MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

Origins of Pallas Athene

Once upon a time, the Titan Sea Goddess Metis helped Zeus (or Jupiter, if we go with the Roman version), achieve victory over his father Cronus (or Saturn for the Romans). You see Cronus/Saturn had swallowed his children in fear of a prophecy that foretold one of his children would usurp him one day, just like he had usurped his own father Uranus by castrating him and tossing his testicles into the sea. Silver lining with the Uranus story was Venus emerging from the white foam that appeared from the severed bits! These stories are crazy!!

Titan Sea Goddess Metis helped Zeus/Jupiter to free his swallowed siblings by serving Cronus/Saturn an enigmatic and upsy-daisy! out came Demeter/Ceres Hestia/Vesta, Hera/Juno, Hades/Pluto and Poseidon/Neptune (Greek/Roman names)! Brothers and sisters united to take down their castrating, hungry father and Zeus/Jupiter became King of the Gods.

How did (let’s just stick to) Jupiter repay Metis? Libidinal one-note Jupiter did what he always does to women: he raped her and she got pregnant. History began repeating itself because now Jupiter learned that he would be defeated by his grandson, the child of his unborn daughter with Metis. Sticking to a method that worked for his father, he swallowed Metis! The story goes that she continued to give him counsel from within… talk about a gut feeling!  Metis means “wise counsel”—we see where Athena got her wisdom from.

One day after swallowing Metis, Jupiter took a stroll along the shores of Lake Triton when he was accosted by a blistering headache.  To alleviate his agony, Hephaestus—Hera/Juno’s  parthenogenetic son she literally had all on her own—split the head of Zeus. Out came Athena, fully grown and warrior ready. She never went through the terrible twos!

Later, Athena added Pallas to her name in tribute to the dear childhood friend she accidentally impaled during a play fight at an athletics festival. She is known as Pallas Athene or Pallas Athena.

Even further back

If we go back even further into Pallas Athene’s history, we find her origins in the African Amazons as the Libyan Triple Goddess Neith.  Later she made her way to Greece where she was folded into the story of Metis and Zeus. In Asteroid Goddesses, Demetra George points out the “from a sociological perspective, the myth of Pallas Athene’s birth from Jupiter’s head marks the ingestion and adaptation of the feminine wisdom principle to the needs of the new patriarchal order.”

Pallas Athene in the natal chart

In our charts, Pallas Athene describes our capacity for creative synthesis, curiosity, strategy and remarkable perception. Think of the gifted weaver’s ability to see patterns and capture the whole picture, pulling together insight from a web of associations.

Demetra George has written masterfully on Pallas Athene. These bulleted descriptions for Pallas Athene through the signs are taken from her book Asteroid Goddesses: The Mythology, Psychology, and Astrology of the Re-emerging Feminine.

• PA in Aries initiates and activates and sees how to get things going. Wisdom is that of sudden inspiration like a brainstorm or sudden pioneering urge. 
• PA in Taurus sees the beauty of the world through visual, auditory and tactile senses. Wisdom is common sense, practical understanding and street smarts. 
• PA in Gemini sees the world through words. Wisdom is knowledge that comes from one’s own mind.
• PA in Cancer perceives through emotions. Wisdom is empathy, a knowledge gained through one’s hypersensitive emotional antennae.
• PA in Leo sees in terms of how one can impress their unique vision upon the world. The wisdom of the creative impulse that gives birth to new forms. 
• PA in Virgo sees the essence of things in their simplest forms. Her wisdom is discrimination, separating the wheat from the chaff. 
• PA in Libra sees in terms of spatial relations, bringing balance, composition and cohesion. Her wisdom is the ability to integrate polarities. 
• PA in Scorpio sees through, under and beneath with their x-ray vision. This wisdom is one of insight: penetrating to the core and grasping the essence. 
• PA in Sagittarius sees the big picture and has broad-scale vision. Her wisdom unifies by forging links of the parts to form a cohesive whole.
• PA in Capricorn sees the structure that supports form as in architecture or sculpting. Her wisdom is order: putting things in proper sequence.   
• PA in Aquarius sees futuristic possibilities such as vibration healing and radical art. Her wisdom creates forms that future generations will understand. 
• PA in Pisces is a diffuse and merging perception. Her wisdom is compassion, recognizing universal suffering and desire for happiness is a human condition. 

Finding Pallas Athene in your chart

If you don’t know where Pallas Athene is located in your chart, you can find it by following these instructions:

1. 1. Go to astro.com
   2. Click on Horoscopes, located to the left of the top banner
   3. Click on Extended Chart Selection
   4. Enter your birth data
   5. Next, find the section “Additional Objects” (bottomish/left)
   6. Select Pallas

When you update your chart, you’ll now see the glyph for Pallas Athene.

Ceres was the daughter of Saturn and Rhea and sister to Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto and the other asteroid Goddesses, Vesta and Juno. The Greeks knew her as Demeter which comes from da mater or “earth mother.”

The Story of Ceres

As the story goes, Ceres and her cherished daughter Persephone were inseparable. They basked in each other’s company as they wandered the Earth together. During this happy time, the world knew no shortages, famine, winter or barren land. This was a time of perennial bounty.

Then one day, the lascivious Pluto noticed Persephone. What a beautiful young maiden she had grown into! Ripe for his plucking, he thought. And in a rare moment when mother and daughter weren’t together, pluck her he did! Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, opened up the Earth, ravished Persephone, and took her into his dark domain to be his queen.

Grief stricken and inconsolable, Ceres roamed everywhere in search of her beloved Persephone. Long story short, when she found out what had happened, she stopped the fertile land from bearing forth crops. If she were to suffer so deeply, so would everyone else!

As the people began to starve, they prayed to Zeus to put an end to the famine. Bargains were struck and in the end, Persephone was to spend half the year as Queen of the Underworld and the other half, reunited with her loving mother Ceres. It is Persephone’s comings and goings that give us the seasons and harvest time. When with her mother, Ceres sends forth her blessings. When Persephone returns to the Underworld to reign with her husband, the land turns cold and dry.

Ceres in the natal chart

In our charts, Ceres points to our nurturing style: how we dispense it and how we need to be nourished. It’s where we get the word cereal. Ceres also speaks to self worth, issues of rejection, our relationship to food, and loss. When there is a strong Ceres signature, the native relates to the story of Ceres and Persephone. For instance, losing a child, estrangement, eating disorders or custody battles are some of the ways a challenging aspect to Ceres can manifest.

Ceres through the signs

Demetra George has written masterfully on Ceres. These bulleted descriptions for Ceres through the signs are taken from her book Asteroid Goddesses: The Mythology, Psychology, and Astrology of the Re-emerging Feminine.

• Ceres in Aries identifies nurturance with autonomy and being granted independence. 
• Ceres in Taurus receives nurturance through physical substance, a sense of stability, and being touched and held.
• Ceres in Gemini receives nurturance through being education, talked to and listened to.
• Ceres in Cancer receives nurturance through bonding with the mother, feeling loved and being fed.
• Ceres in Leo identifies nurturance with self-expression and feeling confident in their abilities.
• Ceres in Virgo identifies nurturance with perfection, service and self-discipline.
• Ceres in Libra identifies nurturance with cooperation.
• Ceres in Scorpio identifies nurturance with intense and deep emotional bonding.
• Ceres in Sagittarius identifies nurturance with the freedom to explore and expand their horizons.
• Ceres in Capricorn identifies nurturance with achievement and being responsible for themselves.
• Ceres in Aquarius identifies nurturance with individuality and self-determination.
• Ceres in Pisces identifies nurturance with compassion and feelings of connection to a transcendent reality.

Finding Ceres in your chart

If you don’t know where Ceres is located in your chart, you can find it by following these instructions.

