Astrological Winds for Week of 4/30/12

Asteroid Sister Goddess Vesta ingresses into Taurus on Monday deepening our connection to the Earth and helping us recognize our connection to her. Actions and rituals associated with touch become more prevalent. This is a good time to tune our mental energy into problem-solving as warriors for the planet – this can be as small a step as tuning into your garden/home and using the energy of the earth in wise, stable ways to assist both it and your personal space while being in tune with the cycles of nature; it can be as large a step as being a vocal radical environmentalist, especially with Uranus trining North Node today too.

Mercury is semi-square Neptune on Tuesday. Our mental facilities are will be dulled today somehow and this may prove frustrating when trying to communicate succinctly or think straight. It’s also easy to be deceived by self or others. With Mercury sesiquadrate Juno, partners may end up being the other party involved in the above. Otherwise, the Moon in Virgo joins the ongoing Grand Trine in Earth (see last week’s blog) keeping it quite active this week and particularly this day too. The energy to keep taking steady steps ahead is flowing now.

Wednesday’s Pluto trine Ceres may help us to understand issues of birth and death and regeneration more easily, or have us involved deeply with children, and can give us a reformed attitude toward life itself.

Mercury gets between Mars and Venus on Thursday for an odd mix of energy:  the Winged Messenger sesiquadrates Mars and sextiles Venus. Mercury/Mars can bring up egotistical/argumentative/mental battles with others, but the sextile to Venus should greatly reduce this and actually give us opportunities to use that energy wisely to iron things out with others with whom we may have been aggressive with in our thoughts and words before.  With Moon in Libra, emotional calmness should win out this day, although its connection to Uranus/Pluto square will challenge us along with Mars to maintain balance. Neptune’s square to Juno could bring up some challenges with a partner due to unrealistic expectations of them, or some type of deception.

Friday is quiet except for some Moon aspects as we head towards Saturday’s Full Moon at 16* Scorpio. On the resource axis, this Full Moon will expose all we try to deny or keep secrets about our own material desires and habits. It is a time when each individual must look deeply at their life and the materials they use for security and ask what they are willing to sacrifice for their own emotional well-being and for the planet’s environmental health. All of the earth energy from the Grand Trine of Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, Sun, Ceres, Vesta can help us make these decisions – to find some point where what we give reaches balance with what we get and we can collectively move towards re-establishing balance between humanity and nature.  Look to your chart to see what 2 houses this Full Moon falls through to see what area of life it will affect for you the most – any planets or points that make tight aspects to it will also influence the energy for you personally.

Sunday is a very quiet day with a Void of Course Moon in Scorpio most of the day  and lunar aspects to Jupiter and Neptune – a good day to reflect on the Full Moon.

Mercury joins the Taurus party next week and the Sun finally catches up to its annual conjunction with Jupiter continuing this theme of the past 2 weeks of steady and stable movement ahead.

Astrological Winds for Week of 4/23/12

This week there is a Grand Trine in Earth all week among the Sun, Mars and Pluto, an excellent time to release energy in a steady, reliable manner that fits in well with this Tauran part of the year. The Sun has an exact trine to Mars on Monday (while the Moon squares Mars too) getting the week off to an energetic/optimistic/assertive start that welcomes in progressive change, focuses energy on current projects, and interacts well with others in joint efforts. Mercury’s trine with the North Node will assist.

Wednesday, Mercury in Aries continues to trigger the Uranus/Pluto square (see last week’s blog too) with its exact third square to Pluto. This can give us a very sharp/cutting mind that can get down deep to the bottom of things, investigate, see the Shadow’s role, probe psychological depths, transform attitudes, reveal secrets, etc, but also get obsessive, vengeful, narrow-minded, etc. With Mars square Juno this day too, partners need to be aware of the Mercury/Pluto energy and not rip into each other too deeply causing some harsh wounds and bitter feelings.

The Sun’s conjunction to Ceres on Thursday I mentioned last week when writing on the New Moon in Taurus: a time to honor the Earth Mother and all she provides us, and a time to assess how we use resources nowadays.

Saturday the Sun is sextile Chiron which gives us the opportunity to use our distinct knowledge/gifts/talents/wisdom to help or teach others, eliciting a healing atmosphere around ourselves and those others.

