Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of January 9th - changes in the weather and the leather

the weather maker by bloodymarie

Mercury (communication, information) is moving forward. Actually all the planets are moving forward for the next four weeks.

So, here we go!

On Monday, Eris stations direct at 22 degrees Aries. Eris's stations are sometimes a harbinger of violence in the world - so stay safe and calm, especially around people who are easily angered. Saturn (in Sagittarius - foreign, travel, education, media, publishing) trines (brakes off) Eris on Wednesday and Jupiter opposes this energy on the 17th - we'll see how all of this plays out.

At the same time Neptune focuses us on something going on in secret or behind closed doors, research, art, healing, addiction, escapism, things that have been put away.

On Tuesday, the Sun squares Uranus (in Aries) bringing a spotlight to sudden changes, shocking events and unexpected news particularly involving career or authority figures. We are building toward the Full Moon so results will show up now and maybe an ending. Whatever Mercury retrograde has been re-working in our life could bring news.

There is a very powerful Pluto/Mars aspect now - this is action creating meaningful change. There is also passion and impulsiveness here. With Mars in Pisces, actions may feel like they aren't really getting us anywhere (that Pisces floaty, drifty thing) when in fact they are getting us lined up with important transformational energies. Think strategy.

On Wednesday, the Sun squares Jupiter (in Libra) making us more optimistic, confident and even, dare I say, LUCKY. Now, the thing to remember about Jupiter is he is quite literally full of hot air and there is tension with this aspect. We can easily overdo whatever it is we are doing and this over-doing, over-feeling, over-the-top thing we might do can muck the whole thing up. Don't muck the whole thing up. Don't overdo or over spend or over commit now. Don't be a jackass. Stay humble. This is excellent energy to make a complete fool of ourselves.

On Thursday, Venus conjuncts Neptune (in Pisces). This is us getting what we want or this is what we want slipping through our fingers. This won't be something we have to work for - either way it will just happen.

We have the Full Moon in Cancer wrapping up something with our home or family, something started at the Cancer New Moon last summer or something involving the theme of our natal Cancer house. This is a BIG one involving all four cardinal signs. I'll do a post about it later this week.

Mercury re-enters Capricorn. Whatever news we hear now is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

The Moon is void all day Thursday so don't start anything brand new unless you want "nothing to come of it".

As always, although I write about transits on the dates they are most exact they are building for days before and unwinding themselves for days after - keep that in mind.

*****

Of course, I didn't finish the 2017 posts (!) - ugh. I will get back to them this week, or next weekend at the latest - we have some nice transits ahead for us in 2017 and some challenges.

I think the most important thing now is to focus on releasing whatever is not 'our hearts desire' (that upcoming Leo North Node). I always start with small things because small things are like acorns.

I have been feeling very "loaded down" and "heavy". Ten pounds off my physical body would feel pretty good right about now but since that would probably involve some actual physical exercise in the winter (is such a thing actually possible, I mean really?!) and passing on the guacamole I have been making almost everyday (I have no idea what this guac obsession is), I did the next best thing - I ditched my handbag.

I realized I rarely even open the damn thing except to pull out my debit card and occasionally my lipstick and I am always looking for it and dragging it around with me and since it could be made of leather (possibly, it was a gift) - it might actually be a dead thing I am carrying around which is exactly what I do not want to be doing!

I put my lipstick, debit card, a credit card, my driver's license and a few dollars in a coat pocket that zips. I feel about 10 pounds lighter (probably because I am 10 pounds lighter). I can even get my stretch jeans zipped more easily - go figure!

I am not sure how I will work this handbag-less thing when it's time to put away my winter coat, but I will think of something. For now, it's coat on and out the door. I am standing taller and walking more purposefully - I am not kidding! And, I am putting to bed any belief I could end up a bag lady ... because I can't ... since I won't own a bag.

... xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | 2017 - the end of the road ... (part II)

no, you won't see inside by duenan

Tomorrow Mercury stations direct (keep that finger through the candle analogy in mind now). He won't start covering totally new territory until the end of the month, but having him moving forward next week will help us get clear and we can begin to move forward, too!

