Today's Astrology Forecast | Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - a tense crossroads courtesy of overwhelm, decision time, practical plans and small do-able steps, readying ourselves for tomorrow's New Moon

The Moon is in Virgo now. 

We are nurtured through organization, having our ducks in a row, taking care of our health/our pets, doing our work. She trined a retrograde Uranus at 7:23AM EDT (solving old problems in unusual ways), goes on to trine a retrograde Jupiter at 6:54PM EDT (fixes/remedies bring back old opportunities) and finally opposes a retrograde Neptune at 10:03PM EDT (the work/reality of the day-to-day vs the dream/our escape tendencies/addictions, the bullshit). 

The couple days each month we have the Moon in Virgo bring oodles of positive aspects. The only trouble spot is that Neptune opposition and I say "only", but it's no small thing. Our Virgo planets (and especially keep this in mind if you are a Virgo Sun or rising) have a smooth path, but also a tendency toward that "escape". Neptune can be self-sabotagey if we don't give him something creative or healing to do. And if we lean too heavily in that direction we can get lost in the sauce, too. Balance matters.

This is the day the Sun's square to the Nodes perfects. Tension/frustration. This is a CROSSROADS. 

A situation must be solved before we can get any further. 

This will be in play at tomorrow's New Moon, so the decisions we make NOW will matter for months. 

Remember the South Node is in Sagittarius - our expansion, our beliefs, our hope. It is our hope, without action (and I am talking about small actions here), our big, bodacious moves that are too pie-in-the-sky/too big to line up with reality and our own programmed beliefs and the beliefs we fight to justify that SELF-SABOTAGE us now. 

IT'S TIME TO COME UNSTUCK. 

Make a plan. Stick to the facts. Talk it out in a loving way. Think about/work through the details. It's not sexy, but it's how life works now and for the next year. Big things are not going to work out as well as smaller/bite-sized things. Think local. Think logical. Stay flexible.

We have to break stuff down into do-able steps or we will be overwhelmed. 

Where is this stress/tension coming from? 

We will likely find something that just feels overwhelming. 

Break it down. Look for information. Make the call. Check for facts. Balance your checkbook. Clean your house/your car/your bedroom/your closet/your junk drawer. You need an organized space to work/think now. Get rid of what you no longer need - and don't overwhelm yourself with this - you can start with your desk. 

Symbolic actions are very powerful with the Sun at this crossroads. We are choosing the future because the future is ALWAYS choosing us. We can come unstuck RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW and then tomorrow we will put our feet on the ground, our broom to the floor, our pen to the paper and do it all over again. Be practical. Keep it real. 

A situation from the past has reached a crisis point - some HOPE for the future that is overwhelming us, probably into an escape, addiction or inactivity. Here is the day you take a small step in a new direction based on grounded reality. Virgo is mutable earth. It is solid, but not stuck. We can come unstuck right here in this ground - wherever our feet are planted. 

Make a decision/a plan. Make a call. Take some new action/fixes on old problems/situations. We will talk more about this in the New Moon post tonight. 

The Moon is dark and we will need some extra sleep/rest, but make the plan/decision/gather your facts, now. too. 

xo all

another photo by the amazing Julie-de-Waroquier

Today's Astrology Forecast | Tuesday, September 15, 2020 - love and money surprises, sharing/talking about what really matters

The Moon, roaring through Leo, goes void off a trine to a retrograde Mars at 11:09AM EDT - if you have some kind of move to make this would be the time to make it. Just think - action, initiative (even if this does involve ending something - the Moon is dark) - this energy could also enable an angry bailout, we might regret later. Keep this in mind.

At the same time, Venus (in Leo, too, and keep in mind Mercury is answering to her and heading toward tomorrow's square to larger-than-life Jupiter) is squaring Uranus (in Taurus so answering to Venus). 

Sudden/maybe risky attractions that could end just as suddenly. Sudden break-ups. Partners that behave unpredictably. Finding ourselves attracted to unusual people/things and situations. 

Financial changes. 