1. 1. Go to astro.com
   2. Click on Horoscopes, located to the left of the top banner
   3. Click on Extended Chart Selection
   4. Enter your birth data
   5. Next, find the section “Additional Objects” (bottomish/left)
   6. Select Ceres

When you update your chart, you’ll now see the glyph for Ceres.

Vesta was the first born child of Saturn and Rhea and sister to Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto and the other asteroid Goddesses. She is one of the oldest and most cherished goddesses. Hestia, her Greek name, means “hearth”, symbolic of that what brings us together, gives us focus and captures our attention. Vesta is our animating principle.

The Story of Vesta

Vesta has morphed throughout time, depending on the culture who worshipped her. But at her core, she kept the sacred flame alive.

The Greeks worshipped her as Hestia. They built a public altar to her and kept her fire going. Families used this flame to build altars in their home. When a woman left her childhood home when she married, she built her own altar from the flame she took from home. Hestia symbolized protection, honesty, sincerity, hospitality, and the feeling that you were among friends.

The Romans adopted her as Vesta and built a temple to contain the City’s sacred flame.  This fire could never extinguish. Priestesses, selected from the City’s most noble and finest, dedicated their lives to protecting this flame.  They were called the Vestal Virgins and had many liberties and held high honor. Yet, they were to remain celibate, giving all their attention on keeping the fire alive.

Vesta in the natal chart

In our charts, Vesta points to our commitment style (sign) and suggests the area (house) where we are often compelled toward focusing much of our energy, time and resources.  Here we revitalize ourselves through work, commitment, devotion and even sacrifice.

Demetra George has written masterfully on Vesta. These bulleted descriptions for Vesta through the houses are taken from her book Asteroid Goddesses: The Mythology, Psychology, and Astrology of the Re-emerging Feminine.

• 1st House Vesta is committed to finding one’s own identity and through achieving their personal goals.
• 2nd House Vesta represents dedication to generating resources to provide for and support themselves and/or loved ones.
• 3rd House Vesta is dedicated to one’s mind and furthering personal understanding while sharing information with others.
• 4th House Vesta is dedicated to family and home. Personal freedom is often curtailed due to family obligations. 
• 5th House Vesta is dedicated to creative expression and children.
• 6th House Vesta reveals a dedication to work and efficient functioning.
• 7th House Vesta is dedicated to working on one’s relationships.
• 8th House Vesta is dedicated to the psychic/occult fields or to depth interactions with others.
• 9th House Vesta symbolizes a dedication to seeking the truth and conveying wisdom.
• 10th House Vesta indicates a dedication to one’s career or position in society. When close to the MC, it can indicate a spiritual destiny.
• 11th House Vesta connotes a dedication to group interactions and the need to participate in larger wholes. 
• 12th House Vesta implies a dedication to selfless service and to the pursuit of spiritual values. This person requires time alone and retreat. 

Finding Vesta in your chart

If you don’t know where Vesta is located in your chart, you can find it by following these instructions.

1. Go to astro.com
2. Click on Horoscopes, located to the left of the top banner
3. Click on Extended Chart Selection
4. Enter your birth data
5. Next, find the section “Additional Objects” (bottomish/left)
6. Select Vesta

When you update your chart, you’ll now see the glyph for Vesta.

 

Some of you may know Juno as the jealous and vindictive wife of Jupiter and mother of Mars. In Greek mythology, she was known as Hera and was regaled as the Queen of the Gods. Older myths align her as the Triple Moon Goddess representing the three stages of a woman’s life: Maidenhood, Motherhood, and Sage.

The Story of Juno

Like so many myths where women are given the short shrift, Juno was villainized as the wrathful wife of Jupiter. Truth be told, Jupiter had quite the lascivious appetite and had numerous sexual liaisons with other women, the majority of them by force. What woman wouldn’t be incensed to be married to a raping lothario?

To the Greeks, Hera (the Roman Juno) and Zeus (The Roman Jupiter) were brother and sister. One day, Zeus conjures up a storm and shapeshifs into a cuckoo bird, landing in his sister’s lap for warmth and protection. As she comforts the wet bird, he changes back into Zeus and rapes her. What’s a poor Goddess to do but marry her rapist brother? Ever after, the marriage was filled with strife and contention. Even though he continued to rape and fornicate, his sister/wife remained loyal.

If we go back even further into Juno/Hera’s history, we find her as a sovereign nation princess. Raised by the seasons, she peacefully reigned alone. In fact, her temple at Olympia predates Zeus’s.  But when her territory was overtaken, the invaders had to find a place for her. So they married her to their own god, Zeus.  And even though she’s been immortalized as the contentious and jealous bride to the God of the Gods, if we scratch just a little beneath the surface, we see an arranged marriage where one of the partners had to subvert her power and give up her freedom while her husband gallivanted from one liaison to the next. History would look a lot different if women had been the ones recording it.

Juno in the natal chart

In our charts, Juno points to what we need in a committed relationship in order to be content. When we don’t get it, we can succumb to manipulating behavior, jealousy, power issues, betrayal and downright unhappiness.

Demetra George has written masterfully on Juno. These bulleted descriptions for Vesta through the signs are taken from her book Asteroid Goddesses: The Mythology, Psychology, and Astrology of the Re-emerging Feminine.

• Juno in Aries need independence and freedom in relationships. Anger is a release mechanism for the frustrated need for autonomy.
• Juno in Taurus need stability, dependability and groundedness in relationships. Nagging and complaining can result when these qualities are missing.
• Juno in Gemini indicates the need to have verbal stimulation with their partner and the capacity to discuss day to day plans. A lack of communication results in anxiety and inner mental agitation. 
• Juno in Cancer desires emotional connection and nurturing in relationships. Moodiness, withdrawal and clinging arise when these needs aren’t met.
• Juno in Leo needs admiration and excitement. They want to be adored! They also want to take pride in their parter. Selfish behaviors and attention seeking often arise when they are taken for granted or ignored.
• Juno in Virgo desires to work on a relationship so that both partners are better people for it. Without this, criticism and fault-finding occur.
• Juno in Libra wants equality and fairness in a relationship. Decisions are jointly made and the partner shows respect for ideas and desires. Without this, competition arises and cooperation evaporates.
• Juno in Scorpio craves deep emotional connection, a solid bond and sexual intimacy. When this is missing, there can be jealousy, manipulation, control and sexual withdrawal.
• Juno in Sagittarius requires intellectual stimulation with their partner and an adventure buddy. Without a unified vision, the relationship dissolves its cohesiveness. 
• Juno in Capricorn seek assurance of a long term commitment and prefers the security of traditional forms of partnering such as marriage. If thwarted, they withdraw emotionally.
• Juno in Aquarius requires freedom to be an individual and a life apart from the relationship. If denied this freedom, they can become noncommittal, unreliable and erratic.
• Juno in Pisces holds high ideals and puts their faith. commitment, and reverence in relationship. Disillusionment, withdrawal, escapism, martyrdom and victimization result when their idealistic expectations are not met. 

Finding Juno in your chart

If you don’t know where Juno is located in your chart, you can find it by following these instructions.

1. Go to astro.com
2. Click on Horoscopes, located to the left of the top banner
3. Click on Extended Chart Selection
4. Enter your birth data
5. Next, find the section “Additional Objects” (bottomish/left)
6. Select Juno

When you update your chart, you’ll now see the asteroid Juno.

Painting:  Ann Elliot as Juno, by James Watson

If you’re like me, the things we hear and read contain delightful reflections on how the planets can express in our everyday lives. Here’s an example of something I recently heard that reminded me of Saturn.

• Source: Ted Radio Hour — A Love Letter to the Ocean
  Catherine’s is the first story. The entire episode is highly recommended!

