The New Moon in Virgo on September 9th | looking past what isn't working, cleaning up, doing the mending, moving on from the mess, NOT getting lost in delusion/distraction, intensity, attraction, expansion, start it right this time, focus, stay the course

Sometimes a voice - have you heard this? -
wants not to be voice any longer, wants something
whispering between the words, some
rumour of its former life. Sometimes, even
in the midst of making sense or conversation, it will
hearken back to breath, or even farther,
to the wind, and recognize itself
as troubled air, a flight path still
looking for its bird.
- Don McKay

choose your life by Benegesseritt

On SUNDAY at 2:01PM EDT the Virgo Moon (the Moon moved into Virgo on Saturday morning) meets the Virgo Sun at 17 degrees.

The Moon is trine powerful Pluto (retrograde in Capricorn), sextile opportunistic and expansive Jupiter (in Scorpio and answering to Pluto - so that's a nice, strong loop of energy!) and opposing dreamy Neptune (strong in his home sign of Pisces).

We also have Venus moving into Scorpio on the same day making Venusian themes - women, love, money, our values and self-esteem - more intense. Scorpio Suns and Ascendants (Scorpio on the cusp of the first house of your natal chart) become more attractive - making them both easier on the eye and it easier for them to attract what they want. And for all of us, our Scorpio houses get more attractive, too ... and more complicated.

(although the theme of whatever house is ruled by Scorpio in our natal chart is naturally complicated!)

So, lots of Plutonian power with this Virgo New Moon! And then that foggy, distorting Neptune opposition which is reminding me of the Full Moon in Pisces two weeks ago!

So, let's unpack this.

The New Moon is a time when the skies are dark. It is the time of beginning. The seed goes into the ground. The sperm goes into the egg. The idea meets the paper. The nail meets the wood. You get the idea. And you may actually have an idea now because Mercury - the planet of ideas - is the ruler of Virgo and this New Moon. And just out of his retrograde and his retrograde shadow - he is flying!

Virgo New Moons are fresh starts that begin with small, focused steps (and Pluto in Scorpio is all about focus!). Focus on the details. Use commonsense. Do one thing at a time. Do our best. Know that it won't be perfect. Know that perfect isn't the point.

Virgo encourages us to prioritize our health, to value quality over quantity, to be of service to others (not at our own expense though and especially not at the expense of our health), to care for our pets, to take care of the day to day things that make our life our life. It also rules co-workers, employees, our daily activities and our work.

Think about Virgo's place in things. Virgo is the first sign that thinks about 'other people'. We spend the first five signs of the zodiac focused on ourselves - forming an identity, expressing who we are. And then in just ONE SIGN we transition toward relating to other people. That's why it feels like such a pressure cooker. We move from "how can I be special?" (Leo) to "how can I be useful?". That's a pretty hard right turn!

Pluto, very powerful at the time of this Moon, with his sticky fingers in everything is retrograde. So everything new now may not be totally new. Pluto gives this new beginning a whole lot of muscle. Jupiter brings expansion and optimism (the optimism now is tempered somewhat by his time in Scorpio and Virgo's natural ability to over-complicate things).

Every detail is going to matter now. I am not saying this to make all of us crazy. But we need to know this going in. There is the potential here to birth something significant, but Virgo rules work, so we know there is going to be work. So, we either go deep with whatever we are doing now or we don't do it at all. There isn't going to be a whole lot of middle ground.

It's time to make it real or get rid of it!

That opposition to Neptune - and oppositions usually show up through other people - is either going to look like 1. escapism - we fight doing the work and waste the New Moon (totally possible), 2. sacrifice - we need to let go of something to get something else - this is making me think of that Pisces Full Moon two weeks ago. This is an excellent time to release a sabotaging habit. 3. we go too "pie-in-the-sky" here with wishful thinking and rose-colored glasses, 4. mega creative potential - has anyone else been feeling uber creative the last few days? 5. we feel pulled toward escape, abandonment or self-sabotage, BUT (and this is mostly because we are not perfect) we DO THE WORK to get this thing going.

