Venus into Aquarius | stepping back to get a clearer look, attracted to the strange and unusual, seeing the forest, the future is calling, when crooked teeth are more than crooked teeth

anteojos by siesta

Last night Venus (love, money, beauty, women, our values and self-esteem) moved into Aquarius (through February 10th).

Aquarius Suns and Aquarius rising (Aquarius ruler of first house of your natal chart) get more attractive. Both easier on the eye and able to attract what they want (Venus).

All of our natal Aquarius houses become more attractive, too.

Our Aquarius house is a space we experience and evolve through Aquarian energies. Maybe by experiencing unexpected situations and unusual experiences. Maybe by being able to detach and get enough distance from something to be able to see it clearly. Maybe through flashes of genius or rebelliousness. Maybe through chaos. Our natal Uranus placement (ruler of Aquarius) and its contacts will tell us a more complete story.

Now, we have Venus moving into/through this space.

As she moves through Aquarius she will make contact with not only any planets/points we have in Aquarius, but also the planets/points we have in Leo (by opposition), in Scorpio and Taurus (by square) and other planets, too (by sextile, etc).

This is where knowing our natal chart can come in handy.

As a collective influence, for all of us, Venus moves out of Capricorn (the rules) and into Aquarius (the space we let go of the rules).

Beautiful Venus drops her briefcase full of "shoulds". She takes her hair out of its tightly constructed bun and shakes her head. She kicks off her too-tight, office-ready pumps. She wears whatever she wants to wear now. She can do whatever she wants to do now. There is no one to impress in this new space. There is no one to answer to.

Now subconsciously we all feel this (even though there is a hell of alot of planets left in Capricorn and Saturn is home in Capricorn now, so we don't get to drop all responsibilities, plus Saturn is the ancient ruler of Aquarius!) - a kind of relief as Venus disentangles us a bit from what is required of us to be 'acceptable'.

Maybe we start to notice (attract) things we would have otherwise missed. The strange and unusual will catch our eye now. 

We will be attracted to things/situations/solutions/people that are different.

Ruled by unpredictable Uranus, Aquarius is the space that is hard to forecast. When we step outside the rules (Uranus is outside Saturn's boundaries) our outcomes become less predictable, too.

Venus (beauty) in Aquarius (unique) allows us to see the beauty in things we wouldn't normally regard as beautiful. What would it take to see our crooked teeth as beautiful? our messy house? a real loss?

Wouldn't it take detachment? Wouldn't it take an ability to step back a little farther from whatever we are looking at?

To see the big picture -

(maybe those slightly crooked teeth have allowed us to evolve, as we grow to appreciate them, from mumbling our words through a mostly, un-moving mouth to speaking our well thought out opinions clearly and emphatically - maybe without those slightly crooked teeth, we would have learned this lesson in an even bigger, more painful way).

To see what other people, who are not closely connected to the things we are connected to, are seeing  -

(that messy home looks like a busy, happy family lives there).

To see the future -

(that loss now is creating a space something bigger and better will be filling in five years).

Detachment is one of the gifts of Aquarius (and also one of the curses if taken too far - think about technology that detaches us from reality).

Venus's transit here allows us to step back from what we are usually most attracted to. When we step away we can see things we couldn't see before. And keep in mind people (and situations) could step away from us a little bit now to get a clearly look, too. This isn't a permanent disconnection (unless it is) - this is a transit remember. It's a part of the process. A kind of 'sowing our wild oats' part, where we all need a bit more space. A part we skip at our own peril.

Aquarius is the genius, rebel, criminal, humanitarian - the outsider.

This is a good time to step outside of ourselves and view our situation more dispassionately. To be more objective. The energies at play now will assist us. If this was someone else's situation/life we were looking at what would we see?

Venus is about what we want.

Can we step away from what we want just long enough and just far enough to give everything some fresh air? to gain some different insights? to try something else?

xo all

Note - during Venus's travels through Aquarius she will conjunct the South Node (at 14 degrees on January 29th) - this could be a time when something/someone from the past or a situation we thought we were finished with (a love, an attraction, a financial situation) comes back to create a little chaos or shake something up that has grown stagnant.

New Moon in Capricorn | chomping at the bit to do something, worrying about the future, making responsible decisions, making an EFFORT, finishing what we start now or not starting at all, something comes out of left field, shocking news, watch your mouth

Climb by mickeybob00

The Moon meets up with the Sun today at 26 degrees Capricorn.

It's a complicated New Moon chart. And late degree New Moons always make me feel like I need to rush to finish something.

First, the basics. Capricorn is as rich as an earth sign gets, is ruled by daddy Saturn and presides over the darkest time of the year so you know he is one serious dude. I'd call him "sir" if I were you. I'm sure he shops at Barneys (sometimes Home Depot) and carries a platinum card - that he has earned. He was most decidedly not born on third base and does not believe in the 4 hour work week.

This New Moon is all about hard work, ambition, common sense, perseverance, efficiency, organization and responsibility.

It is about ambition. The whole sky is. Are you feeling that? And, yes, the motivation is likely to come and go since we are (at least where I am) in and out of a cold-weather coma - and the collective is moving into a natural balsamic-like last quarter of the astral year - which begins in April, not January.

Just remember our ancestors froze to death in the cold if they were lazy. There is some part of all our lives where some wood needs to be chopped now, too. 

The Sun/Moon are conjunct Venus so Venusian themes - love, money, our values, self-esteem, women, beauty - will factor into our Capricorn New Moon beginnings, too. Relationships and our finances can get a fresh start now. It won't be without its complications. Complications are not bad things. Without complications we would never move off the couch.

The Moon/Sun energy is coming off a square to Uranus and Pallas (in Aries). And Uranus is inconjunct (where the rock meets the hard place) Mars (our actions).

Pallas is about strategy - in Aries, the most successful strategy would likely have an Arian quality - favoring courage, directness and/or a focus on some kind of initial 'surge' or whatever is best for us.

Uranus (unexpected, humanitarian, futuristic) could be upsetting some apple carts now. There is something here that can't be predicted - maybe something comes from out of left field that we don't see coming or maybe (with attractive Venus involved now) we don't get exactly what we want. Maybe our strategic maneuverings run us off the rails.

This could also be about us not really knowing what we want or knowing what we are doing or us not operating from our own unique energy - not being ourselves. 

Whatever is started now is very likely to take us in an unforeseen direction (where is that damn crystal ball anyway?). We think we are going here and suddenly we are going over there.

It is also likely to make us more independent.

Multiple aspects to Uranus will have us chomping at the bit to get going with something.

Machinations set into motion over the next couple weeks will have this rather unpredictable energy in its DNA. Expect the unexpected. Know you won't be able to control (as this expands over the next 6 months) exactly where this thing is going. That doesn't mean it isn't going to get you what you want. We are in Saturn's territory now. Work the process. 

Don't cut corners. The way we do one thing is the way we do everything so take whatever you are needing to do and make it a physical thing. So if cutting corners is what you need to work on to grow more in line with Saturn's discipline, for example, start with driving. Don't cut corners when driving. Don't skim when reading. Follow the recipe in the order given. You get the idea.

At the same time a retrograde Ceres is conjunct the North Node (yes, again, and we will have this aspect one more time at the end of April when she is direct). Ceres is about nurturing and understanding the seasonal nature of life/whatever we are doing. The North Node (in heart-centered Leo) is our collective way forward.

We had this conjunction in the beginning of December, so we could be going back over something from that time period or just re-working, re-visiting, revising something that is calling to our heart. A passion project, romance, situation with a child/children. Whatever this is can also get a shot of something new and innovative now, too. Maybe this is the thing that needs a change of direction.

The North Node active at the New Moon could add to our worry/concern about the future because we are literally "in the dark" about something now.

PLUS we've got Mercury (our thinking, ideas, communication) conjuncting Black Moon Lilith who will not be controlled, boxed in or told what is "acceptable". This could compound any anxiety with regrets, upsets, feelings of being an outsider or somehow not being accepted. We, or someone else, will probably be speaking out. Know some people are not going to like it, so let's choose our words carefully.

Jupiter is squaring the Nodes and trining (brakes off) Neptune. If we are committed to something we might find ourselves out of patience with 'fence-sitters'. If we are trying to broker some kind of peace we could find ourselves out of patience with anyone wedded too strongly to their own point of view. Some people will be looking to escape into delusion or addiction.

