MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

The stories we hear often contain delightful reflections on how the planets can express in our everyday lives. To capture some of these examples, I’ve created this occasional column Analogies where I use an example from something I’ve recently heard or read and transfer it on to a planet’s significations.  

• Source: Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• Planet: Saturn

I’ve recently begun listening to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s light-hearted and soulful new podcast “Wiser Than Me”. 62 year old Dreyfus understands older women are a treasure trove of life-earned wisdom. She wonders why we don’t hear more about and from them. So she created this podcast to glean the gold women over 70 have accumulated throughout their years. Immediately I thought of the wisdom Saturn offers when we alchemize our experience from adversity to maturity.

Each episode offers gratifying conversations where Dreyfus gets schooled by women that are wiser than her. She asks questions like What would you do differently? What’s your biggest regret? What advice would you give your 21 year old self? What’s sex like at your age? How do you feel about aging? The answers are sincere and unapologetic. These older voices speak with a gravitas that takes years of living to acquire.

How does the podcast relate to Saturn? Saturn represents time, wisdom, maturity and deep learning. Saturn transits often bring duty, hardship and heaviness. Yet, through these times we learn to take responsibility for the changes we wish to see in our lives. In this process, we develop wisdom. We mature. We grow into ourselves. Listening to these interviews feels like auricular pieces of art sculpted by Saturn.

Here are some examples:

• Saturn represents boundaries. Jane Fonda offers this recommendation to Julia as helpful piece of advice: No is a complete sentence.  There’s no need to amplify the reason why we’ve chosen no as our answer.
• Saturn transits have us face our fears. Food critique Ruth Reichl shares a story of the fear she grappled with when writing a negative review for a prominent restaurant. The piece of wisdom she offers is that when something frightens you, you must do it.
• Saturn reveals actions have consequences. If you reap disharmony, you will sow it. If you are generous throughout life, others will be generous towards you. Isabel Allende speaks to this Saturnian tenant and ponders why people who have been cold and boundaried their entire life would expect companionship and someone to care for them in old age.
• Saturn cultivates strength when we stay in our integrity. Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg relays, “The only thing you have complete control of is your character. You could lose your health, your wealth, your job, your husband, your family, you could lose everything. But you never lose your character. And that character is the little house inside yourself that is called strength.” It’s also where wise elder Saturn lives.

Saturn’s Natal Promise

Dreyfus herself has a prominent Saturn with Saturn at 21° Capricorn next to her MC at 22° and Capricorn Sun at 23° (see her chart). It’s fitting that she brings the topics of age and wisdom to the forefront, especially in regards to women with such a dignified Saturn in its nocturnal domicile.

Dreyfus launched Wiser Than Me back in March 2023, just as Saturn entered Pisces. Her exalted Venus lands at 9° Pisces. Dreyfus has used the co-presence of Saturn and her Venus to celebrate our women elders and to share their wisdom with the rest of us as her natal Saturn promises.

If you listen to podcasts, I highly recommend this one. Maybe it’s Saturn transiting over my own stellium in Pisces, but I think some hard earned advice from our long lived sisters is always a good thing.

Image made by me in Midjourney

June 3, 2023 at 9:40 pm Central—This month’s full moon shines brightly in Sagittarius, and while the trine from Mars inspires adventure and motivates drive, the square from Saturn reminds us there is still a lot of hard work left to go and maybe an obstacle or two to iron out.

Sagittarius is the part of our charts where we dare to quest like a modern day Percival in order to find our personal holy grail of purpose and meaning.

Given the celestial activity these past couple of months, it’s likely that our Sag house reveals the stage where many of themes of these moving parts have culminated.  Yet, it hasn’t been easy. This Full Moon illuminates the path we’ve been on and encourages us to keep going.

Nine of Wands

It’s helpful to look at the tarot card associated with this decan, the Nine of Wands. In this card, we see a man that looks like he’s a bit busted and bruised. His bandaged head suggests it’s important not to let our own thoughts derail us. He holds a defensive posture and his facial expression says: “Go ahead and try!” There’s a determination in this card to finish what we’ve started even if we don’t know how much longer we can sustain our pace given the challenging terrain we’re navigating.

Yet, we’re near the end. All nines in tarot correspond to The Hermit in the major arcana. It’s in the nines—especially in the suit of Fire (Wands) and Air (Swords)—where we’re asked to call on our inner mettle contained within an outer husk of vulnerability. When we break through our armored insecurity to find our strength to keep on going, a shift occurs gracing us with a second wind that comes out of nowhere.

The Bridle

Austin Coppock offers the image of a bridle to the second decan of Sagittarius, where this Full Moon illuminates the sky from. A bridle keeps a rider and a horse united. In the same way, in this celestial field of Sag II, we’re often asked to hone in on our focus to keep our intention and action together. Doing so results not only in sustained control, but on keeping our horse (action) steady from unpredictable events that would spook our direction and throw us off course.

As this decan is ruled by the Moon, Coppock speaks of the vulnerability present as well. Moon is memory. It’s the past. Our conditioning, habits and impulses safeguard us from wounds scripted in a long time ago. Perhaps something to be aware of at this time is when we’re allowing yesterday’s wounds to keep informing tomorrow’s potential.  That sweet spot, the present moment, truly has the power of focus when harness it.

Summary

Saturday’s Full Moon in Sagittarius reminds us of the positive strides we make when we consistently put one foot in front of the other despite our insecurities. The key to a purposeful path doesn’t lie in the past. It’s not in the future either. We discover the key when we drop into the here and now.  By immersing ourselves in the present, we push past our vulnerability to discover the strength and clarity needed to continue moving forward.

First image, Bridle, created by me in Midjourney. Second image by the artist Pamela Coleman Smith for the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck.

We’ve been through some pretty big changes these last few months! The slower moving planets Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter have a changed signs. Eclipse season has come and gone. Mercury has stationed direct, picked up speed, and is preparing to enter his diurnal domicile of Gemini.

Things are beginning to stabilize. If we believe in the Hermetic principle “As above, so below”, June will give us a chance to catch our breath as we metabolize the shifts in our lives reflected in the skies since March. The only outer planet changing signs this month is Pluto which retrogrades back into Capricorn on the 11th. However, the last few degrees of Capricorn is no stranger to us by now. Pluto has been here before and will most likely bring up topics again that we dealt with in March through June of last year plus January and February of this year.

Leo is seeing some action this month as Mars charges through. The upcoming month finds us asserting ourselves, desiring recognition and/or expressing courage in the Leo part of our charts. Venus will drop rose petals behind Mars’ swordplay when she enters Leo on June 5th. The planet of love spreads charm, warmth and generosity over any rips and tears Mars’ pride may have caused. Venus will retrograde through Leo this year during July and August. The month of June sets us up for her retrograde and the Venusian revisions we’ll be considering the end of Summer in the Leo part of our charts as well as the signs she rules: Taurus and Libra.

May 19, 2023, 9:53 AM Central—Friday’s New Moon in Taurus feels like a prayer where we offer gratitude for where we’re at and courage for where we’re going. Let’s begin with the gratitude part.

Restoration

After an intense Mars ruled eclipse season, we’re in a restorative period focusing on comfort and stability. Venus in Cancer, the ruler of this New Moon, uses lunar tools of support, nourishment and protection to foster belongingness. This can feel like spending time with family or those who feel like kin to share stories or create experiences that fortify bonds and feed the heart.

In the New Moon chart, Mercury is direct and applying by sextile to Saturn increasing clarity that may have been missing the last couple of weeks. There’s an opportunity to make a plan and solidify a sustainable commitment. In Taurus, Mercury is practical, intentional and thorough in its approach. Deliberations can move forward with confidence under this kind of energy especially in sextile to Saturn.

The New Moon in Taurus sextiles Neptune as well. Neptune softens, dissolves and transcends. If we’ve been struggling with someone or something lately, Neptune can act as a spiritual solvent to help us step out of our ego and elevate our perspective to a more holistic one.

Double-sided vibe

Alternatively, Neptune can also indicate deception and self-delusion. With the New Moon just 2° from Algol, a star associated with wrath and misfortune, and sextile to trigger happy Mars in Cancer, Friday’s lunation carries a bit of a double-sided vibe: honey and milk in one hand and gunpowder in the other. Derived from the same root as alcohol and associated with Medusa, Algol can correspond to events where we lose our heads or more likely: our bearing. It will be an interesting time for the British royal family as Algol repeatedly shows up in the charts of many family members and important events connected to them.

People can also become possessed of an arrogant hubris that blinds them to reality. In addition, the formidable Mars-Jupiter-Pluto T-Square that exacts on the 20th is also a part of this New Moon signature. More on that in the article below.  Perhaps a helpful question to ground us during this time would be “how can a dose of wise humility guide me right now?”

The Litae

I was listening to Austin Coppock speak on the third decan of Taurus. He shares that a Hellenistic source attributes the name litae to this decan.  The litae were a group of spirit goddesses that carried prayers of the faithful to the ears to the gods. It’s a beautiful image, especially if you believe we live in an animistic world like I do.

As we move through the next six months and make our way to the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Taurus the end of October, may our right action seeded now blossom into the prayer the Litae take to the gods as they intercede on our behalf come Fall.

