MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

March 21, 2020 at 9:58pm CST—Saturn enters the sign of the Water Bearer tomorrow. As Saturn moves into Aquarius, we’ll begin to feel a shift from one part of our lives to another. We’re wrapping up one area as we find ourselves at the beginning of a 2.5 year Saturn transit through another. Whereas Saturn in Capricorn might have dealt with more earthy, practical or substantial issues such as work, our living situations and even our bodies, Saturn in Aquarius is asking us to hold the high vision. This Saturn pushes known boundaries while architecting futuristic solutions in visionary landscapes.

Think about the Aquarius part of your chart. This is where you’re meant to consume information, innovate, and follow your own authority. Saturn touring through the tameless terrain of Aquarius will ask us to hone our genius while building solutions for the new world being birthed right now.

Saturnian beginnings can feel difficult. We’re at the bottom of a mountain, looking up at a strenuous climb. Just remember: a beginner’s mindset will serve us. Saturn pushes us out of our comfort level and asks us to start something new, or at the very least to reevaluate how we’ve been doing things up until now. During Saturn transits, we often accept more responsibility, gain authority, and face our fears. The payoff? Wisdom, authority and sustainable structures.

Saturn enters Aquarius on March 21st but then retrogrades back into Capricorn on July 1st. We can think of this time—March 21 to July 1—as a preview of what we’ll experience when Saturn enters Aquarius for good at the end of the year on December 16th.

Image by a favorite artist of mine, the Mexican surrealist Pedro Friedeberg. Lilly and Ramesey attribute Saturn rulership to peacocks.

March 19, 2020 at 9:52pm CST—The world seems to have changed overnight. If I were assembling a team of crusaders right now, I’d definitely ask the Sun in Aries to come on board.

The Sun, our vitality and core essence, is in his exaltation in Aries. In the Cardinal, yang fire sign ruled by Mars, the primary impulse is to initiate and take charge, foregoing diplomatic niceties. Aries gets down to the quick in a flash, appreciating honesty, loyalty and frankness. Filled with the courageous spirit of Mars, Aries surges forward in order to respond to challenges. Aries is not a waiter & watcher. Rather, Aries is a first responder, putting their own self in danger to follow their innate heroic impulses.

You can find an Aries Sun courageously standing by their principles. Take Sun-in-Aries Reese Witherspoon for example. Vogue called her “Activist, Advocate, and Hollywood’s Moral Compass”. The fiery actor and businesswoman crusades for greater representation in Hollywood for all genders, orientations, colors and ages. Her greatest advocacy has been for better and complex roles for women over 30.

When she learned from her agent that there just weren’t enough roles for women her age, Reese created her own production company, Hello Sunshine (so Sun in Aries!) developed scripts from books she liked, and cast appropriately aged women in strong female roles. She’s definitely on to something: HBO’s Big Little Lies took home 8 Emmys. Both Gone Girl and Wild were box office hits. The Morning Show made history with nominations for three Golden Globes. It seems that everything Reese touches turns to gold. True to her Sun in Aries, it comes from her passionate heart. By wanting to have good roles for herself, she’s created a powerful platform using diverse actors to bring the characters alive. This is the Sun in Aries at its best: by being proactive and creating opportunities for oneself, the pioneering Aries paves the way for others.

Photo of Reese Witherspoon by Jackiet Nickerson for Vanity Fair

March 4—Things are looking up for Venus. After braving through a somewhat hostile environment (think about visiting relatives you have nothing in common with) while making uncomfortable connections with Pluto (where there are power struggles) and then Saturn (and weird rules), she’s come home to Taurus. Home sweet home! She’s ready to remove her suit of armor and slip into luxurious silks. She’s trading in sword & shield for a bubble bath and a glass of Chardonnay. Now at home, Venus can listen to what she wants to, burn her incense, sleep until 10, and eat all the cocoa nibs she desires. In her own domicile, the planet of love, connection, beauty, and coin is her own boss which allows her free rein to flourish according to her standards.

In the yin, fixed earth sign of Taurus, Venus values peace and serenity above all else. She finds it in nature, music, and all things sensual. She can elevate touch, serving a meal, and pleasuring the senses to an erotic spirituality. She worships beauty not as something that is outside of herself, but as an expression of all life she creatively interacts with in her own generative landscapes.

There’s an inherent, natural royalty to Venus in Taurus. She exudes a mesmerizing animal magnetism, turning heads and piquing interest wherever she goes. She knows her worth and won’t suffer fools for long. She values herself, gifting herself little luxuries that nourish her well-being just like a garden water drip attends to growing plants. Venus in Taurus teaches the rest of us how to honor and enjoy our soft animal bodies. It is, after all, our inheritance to live in abundance.

