Dateblog: October 2014

October 2014 by Zodiac Sign

Seeing as I've spent more time in medical hands than I care to think about over the past few days this has to be short. But I did want to give you the charts for October 2014.

As you'll note above, there are (count 'em) two meteor showers this October - the Draconids (which come to us courtesy of comet and the Oriondis - which because of the comet which produces said Orionids (Comet Halley) brings up not only Halley's somewhat 'showy' or 'want to see...want to be seen' (and other such 'value' as in, what do I value and why do I value it? commentaries) and the interesting factoid that both of these comets were discovered while transiting Aquarius.

The Aquarius part may well be part of October's natural interactive and Libran social-socializing (maybe marketing...maybe audience) orientation as Aquarius is nothing if not about pluralities, be they notions, people, sources of income or otherwise. In the world of thinking and concepts, Aquarius is the broadest and (often) the most intricate.

Not necessarily easy, mind you. Nor necessarily practical for any of a number of though-provoking (and possibly irritating) reasons.

In any case, there's a lot of Libra to go around this month, October being a natural time for making plans and sometimes making moves. (Not always, but sometimes.) Who we relate to and why, how we relate to them and how they respond to us tells is everyday subject matter almost all month long, though it will ebb off as Venus and the Sun move on into Scorpio... which you may (or may not) have noticed is the subject of a solar eclipse this month.

You know, this eclipse...

Eclipse Map for the Solar Eclipse of October 23, 2014 at 0 Scorpio

(map generated by Solar Fire)

 

And yes, providing I can type we'll be talking more about it. But getting back to Sun and Venus, what they're a reference to is how we relate to others... and how well or not well we relate to them is based in something (and what that is). Even people who are stone tone deaf to the needs and rights of others to hold opinions come from somewhere. And the interesting thing is... which we are all learning right now ... those opinions are far (far) more often rooted in vulnerability than strength.

Scorpio fights... or produces the impulse to fight ... as a sign that the instinct of threat has come to light.

That threat is not about 'them' or 'that' or even 'this' (whatever 'this' may be). It's about how we FEEL about them or that or even this... and that's about US.

Not them, us.

It's uncomfortable and we can all expect to feel a deal of discomfort going forward at least until October 23rd, that being the date of the eclipse. Moreover, prior to that we'll be having an Aries lunar eclipse ... a time when our passions, our feelings and our ability to feel or not feel are all brought to the fore.

As always, where these eclipses fall (in what house of your chart) and how these eclipses aspect the various objects and factors in you your chart (and how closely those aspects apply) will determine how strong or weak eclipse effects will generally tend to be. With the lunar eclipse at 15 Aries, what we want may well be outstripped by our opportunity (or ability) to do such things, and that's not all that comfortable.

(Not at all comfortable.)

There's an aspect of change indicated by these two eclipses which no one wants to take on. So especially after Mercury goes retrograde we're bound to hear a lot of excuses and evasiveness. Those 'I don't want to talk (or think) about it' actions/choices are not all that productive, especially as nothing is going to in the end be entirely avoided. The productive thought here is to deal with others and your issues about/with others and to invest in examinations which will reveal not only what the strengths and weaknesses of the situation are, but what the reality of the strengths and weaknesses of others really are.

No one has told anyone everything. (Count on it.) Mercury retrograde - especially one in Scorpio - provides a natural time for interesting, invaluable and possibly important conversations, meetings, research and other interactive/interactions which provide grist for the mental mill or information needed before moving on.

That 'moving on' then begins to occur after Mercury goes direct on October 25th, but given how Mercury will have retrograded back into Libra before going direct, there will be complications and the need for more investigation, conversations and even a few (reluctant) course corrections once Mercury re-enters Scorpio late on November 8th (UT/+0).

You know, next month.

As for elements, the personal planets are moving through air (Libra) and water (Scorpio) for most of the month... and then there's just more Scorpio.

October 2014 by Element

That's a recipe for raw emotionalism and issues which raise raw emotionalism, but because of the eclipse (solar eclipses are cosmic trump cards) this is ALL about our realizing and recognizing and beginning to grasp our vulnerabilities - our internal hurts and vulnerabilities and fears and shames...all that.

And it's about the recognizing them and the owning up to them and the being able to admit them to others which leads to betterment. Our betterment.

The combination of other elements - fire and earth - being more global or worldly elements of our October, it's useful also to keep a clear separation of public versus private and personal/individual versus relationship/others in mind, in hand and (perhaps most of all) as a curb to our actions and statements, all of which carry the sort of weight/weightiness this month which may seem deliciously dramatic, but which could also cook our goose (so to speak, no offense to the geese) down the line.

All those meteors insure an interesting month to be sure. For those who are in a good place, this is a great month for being creative, providing you are willing to go through the whole of any process and not cut corners, the whole of which includes doing your up-front homework. That the Aquarius quotient resident in/with both these meteor showers is in a natural square (then trine, then back to square) with the overall purpose of the October Mercury retrograde challenges us to see how to use our more native human nature - not that of rhetoric, but of nurture.

Still, don't be surprised if you meet up with a lot of stubbornness... even within your Self. Underlying Scorpio's deep well of emotionality are its eternal questions of (Taurean) safety and self-doubt, those being the metaphysical source of all of our attempts to 'win at all cost' and otherwise weight or can't the playing field for others. The Scorpio demand of 'I want what I want' is, in other words, at its heart an extreme statement of fear - we're afraid we can't have what we want, so we'll fight for it.

Which begs the real question: what are we so afraid of being (and being known/seen as) without it?
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Astrologer's Diary: Mercury in Scorpio, Venus in Libra

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I feel like I'm in a race against the solar eclipse. As I've told you, I have a back injury. And try as I may, it's amazingly hard to get help for it.This is not about naming names or pointing fingers... it's about a serious physical need on my part and a dismal amount of systemic and individual unwillingness to take responsibility for what one is supposed to take responsibility for (since that's what you're doing) going around.

All such moments (people, situations, choices)...and I'm sure you're either running into it or embodying it (whether out of necessity or preference)...reflects the October 23rd solar eclipse at 0 Scorpio.

