WEEK OF AUGUST 5th, 2019: OUR PRIDE AND AFFECTIONS

 Artwork by Jasper Goodall 

Stand straight, walk proud, have a little faith
-Garth Brooks

The week begins with the Moon in Libra until it enters Scorpio on Tuesday signalling the First Quarter Moon. The Moon enters Sagittarius on Thursday, and remains on the archer’s territory until early Sunday morning when it enters Capricorn. The First Quarter Moon is a time of action and momentum when we are challenged to implement what was seeded at the New Moon and push forward.

SPIRIT
Passion burns hot this week as we move deeper into Leo season and straight into the heart of summer. The Sun in the second decan of Leo is bright indeed and Venus blinded by the rays inches closer and closer to the royal throne. By August 14, Venus will disappear completely into the Sun purifying herself in a baptism of light, rebirthing as an evening ”star”. The Sun and Venus in Leo will set the mood this week with loud and colourful roars and regal displays. Pride and affection for what we have created, what we have become, what we value and love is sure to be a theme. We might be moved to expose the content of our heart’s joys for all to see while other folks might dowse themselves in just-a-little-bit too much perfume.

FAITH
The Sun in Leo is moving towards a trine with Jupiter in Sagittarius (exact on Wednesday) and this should give us the ability to say YES more. This easy going and joyful sky is giving us plenty of reasons to celebrate life and make the difficult things a little bit easier to bare. Jupiter stations direct on August 11 after moving retrograde since April 10, 2019. On the same day, Mercury enters Leo and Uranus stations retrograde in Taurus creating a lot of momentum which culminates on Sunday. The Moon entering Sagittarius on Thursday (Jupiter’s day) gives the signal to launch the fireworks, release the helium balloons, cut the red ribbon, and trust that it will all work out. There is a hopeful quality that permeates the week and it is an excellent time to gain perspective on what remains to be accomplished while elevating your standards. Fill your engine to the brim with the potentiality latent in your dreams and aim higher. This is a time of joy, faith and courage; send your prayers and show gratitude accordingly.

THE SALES PITCH
Mercury re-enters the Lion’s den on Sunday at 15:45 EDT after having turned retrograde here in Leo before moving back into the sign of Cancer for most of July. If there is still a faint tinged of longing permeating our minds this week, it will definitely subside by Sunday. The radio stations which until now played a series of nostalgic and sappy songs will now be showcasing ”The Greatest Hits of all Time”. Mercury can be persuasive in the sign of Leo especially when supported by Jupiter. If you have to sell your salad ( convince someone), now and in the next few weeks is a good time to do so. You can expect however that everyone at the market will also have the best salad to sell; you could find yourself shouting in order to be heard.

The Fixed season of Leo is a time of conviction and this year Jupiter in Sagittarius is boosting the signal. Depending on natal disposition some folks might be totally blinded by their beliefs, their pride, and their ideas. Moderate the enthusiasm with healthy dose of reflection before launching headfirst into a debate or a venture. Measured risk and optimism will be rewarded while hubris and arrogance could alienate others but overall, it’s an excellent week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEEK OF MARCH 25, 2019

The week begins with the Moon in the ever joyful fire sign of Sagittarius which could have us feeling elated, hopeful, ”Spring is in the air” vibe. It’s all about the potentiality of our big ideas, our projects and what we are going to do in the future. The Sun in Aries increases courage, impulsivity, passion, momentum and help getting the week started on the right foot. Take advantage of Monday and Tuesday to get moving, and bring some heat and passion to your projects.

Mercury is still retrograde so it’s very easy to gloss over the details or miss an important one right now but paradoxically, it allows us to not be overly critical or nit picky about things. Mercury retrograde in Pisces is also conjunct with Neptune making it hard to actually concentrate on our work. You could feel easily distracted but don’t be too hard on yourself, soon we will start regaining that clarity and focus.

Mercury turns direct on Thursday morning and will remain close to Neptune until late next week. The potential for confusion and misunderstanding, and a general lack of clarity will continue to be a side effect until April 5th or so. *Dream life can also be very vivid or busy under this configuration.

Venus enters Pisces tomorrow, one of her favourite place. Venus here is excellent for artist, musician and creative folks. Venus in Pisces increases our desire for beauty, harmony and compassion. Venus will be in Pisces from March 26 to April 20 and this period of time is excellent for all Venusian matters like art, aesthetics, fashion, beauty, worth, relating or attraction.

On Wednesday and for the rest of the week the Moon will travel in the Saturn-ruled signs of Capricorn and Aquarius casting a bit of a shadow on our hopes and dreams and switching the tone to a more serious and practical one.

Upon entering the sign of Capricorn on Wednesday morning, the Moon squares Chiron and the Sun in Aries casting doubt in our minds about the viability of our project/ideas/ambitions and asking us to take some practical steps to achieve our aim. The last quarter Moon signifies a time in the lunar month when our ideas and projects get tested.

On Sunday, Mars enters the sign of Gemini and the pace of things will start speeding up. Mars in Gemini until mid-may will definitely increase the tempo, especially in intellectual matters encouraging debates and exchanges of ideas via all social platforms.

Have a fantastic week, take advantage of the next 2 days to charge up your optimistic batteries and don’t let the confusing or gloomy vibe of the second part of the week cast too much doubt in your mind about your worth and contributions to this world.

 

Exalted

The Moon is in Taurus for the weekend where she loves to be. In this Earth sign, the Moon helps us filter our experience through the five senses. Am I comfortable? What do I need to feel relaxed and at peace? This is an opportunity to find ease and a deep satisfaction in the simple pleasures of life. Take advantage of this beautiful weekend to nurture yourself.

