Mercury enters Taurus

In keeping with the Sabian Symbol for 0 Taurus, "A CLEAR MOUNTAIN STREAM"

(phase 31), a photo of a tumbling Alpine stream in Mollis, Switzerland.

(photo credit Glarnerwolf, October 2014)

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For all those whose brain circuitry is feeling all jumpy or overloaded even with Venus now in Gemini, calming influences are theoretically on the way in the form of Mercury entering Taurus at 22:53 (10:53 p.m.) UT/+0 time on Tuesday, April 14th.

And yes, this may mean you go directly from jumpy to all stodgy or stuck-on-a-stick-(ish), but at least with Mercury’s entrance into Taurus many a thing (human and otherwise) which has come to have a ‘mind of its own’ to the extent that the possible good is being offset by too much consciousness of Self ...or, particularly in the case of inanimate or insentient situations or objects, where there simply isn’t enough ‘integration’ to keep continuation of whatever is going on from creating problems for others/other parts of some ‘food chain.' (Which, in some cases could refer to actual - Taurus - food and/or issues connected to food, eating and the entire spectrum of 'nourishment' as a concept or practice.)

Being our solar systemic indicator of mentality and mental pacing, tone and potential, Mercury’s entering Taurus will reflect in something of a shift in thinking habits. Gone will be the drive and edge so common under Mercury in Aries - and gone too will be the tendency to think primarily (if not only) in terms of our Self, a habit which can be plenty disruptive under Mercury in Aries even if it also is a sign of standing up for one’s self or taking some stand.

Moreover, we’re not all that ‘done’ with learning a few new things. The first three signs of the zodiac (Aries, Taurus, Gemini) are all about learning who we are - and a lot of that learning gets done through other people (i.e., through influences described by the three signs in oppositional polarity to those first three signs).

In Taurus, Mercury seeks ways for things to be secure and secured. Optimally, this combination of sign and planetary symbol speaks to our confidence, our ability to cope when challenged by anything.

But therein lies the rub, if you get my drift. The oppositional sign to Taurus being Scorpio, all things Taurean become or tend to be tested by episodes of push-pull or through ‘discussions’ which we either have with our Self about that Self (and what they are or aren’t doing) ... or ‘discussions’ with-or-about others, with all of this basically being about what ‘worth’ means, and what in life really deserves our time, effort, loyalty, resources, sacrifices or anything other part of our life.

In short, why should we care? Or ... should we care?

Under Taurus we may feel guilty for being selfish or unequal to a looming challenge. We may take to thinking of ourselves as having done all we need to do, or we may recognize that we could do something if we would just prepare ourselves for the task (and eventual triumph!) through committing to some sort of Self-development.

And given the nature of Mercury, variations on these themes are what we are going to think about, talk about and experience from April 14th until Mercury moves on into Gemini come May 1st.

During that transit, Mercury will go retrograde. The dates are from May 19th through June 11th, and that Mercury is going to go retrograde under Gemini means that apart from things which are happening at that time (and which are totally unique to the moment) ... that makes Mercury’s transit of Taurus a period when what we are doing may well in some way end up connecting or contributing to whatever we are focused on (or possibly hung up by) during Mercury’s retrograde period.

Does that mean we will be so focused ...or so determined to finish something (come what may) that we end up making some miscalculation or omission which ends up forcing us to double back as is so common under Mercury retrograde? Might it mean we’re trying to hit/adhere to some deadline because once Mercury enters Gemini (or goes retrograde) we will have missed some known opportunity?

There’s another way to see the whole of this Mercury in Aries, Taurus and Gemini process which also may well apply here, particularly if you’re looking longer term (months or years, as opposed to days or weeks). Considering all else (the recent eclipses and such) and being how all three cited signs are zodiacal first quadrant signs (pertaining to learning about our Self, our abilities or things we need to know in order to effectively live our life), everything we do from now until Mercury enters Cancer (and the zodiac’s 2nd quadrant) is on some level part of an overarching ‘project’ - the inborn ‘project’ we have to tackle simply because we are what and who we are as living beings on this planet in this time.

It sounds so serious. And survival is serious - hence Taurus’ relationship to security and all the ‘necessaries’ which allow us to proceed along our way through life, the most popular of which seem to be personal security (physical and emotional), food, shelter and money ... the basic stuff of life.

If this is you, if you are in the middle of a personal learning ‘project’ (or if you’re needing to tackle one), Mercury being anywhere in the first quadrant supports your investigations - and at the moment, though there is some fixed sign tendency with Mercury to stick on some point just because admitting you’ve been wrong triggers an inner/instinctive sense of vulnerability connected to “not knowing” how to take care of your Self, those who can get past the sticking to the digging into the process of doing, doing better or learning how or why your efforts aren’t effective ... they will all stand to learn a lot and even make themselves feel a whole lot better (about something) through the process of making that effort.

Mercury in Taurus (glyph chart)

April 14, 2015 - 22:53 (10:53 p.m.) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Mercury in Taurus (text chart)

April 14, 2015 - 22:53 (10:53 p.m.) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Of course for some this is a particularly prickly emotional time. That is to be expected in the wake of an eclipse which hit fixed star Scheat - which among other things stands for our ability to wall things out, and our willingness to project the responsibility for feelings and reactions onto others without realizing that if its your reaction its your problem.

And how where and when left unattended, how such denied (Piscean) feelings, no matter how we dress them up or what we call them, are in the long run damaging to everyone, including us and including those many others we would like to think we are ‘sparing’ the sort of grief we are hoping we can avoid through sheer denial.

It’s pretty futile, but people do this sort of thing anyway. We humans are always trying to tell ourselves that if we don’t (Mercury) acknowledge or think about it we won’t have to confront our (Pisces) feelings on the subject and risk facing our own (Taurus) sense of insecurity - that being our true ‘the enemy within.’

Our sense of security - in the end - has nothing to do with anyone else. It’s only and always about us. They’re our emotions, and therefore ours to feel and ours to own and take responsibility for. Furthermore, history and reality teaches us exactly the opposite of that fervent wish occurs when we (Pisces/Scheat) avoid truths as energy is never lost.

So all that energy that we don’t want to deal with - whether for reasons of eclipse denial which we’re now struggling with or because we just don’t WANT to (that stubborn fixed sign thing) ... it has to go somewhere, this being a real challenge posed by the fixed sign energetic. Fixed signs energies are easily applied to resistance or stonewalling - and that’s something we all should think about (and work through) while tackling those challenges which tend to arise when the Sun is in a fixed sign - which it will be once the Sun enters Taurus on April 20th.

We also encounter such energies when we deal with people born under fixed signs, too. (Know anyone who seems born to resist changes to the status quo?)

Fixing things in place (or affixing them in place) is a typical fixed sign tactic ... and also the primary challenge placed before any of the zodiac’s fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius). But just as cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) need to learn to look before they leap ... and just as mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) need to learn that never making up one’s mind or committing to a particular choice goes nowhere, fixed signs need to learn that to work at controlling things is not the object.

