Venus Direct in Pisces | what have we learned, what's left to deal with

trapped by thefirebomb

Venus stations direct today. She is in Pisces squaring Saturn (in Sagittarius). She (as us) has been through her 40 day and 40 night journey to the heart of what really matters.

Venus rules love, money, our values, women, beauty, our self-esteem. So what have we learned? What really matters?

The story isn't over - she is still covering old ground, but the re-examination is over. We are off the table and the doctor is in the doctor's lounge having a cup of coffee.

She stations direct in a tight spot very close to Chiron (wounded healer) and squaring Saturn (time, structure, limits, responsibility). It may take a week or two for whatever it is we are dealing with to ease up, but we know what we need to know now.

Chiron teaches that some wounds can't be healed. Some ships have sailed and if we're on the dock - we're on the dock. If we're on the ship - we're on the ship. If we're on the beach - well ... lucky us.

Something is as it is here.

We can see/feel the space between what we think we want and what we think we deserve - it's the space between what we want and what we actually have. It might seem, to our eyes, that it is a very large space and what we want is way over there. But it is really as close as our last breath.

It is no coincidence Venus stations direct in Pisces. In Pisces we have the empathy and compassion to accept whatever it is that needs accepting here. No one is perfect. Not us, not anyone else. No situation is perfect either. No matter what other people's Facebook updates and Instagram snapshots would like us to think.

If there is something that needs to be forgiven, we can forgive. Remember we can forgive ourselves or another person and still value ourselves enough to not allow whatever is causing the pain to continue. Maybe this is the real lesson with Venus in Pisces.

When we say we will forgive, but not forget, this doesn't mean we carry the pain like a scar on our body. We don't "remember" so we will never find ourselves in this situation again (although we tell ourselves this). Because our next spin up the spiral may require exactly the same situation and our heart needs to be open. We are not a two year old learning the hard way not to touch the stove. The lessons are harder, and less black and white, now. We forgive because we know there is only love and lack of love (fear). There is really nothing to forgive. This can be a really hard thing to get. 

(I would recommend a self study course called the Course in Miracles if you are interested in this way of thinking. I have gone through it twice. It changed my life.) 

This doesn't mean we keep beating our head against the wall and not learn our lesson. Our lesson is learned. That money/love/values situation has evolved. We are moving on.

The fly in the ointment - yes this time there is only one fly - is that Saturn is squaring our journey forward until the end of the month. He has been squaring Venus for about the last week and will square her for another week, then he continues to square Chiron for another week after that. So moving on may not feel quite like we are moving on. It may feel like we finally reach our exit on the traffic jammed highway (whew, that was not fun) and we turn onto a country lane roadblocked with cows.

The good news about Saturn is we know how to deal with him. We know what he wants.

With Saturn we are going to feel the pressure. When I had my first "put on your big girl pants" job I drove to work everyday blasting Billy Joel's song Pressure. It made me feel better.



Saturn wants us to do the work. "The work" will vary but we know what it is. It's that thing we feel tired and overwhelmed just thinking about. Most likely we will have to handle it alone because usually Saturnian things are done in isolation.

Yes, other people will let us down. Friends will all cancel on the day of our "paint party" - not because we can't count on anybody else, but because we need to paint our freakin' livingroom ourselves - it's our job.

Saturn doesn't create the tight situation. He just draws our attention to the way we have painted ourselves into a corner. 

The greater the "pressure" we feel, the more the need to do the Saturnian work - ie end something (Saturn rules time and endings), work harder/do it differently (Saturn rules hard work), step into our responsibility (Saturn rules responsibility). You get the idea.

Something is going to have our full attention one way or the other.

There might not be any pats on the back for a job well done here. Maybe no one will even know what it is we have done. That's OK. We are not doing it for them. We are building muscles. We are going to look very good on the beach this summer. The next time there is a heavy load to lift it will feel lighter to us.

With Saturn the results and rewards (and consequences - please do the work, don't cut corners, be responsible) come LATER.

If, after 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness we do not know what we need to know about that love/money/values/self-esteem late Pisces house/early Aries house situation we are only kidding ourselves.

It's right here in front of our noses. We know what we want. We know what matters. We know what we have to do or what we need to stop doing. It's just up to us (through Saturn) to do it.

xo all

I didn't get to that big picture post this week. Hopefully I will get to it this weekend.

