Sun square Pluto with Mercury opposing Chiron | when the shadows come looking for us, no pain no gain

 

Let's dive a little deeper into the mid-week's energies since they are volatile and already active! 

Gut-punched me today.

 

THIS is the time we want to be diving into them - before next week's Eclipse. I wanted to clear up when I said in the weekly, "don't go looking for trouble, leave what's under the bed under the bed", I am talking about NEXT WEEK and really throughout the Eclipse cycle. 

 

This is the week to get things cleared up/to go deep. Before the Sun meets up with Venus this weekend which can be very healing for these Pluto squares!

Mid-week we have the Libra Sun, at 26 degrees, squaring a direct Pluto in Capricorn and we have Mercury, at 13 degrees Libra, opposing a retrograde Chiron in Aries. The Sun is answering to Venus who is squaring Pluto, too!

The Sun in Libra wants to keep things light/balanced - will pour pink paint over problems if she must to keep things on an even keel. Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio and the freaking 'king of the underworld' will have none of that. So, when the solar light in polite Libra squares powerful Pluto we get to see what is underneath the polite smile, the charming words, THE PINK PAINT.

Here are the fears, control issues, the stuff we have stuffed, the stuff our relationships have stuffed, our compulsions, our jealousies - that are driving us. 

It is important to be REAL now; to be honest. 

 

If we are trying to manipulate someone or some situation - ie get someone to do what we want them to do - this will backfire. If we are thinking someone is trying to control/manipulate us they probably are. We don't want to be trying to control anyone or letting anyone control us. The only control we have/need is over OURSELVES. 

 

The real power comes through the honesty. The lack of sugar coating, The lack of pink paint. The Pluto square is to the Sun, our solar energy, our ego, so if we can release the fear of failing, of not being seen, of not standing out, of not being accepted/loved and respond (not react) from our heart we will be MORE POWERFUL. 

With Mercury opposing Chiron at the same time, the whole thing is likely to come through challenging words/information or a tense conversation. This can't be glossed over because of the Pluto square. The Moon will be in Leo answering to the Sun, so our emotions will be all caught up in our ego. In our relationships. Maybe in what other people think of us. We can't avoid the uncomfortable words even when we are feeling vulnerable/naked.

 

It is brave (Aries!) to speak of the way we are hurting and to really hold space/listen to someone else. It is brave to apologize if we are being/have been acting in ways that we are less than proud of. 

The upcoming Eclipse energy, which is MEGA, will have less to work with/will inflict less damage if we are BRAVE now; if we are honest and real. And, this doesn't mean spewing crap all over someone else and if we do this, we will need to man up and apologize for it. We also can't be a 'crap' target.

 

We need to take responsibility for the situations we find ourselves in. We need to take responsibility for our part in challenging relationships/with challenging financial or intimacy situations.

Remember this is a time when very small actions, really the smallest possible actions will keep our momentum going if it supports our highest good. We want to be noticing what is coming into form (Saturn about to station direct!) and how our actions are contributing to this. We want to be fast on our feet with small changes as things veer off in unintended directions because they likely will with Mars in Gemini. We are born with an internal GPS and a natural impulse toward growth and integrity and wholeness. We are kind of just waiting for the circumstances to present themselves to support our blossoming. Sometimes those circumstances present as challenges. In this case - how do we handle or avoid POWER or becoming more POWERFUL?

xo all

photography by the talented Camelia Baican

weekly astrology forecast | October 17th -23rd, 2022 - another BIG week ahead plus a look a bit further out!

 

This week is BIG, needs no introduction because we are already in it. At the end of this post we will take a longer look at a few things.

 

MONDAY - Sun trines Mars and Vesta, Sun inconjunct Neptune

TUESDAY - Venus trines Mars and Vesta, Venus inconjuncts Neptune

WEDNESDAY - Sun squares Pluto, Mercury opposes Chiron

THURSDAY - Venus squares Pluto

SATURDAY - Sun conjuncts Venus, Mercury trines Saturn and Vesta

SUNDAY - Sun and Venus dive into Scorpio, Saturn stations direct, Juno stations direct

MONDAY - TUESDAY - We begin the week with the Sun and Venus (traveling together and meeting up on Saturday), from separate perches at 24 degrees Libra, trining Mars in Gemini AND Vesta in Aquarius. 

Our words/ideas/conversations are favored/attractive/bring harmony. Something is moving forward/falling into place (we will keep in mind that Mars is going to station retrograde next week, so this is likely part of a process). Passionate communications are likely. This is good energy for commerce/making money. We are more magnetic. Good for peacemaking/mediating. For versatility/more options within whatever we have going on in our relationships. The trines to Vesta pull in some futuristic/smart Aquarius air. What is most important/where should our focus be? What flame/passion needs to be KEPT LIT? Here is that Grand Air Trine - which we have access to for a few days - this is unobstructed smooth flow with conversations, ideas. 

