down is up and we are on a wild ride!

On April 2nd Venus moves back into Pisces - the sign of the imagination; the ethereal realms. Here's where the energy of "my way" (cue the Sinatra soundtrack, or is it only people like me from New Jersey who have this on their desktop?) shifts into a focus on the bigger picture - the space where we all come together. It could be a time when we have to let go of what we want (for now, maybe not for always).

In Pisces, a retrograde Venus will ask us to further define and refine what we value by clouding the situation. And before we complain about the unfairness of that situation we are reminded by Venus that she actually rules fairness (so couldn't be unfair if she tried) and to consider how focused a driver we become when forced to confront that heavy morning fog.

Maybe we have to make a sacrifice, maybe our dreams are so close we can almost touch them, maybe we do. Venus is exalted in Pisces - we'll look at the other aspects as she gets closer for a better idea of how this might all play out.

On April 14th Venus will station direct at 23 degrees Pisces. When the fog lifts she will be conjunct Chiron and squaring Saturn while the Sun is conjunct Uranus and Mercury is retrograde. That should be one hell of a day. Call out sick right now - ha!

Venus is showing us what we really want - what we really value. The opportunity is here now for us to figure out if what we are attempting to do next is something that even belongs to us.

Relationships are tested. The way we handle our money (and other resources including the planet Earth) is tested.  

I was trying to get up one more post - next week's - before going on vacation, but it's just not meant to be!

I will be back in a week, March 12th - if you miss your astro fix Elsa Elsa is a great blog to read and Satori's weekly forecast is excellent.

xo all - going to Florida for a few days- have a great week everyone!

Mercury Retrograde in Libra | through October 18th - rethinking our relationships, renegotiating contracts, changing our mind, shadow work, avoiding passive aggressive traps

 

The weekend's wonderful weather (yes, autumn weather, I am officially de-pooled) kept me unplugged, so this week it will be dailies rather than a weekly. We'll kick off the dailies with this post on Mercury retrograde in Libra - which begins TODAY!

 

A central idea of the newly developing quantum thinking is that we live in a participatory universe. There is real evidence that our attention and choices are what attracts/forms our material reality out of the vast potential of the quantum soup. Scientists long ago learned our world isn't so much solid things, as the energy that makes up those solid things. More recently they have learned our world is not JUST energy, but data, held together by webs of information, strung like our summer patio lights and creating the structural framework of our universe. 

 

(which is where astrology comes in, although science hasn't caught onto that part yet) 

So, when planet Mercury, ruler of data/information starts moving backward (from our view here on Earth) it is always important to PAY ATTENTION.

"We may not be responsible for the world that created our minds, but we can take responsibility for the mind with which we create our world" — Gabor Maté

On MONDAY, at 1:20AM ED, Mercury, after getting all the way to 25 degrees Libra (and we thought we were almost done with all this relationship stuff), decides, um, not so fast folks, let's re-think this relationship/fairness/balance stuff. He turns around. Time to re-think, re-examine, re-visit, re-vise. 

 

You know the Mercury retrograde drill.

We ignore a retrograde Mercury at our own risk. Trying to plow ahead re-gardless will not work - likely we will have to do whatever 'new' thing we are doing now all over again anyway. It also won't work to stand still and try to wait Mercury out. We must move our ideas, projects, conversations, etc, through the process of the retrograde period.

With Mercury in Libra - this "review/re-do" will be focused on our relationships/partners, what we project onto other people, our need for balance, our ideas about fairness and justice, our contracts and agreements. Libra is an air sign - we are meant to re-think things. Minds will change.  

 

Mercury's station means the only planets in direct motion now are Venus and Mars. So, there is a hell of alot of momentum drawing our attention backwards. What did we miss? What needs to change?

 

A maybe good (and definitely complicated) thing is Mercury in Libra is answering to Venus, who is in Scorpio answering to Mars who is in Libra answering to Venus. This doesn't help Mercury reach his home energies (Virgo or Gemini), but it does help Venus, Mercury's dispositor during his stay in Libra, have some access to her own energy. 

