Mercury meets the Sun | practical decisions, a light on the facts, seeing the forest AND the trees, hearing what we need to hear, saying what needs to be said, that book we need to read falls into our lap, getting down to brass tacks, that thing from early August wraps up

Letters by Alhor-Ern

So today we have Mercury meeting up with the Virgo Sun at 28 degrees. This is our thinking meeting our being - we are what we think we are.

(this is also close enough to trigger the Aries point - 0 degrees of the cardinal signs - with an opposition, so important news/information is playing out on the world stage now, too - pay attention)

There are a couple ways this speaks to us. The first is that this conjunction is part of a cycle - any planet meeting the Sun starts a new/finishes an old cycle. So, we look to the last time these two met, which was August 8th, and we know something that began around that time is reaching a conclusion/culmination now. You might remember August 8th was the mid-point of Mercury's summer retrograde when we knew what the re-trograde was all about for us.

This is also about what these two planets bring (through us) when they join together and how that might look through the lens of our Virgo house.

This is excellent energy for logical communication. To come to a practical decision. For the facts to come to light that clear things up for us. To present our case. For information we can work with. For us to hear what we need to hear to move forward/on. For an answer. We can see both the trees and the forest now.

With the Sun and Mercury meeting in Virgo we can know whatever enlightenment we receive will be sensible.

Yesterday we had the Virgo Sun and the Capricorn Moon form a waxing trine (brakes off) - sensible actions/way we present ourselves integrated well with authority/our goals. So, the Sun trines the Moon then Mercury comes calling to wrap something up from early August. By tomorrow the Moon will move into Aquarius where we know she will cross that South Node (release), Mercury will leave his home sign and move into Libra, to be followed within a day by the Sun. And immediately we have these Chiron oppositions illuminating painful issues/situations and our insecurities. 

For today though we have Mercury meeting the Sun. We have the Moon meeting Mars (in Capricorn) so we won't want to be told what to do - this one speaks of an emotional nourishment through action/exertion. Maybe we need to stand up (Mars) for women (the Moon) or maybe we need to stand up to a woman!

Bottom lines for today - time to move our bodies, walk our talk, talk our game and keep our ears open.

xo all

Mars Square Uranus again | if lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, then what about three times?!

Bolt Below the Beast by Framed by Nature

Today, Mars (yes, still in Aquarius) squares Uranus (retrograde in Taurus) at 1 degree.

This is THE BIG Mars three-peat - we have had multiple three-peats - because of his recent retrograde (he - as we - is still walking degrees he has walked before).

AGAIN this is taking us back to mid-May and early August when these two powerhouses previously squared each other. We had the square with both planets direct, then with Mars retrograde and Uranus direct and now with Uranus retrograde and Mars direct.

This is the final lightning bolt!

With the South Node in Aquarius, this could be a final break from the past - situation, habit, place, person. Maybe more freedom/liberation is created, but at the same time our security/existing resources/values are shaken up.

There will be a tendency to make erratic (Uranus) moves (Mars). We, or someone else, could act suddenly and forcefully. There is stress/tension. Changes can be forced upon us. People are rebellious. No one wants to be boxed in. On the other hand, maybe what hits us like a lightning bolt and forces our hand also allows us to know exactly what we should do ... and then we actually do it.

This is a turning point. 

We have been approaching something since May and now here it is.

Keep in mind that Mars, as us, is pretty much totally out of control in Aquarius. Uranus in Taurus is answering to Venus who is squaring Mars and Black Moon Lilith and the South and North Nodes.

(and again that Leo North Node (!) - are we following our heart, are we taking actions we can be proud of, are we taking care of the children?)

The Mars square is lighting a fire under Venus (currently in deep Scorpio and walking degrees she is going to walk two more times - is this getting confusng?!) and she is passed the baton. This feels like massive change whose time has come and it started mid-May.

See Part I of my Venus retrograde post HERE.

Things can go to zero in a split second now, so be careful ....

At the same time a direct Vesta (home, hearth, what we are devoted to) is doing her own three-peat after a recent retrograde, getting back to her April 1st degree of 0 Capricorn. There is something here that is requiring our sobriety. This is us being accountable, doing the responsible thing - not letting those home fires burn out ....

xo

I wish I had time to write this by sign - but this is your Aquarius house and your Taurus house - fixed houses of your chart, so change is more challenging.

EXAMPLE for Virgo/Virgo Rising - Mars is three-peating through your 6th house of your day-to-day activities, your routine, work, co-workers, pets and your health. Something here is getting the lightning bolt. This is new, but not new and will relate back to mid-May and early August.

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 17th - expect the unexpected, breakthroughs and breakdowns and actual breaks, getting the message/answer, words can hurt, insecurities are triggered, disruptions to agreements, the payment comes due, moving into a season of cooperation and a point of balance

Autumn II by LaylaRouge

This is another big week. And yes, I say this alot but this is still another BIG week!