Venus travels through Taurus March 4—April 3. She’ll be making an electrifying conjunction with Uranus on the 8th and then trining Jupiter & Pluto on the 28th before she says au revoir to her soft bed, rose scented candles and biurnal beats and heads out into the social scene of Gemini.

When I was little, one of the songs we sang at summer camp was “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. I think I’ll go eat worms!” This song could be the anthem of Venus in hard aspect to Saturn tomorrow morning (Tuesday at 10:37am—CST). If you’re feeling left out and a little bit lonely, you’re probably not the only one.

Additionally, Venus in Aries answers to Mars in Capricorn. Whereas Venus at her best is welcoming, resourceful, and magnetizing, Venus resourced by Mars in Capricorn might be quick to call things quits and walk away from a relationship, partnership, social situation or business opportunity that isn’t holding up under the heightened scrutiny.

Venus square Saturn can be critical on both the pocketbook and on the reflection in the mirror. Perhaps we’re feeling the need to watch our spending and corset our budget. Or maybe we’re feeling fugly and frumpy and that we’ve passed our prime. One Solar Return, I had Venus squaring Saturn and not only did I feel as though I had to count my pennies that year, but I stopped wearing makeup and making an effort to look attractive. I just couldn’t be bothered. Whatever magnetism I naturally possessed plumbed the depths of obscurity and one pair of Madewells that year.

Like everything, this transit is temporary. We’ll be feeling differently once the square passes and Venus enters her own home of Taurus where she’ll be better resourced, answering to herself instead of Mars in Capricorn. So have compassion for yourself. If you’re off to go eat some worms, maybe go for the gummies instead of the big fat juicy ones or eensie weensy squeensy ones.

Image thanks: @sidedimes

February 23, 2020 at 9:32am CST—Before animals migrate, they will feel a new state of restlessness growing stronger within themselves. Wings flutter, sleep is disrupted, and organs atrophy in some birds as their bodies prepare for the unseen journey. There’s a word to describe this: Zugunruhe. Zug is German for migration. Unruhe is anxiety, restlessness.

Zugunruhe describes this New Moon in Pisces. The Yin, mute, watery, and mutable world of Pisces lends itself to a deep, internal knowing where a divine migration is beginning to come online leaving so many of us restless. We’ve been feeling the magnetic pull to let go parts of our lives as we’ve restructured the Capricorn/Cancer axis for two years now.

Perhaps this migration has something to do with the upcoming shift of Earth to Air, density to light, material to thought, essentially a move to higher frequencies. And now, sextiles from Mars & Uranus activate this magical new Moon as she joins forces with the highly spiritual fixed star Fomalhaut. The psychopomp Mercury treads back towards the watery moon, sending us messages through channels such as dreams, intuition, and gestalts of felt knowing. Altogether, it could feel as though we are remembering the future. Some inner self that is connected beyond this material world is beginning to orient to a new direction.

The other night I dreamt of sliding down a wet membrane tunnel, a a cross between a birth canal and the poured water of Aquarius. I understood that I was transfiguring from one state to the next and that this dark, liminal exit was incubating me with precious homing jewels that would come online to signal when I was ready. These jewels would help guide my path at that time.

This New Moon in Pisces agitates our homing jewels. What if those jewels are simply the gifts that we were born with that the world yearns for at this time. The New Moon encourages us to feel back and beyond our pilgrimage here and to our timeless selves. Like the man in the 8 of Cups, it’s time for some to migrate in the direction where truth lives. This Zugunruhe asks we come home to ourselves.

Visionary artist unknown.

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 The Saturn Return. We experience Saturn returning to its natal position just before turning 30, around 59-60, and—if we make it that far—once again in our late 80’s.

Saturn coming home to itself often coincides with times in our life where we accept more responsibility, gain authority, face our fears, and reap our just rewards. These times can be accompanied by limitations, delays, and setbacks as well. Whereas one person may step into their power, another might have a fall from grace. For instance, spiritual author Eckart Tolle broke through a crippling depression during his first Saturn Return and began his life as a spiritual teacher. Allegations of sexual abuse were filed again Kevin Spacey during his second Saturn Rx forcing him to step down from his starring role in House of Cards.

The first Saturn Rx has been hailed by many astrologers as crossing the threshold into adulthood. Most people can look back to 29-30 and clearly remember decisions made or steps taken to become responsible for the unfolding of their life. This is a time of making choices, establishing career and families, or deciding not to do these things.

A time of reckoning accompanies the second Saturn Rx. The individual is often reminded of the fleetingness of life and begins to take measured steps to add more meaning in life. Folks might recommit to a marriage or leave it. The past catches up to us and this can be a time of making amends or of finally actualizing dreams that have laid dormant until now. Just like the first Saturn Rx, there’s a sense of waking up to one’s destiny and—as signified in the World card—seeing how all the pieces of our life have come together to create a whole story. The difference between the first and second is the first Saturn Rx builds the structure of life as a young adult whereas the second is about making sure we haven’t lost the thread on our hopes and dreams in the process of adulting.