Learning to control our most immature and insecure Self ... that’s what frees us to think, plan and choose effectively, which apart from all else would be something we may well need to do (or consider) as a factor as Pluto (you remember Pluto, right? Dwarf planet? Obsessive reputation?)... as Pluto heads into its station and turns to retrograde at the end of this coming week (on the 17th), closing out the first of thirty-six months of Pisces/Scheat solar eclipse doings.

But first we have to get past whatever our personal issues with personal security really are - which generally has a whole lot to do with where we come from in life and things we experienced early on, all of which would be perfect to spend at least a bit of time musing through during these next few weeks.

NGC 7320 in constellation Pegasus, the constellation which

fixed star Scheat is part of.

(photo credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble-SM4-ERO Team, July 2009)

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Being that Mercury is coming into Taurus in a trine to Pallas at 0 Capricorn (Pallas entered Capricorn last week) we know there are issues (or yes, perhaps people) which matter ("structural," some would call them) and which (this being the 0 Capricorn part) we not only get much from thinking about, but which we 'connected to' and recognize that connecting on a level which is hard to define if vital to where we currently are in our belief in our Self ... and which we know we need to do more about ... or maybe with.

Pallas being an energetic which creates moments and views (or a 'vision') only attainable through cool-minded perspectives, this is likely to be an important - or at least lingering note being struck, if for no other reason than Pallas' impending turn to retrograde (as if you wanted to hear about another station?) at 0 Capricorn come April 19th.

Right now we are getting a perspective of life as offered by life and life circumstances. Once Pallas goes retrograde, perspective will turn on us - we'll see why we are or aren't what we thought or think we are.

But that's then, and this is now. And since Mercury’s transits through Taurus have long been spoken of as a time to develop or show what we’re capable of - most of all to our Self so that we can be confident and productive, not to mention secure in being our Self enough that we are even able to be there for, and interact with others - this is a useful time to think through all such possibilities as we work through our days and life's challenges. Given that we seldom attribute major life events to any of the so-called 'personal planets' (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) when they're in transit, as with Venus' shift into Gemini a couple of days ago (see previous post) Mercury moving from one sign to another describes background perspectives and modes, just as Venus' placement by sign describes some of the general 'mood' we experience while pursuing our day-in, day-out daily doings.

And so we're clear here, all of this differs entirely (like, totally) from when our personal and natal Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus or Mars GETS transited by objects from Jupiter on outward into the cosmos.

Those periods (which when we talk about objects like Neptune can take a couple of years) ARE a big deal.

But as for now ...? Qualities we'd associate with Mercury and Taurus - the exploring of how to make what we have go farther and what's worth expending time, energy, attention or priorities on - with this combination of planet and sign, we expect to hear debates and conversations of many kinds, some of which we end up holding with ourselves (in our mind or otherwise) and some of which we experience as an interaction with others, all of it at base - no matter the surface text - being about the worth of things and how values and whether we care or don't care about this, that or them - whether any of it merits your time and loving attention.

And if so, which thing(s) matter - and why?

And all of this makes perfect sense if, when and where we think of Taurus as the sign before Gemini, Gemini being the zodiacal district of information gathering, choice and planning.

After all, before we choose, shouldn’t we get clear - at least to our own secure satisfaction - as to what matters so that based on that we will have the choice to choose intelligently or well?

One would think yes.
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Uranus Direct, a Capricorn Solstice and the 0 Capricorn New Moon

A mosaic made from multiple copies of 'Optimal Motion' by Henrique Matos

(oil on canvas, housed in a private collection, no date given)

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The days prior to Uranus going direct are always a bit... quirky.... unusual... in a way which is singularly vital yet unpredictable. Uranian times call upon our adaptability and flexibility - generally when we least expect it, which would also be very Uranian.

In our current cosmic case of situation, Planet Uranus is going direct on December 21st at 22:46 (10:46 p.m.) UT/+0 time. And considering how that time is negligibly (certainly in celestial terms) prior to the Sun entering Capricorn at 23:04 (11:04 p.m.) on that very same day, for all intents and purposes these two events are generally unified.

So what might that mean in a metaphysical sense? Considering how the Sun’s Capricorn ingress is astrologically our moving into a zodiacal mode which focuses most of all on the world, our identity in that world and efforts being made to mold, change or re/create the terms and rewards for that standing, it seems a tiny bit odd that human society has apparently managed to schedule it’s largest annual slew of everybody-gets-a-holiday events throughout the first half of Capricorn - though that does of course reflect how our current calendar year was organized, and just who did the organizing.

In other words, we all tend to favor our own priorities. It’s natural. Not necessarily right for everyone, but yes - entirely human.

As for this next little period ahead, there are actually not two but three different astrological events happening in quick succession: Uranus goes direct at 10:46 p.m., the Sun enters Capricorn at 11:04 p.m. - and just about two-and-a-half hours later (which would now be December 22nd), we get a 0 Capricorn New Moon at 1:37 in the morning.

Taking these items one by one (at least to begin with) Uranus going station-direct is always a sign that the changes we have been undergoing on a personal, internal, intimate or psychological level will now be ‘turning outward,’ meaning two things. One: we will ‘bring out’ of our selves (or reveal) that which has changed about us over these past few months. And two: we will adapt and proceed with some sort of renewed focus (positive or negative) going forward, dealing with unpredicted external circumstances as we go.

So far, so good ... not exotically complicated. Even the idea that Uranian station periods (which here would minimally cover December 19th through the 23rd) ask us to be flexible about things isn’t hard to understand or deal with, though Uranus stations do on occasion manifest as ‘outbursts’ and ‘venting’ of various kinds - be that an explosion, that jolting cheer which produces utter shock when you walk through the door into a surprise party (hopefully for you) or some very lucky break which takes the pressure off of some system which would otherwise have ‘blown’... or someone who simply ‘blows you off’ in some unexpected, even erratic manner.

As for the degree of this station - 12 Aries - that has a very home/homey quality coupled to a rebellious, stand-alone quotient with any one of us preferring ‘the known.’ Wherever we see 12 Aries we tend to see people prioritizing those they think of as ‘their own,’ be that their family, a profession or professional organization or anything else, be it  members of your own culture, fellow citizens of a nation or those who believe any given religion. Given this, and given Uranus’ tendency to bring out that which is unique whether that uniqueness is good or bad this is a station which will bring out that which is wonderful and special, that which is quirky as well as that which is entirely dislikable or even despicable.

It’s just not predictable - and that’s the Uranian point. Uranus teaches us awareness through disrupting our status quo, through events which embody the old saying ‘the only thing which is a constant is change.’

