Astrological Winds for Week of 10/31/11

Happy Halloween/Samhain!

Mercury and Venus are conjunct these days in Scorpio. They have been conjunct by sign and within a 6* orb since October 14th and will remain so until November 25th when Mercury goes retrograde. This week they will both square Neptune and Chiron, ingress into Sagittarius together on the same day, and then trine Uranus on the same day. In addition, Mercury enters the shadow of its retrograde this Saturday in a sign it is quite weak in.

Venus is square Neptune on Monday - this is a blending of higher/spiritual love with mundane/physical love. This usually indicates pleasant times with others, perhaps with a little angst. It's a good day to discuss any issues with loved ones, as it can deepen relationships, merge ideas, etc. This will also spur creative/artistic ideas into actions. We could allow ourselves to be deceived by another by allowing ourselves to be too dazzled somehow however. Also, watch for being overly lazy/passive/indulgent today - don't let the kids get sick eating too much Halloween candy!

Tuesday, Mercury follows suit by squaring Neptune - this may bring some mental confusion, communication misunderstandings, foggy thoughts, deceptions, but also much inspiration perhaps for artistic endeavors and for the study of spiritual/metaphysical matters. Relationships with others may revolve around sharing visions/inspirations and reaching out for diversity to be welcomed in.

Wednesday, they both ingress into Sagittarius together. This is the sign of Mercury's detriment because of the tendency to have big ideas that are not well thought out/with finer details are ignored, and thus we "open our mouths and insert our foot" under this transit quite often, or take actions that can inflict wounds on ourselves or make us look like a fool. Mercury in Sag can make us clownish, but many times it's used as a mask to hide something more painful. Because Mercury will retrograde in Sag, it will remain in this sign of detriment for 9-10 weeks to early January rather than the normal 3 week sojourn. We are under this influence of "overestimating our ideas" during this whole time. The mind is in search of something new and exciting and expansive. With Venus conjunct Mercury and in Sag too, where she/we can get quite vampish/outrageous in our desire to attract other's attention to us somehow. Therefore, relationships are the likely area where our big ideas have not been thoroughly thought out enough and we may end up getting hurt, especially with Mercury/Venus square Chiron this day too. The pay off is we will see how our own actions set us up to be hurt and perhaps now we can learn from that.

Thursday they both trine Uranus and sextile Pallas Athene opening us up to new ideas, people, relationships that bring an air of excitement and electricity to our lives. Collaboration can bring ingenious exchanges that take us to the cutting edge. Any new encounters/experiences/events/people can exhilirate our world. A quick witty mind, the use of technology for rapid communications, flashes of creative brilliance will also all be part of this day. Life is just exciting this day.

Saturday Mercury and Venus quincunx Jupiter and Mercury enters its retrograde shadow so we may get the beginning of a sense of where it is impossible to bridge the gap with others on certain values and feel the need to seperate ourselves from them. Remember that Mercury/Jupiter may have you exaggerating your own ideas/position, and Venus/Jupiter may have you focused on disparities rather than similiarities today especially in relationships. It's best not to make any final decision involving others today, but let it ride out a bit.

Sunday's most notable event is Ceres turning direct in Pisces. Perhaps it is time to open up a dialogue on how we distribute resources and how all must be factored in when doing so.

This week the focus is going to be on relationships/collaboration with a danger of overshooting our mark. Next week, Mars steals the show, and we have a Full Moon in Taurus

Astrological Winds for Week of 10/24/11

This week could start in "fight or flight" mode with the Moon in Libra opposing Uranus and squaring Pluto while the Sun quincunxs Uranus also on Monday. Things will have an edge today for sure, and the way you  react to that will be unconventional and impulsive, and you will tell any one off who is stepping on your toes (you may just however be stepping on your own toes really!).  Minor unexpected events can throw you off and accidents/breakdowns/technical issues are possible. Fortunately, the Moon is in Libra and the Sun trines Chiron too, which may have us be able to navigate this edge by reminding ourselves that there's two sides to every story (at least), and to be able to gain wisdom by seeing every perspective that allows progressive change to enter our lives acting like a breath of fresh air to rejuvenate the soul. One other interesting note is that Juno is ingressing into Scorpio joining the Sun, Mercury, and Venus - this seems like a natural fit archetypically: a deepening of our relationships in any partner-type connections to new emotional bounds and bonding with an ability to communicate on intense levels and to enhance our own Life experience(s).