 

Although she will have to go through Mars - take action, get angry, initiate, etc - to reach it.

 

This is reminding me a bit of last fall's Mercury retrograde (and I think 2019's, too) where we went from Scorpio to Libra, because although Mercury stays in Libra during the entire retrograde this year, Scorpio is pulled into our story through Venus - and you might notice in the list of the following aspects Mercury will make, a couple of his important repeat aspects are with Scorpio's co-ruler Pluto and he will finish up after her/his retrograde when he is in Scorpio. 

 

So, the whole "we aren't getting out of here alive" thing applies this season, too. Which probably sounds worse than it is, but that's kind of the point with autumn anyway, I guess.

Here's a rundown for the astro buffs:

9/27 - Mercury stations retrograde, 10/1 - Mercury squares Pluto/opposes Eris

10/3 - Mercury trines Jupiter, 10/5  - Mercury inconjuncts Neptune

10/8 - New Moon in Libra conjunct Mars, 10/9 - Mercury conjuncts Mars

10/12 - Mercury inconjuncts Uranus, 10/16 - Mercury sextiles Venus

10/18 - Mercury stations direct, 10/24 - Mercury inconjuncts Uranus

10/30 - Mercury inconjuncts Neptune, 11/2 - Mercury squares Pluto/opposes Eris

11/6 - Mercury (in Scorpio) sextiles Venus, Mercury inconjuncts North Node

11/10 - Mercury (in Scorpio) conjuncts Mars, Mercury squares Saturn

Mercury's first aspect after his retrograde station is FRIDAY -  a tricky square to Pluto (retrograde in Capricorn, and the modern ruler/co-ruler of Scorpio) and opposition to Eris. Notice Mercury will repeat this aspect again, a month later, with BOTH Mercury and Pluto direct. The square is tension/a space of crisis - verbal power struggles, obsessive thinking, manipulations, jealousy, intense conversations - something can feel like all or nothing/life and death. 

 

The opposition to disruptive Eris might speak of unpleasant truths/conversations/information we really don't want to deal with. 

 

One thing to keep in mind is the Pluto/Eris square is ALREADY in play and not going anywhere (all through 2021 and 2022), Eris is a disrupter. The Goddess of Discord/whistleblower. Eris catalyses vital changes in our lives/reveals what is hidden in the system. Squaring, well, um, death (Pluto) as she is now - is an evolve or die aspect. 

 

This isn't a new situation (and if you have cardinal planets near 24 degrees you have no doubt been tossed into situations where you are being required to state your truth/take your power back), but maybe now we are seeing it/talking about it/Mercury steps into the energy and makes the Pluto/Eris square a cup of coffee. He brings it home. He makes it personal. 

 

(the Moon will be in Leo and sextiling the Sun and Mars (both in Libra) on Friday, so the way through this square will be the Leo sextile - our Leo house, brave, loving, generous, following our heart. Honesty will be the best policy, hiding won't be an option.)

Mercury's follow-up aspect is a trine to Jupiter (who, keep in mind is retrograde, too) which might ease us into something more optimistic/bigger or return our sense of faith/hope, but is just as likely to exaggerate our fears around whatever Mercury retrograde square Pluto and opposed Eris has dug up. Which way this leans is up to us.

 

Then Mercury inconjuncts Neptune (yes, also retrograde) and maybe it feels like a relationship/conversation/information is literally drowning us. It's us or them/sink or swim. Something's got to give. Keep in mind, Mercury is retrograde. This is not the time for big decisions - it's the time to be RE-THINKING/RE-VISING. Let Mercury do his job. Big decisions during Mercury retrogrades often toss babies out with the bathwater. We don't need to ditch our partner (probably not anyway) or turn away from all information to save our sanity, but we do need to look at what the relationship/information is ALLOWING US TO SEE.