This doesn't have to be some great gigantic thing. Keep in mind that Virgo rules the details.

New Moon Guidelines

Set your intentions and make your affirmations for Virgo themes (or your natal Virgo house theme!) for the best outcomes - health, quality over quantity, service to others, attention to details, work, co-workers, employees, day to day activities, cleaning, organizing, pets.

INTENTION TIPS: Let the earth guide you this month, plant your feet firmly on the ground, clear your head, write what your physical self, grounded by the earth, wants - not what you think you should write. Write your intentions down by hand in script on a blank piece of paper, speak the words out loud, maybe burn the paper and give the ashes back to the earth - release your attention from these things knowing your intention is known.

Life has heard you. Know these things are already yours.  

What do you do next? Do what is right in front of you.

xo all

for the very best time to set your intentions and start something with this New Moon - see my post HERE and look for the HEADS UP.

Mars returns to Aquarius next week - buckle up. Also that Venus in Scorpio at the same time of this New Moon could make something very attractive. Too attractive even. Like so attractive it could kill us. But you know me and my negative thinking. Let's take things one step at a time ....

Saturn Stations Direct in Capricorn plus today's astro forecast - forward movement toward our goals, daddy's home, reaping what we have sown, the reward of something lasting, something stabilizes, relationship imbalances, also HEADS UP for a good date and time to START SOMETHING

don't insult the witch by slavic-frost

At 7:10AM EDT, Saturn stations direct at 2 degrees Capricorn. Saturn moved into Capricorn last December (remember - winter is coming, how many green beans are in your cupboard?). He got all the way to 9 degrees Capricorn then stationed retrograde in mid-April and started backpedaling.

HERE is a post about that. It could be useful to re-read now.

Saturn's retrograde "review" wraps up.

He will move direct until he gets to 20 degrees Capricorn next April when he stations retrograde again.

For people with planets and points between 2 and 9 degrees Capricorn (and the other cardinal signs) Saturn will make his third pass (hang in there!) over those spaces during the next few weeks.

There are a few things that will happen now.

Saturn's direct motion can release pent up pressure in our Capricorn house allowing us to make solid moves toward our goals and ambitions (and our natal Capricorn house theme).

It could have felt, during his retrograde, that we were getting further away from our goals or where we want to be in this area of our life. Maybe obligations weighed heavily. Walls and limitations had to be faced. Corners we had previously cut were noted to be missing.

The bills came due.

Maybe we were re-evaluating, re-assessing, re-affirming our responsibilities and commitments.

Maybe we learned to say, "no". Maybe we learned to say "yes" to something we had been avoiding.

Saturn always gives rewards, but they are Saturnian rewards - coming after we've put in the time and hard work to build something that lasts. And yes, the thing that lasts IS the reward!

Our long range goals that have been stuck can start to move forward now. 

With Saturn (father time) direct - daddy's home! - greater external structure is brought into our lives.

This can feel supportive and rewarding (if we have been doing our Saturn retro work) or like a wall/limit/roadblock (if we have been partying like it's 1999 - does anyone remember 1999? it seems so last century).

Dad's home.  

Have we been goofing off? Staying out late? Running up the electric bill? Worn out his favorite chair or left his tools out in the rain to rust?

Karmic books get balanced.

Remember, karma isn't about punishment. It is simply cause and effect - we are just being served what we ordered. Most of us do alot of this "ordering" unconsciously.

If we don't like what we are being served - we can choose to do things differently today. Right now.

Multiple planets change signs this week, Saturn stations direct and we have a New Moon - change is happening!

We have alot of powerful energy right now - with multiple planets operating at peak efficiency. Venus is in her home sign. Mercury is in her/his home sign. Mars is in a sign where he is exalted. Saturn is in his home sign. Neptune is in his home sign.

Having so many planets "at home" means a substantial amount of very effective energy is at our disposal.

Plus as Saturn moves into Capricorn, he trines Uranus (in Taurus) and Mercury (in Virgo). Don't we love these Grand Earth Trines during Virgo season folks!

