Dateblog: May 2015

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So here we are at May 2015 ... Venus and Mercury are in Gemini prompting many a notion worth considering and while the Sun-Mars combination in Taurus we’re starting the month out with can be a wee bit stubborn (a wee bit?), the combination of all (Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars) also typifies the sort of inner core stability we’d expect in those who know where they’re starting from - and given that, what they’re willing to risk.

Or at least think about risking. (Sun and Mars in Taurus can be provoked, no doubt. But this is not a ‘hasty’ combination - just ask Ferdinand the Bull!).

There’s a lot of ‘this and that’ going on in life and the world - that we would expect as a reflection of the ongoing Eta Aquarid meteor shower - not that such ‘sparks of inspiration’ may not lead to something good.

With the Full Moon in Scorpio, it’s virtually guaranteed a few things in life will be coming to a head. They may be joyous, they may be testy - and without question they will in some way be prompting each of us to ask each of us (depending on where we are with our Self) about whether what we thought things were was really right.

That’s one of the things Full Moons are for ... astrologically, they’re all about our checking in our our Self and how we’re feeling about things - the everyday things of everyday life and all the people which go with that. A Full Moon in Scorpio, whether testing or terrific is about that which sticks with us or that which we feel stuck with. It raises the sticky aspects of interactions so we can wonder why things ‘have to be this way’ - or whether they really need to be as complicated as we all make them.

Depending on what we meet up with, we let go or dance our fandango. Then we simply move on, as Full Moons are phases - like days and moments and pre-memory selfies taken by our mind, some of which will last, and some of which we’ll by and by toss in the mental trash.

By the time the New Moon turns up in Taurus on the 18th (UT/+0), Mercury’s being on station to go  retrograde (on the 19th) with Lilith entering Scorpio two days later on the 21st spells reconsideration - or the necessity to do so. Something needs consideration (not that we want to think about it...). With Mercury in Gemini retrograde and Mars having joined the Gemini parade, there’s a lot of ‘noise’ - inside and out. Factors are shifting ... do we ‘tackle the job’ and count on adapting to input on the fly? Or do we continue thinking, talking and gathering data and ideas while wondering apace?

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Not that May is likely to ‘feel’ all that much like April. The spirit, the atmosphere, the general and elemental ‘feeling’ we get about things ... well, with all the emphasis on earth last month, that’s had us being (or becoming) much more aware of (earthy, tangible) realities in terms of what could (fire) happen on many important-to-everyday-life earth/earthy fronts. And now? By the time the Sun exits earthy Taurus for airy Gemini on May 21st (UT/+0) a lot of that earthy ‘drive’ (courtesy of Mars) will have turned into considering of and looking into options - which would be particularly apt, what with Mercury going retrograde on the 19th (UT/+0).

And since just after that upsurge of whatever which occurs around the time of the (Scorpio) Full Moon on May 4th (oh, do have fun...) Venus rolls into Cancer (date: late on May 7th, UT/+0) ... well, the net of all such, plus the Mars which entered Gemini on May 12th being in position to oppose Saturn (in retrograde) as Mercury goes retrograde ...

Expect some stoppages. Whether they are yours, or why they are yours (or aren’t yours or aren’t about you) is individual. But with Saturn opposing Mercury as Venus trines Neptune during Mercury’s (Gemini) station, the concepts of transit, traffic and ‘commerce’ would seem up for grabs ... in any and every form, whether that’s personal, professional, conversational, negotiable, insightful, enlightening, or of any and every other sort.

That much ‘Gemini as many’ we would expect. After all, it is that ‘many’ Gemini quality which forces us to think things through and then choose, which is exactly what Gemini’s about.

And it’s also what the whole process of Mercury retrograde - which means we’re getting a double dose of doubling back on our thinking ... which if you accept the idea that unbeknownst to us, the universe is unfolding as it should ...means we are not just meant to be facing and dealing with whatever we have on our plate(s) at the moment (some people having bigger life tables with more plates on them than others...), but that there is indeed something to be learned from present circumstances. No matter how the circumstance itself goes, metaphysics teaches that we have the option and some opportunity in the Now to be more of who we will ultimately like ourselves better for being - and how that’s the key to the happiness and security we’ve been all balled up about.

But no, it may not be fun - which I agree, is dislikable in the utmost (to put it politely).

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Yet whatever we’re up to, and whatever we’re doing, its hardly set in stone - or if something is, it leads to something so directly (and that may so directly lead to something else) that it appears that we know what we’re doing even though the whole of May is likely to be an endless series of moment by moment decisions - which may sound trying or complicated, but then again, may just point to that rather lovely quality we humans call awareness.

Some will skate, evade and never settle during May. Some will skim surfaces and never get beyond wetting their toes wet in glassy shallows.

Then again, maybe they can’t swim - would you have them drown in something they’re unprepared for?

And maybe all that skating is the performance of a virtuoso, the flawless tacking from point to point while virtuously sailing a metaphysical wind.