Venus semi-square Pluto on Tuesday can test the deepening of these relationships and have you doubting or worrying if opening up more was the right move. You may feel exposed in some way or just frustrated by others' reactions. Concerns about your own resources from Sun sesiquadrate Ceres may have you feeling more protective of whatever is your's and wondering how you'll maintain, and feeds the distrust of others that Venus/Pluto brings. Moon conjunct Saturn can just add to this stifling atmosphere. Maintaining objectivity and meticulous thinking before saying/doing may be the best course today.

Wednesday is 1 of 2 very heavy astrological weather days this week that influence the rest of the week with a New Moon in Scorpio, Mars sextile Saturn, and Venus square Mars. Mars sextile Saturn is an excellent aspect for getting hard/physical/mundane work done well. Don't pass this opportunity by from Tues-Thurs to tackle some project at home or work that requires physical work with a discplined approach. Anything like that you've put on the back burner is good to get on now. Venus square Mars blends romance and passion and is an excellent tension and release aspect for lovers. For those not in romantic relationships, you may find yourself attracted to the opposite sex today strongly, or you may get some flashes of creative inspiration that drives some artistic manifestation out of you. The New Moon at 3* Scorpio speaks of deepening relationships, releasing what is dying, the surfacing of the Shadow, the veil being thin between the spirit and physical worlds, passion, deep emotions, and confronting envy/jealousy/fears/vengefulness in order to release them. Scorpio speaks of what we individually and Collectively sweep under the rug, who and what we demonize in our denial by doing so, and having to ultimately confront our fears and mortality in order to gain power over them and emerge from the darkness of judgement with reborn creativity. This New Moon sextiles Pluto, Scorpio's co-ruler, giving us an opportunity to see deeply within ourselves and others and to ride the waves of emotion that surface so that we can begin to transform on all levels. With both Sun and Moon opposite retrograde Jupiter in Taurus, it is truly time to make heavy decisions about resources and value systems. Look to the house this New Moon falls in in your chart to see where your life needs to be reborn and if you have any planets at 3* aspecting the New Moon, thus coloring the energy you receive from it. Pallas Athene's ingress into Aquarius is calling all like-minded warriors of change to gather forces in the name of justice.

Friday is also a busy day astrologically, but most of it is just a continuation and jump up of the octave of the New Moon above, as the Sun perfects its opposition to Jupiter and sextile to Pluto, as the 2 of them perfect their 2nd of 3 trines. This could be truly an exhilirating day where beneficial change and accomplishments are measurable right in front of you. Much has shifted lately and the effects are palpable. The tide of energy is flowing now and its a great time to get in the current of progressive transformation. The danger this day comes in the form of Mercury square Mars - we may fly off the handle with our words today due mainly to the strong emotions that have been coursing through us. Egotistical arguments may ensue, or words can be felt by the listener to be weapons.

The weekend is pretty quiet but with a Sagittarius Moon on Saturday, the expanding energy of Wed - Fri will be strongly felt through this day too.

This is a very dynamic week where we can make much progress on ourselves and deepen many relationships and get much done at same time.

A Lesson on Saturn Returns

Events of the past 2-3 months in the United States have taken a serious turn toward a call for the government and corporations to be more fair/equal/just in the treatment of the People as a Collective - the majority. It is interesting to note that any USA birth chart set on July 4, 1776 has been experiencing its 8th Saturn Return. In any US birth chart dated 7/4/1776 Saturn is exalted at 14* Libra, the degree Saturn was transiting (conjuncting) when the budget talks broke down during the summer and the dichotomy between the Republicans and Democrats reached the widest gap yet. It seemed at that time that the People, as a Collective, lost any or all hope of the economic crisis in the country being able to be resolved by politicians who are clearly in the hands of corporations. That feeling, along with a growing world wide movement of revolution, spawned the OccupyWallStreet movement. When you think about Saturn in Libra being exalted, why would that be? Because Saturn is the judge, and an objective judge seeks what Libra emulates: equality, justice for all. When an entity has a Saturn return, it is reminded of its reponsibilities, and many times, how it's not been meeting them. Thus, this Saturn return is asking the USA to be more responsible with our power/knowledge and to seek equality/fair distribution of resources, exactly what the Occupy movement is seeking...another example of "if you don't work with the transit, it will work against you."...I use the Sibley Chart for USA and Saturn ends up in 10th house in it and squares the Sun - the Executive Branch of the government (Sun/Saturn/10th) has shirked its reponsibility in bringing those who have stolen from the People to justice - indeed, Obama has lost the respect of many of those who elected him. Saturn rules the 2nd & 3rd houses in the Sibley chart: this is all about inequality in resources (2nd) and the way business is done (3rd) - that's the areas that will be forced to change ultimately.

