Mercury Sextile Jupiter | make that practiced pitch, make time to listen

___ by oprisco

Today Mercury (communication, conversation, ideas) in Sagittarius shakes hands with Jupiter (expansion) in Libra (partners, women, money).

This seems like a good time to make a pitch about something we are excited about and have some of that enthusiasm brush off on others. More than sweaty palms are exchanged in hand shakes after all.

There is a square to the finicky Virgo Moon that could make us speak without thinking and later regret it, so think through emails and online postings before hitting that enter button. But don't over-think or expect perfection from ourselves or others. Most of the energy is a go to - speak up.

This is also a good time to listen to what someone else has to say and make a connection. Mercury also rules siblings and neighbors - if there is something there that needs to be mended or set in motion - today would be a good day to have a conversation.

Introduce yourself to someone you have been wanting to meet or talk to.

This would also be a good day to start a course of study and learn something new. Science is reporting that learning a new language is one of the best things we can do to challenge and strengthen our brains. With Jupiter in Libra and the ruler of Mercury's host space Sagittarius and ruler of education and what is 'foreign' this would be an excellent time to begin. This is also great energy to make travel plans.

xo all

Sun into Sagittarius - the power of positivity and focus and a BIG week ahead

____ by oprisco

I finished up wholesale orders this past weekend so didn't get to write up the weekly. We'll do dailies this week with looks ahead to stay on target, so here we go ....

The Sun moves into adventurous and goal-oriented Sagittarius today (thru 12/21 winter solstice).

This is the season of making plans and taking actions revolving around Sagittarian themes (and your natal Sagittarius house themes) -

education, travel, the people, places and situations that are foreign to us, publicity, media, politics, religion, philosophy. weddings, legal issues.

Anything we have going on in these areas, or need to get going on, can benefit from the Sun's energy and enthusiasm here.

In Sagittarius we get more done by behaving like its archer icon. We have our target in focus. We hold our bow 'in tension' and hold our intention for what we want to happen. We are positive (positive meaning certain, not "pink paint over problems happy"). We take action - we won't hit anything if we never release the damn bow. Right now the Moon is waning so it is more of a release cycle (emotionally). This doesn't mean we can't take action and get results.

What do you need to do with those Sagittarius themes or the themes of your own natal Sagittarius house(s)? Action there will be supported.

Now, if you are thinking these themes seem very familiar it's because Saturn (restriction, time, hard work) has been hanging out in this area since the end of 2014 and will be here until the end of 2017. And where Saturn goes - challenges, and our attention to these challenges - follow. It's not a smooth sailing month for our Sun here. These themes will continue to be serious and weighty. Grown ups are needed now.

Although challenged, it's important to remember the Sun is bigger (and stronger) than even powerful Saturn. Keep that in mind. If something seems insurmountable (money for college, media coverage for your small business, political happenings, legal issues) know that it isn't. Use the archer's tactics - positivity, focus and action. And, of course, we need to be aimed at the right target in the first place (hopefully we got a little clearer on that last month during our time in Scorpio, but with all this strong Neptune, maybe not).

Know that there will be fewer and fewer misses the more shots we take.

The rest of the week is crazy and busy. Lots of communication, conversations and news plus the first Jupiter square Pluto (series of three that takes us into next year, so 2017 really launches this week!)  - we'll all find out what that will be about within the collective and in our own lives. Thanksgiving may be stressful. Back tomorrow.

xo all

Note- The Moon goes void Tuesday at 12:40EST and stays void until Wednesday at 2:45pmEST.

Neptune Conjunct the South Node | Neptune Moves Direct - the fog begins to lift, something from the past evolves ...

015 by la-child

Neptune has been retrograde since June. This is one of those big deal/not big deal things because Neptune does this every year - spends five months of every twelve appearing to move backward.

Neptune is in Pisces (2012-2025), the space he rules, so he's very strong even when retrograde. He rules imagination, illusion, addiction, healing, escapism, secrets, lies, things and places put away and out of sight.