February 16, 2020—Mars dismounted from his adventurous ride through Sagittarius and entered his sign of exaltation, Capricorn.  If Mars in Sag spent his time conjuring up best case scenarios, Mars in Capricorn focuses on one of those goals and plots out the steps to get there with post-its, deadlines, and accountability buddies. He’s a highly capable project manager: decisively making plans, articulating them, eliminating waste & excess, and meeting his deadlines.

Window of opportunity

If we factor in the Mercury Retrograde in Pisces which can throw a wrench in our plans requiring a patience and/or reworking of a strategy, this focused, disciplined, and performance-oriented Mars gives us a productive window of time from February 16 to March 30 to make some real progress on a goal or project. Think back to the last time Mars was in Capricorn—March 17 through May 15 of 2018—to get an idea of the part of life that will be energized for you again.

We’ll also want to keep an eye out on February 25th when Mars conjuncts the South Node. This can be a time of feeling as though we’re leaking energy or the drive to keep on going. Perhaps some of us will be saying goodbye to a part of our lives in order to greet the still unformed future. Yet another way this energy can play out is a deeply felt spiritualizing influence where we tap into our inner resolve for our wellspring of power.

Ambassador

My ambassador for Mars in Capricorn is Robert Pattinson. Just like this Mars, Robert is measured and organized, willing to tenaciously go after what he wants in a collected yet ambitious manner. Given his strategic choices in the roles he has selected ever since brooding Vampire Edward in Twilight, he’s transformed himself into a versatile and highly respected actor. The Guardian observes that “Robert Pattinson has quietly become one of Britain’s best actors”. Another Mars in Cap quality Pattinson exemplifies is the willingness to work hard. In a recent interview with Variety, he shared that he prefers to live on a movie set and that he enjoys working. He’s actually restless when not working as he doesn’t want to loose momentum.

Once that Mars in Capricorn starts climbing, there’s a gravitational pull to reach the heights of success. It will be interesting to see how Pattinson’s choices (Batman) continue to shape his rise in both respect and masterful performances. Given the Uranus transit through Taurus coupled with Pattinson’s placements of the Sun, Rising, and Mercury in Taurus, I’d wager he will continue to surprise us with breakthrough performances. With that Mars in Capricorn: he’s wired for ambition and he’s not afraid to work for it!

Image by @replaceface

1:33am Central—This month’s Full Moon at 22° Leo encourages us to pump our chest and swing across the jungle Tarzan-style in at least one part of our lives.  Get your rope ready because the skies are full of encouragement this moment, galvanizing us into the spotlight if we want it. With Venus’ recent entry into Aries, we’re emboldened to self-advocate, cut through the competition, the excuses, and the lethargy in order to seize an opportunity that’s been waiting for us.

With Chiron conjunct Venus, we might first need to face old wounds before we self promote. Whether it be imposter syndrome, feeling as though we’re never noticed, or just plain unlucky, Mars extends a little push over the Chiron speed bump with his friendly trine to the Moon saying: You Can Do This.  Mars in Sag trine the Moon in Aries is a recipe for spicy courage and an audacious rebel yell.  

Speaking of rebels: This Full Moon and Mars form a grand trine with dwarf planet Eris, Warrior Queen and royal party disrupter. Be on the lookout for stories of righteous anger, vindicated justice, and disenfranchised activism.  I’ve been keeping my eye on the controversy surrounding Oprah’s Book Club’s unfortunate choice of American Dirt for the latest book selection which is the *perfect* example of the energies behind this trine. 

Whether you’re putting your name in a hat, applying for a dream job, asking for a promotion or someone’s hand in marriage, this big-hearted Full Moon in Leo trine a ballsy Mars in Sagittarius is just right blend of aplomb and panache for a good swing across the jungle. You Can Do This!

Image by Blythe

On Friday, Venus leaves her sign of exaltation in Pisces and gets her hustle on in fiery Aries. If Venus in Pisces is a scented love letter, Venus in Aries is a poetry slam. In Aries, Venus is independently oriented and driven to pioneer her own destiny. Just like The Little Red Hen, she gets restless waiting for others to step up to the plate making her expiration date for waiting a short one. In a Cardinal sign, she feels comfortable making the first move; and even if she doesn’t, her discomfort doesn’t stop her. Things to watch out for: acting impulsively in relationships, burning a hole through your wallet, and romantic boredom. Things to appreciate: animal magnetism, a take-charge attitude, likes a challenge.

