Today's Astrology forecast | April 4th, 2020 - how have we used our power the last 12 years, what is growing, what needs to hit rock bottom, making something a bit more solid, another new chapter begins

The Moon (in fiery Leo) is void for most of the day until she moves into Virgo at 5:18PM EDT. Her only aspect today is a square to Venus (now in Gemini for the long haul) at 7:08PM EDT.

So most of the day we have fun-loving Leo and then tonight maybe some emotional tension/frustration.

The Virgo Moon is nurtured by things being practical/concise/done right while Venus in Gemini wants to try new untested things and has a hard time with practical AND they are both answering to mystical, but foggy, Mercury in Pisces. 

The big news today though is we have Venus trining (brakes off) Saturn (0 Aquarius) and the BIGGEST news - we have Jupiter meeting Pluto at 24 degrees Capricorn.

Since Jupiter/Pluto is one of the biggest aspects of the year, and with the planets' upcoming retrogrades they will meet three times, let's unpack this one first.

Something to keep in mind here, is that although these planets are exact today, they have been building toward this day all year, and even at the same degree for days - and after we 'move on' from today and they aren't exactly exact anymore they will still be close enough to engage each other, basically for the rest of the year.

Jupiter/Pluto is immense power and transformation. Our biggest planet - Jupiter expands. We grow through enlargement/breadth (as opposed to Saturn who teaches through contraction). Good things get BIGGER and sometimes bad things, too, the way situations have to reach some kind of bottoming out before we can get up again. Pluto takes things down to the ashes, so they can rise like the phoenix, in a new form.

In our natal charts our Cappy house has been laid nearly bare already. Most of our Capricorn planets criss-crossed by deadly Pluto for months or even years (the transformation of any planets at the very end of Capricorn are still ahead of us). They are all in various stages of the death/rebirth cycle. 

What Jupiter does at this point depends on where we are in this cycle. And we are all exactly where we need to be. Exactly where we are needed. Some things can't be rushed.

Our Cappy situation grows/expands/accelerates. Jupiter brings the opportunity to make something as big as it can possibly get/to go as far as we can possibly go. This can bring success or the kind of 'hitting bottom' that precedes a new start.

We are closing out a twelve year cycle that began in December 2007. What were you starting/doing in December 2007/early 2008? Jupiter/Pluto met at that time on the Galactic Center (28 Sagittarius). There is a complete and final ending here.

AND there is a new beginning at 24 Cappy.

So, how have we worked with our Plutonian energies these last twelve years? What secrets have come out? How have we used our power? What have we merged? What have we purged?

We'll talk more about this as we move through it and in the big picture post.

At the same time we have Venus (freshly minted in curious/wordy/tricky/versatile Gemini) trining sober Saturn in Capricorn. So, Mars hit the wall with Saturn at the beginning of the week - was that just the beginning of the week? why does that seem like a month ago? I am aging in dog years now folks (have I said this is all happening conjunct my natal Mercury) ..

And now Venus (relationships, love, money, self-esteem, our values) gets the nice trine.

Venus is Gemini can have us all over the place and Saturn focuses on one solid thing. What matters most? This isn't about a lifetime commitment to someone/something, but sometimes we have to narrow our focus to get something done.

Make a plan. A schedule. Make something more solid. Seek out a mentor. Trines are smooth energies, we will want to do this, the right thing won't be something we have to push ourselves to do. Venus is in changeable Gemini for the long haul with her upcoming retrograde, so nothing will be a solid long-term commitment right now, but it will pay off for us to make something a bit more solid.

For the collective, the last time Jupiter met Pluto here in Cappy it was 1771.

In the United States - which didn't quite exist yet - we had the drumbeats of war and the Battle of Alamance, a pre-American Revolutionary War battle between local militia and a group of rebels called "The Regulators" in present-day Alamance County, North Carolina. 

If you are an Outlander fan - a wonderful series of books, by Diana Gabaldon, turned into a mini-series on Starz - you know they had this very battle in this week's episode! 

Anyway, we will talk more about this in the big picture, which for some reason has been like pulling nails to write .... hopefully the next post in the series will be up tonight. If it still doesn't want to come out, I will get the Full Moon in Libra post up a couple days early and of ourse we have the week ahead post tomorrow which looks like, you guessed it, another big week!

