This is the first of three consecutive eclipses and the only one of the series that’s not in Leo-Aquarius. It’s also interesting because the Sun and Moon at 20 Cancer 41′ are opposition Pluto at 20 Capricorn. That’s pretty heavy. But, as you can see in the chart, the eclipse Sun and Moon also form a creative, inspirational Grand Trine in the water signs with Neptune and Jupiter.
So what does that mean, and how can you work with it? Continue reading
That’s the phrase I keep hearing in my mind whenever I think about the astrological storm brewing over the next two months. Meaning (I think):
No one knows what’s going to happen. A lot of what happens will be beyond my control. So I’m going to make up my mind right now that I’m going to roll with the punches, keep my expectations light, stay limber, keep grounding and centering….and trust that it’s all proceeding according to the master plan.
I’m sure you’re feeling the energy already, especially after the Capricorn Full Moon conjunct Saturn on June 27/28 (depending on time zone). I’m going to give you my take on some of the major astrological events happening between now and September.
If your mind glazes over at the mention of aspects, retrogrades and the like, just know that (a) this time period promises to take us on a pretty wild ride and (b) there are things you can do to improve your experience of this summer. Besides drinking heavily or rocking yourself to sleep in the fetal position every night.
Expect frustration, delays, unseen obstacles, angry people projecting their shadows onto you, and weird energy patterns (such as heavy fatigue punctuated by bursts of manic productivity).
When the red planet goes retrograde, our assertive, aggressive, anger energy gets turned inward and backwards in time. Generally speaking, Mars Rx periods are not good times to launch a new business, roll out your new membership program, or start a brand-new creative project. Continue reading
In this video I explore the upcoming Mars retrograde in Aquarius through Roseanne Barr’s astrology. The Sagittarius Moon on May 29, 2018 was exactly conjunct Roseanne’s Mercury and was opposition her Gemini Moon during her early morning Twitter session. Her show was cancelled during the Full Moon later that morning.
This is a fascinating study in how transits can trigger underlying themes in the chart, especially when supported by aspects from progressed planets.
The other fascinating thing about Roseanne’s chart is that her Ascendant (persona, identity) is conjunct the USA’s natal South Node at 7 Aquarius. And, guess what else is happening at 7 Aquarius this summer? Continue reading
Uranus blows things up. It burns things down. But always with the intent of setting us free to be who we really are. Uranus in Taurus is determined to recreate society so we are free to actually enjoy our lives. In this podcast, I share a talk I did recently on Uranus in Taurus plus thoughts on the Sagittarius Full Moon and Roseanne Barr’s chart.
The fabulous Corin Grillo invited me into her Inner Sanctum group to talk about how this is likely to go down over the next seven years….and what we can do as individuals to benefit from Uranus in Taurus. In the interview I talk about:
[podcast]
PS – I told Varley’s story with a few wrong details He actually stayed home instead of going out that day, because he was absolutely convinced something dangerous was going to happen. Sure enough, his house caught on fire. According to his son Albert,
“He was so delighted at having discovered what the astrological significance of Uranus was, that he sat down while his house was burning, knowing though he did, that he was not insured for a penny, to write an account of his discovery…Although he lost everything in the fire, he regarded that as a small matter compared with his discovery of the new planet’s potential.”
Source: A History of Horoscopic Astrology by James H. Holden
One of the most valuable habits I’ve developed from the Book of Spells webinars is questioning the self-shaming inner voice statements I hear myself saying (or thinking).
Listen to these statements:
Chances are you say the same or similar things – out loud or in your head – fairly often. But are these true statements?
Sagittarius tells us that if we know the truth, the truth will set us free.
The current 18-month period of eclipses in Leo-Aquarius aims to awaken us to our inner divinity. Since the nodes are the ‘trigger points’ for eclipses, the trine between today’s Sagittarius Full Moon and the North Node in Leo signals a creative opportunity to take another step in your own awakening. Continue reading
Mercury square Saturn on Wednesday, April 25: dark thoughts or focus that leads to success? This week’s square activates the Saturn retrograde degree, which tells us we need to go a little crazy and disrupt our own personal status quo in order to regain our inner authority.