This is an energetic about adaptation and about not getting into a rut. In fact, the more dedicated to some rut we tend to be, the more problematic Uranian periods become - which is probably why the person who introduced me to astrology (long, long ago) defined Uranus thusly: Uranus is everything which guarantees that if you live in a rut you will occasionally be forced (or inspired) to redecorate that rut.

In other words, even that which lasts a long time changes its methods... or its packaging from time to time.

As for Uranus in this 12 Aries mix, it pays to remember that Uranian energy can break some current momentum or emphasis and turn us towards whatever its position (in this case, 12 Aries) describes ... and then again, Uranus can break us out of whatever situation degree lore would describe.

Plus since this is Uranus, nothing about the actual dynamic (the energy which does the ‘changing’ of things) is predictable - hence why Uranus is equally associated with surprises and shocks.

Speaking of shocks, Uranus is often also associated with any and all things electrical from static electricity and light bulbs up to and including power grids, lightning storms, electro-magnetism and the internet ... inclusive of piracy and everything else which can be transmitted or done through internet or other electronic means. Uranus is associated with the formulation as well as the disruption of groups, income streams and associations, be they that seen in an alliance, partnership, marriage, government or corporations or situations like that Sony Pictures. The entire Sony fracas, from the hacks to the thefts to the spilling of information and everything else - all of that, especially in its broad-scale nature where everything ‘explodes’ from a single nexus - is typically Uranus, just as all the back and forth and need to ‘manage’ the problems caused by the Uranian hack is very much Juno, with Juno having just gone retrograde at 17 Leo earlier this week, its forward to retrograde motion in this (Sony) case at least the indicating a shift from a real world, real time actual ‘what’s happening, what’s happened, and is it still going on?’ phase into a more internal and internally reflective ‘what am I going to do about what has happened’ Juno retrograde mode with the intersection of same (what is management doing to manage this?) occurring during Juno’s station complete with legal communiqués going out as Juno went retrograde trying to ‘retrograde’ (read: mitigate) damage already done.

But even though they did that - and this is a classic lesson in astrological asteroid-versus-planet thinking, though the legal demands were made, as Juno’s station ended the story ... and the damage, disturbance and disruption ... remained (and remains) unsolved, continuing to ‘vibrate’ as it creates not just the kind of prickly insecurity Uranus - a planet whose symbolism always has something to do with something beyond our control - is uncomfortably famous for, but also the need for ‘updating,’ focus and modernization (adaptation to what the world is at this point) which Aquarius is all about ... and which Uranus and Uranian events tend to enforce.

A summer Solstice Sunrise over Stonehenge (photo credit: Andrew Dunn, June 2005)

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This even applies to an even more basic point: as more and more of our lives and our businesses (personal, national and international) become electronic, the more everyone should pay more attention to Uranus cycles ... And considering how we are now in the Aquarian Age (albeit still in the clarifying period of its increased dawning) ... Uranus is bound to be astrologically more important, seeing as it’s now the ‘outcome’ ruler of the Age.

And of course the other ruler (the baseline and foundational ruler) of Aquarius is Saturn - so all the issues of responsibility and rules and the debating going on about who has violated whose right to what is also very emblematic of so much which is goes on, far and wide ... and in our own lives.

All of this means that whenever we see Uranus ‘doing anything’ (astrologically, that is - let’s hope the actual planet doesn’t do anything odd) we should think Aquarian and think societal and think electronic, systemic and in terms of ‘whole’s versus factions and the energies of resistance against those for unification. Amidst this, stations and pattern junctions (such as Saturn moving into its 2015 shadow as Jupiter goes on station) are moments when things ‘take a turn’ and thus when sometimes things unseen come to light. So with Uranus now going direct, in particular because Uranus and Saturn energetics are linked in things societal, corporate, marketplace, income-oriented, mass market, systemic, universal and Aquarian ... we are going to see a continuance of odd - and sometimes tragic events.

It’s a balance, the good with the awful. But even more importantly, with the astrological subject being Uranus, it is that which we refuse to see which is at the crux of our problems collective and individual.

With Uranus in Aries, especially now with Uranus conjunct the lunar South Node, which at 16 Aries says it’s easy (and likely) that most of not many of us are neglecting our part in things (or in the cause of things) or some other internal and personal attribute which we don’t want to, or simply haven’t thought through. With Mars (ruler of Aries) sitting at 12 Aquarius as Uranus goes direct there’s an indication of friction and fractious-ness which is born of some inability to reconcile some idea with some action - be that wholly on our part or in terms of what someone else has already done.

Some will sit around and puzzle through their quandaries. Some will simply be distracted now. Others will act, motivated by what they think of as some shift or change which is their ‘opportunity.'

Then again, there are some who will simply cut and run. That grand trine in fire we have been talking about throughout the month is still with us...

...and in parallel with that ‘still with us’ comment is representing a continuing if somewhat painful ‘enlightenment’ (Eris) process which with the Jupiter (learning) process now pointing to what we have to learn - all of us (no exceptions) - is itself a highly Aquarian (and therefore Uranian) process.
We matter. But so do ‘they,’ ‘them,’ and ‘that’ (whoever or whatever ‘they, them or that’ are in your world). And we know that - plainly we all have some vision in our heads or souls as to what could or should be, and Ixion-Ras Alhague-Echo speaks to the conversations on that ... specifically conversations and ‘Echo’ed conversations meant to either (Ras Alhague) hurt or heal, depending on who we are and what we’re talking about, with Ixion providing us all with just that certain twang of gut-niggling as we wonder whether we’re fixing things, or screwing them up (again).

Eventually we will break out egocentric patterns. Uranus is part of that process. But it may not be now ... (read: the grand trine we keep discussing in its many and varied forms doesn’t dissolve until just before New Years) ... and we may not be ready to deal with the Self we would be if everything was open for above-the-table examination.

We will get there in time - even if that above-board examination we make is with our Self about our Self and how we have or haven’t been (Juno) doing things, (Saturn) earning the right responses and/or (Jupiter) thinking them through from all the perspectives we need to be considering.

But yes, it is a process - part of which involves this Uranus/Solstice connective.

As for the Solstice side of things, being that the Sun is changing signs mere minutes after Uranus goes direct there’s virtually no difference in the chart or aspects being cast within that horoscope. But the idea of solstice does add something of an ‘at extremes’ note to Uranus’ station seeing as that’s what the Solstice is - an ‘extreme’ of perspective on Earth (or earth-bound, mortal matters) as we ‘view’ them from our mind - you know, the Sun.

(About now, those of you who read my fiction work are beginning to go ‘oooooohhhhhh....’ and yes, life is about what’s in our Mind.)

But fictional and epic fantasies about getting to know your own Mind aside, Solstices are another form of ‘change of direction’ in that whether they’re the Solstice which in your hemisphere marks the shortest night and longest day, or that which marks the longest night and shortest day, we humans have, as a race learned to have faith that things will change once we move past this point in time. 

