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Moon-Venus-Ceres 11/6 & Healing Trauma

Late tonight/early tomorrow the Venus-ruled Libra Moon joins Venus and illuminates her conjunction to Ceres, (sustainer of humanity and mother of Persephone.) I’ve mentioned this before, but it seems as though in her time in the underworld of Scorpio, Venus has taken on much of the energy/persona of Persephone: Her wounding at being abducted (and presumably raped by) her uncle, her helplessness in her circumstances, her discovery of her sexual power, and ultimately (eventually) her return from the land of the dead as the triumphant queen...

This passage by Venus back in to Libra is not the emergence of The Queen after a long dark night of the soul and a lot of self-mastery, however. Libra, afterall, is the entrance to hell, not the exit. I see this moment as a weeping persephone running from the mouth of the cave and into the nurturing arms of her mother, (Ceres/Demeter) knowing full well that she must return to the abyss once again... This time though, when she returns she’s playing for keeps.

This venus retrograde has brought up so much deep wounding for so many people - not just women, but especially women with sexual trauma - and it has brought the discussion of trauma in general to the very front burner of social consciousness. Trauma is a human condition. It affects all of us to one degree or another and it would seem, for the first time in history, that there is public dialogue on a mass scale starting to happen about how to make it okay to expose those vulnerable and wounded parts of ourselves and share our stories in order to address and heal that trauma. I personally believe we as a species need to do so in the name of (in the words of @rhagoddess) “our own liberation and the liberation of all people.” I feel that this journey Venus has been taking is a reflection of this process.

The day that Venus stations direct (11/16), she trines The Moon and Mars in Aquarius, facilitating healing through an understanding of the role the man in her life plays and his transgressions against her (Pluto/Hades, played here by Mars). Perhaps she sees his own trauma that has caused his onerous actions, and is able to see him in a different light... to allow for forgiveness and perhaps to catch a glimpse of the possibility of moving on. This trine between Mars and Venus actually perfects (is exact) on 11/9 - the same time that The Moon is exactly conjunct Mercury. What a fitting time for a meeting of the heart and mind!

On 12/2 Venus begins her descent back (forward) in to the realm of Pluto/Hades... Because forward truly is the only way through. (Scorpio is traditionally ruled by Mars who is square the asteroid Persephone in Scorpio as I write this, I might add… No coincidences.) Here our heroine Persephone, played by Venus, begins her true journey. She will have retrieved some new pieces of awareness - tools for her second pass through the labyrinth - during her brief time at home in Libra. This time she knows what it will take to shed the cloak of victimhood and become the true Queen of The Underworld. This time she has the secrets of the Elusinian Mysteries of death and rebirth, taught to her by her mother... This time she is empowered and goes bravely and willingly into the darkness.

On the 1st of next year, these three (The Moon, Ceres & Venus) meet once again, in Scorpio, and at this time they are trine Mars & Chiron. I predict that a profound healing of the divine masculine and feminine will be made possible by this transit… Let’s hope that it manifests on the world stage… I don’t know what that would look like but I’d like to imagine it in to being. What a way to ring in the new year, eh? (Incidentally, 1 week later Venus enters Sagittarius at the same time that Uranus stations direct. New beginnings abound.)

Chiron actually plays a role in this current transit as well, as does Juno, the goddess of marriage. The two are forming a yod to these three, offering an opportunity for either healing or further wounding (Chiron) of the power dynamics in relationships (Juno) between the feminine and masculine (not necessarily read as male and female, thankyouverymuch.) Uranus also sits on the midpoint between these two, opposing the stellium and doing his change thang:

This configuration offers a VERY potent tension that (unlike most things in this line of subject matter) has more feminine than masculine components. If you’re still reading this, I’d like to know how this is manifesting for you. If you’re not sure and you’d like to know you can email me with your birth details (date, time, place) at azimuthastrology@gmail.com and I can try to give you an idea.

Back to the subject of healing trauma and empowerment.

It’s my belief that the enormous amount of barbaric hatred that we’re seeing surface recently in the US is like much like the boil that rises as an indication of a deep sickness, and that the sickness is unhealed trauma. This sickness is caused by a culture of shunning and silencing those who act “inappropriately” from a place of suppressed trauma, or who attempt to reach out and express that trauma at the risk of appearing weak or needy...

It is also my belief that the cause of much of this trauma is a rift between the masculine and feminine parts of the whole consciousness of humanity. Not only does that not mean male/female or men/women, it doesn’t mean just relationship dynamics either - although that is where everything plays out. The imbalance I’m referring to is inherent within the polarization of the two, rather than the integration.

A large part of what I believe causes this rift is the fact that the feminine side of consciousness (intuition, empathy, receptivity and nurturance) is denied in the vast majority of the populace. And I don’t just mean by men, though the imbalance is further reflected in the way that society and the male gender tend to reject this part of themselves the most. Ultimately it isn’t about gender (of which there are more than two) at all - it’s about wholeness. If we can’t figure out how to reintegrate these pieces of our consciousness and figure it out fast we are in for a much bigger problem than the battle of the sexes.

I’d love to know what role you feel you have to play in the human drama. Leave me a comment. :)

Peace, Love and Star Stuff.

Aster

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Moon in Leo & The Journey of Venus

Artwork by @vonnart

Tonight the last quarter Moon moves in to Leo and joins her South node (eclipse point), activating the ongoing fixed grand cross between Venus, Uranus and the nodes. I wrote about this grand cross in my previous blog post, but I'd like to expand on it here. 

The Moon in Leo and this image both remind me of the strength card in the tarot. The card represents not the outer strength that you would think would be required to tame a lion, interestingly, but the inner strength and grace that is required to remain calm and collected in the face of strife and struggle. It's about strength of character. It's about learning to apply that strength to control our animal instincts like fear and aggression, in order to master our own circumstances to the best of our ability, and ultimately to shine like only Leo can do... And we do that shining when we discover just how much we are actually capable of enduring... it's always far more than our fear tells us is possible. And what is often the most difficult thing to face that we all fear? That's right. Change. Especially for the fixed signs. But change is happening and it's time to determine and embrace our individual roles in that change.

This Moon is a Last-Quarter Moon, meaning she is square the Sun, who is incidentally now just about exactly one quarter of the way through the sign of Scorpio... Squares are about what? You guessed it: Also change. Not the kind of change that happens without direct provocation (like Uranus usually brings) but the change that comes as a result of striving and struggling to create it. Change that comes from DOING something (creative & constructive, hopefully) about our discomfort. 

On a personal level (and ultimately all things Moon are personal) the square between Leo and Scorpio is about self expression. Leo doles it out freely, Scorpio does not. They are also both about self-worth, being fixed signs. Leo is concerned with outer self worth being accepted and loved by others, and Scorpio is primarily concerned with inner, self-determined self-worth. 

This theme may be present to some extent in the decisions and changes at hand, especially with Mercury and Jupiter still conjunct, and Mercury moving from a water sign to a fire sign tonight as well... Perhaps there is too much emphasis on one or the other? 