Maybe our dreams have grown so big they have us at a dead stop. What can we do about that? Remember we are left-brained logical people right now - use common sense. What is the next step? Make a plan. Don't clutter up whatever you are doing with loose ends you will only trip over. It's winter - pare things down.

We also have Mars sextiling (opportunity) the New Moon and trining (brakes off) wounded healer Chiron. We need to avoid responding to whatever is happening from our wounded spaces - think 'childhood wound' here, think 'reacting out of proportion' to the situation at hand.

If we can avoid that - we can use the energy to take action (Mars) that is healing (Chiron). Mars is inconjunct the Sun/Moon so our actions are kind of in between a rock and a hard place. Maybe there is something about what we need to do to get what we want that isn't going to work right now.

Keep in mind this Moon is activating our collective mother energy (Ceres/Moon), our maiden (Venus) and our pissed off outsider/unequal partner (Lilith).

Rising feminine energy has relationship inequality and power struggle issues rocking and rolling now.

All the planets are moving direct for the next few weeks and after that we have so much retrograde energy coming in 2018 - this is as full steam ahead as things get this year - use this energy for something.

With this much Capricorn if we really want something we would be taking action. We won't be able to not take action. Maybe that is how we will know if we really want it .... maybe that's what this New Moon is really all about.

NEW MOON INTENTIONS

Some Capricorn new moon affirmation areas to think about: security, time, self-discipline, career, business, how the world sees you, ambition, opportunity, goals, delegation, releasing control, father figures, reputation, your bones, knees, skin and joints - anything related to the theme of your natal Capricorn house.

Get grounded - we're in an earth sign now, so this should be easier - always make affirmations from a  positive place (positive meaning certain) - write your affirmations down by hand in cursive. We want the letters all connecting and flowing together. Always speak them out loud.

Then release your attention from them knowing that your intention is known.

This month I am going to burn mine with a white candle, let the candle burn down and then bury the ashes in the ground. I feel a little more connected with the finality of the results when I do something like this. You don't have to do this part. Do what feels right to you.

With Capricorn - serious is best. Whatever you do, take it seriously. Don't tell anyone what you are doing who won't take it seriously. And do it solo. Saturn works alone.

Know these things are already yours. xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of January 15th - financial and business opportunities, stepping into new responsibilities and goals and stepping back from anything that feels a little too close for comfort, keep a cool head, no dark alley meanderings, intense situations

Winter Birds by Das-Lauralein

Here we go!

On MONDAY, the Moon and a bundle of other planets continue in ambitious Capricorn.

The Moon is in the final hours of its monthly Balsamic Phase of release and time-out (I wrote about this phase a couple years ago for Create and Thrive HERE).

We have Jupiter (in Scorpio) sextiling (opportunity) Pluto (in Capricorn) at 19 degrees (19 degrees Capricorn was also the degree of last week's Venus Star Point).

Jupiter increases Pluto's power. Bigger/deeper transformations are possible now.  

Our faith/confidence in ourselves - or what we are doing - or in someone else - increases.

Results now could come from balls that started rolling around January 6th-8th when Mars - our courage/action/initiative - sextiled Pluto.

This is a culmination aspect so if we took some kind of action then, something good/expansive could come of it now.

We will get this aspect two more times during Jupiter's stay in Scorpio - April 14th (21 degrees) and September 12th (18 degrees) - Scorpio and Capricorn sextiles are good energies for financial and business opportunities.

(also increased intimacy, the wedding of our resources with other people's, opportunity with partner's finances, mortgages, loans, investments, inheritance, reproduction, career, authority, goals and also transformation for Jupiter themes - travel, education,foreign issues, media, marketing, religion, legal issues)

A sextile doesn't get much more more powerful than when a sextile is between Pluto and Jupiter!

So something between now and mid-September is growing, deepening, adjusting - opening up for us in a BIGGER WAY.

There is just no comfortable way to play small this year!

We could be growing/thriving under tremendous pressure, releasing an attachment that is keeping us from moving forward, there could be behind-the-scenes forces working to our benefit - there are too many ways to list for this sextile (opportunity) to play itself out. What houses in your natal chart hold Scorpio and Capricorn - what are the themes of those houses?

Successes here (and we get multiple lucky chances here over the next 9 months to make use of this) bring added power/influence (and maybe more money, honey!).

We could also meet someone now - a mentor/guru type, maybe, although our relationship might not fall into this category - who has a profound impact on us.

With sextiles, action on our part is needed to get the 'whole enchilada', but good things can sometimes get started with minimal effort (work will certainly be required as we move along). Maybe we are in the right place at the right time. Maybe just the right person reads what we have written or sees what we have made. If some kind of opportunity comes up now, especially related to career or finances - I say GRAB IT.

(not in a pushy attack while screaming "It's MINE!", but definitely with BOTH HANDS)

On TUESDAY, we have the New Moon in Capricorn (26 degrees). Start thinking about your New Moon intentions for your Capricorn natal house (what is that house's theme?) and for your work in the world, career, business, ways to solidify any less than solid structures in your life - get things onto firmer ground.

If you are starting something new hold off until at least 5PM EST. You have two weeks to get something going here!

This is Capricorn and Capricorn IS what is happening (with ruler Saturn getting settled in now) over the next couple years, so please let's not miss setting New Moon intentions this month. We won't have another Capricorn New Moon for a year.

This is a really BIG New Moon.

The Moon will be conjunct Venus (what we want - love, money, values, self-esteem), but squaring unpredictable Uranus. So probably not everything will go as planned. Mercury and Black Moon Lilith will meet up in Capricorn at the same time AND Ceres will be conjunct the North Node (in Leo) so this New Moon is all about the ladies - the mother (Moon/Ceres), the woman who cannot be controlled (Lilith) and the lovely maiden (Venus, about to move on into Aquarius).

We'll talk about the New Moon tomorrow. I will write a post. Keep in mind the companion Moon to this New Moon, the Full Moon at the end of the month, will be an eclipse - yes, eclipse season starts in 2 weeks!

On WEDNESDAY, Mars (in Scorpio) inconjuncts (Uranus) in Aries. This is volatile energy - acting on impulse. We, and others, could be headstrong and ambitious now. This could stimulate a kind of restless desire to provoke something. If you have an urge to make a sudden change in your life right now - I would wait a few days!

Arguments could pop up quickly and so could acts of anger or violence. 

We had this same aspect at this exact same degree (Mars has traveled the entire zodiac and Uranus is sitting on the same degree!) on July 15, 2016 - if that date rings any bells for anyone personally.

In the collective we had the Bastille Day terrorist attack in France that killed 84 people, the attempted military coup in Turkey that killed 300 and resulted in 6000 arrests, tens of thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in the streets, classified information on the Saudis ties to 9/11 was released and Trump picked Mike Pence as his running mate.

Also Game of Thrones garnered 23 Emmy nominations - winter is coming here.

Don't wander down any dark alleys. You know the drill. 

Also on Wednesday, the Moon, and beautiful Venus say "hasta-la-vista baby" to buttoned-up Capricorn and shift into future leaning and love the one you're with Aquarius.

Aquarian and Aquarius rising people get more attractive - both easier on the eye and able to attract what they want. All of our natal Aquarius houses get more attractive, too.

The unusual, the out of place, the "I've never seen that before!" will catch our eye. If you are marketing something, for the next month focus on what makes it different. Odd is the new black. Beauty is more than skin deep. Instead of being attracted to the sameness we find in others, we will find ourselves more drawn to those who are different from us

Unusual ways of making money and spending/investing money, could present themselves over the next 23 days.

In Aquarius, social Venus becomes more detached. She values her space and so is able to allow other people theirs, too. If we begin some kind of relationship now - business or personal - know this need for freedom and individuation will be one of the cornerstones it is built on.

Since Venus rules love, money, women, beauty and our values - all of these areas get a shot of something new and different now. Aquarius is a fixed sign and changes (especially changes that are future or humanitarian oriented) made now have a way of sticking. 

On THURSDAY, we are still dealing with the Mars/Uranus inconjunct and now have both the Moon and Venus in Uranus ruled Aquarius. This is alot of energy focused on liberation.

We could be taking a big step back from anything that feels smothering now.