Enjoy the Leo Moon today!

xo all

photo by the amazing Natalia Ciobanu

Today's Astrology Forecast | April 3, 2020 - staying positive, brave action, keep moving forward, new choices, attracted to planning, long void Moon

Our Leo Moon moves along unaspected for most of the day until she goes void with a trine to the Sun at 3:29PM EDT. This is positive - keep going forward. The Moon will be void until 5:18PM EDT TOMORROW.

This month's Waxing Trine - Moon in Leo, Sun in Aries - is about finding happiness/passion in where we are right now. This is about bravery/pride and standing up/initiating/feeling passion. The brakes are off something. Where is the silver lining. Find it.

Mercury meets Neptune (again). Information comes to light - and maybe, with Mars on his way to square Uranus - seems like it is totally from out of left field. But this is Pisces, so news/communications can be confusing, Even unintentionally or intentionally deceptive. What does your intuition tell you? Meditate. Pray. Talk to your ancestors - you carry their story forward - they are helping you.

(information being true/not true could be exemplified by the UK scientist whose devastating virus projection models were used by the WHO, the United States, etc - clearing up the fact these numbers were if "nothing was done" - he had projected 500,000 deaths in the U.K. and is now projecting 20,000 including 10,000 people he states would have likely died by year's end even without the virus - maybe we will never know if these 'doomsday" models were valid, and he has stated the downgrade comes from, yes, actions taken to prevent the spread of disease, but mostly the fact the virus is likely even more transmissible than they thought and so a greater number of people had already had it  - showing once again we need to all stay calm when they toss crazy numbers at us. Not because they are lying, although some people will have agendas here, but most likely because they just don't know. Mercury is in Pisces, just out of his retrograde and still walking old territory. Our brains are frying on the sidewalk. In another week when Mercury starts covering new ground, and in another two weeks, when Mercury gets into Aries the information will be much more accurate. In the meantime, we need to remain cool headed - fear will choke off our breath long before any virus.)

Mercury/Neptune wouldn't be a good time for a big leap, because we won't be seeing things as clearly as we will in another week or two, but it is an excellent time to work with our dreams/art/music.

This is also the day Venus moves into Gemini. Gemini Suns and Rising become more attractive. Both easy on the eye and more easily able to attract what they want. All of our Gemini houses become more attractive, too. With her upcoming retrograde, Venus is in Gemini for the long haul.

We are most attractive (use our Venus) through Gemini (our mind, words, flexibility, humor). It's a good time to be talking and communicating with lots of different people about lots of different things.

We are attracted to ideas/planning.

Venus in Gemini is about variety. In the mutable air sign (Gemini) the themes Venus rules - love, money, value, self-esteem, women, beauty - become more versatile. There are quickly more options available. There is also more duality - this is the space where our heart is saying one thing and our brain is saying something else.

We could suddenly recognize a mismatch between what we have and what we want. Or maybe what we thought we had (during Venus in resource-rich Taurus) could be up for grabs a bit.

It's a good time to set aside any existing constructs about what we like and what we don't like and stay open to new experiences, new people and new situations. This isn't the best energy to make an important decision (regarding our Gemini natal house theme or Venus ruled love, money, self-esteem, values, women or beauty) or commit to something permanently.

Keep in mind the drumbeats of Jupiter toward Pluto and the launch of another new cycle. One of the main reasons for all the tumultuous energy of 2020 is the starting and ending of so many long term cycles! This one brings us back to December 2007. 

With Jupiter (expansion) and Pluto (power) meeting tomorrow exactly opposing the United States natal Mercury (information), at the same time we have transiting Mercury on foggy/illusive/virus ruling Neptune - expect the press to be ALL OVER SOMETHING.

(people with natal Jupiter/Plutos will find this energy activated - cue the gazillionaires with this natal aspect like Bill Gates)

But, not everything will be true.

