WEEK OF AUGUST 26, 2019

JON KOKO – KARESANSUI

 

Out of perfection nothing can be made.
Every process involves breaking something up.
Joseph Campbell

And just like that, Virgo season is here, and this is definitely one of the most grounding time of the year when we can see the results and the reasons of the past. Not only do we have a stellium in Virgo (stellium: 4 or more planets in the same sign), the New Moon on Friday August 30th is positively supported by Uranus in Taurus. It is a time of traction and implementation for what is being birthed in your life. The new structures that are emerging on the horizon are starting to make sense and you can begin to see the tangible manifestations of your long held visions, the birth of a new awareness, a new reality.

The wish you whispered half consciously under your breath while sleeping is surrounding you. The faint light that guided you through the storm is now your illumination. There is a clarity about the events in your life and a reason for everything. Nothing is perfect but you might be able to accept that all the imperfect decisions has led you exactly where you are.

Witness your powers of manifestation for better or for worst.

Pixelated wood sculptures by Hsu Tung Han

Until the new moon in Virgo on Friday, we stand in the liminal darkness of the waning Moon, the dark of the Moon. Slowdown your pace, reflect, contemplate, clean, cleanse, purge, stretch, create space for the wisdom to enter, collect the strength from the Earth, lay low.

Monday: Moon in Cancer
Tuesday: Moon in Cancer – Moon enters Leo at 21:23 NDT
Wednesday: Moon in Leo
Thursday: Moon in Leo – Moon enters Virgo at 21:27 NDT
Friday: New Moon in Virgo 8:07am NDT
Saturday: Moon in Virgo – Moon enters Libra at 20:37 NDT
Sunday: Moon in Libra

The New Moon in Virgo takes place on Friday August 30th at 8:07am NDT/6:37am EDT. The New Moon signals the beginning of the work, a time of creation and implementation, of ”to-do” lists, of tangibility and manifestation, a time of taking advantage of the resources available to you, utilizing your space and body properly and efficiently. All the small actions that leads to the whole, it’s happening now. Your breath, the way you chew your food, your digestion, your posture. The superfluous will seem extra superfluous while you find a purpose for everything. Each little things in their place, there is a place for everything, and no space wasted.

The New Moon is linked to the revolutionary ways in which you approach the ordinary. Set your intentions, but don’t set them to high as to be discouraged. Plant your intentions in the realm of the possible, the tangible, the practical, something that will yield a satisfactory result down the road, every step counts, every action has meaning.

Wood sculpture by Yoshitoshi Kanemaki

“Your thoughts, become your words;
your words, become actions;
your actions, become habits;
your habits, become your character;
your character,  becomes your destiny.”

WEEK OF AUGUST 19, 2019

He, who every morning plans the transactions of the day, and follows that plan,
carries a thread that will guide him through a labyrinth of the most busy life.
Victor Hugo

The week begins with the Moon in Aires. The Moon enters Taurus Wednesday at 00:38 EDT and will travel though Taurus until Friday morning when the Moon enters Gemini at 10:34am. The last quarter Moon happens at 0º Gemini, officially initiating the mutable Earth season with the Sun having just entered Virgo. The Moon travels through Gemini until late Sunday afternoon when it enters Cancer at 17:05 EDT.

This week, with 3 planets moving from Leo to Virgo we are getting a good glimpse of what the next month has in store for us. Mars left the sign of Leo for Virgo early Sunday morning and Venus follows suit on August 21st, leaving the brazen fires of Leo for the humbling pastures of Virgo. On August 23rd, the Sun leaves its domicile of Leo to enter Virgo, officiating the Mutable Earth season. However, with Mercury (ruling planet of Virgo) still in Leo, we are holding onto the golden rays and royal ways, and not entirely dedicated to the practical applications of our vision until Mercury enters Virgo on August 29th.