Illustration “Litae” made by me in Midjourney

After eight weeks of using lunar tools do to martial things, Mars is more than ready to depart the sign of its Fall and enter the regal sign of Leo on the 20th. Mars in Leo expresses itself using solar tools such as creativity, visibility and generosity. Just like the Sun which rules the sign of Leo, Mars in the lion’s den executes its will with charisma, confidence and presence.

The last two months might have felt as though we needed to be extra careful around precarious emotional weather fronts. In a Moon ruled sign, some of the questions Mars considers before taking action include how can I protect my savings and assets, my home & family, my emotional well-being, my body, other people’s feelings and the vulnerable? Coupled with the recent Mercury retrograde, the conditions that would enable us to move forward with confidence simply weren’t available.

Things are clicking into place

Things are changing now. Mercury stations direct today. As the Messenger Planet begins to pick up speed, clarity and efficiency will increase. Mars moving into Fixed-Fire also helps. Mars in Leo isn’t weighed down by emotional considerations that has us constantly reacting, absorbing and adjusting with the sensitive power-steering that Mars in Cancer uses. Mars in Leo proceeds steadily like the Sun. The Action Planet’s tour through Leo these next seven weeks opens a fortuitous time to find your gear in a project or goal and make significant strides forward.

T-Square

As Mars enters Leo on May 20th the day after the New Moon in Taurus, he’ll be forming a special aspect pattern called a T-square with Jupiter and Pluto. T-squares form when one planet opposes another and a third planet squares them both. This configuration holds a lot of tension that can express as ambition. The discomfort and restlessness inherent in a T-square drives resourcefulness, ingenuity and accomplishment.

On May 20th, as Mars ingresses into Leo, he will oppose Pluto in Aquarius. Both planets will square Jupiter in Taurus. All three planets are at 0° of a fixed sign, signifying a bold beginning with a lot of enthusiasm and might behind it.

If you’ve been gearing up for a power move, now is the time to pull the trigger. When drive (Mars) purpose (Jupiter) and power (Pluto) join forces, they create a field of enthusiastic risk-taking. Action begun at this has the potential to mature into an enormous win or a cataclysmic loss accompanied by a priceless lesson on what not to do next time.

Barbaric Yawp

Another time to note on our calendars will be when Mars squares Uranus on June 26. I love the language Renn Butler uses for Mars-Uranus in The Archetypal Universe : “electric yang enthusiasm and a swashbuckling style”. He quotes Walt Whitman’s “I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world!” Butler goes on to warn against “desires for sudden change, reckless audacity, high-flying contempt for the mediocre and defiance of all limits to expression.” Wow!

I like to call Mars-Uranus hard aspects road rage or the I quit! aspect. Think twice before shooting from the hip during this time. All this to say that The Warrior Planet’s charge through Leo might be a bit passionate and high spirited for some of us, especially if your Time Lord is Mars. We’ll be thanking our lucky stars that Venus spends some extra time in Leo this year during her retrograde, soothing and smoothing over any casualties Mars leaves in his swashbuckling wake. On the other hand, we can truly get a lot done if we ride these enterprising energies with mastery during this time.

Mars invigorates the Leo part of our charts until July 10th when he enters Virgo. Words to live by during this time: “Fortune favors the bold” by Roman poet Virgil who had his Mars in Leo. And maybe one more reflecting the valiant beginnings available to us now: “There’s two buttons I never like to hit: that’s panic and snooze.” — Ted Lasso.  

Images made by me in Midjourney

Jupiter dramatically shifts gears on May 16th as he leaves cardinal fire for fixed earth. While in Aries, we may have felt driven and lit up by an idea or project. Now as Jupiter moves into the sign of the Bull, he’s more tempered, measured and thoughtful about his approach. Whereas Jupiter in Aries finds meaning in a challenge and is anxious to initiate action, Jupiter in Taurus values pursuing purpose in leisure while securing a solid foundation.

If Jupiter has brought opportunity to the Aries part of your chart, the meaning in this opportunity may now begin to prioritize the relationship components. As the African proverb goes: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Aries, ruled by Mars, goes fast. But Taurus, ruled by Venus, is more interested in peace and partnership which allows a steady pace.

What are of life will Jupiter bless for you?  Let’s take a look at Jupiter in Aries throughout all the signs:

Aries Rising—Jupiter will transit your 2nd House
Jupiter transiting the 2nd often brings new income streams, a raise, or a big boost to our self worth. If you’re long overdue a raise, Aries, ask for it when Jupiter is in your money house! Remember, the opportunity is there, but we have to activate it. A warning: be careful not to overspend as Jupiter can have us feeling more generous towards ourselves and others than we normally are. 

Taurus Rising—Jupiter will transit your 1st House
Get ready for a big year, Taurus! As Jupiter transits the first house of self, your overall outlook to life lifts and brightens. You’re encouraged to envision big while paying attention to opportunities that will initiate a brand new 12-year cycle for you. This is a year of building your sense of self and what you have to offer the world simply by being you. But watch those calories! Jupiter transiting the 1st can have us adding unwanted pounds.

Gemini Rising—Jupiter will transit your 12th House
Looking into our own Pandora’s Box. What do we find there? What have we repressed that is now wanting to express in our conscious life? What has been hidden that comes to light now? This transit is great for retreat and solitary time. Warning: frenemies/enemies could emerge from the woodwork.

Cancer Rising—Jupiter will transit your 11th House
A great time to put some muscle behind your hopes and aspirations. Jupiter will usher in opportunities that could take the form of helpful friendships or social networks that fill your sails with friendly winds. Be on the lookout for dreams coming true!

Leo Rising—Jupiter will transit your 10th House
Your role at work could expand during this time. Your reputation and social standing can make a bigger splash with Jupiter here. If you’re looking to advance in your career, take risks and find more meaning in how you contribute to the world, now’s the time to ride this Jupiter wave as it has the power to carry you far this year.

Virgo Rising—Jupiter will transit your 9th House
An excellent time to expand the edges of your mental and physical frontiers. This could look like going back to school, focusing on spiritual growth, learning astrology or embarking on international travel. The 9th House is associated with all things that grow our minds and our tangible world. Jupiter encourages you to take plant seeds deep and wide!

Libra Rising—Jupiter will transit your 8th House
Jupiter can lend a helping hand in taxes, loans and debt. However, take care not to take on more financial promises you can realistically handle sinking you into greater debt. Opportunity can arise through receiving an inheritance or a windfall you didn’t work for. Your significant other might experience a nice bump in their finances which then affects you. 

Scorpio Rising—Jupiter will transit your 7th House
Significant relationships bloom. Jupiter transiting the 7th can bring in an important person—romantic or not—who you can grow with. If you’re already in a relationship, Jupiter offers optimism and expansion, taking you further down the path together. 

Sagittarius Rising—Jupiter will transit your 6th House
Be proactive with your health now. Schedules can get overly packed exasperating underlying health issues. Time management is important. On the bright side: relationships with people that work for you and/or colleagues turn sweeter thanks to Jupiter’s benevolent presence. It’s also possible to adopt a fur baby during this transit or pay more attention to pets.

Capricorn Rising—Jupiter will transit your 5th House
Jupiter brings Cap Risings growth opportunities around romance, children, or following their passions. Single Capricorns: if you’re looking for love, now is the time to do something about it! For some, the topic of children will take on more importance. And with Jupiter in the 5th, it’s your time to shine! Follow your passions and you’ll be rewarded.

Aquarius Rising—Jupiter will transit your 4th House
Are you thinking about expanding your home, Aquarius? This year could see you bringing home a baby, another relative, or making room for an elderly parent to come live with you. You might entertain moving into a bigger house or building a structural add-on to your home. 

Pisces Rising—Jupiter will transit your 3rd House
Development and opportunity around siblings can present themselves now. The Moon has her joy here so increasing knowledge around pagan wisdom traditions can happen when Jupiter transits the 3rd. You might find that you’re commuting more and making small trips as well. 

As the greater benefic, Jupiter can bless us with good fortune, meaning, abundance, wisdom, growth and optimism in our Taurus house. That said: Jupiter doesn’t guarantee a bonanza in the house he transits. More often than not, opportunity will knock but we have to respond to the call and do our part to evolve it into our lives. It’s a duet, not Jupiter’s solo.

Fortunately, we will have an energizing New Moon in Taurus to plant a new beginning on May 19th, just a few days after Jupiter’s ingress. The presence of Jupiter in our Taurus house will fertilize and cultivate this new beginning for one solid year. In addition, the last eclipse in Taurus will a Full Moon on October 28 will bring us evidence of what we sow now. I’m feeling optimistic about this. I hope you are too!

Image made by me in Midjourney

May 5, 2023, 11:34 AM Central—Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 14° Scorpio 58′

Maya Angelou spoke from her IC* in Scorpio when she wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Of all the signs, Scorpio knows how to bury a secret. In Angelou’s case, she stopped speaking for five years after her uncles murdered the man that raped her. 7-year old Angelou had testified against her attacker and believed her words killed him. So she buried her words inside of her. Eventually, she resurrected these words and phoenixed them into her masterpiece I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings which went on to powerfully influence a generation of women.