Whatever the case, the theme of change is omnipresent in the heavens at this point. The astrologer Dana Gerhardt has this to say about a Last Quarter Moon: "Squares bring stress-and a potent thrust of energy that makes necessary changes possible.... During the Last Quarter's waning square, we're prompted to find a new direction. The 'something wrong' is generally inside, the change required a mental adjustment, some shift in our thinking, our intentions, or beliefs. Rudhyar called the waxing square a 'crisis in action' and the waning square a 'crisis in consciousness.'"

And he (Rhudyar) says this of quarter moons in general: "Moon phases help us decide our wise next steps. Whatever occurs at the Quarter Moons, we're invited to see it as two forces in conflict. Something wants to move; something else resists. This tension seeks its release in change, involving struggle, or assertive and decisive action."

Now... All this talk about change may feel overwhelming to some, but this particular opportunity for change is not just massive, it's also very well-supported by two grand trine aspects happening at once:

The Moon on the North node in Leo is activating the destiny of humanity right now. (NBD) The north node deals with the evolution of the individual soul and the collective evolution we are all a part of. She is making a grand trine to Jupiter and Mercury in scorpio and to Chiron in pisces, which is also offering a profound opportunity for healing. My last post on instagram (from this morning) is about this particular aspect pattern. It's under this image:

The other two trines are being made by Pallas Athena (the principle of creative wisdom) and Juno (the principle of divine marriage commitment) to the south node, which represents our karma on a personal and collective level. The south node deals with gifts and talents we naturally have that we have a tendency to rely a bit too heavily on, but which are very valuable nonetheless. I believe this aspect pattern is indicating an opportunity to address our relationship issues from a creative angle we may have previously not thought of or overlooked... or perhaps a creative commitment to the changes we know we need to make. Whatever the case may be, the support is there, as two grand trines = a very stable support system indeed. 

Back to the changes. 

While there is likely a very personal component for this transit for many people, there is also a larger-context social change that's happening. While Jupiter has been in Scorpio the last year and some change, (excuse the pun) he has set the foundation for this slow transformation. Venus in Scorpio has sped it up and made it more personal for everyone. Both of those planets are considered "benefics" in classical astrology, meaning that they are bringers of good fortune, but in the sign of Scorpio it's not all rainbows and pots of gold. 

Scorpio quite literally *IS* transformation on a deep and profound level, and the change these two have been bringing us looks like the #metoo movement, the #blacklivesmatter movement and the exposure of the racist, homo/transphobic, mysoginistic, xenophobic, bigoted, hateful undercurrent in the blood running through the veins of this "once great" nation we call the U.S. - those are their gifts to us; They are hoping we will use them wisely. Mercury also having just transited through Scorpio has brought these conversations further to the forefront of political discourse: 

NOW is the time for us to DO SOMETHING to create the change we want to see in the world. Pluto (deep profound change through relationships) and Saturn (rules, laws, boundaries, litigation, etc) both in Capricorn are urging us to do something PRACTICAL about it, not just talk...

Now, it's worth noting that there are always multiple ways any planets position can be interpreted, and Pluto and Saturn in Cap also represent the existing paradigm in all of its might: The oppressive powers that dominate the political landscape and have for centuries: the ones fighting tooth and nail to keep their power using fear tactics and war strategy... AKA the toxic Patriarchy and all that it represents:

But to hell (Scorpio) with those guys. It's time to take real, grounded and meaningful action, because the nodes and the two retrograde planets (Venus and Uranus) are about to move in to cardinal signs, where action begins... Uranus moves in to Aries on Nov. 7th, where he spends about 4 months before going direct and heading back in to Taurus on March 6th. We can plausibly expect some pretty major events in the world stage around that time.

Back to the lion and the inner strength of conviction and determination:

What this boils down to, IMHO, is that the stars are telling us that we need to do the inner work (NOW, not whenever it's convenient) so that we can make our unique contribution to the work that needs to be done to change the outer world - in particular the old, outdated structures that our society is built on... Where do you need to build your inner strength? Where can you change your behaviors and beliefs to be in more alignment with the vision you want to create? Because NOW is the time to address that...

There's one more planet I've left out, regarding all of this change, and that's Mars: The ruler of action. Mars is in Aquarius, the sign of tearing down the old structures in order to build ones based on more freedom for the individual and the collective as a whole... That is what Mars (who rules action) wants us to focus on now. He is currently ruling Jupiter and Venus in Scorpio, and in a week Mars will also be ruling Uranus when he moves in to Aries. To me, this is evidence that this (over any of the myriad of other possible interpretations) is the one that bears the most weight in regards to this transit...

To sum it up:

The time for revolution is here, dreamers. Will you let stodgy old Saturn and mean old Pluto in Capricorn keep you bound by fear to the matrix that was set up by crusty old rich racist white dudes? Or will you tear it down to create a new world? It's yours now, Millenials... just sayin'

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Full Moon in Taurus 10/24

Artwork by @oneupsunup (instagram) 

"When the outer moon is full in the sky, my inner moon is also full and I brim over with feelings. It’s not a case of the planets influencing me in any cause-and-effect way. Rather it’s my daily proof of the truth of the Big Secret – that the microcosm and the macrocosm mirror one another!"-Phoebe Wyss

This morning, more or less immediately after entering the sign of #InnerReflection, #Sexuality, #PsychicConnection & #deep #personaltransformation, the Sun makes an opposition to Uranus and the #fullmoon in #Taurus, and begins a conjunction (side-by-side) to #VenusRetrograde. These two pairs also form a grand cross (4 squares) to the lunar nodes in the perpendicular axis of #leo and #aquarius. The cross of matter in the circle of spirit:

"Yeah yeah, there you go again with the fancy terms.... But what does it all MEAN?"

What it means is CHANGE. Probably BIG change. Undeniable change... Stable change? Perhaps... I'm not in to predictions but given that Uranus is about 2 weeks away from retrograding back in to Aries from Taurus, and that when it moved in to Taurus multiple volcanoes exploded, I'd say massive shifts involving earth and fire (literally or symbolically) is a safe conjecture. (Incidentally/not coincidentally, that's happening a day before the new moon in scorpio on 11/7.) It will happen in some way on a social level for sure. (Let's hope it's the most conscious expression.) ...But will it happen on a personal level? That is for us to take charge and decide. 

It also seems likely that all of the issues that have been dredged up from the depths over the last year (Jupiter) or few months (Venus, Mercury) will continue to be brought to light. Very vivid crisp and contrasted light. Whether it's golden and full of possibility, or dark and full of what we fear remains a matter of how we choose to interact with the changing face of the moon. 

The Moon is all about how we react to things, once they're on autopilot. The Sun is how we react to them before we have a frame of reference and more about how we act than react. The trick is integrating our conscious desire to evolve with our actions and reactions! The fixed signs are arguably the most stubborn of the signs, so there's plenty of room for pause before handling stressful situations. 

