Venus in Cancer/Saturn Direct/Mars out of Shadow/Uranus Retrograde/Eris Retrograde

As photographed by the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Baby Boom Galaxy shows off its ability to 'birth' an average of 4,000 new stars ever year - a number which is one hundred times the number of stars produced by our Milky Way Galaxy.

(photo credit: Spitzer Space Telescope, NASA-JPL-Caltech, Oct 2008)

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First of all, let’s have a hearty ‘hallelujah’ for the fact that as of July 20th, Mars will exit the shadow of the retrograde which, though it began formally on March 1st (2014), really reaches back to Christmas Day 2013 - the date on which Mars entered it’s retrograde shadow to begin with.

(And yes...I’m sure a couple of people - especially now, as we’re leaving the Mars/retrograde shadow - will be saying ‘ohhhhhh....’ as the light finally dawns.)

No problem. That’s just how the machinery of time, energy and coalescence works. Using astrology is a constant process of saying ‘oh, I get it now...’ until there comes one fine (or more likely, stormy) day when you’re having a perfectly rotten time and you read something about an astrological event or transit and you’re just so fed up that you say (to yourself, most likely) ‘Okay...! Since I have no better idea of what to do, I’ll just rely on this for a minute.’

And that - for many of us - is when we find that time and space really work the way they work...and that astrology is really nothing more or less than the ability to read a truly exotic clock. The fact that the clock exists is still subject to all the beliefs and non-beliefs we humans love to love and loathe - a battle in which astrology basically operates much on the same basis as gravity.

In other words, you’re welcome to ignore either, but you do so at some rather predicable risk.

So as of July 20th, Mars exits the shadow of its recent Libra retrograde by reaching 27 Libra, indicating some sort of ‘letting to’ or ‘letting something lie for the moment’ as we all move on to the balance of a week spent coping with various worldly tasks, necessities and interactions.

At the end of that time (read: July 26th) Mars will finally exit Libra and move on into Scorpio, changing the energetic dynamic from what we might refer to as a ‘theoretical dynamic’ (being motivated, driven, triggered or spurred on by ideas, ideals and theories) into Scorpio’s deeply emotional waters.

But let’s not get lost in that - astrologically there are plenty of notices to get through before that, the first of which is the fact that the hot and rocky world known as Planet Venus will be exiting Gemini and entering Cancer on Friday July 18th at 2:07 in the afternoon (UT/+0 time)...a point in time which in being barely a couple of days after Jupiter enters Leo (the subject of the previous post) combines something of a ‘ramping up’ and ‘smoothing down’ effect which may indicate odd moments of confusion or even a sprinkling of those inevitable human moments when we’re confronted with two things, both of which we may want to do but which are incompatible with each other (for whatever reason).

As a general influence however, Venus in Cancer tends to enhance our awareness of whatever is native or natively comforting to us, though we may do well to remember that with Pluto in Capricorn, Venus’ entrance to Cancer does open the door to obsessive moments and preoccupations, especially as Venus comes into orb of opposition Pluto (July 23rd) ...through the opposition (July 27th) to the exit of orb on July 31st.

Any opposition of Venus to Pluto is fertile soil for attractions of that very particular type which have us craving emotional rewards from someone else. The conjunctions and squares between these two planets are known for this as well, but since oppositions are naturally about ‘the other,’ it’s not improper to think of the whole of Venus’s July 18 - August 12 transit of Cancer as a time when natural polarities between people...be they positive or negative...will tend to be heightened. Furthermore, with Pluto having just entered 11 Capricorn, a degree Pluto will be positioned at (give or take a few days surrounding it’s late September station) until November 25th. Described by the Sabian symbol ‘A FIRE WORSHIPPER MEDITATES ON THE ULTIMATE REALITIES OF EXISTENCE’ this period will be rife with what astrologer Marc Edmund Jones describes as ‘the subjective quest for ultimates beyond the interplay of life and death processes.’

Some will become obsessed by such questions - or the fact they think they know the answer to such questions - during this Pluto period. Others will, in truly Pluto/transformational form, realize that while they may know ONE answer to what may be THEIR question (or the question they think the most important and deserving of the highest priority)...how there really are a lot of questions, a lot of answers which might possibly work and how none of us have a monopoly on what’s ‘right.’

It may be right for us. Does that make it right for everyone - or are we just overly dug in with thinking that way?  

The positives of Venus in Cancer is that it promotes an appreciation for the close company and companionship of those we know best, complete with the understandable tendency to want to spend time enjoying comfortable surroundings (whether with others or just as a measure of relaxing solitude).

The negatives of Venus in Cancer are the tendency to do just that at the expense of responsibilities, some inclination to indulge your desire for personal comfort (or the comfort of those closest to you) in some way which seems irresponsible, imprudent or simply impractical to others. Mind you...it may or may not be impractical, imprudent or irresponsible. But in this instance (which is to say, with Pluto in Capricorn) it may seem that way to others.

And where Pluto is concerned, sometimes it’s that loud, loud chorus which wins out. HOWEVER...since this is Pluto, there is always that odd piece of lore about how those who win through ‘sheer force’ (physical, financial, emotional, verbal, etc.) to consider, since where Pluto is concerned anything which is done purely to satisfy our own emotional cravings is said to incur negative karma. Pluto is all about passions as obsessions - our obsessions - which is to say those emotions (of ours) which have been driven to the ‘passion’ stage by something.

What is it? Why are we reacting to it?

As first of the zodiac’s three water signs, Cancer is emblematic of Earth’s oceanic surf zones, replete with tide pools of nurturance and rhythmic tidal shifts which in watery Cancer are most often identified with moods and moodiness. With all water signs having some relationship to finance and things ‘of worth’ to us, Cancer represents that most basic of human needs - shelter - and all which that represents, be that the land, what is built on the land, plus all which grows and lives on this Earth of ours, whether it does so naturally or not.

In entering Cancer with the Sun and Mercury already in the sign, it is to be expected that the days between July 18th and the 22nd (when the Sun moves on into Leo) will be evocative. Many a sentiment is likely to arising among those arguing from purely feeling points of view. With Eris going retrograde one day after Venus enters Cancer and Saturn going direct two days after that same ingress, transactions are on the table and stability is being sought in the face of [Eris] challenges to our ability to do that which though entirely possible, isn’t quite what we want to do.

