Mars Square Saturn | what we resist persists, slowing this freight train down, roadblocks, feeling over-burdened, judgements, doing our best with what we have, wonder woman vs catwoman, differences are inflated, banging our head against the wall, not a good day for a fight

a cloud dropped by crocodililachrymae

Today, we have Mars (in Virgo) squaring Saturn (in Sagittarius) at 22 degrees.

This is our energy/initiative - what we are doing to get what we want (remember Mars is just coming off his dance with Venus) - hitting an obstacle. We talked about this for the last couple weeks. Something is restricting our actions. Maybe our responsibilities are onerous now. Maybe we need to suppress our anger and we just want to blow up. Think about the California firefighters trying to stop (Saturn) the fire (Mars).

At the least there is frustration here.

Our reactions to differences with other people will be out-of-proportion to what is really happening. Save the heart to heart talks for another day. Things could seem worse than they really are now.

Patience will be required - and we learn patience by practicing patience. The more we try to rush and push the more Saturn will stand firm. There is divine timing with all things - keep that in mind now. Saturnian obstacles turn out to be good things in the long run. They make us stronger. 

If you are procrastinating about something think about why you aren't taking action. Is what you are doing really in line with what you are wanting?

With Saturn we have to think/act long-term. We have to be consistent. We have to get up every morning and put our boots on and trudge off to do our work. Yes, even in the snow and the rain and when we were up all night binge watching Netflix.

We also have Venus inconjunct Uranus - a desire toward something new or different but some kind of impasse with that. And Venus squares Black Moon Lilith - poor Venus is having a very bad day.

Black Moon Lilith though is not only squaring Venus but trining (brakes off) that same Uranus change-maker. The disruptive woman is disruptive on steroids now. Venus in Virgo says be polite, be good, be virtuous, be quiet. Lilith unleashed in Sagittarius says life is big and messy and out of control and I am not going to take this patriarchal/be a good (and quiet) girl bullshit anymore!

We could actually find ourselves in a good girl/bad girl situation with another person now or this could just play out within ourselves. The situation isn't totally black and white though. Both sides have their strong points and their weaknesses and the real story can get lost in the telling of it. Especially if we are shouting. Or not talking at all.

In the end Saturn will win the day. His rules/restrictions/time frames cannot be trampled.  

We will do the work and get through this somehow. We will do the best with what we have. We are getting really good at that.

Don't look too far ahead with anything today. Stuff is changing too fast.

xo all

Jupiter in Scorpio (Oct. 10, 2017 - Nov. 8, 2018) | expansion of personal power, layers of fear, diving for buried treasure, flooding the basement, growth by being financially smart and savvy, breaking taboos, breaking through solid ground, burning the whole place down

a plouat by modjojojo
Today we have Jupiter, after 13 months in relationship-centered Libra, diving into shadowy Scorpio, where he will hang his hat for the next 13 months.

Our largest planet, Jupiter teaches through expansion. The area of life charged with housing Jupiter, increases to accommodate him.

We will be casting a wide (Jupiter) and deep (Scorpio) net.

Scorpio is the natural ruler of our 8th house - other people's resources ie our investments, debts, loans, mortgages, inheritances, spouse's salary, taxes, the ways we merge/share with other people, sex, reproduction (which doesn't always include sex now), banks, death, birth, power, transformation, karma.

It is the natural house of our shadows and taboos - all the stuff civil Libra, and polite society, doesn't want to talk about.

So, as a collective experience Jupiter into Scorpio widens and deepens our experience of these subjects. No doubt issues of taxes, banking, sex scandals will be in the collective news. This week's headlines about a Hollywood mogul's sexual harassment accusations are Jupiter's first dive. In our personal lives something will likely come into focus this week involving one of these themes or the themes of our natal Scorpio house - where is Scorpio in your natal chart? What is the theme of that house?

Our experience of Jupiter through Scorpio will be about going down into the basement and dealing with whatever we have buried there (experiences we have shared with other people). Scorpio is extreme. It is also extremely resourceful. The boundaries of our collective resources will broaden. We can save more money. We can spend more money. We can get into debt. We can get out of debt. Astrology is very good at showing process, but not as good for predicting outcome. That part is up to us.

