WEEK OF JUNE 17th, 2019: Solstice week

The week begins with a Full Moon in Sagittarius that culminated very early this morning.
Look at where Sagittarius sits in your birth chart and more extensively the sign of Cancer to understand where the momentum is picking up in your life.

The weekend was fuelled by the Sagittarius Moon peaking to Full and this could of seen you entertain many new avenues, dialogues and BIG ideas over the weekend. Aah the possibilities! Necessity is leading us down interesting roads at the moment and you could feel like there are lots more possibilities (and responsibilities) than you originally thought possible and renewed energy to accomplish your goals.

The weekend’s enthusiasm wanes by Monday afternoon as the Moon enters the sobering sign of Capricorn; the size of your ambitions is equal to the amount of work that lays ahead. Monday and Tuesday are good days to roll up your sleeves and put-in the efforts that are required to get some work done.

The Moon will be in Capricorn until late Wednesday evening, triggering the tension on the Cancer-Capricorn axis. Wednesday is especially tense: weigh your words carefully before sending ultimatums.

Power struggles and intense exchanges are possible mid-week: acknowledging, and releasing tension towards creative and productive outlets could do wonders. The Moon in Capricorn can induce status anxiety in some people, and it’s a good idea to step away from comparing yourself to the success and achievements of others. Compromising your integrity could be problematic down the road so revise your motivations. Insecurities must be dealt with honestly.

The Moon enters Aquarius late Wednesday night, and will be in Aquarius Thursday and Friday offering some objectivity and vision to work with.

The Sun enters the sign of Cancer Friday at 11:54am EDT which signals the Summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere as we reach the longest day of the year.

The Moon enters Pisces next Saturday morning supporting the Sun in Cancer while we are under the spell of a Venus-Jupiter opposition all of next weekend. This pleasure-seeking Mutable T-square between the Moon/Neptune,Venus and Jupiter could diffuse some tension and colour the weekend with romantic and dreamy blues.

Next weekend is Watery and Mutable which could also be anxiety inducing if you don’t know how to swim in the deeper undercurrent of your psyche, however extremely creative and fertile if you can let go and let these currents guide you.

This week, we move between the imaginative and poetic waters of the heart and the austere and unforgiving edges of our rational mind. The changing tides of our desires collide against necessity, forcing us to find new and creative ways to navigate our situation. It doesn’t stop here as we have for mission to retrieve a pearl and in those changing waters, we must find a good spot to dive in.

It could feel both exhilarating and tense while you move deeper into this new landscape. The Waters are filled with foreign shapes and reliefs which inspire awe and wonder, or fear and anxiety depending on the state of your inner compass. The ocean is vast and clues are filtering-in through a confusing and inspiring mélange of visions and fantasies. Can you decipher this foreign language? Can you find the pearls in these troubled waters? Are you motivated by fear or by some higher guiding principle? Can you differentiate the call of the heart from the hypnotizing lure of the sirens?

Wishing you a soft and magical Solstice week

Not one moment is the same: Notes to the student of Astrology

After one has learned the techniques and rules of proper delineation, one must be able to step away from any certitude that are germinating in the mind and remain open and observant on the nature of the manifest. This might be one of the most difficult thing to do for a modern Astrologer, as we have been conditioned to judge everything through the filters of Science. It is all too easy to fall back into the safety of techniques in order to find some level of certainty. However, due to the divinatory nature of its language, Astrology does not function with certainties and absolutes and these will only hinder your ability to properly practice Astrology.

The multivalent and archetypal nature of Astrology must be approached with constant reverence if we are to grasp a fragment of its immensity.  Finding refuge in certainties will fool your judgment and distract you from the observatory nature of the practice; there are no finish line and no guarantees since not one moment is the same.

If you are looking for absolutes, then do not waste your time with Astrology. The more confident you become in your techniques, the more likely you are to err from the centre of its meaning. (and lose yourself in strife) Be mindful of claiming you have found the truth. Certainty will blind you to the subtle gifts that the open mind can receive, enclosing you in an echo chamber of confirmation bias, fooling you, and the ones who seek your counsel.

The Astrologer must not let the rules and techniques narrow his understanding, and reduce his analysis to simple equations. Proper delineation is simply one step of the process. After assimilating what the chart has to offer through the lens of techniques, one must be able to integrate them without letting certainty take root in the mind. Occasional weeding will be necessary in order to keep hubris at bay.