EXAMPLE FOR Sagittarius/Sag Rising - Saturn stations direct in your 2nd house of your money, your values, your resources and self-esteem. Something within these themes will move forward - maybe a check you have been waiting for comes in now. Saturn forms a Grand Earth Trine with both Mercury - in your 10th house of your career, your calling, your achievements, your achievement goals, dad, business, authority, responsibility and Uranus - in your 6th house of  your day-to-day activities, your routine, work, co-workers, pets and your health. The trine is a smooth "brakes off" opportunity to strengthen a connection between these areas - for something here to fall smoothly into place. Maybe the changes to your daily routine include a new career/job opportunity that increases or stabilizes your income. Results will be Saturnian (karmic) - you will get out what you put in. For right now it will be important to do your Virgo and your Capricorn - check the details, dot your i's and cross your t's, don't cut any corners. Maybe something new will begin to break open by Sunday's New Moon in your 10th house of career/goals. There are twists and turns and changes ahead for all of us this month and we don't know what we don't know yet, so think - structure building, not tall building leaping. You can now begin to focus on what is most important to you, do the details, keep your commitments, PREPARE for your future Sag!

If you want to know how to integrate this Grand Earth Trine for your personal chart leave a comment or drop me an email. Earth Trines can creates something REAL - something we can hold in our hand, put in our wallet, cover our head with on a rainy day and tuck into bed at night. Something solid. This aspect is exact tomorrow and in play until September 10th.

HEADS UP - if you are preparing to launch something into the world that you would like to reach a successful conclusion, the time from September 9th - after 2:30PM EDT, we want the New Moon BEHIND us - and before the Moon goes Void on September 10th at 11:10AM EDT looks good. The Moon makes multiple favorable aspects during these hours and both the Sun and Moon are working together in earthy Virgo. Anything started during this time will be stable and enjoy support from authority. There are also positive and expansive money/merging aspects here. This would also be a good time to make a decision - remember thoughts really are things, and this would be even more powerful if this were a written decision/contract. Mars leaves Capricorn - where he is exalted - the very next day and won't be back for a couple years. Figure out a way to use this. Starting something Virgo ruled - work, health, diet, pets, day-to-day activities - or something within the theme of your Virgo natal house would be especially effective.

Anyhoo, back to today. We also have Ceres move into Libra today (through November 11th).

Ceres is about the seasons and cycles of life, our mama drama, the healthy and unhealthy ways we nurture and receive nurturing, how we handle deep loss and estrangement.

Ceres is the dwarf planet between Mars and Jupiter. You may be familiar with her story.

Ceres (known to the Greeks as Demeter) is the mother - the provider, the nurturer - the goddess archetype of spring. Ceres represents the part of our nature that longs to give birth and then nourish and sustain new life. She represents the essential bonding or lack of that occurs between mother and child. She is the impulse to nurture and also to be nurtured by others.

Ceres's daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Pluto, lord of the underworld. The grieving mother, Ceres wandered the earth in search of her missing child.

In her grief, depression and anger, she caused a famine, withholding nourishment from the world until her daughter was returned. Persephone meanwhile had eaten pomegranate seeds, a symbol of sexual awareness, which gave Pluto a claim over her so she could not be returned permanently to her mother.

A deal was reached so Persephone would spend part of each year in the underworld with Pluto caring for the souls of the dead, but each spring would be reunited with her mother in the upper world as she initiated the dead into the rites of rebirth (spring)

Ceres in our chart alerts us to any challenges with nurturing and directs us to the kinds of experience we need to feel unconditionally loved and accepted.

In Libra this will be about partnership and balance. The give and take of relationship. Situations will transpire that allow us to see where we are giving/sharing/receiving too much. Keep in mind Libra rules our collective 7th house which mirrors us back to us. If we aren't getting what we are needing from other people, it is probably time to ask ourselves what we are withholding from ourselves. Ceres is going to square Saturn next Tuesday - the same day Mars moves back into Aquarius and it is September 11th, so will be an important day. Relationships will likely start to feel the strain of this.