On the immediate political front (Trump's chart, U.S.) I see what looks like Trump getting some wins (like last week if those are considered 'wins') then losses off and on through May, then it looks like greater anger and resistance toward him by June and by summer and into the fall the country is struggling with real, significant losses and he is being blamed and there is that major eclipse in August over the U.S. and Trump's chart - I am still not sure he is going anywhere though ... whether this is all about the Russia story or the military is hard to see - that's why I want to look at the other players' charts if they are online.

Also remember astrology is not so great for prediction and I can't see any chart except through my own eyes.

With Trump's chart (Mars on ascendant) he needs someone to fight - as long as it is Congress or the Democrats or the media or other business people or his wife - maybe he will be contented. When things quiet down there, with Uranus sitting on his Sun quiet and routine is not a comfortable state for him, he will need to fight something/someone else and his natal Sun is conjunct the U.S. chart's natal Mars, ruler of war.

I just finished his book 'The Art of the Deal' and now understand his philosophy better. He believes you go into a situation and create as much instability as possible (I've previously said he IS Uranus) - this creates a backdrop for negotiations where you will have the upper hand. So this is what he does. Keep this in mind.

In the meantime, remember, the energy YOU put into the world matters. People say to send the situation 'love and light' and that is good advice with the drums of war beating ever louder in our ears, but remember if we go home and kick the dog our words won't matter.

With Venus uber powerful at her station, through Monday especially, and so near to the healing energy of Chiron and in compassionate Pisces - we have greater access to that. Forgive some situation. Forgive that other person. Forgive yourself. See the world through this more compassionate lens.

(note the fact Venus, after a biblical 40 days and 40 nights, is reappearing between Good Friday and Easter Sunday in the middle of Passover)

This is how we begin to heal the world. It starts with us. It really does. The Goddess of Love is moving forward in her exalted sign of Pisces TODAY - love is in the air if we want it .... have a wonderful Easter. xo

Sun Conjunct Uranus | shock and awe

go slowly by mrs-pinkeyes

Since Uranus has been in Aries (2008) the Sun has caught up with him at some point during Aries season (late March-April) every year.

We'll have one more of these meet-ups next spring (and we'll have similar activities as the Sun squares and opposes Uranus later in the year) before Uranus moves on to Taurus.

For now this is about a light (Sun) being thrown on something unexpected (Uranus). This is a strong urge (Sun) to be free (Uranus). This is a flash (Sun) of genius (Uranus). This is shock (Uranus) and awe (Sun). In Aries, the push will be instinctive, fueled by passion or anger and self centered (either centered on self or selfish).

This aspect will often show us to what and to whom we are tethered.

This might be shown to us in a way that doesn't feel so good. But not necessarily. Uranus (the conductor of our fastest route from point A to point B) uses what works and sometimes the stick works better than the carrot. Sometimes we are not hungry enough to even notice the carrot

(although I'm betting most of us are hungry for a little more stability and security now).

Coming right after Vesta's (devotion, hearth) tension with Uranus earlier in the week this could be a continuation of that earlier dust-up or something new could require our attention.

We could meet this energy in the form of an actual person. We could meet someone new and unusual now or our new and unusual self or thingamajig could attract a person/situation that lets it shine or brings it attention.

It is always better to use this kind of energy rather than be used by this energy. So do something new now (and notice again I am saying DO and not START - notice the difference).

We are having a glow in the dark Easter egg hunt tonight (note we are NOT starting a glow in the dark Easter egg hunt business). Doing not starting.

It doesn't have to be some huge, ginormous thing unless this stuff is hitting our personal planets and points and if that is the case it will most certainly be some big, ginormous thing - much like the 'mother of all bombs' - gotta love the media's inability to reign in their language when faced with the choice between ratings/profits and consumer's sanity/drumbeat to war - just dropped by Trump and the United States - both charts triggered now.

I am going to look at the charts for Russia, Putin, North Korea and Kim Jong-un's this weekend. It is hard to glean enough data from Trump's about where all this is going since his chart is all over the place. Since Trump's one eighty on Syria, Eris's aspects (known as the Goddess of discord, although this energy which astrologers are just starting to figure out is feeling more like 'terrorist' to me - it is even a partial anagram - and terrorism takes root in that "not fitting in", "not being seen" energy of Eris - think Sissy Spacek in Carrie) since we are in Aries season and Eris is in Aries, Uranus aspects, again since we are in Aries season, and within all this unpredictable, off-course retrograde energy - things are uber stressful.