My choice for ambassador for Venus in Aries is the unusually high number of clients I saw last summer who had this placement in their charts. Over and over again, these women worked with their Venus by learning how to advocate for themselves. Many of them had endured challenging childhoods and/or abusive relationships. Their Venus encouraged them to learn to fight for themselves, building a fortress of dignity around their spirit in a harsh and limited environment. Just like Rosa Parks (pictured above), not compromising initiated justice not just for them, but those dependent on them to be strong.

Traditionally, Venus in Aries is said to be in her Detriment. She’s playing by Mars’ rules which is doing whatever it takes to promote one’s own interests. Venus functions to unite people and to harmonize relations so putting herself first can feel as though she’s going against her own nature. But as Mars’ guest, this Venus learns to take care of herself first so that in doing so—in the best case scenario—she has the capacity to extend her Whole Self to others.

Venus will grace the sign of Aries from February 7th to March 4th. She’ll flex her muscles as she makes a challenging square to Pluto on 2/28 and one to Saturn on 3/3 as she wraps up her tour in Aries.

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Image of civil rights activist Rosa Parks whose Venus in Aries emboldened her to refuse to give up her bus seat. Image credit hollywoodisation.com

Mercury left the cerebral terrain of Aquarius and splashed into the wondrous water world that is Pisces on February 3rd. A persistent, faint sorrow can haunt this placement. Oftentimes this delicate melancholy becomes instrumental in creating inspirational prose (Maya Angelou) or penetrating song (Billie Holiday & Nina Simone). Mercury in Pisces has a well inside that’s made of all the world’s pain and all of the world’s joy expressed in infinite tears. It can be heavy to hold this well until the native learns to share it with others. Even then, like Kurt Cobain, expression is not enough.

Once upon a time, I was told that the world we live in doesn’t value the gifts Mercury in Pisces has to offer. I suppose it’s true when we think of banks, commerce, data and other Mercurial things. Mercury is said to be in his Fall and Detriment in Pisces. But this Mercury is made for something else very valuable: hope and a generosity of spirit. I remember listening to my father’s single of “Eleanor Rigby” over and over in a corner when I was around 5, 6 and 7 thinking of all the lonely people… where do they all come from? My own Mercury in Pisces swelled with compassion for the lonely people. If we lived in a world that valued kindness, Mercury in Pisces (Mr. Rogers) would have an advantage.

Ruled by Jupiter, Mercury in Pisces people are drawn to the arts and wired for spirituality. The mutable messenger’s superpower is shape shifting. The Pisces can chameleon into any sort of environment, understanding minds quite different from their own. There’s a felt sympathy that make this placement amenable to healing: whether it be shamanic or a more traditional counseling route. Jupiter-ruled Mercury in this watery sign of Pisces, is a kind shepherd and a warm blanket out of the dryer on a cold night. And yes: it’s also delusion, confusion, escapism, and smoke & mirrors. Pick your own adventure.

Retrograde

Due to traveling retrograde, Mercury will extend his stay in Pisces this year.  His itinerary includes:

• Stationing retrograde February 16
• Briefly revisiting Aquarius March 4-8
• Stationing direct on the 9th
• Crossing back over the border into Pisces on the 16th.
• On April, he will dry off when he enters fiery Aries.

Pro tip for retrogrades: don’t buy anything mechanical, invest in technology, sign important documents, or make traveling arrangements during the dates when Mercury is stationing (plus or minus 3 days).  When Mercury slows down, we don’t want to invest in the things that he rules such as commerce, documents, technology, communication and travel. You can research a purchase—read over Consumer Reports or car reviews, for instance—just don’t commit to an actual purchase.  Many people believe the entire retrograde is wonky; it’s not. Just the days when Mercury is near its station.

Image by Eric Tecce

For those of us with mid-mutables, the beginning of this week might have felt like trying to run while dreaming. Mars square Neptune can be this tricky combo of feeling useless with a chaser of anxiety served on a coaster of diminished confidence. The desire for productivity is bullied around by heavy-hitting procrastination and listlessness resulting in general bleh.

Mars square Neptune showed up at a talk on Betty Freidan I went to tonight. Freidan was the imposing force that wrote The Feminine Mystique. When Freidan first tried to publish her writing in the women’s magazines of the day, nobody would touch it. Everyone believed women were happy and fulfilled taking care of their children, husbands, and home. Yet in her interviews with housewives and research, Freidan found that many women felt empty, depressed, and suffered from a deep sense of ennui and frustration. Freidan found a publisher for her writing and it became the best selling nonfiction book in 1964 and sold nearly 3 million copies in its first three years in print.

This is where Mars square Neptune comes in: “The problem that has no name”—this feeling of unhappiness Friedan wrote of was tied to losing one’s identity when one’s entire existence was relegated to the role of housewife. I thought these housewives felt the numbing and bypassing of anger that Mars square Neptune can express as. MsN can also manifest as feelings of constriction of self esteem and willpower, like the interviewees reported.