Let's look at:

TUESDAY - Mars squares Uranus
THURSDAY - Sun conjuncts Mercury
FRIDAY - Mercury enters Libra
SATURDAY - Sun enters Libra, Equinox, Mercury opposes Chiron
SUNDAY - Sun opposes Chiron, Mercury squares Saturn, Mercury trines Mars

Keep in mind the dates listed are when aspects are most exact, but events can occur as they are building or unwinding, so use the dates as a general guideline for anything other than the Moons.

On MONDAY, at 7:07AM EDT the Moon enters Capricorn focusing us on Capricorn themes - our career, work in the world, goals, structure, our fathers - for the next couple days. We are focused on our responsibilities and getting things done.

She trines Uranus at 10:57AM EDT - we are more comfortable with unusual/innovative people or situations. Maybe technology (or astrology!) or our groups feel supportive or allow something to move forward this morning. By 12:25PM EDT the Moon moves into her monthly meeting with sober Saturn bringing structure and organization but also a tendency to be more cautious and inflexible.

NOTE - we only have a few more days with Mercury in Virgo so whatever needs our decisive and practical thinking/planning - get on it. Once Mercury moves into Libra on Friday our thinking (and communications) may be more diplomatic and charming, but also more indecisive.

On TUESDAY, Mars squares Uranus for the third time in four months.

Life is either coming at us or something is coming through us. This is excellent energy for a breakthrough, but also a breakdown so be careful of accidents (I am especially looking at you Virgo risings, but this energy can make all of us klutzy!).

AGAIN this is taking us back to mid-May and early August when these two powerhouses previously squared each other. We had the square with both planets direct, then with Mars retrograde and Uranus direct and now with Uranus retrograde and Mars direct.

Maybe some change has been slowing approaching since May and now here it is. Maybe this is another surprise in a series of shocking surprises. Maybe some story reaches a culmination point now. Abrupt changes and breaks are possible. Because we haven't had Uranus in Taurus for 80 years we cannot rely on past experiences now - WE HAVEN'T BEEN HERE BEFORE, so we don't know what the outcome will be. We don't really know what we are doing! And neither does anyone else!

This would be the time we make some crazy ass move we might (?!) regret later, but more likely, hopefully, since this is the third of a three-peat pattern we can control our own impulsiveness with whatever we are dealing with. Unpredictable anger is totally predictable now.

And keep in mind it is the job of Uranus in Taurus to rattle our security!

At the same time we have had Mars squaring Venus. This is the boys and girls not playing so well together. This is the masculine and the feminine in crisis and under tension.

Life on planet Earth is not for sissies folks.

On WEDNESDAY, the Capricorn Moon makes nice with both Mercury and the Sun (brakes off) - in Earth signs - this is good energy for business communications/conversations, making commitments, finalizing plans, working on something real and tangible. At 1:10PM EDT the Moon goes Void off that trine to the Virgo Sun, so it's a good afternoon to get things done and shine a light on current projects - not a good time to start anything new. 

The Moon moves into Aquarius at 7:52PM EDT. Our attention likely turns to Aquarian themes for the next couple days - our groups/the collective, group activities, our causes, the goals that bring us into connection with other people, the future, technology, liberating change, being uniquely ourselves and moving beyond existing boundaries.

By Wednesday night the Moon is squaring Uranus (in Taurus) and then moves on to conjunct a potentially pissed-off reactive Mars, so not such good energy for interacting with other people. Best advice - stay off Facebook!

On THURSDAY, the Moon squares Venus, so the problems interacting with other people from last night could continue into the morning.

At 9:52PM EDT, Mercury catches up with Sun at 26 degrees Virgo. We have this aspect a few times a year as Mercury tells his/her story. We had this last on August 8th and before that on April 1st. This time we get the stage of the Mercury/Sun cycle that is similar to a Full Moon - something comes to light, to a culmination or to a conclusion.

A light shines on the information. A message comes in. There are facts, yes, real facts and clarity here.

On FRIDAY afternoon, 1:13PM EDT, the Moon goes Void off a square to Jupiter and will be void until SATURDAY morning. If the last couple days have been stressful - remember the Aquarius Moon has us reacting to all the fixed planet placements - maybe make it an early day!

At 11:40PM EDT, Mercury moves from logical Virgo into diplomatic, but indecisive (the problem with being able to see both sides of the story!) Libra.

So, to be successful our words are more polite now. We need to listen. If we want our communications to hit their target we need to make the other person feel listened to.

Conversations become kind of a dance here. We wouldn't tear off our dance partner's trousers and leave them standing there with hands covering their under shorts and last shreds of their dignity.

We wouldn't tell them they are a crappy dancer even when they step on our toes and smudge the tops of our favorite shoes.

A type of kindness and civility prevails on the dance floor. We smile. We talk about the things everyone can agree on. With the floor spinning beneath our feet we still manage to find common ground. That is the energy that moves communications, ideas and conversations forward now.