Being how all the teal (jade?) color in the chart represents mutable energy, we should expect things to change this month. Change can mean many things to every person, so all we know is that things will change this month, whether we’re the initiator, the participant, the onlooker or just someone hearing some tiny factoid which causes us to change our opinion on something.

That’s a prime astrological verb for May 2015: change. The constant isn’t constant - and if ‘it’ is constant, we aren’t. This can represent some sort of rebelliousness, but it may just represent differences neither good or bad. With Jupiter in Leo moving through Leo’s ‘teen’ degrees, there’s a lot of idealism going around - which might be just fine except along with the idealism is likely to occur an equal measure of hard-headedness.

And that hard-headedness? Though it absolutely feels necessary, it may be necessary ... and then again, we may just be feeling emotionally squishy deep in our innards. (You know, in those inner places we don’t even like admitting to?)

Surely we’re all going to be trying a lot of things and differing tactics this month. Once we get to Mercury retrograde (on the 19th), the better part of our ‘learning curve’ is internal in spite of however much is going on, with the astrological ‘why’ of that - the things which trigger that learning - probably being associated with (starting as) Black Moon Lilith enters Scorpio on May 21st, the day when the Sun enters Gemini.

That date - the 21st - is actually the end of a four (or five, depending on your time zone) day coagulation of events (which will probably be the next post here at the blog) and certainly the most astrologically notable recipe of the month. Between here and there is the Full Moon of the 4th (at 13 Scorpio), Venus moving into Cancer on the 7th and Mars entering Gemini on the 12th - which will be a big breath of energetic air for us all.

And yet ... just about the time that Gemini Mars gets to reflecting in life, revving us up and getting us thinking (if not going) in a hundred different directions, that’s when we reach that Mercury retrograde.

(Plus a few other things ... so stay tuned!)
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Dateblog: April 2015

 There are a lot of things I could say about April 2015 even if we’re just limiting that to the astrological in nature. For instance, I could point out how all that fresh green in the ‘April 2015 by Sign’ graphic - an increasing green which increasingly asks ‘how Taurean is my outlook?’ as the month goes along.

And for the uninitiated (or merely forgetful), ‘more Taurean’ means stubbornly peaceful on the positive side ... and perfectly placid about anything and everything up to (and possibly including) that which grows out of nurtured resentments and steadfast (even stubborn) allegiances to judging everything on a physical basis to the negative side. (Aren’t you happy you asked?)

I could also point out how the whole of April’s second half - as always - is going to be sprinkled (literally, on the metaphysical level) with asteroids, those ‘sparks of insight or inspiration’ and on occasion those ‘shots in the dark’ we not only take and see others taking but associate with the two meteor showers (the Lyrids and the Eta Aquarids) which happen every year about this time.

But no, that wouldn’t be where I would think we should start with considering April, as a personal astrological ‘ranking’ (i.e., how my big dog brain sees it) would start with the Lunar Eclipse at 14 Libra which will occur on April 4th with barely a hiccup in time passing before Jupiter goes direct four days later, on April 8th. And while I was saying that, I would point out that Lunar Eclipses represent ‘feeling’ or emotional times, and how while they’re neither as magically life transformative if spectacularly hard to see (in our own lives, at least for a while) as solar eclipse effects, lunar eclipse are at least polite enough about our time and effort to exude their effects downright promptly - which means that anyone with a major (planet, dwarf planet, node or axis) point between 4 and 24 Libra, Aries, Capricorn or Cancer (the cardinal signs, in other words) ... those people should not be expected if something arises or originates in the area(s) of life associated with those lunar eclipse “sensitive points.”

And then there’s Jupiter, for which the same suggestion goes, with the difference being that Jupiter is going direct at 12 Leo, which means the degree spread is from 2 to 22 degrees of Leo, Aquarius, Taurus or Scorpio should take special note.

More on both subjects in individual posts, of course - but that’s where I was thinking we should start. While not precisely a symbol of emotions or feelings, things which are associated with Jupiter  ... the effects, the opportunities, the encounters, the challenges, the news, the discoveries and enlightenments ... those Jovian (Jupiter) things tend to be associated with emotionality.

So how interesting that these two things are laid out (eclipse first) so that as we enter April things get more interesting and expressive, whatever else that may mean!

Plus Pluto will be going retrograde this month. And that Pluto does that (on the 17th) as Planet Earth (our lives) moves into the ‘meteor zone’ suggests a time when many things are being considered, parts or pieces or segments of which has us the (Taurus) necessity or value involved in doing or even thinking that we need anything other than the being content in any ... or every ... or various given moments.

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Maybe with so little in the way of air sign influence in this month’s mix (not to discount the Libra lunar eclipse or Venus’ impending transit of Gemini - shown above in light blue) ... maybe that will cause people to stop talking about the ‘idea of the thing’ or spending time and energy dissecting notions in favor of dealing with (earth sign) facts, evidence and history.

Then again, with as much fire sign energy (above, in golden yellow) being present in the mix, maybe what we need to deal with is how many people are simply unable to deal with realities - and why that is, or has come to be true. Fire plus earth influences tend to trend either towards the highly dynamic and often creative, or forms of what we might call ‘scorched earth’ policies as we simply discard or disregard all manner of facts, realities and necessities as, blind to all else, we follow some notion which may or may not have any real world basis or application.