 

Last week's Grand Air Trine continues with a change of players. This week is about our light/versatile/flexible/multiple actions (Mars in Gemini) in unobstructed flow with what we want/our relationships/our resources (Sun/Venus in Libra) in an unobstructed flow with our sacred devotion, what we are focused on/paying attention to, the rules, our responsibilities/the future (Saturn and Vesta in Aquarius). At the end of the week, Mercury steps in for the Sun/Venus and speaks of things like official contracts/commitments, compromises, grown-up diplomacy, walking our talk - our attention drawn to what matters most. Sometimes we might need to take a step back/detach, air signs are not so sentimental.

The inconjuncts to Neptune warn of confusion, rose-colored glasses, exhaustion, escape mechanisms like alcohol/drugs/Netflix, etc, self-sacrifice, self-sabotage - getting in the way of us using the powerful Grand Air Trines to their best advantage. 

Focus on what matters most. Do first things first. Big girl/boy pants on. Be civil. Be kind. Eyes on the future. Don't take things personally. Hold your center.

As we move into the middle of the week, on WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY the energies get more tricky. Now we have Mercury opposing Chiron which can bring a painful conversation/news. The squares to Pluto could bring something 'to a head' through power struggles, difficulties with limits/authority, challenges with women. The loss or transformation of solar figures/father figures and then women/relationships. Financial stress. Intensity. Jealousy/compulsion within relationships. Third party situations. Mercury is applying to his/her trine to Saturn, so the way through the hurtful words/information - whatever is making us feel vulnerable here - will NOT be found fighting Pluto, but in merging with Saturn. Lean into responsibility, structure, commitment. We don't want to be destroying something. We don't want to focus on what we are losing. 

We want to focus on what we are building. What goals bring you into connection with other people? This stressful/tense energy in the middle of the week will really be in play all week as it applies and releases. Channel the Grand Air Trine and keep a cool head.

 

On SATURDAY, Venus catches up with the Sun concluding a chapter and starting a new STORY (Venus Star Point, 28 degrees Libra - first Venus Star Point in Libra since the days of the American and French Revolutions!).

If we are getting what we want here is when it can show up (or maybe in the past week or so as this aspect was applying). Financial gains are possible. With Saturn stationing direct tomorrow and Mercury in a smooth trine to Saturn now, the reality of the situation likely via rules, formal commitments/conversations and contracts are highlighted whichever way our personal winds are blowing. Hopefully we are experiencing the Libra harmony, cooperation, love and attraction. 

 

Remember this meeting is in diplomatic and balanced Libra, so we want to be playing by the rules here, not trying to rock the boat. 

 

On SUNDAY, something is likely to change direction with both Saturn and Juno turning direct. Daddy's home and it's report card time. Venus and the Sun leave Libra TOGETHER and dive into Scorpio, yes, the boat will rock, setting the stage for the Scorpio Solar Eclipse next Tuesday. 

 

I hope we got some of these relationship hard edges and power imbalances smoothed out over the last few weeks in Libra because things are only going to get more intense/dramatic/bumpier! 

My philosophy with Eclipses is not to go looking for trouble. 

Things are hidden for a reason. Some of the things we have stuffed under the carpet can stay stuffed for now as far as I am concerned, unless Eclipse energies drag them out - and they might! The opposite will be true for health situations - I am talking especially to my fellow Scorpio risings and Gemini Risings (even some Taurus risings), take health things, that come to light, seriously over the next couple weeks. For other signs this can apply to partner's health, pet's health, parent's health, your career's health, etc. 

Saturn stationed retrograde back in early June and now he stations DIRECT. Saturn's retrograde "review" wraps up in our Aquarius house - collectively this will be about our groups, goals, causes, etc - Aqua stuff. We should have a better idea of who and what we want to associate ourselves with. Some situations will be left behind.

 

Saturn's direct motion can release pent up pressure in our Aquarius house. It could have felt, during his retrograde, that we were getting further away from our goals or where we want to be in this area of our life. Maybe obligations weighed heavily. Commitments to groups/causes might have been re-evaluated. Walls and limitations had to be faced. Corners we had previously cut were noted to be missing. Bills came due.

Maybe we were re-evaluating, re-assessing, re-affirming our responsibilities and commitments. Maybe we learned to say, "no". Maybe we learned to say "yes" to something we had been avoiding.

Saturn always gives rewards, but they are Saturnian rewards - coming after we've put in the time and hard work to build something that lasts. And yes, the thing that lasts IS the reward!