Mercury is going to fly through Libra (through October 9th) - so expect your natal Libra house theme and the collective Libran theme of our relationships/partnerships to be CRACKLING!

With Mercury in Libra and Libra squaring Capricorn we know Mercury is going to square both Saturn and Pluto over the next few weeks as well as oppose Chiron in Aries. First up will be the opposition to Chiron on SATURDAY (maybe painful news or conversation) and then a square to Saturn on SUNDAY that could bring some kind of written contract/commitment or some limit via a conversation or communication. For some, the upcoming squares could bring sibling/local community/transportation issues.

On SATURDAY, the Moon enters Pisces at 8:27AM EDT making all of us more sensitive and vulnerable over the next couple days, but also more compassionate. Boundaries are thin. Our focus could turn to Piscean themes for the next couple days - what is hidden or put away or done behind the scenes, secrets, the ethereal realms, imagination, hospitals, spirituality, addiction, healing.

The Moon sextiles Uranus (the opportunity comes through the new and unusual and by being ourselves) and Saturn (the opportunity comes through handling our responsibilities and doing the right thing) before mid-afternoon EDT.

At 9:55PM EDT, the Sun moves into Libra bringing us the Fall Equinox a day with an equal balance of daylight and dark.

The Sun begins to fall (weakens) as we move into longer nights and shorter days. It is the opposite down under. The Sun is considered in his detriment in Libra. Libra's focus is on "the other" and the Sun (Leo/ego) wants to focus on himself! In Libra the Sun needs the cooperation and attention of other people to fully develop. 

The Sun in Libra is excellent energy to focus on beauty - where is the beauty in our life?

The Sun immediately joins Mercury in an opposition to Chiron in Aries and the Moon is in emotional Pisces! Ouch! Communications are sensitive. Words can be painful. News/information that comes to light could hit us where it hurts. An insecurity is triggered. 

On SUNDAY at 12:46PM EDT Mercury (in Libra) squares Saturn (in Capricorn). It is hard to communicate with other people/partners. Maybe there are limits to what can be said or news/information that has come in limits what we can do. After this week's reveal of the facts (Mercury/Sun) maybe here is where we deal with what we can't have. This would not be the time to ask someone for a favor. Maybe we are dealing with authority - bottom line we are restricted. The answer is "no".

This energy could also bring us to a solid written contract/commitment or be a relationship (Libra) vs career (Capricorn) issue.

At 1:23PM EDT the Moon conjuncts dreamy Neptune in dreamy Pisces - we want to escape! Great for making art, meditation, healing. Our sensitivity is through the roof. Let's be gentle with each other. We also have the exact Sun opposition to Chiron now - ouch - more reason to be gentle to each other and to ourselves.

Then at 9:23PM EDT Mercury (in Libra) will trine Mars (in Aquarius). This is our words and our actions working together. We have to work within the confines of that Saturn square (the wall), but now the energy comes in to put a cooperative plan to work. Our mind will be active and our tongues sharp, so don't forget the need for Libran balance and diplomacy to move things forward now. With Mars in Aquarius our actions should be new and innovative. They need to be liberating - yes, even with that Saturn square - let's think this thing through! We can do it if we work together.

(and yes, I know I sound like Mrs. Davis your kindergarten teacher - but everything we really need to know we learned in kindergarten anyway, right?)

That about lays out the week. Keep in mind Venus (in Scorpio) is walking degrees she will walk two more times and she is opposing unpredictable/liberating Uranus - in play for most of the rest of the year AND we have never, in our lifetimes (unless we are in our 80's or older) had Uranus in Taurus opposing Venus (ruler of Taurus). AND at the same time she is squaring the North and South Nodes of Fate (karmic situations) and opposing Mars and Mars is moving toward his third direct hit with that South Node next week. There is alot happening here and we can't look to the past to predict the future because we haven't been here before. If we are counting on something Venusian - love, money, values - to work out the way it did before we can't be sure of that. Our trajectory has changed! The good news is things that didn't work before might be worth another try now.

OK, that's it for the weekly. Back with some dailies. Don't let the cray-cray make you too cray-cray. Stay in your magic.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creative | today and the weekend ahead - illusions and delusions, use your imagination, take some independent action, exploration, words are powerful

wish we explored by Dark Gomo

We talked some about THURSDAY HERE.

We end the week with alot of Mercury activity - so we will probably be busy with lots of ideas/information/communications.

We have Mercury (home in Virgo) opposing Neptune (home in Pisces).

This would NOT be the time to sign a written contract or make a verbal commitment. We won't have all the facts. Information will shift. Don't make any assumptions. Our rational thinking dissolves or maybe our carefully choreographed something-or-other drifts off course. Best to wait with any major decisions. Mercury is moving fast now and will be out of Neptune's slippery grasp in a couple days.

We also have Mars (in Aquarius) sextiling (opportunity) Chiron (in Aries). There is something here about taking action even when it hurts or taking care of something that hurts with action. 