How all these things are going to work out in - and through each one of our lives is still a mystery, of course. And in the wake of the 29 Pisces eclipse, some part of that is likely to be lived out through the (lunar eclipse) relationship venue or through how we (do or don’t, can or can’t) relate to someone. With the solar eclipse having occurred on March 20th, as April begins a good number of us are going to be coming to the ‘end’ of some alliance, relationship or  need to attend to a particular issue. Or their tolerance is wearing thin. Or they’re disenchanted (disappointed) with someone or something for having not lived up to some internal standard which isn’t about them at all, but rather about something we long to delude ourselves about as if we don’t ... well, then we’d have to feel all some sort of negative we really (REALLY) don’t want to feel.

That ‘thing’ ... if there is one ... we will project and ascribe to being about ‘them’ or ‘that.’

But it isn’t. It isn’t about ‘them’ - it’s about us ... which would be why this month being so Taurean holds so much promise, and a chance for much insecurity - not with ‘them,’ but as (or because) we finally figure out how the security we seeking so ardently is never solidified or damaged by things or people on the outside.

It’s all about who we are - and how we got that way, which is plenty to think about (and live the experiencing of) throughout April.

Bon voyage to us all!
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Dateblog: March 2015

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March looks to be a month which begins with a few challenges (or our challenging ourselves) and which ends with things moving more or less in a desired direction ... PROVIDING that desire doesn’t include any gaining of ‘new ground’ (whatever that term might mean to you in your life) or thinking that everything which anyone says, thinks, writes or undertakes to do is to be taken on faith - or guaranteed, come what may.

None of this means that in due time you can’t get to some particular goal you have in mind. But it does say there’s a certain suggestion that ultimate fruition isn’t going to happen now except in a few rather tightly defined cases.

And what are those cases defined by?

The answer there is Saturn, symbol of time, dedication, effort, slow growth (sometimes very slow), structures and structuring things, responsibility, durability, regulation and much, much else which though not entirely frivolous and fun is nevertheless what allows us to achieve, to earn what we get from life and to be known for who we are.

(And who we have been. Don’t forget that part!)

So when is the ‘dividing line’ here? That would be around March 13-16 - a period of three days during which Juno (management) goes direct, Saturn goes retrograde and Venus wraps up a couple of weeks of sometimes less-than-inspiring transiting through Aries, a sign which doesn’t give us any of those Venus hugs and compliments we humans need in some measure merely as reassurance of connection with others.

After all, no (wo)man is an island, as they say.

Once Venus gets into Taurus, we can expect better reception and better results as Venus’ primary function as a signal of good will (even love) begins to function in our favor as of the 17th.

Yet that is just a couple of days shy of the March 20th (29 Pisces) solar eclipse, so we know there are places where all Venus in Taurus is going to mean is that some form of comfort and security ... or things which make us feel comforted or feel secure (even though that may be something of a lie) is being eradicated and ‘eclipsed’ precisely because the ‘old’ way of doing things or thinking no longer holds.

As the eclipse rolls through, Mars (which is in Aries, its sign of sole rulership) will just have moved into Aries’ third decanate - the degrees between 20 and 29 which in any sign are where the matters associated with that sign are all around us, in our workplace or society - or going on ‘out there’ in the world. So that which is happening (wherever) is nothing we precisely control, although we may well have to respond to it. Or maybe we just want to respond or participate.

Mars in Aries is a willful kind of energy which ‘pushes’ to do things and to stand behind statements of personal ego, all of which may be being expressed in the world - and which some of us will be surprised by. Or even enraged by. Its always to be expected that under Mars in Aries people are going to do things which harm or hurt, and since Aries is the sign of our ‘self-identity’ (including ego) expressions of that identity/ego, things which will get said or done (some in haste) during March - and this is a reference to the whole of March - which end up getting retracted, edited, softened, rephrased, repaired or ignored. During that period when Venus is also in Aries there will tend to be several camps: the helpless or ill-informed and those who willingly join in the fray, drawn in by a need to feel their own vitality ... and at least some among us will start there and get ‘corrected’ as we move through the Pisces eclipse.

But for others, March begins with life on ‘hold.’ And if this is you, and if you’re also someone whose chart ‘answers’ to 4 degrees of Sagittarius (by any aspect) you may find Saturn’s station removes some limit, blockade or impediment.

Some of this may well have to do with March 2015 also being month full of fire signs - fire being the element which imagines and envisions ... but which isn’t always based in fact or on pre-existing schedules, realities and (oh yes ...) those inconvenient little notions we call ‘human nature.’ 

  Legend: blue/water, brown/earth, light blue/air, dark blue/water

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With all of March being so ‘fiery’ - especially with Mars passing through Aries, this is going to be a month when things will manifest ‘loudly’ and when the impacts made on the individual level (or which originate on the individual level) need to be thought through.