Last New moon was in Libra on Oct. 8th - the sign the Sun just left yesterday/today. What was happening for you two weeks ago? What intentions, offerings, prayers or pronouncements did you make, if any, and were they relationship-oriented? What's happening Next new moon will be in Scorpio, so the themes present now will also inform that event. Personally i believe both new and full moons are for either beginnings and endings or changes. The thing about change though, is you have to work to implement it, and that's what i think one of the main messages this moon is offering: Taurus may be sensual and pleasure-focused and slow but all the earth signs know the value of hard work, and that's what we're going to need if we're going to be the change we want to see in the inner (scorpio) and outer (taurus) world. In many ways I see this full moon as an opportunity to commit to your goals. 

The moon will continue on, but this grand cross between Venus (values), Uranus (change) and the nodes (karma & dharma/soul's evolutionary path/fate) will continue for another 6 weeks! Not only that, but all four are retrograde and all four will will change signs backward in to the cardinal signs, which are all about ACTION! Use these powerful moments to set goals, commit and then work to achieve them!

One other tidbit/observation: While Venus is in Scorpio she may be Mars-ruled, (aggressively reactive) but she's been ruling over the Sun in Libra the last month or so, AND Uranus in Taurus, and it’s almost as if she's been drawing them to her (Uranus backward, through retrograde):

...Perhaps for a secret scorpio rendezvous? Plans to overthrow the patriarchy and liberate minds? Here's to hoping. I think she's likely to be shining through this full moon in a big way, whatever the case. Her retrograde influence has been felt deep and wide lately... How has it been for you?

As always with astrology, there are dozens of ways each configuration can manifest - often many at once on different levels. In lieu of adding a loooong rant about what the themes might be to an already long post, here is a quick brainstorm:

-Actions/Reactions: Moon in taurus = slow to anger-Sun in scorpio = quick to anger, attack/defend

-Resistance

-Control

Taurus-Scorpio:

-Defense of self-worth and resources. 

-Having and not having / Gain and Loss

-Money issues 

- expensive mistakes? (Sudden windfall not as likely because fixed signs are all about "working for it." I just racked up a $200 vet bill the other night because a dog got in to some of my chocolate... case in point.)

-Sensuality vs sexuality 

- Tradition vs taboo

-Love (Venus-Taurus) and War (Mars-Scorpio)

Integrating North Node/South Node - Leo/Aqu:

-Balancing of the heart and head

-Personal vs public

-Birth/Death/Rebirth!

-The King vs The People: balancing leadership

-Creativity (creation of children vs ideas)

Hope this is helpful loves! I work hard to create a lot of free content and I hope it's really reaching people and making an impact. If you love it let me know. Enjoy the sexy full moon vibes. :)

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LIBRA

(Libra, by Johfra Bosschart)

As the Sun makes its trek through the last degree of Libra (my sun & rising sign) tomorrow, before heading in to #scorpio on the 23rd, (my number) i thought I'd take advantage of the mercury-neptune trine and do a little musing on the dark side of the sign that begins the second half of the zodiac... Figured it'd be fitting now that we're heading in to #scorpioseason.

Did you know #Libra was created by the Romans around the first century AD? The signs of the zodiac were once aligned with the constellations that the planets rotate through, as well as to the seasons (though now only to the seasons) and Libras scales were actually co-opted from the claws of the scorpion in the constellation Scorpius. The sign was created to establish #symmetry (a purely human notion) in order to #balance out the #zodiac. And it was given the only inanimate symbol among them (the #scales ) in order to represent humanity's triumph over our animal nature. 

Duality is of course a construct of the mind that holds root because of our own nature, not necessarily the nature of Actual Reality (not the holographic reality we know.) In her book Asteroid Goddesses the astrologer Demetra George describes the insertion of Libra (laws, financial institutions, social mores & traditions - especially marriage) as a move by the Patriarchy (still establishing itself at the time) to craft "an artificial duality in a woman's sexual identity" in order to maintain control over birth rights, like land ownership. 

Virgo (on one side of Libra) is the virgin aspect of the mother goddess - but that word here doesn't mean what you think it means. Virgin didn't used to mean sexually chaste, it just meant unmarried. The Vestal Virgins of Rome were originally sexual priestesses in the goddess cult religions of the world, who performed fertility rites and were committed only to the Goddess Herself. They bore children the same as any woman did, but these children were considered to be spiritually sacred, and their paternity was seldom known or accounted for, having been considered inconsequential. The term "born of a virgin" comes from this history, and is a concept repeated throughout many religions spanning continents and eras... Not just the one we're most familiar with in the present day. Christianity has acculturated more religions in its story than most however, and the pagan, matriarchal societies definitely stand out among them in regards to traditions, holidays, deities and lore. 

Scorpio, on the other side, was once actually represented by a snake - the symbol of these Goddess/earth-worshipping religions - and it represented the consort aspect of the mother goddess. The Scorpio archetype was the embodiment of the woman who chose to go deep in to a committed partnership with a lover in order to die and be reborn, (so-to-speak) through the process of loving and loss... (Note that the symbol for Scorpio is the same as Virgo, the M standing for mother. The only difference is that rather than turned outward, like Virgo, the tail is turned inward for the inward journey that partnership inevitably takes us on.) 

And so marriage (Libra) was the wedge driven between these two signs, in order to insert the dominance of the patriarchal religion. Here the false dualistic image of the Madonna/Whore was born. The message of Christ was perverted at the beginning of the age of Pisces in order to support the political agenda of Rome, effectively keeping us locked in the age of Aries - endless war. The notion of spiritual purity was attached to sexual chastity and the Vestal Virgin Priestesses were forced to either forego their sacred sexual rites or literally be buried alive... It's interesting that the two pans of the golden scale measure the weight of the heart against a feather. It's hard to imagine how any heart could be light with that much bloodshed on its hands, but i digress...

I'm not saying that Libra isn't without merit, or that it should be tossed aside entirely... In fact it can't be. That would be chaos... I'm just saying that perhaps its history should be acknowledged and its expression of balance should be applied to the rebalancing of the masculine and feminine. With Venus as its ruler, I would like to think that's possible, but it will take some time and some pretty massive paradigm shifting.... Also, without the objectivity that expresses through this sign, we would probably be in a state of constant overt war with one another (rather than covert)... but we're always at war nonetheless. How fitting that "civilized" society (especially American) tends to hide the genocide and continued colonialism it perpetuates; Just like Libra to sweep the ugly under the rug for Scorpio to deal with. It's almost as if Venus is complicit in her own subjugation as the divine feminine: more concerned with making nice than with fighting for her values.