If we have a physical problem this would be a good time to seek out a new therapy, etc. This would be a good time to try a new tactic/action and to have that action be helpful/healing.

So our brain may be on drugs right now, but our actions - and life can likely use any action we take here - can create a healing opportunity. With Chiron in independent Aries (and answering to Aries ruler Mars in Aquarius) - there probably isn't someone coming along to save us. We are going to have to pull our own ass out of that well. And we are probably going to get out in some kind of unusual manner that is unique to us. Be brave. Do you. Take action from a place that honors yourself. Don't squash anyone else in the process.

MOVE YOUR PHYSICAL BODY.

We also have Venus (in Scorpio) sextiling (opportunity) Saturn (in Capricorn). Remember the water signs sextile the earth signs which is why we need to have an emotional reaction to create something real and solid and lasting! This is great energy to stabilize (Saturn) a relationship (Venus). This is great energy to stabilize (Saturn) a financial situation (Venus). Money/energy invested now will pay off later. Time put into something we care about now will pay off later.

On FRIDAY, the Moon is Void all day - we haven't had an all-day Void Moon in awhile.

This would not be a good day to start anything new. Not much will come of things that come up, so if you need a mental health day, which could be a good thing with that Mercury/Neptune influence, now might be the time to take it - you shouldn't miss much that amounts to anything later.

The Scorpio Moon has gone void off a sextile to the Sun in Virgo - this would be a great day for some kind of detox, cleansing. We can use that waning Mercury/Neptune for powerful (remember both planets are in their home signs so functioning well) creative work, healing, prayer, meditation.

At 8:54PM EDT, the Moon moves into Sagittarius focusing us on Sag themes for the next couple days - exploration, the big picture, our beliefs, travel, higher education, weddings, politics, legal issues, the media, publishing, foreigners, everything outside our comfort zone - maybe taking Friday off and traveling this weekend would be a good idea! We might find we are too busy to do this though.

At 10:23PM EDT, the Sag Moon will sextile (opportunity) Mars (in Aquarius). Remember the fire signs sextile the air signs - which is why we need to take action on our thinking/ideas to get the opportunity! Things will be lively. Great for a social gathering.

On SATURDAY/SUNDAY we have Mercury (remember he is strong and moving fast through his home sign of Virgo) trining (brakes off) powerful Pluto. We, and other people, will be passionate about our ideas and able to communicate in powerful ways.

Our words (Mercury) are powerful (Pluto) and deep.

Let's use them wisely. This would be excellent energy to make a speech or write something/learn something transformational. Ideas are influential.

Mercury has just moved past Neptune. He has cut through the bullshit/illusion.

Now he/she trines (brakes off) Pluto and then moves into an opportunistic sextile with Jupiter (in Scorpio). We can connect the dots and see the big picture. Great for promotion, media, investigation, digging deep. Our gifts of communication, our ideas, our speech, maybe our reach - expands. Just avoid reckless words and making preachy sermons. I would imagine preachers will be connecting with alot of people on Sunday morning.

At 10:15PM EDT on Sunday, the Moon reaches her First Quarter Square with the Sag Moon squaring the Virgo Sun. Whatever started at last week's New Moon reaches its first tension/crisis. This is the big picture vs the details. Make some tweaks.

The Moon goes Void until 7:07AM EDT on Monday morning when she moves into Capricorn focusing us on Capricorn themes - our career, work in the world, goals, structure, our fathers - for the next couple days.

So we will begin next week with a sober Capricorn Moon heading toward Tuesday's 3rd square between Mars and Uranus!

xo all

Venus 's Upcoming Retrograde in Scorpio/Libra | what do we really want/love now, what do we REALLY value, temptations in the desert/dessert and are we too focused on what isn't ours? part I

toxic city 04 by Art-de-Viant

As I write this Venus is moving through 1 degree Scorpio.

She is going to move forward until she gets to 10 degrees Scorpio (October 5th) and then she is going to station retrograde and begin moving backward through Scorpio (from our point of view here on Earth). On Halloween she will get back into the sign of Libra and continue moving backward until she gets all the back to 25 degrees Libra (November 16th) and then she will station direct and start moving forward - walking again, this time direct, all the degrees she has walked before.

So the degrees from 25 Libra (which Venus first walked back on September 3rd when she kicked this whole season off) through 10 degrees Scorpio are the "hot" spots for this retrograde. She won't be covering entirely new ground until the middle of December when she sextiles Saturn and moves past 10 degrees Scorpio. Whew. Got it?!

Anyone with planets and points between 25 degrees Libra and 10 degrees Scorpio as well as people with planets and points between 0-10 degrees of the fixed signs (because Venus will square Aquarius and Leo and oppose Taurus) and between 25-29 degrees of the cardinal signs (because Venus will square Cancer and Capricorn and oppose Aries) will probably feel this retrograde strongest, but we will ALL be impacted - particularly within the themes of the houses in our chart that Venus visits and revisits AND through the themes of the houses she rules in our natal chart AND within the more general themes Venus rules - love, partnership, balance, money, our values, our resources, women and beauty.