The Moon (in Aquarius) will square Jupiter (in Scorpio) in the evening - watch for revealing too much within a public or group setting. You might have the urge to post something online more personal than what you would normally post. People could be moody - moods subject to change. Good energy for socializing just avoid anything too over-the-top.

On FRIDAY, the Moon moves into dreamy Pisces mid-day and we have Mercury (in Capricorn) sextiling (opportunity) Neptune (in Pisces). Since the Moon is void until 3:36PM EST anyway, it could be a good day for working with our imaginations, healing words, writing, creativity, meditation. Any part of our work that could benefit from working with fantasy and inspiration would be a good use of our time today. This wouldn't be the best day for a serious meeting because things will tend to drift off-course and not be followed up on. It could also be a time when something else, maybe that New Year's resolution?, jumps a rail.

On Friday night, the Sun moves into Aquarius, kicking off Aquarius season. The Aquarius Sun always offers us an opportunity to step back (detach/disentangle) and look at the big picture. It's energy pushes us to step outside the box and try something else. It allows us to put some space between us and that challenging, draining situation.

As always with Aquarius - detachment is helpful until it isn't anymore. 

Try not to over-think everything and waste the next few weeks of this innovative energy. The way it used to work, whatever "it" is, isn't going to work now. 

xo all

Looking Ahead to the Weekend - Astrology Forecast for Creatives | where fair and square meets what the hell was I thinking, something comes unglued

w03 by mymadeleine

This weekend is a bit of a mixed bag as we build toward Tueday's New Moon.

We have Mercury/Saturn in play so serious conversations, contracts, decisions, endings, goals - especially long-term goals, career issues, family issues, responsibilities, security, situations with authority, realistic planning.

Whatever we have going on here will continue.

Friday night is not the best "date night" of the year (although the Sagittarius Moon will help) unless you are up for a long, sober talk about his business (snore) or his approaching court date (yikes!) or are going to see The Post, like I am, which seems serious enough to satisfy my appetite for reality that has bit someone other than ME (heads up by Sunday afternoon we will have the Moon in Capricorn, too!).

By Saturday mid-afternoon EST Venus (in Capricorn) will be squaring Uranus (in Aries). In the collective this could be about women, love, money, our values and/or self-esteem needing more freedom.

Anything fitting even slightly tightly (slightly tightly!) will feel like a dog collar right about now.

If we are repressing this urge - our partner/child, etc, could be the chicken to fly the coop.  

Something unexpected could come up - so keep plans flexible.

If you have planets or points around 24 degrees of the cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn - you would be most likely to feel this square in whatever areas of life are impacted.

Expect something else. Ruts can be jumped now. We will be attracted (Venus) to the cutting edge, the strange, the unusual (Uranus). This is good energy to break bad habits. Unexpected expenses might pop up, too.

Tension within relationships (picture a rubber band stretched to its breaking point) - could cause some people to snap. Maybe something has to change here. Business as usual isn't going to cut it.

Don't overspend.

That new piece of pricey technology that looks so tempting today, will look like "what the hell was I thinking" by Sunday afternoon (the same goes for that guy with the strange tattoo - trust me on this one).

On Sunday, the Moon will be void until 2:42PM EST, so sleep in. Avoid garage sales because "nothing will come" of your purchases (except maybe filling a space on the table of your own garage sale next year). After the void the Moon moves into Capricorn - for the first time in 2018! - we will be feeling even more ambitious or like a blanket left out in a rainstorm - there is probably no middle ground here.

By late afternoon EST Sunday, the Sun will square Uranus so everyone will want to do things their own way. There could be sudden outbursts of ... well, just about anything ... but also access to bursts of creativity and unusual solutions.

Instead of waiting for life to surprise us, let's take the bull by the horns, or maybe with all this Capricorn I should say take 'the goat by the horns' - and yes it can be one of those adorable fainting goats, why the hell not - and make some beneficial changes.

This is our second square to 'change-maker' Uranus this weekend

(although with the Sun and Venus so close together this could show up as just one thing or multiple things that feel kind of chaotic)

so keep plans flexible. Did I say that already?  

Expect people could be irrational/rebellious. This energy is going to get stagnant stuff unstuck one way or the other - so be pro-active through positive change.

We will be looking to experience something different. We will probably find what we are looking for.

xo all

Saturn Says You're It | another brick in the wall, sober thinking, the nuts and bolts of the thing, playing the long game, getting solidly fixated on whatever we need to be solidly fixated on

afternoon ritual by suckcess

Saturn solidifies his stranglehold on January as Mercury joins the Sun, Venus, Saturn, Black Moon Lilith and Pluto in "serious-as-a-heart-attack" Capricorn.

Mercury has been on a long two month journey (which is normally about a three week journey) through big-picture Sagittarius. Now he/she is finally ready to cover fresh ground!

Think about what Mercury does.

Mercury enables us to align ourselves with information. The ruler of Gemini (and Virgo) he/she has been in her detriment (not able to function at his best) in Sagittarius (Gemini's polarity sign). Mercury likes details. He likes to see the trees and Sagittarius only cares about the forest. We have been moving back and forth with some information/ideas/beliefs over the last two months.

Now Mercury moves into stable and ambitious Capricorn where things are more clearly defined (it is no coincidence U.S. politicians are talking about the wall again). Up is up and down is down. So what is real for us, now, after this Sagittarius journey? What is necessary? What do we keep? And what do we eliminate as distraction, gossip, an old story that no longer needs to be re-told/re-lived or just pie-in-the-sky foolishness?

And remember on Saturday, Mercury is going to meet up with Saturn 

(yes, again, this has been a three-peat also, because of Mercury's retrograde, but this time they are both in Capricorn - a more deep-rooted, but also brick-walled space and a space that Saturn rules). 

and we are close enough to feel this now. 

This is the final page of this chapter. Something ends. Something is given physical form. Something/someone gets a boundary. Someone steps into a responsibility. Someone gets a report card handed to them. Someone has to hear/or say NO. 

What we commit to now we will have to stick with. 

News gets delivered regarding an agreement, contract, responsibility, project AND even though this chapter is ending - next autumn when Saturn goes retrograde the themes of this chapter will be re-visited.

So now we are all dealing with the nuts and bolts of whatever situation we are working through.

If it isn't logical. If it isn't something we can physically touch. If it doesn't really matter. If it doesn't make us/something more effective. If it doesn't make good financial sense. If it doesn't pay the rent. It is on the back burner now.

We are solidly fixated on whatever thing we need to be solidly fixated on ... to survive.

Part of us (yes, the part that wants to be in Disneyworld having breakfast with Mickey) might wish we could look the other way - but we can't do that now.

There is something that must be tended to. Heavy issues could be dealt with over the next week or so. We have a mighty army lined up in the heavens to help us with this, but down here on Planet Earth we could be doing most of the heavy lifting in a very Saturnian way, ie ... all alone.

That's OK. Let's be realistic. What can we do by ourselves with what we have on hand. And how can we wrangle support for the stuff we need help with - hopefully we still have some kind of flock and they haven't all flown south for the winter. Winters can be lonely.

Watch for power struggles.

Watch for any tendency to over-think everything (Aquarius South Node!). Don't try to control everything/everyone. Don't look for guarantees. Don't make yourself crazy, and everyone else crazy, trying to rationalize something.

Just use common sense. You don't have to think to yourself - "what would a left-brained, logical, serious person do?" because YOU are a left-brained, logical, serious person right NOW.

With all this energy in tightly controlled Saturn it is important to

1. not shirk responsibilities
2. meet deadlines
3. live up to our commitments
4. be as productive and effective as we can be - that's it

You don't have to move a mountain or lift a car off an injured kitten - although it might feel like you do.

Watch out for guilt trips.

Meow! Wait, poor kitty - are you just going to leave her there pinned under your BFGoodrich?!

Watch for depressing thoughts. Saturn rules depression because the energy is literally depressing (pressing on) us. How can we re-position ourselves to avoid being crushed?

We need to be smarter than that kitty.

And don't let any Debby-downers into your kitchen for a quick cup of coffee. It won't be quick. Saturn rules boundaries. Lock the door.

The Moon is void almost all day Thursday (9:54AM EST to midnight). The Moon goes void off an opportunistic sextile to lovely Venus, so lots of good stuff can be accomplished today just don't start anything new or do anything you want 'something to come of'.