Today's Sagittarius Moon should help smooth out our emotions!

This is not a good time to go crazy and make a major change. The retrograde energy doesn't support it AND remember Uranus only cares about getting us from A to B via the fastest route, it doesn't care if we land on our ass or if the route (like my GPS when I get near a certain body of water and it urges me forward although there is no bridge) drowns us in the ocean. We will most assuredly wash up at point B, but we might not wash up still breathing. 

In other words - this transit is the impulse to quit our job, for example, but it doesn't provide any help once we've quit - the transit will be gone and so will our paycheck.

Unnecessary risks could put us in dangerous situations. We could damage (Uranus) our physical body (Sun). Uranus rules accidents and with my stellium in Aquarius (ruled by Uranus) I was one of the most accident prone children on the planet - my father said "put a piece of paper on the convention hall floor and she'll trip on it". I fell going down the stairs. I fell going up the stairs. I fell when I was sitting down - really, what the hell was that?! :) We could damage (Uranus) our reputation (Sun) - the way other people see us. Of course, even this could be a good thing if someone is relying on us too much and we let them down. Things are never totally bad or totally good. It's probably not a good time to confront authority though.

It is a good day to do something new. This energy is perfect for breaking free from old ideas and ways of doing things that are holding us back. It sounds hokey - but just be yourself. 

This is the time to do what is right for you. We don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater to do this - get the baby out of the dirty water first. The baby may be keeping us up all night, but isn't a baby worth a few sleepless nights?! They are awfully damn cute.

Almost half the planets are retrograde - this is an internal journey - that's where the change starts now.

We have Venus stationing direct tomorrow in a VERY tight space, so I'll be back with another post. What has the last 40 days and 40 nights brought us? For most this has been about love and/or money lessons. What do we really value now?

xo all and Happy Good Friday!!

p.s. I just noticed Venus is trining the Moon today - kindness, civility and balance are the ways through today's energy! Back tomorrow.


disruption and discord ...

something more than a marvel by muszka

There is so much going on right now, some of which I wrote about HERE.

Instead of there being a fly in the ointment right now, there are a whole lot of flies, with maybe some ointment over there (Jupiter) the flies have not noticed yet. We could be the lucky fellow with our hands in that ointment or we could be the guy with the hand full of flies.

(Last night I got back in my car after a walk at the local reservoir. I felt something on my leg - I thought air from my car vent - and reached my hand onto my shin. I felt ... something HUGE ... well something VERY BIG ... well something BIGLY - let's just say bigger than a bumble bee and smaller than a tarantula. The size of something that doesn't probably should not exist in nature. I slung it off my leg, but then I couldn't find it. So, it's still in the car! Probably waiting to pounce. I thought about sending Olive in this morning to scope things out, but with Jupiter amplifying everything right now, the thing is probably larger than she is by this morning ... I may need a new car)

First we have a huge Full Moon this morning aspecting, well, just about everything.

We also have Eris - Goddess of discord, I always picture Angelina Jolie in Maleficent, sitting with the Sun (in warrior Aries) and opposing the Full Moon (in peaceful Libra). Eris is the part of us that is not accepted. She didn't get a seat at the table and she is pissed. We all carry Eris somewhere in our chart and since she has been in Aries (the sign of war) longer than any of us have been alive - she is pissed off for everyone (and I am channeling back to my 7th grade self holding a wobbly, near empty lunch tray and scanning the middle school cafeteria for safe shelter).

We also have Uranus (rebellion, shock, genius) squaring Vesta (devotion, home and hearth). This could be some kind of shocking or surprising situation that takes our focus off whatever it is we are focused on (devoted to). This feels like even more instability.

Remember we have four planets retrograde. Pushing ahead isn't going to work. Trying to swim upstream (do you look like a salmon? I don't think so ... well, maybe a little around the eyes) isn't going to work. People always give the advice to 'trust our gut' - but, this isn't really one of those times. Besides most of us are carrying winter bellies puffy from pastry. We need to do about 5000 sit ups before we can trust that thing to lead us anywhere that doesn't involve a stop for a glazed donut.