Our long range goals that have been stuck can start to move forward now. 

With Saturn (father time) direct - daddy's home! - greater external structure is brought into our lives. This can feel supportive and rewarding (if we have been doing our Saturn retro work) or like a wall/limit/roadblock (if we have been partying like it's 1999 - does anyone remember 1999??).

Have we been goofing off? Staying out late? Running up the electric bill? Worn out dad's  favorite chair or left his tools out in the rain to rust? Well, he's home. 

Karmic books get balanced. Remember, karma isn't about punishment. It is simply cause and effect - we are just being served what we ordered. Most of us do alot of this "ordering" unconsciously. If we don't like what we are being served - we can choose to do things differently today. 

 

NOW is an opportunity, with Saturn covering old ground for the third time, to FIX ANY MISSED STEPS in that Aquarius house. We are older and wiser. 

With Juno stationing direct in Pisces at the same time, this direct movement is also about our RELATIONSHIPS and our dreams. Some kind of 're-evaluation' period is over. If we have been overly-idealistic about someone/something/a creative project - here is where the reality of the situation will be made more clear. Has the help/prestige from Jupiter that Juno depends on been there or hasn't it? Again, the winds here will CHANGE DIRECTION.

 

With Scorpio season coming in with a BANG next week - things feeling much more like 'life and death' and some might actually be - we need to get whatever needs to be wrapped up this week, wrapped up. By the end of this week, the Moon will be in her balsamic phase, so something should be winding down. Either completing as we prepare for a BIG New Moon Solar Eclipse conjunct Venus or preparing to move into a new/more intense chapter. 

*****

To recap where we are - October started with Mercury turning direct in his/her home sign of Virgo. 

Mercury was squaring Mars and opposing Neptune. That's not the best 'welcome home' Mercury could have received, so as I write this in the middle of October, we are coming off a couple weeks, at least, of some pretty challenging and uneven communication. 

Last week and this week the air trines take over - communication, information. The pace can quicken. This week there will be squares to Pluto from the Libra planets - power struggles, financial and relationship challenges that can lead to permanent TRANSFORMATIONS. Squares aren't bad things. Not much happens without them. But take them seriously because Pluto don't play. 

We have the beautiful and harmonious October 22nd meeting of the Sun and Venus. So, between now and then we are working on strengthening our relationships - which will, yes, be challenging - balancing our books, looking at our resources/what we value, seeing the ways our self-esteem is connecting to our current situation. 

 

Once we get past October 22nd, things get more INTENSE (and don't read 'intense' as 'bad'). 

Venus and the Sun dive into Scorpio together. They will inconjunct Jupiter - making relationship and financial situations feel bigger. Here is where we want to avoid heated arguments that can become out-of-control. Wanting too much, taking too much, over-promising, over-committing, over-confidence that leads to brashness - think twice. Scorpio's modern ruler will be direct and finishing up in Capricorn. Scorpio's ancient ruler is in Gemini, slowed, preparing to station retrograde. How deep we want to go with things after the 23rd is questionable - and much will be out of our hands because the Eclipse energies will take over - some monsters might be better left under the bed, because things could get scarier than we want them to. 

Halloween is more than a date on the calendar. 

By the end of this week, we will want to be SUPPORTING each other because we will need it. Our "people" may be in much smaller numbers than they used to be, but hopefully they are the 'real deal'. Hopefully we have people we value and who value us. There doesn't have to be alot of them, and, of course, ultimately with Chiron and Jupiter in independent Aries and Saturn in individualistic Aquarius - much is up to us anyway.

With Mars in the beginning of his LONG journey back and forth through Gemini - small steps are most needed. Facts are needed. Options are needed. Duality is needed (even though NASA is kind of intent on blowing it up). Tech, our local community, our siblings/cousins, communication - all needed. 

Mars is squaring Neptune, so we can't see what we can't see/don't know what we don't know. We can get tired and drift off course. We want to be taking action, YES, but in a way we want to be taking the LEAST necessary action. Especially with blockages and problems now. The bigger the move we make to fix something the more off-course we can make ourselves because Mars/Neptune creates DRIFT. 

We want to respond and not react. What does this mean? Think about it. Responses are natural/innate. They require our trust/faith in life. Something happens and we do what comes naturally. Reactions can be overthought/get overblown. There can be a tendency with Mars/Neptune, with Gemini/Pisces, with Pluto just stationing direct, to OVER-ADJUST - and we unconsciously hard-wire MANIPULATION into our reaction. This leads to unintended consequences. We get what we want and don't want it. We want what we want without being clear on what this is because again there is this kind of DRIFT.