When doing natal interpretation for someone, do not be so certain of your techniques as to let them blind you to who is sitting in front of you. Leave ownership of the chart to the person it belongs to and be receptive, open and observant. Assumption will only distract you from seeing how things are manifesting in real time.

WEEK OF JUNE 10th, 2019: INSPIRED AND STRESSED OUT

What kind of reality are you dreaming?

Alice in the Sea of Tears, Illustration by Arthur Rackham 1907

We begin the week with the First Quarter Moon; The Sun in Gemini squared the Moon in Virgo early this morning. A First Quarter Moon is a time when we are asked to take some actions on what was seeded at the New Moon just a week ago. The train is moving forward wether we like it or not. We must deal with the cards we have been dealt amidst a sea of change.

This is especially relevant this week as we move through mutable/cardinal astro-weather which is changeable and fluctuates like the tides of the Ocean. Nothing is set in stone at the moment, and the best way to navigate these currents is with flexibility, ready to adjust your sail with the changing winds. It can feel both exciting/exhilarating or overwhelming/frustrating depending on the type of birth chart you have.

The shapes and structures of a foreign land is arising in the distance. We are in a place of intuition and you could be SENSING what you need without clearly KNOWING how to get there or how things will turn out.

The Sun in Gemini is fickle, changeable, curious. Venus entered Gemini Saturday evening bringing an emphasis on the sign, while Mercury, Mars and the North Node are in the sign of Cancer emphasizing intuition, nostalgia, moodiness, sensitivity, nourishment, privacy and comfort.

This week, we are also under the shadows of a Mars-Saturn opposition on the Cancer-Capricorn axis while being hypnotized by the Neptune in Pisces-Jupiter in Sagittarius square. This could feel like a lot, especially once the Moon enters Scorpio on Thursday:

We are dreaming our life while reality seems to crumble around us. It is a time of novelty and inspirations amidst very destructive currents. The pressure to change is here and it won’t go away. There could be a lot of stressful factors to contend with amidst truly magical revelations. It could feel like a really inspiring time when new idea emerge out of necessity. Tremendous efforts are required to move ahead, to deal with our lives and the reality of the material world, but it is through adversity that we find the jewel. There could also be many jewels, many choices, many options to choose from.

One minute you are turning left only to realize you took a detour…but detour ends up being the scenic route and now you discover a secret beach and suddenly your priorities shift. You might decide you want to go for a swim forgetting your destination. The water is inviting, shimmering with a mysterious glow, enticing you to jump in, to relax into her warm and dissolving presence and forget your troubles, forget the stress…but then, your telephone rings… you are late for work…

”Ocean is more ancient than the mountains,
and freighted with the memories and the dreams of Time.”  -H. P. Lovecraft

MERCURY IN CANCER: June 4-26, 2019

Saudade (1899), by Almeida Júnior

Mercury also known as Hermes (emissary and messenger of the gods) influences mind, thoughts and speech. Mercury is fluid and adaptable.

In the Water sign of Cancer, the messenger brings forth memories that carries an emotional imprint. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself nostalgic of ”the days gone by” triggered by an old picture or an object representing the past.

“People leave traces of themselves where they feel most comfortable, most worthwhile.”
-Haruki Murakami

Imagination and creativity are some of Cancer’s talents and many artists are born with important planets in this sign.

Over the next few weeks, our thinking could be coloured by subjectivity, intuition and emotions. Decision making will be made with the heart or the ”feels” more so than with the head which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Mercury in Cancer is moody, caring, and emotional.

Here are a few quotes from Princess Diana, born with Mercury in the sign of Cancer:

“I don’t want expensive gifts; I don’t want to be bought. I have everything I want. I just want someone to be there for me, to make me feel safe and secure.”

“I don’t go by the rule book … I lead from the heart, not the head.”

 

WEEK OF JUNE 3rd, 2019

We began the week with a New Moon in Gemini which was exact early Monday morning.
Mercury, the planet ruling over Gemini was also in Gemini and this is a nice New Moon to reset your mental and physical stance, since we are already almost halfway through 2019.

The New Moon in Gemini brings forth a wave of fresh ideas and inspiration. The New Moon is was also squaring Neptune (God of Glamour) and opposing Jupiter (Think BIG) and the line between fantasy/fiction and what is realistic might be a little bit blurry at the moment but overall, this New Moon brings forth a lot of momentum for our ideas.