Traditional astrology refers to Saturn as “the greater malefic”. And yes, major Saturn transits often usher in a season of melancholy, loss, time pressures and reality checks. Yet, in the end, Saturn asks us to take responsibility for the changes we wish to see in our lives. The trials of Saturn contribute to the growth of wisdom in many of us.

Catherine’s Story

The following story reminds me of how Saturn can work in our lives. It’s told by adventure seeker Catherine Mohr about one of her scuba dives. She was exploring in the Galapagos Islands when she was stabbed underwater by a sea urchin. I highly recommend listening to her story as she takes us through the stabbing, navigating sharks to resurface and then breaking her pelvis a day before she was scheduled to remove a piece of painful sea urchin spine from a joint in her hand.

Mohr and her broken pelvis convalesced for six weeks. Constrained to her couch, friends kept her company, especially one introverted friend who would become her current day husband of 23 years!

When she finally became weight bearing again, she discovered she no longer needed surgery to remove the sea urchin spine from her hand. “Turns out,” Mohr exclaims, “when you break a bone, your body scavenges calcium from all the bones in your body and from the little sea urchin spine that you happen to have lodged in the joint of your finger. So yes, my pelvis is now part sea urchin.”

Saturn Transits

In the same way, the suffering we often experience during Saturn transits can be metabolized later as the source of healing wisdom. It’s as if these Saturnian initiations provide pockets of relevant experience that we can draw from later on in life when we feel broken. When we enter stillness, we travel at Saturn’s speed: slow and steady—and in this way, we alchemize Saturnian experiences into the experiential wisdom that evolves us.

Eventually, we become part sea urchin… those painful seasons embed in us. We can call on them when we need to remember what we’re capable of. In the process, we open up to becoming our own authority as we take responsibility for the healing in our lives.

Top image by Catherine Mohr’s daughter. Middle: Mohr at her 2018 Ted Talk.

December 7, 2022 at 10:08 pm Central—Have you ever heard of the arcade video game Centipede?  I used to *love* this game. I pumped many quarters into my hometown Centipede in the early 80’s getting very good at it!

The game’s objective is to stay alive and blast all the segments of the descending centipede while clearing mushrooms the blasted segments leave in their wake. As the game progresses, it speeds up. In addition, spiders pop out from the sides and fleas drop vertically, threatening to squash your shooter. Scorpions move horizontally creating poisoned mushrooms. Just watching this video has my heart racing and my teeth clenching like they did when I used to play! ? ?

The first week of December feels like Centipede. Wednesday’s Full Moon in Gemini culminates right as everything speeds up, fleas drop and a giant spider comes for us from the periphery.  Meanwhile, we’re just trying to stay in the game while putting out fires coming at us from every direction.

The Full Moon is conjunct Mars, the planet of action, or if we follow the analogy, our Centipede shooter. What’s more, the Moon illuminates the sky from the portion of Gemini ruled by Mars. So we have a double-duty action shooter at the moment which can energize productivity but also leave us feeling frazzled. Like playing Centipede, the adrenalin flows while the teeth are clenched.

Reactivity or responsiveness?

At the Full Moon, we’re halfway through the Mars retrograde in Gemini. Many of us can connect this transit to something in our lives that has stirred anxiety and agitated worry since Mars first entered Gemini on October 16th. This development can come to a head now.

In fact, the Full Moon in the second decan of Gemini corresponds to The Nine of Swords. When we pull this card, we’re literally waking up at night like the woman in the card thinking of all the things—or the one thing—going off the rails in our life. There’s a mental tension that will only grow as we spoon feed it worst case scenarios.

With Mars conjunct this Full Moon, it could be a time of popping the worst case scenario bubble. That might mean having a standoff OR a productive conversation with someone—we choose reactivity or responsiveness.

Taking the long-term view

One vote for responsiveness goes to the ruler of this Full Moon, Mercury in Capricorn, whose end goal is achievement, sustainability and discipline. Mercury in Capricorn decidedly takes the sting out of a hot-headed Mars and reminds us there are consequences to our actions. What do we want long-term in this situation? How can we take responsibility for our part in communication and/or business? In Centipede talk, this would have the player remain calm and utilizing past experience while skillfully controlling her shooter.

Bottom line? We only get better at the things we practice. If this Full Moon finds you dodging fleas, spiders and scorpions, remember that we can only pass a test if we take a test. The more times we accept a challenge, the better we’ll become at breezing through it.  Life gives us plenty of chances to excel, but we have to put in our quarters first.

December begins with many planets in mutable signs:

• The Sun, Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius
• Mars retrograde in Gemini
• Jupiter spending his final days in Pisces

The mutable signs—Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces—correspond to the times of year when one season begins to fade into the start of another one: the end of winter, spring, summer and fall. Hence, they have a sort of shape-shifting quality to them. They’re able to pivot, adapt and go with the flow.

The first part of December may feel a bit scattered, as if we’re trying to do all the things. As the month progresses and Mercury, Venus and the Sun move into Cardinal Capricorn and Jupiter ingresses into Cardinal Aries, our actions become more focused and responsive.

The image that comes to mind is a quarterback looking for an open player to carry the football down the field. At first, there are many options as the quarterback scans for someone to pass to. This is the sky we have now: full of mutable possibility. Once the ball is passed, there’s a definitive move towards the goal.  In like manner, Capricorn and Aries like to have a target to set their sights on. So if the first part of December feels a bit dispersed, we’ll get more strategic as the month progresses.

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Mercury entered the adventuresome sign of Sagittarius on November 17th and will depart for the more strategic sign of Capricorn on December 6th. Mercury governs the way we communicate with one another. I often think a fitting slogan for Mercury in Sag would be “S/he with the most stories wins!”.  This is a sign that connects through heroic exploration of the wide-wide world and all the experiences to be mined within it.

Mercury will be in the sign of Sagittarius on Thursday, November 24th: a day that some of us will gather with loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving. Like all signs, there are advantages and disadvantages to having a planet express through a particular sign.  Let’s take a look at Mercury expressing through the mutable fire of Sagittarius.

The Good

The ruler of a sign will tell you a lot about the characteristics of that sign. Sagittarius is the diurnal home of Jupiter which equips Mercury to communicate in a generous way and with gratitude and humor. Sagittarius is the sign of the story-teller, the one who has travelled far collecting experiences to place into their cauldron of simmering wisdom. Mercury in Sag enjoys performing in front of a captive audience and those eager to hear of faraway places and people.

My favorite singer-songwriter, Tom Waits, is a Sagittarius Sun. His Mercury, also in Sag, conjuncts his Ascendant. The colorful characters in his songs are larger than life. They quest, mythological style, with buck shot eyes and purple hearts on a road that promises nothing. You’ll find them in a circus, at the bar, in a Hong Kong Drizzle, in barns and basements always searching for meaning. It’s the same with The Archer… no matter how far that arrow flies, there’s a homing signal that’s really trying to unravel what’s it all for.

Perhaps that’s why Sagittarius is the sign connected to philosophers, preachers and teachers: it’s aspirational. Forged in fire, this communication style is passionate, inspiring and looks at the bigger picture.

The Bad

Yet looking at the bigger picture can lead to missing important details. Mercury is said to be in exile in Sagittarius. It’s precision and meticulous observance of specifics gives way to grokking the whole. Sometimes, useful information slips through the cracks because it’s either not sought out or the person feels as if they already know what’s best for them.

This can look like dream-filled ambition without any solid foundation. It can be an announcement from left field that has no grounding in reality. It can result in over-promising and then under-delivering. And it can also be selectively holding on to information that already fits in one’s worldview, reinforcing one’s own prejudices and perceptions. Which leads us to the ugly…

The Ugly

The ugly? Over talking and under listening. Trying to convert the other to one’s own position, and when that doesn’t work, self-righteous huffing and puffing. You can see how someone making an announcement that demonstrates they haven’t thought things through might trigger a reactive response from someone who thinks they know better.