OK - by this time, as we near October 8th-9th, we will be building toward a New Moon in Libra conjunct Mars with Mercury applying and catching up with Mars a couple days later. Venus, ruler of this lunation, is still in Scorpio and now we have four planets answering to her. Pluto will station direct at the time of the New Moon, and remember Pluto is the modern ruler of Scorpio. This is a powerful/energized new beginning - keep in mind Mercury is still retrograde - by now we are clearer on what we want/what we have to do to get what we want/what needs to go. Mars will make things active/passionate/maybe angry - expect fireworks. Avoid the passive-aggressive bullsh*t. We will talk about this in depth as we get closer.

A few days later Mercury will inconjunct Uranus - some give and take/rocks and hard places with change, our money/resources/the future. The conversation/information/relationship shifts. Finally, Mercury sextiles Venus - OPPORTUNITY. By now, Venus is in optimistic Sagittarius (Sag ruler Jupiter is direct) and trining Chiron (healing). 

 

Restored faith/expansion/luck and healing via our relationship/balance/fairness story-line that has been RE-WORKED. Now I am not saying all's well that ends well, but a transit that starts with a square to the planet of death and ends with a smooth sextile to benefic Venus (ruler of this whole journey) while she trines (brakes off) healing Chiron, can be counted on to produce SOMETHING OF VALUE.

 

Two days later, October 18th, Mercury stations direct. 

 

Sometimes here is where a situation flips around. Our thinking changes. Once Mercury is direct the re-considering/re-doing time is ended. Things start moving forward. We choose. We decide. 

 

(sometimes we have to make important decisions/choices earlier on and that is OK, too - we just do the best we can with this, knowing things are still in flux and will change. The choices/decisions won't be rock solid until after Mercury stations direct.)

 

On November 4th, Mercury reaches 26 degrees Libra and finally starts covering new ground. 

 

The retrograde, through us, has done its job. What have we learned from our journey back and forth through 10-25 degrees if Libra? About us? About our partnerships/relationships? About what balance means now? Fairness? Justice? Beauty? Here is where we start walking a new road. Here is where we are moving on. 

 

I hope something here is helpful. We'll talk more about this as we move through it.

 

Something else to keep in mind with Venus in penetrating/take no prisoners Scorpio, is that although Mercury in Libra will be wanting to keep things cordial/balanced/polite with Mercury answering to Venus, this smiling 'til our face cracks thing won't work out so well. It will be like pouring pink paint on a problem and call it a Barbie dream house. Venus will insist we go deep, get to the bottom of things, not let those sleeping dogs lie (yes, the metaphors are killing me, too - I'm sorry, I can't stop). We might try to stay at the 'slap a smile on it' surface of things, but there will be something niggling at us that won't let that happen. Or the people around us won't. 

 

BUT even after saying that, it will pay to keep in mind that we have Mercury, Mars and the Sun in diplomatic Libra right now. 

 

Nice guys will finish first (we might have to be dragged into the mud before this is all over, so be it, all those micro-organisms are good for us anyway).

 

Social civilities/being kind will feel good, too.

xo all 

artwork by the talented Natalya Amirova

 

venus retrograde meets the Sun | January 8th, 2022 - a light on what we want/value, seeing the real worth of our efforts, our actions can be challenged by what we can't control, allowing things to unfold/unwind, swimming against the tide just wears us out/gets us wetter

 

For SATURDAY - the Moon is in fiery Aries now - we are nourished/nurtured by moving our body, starting, taking action, passion, arguments (sometimes), men. Her only aspect today is a smooth sextile to Mercury at 7 degrees Aquarius. Good for new conversations (keep in mind Mercury is walking degrees he will walk two more times during his upcoming retrograde, so ideas/communications/information - nothing is set in stone here), writing, commerce, opportunities through siblings, our local community, our tech, transportation. Mercury is cutting edge in Aquarius, our minds are linked up with the FUTURE/humanity. 