So, take things slow. Neptune will always beat Mars, so see/feel what Neptune in Pisces is bringing you (besides a potential head cold this season). Don't be so quick to full-steam ahead it with that Mars about to station. These energies dancing with Neptune (and Jupiter) give us the rose-colored glasses we NEED to be OPEN to better outcomes. But they are also making it hard to see past the idealized version of something to the reality of the situation. And, they are draining, and did I say DRIFTING, yes, I think I did. 

We need to have faith. There are BIG things happening in this lead up to Eclipse season, and really all the way through March 2023 and through May 2023, that are OUT OF OUR HANDS. 

Jupiter is Zeus, the God of Gods, the God of FAITH, and he is retrograde in the sign of "man". The universal man, but also our masculine energy. He is answering to Mars right now, but is headed back into Pisces, a sign he once ruled, and then will return to Aries. So, we will be going back to the dream through action/through courage/through Mars. Next year we will be back where we are now. At the end of 2022 we are just laying the footings - or maybe ripping out the old growth.

THIS IS A LONG GAME. Or a long book and we live it chapter by chapter. Looking too far ahead doesn't ruin the ending - it can actually CHANGE THE ENDING. Stay centered. The North Node is in Taurus - what is most important? What do you actually NEED to stay alive?

Mars is bringing us the options/choices. He is going to station retrograde at the end of the month FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR. There will be stop signs and road blocks. These are not punishments. They are not designed to actually stop us. Well, sometimes they are. But more commonly they are like those bumps in the road made to slow us down, encourage us to pay more ATTENTION. And through the ongoing Saturn/Uranus square we will be charged to find new ways to deal with the changing circumstances we find ourselves in. 

When Mars stations retrograde in Gemini at the end of October, he will be answering to Mercury who will be in Scorpio, and Mars and Mercury will then be in mutual reception. There will be ways through. We will talk about this as we move through it. We will wring the most from that mutual reception. While Mars is retrograde is an EXCELLENT time to PREPARE. We will be doing the background work before next spring's BIG show.

Our first Eclipse is a New Moon Solar Eclipse in Scorpio on October 25th. This will be followed two weeks later by a particularly VOLATILE Lunar Eclipse in Taurus on November 8th. We will talk about this in the next posts. The two weeks between the Eclipses is a kind of 'report card' for how we deal with CHAOS (which is a natural part of feminine energy). This will also be when Mars stations retrograde!

What is really happening here is we are being forced to face the energy (which has created fear) we are absorbing/have absorbed from other people. Scorpio's memory is long. This can have past-life/ancestral implications. We are being asked to REALLY look at ourselves through our relationships and our values and our connection to money/resources. We all have very old beliefs about who we are/what we need, what other people expect from us. We are moving from a tribal society to a more individualistic one (over a very long time, but also very quickly) - what needs to be re-negotiated?

The New Moon Solar Eclipse in late October is at the very early degrees of Scorpio. Something is starting and being in Scorpio, the start is coming through a death/what is leaving. The North Node will reach the degree the Eclipse is activating, in the middle of 2023 - maybe THEN is when the seeds that go into the ground now take root. Maybe THEN is when we see what is lost. With the South Node in Scorpio much old karma connected to our natal Scorpio house is bring released/burned off. 

This Eclipse powerfully hits both Biden's and Putin's charts. We will look at that in the Eclipse post.

 

On November 8th, we get the second Eclipse - this one a Lunar Eclipse in Taurus. Mega-powerful. Conjunct Uranus. Change/chaos. Again, how do we deal with chaos? We are breaking free of old agreements/old values. We might lose some resources. This is tricky territory. We will look at this in detail.

In 2023, alot will be going on. 

 

Pluto will move into Aquarius (temporarily, he will be back in Capricorn by summer). Saturn will move into Pisces and Jupiter into Taurus (where he will square Pluto, in May, while Pluto is at 0 Aquarius - the "world starts up again" degree where he met Saturn at the end of 2020). There will be 4 Mercury retrogrades and 4 Eclipses. In March 2023, all the planets except Ceres will be direct and in a three week window - Mercury and Saturn will move into Pisces (Saturn coming off a mega-USA reality check visit with the U.S. Moon - the people), Juno and Venus will enter Taurus, Mercury and the Sun will enter Aries, Ceres will back into Virgo and Pluto will enter Aquarius. Jupiter will be on Chiron (our wound, but also our gift). Next summer, while Venus retrogrades in Leo, the Nodes will shift into Aries/Libra. The Eclipses will be wonky with an Eclipse in Aries followed by an Eclipse in Scorpio (both in the spring) then in the fall an Eclipse in Libra followed by an Eclipse in Taurus. Our relationships/our resources/our values/our money and self-esteem - all this stuff is changing.

The work on/in our relationships continues and ultimately this is about working on ourselves. 