The lure of magic is strong in the collective psyche right now. When the societal climate is grim, we tend to find ways to cope via the imagination. Social media, wishful thinking, superstitions, drugs/alcohol, movies, music, magic, romance are all avenues that takes us out of the ordinary. This will continue to be a big trend in the months to come, and the dichotomy between dealing with the reality in front of us versus what we want our world to look like, could take us down strange avenues.

The mind is a powerful tool and it might be easier right now to glimpse at how malleable reality can be and how we shape our experience of it. Directing our attention on the proper subjects can bring the desired results. It’s an excellent time to be mindful of what you are letting in and where you are spending your attention; be selective.

The Moon will move into the sign of Cancer on Tuesday, eventually meeting Mars in Cancer and the North Node:

Tuesday and Wednesday has the potential to be a little bit more emotional, irritable, nostalgic so keep that in mind. Mercury also leaves its home sign and enters Cancer while the Moon is here which will accentuate the instinctual and subjective nature of the sign and uniting mind and emotions.

The Moon growing in light, enters the flamboyant sign of Leo on Thursday afternoon until late Saturday night giving the end of the week a fiery boost of enthusiasm before the Moon enters Virgo Saturday evening finishing up the weekend on a dutiful and practical note. Sunday will be a good day for earth oriented chores like gardening and fixing things around your house.

WEEK OF MAY 13 – FULL MOON IN SCORPIO – FINDING THE PROPER RELEASE

After great pain, a formal feeling comes. The nerves sit ceremonious, like tombs.
Emily Dickinson

There is a lot going on this week. A few planets are changing signs and we have a potent Full Moon in Scorpio Saturday evening. The week begins with a stabilizing Moon in Virgo however, things will get increasingly volatile as we progressed through the week and peak Saturday evening.

The Moon is in Virgo today, Monday. The Moon enters Libra Tuesday afternoon and will stay in Libra until Thursday. Thursday May 16th, the Moon enters Scorpio and is on her way to be Full on Saturday before entering Sagittarius later that same night. Moon is in Sagittarius all day Sunday.

Venus enters Taurus early Wednesday morning and we can benefit from her presence in her home sign until the 8th of June. Beauty, love, art, attraction, aesthetics, money and relational matters can be influenced positively while Venus is in Taurus, especially once we are passed this Full Moon on Saturday.

Mars enters the sign of Cancer late Wednesday evening and will be in this creative and sensitive sign until July 1st. Cancer is not the best placement for Mars and we can expect increased irritability and a harder time expressing or directing anger. Since Cancer is a nurturing and fertile sign and Mars cannot find a direct expression here, it can create tension between will/assertion/confrontation and our desire to protect/safeguard/nurture.

Once the Moon enters Scorpio on Thursday evening, she will be almost Full and also ruled by Mars in Cancer. (Mars rules Scorpio) Venus newly in Taurus will also be applying to a conjunction with Uranus, adding a good dose of unpredictability to the end of the week and the Full Moon on Saturday.

Wherever the tension is in your life could gain momentum by the end of the week. This is not necessarily a bad thing and you could see it sort of like the ”popping of an abscess”. Something needs releasing and this Full Moon will support this process.

However, since Mars is ill at ease in the sign of Cancer and will be ruling over this Full Moon, it could feel a little bit more dramatic or painful depending on where Scorpio is located in your chart. Having to say good-bye or letting go features strongly.

The Sun in Taurus opposing the Moon in Scorpio highlights the need to retain, hold-on, secure, acquire, possess, stabilize (Taurus) versus the need to release, let-go, move deeper into what scares us, transform and do it with totality.(Scorpio) Feeling safe or being focused on safety and security could be highlighted. Being consumed or obsessed by someone or something, a piece of information, an object. Feeling possessive or experiencing someone being possessive, territorial or domineering could be another side effect.

At the time of the Full Moon, the Sun will be on infamous blinking star Algol also known as The Head of Medusa associated amongst many other things with the ”losing of one’s head”. Since the Full Moon takes place right across Algol, it should add a layer of intensity to this already fully-loaded few days.

