a quick look at the astrology of China, the Corona-Virus and the Saturn/Pluto Conjunction - major changes through the world's workforce as our patriarchal unwinding continues

In the middle of January when I was writing about the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn (the first time in more than 500 years) HERE and looking at its potentials I didn't think to look at China's chart to see what was happening there.

This morning, thinking about the astrology of March 20th's meeting of Mars and Jupiter on the 22 degrees Capricorn trigger point (the degree Saturn and Pluto met in January) and amid all the corona-virus talk in the media - I looked up China's natal chart and their transits for mid-January blew me away.

This is the chart for China during the Saturn/Pluto conjunction which happened in China on January 13th (the 12th in the United States). Saturn and Pluto and the Sun (and we had Mercury and Ceres almost precisely conjunct, too) were meeting EXACTLY on China's natal Jupiter in their 12th house (viruses, disease, endings, death, no boundaries, secrets and lies). At the same time, transiting Jupiter is opposing their natal Uranus (trauma signature, chaos, disorder) in Cancer in their 6th house of work and day-to-day activities and health. And transiting Mars is conjunct their natal hurting/healing Chiron in the 10th house (their work in the world, patriarchal energy, father).

Whew!

This was always going to be very big for China (and by extension, all of us).

According to a timeline of the corona virus: on January 11, 2020 - China reports to the World Health organization their first death from the virus and on January 13th, they report the first case outside China (the Saturn/Pluto - the breakdown of limits/authority, the end of the death postponed, time runs out). And remember this was all playing out at the time of a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Cancer, giving this whole thing even more energy and unfortunately, staying power.

I had an intuition to toss Pholus (we talked about this Centaur's story last month - the genie out of the bottle, uncorking of something that can't be stopped) into China's natal and found he is conjunct their natal Jupiter and their ascendant (!) - so a very important energy in their country's signature and was being mega impacted by the Saturn/Pluto conjunction. In productive and ambitious Capricorn this energy has likely helped them many times, but certainly not with this.

I am sure they applied herculean measures to contain this thing, but it was never going to be stopped here.

With so much happening in Capricorn let's take a look at their natal Saturn (he also rules their Cappy rising chart) - in their chart Saturn is in their 8th house of other people's money, the resources merged with other people, death, secrets. The same house that contains their Sun/Mercury/Neptune conjunction in Libra answering to Venus in their 10th house, but ruling their 9th house - showing their important, and highly visible, industrial partnerships with other countries and the way they have become the world's "work force".

If we move their chart ahead to March 20th, 2020 when Mars (action, military, impulsivity) meets Jupiter, making something bigger, maybe more explosive - at the HOT degree of 22 Capricorn - they are having their Jupiter return (Jupiter back to where he was at their country's birth) - hopefully that Jupiter return brings them some luck/optimism instead of a possibly abrupt expansion of the problem (!).

We also see Saturn sitting on their ascendant, transiting Pholus moving into their HOT 12th house and the transiting North Node (coming home, a focus on home and family and nurturing, the value they do or do not place on mothering and babies, on allowing themselves to show any vulnerability) hitting their natal Uranus (change, chaos, tech, the future) and the transiting South Node that patriarchal conditioning/mega work ethic/productivity/authority opposing their natal Uranus trauma point.

Something big will be happening - although we might not hear everything, because the 12th house is a place of secrets.

Major change playing out through our world's "work-force" as the patriarchy unwinds ...

xo all

Today's Astrology Forecast | Saturday, February 29th - relax, do something pampering, the eye of the storm, feeling more inspired and optimistic

The Moon, exalted in Taurus (so functioning at her best), sextiles dreamy Neptune at 2:50PM EST and trines expansive Jupiter at 5:41PM EST. We should feel more inspired, more optimistic. Taurus is all about comfort and feeling good. The center holds.

On SUNDAY morning, 10:52AM EST. the Moon will go void off a trine to Saturn (she trined Pluto while we slept) and be void until 2:2PM EST, when she moves into busy and communicative Gemini. She will square a retrograde Mercury at 6:05PM EST, so Sunday night could be a bit frustrating, but the rest of Sunday looks good for dealing with authority, our responsibilities, etc.