Sunday the Sun hits its exact trine to Pluto topping off a week where we have hopefully made some progressive changes in our lives from what we’ve learned or has been revealed to us lately. Experiences this week likely built up to some powerful release steadily and should be able to be taken into our being without being overwhelmingly intense, yet intense enough to desire to make permanent changes somewhere in our lives. Also, some deeper connections with others or groups has likely now been forged that will aid in making changes to your life. This is a great week to be assertive and take actions/steps in your life journey that can aid you on your road and make your traveling easier.

Next week is a Full Moon in Scorpio, while Mercury tussles with Saturn.

Astrological Winds for Week of 4/16/12

Monday, Mercury returns to Aries, where the Winged Messenger had been from March 3^rd – 23^rd and had turned retrograde at 6* on March 13^th. By next Monday, it will emerge from its retrograde shadow, and mental/intellectual energy will be at full speed ahead again, perhaps too full speed ahead in Aries, where we can get impulsive/arrogant/aggressive/argumentative with our thoughts and words. It’s as if we can get our mental rocks off by going individualist/against the grain and actually enjoy a verbal battle. This can get a bit out of hand if you or others take it too seriously and end up with grudges to settle. Venus is sesiquadrate Saturn also on Monday and this can have you feeling frustrated/upset/challenged without a current resolution by someone/others, especially those you are subordinate to or in a close relationship with. Be careful of being flippant/short with them.

Tuesday and Wednesday are relatively quiet, but the Moon begins to trigger the weekend’s Mercury/Uranus conjunction by conjuncting both on Wednesday.

Thursday the Sun ingresses into Taurus, the middle month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, where we can welcome back in creature comforts of the growing natural world into our lives and perhaps slow down our lives a bit and smell the roses, so to speak. Just be careful about getting too lazy/passive/stubborn. Mercury’s semi-square to Jupiter helps fuel our radical Mercury/Uranus ideas too expanded levels, but we can easily find we took on too much and find ourselves frantic trying to keep commitments or being forces to admit we can’t fit it all in. We may get involved in some inspiring conversations/waxing poetic from this energy too.

Mercury’s (in a sign Mars rules) quincunx to Mars on Friday can get us into some ornery battles with others over just feeling disconnected somehow – it is likely being fueled by the oncoming Mercury/Uranus conjunction fraying our nerves by the end of the week. This is “fight for my rights” type aspect the can feed irritability with others, or perhaps just even cut off others completely from communication because it seems pointless. This does give the ability to get much mental work done if you can maintain discipline.

Saturday is a New Moon at 1* Taurus with Ceres, the Earth Mother, also conjunct it. New ideas concerning material resources and comforts, and just enjoying physical life productively may be launched this weekend, but with a practical and orderly approach. This is good for business launches. The issue with Taurus is sacrificing too much emotional contentment for material contentment, so this is an excellent time to ponder our relationship and attitude towards materials both individually and collectively. We may have to give up some materials/resources in order to find more time for true contentedness, or redefine what our idea of true wealth is. This is also an excellent time to give an honest assessment of our body’s health and our disconnection to nature. Look to the house this New Moon falls into to see where the focus of this energy will be for you – any other planets it aspects in your chart will color the flavor of it too. Earth Day is Sunday, so a great weekend to honor our planet in some way.

Sunday has two contrasting aspects. Early morning brings a Sun/Neptune sextile which is the perfect Sunday morning aspect to get in a contemplative/meditative/spiritual mood with, but the energy will quickly ratch up as we approach the exact conjunction of Mercury/Uranus this weekend. There have been some big earthquakes this past week and we may get some more this week too. This aspect puts the mind in super-overdrive and in Aries we could become quite reckless and rebellious. Electrical connections with others can get us stoked in one form or another. We may come up with some brilliant/ingenious/unique ideas now. If nothing else this should be an exciting/stimulating weekend/week – nervous systems will be strained, the mind will be wired. Be careful of talking/moving too fast and setting up accidents however.

Next week, Mercury squares up with Pluto, and the Sun will form a Grant Trine with Mars and Pluto.