A 'yearly' diagram of the Earth's orbital tilt

(diagram credit: Tau'olunga)

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In the case of the Capricorn Solstice, this is the zodiac’s shift from the six signs which lie to the right of the “natural zodiac wheel” (Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius) to the six signs on the left: Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini - which is both a shift from a more collective interactive style to one which is ‘me ... world’ and on which asks that we think of things more in terms of who we are, what we stand for and what we are seen as, who we can be on our own and how the uniqueness which is that can be brought to bear on opportunities and problems...and what it takes to be the individual individual (yes, it’s back to that Aquarian collective/individual theme) and learning how to do (or choose to do) just that.

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So there is a note of ‘getting past’ some point or perspective involved here, though how that manifests is going to be highly individual - and because a Solstice is a truly ‘global’ function, in combination with Uranus going direct we should expect a lot of changes ... some of which we will initiate, some of which will be initiated for us (by circumstance, by realization, by any of a number of means) ... and any (or all) of which may come together as a change of our own (Sun) conception of who we are.

Or who we can be when all the shells are broken away from any ‘fixed’ identity we may have held on whatever level ... and why any of that matters at any ... if not every level. Gone will be the temptation to wile our whiles away on some notion we want to dither or tinker with: Capricorn is earth, Capricorn is pragmatism, Capricorn is all about consequences and results, the paying of the piper as well as the being crowned with accolades which goes with so many layers and doings and considerations within the intricate inter-weavings of our lives.

And thus with our individual consciousness set to ‘realistic’ as our world goes all earthy and bottom line we meet December’s 0 Capricorn New Moon.

The 0 Capricorn New Moon (text chart)

December 22, 2014 - 1:35:49 a.m. (UT+0) - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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The 0 Capricorn New Moon (glyph chart)

December 22, 2014 - 1:35:49 a.m. (UT+0) - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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The image for 0 Capricorn given by the Sabian symbols is ‘An Indian Chief claims power from the assembled tribe,’ which astrologer Marc Edmund Jones referred to as ‘the power and responsibility implied in any claim for leadership’ and which astro-philosopher Dane Rudhyar elaborates on by pointing out that the word ‘chief’ comes from the Latin ‘caput’ for “head,” and that from this flows a situational fate which we must all face in some way in our own lives - the taking on of responsibility over (or for) others, and how that is both a conversation within the Self as we govern our own use of whatever power is accorded us as well as an ‘ultimate’ form of test as to how we view our friends, our society, our world.

Which yes, does sound Aquarian, except for the fact that it is what we do and who we are under the auspices of Capricorn (and thus the lunar month delineated by the Capricorn New Moon) complete with our ability to regard our friends, our society and our world which is the ‘cause’ which creates the Aquarian ‘effect’ ... and since both signs are ruled by Saturn (Capricorn wholly, Aquarius as a foundational imperative) ... that means that what we feel we need to do or which our feelings drive us to do over the next ’ for power will contribute to what happens after that.

You know, when the Sun (life) moves on into Aquarius.

As for the horoscope for this New Moon, it too has an image of ‘standing apart’ as the Sun and Moon conjunction doesn’t aspect any of the other planets in the Ptolemaic sense (i.e., using standard aspects only).

And that rather suggests that the feelings which come upon us around the time of this month’s New Moon will be mostly those associated with the degree itself, which lore tells us will be centered in our most inner concept of who we are. Therefore, what with this being a Capricorn degree with Capricorn being all about the determination to ‘get it done,’ whatever ‘it’ may be, whether we are or aren’t supported, whether others do or don’t agree with us, many if not most of us are likely to remain structured by an inner notion which (at least at the moment) is colored by Capricorn’s ruler - Saturn - being at 29 degrees of Scorpio, a degree which ‘compiles’ and which tends to hold onto things until the very last moment - which may account for some of which we’re all going through right now as 29 Scorpio is also where (at the moment) we find fixed star Toliman.

Known alternately as ‘Bungula’ (which sounds a bit like a board game gone awry), Toliman is typified by Ebertin as having a ‘Jupiter-Venus’ nature, though whether this represents a very (very) good thing in a chart or something which is sufficiently unmotivated as to be or become overburdened (or ‘confronted by fortune’) seems to be highly individual and much the function of what house this star falls in and the planets (etcetera) which aspect it. Along with that of course, there is the question of the degree Toliman is currently resident in, which in this case is 29 Scorpio, a degree known for its powers of observation, investigation, research and insight (and the like), all of which are employed in the furthering of some personally attractive focus.

Toliman has been in 29 Scorpio since 1962, a fact both educational for those interested in generational differences and donated to this effort as a way to think through why those born prior to this time (the earliest of the Pluto in Virgo tribe plus everyone else born prior) are reacting to things now as they are (in present time) and why, as we seem to be hearing and seeing around the globe, attitudes seem to differ among those born since that time.

(And in case you’re wondering, Toliman will change degrees again in the 2043: set your calendars.)

As for Saturn being in conjunction with Toliman, that rather depends on whether you have come (in)to this time being someone who has been holding back (or not) and specifically how that relates to your aims. This combination will tend to add a certain 'coolness' to certain interactions - which can be fine despite what we tend to think about Scorpio.

Well, actually exactly because of it. The whole Scorpio mythos works best when it's applied thoughtfully in order to evoke useful emotion, not when we're reacting to it  - unless of course, we're just stirring others up in order to avoid facing some truth (read: emotional or emotion-provoking truth) about our Self ... in which case, monkeying with others is merely a way to set ourselves up for an apt case of karma. 

Any Moon - new or otherwise - in Capricorn does carry with it a message of assertiveness and some degree of tendency to de-prioritize some of the traits the Moon is best known for: tenderness, kindness, compassion ... all those things. It’s not that they don’t matter, and it’s not that someone isn’t capable of quality emotionality - it’s a matter of priorities. Lunar qualities seem to be a ‘best fit’ when the metaphysics of such energies surface as feelings which reflect what is going on. And because Capricorn tends to be a sign which is both (a.) visible and (b.) of the tendency to be of an ‘do first and reflect later’ ilk, that can make for a few challenging moments -  and moments of being challenged, whether by others or some factor not yet taken into account.

And when it comes to the ‘unaccounted’ of this New Moon moment - which may account for where we are and may point to what we need to do either separately or as pieces of a process - at the moment (of this New Moon) two things would seem to stand out, as imaged by two New Moon t-squares:

Ordinarily t-squares are shown in red - I used yellow on the second

just to make them easier to see.

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The more ‘obvious’ of these two t-squares is the one in red which begins with the North Node in Libra and moves ‘through’ a ‘t’ (the challenge) which is composed of Venus-Pluto at 12 and 13 degrees of Capricorn ... with the ‘object’ of our effort being Uranus-South Node in Aries (read: getting to where things are easier for us to accomplish).