So, the Moon is really helping us for most of this weekend to stay grounded and feel better.

Once the Moon gets into Gemini, she starts building toward her square to the Sun (Monday) and we are in between Venus's square to Pluto and her square to Saturn (next week), so the weight of choices we need to make, decisions hanging over our head, maybe the feeling we are being uncomfortably pushed to take action is still here, but probably background noise this weekend.

In the meantime, take care of yourself today.

Treat yourself well - whatever that means to you!

Take advantage of this "eye of the storm" energy. Breathe deeply. Exhale.

Tomorrow keep in mind that void Moon (not the time to start) - expect a little wonk and for time to get stretchy and some possible tension tomorrow night.

xo all

back with the monthly and we'll dive into March

photo by the talented ESPRIT-CONFUS

Today's Astrology Forecast plus the last few weeks of Cancer/Capricorn - allowing ourselves to just not know and how everybody wins in the end

The energy is quite stressful for the next couple days, so I thought I would pop back in from looking at March charts and toss up a post.

We talked about Friday HERE.

The Moon is in Taurus now (where she is exalted) joining chaotic Uranus. Venus, ruler of Taurus and so ruler of the Moon now is squaring - tension/frustration - Pluto from her perch in fiery Aries. And she is going to square Saturn next week.  This is challenging energy focused (collectively) on our relationships, our money, our resources, beauty, what we value, our self-esteem.

What we want, and may not be able to get, or what we have that we no longer want - can feel like it is suffocating us/eating us alive. Jealousy, Compulsion, Power struggles. What we have/need squaring off with what we have merged with other people (through intimacy, sex, our bank account, the stock market). Plutonian squares create wins through transformation, but something has to die/be eliminated first.

This stuff is not for sissies.

Remember our North Node is in Cancer - our power lies within us. Life is an inside job. If we are giving too much power to outside situations/other people/other people's resources/to having things turn out just a certain way in order for us to feel safe, to feel loved, to feel valuable - we are going to be on very shaky ground right now.

Before just plowing ahead, let's stop and think for a minute - and yes, I know Mercury is retrograde in Pisces - our brain is frying on the sidewalk, but let's take a breath then. Venus is in Aries - she wants to win. And she wants to win now. We can see that even once she gets past Pluto, she is going to hit Saturn's reality check. Pushing is probably not going to help. She is at her detriment in Aries and Saturn is at his strongest in Capricorn. And Mars is in Capricorn and trining the Moon - smart business moves/doing the responsible thing.

The Moon is exalted in Taurus. We want to feel better and we CAN feel better. At the same time Mercury (who, yes, is retrograde in confusing Pisces) is sextiling Uranus. New information. New ideas. Change is good. New ways to do commerce/to be in our local community/to deal with sibling issues. This can also bring assistance through a Uranian/Aquarian person or through technology/astrology.

I have been working on March charts and I can't lie to you, it is a very challenging month and we are going to be pushed to make decisions/choices from very unsteady spaces, BUT once we get past the pivots and changes (and this means actually making pivots and changes) the month gets much easier.

Keep in mind the energetic framework that set up this year - things looking really, really bad, but then never getting as bad as they look like they might. Think back to January and the Iran situation.

Now we have the corona-virus - which with Mercury retrograde in Pisces is almost certainly not going to be "contained", but Mercury will not always be retrograde in Pisces. By April she/he will be walking new degrees and much sooner than that (March 4th!) she gets back into Aquarius - fixed air doesn't feel quite so contagious to me - and then she will station direct just a few days later, by the time he/she gets back into Pisces we will know what we are doing with this.

The stock market/economy is dealing with all this Venusian stress plus we have Uranus (anything-can-happen) in Taurus (our money and resources), for the next few years. When the energies are ripe for adjustments (via transits) - this stuff is going to adjust. Its strength and usefulness will be tested. The stock market may not even exist by the time Uranus leaves Taurus - we may have found better, more sustainable and more equitable ways to merge our resources. But right now it does exist and it's based on mutual trust. Does the market trust the investors? Do the investors trust the market?