Mars conjunct Pluto in Capricorn on Thursday, April 26 can bring tremendous focus to what is worthwhile. But it also opposes the USA’s natal Mercury in Cancer (security-oriented thinking) and the USA’s natal Chiron in Aries in the 4th House (we’re not as sure of ourselves as we like to pretend).
Sunday’s Scorpio Full Moon squares the nodes (the current series of Leo-Aquarius eclipses), challenging us to tune in to what is precious in ourselves and our lives. This is what gives us the courage to bring forth our inner divinity and recreate society so that life can be beautiful for everyone.
And with Chiron conjunct the Aries Point, the personal becomes political and the political becomes personal. We are more likely now to feel the impact of events on the world stage as a powerful impetus pushing us to break free of old constraints.
Mural – New Orleans Food Coop
I’m sure you’re feeling the chaotic energy swirling around. Mercury is stationing, preparing to return to direct motion on Sunday. The New Moon in Aries also happens Sunday, at 9:57 pm EDT USA. At the New Moon, the Sun and Moon will be in a two-degree conjunction with Uranus, the planet of sudden, sometimes shocking change, revelation, and enlightenment.
Not only that, but Chiron leaves Pisces – the sign he has transited for the last seven years – and enters Aries on Tuesday for the first time since 1977. And Saturn stations retrograde on Tuesday, as the Sun is moving toward exact conjunction with Uranus early Wednesday.
Chiron is, of course, the archetype that connects or mediates between Saturn and Uranus. Chiron enables us to ground the innovative, revelatory insights and energy of Uranus into the the structure and density of Saturn.
So there’s a lot of possibility amidst the chaos. As John Sandbach says in his notes on the Chandra symbol for the 29th degree of Aries (where Uranus is hanging out this week): “No running away here, rather an embracing of the unknown and a complete willingness to try something just to see what happens. ”
I’ve been hanging with my daughter in New Orleans while her mom is out of town on business. I’ve also been watching her dog during the days while she’s at school. I’m amazed at the ability of dogs to keep believing that what they want to happen is going to happen. Every night at dinner, Booch (who turned nine earlier this year) bounces into the kitchen like a puppy. When we sit down to eat, he looks up at us with earnest, hopeful eyes. “Surely,” his expression says, “this is the night where you share your people food with me!”
Most of us humans would have given up eight and a half years ago. But dogs have this amazing ability to forget the bad and focus on their desires. And you know what? Sometimes it pays off. Many times it doesn’t – you end up eating the same old boring dry dog food because you’re hungry and you have to eat. But sometimes you get the delicious treat.
One thing I want to remind you of, regarding the mechanics of a Mercury retrograde. It’s not uncommon for us to get stuck on (or in) a ‘problem’ while Mercury is retrograde. This can feel intensely frustrating. We find ourselves obsessing about exactly what we don’t want more of and it’s hard to break free of those depressing thoughts.
But what Mercury is trying to do is force us to stay inside the problem state so that we can fully understand it. Then – once Mercury has returned to direct motion – we will be empowered to implement corrective strategies.
By showing us how often we think the same negative thought, or how often the internal dialogue repeats the same limiting belief statements or energy-taxing complaints, Mercury retrograde reveals the impact these mental habit patterns have on our lives. While simultaneously showing us the structures that have built up and calcified in the mind in order to create the negative outcomes we are so sick and tired of.
Let’s face it: as long as we can buy into the parasitic rationalizations – “it’s not so bad; there’s nothing I can do about it; I’m a victim of fate; I guess I’m just doomed to suffer with this” – most of us will tend to keep generating the negative outcomes.
Mercury retrograde is showing us that we can change our reality by changing the thoughts we empower with our emotional energy.