Theoretically, Saturn’s presence in Sagittarius (with Sagittarius being ruled by Jupiter in retrograde) says there are things in life or ‘in our way’ which are going to promote thought simply by delaying the possibility of success. Still, there’s nothing about this pair of placements which says what is going to get thought about. And with Mercury in Pisces for much of the month, there will also be a high emotional/evocative quotient lurking about which, apart from where its put to use in understanding emotions or discussing how and why such feelings exist, is apt to be too ill-defined to clarify misconceptions on a purely or randomly individual basis. In fact, some individuals are likely to be so filled with whatever they’re feeling as to avoid any new input specifically because they’re sort of out of emotional processing space.

Remember - there’s a solar eclipse this month in Pisces and at the greatest intensity of depth the sign is ‘designed’ (metaphysically) to evoke precisely because some of those feelings are ‘old hat,’ outmoded and pertaining to a past everyone is faced with having to let go of as Earth (and everything which resides on Earth) faces the need to integrate as individuals and on the individual level as well as on a global and planetary level. Incidents here and there are highlighting just how much we need each other and how dependent we are on societal structures which are relatively new in comparison with humanity’s older and more settled ways - the high-rise fire in Dubai’s ‘Torch Tower’ (an ironic name, yes) occurred with the Moon - a symbol of home - at 29 Pisces (the degree of the incoming eclipse).

Both charts above are cast for 2 a.m. in Dubai, U.A.E., and though some of the

reports as to exactly what time fire broke out are varying by some minutes,

given the rate at which the angles (and Moon) were moving, the association

of the 29 Pisces Moon in this chart and the IC (or Nadir) is a constant.

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Fortunately no one died. Even better, what this would seem to say about the eclipse is that where we have done well in constructing or ‘structuring’ the framework upon which other things rest and our ability to react in a structured manner we survive ... perhaps not unscathed, as incidents under Pisces often leave (or reveal) emotional dents which are particularly hard to resolve because they tend to be based in real events which have had a real (and realistic) effect on us as people.

And that leads to the heart and soul of Pisces - a sign which ultimately exists to remind us of what really matters in the end: life itself.

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Astrologer's Note: This post originally went up with two copies of the month by element - an 'oops' which has now been corrected. Sorry if anyone got confused!

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Dateblog: February 2015

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In looking ahead at February, the month begin on a theoretical note with Sun and Mercury in Aquarius. We’re thinking about things and thinking or working things through.

That’s always the theme under Mercury retrograde, and with this one occurring in Aquarius, we’re trying to figure things out. We’re wondering which choice we should go with, and why-or-how that could turn out differently than what we’re opting for now.

But against all this thinking we have the feeling quadrant of life. Every two days or so the Moon changes sign, and as it does, the tone of some conversations change, the appeal of certain actions waxes and wanes, which with Mars and Venus in Pisces means we’re all going to be one part sensitive, one part tired (whether physically or just ‘tired of this’ being individual) and very much in that sort of mood where we really (sincerely) wish things were a different way, but since they aren’t, we’ll deal with what we have to deal with.

We accept necessity. We act with a certain personal clarity that XYZ (and ABC) needs to get done and we may even not be unhappy with what we’re doing - it’s just not scratching some itch we have ... which we may know all, or nothing particular about.

And meanwhile, life goes on. With the arrival of a Leo Full Moon on February 3rd, questions of recognition and acknowledgment of worth rise to the surface like a lovely froth ... or maybe just pond scum, depending on the suitability and consistency of whatever effort/s have gone into whatever is occurring at this time. Moon phases always indicate steps in a process and both the ending of one thing and the beginning of another. And though your everyday Full Moon isn’t considered astrologically auspicious unless you have more than several other indicators going on in your personal chart, they often represent a time when things ‘come to light,’ whether in the cause of much de-light or not.

Will this feed into something you’re dealing with (or which you should be dealing with) as Sedna goes on station, then direct at 23 Taurus on January 6th (UT/+0)? Maybe so - but unless 14 Leo (the degree of the Full Moon) and 23 Taurus both aspect your personal chart with some acuity, probably not.

Still, it’s an interesting to note that after the Full Moon comes Sedna’s station ... and no sooner will Sedna’s station end but Mercury’s station (to go direct) period begins.

Mercury going direct (at 1 Aquarius) on February 11th definitely marks one of the bigger ‘shifts’ of energy for the month. That it happens as Sedna is freshly in direct motion suggests learning something about or coming to realize something through the world around us which gets us to give up - or at least consider getting past - some long held notion which isn’t as workable as we thought it was. Either it’s all about ‘us’ and pays ‘them’ improper consideration (or credit), or something is ‘off’ in terms of scale, scalability or feasibility.

And either way, we know we need to change - whether we end up changing or not, and our reasons really don’t matter.

The real question is about growth - and the (Sedna) willingness to grow and mature, or at least to grow past some cherished (Mercury) notion which as much as we might want to think this is the way the world is ... or should be ... it simply isn’t.

Nor is it going to be. No one is happy right now and we are are being forced to adapt to new realities. Those realities favor none - and in that, do not favor anyone who preserves favor for some, or those who dictate what ‘favor’ means.