For now, with two major planets/celestial bodies (including the one that rules, well, reality) changing direction this week, something in our life will be, too. The air trines this week are smooth flow - our actions, our communications. The squares to Pluto are power struggles, third party situations, Plutonian theme issues - taxes, inheritance, insurance, joint money stuff, spouse's income, sex, reproduction, surgery, power, obsession, jealousy. etc, or some actual 'life and death' challenges/relationship pivot points. The Venus/Pluto now will be a pre-cursor of Eclipse season (Scorpio/Taurus, so a decidedly Pluto/Venus flavor), so pay attention to any challenges/intensity in the middle of this week.

These times are not for sissies. 

 

Appreciate all the good things that come your way, always!

Back with a Saturn direct post and then a BIG Solar Eclipse in Scorpio post!

xo all

 

This post feels a bit all over the place. Some of it was supposed to go up last week, but the auto-post didn't auto-post (!) for whatever reason and I neglected to double check it. It is future-focused, so still timely - hope something is helpful.

photography by the talented temporary-peace

weekly astrology forecast | october 10th - 16th, 2022 - I hope you like your dance partners because October looks like a long and fated dance with destiny

 

BIG week ahead with some crazy possibilities as we head into Eclipse season. 

 

I hope we heard whatever news/information Mercury received from Pluto last week - MESSAGE DELIVERED - because we will need that info in the weeks ahead. Pluto's direct station on Sunday takes us back to January 2022. Something from that time period could be changing direction or moving forward.  

 

(People with planets nearest 26 degrees of the cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn - will feel this energy strongest. At the moment Pluto stationed - here is the death that was postponed - my 26 degree Cappy Sun cousin's 22 year old, much-loved cat passed away, you will be missed Mikey)

 

The Sun and Venus are pulled into the ongoing Saturn/Uranus square this week with both planets having their individual conversations with both Saturn and Uranus (both Saturn and Uranus are retrograde, so something here will have a 'been there/done that' or "re" feel to it). The trines to Saturn speak of smoothly stepping into responsibility, our integrity, movement through mature relationships and long-term investments. This is sober/practical energy we can count on. The inconjuncts to Uranus speak of dealing with relationship/financial disruptions. Unbalanced responses. Rocks and hard places. Adjustments needed.

 

Traveling together again next week, Venus and the Sun will trine Mars (our actions attracting what we want, good options, choices) and square Pluto (power struggles, third party problems, financial/career challenges) before meeting up with each other at the end of next week when SOME GOODIES GET DELIVERED. 

 

Yes, for all of us!

In the meantime, this tag-team (Sun/Venus) double dose of partnership-focused LIBRA, will bring some extra challenges and opportunities to our RELATIONSHIPS.

 

There is ALSO some potential good news this week as Mercury makes his final opposition to Jupiter - that OLD GOLD is back in play! With Mars squaring Neptune the same day, we want to keep our head in the game here, not let our actions drift off course or sabotage ourselves. Stay focused on the details/the facts. We are still in the danger zone of taking something too far and things falling in on themselves. 

 

One thing at a time. Focus on your next right step. What is working? What needs to change? Keep one eye on the OTHER PERSON.

Let's unpack the week!

MONDAY - Venus opposes Chiron and squares Pallas, Mercury re-enters Libra, Mars trines Vesta

TUESDAY - Sun inconjuncts Uranus, Sun trines Saturn

WEDNESDAY - Mars squares Neptune, Mercury opposes Jupiter

THURSDAY - Venus inconjuncts Uranus

FRIDAY - Venus trines Saturn

SUNDAY - Sun inconjuncts Neptune and trines Vesta

On MONDAY, Venus, following in the Sun's footsteps and blown-out/under the beams of the Sun, reaches 14 degrees Libra and opposes Chiron.

Venus/Chiron can bring healing/love - IF we use what hurts to create change - we will need to work with whatever vulnerability the Sun illuminated last week. Feelings of being unappreciated/unloved can come up to be worked through. Financial vulnerability can be felt and we will need to take some kind of action to be/feel less fragile. We might need to stand up for ourselves/pull ourselves together. KNOW OUR WORTH. Embrace our flaws.

 

Instead of Libra's tendency to gloss over discomfort, pour pink paint over problems, grow old and bitter - if we WORK THE PROCESS OF THIS (release what is unhealthy, admit something hurts then work to change the situation and/or our reactions/responses) - we can end up on more solid ground. Very old, very deep wounds are being visited for healing. Relationship imbalances/injustices/hurts that reached a tipping point last week are re-visited. Or new situations are stirred up. Maybe we were wanting something and didn't get it. What have we learned?