Astrological Winds for Week of 10/17/11

My computer went down last Monday morning and was out until Friday night, thus no blogging last week. As I mentioned the week before that, the big events of this month are Venus, Mercury and the Sun ingressing into Scorpio and one by one opposing Jupiter in Taurus. They are also one by one sextiling Pluto at same time and later will be each squaring Mars and squaring Neptune. Last week, Venus led the charge by sextiling Pluto on Thursday and opposing Jupiter on Friday - it should have been a weekend of indulgences and expanded realtionships in general and a positive "high/buzz" from it all. As I mentioned two weeks ago, this is a ripe time to deepen relationships and collaborations in a spirit of equality/balance/harmony/security. Yet at the same time deep truths will come to the surface and power struggles, emotional manipulation, financial issues, resource management and decisions surrounding them will have to be made. Venus is followed by Mercury ingressing into Scorpio last Thursday and sextiling Pluto yesterday - the message is starting to make a deep mark and giving pause for thought to contemplate the roots of issues and symptoms, rather than trying to sweep things under the rug or just treat surface wounds. This is a great time to look deep within at normally hidden psycological and societal forces that unconciously drive you and others, as they can be revealed, pryed open, exposed to the light, and begin to be cleansed and transformed - a time for emotional courage to face our darkest personal fears and the Collective's denial of a sick system in need of transcendance.

Today, Monday, is a very dynamic day, with a Grand Trine in Air leading the way with Moon in Gemini trine Sun/Saturn in Libra trine Neptune in Aquarius, and Mercury in its exact opposition to Jupiter, with Mars sesiquadrate Uranus just for good measure! The Grand Trine in Air and Mercury/Jupiter have a very similiar signature of lots of focus on mental energy/thinking/communications/intellectual exchanges, and working together this can be an over-the-top day for mental stimulation that is postively inspiring/exhilirating and full of big decisions to make or at least ponder. The big issue is what you overlook, and Mars/Uranus may remind us of that with some shocking surprises or (re)actions by others to what we are putting out there today. Don't be moving so fast that you get in an accident - at the very least nervous systems will be highly stimulated. It may be good to do something physical today too, even if not initially in your schedule, to disperse some of your energy. With the dynamic energy of this day percolating, squeezing in more is an option, but so is wasting energy, false starts, combatative statements and actions, flagrant rebellion, quick and heavy-handed reactions, etc.

Tuesday's main event is Mars quincunx Ceres showing that many are ready to take actions to secure resources and that adjustments will have to be made in order to do so. Old strategies are no longer working and courage is required to seperate yourself from them.

Wed/Thurs are relatively quiet with the highlight being a 3rd quarter square of Moon in Cancer to Sun in Libra: a last call to make more connections now in order to deepen our emotional relationships to others and widen our compassion and caring to include all, so that all may feel secure.

Friday there is a very idealistic trine between Sun in Libra and Neptune in Aquarius. Those who have been rallying for some kind of change will feel positively inspired by the events of this week and a sense a growing collusion of disparate groups with different yet similiar agendas bonding together and realizing their similiarities, rather than focusing on their differences. We may have some kind of spiritual or creative epiphany that will inspire us to do more.

Saturday, Venus sesiquadrates Uranus and Sun squares Pallas Athene - we may find our worlds shaken by new relationships that we form this day. It may feel odd, yet at the same time quite exciting. Many of these connections may burn out as quickly as they come on, yet with Sun conjunct Juno and Venus trine Ceres there's a chance of merging into a long term partnership from one of these casual connections. We may find ourselves relying more and more on others for our material needs also.

Sunday our Collective descent into the Underworld takes its final step with the Sun ingressing into Scorpio and a Mars/Pluto sesiquadrate - it is time to face the Shadow within ourselves and within our society - to challenge it, look it in the eye, wrestle with it, force it to reveal itself, drag it out into the light to expose its weakness, and to realize how it's been holding us back, and thus we can take the steps to change it , re-shape it, transform it, arise from its ashes. Mercury sesiquadrate Uranus should help give us lots of ideas/input on how we can do this - we may want instant satisfaction but this journey is long and requires perserverance. Sort through the thoughts and find the ones most useful for your journey.

Get ready for much input/mental downloads this week, and much relationship stimulation on deep levels.