It’s that last part which really gets us. But it’s a big Aquarian Age issue and thus part of the process which Sun in Aquarius (which ends on the 18th, UT/+0 time) and Mercury in Aquarius (which started back in January and which extends into March) not only pertains to, but is founded on ... a concept we’ll probably all get in gear with (whether reluctantly or otherwise) around the time the New Moon at 29 Aquarius doesn’t light up our skies shortly before midnight on February 18th (UT/+0) and but three scant minutes before the Sun leaves Aquarius for the Pisces, the sign which shows us how we are part of everything ... and everyone else.

Yet apparently we aren’t supposed to just bathe in these feelings of universal amniotic emotionalism, as for feisty and otherwise, Venus and Mars both move into Aries on February 20th - a sign that the rest of February is going to involve dealing with our own will.

And whether we will deal with our will - willingly or otherwise. Too much, too little, too relied upon, too often stuffed under the bed ... whichever bailiwick we come from, now we see how well it does - or doesn’t work, all of which would seem to be grist for the solar eclipse which we’re on countdown for as soon as the Sun enters Pisces - that being a 24-hour period during which Mars and Venus roll into or through 29 Pisces, the degree of the incoming eclipse.

Given all of the above, its unlikely that this is going to be our most tangibly-oriented February ...

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...only Sedna and Pluto are in earth signs all month. But that does point to that period just before Mercury goes direct (on the 11th) as an important time. Maybe not in the moment - maybe something you learn or hear about or do will come to matter to you in days or times to come.

Apart from that, with all the gold being astrological fire, we can expect a lot of experimentation, postulation, chords being struck and striking images. The month starts out in more of an air-water mode than it ends up in, suggesting more February fervency to begin with and a bit more ‘telling of the tale’ and exploration as the month wears on. With the eclipse roughly representing that which exposes issues of mortal responsibility and the vital difference between want and factual reality (the whole of it, not just the parts we like) we’re all likely to go through things which will get our attention about such matters.

Then again, what else were you planning on doing with your February (apart from celebrating Valentines Day and the birthday of a certain astrologer I happen to know)?
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Dateblog: January 2015

January 2015 by Sign

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In terms of personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars), January 2015 begins with three of the five (and we really shouldn't count the Moon in this discussion as the Moon changes signs about every couple of days) in Capricorn - a sign known for looking ahead and working to carry out plans ... and alternately, for loses (often of stature or reputation) and the reality of life's consequences and world/worldly responses - either for what we've done prior to now or what we're in the throws of doing (or trying to do) now.

By January 4th, that 'solidity' of thrust ... that's going to begin to change. It may not be obvious or evident in any giant way, but as Venus and Mercury move into Aquarius (with Mars already in Aquarius) the emphasis (and thus our mental space) is going to stop being so absorbed by or focused on hard facts and more prone to considering (read: zeroing in on) and responding to things as being relative to other issues, matters and details - much of which is going to be  basically pertaining to those eternal things which form the basis for our life: home, family, mortality ... the land, sea and sky, and all which comes from, or abides in any such location.

Just keep thinking 'basics.'

That shift (the shift in thinking and focus) is going to alter the flow of things. Mars in Aquarius - in pragmatic terms - often represents the motivation to get something done on a broadly unified scale even as it tends to impact, fragment and break apart that which may still be cohesive, but which no longer serves a positive function in that state ... which makes what's going to happen now in many ways dependent on what  what we have come into this period doing, feeling, and being motivated by. With Pluto having just entered the shadow of its 2015 cycle there are things which are going to change or be transformed - some of which at least are going to reflect Pluto's ongoing approach to fixed star Vega, charisma's star. That Pluto isn't going to conjunct Vega (exactly) during 2015 is actually a sign that more and more is going to change and that many of the things we have been 'enchanted' or moved by in times or years past are on the move. They're going to change - and no one can stop that change, insistent though they may be.

For the Mercury watchers (that would be most of us) there's another interesting note to attach to this Mercury-entering-Aquarius moment ... namely that as Mercury enters Aquarius (Venus having already done so), that's also the same date that Mercury will be entering its retrograde shadow as the Mercury retrograde which begins on January 21st (UT/+0) at 17 Aquarius will in time back down to 1 Aquarius - and from 0 to 1 degrees (the movement of one degree) is something Mercury does rather swiftly.

The net of this takes us back to that 'subtle shift' of attitude, 'vibe' or perspective mentioned in terms of Venus and Mercury exiting Capricorn in the sense that though there is a tendency for much of the world to hit the ground running on January 2nd (even if the Orthodox Church hasn't yet celebrated Christmas, meaning their holiday season isn't over yet!) ... that this year that 'hitting the ground running' is going to be colored or affected by the fact that pretty much the whole of January 2015 is going to be a 'hurry up so we can slow down' (or stop) exercise which will manifest in any of a billion ways, hastening and hustling us through the first couple of weeks so that come the 21st, we know what we're attending to.

Or at least waiting for. (At least that's the thought.)