This is also the day Mercury re-enters Libra. So we are back to August 25th and September 23rd when Mercury previously visited early Libra. Conversations/ideas from those times are reactivated. Hopefully we are older/wiser - having taken something relationship or financial or self-esteem/values related back to the drawing boards of practical Virgo. HERE WE GO AGAIN. Mercury moves from logical Virgo into diplomatic, but indecisive (the problem with being able to see both sides of the story!) Libra.

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

Communications lighten up. We smile. We talk about the things everyone can agree on. We find common ground. That is the energy that moves communications, ideas and conversations forward now. Mercury will be in Scorpio by the 29th, a space he/she is much less comfortable, so use this energy while you have it. Yes, it's schmoozy, but if we used what we learned during Mercury's retrograde, the schmoozy can work. 

Venus squares Pallas which speaks of our relationships/need for balance/finances at odds with the rather foggy - or imaginative - strategies we have for achieving our dreams. Luckily we also have Mars trining Vesta allowing us to FOCUS on what really matters. Make choices/decisions, take actions and have conversations that are future focused and smart.

The Moon is void for most of the day today, so not a good day to start something brand new until after the Moon gets into Taurus - the sign of her exaltation - at 5:04PM EDT.

On TUESDAY, the Sun reaches 18 degrees Libra and enters the Saturn/Uranus square via a trine to Saturn and inconjunct to Uranus

This is about the old vs the new. Stability vs change. The Sun is in a smoother flow with Saturn - so good for our connections with groups, rules, limits, structure. The testy 'rock and a hard place' with Uranus will have us adjusting to uncomfortable changes. 

On WEDNESDAY, Mercury opposes Jupiter for the last time and Mars squares Neptune for the first time. Both are repeating aspects.

Mars/Neptune could see us initiating something that will have a tendency to drift off course. We can't see clearly what we are getting into/where we are heading. It's a draining aspect. We could be exhausted/mentally exhausted. We have talked about the need to pace ourselves with Mars in Gemini until March 2023. Sometimes Mars/Neptune brings water issues. Or Neptunian-style distractions/escapes. With Mars in Gemini there will be choices/multiple ways forward. Imaginative/creative work is favored. Movement toward our dreams won't be simple, but square aspects are what get things done.

 

The Mercury/Jupiter could make this whole thing even bigger or bring us miracles/old gold. We need to be confident, expansive, reaching further. This is their third of three conversations so something could be concluding/wrapping up here. Just keep one foot on the ground with the Mars/Neptune happening at the same time!

On THURSDAY/FRIDAY, Venus, at 18 degrees Libra, again following the Sun's footsteps, is pulled into the Saturn/Uranus square through a smooth trine with Saturn (rules, limits, the old structure, commitment) and an awkward inconjunct with Uranus - change/the future/mixed feelings within new or changing relationships. 

 

This is all part of Venus's dance with the Sun until she finally catches up with him at the end of next week. This week, I'd say dance with the one who brought ya'. Or the one who knows how to dance. Does that make sense?

On SUNDAY - the Sun inconjuncts Neptune, so here is the need for some adjustment between our relationship/need for balance or fairness and the dream. Venus will make this aspect the next day, so there is a need for an honest look at what we are attracted to/attracting now. There is some kind of uncomfortable mix of insecurity - via relationships, self esteem, finances - and elevated expectations. Inconjuncts are not really fixable when they occur, we just kind of deal with them/work with them - learn to adjust.

 

The Sun's trine to future-focused/smart Vesta in Aquarius will help. Be smart. Focus on what matters/what keeps you up at night/the flame that needs to stay lit. Don't get overly emotional. Step back and detach a bit.

I hope something here is helpful. The Air Grand Trine from the Full Moon continues so ideas/information are pulling us forward! 

 

I will get a BIG picture forecast up so we can see further ahead - this piecemeal week to week is only so helpful with the next set of Eclipses bearing down on us. The end of October/beginning of November is about BIG CHANGE. Next post we will focus further out - get our bearings.

xo all

 

artwork by the talented mercuryferns

Full Moon in Aries | October 9, 2022 - restoring balance to relationships that have run off course, ending toxic connections & behaviors, last Full Moon before Eclipses

On Sunday, October 9th, at 4:54PM EDT, the Aries Moon moves into an exact opposition with the Libra Sun giving us this month's Full Moon - our annual Full Moon in Aries.

The Full Moon is always a time of tension (there is something to all that howling after all) - it's a time of Sun opposite Moon. Oppositions are pretty much just what they sound like. This one is in the "me vs we" polarity of the Aries/Libra axis.

This is the culmination of the Aries New Moon that launched the lunar year back in April, so maybe something from that time is finishing up/becoming illuminated/peaking. 