Hence my race. That eclipse can't get here and gone in my book. (And yes, there is great irony to saying you're running any race when your problem is a back injury.) However... with that duly quipped (I'll be telling jokes on my death bed, no doubt), before I contemplate surrendering to being horizontal, here are a few thoughts Mercury moving into Scorpio and Venus entering Libra which may be tasty or tasteful enough to chew on:

Mercury is entering Scorpio late on the 27th at 10:40 in the evening (UT/+0 time) and Venus will enter Libra on September 29th at 8:53 in the evening, UT/+0 time.

These two signs (Libra and Scorpio) occur in succession (Libra then Scorpio). As with any two adjacent signs, this means their tone (element) and nature or mode of activity (modality) is entirely different. Mercury entering Scorpio is all about passionate thinking and feeling our way into issues. Or feeling because of issues.

Meanwhile Venus is entering Libra - the sign which most exemplifies the whole Venusian (Aphrodite) 'beauty' idea.

And idea is the thing, too. It's the idea of what beauty is... or what we would like, this Venusian move. On one hand it supports grace in (and of) conversation. It's an opportunity to be creative and when much can come of what you otherwise might think is something easy.

On the other, Venus in Libra can be lazy (think 'languid,' but in an uglier, more irresponsible light). Venus in Libra can also be charming. Or graciously demanding in that curious way no one even thinks to frown at or resist.

With Mercury's having entered Scorpio, there's likely to be some sort of 'subterranean' atmosphere - the aura of wanting to know (or) wanting to play your cards carefully/close to the vest, whether that's needed particularly or not.

That's right - we could be fooling ourselves about how good OR bad something is simply because we're far too over-focused, a quality which is likely to infiltrate everyone's thinking and feel less than pleasant (!!!) as Mars (in Sagittarius) comes into semi-sextile with Pluto (in Capricorn) just as Mercury changes signs.

The 'solution' here is in keeping with all semi-sextiles: we are going to feel 'offended' and yet, to act solely on that (to allow ourselves to 'operate in the reactive,' as it were) only makes things worse. Semi-sextiles, in this case whether that of Mercury-to-Venus' Libra/Scorpio combination or this other Mars/Pluto (Sagittarius/Capricorn) tend not to indicate  comfortable moments. But they are just that - moments.

And another thing... in stirring up Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn, this pair of semi-sextiles is combining to effect a complete and continuous image of one-third of the zodiac - the operative interactive and worldly third of the zodiac - being involved in challenging processes of an interactive nature.

Any time Pluto and Mars connect by transit there's a generous quality of focus/over-focus which gets lobbed into our works. In this case, the prime/most intense period for same begins (in earnest) during the latter part of the day on September 29th (UT/+0). From there it will extend into October 1st - but the repercussions and effects of this time will continue to evolve for most of two months.

You know... through the solar eclipse and beyond, a fact made all the more poignant by the fact that Pluto is the 'outcome ruler' of Scorpio, sign of said eclipse.

Prepare for more unearthing of whatever is very wrong - in the world, yes... but even more than that terms of who we are and why we value and devalue others most of all. Through bringing out all the many ways our interactions aren't working this eclipse - as part of the plural-year Scorpio eclipse sequence now being completed - we are being asked to consider what our most basic values are and whether we are inclined (or even able) to relate to our own sense of weakness with as much perspective and in-depth consideration as that we tend to apply to others, however we relate to them.

Then there's the fact that Libra is a cardinal sign, which can indicate promptness, wit and being in the right place at the right time...or impatience, demands of nature and a general tendency to downgrade someone or something simply because we want what we want at the moment, whether it's important or not.

Against this, Scorpio is a fixed sign... and fixed signs live up to the idea of being 'fixed in place' rather well. Even half-past well - at a level which is all about wanting your own way because the idea of having to feel someone else get their way or deal with someone else getting to dictate to us isn't anything we want to face.

But nothing is forever in this formulation as Mercury's about to go retrograde. (I know... you're just jazzed, right?) The start of said retrograde is October 4th at 5:03 in the afternoon (UT/+0 time) with Mercury at 2 Scorpio, a degree which asks whether we are willing to take on the responsibilty of getting past our own challenges - challenges which are defined as intense and intensely testing of us on the inside.

Think 'do I have faith in my Self?' 

It will take Mercury a full week to move back through three degrees and re-enter Libra (on October 11th) - an indication that things are generally 'sticky,' probably within and without. There is an 'up' side here however... once everything shakes out the next (almost) two weeks will have both Mercury and Venus in Libra, giving us time to get a lot done - none of which is worldly or highly apparently.

The actual nature of this time is self-reflective. And it's during this self-reflective period with its flashes of forward insight and moments of recognition with regards to why something doesn't work that the solar eclipse occurs.

Oh joy...a solar eclipse under Mercury retrograde. We're being asked to let go of some old idea, some image, some vulnerability we probably cover with a bristling shield of armor. Plus (if you must know)... this incoming eclipse is going to occur in full-fledged conjuction with Venus.

A few values are getting radically changed.

What things are they will not be two-and-a-half years from now. We don't believe it... most of us can't even see it. But it's out there. Something is happening which besides occuring (and probably testing us) in the present is also preparing us for something which will occur a couple of years from now, something which we wouldn't even be prepared to appreciate if we weren't going through all the many things occupying us right now.

And granted, a lot of what's going around now is more than a little trying.

Against which, we're trying. (Hopefully.)

The idea of 'quality' is afoot. To get there, we are each facing our flaws, our weak points, our not-so-universal perspective and whatever tendency we have to insist on having things our way regardless of whether others agree. Or are even safe.

If I can get back here (all puns intended) in any short amount of time (I'm not that tall, so it shouldn't be impossible...) its on the calendar to explore the idea of Aldebaran (the royal star of integrity) moving to 10 Gemini. The date for this shift is October 1st, and as opposed to 9 Gemini (a degree which stresses mentality, mental stress and an indescribable need to be involved at a micro-detail level)... Aldebaran's next position is going to underscore the need to help and protect the poor, the abused, the neglected while doing two other things: 1.) internally recognizing the ills of human nature, complete to why we choose such actions in the name of 'solution' and 2.) requiring of our Self that we not embody those ills, particularly as pertains to others - the more innocent, beleaguered or battered, the more importantly.

Taken all together, yes, this does sound like the approach to a solar eclipse. Chances are we each already know about what is about to be eclipsed, though as yet few of us believe the bond will break, the time will come, that fate will move us on.