Astrological Winds for Week of 4/9/12

Monday’s Venus in Gemini sextile to Uranus in Aries gives us the opportunities to forge new alliances with others who come from different viewpoints each carrying a piece of information that could enrapture you for a short while. Alliances/connections made now have a tendency to be short-lived yet exciting/stimulating in unique ways. We also may be attracted to odd (for you) art, creative endeavors, investment schemes. Ceres ingresses into the earth sign, Taurus, where the earth mother must feel quite comfortable. Issues of our own food and resource security are begging to be addressed now in stable ways. The Sun is conjunct Vesta today also, allowing one to merge with the group that one feels is most like their true brothers or sisters, blood or not. This is a good day for some group earth ritual for sure!

Pluto goes retrograde on Tuesday, a subtle shift, and it will remain so until September 17^th. This will be a time period when we must look within to see where control issues in our lives are and what our part is in contributing to them – a time of reflecting on our own shadow, death, transformation, resource control, use/control of emotions – and try to get a better handle on them before we confront the world/others with its/theirs.  The Sun semi-square Venus will likely mean some indulgence/enjoyment tonight, but could also have people more sensitive than usual and easily offended.

Late Wednesday is the beginning of the weekly Moon and Uranus/Pluto square hard aspect day –  this one may strike deeply as the Moon in Capricorn conjuncts stationary Pluto after squaring Uranus. This could be a very powerful day emotionally of the transformation of certain emotions and a desire to break free of old reactions to them.

Thursday has three aspects that are likely residual to Moon/Pluto/Uranus. First Mercury quincunxes Saturn again, which can really slow down/block/impede effective communication and thinking. The Sun’s semi-square to Chiron indicates frustration from old wounds that still hold sway over us and hold us back from fulfillment. The search for equilibrium seems pointless at times and you may question some of your own identity. Venus square Chiron shows this spills over into our relationships too and we may get fresh wounds or have to re-visit old ones.

Friday Mars goes direct – once again Syria has been a good example in the mundane world of the effect of a stationing/slow moving Mars. Mars stationary is square Syria’s Mars/Uranus conjunction in Gemini and the military regime is currently trying to smash the revolution before forced into a ceasefire by even its own allies in the UN at this point. When planets are stationary/slow, their effect is amplified. Mars stationary/retrograde indicates the military turning the guns on its own people – this is how Syria has spent this Mars retro period. In our own lives Mars going direct can many times mean a dam finally bursts that has been keeping our activity lower than normal – if you have been experiencing that acutely these past few months, things should start to move forward. Mars in Virgo favors working with details, the hands, tools, rules and procedures.

Saturday’s Venus quincunx Pluto can keep relationship issues on the front burner on high heat. Relationships on weak ground can end now. This is an indicator of learning through relationships also by, in the sense of having to deal with others you would prefer not to if given the choice, and what parts of yourself you see in them that can be unbalancing/distressing. This is also an indicator of being overly possessive, or someone acting that way toward you, causing the other to want to flee.

Sunday, tax day in the USA, is the Sun’s annual opposition to Saturn – how fitting of this aspect that forces us to deal with/make decisions in relation to authorities/superiors/laws/rules/restrictions. The problem with this aspect is it leaves you feeling angry about not being able to do what you really want to because of duties/obligations – so it can be a heavy day that has you isolated/down in some way.  Fortunately, the effects shouldn’t be felt much beyond tomorrow.

Next week, Mercury heads back to Aries and starts to speed up, while the Sun ingresses into Taurus where there will be a New Moon.

Astrological Winds for Week of 4/2/12

I blogged about some of the possible effects of Neptune in Pisces a few weeks back and mentioned the possibility of more frequent deep sea disasters especially associated with oil exploration and one of the biggest stories of the week in the international news was this: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/03/27 - a huge natural gas blowout in the North Sea that could easily ignite into a massive explosion (Uranus in Aries). We also heard last week that the damage at the Japanese nuclear reactors is far worse than expected and the radiation is so high inside the least damaged of the three reactors (#2) that “it will take decades to develop the technology just to clean it up” according to Japanese government officials, and it also continues to dump tons of radioactive water into the sea daily. This shows the way astrology works in cycles, as you may recall that the earthquake and tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster all occurred on the day Uranus ingressed into Aries. Now, Mercury has gone retrograde in Aries conjunct Uranus and backtracks over 0* Aries and ingresses back into Pisces and we get more bad news from this disaster (a re-visiting of it). Also, debris from the tsunami has been sighted off the coast of British Columbia just this week also.