This sounds like a short term goal, and that shouldn’t surprise us, seeing that this is a lunation cycle we’re talking about. Uranus will go direct now and be direct for months and the Capricorn Solstice is one of only two solstices Earth experiences every year. Against this, lunar cycles are multiple and many, representing our daily lives and the steps we take (forward or backwards) in our effort to solve larger puzzles and reach larger goals. They’re important as they represent our being ‘present’ in our own lives and thus focused on our own opportunities.

But in the end, lunar cycles will always have a quality of transience, the ‘fleeting’ of moments amidst all else which is life.

This month we’re apparently transfixed on something (which is probably represented by fixed star Vega at 15 Capricorn and very much part of this t-square) which we hold dear. With Saturn (ruler of Capricorn) at 29 Scorpio, we both want the cooperation of others and fear what we will think of ourselves if we don’t get that and thus aren’t able to proceed upon some path or with some aim - good or bad - which we are (Pluto-Venus) passionately embraced by.

The lesson of any t-square is to understand how what is important to you is also important to everyone else - and that means everyone.

There are no ‘sides’ in t-squares, in other words. If it isn’t important to ‘them’ or isn’t consistent with the viability of all involved, the t-square quandary isn’t yet solved.

One other thing about t-squares: they join objects in signs of disparate type. In this first New Moon t-square we’re looking at air, earth and fire, but no water.

That’s another thing to understand: no water means no emotionalism or ‘feeling nature,’ which may seem antithetical to a lunar cycle, but is really only a descriptor which suggests that getting past or through the given question (this Nodal-Venus-Pluto-Uranus reference on our aims) doesn’t involve or shouldn’t involve a lot of emotionalism. And Pluto is involved here ... though we tend to react passionately where we see Pluto involved, that’s seldom a productive choice. (Read: very seldom.)

As for the other t-square, that one starts with Sedna (retrograde) in Taurus and which is challenged to  move ‘through’ or ‘past’ Jupiter (retrograde) at the ‘t’ in order to reach Pallas in Scorpio - the meeting of the dispassionate perspective and emotionality which seeks a feeling of competence, belonging and approval of and (importantly) from others, though not for its own sake, but so we feel at home and comfortable with and within our Self.

This is a t-square with no air in it. So we will either not think about something we should be thinking about (or thinking through) and that’s the problem ... or we’re supposed to go with the vision without a ton of over-thinking.

And which one is which ...? Well, that’s about you. If you encounter problems, you now have a crib sheet to get you through your day(s), even though part of the challenge of something like Uranus-South Node (which is going to be with us for a wee bit, by the by) is that while there may be great leaps of ability and great accomplishments, there can also be a little jumping too soon and snarling before you find out that what you’re protesting is actually something you like and probably want.

With that said, have a nice Uranus station and enjoy your Solstice - may they bring you good news and surround you with the best of all things: those you care about and who care about you.

Just don’t be surprised if something surprising happens. It could.

Then again, you never know ... you just may be the person who surprises themselves about now.
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Jupiter in Leo

Jupiter and moon Io photographed in thermal-infrared from the Paranal Observatory

(photo credit ESO, November 2000)

That Mercury is going to be exiting the shadow of its recent retrograde on the same date (July 16) that Jupiter enters Leo would seem to be nothing less than a billboard: new things are on the horizon.

Or are they? Are they really there - or are we being fooled by something we want so badly we’re willing, able and ready to test (read: risk) not just success but some measure of our inner confidence in Self? Are we willing to deal with 'feeling questions' pertaining to how well (or not well) we use - or have used - what we’ve learned up to this point?

Something is going to change here (or at least evolve from here) in reflection of Pluto reaching 11 Capricorn, a degree it will remain in until September 17th when Pluto dips back into 10 Capricorn for just over a week as it goes direct (on September 23rd) before returning to 11 Capricorn for the period of September 28th through November 25th.

Something is going to change. Representing the ability (particularly in verbal form) to reveal falsehoods and what one writer refers to as 'superstitious and misguided beliefs' on the part of one or many, the degree 11 Capricorn is associated with the sort of mathematical ability and "precision thinking" (technical or theoretical) which organizes quickly and which tends to be so driven (read: impatient) to achieve that little in the way of delay or alternative thinking tends to be tolerated.

And where it isn't tolerated, that may well lead to a  distortion in some relationship, creating some sort of distance between parties simply because sheer ability on one side now appears not as brilliance, but rather as arrogance, bullying or manipulation of some 'other.'

As Jupiter moves into Leo on that appointed morning at 10:31 a.m. (UT/+0), not everyone will feel the shift. But we are likely (more than likely) to see some more or less immediate manifestations of this combination of Leo imagination and creativity with Jupiter’s power of expansion.

In Leo, the question is what we will create, why we are motivated to do everything (and sometimes anything)... and whether we are able to balance Leo’s inner vision of ‘the possible’ with external real world factors. The positive side of Leo is known for brilliance of nature and a cheerful sort of drive which is curious about the new and willing to tackle tough tasks for the good of all, from which comes respect for one’s Leo efforts - whatever they may be and however they may be expressed even if that’s just keeping after yourself (creatively, of course) in the name of being a person others enjoy being around.

As for the negative side of Leo, though I’m sure any number of Leo people will respond with ‘there is no negative side of Leo’... after the chuckle comes the truth: while Leo is a sign which evidences much deftly quick humor, such humor is more likely than not a deflection.

All signs deflect - evading, to some degree, is simply part of human nature... which makes it what, and the degree to which we deflect the source of our those Factors Avoided which come back to haunt us.

In Leo (a fire sign) there is a marked tendency to get ‘married’ to that feeling, that image, that thing we imagine could be ‘so right’... and then to be shocked and disappointed when real life doesn’t match the ethereal beauty of our seamlessly perfect inner concept.

Is that fair? No...but we do it anyway. And when it comes to Part 2 of Leo (Leo Part 1 being the creative drive to create anything from world records to films, leisure time, children, art work, profits in the stock market or anything else you might think to create)... it’s how we respond to those realities which count.

Reality (as generally represented by Aquarius as the Leo polarity) is never the problem per se...even if when it comes to Leo there is a tendency to ranting and tantrums while adapting to the inevitable. Some of us never get that frustrated (I’m not sure who they are, but such people surely exist)...and it’s to be expected that there will be a bit of tail lashing and roaring during Jupiter’s 2014-2015 transit of Leo.

The 'up' side to this is that as opposed to this past year’s Jupiter in Cancer there will be less emotionalism, less reliance on (or success with) subjective provocation based on emotionality. Where we are able to motivate our Self or others through ideas, we may well be able to build momentum by focusing on our “projects” (be they our families, jobs or some personal goal we want to reach). But that is only likely to reap success if and where what we do (our ‘cause’)  meshes well enough with existing or ongoing social, group, systemic or marketplace (Aquarian) functionalities.