But it will. Mostly because by the time we get through the next month or two, we'll see the sense of letting go - not of our Self, but of something we've been clinging to because we think we can be nothing deeply satisfying without it.
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Psyche’s Libra New Moon

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If we haven’t gotten the message about our attitude towards others and who we are to others, this month’s Libra New Moon underscores that yet again. And yes... the easy thing is always to point at others or to criticize them, but taken to the metaphysical level that thought (or method of coping) doesn’t really hold water. Why not? Well, that goes back a seriously basic metaphysical treatise, namely that ‘like attracts like.’

And when we focus on that as it applies to relationships, that ‘equating’ of people is the ‘I/thou’ thing, a ‘relating’ or ‘relationship to’ quotient we know as the Aries/Libra polarity. Metaphysically this polarity pair is all about that term ‘like,’ whether it’s about ‘liking’ or being ‘alike’...or not liking and not having anything in common. Libra is an air sign - a sign about the idea, the theory, the concept, the plan, the agreement, the negotiation, the notion of the process - and all that is right about it and all which is wrong about it...all which will lead to success and what leads to failure.

On the other hand, what Libra isn’t is emotionally based. This is a sign which even when it expresses and acts on deeply held convictions and feelings bases its decisions on the intellectual consideration, whether that’s bad or good. (Even both.) In personal terms, the ‘open enemies’ part of Libra is our own confronting of the idea that someone indeed hates us. Or that they might hate us. So we confront the problem. Or them.

Or we get someone to advise us. One of the other things about Libra is that it acts as the ‘gauge’ which defines (for us) how ‘close’ we want to be to something or someone - and part of how we judge them or their suitability to be in our life. (Usually our personal life.) And when it comes to those Libra-type counselors, teachers, advisors, advocates, doctors as so on, the success of that association is based on the equality in the association. It’s not that we’re ‘alike’ or that we’re ‘meant to know each other’ (if we know each other at all, metaphysically we’re “supposed” to know each other).

But the closer that relationships are...which is to say the more Libra “us” any relationship is, the less “I/me” Aries it can be and remain in balance unless the person (or situation) is as uninvolved as you are. In an optimal counseling/advisory relationship, both parties are focused on learning from the other and returning value for perceived worth or worth received (or perceived). That’s Libra - the equal cause/effect of relationship or conversation, the heart and soul of ‘for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction’ which is so intrinsically and essentially Libran.

And inevitable. Libra says it takes two to tango even if we have to provide both of the sides ourselves, which is what some people are going to be at this time, whether on the up side or through a bout with personal/internal conflict. Plus either way, considering how this month’s Libra New Moon is going to occur on September 24th (at 6:15 a.m., UT/+0 time)...and with that being one day after Pluto going direct... this is not your run-of-the-mill New Moon. Any time Pluto and the Moon team up that either equals focus...or a lack of focus, a breaking of concentration or some sort of recognition as to what something (past, present or future) is worth coming under the kind of scrutiny which generally indicates we want... or know we need a change.

The thing about combinations of Pluto and Moon effects is that they tend to act like we’re dumping gas on a very personal and deeply imbedded fire. For some, this will spell motivation while for others this indicates some form of obsession...and all of this is going to be filtered through a zodiacal lens known as 1 Libra.

And that makes the whole thing just a little more intense and possibly enlightening... or just possibly bizarre. Why that would be stems from two things, one being the idea that 1 Libra is very ‘self-oriented,’ a quality which in a sign like Libra, which is about relating, can easily manifest as off-putting behavior - most pointedly that which concerns ‘deciding the truth’ of some matter and not budging from that point in a manner which puts others off simply because the display of conviction is not just sturdily stable but stubborn - even arrogant. This tendency to defend, even with finesse and skill often ends badly because despite its independent qualities 1 Libra needs to learn important lessons on how to create alliances and how to go about participating in the kind of ‘team building’ efforts or activities which are so native to Libra.

Being so known for its independent qualities ’ degree in an interactive realm which speaks to ‘being separate’ or possibly ‘separated’ from something or someone...or even some sense that you know what’s happening.

Yet there’s another side to that as well - the fact that 1 Libra is the position of a super-massive black hole known as M87.

The metaphysics of black holes (which is obviously pretty new stuff) goes with this phenomena's ability to apparently work outside our physical norm. Time, light...black holes mess with such precepts just as the astrological black hole lends a quality of ‘alternative’ or ‘non-traditional’ to life’s mix. When black holes get activated we see a different side of things - which could be merely be about everything going on in the (or our) world. However it happens, it happens,

By definition, any New Moon is about a ‘start,’ a ‘beginning’ or maybe just a shift of phase where one thing gets done and another thing begins. And just as with anything else, this can be the start of something good...or challenging, depending. Considering how this is a transit which occurs in tandem with Pluto’s station (if a day after Pluto goes direct) maybe you’re someone who has come into this time with everything going wrong in your life, relationships or in what you’re doing (or have been doing) Or maybe there’s a mass of things hanging over you, none of which you control - which is a typical Pluto problem, that out of control or not in charge of things feeling.

And now that changes. Or becomes manageable.

Or even unnecessary.

Of course since this is Pluto we’re talking about, maybe you have more control than you think. Or maybe that fearful feeling you have that something you can’t quite name, define or deal with is wrong, wrong, wrong... maybe that’s just an echo of something past. Or your allowing yourself to get stirred up/manipulated by someone/something to the point where you feel things are more wrong than they actually are.

L'Enlèvement de Psyché by Oscar Pereira de Silva (1914)

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All this brings us to the other astrological event of the day - the fact that asteroid Psyche is going direct at 8 Aquarius on the same date as the Libra New Moon. Asteroid Psyche being the subject of another post, I'll give you that link...

- link to post -

Eros and Psyche:

Falling In Love With Our Mind

...then simply say for the record (in case you're in a rush) that Psyche requires of us that we deal with our Self on a factually open (non-emotional) basis, which when combined with the Libra New Moon suggests situations, notions and events which bring us to understand where we stand with that Self in terms of others.

