Merry Christmas | Mercury square Neptune, Moon in Joyous and Celebratory Leo - fuzzy thinking, big words, reality vs illusion, did a jolly someone really come down our chimney last night and does it really matter, celebrate early, tensions around love and money and control, power struggles in the p.m, focusing on the joy, Merry Christmas ya' filthy animals

Merry Christmas from Sully

Yesterday morning the Moon moved into Sun-ruled fiery Leo - turning our attention to Leo themes - recreation, children, fun, romance, joy, creativity, what we take pride in - for the next couple days.

What more can we ask of a Christmas Moon?

Mercury (still in big-picture Sagittarius) squared Neptune (in dreamy Pisces) yesterday afternoon and its influence continues today. This can make our thinking fuzzy or we might pick up the nuances of what others are really saying when their words and feelings are not really lining up.

We could be gaslighted or we could see/feel the gaslight coming a mile away. I would imagine a great many people had too much to drink last night.

The energy is waning today (EST), but it's still a good idea to drive safely, pay attention to where you put your keys, double check directions, etc. People will be wanting to talk about the things they know and everyone will think they know more than they do. A crisis of faith is possible. Can we believe in the spirit of Christmas and let go of the man in the bright red suit? Or has our eye been on the red suit? Wishful thinking could bring some disappointment.

As for that fiery Leo Moon, she is uber busy today trining Jupiter (10 degrees) and Mercury (14 degrees) - making the morning and early afternoon the best times for social gatherings, communications and our holiday celebrations - squaring Venus (17 degrees) and Ceres (18 degrees) bringing some tension re our money, resources, love, women, beauty, nurturing, things we can't control, cooperation - later in the day. At night our Leo Moon will inconjunct (that rock and hard place) powerful Pluto - maybe we want to play, but there is a need for seriousness for some reason. This feels like a grown-up telling the child to go to bed (and grow up while she's at it!). It seems the time to put away our Christmas toys comes too soon. It may be best to be tucked in our beds early so the only power struggles we are dealing with are over the covers ....

xo all and Merry Christmas!

Building toward the Winter Solstice | Full Moon in Cancer - a spotlight on something painful, the courage to do something new, good news, big, bold words, the emotional stuff that comes up when we push forward with our outer-world goals, coming home to our pack, forgive your ancestors, call your mother

SATURDAY'S Full Moon in Cancer at 0 degrees, this year coming just hours after the Sun's move into Capricorn signals the Winter Solstice (meaning the Sun stands still), means we get a bright night sky on the longest night of the year (north of the equator, switch that around for parts south).

That sounds promising already!

Here's the chart. We have never seen anything like this --->

This chart has been building all week, so let's take a look at the different energies/stories in play.

On WEDNESDAY, the Sagittarius Sun will square wounded healer Chiron (in Pisces) and then moves on to trine Uranus (in Aries) on THURSDAY.

So a spotlight is shining on something painful, a flaw, something that makes us feel vulnerable, something that can't really be "fixed", maybe an ending, maybe something needs to be adjusted, maybe something we have placed "on faith" in - and it is creating tension/stress and the process of putting ourselves back together/moving forward will require we have the courage to do something different. We had the square back in March when Chiron was direct, so it could connect back to last spring.

On FRIDAY, Mercury (in big-picture, bold Sagittarius) conjuncts Jupiter (ruler of Sagittarius) at 9 degrees. This is the big-picture/the forest (Jupiter) and the details/the trees (Mercury) coming together. This could connect back to the end of November when these planets met up during Mercury's retrograde - maybe an idea/conversation/communication from back then gets green-lighted now. An answer/information comes in. Plans are made. There can be clarity/wisdom here BUT keep in mind Jupiter is full of hot air, so things can seem bigger (and better) than they actually are. This energy can bring good news and is in play all week and during the weekend's Solstice and Full Moon.

This could also be about a situation involving a sibling, community issue or transportation situation (all Mercury ruled). A good day for commerce and communication. And with the Moon in multi-tasking and conversational Gemini and answering to Mercury we are likely to be VERY BUSY.

Also on Friday, Venus (in Scorpio) moves into trine (brakes off) with dreamy Neptune (in Pisces) at 13 degrees. This will probably give whatever is happening a touch of magic - a kind of surreal feel. People with planets/points in their natal chart in the middle degrees of the water signs will feel this energy strongest.

On SATURDAY the Sun moves into Capricorn - - as we celebrate the Winter Solstice (Summer Solstice down-under) - kicking off an intense Capricorn season, hold onto your hats for January, folks - which comes crashing in with an eclipse - there are five eclipses in 2019 and SIX in 2020. The Solstice chart (very similar to the chart above) impacts the entire winter. The Winter Solstice carries the energy of Capricorn - traditions, history, our structure, what we need to get us through the winter, our paternal heritage.

At 12:48PM EST the Moon moves into Cancer and opposes that Capricorn Sun giving us the Cancer Full Moon at 0 degrees.