It’s April, and how fitting that this is the month named after Aphrodite or Venus which is at its greatest brilliancy these nights and passing over the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus tonight and tomorrow night.  Today, Monday, is relatively quiet astrologically, but we do have retrograde Saturn making its second opposition of Ceres. This is one of the signs of the times type aspects of the restricted/diminished resources that the earth mother has to serve all of us these days, and we may see more news in that vein today/this week.

Tuesday, Venus ingresses into Gemini, where she will remain until August 7^th due to her retrograde cycle beginning coming up on May 15^th. I’ve found Venus to be quite comfortable in the sign of the Twins despite its air quality, as the Goddess energy loves to connect with many others now, perhaps a bit on the superficial/surface side at times and avoiding deeper emotions, but networking out to bring more into her circle. This is a time where you may meet some new friends/acquaintances that you connect with over ideas, sharing opinions, sharp wit, spoken/written word art forms, etc.

Wednesday, Mercury stations direct in Pisces and begins his forward motion once again. Ideas that have been percolating inside will now get a chance to be expressed more outwardly. Thinking and communications may remain a bit hazy until he finds his way back to Aries on the 16^th.

On Thursday, we have a sweet Venus/Neptune square, but it is very easy to over-indulge now and get extremely passive/lazy. You may waste much time today dreaming of being somewhere else/in different circumstances, especially with this being the day the Moon (in Libra) hard aspects the Uranus/Pluto square. In matters of the heart, you may be fooling yourself about the way you are seeing someone or approaching relationships.

Friday is the Full Moon at 17* Libra. On the Aries/Libra axis, this pits the self/will/ego/physical concerns of self versus the need to connect with others in relationships in order to feel healthy emotionally. Is there an imbalance in one of these areas for you? Are you too self-centered and infatuated by own drives/survival instincts blindly that you put other people off with your behavior most of the time? Or do you allow others to run rough shod over you because you are too focused on being in relationships so that you are not grounded and centered in your own being first? This Full Moon will show you where this imbalance may be in your life: look to the houses it falls into in your chart to determine that. Any planets making tight aspects (1-2*) to it will also color the energy for you. The Sun’s semi-square to Neptune and the Moon’s involvement in a Black Kite configuration (sesiquadrate both Venus and Neptune, which are squaring each other) show this can be a confusing/demoralizing time both for the ego and the emotions. Chiron squaring the Moon’s Nodal Axis shows that wounds may be open and painful to bear at this time. These aspects indicate that not much can be done except to feel our pain, recognize our mistakes, and learn from them. This Full Moon asks us to find the middle ground between self and relationship with others (and everything else too) in order to bring balance into our lives. We need to be peaceful warriors in all our battles within and without now and have the courage to face them despite potential defeats/let downs.

On Saturday, decelerating Venus in Gemini (a male sign) squares retrograde Mars in Virgo (a female sign). Once again, there is a call and challenge for balance here, and with both of them involved in retrograde cycles, a time for us all to reflect on what part of us we are out of touch with. Retro Mars in Virgo has been tempered down by this female, earth sign, so it is an excellent time to get a grounded look at this. Traditionally, this aspect can also fire up creativity and sexuality, so some vamping may be in order this weekend and the square will add some exciting tension, but it can also reflect that any relationship started now will be fraught with tension throughout! Lovers may find that they are arguing/fighting this weekend or that their sexual escapades are reaching new exciting heights.

Sunday will be full of energy with the Sun sesiquadrate retrograde Mars, however we may find ourselves irritated/frustrated with others or circumstances and a lot of anger can boil to the surface and actually feed the fire rather than find a solution, so be aware. It’s a good day to do something physical, although you may not get the smooth results you hope for, and you’ll have to be aware of over-exerting yourself and getting injured/ill/in an accident. Use some restraint today.

Next week, Mars finally goes direct