Mars →Virgo: August 18 – 1:17am EDT
Venus →Virgo: August 21 – 5:06am EDT
Sun →Virgo: August 23 – 6:01am EDT

THE PROCESS
With the Sun’s ingress into the Earth sign of Virgo, we begin the process of sorting out what needs tending. Virgo season brings our attention and focus on the many task that lays ahead of us, illuminating what needs to be organized, smoothed, resolved and eliminated for us to find proper footing. With the heavy influence of the Earth element in the next few weeks, our attention will be on the practical and tangible ways in which we can establish order in our daily lives and in our bodies. Simplifying, streamlining, and putting back the tools in their proper place, becoming aware of all the little ways in which we are not yet fully efficient, proficient and perfect. Anxiety is a shadow that looms large over Virgoan-type people, for there is always ways in which one can improve themselves, and this process is never done. Quality resides in the critical eye for better or for worst. Perfection is not a burden for the artisan, but a guiding principle informing his repetitive actions which over time becomes the perfect object. Practice makes perfect as they say.

THE MATERIAL
This year, we have a tight alignment of planets in the sign of Virgo which does not happen every year. This should greatly intensify the influence of the sign on our daily lives. Virgo is one of the three Earth signs considered in astrology to be primarily focused on the tangible and the practical necessities of material reality, the other two being Taurus and Capricorn.

Since we already have Uranus transiting in Taurus and Saturn/Pluto/South Node in Capricorn, the ingress of Mars, Venus and the Sun into the sign of Virgo this week will saturate the skies with planets in Earth signs. During the next few weeks, our attention will turn towards our material reality and how to improve it. We could find ourselves busy creating order out of the chaotic and disparate parts of our lives in order to improve it and be more productive. Productivity will be high on the priority list and you could find yourself overwhelmed with the work load while juggling all of your responsibilities. Procrastination will create more anxiety and I have seen many Virgo-type characters driving themselves mad with anxiety and stress while procrastinating. Don’t shy away from the work you have to do as this will surely release some of the inner tension.

This week, the transition of three planets from Leo to Virgo will be quite obvious as we find ourselves moving from the Fixed Fire season to the Mutable Earth season. In the Northern Hemisphere, Virgo season announces the end of Summer and the transition towards Fall. The preparation required for the return of the cold and the waning of the light prompts us to organize ourselves, and it is a time of movement and busy-ness. The structures in our lives will be vitalized and it’s a great time to organize your space and make it more functional. In the next couple of weeks, the emphasis is on our physical reality and tending to the smaller details of our existence like our body and our environment. However, the possibility of scattering ourselves through too many projects/avenues or being overly critical and preoccupied with perfection is a tendency to watch for during the next few weeks. It’s a good idea to temper the critical voice within you, and use this time to get ahead.

The Zodiac 1925 Ernest Procter 1886-1935

“If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character… Would you slow down? Or speed up?”
–Chuck Palahniuk

NEW MOON IN VIRGO: ENDINGS & HEALINGS

New Moon in Virgo: 1:30am EDT (3am NDT) September 20, 2017.

Mercury, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

☿

The New Moon in Virgo comes to us on the threshold of the Fall Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. The beginning of this lunar cycle finds us in the liminal space between the brightness of summer and its imminent decay.

Two days after the New Moon on September 22nd, at 16:02 EDT, the Sun enters the sign of Libra and signals the beginning of Autumn.

ENDINGS & HEALINGS

The New Moon is often associated with the beginning of a monthly cycle and renewed vigor for the month ahead. Since this New Moon takes place in the last degrees of Virgo just 2 days before the Fall Equinox, she carries with her an air of finality and closure as oppose to new beginnings.

It is within the current endings that we will find the new beginnings taking shape. Something is being composted into a nourishing and fertilizing soil. However, we must appreciate this process fully and bid farewell to past fantasies and bewildering ideas that keeps us looking backward. To cross this seasonal threshold, something must be surrendered or given as a token gesture to those ideals and fantasies. It is in this paradoxical abandon that we shall receive the necessary healing for the next part of the journey and the accomplishment of our future goals.

OPEN WOUNDS

Under this New Moon in Virgo our wounds will take an incandescent glow calling to our attention what can’t be ignored any longer. The surfacing of these wounds could make us feel vulnerable but it will allow us to apply the necessary medicine. The pain which usually lies dormant under the surface of our skin will rise up and give us a clear indication of what must be healed. The remedies could be a bewildering blend of intuitive visions and practical applications. The most difficult task will be to rid ourselves of the intangible poisons and parasites.

Mercury, ruler of Virgo, presides over this New Moon and will be in exact opposition to Neptune at the time of the New Moon. Mercury began its retrograde motion on August 12 – in this exact part of the zodiac and opposing Neptune.