Nonetheless, Libra is the first of the social signs (the last 6) and thus the first thing that we should turn to when we consider social reform. And without the order and balance this sign creates, the zodiac simply wouldn't be the symmetrical masterpiece of meaning that it is. In Classical Astrology each of the 7 planets of antiquity (Moon, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter &  Saturn) ruled two signs each, with the moon and sun each ruling one. (I personally believe the Moon and Sun are actually just two expressions of Planet Earth, but that's another blog post.) Each planet rules both a masculine/yang sign and a feminine/yin sign.... It's just beautiful:

...How like a Libra to give weight to both sides of an issue and appreciate symmetry, eh? But seriously, there's a magic that such balance and perfection enables, which i believe can help activate the intuitive capacity of the mind, which can in turn help is to access our own divinity and perhaps rediscover the masculine/feminine balance that has been prevalent for at least the last 2000 years or so.

On that note, to those who are still reading this, i am announcing that i have been working (rather slowly) this past year on a book and oracle deck that uses this symmetry and can be used as a to to utilize and hone that intuition. My hope is that announcing this here will kickstart me in to working harder to complete it. If you're reading this and this excites you, please let me know in a comment or message! I'd be grateful for the encouragement. I'm not sure how much any of my posting really reaches anyone, but i hope that I'm adding some lasting value to this wondrous spinning planet we're on.

Until next time, dreamers. ✌

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Pluto & The Moon 9/25-930

Happy Full Moon! See previous post for my thoughts on today's full moon in Aries... This post is about THE MOON & PLUTO. 

(Artwork by @serpentfiretarot)

The Moon represents our subconscious mind and behavior patterning. She is the part of us that reacts instinctively to things, and to some extent she is the surface level expression of Pluto. By transit, the moon activates other planetary configurations and the signs they're in. In this case, Pluto is getting a triple-lunar-blast over the next several days.

Pluto governs our unconscious urges/desires, shadows/blindspots, AND the metamorphic, alchemical fire that burns in the deep unconscious collective soul of this world. He/She/It* represents the primal urge to transform in a way so profound and irrevocable that it can be exquisitely painful, but is always ultimately for the highest good... This process is also known as #LePetitMort, or #smalldeath... No #death is truly permanent, as it always feeds new life... (*The energy of the outer planets is arguably always bi-gendered or genderless.)

Over the course of the next 5 days, as the #FullMoon in #Aries begins to wane, she makes three aspects to #Pluto in #Capricorn, leading in to Pluto going direct. The 1st aspect is a Square on the 25-26th; an uncomfortable challenge that requires action... (*Ahem!*) The 2nd apsect on the 27-28th is a Trine; if the square is overcome, then a period of ease will follow. And the 3rd is a Quincunx, in which a final adjustment will need to be made as Pluto stations (appears to halt) at 5pm MST on the 30th, and then finally (with a very relieved outbreath) goes direct on 10/1, also exactly at 5pm MST.... Pluto in Capricorn would be hyper-punctual like that. 🙄 (See charts at bottom.)

Pluto is the gatekeeper between this realm and the next. His oblong orbit crosses that of Neptune; Master of The Illusion we call "objective reality." In order to understand Pluto's lessons, one must allow themselves -parts of themselves- to pass beyond this illusion and die. He holds the key to the ultimate freedom found in mastering ourselves and transforming beyond our perceived limitations (which are mostly mere mental constructs.) His work is the work of diving in to our shadows and finding out what is there; facing the boogey-men... So this window of time where he's being activated several times by the moon, just before going direct is an excellent opportunity to do some of that... Retrogrades are for revisiting and revising, afterall...

Pluto's long passage through each sign affects us generationally and on a social level, unless he is making a major aspect to something personal in your natal chart... Then all bets are off. Anyone having been through a Pluto transit will tell you that size does not matter... He's a heavy-hitter. I have a friend who literally came within breaths of dying during a heavy Pluto transit... The same goes for natal aspects by pluto to personal planets as well, if not more. (I have Pluto exactly conjunct my ascendant, so i have a pretty intimate connection to him involving a LOT of trauma. There will be a blog post on that coming soon!) 

Pluto's effects (and those of the other outer planets, Neptune and Uranus also) are thus usually experienced as forces outside our own control, especially before we begin to work with the subconscious and face our fears... The humbling powers of life and death over which no person has true control being the prime example of those forces... The wheel continues to spin whether we like it or not.

In his The Book of Pluto, Steven Forrest describes Pluto as having extreme heat. Pluto = desire: The hotter the desire the hotter the burn. In reality Pluto is the coldest of the planets, but this is the prince of darkness here we're talking about; the keeper of hades. He governs the kind of heat that burns so hot it feels freezing ... I like to think of him as an iron (metal?) shell with a molten core, which is actually a bit what the planet looks like...

Pluto teaches us through trial by fire. Can you withstand the flames and return as the Phoenix? 

As always, where this lands in your own birth chart will determine how it affects you personally. If you'd like to know more about how the #planetarytransits affect YOU, pls get in touch for a reading!! Azimuthastrology (at) gmail (dot) com. 

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Sun conjunct Mercury & Autumnal Equinox 9/20-22/2018

As i write this, Mercury currently exactly conjuncts The Sun at 28° Virgo, accompanied by asteroid Ceres (goddess of the grain and mother of Persephone) in Libra, the sign of balance, middle ground and ultimately the transition between life and death. The asteroid Persephone (Queen of the Dead) is currently at 3° Scorpio - arguably her sign of rulership, given her title. (Incidentally this is the exact degree of my natal Saturn... hard lessons and permanent irrevocable change for the wiser, anyone?) 

In 2 days the Sun will be at 2 Libra, opposite the Moon as 2 Aries (a full moon.) a post will be forthcoming on that, so stay tuned.) Libra is the least dignified position for the Sun, according to classical astrologers. Saturn is most exalted there. The Sun wants to express and act unconditionally and shine without regard to anything else. Libra is a sign of rules and laws and justice for all equally. 

This time of the transition in to #LibraSeason (in which we begin the second half of the zodiac) is considered the sunset of the year. This is the time in which all that has been learned by critical thinking Virgo is incorporated in to our relationships (Libra) and used to create more balance in our lives. (Incidentally, this is why the symbol for #Libra ♎ looks like a sunset. #funfacts) 

The constellation of Libra was actually invented by the Romans about 3500 years ago in order to mark the equinox point in the sky. (The constellations no longer match up with the zodiac ecliptic, but that's another post.) The historian and astrologer Demetra George explains that Libra was actually invented in order to drive the dry wedge of marriage (Libra, air) between the virgin (Virgo, earth) and sex (Scorpio, water) for the sake of ensuring patriarchal rights... The  scales in the constellation are actually made up of the claws of the scorpion - the tool it uses to pull in its prey before it strikes... a possible metaphor for temptation? hmm... These insights may or may not be relevant to the rest of this post, but some interesting food for thought nonetheless. (More on this topic here.)

For most of human history, most people didn't know if they would even survive winter. If the harvest was small, the odds were not high and starvation before things began to grow and move around again was likely... Before the advent of the current agricultural systems (Ceres, Saturn), life on earth was pretty grim. The Grim reaper is Saturn, incidentally, with his downward-facing sickle. And the symbol for Ceres is an upright sickle. (There are no coincidences people. Don't act so surprised.)

