Full Moon in Aries this weekend | don't start a war

chained by temporary peace

The Full Moon is always a time of tension - it's a time of Sun opposite Moon. Oppositions are pretty much just what they sound like. There is a reason police departments and emergency rooms are uber busy during Full Moons!

This month we've got the Sun in Libra (ruled by Venus - peace, women, balance, fairness, love) and the Moon in the opposite sign of Aries (ruled by Mars - war, young men, initiative, passion, courage).

We have Uranus (in Aries 2011-2018) and Eris (discord, angry feminine) directly opposing the Libran Sun and conjuncting the Aries Moon. Uranus rules impulsiveness, the unexpected, freedom, rebelliousness, strokes of genius.

We have Mars (ruler of Aries) conjunct Pluto (ruler of Scorpio where Venus ruler of Libra is hanging out - these loops of power that feed back into themselves this way make the energy even more powerful). Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008. Pluto rules transformation, power, death, rebirth, karma, obsession, compulsion, nuclear power.

We have Mercury (communication, conversations, transportation) squaring both Mars and Pluto. We have Mercury sextile Saturn (hopefully enough grounding and sanity here).

Many of these aspects I wrote about in the weekly forecast because, although I write about them for the day they are most exact, the energies always play out over a period of time. I sometimes feel them a week before they are exact and am hoping that's how this energy played out for the U.S. election candidates, but it's possible we will have even more "sudden developments" "coming to light" this weekend! Both Trump and Clinton's charts are directly impacted. And this weekend sets up next week's final debate energy where Uranus (anything can happen) will rule the night - you probably don't want to miss it (bring wine).

Two weeks ago we had a New Moon with incredibly pleasant aspects and now we have a Full Moon with incredibly challenging ones!

This Full Moon is in many ways about freedom and rebellion (Uranus) - with our words: crass or blunt language vs. political correctness or civility, the right to privacy (our conversations, our history, what we carry) vs. the right of others to see and hear these things. With our actions: rebelliousness or inventiveness vs. status quo tradition, independence vs. dependence. With Venus and Mars ruling the Sun and Moon there is an aspect of male vs. female (masculine vs. feminine) and competition vs. cooperation. There is no easy or correct answer to any of this.

And when we think for certain there is, we all lose.

And I know this sounds like I am writing about the U.S. election, but I'm not. The election is only mirroring our shadows back to us and working with the same energies we are. Many people think this is the worst election ever and of course in some ways this is true because we feel it is true

(and the more media we watch or social media we read the more this will seem to be true - were we on Facebook 8 years ago?).

But what's really happening is that instead of us just seeing the faces the candidates want to show us, we are seeing their shadows, too. The curtain has been pulled back. There is no great and powerful Oz. So what we have is two flawed individuals battling it out which is actually what we have always had (they are modern gladiators, people!). It is maybe just a matter of degrees. Things were just better hidden before. This 'pulling back the curtain' is happening in our own lives, too. We can see both candidates' bullshit and you know what - people can see ours, too.

We can't go backward to viewing our leaders as superheroes (or fathers) even if that made us feel safer. We are grown ups now and dad has moved to a retirement community in Florida.

We are evolving into the Age of Aquarius; a time of equality when we will be our own leaders. We have decided (subconsciously) as a collective that one of the ways to make this happen is for us to experience this particular shit show election season even though it sometimes makes all of us uncomfortable, scared, sad and angry. Remember the Hopi elder's quote.

At this Full Moon the freedom promised by Uranus seems more like something imposed on us than something we get to choose - like when your country is being blown apart by bombs and you flee for your life, the bombs are gone but so is your country.

Or when we are freed from our crappy job, but then have no income. So now we have the time to spend our afternoons reading the latest Wally Lamb novel (I can't wait!), but all we will be thinking about is "how are we going to pay our electric bill?".

Even when change is forced on us we have a free will choice about how we react - always remember this. This may sound like pouring pink paint onto something grizzly, but it is truly our reaction (decision, action) to what happens and not the thing that happens that sets the trajectory of our new timeline.