And that opposition likely indicates some back channel power-grabs that may or may not be visible.


xo all

photo by the talented RonnyEngelmann

Today's Astrology Forecast | Thursday, April 2, 2020 - early part of day best use it or lose it, partnership/contract challenges, finding new ways to be happy/creative, the need to be flexible, hold the light, anything is posible

The Moon (in Cancer) opposed Jupiter and Pluto in the early, early A.M. EDT, going void off a sextile to Venus (at the end of Taurus now) at 12:49PM EDT.

The opportunistic sextile is good for our money, values, self-esteem.

She will be void until 2:26PM EDT when she moves into Leo. Late this afternoon and into tonight (EDT), our Leo Moon will oppose Saturn and Mars in Aquarius and square Uranus in Taurus.

The Moon (as us) in Leo is nurtured through fun and recreation, happiness, generosity, creative projects, children, our natural spotlight.

Having challenging planets in Aquarius (which opposes Leo) and Taurus (squaring Leo) this month, we are going to be challenged to find new ways to make ourselves happy/new creative outlets. Our "happy place" is shut down for the season (not forever!).

Limits/rules/authority (Saturn in Aquarius) opposing our happiness, changes to our stability that come out of nowhere (Uranus in Taurus) challenging our happiness.

Now, keep in mind, these challenging planets HAVE TO BE SOMEWHERE. We haven't had a Leo Moon opposed by Saturn in 28 years, so tonight could feel heavy/depressing.

Know this is transitory. The good news about Mars and Saturn being together is we get this emotional sh*t show, all at once (people with planets/points in the early degrees of the fixed signs will feel this strongest), and then can move on.

We also have the Aries Sun opposing Juno (13 degrees Libra). Yesterday, we had our independence/initiative/what we do to get what we want challenged by home/family/security situations, today our independence/initiative/what we do to get what we what is challenged by our partnerships/contracts. And, of course, this could be all the same thing.

There could be a culmination/conclusion.

Our circumstances have changed and our contracts need to be flexible. Aries wants what he wants and Juno in Libra wants collaboration and partnership. She is willing to bend, but she shouldn't have to bend herself into a pretzel here. We are all going to need a little space. And we are all going to need other people, too. 

We are approaching Jupiter's exact meeting with Pluto this weekend (first of three), and Mars is setting up to square Uranus. We are going to have to keep our minds and bodies loose. Holding ourselves in a space of anticipation is stressful on our nervous system, especially when Uranus (the ultimate April foolster) is prowling about.

This is the time to be using what we already have - we are lining up with new goals/new dreams - stuff we could have never imagined before when it looked like the old world couldn't possibly budge/shift/change. When it felt like there was no out - well, here comes the ultimate out. It's not the way we thought it would look or what we had hoped for, but it's what we have.

When it feels like anything could happen, then that means that anything is possible, too, keep this in mind.



xo all

photo by the talented kuzminphoto

Today's Astrology Forecast | Wednesday, April 1, 2020 - protecting home and family, stir crazy, what needs to be attended to, being a part of it and not apart of it

The Moon is home in Cancer now, nurturing us through home, family, mother, mothering, real estate, home business, family business.

At 6:21AM EDT, she squares the Aries Sun giving us this month's First Quarter Square.We talked about this in the WEEKLY and I will recap here:

"Maybe here is home/family vs our independence/what we want to do.

Fueled by the Sun in "let's get something started" Aries, staying at home/feeling tied down can get challenging now. With the Moon in Cancer this will be emotional. We want to be safe/secure AND we want to be able to do our own thing/take risks/do something.

The words 'stir crazy' come to mind. Squares require adjustment."

This can also be about protecting our home or standing up for someone in our family.

After the dust settles, the Moon moves toward a lovely trine with Mercury and Neptune. Our words/dreams meshing with our internal needs/maybe with that home or family situation. This is pretty late in the day, so might be influencing our dream state more than our waking hours.

Tomorrow our Cancer Moon will move into her monthly challenges with the Cappy planets including Jupiter and Pluto as Jupiter makes his way to his exact connection with Pluto on Saturday (first of three). 