If our age is divisible by 8 (she makes a complete journey every 8 years) this retrograde might affect us more. And for all of us what was happening in our life, with our relationships and with our money and self-esteem 8 years ago?

Until Halloween she will be moving through SCORPIO. So, let's tackle Scorpio first.

Scorpios (and our Scorpio planets/houses) will be most directly impacted.

Venus in Scorpio is about the way we merge with other people. In Libra we meet another person, maybe we like the way they look, maybe we like the way they make us look, we cooperate, we come into a balance, maybe we fall in love. In Scorpio, things get deeper and messier. Maybe we merge our physical bodies and have sex. Maybe we merge our money via a joint bank account. We get to know the stuff about the other person/situation that isn't quite so "pretty". We get to look under the hood. Sometimes we go too deep, too fast and lose sight of land or even ourselves! Things get complicated, sometimes even toxic.

Venus retrogrades are typically times when events transpire to show us what we value. 

Relationships are tested. 

The way we handle our money (and other resources including the planet Earth) is tested.   

The retrograde period itself (October 5th - November 16th) isn't really a time to make major changes - it's not such a good time to start a business or love relationship that we want to last, for example - it's a time things happen to get us to clarity so we can take action, if we choose to, when Venus is direct (November 16th).

Venus asks us, "what/who do you love now? what/who do you want now?".

With Venus in Scorpio - the ruler of our 8th house of other people's money/other people's values and possessions - we will surely be figuring out where we have been too focused on what isn't ours. This will also be about the way we handle power - either by abusing it or avoiding it. The ways we obsess and manipulate to get what we want. The ways we merge ourselves and our resources and how all of this is working out for us.

She rules both Taurus and Libra (yes, the Goddess energy is like most women, capable of managing multiple energy streams at the same time) - with Taurus energy she rules the earthly realm - plants, flowers, nature's food - that which nourishes us body and soul - with Libra she presides over social interaction, relationship, art - everything that makes the world more beautiful.

She balances Mars (although women are not really from Venus and men are not really from Mars, it is rather energetically accurate for the feminine and the masculine - it is not a man/woman thing though we all have both energies within us).

We dishonor Venus with vanity or idleness - this doesn't mean she wants us to be busy though. Busyness is often an excuse for dishonoring the very things we need to do to take care of ourselves (busyness dishonors our businesses, too) because Venus takes care of herself!

We dishonor Venus when we gossip or mistreat relationships. When we don't take care of our physical selves and surroundings. When we just live with the mess. When we pollute our bodies with crappy food. When we allow our values to become corrupted. When we ignore our passions - we are the caregivers of what we are passionate about in the physical world.

While she is in Scorpio she is going to oppose Taurus - Taurus will face something from the outside - a "me vs you", maybe an ending, a culmination, maybe a confrontation - maybe with a woman, maybe with a Scorpio or another water sign. Taurus gets the opposition.

While Venus is in Scorpio she is going to square Aquarius and Leo. Aquarius and Leo get the tension/crisis. They get the square that requires the pivot.

Scorpio gets the full impact (and anyone with those 0-10 degree placements). What do we really want? What do we really value? How do we share what we have with other people? How do we take what other people have? How to we merge with other people? Are we too focused on what isn't ours? There can be situations that bring us to a brutal honesty with ourselves here.

Common advice during a Venus retrograde is to not buy any luxury items (they will probably not bring us what we are wanting them to), not to make any drastic physical changes - so no dramatic haircuts, not the best time to start home renovations because you might not like what you get and have to redo it later, not the best time to start a new love relationship because when Venus walks back over the same area the relationship could fall apart.

It is a good time for things from the past related to Venus to reappear (yes, all retrogrades are "re" periods) in our lives - something that comes back to you now will most likely be more karmic clean up than opportunity though. Old loves. Old passions. Sometimes we might re-discover a love we had lost ...

I think with Venus retrograde in Scorpio (for 40 days and 40 nights which sounds familiar although we are more likely to be tempted by dessert than in a desert) we might have to face some kind of TEMPTATION. We could seduce or be seduced - and this doesn't have to be about a person, but it might be (it could also be about an idea or an object)!

We will talk more about this in Part II with Venus's morning star/evening star cycle and Venus in Libra and then in Part III we will take a look by sign.

xo all

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 10th - hurricane season, where is your power, where is your expertise, staying grounded, expecting the unexpected, relationship/financial challenges, stepping into your power

s by marina kochetyga

Some major aspects this week are:

SUNDAY - New Moon in Virgo, Venus moves into Scorpio
MONDAY - Mars returns to Aquarius and squares Uranus
TUESDAY - Sun trines Pluto and sextiles Jupiter
WEDNESDAY - Venus opposes Uranus and sextiles Saturn, Jupiter sextiles Pluto
THURSDAY - Mercury opposes Neptune
SATURDAY - Mercury trines Pluto and sextiles Jupiter

Look at those aspects! Whew!