- link to -

Eris Discordant: Mastering Our Own Weakest Moments

Eris energies can be very disruptive - but don’t have to be. Having only been discovered back in 2003, dwarf planet Eris is a relatively new astrological object, meaning there will undoubtedly be many a nuance spotted as time goes along. What has been observed thus far is how Eris tends to represent that which arises unexpectedly as a.) something we hadn’t thought of/experienced before...or, b.) the struggle against some weakness, injustice or vulnerability. Either way, it would seem that Eris effects are more positive, less disruptive (psychologically or emotionally) and far easier to manage when/where the aim is not purely personal...and when we are actively working to change a systemic or societal situation - all of which probably seems axiomatic at the moment, as the July 2014 Eris station is happening with Eris at 23 Aries in conjunction with Pandora (hope amidst the storm), Industria (effort) and the lunar South Node (the easy thing for us...or for everyone to do).

Evidently things aren’t calm...and aren’t meant to be calm at the moment. The center of this particular piece of turbulence being at 23 Aries, clarity of judgment isn’t likely to be anyone’s strong point for a few days even while there’s an inordinate need for understanding.

This tug-of-war...a push-pull which is likely to build towards intensity as Eris goes retrograde on the 19th, won’t even reach its maximum until July 23rd, by which time Saturn will have gone direct and Uranus will have gone retrograde, indicating changes [Uranus] we are either going to make or find being thrust upon us (or arising from within, unbidden).

Lest we miss the [Saturn] point, such changes are important, structural and a matter of responsibility both in when and how they get made. Some such changes undoubtedly need to be made now and some will get made now, whichever side of the Eris ‘me/them’ question we are coming from.

And just to make the point, no, you don’t have to like all the changes - you don’t have to like doing them, nor do you have to like what needs to be done. In fact, there’s a pretty sound astrological Eris argument which could be made for tackling those very issues we don’t like now simply because Eris is in the astro-mix..not to mention the fact that with Saturn going station-direct at 16 Scorpio and Uranus going retrograde at 16 Aries, what we have here is a genuine opportunity to break ourselves of the habit of thinking in purely first person terms.

Okay...so most people won’t do that. But they could.

This very perfect inconjunct between Uranus and Saturn speaks to the Aries “I” and the Scorpio “We” with the tension being one of ‘adjustment’ which would seem to be about bedrock realities as opposed to emotional realities. One we like to think would make life worth living. The other simply allows us the opportunity to keep living, period.

Which do you think is more important? Whichever way you vote here, the first test is our Uranus-in-Aries ability (and yes, willingness) to change in accordance with 16 Aries’ theme of ‘natural’ connection to that which is around us, emphasizing all things natural and ‘about nature,’ be that our human nature, the environment as nature, or any other way which is pertinent. Known as particularly problematic when contained, blocked Uranian energies such as those likely to be timed by this station tend to manifest as frustrations, anger and alienation. Since the reference is ‘nature,’ Uranus at this degree may well signal issues having to do with natural sources of power such as lightening - or the effects of same, be they physical or metaphorical. It could even indicate the effects of something natural (or naturally incurred effects) on some socially significant ‘system’ of operation.

As for Saturn, Saturn’s turn to direct motion signals a shift from internal to external efforts and experiences involving all that we need to do as well as all we might want to accomplish. With this station occurring at 16 Scorpio, there is much to be learned from both the ‘pro’ and the ‘con’ of various situations and probably no entirely clear path forward. Being that 16 Scorpio is known as often for hospitality, generosity and humanitarian connections as for secrets, unannounced or confidential meetings, messages and investigations, back room negotiations, underground groups and mysterious societies, alliances or sources of power, Saturn’s turn to direct would seem to indicate the substantiating of something, learning something is real (or not real) becoming a member of a group or leaving some group for reasons personal or professional - and that achieving our goals depends on our ability to rely on that which we have abiding faith in, deep within our soul.

That these two major planets - Saturn and Uranus - are going on station within two days of each other is an obvious metaphysical reference to things which matter. Saturn is the last planet visible to the naked human eye from here on Earth, and Uranus is the next planet out and first of the ‘transpersonal’ objects. So Uranus represents how all that which is not ‘within our grasp’ can change us. Or how we can change ourselves and our world by being or becoming able to ‘go beyond the self.’

(Think of it as riding a cosmic bicycle with no hands.)

More to our experiential point perhaps (and as an extenuation of a post written a few days ago) Saturn and Uranus are co-rulers of Aquarius...which in the abstract sense would be a reference to the ongoing ‘solidifying’ of an incoming Age (that of Aquarius), and which on a here-and-now basis would be an overall reference to things economic, societal, systemic and how we all think of our place in the world, inclusive of how we feel about how the world tends to treat us.

Between Saturn’s turn to direct on the 20th and Uranus July 22nd turn to retrograde which speaks to a period (beginning now) of approximately five months during which we will be challenged to change as individuals. We are in a period when some things which have outlived their purpose in the form they were originally conceived will get updated, modernized or, in some cases simply replaced as part of the normal evolution of life and time. Unfortunately there are some people (and some issues) which people are more than reluctant to revolve about.

Therein lies the rub...the challenge...the inevitability which must be faced. The Aquarian Age requires that we understand that which came before now so that we can build on that which remains viable, creating of the old something ever more viable for being applicable to today, tomorrow and the conceivable beyond.

Between the 20th (when Saturn goes direct and Mars exits its retrograde shadow) and the 22nd (when Uranus goes retrograde and the Sun enters Leo, which is part and parcel of the next post)...between those two pillars one other thing occurs: Apollo (illumination) goes retrograde at 17 Virgo, a degree known for operating on a mental level with a marked tendency to bend all things, all ends, all outlays and all aims towards that which the Self likes...or thinks they like...regardless of the fact that the very control being exerted (or which the native or situation seeks to exert) is exactly that which will end up being a detriment. In essence, the choice here seems to be between being supportive and being insistent - cons are likely, but are we only conning our Self?

Apollo going retrograde at this degree at the midpoint in time between Saturn and Uranus’ stations suggests some degree of insight which applies to the inconjunct aspect between the two planets which so definitely points to some adjustment needing to be made.

Will we want to make it? Probably not.

Will we make the [Saturn] effort to [Uranus] change anyway?

That’s up to each one of us.
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Mars Direct (Blogpost: May 19-20)

The atmosphere of Mars as photographed by the Viking Orbiter

(photo credit: NASA 1976)

Congratulations!

No, seriously - congratulations to you (and the rest of us) for making it through a sincerely pretzel-ing series of celestial psycho-pressure points. In arriving at the Mars station (and Mars direct), apart from anything else, for those who have become even a bit more conscious of who we are in light of who we aren’t, bravo. For those who have confronted what it means to be who you are in the moment as well as in the light of your history, our history or history itself... for anyone who willing to see any set of differences merely for what they are, my congratulations.
 