Scorpio wants to get to the bottom of things and isn't above just burning the whole thing down (its modern ruler is Pluto after all) so it can rise from the ashes like the phoenix. The fire strengthens Scorpio like the spaces metal has been welded or skin has been scarred.

And Jupiter can expand a problem until it can no longer be hidden.

Scorpian shadows - obsession, compulsion. jealousy, revenge, addiction - can come into the light now. Jupiter in Scorpio will expand whatever it is we don't want to talk about until it is so large (that elephant in the living-room again) we have no choice, but to deal with it.

The Pluto in Scorpio generation (aka millennials) will have Jupiter conjuncting their natal Pluto at some point during this transit - this could be very empowering for them and their very important voice in the world! I love this group and they are the second largest generation alive on the planet. They are the psychic generation and do not even have to physically come together with each other to move mountains, We need them bold and kicking! YAY!

We can grow/expand through - muscles earned by digging that hidden gunk out of our basement, the courage earned by confronting this crap, rising from the ashes if we hit bottom and/or the smart and strategic (Scorpio is both) use of shared resources. 

The fly in the ointment is Scorpian shadows can expand, too - issues of manipulation, compulsion, jealousy, power struggles, the allure of destructive and self-destructive people and situations, going underwater financially - probably through taking on too much debt - and flooding our basement.

I am going to run through the houses. The areas we need to be thinking about are:

1. 8th house issues - all the stuff I wrote about earlier because as a collective energy, there is really only one of us here, we will all be sharing this storyline
2 - the theme of your natal Scorpio house - the house Scorpio rules in your natal chart (the cusp of the house will be in Scorpio)
3 - the theme of your Scorpio house based on your Sun sign - this is kind of a tribal theme for everyone under a particular Sun sign - I often find this one even more on target than the actual house placement with events/situations in my own life

(if you don't know the house use your Sun sign and rising sign/ascendant, BOTH, with the info below)

ARIES (Scorpio 8th house) - Jupiter will expand your life through your house of other people's money and shared resources. Issues of emotional intimacy, reproduction, finances, debts, taxes, inheritances will all be on the agenda. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. New resources - financial, skills, etc - could be unearthed. Investments could increase. But so could debt. Ultimately, you will be confronting/learning about how you approach sharing your resources, combining your energy with other people and wielding personal power/control.

TAURUS (Scorpio 7th house) - Jupiter will expand your life through your house of other people - partnerships, one-on-one relationships. Existing relationships are strengthened through your willingness to embrace both the good stuff and the shadows! If you are single a new relationship could be likely over the next year - it could be intense. This could be a good or a not so good thing - that part is up to you and what you learn from the relationship. Maybe a Scorpionic person will come onto the scene. Honesty is what will keep relationships together now. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. Manipulations, jealousy and obsessions could expand. If any current relationships are on shaky ground they will rise or fall during this transit. Life will conspire to make your relationship activities deeper, richer and more potentially rewarding.

GEMINI (Scorpio 6th house) - Jupiter will expand your life through your house of work and health. Your workload could increase this year. The ways you take on too much will become clear to you through taking on too much. Or maybe a promotion at work requires more of you and it is a good thing. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. Health issues could expand to get your attention. A focus on 'getting healthy' would be life-changing. A new pet could expand your life now, too. Life will conspire to make your day-to-day activities richer and more potentially rewarding.

CANCER (Scorpio 5th house) - Jupiter will expand your life through your house of children, fun, recreation and creativity. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. Your growth will come through the creation of something authentically your own that you can be proud of. Growth comes naturally though play - just be careful not to take this to excess since Jupiter is known for creating too much of a good thing. Gambles could pay off. A focus on what you create - children, a project, etc - will broaden and deepen your life. Life will conspire to make your creative life deeper, richer and more potentially rewarding.