Then there's the 8 Aquarius note - a quality which adds a bit of tension within and without. On the inside, we’re all struggling with things we don’t seem to be able to get past... while on the outside much is going on. Known for notes of brilliance even if the thing(s) we each seem stuck on/personally focused on seem foolish or inconsequential to others (that being the 'outside' part) - this becomes a portion of exactly that quality which makes everything so hard... which is to say it’s either our isolation in the notion (or opinion) or our insistence on individuality (or an individual course/decision) which amounts to isolation in the fact of a combination of object (Psyche) and sign (Aquarius) which intimates very strongly that though we need to know our position, that’s our Saturn-as-first-ruler-of-Aquarius “work” which allows us to 2.) be an equal among others, this being the Aquarian way.

Aquarius asks us to be an individual and as that individual to be part of a greater process, system or whole. People stumble over this Aquarian concept all the time, so here are a few examples. In a personal mode, take a scientist. In order for a scientist to make a discovery, first they have to learn the basics of science. Generally that’s not the ‘sexy’ part of the process, which goes very much with Saturn as Aquarius’ first ruler and Saturn as the symbol of time invested, dedicated effort, long term commitment, responsibility (to self, others and our world society). But it’s only after the basics are learned that a scientists can make that Uranian ‘leap’ to discovery.

On a more global scale, we see this Aquarian concept all the time in business and the world. Just as nations have individual states, departments, cantons or provinces (etc.) and despite the fact that each of these states or provinces has its own identity, work and responsibilities, so they all belong to the nation, collectively making it something which is the product of its makeup. Or think in terms of corporations, many of which have departments or divisions - each of which has their job, their function, their place in the process and their need to produce the “global” which in this case is the corporation’s product. A car assembly line is very Aquarian: each station does its work and together they build something which is generally more than the simple sum of its parts - not only does the car support the ‘whole’ (the corporation and its workers, vendors, etc.) but the product itself adds to the effective life of those who buy it.

With this in mind, there’s one thing more about 8 Aquarius which seems ripe for this moment: since 8 Aquarius often causes us to see where we’ve seen something as a ‘fact’ where said ‘fact’ isn’t true, in combination with Pluto and the New Moon this may be a whole change of outlook on something - or others coming to some very different outlook about you.

It all depends - mostly on who we are in our [Psyche] mind (and whether we're honest with our Self), how well that matches with reality (you know, the Pluto touch) with all of this oriented towards, or generated by some Libra 'Other'... sense of Other... or presentation of Self or personal deed as the Other to some other person.

All of which starts with the Libra New Moon as the start to a cycle which in changing the status quo leads us to attain a better understanding and perception of our inner, most personal (lunar) Self.

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Pluto Direct / Sun in Libra

Libra

by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

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In case you haven’t heard, Pluto is about to go direct at 10 Capricorn. The date will be September 23rd, the time will be barely past midnight (UT/+0) and all of this precedes the Sun’s Libra equinox by barely two hours (the Sun enters Libra at 2:30 in the morning, UT/+0 time).

And if we think about just that much, one obvious metaphysical metaphor seem rather clear: our Sun-in-Libra ‘life relationships’ and/or ‘relationship to life’ (be that passive or action-oriented) are taking a [Pluto] transformative [station] turn through which, or in the wake of which we will face things which are possibly very new to us...or which we will have to face ‘anew’...or which we will deal with directly (or need to deal with directly) from a perspective which takes more than just ourselves (or our Self) into account.

In entering Libra, the Sun is moving into the zodiac’s public zone - the six signs (Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces) which are less about learning about our Self and more about learning what that self can, should or needs to do in life, their world or the world. Being that the worldly signs are in polarity to the zodiac’s personal (‘about me’) signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo) there’s always some ‘bleed’ from one hemisphere to the other just as it’s natural for us all to have moments of thinking about some public or  worldly situation in terms of a focus on our Self (i.e., ‘what does this mean to me?’).

But that’s natally. All our natal traits are what they are and we will slide back and forth along our own polarity lines as we will, depending on how they’re laid out. Transits however, work a little differently. The Sun in Libra or Venus transiting Virgo (as it is at the moment)...transiting planets hold their nature more purely, more innately on an ‘in the moment’ conceptual level than natal planets do. So though your natal Libra Sun or your natal Virgo Venus may regularly reflect polarities in your day-to-day life, the transiting Libra Sun indicates a four-week period where we either are balanced, we bring things into balance or where through some typically Libran force, procedure or operation we are brought into balance by some response (or lack thereof) from others, that being a reflection of what we’ve ‘put out there’ for them to react to.

All of which sounds very timely, yes.

Then there’s the Pluto side of this equation. In going direct at 10 Capricorn, Pluto is still conjunct ‘fixed star’ (nebula) Facies - a point of multi-pronged difficulties and challenges - while also conjunct Vega, a star which in being situated at 14 Capricorn since 1907 has long stood for the sort of grace in speech or personal presentation which most of us recognize as ‘charisma’ or the ability to be charismatic.

And what it the single knee-jerk keyword for Pluto? That’s right: transformation.

So whatever Pluto encounters, it changes. Whatever the status quo, Pluto comes along and turns the tables, changes the direction, transforms the circumstance. We therefore shouldn’t be surprised that as Pluto has come into a five-degree orb of conjunction with Vega (which started back in late December 2012) many a thought, quality, effort and/or person we had thought was so wonderful, so cool, so worth our faith, loyalty and support - how at this point we feel disappointed. Or rejected. Or even repulsed.

It’s at moments (and periods) like this when we find out who human beings are - at least currently. But currently is what we have to deal with, yes.

Pluto’s station effects will of course, have started up prior to the Sun’s entering Libra. Using either a two or three-day station ‘allowance’ we would expect the entire roster of Plutonic qualities... from the toxic to the purifying, from the life-giving to the death-dealing, from the hands-off guiding with wisdom notion to the ‘don’t even think outside the box’ control orientations to begin evidencing in earnest at least by the 21st, if not a day even earlier that that.

The ‘rule’ with stations goes as follows: the closer to the actual time of station, the stronger the effect will be with events occurring prior to the time of station pointing to things which are yet to happen and things after the station referring to matters which have already occurred.