Why? Because this set of months (and retrogrades past) has not been easy on anyone. Our tolerance has run thin at times, especially where things have challenged our ability... or (more likely)... our willingness to factor in anything other than our own convictions, especially as that pertains to who we are.
 
In being driven into the depths of our Self, there we learned more about who we are. People seldom take time for such things nowadays...which may be why life has to do ever more drastic things to get us to stop and think, consider things on a feeling basis or simply breathe, depending we tend to run shortest on.
 
Does that metaphysically mean that our times are more turbulent because it takes more to get us to periodically stop being connected and resume being our Self?
Maybe. It’s a thought - beyond which I tender hearty applause to all of us for merely having weathered the past five months of convolutions - not that we’re quite done yet however, as in the process of May 19th coming upon us our Big Picture [Damocles] challenges still loom large, and though we would like to [Mars] ‘get on with it,’ we also know somewhere deep down inside that haste could make waste...and yes, how we have already done a bit of that, the [Orcus] results of which - good, bad and indifferent - have become apparent.
 
Waste, I mean. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially...somehow we all can remember something. And if we can’t remember, surely about now something (read: Orcus going direct in Virgo) will remind us.
 
Though there may be cost, the real ‘cost’ indicated by Orcus is the lack of opportunity to ‘go back and do it over’ knowing better from the start. And yes, there may be some regret, frustration or internal chiding of the ‘why didn’t I realize that?’ or some such which, considering Orcus and Mars are both going direct within twenty-four hours of each other suggests that something pragmatic having to do with having or making something work [Virgo] must be considered ‘dead’ [Orcus], meaning something else must be taken on or considered as a fact or tact or way of seeing things... just may mean this Mars/Orcus station is about really bringing us to some point where we’re willing to listen or communicate or negotiate something which is tough for us for reasons which are probably entirely personal.
 
For no other reason than because we’re sick and tired of things not going well, we’re becoming a whole lot more about actually getting things done. There’s an aura of [Orcus] consequence brewing which is challenging our misalignments of ego - most of all with/within our Self or soul - to resurface in some sort of humanely pragmatic form. We know that what is happening shouldn’t be happening - and if you’re more than personally observant you’ll probably notice how rather magically each one of us is being confronted with just that little thing which creates just enough vulnerability to bring about relating.
 
Oh yes...we have all been thinking it was about ‘them.’ The holdup or the problem? Ah yes, that was ‘them.’ No matter who we are, some ‘they’ (or that) was doing, not done or not doing something, leaving us with an odd taste in mind about sitting and waiting for some unknown shoe which may just drop. (Or not drop.) And while waiting with unconvinced anticipation we've been doing a lot of figuring...pondering...thinking about things near and far. Some such contemplations have been earnest while others were merely out of interest.

And some...? Some where just our needing some measure of distraction.
 
Yet were we really waiting? And if so, who were we waiting for, and why? What was that based on - or in, given our particular situation? We may know why we’ve been wait...we may even know what we were (hopefully) waiting for. We may even have been dedicated to the proposition of “waiting our turn.”

And then...wonder of wonders...just as we forget about the waiting, something pertaining to matters, shipments, products and concerns which under Mars retrograde (or coming into Mars retrograde) got stalled, backlogged, diverted, ignored, delayed or which went just plain ‘missing’ ...now, just as we reconcile ourselves to the reality of our imperfect world and all the imperfect people and things in that world, just as despite all we form some sort of recognition about the balance of pluses and minuses in our past, present and/or future...

...about then, something begins to shift. Under any circumstance (retrograde or direct, in other words) Mars in Libra has an odd ability to show us up to others so that through those others we learn about our Self (and beyond that, what works and doesn't work as motivated by our inner Self).

And that quality, that is what has brought us to our crossroads, a place where for the duration of the (May 18-22) station during which in a subtle if very real way we will achieve some sort of an understanding which in part lies beyond what others just say or think and beyond mere appearances. In essence we aren't learning about them at all right now, but about who we are in relationship to them (or some situation)...and why that dynamic (the Mars power of the Libra interaction) is what determines much of our success or rejection with others and in much of what we do in daily life.

These realizations may be exotic or they may be simple. Over the next few weeks they will remain with us and begin coloring our choices and abilities to converse, transact, interact and make whatever course corrections are or will be needed in the coming weeks and months - during which .

In other words, it isn’t about them... it’s about us - and yes, that’s what any astrologer would have been telling you all along. It’s what astrologers always say and because the nature of anything in retrograde tends to be inward, the basic facility to connect to and process that very information will be interrupted.

Question: So why don’t astrologers just hush up for the duration and wait for people to emerge from their cocoons to discuss things?

Answer: Because those who learn to recognize the difference between energies in retrograde and energies in direct motion will in time not be subject (or at least be less subject) to those facets of their persona, psyche, personality or inbuilt/knee-jerk reactivity/reactions which may well be less productive natures as time goes along. The difference between productive and problematic retrograde periods is pretty much just about this: the ability to recognize the problem and sort through it either in private, behind the scenes or personally (internally) before proceeding so that everything as a whole functions more effectively.

In theory, those who learn the process of retrograde cycles are still subject to the same ‘slow down’ periods but instead of being or becoming wholly stymied they learn to...(a.) understand the incoming cycle while (b.) watching for slowing forward progress which is the cue to - in keeping with symbol, sign and placement in your personal natal and solar chart - then becomes (c.) a period of less ‘outward’ or at least ‘final/finalized’ activity through which greater understanding and capacity is gained.

All of this could be summed up in the immortal words ‘to everything there is a season, turn, turn, turn...’ but then you wouldn’t think I was giving you your due as the not-so-local local astrologer even if the expression is sincerely true.That we have such a well-known phrase on such a subject, that we think such thoughts, all that - metaphysically - is because we are all connected, all contiguous, all part of each and every other person's life from our electrons to our understandings and on up the line as people.

Which would be why we take our time with each other: because we're people. You may be a very 'big' person and I may be little. Poor or rich, smart or clueless, responsible or otherwise, humans are all - in the end - just people.

It's our very best and worst quality all in one.