Astrological Winds for Week of 10/3/11

Since last December we've seen revolutions spreading across the world - the signature of the Cardinal Uranus/Pluto Square - an energetic pattern that in the past has led to mass revolution across all levels of society and spreads throughout the world. Now it is touching the United States shores also. Be aware this is only the very beginning of the effects of this energy pattern which will have 7 exact hits from the years 2012-15.  Our personal lives and society itself will be transformed, perhaps quite radically, by the end of this time. The seeds of this change were planted during the Uranus/Pluto conjunction of the 1960's. Now, we have reached the first quarter square of the cycle: the crisis/challenge to put these ideas truly into action. On Monday there is a Cardinal 1st quarter square of the Moon in Capricorn conjunct Pluto to the Sun in Libra following an early morning Moon/Uranus square, giving us a very potent/visceral taste of this Uranus/Pluto energy. The emotions want to take a conservative/ordered approach, yet Pluto/Uranus is forcing change, while the self gets the sense that collaboration/cooperation/equality/justice is the higher road to travel in our lives now. We must struggle to free ourselves from our deepest fears that normally shut us down emotionally and have us try to bring control to the situation through some ordered response. Instead, we must put some trust in the other, share ideals, and seek equality in our relationships on all levels. Mercury sesiquadrate Neptune can muddy the mental waters quite a bit most likely by being too idealistic, dreamy, or escapist. This energy will drift into Tuesday too with the Moon's sqaure to Saturn and Mercury sesiquadrate Chiron - we will get a sense of how much work there is to do and it could seem daunting. We must push ourselves to learn more about our own pain and what it is here to teach us so that we can become more effective collaborators.

Thursday has an odd mix of energy. Mercury conjunct Saturn in Libra is the main signature of this day and we may hear many official announcements by various groups. In our own lives, this would bring sober, grounded communications in trying to hammer out agreements. Attention to detail is at a premium, and minds are narrowed considerably. Mercury/Saturn is quincunx Ceres today, so the disconnect between ideas on resource management may be the main struggle in our communications or in news/announcements this day. New ways of thinking will be required by releasing the old ideas first. Sun sesiquadrate Neptune can give lots of idealism, pie-in-the-sky solutions, deceptions, secrets, etc - it's easy to fall under the spell of others.

Friday has a majorly sweet trine between Venus and Neptune. Here there is a harmony between lower and higher forms of love. This is a signature of "the Romantic" even if it's not on a personal level with someone else - just being in love with life itself, spirit, art, beauty, etc.

Saturday starts a major shift of planetary energy that will dominate the rest of October, as Venus will ingress into Scorpio, soon to be followed by Mercury and the Sun, with all 3 headed for oppositions to Jupiter in Taurus. I will get into this in more depth over the next few weeks, but suffice to say relationships should be taken to new expansive and deeper levels if you work with this energy well. Venus is in detriment in Scorpio because this is where we can "lose it" sometimes in relationships by taking them to a level so deep that irretractable/possessive connections are made that can set us up for betrayal and/or power struggles/emotional manipulation. This energy is best used to plunge into emotional depths of truth with a loved/trusted one that can deepen a relationship to levels that you were unaware of prior to this. If this is done well, the soul-mate connection can be deeply bonding. For those of us found in emotional power struggles with loved ones during this time, it is OK to use your mind to quell your emotions so that you don't lose control and allow a relationship to turn into an all out war. Deep creativity is a positive result of using this energy properly.

Sunday the Sun is sesiquadrate Chiron and we may struggle all day to find balance or promote the image of ourselves that we wish to. Jupiter square Vesta shows we may be involved in groups of like-minded brother/sisterhood, sharing ideas, philosophies, values and taking steps to act upon them.

We have a chance this month to gain many new alliances, friendships, relationships and to deepen existing ones. Our lives can be deeply enriched if we follow this energy.

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A quick look at last week's Libra Equinox chart set in Washington, DC shows the tone of our nation for the next 3 months. Several things struck me in this chart. First is the Moon in Leo conjunct Mars in the 11th house. Congress will continue to fight, disagree, be one-sided, etc. This will threaten the country's Collective goals and continue to anger the people at Congress and their pompous displays of arrogance. Local government and civil institutions will continue to suffer from their insolence. Uranus conjunct the 8th house cusp and opposite the Sun in 1st both square Pluto in 4th house (Cardinal T-square) shows active rebellion against corporations, taxes, and financiers, and the President may actually get some popular support that he can use to initiate for changes on how the common people/Main Street are treated by financiers, banks and corporations. South Node in 10th and North Node in 4th shows he could regain his popularity by committing to the orginal ideas that got him elected and aligning his goals for the nation with the common people's, and by being a stronger negotiator (Nodes trine/sextile Saturn in Libra in 2nd house) for a fairer way of distributing resources and the wealth of the nation.