This is not the time to go off half-cocked (I wish the government employed an astrologer) because we can't count on negotiations to smooth things out later. Negotiations can't be counted on now - because with Mercury backing up in stubborn Taurus everyone will be digging in their heels. The next few days are very dicey with another shoe set to drop. Since we all know the shoe that dropped last week, this week's might not be pleasant (unless you're the guy with his hand in that clean ointment and I sincerely hope you are). All the planets are sitting very still in very precarious places and the one celestial body we count on to keep everything moving - the Moon - is about to move into Scorpio. The stage is set for someone to make a very bad move. We don't want to be that guy. Or the guy who reacts too hastily to that guy.

Think "re" now. If what you are doing doesn't start with the letters "re", maybe do something else. #kidding #notkidding

Am working on a big picture post for this week. xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of April 10th - reaping what we've sown

choose your life by Benesseritt

This is a very big week. We start the week with both Mercury and Saturn newly retrograde. This would be stressful enough.

Then we have a BIG Full Moon late Monday/early Tuesday that conjuncts Jupiter, opposes Uranus and squares Pluto, our T-Square gets activated by the Sun - it doesn't get any bigger than this!

Whatever is revealed now will certainly have far reaching consequences.

A Full Moon is always the time of Sun vs. Moon; something comes to light, something concludes. Full Moons bring the results of things previously put into motion. This Moon is in Libra so rules balance and civility and cooperation and peace and those pesky things called other people.

With the Sun in Aries and the Moon in Libra- we are dealing with the polarity of war vs peace, aggression vs. civility, "me me me" vs compromise.

With Jupiter (expansion, good luck) so close to the Moon there is the possibility of good things, maybe even very good things. If fortune favors us at this time we'll be sure to put something away for a less auspicious time (winter is coming - please take this seriously). Buy a lottery ticket.

Some ships are coming in and some are going out.

Of course Jupiter is retrograde so maybe there is still one more obstacle between us and that thing that we want so very much and that is what becomes clear to us now.

The problem with Jupiter these days is he is opposing Uranus (in Aries) and squaring Pluto (in Capricorn). So the blessings Jupiter delivers are all about reaping what we have sown. And with Pluto what we have sown may be the things our culture has sown or our ancestors or us in our previous lives - pick your comfort zone here - it is not so simple as what we ourselves have done in the last six months. But that plays a part, too.

There is the possibility of loss at this time. I know! I want the sure thing, too! I'm sorry!

There are pitfalls. Maybe big pitfalls. The Moon's opposition to 'anything can happen and probably will' Uranus means results can be unexpected, maybe even unprecedented and certainly emotional.  

This is not the time to take big risks. Don't act impulsively.

The possible loss here comes not so much from whatever is happening as it does from our reaction to whatever is happening. It could be almost impossible to keep a cool head, but keep a cool head. It also comes from the reason we react the way we do or the reason for the actions we have previously taken - what are our motives? Are they selfish or for a greater good? The square with Pluto guarantees much of whatever is happening will be outside our control and have a fated quality.

EXAMPLE of the Full Moon for Virgo, Virgo Rising - this Full Moon is in your second house of love, money, self esteem and values. There is an opportunity now for more of these things. Don't get greedy though. Take what you have earned (and you have earned it). Demanding too much can backfire.

Later in the week the Moon is inconjunct Mars (action, war, violence) and Ceres (mothering, security) in Taurus (money, values, grounding, real estate). Inconjuncts require adjustments and compromise. Digging in our heels isn't going to work. Flexibility and cooperation is the key.

EXAMPLE of the Moon/Mars for Taurus, Taurus Rising - this inconjunct impacts your sixth house of health and work - something gotta give here. You could be over-committing to others and undervaluing your physical self. Taurus rules food. Your health is especially impacted by what (and how) you are eating - rushing home with fast food after a busy day is not going to cut it for you. Slow down. Cook real food that has touched the earth. Chew slowly :)

On Saturday, Venus will station direct in Pisces squaring Saturn. This is a turning point. What we want vs what we deserve. How far apart are these two things? Well, we are going to find out! Post to follow later in the week.

EXAMPLE for Scorpio, Scorpio Rising - Venus is in your fifth house of creativity, self-expression, children, romance and games. Are you ready to put something out there, play a bigger game or do something just for the fun of it? What do you love? Is it worth the gamble?