We all get to work with the same energies, although they will hit some of our charts harder than others and some of us may be more equipped to handle the energies based on the previous choices we have made

(for example we'll be better able to enjoy that new book if we have some savings put away or a partner with a job or a lower cost of living, etc).

If we have planets or points 22-24 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn we will feel this Full Moon strongest, but there are so many planetary players this month most of us will feel it somewhere in our lives. If it doesn't directly impact us it will be impacting relationships, partnerships, marriages, rivalries, competitions, etc of the other people in your lives. This is stressful. Let's all treat each other kindly now.

Full Moons bring things out into the light - they don't create the thing they shine the light on. This is the time every month when one space of our life (in this case Libra - partnership, balance, fairness, passive aggressive) just doesn't fit well with another (in this case Aries - ourselves, initiative, courage, anger). It is also a time of peak energy and culmination. Something started at the Aries New Moon last spring can conclude or peak now.

With the Sun opposing Uranus the path forward (whether chosen by us or for us) could be the one that offers us the greatest freedom.

We can use whatever comes up or comes out now to motivate us in the right direction. It is easy to lose sight of what is important when we are always faced with what is urgent. That sextile to Saturn will help. If our connection to the Full Moon is our Libra house - this is going to be about our relationship with other people or to one other person. This is going to be about freedom. Maybe we move apart, maybe we move closer together. Freedom doesn't have to be a solo activity. If our connection to this Full Moon is our Aries house - this is going to be about our relationship with ourselves. And this is going to be about freedom, too. Maybe the freedom to be ourselves or maybe we have taken that too far already .....

This Full Moon weekend expands on the week's theme of controlling our anger and staying balanced. A word or action could start a war with this energy! It's important to speak up and listen and not get so caught up in any extreme position or need to be right. There is truth to be revealed here.

And let's keep our schedule light because unexpected things will come up.

I'll write a short post on the Full Moon this weekend so we can get out and walk in it - it's a powerful one!

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of October 10th - if we ran like our mouth this week, we'd be in good shape

me, and me, and me by senju-hime

We have a long and messy Mercury story (or stories) this week capped off with a Full Moon in Aries conjunct (anything can happen, out of the blue, genius, rebellious) Uranus.

It is super unusual to have this many active Mercury days in a row!

Keep this in mind when information and communications are conflicting and volatile.

Let's dive right in. The week kicks off with Mercury (information, ideas, communications, conversations, siblings) catching up with Jupiter (expansion, luck) in Libra. We had this same conjunction a few weeks ago when they both met up in Virgo (I had some good news that day about Olive's health, maybe you had some good news, too).

We are fortunate to have these planets meet up again so soon!

This is a time, Monday and Tuesday, to get good news or have positive conversations or ideas around Jupiterian things - travel, politics, education, weddings, legal, foreign, media, marketing, publishing or Libran things - partners, money, what we value, women, beauty.

This would be a good time to sign an agreement that benefits both parties or have a conversation that brings peace, balance or fairness to a situation. The energy is optimistic - there is some potential for good news to be a bit overblown though - keep this in mind.

At the same time we have a very different energy with Mars sextiling Neptune, so maybe we are angry about something done in secret or in some hidden way. We feel misled. Maybe the words left unsaid are more important than what is actually said out loud. On the other hand if we are the one doing the backdoor deal other people can be mad at us. This could also be about taking action with Neptune themes - escape, imagination - the things, people and situations that have been 'put away' - ie hospitals, prisons, at a distance, etc.

This week we also have the Sun opposing Uranus (change, rebellion) and Eris (the angry feminine) - this shines a light on whatever issues trigger our need for freedom or our need to allow the feminine part of ourselves to just be pissed off.

On Thursday the same Mercury (in Libra) squares Mars (in Capricorn). This is tension and arguments and volatility within our relationships and communications. We could jump to conclusions here or say the wrong thing. We will all be more easily irritated and liable to speak in anger. This would not be a good day to try to negotiate something unless there is some kind of unbiased mediation going on or some guarantee that everyone can keep a cool head. Better to go for a long walk, run or bike ride to burn off this energy. Drive and operate machinery with care. We will be highly distractable. Not a good day to talk about politics (ack!) unless we want a fight - in business, stick to topics everyone can agree on. Some action is needed here or could be forced upon us.