Amidst the gardens of Italy's Villa Hadrian (Hadrian's Villa) stands

this statue of god Mars (also known as Ares)

Mars is going direct at 1:32 in the morning (UT/+0) on May 20th. With much still undefined there is an odd combination of feeling stymied, a bit emotionally ‘mired’ (whatever that means in your life)... and yet a little restless, all of which amounts to one of those days-nights-experiences of not knowing quite what to do which leads to dealing mostly with whatever is right in front of us.

There’s nothing wrong with that as long as we are remembering to be aware, though that may lead to some degree of mental overload or [Neptune at 7 Pisces] utter confusion. Try as we may and protest as we might (trust me, some will - loudly) these qualities are unlikely to shift until just over twenty-four more hours passes and the Sun enters Gemini on May 21st at 3:00 p.m. (UT/+0 time).
 
And a note to the born yellers, debaters and confronters in the crowd: Venus is still in Aries. So though the boldly courageous which we are willing to embody may go well, when it comes to anything which smacks even vaguely of ego...well, let's just put it this way: do you really want to be known for what you are likely to be seen as/as doing? Care may be advisable in the short run particularly where we are using any form of “capital,” be that a physical resource or financial capital - even the ‘personal capital’ an established reputation or track record gives us. It isn’t that the action (or transaction) itself is necessarily problematic (it may or may not be, but that’s a different issue), it’s why we are doing or not doing something which can be out-of-kilter with our more “normal” feelings. Under Venus in Aries, even without Mars being in retrograde or on station people tend to think in more ‘first person’ terms than usual - which is a bit torturous to think about particularly as that concerns others, seeing how each party will be considering the other based on this somewhat canted perspective.
 
(See the problem?)

Some of us will be put on notice now for actions or choices already taken. Or when others may find out what you’ve been doing, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Whatever it takes to get us to see who we are (and aren’t) and what that means in the greater scope (generally greater than we have been thinking), that’s what happens now.
 
These effects DO NOT have to be violent, disruptive or even vaguely obvious. Mars stations often enough simply mark either a flinch-worthy or ‘light bulb’ moment - that thing which inspires and motivates us as we move on. With this Mars station being in Libra we are - and have been mirrors for one another, and for ourselves most particularly over these past months, exacerbating our own concerns in the process.

Metaphysically, our trials have not been about ‘them’: they’ve been about something in them which attracts us. We have been seeking some sort of lesson about ourselves and have (seemingly by magic) attracted anything or anyone we could learn that lesson from... or at least get keyed into learning that lesson by.
 
The tale which led us to or through our experiences began last December on a Venusian ‘how to get the rewards I want out of life’ note... moved through the organizational and mental Mercury (debate) phase throughout February - after which we were all unceremonially sealed into the turbulent confines of our own best stealing-or-steely psycho-emotional embrace.
 
No, it isn’t about them - it’s about us. As if to underscore this (at least astrologically), as I was perusing my ephemeris wondering when the next dose of Mars retrograde challenge (I would use a different word but I’m trying to be optimistic here...) when that sluice gate will burst open.

Answer: April 2016, and next time around Venus retrograde will be miles away in time, seeing as Venus’ closest retrograde escapade will run from late July 2015 through early September of 2015.

But that’s not really what I was looking at which so pertains to present-tense time. What I was checking on was the concept that each successive Mars retrograde falls in the following sign - which would mean the next retrograde would be happening in Scorpio, one of Mars’ two ruling signs.

You remember Scorpio right - from last year’s November eclipse, never mind the relationship we all have to any sort of [Scorpio] subject which asks us to risk our self-worth, sense of (emotional) security, life or personal or public reputation/image?

As much as we all think we adore Scorpio there’s not one of us who doesn’t fear it, and as I say that I’ll bet every Scorpio Sun, Moon and most of the Scorpio Ascendants are murmuring under their confidential breath in agreement...as are (now that I think about it,) all the Taurus Ascendants, since having a Taurus Ascendant means you automatically have a Scorpio Descendant.

And yes, I say that as someone who not only has a Scorpio Moon but who knows a bunch of people with Taurus Ascendants, all of whom may have thought they were going to get off without my mentioning the obvious. 

(No such luck, sorry.)
 
So when it comes to our next Mars retrograde (which I’m evidently done thinking about, never mind slogging through) it starts in Sagittarius and ends in Scorpio...specifically at 23 Scorpio.
 
Does that ring any bells?
 
It should...or if you’re into remembering degrees, it should, as 23 Scorpio is the degree that Saturn as at when it went retrograde on March 2nd, a day after Mars went retrograde this past March.
 
As a concept, that at least subtly links events or developments (the formulating of a goal, the starting of a relationship or something akin to that) which began back around the beginning of March and which have developed through or throughout this Mars retrograde to things which will play out or have a next ‘phase’ start-or-finish point near or just after the end of June, 2016.
 
Speaking of ‘end of June’s, it’s also worth noting that in keeping with the fact Mars will take over a full month to resume its “average” rate of moving through one degree every two days or so, meaning we should think of June as a ‘start’ or a ‘ramping up’ month which in also reflecting Mercury’s going into and being in Gemini retrograde is still highly functional if in a distinctly behind-the-scenes (and/or) ‘in process/not finalized’ mode.

  
Mars entered the shadow of its retrograde back in December, 2013 - just a few days before Venus went retrograde. And though Mars will go direct on May 20, 2014 it doesn’t emerge from the shadow of this wholly Libra retrograde until July 20th.

That means we still have time to build and rebuild - not just in the physical sense, but based in part on all we’ve learned to let go of and what that means we may do...and with a deal of conscious effort, yet become and be with and among others. 
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Blogpost (May 5 - May 11): Mercury in Gemini, Mars/Diadem at 9 Libra

 At the center of constellation Orion, a region known as the Trapezium reveals streams
of glowing particles charged by nearby stars

(photo credit: NASA, ESA, M Roberto, January 2006)

I'm sure there is a goodly gathering of those who stop by astroPPM on a regular basis who have been reading over the past few months and wondering (between uproars in your own life) when it was that I was going to catch up with myself.

That answer would be now.

I had originally gird my whatever (while gritting my teeth and otherwise donning the armor of determination) to continue through to Mars direct (May 20th) and then breathe...

But apparently I don't look that good in blue.

Still...so you know, it isn't an easy choice. Over the years that this blog has been running I've gotten all sorts of communiques from people - from those who understand astrology as a language to those who just like having a source of questions they can think about. I'm quite sure most people think of any blog all that seriously, but it is a way to contribute and I believe in being a contributor. Caring about others and being of help is what makes our world - and thus our lives - richer. While I understand the barter and negotiating power of money and why people listen to the rich folks, the metaphysics of money state that ultimately money is just another Taurus/Scorpio connector.