Keep in mind all the aspects listed above (other than the New Moon) are transits. So the dates listed are the days when the aspects are most exact, but we can feel them days before and after, building and unwinding, and that can be when situations play out or peak.

We have Mars leaving Capricorn where he is exalted and moving into Aquarius where he is totally unpredictable! He was first at zero degrees Aquarius back in mid-May, then early August retrograde and now makes his final pass on Monday.

What story has he been walking back and forth over in our life?

This is also the loaded degree Mars transited on the very pivotal election day of 2016

(HERE is a post about that)

and Pluto (after meeting with Saturn in January 2020) crosses this degree in January 2024 as he finally leaves Capricorn having transformed via his sledge hammer all the structures ruled by Capricorn - our government, safety nets, banks, yada, yada, yikes.

Both January 2020 and January 2024 are tied into the U.S. inaugurations, so politics plays a big role in our collective Aquarian future.

I noticed the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has some really challenging Neptune/Pluto aspects - don't know his birth time though - that could pull the rug right out from under him - which although it seems impossible he won't get in with the Republicans really pushing for him and the Democrats so powerless - fits with the upcoming astrology, so I guess we'll see what happens. If he does get in maybe he won't do what the people pushing for him want him to do once he gets in there or maybe he doesn't get to stay - but is that even possible? Trump, of course, has challenges in September and even bigger challenges in December that we talked about before and I know I still need to finish up his series!

Keep in mind we have never had an impeached President - if something like that were to happen - actually tossed out of office (Nixon resigned and Johnson and Clinton were impeached by the House and acquitted by the Senate). And Pence's chart - although I don't have a birth time - doesn't look very presidential ....

OK, back to our week ahead -

SUNDAY - we talked about the New Moon HERE.

Please do your New Moon intentions - we are literally pulling the dream (Neptune) into our reality through that Virgo New Moon portal. We won't have all the answers and we could still feel foggy and distracted and are going to have to knuckle under and stay with it. Just do the logical next step with whatever you are wanting to begin.Virgo doesn't require some big, bold move.

Venus leaves her home sign of Libra and moves into intense and complicated Scorpio - she continues to walk degrees she will walk two more times due to her upcoming retrograde. So whatever we have going on with Venusian themes - love, money, relationships, resources, our values and self-esteem - will be playing out over the next couple months.

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 gets easier for them to attract what they want.

Venus is considered in her 'detriment' in Scorpio. It's dark. It's ruled by Pluto. It's not her favorite place to hang out. We will notice how we use other people's energy and how they use ours. Vampires do not really only come out in the night.

Venus in Scorpio doesn't look like the more traditional beauty of Venus in Libra. Her beauty is dark and forbidding now. She doesn't flirt. She seduces. She doesn't want peace at any cost so much as she wants to feel what's really underneath all the phony smiles and superficial niceties.

Scorpio rules death and destruction and now this comes through our relationships.

Here Venus pushes herself to the edge of life with compulsions, intimacy, jealousy, obsession and a struggle for real power. She goes into the dark corners that hold all our secrets and she coaxes them out into the open. There can be brutal and deep honesty here.  

Relationships get intense. 

If you are working through the unraveling of a relationship or financial quagmire - this energy will be your best friend. 

Scorpio Suns and Ascendants get more attractive (more beautiful and more able to attract what they want). Your Scorpio house (where is Scorpio hanging out in your natal chart?) gets more magnetic, too.
Although the theme of whatever house is ruled by Scorpio in our natal chart is naturally complicated!

Honesty is recommended for the next few weeks because we will all be feeling our way through everyone's bullshit.

While Venus is in Scorpio (she doesn't get into Sagittarius until January 7th!) we are charged with figuring out what we really want and why we want it. Much of this work will be done unconsciously. With Scorpio (modern ruler Pluto, ancient ruler Mars) this is alot about power and control.  

Does the other person/situation make us stronger or more vulnerable?

We could be merging our resources (ruled by Venus) with other people's resources (ruled by Scorpio/Pluto) - this could take the form of relationship commitments, sex, reproduction, mortgages, financing, cooperative ventures. Things along these lines that we might not normally consider we could be attracted to now.

These attractions could easily lapse into obsessions.

We could fill hours looking at expensive houses on the internet or other people on okcupid. If something begins to feel like, "we must get this NOW" we will know we have slipped over the edge. It will be time to ask ourselves what we are really looking for. With Venus (and let's not forget Jupiter) visiting our Scorpio house the answers will be available to us if we seek them ... and maybe even if we don't!

Venus in Scorpio could uncover some not-so-pretty truths. Things we might not want to see or know about. But like a car wreck on the side of a highway we won't be able to look away.  

We could be amazed by the depth of our feelings now.