On Friday, Mercury (I told you this was a long story) sextiles Saturn in Sagittarius. The conversation gets serious. We could be talking to people older than ourselves or we could be the older person in the conversation. Our words commit us now. Our thinking and judgement are clear. This is great energy for making long range plans. This is about our responsibilities and goals. Good energy for teaching and learning.

Finally on Saturday, Mercury (is there an echo in here?) squares Pluto (in Capricorn) - this is about intense conversations, information and communication. This is good energy for research or getting to the truth about a situation. It is also good energy for taking something way too far. The more forcefully we verbalize or present our point of view or some information, the more potential criticism and backlash we could meet up with. Know this if you are working with controversial views or materials. Keep things balanced and in perspective.

This all builds to the Saturday/Sunday Full Moon - which I'll do a post about later in the week.

So what does such an active Mercury mean? 

(other than showing us how many planets are impacting Libras and our Libra planets who have been challenged from multiple directions for a while now)

For certain, communications will be fast moving and shifting. Positivity and rational thinking could quickly give way to anger. Down can go up and up can go down. At the end of the day (or week) there is real opportunity for progress here. Let's keep a cool head and know that the end of the story is probably not the end of the story - at least until that Aries Full Moon that probably changes everything anyway.

There is alot here about Libra (balance, fairness, women, our values, love, equal partnerships) and alot here about our Libra house.

With Mercury in Libra our best tools could be our ability to listen and our ability to see both sides of situations and our best bet for success is trying to find that common ground ..... but with Libra answering to Scorpio right now (Venus in Scorpio) we probably won't be pulling any punches either.

xo all
  

Saturn square the North and South Nodes | what is standing in our way ....

Road Block in Africa by Solarstones

Today we have Saturn (time, responsibility, work, the fly in the ointment, the party pooper) squaring the North Node (our collective way forward) and the South Node (what we are releasing, leaving behind).

(12 degrees Sagittarius, Virgo and Pisces)

We are stuck.

The path in front of us is murky and uncertain and the way back is covered with prickly brush and fallen trees.

This is when Saturn's gift of time can be a good thing.

(and yes, I mean good as in 'eat your vegetables' - there isn't any cake with this one)

We can take a breath here. In fact, life will probably demand it.

Some kind of frustration or delay must be dealt with before we move forward (this could bring us back to something started around September 2013 or something began around the last New Moon).

One of the reasons these check-in periods and stop signs are important is so we can all catch up with each other. 

Remember, we are like a beehive. 

We serve a larger objective and are part of a larger gathering. We don't have exclusive responsibility for anything, not even our own outcome ...

Even if we feel insecure and uncertain, there is nothing wrong with this space we sit and this energy we hold. Don't fight it or push to move past it yet. Just sit with it and feel it. Something like, "This is interesting that this thing is blocking my way. It is making me uncomfortable."

This would actually be a great tapping exercise if anyone is doing EFT where you use the words "even though" in the beginning and "I completely love and accept myself" at the end of each statement. So it would end up something like "even though _____ is blocking my way (could be indecision, lack of something like money or an actual situation or person) and it is uncomfortable for me to not know what to do next or where this is going or to have to stop now, I completely love and accept myself." This stuff is amazing for calming the nervous system.

Saturn square the Nodes will most likely show up as some kind of restriction or obligation. The way forward is still that North Node in Virgo - small, accurate steps, doing the next thing that is in front of us.

I have Saturn conjunct my Sun natally, so usually Saturn shows up for me as me getting in my own way. I also have my husband's Saturn conjunct my Sun (!) so his immediate reaction to my ideas/actions is to tell me they will not work. Even though I have told him for many years that he is unlikely to come up with problems/restrictions I have not thought of, he just can't help himself. Drives me nuts. 

Anyway, almost two weeks ago I bought this little Shasta trailer that needs to be fixed up. I usually do not do something like this without having a plan, but I saw it for sale during that "luckiest days of the year" period and I took the plunge.

Immediately I had buyer's regret.