The Moon enters Leo at 9:54AM EDT turning our attention to Leo themes (and our natal Leo house theme) for the next couple days - creative projects, children, recreation, romance, gambling/risk taking and self-expression. People and situations will be more dramatic. We may all be needing a little more attention.

xo all

Mercury inconjunct Mars plus Mercury home to Virgo | a tense conversation, somebody gets loud, uncomfortable information, heated discussions, time to speak clearly and confidently without fighting or stirring an already boiling pot, time to get our shit together

Reversed reverie 08 by MotyPhoto

Mercury inconjuncts Mars on his/her way out of Leo today.

This makes for tense - possibly LOUD - conversations, uncomfortable information - rocks and hard places between our words and our actions.

This might take us back to a situation/issue from around August 20th when a retrograde Mars walked this same degree.

Let's look at an EXAMPLE for Aries/Aries Rising (Leo 5th house/Capricorn 10th house) - and because this is also where the collective energy falls since an Aries first house means the houses all get their natural rulerships, so Aries rising applies to everyone to some extent.

See if anything in the following is useful to you:

"This is a tense conversation or uncomfortable information regarding career/authority/limits likely connected to something that came into play around August 20th. Maybe you can't say what you want to say now without making the situation worse. Listen carefully. Speak precisely. Details won't be skirted. Don't jump to any fast conclusions because happening just before Mercury changes signs - this could be a whole lot of fuss about nothing much in the end.

Inconjuncts indicate "rocks and hard places" so there won't be an easy or tidy solution even with Mercury's subsequent move into Virgo -the 6th house of daily activities, co-workers, routine, pets, work and health. The good news - Saturn moves direct in Capricorn (10th house) just a few hours later stabilizing not only that house but also your finances/resources and daily work/health. Hang in there."

This is happening at the powerful and karmic 29th degree, so whatever this is - and it is happening between our natal Leo and Capricorn houses - it will be important at the time, but probably pass quickly as Mercury changes signs within hours and then Saturn (ruler of Capricorn) stations direct.

We might need the courage to say what we think, but at the same time keep in mind we don't just want to be adding fuel to a fire with our words. Walking our talk will be challenging now.

There won't be a perfect solution, but we will do our best with this.

The Cancer Moon will be in a healing/creative Grand Water Trine with Neptune and Jupiter early in the day and then will oppose Pluto in the late afternoon EDT, so we probably want to avoid getting caught up in power struggles, manipulations and other people's drama and intrigue as the day plays out.

At 10:39PM EDT, Mercury (communication, ideas, thinking, siblings) moves into organized and clear-headed Virgo until September 21st. Mercury rules Virgo and is uber-happy to be in his/her own sign after such a long time in bombastic Leo.

For the next few weeks our thinking will be more analytical. 

Conversations will be to the point.

We will want the facts.

Other people will want the facts from us.

The numbers will have to balance out.

Practical thinking matters. Mistakes will be noticed, so double check language, spelling, grammar, etc (I need to triple check because I always double check and still find errors in these posts!).

We will need to put on our magnifying glasses because if we don't see that missed punctuation mark, mathematical error, problem we have glossed over or unsubstantiated fact we are spouting - there is a very good chance someone else will. 

The shadow of Virgo is self-criticism (and criticism of everyone and everything) and self doubt - setting too high a standard. Perfectionism. Nothing is ever good enough and so things don't get finished so we don't have to be judged and come up short. Since Virgo energy - and we all have Virgo somewhere in our charts - is one of the ways we learn to love ourselves unconditionally, we are pretty much guaranteed to miss something and make mistakes now and then.

We really can figure out and work with the things that need improvement without beating ourselves up when we come up short.

If we have been searching for a solution - this is great energy to nail one down!

This is a good time to start/reactivate a mindfulness practice. Slow down. Think about what we are doing in the moment - ie "I am doing the dishes, this water is warm and soapy, these dishes are cool, the sun is shining through the window, etc."

There is so much wisdom encoded inside each one of us that gets bypassed when our lives get too noisy.