What to do?

A helpful piece of advice this Thanksgiving would be to listen more and opine less. Also, be careful not to over extend yourself on wishful thinking.

Another piece of advice would be to lean on the good side of Mercury in Sagittarius and remember all the wonderful things to be grateful about; and if there’s a story connected to gratitude: share it.

November 23, 2022 at 4:57 pm Central—Wednesday’s hopeful New Moon in Sagittarius couldn’t be better timed. Like The Star card that follows The Tower in tarot, it’s the clearing in the storm we’ve been waiting for. This past month, many of us may have endured a culmination of tension in at least one prominent area in our lives. This promising new moon inspires us to believe in the future once again.

Just five minutes after the Sun and Moon join together at the first degree of Sagittarius, Jupiter—the ruler of this lunation—stations direct in Pisces, adding to the potency of new beginnings cultivated at this time. Jupiter rules both Sagittarius and Pisces. This New Moon forms an out-of-sign trine to its ruler and carries the Jupiterian seedlings of meaning, purpose and aspiration. It’s as if the constrictions of late were meant to take us to our core motivations and loyalties so that we could reconnect with our values and build from there. How many times have we discovered our dreams waiting for us in a dark night like a sleeping beauty waiting for us to breathe life into them? This is one of those times.  In fact, the next four new moons after this one on Wednesday will also fall on the first degree of their sign emphasizing the grand emergence of a total new beginning.

After the Moon connects with the Sun, it moves on to Venus. There’s a sweetness here with Luna’s movements. The way forward is to fortify your dreams by restoring harmony, connecting to others, investing in your inspiration and creatively out picturing your desires.

As mentioned before, this delightful lunation in Sag is ruled by Jupiter in Pisces.  Whereas Sagittarius wants to explore the outer world to find meaning which is then condensed into wisdom, Pisces ventures into the inner realms to connect to the light within. Beyond the inspiration, new beginnings, and the promise this New Moon offers, it also holds healing. Leonard Cohen might have been speaking from his Moon in Pisces when he penned, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”  We’ve experienced the cracking; now, we’re ready for the light. It begins with this lunation.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

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The goddess asteroids: Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta, were discovered in 1802, 21 years after Uranus and 44 years before Neptune. Their discovery coincided with the women’s movement. This was a time women were seeking egalitarian treatment and greater participation in society.

In Mythic Astrology: Archetypal Powers in the Horoscope, Ariel Guttman and Kenneth Johnson point out that some astronomers believe that the goddess asteroids and other bodies that orbit between Mars and Jupiter, were once one single planet that was pulled into Jupiter’s gravitational force and exploded. This planet, destroyed by the masculine sky god, represented the archetype of the feminine. With the discovery of the Ceres, Pallas Athena, Juno and Vesta, feminine empowerment began to come back online again.

In myth, the goddesses—with the exception of Pallas Athena—ranked equally with Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto as children of the immortal Titans Saturn and Rhea. Pallas Athena was birthed from the head of Jupiter and greatly beloved by him.

When a goddess asteroid conjuncts a personal planet or one of the angles, the person strongly identifies with the archetype of that goddess. I use them when working with clients as they help to delineate topics around mothers and mothering, separation, compatibility, commitment, creativity and visualization.

If you don’t already know where they’re located in your chart and you would like to, follow these directions:

1. Go to astro.com 
2. Click on Horoscopes, located to the left of the top banner 
3. Click on Extended Chart Selection 
4. Enter your birth data 
5. Next, find the section “Additional Objects” (bottomish/left)
6. Select Ceres, Juno, Pallas Athena, Vesta from the Additional Objects box 

When you update your chart, you’ll now see the asteroids represented by the following glyphs:

When placed prominently in our chart, the myths associated with these goddesses often express themselves in our life.  As an example, Ceres can often speak to adoption stories, separations that occur through a parent’s unavailability such as periods of sickness or debility, divorce and custody battles and estrangement.

To determine if an asteroid goddess is prominent in your chart, look for these factors:

• In an angular house, especially the 1st and 10th. The closer to the angle, the stronger the influence.
•  Conjunct the Sun or Moon; especially strong if it’s your sect light.
• Conjunct the planet that rules the Ascendant.

If the asteroid is not in an angular house or conjunct the sun, moon or chart ruler, it can still play a strong role if it makes a hard aspect to another planet in the chart, especially one that rules an angular house.  Oftentimes, the myth of this asteroid goddess will resonates deeply, like a tuning fork that rings an archetypal bell inside.

Now that travel has opened up again, many of us are dusting off our passports and planning trips. Use the helpful guide below to brainstorm destinations based on your sign.

ARIES—March 21st to April 19th
Fiery Aries appreciates a bold adventure. As the first sign in the Zodiac, Aries likes to initiate and be the first one in his circle to do something that impresses the socks off the rest of us. Pioneering Aries appreciates a challenge of magnificent proportions. This trailblazing sign is great at starting things and wants an itinerary that packs a lot of variety.

• Suggested adventure: Dust off that passport and buy a Eurail pass. Aries, you’re on a mission to run four 10Ks in four different countries of your choice. This will give your warrior self not only a chance to test your mettle but the opportunity to collect race medals in four international cities while keeping your body in top condition. First stop? Spain! For the Valencia Marathon & 10K.

TAURUS—April 20th to May 21st
Ruled by sensual Venus, Taurus is at her best when given the opportunity to indulge the senses, preferably in a natural setting. Taurus shows the rest of us what it means to truly inhabit the body. This Earthy sign finds her inspiration in beauty and delights in corporeal luxury. Never rush a Taurus, especially on vacation. Intelligent itinerary planning requires a lot of free time to appreciate unexpected discoveries and delight in pleasurable wandering.

• Suggested indulgence: Yosemite, Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, or a hidden away cabin hemmed by stream song lull you, Taurus. These are the places where your Bull’s heart expands and mind softens. The nature lover in you will truly feel at home while your senses feast on the beauty that surrounds you. Make sure there’s access to exquisite food, candles, comfy robes and massage.

GEMINI—May 22nd to June 21st
Intellectual and curious Gemini is motivated by learning experiences. This multi-tasking Air sign constantly soaks up information only to offer it later in scintillating conversation. Witty Gemini shines when given the opportunity to flex his mental muscles which means he’s always at the cerebral gym, asking questions and expanding his mind.

• Suggested EdVenture: Have you ever thought of traveling to Cusco Peru to learn about Incan agriculture, Gemini? How about visiting a coffee farm in Costa Rica to witness the growing stages from planting, harvesting, and packaging? Or picking and pressing olives with the locals in Tuscany, Italy? Not only will you pick up something new, brilliant Gemini, you’ll be able to talk about it when you return!

CANCER—June 22nd to July 22nd
Deeply sentimental Cancer appreciates understanding her family history. This nurturing and nostalgic water sign often keeps all the family scrapbooks and photo albums going back generations deep.  The rest of us count on Cancer to keep family traditions alive. Fortunately for us, Cancer is happy protecting ancestral memory and bringing Great Grandmother’s Secret Recipes to family reunions.

• Suggested Nostalgiama: Take a trip back in time, sweet Cancer, to the land your great grandparents came from. Was it a farm in Argentina? The flower fields of Taiwan? Perhaps the Tennessee mountains? Let yourself be swept away with sentimental reverence as you move through the same spaces they did.  Connecting to your roots makes you feel more alive.

LEO—July 23rd to August 22nd
Warm hearted Leo gravitates towards five-star experiences. As the royalty of the Zodiac, Leo likes to travel in style. Luxury and opulence is Leo’s middle name. Sure, the courageous Lion can rough it, but rest assured he’ll be using the highest quality equipment if he does. Ruled by the Sun, Leo inclines toward creative choices with an iconic edge.