This is a BIG day for Venus as she meets up with the Sun - reaching the mid-point of her 40 day/40 night retrograde cycle. HERE is a light on what this Venus retrograde is about for us. Can we see the real worth of our efforting? What have we learned?

A message comes in now, likely expressed through a Venusian situation - relationships, love, our values, self-esteem. 

 

Since Venus started her retrograde cycle as omicron was announced as a new variant, maybe now is when we get some enlightening data/sense of what is happening.

Venus also rules beauty, so changes are good while Venus is retrograde, we are "re"vising after all, but only if it’s something we used to love and/or can be easily reversed once Venus is direct, in case we find the change something we are not loving later on. Move the couch, but don't buy a new couch, for example.

At the same time the Sun is meeting Venus, he is sextiling Pallas at 18 degrees Pisces and Mars (18 Sagittarius) is squaring Pallas.

 

Mars square Pallas and applying to his upcoming square to Neptune speaks of tension/frustration/delays with our QUEST. Our actions can drift off course. Here in New Jersey, we've just had a snowstorm and everyone is sick, was sick or is probably about to be sick. Pushing through a Neptune square is like trying to fight water/swim against the tide. 

 

Better to go with the flow of that smooth sextile between the Sun and Pallas.

 

We are working with our intuition and spirit, offering compassion/rest/healing/imagination, connecting illusive dots as a STRATEGY.

 

Ultimately this is another Saturn/Neptune - making the dream real with maybe a sacrifice/release necessary before things can stabilize. Patience is par for the course here. Also keep in mind, although Mars is squaring Pallas, the Moon, answering to Mars through Aries is sextiling (opportunity) Mercury. Talk about something new. The North Node is still Gemini - there are more choices than we think there are. Ask new/smarter, less emotional questions.

 

Know there are almost certainly going to be delays and changes of directions over the next month, take care of yourself - this is all in bigger hands than ours ....

xo all - back with a post about Mercury's upcoming retrograde, the second part of the Nodal shift AND, I think, we'll take a look at next week's Cancer Full Moon this weekend, get a jump on things with that and see where this two week cycle winds up

 

note - people with planets/points nearest 18 degrees will probably feel these energies strongest as well as people with natal aspects getting repeated (regardless of signs) through these transits and probably Venus ruled Taurus and Libra risings

Weekly Astrology Forecast | Week of July 19th to July 26th, 2021 - adjustments, challenges, the conversation shifts, we aren't in Kansas anymore, the first of TWO Full Moons in Aquarius (whose rulers, Saturn and Uranus, have been feuding all year)

 

 

There is ALOT going on this week with multiple challenges, two inner planets changing signs and the first of TWO, big Full Moons in Aquarius!

 

MONDAY - Mercury squares Chiron, Vesta into Libra

TUESDAY - Mercury sextiles Uranus

WEDNESDAY - Eris stations retrograde

THURSDAY - Venus enters Virgo, Venus opposes Jupiter (retrograde), Mars inconjuncts Pluto

FRIDAY - Sun enters Leo, Sun inconjuncts Jupiter (retrograde), Full Moon in Aquarius (first of TWO)

SATURDAY - Mercury trines Neptune

SUNDAY - Mercury opposes Pluto

Let's dive right in!

 

MONDAY - Mercury @ 12 degrees Cancer squares Chiron in Aries 

 

Words/information/a conversation trigger an old wound/vulnerability around our identity, our ability to take care for ourselves/stand up for ourselves. With Mercury in Cancer, this could connect to family/home/security situations (or our natal Cancer house theme). 

 

(I know a double Virgo (Mercury ruled) with a dentist appointment at almost the exact time of this square (Aries rules the head), so I would anticipate an "ouch", but also the opportunity to heal old familial wounds through dental work - not kidding).

 

The Moon is in Scorpio and trining the Cancer Sun.