 January 2015 by Element

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And it's not like we're likely to be entirely unjustified. Looking at the month by element, both planets most associated with the rise and fall of lives, regimes, religions and plans in general (Jupiter and Saturn) are now both in fire signs. Added to that, Uranus is also in a fire sign, and since all three planets are in separate signs, what we have implied here is a grand trine (ongoing and virtually immutable) flow of energies which we will be living with until Jupiter exits Leo this coming August, describing a period of time where we can change things and change our approach to life (our 'relationship' to our world) ... or we can have our world thrust change upon us.

(Take your pick.)

That Uranus is going to perfect its conjunction to the lunar South Node this month promises fractious relationships, startling news/events and a number of personal breakthroughs - some of which may be fairly breathtaking (though what that means is individual - some people gasp long before others do!) ... and that it will do as Uranus - which is now in direct motion - is going to be beginning to "close in" on slower-moving Pluto in anticipation of perfecting the Uranus-Pluto square which has been with us now for quite a while symbolizing eruptions of uncontrollable, transpersonal events which are quite literally changing our world.

That square won't perfect until mid-March. But let's just say that the closer we get to Uranus perfecting its conjunction to the lunar South Node (which occurs on January 19th), the more flexing and innovative thinking is going to be called for not just in external life and in terms of what we do (or choose to do/not do) but in who we are - and because this event is currently traversing degrees 12, 13 and 14 of respective signs (with the conjunction of Uranus/Node occurring at 13 Aries-Libra)(the South Node being in Aries and the North Node being in Libra) this entire month is likely to be particularly focal for anyone who with natal placements at one of these degrees in any sign... if particularly (she says, thinking of people in the news) those among us with primary chart indicators (Sun, Moon, Ascendant/Descendant, Midheaven/Nadir) at 13 Aries, Libra, Cancer or Capricorn, followed by those with placements at 13 Pisces, Taurus, Virgo and/or Scorpio.

The first group will face or be facing issues directly. The second group will be facing them obliquely, which is to say that because 'Thing A' happens, 'Consideration B' becomes important.

As to the nature of this particular ripple in the works, this transit - Uranus/South Node - is about a 'shake up' (or shift) in how we relate to our own nature as well as that of others. And though the likes of those news makers (the two I'm thinking of being politicians) and myself (my Midheaven is at 13 Capricorn) are likely to be particularly impacted on a core and/or internal level, there are going to be plenty of things floating around for everyone to be bouncing off of (or around about) - all while possibly getting bruised by, or through the process of participating in doing all that relating, relational or relationship tra-la.

Also: none of this is optional. If you're thinking you'll just put everything on hold or hide in some mental (or other type of) hole, you certainly have the choice to do that but the world (that thing you're supposed to be relating to and working on your relationship with?) ... the world will have moved on without you, which brings this all back to the most important thing I ever heard one of my astrology teachers (Robert Hand, as it happens) say: use the energy wisely, lest it use you unwisely. 

Plus that's not all ... (she said, well aware that she may be sounding a bit like a late-night infomercial, which is ridiculous seeing as I'm about as bad at sales and marketing as any human being has ever been) ... January is also playing host to an approaching square to Neptune (in Pisces) by a Saturn which is newly in Sagittarius. That will set in virtually as soon as the new year dawns (read: on January 2nd), and it's likely to be felt as an on-and-off 'haunting' awareness which we're all going to also be contending with not just this month ... and not even just into March, as in the case of the current 'ramping up' of various Uranus/Pluto square pressures and situational anxieties. 

No ... with Neptune-Saturn, we're not getting off that easily: this transit will be with us in various forms through November of 2015, promising all sorts of issues having to do with habits and things we are habituated by - and the many forms of 'addiction' which riddle our lives and world, be that an addiction to a substance or a belief or a perspective on sex, love, work, money, power, violence, happiness, exercise, food, politics - or anything else. Saturn-Neptune contacts being always about reality versus hope and facts versus denial in favor of something "prettier" (or at least more appealing), this is the sort of lengthy square aspect which we would expect to manifest both in our lives and through things in life which effects lives on a global and somewhat 'indistinct' (or) 'impersonal' way or scale.

The Saturn side of this brings the effort to structure, restructure, limit or withstand to the table where the Neptune energetic will inspire ... and then again, also dissolve, whether 'dissolution' or 'dissolving' means eliminating that which stands between you and something (or two separate things) where the elimination of some factor, thought, issue is taken on either because of a depth of feeling which is not only not about the Self (Neptune = lack of personal or individual ego) or because that which we have been sure of comes to no longer function or serve a positive purpose.

Mind you, any of this can be positive: squares ask us to balance different functionalities, much as an engineer balances the substance and structure of a wall against the structure and function of a ceiling. Then again, any of this can be detrimental. And all of it (or any of it) can be hugely informative, most of all as to what the realities and facts really are ... as opposed to what we might want them to be, or what we were hoping they were or would become.

All of which is far more about us than others or our world ... which is probably worth a thought or two.

And fortunately (read: whether we like it or not) Mercury retrograde is going to donate just that dynamic to our universally human personal cause.