If Scorpio can bury a secret it can also excavate it. The purging that accompanies this process is transformative. It takes a lot of energy to conceal, pretend and ignore. When this energy to bear down is no longer needed, we reclaim our power. Part of this reclamation requires identifying the hidden commitments that work at cross purposes with what we desire in the future. These deep seated and often unconscious loyalties strategically protect us from change, even if change is exactly what we need.

Resistance to change

This lunation falls in the very middle of a very fixed sign which is the deepest, most embedded section in the Zodiac. Scorpio holds on tight to its loyalties and resentments. Since the beginning of 2022, the eclipses have been catalyzing this part of our charts. With the South Node in Scorpio, that might have meant unearthing deep, emotional wounds—an untold story—to let it go and let us grow.

The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio is the last eclipse in Scorpio for a while. This Full Moon culminates into a time of decision, one which might see some of us releasing someone or something that has siphoned too much of our precious bandwidth. The South Node can have a spiritualizing effect as we release energetic and emotional baggage. What kind of baggage do we find in Scorpio? The kind that sinks way down deep: hurt, anger, resentment, bitterness, betrayal and grief. This Full Moon Lunar Eclipse offers us an opportunity to let things rise to the surface.  Once brought out in the open, we can choose to skillfully address issues that might’ve felt like a “dark passenger”.**

Blowup to breakthrough

The Sun is just four degrees away from Uranus at the Full Moon eclipse. As we know, Uranus signifies abrupt change either through disruption, chaos, breakthrough and/or awakening. Whether it be a flash of insight, an emotional outpour or simply just reaching our limit, the electrifying presence of Uranus jolts us out of our routines and habits, forcing us to try something new.

Sky Watch

It would be helpful to watch the days just days before the Full Moon when Mercury has his Cazimi with the Sun on May 1st. What messages did we receive at that time? What insights were suddenly available to us? The Venus-Neptune square on the 4th may also have us feeling disillusioned around Venusian themes such as friends, love, creativity and abundance. Have we numbed ourselves in the name of diplomacy? Or does smoothing the harsher edges in the name of compromise ensure compatibility?  With the emotional turmoil roiling beneath the surface, perhaps these questions are preparing to answer themselves.

We can use the energy of this releasing eclipse in Scorpio to emancipate ourselves from resentment, hurt and misunderstanding. Doing so will feel restorative, especially as we prepare ourselves to receive the blessings and opportunities Jupiter has in store for us as he ingresses into the opposite sign of Scorpio, Taurus.

* Imum Coeli (IC; from Latin for “bottom of the sky”)
** Dexter reference

Illustration “Uncaged” made by me in Midjourney

Mercury plays a role in the upcoming New Moon Solar Eclipse on April 19, 2023. Although Mercury does not aspect the New Moon, it is in relationship with the lunation’s ruler Mars in Cancer by a harmonious sextile from Taurus. Mercury sextile Mars can signify an “idea diarrhea” of sorts: lots of talk, suggestions and intentions. Go-getter Mars is a powerful shot of Ristretto stimulating Mercury’s themes of commerce, communication and mental processing. In a sextile to Mars, this Mercury wants to take action and get the business ball rolling.

In addition, Mercury is on its way to Uranus, a destabilizing force that can surprise us with breakthrough, breakdown and sometimes both. Interestingly, as Mercury advances towards Uranus, he begins to slow down. In fact, Mercury never makes it to Uranus. In the early morning hours of Friday the 21st, Mercury stations retrograde just two degrees away from Uranus in Taurus.

Given what we know about the potentially snappy New Moon Solar Eclipse, backing up to review might actually be a course correction. All the action in Aries would have us sprint right now. Ideas are swirling and everything is moving quickly—maybe a little too quickly. There’s a generalized impatience in the air. The steadiness and stability-seeking of Taurus acts as an antidote to the rush of Aries.

Just twenty minutes after the eclipse, the Moon moves into Taurus. The Sun follows on April 20th. An image that comes to my mind is applying a soothing stem of aloe vera on a sunburn. The focus turns towards peace, relaxation, harmony and enjoyment—all themes of a Venus ruled sign. Mercury’s retrograde could very well be looking for ways to make an experience more enjoyable and less frenetic which ultimately brings more stability and security.

Dates

• Mercury stations Retrograde on April 21st at 15°37′ Taurus
• Mercury stations Direct on May 14th at 5°51′ Taurus
• Mercury clears his shadow when he passes 15°37′ Taurus on May 31st
• Mercury catches up to Uranus on June 4th

We may be excited to move forward on a project, relationship, experiment or self-related opportunity. Yet before we take the leap, it would be wise to inform our Aries with the slower, more practical pace of Taurus. As the saying goes: “Measure twice, cut once.” It will serve all of us to remember these words as Mercury is retrograde.

Finally, Mercury retrogrades three times in 2023. Each retrograde occurs in an Earth sign. 2023 is a year we’ll be reviewing, rethinking and re-doing our needs for stability, security and accomplishment while striving to remain flexible and open to perspectives different than our own.

April 19, 2023, 10:12 PM Central—The Aries part of our charts is buzzing with potential at the moment. Jupiter has been fertilizing the field of Aries since January. Jupiter visits a sign every twelve years bringing forth his significations of expansion, opportunity, optimism and meaning to whatever house Aries falls in for us personally. Jupiter first visited Aries from May to October of last year. He’ll leave Aries mid May. This final month of Jupiter through the sign of the Ram will see some of us cultivating new starts in a potentiated field that promises new purpose in at least one part of our lives.

Spotlight on Aries

The Sun is winding up its annual tour through Aries as well. The Sun brings focus to the house it travels through. One of the significations of the Sun is healing. The Sun transiting Aries can show us how we might begin to repair our relationship with the topics of our Aries house in a way that brings us back into alignment with how we want to express ourselves in the world.

When the Sun first entered Aries, we experienced a New Moon on March 21st. Now as the Sun prepares to enter Taurus, the Moon joins the Sun to renew herself again at 29° Aries 50′. Two New Moons in one sign doesn’t happen often—this occurs every 2.5 to 3 years. It is like seeding the same section of a field twice. In addition, when the second of these lunations is an eclipse, we are sowing super-seeds: powerful new beginnings that will catalyze significant change when they begin to break ground.

A new set of themes

The New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aries is the first in a series that will bring about major change in the Aries-Libra axis of our charts. Eclipses occur when there is a New or Full Moon within 18° of the Nodes, which happens about every 6 months. These are times of acceleration where we must make decisions around certain people, events or commitments in our lives that will alter our current course. In modern astrology, the Nodes are associated with destiny. We can look at these times as shaping our future. Traditional astrology points more towards a hungry striving (North Node) and surrender or release (South Node).  This traditional perspective highlights the wisdom gained in knowing when to assert ourselves with a full-steam ahead mentality balanced with mature self-restraint and letting go.

Wednesday’s/Thursday’s (depending where you live) New Moon Solar Eclipse initiates a new set of topics related to the Aries-Libra axis in our natal charts. The last eclipse along this axis occurs in March of 2025. Yet until October of 2023, the eclipses will activate both the Taurus-Scorpio axis and the Aries-Libra axis. So we’re wrapping up changes brought from the last two years as we accelerate into new territory.

Driven by emotions

The New Moon in Aries is ruled by Mars currently in a sign said to be his “Fall”. Mars can struggle in Cancer because rather than making a straight line from point A to point B as is his preference, he has to consider other people, their feelings and potential fallout. This can feel like walking on eggshells or being hypervigilant of trauma triggers. This makes it challenging for Mars who just wants to do-the-thing. Cancer has a long memory and Mars in this sign is motivated by emotions. Like Aries, Cancer is a Cardinal sign. Cardinal signs can be a bit impatient as they don’t want to wait and see what happens; they prefer to initiate action.  So movement forward now is responsive but cautiously protective, keeping a watchful eye on the emotional barometer.

Adding to the intensity is a square to Pluto. As the ruler of the underworld, Pluto ushers in themes of obsession, compulsion and rumination. It also offers empowerment when we understand the roots of a situation and where our energy might be bound in power struggles. Pluto symbolizes the death-rebirth process, where like a snake shedding its skin, brings renewal. This square to the New Moon is a Rubik’s Cube that with time and patience, can reinvigorate pieces of self to bring ourselves and our relationships back into alignment.

Vesta makes a guest appearance as well. Conjunct the Sun and Moon in the second degree of Taurus, she signifies where we focus our energy, time and resources.  Like the hearth of a home, Vesta symbolizes what brings us together, gives focus and captures our attention. In this New Moon, there is a component of revitalizing ourselves through work, commitment and even devotion, but in the steady and slow style of Taurus.

Take a look at the chart below where Aries falls for you:

 

• Aries Rising—1st House
• Taurus Rising—12th House
• Gemini Rising—11th House
• Cancer Rising—10th House
• Leo Rising—9th House
• Virgo Rising—8th House
• Libra Rising—7th House
• Scorpio Rising—6th House
• Sagittarius Rising—5th House
• Capricorn Rising—4th House
• Aquarius Rising—3rd House
• Pisces Rising—2nd House

Summary

With Jupiter fertilizing the field of Aries since January, two powerful new moons in the sign of the Ram and the kick-off to eclipse season highlighting the Aries-Libra axis, this is a time to be conscious of how we want to show up for ourselves and others. From little things, big things grow. In this case, patient and purposeful action will be key to making progress in the Aries part of our lives.