Mercury in Virgo says, " it's time to get our sh*t together ".

xo all

Mars/Mercury inconjunct played out for me yesterday like this:

I had been out in the morning and rushed back home to make lunch.

As I am driving home I am thinking I should just call hubs and tell him to get a chicken salad wrap at the deli next to his shop, but then I think about all the tomatoes - 12 jars canned just the day before - and stale crusty french loaf getting harder every minute on the kitchen counter, so instead I step on the gas.

He rushes home for a quick - and most likely quite unsatisfying - lunch. He also had a busy morning with some bad news - yes, the rock and hard place kind - about his shop location

(landlord/authority providing the uncomfortable news that he is suddenly, possibly looking to sell the building we rent and may have a buyer who I have no doubt we will find out contacted him originally around August 20th).

We are both kind of testy. Well, one of us is tired (that would be me) and one of us is testy (that would be him).

On his way out he notices an animal has been in the trash on the side of the house - trash we both forgot about from an event at our house on August 19th - and he comes back in the house yelling and  looking for a garbage bag - which he somehow needs my help finding although they are in the same place they have been for at least a decade.

So we are both out there - and I should add it is about 100 degrees and humid - him totally pissed off and me speaking clearly and confidently without pot stirring and walking my talk (astrology saves the day again folks) ie drenched in sweat and cleaning up the mess - which yes, we have no choice about and yes, includes rotting food - some of which I should have composted - ugh! - and dirty diapers - a clear indication from a wise and loving universe that it is time to get our sh*t together folks.

And start reading this blog. 

Yes, all of us. I include you, dear reader and innocent bystander, because there is really only one of here after all. The sh*t must be cleaned up. And it might be sh*t we have forgotten all about .... or have tried to.

xo again

Today's Astro plus Pallas into Virgo | a break from routine, feeling at home in unusual situations, sobering up, dealing with authority and limits, the devil is in the details, exacting standards, keeping our eye off the prize, releasing the need for applause

sleepy little sailor by waveystar

At 8:03AM EDT today, the Moon enters Cancer turning our emotional focus for the next couple days toward home, family, renovation, relocation, mom, patriotism and apple pie. We want to nurture and be nurtured. Our attention turns to what we are growing.

We (and other people, of course) can be more sensitive now.

"My house here is painted the yellow colour of fresh butter on the outside, with glaringly green shutters; it stands in full sunlight in a square that has a green garden with plain trees, oleanders and acacias. It is completely whitewashed inside, with a floor made of red bricks. And over it there is the intensely blue sky. In this house I can love and breathe, meditate and paint."
 - Vincent van Gogh

Home projects, getting the kids off to school, nurturing activities and just curling up on the sofa and getting away from it all will be enticing.

First up, three hours later, an opportunistic sextile to "out-of-the-box" Uranus (retrograde in Taurus), so a good time to handle any family/home situations in unusual or modern ways. We could feel at home in unusual situations or with unique people. This could be a good aspect for kids going back to school today - a break (Uranus) from home (Moon).

The mood gets heavier after lunch (12:22 PM EDT) when the Moon opposes sober, authoritative Saturn. The kids get restless, the teacher (and need to sit up straight) sets the rules.

I know someone who is going to traffic court tonight and that sounds about right, too. This could also be a home vs work or family vs work in the world issue. The Moon is at home in Cancer and Saturn is at home in Capricorn, so both are strong and at their best. Worthy adversaries, but Saturn is standing still and preparing to station direct right now, so UBER powerful. If we are feeling depressed this afternoon/tonight know this is a transit. It is transitory. Saturn is heavy.

We will feel what we are carrying now.

Today we also see asteroid Pallas (patterns, strategies and tactics) move into exacting Virgo. Our plans/strategies become more precise, more practical.

(we also have Mercury - communication/ideas/information - moving into this same space tomorrow, a space he/she RULES)

If we can avoid the critical, nitpicky Virgo crap - the perfection story based in our fear of whatever we are doing being judged not quite up to snuff - we can make real progress by focusing on the details and putting one foot in front of the other for the next few weeks.