The train we have been riding since last month had Neptune coloured windows. When Neptune is involved, facts and fiction blend together creating a confusing cocktail of wishful thinking and unrealistic expectations. Under Neptune, we are intoxicated by an ideal and susceptible to delusion. At its best, Neptune gives a romantic tone to the object of desire, making us see what we want a see. Hopefully, the Sun in Virgo has helped us discriminate between what is achievable and what was mere fantasies. Regardless, in the days to come, we should slowly start to gain clarity on our current situation and any confusing scenarios we have been engaging with since the beginning of August will be seen for what they are. The New Moon in Virgo is also in exact opposition to Chiron; once the rose-coloured glasses come off, the truth could be hard to digest and the pain quick to locate. Be easy on yourself.

HONESTY & PRAGMATISM

Finally, remember that not everything can be solved at once. Patience and humility will be required for your perceived mistakes and failings; nothing is perfect in this world. Special attention must be paid to anything that requires fixing; whether physiological, spiritual or mechanical. Some of the keys you hold in your hands will heal what ails you and some of those keys will open dead-end doors. Pay attention to the repeating clues given to you as you cross the threshold between Summer and Fall.

 

Paintings by Zdzisław Beksiński and Magritte

 

This week in Astrology: Sorting out the essential from your heart

Monday opens with the Moon in the last degrees of Taurus on the Fixed star Algol or the Head of Medusa; don’t lose your mind. We are building towards the Jupiter/Uranus opposition that will be exact on the 27/28 of September. This is a revolutionary aspect which is excellent for visionaries and artists and for people who have the ability to see the silver lining in chaotic  circumstances but also have the guts to do things differently. On a mundane level it can feel destabilizing if you are holding to the status quo at all cost or need predictable outcomes. Small and large shifts are happening in our awareness and in the world at large and intuition is at an all time high. Flashes of insights and new bold ideas are available if you adjust your vision. With Uranus in Aries closing in on its opposition to Jupiter in Libra there is an urge to liberate ourselves while also searching for ”the other” to reflect us. It can feel polarizing to oscillate between our need for freedom and liberation versus our need for feedback, fairness and equilibrium.

The Moon enters Gemini at 15:30 EDT on Monday which will accentuate the current Mercury/Mars conjunction building up in Virgo. The next 2 days are excellent for analyzing, editing, and cutting through the superfluous. The mind can have a tendency to race and anxiety will be higher than usual. Finding the right measure of applied diligence and focus is possible as long as we don’t scatter ourselves. Mindfulness and disconnecting from the media, the internet and the constant chatter is one of the best remedies for this kind of astrological weather. Difficulties with communication, getting our message across, misunderstandings and harsh words are possible with the Mercury/Mars conjunction building up and, so are fried phones and electronics.

With the last quarter Moon in Gemini we can feel stimulated, talkative, and curious but there is also the tendency to get lost in chatter instead of being productive. Basically, don’t fry your brain with coffee and stress and find the right balance of intellectual work and simple manual or physical work. We could have the urge to communicate in many directions at once but essentially we can only do one thing at a time. Give your brain the right intellectual food and remember that words and symbols can be very powerful in shaping our experience of reality; use them wisely.

The last quarter Moon in Gemini supports finalizing the details of a project or idea that began at the New Moon/Solar Eclipse in Leo on August 21st.

Venus in Leo trine Saturn in Sagittarius on Tuesday and this is a supportive but also sobering aspect in regards to relationship. We could feel serious and more realistic about our desires. Long-term commitments and maturity could feel more important at the moment and feelings could be reserved and controlled. Venus trine Saturn is beneficial for artist and creators who are looking to structure and give shape to their muse. This can be a productive time for creative work, social engagements, and public relations.

On Wednesday night the Moon enters her own sign of Cancer and this should help ease the mental tension creating a fluid and intuitive rhythm until Friday night.

Even though we are in the darkest of the Moon (before the New Moon in Virgo on September 20th) the weekend will feel quite dynamic with the Moon entering the Fire sign of Leo late on Friday night and Mercury and Mars perfecting their conjunction in Virgo on Saturday, September 16. Conversation around pride, identity, the need for acknowledgement and having  the courage to express oneself truthfully and courageously will all be aroused.