IMAGES

• Illustrations made by me in Midjourney
• Houses Chart photocopied from Demetra George’s workbook Astrology for Yourself: How to Understand And Interpret Your Own Birth Chart

April 5, 2023 at 10:34 pm Central—Wednesday’s Full Moon in Libra is the creamy filling of an Oreo cookie, connecting our primal needs with the desire for harmony with others. This lunation falls in the middle of two powerful Aries New Moons—one of them an upcoming eclipse. Like the sweet cream holding the chocolate wafers together, this Full Moon bridges the courageous and reactive thrust of Aries focused on Self with a more peaceful and relationship-centered approach of Libra.

Let’s get into it

So much has happened in such a short time. It’s a new day with Saturn beginning its reality-check in Pisces, Pluto initiating a bulldoze through Aquarius, and Mars swording through the protective and tribal waters of Cancer. All of these ingresses (planets entering new signs) occurred less than one month ago. Some of us are feeling like the tectonic plates in our lives are shifting, rearranging the continents of work, family, relationships and inner-drive. In fact, when outer planets change signs, they mirror a collective shift, such as the one we’re witnessing now with AI. The massive changes in artificial intelligence will restructure the way we work and socialize, just like the World Wide Web did beginning in 1989.

Where does that leave us today? As I mentioned above, the Full Moon in Libra connects two New Moons in Aries. Aries-Libra is the axis of Self and Other. Me-We. Mine-Ours. All Full Moons bring a culminating energy. We can experience insight now of how past behavior has contributed to present conditions. These ah-ha moments of clear understanding that often occur during a Full Moon help to close down an experience or behavior we no longer want to participate in.

Ah-ha how?

The Full Moon in Libra would have us reflect on the experience of others.  A good example is the work I used to do as a UX (user experience) librarian. I would watch students as they completed tasks using the library’s website.  I was continually amazed by what they would click on and the round-about ways they found information. Oftentimes, they didn’t understand library jargon so they couldn’t find links right under their mouse! It wasn’t their fault. There was a disconnection between the design and the student’s knowledge. It was my job to bridge that gap.

In the same way, the Full Moon in Libra sheds light on pain points. In UX language, pain points are the bottlenecks, friction and jams users experience with a product. When we care enough to ask the right questions and put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, we’re often surprised at how off our assumptions are. The Full Moon in Libra seeks perspective. What is it like to be you? Where are you struggling and why?

Less than 1 degree in opposition of the Full Moon, Chiron play a prominent role in this lunation. Rejected by birth by his mother and later injured by an arrow, Chiron signifies our deepest wounds, the ones that we often work on for decades until we alchemize them into our medicine. The analogy of a UX researcher as the Libra Full Moon works here: it’s in the light governed by Venusian principles of peace, harmony, reconciliation and love that we identify the other’s pain points. Often times, their wounds seem to be custom tailored to match our own soft spots. This perspective can help us create better experiences for us and for them.  It’s an iterative process—one that requires checking-in, modifying, trying again and then repeating the process.  Cardinal signs excel at this because they are responsive. They don’t want to leave things as they are when they know it could be better.

Three of Swords

Interestingly enough, the part of the sky the Full Moon reflects her light from corresponds to the Three of Swords. In tarot, the Three of Swords is a card of disappointment and pain, often connected to misunderstanding and betrayal. This is a heart-heavy card. Yet the suit of Swords signifies our perspective: it’s our thinking about a situation that makes it intolerable, not the situation itself. If we can witness ourselves and the Three of Swords situation with a bit of detachment, we can begin to respond with wisdom instead of conditioned reactivity to wounds that belong in another place and time. Moving through the discomfort with grace offers us an opportunity for growth.

In the tarot, threes are connected to The Empress, a card of creativity, nourishment and cultivation. Nothing is lost in the 3’s. Rather, this is a composting and regeneration. Even the pain and the heartache is mixed in to create something beautiful. Like an alchemist, we can use everything.

Where’s the ruler?

Meanwhile, the ruler of the Libra New Moon, Venus, is in her home sign Taurus. Her priority is peace, stability and the ability to sink into a nourishing-secure soil that will promote comfort, sensuality and flow. From her domicile in Taurus, she can’t see this Full Moon in Libra. Her ability to manage the UX research is somewhat hindered. It’s as if she’s in charge, but has to rely on someone else to preform the tests and report back.

Venus has been going through a bit of upheaval herself as she shares the same part of the sky Uranus currently occupies. Yet, if she can stick to her principles of calm and balance, the opportunity to use new found perspective for fairness in relationships is strong.

To summarize, Wednesday’s Full Moon in Libra seeks to gain perspective of the Other as it’s sandwiched between two New Moons that focus on the Self. By asking the right questions and putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes, we can identify pain points to create better experiences for everyone. For some of us, understanding and iterating towards harmony is key to getting the most out of this Full Moon in Libra.

I created the images with Midjourney. The Three of Swords card was created by Pamela Coleman Smith for the Rider Waite Smith Tarot.

The month of April seeks to stabilize the notable sea change that March ushered in. The month begins Cardinal-heavy wth the Sun, Jupiter and Mercury in Aries and Mars in Cancer. The Cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn appear at the beginning of each season. They are the go-getters and initiators of the Zodiac. Forget sitting still! These planets want to get the ball rolling and meet challenges as they arise.

The Cardinal theme of responding to change is emphasized by the Full Moon in Libra on the 5th and the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aries on the 19th. April sees us adjusting to recent changes by bringing insight around how we maintain healthy and harmonious partnerships while not compromising self integrity.

The Sun joins Mercury already halfway through Taurus on the 20th, the day before Mercury stations retrograde. Taurus, a fixed-earth sign, leans towards stable, predictive environments with practical solutions. Mercury begins to retrace his steps the end of April rethinking strategy and looking for what might have slipped between the cracks to pave a more steady and comfortable road ahead.

We live in interesting times! April helps us to remember we can embrace the ebb and flow of life while finding solace in the familiarity of its sameness.

— Planet: Venus with her correspondences of white roses, Venus talisman, copper, dove feathers and wings

— Ambassador: Natalia @nataliafdzr, Co-owner, coach and community builder at intobarre.com

— Location: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

— Election: February 17, 2023 from 8:28 am—8:53 am

— Request: Beautiful and sweet Venus, may this talismanic photo bring your blessings of love, peace and harmony. May all who view this magical photograph realize greater connection that comes from meaningful relationships. May they be infused with the artistry and beauty as a creative spirit flourishes under your divine guidance.

Thank you, so much, to our gracious model Natalia @nataliafdzr who braved the wind and cold to effortlessly channel Venus.  Thank you Holly for believing in this project and always, always bringing your A game with a big ol’ smile. Most of all, thank you to Venus for companioning me the past 12 months.

Next up: Mercury and Mars. I’ve started looking for elections!

We’re entering a new era which will be reflected in our personal lives and in the greater collective. In every great shift, we seek to stabilize and structure our lives so we can better envision the future. The Pisces part of our charts signals where we will be using Saturnian methods to add stability and reliability while Pluto weaves back and forth from Capricorn to Aquarius. These methods include but aren’t limited to:

• taking inventory
• facing reality
• metabolizing fear
• prioritizing and consolidating
• slowing down
• erecting boundaries
• off-loading responsibility in one area and possibly accepting it in another

More than anything, Saturn asks us to be responsible for the change we wish to see in our lives. When we do this, we create a foundation that we can rely on long term. Even more, we reach a deeper level of maturation. We accrue self-reliance and wisdom from putting in the effort to build desired outcomes.

It’s not an overnight process. Saturn brings reality checks that have been playing in the background for awhile. Unlike Uranus who rides on surprise and shock, Saturn delivers the stark truth of a known challenge in a manner that we can no longer ignore.

Saturn in the Houses

Pisces will be hosting Saturn from March 7th until May 25, 2025, and then again from September 1, 2025 to February 13, 2026.  For the next three years, Saturn will be asking you to take responsibility for the changes you wish to see in your life in this house:

Aries Rising—Saturn will transit your 12th House
Looking into our own Pandora’s Box. What do we find there? What have we repressed that is now wanting to express in our conscious life? Great for retreat,  solitary time, and working behind the scenes.

Taurus Rising—Saturn will transit your 11th House
A great time to put some muscle behind your hopes and dream. Friendships undergo changes: who stays, who goes?

Gemini Rising—Saturn will transit your 10th House
You might take on increased responsibility at work during this time. Additionally, issues of reputation and social standing can arise.

Cancer Rising—Saturn will transit your 9th House
An excellent time to commit to learning astrology or going to school. Perhaps this is the time you finally publish your book!

Leo Rising—Saturn will transit your 8th House
Consolidating loans, looking at long term financial planning, paying off debt and managing anxiety. Significant Other’s finances also considered now.

Virgo Rising—Saturn will transit your 7th House
Significant relationships are tested. You may find yourself asking what your responsibility to the relationship is now and if you’re getting your needs met. This can also be a time of commiting to a relationship.