I sent waves of misgiving out to the universe. I'm sure my Muses were thoroughly disgusted and turned their back on me. While I was driving to the post office lamenting the loss of my hard earned cash, a couple of 'travelers' - this is what they called themselves on the note they left in my mailbox - asked me if it was for sale and to please call them. They said they loved it. I set the note on my kitchen counter and walked back outside to look at the damn thing again. Maybe I was being too hasty. Maybe I didn't need to know exactly what I was doing to keep going.

I felt a Muse turn her attention back in my direction.

But here comes the Saturn part because to keep this whole project affordable I need hubs to do some of this fixing part. And he hasn't quite bought in (his muses are on vacation, I think) plus he is very busy right now at work. I have to work with his timing and trust that delays create the space for things to line up with this later. I also have to keep my Sun shining on his Saturn so he can see the possibilities here. With my own busy season approaching and deadlines I need to meet for what I want to do with this thing (aka Ethel the trailer) - it is damn frustrating.

Although, I know delays and frustrations almost always result in better projects and products. 

I can't count the number of times some manufacturer has changed something I use in my makings that sent me scrambling for something else and instead of something else, I found something better.

So for now we are gathering our willpower to move in a positive (meaning certain) direction, but right timing matters and is what fits us all together like a giant puzzle. Let's trust it.

xo all and Happy Saturday!

Mercury into Libra | the dance of civility and finding common ground

waiting for a partner by panosozi

Mercury has been in Virgo for more than two months. Much of this time he was retrograde or walking degrees he would walk when retrograde (he moves forward, he stops - from our perspective on Earth - he moves backward, then he stops, he moves forward over those same steps until he reaches the degree where he stopped the first time then he is said to be 'out of his shadow' period). Mercury rules Virgo and is very strong here.

Our conversations, ideas and communications have been picked through quite thoroughly by now. We all know where we stand, and where everyone else does. We are tired of talking/bickering about this stuff and are probably craving more pleasant and civil interactions. I know I am! I have mostly been avoiding social media for weeks.

(the VP debate is a perfect example of how the person who appears the most 'polite' and 'in balance' right now - Libra Sun, Libra Jupiter and Mercury moving in - will win the day - heads up, the 3rd Presidential debate on October 19th should be interesting because Uranus is ruling that day so anything can happen)

After today, Mercury moves out of the shadow degrees of his retrograde - he finally starts covering new ground! This is big news. If something got shelved or morphed around August 10th it could come back to life now, in a new way, or morph again.

Right after he moves out of his shadow, Mercury moves into Libra. We move forward from here.  

Now we have Mars square Jupiter - so we are not going to have it all figured out (and we never will!). We don't have to push that hard. Mars is in Capricorn and wants to reach the top of the mountain and because he is Mars he wants to do it yesterday. Jupiter is in Libra and wants to chill out a little, check out all the angles, figure out how other people figure into the mix - he has recently moved into Libra for a long stay and is just getting himself acclimated here.

This weekend there is alot of Capricorn - the Moon (emotions), Pluto (karma, fate), Mars (action, initiative, anger) with Venus (desire, love, women) sextiling - stuff will be serious.

There will also be a lot of Libra (Sun, Jupiter, Mercury) - Libra rules balance, justice, love, money, women. Being the sign of fairness she sees everyone's side and so it is hard to make a decision here. And because this is the way life works we will often be faced with a decision at exactly the time all this energy makes decision-making hard!

With all the grounded Capricorn and airy Libra - the ways we are out of balance could show up. If we have grown too one-sided in Virgo, a person or situation could show up now to allow us to see both sides of a situation. Relationships are still being reset. New things are just getting started - some in the dark and behind the scenes!

Capricorn is ruled by Saturn (father time) - there isn't really the rush here Mars has some of us feeling. We might feel like we are late or behind schedule (has anyone ever met a prompt Libra unless they have some very strong Scorpio, etc). Libra season with heavy Capricorn means if we make a rush decision we will then have to weigh it out afterwards (we will not be allowed to skip the weighing it out step) we will probably be stuck with the thing we have chosen for a long time - which could be a good thing or not, that isn't shown here. It might be better to weigh things out first. Gather information. Make plans.