Whatever is going on for you this week, whatever you are wrestling with, whatever you are saying good-bye to, its a good time to acknowledge the transitional space you find yourself in. Unfortunately nothing in this material life last eternally and this Full Moon in Scorpio is here to remind us that we eventually need to loosen our grip and release…

Wishing you an illuminating week

 

 

 

WEEK OF MAY 6, 2019 : ELECTRICAL BUZZING

The Moon is in Gemini to begin the week and the ruler of Gemini: ☿Mercury☿, enters Taurus later today and will conjunct Uranus in Taurus by Wednesday.⚡️

☿-Mercury influences communication (written-spoken), ideas, and the overall translation of the intellect into words. Mercury entering Taurus means that our thoughts will turn towards the more practical side of our lives with an emphasis on the material resources we have at our disposition. Planning, engineering, and accounting are some things that Mercury in Taurus is good at. Mercury will be in Taurus until May 21st.

♅-Uranus is sometime described as the higher octave of Mercury. Uranus amongst other things, is associated with the future and innovation. It’s the stroke of genius, the lighting bolt, the eureka moment.

The Mercury-Uranus conjunction is a big vibe this week. It’s rut-busting, innovative but grounded and practical all at once. This aspect could translate in a million different ways but you can expect a buzzing or febrility in the air like you are on the verge of a big discovery.

Magic, synchronicity and new ideas abound for those who are attuned to it.

Mars in Gemini is still in a tight opposition with Jupiter in Sagittarius and this could translate into energy and mind power, especially while the Moon travels in Gemini Monday and Tuesday. At its worst, this aspect can translate into over-confidence, arrogance or impulsivity.

The Moon enters Cancer Wednesday morning and moves into Leo Friday morning until Sunday afternoon when she enters Virgo.

We also have Venus in Aries squaring Saturn in Capricorn on Tuesday, Venus in Aries trining Jupiter in Sagittarius Thursday afternoon and squaring Pluto in Capricorn late Thursday night. That is a lot of Venus action for the week and Venus in Aries is currently ruling the planets in Taurus.

Money and relational matters could be shifting or needing readjustment. It’s a good time to delineate clear boundaries and manage your time. Venus in Aries favour doing it by yourself as oppose to waiting for someone to come along. The mood is sort of ruthless in that regard. Focus on your advancement and don’t waste too much of your time on dodgy, slippery scenarios or people as patience could be lacking.

It’s an excellent week to continue investing your time and energy in advancing yourself, your projects and whatever else you are working on since a lot of progress can be made. Don’t shy away from the hard work. It’s an overall creative and productive time.

 

 

SATURN Rx in CAPRICORN: A SPIRITUAL PURGE

 

“Ancestors or Poem” Remedios Varo

 ”When we heal ourselves, we heal the past, the present, and the future.”
Steven D. Farmer, Healing Ancestral Karma

Saturn is sitting at 20º of Capricorn and is just about to turn retrograde until September 18, 2019. Saturn is also currently conjoined with the South Node of the Moon and will continue to work closely with the Tail end of the Dragon creating a sort of ”purging vortex”.

Saturn turning retrograde this week will surely create more awareness of the limits you have to contend with, your burdens, and maybe even a sense of scarcity or a lack of something whether this is material or emotional. The South Node of the Moon represents a point of saturation and more extensively a point of spiritualization where things which have reached this point of saturation can finally expire and return to the void.

Saturn in Capricorn is the limitations contained within our ambitions.

At the core, Saturn conjunct the South Node brings us face to face with our own mortality and the ephemeral nature of material reality. This in turn can create a lot of anxiety and fears around your body, your health, aging, your financial situation or social status, control and the lack of control, the dire state of our ecosystem, our political system, and a general sense of uneasiness with the physical and the material world. This is an opportunity to get to the roots of some of the reasons you do what you do, and open a dialogue with letting go and more extensively with your own mortality.

This aspect is part of a larger pattern taking us late into the year 2020. We are undergoing massive structural shifts, and this will be translated by a lucid awareness of what is not sustainable. Saturn conjunct the South Node can also give us insights into what is corrupted, what is rotting away, where there is sickness and the need to really purge the excess and simplify whether this is related to the material, emotional or spiritual.

Saturn retrograde for the next 4.5 months will colour the threads we hold in our hands perhaps requiring us to untangle them before we can continue weaving the patterns in our lives. In the long run, this is not a negative process even though it is asking us to face some darkness and dissatisfaction on a personal and societal level right now.

WEEK OF APRIL 22nd, 2019

A farmer paints stripes on her cow to increase its visibility at night and prevent car accidents should it wander onto the road during blackout conditions.
IMAGE: IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUMS

Happy Monday!