 

Feels like years ago, doesn't it? I think I am aging in dog years now. Woof. At the Full Moon things peak, culminate or come to light. Results are delivered. Stuff finishes up. And this is our last Full Moon before Eclipse season, so is MEGA important. 

Let's unpack the chart!

 

The Moon opposes the Libra Sun from 16 degrees Aries. The Moon is conjunct Chiron, The Sun is conjunct Venus (the Moon opposes) and answering to Venus, strong in her home sign of Libra. The Moon sextiles Saturn. The Sun trines. Uranus squares Saturn (exact by degree). Mars, the ruler of this lunation is at the 'power' degree of 22 in Gemini and answering to Mercury, recently direct in his home sign of Virgo. Mars trines Saturn (Grand Air Trine with Mars, Saturn and the Sun) and squares Neptune. The Moon/Sun are T-Squaring Black Moon Lilith in Cancer.

 

The Moon is conjunct Chiron. This aspect is separating/has already happened. Is still in play. So, just before the Moon reaches her fullness in Aries, she passes over Chiron/merges with Chiron (the Sun opposed Chiron on Friday). This makes this Moon extremely SENSITIVE. And this is Aries, an uncomfortable space for sensitivity. The Aries Moon is a warrior/protector not so much given to traditional nurturing or sentimentality. This is the mother who wants her children to be strong and independent. She doesn't coddle. 

This conjunction can bring up emotional wounds. Mother wounds. Painful female relationships. Maybe we are feeling the ways we don't fit in or how we don't "look" the way we want to look. With the Sun in projecting Libra we could be feeling the way someone else is hurting or the way they don't fit in. Fears around not being able to take care of ourselves or be ourselves can come up through situations that stimulate these feelings. At almost the same time this is happening the Moon is opposing Venus. Echoing challenges with females/with partners. Feeling out of balance. Feeling the unfairness/injustice of something, What we are wanting isn't matching up with what we need. We are thinking/feeling all the ways our relationship/the other person isn't measuring up. There could be some kind of disappointment here. 

And this is all happening in the background of the Aries/Libra polarity - me vs we. 

Now, at the same time, the Sun (in Libra, so answering to Venus) is conjuncting Venus. This is one of the most harmonious aspects in astrology. This is amplified by the Full Moon in Aries, but opposing it. So, there is something here about us standing on our own two feet/being self reliant. If the ugly here is too ugly, the Aries Full Moon/Chiron opposing Sun/Venus can give us the grace and self-respect to DEAL WITH IT. To face whatever this is HEAD ON. 

This is why this Moon will only be so challenging. Venus/Sun and Venus opposed Moon are both HELPFUL, loving. We are looking at the other person in a more loving way. Seeing the warts, the vulnerabilities in ourselves and maybe that is what allows us to be more compassionate with others. Maybe some person has been driving us crazy, and something may even come to a head here - likely this will come before the Moon  - and then, something either breaks lose - it is easier for things to end at Full Moons, especially this one - or, maybe we soldier on - the path to true love littered with fewer obstacles because we are dealing with the reality of what something is, warts and all. 

This is all happening just as Pluto is stationing direct. So, here is the death that was postponed - the ending/the dead thing we are carrying around and need to release coupled with the Full Moon's need to exhale almost forces this to happen OR here is the thing that DIDN'T DIE, and now we have a full-load of Aries fire to breath some life into it/fire it up/push it back on track. Sun/Venus in Libra is loving, harmonious, peaceful. Speaks of our RELATIONSHIPS. Venus is trining Saturn, so this is SERIOUS. We are either committed or we aren't.  

 

Rings go on fingers and rings come off.

The Sun is in a helpful (brakes off) trine to Mars in Gemini and Saturn in Aquarius. Here is the AIR, the fiery Full Moon needs. Mercury is just moving off his/her square to Mars, who in Gemini, is answering to Mercury who has just stationed direct, too, so we are probably saying things we have been thinking about or saying things we have said before, but now there is some force/fire/energy behind the words. 

The Moon is sextiling Saturn and Mars, so we should be able - in the Moon's bright light - to see more clearly our options and limits. And, again, this is all about our RELATIONSHIPS. And probably a primary relationship. 

And in the background of all this is the Saturn/Uranus square - separating now, but exact within degree. The old vs the new. The stability vs the chaos. 

This is all forcing our RISING TO THE OCCASION. Whatever the occasion is! Whether we need to work on something that has run off the road or end something that is TOXIC. 

 

We are all lying in the beds we made, so what are we going to do with these sheets and blankets and maybe even that person lying next to us? 