Full Moons are times of culminations and peak energy, of endings and things "coming to light", but with this one at 0 degrees - we have all of Capricorn to plow through AFTER the Full Moon - and impacted by the Winter Solstice (start of a NEW season) there is maybe something starting here, too.

The Cancer Moon is sitting all alone in the Full Moon chart. We, and everyone else, will be feeling very emotional. Although out of sign, an opportunistic sextile to Uranus is again supportive of change and innovation. Opportunities through friends and groups and with the dreams that bring us into connection with other people.

All the energies we talked about this week are in play now.

We have the moon (where we've been, what we know, feminine energy, being) and the sun (where we are trying to go/be, masculine energy, doing) as far apart in the sky as they can be from our earthly perspective during a full moon.

In Cancer/Capricorn - and remember this is where the Nodes of the Moon are now and we will be talking about these energies alot as we move through 2019 - this is the polarity of male/female roles, work and the world vs home and family, how we push ourselves toward meeting new goals vs how we care for ourselves and meet our needs for safety and security, dad vs mom, also money vs love stuff - lots of family patterns and soul group stuff coming to the surface now to be released if we are paying attention.

This release is our gift to ourselves and to the world. It's bigger than anything that jolly, red cloaked fellow can carry in his pack this holiday season.

Cancer rules mothering, motherhood, mothers, vulnerability, nurturing, self-care, home, family, emotions, safety, security, our ancestors, patriotism, country. Cancer energy does not want to be vulnerable - although it almost always benefits from showing its humanity, its vulnerability - it wants to play it safe - there are mother connections to this stuff and how we were mothered and how we mother and nurture ourselves and others. This is about how the sacred mother energy, our matriarchal inheritance, has been erased. This is about home and our roots and the ancestral DNA we get to work with. There are some big energies here. This is the time of the rebalancing of masculine/feminine energies on the planet.

The spaces in our life where we lead (Capricorn) are asking us to be more open-hearted (Cancer) now.

The astrology of these 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).

People are telling me they can't wait for the patriarchy to collapse forgetting that we are the patriarchy!

If we are awake now, the bad news (which isn't totally bad news) is that we are in an AP class, the good news (which isn't totally good news) is we are grading ourselves now ...

If Saturday'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 - 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 2018, then maybe imagine all your cares literally flowing down the drain with the water when you are finished.

Back with a look ahead toward 2019 and beyond. Most of us are ending 2018 very differently than we expected. Let's see how we move forward from this somewhat unexpected space ...

xo all

heads up we still have Mars in Pisces and Mars is still on course to meet Chiron - we are working with the pain and vulnerability a while longer ... keep moving, keep feeling, no pushing

Today's Astrology Forecast for Creatives | doing something different, detaching from the problem, money/resources can only be stretched so far, expecting the unexpected, expecting to be BUSY, taking another look at something from last April, thinking before we speak, double checking the paperwork, slowing down for a minute

fairies by sollenafotagraphie

The Moon makes her monthly waxing inconjunct - this month between Taurus (Moon) and Sagittarius (Sun) at 28 degrees - likely offering some "rock and a hard place" energy between our money/values/self-esteem/resources and our beliefs/hopes/plans for whatever we are wanting to expand.

Maybe the money/resources just isn't there for whatever it is we are wanting to do - who is going to invent that money-growing tree anyway? Musk - forget those self-driving cars and get working on that tree, ok?

Working with "what we already have" (Taurus) challenges our hopes/dreams or maybe a literal Sagittarius issue - travel, higher education, weddings, politics, legal issues, the media, publishing, foreigners, everything outside our comfort zone, exploration, your beliefs and higher thinking.

THE GOOD NEWS - at the same time the Sun is awkwardly aspecting the Taurus Moon (that rock meet hard place thing), the Sun is trining (brakes off) an impulsive and liberating Uranus (retrograde in Aries).

The way through this money/resources/values/self-esteem muddle - do something different. Innovate. Detach a bit from the situation. Give the situation the space to expand in another way. Be yourself. Be independent. With Uranus we can expect the unexpected. 

This new thing may not be totally new, because Uranus and the Sun had this same meeting last April - so we could be going back over something from that time.

The Moon (after a Void overnight and into the early AM EST) moves into multi-tasking, communicative Gemini at 9:34AM EST. Count on being BUSY for the next couple days even as that waxing inconjunct asks us to slow down and consider our options.

Keep in mind Mercury is in Sagittarius so our Gemini Moon is opposing him/her (Mercury rules Gemini) - think before you speak, double check that email before hitting send, recheck that paperwork you are about to sign off on, double check the address before you set off, call the shop to see if something is in stock before you drive across town, expect difficult sibling situations to be difficult, expect your computer to run slowly, expect your poorly running car to act up, expect your package to show up late, etc. It could be like a mini Mercury retrograde - although I hope not!