Part of that - and part of what we are going to be exploring this year in each of our daily lives has to do with a couple of zodiacal basics. The first is how any accessing of Leo represents an astrological shift from the first four signs of the zodiac (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer) to the second group of four: Leo, Virgo, Libra and Scorpio.

As the first four signs of the zodiac are about learning about our Self and how to go about simply being a person in an (Aries) body with human needs and attributes of the (Taurus) physical, (Gemini) mental and (Cancer) emotional kind, the second four are all about how interacting with others and our more-or-less ‘everyday’ world teaches us about who we are in conjunction with that world - sparking ideas on what to do IN that world.

Hence the Leo creativity thing. Mind you, this is still a sign which is below the natural zodiac horizon - so it’s still personal. It’s still part of our more-or-less private world, which reflects as Leo being the sign of the imagination’s image... the ‘film’ in our head - and yes, the ones we see on the screen (or on whatever device you’re using these days).

Again, it’s this ‘private’ quality which is so very comfy-cozy which gets us trouble, lulling us with that divinely delicious perfection of inner vision into thinking life... reality... is the premier Leo challenge. Reality is never a ‘problem’- reality is just reality, and yes there can be terrible things happening IN reality, but that’s the way things are.

Reality has several homes in the zodiac: the first one is the earth, land, ashes-to-ashes-dust-to-dust quality of mortal life... the Cancerian venue. The other is Capricorn - the daunting requirement to make the effort to make something out of our Self so that we continue the business of survival.

Leo is in a peaceful and harmonious aspect with neither sign... and in that can represent how we fight in reality or with our personal reality...and what we can come up with to improve our life, and just maybe all of life as well.Deep in the human spirit is a desire to make contributions to this life. Some do it through having children. Some do it through their work. However we see this ‘making my mark in this world’ that’s the Leo thing.

With Jupiter transiting Leo, we can all expect to be thinking about who we are and what we’re doing with our life... against which will be ranged all sorts of interesting challenges. Some will come from our just wanting to enjoy ourselves and do nothing. Some will come from those who though perfectly willing to invest in their own vision, clearly have no concept that anyone (or anything) else has a vision of their own.

Jupiter in Leo creates our mythic self... and then explores it. Leo is the sign of dating, competition and speculation... so we have to be prepared for some setback this year, with most of our errors coming from overstepping our bounds or (to put it differently) by exceeding our understanding of real world parameters which really exist and which we really do need to know about and heed. Leo is the sign of the parent’s love for the child or our love for anything we nurture on an ongoing basis... and yet does that love in and of itself guarantee that your child is going to grow up to be a wonderful person?

No, it doesn’t. And that very lack of insight we have on ourselves (typically) as parents which causes so many wonderful people to be blatantly blind to the problems with their offspring...that’s the example of the Great Leo Blind Spot - which for the next year or so is likely to be more evident than ever, if maybe not to others.

Or maybe not to us.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot as photographed by the Voyager 1 Spacecraft

(photo credit: NASA-JPL, February 1979)

Between these two points lies the needle of success (as we judge that personally) under Jupiter in Leo, the combination which purports to say ‘what you see is what you get’ when in reality (yes, that reality) Jupiter in Leo is a combination which can manifest as the very essence of the performance. Celebrity as motivation and as that thing which is not the ‘real life’ of the given celebrity - both these qualities are entirely Leo and we’re likely to see see them play out this year in the charts of many currently known and as-yet unknown. Children, childlike as well as childish behaviors (on the part of adults and others) can be a venue of discovery and disturbance of the status quo in any of a number of ways...so long as we learn from it, life is likely to provide it somewhere along the way through this leonine Jovian year. Aquarius against Leo manifests (as all sign polarities do) in any of a number of ways, but especially through the end of 2014 (that being the last of the fixed sign eclipses for a bit) issues which test our ability to balance moderation against excess and perceive where we need to be proper or cautious without being so cautious or ‘separated’ in whatever way that we end up undermining ourselves or our own greater (Aquarian) interests.

In other words, in some way we’re all going to discover we have a bit of a case of personal myopia (shortsightedness)... with just a bit of social astigmatism (fuzziness of focus) to make it extra-special challenging.

And yet...in the sense of ‘can I correct my vision?’ the lesson would be decidedly yes: wherever we see Jupiter by transit there is an ability to grow providing we are actually willing to go through whatever growing pains are involved. In Leo this Jupiterian expansiveness can mean an expansion of enthusiasm, success and all those wonderful feelings of freedom-in-accomplishment we all so love to revel in. Then again, Jupiter in Leo can also manifest as  ever-increasing convictions that what is ‘mine’ must be defended at all costs simply because my ‘rightness’ or even just my right to be wrong is getting challenged.

All and all, we can count on several (more) miles of that road to foolish human stubbornness to be paved (and heedlessly paved over) this year, mostly by those who for whatever reason are focused on the image or ideal to the exclusion of real life, realities and other living, breathing entities on this planet.

Jupiter in Leo is a recipe for great opportunity.

It’s also a sure-fire promise that insistence on theory (or out-of-hand rejection of something) can be instantly and lastingly detrimental. Under Jupiter in Leo we are all likely to find something we enjoy or are at least entertained by. Then again, we might have to face a couple of situations which ask us whether we’re willing (or even psychologically equipped) to face setbacks or defeat.

Might we really not be be the hero we are in our own mind? (It could just be true.)

Then again, maybe we don’t want to be a hero, merely heroic from time to time. Jupiter in Leo is a time we can learn the difference between such things and in that, to become far more comfortable in our own human skin, finding ways to be more creative, productive and available - not just to others but to ourselves. Through letting go of definitions Jupiter in Leo can become a time to launch a new venture, take on some personal adventure or to make more of life among old friends and new acquaintances. It’s a time to stretch our limbs and flex our muscles, be they physical, mental or emotional. The deeply provocative element of Jupiter in Cancer will fade as perspectives shift, offering fresher outlooks, some of which will allow and encourage us to soar.

Others will merely leave us (or others) sore - for which we may not feel sorry at all. So long as the competition is ethical, Jupiter in Leo supports the ‘all out’ willingness to give the cause what it is you’ve got.

And where we do bend, break or otherwise color outside the boundaries (a little of which at least is inevitable), eventualities will get us back, eventually putting us back on our right course.

It’s all part of Jupiter in Leo empowerment with regards to knowing who we are - and aren’t.  Sometimes we just have to cram one foot in our copiously open mouth while hopping madly in the direction of some giant cliff to learn for ourselves that - never mind what anyone says about limits - we do actually have limits which we had better learn to respect and mind.

Jupiter in Leo can open doors. It will also undoubtedly teach us all at least a few tough lessons about what the term ‘immature’ really means...in every sense. The ‘ping-pong’ of Leo-Aquarius says how we (Leo) ‘take’ things isn’t so much about how or what the (Aquarius) other person says as much as it tests and delivers a readout on our relationship to whatever it is we haven’t yet mastered...which psycho-emotionally ‘reads’ internally (to us) as vulnerability.