Maybe we get a bill in the mail we had forgotten about. A paycheck ends suddenly. An impulsive purchase/investment might look very attractive. But take some time to think it through. Balance things out. This energy can break us out of a rut - which can be a good thing. But also fracture our stability. Keep this in mind. Harsh aspects to Uranus (like this one), are probably more likely to produce losses/regrets than gains.

The inclination toward disruption will be strong today. And Venus in Leo NEEDS attention/appreciation. If we have been caged in/held back/unappreciated for too long .... something is likely to blow. 

From the weekly HERE:

"Changes with love, money, our values, our resources. Squares are tense/challenging. Hold onto your wallet. This would not be the time to make a big purchase/impulsive investment (although we might be made to part with some moula/resource now). This would not be the time to get a new haircut/tattoo, etc (Venus rules beauty) - the results could be way more radical than we intended. This aspect could also stimulate unexpected attractions or something surprising/unexpected connected to either a Venusian theme - our money, values, resources, love, partners, self-esteem or a Leo theme - our creative projects, children, romance, risk. This can also be about the theme of your natal Leo house rubbing up against the theme of your natal Taurus house.

With Uranus seeking liberation at any cost, we might want to toss off anything that feels even slightly like a collar today and could toss the baby out with the bathwater if we don't TAKE A BREATH. The Moon (in Leo, too) will be trining (brakes off) a retrograde Mars in Aries, making it even easier to slip off that collar, burn that bridge or toss that baby (note - babies only like this tossing thing when we actually catch them). "

The way through this? We look for a trine, a sextile - an open window/door if we need one. 

Mercury (in Libra) is sextiling Vesta (also in Leo) at 15 degrees. Sextiles create OPPORTUNITIES.

Mercury in Libra wants to cooperate and share thought/ideas. Libra is a Venusian sign and likes things balanced, peaceful, beautiful. Vesta is focused on the really important stuff in Leo - our children, creative projects, what makes us proud/gets us to the center stage of our own life/our heart.

Libra/Leo. Mercury/Vesta. Talking about and sharing what we care about creates opportunities/connections. A way through this. Mercury in Libra allows us to keep conversations light. Our words kind and attractive to others. Vesta allows us to remember what really matters. 

Most likely scenario here (realizing I can't see your chart, so am speaking collectively). Money/relationship tension. Our values change suddenly. 

What really matters is brought clearly into focus. 

xo all

The Moon is void from 11:09AM to 2:37PM EDT - stuff that crops us during this time might be much ado about nothing, but a dark, void Moon is unpredictable. There is alot we can't see now. Keep this in mind, too. 

photo by the amazing sollenafotografie

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of September 14 - 20th, 2020 - a crossroads, new fixes, building something from the ground up, committing, starting with the end in mind, choosing carefully

We finally get to that grounded New Moon in Virgo this week - a New Moon making nice with the Cappy pile-up. Whew! New stability, built over time. We begin to get, through the process of doing our Virgo, access to some FIXES to this year's Cappy devastation. 

All this New Moon asks (through a square to the Nodes) is for us to make a choice between the past/present and the FUTURE - and if this were easy it wouldn't be a square! Ack!

We'll talk about this more in the New Moon post tomorrow.

For now let's unpack the week:

MONDAY - Sun trine Pluto (retro)

TUESDAY - Venus square Uranus (retro)

WEDNESDAY - Sun square the Nodes

THURSDAY - Mercury square Jupiter (NOT retro), Sun trine Saturn (retro), New Moon in Virgo

FRIDAY - Mercury inconjunct Neptune (retro)

SATURDAY - Sun inconjunct Mars (retro) and square the Galactic Center

MONDAY - A four star day. The Sun at 22 degrees Virgo trines (brakes off) transformational Pluto at 22 degrees Capricorn. 

Practical ambitions. Personal power through helping others/through finding solutions. Excellent for finishing up business projects and commitments. Cutting through the red tape. Potential becomes achievement. The cream rises. If we have been overwhelmed we can get control of ourselves - through our work, daily routine, being proactive with our health. Maybe our ego is stroked by the big cheese or maybe we are the big cheese shining via what has been produced/accomplished.