Crossing the swamp

Mercury conjunct Pluto today while the Moon has just entered Pisces and is moving towards a conjunction with the Tail of the Dragon or more often called: the South Node of the Moon.
These aspects can be compared to a crocodile in a quagmire; his tail dredging up all sorts of old sediments from the bottom of a dirty pool.

Unpleasant situations will need to be dealt with, secrets could be revealed and powerful opinions will collide.

Anything that has to do with communicating and processing information is receiving a dose of steroids (Pluto) which in turn magnifies the outgoing and incoming messages.

The Moon in Pisces approaching a conjunction to the South Node could mean that we feel helpless or victimized by something out of our control. The South Node is sometime compared to a bottomless pit where we tend to get stuck and where we can feel great dissatisfaction.

This dissatisfaction in turn serves as impetus for change.

The great waters are churning. As we become aware of all the darkness in the world we must not lose faith but push beyond the unpleasant truths emerging at the moment.

The Sun in Aquarius serves as a guiding light shining on our ideals.

For when the Moon is in Pisces

Today’s Moon in Pisces conjunct Neptune and the Tail of the Dragon (South Node of the Moon) speaks of foggy circumstances. Reasoning and rational abilities might be at an all time low as we are swayed by psychic emotional tides. (particularly coming from social media.)

The upcoming Full Moon in Taurus (earth) ruled by Venus in Capricorn (earth) next week will be a good opportunity to anchor and re-group.

Neptune’s conjunction to the South Node will be exact on the 17th, Mercury will square Neptune on the 18th and Neptune will station direct on the 19th of November. The month closes with a square from the Sun in Sagittarius to Neptune in Pisces. That is a lot of Neptune.

Neptune rules beyond mundane material reality. Boundaries dissolves as we become susceptible to all sorts of impressions. Some are accurate while others are delusional. Here we meet anxiety and escapism or inspiration and bliss depending on where we put our attention. One of the side-effect of Neptune in Pisces could be a tendency to feel like a victim or like things are happening to us with little control over them.

A good idea is to disconnect from the information tide. Without escaping, find space, silence and stillness for true insights to emerge.

There could be missing elements from the picture we are looking at right now.
All things will come to pass, dissolve and disappear back into the void.

A good thing to keep in mind as we navigate these foggy waters.

 

”A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.”― Saul Bellow

 

Full Moon in Pisces: Naked in a dream

On Friday September 16 the Moon in Pisces conjunct Chiron moments before the Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse.  This is a slippery spot in the month and I imagine the days leading to the eclipse  (read: this week) will also be like finding ourselves naked in a dream. Our weakness and insecurities could be showing up in unexpected places. Old patterns emerging without rational explanation, feeling defensive and taking things personally. If you are doing good, then you are one of the lucky ones who can be a lighthouse for those who are sailing the storm. Since this Full Moon is on the South Node (which is why it is an eclipse) we can anticipate the days leading up to it to be filled with a sense of déjà vu. It could also be that we go back to old stomping grounds, reconnect with people from our past or that we find ourselves nostalgic over something from days gone by.

”The wound is the place where the light enters you” -Rumi

When you combine the South Node of the Moon and Chiron in Pisces you get salt in your wounds.

Healing can hurt, it gets itchy and we want to pick at the scabs. This Full Moon is a bit like that. It is also like trying to hold on to something that is overripe or almost moldy; it bruises easily and you get your hands dirty, it might even stink a little.  But rotten things make excellent compost. Just don’t handle the rot/manure for too long.

Create space between yourself and your reactions

”Whatever happens around you, don’t take it personally…Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world.” -Miguel Ruiz

What you are letting go now or what has reached a point of saturation is serving as fertiliser for the future. You might feel like simmering in your stew a bit longer. You might think that going back to your old ways would be safer. It could be that an important chapter is closing but you can’t quite see around the corner. Whichever way you decide to navigate this narrow canal, know that there is no turning back.  Tie yourself to the mast of your boat while the Moon passes in the earth’s shadow and looses her light. An era is definitely over and you get the confirmation if you can stand the darkness for a brief moment. If you have personal planets in the last 10 degrees of the Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) this Full Moon will affect you more significantly.

Safe passage
xx

Elodie

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Images:
✵Eddystone Lighthouse, During a Storm by William Daniell (1769–1837)
Plymouth City Council: Museum and Art Gallery.