Libra Rising—Saturn will transit your 6th House
Be proactive with your health now. This is a good time to commit to a healthier lifestyle. Schedules can become hectic so time management is important.

Scorpio Rising—Saturn will transit your 5th House
This is a time Scorpio Rising can get serious about dating, children, or following their passions. Even if you get off to a slow start, your commitment will pay off.

Sagittarius Rising—Saturn will transit your 4th House
Commitments can include buying land and building a home. The 4th often speaks to the end of things. This can be a time to say goodbye and seek closure.

Capricorn Rising—Saturn will transit your 3rd House
Issues around siblings can present themselves now. The Moon has her joy here so we can connect to pagan wisdom traditions during this transit.

Aquarius Rising—Saturn will transit your 2nd House
Do our values connect with the way we earn money? This might be a time where our financial picture changes or we work hard to manage our resources.

Pisces Rising—Saturn will transit your 1st House
We take on more responsibility. We “step up”. There’s a maturation process of the self when Saturn transits the 1st.

Saturn in Pisces

The planet Saturn and the sign of Pisces are an unlikely pairing. The former represents solidness, structure and discipline whereas the latter points to amorphous realms such as dreams, belief and creativity. What kind of strange and wonderful expressions do we find when we combine the two?

Saturn in Pisces combinations include:

—Emotionally repressed vs emotional intelligence

—Hiding one’s feelings (tough upper lip) vs skilled at expressing them

—Uninspired routines vs architecting one’s dreams

—Floating in a sea of blocked creativity vs building artful expression brick by brick

—Armored against collective pain vs holding universal compassion

—Weighed down by martyrdom vs cultivating strength through service

—Drowning in one’s own pain vs using suffering as a sacred tool towards transcendence

It’s not an either/or case here. Saturn in Pisces can hold both these values simultaneously, sometimes heavier on one end than the other.

When we work for it, Saturn offers us wisdom and insight over time. For those with this placement who have felt blocked, restrained or repressed in our emotions, our creativity, our spirituality and our compassion, we can strive to remove these blockages and burdens. When we do, there’s another side of Saturn in Pisces waiting for us.

Other possible characteristics include:

—Pisces is known for its empathy and compassion. A Saturn in Pisces individual can have a strong sense of responsibility and duty to help others.

—Pisces often has a gift around creativity, imagination and the arts. This person can approach their artistic pursuits with great discipline and effort that rewards them with a level of mastery.

—Known as a highly spiritual sign, a Saturn in Pisces person can often prioritize their spirituality as a source of strength and wisdom.

—In the highly sensitive and intuitive waters of Pisces, Saturn can repress feelings or block them from being fully expressed.

Examples

Both psychic Edgar Cayce and musician Kurt Cobain had their Sun, Mercury, Venus and Saturn in the sign of Pisces. Born 90 years apart, they had similar astrological wiring but very different expressions of it.

As a child, Cayce spoke with his dead grandfather’s spirit and played with “imaginary friends. He memorized books by sleeping on them. Later, as a sought after medical clairvoyant, he would diagnose people from a trance state. Dubbed the sleeping prophet, in deep states of meditation, he would enter some sort of archetypal field and answer questions. According to edgarcayce.org, “he was able to place his mind in contact with all time and space—the universal consciousness, also known as the super-conscious mind. From there, he could respond to questions as broad as, What are the secrets of the universe? and What is my purpose in life? to as specific as, What can I do to help my arthritis? and How were the pyramids of Egypt built? His responses to these questions came to be called ‘readings,’ and their insights offer practical help and advice to individuals even today…. when asked how to become psychic, Cayce’s advice was to become more spiritual.”

Then there’s Kurt Cobain, one of the greatest spokesperson of Generation X. Cobain became a reluctant icon of his time. It wasn’t only his grunge style that influenced youth fashion, it was his laid-back and detached attitude that emanated a sense of effortless cool. Tragically, Cobain suffered from heroin addiction, depression and health problems. He killed himself at age 27.

In his suicide note, Cobain calls himself too sensitive. Twice he writes that he loves people too much. He calls himself a sad, little, unappreciative, sensitive Pisces and signs off with peace, love, empathy, the hallmark Piscean terms.

It’s interesting to compare the two men’s Saturn in Pisces. Cayce used his Saturn to structure messages from the universal consciousness. His Saturn was a bridge he could cross into a collective No Time. Cobain tried to numb his sensitivity by escaping it. His heroin addiction erected personal boundaries around the excruciating cost of fame, of feeling everything and a devastating depression.

The Blue Lagoon

One other Saturn in Pisces example is the 1980 coming-of-age romantic survival film, The Blue Lagoon. Brooke Shields—who has her Saturn in Pisces—was 14 when she starred in this film, half a Saturn cycle. The movie tells the story of two seven year-olds (the opening Saturn square) marooned on an island paradise. Wikipedia continues: “But without either the guidance or the restrictions of society, emotional and physical changes arise as they reach puberty, go skinny dipping in the ocean and fall in love.”

The location for Blue Lagoon features a magical water-world where the two characters naturalize themselves to the island, the sea and the animals there. It’s a Piscean environment, one that plays the backdrop for self reliance, survival and exile: Saturn. I watched it again recently on Netflix and found myself repeating there’s Saturn, there’s Pisces, and then back again.

Saturn in Pisces Dates

It takes Saturn 29.5 years to orbit the Sun. When Saturn returns to the same sign and degree it was when you were born, this is called a Saturn Return. We experience Saturn returning to its natal position just before turning 30, around 59-60, and once again in our mid to late 80’s.

If you were born during these dates, you will be experiencing a Saturn Return during the next three years:

• 1st—Born 21MAY1993 to 30JUN1993 + 28JAN1994 to 7APR1996
• 2nd—Born 24MAR1964 to 16SEP1964 + 16DEC1964 to 3MAR1967
• 3rd—Born 14FEB1935 to 25APR1937 + 17OCT1937 to 14JAN1938

If you are experiencing your Saturn Return, lean on friends and family for support. This is a challenging time where you will feel pushed to your limits at times. It can also initiate us into the next level of wisdom, experience and authority.

Besides asking for support from your loved ones, consider scheduling a session with me if you’re experiencing a Saturn Return. I’d be happy to suggest ways that you can work with Saturn to use this time wisely based on your Saturn placement.

Images:

1. I made the Saturn woodcut in Midjourney
2. I made the woodcut of fish in hourglass in Midjourney
3. Edgar Cayce—photographer unknown
4. Kurt Cobain captured by Mark Seliger
5. Blue Lagoon movie poster

February 20, 2023—The New Moon at 1° Pisces clocks in very late Sunday night or the wee hours of Monday morning depending on your location. Last time we had a New Moon in the first decan of Pisces was three years ago on February 23rd, right before COVID-19 placed the world in global lockdown. At the time, I wrote aboutthe word Zugunruhe in relation to the restlessness animals feel before migrating. Zug is German for migration. Unruhe is anxiety and restlessness. Before animals—and especially birds—migrate, they feel a state of growing agitation within themselves. Wings flutter, sleep is disrupted and organs atrophy as bodies prepare for the unseen journey.

I shared that Zugunruhe was a good descriptor for 2020 Pisces New Moon. At the time, we were shifting to a new epoch, Earth to Air, as Jupiter and Saturn were leaving Capricorn and entering Aquarius.  And now, three years later, we find ourselves in Zugunruhe again with another New Moon in the first decan of Pisces as Saturn changes signs and Pluto begins his transition from Earth to Air.

With the tsunami of recent change being ushered into the world by AI bots, browsers and apps while foreign objects are being shot out of the sky, we do seem to be entering into some sort of altered reality. Perhaps we’re all feeling it on some level. Maybe it’s not a coincidence that these occurrences and the unease that accompanies them coincide with the New Moon in Pisces.

The receptive, watery and mutable world of Pisces lends itself to a deep, internal knowing when a divine migration begins to stir within. Just as Winter gives way to Spring, sensitive Pisces feels the magnetic pull to let go parts of our lives as we begin to structure anew.

Eight of Cups

The tarot card that corresponds to this decan is The Eight of Cups, aka “The Lord of Success Abandoned”. In this card, we see a man leaving behind eight chalices as he makes his way into the night. It dawns on me that if we study the formation of those cups, there’s one missing… where we see his foot. With his staff and focus, he’s a shepherd looking for a lost sheep; or in this case, searching for the meaning and emotional fulfillment that current circumstances didn’t bring. An internal Zugunruhe compels him to search once again. So he reaches for his red cloak—symbolizing his passion and primal urges—and sets out into the night, a symbol for unconscious drives and trusting instinct.

More often than not, when this card appears, people are on the brink of major changes in their lives. Even though life looks good on the outside, there’s an unmet need for meaning and purpose urgently beckoning within. At times, pulling the Eight of Cups has signaled prioritizing an inner, invisible desire over more concrete material concerns.

On a more collective level, we will see massive changes as Saturn and Pluto change signs. Just as Covid restructured the way many of us study, work and socialize with one another, these upcoming changes may very well be guided by (once again) finding more purpose and meaning in our lives as we adjust to the new normal around us.