And with Pluto, that could be saying a lot. Pluto effects are not known for being polite or gentle, though they can be, with the difference being whether we are (or have been) in control of our Self and whatever our underlying fears and insecurities may be. As desire is at some level a ‘fear’ of going without, as rejection is a fear of feeling invalidated by others who in life’s grand scheme of things may or may not mean anything to anything (apart from our ego), so Pluto manifests in some area of our life as a form of ‘proof’ as to how stable we are or aren’t - most of all with our Self.

Metaphysically speaking, the markers are pretty simple here: stability brings about the acceptance of life as having moments of joy as well as moments of grief, areas of light which are not just offset by realms of sorrow but which are complimented and enhanced by our breadth of experience.

The sort of stability Pluto asks us to have is not external, but internal. From that flows all else as we are each one of us causal effects in a cause/effect world.

As the Sun comes into Libra this quality of ‘being able to produce, hone or change our own results’ becomes very direct...and at the same time, very theoretical in a way which can become argumentative and dogmatic. Though those who tend to wear rose colored glasses don’t like it much, Libra is not just about the pretty - it’s about how to use our power to generate reactions, whatever they may be, to learn how to be our Self more effectively. This is why Libra isn’t necessarily about ‘lovers’ but about pairs matched by interest whether that interest ‘matches up’ through similarity or opposition (this being why the Libra keyword list includes ‘partners’ as well as ‘open enemies’).

However...that ‘lovers’ thing? That being the emotional side of pairing (peacefully or otherwise), that is Scorpionic by nature. And Pluto is the outcome ruler of Scorpio, so to have Pluto going direct as the Sun is entering (and activating) all those Libra precepts does suggest this station period as one when romantic lovers may either come together or erupt, depending on underlying (Taurus/security) issues.

And yes other relationships will be affected too. Things may be just fine, or they may become very ‘un-lover-ly’ over this period or in the wake of it because of something which arises (or happens)now. We are moving through a very complicated (Facies/Pluto) time which in great measure is breaking us down, which is in perfect keeping with the 0 Scorpio solar eclipse set to happen next month (on October 23rd, UT/+0). In fact, we could quite sensibly say that this station - with all its ‘Facies’ complications and its realistic if unpleasant flecks of something we [Vega] thought good which has suddenly been revealed as something other.

(Maybe something very ‘other.’) 

Despite all our reactions...(which are likely to be many, varied, and often sufficiently intense to make us uncomfortable with the fervency of our own feelings)...none of this is precisely about breaking us down so we can be defeated - but rather so we can see ourselves as a person with preferences and vulnerabilities which amount to as many pluses and minuses as anyone else has (with our auto-comparing being part of all which comes courtesy of Sun in Libra.)

As for 10 Capricorn, that’s sort of the wild card in this equation. After all, it’s Pluto’s turn to direct at 10 Capricorn which is linking (and therefore mixing) its own ‘did you get carried away with your Self-driven issues (you know, all that Taurus security stuff)?’

Then we add in the Sabian for this degree (‘A large group of pheasant on a private estate’), a quality Dane Rudhyar typified simply as ‘aristocracy,’ echoing Marc Edmund Jones who spoke of this image as ‘the refinement and propagation of aristocratic values by means of which man participates in the evolution of life towards ever more perfect forms of existence.’

Either way, there is an essence of wanting things to be a certain way expressed in this symbol which ties in rather seamlessly with the rather standard Taurus/Scorpio conflict we tend to run into in life (in which situation/s Pluto would be a primary outcome symbol), though it’s probably also worth noting that in the strictly Capricorn/achievement/goal sense strives to achieve without any note on what happens if you actually get there.

This being Pluto’s station, though ordinarily any idea that what you thought was so wonderful might not be so wonderful in reality (as opposed to in your mind) ...though that might sound far fetched, it isn’t. After all, Pluto’s orbit is influenced by Neptune, which symbolically is the ‘tricky’ quality, that ‘turning of the tables’ quality we find when we traipse mindlessly into Pluto’s realm. So there’s that to consider - along with the fact that being that this is Pluto we’re talking about. And since Pluto is named for the god of death, hidden things and all forms of temptingly ‘buried’ treasure...and because the astrological Pluto is all that to the hilt and even more...

...let’s just say that there are several things one doesn’t want to do in any Pluto situation (never mind a Pluto station). The first would be to act out of spite. Then there’s ignoring potential problems and dangers - which doesn’t mean you have to focus on them either, being as obsession (or to put it more nicely, over-focusing) in and will forever be our premier Pluto problem.

Pluto ‘asks’ that we think things through and choose based on a balanced, calm and even-handed basis. Though what everyone may want may be different, the attention and intention counts with Pluto (as it does with Scorpio) - for everyone to get an equal amount of what they want (be the commodities different) satisfies Pluto’s need for willingness to change (i.e., our position, our mind, our stance, etc.)... as well as satisfying Neptune’s requirement for lack of ego.

Beyond that, with Pluto there are always layers - most of all the fact that Pluto applies to both that which happens in the present and whatever may be a result of choices/actions/situations of the past.

And it’s all smothered in a plethora of current things primal, testing and often enough testy brought to us courtesy of October’s incoming 0 Scorpio solar eclipse..an eclipse the mere position of which (0 Scorpio) says everything we could possibly need to know (and not like hearing) about how what is being ‘broken down’ now as we’re moving into the eclipse is Libran.

In other words, they’re about who we are seen as, what we do and why we do it (and how others feel about it) as well as why or how others respond to us - good or bad, whether at home, at work, as you’re walking down the street humming or anything else. And since both Pluto and the Black Moon always reference some ‘connection’ or something which connects us to someone or something else, this ‘I/thou’ (you/me, cause/effect, action/reaction) Libra quality is likely to be magnified.

And that would be both in the world around us and within. Pluto in direct motion speaks to moments, events and situations which arise unbidden despite our efforts to control ‘them’ (or some thought that we’re ‘in control’ of our own life) causes us to ‘face’ the fact there is no ‘single solution’ to anything over time because time shifts...and thus things change...and so our solutions (even our coping mechanisms or basic preferences) not only could change, but should [Pluto] ‘transform.’

And it’s often a moment like a station when such transformations - be they physical, emotional, spiritual, mental or otherwise - occur.