In February, Jupiter goes retrograde (this isn't usually a biggie but this year with him in Libra and opposing Uranus it could be more impactful) and we have eclipse season so anything can happen. In March, Venus goes retrograde from Aries and back into Pisces. Venus will cross the zero degree Aries point (original creation point, first degree of the zodiac) 3X during her retrograde. I would imagine this is going to be a very important retrograde. Saturn and Mercury both go retrograde the same week in April. Then right after Venus starts covering new ground the North Node moves into Leo and the South Node into Aquarius. None of this sounds like full steam ahead to me and there are lots of other stuff during this time I am not even mentioning. It will be intense.

This isn't an excuse to get nothing done for four months. We will just be spending alot of time reacting to outside situations and things will be more challenging. Take the actions you need to take, just keep in mind the winds are blowing from different directions, pinning us into place and we might not get as far as we think we will. If we just sit around and do nothing though, we won't be in the right space for the headwind to catch us when it does get freed up!

After the North Node moves into Leo in early May and through at least the next Mercury retrograde in August (and we have gnarly eclipses in August!) and maybe until Jupiter meets up with the Sun in October this is when following our heart can really pay off. This is when the right doors can open. And yes we might have to PUSH them open, Leo isn't shy and doesn't wait to be invited. So, we want to set up the first few months of the year to allow ourselves to GET LUCKY in the middle of the year! We'll talk about all this as we move through it.

Maybe the most important change this year is the Nodes changing signs (and this is a big maybe because there is alot happening this year). In early May, the North Node of the Moon - our collective way forward - moves from Virgo into Leo. The South Node of the Moon - what we are releasing - moves from Pisces into Aquarius. This doesn't change our personal North and South Nodes of our natal chart, but if the collective energy is moving in a certain direction it certainly pays to adjust our sails.

I have 3 planets in Aquarius and the thought of each planet running into that South Node (release) within an 18 month period makes me shiver and throw up a little in my mouth - especially since I tend to hold onto things with both hands and feet and maybe sometimes, my quite sizeable teeth - chomp!

The negative qualities of Aquarius are what we want to let go of - detachment, rebellion for the sake of rebellion, being overly logical or coldly scientific, cold heartedness, trendy crap. This transit may not be the best news for the internet which is ruled by Aquarius. Or maybe we will just get more people unplugged more often - a good thing!

The positive qualities of Leo are what will move us forward - generosity, taking center stage, confidence, stepping into leadership roles, open heartedness, romance, our personal wants, creative self-expression, following our heart.  

With our current North Node in Virgo we have to watch out for being too nitpicky and critical - in Leo we will have to watch for selfishness, too much ego and over the top drama.

It's good to know this is coming, but we still have a few more months of that Virgo/Pisces axis - keep this in mind.

Following our hearts, romance, creative self-expression - this is going to be the most important thing after the middle of the year, start setting that up now - that's where the real gold is. Doing the trendy stuff other people are doing is no longer going to work. You have a job to do here on Planet Earth and we all need you to do it. Lean toward what feels good. Confidence is inspiring.

Back next post with the 2nd half of the year and the entire year's most important transits (we haven't even talked transits yet! - that's why I don't like to write these annual posts - ha!). We are having a snowstorm here and I sometimes lose internet in the snow - so fingers crossed! xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | 2017 - the end of the road ... (part I)

no cars go? by L-N-E

I wrote a post back in 2014 saying that we needed to get where we were going, build what we needed to build, leave what we needed to leave, yadda yadda BEFORE Saturn comes home to Capricorn at the end of 2017.  

We are in the home stretch.

The things we carry with us into 2018 will be much harder to unload - it will be much harder to change course. 2018-2020 are watershed years for humanity. We don't want to be building houses of straw now - we want to be like that smart little pig using the bricks! Where/who/what are our bricks?

Let's jump right into this.