But not only a literal death was represented in the stories and rituals related to this time, like those of the Elusinian Mysteries (highly worth reading about)... There is also a symbolic death. The coming of winter marks a free fall in to the inner world of "winter" - AKA self-examination and preservation (Virgo). The story of the descent in to hell and return as the queen of the underworld by Persephone is an allegory for the descent of the human soul through a version of death that ultimately gives us new life (Scorpio). 

As a maiden (read virgin) Persephone was abducted (read taken forcibly & raped) by her uncle Hades (AKA good ol' Pluto), God of the Underworld. (Note that there is some historical debate over whether she was actually raped or went with it out of curiousity... She may have simply been seduced by the prince of darkness, who incidentally never cheated on her even though all the other gods cheated... not hard to imagine, really. Pluto is a sexy mf'er.) After a deal was struck by her mother Ceres, Persephone was allowed to return above ground to be with her for 6 months out of the year, thus setting in motion the wheel of the never ending cycle of the seasons we perceive as infinite. Her "death" (or descent in to hell) was the symbol of this cycle in our own lives, as well as in the natural world.

Speaking of the natural world, Virgo not only represents study, perfection, cultivation and harvest, but also seed-saving: a metaphor for retaining those most precious seeds of wisdom acquired for sowing in to the next cycle. Persephone was said to have eaten 6 pomegranate seeds while in the underworld (hence the six months she had to come back for - it's a tit-for-tat world, the realm of the gods.) So the moral of this earthly tale is: What are you saving for a new beginning come spring? Take this alignment of The Sun (the ego) and Mercury (the mind) and do a freefall in to your own mind tonight. Record (and thus "save") the seeds of wisdom your own struggle to learn and grow has sprouted. (Virgo is great for writing - i have Mercury in Virgo natally, incidentally.)

Thanks for reading and please leave a comment so I know you came by! I'd love to know if this is even reaching anyone. 

Happy Autumn Equnox! 

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Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius 7/28

Eclipses have always been a bit of a mystery to me. I never really noticed any relevance to my own life in regards to them happening... But i also wasn't ever relating them to my natal chart. Eclipses are known to be periods of time that hold exceptional power and often catalyze destiny/fated events, dramatic changes, and/or just plain drama in our lives. Part of what always kept me from studying them was the confusion caused by the varied interpretations of them that are out there. Some say they're ill omens and most things beyond breathing should just generally be avoided until they pass. Others say they're potent opportunities to be seized. One thing all people seem to agree on is that they have heavy magic... As always, this meaning is derived from observation by thousands of people over hundreds of years.

This coming eclipse is a lunar one, and therefore deals with lunar themes like  security, and the integration of our subconscious emotions and shadow  side. Typically eclipses come in pairs, but this coming eclipse in Aquarius on Friday 7/27/18 is the middle one of three, so you'll likely have noticed a bit of a buzz around it online. I'll get in to what it might mean for humanity on a social scale, but first I'll give an example of how to divine meaning for the individual using my own chart as an example.

For me, the eclipse is happening with the Moon, Mars and the North Node conjunct my natal IC (Nadir), and the Sun conjunct my natal MC (Midheaven) - and these are in a t-square to Uranus in Taurus on my DC (Descendant). That's a whole lot of technical jargon (or as my dear friend Rachel of the The Audacity Project calls them, "zipzorps") in one run-on sentence... so let's break it down.

1. We have my natal Midheaven (careers, public image, ambitions) being lit by the Sun (conscious desire to self express, ego, and most essential nature) in the sign of his rulership, Leo (creative, generous, self-expressed, optimistic, playful, self-centered, egotistical and dramatic.) On the day of the eclipse it will be at 4° Leo.

2. On a full moon, the Sun is always opposite the Moon. The Moon (unconscious drives, emotions, behavior patterning, style of giving and receiving nurturance, etc) will therefore be in the opposite sign Aquarius (rebellious, revolutionary, socially-concerned, freedom-seeking, intellectual & emotionally detatched.)

An opposition is a point of reflection, as we are able to see who is opposite us at a table better than any other position, but because we're coming from two different sides, it's also about balance and compromise.

3. The Moon will be conjunct (occupying the same space as & strongly influenced by) Mars (drive, will power and masculine/yang energy) which is retrograde (revisiting/revising/returning/witholding/hesitating) on the South Node of the Moon (the point of past life karma, innate gifts/talents & habitual patterning).

4. And all that is conjunct my Natal Nadir (the point opposite the Midheaven which relates to family, ancestry, home life and parenthood.)

...Great, but what does it all mean?

Well meaning is always subjective, but let's start with the Leo Midheaven.

Four days before the eclipse in Cancer on July 11th, i was offered a position in a training program that would eventually turn in to a really great job. (Woo!) This was something i have longed to do as a career for most of my adult life, but never knew how to accomplish. I had to sacrifice focusing on other things to make it work, but i was up for the challenge, and it felt a lot like kismet from the outset... A very eclipse type thing to have happen. Then this past Friday (1 week before the upcoming lunar eclipse in Aquarius) I got an email rescinding/postponing the offer... (Cue the sad trumpet let-down sound effect. Waahmp waaaaahmp.)

(I also had another old business idea appear to revive around the same time as this, and since then appears to have fizzled out, but who knows...) Both of these occurences underline the theme of Mars in retrograde on the South Node. It's a time of uncertainty and inconsistent action.

Incidentally, on the same day that i got the bad news about the job training (fri) I was in surgery, having my tubes tied so that i can't have children. I did it for health reasons. Children are both an IC & Leo theme. Pretty straight-forward. Not much explanation needed.

Another influence to both this and the job situation is Uranus (the urge for freedom, sudden and complete change, miracles, awakening, traumatic or catastrophic events, and the unexpected), which will be square the eclipse at 2° Taurus and is currently conjunct my Descendant ("the other"/relationships).

I use whole sign houses for my natal chart, which puts libra as the sign of the first house, rather than its opposite, Aries. What this does is place each sign (for me, and likely you if you have a Libra ascendant) in the opposite placement of the house Libra rules (the 7th). Doing this makes for some interesting axis dichotomies and also for a bit of simplicty, because you're always still dealing with the same axis... I'll do a post specifically on the houses at some point, but for now let's stick to the eclipse, which falls on my 5th-11th house axis.

The 5th house is the house of children (among other things), and the moon will be in my 5th house on this day. I can't think of anything more literal and eclipse-y than having my tubes tied close to this event, short of getting pregnant or having a baby.

In the Placidus or Porphyry house systems (much more commonly used) the MC and IC are considered the doors to the 10th and 4th houses, respectively, and so in this system the moon would be falling in my 4th and the Sun in my 10th. This is also relevant to me, because the 4th-10th axis deals with security in the career (10th) and home life (4th). Clearly my career life is up in the air (Uranus square the midheaven) and though i haven't mentioned it, my home life has also been in a bit of upheaval for a while now. (Incidentally it appears to be chilling out now, but we shall see.)