If Pluto (in particular) is in some sort of tight aspect to your natal chart things will happen now... in fact, they’re probably already in the works. (You know about it even if you don’t want to think or talk about it.) That our resistance to change (particularly Capricorn/structural change) is understandable is all well and good, but some things now must change and will change - our only choice would seem to be where we want to end up with... in the long run... with ourselves.

Make that our Self, which is the final ‘trickiness’ Pluto, whatever else it brings. While there’s little doubt that where Pluto is concerned, passion and desire though common are likely to be exactly what drives us - that’s also what can...and often will... lead us astray in the moment or on some whole. Why that would be goes back to Pluto as a symbol - or more specifically, to the description of god Pluto (also known as Hades) as that which ultimately changes our life by representing death.

And that’s what Pluto does. As Pluto ‘transforms,’ something fades, something dies away or becomes no longer apropos or useful. But to the Plutonic point, where Pluto focuses is something which for whatever reason is...and remains intriguing. Because it holds some allure (conscious or instinctive) for us, letting go is hard. Yet if we continue to pursue our course unabated, then we meet up with the other side of the astrological Pluto - that of ‘waste’ or ‘wasted effort’...an ultimate ‘killing off’ of time and energy which may succeed in the short run but beyond that inevitably falls apart as soon as our obsessive Plutonic drives are no more.

And eventually they do come to be ‘no more’ in every case - after all, we’re still mortal and we die.

But in the meantime, Pluto transits can be wholly constructive. They can be a positive, particularly as ‘read’ through looking at where your Pluto is natally and where Pluto is at the moment - which at the moment of station is 10 Capricorn.

Just remember: Pluto is about transformation. Wherever Pluto sits in our chart, that’s the area or ‘department’ of life where we will (probably rather obsessively) pursue what we think of as our ‘destiny.’

And yet... if you really think about Pluto, considering the astrological machinery, that would say that said ‘destiny’ is nothing more or less than an engine driven by our desire not to deal with our vulnerabilities.

...Which may be a good thing, considering. After all, our greatest personal gains are made through confrontations with vulnerabilities, not strengths.

It just takes something we can’t control to take us there...which is where the astrology of Pluto comes in.
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Black Moon Lilith at 22 Leo

(image) Maser M 31 at the core of the Andromeda Galaxy as photographed in X-ray by the Chandra Space Observatory

(photo credit: NASA, January 2000)

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Here’s my thesis for the day: orbits aren’t round. In science, that’s just a fact - orbits tend to be egg-shaped complete with one end of the orbit being pointier than the other. (Which may, with all due respect for chickens and eggs just beg the question ‘which came first, the orbiting object or the orbit it is orbiting along?’ or some such akin to that.)

So we have these egg-ish orbital tracks. And most of them are pretty constant. But some - such as the orbit of our Luna Moon around Planet Earth - do their own little orbital dance, one which in the mind’s eye (provided you’re not feeling blind-sided) might well remind you of that child’s toy known as a Spirograph.

The tracings of a Spirograph

The Moon’s orbit being the Moon’s to moon over, what seems notable to mention at this particular point in time is the fact that the ‘short’ or ‘near’ end of that "rotating" or transiting Spirograph figure is what is known in astrology is known as Black Moon Lilith, a calculated point which like the Ascendant and other axis points (the MC, IC and Descendant) is often difficult to manage simply because this isn't a planet. Or an asteroid. Or a comet, star or dwarf planet. They all have mass. But a calculated point has no mass - and when you watch things astrological for long enough it becomes rather apparent that the metaphysics of 'mass' is related to any form of a very common expression: I'm trying to get hold of it.

Metaphysically, that's about mass. Any attribute denoted or described by an object with mass appears to be something we can develop 'habits' with (or about) - and thus we can change those habits. No one's saying such changes are easy, just that they're possible...with the real idea here being that Black Moon Lilith, in being an astrological symbol of zero mass is very hard to 'get hold of' or otherwise remain constantly and consistently aware of...which in one sense leads to a very consistent kind of perspective on the Black Moon as in the world of energetics it functions something like a ‘shadow effect’ in all of our lives, shifting through the zodiac raising this and daunting us with that, always originating from some area of thought or feeling, ethic, perception, value or awareness which we have ‘pushed away’ or abandoned outright.

As for the reference to Lilith, that would be something which ‘embodies’ something we have - individually or as a culture (or race, perhaps) turned our back on, rejected, or denied in manner which may or may not be obvious to us...or others.

Just to make this all a little more interesting, there are also two forms of Lilith: the calculated point (Black Moon Lilith) and a main belt asteroid (Lilith). And yes, there's a post on that too, if you'd like to read the long form:

- link to -

The Two Liliths 

The effects of Black Moon Lilith are not always entirely noticeable in our busy moment-by-moment days, but we do feel them. They're there even if they're that itch you can't quite scratch, that certainty you can’t quite define and that uncertainty which, try as you may, you can’t quite resolve...at least not to the degree of relaxed satisfaction.

As for why Black Moon Lilith seems worth taking time to think through in this moment, that would be because Black Moon Lilith moves into 22 Leo on September 17th (UT/+0)...and 22 Leo just happens to be the degree Jupiter (the desire to get ahead, achieve, expand one’s understanding/ability) will go station/direct in come this December.

Technically... (read: in the short run)... the Black Moon will only be in 22 Leo until early on September 26th (UT/+0). But it still seems worth our while to be on the ‘lookout’ for social and/or societal clues as to where you’re going to be (most of all with your Self) or be facing come mid-late December 2014 - and in this regard, the Black Moon is a metaphysical signpost we are all being given (even if what we do with it is our business).

To understand how this will function in your life, obviously the first place you need to look is at your personal chart, complete with sign, degree, aspects and all the usual contemplation. Then, where does 22 Leo fall in your natal chart?

As for 22 Leo as a degree, it’s a sensitive one - which you may read as ‘emotionally sensitive’ or ‘psychically sensitive’ or any other kind of sensitive as seems applicable, given the rest of your nature (and chart). There is a need to be of use and help in the world, plus a need to learn how to value and be valued properly - which is to say, not too much and not too little. This degree carries with it a quality of anxiety which is often made worse by attempts to ‘cope’ with the problem rather than deal with the reaction to it (the anxiety) which in the long run is really the problem - and as I say that (typing to you as I look up the Sabian Symbol)... well evidently that anxiety could be deserved - at least at some level.