Right now, during these fluctuating times we have the gift of the North Node in Cancer (who says you can't go home again?). We only have this energy here for a few more weeks.

How have we used this? How can this help us now?

We talked about this HERE and all throughout the past year.

That Capricorn South Node - where we are, what is working and most especially what isn't - is like winter itself. When life becomes fixed and rigid and inflexible we go on auto-pilot. We lose the capacity for reflection. For compassion. Growth stops. Nothing can be learned.  

As Carl Jung said, "the sure path can only lead to death".

In order to live a creative life we have to be receptive to what isn't known. There is no other way. No crystal ball that really works. We have to be able to be led by circumstances. Even to move, at times, against our own better judgement. 

Not all the time of course, because total instability would drive us all insane I would imagine - Capricorn stability is very, very useful energy, and shouldn't be totally disparaged just because we have been digging through its negatives over the last year or so. 

But without some Cancer vulnerability, some chinks in our armor, we can't have interaction with the world or even interaction with our own authentic self (our real home). 

So, of course there is alot of anxiety in admitting that we just don't know/that we can't be sure and maybe most anxiety producing of all - THAT MAYBE NO ONE ELSE KNOWS EITHER - and yet to have our world carved in Cappy ice would be even more terrifying wouldn't it?

An unlived/unloved life doesn't just go away ....

Try to keep this in mind through unsteady times.

Vulnerability is actually our super-power, people.

xo all

(this 'anxiety' thing is how the millennials are going to change the world btw)

photo by the amazing Avine

Weekly Forecast for Creatives | Week of February 24th - a mystical fresh start, avoid overdoing it, more building the dream, fated endings, a karmic story is unwinding, a light on our path forward, power struggles, surprising news and ideas, something comes back around

Another important week and a karmic storyline playing out!

I am going to take blog break after this post. I'm getting burned out with the dailies and with only so many hours in the day, I need to write a monthly for March - a VERY pivotal month and we all need a heads up!

All these aspects are in play for at least a couple days before and after they are listed here.

SUNDAY - New Moon in Pisces (4 degrees), Venus squares Jupiter
MONDAY - Mars sextiles the Sun
TUESDAY - Mars conjuncts the south Node, Sun trines the North Node, Mercury retrograde conjuncts the Sun
WEDNESDAY - Mercury sextiles Mars
FRIDAY- Venus squares Pluto and conjuncts Eris, Mercury retrograde sextiles Uranus

On SUNDAY morning - we have the Moon meeting the Sun at 4 degrees giving us this month's mystical New Moon and this year's New Moon in Pisces. This energy is a good overview of the next two weeks - we talked about it HERE.

Venus (in Aries) squares Jupiter (in Capricorn) at 18 degrees. Squares are challenges/frustration, but these are our two most benefic planets ruling our love and money and luck, so the tension could be just what we need to increase our confidence and magnetism.

The possible downside? Things looking better than they actually are, getting too plugged into our Cappy ambitions, over-dose style spending or over-investing ourselves or our resources in something/some situation/someone. With Mercury retrograde in boundless Pisces and Venus squaring Jupiter this would not be the time to make any big promises. 

Venus is more than half-way through Aries now, the sign of her detriment, on her way - and she can't get there fast enough - into her home sign of Taurus. But first she has to get through these Cappy squares. Next up, the Lord of the Underworld - Pluto (power, compulsion, control issues, jealousy) on Friday!

OK it's MONDAY we are moving ahead with our New Moon agenda as Mars sextiles the Sun.

Sextiles bring opportunity, but between earth and water - this isn't something that is going to fall into our laps - this will take effort. Think about the way plants bloom over time as they are irrigated with water. This is more of the building the dream (Pisces/Cappy) stuff we have been talking about the last couple years. Mars in Cappy is confident and ambitious - we can get away with some brash moves now without looking like a jerk and annoying the hell out of people. Do something positive with this.

On TUESDAY, Mars, coming off that solar sextile is now opposing the North Node and crossing the South Node.  

Fated endings/completions.

Very old karmic re-balancings around power. Something could end now or reach some kind of limit. We could cut something off. Here is Mars doing what Saturn did last year. We talked about this in the Saturn/Pluto 2020 post. The Nodes are moving on to Gemini/Sagittarius next month and this is one last Cappy blowout to clear out the old obligations/limits/goals/structures that are no longer needed.