Please note: things are different now, thank god. Women have choices. And if a woman chooses to stay home and take care of her family: that’s wonderful. I don’t want to offend anyone who does this. But in Freidan’s time, there was no choice which created a malaise for women who felt their identity atrophy because they would have selected to find meaning and fulfillment outside the home. I bring up the malaise here as it exemplifies one way that Mars square Neptune plays out.

When the Five of Cups reversed appears, we’re finally ready to address our pain and release it. In order to carry this pain, we’ve ghosted part of ourselves, the part of us that went undercover in our shadowlands. She’s operated there, conducting an orchestra of waking disappointments, self sabotage and enduring, curious pain. The Five of Cups, rx invites us to transmute memory and the pain that pads and protects it like a soul cyst. When this card appears, it’s time to let the ghost wounds surface and witness them for what they are. How have they kept us small? How have they truncated our growth? Witnessing and releasing crystalizes the pain into wisdom which can begin to serve us in a new way.

It’s all about timing. Whatever experiences we’ve had to push into our shadow, well, they have their own expiration date. They’ve steeped there, grown sentient, watched us from the bottom of the lake. When they begin to pus and fester, we feel them in a number of ways: we attract relationships and experiences that trigger the original wound. We feel a soul sickness. Our bones hurt and cry for no reason. We feed the subliminal orchestra, draining resources from our waking life. And then, our growth compels us to change.

I recently listened to an interview with Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, holocaust survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He sat for ten years with his memories before writing the masterpiece Night. When he was asked if the ten years changed him as a witness and a writer, he responded: “Maybe I didn’t change. But the words in me changed. They grew. You know, words have strange destiny, too. They grow. They get old. They die. They come back. Words can be turned into spears. They can be turned into prayers. It’s a strange world that you are in. But you deal with words”.

Pain, like words, has a strange destiny as well. It changes. It can be turned into a prayer. Wiesel’s currency to deal with his past is words. For others, it’s art or dance or journaling or therapy or becoming a parent. But there comes a time, when we are able to remodel our pain and turn it into something beautiful. Something powerful. A new prayer.

The Moon and the Sun meet in the sky at 4° Aquarius later today, squaring Uranus in Taurus. This new beginning is forged in a spirit of breakthrough, awakening and disruption to the status quo. Called into question is the stability and consistency of the fixed signs where this New Moon takes place in her strained conversation with pattern-breaker Uranus. What we thought might last forever or at least a bit longer, suddenly does a surprise backflip into our blind spot and we must change our perspective to meet it there.

Also on the cosmic stage at this New Moon is a square between Mars in Sagittarius (what we think we’re entitled to and how we get it) vs Venus in Pisces (our finances and values as well as the desire for a happily every after connection). In the superior position, Mars is bearing down on sweet Venus which could result in some Truth Slaying that bruises our vulnerable needs for affection, security and togetherness. This Mars is in cahoots with a cool and calculated Mercury. Merc in Aquarius is usually logical and rational, the “cool heads prevail” type. But in sextile with the Truth Slayer (Mars in Sag), the words fly out by themselves as if we’re channeling pent up slights that are finally coming out logorrhea style (fire + air) to be dealt with once and for all, for better or for worse. Waiting in the wings is Neptune—conjunct Venus & square Mars—ready to soften the blow with Neptunian tools: compassion, acceptance, love AND/OR escapism, obfuscation and wine therapy.

Seeding the future

This lunation is important because it seeds the energy we’ll be moving into as the outer planets ingress into Aquarius. Saturn enters Aquarius March 21–July 1 and then for good on Dec 17. Jupiter enters in December, and finally Pluto will change signs in 2023. The times: they are a changin’ and this New Moon in Aquarius gives us a glimpse of things to come. Those of us with planets or angles between 2°-7° of the fixed signs (Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio) will feel this lunation the strongest. We can look to the harvest of the seeds planted now when we greet the Full Moon in Aquarius on August 3rd.

The twelve houses acts as fields of experiences for the planets to express their significations. Themes of the 2nd House—the House of Wealth and Substance—include:

• Money and finances
• Possessions
• Earning and spending habits
• Material security
• Self-worth

The succedent houses—2, 5, 8 and 11—support the houses they follow. The 2nd House (our money, possessions, and financial security) backs the 1st House (the field of Self).

We can look to the sign on the 2nd to see how the person might earn money, their spending habits and also their values concerning their possessions. For example, someone with Aries on the cusp is a self starter and has an entrepreneurial signature in acquiring income. Cancer on the 2nd is a bit more cautious with money and wants to ensure there’s a solid plan for the future in place.