This New Moon in Pisces seeds a dream of hope and promise. For the next three years, Saturn will plow this field, cultivating what we’re called to sow at this time with hard work and discipline. We may not know what the yield will bring. We do know that we’re in another shifting time that will have some of us instinctively reaching for our red cloak and, to borrow from Van Morrison, magnificently we will float into the mystic.

Images:

• Top image created in Midjourney
• The Eight of Cups illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith

Last time Venus was in Pisces, I created two magical talismans: Exalted Venus conjunct Fomalhaut and Jupiter in Pisces. We can and do receive material benefits when working with planetary magic. Additionally, many of the results are tied to an internal shift that catalyzes us to co-create with the planet we are in devotional relationship with. Working with planetary magic will change you.

Develop a relationship with Jupiter for more joy, abundance, prosperity, optimism, healing, justice, increase in social standing, wisdom and integrity.

Collaborate with Venus  to find love, sex, romance, artistry, popularity, community, inner peace and reconciliation.

Both talismans come with a digital booklet (PDF) instructing you how to consecrate your talisman and work with it if you choose to.

Contact me via my contact page with any questions you may have.

Rick Rubin is an influential and brilliant music producer who has worked with Metallica, Adele, JZ, the Beastie Boys, Neil Young and many more! In his new #1 New York Times bestseller, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, he writes about working with Johnny Cash on a love song. Something wasn’t right with the piece, although it was close. Rubin advised Cash not to think of delivering the song to a romantic partner, but instead to offer it as a devotional to God. And it worked. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face mesmerizes. It’s an eternal prayer and an utter embodiment of connected devotion.

In a similar way, this is how Venus in Pisces operates. If you listen to the song, you can hear Venus in Pisces keywords: heartache, longing, belonging, belief, magic and mystery.  In the sensitive and dream filled waters of Pisces, Venus finds her exaltation. She’s fully resourced to allure others into her magical net, explore her ethereal creativity and empathize with the human condition. Venus in Pisces believes in love. Even if life has shown them otherwise, at core, those with Venus in Pisces are the romantics of the Zodiac. These natives radiate an entrancing magnetism and a generosity of spirit that seems to be connected to the very idea of love in its purest form.

Take for instance Ennis in Brokeback Mountain who awakened his own dormant need for love through a heartbreaking and transcendent connection with Jack while in a secluded pristine nature.  Actor Heath Ledger’s performance was guided by his Venus in Pisces.  Or Maya Angelou finding connection and unity (Venus) through compassion for our mutual suffering (in Pisces). She said, “Each one of us has lived through some devastation, some loneliness, some weather superstorm or spiritual superstorm, when we look at each other we must say, I understand. I understand how you feel because I have been there myself. We must support each other and empathize with each other because each of us is more alike than we are unalike.”

Realm of Ideals

In Plato’s Theory of Forms, Plato believed our physical world is not the real world. Instead, ultimate reality exists beyond this 3D world of impermanence and change. There is another realm, one that is spiritual. Here, in the Realm of Ideals, exist the pure forms. In his famous Allegory of the Cave, he says most of us are like people living in a cave watching shadows on the wall.  We think the shadows are the real thing. Yet, if we’re able to leave the cave and encounter the source of the shadows, it’s only then that we deeply understand its true nature.

Venus in Pisces aspires to connect to that higher Love: the Form. In doing so, they surpass Romeo & Juliet and encounter selflessness, devotion, compassion, service, mystical union and transcendence.

Venus will bring grace and beauty to the Pisces area of our charts from January 26 through February 20th when she enters Aries. Key dates to watch are:

• February 4 when she squares Mars, using her understanding and finesse in a contentious situation.
• February 7 when she sextiles Uranus encouraging us to mix it up a little bit and try something new.
• February 15 when she conjuncts Neptune ushering in enchantment, artistry and intoxicating reverie.
• February 19 when she sextiles Pluto offering depth, truth and emotional connection through a vulnerable compassion that leads to empowerment.

If you know where Pisces lands in your chart, make an extra effort here to move forward on a desire. You’ll have the aid of the laughter loving Goddess in her exaltation behind you.

I created these images in Midjourney.

February 5, 2023 at 12:26 pm Central—The other night as I was watching the first episode of AppleTV’s SHRINKiNG, I realized it was the perfect allegory to Sunday’s Full Moon in Leo at 16°40′ . The show revolves around a severely grieving therapist barely coping with the death of his wife and the estrangement of his teenage daughter. The massive disruption to his life jolts him outside the bounds of ethics in his work as he begins to blurt out to his patients what he really thinks about their problems. Surprisingly, his acerbic call-outs shake his clients out of their complacency, ringing an alarm of their own responsibility in the life they’ve been  sleepwalking through. Check out the trailer which includes my favorite blurt at 1:08.

The show’s tagline, Sometimes you have to have a breakdown to have a breakthrough, speaks to the Full Moon’s tight square to Uranus. At times, it takes a shot of hardcore truth (no chaser) to ring the alarm bell and have us WAKE UP to our complicit relationship with mediocrity. A square speaks to a challenge or a tension that needs to be worked through. I like to think of them as knots we undo before we can lace up our lives and secure our footing.  A square with Uranus is often unexpected and surprising. It disrupts our lives in ways that require us to try something new. Many times, our response to the disruption has us finding more freedom and alignment.

Aquarius—Leo Axis

Also interesting are the signs of Aquarius and Leo where we find the Sun and the Moon. As a therapist, the character Jimmy Laird should be rational, logical and objective: Aquarius. This is not about Jimmy and his opinions. It’s about how he can offer neutral, uninvolved and professional guidance to his patients—more Aquarius.

The Sun is said to be in exile in the sign of Aquarius. The spotlight isn’t on the Self, but on improving the groups we’re apart of. There’s a utilitarian bent to Aquarius that leans towards the collective—a good example is Aquarian Sun Oprah Winfrey. So here we have a grieving human being unable to care for himself yet showing up to support his clients, which is another good example of the Sun in Aquarius.

Where does the Leo Moon come in? Jimmy Laird can’t hold back anymore. He’s tapped out on an internal bandwidth that has separated his personal exasperation from his professional obligations.  The Self dramatically staggers into the clinical space: Leo Moon opposing Aquarius Sun.  He defiantly lets loose and unleashes the pent up aggravation he was once able to control. The self-censorship dam breaches and the fallout is spectacular.

Taking responsibility

I’ve only watched the first episode, but according to Fresh Air, Dr. Laird’s unconventional therapy stimulates big changes in his client’s lives. They begin taking action. They accept responsibility for the changes they wish to see in their lives which is right out of Saturn’s playbook, co-present with the Sun and traditional ruler of Aquarius.

We can take the themes from SHRINKiNG and project them onto our lives and personal situations. The Full Moon in Leo sounds a revelatory wake-up call for some of us. Perhaps we’ll no longer be able to stay calm, cool and collected. The need for authentic self-expression will override our default settings of containing our emotions and behaving logically.  If that’s you, just go with it.  We often think “What’s the worst that could happen?” Perhaps this Full Moon asks us to pose the question: Where am I headed if things stay exactly as they are.

I created these images with Midjourney

On January 22nd, Uranus will station direct at 14°56′ Taurus.  Last time Uranus was in this part of the sky was in May of 2022. And before that, during August of 2021 when it stationed retrograde at 14°48.  For those of us with our Ascendant, Midheaven and any planets near the middle of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius), we are wrapping up a Uranus transit that began around August of 2021.

Known as The Great Awakener, Uranus often introduces instability, disruption, surprise and/or breakthrough into our lives as it interacts with personal planets and sensitive points in our chart. Common during Uranus transits are moves, career changes, family additions or removals, break-ups, flings and identity crisis. It depends which planet(s) Uranus engages with and the Taurus part of your chart it is engaging from. The usual advice is to expect the unexpected, which isn’t helpful as for me, the unexpected takes on a surreal flavor, like finding a giant talking octopus in my kitchen.

Yet, beneath the somewhat chaotic external manifestations, Uranus calls us into alignment with our deeper selves. It does this by shaking us up and out of complacency. For this reason, we call it The Great Awakener.  In the shake-up, we’re given the opportunity to experiment and change our normal way of doing things. Sometimes we find the change is more closely aligned with the direction we know is right for us.

It won’t be until May 9, 2023, that Uranus clears 18°55 of Taurus, where the planet stationed retrograde last August. Until May 9th, Uranus will revisit ground he’s already travelled, wrapping up business as he clears these degrees for the final time in this 84 year cycle. If you have planets here, this ultimate visit of Uranus from 15° to 19° of Taurus can mean there’s a piece of life that’s ready to resolve, align and awaken.

Learn more

Interested in learning more about Uranus transits?
Read What to expect during a Uranus transit + Uranus through the houses.

I created the octopus images in Midjourney.

January 21, 2023 at 2:54 pm Central—The lunations that have threaded the sky this past month tell a story.  December’s New Moon in Capricorn began to herald change, the kind of change that has us yearning for new experiences to plug into and build from. Some of us might have felt the tides turning—that we were being carried towards something new. But things were moving slowly. There was no momentum to carry us. There was just an internal spark that was newly lit.