LEO (Scorpio 4th house) - Jupiter will expand your life through your house of home and family. Maybe you move somewhere larger or more spacious or your family itself expands. Maybe you renovate your home. If you have a home business that could expand, too. Maybe someone new moves into your house or you have a child. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. Problems within the family can increase so they can no longer be hidden away. Past family karmic stories can come out into the open to be aired out. Growth comes through family and your root structure. Life will conspire to make your familial relationships and home-centered activities deeper, richer and more potentially rewarding.

VIRGO (Scorpio 3rd house) - Jupiter will expand your life through your house of communication, information, education, siblings, your local neighborhood and transportation. You could expand through writing, learning, teaching, speaking. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. If a new course of study catches your eye now, it is a good time to take the study of it seriously rather than flitting from one thing to another. Dive deep into whatever information is presented to you this year. Sibling relationship issues or issues within your local environment could expand to get your attention. Opportunities and avenues to make things better will come to you. You might find yourself more likely to say the thing you wouldn't normally say and people might not always be so open to it. Growth will come through this kind of misadventure, too. Somebody has to say it. Life will conspire to make your communications deeper, richer and more potentially rewarding.

LIBRA (Scorpio 2nd house) - Jupiter will expand your life through your house of money, resources and self-esteem. You could earn more money now. You could spend more money now. The ways you value yourself and the ways you don't are ripe for amplification. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. Your confidence could increase. Growth will come through loving yourself and deciding you are worthy of success and security. The caution here is a lack of self-esteem leading to increased spending. Pay attention. Think about what you are really feeling and re-channel your energy if you find yourself shopping until you drop. Life will conspire to make your relationship with what you value deeper, richer and more potentially rewarding.

SCORPIO (Scorpio 1st house) - Jupiter will expand your life through your house of yourself. This is your year! Your life will expand in a Jupiter way - more optimism, more energy, wider and broader thinking and doing. Efforts expended now will result in increased personal power and very literal transformation. Your life can change in ways you cannot imagine over the next year. The fly in the ointment is your natural tendency to grow moldy stuff - so watch yourself for signs of obsession, addiction, jealousy, manipulation. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. Life will conspire to make your relationship with yourself deeper, richer and more potentially rewarding.

SAGITTARIUS (Scorpio 12th house) Jupiter will expand your life through your house of secrets, what is happening in the background, what is "put away". Honesty is your best friend this year. Secrets are going to expand until they lose their power over you. Freedom is at hand Sagittarius! Issues will not just fade away, so take care of what is happening when it is happening. The stuff left to its own devices will grow legs and run you over. The stuff you don't know about will be helping you from behind the scenes, too - your angels will be working overtime. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. Understand that you just don't know what you don't know. When you know better, do better. Also know that secrets and stuff that has been hidden away can seem like a mountain and turn out to be a molehill with Jupiter here. Keep your wits about you. Addictions can increase until they get your attention. Keep an eye on that, too. Life will conspire to make your relationship with the hidden realms deeper, richer and more potentially rewarding.

CAPRICORN (Scorpio 11th house) Jupiter will expand your life through your house of friends, the internet, the public and your hopes and dreams. Friendships expand and grow deeper. Shallow friendships, and the ones we have outgrown, will move on. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. Your social circle will broaden your life. Maybe a social cause or group will require alot of your time and attention. You could go too extreme with this, but you could create real growth and expansion via this avenue, too. This is also a good year for promoting whatever you are doing with the public. I would say "join a group" but I don't think I will need to say it! Life will conspire to make your friendship activities deeper, richer and more potentially rewarding.

AQUARIUS (Scorpio 10th house) Jupiter will expand your life through your house of career and public life. Career success (especially regarding the last 12 years of work) is very possible now. Public recognition is possible, too. Follow up on all leads. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. If you are currently in a career that is stifling you, Jupiter will see that you outgrow it (this part might not feel so good) and move on to something bigger and better. You expand by bringing your enthusiasm and authenticity into the public sphere. Workaholics could overdo it now and pay the price. It's a year to dive deep with your career, but find something outside of work to tether yourself to, also. Life will conspire to make your career activities deeper, richer and more potentially rewarding.