Like power, like sex, like the creating of life and the meting out of death, what we use as our connector says...and should say...more about us than about them.

The point really is that I do what I do not just because despite limitations it's something I can do, but because writing online makes whatever information I have been taught available to anyone who can access the internet (give or take digital politics).

I care about laying the information out for you to use. If you want it, it's there. So despite personal need and the need to care about my personal person (in case you're wondering, being an astrologer is like being a weatherman - you still get rained on) for the next while I'll be setting up blogposts on a basic weekly basis. Since astrology is cyclic, between the blog archives and featured lists of past posts (plus the word cloud) you should be able to answer most of your questions.

And should you get stuck (or stucco, if you're into plaster and such) you can always post a question here at the blog or send me an email for sticky specifics.

So saying, thank you for understanding, and let's get to it...

Burnished fields outside Benton Township, Columbia County

(photo credit: Nicholas A Tonelli, May 2010)

Mercury in Gemini:

Mercury enters Gemini on May 7th at 2:58 in the afternoon, UT/+0 time and will remain in Gemini until mid-July.

Mid-July?

Considering how Mercury normally zooms through a sign in the matter of a few weeks, to hear that length of time is something of a sure-fire tip-off.

Of what? Of the fact that we will be going through another Mercury retrograde in rather short order.

Ah yes, Mercury retrograde... the land of bad traffic, delayed communications, late paperwork, and too much to do...all of which is (theoretically) supposed to teach us humans about priorities and limits.

Apparently we like to ditch that class.

Anyway...that retrograde begins in early June - a couple of days before Neptune goes direct, all of which brings up the subject of Mercury-Neptune connections (and Neptune's current position) talked about...here.

- link to -

Mercury in Taurus/Neptune at 7 Pisces

Gemini is a sign of dualities, choices and information, all of which serve to support (or not support) the process of learning...and learning better. Under transiting Mercury in Gemini the pace of life seems to pick up, though it's possible (maybe even likely) that the truth is more about our unwillingness to choose or some choice not to prioritize which govern the limitations, successes, insights, opportunities and responses (positive or negative) we run into during this time.

Moonrise on Hobart Bay, Alaska

(photo credit: Commander John Bortniak/NOAA, October 1990)

Mars conjunct Diadem at 9 Libra:

Mars will enter 9 Libra - the degree of its upcoming May 20th turn to direct - on May 8th.

What does that mean? Well, let's look at it this way...Mars retrograde represents a trying period when our pro-active, assertive, even aggressive attitudes, choices, instincts, words (etc.) either get blocked, turned aside with (Mars) "point" twisted, deflected or "blunted." It's sort of all about our effort to 'get ahead' being put on hold and no, we don't like it. I doubt there ever has been (or ever will be) a Mars Retrograde Fan Club. Under Mars retrograde the normal Mars tendency to 'do' things externally (and get them done) turns inward asking us to 'do' something with or 'about' our Self as indicated by the sign (or position in your personal chart) of the retrograde, without whatever normal Mars 'my way or the highway' quotient tends to be resident in or as part of your life.

This time around, Mars' sign of retrograde has been Libra - the relationship polarity. Are we therefore shocked that our relationship(s) to others and maybe to life itself or the world around us has been odd?

Maybe. But astrologically, we shouldn't be surprised - except at just how odd things and people really are, of course.

Part of Mars retrograde theoretically is always about 're-balancing' our inner and outer worlds and the energy (the Mars "doing" or Mars "focus") put into each thing. Presented in Libra, this retrograde has had that eternally airy (air sign) quality of having to decide between ideas and people and paths and goals and all that stuff. That's the air sign thing - which is why air signs are always about choices. Gemini learns through choices and is personal, Libra learns through relationship and is thus interactive and Aquarius sees relationships in the world and how we relate to those relationships and the process of relating on an individual or collective basis.
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So ever since early December, we've been in this Mars-in-Libra mode, learning about our Self through our relationships (or lack thereof) with others. The 'who,' the 'how,' the priorities one party or another party places on 'what'...it's all been a debate to the extent that they (or the situation) sets off our triggers.

Retrogrades are about us. We tend to think they're about others and 'the world' and such, but while it's natural to start by saying 'they made me feel that way' our feelings aren't theirs, so 'they' don't make us feel any given way - we feel whatever we feel because we have interacted with others.

That's pretty much the start of the Libra road - realizing that we're drawn to others or alienated by them or whatever else because of Self...not 'them.'

Where we go from there of course once we understand that is up to us.

And if we don't learn that, we just keep banging our heads - which may simply say we like being our own headache, but let's not go there.

Next we add in the 9 Libra part. By simplest definition as a first decanate degree (any degree between 0 and 9 of any sign is in it's first 'decanate') 9 Libra is a personal degree referring to our Self, our life, our body or our actions. Having a bit of a 'yang' edge (or edginess) to it, 9 Libra calls upon us to see the 'other side' of things before coming to any decision and to be fair in making any decision which stems from seeing both sides of every coin (or pancake, if you prefer). Assertiveness associated with 9 Libra often surfaces as frustration even without Mars (or Mars retrograde) getting into the act as it is in our present. And all of this...just in case you're wondering why people get so much more frizzled and out-of-hand these days than they did in the "good old days"...well, apparently it was time for us to go through all this frizzling because as of December 19, 2003 the star astrology knows as Diadem moved into 9 Libra.

That made 9 Libra part of our greater global background vibe - a fact I'm sure you'll just be charmed by once we apply the idea of Diadem, that being the idea that our crowning glory as humans being we learn from what we go through.

In other words, we're back to the experience of gaining wisdom - often through something which doesn't go at all the way you want it to.

And that sounds like Mars retrograde.

Could it be all the awful stuff we've all gone through since last December is about what we learn from it?

Apparently so...which makes me wonder what's going to happen next. You know...once we stop and realize what we've learned and begin to apply that (wisely, one hopes)?

One last note here: with Mars going direct at 9 Libra, that means that anyone with a Sun, Moon, Ascendant-Descendant, Midheaven-Nadir, lunar node or significant point (significant to their individual chart, that is) between 4 and 14 of the following signs is going to be most dynamically affected by the approaching Mars station as a turning point in their life or their thinking or their choices.

AND that such people will do well to take into account that others (people who may not have any points, planets or whatnot in those degrees) won't react the way they do. Those others may not even seem to care...even if they do care.