We start 2017 with the outer planets in the same places. Neptune, strong in Pisces until 2025, keeping our imaginations, intuition, inspiration and compassion high, the veils between us thin but our thinking sometimes foggy and illusory, addiction and escapism tendencies high and boundaries weak.

We have Uranus, planet of rebellion, explosions and fast change, in Aries - hang on Aries! -  (initiative, impulsivity, anger, war) for just one more year then he moves into Taurus  - buckle up Taurus! - (money, security, our values, planet Earth) for a long stay.

Pluto is in Capricorn through 2023 - he will take us all the way through the restructuring/transformation, death and rebirth of everything Capricornian - structure, security, government, business.

The middle planets which have the most impact on our individual lives (except for outer planet transit aspects to our natal planets) start 2017 with Saturn in Sagittarius (through December) and Jupiter in Libra until October 10th.

The nearest planets (fastest moving so produce less lasting results) include Mercury which starts the year retrograde - the reason the year started with a whimper and not a bang, Mars (no retrogrades in 2017 - thank goodness) and Venus which will retrograde from March 6th - April 15th.

Since Venus rules both Taurus and Libra her retrogrades impact our relationships, our finances, our values, art, beauty, women, nature - it is always a time when lessons come up to show us the real value of the people and things in our lives. Problems, differences and unresolved issues come to our attention. Venus ruled people and situations from the past reappear (she was last retrograde the summer of 2015). When the astrological year starts (Sun into Aries) Venus will be retrograde, mirroring the calendar year, and starting the astro year with a whimper rather than a bang, too. These are natural cycles and as they should be.

Very big news in 2017 is the Nodes change signs (May 9th). We move from our North Node - our collective way forward - in Virgo (just do the work, service to others, prioritize health) to a North Node in Leo. This doesn't mean these Virgo lessons get lost - they are integrated within us now and we are on to the next step. Because the Nodes work in reverse order instead of proceeding to Libra (the flock, relationships) - we've already done Libra - we've integrated that - where's your flock?? We move to Leo later this year. Also the South Node - what we are releasing - currently in Pisces (illusion, addiction, escapism, imagination, spirituality) moves into Aquarius.

We'll talk about what all this means next post.

And we'll talk about the major 2017 aspects. I'll get all these posts up before Mercury turns direct on Sunday, so we'll all be as clear as we can be - as a collective, obviously, I can't see your individual chart - about what is happening. There are always surprises, of course, and this is all one person's interpretation. I saw 2016 as "dreams vs. reality" and I guess it was, but "illusions vs reality" probably sums it up better!

2016 was a very mutable year. The mutable (and cardinal) signs got walloped. Stuff was always in flux and changing. 2016 was the Chinese Year of the Monkey and looking back on it all - that seems very accurate! In 2017 there is still quite a bit of mutable energy, especially early in the year. Stuff is still in flux.

(2017 is the Chinese Year of the Rooster and Trump reminds me of a Rooster with his hair and "tweeting" - this week the House GOP quietly voted to gut an independent ethics committee. The media pounced. Trump cock-a-doodle-doo'd. The people called their reps in Washington. The gutting was gutted. Pluto is conjunct Saturn - the House GOP were humbled. There is a huge lesson here for us about our power.)

There will be very powerful doors opening in 2017. We have all had plenty of time to figure out which door is the right door. We should know by now what really matters to us. We have no malefic planets in Scorpio this year, for the first time in quite a few years. For anyone even half-awake, the deep stuff has been unearthed. We don't have to go back down there. This doesn't mean we have to know what to do. We don't have to know that part. Truly. We do have to know what we want or more accurately how we want to feel (and we do!) and what we want has to align with what we are here to do. This will make more sense later.

When the Sun and Saturn conjunct in Capricorn at the end of 2017 - that's the wall. We need to have our act together by then. We will be stuck with the world we have built (and the world we have allowed authority to build) for quite a while.