It's also a good time to uncover other types of hidden resources including money. I would say 'start digging' but with Jupiter in residence your shovel is probably already in the dirt.

On MONDAY the Virgo Moon starts off the day very productively with a nice trine to an active and ambitious Mars in Capricorn - so get things done EARLY. If you haven't done your New Moon intentions get them done before the Moon goes void at 11:12AM EST.

After a short void, the Moon moves into Libra at 11:20AM EST focusing us on Libran themes for the next couple days - partnership, balance, social activities, beauty, art.

At 3:34PM EDT the Moon will square Saturn - this is challenging. Limits are tense and frustrating. It will be harder to get along with other people. Not a good time for negotiations.

We will just have to deal with whatever is coming at us.

Venus inconjuncts Chiron (wounded healer). Here's a rock and a hard place (no real solution) between our love, money, relationships, self-esteem, values, resources and something that hurts - a sore spot/fear is triggered. With Chiron in independent, warrior Aries this could be about something we can't control or maybe it seems we need to fight and we are past/not up to fighting. We can't let ourselves be strong armed into just giving up. Chiron in Aries is about being brave even when we need to go it alone. Maybe today's battle is unwinnable, but not even bothering to put up a fight means we lose not only the battle, but the entire war.

Maybe there is a higher way than taking up arms - maybe we can embrace what is hurting us - that's what Chiron is all about really. Although with Mars move into radical Aquarius it is really going to hurt to give up anything - especially anything that smacks of independence. Or maybe there is another solution. Personally I am not so into loving what hurts right now. Maybe there is a way to rise above the entire situation. Remember Venus is walking degrees she will walk three times and she is sextiling stable, serious Saturn and trining powerful Pluto - Venus (as us) is playing the long game now, too. Be smart. Don't go too deep, too fast, but don't be taken advantage of either.

How badly do we want this thing?

EXAMPLE for Taurus/Taurus Rising - Venus is in your 7th house of equal partnerships/relationships. She is inconjunct (rock and hard place) Chiron in your 12th house - what is happening behind the scenes, behind your back, your own self-sabotaging tendencies, your past, what you don't want to look at. She is moving into an opposition with Uranus (in your 1st house of yourself) and into sextile - the opportunity - with stable Saturn while trining (brakes off) powerful/transforming Pluto. A partner can bring swift changes or what you want can be visible through another person. No matter what this is - the opportunity comes through Saturn - YOU stepping into your authority, your responsibility - focusing on long term goals, seeing past what is happening right now to what is REALLY happening. Do your Saturn! Is this good for you long-term or isn't it? Don't sabotage yourself because of a fear of the fight. Venus - your ruling planet - is in manipulative Scorpio now. You can fight, too.

At 8:56 PM EDT Mars says hast-la-vista baby to Capricorn, not to be back for a couple years, and moves back into Aquarius.

The story we have been walking since mid-May comes full circle.

If we left something to rust along side the road in April/May it could be time to pick it back up. Mars in Aquarius is out of bounds until the end of the month - this is good because we can do things we have never done before, but not so good for things where we need stuff to go as planned because it won't.

Mars isn't containable in Aquarius like he was in Capricorn and he immediately starts squaring Uranus (still at 2 degrees Taurus) so expect disruptions and unexpected situations/events.

If you made some kind of crazy move mid-May ... that story could wrap up or move forward in some way now. With Mars moving from Earth to Air -  we could ALL feel like we are coming out of that cave in Thailand!

The Moon is waxing (growing). Set some wheels in motion, folks. 

EXAMPLE for Aquarius/Aquarius Rising  - Mars returns to your 1st house of yourself until the middle of November. Something you set aside last spring is ready to be brought back onto the table. Mars will bring back your motivation and it will be full-steam ahead. Go for it. 

On TUESDAY, the Sun (in Virgo) sextiles Jupiter (in Scorpio) and trines Pluto (in Capricorn). Jupiter and Pluto have been on friendly terms for months and now the Virgo Sun shines a light on the details, information, etc we need to make the most of an OPPORTUNITY. 

This energy is dynamic and confident. We could reap the rewards of our hard work now, too. This is good energy to fix what needs fixing, to use our power wisely and opportunistically and to BUILD SOMETHING. See WEDNESDAY for more about this one.

EXAMPLE for Virgo/Virgo Rising -  the Sun in your 1st house of yourself lights up that ongoing opportunity between Jupiter (in your 3rd house of communication, information, writing, siblings, transportation or your local neighborhood) and Pluto (in your 5th house of creative projects, your self-expression, what you give birth to, children, romance and recreation). Written projects, the ability to say just the right thing at just the right time, on-target communications are all possibilities. Speak with confidence Virgo! Just remember that foggy Neptune is opposing your Sun so double check everything.

At 7:57PM EDT the Moon squares Pluto - this is good for working hard all by ourselves. Interactions with other people can be tricky - avoid obsessions, manipulations, power plays.