With Pallas in Virgo - and Mercury about to join in - it will be easier to see what fits and what doesn't. What works and what needs fixing/tossing. What is possible and what isn't. We analyze. 

We feel the need to "get it right".

Remember Virgo is the chapter, in our hero's journey, that follows Leo. The space where those pesky "other people" start to factor into things. The space where we carry that thing we have created in Leo and bring it into the service of other people.

The space we release any need for applause. 

So, it is likely best to focus on our TACTICS rather than goals/results for now. We trust the best, most carefully worked out tactics to produce for us the best results - but we keep our eyes on the tactics - the one foot we are putting in front of the next - NOT on the finish line.

We will talk about this more tomorrow.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 3rd - part 1 - smooth communication and information flow on MONDAY

diagonal people by Igor-Demidov

We have a very active week with multiple planets changing signs, one planet stationing direct and a New Moon!

I had family over for a barbecue yesterday, so didn't get to the weekly. I will either finish out this post later today or tomorrow morning or do dailies this week.

MONDAY - Mercury sextiles Venus 
WEDNESDAY - Mercury inconjuncts Mars, Mercury moves home to Virgo and inconjuncts Chiron
THURSDAY - Saturn stations direct in Capricorn (2 degrees)
FRIDAY - Mercury trines Uranus and Saturn - Grand Earth Trine(!) - and the Sun opposes Neptune
SATURDAY - Venus squares Mars
SUNDAY - Venus moves into Scorpio and we have the New Moon in Virgo (17 degrees)

On MONDAY the Moon continues her two and a half day monthly journey through Gemini. We are busy. We are communicating. We are running errands. Information is moving. Maybe sibling issues and the local community are keeping us active.

At 8:58AM EDT, Mercury (in confident, loud and proud Leo) will sextile (opportunity) Venus (in Libra) at 25 degrees.

This is a three-peat aspect with the last sextile on August 18th when Mercury was retrograde. So something now could connect back to that date and/or to the previous Mercury/Venus sextile.

This is easy communication, the ability to get someone else to "buy in" to what we want. An opportunity between our Leo (creative projects, children, romance, recreation) and our Libra houses (relationships). Reach out to other people early in the day while this aspect is hottest.

Note - we are still under the influence of yesterday's Moon square Sun (Gemini/Virgo) - choices, decisions, information overload, obstacles.

At 1:37AM the Moon will go void and then move into Cancer at 8:03AM EDT on TUESDAY (turning our focus to home, family, home business, mother, nurturing issues for the next couple days).

Also on Monday, Venus enters her upcoming retrograde shadow.

This means Venus (as us) begins traveling degrees she will travel again while retrograde (October 5th to November 16th) - she will be back to this week's exact degrees in November. Right now she is still in her home sign of Libra. She will move into Scorpio next week and spend most of her retrograde in Scorpio.

So, if we have planets or points between 0-10 degrees of the fixed signs - we will likely feel this retrograde strongest, but everyone will be impacted either directly or through our interactions with other people. The most directly impacted will be planets/points in early Scorpio. Taurus planets (opposite the retrograde Venus) will experience oppositions - issues coming at us from the outside, culminations. Aquarius and Leo planets/points will experience the tension/stress of squares. The other water signs - Pisces and Cancer - will experience trines (brakes off).

29-25 degrees of Libra and the other Cardinal signs will also be impacted. The most directly impacted will be planets/points in late Libra. Aries planets (opposite the retrograde Venus) will experience oppositions - issues coming at us from the outside, culminations. Cancer and Capricorn planets/points will experience the tension/stress of squares. The other air signs - Gemini and Aquarius - will experience trines (brakes off). We'll talk about this as we move through it.

With Venus retrograde we will be re-examining WHAT WE TRULY VALUE.

In Scorpio, events can conspire to show us the ways we merge our emotions/bodies/finances/resources and if this stuff is still working for us. Venus rules relationships, balance, love, money, women, beauty, our resources, our values and self-esteem.