It's one of those times when you could agree with someone and still argue with them - especially once Mercury is in Gemini. (Such things happen.)

Or maybe Mercury entering Gemini is that clockwork signal for all clicking into place or our mental gearing finally seeing where and how we are in agreement with someone, giving us a basis to proceed. (Carefully, yes - but progress is progress!)

Mars retrograde is said to raise feelings of isolation and being 'on our own' so that we can recognize what we are capable of doing as an individual. Or what we're not capable of doing. Or what we're doing to each other because we both feel helpless, but neither party wants to admit it and neither party wants to communicate what they can't understand or admit in or about their Self or those (or that) they love or feel allegiance to.

Whatever we have learned over these past months we have learned in 'isolation' - which in the realm of air signs means 'in our mind.' That's no negative - it merely begs another question: what are we going to do with (or maybe about) what we have come to understand about ourselves (or our Self) in (dis)connection with others and our world? 

All of this is taking place in the wake of an eclipse with the other two astrological "personal planets" (Sun and Venus) being in Taurus and Aries, respectively.

Venus rules Taurus, of course. And as noted while we were skating through the last post, Venus in Aries isn't generally known as anyone's peak point of personal satisfaction.

Mind you, that doesn't spell doom. Or defeat. This is just life's requirement that we 'eat our vegetables' so that we can merit our eventual dessert...which for reasons discussed over many a past day, week and month may or may not yet be of the humble pie variety.
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Venus in Aries

An image of simple singularity: one tree standing against the sky as reflected in water...or is that in our mind?

(photo credit: Pen Waggener, December 2008)

It would be totally understandable if here in the week after the 8 Taurus solar eclipse you were thinking things were on their way to settling down, ironing out and behaving in some reliably credible and sensibly civil manner.

That would be entirely understandable, yes.

It’s just that it wouldn’t be particularly true, especially once 1:22 in the morning (UT/+0 time) of May 3rd arrives, as that ushers in some three-and-a-half weeks of Venus in Aries and various forms of wanting things to be as we want them to be when life’s underlying message - however it manifests in your life - is far more likely to be about who we need to be and what we need to be prepared to deal with - not that anything dire is meant here.

It’s just that Venus in Aries periods generally manifest as a time when two very different and seemingly oppositional operations affect us. Not only that, but how we handle things seems...inordinately important to us, and we often aren’t tolerant of others whose priorities differ from ours.

No, Venus in Aries is not known as astrology’s most brilliantly cooperative descriptor - though why that is isn’t all that hard to understand. The astrological Venus principle being about where cause becomes effect defines connection and connectivity: an “I” and “thou” duality of some sort. But since Aries represents all things first-person-singular, everything we want from others somehow leads back to us...which is likely to manifest as the sort of ‘don’t look at me!’ vibe which works when there’s someone else to point your finger at, but that’s not what everyone will do. Willfulness, frustration - they’re common under Venus in Aries...though again, there are those who will simply blow off steam (or ‘vent’) now...and there are those who will simply take things into their own hand simply because under Venus in Aries the need to feel valid (or validated) can get so strong that people get into the ‘if no one else is going to do this, I will because I NEED to know this has gotten done’ sort of mode.

Not that such moves go well under Venus in Aries unless we’re truly working by ourselves. To work on our craft, our abilities, our projects or our image is classically Venus in Aries though there are astrologers who cringe at the idea of this as the influence under which we decide what our image should be while thinking through changing who we are seen as, what we’re doing that others know us by - all such things.

On the other hand...for those who have decided prior to Venus entering Aries (say, in connection with the Taurus eclipse) that XYZ needs changing, so long as we stick to our part in a process or pursue some change which has solely to do with us - that may go well.

However...there is a warning here which though seldom dire, eternally remains: the power of ego under Venus in Aries is powerful. In other words, a little bit of asserting or ‘stepping out and being noticed’ goes a long, long way.

Why this is goes back to the idea of Aries as the sign of the warrior - the chief ‘weapon’ of which is the determination to fight. That ‘presentation’ - that quality which says ‘I’m willing to do what it takes’ is endemic to Aries and antithetical to Venus....not to mention that pesky Mars in Libra retrograde thing again.

Mars rules Aries. Venus rules Libra - and Taurus, which we have to care about because anywhere Venus is will engage matters/qualities having to do with whatever has so recently been ‘eclipsed,’ liberating qualities we need to reconcile in our soul. But going back to the Venus-Mars thing, wherever we see planets ‘cross-collateralized’ by rulership we are told there’s a solid connection, which in the case of Venus and Mars links our passions (or whatever we’re passionate about) to some drive for (Venus) reward or satisfaction.

And that reward thing or satisfaction quota? That’s generally not what we want it to be under Venus in Aries.

In fact, we could start out saying we want “Thing A” under Venus in Aries and get Thing A and still not be satisfied.

And why not?

That why not is the bottom line with Venus in Aries: there’s a ‘closed loop’ quality to this passage which makes the ‘thing’ not our issue (no matter how much we think or want to insist it is).

The real issue is why we (Venus/eclipse) value the thing...and that may (for reasons too astrologically complicated to recite at the moment) involve some emotional experience you had back when you were between the ages of 2.5 and 5 years old.

And when we think of things from that perspective, maybe...just maybe having this March 1st through May 20th Mars-in-Libra retrograde enfolding the whole of the primary Taurus eclipse period (the two months preceding plus the greatest part of the month after) is something of a gift.

Yes, I said a gift.

What this time has done is back us away from each other, and in that process we have encountered some (Aries) personal and basic (Taurus) qualities about ourselves or our life or “our world” or our way of life (etcetera) which either are wrong or which we are discovering are wrong. Whatever is going is as likely to be hidden inside (under the belief that we need to “keep up appearances”) as it is to manifest in daily life.

Venus in Aries works well enough for those who are self-motivated but where we focus solely on self-interest (or where we see others as a means to our end without egalitarian regard for their aims) our efforts will go wrong - or be seen as arrogant, uncalled for...or even unseemly.

All this because taking others into account isn’t generally considered an Venus in Aries expertise.

Under Venus in Aries, we will want to shine - and to some strange extent, it doesn’t matter whether the reaction is an applause or complaint...it’s a response, and that’s what we want - to feel engaged. And engaging.

Venus in Aries likes to sparkle. Well, mostly. Those whose ego structures are naturally demonstrative will push the “more” button, where those who are for whatever reason shy will often opt for the door marked “hide here.”