 

This is this month's Waxing Trine - so here is our way through the Chiron pain. With Scorpio we have to go deep/get to the truth/the bottom line. The Cancer Sun allows this to happen comfortably as we integrate Scorpio's intensity with Cancer's nurturing/compassion. We get more intimate (maybe with someone else, but this can also be with ourselves), go to a deeper level and feel heard/seen/nurtured. Alternatively if a painful truth is revealed the way through this will be self-care/comfort/whatever makes us feel nurtured. There WILL be a soft space to fall. Mercury's square to Chiron will make for uncomfortable information/conversations, but the Scorpio Moon says don't be afraid to look at why this is uncomfortable - why this hurts. The safety comes FROM the exposure/the truth, hiding isn't helpful.

This is also the day Vesta finally leaves Virgo for Libra. Our sacred focus turns to other people, our partnerships, women, finding balance/peace/beauty. Here are the issues that will keep us up at night now. The fly-in-the-ointment with this one will be Vesta's tendency in Libra to pour pink paint and call everything a Barbie dream house. 

 

TUESDAY - Mercury @ 14 degrees Cancer sextiles Uranus in Taurus

 

Mercury/Uranus moves the conversation/idea in a NEW DIRECTION (this will move us away from any bad feelings lingering from yesterday or maybe yesterday's pain is the reason we make a change now). This is smooth/helpful - a time for us to consider different options. The conversation changes. In Cancer, this could be about a home/family situation, something related to the theme of our natal mid-Cancer house, a security issue, something from the past/our roots, something maternal. Changes will be easily integrated/opportunistic. This can also show up as a FLASH OF GENIUS/bright idea/unusual way of communicating or rebellion against traditional thinking/old ideas - we are thinking outside the box. Our words are cutting edge AND comforting. We might also step back a bit or detach from any words/ideas that has been too smothering/too emotional.

 

THURSDAY - Venus enters Virgo, Venus @ 0 degrees Virgo opposes Jupiter in Pisces (retrograde), Mars @ 25 degrees Leo inconjuncts Pluto in Capricorn

 

Venus enters Virgo. Our Virgo house get a visit from the lovely Venus. Virgo Suns and Ascendants get more attractive - both easier on the eye and able to attract what they want. Our natal Virgo houses get more attractive, too!

Venus rules our love, money, self-esteem, values, relationships, women, beauty, our resources, attracting what we want - all areas are subjected to Virgo's keen focus and attention to detail now. We will be analyzing what we want and what we have. We will be analyzing our relationships. With Venus in service-oriented Virgo - LOVE IS A VERB.

 
The problems will stand out. We won't be able to miss them. And since what we focus on grows, sometimes things get worse before they get better during this transit. But this is excellent energy to fix what needs fixing and accept (or eliminate) what just isn't fixable. Venus in Virgo is about loving the details of something, enjoying the work, appreciating the craftsmanship and complexity of something or someone or some situation as well as the problems, Venus in Virgo can't miss those, and choosing not to dwell on them. 

 

Remember Venus met Mars last week in Leo - our masculine/feminine energies starting a new two year story in the sign of our heart, our center stage, our ego. Mars, moving a little slower than Venus, is still in Leo, but as Venus busts a move into Virgo the story shifts. Maybe our attention flows to helping others or something that needs fixing with a Venusian theme - how we look, what we value, our money/resources. Sometimes with Venus in Virgo we find ourselves giving a little more than we are getting (for now), the applause that came to us so easily in Leo, goes silent. This year, now that we are all familiar with the un-glamorous turn our lives can take (what the hell has happened to my hair), maybe we are more appreciative of this practical transit (plus she'll be making nice with Uranus and Pluto). Time to balance our books, clean up our relationships, iron our shirts and fix what needs fixing (like my hair, although I might wait for Venus in Libra!). Venus will be in Virgo until August 16th when she comes home to Libra. 