Take care driving.

We still have Mars in Pisces (thank God once we get through this he won't be back here for another two years) - losses, endings, nostalgia, regrets. Ceres in Scorpio - loss of beloved pets, distance from beloved daughters/children, grief, despair, loss of control, nostalgia, seasons of life, moving on issues. Chiron finishing up in Pisces. I am going to write a post about all of this before the end of the year, but know if this is hitting your chart it is major, major and Mars still needs to conjunct wounded healer Chiron, which, although possibly bringing things to a pinnacle, will hopefully bring with it some gratitude and understanding and release as we move on from the grief/suffering, if we allow that to happen. As always keep in mind all of life is a transit and all transits are transitory.

Everything changes.

We have a MAJOR new start coming within the first few weeks of the New Year and we are going to need both hands on the wheel in January and our eyes facing forward - we need to be doing whatever it takes NOW (rest, slow down, allow the emotions to come up and out, release, forgive, meditate) to clear some space for that.

xo all

Venus sextile Saturn, Pluto sextile Mars | rewards for hard work, money/love stabilizes, solid commitments, let go, go with the flow, using our imagination/intuition, a Full Moon and the Solstice approaches ...

Freckle flower by thefirebomb

Today's sextiles are in play now and carry us into the beginning of next week.

There are opportunities now (Venus in Scorpio sextile Saturn in Capricorn at 9 degrees) to stabilize a financial/partnership/resources situation. Think quality over quantity. Think rewards for hard work. Long term investing is favored. Disciplined spending and savings pays off. Putting the time and effort into a relationship will pay off. This is good energy to pay down/off debt or to start a savings plan. Relationships launched now could be long-lasting, security-focused or between a younger/older person. Think mentor. With Venus in Scorpio - people will be looking for a commitment.

What do you place enough value on to be able to commit to? Scorpian/Capricorn commitments are not easily untangled. Keep this in mind.

We show love through taking care of our responsibilities and honoring our obligations. Excellent energy for business dealings. Excellent energy for women to work with and step into authority now.

Venus rules love, money, our values, women and our self-esteem.

That sextile to Saturn (and sextiles are subtle) tells us the opportunities come through time and wisdom and doing the responsible thing with our resources/our valuables. There is a bigger picture we can be 'efforting' toward instead of bemoaning what we don't have (and I am not making light of what we don't have - Mars in Pisces has conjuncted Neptune and is heading toward Chiron - we are feeling our losses and they are not light).

The Sun is in Sagittarius. Jupiter is in Sagittarius. The blue skies are up there somewhere.

EXAMPLE for Libra/Libra Rising - Venus 2nd house, Saturn 4th house - this is the subtle (or not so subtle depending on your natal chart) stabilization between your money/resources and your home/roots. What you get out of this is going to depend on what you put in. Increased attention toward home/family can stabilize resources or stabilizing your resources (budget, goals, planning) can improve a home/family situation.

The Pluto/Mars sextile (again another opportunity aspect whose strength will depend on your natal chart) coming through 20 degrees Capricorn/Pisces is building today and exact tomorrow. This isn't a typical Mars sextile where we have to push for the opportunity. Mars is still in Pisces. We still aren't pushing (except me, last night, to remove some guy's elbow that was in my space at the movie theater).

The opportunity - and again this one is a stabilizing/sobering/lasting Capricorny thing - comes through letting Mars in Pisces be Mars in Pisces. Think sacred masculine. Think spiritual warrior. We let go. We use our intuition/imagination. We go with the flow.

EXAMPLE for Scorpio/Scorpio Rising - Mars 5th house, Pluto 3rd house - you are creating (5th house) what you are thinking/communicating about (3rd house). Of course, we all do this all the time, but the sextile between these power players - one personal planet and one outer planet - gives this more power now. Or words/communication with children/ a romantic partner are opportunistic. Use your verbal superpower wisely Scorpio.

In case I don't get back to the weekly tonight - heads up the Moon is in fiery Aries on MONDAY morning and combined with that opportunistic sextile between Mars and Pluto we should be feeling more energetic and ready to go. There can be some tension/frustration/maybe a power play/authority situation as the Moon squares Pluto - just keep focused on your long-term goals and the big picture - remember Saturn is in Capricorn and Jupiter is in Sagittarius - both time and luck are on your side now. Mars in Pisces says 'hold on loosely'. The Moon will trine the Sun in the evening - so the day should get better as we move through it. The Moon will go void at 2:21AM EST off a conjunction to a retrograde Uranus.

Get things done early in the week. We are building toward the Solstice which literally means the "sun stands still" and a Full Moon in Cancer. It is rare to have them both at the same time and then the next New Moon in two weeks is going to be an eclipse!

January is going to take off like a rocket.

For now take some time to recharge, get enough rest and extra sleep, get out in the Sun whenever possible. Going to do a big post on the year ahead as soon as I finish shipping holiday orders.

xo all