• Suggested 5-star Getaway: Dear Leo, your romantic nature and joie de vivre are a natural match for the most glamorous destinations: The Trevi Fountain in Rome, the winding waterways in Venice Italy and the casinos of Monte Carlo. Splurge on fine dining and lavish accommodations because you’re worth it. Besides, aren’t you always reminding us You only live once?

VIRGO—August 23rd to September 22nd
Hard working Virgo often recharges by giving back. This humble earth sign truly understands heart centered service. Virgo is a natural optimizer and improves anything she gets her practical hands on. Hand her a mess and she’ll efficiently return it to you straightened up and shining like a new dime. How does this relate to vacation? Virgo decompresses by putting her many skills to use on behalf of helping others.

• Suggested Enterprise: Clear your mind and purify your body, Virgo, at a 10 day Vipassana Retreat. You can work on stillness while simultaneously supporting a good cause: the end of suffering. Meditation will increase your focus while the pristine surrounding will soothe your soul thereby fixing two bugs with one line of code (I know you truly dislike the two birds one stone saying). Your clear presence and joyful vitality will lift everyone upon your return.

LIBRA—September 23rd to October 22nd
Diplomatic and charming Libra excels in both style and charismatic conversation.  Libra impresses with refined tact and exquisite taste. Ruled by Venus, Libra exudes a regal finesse while still enjoying rugged authenticity.  Under the polished veneer, Libra concerns himself with deeper themes of justice, equality, and activism. Social in nature, Libra prefers to travel with someone or have the opportunity to meet traveling buddies en route.

• Suggested Getaway: Libra, above all, you require tranquility, especially on vacation. Restore your equilibrium in a peaceful environment like the resplendent fjords of Norway or the secluded vineyards and narrow country roads of Provence, France. Let the natural beauty and the friendly conversations of friends old and new recalibrate your exquisite core.

SCORPIO—October 23rd to November 22nd
Mysterious Scorpio plunges us into the underworld.  There’s a penetrating depth and raw intensity to Scorpio. As a child, Scorpio loved haunted houses and ghost stories. Now grown, she is drawn to cemeteries, palm readers, truth sayers, and meditative labyrinths. Scorpio blows in like a wind where the rest of us fear to go. She lives in the deep end, forever exploring life’s great mysteries.

• Suggested Initiation: The supernatural calls you, Scorpio. Ghost tours in New Orleans, the ancient pyramids of Egypt, and Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands have all been Scorpio vetted and approved.  If you’re traveling in November, celebrate your ancestors during Day of the Dead in colorful towns throughout Mexico. Be sure to stop by the Frida Kahlo Museum outside of Mexico City before flying home.

SAGITTARIUS—November 23rd to December 21st
The Sagittarius creed?  Not All Who Wander Are Lost. Larger than life Sagittarius believes that he who collects the most stories wins.  With wanderlust in his bones, sunny Sag commits to living life as a quest. Ruled by expansive Jupiter, this fire sign is on a mission to explore the meaning of life, journeying deep and wide to absorb different cultures and philosophies, thereby broadening his perspective.

• Suggested Quest: Whether it’s trekking solo across Mongolia on horseback or sitting in ceremony in the heart of the Amazon, Sagittarius, your calling is to travel to the farthest place you’ll ever go: the universe inside of you. Through plant medicine or a meditation of movement, wrap your understanding around the quantum playing field that is life itself. Throw your head back in laughter as you realize that God is hilarious and you’re finally getting the joke.

CAPRICORN—December 22nd to January 20th
Ambitious Capricorn constantly sets the bar higher for herself, like a reverse limbo dance.  She evolves through challenges, pushing herself to earn not only respect from others, but to be someone who she is truly proud of. She maintains the highest standards. When she sets a goal, she’ll move heaven and earth to attain it. For this reason, she needs to completely recalibrate during vacation or accomplish a mighty feat.

• Suggested Limbo: Capricorn, pack your bathing suit. You’re going to need it for that float tank in Sedona where you completely let go into utter relaxation. This serves your conflicting needs for rest and for surmounting a challenge. Once you get past the hard work of surrender, you’ll calm your nervous system and tap into your body’s radiant healing center. Alternative: train to climb K2 or Matterhorn.

AQUARIUS—January 21st to February 18th
Independent Aquarius is half rebel, half genius with a splash of eccentricity. Inherently innovative, this air sign always takes the road less traveled if only to see where it ends. Aquarius is wired with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to explore the world of ideas. This drive runs alongside his appreciation for total authenticity.  Destinations that captivate Aquarius are the weird, extraordinary, and revolutionary.

• Suggested road less traveled: A trip to the Moon. Or Mars. Until then, Aquarius, find your inspiration in a surrealist sculpture park constructed by an eccentric British poet and artist in the middle of a Mexican rainforest near the small village of Xilitla, Las Pozas.  Another option is the capital of Kazakhstan: Astana which has been dubbed the “world’s weirdest capital city.”

PISCES—February 19th to March 20th
Imaginative Pisces, the dreamer of the Zodiac. Pisces meets the world with a magical sense of compassion and poetry. Given her mutability, she shape shifts to the environment and people surrounding her, giving this water sign an adaptability to go with the flow. As the final sign of the zodiac, transcendent Pisces views this life as a pilgrimage, spending much time exploring her own consciousness and spiritual grounding.

• Suggested journey: Pisces, your ethereal nature dances with the archetypes. For this reason, you travel to Plato’s cave in your sleep. For a waking dream, journey to the land of the Brothers Grimm: The Black Forest of southwest Germany. You’ll be spellbound by the dark and deep evergreen forests while simultaneous captivated by the picturesque villages and quaint inhabitants.  Upon your return, you’ll write your own fairy tale.

November 8, 2022 at 5:02 am Central—Full Moons often herald endings. Their culminating energy brings us closer to wrapping up a certain part of our lives. The Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse next Tuesday is very powerful. Conjunct Uranus and the North Node, it surges us towards the future, ready or not. It can be a time of dramatic and destabilising endings so a new beginning can unfold in its wake.

Breakdown to breakthrough

The Moon is exalted in Taurus. In addition, she rules the second decan of Taurus where this eclipse occurs. Conjunct the North Node, this is a Moon determined to fill her pressing appetite for comfort, nourishment, safety, security, stability and sanctuary. Yet the significant presence of Uranus also conjunct the Moon at the same degree upsets the apple cart. For as we know, Uranus symbolizes surprise, breakthrough and unexpected change, especially during an eclipse.

This signature poses a threat to the status quo. It can throw our regular routines, structures and expectations into a carnival mirror: they exist but feel warped. At the same time, there is an enormous amount of fixed energy in this chart. With six planets in fixed signs, the strain of keeping things locked down and predictable is strong. So the tension between future and past—making way for change while retaining a stable normalcy—is notable.  With a prominent Uranus in the mix, we’re being asked to ramp up our ability to adapt asap.

Core themes

As always, it’s helpful to look at the ruler of the lunation. In this case, Venus is going through her own underground journey in Scorpio. Having been recently purified in the heart of the Sun, she’s currently combust, invisible and in exile.  As I wrote in the last newsletter, Venus is a little hypervigilant in Scorpio, looking for proof of love and/or security and very sensitive to hairline cracks in the facade. Venus wants assurance of soul-deep truth in Scorpio as this is her sticky tape that binds her to commitments. Core themes during this eclipse season include who can we trust? Who can we be vulnerable with? What old traumas can we compost in Scorpio’s rich fertilizer that will cultivate nourishing stability?

The Taurus-Scorpio axis highlights concerns around resources, security, comfort, survival, trust and intimacy. As we move from one eclipse to another, things may feel off, from our digestion to our interactions with others. As Venus, the Sun and Mercury go through their opposition with Uranus and Square to Saturn, we’re absorbing destabilizing hits as we balance back on stabilizing containment.