Anyway, hopefully this illustrates how you can relate a transit like an eclipse to your own life. The Full Moon will be at 4° of Aquarius and the Sun at 4° Leo. Take a look at your natal chart and look for planet & angle placements within 5 degrees of these eclipse points, or at around 4 degrees of the other fixed signs Taurus and Scorpio. Also look for placements around 4 degrees of the other air and fire signs (Libra, Gemini/Sag, Aries) because this means the eclipse is trine (easy/lazy) or sextile (lucky) to that planet or placement, and it could bode well for you... Hey maybe it just makes you extra sexy (Leo) and smart (Aquarius). ;)

...

Here are some thoughts on the eclipse themes that may affect all of us. I will keep them brief since there is an abundance of this stuff online.

The Moon, Mars Rx (Rx = shorthand for retrograde) and the South Node in Aquarius can have to do with cutting things and people out of our lives that arent in alignment with our highest ideals (aquarius), or perhaps dealing with feelings of alienation socially... It could also maybe mean dealing with or making use of things or people from the past that have returned... or just dealing with their shit. Which brings us back to cutting out/letting go... But those are personal.

One very intriguing social theory that i heard put forth by the astrologer Claudia Caudill was that it could mean public moves by the established powers that be twd the establishment of the New World Order and/or a people's uprising against it. Leo represents the king/powers and Aquarius represents the people and revolutionary uprisings... Given the state of things lately it probably wouldn't be much of a shock.

With Uranus square the eclipse points, lots of big change is possible too. Could even be traumatizing for some... Could be miraculous for others. Probably will be intense in either case. This change could involve issues related to the themes of the Leo-Aquarius axis such as a change of heart/mind, social status or group dynamics, or the aforementioned power & class dynamics. It could also deal with Taurean issues like wealth, posessions, financial stability, health/vitality, and self-worth. With the famed ingress of Uranus in to Taurus earlier this year, this eclipse could be just the push needed to cause the big shift in the world's major financial institutions and currency (think World Bank Collapse // implementation of Cryptocurrency as a dominant form of money.)

Hope you enjoyed reading!

Please comment or message me with insights on how this event relates to your natal chart and your life! I'd love to hear from you! Hope this was informative. ✌😘

I'm available for natal chart and transit readings at a student rate so please email me at azimuthastrology(at)gmail.com for more info on that!

PS if you're just starting out learning astrology and this was too many zipzorps for you, that feedback is also helpful to me. I may create some backdated posts here that go over the very basics and vocab, for those that are interested, but there is tons of that info available online and in books (i recommend books) and I'd much rather focus on teaching others how to interpret their own chart using mine... Either way your feedback is much appreciated!

Also if you know eho made this artwork, please let me know, I'd like to give them credit.

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Summer Solstice 2018 & The Moon

On today, June 21st, the Sun ends its reign in Gemini (the sign of our last new moon) and begins to light the way into our inner emotional life as it shifts into the sign of Cancer, signaling the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of winter in the southern hemisphere. If you’re in the southern hemisphere then this is the winter solstice for you, so happy return to the light!! However since most (or all?) of you reading this are probably in the northern hemisphere, this is mainly directed toward you:

Not to be a summer bummer, but here is where the days begin to shorten as autumn approaches. Any figurative seeds we planted on the Spring Equinox (3/20 - last day of Pisces and the beginning of Aries & the Zodiac Year) should now be reaching their pinnacle of growth and flowering, as they begin to invert that growth and convert it to bearing fruit. We are entering the long lazy days of summer, so savor these glorious light-filled afternoons as we slowly begin our descent again toward the return of winter's longer, colder nights and introspection/inversion... And don’t forget to tend your garden for a plentiful harvest in the fall! (Literally and figuratively.)

The solstice is considered a peak of personal growth. The abundance of light indicates an emphasis of the conscious self. The Sun (the “self”) is shedding light on that which may have been hidden and is now beginning to emerge like budding fruit. Themes involve enlightenment/awakening and the “triumph of light over darkness.” This is a time of both fertility and growth. Not only is this a time of year associated with home life and our innermost private world (astrologically), there are like 6 planets in retrograde, and retrogrades are all about revisiting and reflecting on what has passed. 

As we hit this important transition, several very influential astrological aspects are being made by the planets in the sky from our geocentric perspective. I wrote the following info with people who are learning or interested in learning astrology in mind, so they can follow along with relative ease. (The majority of my friends don’t speak star.)

Current transits:

1. There is a Grand Trine in the water element (the blue equilateral triangle in the image) signifying a very stable and flowing relationship between:

A.) Jupiter (our urge for expansion, exploration and higher learning) who is chilling for most of this year in deep, dark, penetrating, introspective, powerful and sexy Scorpio,

B.) Neptune (The Collective Unconscious and divine source of creativity) who is in intuitive/psychic/empathic and creative Pisces until 2025/26, and

C.) Mercury (our capacity to think, learn and communicate) conjunct (occupying the same place in the zodiac with) Pallas Athena (the goddess of creative wisdom, invention and strategy) in good old moody Cancer, offering an opportunity to communicate our emotions in creative ways.

What this grand trine does is support creative expression and intuitive thinking/feeling/interpreting TO THE MAX. If you have planets in the middle degrees (around 10-20) of any of the water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) or earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) in your birth chart, this can impact you most directly. (I say can because as always with astrology, the potential is laid out but we have to use our free will to utilize it, especially with Trine aspects.)  2. Pluto in Capricorn is currently making an opposition (across the zodiac wheel) to Mercury in Cancer, offering a point of focus for the creative energy of the Grand Trine to be utilized; That focus is tangible transformation. If we’re not consciously working with this opposition (which is strongest/most-exact tomorrow, 6/22) this aspect could lead to destructive thoughts and communication… but generally speaking this is a placement that can favor powerfully transformative insights in to the themes presented by the cancer-capricorn axis. (I will discuss the significance of this axis further, but for now think boundaries and security/safety… How are you asserting them?)

The Moon is also making a square (a challenging but useful aspect) to this opposition for today only, which can be utilized to hone in on the insight available in the Grand Trine if used consciously… or it can add to the subconscious destructiveness if not. Meditate on this stuff if you can. See what comes up.

3. The Sun, (our conscious sense of self, desire to self-express and general ego) now freshly in Cancer, is heading toward an exact opposition to Saturn (our urge toward responsibility, authority and the assertion of boundaries and limitations) in its place of rulership, Capricorn. This aspect will come to exact fruition on the full moon in Capricorn on 6/27/2018, when The Moon is conjunct (together with) Saturn. (See the 2nd chart image below and look for the red moon and sun glyphs. Saturn is the glyph next to The Moon.) This will highlight themes of personal boundaries (physical and emotional) further, and offers the opportunity to find a balance and stability in these matters.