Planets in the 2nd House express themselves in the realm of finances, spending habits and establishing security. Jupiter can be a signature of wealth if the rest of the chart confirms affluence. Bill Gates has Jupiter conjunct Pluto in the 2nd. Saturn in the 2nd often signifies delays or obstacles to earning and keeping money; oftentimes this person believes that one must work hard for every penny. Again, we look to the entire chart to confirm these delineations and also the aspects the planets make themselves from the 2nd House.

Self Worth

There’s a psychological underpinning to the 2nd that reaches beyond our bank accounts and assets. This part deals with feelings of our own self worth. We can have all the money in the world; but if we don’t believe we deserve nice things, our impoverished consciousness disallows us to spend on ourselves. Whenever I see Chiron in the 2nd, this is often an indication that the person grew up in an environment where they felt as though they were a burden or that finances were tight at home. They learned not to ask for things. There’s usually a despairing script around money and self-esteem that is tightly bound together.

When planets transit through the 2nd House, we experience their significations as well. Jupiter might bring us a bump in our paychecks or an unexpected monetary gift. Saturn might ask that we watch our budget and save while Mars transiting the 2nd often sees us spending more than we usually do. Even if you don’t have any planets in the 2nd House, transits will activate this area. In addition, whenever the ruler of the 2nd is activated by transit or progression, you’ll see the impact in your pocketbook.

Image by Marzesu Collages

Under the Beams

Whenever a planet is within 15° of the Sun, it is said to be “under the beams” of the Sun. You can’t see it. The planet is obscured by the powerful light of the Sun. My mentor once gave the example of walking on the sidewalk with supermodel Heidi Klum. Nobody would notice my mentor as all eyes would be riveted on Shining Superstar Klum. Although I disagreed—I would notice my mentor!—I thought it was a good analogy. Visibility is a big deal in astrology. When a planet’s visibility is obscured, its significations are debilitated, hidden or internalized. We’ll return to this at the end.

Combustion

As the planet approaches within 8° of the Sun, we have another condition: combustion. A planet is “combust” when it is within 8° of the Sun on either side.  This considerably lessons the efficacy of the planet.  When we have combust planets in our chart, they’re often our blindspots. For instance, Venus combust the Sun can manifest as someone who doesn’t see the red flags in a relationship and stays in it despite multiple warnings from friends who clearly see the person for what they are.

Cazimi

Finally, there’s Cazimi. This occurs when a planet enters the very heart of the Sun, at 17 minutes or less from conjoining the Sun. A planet joining the Sun goes through a purification process where the planet is reborn. A Cazimi planet is said to have the Sun’s ear, allotting the planet with a sort of super power genius. Oprah Winfrey’s Venus Cazimi is a clear example of a superior ability to connect with people and draw audiences to her.

Image from astrogrammar.com

I mentioned above that as a planet nears the sun, its significations are debilitated, hidden or internalized. On the one hand, a combust planet may have a “blind spot” or lack of awareness on how it’s behaving. Another possibility is that the planet fuses with the Sun, becoming part of the person’s self expression.  The planet’s power doesn’t decrease; rather it is internalized. Another way of saying this is that the archetype of the planet fuses with the Solar presence so that the very being of the person is Mercurial or Venusian or Martial, etc. We would look to the rest of the chart and aspects this planet makes to other planets to determine how its close proximity to the Sun plays out in real life.

If you’re interested in learning more about this and other topics pertaining to the concept of light in astrology, I highly recommend The Astrology Podcast Episode: Light, Darkness, and Polarities in Astrology with Chris Brennan and Israeli astrologer Michael Ofek.

Image by Seamless

As the days begin to noticeably lengthen in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun enters the Fixed Air sign of Aquarius, the diurnal home of Saturn. We’re in the part of the year where we’re in the thick of winter (NH) or summer (SH). All fixed signs occur when a new season has firmly taken root which gives these signs the quality of constant, stable and sustaining, or “fixed”.

As an Air sign, Aquarius is motivated by values and ideas. They’re inquisitive, alert, conceptual and communicative. The diurnal aspect gives Aquarius a more yang quality. Fire & Air signs are more outgoing and left-brained than the Water & Earth signs which tend to be more magnetizing and inward. Air values freedom, movement and self-expression.

With his Sun, Mercury and Venus in Aquarius, Edward Abbey is my pick for ambassador of the Aquarian archetype: rebellious, outspoken, firmly committed to his beliefs, and a humanitarian that was 100% ok with alienating himself from the “maddening crowd”. Ed Abbey was a pioneering environmentalist—some say “eco-terrorist”—and gifted author that changed the way many people look at the desert and the destructive effects of tourism. Influenced by his father, an anarchist and atheist, EA trailblazed a life path that included two demotions in the military for opposing authority and an honorable discharge, civil disobedience, earning a place on the FBI’s watch-list his entire life, five marriages, and becoming a powerful voice in the protection and conservation of wild places, especially the Southwest. A passionate advocate and activist, he inspired a generation to not only look more closely at our place in nature but at our own wild natures within.