The Sun is now officially in the sign of Taurus but it won’t be a traditional Taurus season. Uranus the planet associated with awakening and revolution is in Taurus for the next 8 years and this week, the Sun will be conjunct Uranus bringing surprises and disruptions and especially agitating or tickling for people who have planets in the first degrees of the Fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius.

Venus, the ruling planet of Taurus is in the individualist sign of Aries and will conjunct Chiron Tuesday and Wednesday.

This is a ”going it alone” mood even though participation and collaboration might be required. There is a strong urge to do things independently from the crowd right now and you might feel less inclined to look for approval preferring to do things on your own either out of woundedness or simply lack of patience for other people’s bullshit.

The Moon is in Sagittarius to begin the week and will oppose Mars in Gemini in a few hours and conjunct Jupiter in Sagittarius Tuesday morning before going Void of course for most of Tuesday.

There is a lot of enthusiasm and mental stimulation to begin the week. We might be busy writing, exchanging ideas, and running around with an overall increase in tempo or nervousness. Today, Monday is a good day to run your errands and get some work done. Moving around is almost a given with this sort of astro-weather. Don’t get caught up in drama especially online as things will most definitely escalate and catch fire easily.

The Moon is VOC for most of the day Tuesday before entering the Saturn ruled sign of Capricorn Tuesday evening and casting a bit of a shadow on the rest of the week and making us aware of our limitations, responsibilities and time.

*With the VOC for most of Tuesday: If you have important messages to deliver, appointments or arrangement to make do it Monday or wait until late Tuesday evening or the reminder of the week.

Pluto turns retrograde in the sign of Capricorn on Wednesday and will only turn direct at the beginning of October. Pluto is associated with deep regenerative powers often associated with some painful or difficult experiences. Because of the South Node of the Moon also currently in Capricorn, there is a process of digging deep into ancestral patterns and deconstructing patterns of behaviour associated with trauma in order to move forward. If you have important planets between 23 and 20 degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) this will be more significant for you.

Friday and for most of the weekend, the Moon will be in Aquarius and its also the last quarter moon. The ideas and projects that were initiated at the beginning of the month will be tested and a need for adjustements might be necessary in order to move forward with them.

Its a busy week with some surprising elements to contend with. Take advantage of today to fuel your engine with enthusiasm and optimism as the rest of the week has a heavier or more serious tone to it.
xx

URANUS IN TAURUS

Can you feel the electricity in the Air? Uranus, the Awakener meets the Sun in Taurus today for the first time since 1941.

Taurus is a powerful yet stabilizing sign associated with the land and nature. It’s an embodied and fixed (read stubborn, enduring, loyal) Earth sign, associated with being deeply rooted in the material experience. Security, stability, acquiring land and the pleasure that can be derived from our material surroundings wether this is done through growing a beautiful garden, cooking a delicious meal or nurturing the body is what Taurus is about.

Taurus’s experience of pleasure is directly linked through the 5 senses and therefore Taurus is extra sensitive to what surrounds her. Living in a beautiful setting can become a powerful drive for Taurus rustic spirit and some of the primary concerns of this sign is calm, stability and pleasure.

Enters Uranus

Uranus is a ground breaking power that disrupts the status quo and bring surprising evolutionary leaps often brought on by destabilizing factors. 

Astrologers have already speculated extensively on what the transit of Uranus traveling in the Earth sign of Taurus for the next 8 years will mean. From lab-grown meat to an increase in ecological concerns, Uranus should bring a new level of ecological awareness brought on by the dire circumstances we are now facing with nature.

On a more personal level, people with a heavy dose of Taurus planets will experience small revolutions in their lives which could propel them to a new level of awareness and a shifting of priorities. When the most stable sign of the zodiac meets with the most destabilizing and ground-breaking planet of the zodiac, we can expect interesting and unexpected twists of faith in the lives of these natives.

Here in Newfoundland, it is suppose to go up to 16ºC today and by tomorrow night a snow storm is predicted. Snow is not uncommon for Newfoundland around this time of year, but I think we will definitely see more extreme manifestations of weather patterns in the next 8 years with Uranus traveling in this Earth sign associated with the land.

With Uranus traveling here, our direct experience of nature and how our materialistic drive is damaging the Earth should and most likely will become a a driving factor in finding innovative solutions.

Time to wake up and smell the roses!

Happy Earth day and Taurus season🌱