Tomorrow, Neptune finally moves direct at 9 degrees Pisces.

The reason this is a big deal this year is that yesterday he conjuncted (exact hit) the South Node at this same degree. The South Node is the energy of what we are releasing.

This could pull us back to something/someone from our past.

If you are comfortable thinking in terms of past lives, this could be something from a past life. We can also think of this in terms of something from our familial history that asks to be resolved/shifted now through us.

It's all the same thing - some energy we are carrying has the opportunity to evolve here. With Neptune endings are not usually abrupt - they tend to linger and then dissolve or fade away. We could see that happening now with something in our life. With Neptune on the South Node - something's got to go or something needs a boundary.

(I have no doubt Trump will build some form of wall. He will want some kind of physical monument he can point to later as an accomplishment - he will probably name it Trump Tower :) Sometimes breaking down a wall is the way forward and sometimes building one is. We have become so boundless so fast through technology, the internet and the multiple dimensions coming together I can understand people needing something like this to feel protected. Ultimately it probably won't be our walls that keep us safe, but being boundless in a 3D world is no less challenging.)

This isn't the best time to make a decision.

This energy has made it hard to tell what is real for months (and even years). We can see this in all the fake news crowding the internet.

Waiting a few days until Neptune gets his sea legs and Mercury comes off his square to Neptune will be better. Instead of looking for answers in our tea leaves or Magic 8 Ball, what we need to know will be right there in front of us as we move toward the beginning of December.

These are the last few days of Scorpio season and the last degrees are the most intense and also the most transformational. We will be questioning ourselves. Did we do the right thing? Where are things going? Are we on the right path? Having grounded projects and work and people around us will help. If most of our friends are artsy, imaginative types it would be a good time to have lunch with that serious friend who likes to talk about the life cycles of arachnids. Trust me on this.

With Mercury squaring Neptune there could be a story in the media (probably between now and Sunday) that attempts to shift our belief system in some way. 

If things don't make sense we don't need to buy into this right now. Clearer skies are coming.

It could be an actual person or situation from the past that is the spark plug here but it's maybe our subconscious pushing us or hitting us over the head (pebble or boulder). Whatever this is it could be rewarding (and painful with Chiron near by) to release or restructure.

This will be about our long term stability and security regarding family, work and money.

As always (until next May when we can let our hair down!) the way forward is through service, attention to our health, doing the work, attention to detail. Stay sober.

Saturn moves out of his retrograde shadow today (this is the same space he was in the late 1980's, so interesting politically isn't it?). This is about authority (ours and that outside ourselves) moving into new territory. We have alot of Saturn/Capricorn energy in our future - the better we can get things structured and in place the more 'in control' we will feel.

xo all - have a wonderful weekend everyone - lovely Leo Moon on Sunday for some fun!

Mercury sextile Mars | putting our words into actions - ideas get fired up

garden grounds II by kuzmin photo

Mercury (communication, conversations, ideas) sextiles Mars (action, initiative, anger) now.

Sextiles are handshakes, head nods and agreements. They represent opportunities.

Our words (maybe angry words?) marry our actions and initiative. 

We walk our talk. 

We move toward what we want with new ideas and language. 

Ideas (Mercury) are fired up (Mars).

When we speak with anger we are using our Mars (anger) to do Mercury's job (communication). This is like asking your auto mechanic to edit your blog post or your editor to fix your car.

It's better to use Mars for Mars things (action). Slamming a door or screaming in the shower would be better than to say something mean with reverberations long after that Mars (anger) energy has eased off. Later with Mars no longer running the show we can use our Mercury to choose the better words.

But now with Mercury and Mars in such a comfy cuddle and with Mercury trining Vesta (our ideals, what feels like home, what burns in our soul to warm us, purpose) maybe our impulsive or angry communications about our ideals works somehow?

Remember though it never works to push against what we don't want. We just energize whatever we are pushing against. We always want to be speaking about what we do want.