I read Desert Solitaire in an environmental lit class and this book never left me. True to Aquarian ideals, activist Abbey fills the pages with what Douglas Brinkley writes in the NYT “coyote humor, in-your-face wrath, field science detail, philosophical righteousness, and moral clarity”. It’s a powerful book written by a revolutionary man whose values, like many Aquarians, lay in the timeless truths that exist beyond general consensus.

Venus graced us with her entry into soulful Pisces on Monday while Mercury will switch from methodical Capricorn to experimental Aquarius on Thursday the 16th. The Sun will join Mercury in Aquarius January 30th; but for now, he remains in Capricorn.

VENUS IN PISCES are poetic visionaries, one foot in this world while the other taps to the music of the spheres in a world unseen. Compassionate and otherworldly, they attract via their alluring imagination and creative talent. They’re the humble crusaders that quest for universal love, inspiring the rest of us with their passion, sacrifice, and spirituality.

MERCURY IN AQUARIUS is wired to disrupt the status quo. You can find this Mercury at the Revolutionary Bohemian Society with other progressives talking about political reform, cryptocurrencies, and the future of carpooling to name a few of the past topics. This Mercury is interested in ideas: the more brilliantly inventive the better.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. had Venus in Pisces, Mercury in Aquarius, and the Sun in Capricorn. Here’s a MLK quote from each of these placements:

Venus in Pisces: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Mercury in Aquarius: “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

Sun in Capricorn: “But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop … I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”

With all the 2020 get togethers—Saturn-Pluto, Jupiter-Pluto, Mars in Aries for 6 months, Jupiter-Saturn— we find ourselves in a time of upheaval and change. But this is also a time of hope, courage and advancement when iconic leaders rise up and create a wake to help others rise up as well.

Image credit Jamie Lee

Saturn conjunct Pluto at 22° Capricorn—In the past, when The Lord of Karma (Saturn) has met with The Lord of the Underworld (Pluto), we’ve been in the process of clearing outgrown societal structures and flushing out collective shadow material. Saturn conjoining, squaring or opposing Pluto has acted as a catalyst for societal decay, breakdown, and regeneration. The world witnessed the beginning of WWI at their conjunction in 1914, the outbreak of WWII during their square in 1939, and the Vietnam War at their opposition in 1965. Most recently, the opposition of Saturn & Pluto coincided with 9/11 in 2001.

Where are we now in 2020? Air strikes and rumors of #WW3; a teenager calls out world leaders for falling asleep at the wheel in terms of environmental crisis and starts a global movement; thousands of women rise up to voice the sexual trauma they’ve endured at the hands of men in power; likewise, indigenous people call to protect their lands, animals and rivers from destructive exploitation; inequality-borders-cages; fake news, nefarious data lords, and social media influencing elections around the world; Baby Men leading countries. The Zeitgeist we’re living in clamors the old way of doing things is no longer acceptable. Things have to change.

Perhaps hard aspects of Saturn to Pluto apex in a shit show. But shit creates valuable compost for new forms to seed in. During the mid-60’s when S&P were in opposition, the USA underwent the Civil Rights movement with demonstrations, sit-ins and protests against brutality and injustice. Women demanded equal pay and opportunities in the work place. Gay rights followed later in their wake. A counterculture grew that no longer tolerated the privileged powers that be, and slowly, things began to change.

Obviously, we still have a ways to go when we live in a world with child brides, the richest 1% own 45% of the world’s wealth, and the 6th leading cause for African American males between the ages of 20-35 is police violence. But our collective shadow and putrified power structures that are being called out now are the very fertilizer we will use to seed a world that we want to live in. Saturn-Pluto also signifies profound resolve, courageous endurance, and absolute commitment.

An image that comes to mind is the tenacious salmon returning to its spawning grounds, bloodied and bruised, 100% determined to reach its goal: Do or Die. Transformative times like 2020 are loaded not only with cathartic impulses and cosmic contractions, but with the heroic ability to endure the trek to a parabolic spawning ground. Along the way, imaginal cells—the cells within the caterpillar soup that carry the blueprint for the emerging butterfly—appear to guide us into what we will become. Oftentimes, these “imaginal cells” are the people who carry the very same energies in their cosmic architecture, like Greta Thunberg who is living out her natal Saturn-Pluto opposition, encouraging the rest of us to do our part. If a 15 year old can start a global movement by skipping school every Friday to go on a climate strike, how much more can we do together? In the end, that’s what Saturn-Pluto compels us to find out.