This full moon is also squared by Chiron (the wounded healer - glyph looks like a key), offering an opportunity for profound physical and emotional healing to occur if that is your focus. If you have planets in the early degrees of Libra, this will be an especially potent opportunity for you in this regard. Look to the meaning of the planet there for more information on how/what. 

4. Venus (femininity/yin) on the North Node (eclipse point) of The Moon in generous, self-focused Leo; and Mars (masculinity/yang) on the South Node in generous, other-focused Aquarius highlights the theme of duality and the balance of karma/dharma. In particular themes of masculinity & femininity (not to be confused with maleness and femaleness) with regards to give & take are highlighted… In what ways can we become more generous and balanced in our expressions of both of these sides of ourselves? What types of partnership themes are being highlighted for you and to what extent do they involve giving and receiving, or balancing the heart and mind?

Finally, The Moon: We began this year on 1/1/2018 (11:11 for you number nerds) with the full (super blue blood wolf etc etc) Moon in Cancer… and wow did it ever live up to every title we threw at it. What an emotional tidal wave. The Moon (representative of the ultimate yin/receptive energy in astrology) was receiving -as she does- some serious vibes from 4 planets directly across the sky in Capricorn. (Look for the red moon symbol n the 3rd chart below, and then look directly across from it.) 

A full moon means The Moon is opposite the sun in the sky, and in this case she was also opposite Venus (who represents our tastes, values, style of love/attraction and ways of relating) because Venus was conjunct The Sun… In other words Venus was over there being fructified by the life-giving light of The Sun, opposing this insanely bright full moon… These two were flanked in sturdy, practical, hard-working and rule-oriented Capricorn by the super-serious heavy-hitters Saturn and Pluto. These two intensified the influence of the stable and earthy but dire Capricorn energy… This was a time of establishing strong, powerful value shifts for both the individual and the collective - particularly in regards to balancing the divine feminine and masculine. 

So at this time, The Moon was directly across from these four planets in the sign she rules (Cancer) claiming the her damn throne. Supported (and also challenged) by all of the Capricorn energy (also a feminine sign), the luminaries were setting the tone for a very feminine year, ruled by The Moon… All hail The Queen! Issues of balancing emotional/internal needs, home and security with the stability and of our public life, career and responsibilities was a common theme for many folks at this time. (As always, those who have a more direct relationship to the event based on the placement of the planets in their natal or progressed charts will most likely have experienced it more directly.)

Also, the blue equilateral triangle that was made from the Cancer Moon to Neptune in Pisces and Mars and Jupiter together in Scorpio added a powerful intuitive, emotional and psychic energy to the mix as well, which is now being echoed by the grand trine i mentioned earlier… This pattern looked like a kite and acted a bit like a bow and arrow, with the moon being like both the tip of the arrow and the target of the energy of all these other planets, who were like the shooting hand. It launched us in to a year of a resurgence of feminine power. Everyone has a ripe opportunity this year to really “get in touch with their feminine side” as cliché and cringe-worthy as that may sound… We’re up in the feels this year, people. Might as well feel ‘em.

Back to NOW and the cycles of The Moon:

1. Today, as we reach the middle of the year, we are revisiting all that powerful Cancer energy set up at the beginning of the year, with the Sun moving in to the first degree of Cancer. The Moon is moving on from a waxing first-quarter square (a challenging aspect) in social, relationship-oriented Libra. (Yesterday, when i started writing this, the square was exact.) A first-quarter square indicates a time when the intentions we set during the last new moon in Gemini come up against their first challenges. Revisions may need to be made. Persistence is paramount. In what ways do our relationships with others inhibit us from manifesting our intentions? How can we better harmonize with those around us in order to achieve our goals?

2. After today The Moon waxes toward an opposition with The Sun (the full moon in Capricorn) on 6/27, where the intentions we set could either be coming to fruition or illuminating something important about our goals, that tells us how to calibrate our compass. What kind of practical aims can we take to accomplish our goals, if they are not manifesting? Where can we take responsibility for our lives and what we are manifesting? Taking responsibility for yourself can be enormously empowering. 

3. On July 5th she will have reached a waning last-quarter square in Aries, wherein the energy of this cycle will begin to dissipate and we can look inward for guidance on how to best set our next intentions. What issues regarding new awareness of your individuality and will power will inform your vision for yourself? The Sun also takes the position that Mercury occupies today on this day, completing another perfect equilateral triangle, or “Grand Trine” to Neptune and Jupiter. What it means is that what we learned (Mercury) from the previous exploration (Jupiter) of creating/dreaming/transmuting (Neptune) can now be more fully expressed in our being (Sun). 

4. Finally on July 12th, the new moon in Cancer will form a conjunction with the Sun at its place at one point of the Grand Water Trine, supercharging the potential of this potent aspect pattern. But as if it weren’t special enough, not one but two of these triangular patterns are being created in the sky on this day. The second offers an opportunity for new stable changes in the realm of our relationships:

This Grand Earth Trine is created by:

A.) Uranus (the planet of sudden, complete and revolutionary change, often on a large/social scale) conjunct Juno (AKA Hera, the wife of Zeus, who represents marriage

B.) Venus (love/relationships) conjunct Ceres (the mother of the seasons and goddess of the harvest), and

C.) Saturn (Father Time, also a signifier of relationships, and in this case stability within them.) If you have planets in your birth chart in the early (1-10) degrees of either the earth or water signs, this can affect you most directly. 

Back to The Moon:

With Cancer being the sign of emotional safety & security, the home, nourishment and mothering, our intentions for this upcoming new moon would be well suited to themes of this nature. How are we getting our emotional needs met? Is it healthy and boundaried? How are we initiating self-healing? Supporting and nurturing ourselves? What is our understanding of our relationship to our emotional identity? How can we harness the potential of all of this feminine Earth and Water energy to our benefit? Cancer also rules the stomach. Take this food for thought forward with you trough the month as we traverse the lunar path and let them nourish you. 

Be well

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Saturn Transits May 2018

Saturn is known to be a rather difficult planet to deal with by transit in general, and being opposite to the moon is no exception. (I happen to be going through this exact transit by saturn to my natal moon right now and it's pretty lonely and painful at times.) Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results, and to that extent we are all insane because that's precisely what behavior patterning (the Moon) is.

The fact that Saturn and Vesta are also both retrograde makes it likely we're all revisiting old lessons we need to integrate around our own patterning... Most likely especially in relationships. The trick is rooting out the source of the pattern, which is usually a trauma, and working to heal that...If you have been dealing with a heartbreak, or an unrequited love or other similar matter of the heart, now is a very good time to get really real with yourself about it and learn what it's trying to teach you... By all means, feel it, express it verbally if you need to, write poetry or make art about it... But do it with the intention of putting it in the sacrificial flames and moving on...