This is excellent energy to TELL PEOPLE WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO. Sorry for screaming, but it feels kind of appropriate. Maybe this talking will help us actually carry through and do the thing we are thinking/talking about!

This is good energy for people fired up by an ideal or purpose to bring together their words and actions to make a difference.

xo all

Full Moon in Taurus | Mercury Conjunct Juno - how the light gets in

If you have planets in the middle degrees of Taurus or Scorpio you will likely feel the Full Moon energy today. Something is coming to fruition, to light or to a conclusion. For the rest of us this Moon can be very grounding as the Taurus energy pulls us back into ourselves, toward our roots, toward what really matters

Stop and smell the roses.

We also have the planet Mercury sitting with Juno at 2 degrees of Sagittarius. Communication within partnerships is highlighted. This could be the time for some kind of verbal or written commitment or contract. In Sagittarius we want to be sure things are presented accurately and not being exaggerated or glossed over.  

Check the details and the facts jack.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of November 14th - choosing what is real

untitled by oprisco

What a stressful and exhausting week! I was going to write about the election, but honestly only have the energy and heart to say a few words. If you are reading this Sunday night try to get out and walk in the Full Moon energy - it will be very healing.

Trump had a chart to win and he did (290-228). Of course, Hillary also had a chart to win and she won the popular vote (by over 2,000,000 votes). So, they both win, but only one will serve.

Trump's progressed Sun has just moved (after almost 30 years!) from Leo - the sign of the king, to Virgo - the sign of the servant.

This has made him more appealing to the common man (Virgo rules the common man), but will also, I would guess, be quite humbling in the weeks ahead. Actually both candidates have been humbled, along with all of us, now that I think about it. Trump also has a wicked Saturn transit coming up so no doubt the responsibility and change in his lifestyle (have we ever had a President before who's life got smaller when he became President?) will hit him like a ton of bricks if they haven't already.

He has a host of challenges and legal issues ahead and a couple crazy aspects even before the inauguration and they continue into next spring at least. And we still have that third Uranus and Eris conjunction in Aries in mid March 2017. Whew.

I'm going to do my usual week ahead and then post some big picture stuff at the end to kind of remind us all where we are and what is coming up.

There is an interesting site called Blue Feed/Red Feed . It's updated hourly. It's fascinating how, now that we are all looking at different things, we (along with a little help from Facebook) set up our world to see things that we agree with ... a chilling look at the echo chamber of social media and how it insulates us from reality. No wonder we can't agree with each other and each side thinks the other is crazy!

On Monday (early this morning actually, get out and walk in it) we have a Super Full Moon in Taurus. See my post about the Full Moon here. Hopefully it will be some of the healing balm we need right now. By 8:45 am EST the Moon is void and stays void for the rest of the day. It's not a good day to start anything new, but it is a good day to get alot done.

On Tuesday the Gemini Moon is all about our communications and conversations and other Gemini themes - siblings, our neighborhoods, ideas, transportation, meetings, education, teaching, speaking.

On Wednesday, the Moon is again void all day. Later in the evening it moves into Cancer which is great energy for spending time at home with family or nurturing ourselves.

On Thursday, the Moon will be super busy and so will we. A retrograde (but not for long) Neptune conjuncts our South Node (in Pisces). Something has to go here. Then on Friday Mercury (in Sagittarius) squares the Nodes. Maybe we hear or read something and have to separate fantasy from reality. Maybe a decision is required or an important conversation happens with an important person. There are karmic undertones to whatever we are dealing with. The next day (Saturday) Neptune stations direct. We start to move forward (maybe) with whatever this is.

With Neptune on the South Node we want to avoid hanging on to 'the good old days of the past' or escaping/avoiding the thing that is real and needs to get done. If something needs to be 'chosen' now - choose the most stable, real thing.

**********

Sometimes, since I write alot of day to day stuff it is easy to lose sight of the big picture. Let's take a step back.