Relationships are tested. Our values and self esteem are tested. Our ideas of beauty and women are tested. The ways we handle our money and resources are tested.

If we have lost ourselves in something - maybe this autumn is the time we come up for air ...

In the meantime, this week, we will want to pay attention to the Venusian themes in our life (the stuff she rules) because with Venus set to revisit the degrees she is walking now (two more times) - these situations are going to be in play for awhile. It could also be that something that starts now will come to a dead stop later on (and with Scorpio ruling death I do not use this word lightly), so keep this in mind.

xo all - back tonight or tomorrow

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | this weekend and a peek ahead into September

mettres les voiles by Marion-Volant

On FRIDAY, we have Venus (in Libra) semi-square the Sun (in Virgo). If we had these planets semi-square in our natal chart we might find it hard to accept a compliment or take money for our services. We might continually short change ourselves. Or maybe our self-worth would get wrapped up in our bank account in other unhealthy ways. With Venus in the sign of relationships now and the Sun in the sign of the critic we might have to bite our tongue to avoid talking about the things we notice that said out loud could be more unkind than helpful. There is probably no such thing as constructive criticism.

The Moon is active. We have the Moon conjuncting Uranus disrupting our comfort zone then moving into a stabilizing trine with Saturn in the early A.M. which is good for taking action on things we want to last. The Moon (uber comfortable in Taurus) trines the Virgo Sun at 12:45PM EDT. This is opportunity for material gains and good energetics for business, negotiations with co-workers, progress with health issues, etc. We will do our Virgo. Play the hand we've been dealt. Focus on the little things. Do the thing that is right in front of us. The Moon will sextile Neptune in the evening, so a good movie/date night. Good for creativity, imagination, healing.

SATURDAY has an active Moon and is another mixed bag. Just being a Saturday should help!

By SUNDAY at 4:02AM EDT the Moon will move into Gemini focusing us on Gemini themes for the next couple days - information, communication, local issues, transportation issues, sibling issues. We will be busy, more chatty, better able to multi-task.

At 10:37PM EDT on Sunday we have the last quarter Moon of the month with the Gemini Moon squaring the Virgo Sun. We are likely overloaded with information by now, much of which we don't need. Virgo wants to cut to the chase and Gemini wants to check out every angle. It is time to be discerning. This speaks of a crisis of choice. The Virgo Sun advises us to choose what is most practical/realistic now. We might want to keep our options open, but that will just keep us stuck - for many situations it is time to choose (but not all, remember, I can't see your chart- use your own discernment). This is also the day Mercury exits his retrograde shadow - meaning he begins to travel new degrees. This summer's Mercury retrograde in Leo is behind us. Whatever we were supposed to learn we have learned. What we do with what we have learned is up to us.

Spending Sunday doing the weeklies means I never seem to have the time to look further than a few days ahead which really hampers these forecasts. I am not sure what to do about it!

Let's review a bit.

We had a Pisces Full Moon last weekend. It might have left us physically drained, especially in the early part of this week.

With a Pisces Full Moon something is released/drifts away/dissolves/culminates. We move into a new cycle leaving something behind us and we know what we need to carry into the new cycle by what has been lost if that makes any sense. We carry what we are left with. We dance with the one left on the dance floor. You get the idea.

The Grand Earth Trine (during the Full Moon) speaks of loss leading to gain - but maybe we can't see that part yet. Earth signs won't be rushed! Earth progress takes time. Earth represents real things - things we can see and touch. Baking a cake takes time. Growing a tomato takes time. Cakes don't bake if we keep opening the oven door. Seeds won't grow if we keep digging them up to check their progress. KNOW the space created by the loss creates a vacuum to be filled. Trust it.

This summer's eclipse season and retrograde cycles have put us through the wringer. For some people the resulting changes are visible things/visible losses/visible changes. For other people this stuff is more internal. Or I should say this stuff is internal for everyone and for some people there are external changes.

We are moving ahead now, but we want to take it slow.