Keep in mind Mars is still trining Uranus - action toward the new, the unexpected, the future.

The other good news (besides the Uranus trine) is we have, at the same time Mars is meeting the South Node (the past), the Sun trining the North Node (our future) AND hooking up with a retrograde Mercury.

A light shines on our path forward - here is CLARITY.

And although Mercury is retrograde - there is some kind of fresh start (that might connect back to the last time these two met). Whatever this Mercury retrograde is for us, we are most certainly in the thick of it now.  Answers come in. Our words are especially important now, so only say what you mean. Our intuition is very high.

Pisces/the Nodes of Fate - there is undoubtedly a very old karmic story playing out here.

With the North Node in Cancer - keep in mind always our commitment to nurturing the small beginnings of things, taking care of ourselves the way we would care for someone else, moving toward our own authenticity even if it seems at first to make us more vulnerable, anything that feels like home, land, a mother's touch (not necessarily our mother's touch - ha!) and tastes like apple pie.

On WEDNESDAY - Mercury (retrograde in Pisces) sextiles ambitious Mars (in Capricorn). Opportunities when we walk our talk. More of the "building the dream". Ideas and conversations get us fired up. We are putting our words into action. Here is us taking action on the information Mercury meeting the Sun has brought to light. And Mercury is going to sextile Uranus on Friday, so our words married to our actions now can take us in a new direction! Keep in mind Mercury is retrograde, so this may be something we thought about doing before, but now we are actually doing it or doing it in a new way. We are re-working/re-thinking something here.

On FRIDAY, Venus meets Eris (in Aries) while squaring Pluto (in Capricorn). This speaks of jealousy/possessiveness/manipulation/feeling like life and death. Tension and challenges with love, money, our resources and self-esteem. Power struggles. Eris will really amp everything up and again emphasize the need to bring everyone to the table this year! This is explosive energy.

Aries/Capricorn is actually a love fest that only looks like a boxing tournament. After the fight is over - Aries bloodied and battered and Capricorn with tie askew and pockets picked clean - they almost always hit the pub for a beer.

But, the bottom line with these Venus squares, because after Pluto, Venus is going to square Saturn - is we might not get exactly what we want!

Adjustments will be required and here is where a retrograde Mercury's sextile to anything-can-happen Uranus can come in. This is an opportunity through surprising news and information. And since this is a repeating aspect - we might have to say it/hear it/think it again. Maybe here is another shot at something unexpected! Ideas and insights can come out of the blue. Good for visionary thinking and forward-focused language. Ideas are AVAILABLE for the right person - the person who can make them REAL - to pick them like apples in an autumn orchard.

Keep in mind with chaos-loving Uranus, even opportunistic sextiles are not always totally comfortable and with Mercury going to sextile Uranus again in a couple weeks when direct - this isn't the final, final.

Although we might have alot happening, we should probably get some extra rest this week - maybe some long walks (especially near water if possible), extra meditation, soothing music, etc with all the Pisces energy, because March is coming and it's going to be a VERY pivotal month that will come in like a lion and go out like a lion, too!

xo all

Have a great week!

photo by the talented Nodvikoff

New Moon in Pisces | February 23, 2020 - endings, healing, an old dream re-imagined, an ancestral inheritance re-invented, leaning into the future, genie out of the bottle, divine inspiration, watering our own roots

On Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 10:31AM EST, the Pisces Moon will meet the Pisces Sun at 4 degrees giving us this year's New Moon in Pisces.

Pisces is a mutable sign. The mutable signs prepare us for the change into the next season and this Moon really has her work cut out for her!

New Moons are the time to set new intentions and working with Pisces themes (and the theme of your Pisces natal house) NOW allow the natural energies to flow with us.

All beginnings are endings, too, and since Pisces collectively rules our 12th house of endings, Pisces new beginnings often have more to do with the ending (!). Maybe something needs to be forgiven/dissolved/discarded/fully grieved. And something wants to START. Think seeds into the ground. A new chapter. Here we go.