Sabian 23 Leo (Zodiacal 22 Leo):

In a circus, the bareback rider displays her dangerous skill.

Keynote:

 The audacity and perseverance required to control and play with the powerful energies of the vital realm in human existence.

Astrologer Marc Edmund Jones wrote of this degree as one which in being both vital and creative is the driving engine behind spectacular human feats. In commenting on this degree Astrologer Dane Rudhyar typifies it as that which turns ego into imagination and inventiveness, providing us with the insight as to our own potential for dramatic native virtuosity.

And yet this showmanship cannot be ego-aware. The moment it turns into a means to receive those accolades or those longed for rewards and/or advantages, that’s when the shadow of the Black Moon becomes the gaping vulnerability which though perhaps not apparent to others, nonetheless swallows us unimpeded.

Nor is the Black Moon going to be lighting its 22 Leo September-to-December ‘shadow torch’ on its own.

As the Black Moon begins activating needs imbedded beyond conscious perception on September 17th, so too will Europa (getting carried away) and Hestia (structural protection/protection of life structures) move on station to turn retrograde as of September 19th. And since both of these influences originate in Taurus and any turn to retrograde means the symbolic energy is turned ‘inward,’ the whole of this September 17 through 21 station will like as not test our ability to balance control against lack of productive participation, maintaining (or supporting) our personal sense of [Taurus] ‘having things secured’ as part of the process. Mind you, with Hestia (a guardian figure of home, hearth, family and state) in this mix there may be something we need to ‘guard against’ or take proper care of here, whether that thing would be doing our homework, nursing a drippy cold or remaining aware of some job effort, social obligation or merely our erratic temper.

There’s also the idea that the degree Europa is going retrograde in (19 Taurus) is one which tends to get bogged down or which ‘chases around in circles,’ which may well lead to much action and many words while also acting as a ‘symptom’ of the underlying (subconscious, rejected, misunderstood) Black Moon matters. Plus with Hestia on station and conjunct Europa in a degree (14 Taurus) known for beating a full retreat as well as doing much (too much) out of an abundance of instinctive (perhaps spiritual) beliefs there are likely to be more than a few ‘turnabouts’ during this time.

In point of fact, the whole of this week seems to be one long series of patchwork overlays. Europa and Hestia going retrograde on the 17th is not only its own event but also serves to mark a beginning the Cubewano (and possible dwarf planet candidate) station-retrograde moment for TNO Chaos.

Unlike Neptune-influenced Plutinos like Pluto, Ixion and Huya which test our ability to keep our dreams either separate or strongly rooted in fact, Chaos is a [Cubewano] symbol of something which exists apart from all other influences.

And what is that ‘something’? That something is all about possibility. Endless possibilities. Originally a symbol of that sort of fertility which promises there are more ideas yet to be had, and that the Sun will yet come up again tomorrow, the energy of Chaos is generally the proverbial ‘light bulb moment’ which starts some inspirational process. And here? Well, in going direct at 19 Gemini, Chaos presents us with a variety of [Gemini] choices - none of which are likely to utterly delight us... at least not in the short run. The Sabian symbol for this degree (‘A modern cafeteria displays an abundance of food, products of various regions’) being plainly multi-regional, multi-cultural or even international, the image being presented is about nourishment (food) of various kinds, some of which is foreign to us - an idea which fits very well with the endless source which is TNO Chaos.

And then we add in asteroid Apollo, which in overlapping Chaos’ station goes direct at 1 Leo a day after Chaos goes retrograde (on the 22nd, to be exact). Representing truth (the light of truth) and general enlightenment of every informative and curative kind, asteroid Apollo’s station at 1 Leo shines a light on vulnerabilities not as a negative but as something which gives us a chance to relate to others - and maybe more importantly, relate to our Self.

Our oh-so mortal Self.

For reasons mentioned before (read: because of a newly installed back injury) I will mention all this then let you think it all through...pausing only for one moment more to point out how all of this is happening during the run-up to Pluto going station-direct on September 23rd in tandem with the Sun moving into Libra, a fact which gives everything about this Black Moon-Europa-Hestia-Chaos-Apollo sequence something of a hint of ‘cosmic prelude’ preceding the bringing of all into [Libra] balance for good, for bad, for all it can possibly be worth.

So yes, everything about such moments are valid in the moment that they become: individual global transits will evidence their effects in and across all our days in all their symbolic if sometimes subtle manifestation.

And while all that is happening, time and our Black Moon Lilith timings will also be weaving all of this and more together seamlessly, bringing us to a place where no matter who has denied what we are ready to face another round of Plutonic transformations and the chance (or risk) of being transformed as we pursue our relationship to life and our place among others on this planet we call our world.
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Mars in Sagittarius (and other Transits)

'Medea' by Andrea Schiavone

(16th century, Musee de Louvre, Paris)

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The essential difference between Mars in Scorpio (which is ending as of Saturday, September 13th at 9:58 in the evening, UT/+0 time) and Mars in Sagittarius (which picks up from there) can be summed up in the style with which one concept drives us and becomes manifest in everything around us in all of life.

That word which manifests in various styles is intensity. Mars in Sagittarius is in not many but every way just as intense as Mars in Scorpio EXCEPT for the fact that Mars in Sagittarius has no boundaries and lends life a feeling of being unconfined where Mars in Scorpio is all about feeling confined...or having our feelings confined, trimmed, altered, confronted, persuaded - or any other way you’d like to see or feel it.

Or even not see or not feel it (take your pick - it all tends to come out in the human and mortal wash).

In any case, during the six weeks or so that Mars will be transiting Sagittarius we can expect things to be a.) varied, and... b.) not altogether predictable. This fact will be (or become...or be becoming) increasingly clear as it happens, about the time (just preceding by a couple of hours, if truth be known) this post hits the digital webwaves.

And that’s apt too, not that I don’t know that anyone who is an astrological clock-watcher is already mumbling about how I’m late, I’m late like I’m some sort of metaphysical Mad Hatter.

Come to think of it...

From Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland,' the Mad Hatter having his say
at the famous tea party (original drawing by John Tenniel, 1820-1914)

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Yes, that might work.