So we are going to be learning something going forward. But what are we about to learn - and learn about?
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Dateblog: November 2014

November 2014

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For those who were thinking that once past the solar eclipse we were out of Scorpio’s alternately frosty and incendiary waters, not so fast!

As is clearly visible in the above (looking at all the red) it’s pretty obvious much of November will be all about what we (Scorpio) want, why we (Scorpio) want it and why it’s (Scorpio) so incredibly important to us to make our point and if humanly possible, have our way.

But again, the real issue with Scorpio is not about whether ‘they’ cooperate or agree with us. It’s not about whether we achieve our aim-de-jour.

It’s about why such things are so important to us - and that doesn’t mean ‘because that’s what I was taught’ (or what we believe in, etc.) but an emotional (water sign) reference to where we stand with our Self with regards to the whole concept of security - that being what Scorpio ultimately seeks to teach, and where necessary, test.

And lest we miss the point, this doesn’t refer to what our security “depends” on in day-to-day life, either; as important as food, shelter, health and other such basics are, they are the Taurus - not the Scorpio side of this equation. So it’s not the money or food or housing structure which we’re talking about, but the emotional sense of importance - that critical emotional concern which ‘defines’ security beyond its mere physicality which is the heart and soul of Scorpio.

For the first half of the month this basic Scorpio concern will underlie much of what happens, with feelings and issues being ‘highlighted’ around the time of the Taurus Full Moon on November 6th. Providing we can get past our own business we are likely to be treated by interesting ‘displays’ being put on by others - and while some will merely focus on what is getting (or that has been) done, others will learn far more by thinking through to why those people would be needing to do whatever they’re doing. The important information of the moment will come from this secondary and more emotional source... but it will also be hard to utilize what gets learned without recognizing that whatever we do will produce unilateral results.

And that means we can’t win or ‘defeat’ anyone in this moment. We can HELP everyone, but the ‘singling’ out which creates some pluses and some minuses isn’t likely to hold water during this particular Full Moon period.

Against this, Pluto and Mars are in Capricorn - a sign which is naturally in sextile to Scorpio, indicating the 'thought'...or an opportunity to either advance one’s own cause or to create or advance cooperative efforts. Starting the month out at 4 Capricorn (which is neither here nor there, I’m just giving you a point of reference), Mars will enter the 5-degree orb of conjunction to Pluto on November 4th (UT/+0), give or take the time zone you’re in. The actual conjunction takes place over the days of November 10th and 11th, which given time zones may lapse back to the 9th and forward to the 12th, and we should expect a good deal of ‘movement’ on many a matter or situation at this time as 'hard' aspects between Pluto and Mars (the square, conjunction or opposition) represents the sort of intersecting of motivation and understanding which promotes feeling responses - which then we do or don't manage. Pluto/Mars combinations, whatever shape they take speak to ‘developments’ which test our ability to understand how what is being done 'to' us is at some level a product of choices (our choices) past and present.

The dates from November 4th to/through November 17th (again, depending on your time zone) will reveal most of the “business” of this month - and that can be positive in full measure with the degree to which we are willing to require of ourselves that we own our own feelings (as above) and neither project nor base decisions on that emotionality... and which can be negative when we let ourselves do what we want just because we’re ‘feeling that way.’

Meanwhile life will tempt us to do our worst - or to fail ourselves in the fullest of eventualities simply because we did give in to the emotions of the moment.

With Pluto not moving from 11 to 12 Capricorn until November 26th, most of November will carry an undercurrent about connectivity/connections (or opportunities to connect) which we avoid - which as November draws to a close will turn into a desire to charm, to intrigue, to interact, with the motivation for same being the basic question. The positive of 12 Capricorn being a wit, care and precision which when applied in equal measure crafts genius, and the negative of this degree is the cruelty (sometimes to the point of criminality) and narcissistic tendencies which produce fantastic and frantic lies, all of which are visible to those being lied to, if equally and determinedly denied by the liar.

The ‘shape of things’ begins to change around November 14th as Neptune goes on station and the Leonid meteor shower beings on the 15th. The Leonids don’t last that long - this year they will only be seen between November 15th and 20th, that being all about how the orbit of the comet (Tempel-Tuttle) intersects that of Earth in such a manner as to ‘compact’ the effect - which metaphysically we can think of as many ideas or new ‘sparks’ of information appearing in the darkness of our mental-mortal skies.

But that all this happens just as Neptune goes direct on November 16th? And that this is just about the time when Venus, as the first of the personal planets to shift into Sagittarius changes many a consideration.

About this time, things will begin to change. With Neptune on station they are not predictable - not that that’s any help. Instinct will have us wanting to do things, but if our instinct is based even a little on anything corrupt (including our sense of vulnerability or fear) we’re likely to get a bit of a lesson.

And that would be because this particular station-direct moment is being brought to us by not just Neptune and not just Pisces, the sign Neptune is transiting - but also fixed and royal star Fomalhaut.

- link to post -

The Royal Stars of Persia (Pt. 4): Fomalhaut

For some, the reality of their vulnerability is their need to be invulnerable - or at least to feel they are. For others, walls between Self and the reasons why we feel some given way will melt away.