As the Moon naturally waxes (grows) over the next two weeks, and over the next 6 months until the Pisces Full Moon, so does whatever our intentions have set into motion - thoughts becoming things/our words energetically lining us up with what we are seeking, which is, of course, seeking us right back.

Besides the monthly lunar energy of "new beginnings" this particular Moon has its own relationship with the other players in the heavens based on its position. That is where the real juice of any particular New Moon can be found. We talked about some of the energies in play as we moved through the week.

Now let's unpack the chart!

Mercury is retrograde in Pisces right now (and conjunct the Moon/Sun), so this New Moon beginning could have a connection to something from the past (an old dream re-awakened maybe?) or there could be some delays/kinks to be worked out as we move forward with whatever gets started now.

We have the New Moon/Sun sextiling Mars (in ambitious Cappy) and Mars just past his trine to Uranus and square to Chiron/Black Moon Lilith (Chiron/BML and Uranus are semi-sextile each other).

The New Moon/Sun is trining the North Node. Venus is squaring Jupiter. Neptune (ruler of this New Moon) is sextiling Jupiter and semi-sextile Venus. Mars is conjunct Pholus.

The New Moon's position between Mars and Uranus, both in Earth signs, in very grounding. With Mars in Capricorn, our actions will be ambitious/serious. Our results will come over time. With Uranus in Taurus we might expect opportunistic changes with our money, our values, our resources - what we own. Expect a smooth move in a fresh direction/future focused. Coincidences/serendipitous situations plus our own intentions and actions are pulling us forward.

With Venus squaring Jupiter there is the possibility that we are expecting too much here or we over-do something/over-promise, etc, but these are both benefic planets, so even a square won't be too bad. This can also be about too many options.

Neptune rules Pisces and so is ruler of this New Moon. His position now is mega-important and remember we have talked about this year's best aspect which has just gotten started - his sextile to Jupiter. How often do we get a Pisces New Moon, with Neptune in a sextile to expansive/lucky Jupiter?! Not very often folks!

And Neptune is semi-sextile Venus. Not all astrologers think positively about semi-sextiles, but I like them. In this case we are talking about Pisces/Aries. Semi-sextiles kind of even each other out a bit so if Neptune goes too Pisces - too dreamy, pie-in-the-sky, escapist - Venus in Aries is here to pull us back into the reality of what our first/next step should be, giving us the initiative/passion (even sometimes the anger) to get moving with something, to remind us that we might have to do quite a bit of this sh*t by ourselves and that's ok.

We also have Pholus (asteroid like Chiron) exactly conjunct Mars in this New Moon chart.

I am not sure if I have ever written about him before, but because he is conjunct my natal Sun I have researched him quite a bit.

Conjunct Mars, he likely speaks of important changes through our own initiative or actions, coming from something that doesn't seem of major importance at the time we are doing whatever it is we are doing.

Like a snowball effect to give this New Moon an extra WHALLOP.

Pholus is also about situations - and you can Google his mythology for more info - where afterwards we might find ourselves saying/feeling something like, "I never would have done this if I knew what I was getting into, but now I am glad that I did it."

(famous for his 'uncorking' of the wine that leads to the battle between Hercules and the Centaurs - he is thought to represent something of a genie coming out of the bottle energy - rapid transformation, wanted or unwanted, that we ourselves initiate - he is conjunct my natal Sun and I started a jewelry line called Uncorked back in 2007 during a Pholus transit - with no knowledge of Pholus at that time - which totally changed my life)

Because his wine had been kept for three generations, his transits/aspects are also thought to connect us back to our ancestors (and/or past lives) and in Pisces, which speaks of this also, this energy is amplified. The influence of our ancestors (past lives) upon our present circumstances, even issues relating to our entire 'tribe' could come into play now (also possibly connections to addictions, viruses, healing).

Pholus's orbit connects Saturn to Neptune - again the dream being made real, and also touches Pluto - karma/death and re-birth/soul purpose and Uranus - radical/fast change/chaos.

His placement re-affirms the other aspects in the New Moon chart I think, since his signtaure seems to echo the entire chart quite nicely.