On a promising note, on the day of eclipse, Mercury will go through his own A-Ha moment as he enters the heart of the Sun in a cazimi and opposes Uranus. This two-step can provide the liberating insight we need to cleanse and break through to understand whatever lessons this time wishes to cultivate in us.

Photo by Finn on Unsplash

It’s hard to believe that Bridget Jones Diary—the film—is 21 years old!  In Saturn years, that’s a 3/4 return! I bring up the movie because it provides a timely illustration of our Lady Venus in Scorpio at the moment.  Like Bridget, Venus in Scorpio can struggle a bit to fulfill her significations of love, belonging, finances and self-worth.  Planets in Fall or Exile (Venus in Scorpio) can also take a more interesting path in finding fulfillment that builds unique skill sets and character.

Part of that path at the moment is navigating Uranus and Saturn. Venus in Scorpio opposes Uranus in Taurus on Saturday the 5th and then continues onward to square Saturn in Aquarius on the 7th. Hard aspects provoke us. They bring tensions to a head which often require us to step into resolution-mode.  In particular, this line up of Venus oppose Uranus square Saturn can bring up destabilization and upset (Uranus) that then has us seeking sustainable solutions we can rely on (Saturn) in the Venusian areas of love, friendship, intimacy and finance.

A good example is Bridget walking in on a cheating Daniel (Venus oppose Uranus) prompting her to liberate herself from a relationship with him. This eventually points her down the road to a stable commitment with Mark Darcy (Venus square Saturn).

What about us?

How might this play out for us?  Saturnian stories don’t pop up over night. Like Mr. Darcy, they’ve been around for some time. But the square creates pressure that demands action, especially during eclipse season. Something we might have swept under the rug has turned into an ugly hill of resentment, or pain. Perhaps we’ve grown so weary of a certain pattern, that continuing to do nothing becomes more painful than finally addressing the situation even if there’s an aftermath to deal with.

Some ways this square might express include but not limited to:

• Clarifying responsibilities
• Asking for commitment
• Erecting healthy boundaries
• Stepping away from love/friendship/community
• Tough Love
• Refusing to cooperate
• Reconfiguring partnership for a more sustainable outlook
• Ultimatum/request that demonstrates seriousness

We often think of Saturn as a negating principle. When we see it with Venus, we might conclude this is a time to close down and protect ourselves.  This can happen, especially with a square. Yet, it’s good to remember that Saturn-Venus also speaks to the long-term agreements we have in our relationships. Both Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward have Venus sextile Saturn in their nativity. They were married for 50 years! In the best of circumstances, Venus-Saturn energy encourages us to put in the work required for relationships, partnerships and commitments that stand the test of time.

Like everything else, your milage may vary. Whereas Venus square Saturn can point out the weakest link in relationships, it can also show us the dedication and service needed for longevity and long term commitment.

I’ll be doing tarot readings at my favorite store in town, Mixta!  See you in their courtyard on Saturday, November 5th, from 2pm-5pm.  To secure a spot, register for your 30-minute private reading at their front desk anytime this week.

October 21, 2022—November is just around the corner!  Here in Central Mexico, the Sun pours light across the horizon increasingly later as the Moon stretches her inky black sheets over the sky progressively sooner. I’ve been reaching for sweaters as the warm weather is beginning to leave us for other parts of the world. Markets sell bunches of fragrant marigold in preparation for Day of the Dead celebrations where families across the Country remember loved ones who now visit in spirit form, especially this time of year.

The current astrological weather suits the contemplate mood here. Mars slows down in preparation for his retrograde on the 30th, inviting us to root down and reflect on our motivations and desires. Eclipse season may have us changing course or making decisions now that have been sewn in the Scorpio terrain of deepest truth, survival and intimate bonding.

By the end of October, Venus, the Sun and Mercury will occupy Scorpio while Jupiter will re-enter Pisces. The strong emphasis on water the beginning of November spotlights transition, integration as well as the nourishing quality of our relationships. The end of November will feel more uplifting as water parts to fire and Sagittarius leads the way.

Here’s what the last part of October and all of November holds in store for us:

October 25, 2022 at 5:49am Central—We’re almost one year into the Taurus-Scorpio eclipse series which began with a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Taurus last November. The story line that opened at that time receives its next installment with the upcoming Partial Solar Eclipse at 2° Scorpio on Tuesday.

Eclipses occur in pairs two times a year. The most recent pair occurred in April and May. If you reflect on last year, can you connect the dots between these times to reveal where life’s contractions are catalyzing choices that push you in a new direction? Eclipses usher in circumstances that ask us to make strong decisions.

The Taurus-Scorpio axis highlights themes around resources, security, comfort, survival, trust and intimacy. At the deepest level, we tap into our core needs of creating a stable relating environment and deciding who we want to be part of our inner sanctum.

This particular eclipse emphasizes Venusian themes of love, belonging, self worth and money. Venus is conjunct the Moon here. She’s also in Scorpio, a sign where she is said to be in exile. She’s a little hypervigilant in Scorpio, looking for proof of love and/or security and very sensitive to hairline cracks in the facade. Venus wants assurance of soul-deep truth in Scorpio as this is her sticky tape that binds her to commitments.

In addition, the tarot card that corresponds to this decan is the Five of Cups. When this card appears, there can be a deep layer of grief present associated with loss, betrayal, resentment and regret. The work of the Five of Cups is to fully acknowledge the trauma of whatever experience still takes up painful residence inside us; and then to begin to release it.

Co-present with the South Node, some of us may be releasing expectations around love, friendship, social groups or belonging. There may be a strong urge now to pierce through exterior levels to the heart of the matter with questions such as where do I stand? Am I sacrificing my self-worth to remain in this situation? Do I really trust this person or this job to meet my core needs?  Issues of past trauma can resurface now as the eclipse in penetrating Scorpio reaches to our very bowels to turn over the past, searching for evidence like lost coins that explain our triggers, resentment and pain.

The ruler of this lunation, Mars, travels slowly now as it prepares to station retrograde on the 30th. In Gemini, Mars churns the hamster wheels of the mind, especially as it stations. We may be ruminating over a situation is our mind, stuck on a story on repeat. Neptune can fill us with indecision, confusion and even self-deception. Yet, conjunct the South Node, the energy around this lunation is one of closure. Even if we aren’t certain which way to go at this time, we can let go of the mind turbulence some of us are experiencing by actively (Mars) accepting (Neptune) the present moment just as it is—squares and all.

Opposite the Sun, Moon and Venus beams Uranus. The next lunation, a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Taurus, will be conjunct Uranus. We know that Uranus can bring sudden shocks and liberating breakthroughs in an attempt to bring us into true alignment with ourselves. We’re heading towards the next major move in the Taurus-Scorpio storyline that opens an exploratory path ahead of us.

For now, the best course of action is to sit with our feelings, thoughts and desires. If we need to get something off our chest, consider a slow Mars in Gemini squaring fuzzy Neptune and ask those three very important questions: is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? And then proceed with caution.

Eclipses occur when a New Moon or a Full Moon is within 18° of the nodes on either side. This is the time when the Sun is traveling through the sign that contains either the South Node or the North Node. Since November of 2021, those signs have been Taurus and Scorpio.

On Tuesday, the New Moon occurs at 2° Scorpio and the South Node is at 13°22′, within the 18° cut-off. The closer the lunation occurs to the node, the stronger it is.  Tuesday’s lunation is considered a partial eclipse. But the Full Moon in Taurus on November 8th will be much closer and stronger.
What are the nodes of the Moon?

The Lunar Nodes are abstract points in space that mark where the Moon’s orbit and the Sun’s path intersect. Like the chart angles, the North and South Nodes are not actual bodies; they are points on the ecliptic (the Sun’s path). When the Moon moves from south to north, we get the North Node. Likewise, when the Moon moves from north to south, we get the South Node.