Getting back to the subject, Mars in Sagittarius all by its moon-less, rocky little self is known for its power of dissemination - as well as the response to disseminations made (here, probably under Mars in Scorpio) which have ‘violated’ some method, means, moral code or manner of teaching which humans as a flesh-and-blood ‘human group’ have decided upon.

And yes, this is as opposed to the society or corporate level of life, both of which are astrologically (or metaphysically, if you prefer) rooted in the impersonal/‘entity’ zodiacal 4th [Capricorn-Aquarius-Pisces] quadrant as opposed to the Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius realm, a realm which is far more interactive and personal-feeling.

Mars in Sagittarius can manifest as speculative thought or speculative fiction. It’s a time when we are likely to hear a lot about errors and flaws with more theories and theorization than anyone really wants to hear about, but which we are all likely to (in our own individual and inimitable way) take part in, nonetheless. Mars in Sagittarius can manifest as the gloss on our wit as easily as the slime which coats every word rolling off too many shamelessly forked (and drooling) tongues. Mars in Sagittarius is known for great strides and great stridency, great fervor and great fervency whether said furor is deserved or merely a venting of frustration, heat, desire or despair.

And all of this is still without Medea.

Remember Medea - the sorceress who fell under an enchantment so powerful that it ended up destroying Medea herself and everything she claimed to love and cherish?

Medea (about to murder her own children) by Ferdinand Victor Delacroix (1862)

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Ah yes... a charming sort, that Medea. And for us of an astrological bent the main belt asteroid which goes by this name represents a potent sort of energetic-as-potion which we will probably do well to use sparingly.

And probably also ever so importantly...knowingly, as the astrological Medea represents fixations, our ability (or inclination) to become fixated or over-focused on something, someone or some situation or situational dynamic. Medea manifests as attachments and bond to things or people or ideas or convictions, longings or beliefs which are so strong and somehow so threatening as to drive us - internally - to personal distraction.

And thereafter to personal destruction.

At the core of Medea’s workings seems to be some thought...something which makes us think that unless “this” (whatever you are focused on) is fixed or gained or eliminated or whatever else (with every one of those terms being relative)... that unless we accomplish that, all (whatever ‘all’ is) will come to naught.

Is that true? Maybe. It could be true, but may not be true as Medea represents where we tend to get ‘spun’ on an internal basis which here, in being presented in Capricorn would refer to real structures and tangible issues, consequences, necessities, aims and ‘governance,’ whether that refers to our ability or willingness to ‘govern’ ourselves...to some governmental, ‘governing’ or national interest, act, regulation or penalty...or to our efforts to ‘govern’ circumstances so that we can create or achieve some aim or structured/structural result.

There are several challenges which come up with Medea, the first of which is (as mentioned) ultimately what most of us would stumble over if stumbling is to be/become our current lot: the obsessiveness or over-focus Medea tends to indicate. Does this mean ‘length’ of time - meaning, are we being short-sighted, and is that what Mars in Sagittarius is going to try, test and challenge us through? Is this Medea’s narrowing of focus the indicator of an incomplete picture of some type which Mars in Sagittarius will reveal in due course, giving us reason to hone efforts and tweak plans as time goes along?

Plus when we add in what we would anticipate to be 22 Capricorn (the degree Medea is going direct in) qualities, all of this could simply become our situation. In other words, we may be going about doing and being and having our happy and/or difficult life. And because we are so (overly) involved in our own ‘stuff,’ that causes us to be put into some other situation (temporary or otherwise) which on our side or that of others produces equally highly convinced Medea-like fixations (shades of cause/effect...).

And that (in the end) is what brings on the downfall or defeat - if we don’t break away from our personal mental Medea.

As with all stations, Medea should get (or should have gotten...yes, I am late in posting - it’s because my back injury and I are not getting along)...Medea should get a two-days before, two-days after ‘station allowance’ (and of late I’ve begun thinking even asteroids may deserve three-plus-three day station allowances instead of two). So that means that Medea’s station would have begun on Wednesday (September 10th), a date which was already being colored by two other asteroids, namely House and Sappho, as indicated in a chart initially posted in the Venus in Virgo post (two posts ago, in other words).

House represents qualities of ‘feeling at home,’ and in having gone direct on Thursday the 11th at 18 Capricorn (a degree known for bad actors, wholesale lying or deceit and other unlovable human habits) this indicates a need to ‘direct’ ourselves to however or wherever this energy is surfacing (whether within or externally) with a mind to holding ourselves to that level of discipline or control-of-Self which will allow one to earn respect (that most stable of Capricorn currencies) and thus minimize damage to something we may well need in the months, weeks or even the years which lie ahead.

As for Sappho, like all main belt asteroids (such as Medea and House) Sappho represents something we ‘encounter’ as we pursue our aims and efforts - something which curiously evokes a whiff of universality, more than a few notes reminiscent of poignant, natural artistry...and yet something of a raw, discordant edge.

Unlike House and Medea, Sappho is going direct in Aquarius - a sign all about universality and individualism, which argues for relatively straightforward considerations of broad-scale, long term matters at hand - which considering how the specific degree of Aquarius involved here is 5 Aquarius suggests some misunderstandings and some people just leading others astray through their conviction that they know best. This degree is known for accusations, hasty judgments and a fondness for rabble rousing and shock effects.

And the challenge with regards to Sappho is twofold. For one, House went direct (on Thursday the 11th), overlapping Sappho’s station, which isn’t exactly a recipe for peace and quiet, regardless of what does or doesn’t happen. But more to the point, Sappho will be going station/direct only about 24 hours prior to Mars entering Sagittarius - which means Mars is at 29 Scorpio from the 12th into the 13th (before moving into Sagittarius late on the 13th) as Sappho goes direct.

The good news is that we’ve cleared some form of substantial hurdle with ourselves over the past seven weeks of Mars in Scorpio. To the extent that we have purged ourselves of ills we will move ahead, though there are no guarantees that we won’t trip over a pothole or otherwise get challenged during these weeks ahead.

And to the extent that we haven’t, there’s still a Scorpio solar eclipse less than a month and a half away. Between now and then, those who haven’t yet owned up to their own ills will find circumstances knocking on their denial-lined defenses - often as others watch in dismay.

But that’s also part of Mars in Sagittarius, as this is a combination which is all about learning who we are and who we aren't...and maybe that last part most of all.
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