We can push through any inertia and we can make some real progress. This is also good energy to finish something.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of January 8th, Part II Mercury Into Capricorn | breaking free from whatever is dragging us under, the decision is made, just when you are ready for a knuckleball you get a curveball, the need to be flexible, but still the decision is made

filament of fate by oprisco

Before we finish up this week by talking about Mercury, let's take another look at TODAY from a different angle (Pluto's!).

Since Pluto has been in Capricorn (2008) we have had the Sun conjuncting (hooking up) with him at some point every January as the Sun moves through Capricorn. This year, and this is exact today, we have the Sun AND Venus conjuncting Saturn at the same time (19 degrees). The Moon, in Libra this morning, but going void at 11:13AM EST through 3:05PM EST, will then move into Pluto ruled Scorpio.

Things are very Plutonian right now.

This is good energy, with the aid of the waning Moon, to release what isn't working:

1. The people and groups who drain our resources - do you feel energized after being with/talking to someone, or depleted? Venus is the ruler of our 2nd house of self-esteem and Pluto rules power. Do these interactions make us feel more or less powerful (self-assured)? Relationships (Venus) can become vampiric (Pluto) when we give too much of our power away. We could also be the vampire draining another person/situation of its energy. Sometimes simply by staying too long at the party ...

2. The things and situations that drain our resources - all those bills that we mindlessly pay through some kind of autopay - let's have a look at them now. What are our goals? Remember we are not the same people we were last year or the year before that. What are our priorities now? The Moon is waning - what expenses can be cut? What are we spending money/time on that doesn't support our integrity/wholeness? How can more of our money/time be freed up?

All this Pluto answering to Saturn (Capricorn/winter) is about pushing us out of our chains (which we are strong enough to break anyway, but like elephants born in a circus we have been trained to think are stronger than we are) - the chains made of fear, procrastination, perfectionism, people-pleasing, clinging to our make-believe safety net, holding onto things that are dead (lifeless). If it feels stagnant - get it moving. If it feels suffocating - this is powerful energy to push that pillow away from our face and stand up.

It's not a time to keep adding more and more into our life and then we sit there with all this stuff all squished together and wonder why nothing is GROWING. Imagine a farmer doing this in her field. Just adding more and more with less and less time to tend to everything and no space for anything to flourish. Be choosy about what you take on now, because all this Capricorn creates a COMMITMENT.

If nothing feels like something you want to commit to - it's time to clear. Imagine your new life - the stuff you can't take with you, that's the stuff that needs to go. All this Pluto could make us a bit ruthless. But remember, the situations we need to separate from, need to separate from us, too. We are as much a strangler as the one being strangled in all 'strangley-type' situations.

Back to Mercury.

On Thursday, Mercury moves into Capricorn after his long (it's been months people!) back and forth journey through Sagittarius. We KNOW "what we believe/need to know" by now. Really you know it. Trust me on this one.

He/she moves over the Galactic Center (28-29 degrees Sagittarius) tomorrow.

(And speaking of the Galactic Center - black hole in the center of our Milky Way Galaxy that astrologically birthed our creative universe - well, after seeing Oprah's speech headlined yesterday in the news at such an important moment for the rising feminine, I pulled up her astrology chart. She has ... wait for it ... although maybe this shouldn't be any great surprise - her ascendant exactly ON the Galactic Center AND those Capricorn degrees that are going to be so uber important, especially for the United States, come 2020 when we have Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter sitting together and interacting with the U.S. chart of 1776, well those degrees are conjunct Oprah's North Node (fated future) and Chiron (wounded healer). Her Sun is also conjunct Venus (exactly - you can't get anymore attractive than this) in Aquarius. You might remember Obama has an Aquarian ascendant and Trump's Sun is conjunct Uranus (ruler of Aquarius), making him an unofficial Aquarian - could Oprah be the next leg of our journey into the Age of Aquarius?! I am not kidding people.)

Back to Mercury. Again.

She/he (Mercury is rather androgynous energy) moves into Capricorn on Thursday and then meets up with Saturn on Saturday. There has been a series of these Mercury/Saturn conjunctions and this is the last one. Thank goodness. Their final meet-up coming in 'serious as a heart attack' Capricorn tells us the idea/conversation - (whatever this is we have been reworking since mid-November) is CLEAR. The boundaries are drawn. The rules are defined. All the words that need to be said have been said.

I would say this is stable and long-lasting because Mercury in Capricorn is very stable and typically creates long-lasting results BUT there are some planetary interactions/disruptions through 'expect the unexpected' Uranus over the weekend that will require us to be flexible. 

The stuff we have been working through will DEFINITELY (see how certain my natal Mercury in Capricorn can be?) be on more steady ground.

The decision we have come to is the decision we have come to.

Just know there could be an unforeseen change or two before the cement is poured. Maybe something that has 'always been done this way' needs a blast of something else.

Mercury meeting Saturn can be Mercury reaching his limit. Something (an idea/communication/sibling issue/transportation issue) has been taken as far as it is going to go. This is the final wall. The last leg. This isn't going any further. It can be a finish line. It can be a "no" but at least now we know.  

It is winter (except where it isn't, but the advice is universal) and the cold (like Capricorn) can make us 'tense up and stiffen' but stay a little loose. If a contract/commitment,etc can wait until next week - work it through for just a couple days longer. Maybe some last minute info comes in. Some plans might have to deal with a curveball or two.

The changes/disruptions this weekend would also play a part in the Capricorn stuff, by sign, included in Part I and could be a totally different thing than this Mercury stuff if these are two different story-lines in your life - we'll talk about this more later in the week.

We've got this thing. Stay frosty.

xo all

Venus Star Point, plus taking advantage of all these sextiles | clearing the field, headed into uncharted territory, finding Alice, taking ownership by OWNING it, growing flowers for our own table

Veleslava by Hemantaru

Just look at this week's aspects:

SUNDAY - Mars conjunct Jupiter
MONDAY - Jupiter and Mars sextile the Sun
Mars sextile Pluto
Sun sextile Jupiter
Venus sextile Jupiter
Mercury is conjunct the Galactic Center (black hole at the center of our galaxy - the Milky Way)
TUESDAY - the Sun and Venus conjunct Pluto
Venus superior conjunction (Venus Star Point) at 19 degrees Capricorn
THURSDAY - Mercury Capricorn Ingress
SATURDAY - Mercury conjunct Saturn
Sun and Venus square Eris
SUNDAY - the Sun and Venus square Uranus

It is mind-blowing. Any one of these aspects could be a weekly focus all by itself and look at all of them - happening at pretty much the same time!

We are down the rabbit hole now folks. In totally uncharted territory. Maybe we need to find Alice.

I'm not sure it is possible to write about this month's energetic shifts. I think we might have to just experience them and incorporate them and see where alot of this shakes out.

*****

Note - let's not let this be an excuse for us to sit back and see what happens. Look at all those sextiles early in the week. This screams OPPORTUNITY. Actually it doesn't. It actually screams OPPORTUNITY, OPPORTUNITY, OPPORTUNITY, OPPORTUNITY!

Someone recently told me that when I write about problems/challenges she always experiences whatever I write about, but when I write about opportunities they just don't happen to her. She thinks she is jinxed. She isn't.

Because she is on the lookout for problems - she unconsciously searches my posts for dragons (which is why I attract so many people with strong Virgo!), for roadblocks, for reasons to delay. And, of course I write about alot of dragons. I see them first and easiest, too.

Sextiles (opportunities) can be harder to spot. Even literally when looking at a chart - you have to train yourself to see them. 

Like the more challenging aspects (squares and oppositions and often conjunctions) they usually require some kind of movement - a shift in our emotions, thinking, actions.

But instead of jumping out of the way of a moving train we need to jump on to the moving train. 

And it is easier to stand there and let the train pass us by than it would be for us to stand there and let the train run us over. See what I mean.

So we notice the challenges (that train is heading straight for me!) more than the opportunities (that train is headed straight for the BEACH!).

*****

OK, back to this week. Something BIG is being re-set to factory settings here. Let's look more closely at Tuesday's Venus Star Point.

Venus's orbit around the Sun traces a 5 pointed star (yes, life is magic, folks!) - every eight year arriving at an actual "point" of the star and every four years landing at a "mid-point". Venus Star Points are like eclipse points, about every nine months, that line us up, through Venus, with what we are consciously and unconsciously attracting.