PISCES (Scorpio 9th house) Jupiter will expand your life through your house of foreign travel, higher education, legal issues, media, publishing, weddings, your belief system. That box you are living in is going to feel very tight if you are not allowed to poke your head out the window now and then. Jupiter will expand whatever is hidden here. Any opportunity to travel should be jumped on. Growth will come through new and untested experiences. Foreign people could broaden your life now. You will not be able to flit from thing to thing though - whatever you are charged with doing here you are going to be immersing yourself in it. Life will conspire to make your 9th house activities deeper, richer and more potentially rewarding.

We will talk alot more about this transit as we move through it. Remember this one is a full 13 months. You might have something happen now that points an arrow toward what this will be about or maybe just toward the first thing this will be about or we might not really feel this transit until the Sun moves into Scorpio and Scorpio season kicks off in a couple weeks.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of October 9th - busy busy, relationship issues, a focus on what isn't there or isn't going to work, a surprise that hurts, power struggles, transformation, pajama envy, Jupiter dives into Scorpio, Venus comes home to Libra

boy germs by selfhaircuts

This was supposed to post Sunday morning, not sure what went wrong. Another crazy week ahead - buckle up!

On SUNDAY, diplomatic and clear-headed Mercury joins the Sun in balanced Libra. This concludes the Mercury/Sun cycle that started on August 26th - maybe that date means something to someone. This is excellent energy for a "meeting of the minds" about serious matters (Libra's ruler Venus is squaring sober big-daddy Saturn). Information (Mercury) or maybe a sibling could "bring something to light" (Sun). With Saturn in Sagittarius this is also good energy for negotiations around legal issues, foreign issues, travel, education, big-picture planning, etc. Relationship issues will be particularly intense this week.

Remember Mercury is in Libra now - kind coupled with strategic language will move the conversation forward and keep even those with very diverse views on the same page.

MONDAY is a U.S. holiday. Even if you aren't working the Moon's move into Gemini will make the beginning of the week busy with lots of information and communication coming in. Serious Saturn is trining the Leo North Node - we can be sure that patience, hard work and stepping into our responsibilities are moving us toward our best future! Take serious advice and serious people seriously now.

The Sun, still hooked up with mental Mercury is squaring Pluto exactly now. Whatever this Mercury/Sun conclusion is we are dealing with can be particularly powerful, even karmic. Power struggles within relationships are likely. In a world that feels so out of control everyone is trying to control their own little piece of the pie. The truth will need to come out, but remember all truth is subjective - we all have different truths!

Struggles may be beneath the surface with everyone smiling and saying nice things out loud. But we will be able to feel what is not being said or what the words really mean.

WORDS ARE POWERFUL NOW.  Take this seriously. Words can destroy or transform - so what's it gonna be?

There is still a hell of alot of mental pressure within the collective. So much black and white thinking in a world filled with people being kept apart by black and white thinking. Keep this in mind. Let's give each other, and ourselves, a break when needed. We are all truly doing the best we can.

On TUESDAY, we have the big news of the week when Jupiter hits 0 degrees Scorpio. We are going to explore this indepth in a post this week, but this is a good time to know what house/houses hold Scorpio in your natal chart and the theme of those house(s). Figure this out or ask me - he is going to be there for over a year!

This is where our obsessions, compulsions, focus, lucky breaks and expansion will be coming in the next 13 months. Jupiter couldn't really be Jupiter for the past year in Libra with the other cardinal sign planets (Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn) forming tense angles and breathing down his neck. For better or worse he is freed up now. This transit could make some of us very ambitious.

Jupiter expands whatever he touches and Scorpio deepens our experience of them. Let's watch for any Scorpio themes - other people's resources, loans, debts, inheritances, insurance, taxes, investments, mortgages, banks, death, birth, sex, reproduction, jealousy, power struggles, revenge, obsessions, power struggles, crime, stuff that is buried, family karma, compulsions AND any Jupiter themes - legal issues, travel, foreign, education, marketing, weddings, religious, higher-thinking, our beliefs, optimism, the media - that catch our attention now because it will mark what is first at bat (or most important) for us in this chapter of our story. The Scorpian issues will expand - especially the theme of your Scorpio house, which will be different than what I have written above unless you are an Aries rising! The Jupiter issues will deepen. We'll talk about this in the dailies. And we'll look through the signs and houses.