But that's not all. These two groupings of planets are in a t-square to Chiron in Aries. (Swipe for the chart of the moment image and look for the blue right angle triangle.) Chiron is the centaur (an asteroid from outside our solar system) who represents the part of us that is deeply wounded and very difficult or impossible to heal, but which gives us the ability to heal others when we do master it. Aries is the sign of will power, and this wounding currently involves our will power and the use of it. This aspect pattern signifies that now is a time that can be ripe for dedicating ourselves to working with this wounding around our personal responsibility to the emotional matters we are dealing with, while both honoring and expressing how we feel in a productive/creative way, and having the strength and determination to move on from limiting patterns that are holding us back.  

Thanks for reading. :) Please take a moment to let me know what you think and if this resonates! ✌

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What’s In Store for 2018

Hey 2018. I feel the need to say something to all of us.

There is a page turning for us. This is not because of an arbitrary date devised by the Romans, but it IS the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one. The last two years have been very dark and challenging for many people individually and ALL of us, on a collective level. I think most of us are feeling it unless we are really not paying any attention ever... I don't say this to dwell on it but to acknowledge and honor it. We have struggled in order to learn and we deserve a break... And some of us may get one but again, collectively we may not.... What happens to this planet remains to be seen.

There is a quickening happening that we are all feeling on some level or another. Some of us are feelin it reeeeally fuckin strong and it's pretty overwhelming sometimes and we all need to remember to be kind and that we're all going through it... And we - ESPECIALLY WOMEN - need to unite. This is about to be a VERY feminine year, in the most powerful sense of the word.

I'm not one to prosthletyze often but if we don't all collectively begin to believe that this world is worth saving and start fighting for what we believe in well.... We will either sink/swim in the waves or we will soar, depending on what we choose. We better figure out how to be waterproof and winged just incase.

THE ASTROLOGICAL STUFF:

The moon - everything you are on the inside: your emotions, your memory, your subconscious enters in fullness in to Cancer (nurturing, familial attatchments, home life and the full range of emotions) in opposition to the Sun in Capricorn tomorrow evening on the west coast, and on the 2nd further east. This is setting the tone for the year as definitively feminine. The moon rules cancer and thus the moon in cancer is like a queen in her power right now. She can be a merciful goddess or a tyrant. She's trine to both neptune and mars meaning there is a flow between our actions, our feelings and our psychic sensitivity (yes you have it whether you consciously feel it or not) - which can play out well or poorly depending on whether we're aware of what's happening and what we're doing. All three planets are in the 3 water signs and ALL THREE are in rulership... Thus all three are intensely powerful. Water can either float you or drown you. You get to choose whether you sink, swim or float.

Capricorn is about control or the physical world around you and cancer is ultimately about the control of  emotions within the individual. Both are also about safety and security. There will be issues this year around balancing home and work life and parenting roles (my friend DJ uses the term "self parenting" which i really like and am working on learning how to do.) Balancing the needs of the collective with making sure we are personally nourished and secure on an emotional and soul level will be really important this year too.

The moon is always opposite the sun on a full moon but this time she's also in opposition with venus, lilith and pluto... Those are no small players. Lilith and Pluto are archetypally male and female counterparts in the lifecycle of birth, death and tranformation. Venus is your relationships, money and resources as well as your values and desires... That's a whole lotta power -and feminine power at that - opposing the queen in her height of watery power... And an opposition is an opportunity to find balance... And find it we must because the boat is rockin.

Collective Planets:

Jupiter in Scorpio = dive deep in to your beliefs and dig out what's not working for you anymore. Let it die. Women: keep reclaiming yourselves and your power. The #metoo movement is just the surface. This is our time. It's imperative for women to be seen and supported for all they are for a balance btwn the moon and sun in all of us. The yin and yang. That essential duality of the dimension we live in. Men, it's your turn to support. The sun being conjunct to venus and lilith is no small thing. The dark and light side of the feminine are soon to be flanking the sun -the divine masculine- on either side in the most masculine earth sign. Earth is feminine and she is calling to you.

Saturn in Capricorn = harness the power to manifest your vision through hard work, determination and sacrifice. Learn from pain and let it grow you. Take your personal work seriously. Look to the house/s that saturn resides in (particularly the 2nd one if there are two) and that is the area of life you need to focus your efforts.

Uranus the first of the generational planets  goes direct on 1/2/18 in Aries. Uranus likes to shake shit up. Sudden catastrophic events are known to happen with Uranus at the wheel. Ultimately he just wants to revolutionize the existing social/political/financial structures, but in the sign of aggression, war and fire, well... Who knows. Fear won't get us anywhere though.

The outer planets represent forces outside of our control. In our psyche however Uranus represents the urge to change things. There could be some seriously major events that transform the world and its systems as we know it. We all see the change coming in currency with the crypto movement,  which will likely happen on a large scale when Uranus enters Taurus... But Aries is also the first of the signs representing fire/spirit: the essential SELF before the body, mind and soul - so whether you're undergoing an internal spiritual or helping create an external revolution, you are all supported by this transit, generally speaking.

Neptune, as i said, is in Pisces and what a place to be. The aspect of your psyche that allows you to be psychic/empathic when you are ready is in the most psychically and empathically sensitive sign... Which sounds prolly sounds dreamy or downright ridiculous depending on your take on it, but the shadow side to neptune is addiction, delusion and boundary issues, so beware if this planet is affecting you personally (through aspect natally or by transit to your sun, moon, mercury, venus and/or mars placements).

Ultimately though this is about the collective and what it means for us is that we are feeling for one another, and the whole. If we are unaware of it/don't recognize it for what it is, we will likely be reactionary to it, acting with fear rather than compassion... We might feel and act really off balance. This is the end of the age of pisces. Only another couple hundred years or less to go, and it's about damn we started acting like the compassionate, emotionally BRAVE sign that pisces is. It takes bravery to be vulnerable and help others through the pain as equal parts of one greater whole. The age of Aquarius and its complete social revolution is coming for us. Changes on this watery level are coming for us this year... Quite possibly very literally. I think the worlds "leaders" will see to it that we have no choice.

Pluto. Pluto who was cast out of the eschelon of planets before we really got a glimpse of what he's really about... Poor Pluto. Anyone who has dealt with a Pluto transit in their lives  knows that size doesn't matter. The urge for utter destruction and death to anything that does not serve us for the sake of complete transformation. The Phoenix in each of us is in the sign of capricorn and will be for a long time because that fucker moves like a steamroller.... There is so much i could say about him but i have to save it for another post that's just dedicated to him. The fact that the science community cast out pluto says much about our relationship to the concept of death though, and if you refer to what i said about capricorn, you may get an idea of what this means for us as a whole. Our entire social legal and physical power structure is undergoing some rennovations. Expect the boils to continue to come to the surface and the disease to make itself known until we figure out how to root it out.

That's all i got for now. Good luck and good love to you 2018. Looking forward to finding some balance and making the best possible outcome of you. ✨✊🏆💛