Good for interacting with authority and stepping into our own. 

We have multiple squares (tension, frustration) this week, but we also have these Solar trines - a smooth flow - to the Cappy planets, moving things forward (we just have to do our "Virgo" for access to this - the next right thing, focus on the details, small is big, yada, yada). 

TUESDAY - Venus at 10 degrees Leo squares Uranus (retrograde) at 10 degrees Taurus. 

Changes with love, money, our values, our resources. Squares are tense/challenging. Hold onto your wallet. This would not be the time to make a big purchase/impulsive investment (although we might be made to part with some moula/resource now). This would not be the time to get a new haircut/tattoo, etc (Venus rules beauty) - the results could be way more radical than we intended. This aspect could also stimulate unexpected attractions or something surprising/unexpected connected to either a Venusian theme - our money, values, resources, love, partners, self-esteem or a Leo theme - our creative projects, children, romance, risk. This can also be about the theme of your natal Leo house rubbing up against the theme of your natal Taurus house.

With Uranus seeking liberation at any cost, we might want to toss off anything that feels even slightly like a collar today and could toss the baby out with the bathwater if we don't TAKE A BREATH. The Moon (in Leo, too) will be trining (brakes off) a retrograde Mars in Aries, making it even easier to slip off that collar, burn that bridge or toss that baby (note - babies only like this tossing thing when we actually catch them).

WEDNESDAY - The Sun at 24 degrees Virgo squares the Nodes - North at 24 degrees Gemini and South at 24 degrees Sagittarius. We will talk about this in detail in the New Moon post tomorrow, but this is us at a CROSSROADS. We are pushed to choose/make a commitment between the past (and the past includes not only our past, our past lives, our familial past, but also the things in this lifetime we are most comfortable with and perhaps the tendencies we fall back on) and the future which is something like a combination of the unknown/the irresistible and the stuff we would really like to avoid at any cost (ha!) - and this choice may not be so obvious or even conscious, but happening at the New Moon will have important ramifications for the next six months. Careful choices, what we value being woven into our daily life - think of this as a sharp bend in the road - we need to take it slow, think it through, because it matters.  

THURSDAY - New Moon in Virgo - BIG POST TO FOLLOW. 

FRIDAY - Mercury at 19 degrees Libra inconjuncts Neptune at 19 degrees Pisces. Right off yesterday's square to Jupiter (this could all be one thing), where we are maybe dealing with exaggerated (or possibly just BIG) relationship promises/conversations/ideas - now we are moving right into this rock and a hard place with Neptune - the dream, the past, our sensitivities. Maybe we are reading too much into what someone else is saying. It can be hard to say the right thing. To reach a compromise. We are kind of feeling what the other person is thinking, but we could be MISUNDERSTANDING them at the same time. We'll iron this out a bit in the New Moon post.  

SATURDAY - the Sun at 27 degrees Virgo now - let's get this Virgo stuff done folks, things will be much more challenging in Libra, believe me - inconjuncts Mars (retrograde now) and squares the Galactic Center.

Remember inconjuncts require us to stay flexible/adjust to both sides - there is no win/win here, but it doesn't have to be a total loss. The Sun in Virgo is about practical work/service and Mars in Aries wants to do what he wants to do/assert his will. Probably more can be achieved now if we kind of moderate our demands. If we focus on just delivering reliable, solid results. It's not sexy, but neither is the current state of the world. We won't feel totally satisfied no matter how we handle whatever this is we are dealing with, but, Sun/Mars is fast moving. Blink and its gone. 

At the same time the Sun is squaring the Galactic Center (our homing signal at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy) forcing/pushing us, with our back against the wall, toward CHANGE. We are co-creating, with God/source/the Universe NEW REALITIES.

With Mars newly retrograde, Jupiter newly direct and this New Moon in Virgo - we will be trying (because this is a PROCESS and one thing leads to the next and can't be skipped) to get things under control, started/re-done/improved which will probably not be totally effective because we are still more aligned with the disruption from the past than with the new possibilities of the future. 