Since this retrograde is happening in Aries – the sign that is seeking its true identity (the sign that asks “Who am I?”) – this weekend is a great time to tune in to what has been repeatedly bothering you about yourself.
Whatever you have felt most frustrated about; wherever your inner self-talk has been most negative or abusive or fatalistic; whatever you’ve found yourself just hating about your identity: this is the aspect of your identity you can transform in the coming weeks.
Just allowing yourself to say what you want and don’t want can be so powerful right now. Even if you don’t believe you can change it. There’s such a power in acknowledging that (a) you’re sick and tired of a habit, behavior pattern, or way of (not) showing up in the world; and (b) that you do desire to be free of that pattern, to be who you really are.
Oh, and remember – the parasitic thoughts are not who you really are. And they are not your fault. They’re the symptoms of a hereditary disease. But the disease is curable.
The cure – as Chiron always reminds us – is awareness. I hope that remembering that the self-destructive, fearful, shameful thoughts about yourself are NOT your Self will give you the courage to stay aware and to allow yourself to feel and energize your heart’s desires for your life.
In this Year of the Dog, we could all probably learn a little something from man’s best friend about refusing to give up hope and about being faithful to our desires.
En cas d’urgence, inversez la parapluie.
(This was originally sent out to my email subscribers on February 15 – sign up form in the right sidebar.)
I’ve heard from so many empaths and sensitives who are just feeling battered by the energy leading up to today’s eclipse. Make no mistake about it: the parasitic forces in the world are engaging us in full-on psychological warfare.
Although those of us who carefully limit our media consumption (exposure to programming) possess higher immunity than the media-addicted masses, we are not immune to this assault. The mental viruses of hopelessness, despair, shame, and overwhelm are also being passed on by our unwitting friends, family, and coworkers.
In my new podcast, I explain how the ongoing demoralization of the American people is accelerating the emergence of new social paradigms and will threatening the longterm relevance of current social networks such as Facebook – unless they align with more people-centered values.
Thoughts and Emotions
But why all the heavy emotionality? Isn’t Aquarius a mental sign? Yes, but… Continue reading
Self-portrait, 2017. Quote is from the Gospel of Thomas.
This is always a weird time of year for me. Traditionally, the month when the Sun is transiting your 12th House is a time of retreat from the world. It’s a time to meditate, review the past, dream into the future, and generally slow down and reflect. (I’m a Pisces Sun sign, so Aquarius is the 12th House in my solar chart.)
Maybe it’s because of the eclipses, but this year’s 12th House transit has felt even more draggy than usual. I have been engaging in some (mostly unstructured and spontaneous) review, though.
Last night I was looking for a folder to put some music notes in. When I was finally able to move into my new home office space in 2017, after the sewage flood had been remediated, I dug out some folders I’d used to store lyrics and sheet music in and put them on my bookshelf, thinking I’d eventually repurpose them.
I hadn’t opened them since, but last night I pulled them off the shelf and started looking through them.
The first notebook contained lyrics I’d written in the late 1990s and early oughts. Some of them made me cringe — but some of the songs contained interesting ideas. I found a few hand-written lyrics \that had turned into ‘real’ songs and ended up on one of my first two albums. That was kinda cool. Continue reading
I believe that, as souls, before we incarnate we set up certain checkpoints in the timeline or story arc of the life we are going to have on Earth. We know that once we get born and fall back into the gravity and density of the Earth Experience*, we’re going to forget why we came and lose sight of what we intended to experience.
So we choose our time and place of birth in order to have a certain natal chart. The chart gives us the reassurance of knowing that if we miss a key turning point at age 30, for example, we’ll have another chance to get on the path we want at age 37, and then again at age 45.
These built-in checkpoints are often devastatingly direct. They can always be seen (at least in retrospect) in the form of outer planet transits to the natal chart.
Especially if we’ve managed to sleep through a couple of previous alarms on the same life theme, these outer planet transits can show up in the form of a seriously hard-core knock you on your ass, drop you to your knees wake-up call!
Continue reading