Even more ironic...those who might do better to take a step back will be those stepping out while those who are naturally reticent are probably dealing with...not fear, exactly - but a definite sense of discomfort or perhaps simply lack of experience.

As Venus moves into and through Aries, discussions will shift, people will reformulate their methodologies and go about doing that entirely Aries thing of exploring and understanding who we are relative to things as they are in this time...at the moment...and who we find ourselves to be in our own mind...?

Whether motivation, explanation or justification, we will start there and see where it leads.

Even if it gets us nowhere.

Even if half way through our journey we decide to do something entirely different.

Even if we realize we haven’t yet done what we need to do to be the person (having the life) which suits not who we were yesterday, but who we are now.

Or who we want to become even if that means we have to risk experiencing things which are uncomfortable, unrewarding (at least in the short run) or frustrating.

We often get a lot done under Venus in Aries, but this isn't a combination which suggests lighthearted fun. The desire for fun? Yes - there is much to be said for Venus in Aries as a driver of personal desire.

It's just what we have to do to get there may not suit our fancy. (Or our ego, be it monumental or barely existent.) Owning our opinions is needed now, but so is tolerance. Haste generates waste under Venus in Aries and though being headstrong, insistent or reactive in the moment may feel (or sound) good, whether the issue is a relationship, project or negotiation it's easy to press to hard and create alienation. 

Fatigue or "inflammations"of body and/or mind are also said to be common under this sign. Though not necessarily at all serious, such things merit being taken to heart if only because under Venus in Aries we often need to be our own support team. 

Whatever happens, though Venus transits are seldom the make-or-break of life, they do tend to be dappled with dissatisfaction whether or not that dissatisfaction is merited. Combined with Mars retrograde in Libra, we are likely to spend the next several weeks moving towards and away from others (even if that’s just in our mind) or closer or farther from our aims, affecting not only our ‘vision,’ but how others see us - their ‘vision’ of us - all of which will feed into what we’re feeling about our Self, a process which will pose a lingering Venus in Aries question: If who we are and what we do in life comes back to us, are we being who we want to be?
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April’s 8 Taurus Solar Eclipse (Pt. 2: Sun in Taurus / Eta Aquarids)

Taurus (1907) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis

It’s about now in the lengthy March 1-May 20 Mars retrograde that things begin feeling really questionable. Mars retrogrades are always long and by nature tend to drag or slow us down. We are now about two-thirds through the retrograde and things are ‘coming out’ which are not one’s finest moments. About now there’s a ‘gap’ - or inability to achieve what we want…and the maintaining of  connections or activities we’re grown used to is likely to raise a couple of question. Are we willing to keep pushing ourselves? Will we continue to believe in what we’re doing should we find we’re alone in our belief?

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Mars and Saturn Retrograde

Eclipse Effects in Libra

And that’s not all. Even while slogging through mental Mars quicksand, there are all the intricate convolutions so very typical of the ongoing Ixion/Ras-Alhague conjunction which began back on February 22nd.

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Ixion/Ras Alhague

Amidst all that, the Sun enters Taurus – an act which on a metaphysical level sets many a thing in motion.

The date: April 20th.

The time: 3:57 in the morning, UT/+0.

Elementally, this moves us from the fiery world of Aries visions and personal conviction-insight-consciousness into the more ‘giving’ and ‘earthy’ Sun in Taurus zone – a time which is about whatever sort of stability, security, nourishment we need in life. Information, food, respect, abilities, money – whatever the basic need is in life, what that need tests is Taurean, as it tests our internal and intrinsic ability to deal with being confronted by the realities (not the ‘vision’) of what will support life…ours and that life in which we live (the world around us, in other words).

Normally this entrance would be one colored by fixed star Mirach at 0 Taurus, supporting a reigniting of the desire to interact in a more-or-less supportive manner because under Sun in Taurus the concept of give-and-take is brought into a basic, almost simplistically easy form. Yet with our 2014 Sun-Taurus ingress also comes a South Node at 28 Aries – just to begin with, and that’s something of a notice about internal-versus-external influences or opinions or ‘directives’ which are raising questions for you, me – and everyone else, too.

Our questions don’t sound the same, but they are: they’re about security – starting with how secure we feel about life, moving from there to how stable or secure we feel with our Self and who we’re being…and moving on from there to others reflecting what we’re feeling, which just may be why so much about life is likely to get us focused on our values.

And specifically, where we are out of kilter with our values. Or where we say we value one thing and do something which demonstrates some dichotomy in our personal character as well as the inaccuracy of stated or ‘vouched for’ standards.

The additional modifiers here are Tantalus at 3 Taurus (conjunct the Sun from ‘ahead’) and Juno at 26 Aries, conjuncting the Sun from ‘behind.’ Sometimes this ‘ahead-behind’ dynamic manifests as things we’ve done or experienced against things which are yet to be done – or even situations which are yet to arise, people we will yet meet, opportunities we will yet choose to avail ourselves or not.

Seeing as I posted on Tantalus just recently, if you would like to read up on Tantalus details here is that link.

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Tantalus, Station-Retrograde

Otherwise, with a brief nod to Tantalus as an indicator of our ability (or choice to/not to) weigh decisions correctly for both short-and-long term purposes, this solar ingress looks like exactly what we might expect at a point in time when Earth is rotating towards begin eclipsed from an area of the zodiac where the sense of survival is vital even if the necessity of physical survival isn’t.

And the way metaphysics works, to teach us that…to get us through our ego walls and to the point that we separate those two standards…we are going to come to the solar eclipse having perceived various forms of both. We may see that clearly. Then again, we may not want to see anything.

It’s a question of honesty – not with others (which is yes, what they may think), but with our Self.

This incoming eclipse is about values. Not ‘theirs,’ ours. It isn’t about ‘them’ – it’s about whether our values are what they should be…need to be…can be…and all the falsehoods we may be living, all the  structures we’ve built in the name of defense which really amount to fear. More specifically, ego fears – those threats (real or imagined) that we may not live up to who others think we are – or to the measure of the person we have long told ourselves we’re being.

And once we get that far? Then we have an option to change or not change, depending on the status of that self respect which underlies our self worth – and thus our personal and individual values….and the response that raises in us to whatever others are doing, prioritizing, opting for or investing the strength of their values, their resources, their abilities in.

Also – it’s unlikely that anything which is coming to a head has been ‘of the moment’ or swift coming on. Most of what is at stake now or up for consideration (or lack thereof…) has its origins in the past, separate from the fact that this April’s solar eclipse is a ‘recalling’ of situations and cycles either set off, avoided, initiated, instigated or ‘bought into’ back in April 1995.