The last Full Moon in Cancer the beginning of this month reminded us that we belong to something. Perhaps we reunited with family or people who feel like kin. There was a sense of being home or the poignant reminder that we were so far from it. Yet, even alone, we can belong to ourselves, finding nourishment in what we’re rooted in. And as Cardinal signs often do, these Capricorn-Cancer lunations quickened in us an appraisal on our current circumstances and an urge to respond to them.

And now, a New Moon in Aquarius this Saturday. How does this one play out? With Mars and Mercury now direct and Uranus stationing direct on Sunday, we can begin to take constructive action towards the shifts we’ve desired, even if we may not know where these initial wanderings will lead.

Signatures

Yesterday’s Sun-Pluto conjunction seeds this lunation with a soul-searching intensity of wanting to reclaim one’s power. In Aquarius, we cultivate these seeds with cool-headed conversations, the kind where utilitarian logic prevails and being curious about the other’s point of view.

The New Moon joins a spirited Jupiter in Aries by sextile. This beautiful alignment fosters optimistic forward thinking. Jupiter connects us to meaning and purpose. What fulfills you? Step in that direction, this New Moon signals.

Mars in Gemini plays a role too with a wide harmonious trine. We can feel there’s a gentle wind on our backs now, allowing us to get the ball rolling on whatever steps we’ve been procrastinating on. This friendly conversation between the New Moon, Jupiter and Mars reads proactive all over it. If we don’t like where we’re at, what we’re doing and with whom we’re doing it with: now’s the time to speak your truth so that the future you is grateful to the action you’re beginning now.

There’s more! The ruler of this New Moon in Aquarius is Saturn. He’s co-present (in the same sign) and one degree away from Venus, the ruler of the first decan of Aquarius.  What does that mean? Saturn is a long term planner using the tools of responsibility, boundary-setting and commitment so that we can build a foundation that supports us through time. In conjunction with Venus, we’re looking at the commitments, fault-lines and reality around our finances, relationships and our own sense of self worth. Putting it all together: it’s as if there’s a change we’ve known we’ve needed to make for sometime now, but for whatever reason the timing wasn’t right. We just weren’t ready. But now, it’s become a question of integrity.

Along these lines, Austin Coppock calls the first decan of Aquarius the Mark of the Exile. He explains that we often find natives with planets here that step outside the known to make it on their own. They believe that they can do better. There’s a sense of bravery and of industry. Coppock gives the classic story of leaving one’s hometown for the opportunities and freedoms of another city. When you combine this line of thinking with the tarot card that corresponds to this part of the sky—The Five of Swords—there’s a stepping away from what we’ve built because of an underlying belief there’s a better option elsewhere.  The man in the Five of Swords cuts his losses and moves on.  In a very Saturnian way, he’s creating boundaries around his energy, time and mental bandwidth.

Given the positive alignments in the New Moon chart,  this lunation powerfully encourages us to begin movement towards our goals. If we’re feeling the magnetic pull of investing ourselves in something while boundaring our bandwidth around other things, now’s the time to do it.  We shouldn’t let other people’s support or lack of it define our self worth. Sure, it’s reassuring to have reinforcement. But ultimately—in this decan at least—our power is self-generated.

I made “Bear in the City” in Midjourney.

January 6, 2023 at 5:07 pm Central—I’ve written about the word querencia before.  It comes from the Spanish verb querer, which means to desire and to want. It refers to a place that has completely captured you, becoming a part of your bones and interior landscape. You might have been there during your childhood, for decades, or even just a short time. It never left you. It’s as though you left a piece of your truest self there, and that piece haunts you to come back. Querencia refers to wanting to go back to this place once you’ve grown old and death is near. It is here you remember who you are.

Friday’s Full Moon in Cancer feels like it contains this word querencia and all the layers that create it: instinctual sentimentality, kinship and nostalgia for the deep past. Querencia presupposes we are whole because within this place, we radiate our inviolable self integrity.

What does it feel like to be this whole? This complete? Well, on the most basic level, it’s to meet the mammalian requirements we find along the Cancer/Capricorn axis.  This feeling of wholeness and the requirements to meet it are fleshed out and highlighted by Friday’s Full Moon in Cancer which reminds us there is such a querencia within all of us: we don’t need to go someplace, be with someone or do something to find it. We are it.

Cancer’s origins

But to back it up for a second… when we think of Cancer, it’s important to remember its origin story. Carcinus the crab fought valiantly to help the Hydra of Lerna in her death fight against Heracles. Heracles had provoked the serpentine water monster (Hydra) by throwing flaming arrows into her cave where she was peacefully minding her own business. In the end, Heracles prevailed and killed the Hydra and Carcinus. In gratitude for its heroic service, Hera swung the crab up into the heavens and there it shines as the constellation Cancer with Hydra to its south. Thus, Cancer is associated with protection of home and hearth, and restoration of equanimity.

All this to say, an important part of reveling in querencia is to know protection: that a Heracles equivalent isn’t going to come and take it all away. In the Cancer-Capricorn axis, we safeguard against illness, poverty and old age.  We keep ourselves healthy. We set ourselves up financially. We make plans for the last third of our lives where we can live comfortably. We gather kin or people that feel like family around us so that we are not alone. We fortify ourselves so that when the vicissitudes of life take a turn for the worse, we are protected. Most of all, we tend to the inner flame of querencia, knowing that we are whole, worthy and enough.

Insightful breakthrough

Mercury plays an important role in Friday’s lunation. A few hours after the Full Moon, Mercury begins his purification process where he passes through the fiery furnace of the Sun. Called Cazimi, this is a significant time where Mercury is said to have the ear of the Sun. How does this translate for us? We’re open to receiving messages now, whether from the outside, our own internal wisdom, or our ancestors. For those of us who have been struggling either financially, with illness, with loneliness and feeling orphaned, I kindly suggest using this time to connect with an ally—ancestor, nature ally like a mountain or tree, an old friend or even your future self—who can reflect your radiance back to you. With Mercury regenerating our perceptions and then trining Uranus on Saturday, this is a time to break through something that has kept you in its clutches for too long.

Finally, this beautiful, bright moon has all the feels. It also wants us to take action, like Carcinus the crab coming to protect the Hydra. So do something for your well being this month. Cultivate protection and care for your “soft animal body”… and like poet extraordinaire Mary Oliver so eloquently penned, you can remember:
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

You belong. Happy Full Moon and best wishes for 2023.

January 4, 2023—Mercury, Mars and Uranus will all be stationing direct this month. When planets station, they decelerate, saturating the heavens with their significations. Their movements are reflected in our own patterns as we slow down, absorb and reflect. Here, we take a look at Mars and Mercury.

Mars stations direct on January 12th

Action planet Mars entered Gemini on August 20th. Normally, Mars charges through a sign in six weeks, cycling around the entire zodiac in two years. But since his retrograde from October 30th to January 12th occurs entirely in Gemini, he inhabits the Sign of The Twins for seven months!  We will finally get respite in the Gemini part of our lives when Mars ingresses into Cancer on March 17th.

In Mars in Gemini, A Seven Month Endurance Test, I share what house Mars is transiting for each rising sign. Mars transits can agitate, frustrate and infuriate. After all, Mars is the God of War. Mars can also goad us into action.

Personal Example

For me, Mars is transiting my 4th House of home and family. I’ve dealt with constant noise pollution from my neighbors as they reunited for the Holidays. This noise has been generating underneath my living space for a good part of December. The result? My normally strong immune system plummeted into a nasty cold.

Like I wrote in the “endurance test” article, we experience varying degrees of severity with a Mars transit. I was especially hit hard because Gemini is an angular house for me and Mars squared many of my mutable placements. Squares are of the nature of Mars, which is aggressive yet also willing to take action, come what may.

As Mars stations, we can look to 8° Gemini in our charts. If we have an angle or planet there or at 8° of the mutables—Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces—that placement is getting an infusion of martial pow wow ? this month.

Mercury stations direct on January 18th

As Mars travels through Gemini, the fiery planet answers to Mercury who rules Gemini.  Mercury’s recent retrograde on December 29th interfaces with Mars in the way that a host’s condition (Mercury) can affect a guest’s stay (Mars). If Mercury is slowing down to revise, review and rethink, the tools it has to offer Mars will reflect this deceleration.

Our human bodies are not meant to push, strive and endeavor 24/7. Retrogrades offer a celestial season of rest. An exhale. So even if we’re feeling a little more social since Venus entered Aquarius on Monday, it’s ok if we’re not crossing off action items on our to-do lists. Once Mercury—the planet of communication and commerce—and Mars—our willpower, drive and charge—turn direct, we’ll find our momentum again.

Important dates for Mercury this month include its union with the Sun on the 7th and energizing trine with Uranus on the 8th. This can feel like a moment of clarity and breakthrough. Pay attention to information and events at this time. They may come back again for implementation when Mercury is direct and trines Uranus again the end of the month on January 29th.

In addition, Mercury remerges as the morning star on January 14th. This will be his first appearance since tucking under the beams of the Sun which obscured him from the nighttime and morning skies. The Greeks called this important surfacing Phasis, meaning “an appearance that speaks.” This is a significant time for Mercury. Just having gone through the purifying furnace of the Sun, it reemerges as an empowered morning star and connected to dramatic announcements.

Mercury stations direct four days later on the 18th. But it won’t be until February 7th that we wrap up this retrograde when Mercury clears his shadow by advancing past 24° Capricorn and enters new terrain.