Yes, we get to learn about how some glitches work over the next few months...which which comes the opportunity for skillful development and the acquisition of insights which in their own right (over time...probably in a couple of years) may prove out to amount to additional skills.

As for things which will happen along the Jovian path through Leo, here are a few notes on the subject (no doubt to be added to as things go along):

Black Moon Lilith (external factors we deny or are denied by) conjuncts fixed star Dubhe on July 17th. Dubhe being an emblem of mothering either in the personal sense or through whatever we may personally think of as a “mother” force (such as ‘Mother Nature’), as opposed to things which are thought of as ‘father’ (like ‘Father Time’) the metaphysical ‘mother’ is more about whatever contains us as well as that which can support or protect us... but which in some other situation might just overwhelm us.

Said to have a rather ‘Mars-like’ nature, Dubhe lends a deal of motivation and strength of will to whatever passes over it’s position...which at the moment is 15 Leo, one of the zodiacal cross-quarter points.

As a transition, each of the zodiac’s four cross-quarter points moves us from a time of learning or watching into a ‘bigger’ (read: slightly more matured) world of operating where by leaning on what we do know we attempt to forge ahead.

And no, we generally don’t like it. Each of the cross-quarter points falling at the center-point of all four fixed signs indicates that.

Still...what’s our choice? We can learn, grow and try - or we can remain where we are, which if we consider Leo as the fifth of twelve signs is rather like arresting our own development at about age eleven and a half, instead of pursuing the rest of the path to adulthood.

On the other hand, that ‘about age eleven a half’ thing? That is the length of a Jupiter cycle, you know. Jupiter cycles once around the Sun in 11.86 years, making the general realm of this mid-Leo cross-quarter age a highly critical one in the whole of human development.

Some of us make it. Some people don’t.

So as the Black Moon encounters Dubhe, for several days before and after (one suspects) much will be seen, heard, felt and realized along the denial/need-to-not-deny-for-reasons-of-immaturity front. In some cases such situations will start and continue on, in some there will be a start and resolution. (Or resolution to not resolve anything, a solution which seems to be gaining in popularity at the moment.)

Whichever way whatever falls, Jupiter itself will then arrive at Leo’s 15 degree cross-quarter point on September 27th, by which time the Black Moon will have moved on to 23 Leo, putting it in opposition to Damocles [reference: “the sword of Damocles”] ...with Damocles being positioned in Aquarius.

The Sword of Damocles by Wenceslas Hollar (1607-1677)

Whatever we have done (or not done) this would seem to be a resurrection of the matter. It may be in simple review, it may be a re-eruption of challenge. Black Moon Lilith, being a ‘function’ of Earth’s Moon is always somewhat visceral, always somewhat poignant...and here would seem to be bringing us around to realizing that things just aren’t as simple as we were thinking they were going to be.

What we thought cut and dried may have gone and gotten itself all soggy, in other words.

As of November 19th Jupiter then enters 22 Leo. And since 22 Leo is the degree Jupiter will go retrograde at on December 8th (and thereafter remain in - in retrograde - until December 29th), we’re in for a lot of Jupiter/22 Leo interjections.

As a degree 22 Leo speaks to sensitivities which though insubstantial may well prove beneficial except where we become so devoted to being obliging (read: overly obliging) that we become more involved with our own feelings (and anxieties) which revolve around our own desire to be appreciated, wanted, loved, liked, cheered on and in general...(yes)...the myth we are in our own mind.

(Do we hear a pattern here?)

Moreover, all of this dovetails rather interestingly with the idea that Uranus’ 2014/early 2015 degree emphasis is on 13 Aries, a degree which tend to surface in tough and trying situations which lore suggests are far more about the perfecting and purification of our own souls than anything we encounter in real time.

...All of which we would think has been metaphysically also commented on by the recent astrological stationing of TNO Typhon at 13 Aries’ polarity degree (13 Libra) we meandered through the contemplations of in the course of the following post:

- link to -

Typhon/Eurydike - Chiron/Psyche: Minding Stations

It all seems to go together...especially in light of the fact that this October will see us experiencing a solar eclipse (at 0 Scorpio) which is sure to - among other things - bring home to us the benefits and penalties of not acknowledging equal values to all sides of any conversation, negotiation, affiliation or operation simply because we’re unwilling to allow for any other point of view apart from our own.

Some will say that this eclipse is the evidencing of karma, and I’m not against that concept except for noting that the physical karma we experience under anything Scorpionic is always about the emotions which surround, underlie, motivate or are bestirred as a result of something we are choosing to try to control (as opposed to understanding why we feel so threatened by it).

Only in retrograde for just under four months, Jupiter will then go direct (at 12 Leo) on April 8th, a date which falls between 2015’s 29 Pisces solar eclipse on March 20th and the accompanying lunar eclipse (at 14 Libra, a degree which tends to manifest through action as opposed to 13 Libra’s more mental-emotional-spiritual orientation) which will occur on April 4th... all of which is likely to serve as a ‘parting of the ways’ as successes fall away from various failures and efforts to reorganize in the face of needing to try, try again.

Some of what is happening then will be as part of...or as a result of things which are happening now, or which have come to light over the past several months (read: since mid/late February). As shown by the Sun, Uranus and Psyche being conjunct (to the degree) in the chart of this moment the clarity of this time may be delightful.

Then again, it may simply be excessive. Remember, Jupiter is about expansion, and that can as easily be over-expansion or doing more than is advisable or even good for you (or the given project you’re working on). There is growth...and as any cancer specialist will tell you, there is the kind of uncontrolled and unchecked growth which causes harm.

Jupiter has never been known for any qualities of moderation. The Roman god was known for great wisdom but some terrible (and terribly self-defeating) habits which time and again had Jupiter (aka Zeus, if you’re inclined to the Greek) learning his lessons about just what he could do, but not get away with.

So it is with us...which is why Jupiter’s year of transiting Leo holds such promise for us all, whether that’s about what we achieve or the joy of feeling empowered by coming to understand why we haven’t excelled up until now and what that means about who we are... and who we aren’t.

Maybe you've already felt yourself moving towards some new mode - that thing which will entice your Leo spirit to 'play' over (at least) the next year. Or maybe (as just happened to me quite unexpectedly)...maybe someone will validate something you've been certain of, or have been working on or towards for some very long time.

Jupiter in Leo is about fruitfulness and fruition...and even that point at which the finish line is in sight, bolstering our appreciation of that Self which in spite of all and because of much has made it to this brand new point - the point at which we feel ready to be more of who we really are.
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Solstice Capricorn 2013

A Sunspot as photographed by spacecraft TRACE shows what NASA refers to as an

'off' or 'calm' day in the life of our Sun.

