Mercury Conjunct Saturn | focus on what matters, use common sense

self portrait by la-child

Mercury (communication, ideas, thinking, siblings, local neighborhood, transportation) meets up with Saturn in Sagittarius today.

This could bring sobering (or stabilizing) news or communications. Maybe a 'no' has reduced our options. That's OK. Now we can focus in on what really matters.  

This is excellent energy for critical thinking. Common sense is favored.

Negative thoughts can flourish with this energy. We don't want to live here, but maybe we can put this to use. The lie or inflated thinking/idea/communication will be easier to "hear". Not easier in an emotional sense, but the stuff without solid grounding will stand out. Maybe we can formulate solid plans to avoid the pitfalls ahead.

If we are already depressed or worried, words and communications can feel heavier. 2016's Saturn square Neptune transit has worked us all over. We are empty of illusion. I am hoping we are all standing with like-minded others as we make our way through the dissolving landscape.

This is Sagittarius season and Sagittarian themes have been prominent for many, many months. What can we learn from those who are different from us? How are we more alike than different? Can we see the ways we really all want the same things .....

It will be easier to argue with older people or authority figures with this energy. Keep that in mind.

xo all

NOTE - The Moon is void until 2:45pm EST. 

(also today's conjunction will connect us to the Sun/Saturn conjunction on 12/10 - so today's information or communication could further impact us then)

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