The Lunar Nodes also precess around the ecliptic, completing one revolution every 18.6 years. This means every 18.6 years, the nodes return to the same place (nodal return) repeating the same eclipse cycle from 18.6 years ago.

Modern Astrology

In Evolutionary Astrology, the Nodes tell a story.

• The South Node is associated with past lives, the karma you brought into this life and your ancestral inheritance. We can think about the South Node as those classes in college that were your easy A. You took them because they came naturally to you. For me, this was Psychology.
• The North Node refers to what you are working towards. It’s your cutting edge towards growth and soulful evolution. These are the classes that were challenging, but you had to take them in order to graduate. My North Node was statistics.

The Story of Rahu & Ketu 

Vedic astrology conceptualizes the Nodes in a different way, illustrated by a myth:

At the beginning of the universe, the Gods began to churn the universe. Out of this churning formed a nectar of immortality. Gods and demons alike struggled to get at the nectar to achieve immortality. In order to distract the demons, Vishnu disguised himself as the most beautiful woman and began to dance. Meanwhile, whilst the demons gaped at the woman, the Gods lined up to drink of the nectar. However, Rahu—a clever demon—did not fall for the trick. Instead, he disguised himself as a God and stood in the nectar line. As he took a sip of the nectar, he was called out by the Sun and the Moon. Vishnu quickly severed Rahu’s head, but he had already drank the nectar and was thus immortal. Now he existed in two parts: a head (Rahu) and a tail (Ketu). He vowed revenge on the Sun and the Moon and in fact, to this day, he jumps to swallow the Sun. But because he has no body, the Sun passes through him.

In traditional astrology, we look at the South and North Nodes differently. There’s not the same emphasis on reincarnation as in Evolutionary Astrology. Rather, there’s a more Buddhist approach of that which causes suffering and how to spiritualize it.  For instance: 

• Ketu, the tail (South Node) is a place in our life that becomes a container for spirit. We experience life lessons here that ultimately diminish our attachments and desires.  This process often occurs through loss and letting go.  Surrendering makes room for wisdom and spirituality to grow. Katu points to the loss that awakens us to the truth of the spiritual nature we’re in.
  
• Rahu, the head (North Node) is where we can experience blindspots. Rahu points to our attachments and desires that perpetuate the cycle of suffering. Rahu was always hungry. Not equipped with a gut to digest his food (i.e. digest wisdom from life experiences), he was always greedily chasing his desires and indulging worldly obsessions. When we work with Rahu, we realize that achieving worldly success is not often what we thought it would be. This begins to open in us a spiritual dimension that understands the true nature of reality. 

Which Approach is Best?

For the most part, the ancients did not work with the Nodes in the way modern astrologers do. They considered the eclipses to be bad omens as the light was obscured. This idea falls in line with Rahu swallowing the Sun.  Enlisting the Nodes to talk about reincarnation and past lives is relatively a new thing.

Since there is a great deal to cover during a consultation, I usually avoid the Nodes all together unless the client specifically asks about them.  At that point, I will synthesize both points of views to the natal placements and see which better fits the client’s understanding of their personal experience. From doing so, I’ve repeatedly found that the client usually relates to both perspectives.

As Mars prepares to turn retrograde on the 30th, he’ll be slowing down and lengthening his contacts with planets.  This means his first square to Neptune on Wednesday October 12th will affect us the entire work week.

As I mentioned in the intro, four planets are changing direction this month. When planets station, their deceleration mirrors our own movements as we slow down, immerse and contemplate.  A Mars-Neptune square amplifies this feeling of moving in slow motion. Let’s take a look at some of the ways this transit can manifest.

Running in a dream

Have you ever dreamt of desperately trying to flee a situation but you can barely move? You’re getting nowhere fast and straining for one inch?  Mars squaring Neptune can feel like trying to run in a dream. A heavy mental fog sets in making it hard to think. A ridiculous dose of procrastination sabotages productivity plans for a day or two.  An inexplicable case of the blahs has you reaching for a bag, a bottle or the remote. We just don’t have it in us to give any more bandwidth to an irritating situation.  If mid-October finds your energy levels zapped and life feels bloated, it’s alright to put on your fat pants and chill. We’re meant to go with the flow at this time which for some of us will mean taking a time out.

Consecrated Action

A prominent Neptune is often found in the charts of spiritual teachers and artists. Here we find another side of Mars—Neptune: spiritual and creative vitality. Mars square Neptune can be an inspiring time of courting the creative muse. This can look like working on an art project, signing up for dance classes and/or immersing yourself in an imaginative space.

On the spiritual front, opportunities arise that allow us to be completely present. The prominent action becomes full awareness which unfolds in Karma Yoga, or the “yoga of action” where every moment is infused with embodied awareness leading to conscious action. Eckhart Tolle refers to this kind of living as “consecrated action” because we’re not treating this moment as a means to an end, but as an end in itself. Not unlike running in a dream, time takes on a suspended quality as each moment is witness and cared for. Great power comes from living in this heart space as we create from the deepest level.

Dates

Mars in Gemini will connect with Neptune in Pisces three times:

1. October 12, 2022 at 23°21′
2. November 19, 2022 at 22°42′ — Mars is retrograde
3. March 14, 2023 at 25°04′

Look to the topics of your Aries and Scorpio houses for an idea of where this transit might affect you. Whether this is an area of feeling burnt out, a willingness to surrender to what is, or a little of both: what arises mid-October will have a beginning, middle and end corresponding to the dates above.

Images found on flaticon.com

October 9, 2022 at 3:54 pm Central—American novelist Louisa May Alcott once mused: “A little kingdom I possess, where thoughts and feelings dwell; And very hard the task I find of governing it well.”  Sunday’s Full Moon in Aries might accentuate the challenge of managing our own little kingdoms.

Finalizing agreements

The lunation occurs on the heels of Mercury turning direct. Still in its shadow phase, we’re in the process of finalizing the negotiations and compromises we made last month in the Libran domain of partnerships of all kinds. As the Moon in Aries opposes the Sun in Libra, Mercury is in the final stages of nitty-gritty analysis of Virgo, preparing to re-enter fair-minded Libra the following day. Some of us are wrapping up a personal audit as we move forward in hopes of implementing more harmony and balance in our relationships. As we do, we should tread lightly, knowing that our perspective may not be shared. Only with complete self-awareness and willingness to see another’s viewpoint, can we hope for sustainable results.

Self-advocacy with self-constraint

A Full Moon in Aries carries themes of self-advocacy. At the top of our agenda might be explaining our POV or where our needs have been ignored. Yet with a sextile to Saturn in Aquarius, this lunation advises cool constraint for constructive results.  In addition, self-control is especially important as the ruler of this lunation, Mars, is in the Air sign of Gemini. Mars in Gemini can decimate with words, speaking quickly and too freely (#uncensored). Once the flying daggers have stuck, they leave a scar. The advice here is to pick our words wisely and from a place of responsiveness, not reactiveness.

Another piece of advice: do not overpromise. With the Sun in Libra, some will offer to do too much in order to come to an agreement or to win someone over. Yet when Mars turns retrograde the end of the month, those promises might feel over-inflated and impossible to meet. Better to underpromise and overdeliver than the other way around.

Chiron underscores the potential for past wounding coming up now as it is conjunct the Full Moon. Past traumas and hurts that have been festering away behind closed doors can be revealed now.  Yet Chiron itself has two faces: one side carries the injury while the other holds the medicine. This is where Alcott might find the hardest task of all: how do we manage our thoughts and feelings in our little kingdom when ancient wounds are being triggered in a current setting? If we can remember in the heart of every wound lies the vital seed of wisdom, we can employ current challenges to cultivate that seed and discard its fleshy trauma as compost.