Back with Part II next and we'll move through the months of 2017 - also heads up, we have a BIG Full Moon next week. We'll talk about that, too. xo all

Aies Moon | resistance, urgency

porcelain by L-N-E

Today's Aries Moon (first quarter square) is opposing Jupiter, squaring Pluto and the Sun and conjuncting Uranus. There are power struggles and disagreements. That supportive angle to revolutionary Uranus tells us that fresh approaches are best. Mercury still retrograde tells us we don't know what we don't know. Things will be clearer after Mercury stations direct on Sunday.

We could be feeling a strong push to do something. We could also be feeling a strong resistance to doing anything. First quarter Moons are a time of action. They are also the time the first tension and problems hit whatever launches at the New Moon. There is pressure. Decisions (and sitting things out and not making any) will have ramifications. What do we really want to do? And what can we live with? More stability is needed ... or more freedom.

Jupiter in Libra says expansion comes through balance and fairness now.

I have a friend who has a job she loves/hates. She loves the work. She hates the finances of it. She doesn't make enough money and her job is too many hours and leaves her too depleted to make extra money in another way. She's been in this loop for years. Well, now a situation has come along that is forcing her hand. Something has to change. She has to change it. She doesn't know what to do, but this love/hate thing is keeping her stuck.

Can you really love a job that doesn't equally compensate you? Isn't it a bit like loving a guy who doesn't love you back. Can you really hate the money if you have been accepting it for all these years? Isn't it a bit like eating oatmeal for breakfast every morning while hating oatmeal?

She blames the company, the boss, the economy. Anything to keep from looking at what is really happening here. I said, "Try loving the work a little less. Try loving the money a little more." Visualize yourself coming back into balance. Do some yoga. Start there. See how that feels. See what opens up.

If you have planets or points around 20 degrees of the cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn - you will be feeling the power struggles and issues around your security, your home, your work, your family. We are also being reminded that even though we might have coupled up - we still have our own individual journeys to walk here.

If you have planets or points around 20 degrees of the mutable signs - Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces - Saturn is pinning that space in your life to the wall with a pushpin the size of an elephant.

That insurmountable whatever-it-is has most likely been made insurmountable by our inability to face it earlier. It's grown like one of those snowballs that kids turn into Frosty's ass.

That's OK. We are where we are right now. Maybe it took urgent, to break down our resistance to facing whatever the hell this thing is. Go read The Hobbit or something about dragons and brave warriors. Mercury is still retrograde. Clean a closet. Clean all of them. When we don't have the answer either seek to clarify the question or shelve it ... for now.

xo all

Venus into Pisces | I water you and you water me and we grow together ....

Gasp by Greta Tu

Venus enters Pisces until February 3rd.

Venus loves Pisces. After the last few weeks in Aquarius where she was keeping her distance it feels good to merge again. Boundaries blur. Artistic yearnings beckon us to create something.

Imagination attracts us. 

It is easier to see the best in others when we realize we are all connected.

No one wins. No one loses. We are all coming along for the ride. 

We wonder, when we look at the person we do not agree with - "what truth has this person been able to see from his perspective, that is invisible from mine?".

Compassion attracts us. 

Pisces Suns (and ascendants) become more attractive - both easier on the eye and able to attract what they want. Everyone's natal Pisces house gets more attractive, too.

With Venus hanging out in the realm of dreams and possibilities anything is possible.

The fly in the ointment of Venus in Pisces, and yes, no matter the temperature outdoors, or the fact we just installed those insulation strips around our windows, there's still a fly in here somewhere - is all the stuff a lack of boundaries could conjure up that might not feel good.

We could trust someone too much or put too much faith into something. We could realize that fancy new doormat that says WELCOME ALL actually has our name on it. We could feel confused about what we want. The energy of "anything is possible" can feel an awful lot like "nothing is possible" with a slight twist of circumstances.

Reality morphs. Germs spread. Money can slip right through our fingers now (here come the holiday bills).

Stay grounded. Watch for escape mechanisms/addictive behaviors. Meditation can prevent medication. Prayer works miracles. Water soothes. If it feels like we are drowning, we will remember this is just a transit - it will pass (some of the emotional stuff as early as Thursday when the Moon leaves Pisces).

There is alot of Pisces energy right now - we haven't had this much Pisces since early March 2013!