✵Abraham Mignon – Still-Life with Fruits (1660-1679)

Victims and Survivors

The Aries season is officially on. The return of the light for us here in the northern hemisphere means the return of life. Everything is slowly waking up, including us. The urge is to forge ahead, break new ground and create a new set of circumstances. You could feel like you are full of new ideas/momentum for the future and ready to go! You might also feel like things are not moving fast enough.

Venus is lingering in the sign of Pisces triggering the recent eclipse material and she will conjunct Chiron on Wednesday. There is a need to integrate older material (crap) that surfaced or perhaps completely let it go. Venus in Pisces support us in doing so with full awareness and compassion not only for ourselves but for others. It’s a great week to integrate past hurts without staying stuck in the quagmire.

This is definitely a time of evolution so don’t linger too long in your wounds but move with the awareness of why you are doing what you do and where you are going. Take the time to process your recent realisations or experiences. You can forge ahead towards new territories, but still very much be fueled by the past and by what came before. Remember WHY you are doing what you do and this will help you progress.

The Jupiter/Saturn square is still on – slowing down progress and asking us for a full detailed report. Advancement is possible but it has to be slow and deliberate.

In a broader sense there is a clash between philosophical/political/religious/spiritual ideas and a general cacophony of voices on the public stages. The urge to take a strong stance to defend our beliefs is definitely one signature of this Jupiter/Saturn square.

Whatever transitional space you find yourself in, remember that perspective and flexibility are your best assets and stay cool.
xx

 

 

 

 

The Just Measure

A Full Moon in Libra and partial lunar eclipse happened yesterday in the early hours close to the North Node of the Moon sometime called the head of the Dragon.

Eclipses will vary in intensity depending on many factors including whether it is a total or partial, Lunar or Solar eclipse and if it takes place close to the South Node (Tail of the Dragon) or the North Node (Head of the Dragon).

They usually come in pairs and we had a Solar eclipse in Pisces on March 8th and one yesterday March 23rd in the sign of Libra.

Some astrologers compare eclipses or the time in between them as having similar effect as the more widely known Mercury retrograde. Unexpected events, delays, misunderstanding or problems with technologies can be one of the symptoms.  An eclipse represent a time when one of our two major luminaries (Sun or Moon) is being obscured either by the shadow of the Moon in the case of a Solar eclipse or the shadow of the Earth in the case of a Lunar eclipse. This temporary darkness is an opening, an energetic trigger for things to come into existence or disappear into the void.  Shadows are associated with what we cannot see, blindness or a lack of something. While something is being obscured, it is also an opening into the deep and eternal darkness. This time can be very energizing for some while others can feel extremely drained, stressed out and tired.

Eclipse will also affect people differently depending on where it falls in their natal birth chart.  Positive or negative effects like the birth of a child, a marriage, sickness, a major turning point, ending and beginnings are associated with eclipses.

The temporary obstruction of the light sees the darkness that dwells in between the worlds take shape and materialize. This blackness colours our awareness for a moment and can bring about surprising turn of events.

Yesterday’s eclipse in Libra is the last one of a series on the Libra-Aries axis that started in 2014.

This eclipse highlights themes of interpersonal and personal relationships and the need to find balance between taking and giving. We can feel torn between selfish or bold reactions versus selfless compromises to reach middle ground. There is an emphasis on whether the motives behind our decisions are ego driven of based in the higher spirits of fairness and harmony.

This is definitely not an easy feat.

We could be torn between the need to follow our own path while also being asked to collaborate or compromise. We cannot exclude the need we have for others in our lives, our need to be seen and acknowledged. Every relationship is a mixture of give and take with a small dose of compromises and a big dose of collaboration.  Problem arises when we compromise our own integrity.

This last eclipse in Libra could be the final push towards solidifying an alliance, a situation, a state of mind or letting it go all together and realigning towards a more balance and centered state. A process that started in 2014 could find resolution but whether this will be fair and just could be a matter of circumstances. We could see ourselves oscillating between two opposites for another few weeks until we find the just measure.

 

 

HADES

We will be entering some dark territories over the weekend. Our relationships will be the prime battle ground for the darkness that is trying to emerge and come into the light. Remember that precious gems are not found above ground. Keep that in mind and take a step back from whatever is happening. There is a New Moon on Monday and a definite shift for the better.