Our astrological universe is grouped into three "sections" - the personal planets (inner), and, yes, in astrology we call the Sun and Moon planets to simplify things: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus - these planets change signs from every couple days to every few weeks so they are always in motion. Their transits most impact our day-to-day lives, but they are very transitory. They keep everything moving. The very outer planets - Uranus, Neptune and Pluto - they mostly influence the collective and those collective influences trickle into our lives. They move slowly, staying in a sign from a few years to many, many years. Their changes take us longer to work through and are much longer lasting, sometimes their changes within our lives are permanent. In-between the inner and outer planets we have Jupiter and Saturn. They influence both our day-to-day lives and the collective and are the bridge from the the inner to outer. With Jupiter we evolve through growth and with Saturn we evolve through restriction. Both Jupiter and Saturn are changing signs over the next few weeks! This is a big deal and indicates big changes ahead in both the collective and within our own personal lives. Those changes start this week.

ALL WEEK we are impacted by first Venus and then Mars squaring Saturn and opposing Chiron. There are some flies in the ointment and they are the green ones that bite. Ouch! 

So what we want/need (Venus) and the action we take to get it (Mars) meet limits, constraints, problems that will not be easily solved. 

The focus is on something we are missing, something that doesn't work or something that is in our way

There is also an opposition between Mercury and Uranus at the end of the week at the same time Mars opposes Chiron - this could be especially surprising and hurtful.

There are not alot of easy answers right now. We will just have to toss on some old clothes, jump in, get dirty and do our best.

THURSDAY we have the last quarter Moon in Cancer (Sun square Moon). This is the 'crisis' point of the Moon's monthly cycle - we are kind of sorting out what is working and what isn't in preparation for the New Moon next week. This isn't the best energy to launch something new - the Moon is waning and our energy probably will be, too! We could want to just go home, find some flannels and climb in bed! But the square to the Sun (in Libra) and Venus's pending move will keep our relationships and connecting with other people in the spotlight.

Make some time to relax and focus on home and family though!

Fair and balanced Venus will head into her home sign of Libra on FRIDAY. Libras and Libra risings get more attractive - both easier on the eye and able to attract what they want. All of our natal Libra houses get more attractive, too. I will write a post.

There are no void Moons during work hours. See you in the dailies. xo all

Mercury Inconjunct Neptune | new solutions to an old problem, unexpected events, strategy

family game night

The energy of yesterday's Full Moon is still strong today.

The Moon is connecting with Uranus (surprise, the unexpected, the future, rebellion) and Jupiter (expansion, luck, big thinking). Jupiter will make the Uranian surprises BIGLY and the Moon will make sure we feel them. Keep this in mind.

The Aries Moon will go void at 2:58PM EDT until she moves into Taurus at 6:38pm EDT. Maybe close up early - certainly don't start anything or send any important communications out during the void - unless you want "nothing to come of them". The Moon is exalted in Taurus encouraging comfort - good food, a hot bath, a warm blanket - we could all use some Taurean comfort this weekend. This is good weekend lunar energy for a massage, cooking, getting our hands in the dirt - do something that soothes your soul.

Today, we have Mercury (in Libra) inconjunct Neptune (retrograde in Pisces) and Pallas (retrograde in Taurus). So we have a Yod (called a finger of God; ie fate, cosmic course correction) which is an isosceles triangle in the sky, pointing at Mercury the planet of - communication, conversation, ideas, thinking, siblings, our local neighborhood, transportation.

The Yod is formed through inconjuncts which are tense aspects that can't be easily reconciled (the Mercury stuff) and sextiles - Neptune and Pallas which is where the opportunities/solutions/gold can be mined.

Communications with other people (Mercury in Libra) can be tricky. Our unconscious slips of the tongue might mean something. Pay attention to the words that get stuck in your head now.

We need to be very clear with our language (we talked about this in the Full Moon post).

We need to be fair (think - compromise). We need to be practical. Solutions might not feel quite like a win-win, but with this strong Aries Moon we want to avoid an all-out-war. Solutions ironed out now can create real stability and security (especially around financial issues) and would be worth the effort.