 

Now, just as Venus enters Virgo, she immediately opposes Jupiter, retrograde in Pisces. These are our two benevolent planets at cross purposes. Virgo/Pisces - the reality vs the dream. Here's what we wanted and here's what we actually have. Practical financial/relationship moves will be challenged by our hope for more. Oppositions, like Full Moon, can bring things to a result/culmination, too - collectively this will be about Virgo themes, so our work, health, daily obligations. Keep in mind Jupiter is retrograde and on his way back into Aquarius - our gold/luck is behind us - maybe this Venusian opposition - a little practical magic - can help us find it! The micro informs the macro. 

This is also the day Mars - following in the Sun's footsteps who was following in Venus's - makes his own inconjunct - rock and hard place - to powerful Pluto (retrograde). Our conscious actions at odds with our unconscious impulses and why does it feel like we've been here before ??... because we have, duh.  Our flashy moves are not going to be appreciated by, and will not impress, the boss/authority/your father. Do we care? We will probably have to. And if we are stepping into our responsiblity we will get more from other people with a little appreciation - they will need to be coaxed/persuaded not ordered. Either way coming on too strong is probably not such a good idea. 

 

The Moon in Cappy (serious as a heart attack) will be trining Uranus, so embracing something new/different will be our way through this day. Change is good. Keep in mind this is an Earth trine, so think - practical progress.

FRIDAY - the Sun enters Leo (his home sign) and inconjuncts Jupiter in Pisces (retrograde)

 

The Sun (ruler of Leo) move into fiery, proud and performance-focused Leo offering us multiple layers of good news - even as he makes tricky aspects with Jupiter and Saturn and Uranus over the next few weeks - the years of easy summer living are behind us for a while folks, but that isn't all bad news, I promise! The Sun (our life force) gets out of the firing range of Pluto in Capricorn. Yes, there's that. And he exits lunar ruled Cancer (not his favorite place) and moves into the sign he rules. YES! In Leo, we focus on what our heart wants, children (our inner child), romance, fun, creative projects. Your Leo house (like the house of your natal Sun) is the space you are meant to SHINE. 

 

Prepare to get very shiny.

 

First up is an awkward contact with that same retrograde Jupiter who has been giving everyone else trouble this week, too. This inconjunct is Leo/Pisces. It's like we need a little self-sacrifice in order to succeed/shine. Our ego to yield to compassion or our lazy/escapist tendencies to get fired up and get us going. Either way, this is another aspect about adjustment. Lots of adjusting going on this week. Stay flexible. 

This is also the day of this week's biggest aspect, our first of TWO - Full Moons in Aquarius. This one conjuncting the 'world starts up again' degree from the Winter Solstice where Jupiter met Saturn (post HERE). Expect a BIG post this week.

 

And re-reading the Jupiter/Saturn post is really making me KNOW I need to find time (have been so damn tired these last few weeks, sorry) to write some more big picture posts - enough of the dailies that turn back into pumpkins at midnight!

SATURDAY - Mercury @ 22 degrees Cancer trines Neptune in Pisces (retrograde)

 

So now our words/ideas/conversations, maybe attuned to a home/family situation or our natal Cancer house theme - are REVIVING AN OLD DREAM. Or maybe we are enjoying our memories/talking to ghosts/our ancestors. The Moon in Aquarius is going to be detached and dealing with challenges today from Uranus and Mars, so tension/frustration might take some of the shine off this one.

 

SUNDAY - Mercury @ 25 degrees Cancer opposes Pluto in Capricorn (retrograde)

 

Mercury - words, conversations, ideas, for some this might be a sibling or transportation or tech issue - sets off a power struggle. Maybe a reality check. There could be manipulative language. Obsessive thinking. Jealousy. Maybe a 'home vs work in the world' emotionally fired-up conversation. We will kind of be feeling what is being said AND also the shadow of the words that are being said. Keep in mind oppositions also bring results/culminations. Maybe a conversation is OVER. Pluto is retrograde, but Mercury is moving on, we won't be back here. The Moon in Pisces will make some nice aspects and take some of the edge off this one.

 

xo all

 

(once we get through the first couple days of August things will be much easier - hang in there)

artwork by the talented shahab68