This week when she lands on the point of her orbit connecting her with the Sun, moving through this same space, is the planet Pluto (karma, transformation, death, rebirth). 

This "point" is 19 degrees Capricorn.

This is also the space where Pluto is conjunct its own South Node and Saturn's South Node and Jupiter's South Node (yes, all those South Nodes in Capricorn releasing patriarchal conditioning, collapsing power structures that are built on uneven - not equal- ground). And this is all happening at a time when Mercury - the planet of communication and information - is traveling over the Galactic Center (black hole in the center of our Universe!).

What could this mean? Well, remember what Venus rules - women, love, money, self-esteem, our values, our resources, the signs of Libra and Taurus, our collective 2nd and 7th houses.

(and remember the way any Venus collective aspects will feel for you personally always needs to factor in your natal Venus. Is she comfortably, although lazily housed in Taurus? Is she always ready to fight in Aries or sitting next to Mars? Is she more of a seducer than an 'attractor' in Scorpio or in your 8th house?)

The Venus Star Point will now be in a new sign - Capricorn (the sign that rules authority, time, structure), a new element - cardinal earth (solid physical manifestation), and a new stage in her cycle - Evening Star. Can we say "feminine energy rising"? Can we say "self-rule"? Can we say "bringing these energies into material manifestation" - stuff we can touch, taste and smell (um, not sure I really want to smell the patriarchy dissolving, I am imaging sweaty gym socks here). Can we say all of this three times fast? Me, neither.

And this isn't about men vs women. We all have both masculine and feminine energies within us that have been out of whack for thousands of years. 

(and I open the news and see headlines about women at the Golden Globes and Oprah's speech about Recy Taylor)

So, what house holds 19 degrees Capricorn in our natal chart? What is that house theme? What was happening here 4 years ago - January 2014? 8 years ago - January 2010?

This is our own little plot of land. This is our space to hoe/seed/tend. This is our JOB now.

This space is being cosmically cleared to enable our plantings. Just like an eclipse would do.

In yesterday's post I wrote (by sign - check your RISING SIGN or if you know your Capricorn natal house check the post for that) about what is in this for us, but this is Capricorn so there is also something REQUIRED OF US.

Capricorn is about ownership. We own it AND we own it (take responsibility for it).

Venus attracts. So, this isn't about about going into battle to SEIZE the land. That's the old way of thinking about ownership. We attract it now by tending to it, by desiring it, by being alluring and calling it to us.

This is the real opportunity now.

And remember to own it we have to OWN IT (take responsibility for it). We have given too much power away to too many naked emperors. Worked too many farms for somebody else. Tended too many gardens whose flowers went into other people's bouquets.

Let's take some kind of action, symbolic totally works, to claim ownership of what we want this week. Then be prepared to step into our responsibility and work like hell for it. 

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of January 8th, Part I - another HUGE week, integrating our will into the collective, shining a light on who/what we love, OPPORTUNITIES, an accounting, the TRUTH comes out, consequences for what we do and what we want, good outcomes, talk like a grown-up

untitled by oprisco

This week is another big week and I ran out of time tonight to finish this post. I will get the rest of the week up by tomorrow or Tuesday!

On MONDAY, the Moon is in social, balanced and cooperative Libra.

We have Mars sextiling Pluto (the first of three Mars/Pluto sextiles) and both the Sun and Venus sextiling Jupiter (in Scorpio so answering to Pluto). Confidence, charisma, attraction, high energy - it's all here. As well as consequences (Pluto) for what we do (Mars) and what we want (Venus).

Note Monday is the final day before the Moon reaches her last quarter and starts to wane (release) - if you have something that needs seeding/starting that is BRAND NEW and you want to get it started before the January 16th New Moon - try your best to JUMP ON IT today.

If that is not possible, just avoid the Void Moon periods (the Moon is void Tuesday from 11:13AM EST to 3:05PM EST and pretty much all day Thursday) - everything this week has good closing aspects so most things started now should have a good outcome. Of course, I can't see your personal chart, but in general this will be true.

Multiple sextiles create multiple opportunities or maybe all of this is playing out for us in one really big way. Keep an eye/ear out for opportunities now and pray/meditate and ask that you are able to recognize the opportunities when they present themselves to you!

The Sun sextiling Jupiter brings luck and expansion (it could also make us and other people very full of ourselves and over-do it). We'll want to shine in a big, public way.

Venus (love, money, self-esteem, values, resources, women, beauty) is sextiling Jupiter (expansion, luck, more is more) - this is probably the best aspect we could have. Lucky in love. Lucky with money. More love. More money. I know someone born with this incredibly lucky natal aspect who depleted it (over time) by always wearing too much (Jupiter) jewelry (Venus). When she stopped over-doing it with the daily accessories (as per my recommendation which was part fashion advice/part astro intuition) - she started making more money.

(as a temporary measure though this kind of thing could work to stir up the energies we want to encourage - warning shameless plug ahead - have you seen my lockets - blog readers get a 25% discount with coupon code OLIVEREADER).

This is opportunity between our Capricorn and Scorpio houses - what houses are ruled by these signs in your natal chart?! Do something with those themes. 

Collectively we are talking about - Capricorn (business, career, authority, responsibility, father, goals) and Scorpio (other people's money/resources, loans, debts, inheritance, investment, sex, divorce, reproduction and all kinds of third party situations). So this is a good time for goal setting (get this energy into the DNA of your goal!), working with authority figures, stepping into our own authority, dealing with all those Scorpio money issues and dark secrets, working with women, love, finances.

With Mars sextiling Pluto - we should have more courage and passion for what needs doing, just be sure, for best results, to be kind of marrying what you want to do with what you should be doing. There is a whole lot of energy in 'by-the-book' Capricorn, too.

There could be a kind of almost instant-karma with our Plutonian actions this week, so if you use these energies in any clandestine or secret way then maybe even as soon as Mercury gets into new territory in Capricorn at the end of the week, the cat could be out of the bag! Don't flirt with your bestie's boyfriend and don't fudge any financial numbers/paperwork now.

We had Mars trine (brakes off) Pluto during the Las Vegas shooting and now with Mars sextile Pluto there is always the chance of some kind of violence within the collective. An opportunity for mass violence/war. Sadly, we have to keep stuff like this in mind, too.

On TUESDAY, Venus meets up with the Sun at 18-19 degrees Capricorn - this is called her superior conjunction and in the continuous Venus/Sun cycle this meet-up is a culmination. Venus becomes an evening star. Something seeded near March 25, 2017 (4 degrees Aries back then and Venus was retrograde) is reaching a peak/turning point or finishing up now. With the cycle starting in Aries and culminating in Capricorn - we have taken something from its infancy/beginning to its maturity.

What we get now - something or nothing - is what we have earned.  

We continue to work with this Venusian energy (it's kind of like a waning Moon now - releasing what isn't working, releasing to create space for something else during the next cycle) for the next nine months. 

When I used to track my Venus cycles I found the superior conjunction to be a time of sacrifice -  I had to let something go or give up something to continue with whatever I had started nine months before. Kind of like when you have a baby and have to give up eating and sleeping and taking a shower. The baby far outweighs having clean hair, of course, but some days you really miss clean hair!

So, in the past, for me, even when the culmination brought some kind of achievement - Venus rules love, money, values, resources and self-esteem - there was always a little something bittersweet about what I had lost to get what I got. A better example (I feel kind of bad comparing a baby to clean hair) could be maybe you get a promotion and start making more money, but the promotion requires longer hours or travel and now you have less time at home - that kind of thing.

With Venus as an evening star there is added maturity (for the next 9 months) in our dealings with Venusian matters.

Venus also sextiles Mars now - this is the masculine and feminine energy working together. What we want and what we have to do to get what we want - maybe this merges into us getting what we want. And the Sun sextiles Mars Tuesday night - when have you ever seen me write the word sextile (opportunity) so many times! Maybe never, evah! Great energy Tuesday night for taking action that brings us into the spotlight, good energy to be with other people and to bring our best selves to the occasion - could be hard to fall asleep though!

Right after Venus hooks up with the Sun, both Venus and the Sun conjunct Pluto!!

So we have Venus, the Sun and Pluto - all lined up like good little soldiers - this is a very rare stellium. Babies born today will move mountains.