Art :: “The Repentant Magdalen” by Georges de La Tour

Today’s Full Moon in Cancer stands like a David facing a Goliath of planets in Capricorn. We’re at the end of a story here, and consequently, the beginning of a new one. This eclipse story was seeded a year and a half ago when we had a New Moon at the same degree. Think back to 2018 and the developments that have unfolded since then. Eclipses accelerate change in our lives, leading us to turning points where we understand that things will be different now… they must be if we are to accept the invitation to evolve. We can stretch back further, to January 2001 when we experienced a Lunar Eclipse at 20 Cancer. Can you remember who you were back then and how the themes that played out during that time are reverberating in your life once again?

Those of us with planets or angles in the Cardinal signs between 17-24 degrees will feel the effects of this eclipse most strongly. Feelings may be more tender at this time as a wash of emotions seem to arise out of nowhere; or perhaps the insecurities we’ve been keeping in check now need an escape valve. The Cancer-Capricorn axis seeks to balance the tension between our need to feel safe and secure, nourished and nurtured, nested and loved (Cancer) with what Capricorn asks of us: commitment, stability, responsibility, practicalities and duty. For some of us, perhaps we’ve been working on the balance between Work/Home. For others: how we nourish ourselves and ask for what we need vs what we offer and commit to in relationship. Look at where this axis falls in your natal chart to understand where you’ve been asked to accelerate yourSelf.

Just before today’s eclipse, Mercury will conjunct the Sun going through his purification process and starting a new cycle. This is called Mercury Cazimi: Mercury is in the heart of the Sun. We’re being offered fresh insight and understanding and the opportunity to build something new. Then later in the day, Uranus—The Great Awakener—stations direct at 2° Taurus. Altogether, this feels like we’re being given our marching orders. We know what we need to do as we process the feelings and rise up to the wisdom and maturity Capricorn calls for, and get the show on the road.

Image @thenamdas

January 3, 2020—Mars leaves his rulership in Scorpio to “run like the wind to be free again” in Sagittarius. This Mars has adventure on his mind. And if not adventure, then the freedom to roam, see, be, believe, DO anything.

To me, Mars in Sag feels like The Prodigal Son, a parable in the Bible about two sons: the elder one stays home and the younger one goes out into the Wide Wide World to seek his fortune and squander his inheritance. Growing up, I always identified with the younger son. He wasn’t the type to stick around home on the range where the deer and the antelope play. He wanted to explore and to make his own fortune. So he takes off and we hear of him keeping company with the dregs of society, drinking, cavorting, and shamelessly losing all his money. In the end, he comes home destitute and begging his father’s forgiveness for being such a loser. I always wanted to re-write that ending because I respected his decision to want more than the privileged position he grew up in and to expand his understanding of the world which is what a Mars in Sagittarius would do.

Back to Mars in Sag in the present day. We look to Jupiter as Mars is in Jupiter’s home: Sagittarius. Jupiter is about as sober and responsible he can be in Capricorn being hosted by Saturn. Perhaps the flavor of this Mars is the globe-trotting, athletically astonishing casanova with fast cars, mesmerizing muscles and a specific agenda in mind, not unlike the fictional character, James Bond. We see the masculinity (Mars) amplified (Sag) yet mission oriented and wearing expensive suits (ruler in Capricorn) being given marching orders by M/Saturn. Mars will be in Sagittarius until February 16th. Roam, be free, and use a stunt double if necessary.

Image by @ReplaceFace of Daniel Craig, my favorite James Bond

Dec 28, 10:55pm Central — After gallivanting through the venturous and roving sign of Sagittarius, Mercury put his rupees, rubles, pesos and passport in his box made of quicksilver and emeralds, and proceeded to get down to business in Capricorn. Here we have a more focused version of Mercury, one that keeps his aspiring eye on the next rung of the ladder of success, whatever success means to him or her.

As Mercury rolls up his sleeves, we see the quote above his workstation: “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” ― Zig Ziglar. Ironically, Mr. Ziglar’s Mercury was in can’t-be-hemmed-in Sagittarius. Most of the time, we teach others what we’ve embodied ourselves. As a salesperson and motivational speaker, ZZ must have grounded his freewheeling Mercury in a way that allowed him to focus and direct, which is what Mercury in Capricorn is so good at.

When Mercury is in Cardinal Earth, we’re focusing on our goals and creating the realistic containers to achieve them. We believe success comes through sustained effort and hard work—there is no easy get-rich-quick scheme. For the next two and a half weeks as Mercury zips through Capricorn, we’ll be maximizing our time, focusing on strategic interactions, and taking cautious + practical steps forward to implement our agenda. With the ruler of Capricorn, Saturn, in his own sign: we’ll be well equipped to do so.

Image by Khaled Ibrahim