Yes, in case you didn’t know eclipse degrees repeat – as do all lunar phases. Known as the Metonic cycle (so named for a fellow named Meton who lived long, long ago) the 19-year eclipse cycle continues to raise questions and issues in our life over and over again, asking us if we’ve ‘settled’ for something which seems comfortable enough…or good enough…or whether we’re living a life which is true to who we are (really) at our core.

Obviously anyone younger than 19 years old has not met up with this particular eclipse degree as yet, and there’s nothing to say that your experience…no matter how old or young you are…is going to be positive or negative when it comes to solar eclipse effects.

The key is your chart. So if you’ve run into any sort of quagmire over the past several months which challenges either how you feel about yourself or those values which you extend into the world or use in managing or operating in your world… this eclipse may well have your name on it. If so, you are not only currently in a state of unresolved flux (a feeling common during the last few weeks before any solar eclipse) but you are feeling challenged in a way which right or wrong, real or imagined has everything to do with how you’re going to feel about yourself.

You know…how you feel when at night you close your eyes and wait for sleep to come.

We are all mortal. That’s one note very much on point here. No matter who we are, no matter where or how we live, there are things we all need like sleep, like food, like the oxygen we breath. We all have feelings, longings, vulnerabilities and dreams. Some will happen, some will not. Some we hold onto as balm and motivation while we struggle towards some goal even if deep inside we know the dream will never be real.

At least we tried.

Yes, at some level, that’s the question now: will we try…or will we simply be trying – or even tried?

That last version could lead to a whole ‘other’ kind of ‘conviction’ – as opposed to being convinced - to be sure…but no matter who we are, no matter what the issue or outcome of some issue currently is, why we care (or don’t care) about Self or others remains the central question.

At least for now. After all, solar eclipses – particularly those which we find difficult, disruptive or destructive – are only in part about the issue of the moment, though that will have to be dealt with one way or another to be sure. And that we don’t (or haven’t) dealt with? That will deal with us through mechanisms set in motion at this time.

All of which brings up another point about Taurus. Though Taurus is the testing ground for inner security, it’s tests most often have some external or externalized factor which must be negotiated in connection with others or your world. Why?

Because it is only through tests and negotiations that we prove our inner security.

No, not to them – to our Self, which is why the truly secure person is immune to what others say…not in the uncaring sense, but in a manner which acknowledges differences without judgment in an accepting and caring manner.

With Taurus, manners count. They don’t have to be perfect, they don’t even have to be polite. They simply need to acknowledge realities – whether we like those realities (or want to admit them) or not. The importance of this may not seem immediately apparent until you consider Taurus as the sign before Gemini – the signature of mentality and communication. That makes Taurus the “12th derivative sign” to Gemini, making it not all that unlikely that a smattering of glitches which test our notions of security and/or what we think is (or isn’t) secure(d) in our opinion…or in reality.

A couple of other items on the menu, at least one of which I suspect will bring great cheer:

ITEM ONE: The Eta Aquarid meteor shower begins on April 19th and lasts through May 28th. As the Lyrids will continue dappling our night skies until April 25th, this means Earth is currently enjoying a double helping of what we might call “meteoric influences.”

Meteor showers are said to bring us ‘sprinkles of inspiration’ and the Eta Aquarids tend to be big scale, large scope and greatly ‘universal’ (if you think of the term ‘Aquarids’ as being akin to ‘Aquarius,’ you’ll be rather close). And perhaps – given the solar eclipse in Taurus – this indicates a time when new ideas are ‘sparked’ which help us see what isn’t working in our lives and what to do about it…or where our actual talents may prove useful.

Perseid meteor shower by John Walker (July 2011)

Then there are the Lyrids, a shower which has its in constellation Lyra – where Pluto is currently applying several-years worth of transit pressure to fixed star Vega, a process which will ultimately result in ‘transformations of charismatic forces,’ whether that means some source comes on line, disappears entirely or is transformed in essence or effect. We’re in “year two” of this 2013-2017 evolution of our time and lives and as astrological symbols go, Pluto isn’t known for manifesting as the ‘situation genteel.’

The bottom line here is this is yet another indication of our changing times…and changing minds. Whatever it is we’re supposed to be learning, as we move through the next week (through the end of the Lyrids on April 25th) things are still in revelation mode. We’re seeing what to do…we may even know how we want to do it…

And yet it’s not time. Something isn’t established or doesn’t yet exist.

So…what has to change before it does?

Well…probably several things. (After all, the eclipse doesn’t take place until the 29th.) But among all of those, astrologically the one thing I think you’re going to care about most is as follows: do you remember that t-square we keep discussing?

You know, that Pluto-Uranus-Jupiter t-square? The one which started rattling our personal ‘change is in the wind’ chains back in late July 2013?

Yes…that one. Well, it’s over.

(insert: sounds of cheering)

Not so fast...it's only the t-square which is over. But in that regard, all you have to deal with there is another few days - and the slackening of the t-square effect after that (call it the better part of next week).

So here’s the schedule of the t-square break-up (which to paraphrase the famous song may or may not be hard to do):

1. Jupiter squares Uranus on July 20th at 7:26 in the morning (UT/+0)

2. Jupiter perfects its opposition to Pluto (conjunct Vega) on Sunday, April 10th at 11:06 in the evening, UT/+0.

HOWEVER…with this comes the fact that Uranus (see above) will square Pluto (conjunct Vega) on Monday the 21st (at 6:39 in the evening UT/+0 time).

And that means yes, the t-square is ending. But that only removes the Jupiter goal.

So we’re ending the need to get past some need to break out of limitations or change priorities or recognize our greater potential through greater perspectives.

On the other hand, we’re also ending some opportunities – namely the one which says we could break out of limitations or change priorities through recognition of greater potentials and personal perspectives.

Whichever ‘end’ of this you’re on, your challenges are likely to become more simple and direct as we move through this time, but the shift to get there will require harnessing both ability and willingness to connect to others not through aims, but through whatever Taurus issues are now becoming apparent. Seeing as the 'remnants' of this t-square will become a Uranus/Pluto square lasting through 2015 into early 2016, we are being told that our lives are going to change - in some cases, radically and that those among us who are willing to grow, innovate and remain flexible will do best.

Also...whether you know it or not, the specific and terribly human values which underlie those dimly defined yet all-prevalent mortal forces being felt...? Within that...within whatever vulnerability you feel as you recognize your humanity or that of others, there lie your keys to greater benefits.
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