In the collective news all this Capricorn/Pluto could look like chaos.

Mercury is moving into Capricorn at the end of the week, so we might have to wait for whatever news is going to break to happen then. Or for things to start to make sense. Or for the truth to come out. This could be more #metoo ground shaking or something else related to power dynamics within big business, government, etc.

Let's take a look at Venus and the Sun conjunct Pluto by sign. This energy will be in play for a few days. If you know your rising/correct house for Capricorn check that first, then check your Sun sign:

ARIES (Aries Rising/Capricorn 10th house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 10th house of career/public life and suggests positive developments. Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. This is excellent energy for increased money/resources and public respect/acclaim for your work/whatever you do in public. Rewards come with responsibility. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. The opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 8th house increases your chances of financial success through other people's money/resources and opportunities for improved intimacy and through being intimate or sharing intimacies with other people.

TAURUS (Taurus Rising/Capricorn 9th house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 9th house of higher education, travel, foreign issues, legal issues, weddings or publishing and suggests positive developments. Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. The opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 7th house of partners tells us a partner or partnership/collaboration impacts whatever is developed now.

GEMINI (Gemini Rising/Capricorn 8th house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 8th house of other people's money/resources, taxes, loans, inheritances, partner's income, sex, reproduction, intimacy. Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. Some kind of sacrifice could be required as you make a larger commitment to diving into whatever is buried here in your 8th house. Greater intimacy is possible. Greater financial security is possible. It is also possible you are dealing with the opposite manifestation. The good news is, if problems seem to be mounting now - the opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 6th house of day-to-day activities and work/health tells us you have the tools right in front of you to turn this thing around over the next 9 months. Dot your i's cross, your t's, get organized - get to work.

CANCER (Cancer Rising/Capricorn 7th house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 7th house of partnerships (romantic, business, equal). Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. Whether a partner is involved with whatever is happening or the relationship is where the action is - a point where things cannot go any further without either moving toward a deeper, more committed level or rupturing is here. The opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 5th house of children, romance, recreation and creative projects will allow you to move the relationship or yourself (over the next 9 months) in a new, positive direction through these energies.

LEO (Leo Rising/Capricorn 6th house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 6th house of work, health, pets and day-to-day activities and suggests positive developments. Something seeded around late March 2017  is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. You could get a new job offer now or something that improves your daily activities. Great energy for long-lasting health transformations. The opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 4th house of home, family, the basic structure of your life tells us that actions in these areas (over the next 9 months) will greatly improve your everyday living situation!

VIRGO (Virgo Rising/Capricorn 5th house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 5th house of children, romance, recreation and creative projects and suggests positive developments. Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. Rewards will come with responsibilities. The opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 3rd house communications, ideas, words, writing, siblings, transportation, your local environment tells us that taking action in any of these areas, maybe in particular with VERBALIZING what you want and what you are passionate about (over the next 9 months) will push everything forward here.

LIBRA (Libra Rising, Capricorn 4th house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 4th house of home, family, home business, renovations, moving, security and suggests positive developments. Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. The opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 2nd house of money/resources/self-esteem tells us actions toward improving your finances (over the next 9 months) are going to greatly improve your home/family situation. You got this home/money thing Libra!

SCORPIO (Scorpio Rising, Capricorn 3rd house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 3rd house of writing, communications, contracts, negotiations, commerce, sales, ideas, siblings, your local community or transportation and suggests positive developments. Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. With that opportunistic sextile from Mars - in your sign! - walking your talk (actions aligned with thoughts/words) is going to lead you precisely where you want to be over the next 9 months!

SAGITTARIUS (Sagittarius Rising/Capricorn 2nd house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 2nd house of money, resources, your values and self esteem and suggests positive developments. What you value increases. There could be some kind of trade-off/sacrifice that comes with the improved resources. Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. The opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 12th house of something happening behind the scenes could mean someone/something in the background is working to your benefit. Meditating and taking intuitive action (over the next 9 months) will grease the wheels toward getting you what you want.

CAPRICORN (Capricorn Rising/Capricorn 1st house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on YOU Capricorn. Anything mentioned in any of the previous posts could apply! Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. Something good is headed your way. The opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 11th house tells us friends, the internet, groups, your causes, technology, the public, anything future-leaning will increase your passion and accomplishments (over the next 9 months).

AQUARIUS (Aquarius Rising, Capricorn 12th house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 12th house of things happening behind the scenes, your private ambitions, art, meditation, spirituality, your dreams, things put away, things from the past, hospitals, prisons, addictions and suggests positive developments. Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. The opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 10th house tells us your actions within your career/public life allow (over the next 9 months) this dream/background situation to grow wings.

PISCES (Pisces Rising. Capricorn 11th house) - the superior conjunction of Venus and the Sun throws a spotlight on your 11th house of friends, the internet, technology, the future, groups, causes, the public and suggests positive developments. Something seeded around late March 2017 is culminating, peaking or reaching a turning point. Pluto's involvement tells us whatever is happening has the power to be transformative - things have a before/after quality. Results are karmic (consequence of prior thoughts/actions) and potentially lasting. The opportunistic sextile with Mars in your 9th house of faith and believing in yourself - also your house of travel, higher education, foreign issues, media, weddings - tells us actions taken in these areas (now and throughout the next 9 months) increases your opportunities with those 11th house themes.

On WEDNESDAY, Mercury ingresses into Capricorn and joins the Capricorn party. Our words get serious. The news gets serious. We now have 5 planets in steady-as-she-goes Capricorn. Crass language can sink our ship. Bring your A game to any conversation/communication/meeting. Use commonsense. The Moon is in Scorpio and sextiles Saturn - we get emotional satisfaction through work and responsibility today. The Sun and Mars are conjunct so our actions are more visible. Good for energetic moves and initiative, but also a good time to have an accident or toss a temper tantrum. Better to do some physical work or work up a sweat.

I will write a post about Mercury and the rest of the week either tomorrow night or Tuesday.

xo all

Mars Conjunct Jupiter, Mercury Trine Uranus | taking action on that new idea, making our own luck, having the strength/courage to do it, say it, hear it

Blizzard by CarpeSav

Today we have Mars meeting up with Jupiter at 17 degrees Scorpio. Here's how to see it. They won't meet again until 2020 (a very big year) and they won't meet up again in Scorpio for hundreds of years.

Hear that Scorpio - and anyone with planets or points near 17 degrees!

Mars - the way we get what we want, our action and initiative, our passion, our anger, our young fiery male energy - meets expansive and lucky Jupiter (think Santa Claus here).

What did you want for Christmas?

This is very good energy to work with something that will require physical strength, energy and initiative.

This is confidence (Jupiter) meeting courage (Mars). This is fighting (Mars) for what we believe in (Jupiter). This is making (Mars) our own luck (Jupiter). 

And, yes, this could be might (Mars) makes right (Jupiter) and leaping (Mars) before we look (Jupiter) - there are always flies dear reader.  

This is a brave (Mars) journey (Jupiter). This is our brave journey. All of us on Planet Earth.

As always with Jupiter, the fly in the ointment is taking things too far and taking on too much. With Mars the fly would be us/or someone else flying off the handle - then the handle is broken and we have to shovel the snow with our bare hands. We could also overdo it and actually get physically hurt.

Mars is squaring the Nodes so it will be important not to be lost in the past, too busy looking in our rear-view mirror at that thing that appears LARGER THAN IT ACTUALLY IS to remember we are not the person who used to want that thing. Maybe we didn't get it, maybe we did, but either way we flew right on past it while we were busy playing with the Alexa we got for Christmas.

What does the person we are today want?

Mercury (the last man/woman left standing in Sagittarius) is squaring Chiron (ouch) and trining (brakes off) Uranus. Maybe the right/wrong words sting. Maybe the right/wrong words point us in a new or unusual direction.

Pay attention to information and communications now. We could be encouraged/required to speak some surprising words ourselves. Uranus in Aries enables unexpected courage. What needs to be said is going to be said. What needs to be heard is going to be heard.

Make the call. Send the email. Let the chips fall. They might surprise us by falling right into place.

Keep an open mind, so the right ideas/thoughts - the ones that will work for us and are uniquely our own expression - will fall right in there, like envelopes dropped into the postal slot!

These are repeating aspects we had on December 10th and January 2nd.