 

By the time Mars stations direct in mid-November - and what happens over the next two months, with a dicey retrograde Mars, to get us to this point is keeping me up at night (!) - and especially by the Winter Solstice, we will be very clear on our karmic story-line and how much of a decaying past we are still clinging to and ready to begin the process of building a better/more caring world.

Since this is all happening during the North Node in Gemini  cycle - "love thy neighbor", the importance of a more sustainable/local/smaller framework, the lost art of conversation and what persuasive technology has done/is doing to our minds and mental health - is going to get very, very real.

xo all - back with the New Moon post

photo by the amazing Julie-de-Waroquier

Today's Astrology Forecast | Friday, September 11, 2020 - let go and let God, not being a doormat, not running off to Vegas and marrying a stripper, allowing ourselves to be inspired, putting the matches on the high shelf

The Moon came home to Cancer at 4:23AM EDT - we are nurtured through home, family, mothering for the next couple days and our attention goes there. 

In normal times (if there is such a thing), a Cancer Moon mostly feels good because Cancer being the Moon's jam, is the time every month we can count on to feel pajama and apple-pie comfortable, but this year, with the pile-up of oppositional planets in Capricorn, she (and we) don't get this benefit. There is still apple-pie. Sometimes. There are still pajamas. Maybe more pajamas in 2020 then any of us will care to remember, but the apples are too tart, the jammies kind of scratchy. 

And so it goes for our emotional Moon (as us) now - a mixed bag, as she moves through most of the day unaspected, then squares Mercury at 10:48PM (tense, late night conversations) and sextiles a retrograde Uranus (change is good) at 11:57PM EDT. 

Tomorrow and Sunday will be a mixed bag emotionally, too. Big girl pants on. Keep them on. Get a belt if they start to sag. Sleep in 'em.

The big news today is the Sun's annual opposition to Neptune. 

Neptune has been in Pisces since 2011/2012, so this has been happening with the Sun in Virgo for a few years. Solar oppositions behave something like Full Moons do in the lunar cycle - things come to light, to a culmination, with Neptune, worn away over time like rocks by water; to a DISSOLVE. With Sun opposed Neptune it will be hard/not possible to know just what is totally REAL. 

Virgo/Pisces. Let go and let God. Letting go of our ideas about the way something needs to be or look for us to be able to feel good/breathe/exhale. We don't need to be right. We don't need to be perfect. Everything can't be fixed and everything shouldn't be. Life is imperfectly perfect and that is OK and even as it should be. 

We don't need to serve others at the expense of ourselves. This aspect is great for self-sabotage, so watch for any sacrificial or escapist tendencies to be exposed. 

Mars is retrograde, conjunct Eris and Black Moon Lilith, who herself is exactly squaring Saturn now. WARNING lights are flashing all over the place. Be careful. Take care of yourself. Don't play with matches because you will get burned and so will everyone else. 

If a virus stealing our breath, authority stealing our breath, masks stealing our breath and forest fires stealing our breath - hasn't yet taught us that our breathe is valuable (plant a tree), that WE matter - there are many more rabbits (that look and act more like dragons) that can be pulled from cosmic hats this year. 

The key to this final chapter of 2020 is Mars. 

Mars retrograde holds all the card now. 

He's the dealer. 

And he will make all his moves with Eris by his side (Mars' angry sister; Goddess of discord/terrorism - the piece of our soul that got lost/forgotten in the telling of other people's stories). We will reclaim her and Black Moon Lilith - as uncomfortable and treacherous and SACRED as this work is - we will do it. By mid-2021, this piece of us/piece of the world we have had to hide/un-acknowledge in order to fit in/survive in this world for lifetimes and lifetimes will be OUT IN THE OPEN. 

This will mean different things to different people. For now, Mars is retrograde - life is an inside job.

Things are going to get deeper/more personal. This is the story of our personal will. The chapters that didn't make it into the his-tory books, whatever those stories may be. Maybe the stories of what our heroes did to win that we don't talk about in polite company. Maybe the photos that didn't make it into those pretty photo albums on our mother's coffee table. Often the seeds of our deeply buried ANGER. And fear.