I'll do some posts as we move through the week and we'll unpack the big picture stuff at play in our lives and within the world at large - we might have to talk a little politics.

Don't miss walking in this beautiful Full Moon late, late Monday night! It's a doozy.

xo all

Mercury Stations Retrograde | what do we really need

"In my small way, I preserved and cataloged, and dipped into the vast ocean of learning that awaited, knowing all the time that the life of one man was insufficient for even the smallest part of the wonders that lay within. It is cruel that we are granted the desire to know, but denied the time to do so properly. We all die frustrated; it is the greatest lesson we have to learn."
 - Iain Pears
An Instance of the Fingerpost

black pearl by lionique
Mercury stations retrograde tonight at 4 degrees Taurus.

(until Venus stations direct on April 15th, we have four retrograde planets - that's alot of energy moving backward folks!)

The usual Mercury retrograde disclaimers will apply for the next few weeks It's time to think "re".

Rethink, redo, re-examine, research, repeat, reunion, reminisce, revise, remove (clutter - stuff that gets in the way of our life moving efficiently), revisit, relax.

This is not the best time to plow full steam ahead with new things. It's not the best time to sign a contract because things will come to light later that require revision or our thinking (Mercury) can change after Mercury moves direct (May 3rd)!

It's a good time to READ THE FINE PRINT. Use clear language - we need to be doubly sure people are understanding what we are saying and that we are understanding other people, because wires get crossed now. Double check the email before hitting 'send'. Mercury, the fleet footed messenger, rules things that are fast moving from our computers to our cars. BACK UP FILES.

Take extra care driving. Slow down. We need to give ourselves extra time to get where we are going. There will be delays - bring a book. This is not a good time to make a major decision and even small decisions will go wonky. THINK THINGS THROUGH. Be clear about the consequences.  

Rushing, while Mercury is moving backward, can trip us up.

The space of the sky (also your natal Taurus and Aries houses - sound familiar? yes, because these are the same issues Venus has us re-working) Mercury is backing over rules our resources - what we really value, what we really need to survive.  

Maybe something from the past needs a second look. Maybe something that looked like a "sure-thing" may not be so sure. Go back over it. Yes, again. The more certain we are that something has to work out exactly so, the more likely we are to miss the alternatives that would be so much better. Delays are likely. Plans will change.

Until next weekend when Venus moves direct it would be best not to focus on future situations, 'what ifs' and dreams - let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Let's take care of what needs taking care of in the present and the stuff from the past that has "re"appeared. With everything moving backward - that's more than enough.

Life goes on obviously, but we need to take extra care to keep things on course and sometimes with even the best care mishaps will occur. Keep this in mind. xo all

Saturn Stations Retrograde | the gift of uncertainty

Break by Djoe

Saturn rules structure. During his retrograde we will be going back and retooling and shoring up the physical structures in our life (including our bodies).

Saturn rules time. Time is on our side now. We just need to trust this. Patience is required. Saturn's retrograde offers us the time to "re-make" the structure of something before it is too late (Saturn comes home to Capricorn at the end of this year - have I said winter is coming, yes, I think I have).

It's a time to reconsider rules and obligations.

Since Saturn moved into Sagittarius in 2015 (through the end of 2017) our beliefs and commitment to our dreams has been tested. Saturn has been parked between us and our big picture beliefs and dreams for over a year now, making us work for everything. If we no longer fit in the space we are occupying or are holding on where our heart is no longer invested or if we are truly needed elsewhere - situations will arise over the next few months that make this clear to us.

Saturn might take certainly with him while he backtracks, but he leaves us with the gift of uncertainty. 

When nothing is certain maybe nothing is out of the question either.

"Instead of asking, 'What would I do 
if I knew I would not fail?' 
ask yourself, 'What's worth doing even if I do fail?'" 
Brene Brown

With the planet of "no" (Saturn) taking his siesta we might want to think twice before we say "yes" now. See if some responsibilities can be "re"shuffled. Check for cracks in the foundation. Balance the books. Take your calcium. Floss your teeth. Do the re's: "re"stabilize, "re"structure, "re"pair. Act legally and ethically. If we cut corners or let something slide seven years ago, the bill could come due now.

xo all

(Saturn will be retrograde through August 25th)