We still have our North Node (collective way forward) in Virgo. So, we do the positive Virgo stuff to move ahead - careful measured steps, attention to detail, service to others, taking care of our health. We release the negative Pisces stuff (south node collective release point) to move ahead - addiction, escapism, pie-in-the-sky thinking, laziness, lack of boundaries.

We have Jupiter (growth, expansion) in Libra (balance, fairness, love, women, partnership) until next autumn. Libra is a cardinal sign. It forms angles to the other cardinal signs. So since we have Pluto in Capricorn (since 2008) and Capricorn is a cardinal sign, we will have transits over the next year, as Jupiter moves through Libra, that aspect Pluto (transformation, death, rebirth, karma, authority).
 
And because Uranus is in Aries (since 2011), and Aries is another cardinal sign, as Jupiter moves through Libra he will also be aspecting Uranus (rebellion, sudden change, innovation). Jupiter also goes retrograde from February 6th to June 9th so we will be dealing with some of this multiple times. This stuff will be challenging.

The dates follow:

Jupiter square Pluto
11/24/2016
3/30/2017
8/4/2017

Jupiter oppsing Uranus
12/26/16
3/2/17
9/27/17

We can see these transits are squares and oppositions - these are tense aspects. Let's see what happens around November 24th (yes, that's Thanksgiving - good luck if you are hosting) and we'll know what we are going to be dealing with until the end of next September

We are going to talk about this alot as we move forward. Cardinal sun signs and people with planets in cardinal signs (probably everyone) will be impacted to various degrees. This will almost certainly impact the U.S. chart and Trump's presidency.

OK, we still have Saturn (restriction, hard work, responsibility) in Sagittarius (what is foreign, foreign travel, higher education, philosophy, weddings, legal, politics) for another year. Sorry Sagittarians, but you are more than half-way home free!

If Trump is actually going to build a wall (or whatever restrictions are placed on immigration and what is foreign) - it will happen in 2017.

Now when Saturn leaves Sagittarius (where he has been answering to Jupiter) he will come home to Capricorn. Capricorns won't feel this weight in quite the same way Sagittarians have because Capricorns walk around carrying a load of rocks and responsibility at all times anyway! Saturn (father figure, structure, security, responsibility, restriction) will be very strong in Capricorn.

(what was happening in your life the last time Saturn was in Capricorn early 1988 to early 1991 - we will likely see some similar themes start to arrive at the end of 2017, early 2018).

Even after Saturn leaves Capricorn and moves on to Aquarius two and a half years later he will still be strong since Saturn is the ancient ruler of Aquarius. Hopefully it doesn't feel like 5 years of winter - ha! If Trump survives the rest of 2016 and 2017, 2018 will be a whole new presidency for him.

We still have Uranus in Aries until 2018. This is the revolutionary aspect influencing war, rebellion, unexpected events that turn us in new directions. When Uranus moves into Taurus (2018-2025) he will bring that wrecking ball energy to our money and values.

Neptune is home in Pisces until 2025. She's helping us imagine a whole new world. She's also the slippery slope when we drift off to dreamland and don't get anything done. A strong Neptune is also making it hard to tell fact from fiction, fantasy from reality.

The other big aspect for next year - besides the Jupiter transits is Saturn trine (brakes off) Uranus. 

This could be good energy for the power structures and the rebellious masses or innovative energies to come together. 

It can also create power structures from rebellious masses or innovation, most likely technological, or create rebellion within the power structure. 

Anyway you slice it, it is probably a good thing - at least in the long term. This energy could help bring order out of chaos.

The dates follow:

Saturn trine Uranus
12/24/16
5/19/17
11/11/17

The eclipses next year will be HUGE in spring and autumn. The North Node moves into Leo! We have a transit on 12/31/2016 (Mars/Neptune on an eclipse degree) that we last had on September 11, 2001 (this does not mean it will be another 9/11). 

At least the Saturn/Neptune square of 2016 (dream vs reality) is finished. Some dreams are in ashes. Some feet are on more solid ground or at least our knees are.

It's been a hell of a year and it's not over yet!

xo all