Today though is Neptune's day. Good for forgiveness work. Poetry. Meditation. Music. Prayer. Allowing ourselves to be INSPIRED. 

Tempers will be hair-trigger with Mars at station. Everything that matters and everything that doesn't, is dry weeds by this time and leaning precariously toward the match ... keep this in mind. 

We will start to feel quite a bit better when Jupiter stations direct on Saturday night (EDT). 

xo all

photo by the amazing iNeedChemicalX

Today's Astrology Forecast | Thursday, September 10, 2020 - that rainy day feeling, less said, words that trigger and wound, confusion, deadlines, perfectionist claptrap, being honest with ourselves

The Moon in Gemini squares the Virgo Sun at 5:25AM EDT then goes on to square a retrograde Neptune at 8:16AM EST. Stress. Frustration. That rainy day feeling. For some, a need to rest. 

The Moon's square to the Sun is this month's Third Quarter Square - Gemini/Virgo. The tension between quick, light information/communications, day-to-day activity and a more intense/obsessive focus on the nitty gritty details. A fast choice might be required before we have all the facts. Or a quick fix. Our Sun in Virgo likes to take his time and do it right, but Gemini says just snap to it and figure it out. Virgo caution/practicality vs Gemini speed/haste. Our critical eye and too high standards can be challenged by deadlines. 

However this shows up, it leads us to a square with Neptune, in Pisces, our last and final mutable sign. 

Changes are needed, maybe especially in application of our perspective, and changes are tricky. 

Here, our Moon (our emotions) could be adjusting to the dream, the need to escape/avoid, an ending. Or maybe we just need some extra sleep! And if you are sleeping through this aspect - make sure to notice your actual dreams, which could be interesting and useful. 

Gemini can be exhausting for Pisces. Chit chat. Chit chat. Run here and there. Feeling washed out. 

Keep in mind Neptune square the Gemini Moon speaks of deception, misinformation and misunderstandings. Be sure people are hearing what you are saying and that you are actually listening to what others are saying to you - doubly tricky now with our masked mouths. 

We can't believe everything we hear/read/see today. We might not even believe everything we are saying. 

With all this Gemini/Virgo it will pay to keep up with what Mercury (ruler of both signs) is up to. 

 

Mercury (at 7 degrees Libra) opposes Chiron - the Wounded Healer at 7 degrees Aries. This is kind of repeating the other aspects, so pay attention. Words can be painful. We need to think before we speak and take the other person's feelings into consideration. Sharing our thoughts with our journal might be better than an actual other person! Trying to be polite/pouring pink paint over a hurtful situation, probably isn't going to work but neither is any of that bullshitty passive-aggressive critical "honesty". Keep language real. 

If it isn't kind and if it isn't important maybe just zip it for now. People will be unconsciously filtering our words through very old and very deep woundings and the potential increases for unnecessary pain during already painful/challenging times.

Know other people's words will trigger us. Use the Gemini Moon to lighten the "pain" (that could feel like anger with Mars at station) - stay curious, "isn't it interesting how mad/hurt I am getting over this conversation/this information/these words?". Also, this would not be the day for any kind of conflict negotiation/not the day to call your sister, yes that sister :)

Think about it like this - we don't have to be honest with other people now (say that thing we know will hurt) - we have to be HONEST WITH OURSELVES. Why do we think we need to say it?

However this shows up for us, if we look ahead we can see Mercury's next stop (not that he/she actually stops) is an inconjunct with change-maker Uranus, so hasty words/hurtful words could create unexpected and unpleasant results later. Or maybe needed changes, although they will be challenging and require adjustments - it's all in the way we look at it. As it always is.

Some words will not/cannot be avoided. Humor will help. 

xo all

photo by the incredible Julie-de-Waroquier

Today's astrology Forecast | Wednesday, September 9th, 2020 - Sun trine Jupiter, Mars stations retrograde - getting lucky by noticing what we missed, using our gifts, having faith, learning/teaching, backing up

 

 

The Moon is in Gemini now - we are nurtured through communication/information, our local community, siblings, education - her only aspect today a trine (brakes off) to ruler Mercury at 4:38AM EDT.