We need to be certain (and it won't be easy) that we are being understood. And that we are understanding the other person. We need to talk. We need to listen. Both parties views need to be valued.

It can be hard to get the right words out, but if we do, the sextile (opportunity) between Pallas (strategy) and Neptune (dreams) can create real stability here. Think about the kind of strategy a war general would think about. Practical. Measurable. Look for patterns. Set time-frames and budgets and goals. And remember the other person is a war general, too, and you are both on the same side, even if you feel very much at odds right now.

TOGETHER we could make something real that seems very pie in the sky. We have the energy of a cosmic course correction at our back now!

With both Pallas and Neptune retrograde, whatever this is, it won't be a brand new issue/situation. 

Although it could be the first time we put on our big-girl pants, took our proper seat at the table and actually talked it out or acted to iron out some practical, workable plans. 

Revise whatever isn't working for both parties. This needs to be fair and balanced. Don't give too much or too little. It won't be easy. 

But solutions that create real stability are possible now.

Imagine yourself unfurling a parchment paper map/course of action onto a mahogany table. You and the other person are each holding the paper. Both standing on different sides of the table with no one at the head of the table. There is equality here.

It is your goal to bring God/the Universe (Neptune!) into the bargaining room.

Everyone might not get everything they want (the inconjuncts pretty much assure us of this), but everyone WILL need to feel treated fairly and to be practical, if the exchange is to be successful. We must be strategic and clear-headed like Pallas. We are warriors!

That's the scenario to unlock today's sextile - opportunity for greater security and stability, especially regarding resources and finances, within our relationships. The Finger of God pointing to Mercury tells us to get clear and speak up. Good luck!!

xo all

Some of you might remember I am turning a Shasta camper into a photo-booth. It has been slow-going for multiple reasons (UGH - one year since I bought it, three years since I registered the domain name CandidCamper.com - and yes, I am losing sleep imagining dozens of people in my local area turning campers into photo-booths rendering mine useless by the time I get this damn thing finished).

Last week, I finally pulled the trigger (after dozens of hours of research) on the purchase of the photo-booth shell to go into the camper - the piece that will house the lights, computer, printer, etc.

I could use it in the camper, but then also wheel it out of the camper and onto the dance floor, etc, if it was needed elsewhere.

It came in the mail during last week's "getting ready for the yard sale, clean everything out, life is chaos" and I tucked the box into a corner of my studio unopened.

Yesterday I opened the box and pulled out the cabinet.

It is extremely well made. A corner has been slightly crushed underneath during shipping so it doesn't sit level on the wheels. I can see it was well-packed but not well enough packed (I am an expert packer having shipped thousands of glass test tubes and glass frames over the years - if you ever need packing advice I am your girl - except for suitcases I am impatient with those and just cram stuff in).

The mistake that caught my attention yesterday though isn't the shipping damage to the cabinet, the problem is the cabinet - at 22" square - doesn't fit through the Shasta camper's 19" door!   

photo-booth shell
I never thought about the damn camper door!

The cabinet is made of metal and doesn't come apart. It was expensive. So I have a gorgeous cabinet, but I can't get it into the camper. Of course, a couple months ago the whole camper was in pieces and I could have easily stuck it in there. But not now.

Just moments before opening the box I had typed a blog post saying one possible way the Full Moon could show up was with a "why the hell didn't I measure twice and cut once" illumination and here was mine. And did I say this thing was expensive. Ouch!

This morning I am thinking like Pallas - the warrior Goddess. I need a strategy. I could toss a fit over the shipping damage. But, I won't. Although I will mention it. I just need a smaller bottom (hmm, the story of my life right now!). Maybe a different base without a cabinet.

I have to make some plans before I approach the guys who made this thing.

They were already going to fabricate me a shorter middle section for seated clients in the camper, but now instead I need a different base. And my budget is very small for this. Like I need it for free and I need it tomorrow, but I can see how this might not work out for them. Ha!

First I need some strong tea and a walk at the reservoir to clear my head. And then a plan.

And, yes, I bought it on Etsy. xo all