We also have the New Moon trining (brakes off) our North Node in Cancer and this one is waxing. We can trust what is unfolding now to be leading us to our most authentic and secure future.

This is a WONDERFUL New Moon for real and positive growth, change and healing. Merc retrograde may slow things down a bit, but might bring us back to an old dream that needs to be re-imagined. 

There is a new chapter starting and we won't have to beat our head against the wall to get it moving. Things should flow. But that doesn't mean we won't have to take action - we will.  

Patience. Persistence. Help from the past and from behind the scenes.

Small moves, or what seems at first rather inconsequential, can lead to very BIG things.   

Think - genie out of the bottle with this one.

With Pisces especially, this can all work backwards, too. Changes we set into motion now impact our past, past lives and previous generations. 

Can we water our own roots? Oh yes, we can!

What house does 4 degrees Pisces reside in your natal chart? What is the theme of that house?

NEW MOON INTENTIONS

This is an excellent time for energetic support to make changes with things ruled by Pisces (and your Pisces natal house theme!) including our imagination, art, music, the past, compassion, releasing our victim stories, releasing self-sabotage, healing our ancestral wounds, healing addictions, spiritual healing, sensitivity, trust, escapism, our lymphatic system, colds, our feet, toxicity.

AFFIRMATION TIPS: get into a positive frame of mind - meaning both happy and certain - a quiet, clean space where you can be alone - write your affirmations down by hand in script, speak them out loud - then let's release our attention from these things knowing that your intention is known.

Know these things are already yours.

xo all

For the first time in a long time, I am not going to set any intentions this month. Time to shut up for me I think. I am just going to do my normal clean my space/not use too many words the day of the New Moon/burn a white candle and just ask life/my higher self/my ancestors/God to guide my journey this cycle ....

Today's Astrology Forecast | Friday, February 21, 2020 - painful actions, take care with accidents, lean into the future, a green light somewhere, new ways to make money, surprising resources

The Moon, is in Aquarius now -

so nurturing us through our groups, friendships, through technology and detachment, through creating enough emotional space from the past that we can view things from a different perspective and leave the past in the past, through a future-leaning focus,

the Moon squared ruler Uranus last night (9:13PM EST) and moves through the day unencumbered, just the way an Aquarius Moon likes it - until she goes void off a sextile (opportunity) with Venus at 11:08PM EST. 

Today's big news - which we talked about in the WEEKLY for the latter part of this week -

is Mars (in ambitious Cappy) square to hurting/healing Chiron (in independent and 'me' minded Aries) and trine to 'expect the unexpected' Uranus (groups, tech, change, disruption) in Taurus - ruler of our resources, our money, our values and self-esteem. All happening at 3 degrees.

The square is the frustration/tension, so maybe our serious efforts/moving toward our goals or stepping into our authority trigger painful situations or we are pushing/taking action propelled by our fears/anger. Our vulnerabilities (and some very old wounds) are activated.

The trine - the way through this - is SMOOTHLY moving us toward something new.

It's a time to focus our actions on what feels more liberating - keep going. It's a time to focus our efforts on a group or cause or on a new technology. - keep going. It's a time to focus our efforts on something ELSE.

It's not always easy to work with Uranus, because Uranus rules our stored trauma/chaos. Uranus will drop us on our ass and carries our collective and personal memories of times we took a much harder hit than that. 

If we work with this energy - a trine doesn't require any herculean efforting - move toward the new and untested - something should fall smoothly into place now. Some kind of support is there. But we DO have to take some kind of action. Trines are easy to miss entirely if we don't.

CHANGE IS GOOD.

The detached Aquarius Moon is helping us with this, but it's a dark Moon, so we can't see what we can't see, don't know what we don't know.

And keep in mind, I can't see what houses (themes) this is happening for you personally, but collectively we are talking about new values, new ways to make money, new resources that we are propelled toward through career/authority/goal challenges and frustration.

Venus is moving toward a square with Jupiter, the Moon is waning and Mercury is retrograde, so we don't need to go too big, too fast.

Heads up - the Moon will be void all day Saturday.

A New Moon this weekend - that post is next!

xo all

photo by the amazing oprisco