The BIG news - one of those "luckiest" days of the year aspects you hear some astrologers rave about - the Sun (in practical Virgo) is trining Jupiter (retrograde in Capricorn). Having this aspect in play as Mars stations retrograde tonight is, I think, also good news. 

Sun/Jupiter in earth signs - expansion grounded in reality. Something we can hold or touch. Confidence. Jupiter rules higher education and Gemini elementary, so this is a good time to learn/teach. Note what comes to your attention now and draws your interest. Jupiter gets lucky because he isn't afraid to take chances AND because he has FAITH. Keep in mind, he is retrograde here, so maybe an old opportunity comes back around. A lucky penny turns up. A light shines on an open door somewhere that has maybe been there for a very long time and why are we only now noticing it anyway. This is about USING OUR GIFTS. Shining. Keep in mind also that Venus (love, money, our resources and self-esteem) is in Leo answering to the Sun while the Sun is trining Jupiter. How often do we see this?! Not very often believe me!

 

Our "lucky breaks" come through the small details now, so pay attention. Also tend to those small details as if they were more important than they are, because they are actually - more important than they are.

At 6:23PM EDT, Mars will station retrograde at the uber critical degree of 28 Aries. So he (as us) gets all the way to the very, very end of Aries (that sign that needs simply to push through and be brave - not that this is easy for all of us or even for many of us) and must stop and turnaround. As the sign that is much better at starting than finishing this is not such good news. Having been brought to a crisis point through this standing still thing he (as us) has had to do - hold up there fellow, this exercise of "will" hasn't been as successful or conclusive as it could be. We need you to take this class over again (we are connected in some ways now back to 1988 - so what did you have going on back then?). 

 

And he (as us) can either buckle up/back up and work the retrograde process - in Aries this can be about re-starting something - or fight against this which in itself is a lesson in the use of our "will", but which we know from the upcoming Cappy squares may not be as productive as we might like. Still, for some, it will be the only way through this. We will be back here in January 2021, but the road will look ALOT different by then.

As always contained within the seed of the way something starts is the way it grows and the way it ends, so we can look at today's chart for some clues about what this Mars retrograde will be about. In your own life look to what slows down now or what re-starts. Look to what has triggered your anger/passions over the last few days as Mars slowed down. Just look to what is happening right now/what you are doing.

 

We talked about Mars journey this summer/fall in this 2020 post HERE. Look for an update to this, this week.

Today's chart shows the Sun trining Jupiter - an auspicious aspect for Mars dicey retrograde, so good news. A way through this - confidence, some risk-taking, education, faith.

 

Mars is opposing Juno. Jupiter's wife, but much more than that - Juno rules our relationships/contracts - she holds us to task to uphold hierarchical structures within familial relationships. She can also be said to stay too long at the party - look the other way when things are not going so well, avoid unpleasant confrontations to keep the peace/relationship/her power position in tact. With Mars sitting between Lilith and Eris, this is not going to be a good plan right now. Cooperative arrangements/partnerships are going to reach a crisis point/culmination point (sometimes an ending) during this retrograde. And, we already know in Aries he (as us) will be squaring all the Cappy "authority/power" planets as we move through the fall. 

 

2020 continues to be, just as it started, a long chapter in a very old book about how we handle "power".  Buckle up ...

We'll look at the retro chart in another post and again you can take another look at that 2020 series post.

 

During Mars retrograde, unless you have a natal Mars retrograde, there will be a tendency to push when we should pull or pull when we should stand still. This is all part of the learning process and also the decision making process that gets us to November when Mars will station direct at 15 degrees Aries. If you have planets/points around 15-28 degrees of the cardinal signs, you will feel this retrograde strongest, but we will ALL be feeling it. Keep in mind this retrograde's auspicious start with the Sun/Jupiter - the delays, the re-dos and missteps - will all be worth it in the end.

 

In the meantime, ENJOY THIS DAY with the Sun/Jupiter - pay attention, look up, push your luck a little bit!!

 

xo all

 

photo by the amazing Julie-de-Waroquier