When Mercury gets into Scorpio (next month) commitments will be sealed - for now we get engaged, we take some action, we get balls rolling, we weigh everything as we go forward- we will more naturally move into balance through Libran niceties - things are going to really speed up though!

OK back to Mercury into Libra!

On Friday, Mercury (after being holed up in Virgo analyzing the hell out of everything for two months) moves into Libra.

Mercury is not super strong in Libra because Mercury is fast and rules our intellect and Libra is slow and rules balance and justice. She weighs all sides of an issue before taking any action - the reason for the indecision she is so widely known for. There will maybe be some superficial chitchat and passive aggressive stuff while Mercury is in Libra, too. That's all to be expected.

The good news though is that none of this can happen without other people - Mercury in Libra is all about social interactions. Virgo doesn't need other people to analyze, but Libra can't achieve balance without them!

(the Libra house of our natal chart is where we need balance most of all - with fast moving Mercury moving in this house will wake up now)

So, to be successful our words are more polite now. We need to listen. If we want our communications to hit their target we need to make the other person feel listened to. 

Conversations become kind of a dance here. We wouldn't tear off our dance partner's trousers and leave them standing there with hands covering their under shorts and last shreds of their dignity.

We wouldn't tell them they are a crappy dancer even when they step on our toes and smudge the tops of our favorite shoes. 

A type of kindness and civility prevails on the dance floor. We smile. We talk about the things everyone can agree on. 

With the floor spinning beneath our feet we still manage to find common ground.

That is the energy that moves communications, ideas and conversations forward now. 

We'll go deep next month in Scorpio, for now - let's dance!

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of October 3rd - a commitment to that new thing or what needs to happen to make space for it

commitment by smashed into you

"One of the strangest things about life is that it will chug on, blind and oblivious, even as your private world - your little carved-out sphere - is twisting and morphing, even breaking apart. One day you have parents; the next day you're an orphan. One day you have a place and a path. The next day you're lost in the wilderness. And still the sun rises and clouds mass and drift and people shop for groceries and toilets flush and blinds go up and down. That's when you realize that most of it - life, the relentless mechanism of existing - isn't about you. It doesn't include you at all. It will thrust onward even after you've jumped the edge."- Lauren Oliver

OK, we have the New Moon energy from last weekend pushing us forward into our next chapter where we will work with and through relationships (through October 2017).

Lone wolfs will find their flock (yes, I realize wolves and birds might be a precarious flock, but life can be precarious sometimes) and people who 'love/need to be around other people' will learn to pick and choose who they work and play with, probably through overwhelm, as Jupiter enlarges this sphere of our lives. We will also work with the concepts of balance and fairness in our individual stories and in the collective world. Buckle up buttercup!

On Monday, the Moon is in Scorpio. Our emotions can be extreme with whatever is happening. This is a good time to go deeper with our creative work. Deep conversations will bring us closer to others. If something needs to be said and you need to be the one to say it, this might be a good day (always with the utmost compassion) because when Scorpio cuts, it's deep. Read yesterday's post about saying something supportive, and conversation starting, without giving unsolicited advice. There can be new beginnings to old, toxic situations now. It's a day to go deep with love, income, women, beauty, art, spirituality, research, people, situations and things that have been 'put away' and our escape mechanisms.

On Tuesday, that same Scorpio Moon connects with Mercury (about to exit Virgo) so we hear news about whatever we were dealing with on Monday. The Sun (in Libra) connects us with Saturn (in Sagittarius) so we are dealing with a commitment to some relationship. It could be an equal partner kind of thing or something involving a Sagittarius theme (or our Sagittarius natal house theme) ie publishing, higher education, travel, something/someone at a distance or foreign, weddings, legal, political stuff, etc.

On Wednesday, (a good decision day) the Moon moves into Sagittarius and connects with Jupiter (in Libra) in an alignment of opportunity with the Sagittarius themes listed on Tuesday (or our Sagittarius natal house themes) and our partnerships. Mars (in Capricorn) squares Jupiter (in Libra) - the tension here will focus us on our ambitions. Confidence encourages success. Remember with all this Libra we need to be taking other people, balance and fairness into consideration here. The same old heartless ambition without cooperation isn't going to cut it for long.