As the Sun and Mercury join Venus in Sagittarius, the intensity of this past month will further ease. With that however, many will experience a period of disappointment - a sort of ‘why can’t things be the way I want them to be?’ malaise. With Mercury moving into Sagittarius on November 28th, a few things may get out of hand - which among other things could be good or not good for retailers as this date coincides with the ‘official’ start of the holiday shopping season. Known for blowing things out of proportion and a tendency towards much talk and fewer practical/pragmatic solutions, Mercury in Sagittarius speak to rising levels of stress, rhetoric and activity where and IF we don’t think in concrete terms.

It also says that concrete terms are not what we’re likely to be thinking in - particularly as November ends with transiting Mercury (in interactive Sagittarius) square transiting Neptune (in global/universal Pisces). Neptune-Mercury contacts being known for confusing or deceptive situations, in being posed between Pisces and Sagittarius this would seem to be a search for truth - or an avoidance of facts, depending.

Does this mean there will be a little over-indulging as November comes to a close? Probably. Does it mean we either won't be sure of what we want to do or that we will be wanting to do some 'fun' thing instead of the 'right' thing? Quite possibly. So long as we keep a sense of proportion about us such a transiting square will generally pass with little hassle other than the occasional set of lost keys.

And then we move on, as November becomes December - and the truth, especially that which informs us as to why we have done or been as we have, asserts itself.

At which point, we will reflect.
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Dateblog: October 2014

October 2014 by Zodiac Sign

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

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

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

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

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

You know, this eclipse...

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

(map generated by Solar Fire)

 

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

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

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

Not them, us.

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

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

(Not at all comfortable.)

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

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

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

You know, next month.

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

October 2014 by Element

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

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

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

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

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

Which begs the real question: what are we so afraid of being (and being known/seen as) without it?
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Dateblog: September 2014

 September 2014 by Zodiacal Sign

(Yes, you can re-post this diagram, just credit astroPPM)

 

Looking across the diagram above, as an astrologer the thing which jumps out as an event is Pluto going direct on September 23rd. After all, as Pluto indicates 'change' and 'transformation' whether it comes about as the result of being tapped by a magic wand or being clouted liberally around the psyche by life's events... to have that kind of influence focal on the day before a New Moon suggests activity.

Activity within, activity without - all of it not under our control. Why not? That's simple: it's because Pluto represents karma. Pluto is not about what we do, embody or choose, after all, Pluto metaphysically symbolizes all which comes of what we do, embody or choose to be involved in (or with), along with all those lovely situations, desires, opportunities and interactions which tempt or daunt us by drowning us in that kind of inner preoccupation which can drive us wild - and which therefore we often give in to.

Much to our own difficulty (and sometimes regret), yes - but we do it anyway, with the sum and upshot of all being a lingering sort of whiff which drifts along those inner hallways of our mind reminding us of how we aren't that strong. How we act like it, we look like it, we measure up to many a thing tradition and society have said validates us as strong. Valid. A success.

So why are we so vulnerable to being made crazy by our own inner insecurities?

Ah yes, Scorpio - the sign which embodies our most challenging instincts, the sign playing host to a solar eclipse this October which is already stirring some some seriously unpredictable emotional waters, the sign whose various 'outcomes' are experienced by where, when and how Pluto transits our chart.

Beyond that, though the first part of the month is likely to be lived out or discussed in (true or false) theory, once Venus moves into Virgo having Sun-Venus-Pluto in earth is an influx of unavoidable realism (denial is not advised as that's a negative Pluto ploy). We will have problems and we will need to deal with those problems with an eye to effectiveness, efficiency, stability, durability and moral integrity.

It's time to eat our vegetables (again).

Once Mars enters Sagittarius some of the 'contests of will' we have been experiencing with others (and our Self) become not so distinct a cause for action and more of a motivation to figure solutions out. With minimal air sign presence in the mix we're more focused on what we're already dealing with rather than inventing the new out of pleasingly plump wholesale cloth.

But that doesn't mean we won't try. Towards the end of the month when Mercury moves into Scorpio on the 28th its to be expected that a few people are going to throw on the brakes (or think about it, at least) and that a stand or two will get taken for good or ill. The issues now - pro and con - are distinctly emotional, and no matter what anyone says (or who they point a finger at), emotions rising to the surface now are not about the Other but about us.

About what unsettles us, causing us to feel distracted by our own life because of what it is...and equally, because of what it isn't.

All of which isn't likely to make us feel a whole lot better. At least not in the short run.

September 2014 by Element 

(Legend: orange/fire, brown/earth, light blue/air, sea green/water)

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Unpredictability and assertiveness are going to be part and parcel of our picture this month reflecting Mars, Jupiter and Uranus in fire. And since Uranus and Jupiter have been in Aries and Leo (respectively) at least for a while we are given to understand that it is Mars' moving into Sagittarius which 'frees' something up, whether it's our time, our finances, our attention, our preferences - or anything else.

Set your alarms.

Or maybe we should just all rest our mindsets?

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