We have all the information we need to act/decide/choose now. More review will not be helpful.

However we use this energy - toward projects, goals, relationships, improving our health, initiating a friendship/group activity, greater financial stability - it can probably take us pretty far ...

xo all

MARS Action | getting past that roadblock, moving toward our heart's desire, cray-cray drama, stand-offs, we won't see this weekend's energy again for hundreds of years, drag your tired a** to the station, get this stuff into the DNA of SOMETHING

Creativity by Julie-de-Waroquier

While we slept last night, or didn't sleep (as the blizzard winds blew here) the Moon slipped from bombastic Leo into efficient and organized Virgo.

Having the Moon in a mutable (flexible) sign should help us with this weekend's BIG energies. People don't think of Virgos as flexible, because the sign is mutable earth - and earth is solid, yes, but think about what the skilled hands of a potter can do with clay - so often making something both beautiful and practical.

Virgo is able to adapt and change direction when it is realistically required (logical, useful).

The Moon makes a trine (brakes off) to Saturn (in Capricorn) early in the day - we are able to be resourceful and get things done.

Interactions with authority or stepping into our own authority moves smoother. We get emotional satisfaction (Moon) from doing our Saturn - our job, the work, shoveling the snow. If you do not have any snow - there is surely something else that needs shoveling - another mess to clean up!

We have Mars (in Scorpio) squaring the North (Leo) and South (Aquarius) Nodes at 15 degrees. We could find ourselves fighting a battle we've fought before or hitting one more roadblock (did i say snow-pocalypse already?) between the place we are planted and the place our heart wants to be.

This was strongly in play yesterday during the heart of the storm here but I lost power and couldn't write about it - speaking of blocked!

Think about what this North Node (collective way forward) in Leo and the South Node (collective release point) in Aquarius is all about. Leo is ruled by the Sun. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus. Both are active now, too. Leo follows Cancer. We step away from the home, the family, our safe space. We get on a train, waving good-bye to our crying mother at the station and head to the big city to find our fortune. Aquarius follows Capricorn. We have arrived at the top of that mountain and now we reach our hand back to pull up the next girl.

These are two sides of the same coin - (Leo) the energetic, fiery girl following her heart toward her natural spotlight and (Aquarius) the mature, thinking woman having worked her way to the top reaching back to help someone else up that mountain.

Our collective way forward now is Leo (yes, even if you are a mature woman - channel that girl!) - following our heart, living generously because we are brave and can trust there is enough for all of us, offering the world the stuff we are most proud of. Where is Leo in your natal chart? Where is your Sun? Give the world some of that. 

Remember the South Node is in Aquarius until next autumn allowing us to release negative Aquarian energy in preparation of Pluto's long journey here starting in 2023.

We could feel abandoned. We could get annoyed when people don't fall into line behind us - when our plans are not their plans.

With any tension/crisis now - Lean Into LEO - follow our heart.

Oxygen mask on our own face first (not giving what we don't have to give). Being generous (giving what we do have knowing there is plenty more for us out there). Not getting lost in the future. Not getting lost in the crowd. Not overthinking.

If we are wasting our time involved in other people’s dramas, lost in the enticingly anonymous web of the internet and avoiding our responsibilities/not hearing the beat of the hearts right in front of us, if we are stingy and selfish or playing "king of the hill", if we are staying detached and un-involved and don't move toward the things that move us, if we find ourselves pissed off when other people get the spotlight/the promotion/the big sale or if we are shocking other people just to shock them -

we are out of balance here.

Any crisis points this week could be the wake-up call we need!

All the planets are full steam ahead now and we won't see this forward-ho energy for the rest of year. 

I know we are tired and the snow is piling up and the winds are blowing, but we really DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS TRAIN. Yes, there will be other trains, but this is absolutely the most direct route. Drag yourself to the station, people!

Mars is also squaring Ceres tonight (retrograde in Leo) so this could all be playing out within a parent/child relationship or whatever is happening could be re-enacting childhood patterns. If someone is sounding just like mommy or daddy or we are - maybe it is time we re-parented ourselves! Stop. Take a breath. What do we really want here?

This weekend's energy is BIG. And we have access to it right now. We have Mars (after his tangle over, around or through the Nodes) conjunct Jupiter (expansion) at 17 degrees Scorpio - exact tomorrow. We won't see Mars conjunct Jupiter in Scorpio again for hundreds of years!

If you have planets or points near this degree it is an especially helpful time to GO FOR WHAT YOU WANT.

This is energy for things to be over-the-top and we can see this in the collective news.

The same energy will play out in our own lives to varying degrees. Cray-cray drama and standoffs are possible. As fiery Mars conjuncts expansive Jupiter (in Scorpio) we want to be working with this power surge in the best, most positive ways we can! Early next week Venus and Pluto are joining the party, too.

Remember that North Node in Leo - it is time to bring our most heartfelt desires into real life (Saturn in Capricorn!) - don't look back, don't over-think it (Aquarius!) - just take a step forward. Be brave. Lions are brave, right?

Stuff started now will have the energy of these days in its DNA - next week is an excellent time to start/do something, too!

We will look at this by sign this weekend.

Then we head into the Capricorn-pocalypse. Your Capricorn house is about to be your ONLY house and babies born in a couple weeks will be TITANS. Seriously. We will talk about that over the weekend!

For more info please check the WEEKLY.

xo all

Uranus Stations Direct in Aries | the planet of change changes direction

Glambat by skeev

Today, we have Uranus (still in Aries and now at 24 degrees) stationing direct after his lengthy retrograde (since early August).

The planet that changes our direction, changes his direction. 

His retrograde station (Uranus, with his whacky orbit and 'anything can happen' reputation, is even more powerful and more Uranian when retrograde) at the time of the August Solar Eclipse has certainly had a hand in all the unexpected climate disasters/fires, etc of the last five months.

When de-stabilizing Uranus moved from Pisces (water) into Aries (fire) on March 11, 2011 - we had the earthquake/tsunami in Japan that caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

I am sure if we had inside information regarding the history of this disaster we could match up Uranus movements over the last seven years to the unfolding story there!

Even as recently as late November just as Mercury (news, information) moved into trine (brakes off) with Uranus (the post I linked to in the weekly because we have the same aspect again this week) - the news announced that a robot had finally reached the reactor's melted core.

Just a couple days ago (December 27, 2017) with Uranus pretty much stopped (remember the finger through the candle analogy) preparing for his direct motion today - the news announced Tokyo Electric Company receiving government approval to restart an even larger, and more controversial, power plant.

(I have never looked at Japan's natal chart, but think of this country, with its fast-moving, trendy, cutting-edge culture when I think of Uranus)

Uranus stationing direct could mean bottled up freedom urges suddenly explode (we have seen this within the collective in Iran in the last few days). Top buttons get unbuttoned. Any changes we have been ruminating about during the last few months can begin to take on physical form now. A direction changes. Because Uranus is more Uranus when retrograde maybe something steadies out now. Your Aries natal house (what is the theme of your Aries natal house) as well as your natal Uranus are impacted.

Some people have been more impacted than other people by this retrograde. If your cardinal planets and points are less than 24 degrees, Uranus (in Aries) is finished with this part of your chart/life FOREVER. Adios Uranus!

If you have planets or points in your natal chart from 24-29 degrees of the cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn - Uranus will contact those planets or points before he ingresses into Taurus in mid-May ... again. Squares could bring road blocks and tension, oppositions could bring choices. Courage might be required depending on how comfortable you are with change since Uranus is in warrior Aries!

Often Uranus contacts attract people/things/situations that allow/force us to break out of stuck constructs. Or require us to see/act on things in a new way.

Uranus is the planet of genius and rebellion and 'anything can happen'. Now Uranus only cares about getting us from A to B via the fastest route, he 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. 

So when Uranus whispers in your ear "this job sucks, you need to quit this job" remember he will be out of town when the rent comes due and your wallet is empty. On the other hand without his "quit this damn boring job already!" we might still be toiling at that job when our grandchildren head off to college.

Uranus rules the sign of Aquarius, our collective 11th house, technology, the future, electricity, social change, groups, equality, science, robotics, liberation, fast change, chaos, PTSD, trends, the genius, the rebel, the criminal, anything new and cutting-edge.