On Thursday, Saturn (time, commitment, hard work) reminds us of what it is we are willing to work for. That Libra/Sagittarius situation (see all the house buzzwords I have used earlier in the week) is moving forward. Mercury finishes his shadow period - the degrees he walked 3 times in our Virgo houses - that chapter is finished!

On Friday, Mercury moves into Libra - so now we have the Sun, Jupiter and Mercury here. Balanced and diplomatic words and conversations have the best effect. But the shadow is we bend too far in compromise or sacrifice. Watch for that. It will throw this train off the track before we even get it out of the station. This can also bring new people into the mix. I will do a full post about this later in the week!

Also on Friday, Pluto (in Capricorn) squares the Sun (in Libra). This can be a power struggle or confrontation of egos. A light (the Sun) will shine on power (Pluto) - will we like what we see? The wise or unwise use of power will be spotlighted both in our personal lives and in the collective.

With Mercury freshly in Libra at the time of this square - a conversation could be challenging. There could be jealousy or obsession here or maybe an ambitious struggle. Keep things above board and honest. The Moon is headed into Capricorn for the weekend which means stuff will be serious and our work might carry into our playtime hours. Also on Saturday, Saturn squares the North and South Nodes of our collective fate. There is some tension blocking our way forward or making it difficult to release something that needs to go. If there is some Saturnian responsibility (think strict father energy here) we have ignored or are ignoring it could come up now.

The only Void Moon during work hours is Friday after 4:45pm EST.

xo all

Venus trine Neptune | Mercury opposing Chiron - acceptance of what will never be enough

compassion by renato54

We have Venus (in Scorpio) trine (brakes off) Neptune (in Pisces). This is a good time to reach out to someone with compassion and a good time to offer compassion to ourselves. This is sacred union energy and coming with a Libra Sun and Moon even more powerful!

The shadow of Venus in Scorpio is she is never satisfied. There is always more to be had. There is never enough. The space where we are never sated, where our cup is never full, is the red flag for us now. This is the energy that wants healing (this is the healing that will save the world).

The unsatisfied feeling is our way in.

The highest vibration of Venus in Scorpio is the healed warrior. Scorpio is considered a space where Venus is in her 'detriment' but that is a consideration that comes from patriarchy.

She just won't be controlled here. She won't be told what to do.

So, instead of us feeling threatened by this energy - there is a respect for the mystery.

What were once shameful secrets are seen as survival instincts. What was once jealousy is seen as fear that there is not enough for us (again a survival instinct ready to be dissolved) .. or the knowledge that enough is never enough.

This is also an excellent time to use our intuition and imagination. We are in the New Moon energy now and Venus trine Neptune enhances this in magical ways! What do we want to create? How do we want to connect?

We have Mercury (in Virgo) opposing Chiron (in Pisces). Mercury is our communication and our thought processes (also our dealing with siblings and neighbors). In Virgo, he likes to nitpick over the details and zeros in on mistakes. Chiron is our sacred woundedness that cannot be healed. In Pisces, he connects us to others who share the same wounding.

With them at cross purposes today probably the less that is said the better. Telling someone what we think they are doing wrong (Virgo will want to zero in on the problem), will not be as helpful as just being there and offering compassion.

Simply saying to a friend going through a hard time, "this must be so hard" will work more magic than offering up solutions.

xo all - have a nice weekend - it's our monthly affirmation time, don't miss it!

p.s. someone asked me yesterday why I didn't mention that yesterday's Moon was a Black Moon. A Black Moon is what they call a New Moon that happens twice in the same month. I'm not sure why they call it this - all New Moons are black. I'll have to Google it. This wasn't the second New Moon in Libra though - our New Moon in the beginning of September was in Virgo, so astrologically speaking this Moon wasn't a second New Moon of the sun cycle, so no biggie in that sense - it's still a wonderful New Moon though and I'm sure our ancestors would have thrown a couple extra goats on the pyre just to be safe! :)