A Venusian lining

Venus can help us. The planet of love graces Sunday’s lunation as it conjuncts the Sun and advances towards a trine with stabilizing Saturn. Venus in Libra desires harmony, beauty and goodwill. Even though we might not see it right now as Venus is under the beams of the Sun, there’s a spirit of benevolence despite some of the sharp thoughts and self-centeredness in the little kingdom.

In Talk Easy, critically acclaimed Vietnamese American poet Ocean Vuong observes: “Care is tied to anger. It becomes the aftermath of anger.” Perhaps Vuong speaks a peace-making truth from his Libra Sun and Mercury. Yet it strikes me that the topic of care following anger is truly fitting for a lunation conjunct Chiron and ruled by hot headed Mars in an Air Sign. This Full Moon in Aries opposed Venus invites us to graciously inject reparative care into people and situations that matter to us. If we can approach important relationships at this time with Venusian ideals, with cool heads and with the willingness to see the other’s point of view, healing and equilibrium await in the wings.

Gummy castle images found on Twitter @darylanselmo

A dispositor is the planet that rules the sign another planet occupies. For instance, the dispositor of any planet located in Gemini or Virgo is Mercury because Mercury rules the signs of Gemini and Virgo. If someone has their Sun in Virgo, for instance, we would look to the condition of Mercury in their chart to see how well Mercury can provide for the Sun who is staying in one of his domiciles.

You can think of it as if the planets are visitors staying in different AirBnBs, unless they’re in their own sign and then they are at home. Are the spaces comfortable? Well equipped? Sparse? Dilapidated? The answers to these types of questions depends in part on the condition of the dispositor and how well they are able to provide for their visitors. 

Visibility

One of our considerations is visibility: can the dispositor see the planet it is hosting or is it in a place of aversion? When the dispositor does not make a sign based aspect to the planet they are providing for, it’s as if they are absent or out of touch with the planet, like an AirBnB host that doesn’t respond to messages. Without visibility, the host planet isn’t as capable of providing for its hostee because they don’t have a direct line of communication. Another way to think about it is that the dispositor is like a boss who works in another city making it more challenging to pop in and float ideas by so that you (planet) can take action or ask for the things you need.

What are the lines of visibility? If planet and dispositor are in one of the relationships below, a line of sight exists between them.

• Trines share the same Element (Fire, Earth, Air and Water)
• Sextiles share the same polarity: + (Fire & Air); – (Water & Earth) 
• Conjunctions are in the same zodical sign
• Oppositions are six signs away
• Squares share the same Modality (Cardinal, Fixed & Mutable)

Dignity

How dignified is the dispositor? If the dispositor is in their own sign, they are better equipped and more resourced to provide for planets they host.  In addition, we can look at exaltation, detriment, fall, terms, faces, triplicities, phase, speed and position to fine tune a dispositor’s dignity, as well as the planet’s own dignity. I won’t get into it here as it’s a lot to cover; but this is an important consideration in determining the ability of a planet to manifest its symbolism. If you’re interested in learning more, I highly recommend Demetra George’s book: Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice or you can read a three part series I wrote on this topic—Part 1, 2 and 3.

Two Case Studies

I’d like you to think back to the beginning of September. When Venus entered the sign of Virgo on the 4th, we had three planets in Mercury’s sign: the Sun and Venus in Virgo plus Mars in Gemini. Mercury is the dispositor of these three planets while they reside in the signs Mercury rules. Mercury stationed retrograde September 9th and provides for these three planets until the Sun enters Libra October 22nd, during which time Mercury will host just Venus and Mars.

Using the boss example (in the visibility section), let’s take a closer look:

• Mercury retrograde is like a boss who has been tasked to lead an accreditation team. Mercury is involved with a lot of review, reassessing, renegotiating and re-doing in the Libra part of our charts.
• The Sun and sign that the Sun rules, Leo, is affected by Mercury’s agenda as is Venus and her signs—Taurus & Libra—AND Mars and his signs, Aries and Scorpio.

If you add this up, half the signs are engaging a revisionist agenda at the moment. Have you been feeling a bit in limbo? Rethinking the past? Wondering if you should revisit a decision you’ve made? These are all examples of this influential Mercury Retrograde and its particularly long reach across the sky is playing out right now.

Second Example—Mars

The sign of Scorpio is preparing to receive visitors. Venus, the Sun and Mercury will enter Scorpio the last week of October. To ascertain the quality of time, we look to Mars, the traditional dispositor of Scorpio. We can see that Mars will be moving slowly the end of October as he gets ready to station retrograde on the 30th in Gemini. Mars turning retrograde in the cerebral air sign of Gemini reminds me of the little buffering wheel that appears when a webpage is trying to load but can’t due to overload. There’s a frustration of having to wait or restart in order to proceed.

In addition, Mars in Gemini cannot see the three planets he’s hosting in Scorpio. As a fixed water sign, these planets are motivated by intense connection, heart-to-heart truth and processing deep feelings. All this to say that the end of the month may feel turbulent as a buffering Mars can’t see the planets he’s hosting. The recent compromises, negotiations and peace treaties forged while planets occupied Libra can undergo emotional pushback at this time.

If we know what the quality of time is, we have a better understanding of when to advance our desires and when to allow a bit of flexibility for buffering.

Images from Flaticon

September 25, 2022 at 4:55 pm Central—Sunday’s New Moon in Libra has us waking up to the viability of relationships of all kinds. Where are we doing our part? Where have we dropped the ball? Are we compromising too much or not enough? Do we feel out of balance, perhaps trying to do everything ourselves? These are the kinds of questions Libra mulls over.

Core to the Libra archetype is balance and fairness. And when the Self-Other axis of Aries-Libra bears down heavy on the side of the scales, this Cardinal Air sign is more apt than most to set it right, even if it does so in a round-about way.

Further, the New Moon in Libra opposes a robust, go-get-em Jupiter in Aries. Some of us may feel like we’re vigorously trying to keep our cool, like a graceful duck on the water who is paddling furiously underneath where nobody can see the effort that it’s taking to stay afloat. Jupiter in Aries holds an enthusiastic vision that confronts the moderation this New Moon is seeding.

Do I say something or let it go?

The ruler of this lunation is Venus in Virgo. The planet of love, beauty, coin and connection is traditionally considered to be in fall in Virgo where she has a harder time fulfilling her significations.  Yet, this placement excels in tending to details with the intention to improve conditions. So the question becomes: do I say something or do I just let it go? Do I attempt more balance, fairness, understanding and ultimately connection or do I just let the situation play out?

On the one hand, a Venus ruled lunation prefers to indulge easy-going vibes and a sense of harmonious goodwill which would mean not ruffling any feathers. But Venus in Virgo has a hard time dismissing inequities that tend to build upon one another which threatens to erupt into inevitable confrontation. Further, in the New Moon chart, Venus opposes Neptune in Pisces. This energy can come across as ambiguous or self-sacrificing or compassionate—it depends on which of the many sides of Neptune we’re currently attuned to.

Communication that needs airing

Perhaps Mercury’s conjunction to Venus holds the key here. In the New Moon chart, Mercury has recently re-entered his home sign Virgo from Venus’s sign, Libra. Mercury will travel back to 24° Virgo, just one degree away from the spot Venus occupies during the New Moon. If we think of Mercury as the messenger, there could be an important piece of communication that needs airing; and since these two signs (Libra & Virgo) don’t have a direct line of sight to one another, this communication could come from a third party—like a mediator or a business deal—that’s able to bridge the practical needs of Virgo to the relational desires of Libra.

What’s the takeaway? Sometimes, the right conversation with the right attitude at the right time can go a long way in restoring feelings of goodwill that might have gotten buried under slights and unfairness. For some of us, October will open a desire to set the balance right in at least one area of our lives.