Venus, at the very end of Taurus - bags packed for Gemini (and don't worry that she is leaving her exalted position into a space where she is less strong - because in Gemini she will be trining the Aquarius energies and we have Saturn AND Mars in Aquarius now - she is going to be in Gemini for a LONG time with her upcoming retrograde, she knows what she is doing!) - goes outside the Sun's path tomorrow. Venus "out of bounds" means she is no longer constrained by the usual 'rules' she operates under. Old rules about money/love are bypassed. It's a new world now.

xo all

We talked about the "not knowing" and the "confinement" HERE near the time of the last Full Moon and now that we are at the First Quarter Moon of the next New Moon cycle, maybe we can use the wisdom of the iChing to move our "being" forward a bit.

The iChing is one way our inner guidance can come into resonance with the present moment and although, of course, we don't need the iChing to do this, it can be helpful to give things a kind of 'container' based on powerful ancient wisdom.

Using the Chinese oracle - 'not knowing' turns into "waiting" and confinement turns into "the well".

Waiting sounds passive, but it is really about a state of non-resistance.

We, wait, like a child for the rain to stop, or like a farmer, for the rain to come. 

"Waiting" isn't meant to be inactive. We can dream of what we will do when the sun shines again or we can dance/prepare for rain - but we cannot force this stuff to happen. We can only attend to it. This requires wisdom and patience.

When we are fully present in waiting - our attention is like a beacon to the universe.

HERE I AM!

Not because we are actively working on something necessarily, but because our thoughts and our groundwork show our faith. If we don't lose sight of the possibility of something BETTER we invite the possibility to come nearer. Waiting requires consistence. It's a practice which means it needs to be practiced. Now, because waiting means often no progress is visible it is challenging for our patriarchal conditioning/the muggle world to see/feel this as an active thing.

But we magical thinkers know it is.

And sometimes when the iChing gives me "waiting" it means actually waiting on someone/something - performing a service

- so instead of waiting on what we had in mind (the sun or the rain) while we stare at the horizon, we go inside and take care of someone else.
Waiting also meant "official attendance at court" back in the days of King Henry VIII - whose Saturn/Pluto in Cappy cycle we are repeating now.

So, what needs to be attended to? Where/how do we need to show up?

The other energy at this time is the "well", which follows "confinement" in iChing and is our deepest/most reliable resource of nourishment.

In ancient China they would move an entire city to a better location when things had gone bad. They moved everything except for the well. We can't carry our well with us either. We have to dig a new well when we reach the place we are headed. The Chinese did this together.

So, confinement - which brings us to reaching downward (Cancer) instead of upward (Capricorn) means turning inward, so the "well" follows.

Now, digging a new well is tricky work. The cleanest, most life-sustaining water is found very deep in the earth and it will take a steady (and committed) hand to raise those first buckets. And, of course, there is the whole 'fall into the hole and break your neck' thing that cannot be denied when we get to this kind of uncharted territory as the "well".

If you could see down an old Chinese well, you would see a frame of logs had been built at the bottom for drainage and support. And, of course, if the well has been built in soft silt the walls will be fragile and need to be lined. This, like "waiting" requires commitment, patience, consistence and probably won't produce an immediate reward.

But we need to build this "well" .. pretty damn well. 

We are starting a new 500 year cycle - we don't want to be drinking dusty water for the next few centuries!

And sometimes when the iChing gives me "well" it is something like a "spa" that is needed - a time of self-care. And sometimes it comes up when I am feeling like it would be safer to cover the well - hold myself apart from the receiving and giving out of fear of losing my freedom/autonomy or fear of showing my vulnerabilities. But we can only tap into the "well" and become part of the flow when we experience the real essence/potential of the situation - we have to allow ourselves to be a part of it and not apart of it.

Staying trapped in the pain of our "if onlys" keeps us from recognizing the clean water that flows freely beneath every situation. And if we cannot imagine our "well" which seems in such poor condition right now, becoming a permanent, dependable, shared resource we will not be inclined to invest so much of ourselves into it to do it right in the first place (we need vision people!) and we will end up with sticky mud.

There is an ever-present resource we can draw from here. What can we do to realize its potential?

I hope something here is helpful. The best use of many people's time now will be "going within". Raising our vibration, not falling into the fear-story, helps all of us.


xo all

photo by the talented bliXX-a