Uranus will always seek to overturn anything traditional or conventional that has outlived its usefulness.

Uranus is charged with disrupting the status quo. It rips apart our safety net. It tears up our contracts. It breaks up stagnant energy. It is electricity. It gets our *ss moving. Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury - the way Aquarius is the higher octave of Gemini - Uranus is like Mercury on steroids ... and we have all seen how powerful Mercury is.

Since he has been in Aries he has been re-inventing Aries stuff. Aries rules the 1st house of ourselves. Think about the reinvention of this thing called "self" in the last few years to this thing called "brand". We have Facebook now. We have selfies. Aries rules war and that has been reinvented, too - and in a very Uranian/Aquarian (detached) way - think about drones and robotics and whatever the hell else the geniuses lunatics that play with their war-toys are coming up with to kill us that we don't even know about.

What changes did Uranus in Aries bring to your life ? What has been totally upended?

In mid-May Uranus will ingress into Taurus until November 6th, then because he is retrograde half the year, will move back into Aries until March 6, 2019 when he will return to Taurus to finish out his transit of Taurus (through July 2025).

For now, he is moving direct again. Taking us through the final few degrees in Aries.

The best way to work with Uranus (this would be kind of like working with Donald Trump, who with his natal Uranus sitting on his natal Sun, might cause the people who work with him to age in dog years, trying to keep up with him) is to loosen our grip on things. 

Stay open to changing our mind and direction. Expect the unexpected. 

Maybe what seems totally crazy, will make sense later on.

Check the WEEKLY because the Sun has an opportune contact with imaginative Neptune today - you could feel that one stronger than Uranus's change of direction. The Moon continues its monthly jog through the sign of Cancer - focusing us on home, family and security issues.

*****

To finish up that 2018 series I am going  look at Trump's chart and the U.S. chart for the months ahead since we haven't looked at those in a while. I have said before that Trump IS Uranus (he is like one of the American Gods in the Neil Gaiman book/series and I know this will annoy many people to hear me say it! he isn't the ONLY Uranus though obviously) and Uranus is active the next couple weeks, so let's take a look at him - in a non-political way.

I noticed the February solar eclipse opposing his Mars (which interacts strongly with the U.S. Mars) doesn't look like fun for him ... or us.

URANUS TRANSIT CHARTS 

I asked a few weeks ago for some guinea pigs volunteers for us to take a look ahead at the upcoming Uranus transit of Taurus (May 2018). I think I had 32 volunteers, so will put up a few charts every week until I get them all up. Thank you to everyone for your patience - most of the charts I've looked at so far have most of their Uranus activity in 2020-2022 which makes sense with the astrology of the times.

Here is the first batch (after the READ MORE, bottom of this post) ... keep in mind this is ONLY Uranus we are looking at and only one space in your chart. There are at least 11 and more likely 16 or more important players!

I have emailed the owners of the 5 charts that follow, so if you did not receive an email your chart is not being looked at just yet. I am doing them in the exact order of how the requests came in.

Remember these changes are mostly months and sometimes years away. It is good to prepare but sometimes we can't see anything clearly from this distance - we just don't know what we don't know yet. Read it. Meditate on it - it is a good time with Uranus station and the Sun sextiling Neptune - then please just file it away ...

I will get all the charts up in January - I wanted to wait until Saturn got into Capricorn so I could verbalize the energies more concisely and I think you guys could read the words more clearly.


xo all

Full Moon in Cancer | the Super Wolf Moon, home to our pack, howling into the night, the bridge pilings go in, call your mother, family vs. work in the world, forgiving our ancestors

WOLF by BlackIce-Wolf

On January 1st - we welcome in 2018 with a Full Moon in the sign of security, home and family focused Cancer.

Cancer is ruled by the Moon and this is a Supermoon (and the 2nd of 3 - this is rare - Moon perigee to the Earth and appearing larger) and it is bookend-ed at the very end of the month by a Lunar Eclipse - so it's a BIG way to launch a new calendar year.

(Supermoons were viewed by the ancients as predicting seismic shifts - earthquakes, volcanoes, tidal surges.)

The astrology of the next two years (2018-2019) - the bridge years that bring us to the 2020 meet-up of Saturn, Ceres, Jupiter and Pluto in Capricorn (patriarchy, government, inequality, banking, business, authority, hierarchy, competition, power) is about us creating/surviving/thriving through the collapse of the structures/limits that are standing in the way of equality (Age of Aquarius).

This isn't going to be something neat and easy.

This is kind of like when we clean out the bedroom closet. 

First, we drag everything into the middle of the room. If someone came into the room at that time, they would be like, "What the hell are you doing? You are messing up your room!". 

Planet Earth is like that de-constructed bedroom right now. 

Things look like a mess and are more likely to reflect something that isn't really happening (a mess is being made) than what is really happening (a messy closet is being cleaned out).

2020-2022 is also the time of the United States Pluto return when Pluto will be back in the same degrees in Capricorn he was in when the Declaration of Independence was signed (the country's natal chart) for the first time in United States history.

A lot of stuff is going to have to fall apart in order to come together in new, and better (with more integrity - one-ness, wholeness), ways. 

What we do/think/feel over the next two years will determine, to a degree, what all of this will look like. And, to a greater degree, what this will look like for us personally. And, then the years of 2020-2022 become a bridge to the next level - the year of 2023 when Pluto enters Aquarius. Dystopia? Utopia? Both? Something else entirely? What's it gonna be? The only thing we know for sure is it won't be the world we are living in today.

Construction of that bridge starts NOW.

The Moon is in a Grand Trine with Jupiter and Neptune, opposing Pluto, Venus and Black Moon Lilith, Mars and Neptune sextile the Sun forming a Kite and we have Mars squaring the North and South Nodes at the same time.

If that all sounds like quite the mouthful - it is. And it packs quite the wallop. My head hurts even thinking about trying to untangle it. So, I'm not going to. I will get some of that de-tangler hairspray and let it all sit a bit. I would suggest the same for all of you.

Full Moons brings situations and emotions to a peak - stuff culminates and stuff 'comes to light'.

So although we are moving into the New Year we will probably have one eye nostalgically (sniffle) looking backward. Maybe not back to 2017, although I guess some people will, but maybe even back to simpler (less complicated) days.

Traditionally this Full Moon - the Cancer Moon, in some ways the strongest of the year since Cancer's ruler IS the Moon - is known as the Wolf Moon.

This is a good day and night and even into tomorrow - to be with "our pack". Catch up with family members. Give out those gifts to the people we didn't get to see during the holidays. Cook hearty food. Be with family.

This very emotional Moon coming on the 1st day of the calendar year is a wake-up call to not lose track of what really matters as we move into this very cold and duty-filled Capricorn season.

Cancer rules mothering, motherhood, mothers, vulnerability, nurturing, self-care, home, family, emotions, safety, security, our ancestors, patriotism, country - and with the Moon opposing not only the Sun (like every Full Moon), but also Pluto, Venus and Black Moon Lilith (all in Capricorn) and with that Kite pointing toward the Sun in structured, rule oriented and icy cold Capricorn - it looks like the ways the world values work and ambition could be a bit more than our Mama Bear can handle right now.

Maybe something about our safety, our security, our home, our family, our livelihood - feels threatened.

The ground is unstable for pretty much everyone, but the reality of the situation is that for, half the world maybe?, the ground is frozen solid. Maybe frozen solid (ultra-stable) is actually no more comforting than wobbly!

As we move into a year focused on security and work and limits - it is a good idea to keep our emotional/nurturing self ALIVE.

With Uranus strong and still and preparing to move direct tomorrow - this is a good time to free ourselves a bit from ancestral bindings by thanking our ancestors, whose stories we carry forward, for the gifts they have given us and release them, through forgiveness, for the loads we carry/have carried for them. Light a candle.

If today's Full Moon (point of fullness, like the moment in our breath when our lungs are full) feels heavy - it is a good time to GIVE SOMETHING AWAY. Clean/clear a space. The new stuff is right outside your door, but if your house is too full to welcome it in, there it will sit!

No matter how cold it is outside tonight - be sure to get out and walk in this one even if it is cloud covered - it is still there. If that isn't possible - soak in a hot bath while you release 2017 then imagine all your cares literally flowing down the drain with the water when you are finished!

Welcome 2018 - the year we start to build the bridge!

xo all