The Moon goes Void until 2:15PM EDT on WEDNESDAY. Don't start anything new on Wednesday before this time.

While we sleep, Jupiter moves into his 3rd exact sextile with Pluto. This is an expansion of power. This is us taking the thing we do well and making it BIGGER. This is when we see the forest AND the trees. This is deep and lasting transformation.

And now we have the Virgo Sun lighting up the whole thing. 

This is an important three-peat aspect.

We had this first on January 15th at 19 degrees Scorpio/Capricorn, then today at 21 degrees with Jupiter retrograde and then the final sextile will be on September 12th at 18 degrees with Pluto retrograde.

These sextiles will most strongly impact those with planets/points around those degrees.

This is about DEEP change. Fortune favors the bold with this one. Jupiter is expanding Pluto's power. Someone is making a big, bold move. There is opportunity here, but we will have to confidently act on it. This could be about our beliefs about what is possible. 

Venus opposes Uranus and sextiles Saturn - we talked about this for TUESDAY with the Chiron aspect. Opposition usually come through other people.

With Uranus, people will bring us what we are not expecting! 

With Venus upcoming retrograde we will be dealing with Venus/Uranus for a while. This could be a sudden love affair or sudden financial purchase. Venus is very seductive in Scorpio and Uranus is something/someone we wouldn't normally go for or someone/something that is different from what we usually have/want. 

Keep in mind Venus is preparing to go retrograde and do her 40 days and 40 nights when we could be enticed (sound familiar?) into some kind of relationship/financial impulsive actions we might regret later.

The Moon will oppose Uranus today, too - so we can really expect the unexpected (ugh, I hate that expression).

Venus is in Scorpio - seducing, manipulating, obsessing. Uranus is in Venus-ruled Taurus so answering to her, but Uranus is disruptive. Relationships are challenged here. So are finances.

Uranus could bring a break-through or a breakdown. The opportunity (sextile) with this comes through Saturn - stepping into our authority, dancing with the one who brought us, living up to our responsibilities, having a long-term plan, setting limits - which will be hard with that freedom-loving Uranus opposition. Think - structured changes and self control. AND give the other energies their due - do something different, expect a different side of ourselves, and other people, to emerge now - be welcoming.

On THURSDAY the Moon is in Scorpio focusing us on Scorpian issues for the next couple days - banking, taxes, other people's money, our debts, loans, partner's income, intimacy, sex, reproduction. We will be feeling whatever we are feeling more intensely now. It's a time to avoid obsessing over things. Avoid compulsions and manipulations.

At 4:02PM EDT the Scorpio Moon sextiles Mercury - good for research and  going deep with information/conversations. At 4:51PM EDT she trines Neptune - good for our imagination, spirituality, meditation, prayer, healing.

The big energy for the end of the work week comes at 9:32PM EDT - we will feel this a couple days before and after - when Mercury (home in Virgo) opposes a retrograde Neptune (home in Pisces).

Yes, more of the Virgo/Pisces polarity.

(and speaking of Polarity - warning shameless plug ahead - have you seen my Polarity Lockets - blog readers get 15% off this month with coupon code OLIVEBITESBLOG)

With the opposition involving Mercury - communication/ideas/information - we could be taking in too much information and not all of it will be factual!

This is not the best time to make a big decision or more forward with something based on information that comes in right now.

Things will not be quite what they appear to be now.

Remember this is an opposition. We are either "just the facts jack" Mercury in Virgo meeting dreamy, illusionary and possibly deceptive Neptune via another person or outside situation. 

Or we are dreamy Neptune and our fantasy meets those uncooperative, messy things called facts.

Either way the sands are shifting.

We will need to think twice about what we are saying/communicating. Misunderstandings are likely now.

The truthfulness of whatever we are dealing with will be complicated.

We could be lied to or we could be the one spinning a tangled web.

Treat what you hear/read/experience now with a sense of curiosity - ask yourself - "well, isn't that interesting?" - nothing will be quite what it seems.

People, including us, will think they know more than they do. Things can look better, or worse, than they actually are. It would be best to read this post, and everything else you are consuming via language now (especially the news), with more skepticism than you normally would.

This could also be about us avoiding the facts. 

EXAMPLE for Scorpio/Scorpio Rising - Mercury is in your 11th house of the collective - your friendships, groups, causes, the internet, the public, the goals that bring you into relationship with other people, your advancement, technology and opposing Neptune in your 5th house of -
creative projects, your self-expression, what you give birth to, children, romance and recreation. Be careful you are not just seeing/hearing/reading what you want to see within these themes. This energy is activating that powerful Jupiter/Pluto sextile so what do you actually KNOW - where is your expertise Scorpio? Focus on that. Talk about that. Your words - that 3rd house Capricorn - are powerful now. You can convince an Inuit to buy an ice maker, but don't. Use your words wisely and you can reap the benefit.

We will talk about Friday and the weekend in a following post! Mercury is flying so it will be another busy week.

xo all