Suggestion - take plenty of sunscreen if you get a hankering to visit.

(photo credit: NASA, September 2000)

There are three ways to look at the fact that Venus is going retrograde on the same day that the Sun reaches its Capricorn Solstice. We can look at it as Venus’ turn to (Capricorn) retrograde as being a factor in the Sun’s ingress and transit of that most worldly and public of earth signs, Capricorn. Or we can look at this as the Sun reaching its Capricorn Solstice as a factor in how Venus’ turn to retrograde is going to affect us – which is rather the approach I took in the last post on Venus’ station. (I’m referring to the December 18th post here.)

We can also think of this as a single confluence – a single, metaphysical Sun-Solstice-Capricorn+Venus-retrograde-Capricorn thing – which would tend to be a reconsidering, a getting real-or-realistic (even practical or pragmatic) in a way you haven’t quite gotten to until now…

It would seem likely that anyone who has lived too much in their dreams - or by what they ‘thought’ something was going to be ‘in theory’ is going to meet up with some earthy, nuts-and-bolts sort of necessities.

Then again, one would also suspect that those who get real now will be able to forge a plan now. And that plan may well take you somewhere in the (Saturn rules Capricorn) long run.

Saturn, remember? Time, dedication, responsibility to the thing you want to achieve at or as…all that Saturn stuff will manifest subtly and generally and even specifically during the month of Sun in Capricorn. And it’s all going to be colored by the Venus retrograde.

That means the core activity – which is to say that which we take on or tackle (even just mentally) which has to do with the structure of our life (physical or experiential) is done on our own. And for many of us, purely internally.

In other words, this is something of a pivot moment. And with the Sun (will, life, consciousness) moving into Capricorn obviously starting at zero degrees AS Venus begins backing down from 28 Capricorn, we get a notice that the date of all this doing (December 21st, with the Sun reaching Capricorn at 5:12 in the evening UT/+0) will feature a confluence of energetics which is likely to manifest as a feeling of being burdened with/by something which has very distinct plus and minus features. There is a desire for all to be as ‘comfortable’ (easy, maybe?) even as there is a need to grow and create an inner core of something which is going to sustain you.

And that is happening in each of our lives as the Sun moves into Capricorn on December 21st. But since your chart isn’t my chart, and my chart isn’t your BFF’s mother’s-auntie’s employer’s chart, we’re all going to be experiencing all this a little bit differently.

Courtesy of NASA and NOAA, one of the 'Earth at Night 2012' photo series, this one showing the Atlantic Ocean, the Americas (left) and Europe plus part of Africa at the right.

Let’s see…that means there are somewhere around 7.13 billion people on this planet, all of which are going to be having a ‘get real’ moment. And yet…there are those among us who have truly terrible Venus placements. Or (and?) rather rancid Saturn placements. (And to have both…? That would be particularly psyche-grinding at the moment.) A rebellion here is fine if it has been earned…that’s the premier and ultimate Saturnine rule: EARN IT.

But taking liberties? That’s probably not a good idea. Whether or not things work out in the temporal sense, this would be one of those moments when any of us could do (or realize we have done) something truly not productive. Greeted with that, some of us will go into a ‘turnaround mode’ and begin working to ‘re-structure’ things in a mode more supportive of long-term personal aims while others of us set everything personal aside in favor of concentrating on that thing which we are driven to do. Or which we know is really ‘us.’ Or that we know HAS to be the next step in the process of building a framework which will support our being who it is we know we are and need to be.

And yes, honesty counts. It’s a thing to think about that the energetic frequency which indicates responsibility (i.e., the Saturn Vibe) is also associated with honesty AND the penalties we pay for not being honest – first and last with our Self. In connection, Saturn-Venus often represents the sensible choice and the kinds of disciplined effort which in utilizing our talents and better attributes gets us places with the down side being the question of why we do any given thing. Here the combination of Sun-Venus which is very creative (often overly so) encounters Saturn’s ‘cooling’ (I know…some would say ‘chilling’!) quality asking us whether the thing we ‘should’ do is what we really ‘should’ do if we’re going to be either surrendering our individuality or not being who we really are.

You know…way deep down inside.

Anything we do now and any direction we go now is going to encounter a period of either challenge or reconciliation and reorientation next year as Mars also goes into retrograde on March 1st. Considering that date is going to be under the auspices of the April 2014 Taurus solar eclipse and how Taurus is ruled by Venus…

We would see to be at a ‘heads up’ point in time. Some of us will move towards those truths about who we really are no matter how difficult, challenging or painful that is, no matter how many dreams (our own - or maybe those projected on us by others) we have to steer clear of or let melt away into a clearer vision of what our life is – and is going to be about.

And this goes to an astrological factoids which seldom gets talked about. Part of what the ongoing shift from the Age of Pisces into the Aquarian Age does is exalt both personal achievement and social involvement, two qualities which seem oppositional until we think of them as the twin results of successful entrepreneurial (individual) spirit.

Saturn premises lay the bedrock and foundation for all things Aquarian which last.

So…how do we define ‘success’? Some will define success personally, some will define it financially, some will have a more philosophical point of view.

Venus and the Sun won’t be meeting up until January 10th. And January 10th, “coincidentally” (not really, but…) is when Mercury, having fleet footed its planet self into Capricorn on December 24th, reaches 28 Capricorn, the degree Venus is going retrograde at now.

Yes – draw a little dotted line. That which arises now, which you put off/avoid now, which you are conscious of having on a back burner (you know, that itchy thing you want to get to, sooner rather than later?) will probably resurface at that time. Or conversely, perhaps you will need to bring it up. Or ‘inject’ it into the other things which are going on at that time.

Canova's 'Cupd (Eros) and Psyche' at the Hermitage of St. Petersburg in Russia

Sometimes ingresses and solstices fling open the door to opportunity or a change of style or pace. This one, particularly with the Sun presented in conjunction with asteroid Psyche as Venus goes retrograde, asks us to think of who we really, truly are.

You know…way down deep.

And you may be thinking now about a piece you read here at the blog….about Eros and Psyche.

- Link to -

EROS AND PSYCHE:

FALLING IN LOVE WITH OUR MINDS

As we think through what these next few weeks are going to bring, understanding the difference between our Eros ‘passions’ (which while they can be sexual can also represent a passion for or about anything in your life) and our Venusian ability to generate what we want…or don’t want from others, from life, from what we do.

At stake here just may be what it takes to achieve what we need to achieve in the long term, and what that is going to require of us that we grow to be able to do, tolerate or deal with. For the Sun to be entering Capricorn now, with Venus turning to retrograde greets us with the reality of how things will work, whether or not we want it or like it.

Often thought of as the most ‘maturing’ of astrological signs, all things Capricorn offer us a choice. In this case the choice would seem to be about what we want to be, what it will take to be what we want to be, and how we feel about that investment, whatever form that may require of us or take.
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