Mars (action, initiative, anger) just walked the degrees Venus is about to cover, so we get to reap what we have sown here. With Mars still traveling through Pisces, too, there is still time to move in a new direction if we don't like the results we are getting!

With Mercury retrograde until Sunday, 2017 hasn't really started yet. We are easing into it. This energy will help. xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of January 2nd - our Mercury retrograde story wraps, something comes to light, something fades to black ...

recent color by KalbiCamdan

This week we have Mercury (retrograde) moving back into Sagittarius and Venus heading into Pisces. We also have the annual meet-up between the Sun and Pluto.

2017 will be just as challenging as 2016, but in a different way. By autumn 2016 either our dream came true or we released it - and if we are still dragging it, it's dead, time to let it go and move on.

We will be very glad we did!
 
We move from a focus on mutable (in flux, changeable) signs to cardinal (initiative, fresh start). This will be a busy year, let's establish a plan now to make time to stay healthy, have time for ourselves and what matters most to us and maintain our sanity.

Technology is outpacing our central nervous systems! With so much Jupiter and Uranus energy in 2017 we can expect big (and bold) breakthroughs. Maybe something even more life changing than Google will launch - can we remember life before Google? Biden's cancer "Moonshot" initiative launched with excellent astrologically energy behind it, maybe we will finally put this bad-boy disease to bed.

On Tuesday, Venus moves into Pisces. Pisces Suns and ascendants get more attractive - both easier on the eye and able to attract what they want. Our Pisces natal houses get more attractive, too. We have Venus, Mars, Neptune and the Moon in Pisces (Monday and Tuesday) sextiling all the Capricorn planets. This feels balanced. Venus loves being in Pisces - I'll do a post about this tomorrow.

On Wednesday, a retrograde Mercury backs into Sagittarius. Maybe some news or information from our Sagittarius natal house or with a Sagittarius theme (higher education, travel, foreigners, beliefs, weddings, religion, politics) gets a second look. With the stellium of planets in shifting Pisces,  I wouldn't believe anything presented to me now at face value. It will become clear next week and moving forward after Mercury moves direct. Mercury will only get back to 28 degrees Sagittarius, so most of this retrograde was reviewing the 'rules' of Capricorn and we take a brief visit into the realm of faith and truth (or lies). We might be looking too far ahead - or be too focused on what is right in front of us. A change in our viewpoint could help us find direction and meaning now. There is no need for any fast moves - let's wait until we know what we want to do.

On Thursday, the Moon (in Aries) will oppose Jupiter (in Libra) - this energy is itching for a fight; an emotional one. If something has been building and building it is apt to come to a head now.

On Saturday, the Sun and Pluto conjunct in Capricorn. This only happens once a year - a spotlight is thrown on power or a control issue. Maybe something regarding power/control "comes to light". Or our ego (Sun) dies (Pluto) - makes me think of Mariah Carey on New Year's Eve! We could be humbled in some way. Venus conjuncts the South Node (in Pisces) so something from the past involving women, love or money (Venus themes) culminates. Probably in the very slippery, "fading away" way of Piscean energy. Stuff will be hidden.

(you might remember during the run up to the election Hillary was very closely channeling Venus - even hitting the wall of Comey as Venus met up with Saturn, maybe she moves into some Piscean compassionate or 'behind the scenes' work now or focuses on her health)

With so much of this Mercury (information, communications, news) Retrograde in Capricorn (government) story in the U.S. focused on the Russia hacking allegations, probably that story will get new life as Mercury backs into Sagittarius on Wednesday. If the rest of the week's energy focuses on this story it is likely we get new information that may alter some people's beliefs, followed by a fight, followed by someone/something taking firmer control.

We will continue to cover this ground until the end of January when Mercury finally starts hitting new degrees but by the time Mercury moves direct on Sunday we will know what we need to know to move forward.

And this same energy plays out in our personal lives in this same general order - what has this retrograde been about in your own life?!

I am getting back to that big picture post today or maybe just a January post and will hopefully get it up later. xo all