 

 

Venus & Saturn

“ To fear is to die a hundred deaths daily! A man fears everything in this world, great and small, the insect as well as the lion, mean words as well as illness…which is why he always attacks, hates the fairest and unwillingly listens to the wisest.”

-Jovan Ducic, “Leutar Mornings”

For the next few days, Venus conjunct Saturn in Sagittarius. Maturity within our relationships will be required even though we might not see eye to eye.

This is about finding the silver lining or the sweet spot in winter amidst the cold facts of reality. Being mature is accepting that life is not always a fairy tale and being ok with that.

Moon in Pisces

Like the waves of the ocean, our moods are susceptible to the changing of tides. The social medias are becoming a sort of collective brain we tap into, to get the general ”socio-cultural weather”. This of course, is a very subjective experience depending on what type of news you read.

The friends you associate with on facebook, twitter, instagram and the pages you follow will generally dictate your news feed. Our experience of social media is curated to our own like and dislike.

We can apply the same ideas, to our perception of reality.  To a certain extent, we can only know what we know and experience life through the lens of our own standpoint. We live in a metaphorical ”fish bowl” believing it is the sea. We might intuit that there is more than meets the eye, but we can never be certain.

Albert Henry Collings (1858-1947) – The Fish Bowl

What keeps us believing that there is more?  What do we tap into when we connect to our higher ideals of compassion and trust? What is this all-encompassing feeling of faith?Where does our spiritual awareness comes from and how can it be such a strong guiding light while being so elusive? To know or understand something because of what you feel or sense rather than because of evidence.

The instability of the world tends to bring us back to faith very quickly. Shifting our perception from outer to inner, connecting to this mysterious and ever flowing river. We often do this through prayers and meditation but it can also be done very easily through music, art, poetry our whichever feeds your soul. We are all made of the same stuff but we vibrate to different tunes.

The Moon will be in Pisces for the next 2 days.  Tonight, she will square Saturn and meet Neptune, triggering the upcoming square. In astrology, the all-encompassing feeling of faith and the elusive but healing spiritual waters are the domain of Neptune. Neptune sometimes gets a bad rap since the planet is also connected with escapism, delusions and fantasy. It can go both ways.  In fact it can go in all the ways you can and cannot imagine.

How to
It is best to surrender to the Moon in Pisces, knowing that the overwhelming rainbows of feelings are only passing sensations/images. Use this window as an exercise in surrendering. Feed your soul the proper food. Music, poetry, dance, prayer, love, magic or whatever floats your boat. Know that the impressions you are getting at the moment might not be totally aligned with reality. This can be a creative aspect as long as you are aware that you might not be seeing the whole picture. There could be a big piece of the puzzle missing.

The upcoming Saturn/Neptune square cautions us against the total denial of reality. You will need to throw your anchor down somewhere. The urge to escape, love everyone, sacrifice yourself for peace, become an enlightened creature and heal the world, must be tempered with a good dose of pragmatism.  Watch the sensations that arises in the next few days while the Moon is in Pisces, take notes.

Those emotions/sensations/intuitions/illuminations/denials, will most likely need calibration against the hard concrete walls of Saturn soon enough.

 

NEW MOON IN LEO

NEW MOON IN LEO
(Sun/Moon conjunction@ 21ºof Leo)

My love!
I have been waiting for this moment
since eternity.
My heart, my power, my sovereignty
revel in the grand masquerade.
A playful drama written by the children
of an impetuous king.

Will you find the courage to be loyal
to yourself, your art and your passion?
Rising proudly on the horizon
each day blessing your kingdom
with the light of an open heart.

Portrait of a Heart by Christian Schloe

Lilith speaks

I tossed and turned all night…

Seeing the Lilith glyph in my head, making connections between charts, transits, people, events. Not awake but not sleeping, something else. My dad calls it working at the office, I call it the Mercury-Pluto conjunction; obsessing over something until their insides get squeezed out.

Earlier yesterday a friend that lives close by dropped by my house. I hadn’t seen him in a year or so. He told me he just wanted to lay down on my couch and listen to me talk about his chart. His life is not going the way he wants to. He has a child with a woman that he loves…loves to hate.  He is miserable. He hates his life and he hates her. They are not together anymore. Friends with benefits, or maybe more like foes with benefits in this case.

I pulled out his chart: Mars rising in Aquarius, Uranus on the midheaven…it make sense, it’s impossible to talk without him cutting me off. I recognize myself. Fuck the World he says.

Venus conjunct Lilith in the 12th house. That’s harsh man. Now I get it. That’s his blind spot; he loves to hate. Aphrodite meets a beast it’s fun, it’s wild…until it turns sour, then it’s really destructive. In love with chaos, like a descent into the underworld through the medium of love. It could be a nice opportunity but one does not leave the realm of Hades without a few scars.

To get another clue I looked at his ex (the mother of his child) chart. I had it from a few years ago when she was still living around here. She is born with Lilith rising conjunct her Ascendant. You can’t make this up. So simple, so elegantly played out. This man is in love with Lilith what else can I tell him?

The symbols speak for themselves.
They contain a whole world of experience and sensations.
A key that unlocks a door.
It’s a delicate matter.

Life is mysterious

The Moon in Virgo Man

Man of this earth,

Your hands are busy crafting, shaping ideas into forms

Touching wood, feeling for perfection

Turning romance into a work in progress

Your habits becomes an hymn

Whisper in my ear, your to-do list,

messages from the gods.

A healthy dose of fresh air, makes you a careful lover.

The Sun is setting, you make a fire

with your hands, you shape tomorrow.

There is a lot of work to be done

and you will rise with the Sun

birds chirping and all.