Mercury leaves his retrograde shadow on SUNDAY. He is squaring Jupiter. So we want to RECEIVE the information (remember Jupiter is deep in Scorpio) and then be patient with what we do/say/think with it.

Mars is direct now (since Monday), but had been retrograde since the end of June and he has a few weeks before he leaves his shadow (starts covering totally new territory). He is now back to the degrees he covered around the middle of May (a big time astrologically because we also had Uranus move into Taurus at that time). There was likely something back then we were really wanting (where is 28 degrees Capricorn in your natal chart?). Then over the summer something shifted. This could have been something big or something small. But now Mars (as us) is back here again.

We have learned alot this summer. Goals changed. Soul contracts finished up. Where do we now stand with this thing we were wanting then? How do we move forward from this same space now that we have been re-booted?

By around September 6th Mars will be in full force and moving forward in Capricorn - where he is exalted. This is the day Saturn will station direct. We have been on a long, backward journey this summer. Now our thinking (Mercury) and actions (Mars) reach their logical conclusion. Saturn rules karma. And karma is really just cause and effect. We have consequences.

Maybe we meet a goal. Maybe a responsibility clobbers us in the head. Daddy's home.

On the same day Mercury finally leaves Leo and moves into Virgo where he will begin trining (brakes off) both Saturn - authority, stability, structure - and Uranus - change, revolution, freedom - for the next few days.

If a decision wasn't reached at that Quarter Moon - here is where our minds are finally made up - we are READY TO GET TO WORK.

Remember Mars is exalted (at his best) in Capricorn.

This is because hot-headed, fiery Mars gets the structure he needs to succeed within Saturn's limits and constraints. Limits are our friend now. We don't rush with Mars in Capricorn. We are grounded. We are determined. We can work alone or we can lead. We can get things done.  

So we have a couple weeks in September to settle in and get things going especially the stuff that feels like it has been dragging on and on and

then on September 10th - 11th, Mars moves into Aquarius - for the 3rd time! - here's to hoping the "third time is the charm" rather than "three strikes we're out"!

NOTE - we are far from out.

In Aquarius he will once again journey over Black Moon Lilith and the South Node and by the end of September he gets back to 4-5 degrees Aquarius where we had the Lunar Eclipse at the end of July.

Mars in Aquarius doesn't play by the rules. He can be restless and impatient and dangerous. And he will be squaring anything-can-happen Uranus. So there is alot of wildcard energy left.

Lots of loose ends and shifts are still ahead of us this month.

Another thing we have setting up is a long T-Square between Venus (women, love, money, relationships, self-esteem, our values), Mars (our initiative, action, passion, anger, courage) and Uranus (freedom, individuality, change, innovation) beginning around September 2nd and lasting almost all month. Mars is the focus of the T-Square so we will need to be active and brave. There could be relationship/financial challenges (we want freedom - Uranus AND we want the relationship/money - Venus). We don't want to go all hot-headed and do things we will regret later. We don't want to toss the baby out with the bathwater (babies are kind of cute after all). Mercury will be in Virgo to help us think things through.

Venus starts walking the degrees she will walk back over (three times total) beginning on Monday. So a Venus storyline is opening up. Most of her retrograde will be spent in deep, dark Scorpio in October, so October will be a complicated month and whatever we are dealing with begins to take form next week.

It's Virgo season though so not the time to look too far ahead with any of this - it's like we would be walking through the woods looking off into the distance and stepping on the flowers and mushrooms! Where are our feet?! Watch out for the fungi, folks! The fungi are our friends. Mostly.

September is active with lots of challenges and gifts. The time around September 11th, when Mars gets back into Aquarius will be IMPORTANT, the time  when Mars returns to square Uranus around the 18th will be IMPORTANT and the time around September 27th when Mars returns to his eclipse degree of July 27th will be IMPORTANT.

AND that is just Mars! We have alot of other pieces to the cosmic puzzle!

First up, a long weekend for many people in the United States because we have the Labor Day holiday on Monday, so appropriate for Virgo season, don't you think? Uranus in square to Mars has totally taxed our nervous system - let's give ourselves a break.

xo all