Takeaway

The takeaway? Be open to insights, downloads and breakthroughs by moving slower and grounding into presence. Sometimes, the best way to Do is to Be.

Images found on flaticon.com

December 23, 2022 at 4:17 am Central—Friday’s New Moon in Capricorn finds her a long way from home. She is said to be in “exile” in the sign of the sea goat, opposite her domicile in Cancer. In Capricorn, the planet Saturn provides for her. So the moon finds her significations of comfort, care, family connections and emotional regulation through Saturnian tools such as hard work, discipline, boundaries, tradition and responsibility.

I’ve always thought that of all the signs, Capricorn is the most realistic. This is a New Moon that can face the cold hard facts and begin a process that will bring stability, accomplishment and wisdom in the long term. But sometimes, we have to pass through a rock-bottom of sorts to acknowledge the severity of our circumstances while at the same time, muster the courage needed to change them. The New Moon in Capricorn initiates one of those times.

In meditating on this New Moon and this time of year, Rilke surfaced for me, forming an image of darkness that some of us might be sitting with now. A darkness that also holds the reassurance of light, like this New Moon. Maybe you know this poem and love it too.

Here’s Rilke:

Quiet friend who has come so far,
feel how your breathing makes more space around you.
Let this darkness be a bell tower
and you the bell. As you ring,

what batters you becomes your strength.
Move back and forth into the change.
What is it like, such intensity of pain?
If the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine.

In this uncontainable night,
be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,
the meaning discovered there.

And if the world has ceased to hear you,
say to the silent earth: I flow.
To the rushing water, speak: I am.

—Sonnets to Orpheus II, 29

Rilke pens Saturnian phrases… quiet friend who has come so far on Saturn’s journey, what batters you becomes your strength. Lean on your resiliency: move back and forth into the change.  If the drink is bitter, alchemize it to wisdom. In this uncontainable night, witness yourself in the stillness—be the mystery and the discovery. You only need mother nature to acknowledge your existence, as Buddha did under the Bodhi tree.

If you find comfort in these words, you’re like the Capricorn Moon using Saturnian tools to latch on to support and reassurance through inner strength and wisdom. Whereas in Cancer, the Moon has hearth, home and connection to support her, in the exile of Capricorn, it is struggle actualized into strength where she finds solace.

Two of Pentacles

The tarot card associated with the first decan of Capricorn is The Two of Pentacles.  Known as the Lord of Change, this card appears when we’re looking for a new experience to plug into and build from. Some examples include a new place to live, a new relationship in our life, and/or a change of responsibilities at work. There’s a feeling of transition, where we know that change is imminent and we’re being carried towards it.  There’s also a sense of wanting to root ourselves so we connect to a greater sense of homeostasis.

When this card appears in a reading, it often speaks to taking the first steps towards value-driven goals. As we know, everything that is truly worthwhile is going to require a change in priorities so we can carve out the time needed to cultivate progress. T. Susan Chang brilliantly observes in her book 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot, that the man’s hat in this card looks like a tombstone. In times of change, there’s always a little death as we let go of part of our lives so we can focus on new growth.

What’s driving the impetus towards transition is purpose and nourishment. The New Moon in Capricorn squares a newly ingressed Jupiter in Aries and Ceres in Libra. This is a Cardinal heavy signature that wants to ride the advancing tide of change. Cardinal signs are the doers in the Zodiac and the first to accept a challenge.  Ideas, dreams and goals that begin to form at this time have a strong current behind them.

With the square to Jupiter, we’re courageously connecting to where we wish to build meaning in our lives. The square to Ceres has us working out the tension between how we support ourselves within the context of our relationships. Where do we need to find balance and harmony again between self and other?

If you find yourself in a bell tower darkness at this time, follow Rilke’s advice. Feel how your breathing makes more space around you. Know that what batters you becomes your strength. Move back and forth into the change. Take refuge in nature. Speak to the growing light that begins to infuse you with hope and direction. Know that the promise of an ending is to seed a new beginning, and the ones cared for now will lead to purpose and expansion.

Royalty Free image found on rawpixel.com

December 21—Jupiter re-entered the sign of Aries yesterday where he’ll be until he ingresses into Taurus on May 16, 2023. He activated this part of our charts last May through October, encouraging us to dream bigger, aim higher and shoot further. Now he’s back to finish what he started.

Jupiter in a Mars ruled sign is action oriented. We may not know where we’re going, but we’re enthusiastic to start! This take-charge energy has us beginning projects, switching lanes and Just Going For It with the kind of boldness that paves a way we didn’t know existed. Even though fear may pull at our coattails reminding us we don’t have a real plan, Jupiter in Aries reassures us that we can figure out the repercussions when he cools down in security-focused Taurus in May.  But for now: let’s bite off a piece of adventure and expand our horizons. As John Muir howled, “The mountains are calling and I must go.”

What mountain is calling in your life?  Let’s take a look at Jupiter in Aries throughout all the signs:

• Aries Rising—Jupiter will transit your 1st House
  Get ready for a big year, Aries! As Jupiter transits the first house of self, your overall outlook to life lifts and brightens. You’re encouraged to envision big while paying attention to opportunities that will initiate a brand new 12-year cycle for you.  This is a year of building your sense of self and what you have to offer the world simply by being you. But watch those calories! Jupiter transiting the 1st can have us adding unwanted pounds.

• Taurus Rising—Jupiter will transit your 12th House
  Looking into our own Pandora’s Box. What do we find there? What have we repressed that is now wanting to express in our conscious life? What has been hidden that comes to light now? This transit is great for retreat and solitary time. Warning: frenemies/enemies could emerge from the woodwork.

• Gemini Rising—Jupiter will transit your 11th House
  A great time to put some muscle behind your hopes and aspirations. Jupiter will usher in opportunities that could take the form of helpful friendships or social networks that fill your sails with friendly winds. Be on the lookout for dreams coming true!

• Cancer Rising—Jupiter will transit your 10th House
  Your role at work could expand during this time. Your reputation and social standing can make a bigger splash with Jupiter here. If you’re looking to advance in your career, take risks and find more meaning in how you contribute to the world, now’s the time to ride this Jupiter wave as it has the power to carry you far this year.

• Leo Rising—Jupiter will transit your 9th House
  An excellent time to expand the edges of your mental and physical frontiers. This could look like going back to school, focusing on spiritual growth, learning astrology or embarking on international travel. The 9th House is associated with all things that grow our minds and our tangible world. Jupiter encourages you to take the plunge and swim wide!

• Virgo Rising—Jupiter will transit your 8th House
  Jupiter can lend a helping hand in taxes, loans and debt. However, take care not to take on more financial promises you can realistically handle sinking you into greater debt. Opportunity can arise through receiving an inheritance or a windfall you didn’t work for. Your significant other might experience a nice bump in their finances which then affects you.

• Libra Rising—Jupiter will transit your 7th House
  Significant relationships bloom. Jupiter transiting the 7th can bring in an important person—romantic or not—who you can grow with. If you’re already in a relationship, Jupiter offers optimism and expansion, taking you further down the path together.

• Scorpio Rising—Jupiter will transit your 6th House
  Be proactive with your health now. Schedules can get overly packed exasperating underlying health issues. Time management is important. On the bright side: relationships with people that work for you and/or colleagues turn sweeter thanks to Jupiter’s benevolent presence. It’s also possible to adopt a fur baby during this transit or pay more attention to pets.

• Sagittarius Rising—Jupiter will transit your 5th House
  Jupiter brings Sag Risings growth opportunities around romance, children, or following their passions. Single Sagittarius: if you’re looking for love, the first half of 2023 is the time to do something about it! For some, the topic of children will take on more importance. And with Jupiter in the 5th, it’s your time to shine! Follow what you love and you’ll be rewarded.

• Capricorn Rising—Jupiter will transit your 4th House
  Are you thinking about expanding your home, Cap? Now until mid-May could see you bringing home a baby, another relative, or making room for an elderly parent to come live with you. You might entertain moving into a bigger house or building a structural add-on to your home.

• Aquarius Rising—Jupiter will transit your 3rd House
  Development and opportunity around siblings can present themselves now. The Moon has her joy here so increasing knowledge around pagan wisdom traditions can happen when Jupiter transits the 3rd. You might find that you’re commuting more and making small trips as well.

• Pisces Rising—Jupiter will transit your 2nd House
  Jupiter transiting the 2nd often brings new income streams, a raise, or a big boost to our self worth. If you’re long overdue a raise, Pisces, ask for it when Jupiter is in your money house! Remember, the opportunity is there, but we have to activate it. A warning: be careful not to overspend as Jupiter can have us feeling more generous towards ourselves and others than we normally are. 

If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade.—Tom Peters

As the greater benefic, Jupiter can bless us with good fortune, meaning, abundance, wisdom, growth and optimism in our Aries house. But there’s no guarantee; we have to make an effort and work with the opportunity given! What’s special about this ingress is the connection Jupiter forms to the New Moon in Capricorn on Friday. With the Sun, Moon and Jupiter connecting at the start of Cardinal signs, this is a powerful surge of energy to courageously step into our dreams and begin to build them out in our waking life.