The Aries Full Moon is answering to Mars, who is in Gemini and answering to Mercury in Virgo. Because of his own upcoming retrograde Mars will be in Gemini until March 2023, so this Full Moon is part of the long and winding road to March 2023. Happening with the Moon's final dispositor (Mercury) in stable and practical Virgo tells us the best way through this Moon is by being stable and practical. Attending to our health. Attending to our daily obligations. Small is BIG. The way we do one thing is the way we do everything now.

 

Mars is approaching his square to Neptune, and this, with Mars' upcoming retrograde will be repeating and ongoing. This is already in play and we will feel it stronger as October plays out. Mars is our drive, our passion, our action, our energy. In Gemini, this is us, doing two things at once or doing things twice. This transit has us focused on our Gemini house theme or the more general Gemini themes of communication, words, paperwork, the local community, school, schoolchildren, writing, transportation, tech, etc. The square to Neptune is like the draining of our batteries/attention. Maybe we catch a cold. Maybe we give in to youtube/Netflix. It can be an aspect of confusion. If we are already dealing with mental health issues/neurological issues/breathing problems or love people who are, this will, most likely, have our ATTENTION THIS MONTH and into next year.

Mars/Neptune in mutable signs can dilute our attention from practical matters and make it harder to make sense of things. It can be self-deceptive which can easily float us right into self-sabotage, especially if we, or people we love - because remember this is the me vs we axis at this Full Moon -  are already struggling to care for ourselves in meaningful ways. Mars/Neptune can also fog up Martian things, so we don't notice that wolf at our door until he has his teeth in our leg ... something to keep in mind.

 

The Sun is conjunct asteroid Psyche. In mythology, Psyche, was part of a 'long and winding road' path of true love story with Aphrodite's son Eros (who is in Libra, too, now) and with Jupiter headed back into Pisces to join Juno it would seem this is all reinforcing the importance of our RELATIONSHIPS right not. The Full Moon though is in Aries and this is her lunation. The Sun in Libra wants everyone to play nice and the Moon in Aries wants to deal with this damn wound (Chiron)!

The T-Square to Black Moon Lilith in Cancer speaks of the ways our relationship challenges are connected to our childhood wound/mother wound. The ways we weren't seen or heard. The ways our needs were not accepted. There is a need at this Full Moon to see/confront emotional FEAR. At this Full Moon we will be able to see/feel what we do with this fear. Do we hide? Do we project it onto other people? Do we get sick? Do we entangle/manipulate? Do we take action? Do we get bloody freakin' angry? Can we allow our bodies to process/feel it without judging it? The square to BML might also indicate an uncomfortable female energy at odds with the Full Moon. She wants what she wants, and if this is us, we will need to be thinking about how we might be sabotaging ourselves here. Keep in mind the lunation ruler, Mars, is trining Saturn and the empty leg of this T-Square is Saturn ruled Cappy. What do we need to take responsibility for? And what is not our circus/not our monkeys?

 

(note with the Moon conjunct Chiron in Aries this is pretty much about OUR monkeys and we don't want to be burning bridges based on some victim story we are selling to ourselves that isn't the WHOLE story)

 

We can see this is a complicated Full Moon. We can also see Mercury - and Mars is answering to him/her - is approaching his FINAL opposition to Jupiter in just a couple days. The last chance to mine for that old gold (via Mercury/Jupiter). AND with Jupiter and Mercury both on a world point AND the axis of this Full Moon - Libra/Aries. We'll talk about this in the week ahead.

This is probably a time we will be thinking about who we are within our relationships and who we are without them. If we can see our part in any messes/tangles and take action, likely to be more independent or to encourage independence in others, we would be better off than if we are still doing the Mercury retrograde "re's" - time to move on/forward. Pluto direct/Moon with Chiron at a Full Moon that is not so warm and fuzzy anyway, can hurt, can end relationships and ways of relating, but the pain will be REAL. With Mars journey through Gemini just getting starting there are many choices/questions ahead of us over the next few months and it would be a good thing if right here/right now we can clearly SEE in the most practical way, the REAL of our relationships. Our patterns of relating and relationship imbalances will be ILLUMINATED allowing us to check-in with ourselves, potentially toss some toxic behaviors onto the pyre before this next chapter.

xo all

I hope something here is helpful. I have been blogging less as my faithful readers have probably noticed. I am converting 2 newish jewelry shops I have on Etsy to an escape room box shop (Unlockkit) and Coloring Gift Box Shop (name in process) and this, plus, a community school project (which ended right at this Full Moon thank goodness) has taken much of my time. I should be back here more often in a couple weeks! I miss blogging alot and making and taking pics of new work - especially after 15 years of jewelry only (I do still have my locket shop, of course) - has been freaking exhausting and uncertain. I am mostly more a 'stick with it'er' than a 'start from scratch'er', but circumstances are forcing my hand it seems ...