Astrology by Lauren

November 9th ~ 16th

A few weeks ago  I wrote about Mercury square Neptune.  At that time Hurricane Sandy was moving up the East Coast of the US, eventually landing during high tide, thrust forward on the wave of the Full Moon and swelled by the blustery winds of Jupiter in Gemini, the ruler of Sagittarius (the sign that Mercury is in) and the waters of Pisces (the sign that Neptune is in).  Since then Mercury has stationed retrograde, and is now returning to square Neptune once again.  But this time Mercury is retrograde.  It is returning to the place it once knew.

Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not understood. ~ Henry Miller

So do expect the usual denizens of Mercury retrograde (mixed messages, misunderstandings, travel delays and glitches, communication devices failing, vehicles not operating or breaking down, do-overs, repairs), aggravated by the square to Neptune this week (confusion, deception, veiled truths, only seeing what you want to see, only hearing what you want or expect to hear, worry, anxiety, self-deception and intoxication).  When Mercury is square Neptune, one planet can dominate at the expense of the other.  It doesn’t help if you are beset with delays, interruptions, or bouts of ineffectual daydreams to boot.  

The key to making the most of this aspect is to allow a blending of their attributes to take place.  When Mercury dominates, there is a tendency to question and doubt  feelings and intuition, and not give much needed time to your inner, spiritual needs.  You know this is true if you are feeling nervous, anxious, or there is too much commotion arising, with little time to get your wits about you.  When Neptune dominates, one’s faculties become compromised or impaired by the imagination and/or what you either want to be true or fear to be true.  Together there is a sense of feeling like you have so much to do, but yet not able to get anything done.

I do not say that artists cannot be seers, inspired: that the AWEN cannot come upon them, and the god speak through them.  Who would be an artist if they did not believe that that happens?  If they did not know it happens because they have felt the god within them use their tongue, their hands?  Maybe only once in their lives.  But once is enough. ~ Ursula K. LeGuin

Mercury retrograde periods are not good for starting new things, but they are excellent for finishing off projects that you have been putting off. It is also a time for introspection, reminiscence, and getting to know yourself.  Neptune subjectively speaks in poetry, music, symbols, the imagination and feelings.  Time moves differently when Mercury is retrograde and square Neptune.  And sometimes you need to respect that, and give it its own reverence.  This is a time for us to have a conversation with God, your Higher Self, your Inner Daemon, your Spiritual Self, whatever you want to call it.  Even if you don’t believe that there is such a thing, it doesn’t matter.  Find moments of silence.  Sit and entertain the thoughts that visit you.  Then write them down.  Dream, invent, imagine and create.  This is a time meant for profound introspection and meditation.  Allow yourself to get lost in order to find yourself again.  Listen for the whispers in the sound of silence.  

There is also a Total Solar Eclipse in the sign of Scorpio this week.  This eclipse will be visible in northern Australia and the southern Pacific.  Symbolically, Eclipses are like rifts in the fabric of time and space which allow connections to be made with other planes of being and awareness.  This would be even more so in the magical sign of Scorpio which seeks to unveil hidden and occult truths and knowledge.  Endings do often happen in the ambit of an eclipse, but even as they occur there is a recognition that their time has come.  It is time to purge, to release and let go of those things that are no longer necessary in your life, but may indeed be undermining your own well-being, growth and progress.  In this way, there is great strength and power to effect a positive healing and rebirth.  

This being human is a guest house,

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain all!

Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whomever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

~ Rumi

Solar Eclipses are like powerful New Moons, and in this way, a wave of healing, rebirth, and rebuilding can be initiated at this time.  Not only in our own lives, by breaking up habits, old behaviors, or structures that are self-annihilating, as it were, but for all of humanity, and for all the wonderful creatures of mother earth herself.

The video “She’s Alive..”  was assembled by Vivek Chauhan along with naturalists working with the Sanctuary Asia network: www.sanctuaryasia.com/

the photo of a silhouetted man and camel in China’s Gansu Province, is by Aly Song

the print of Hermes (Mercury) is from the Second Key (Hermeticum) of Basilius Valentinus, a 15th century alchemist.  

For the week of November 9th thru the 16th, be sure to read your Rising Sign as well:

Aries

Although you prefer to be in charge if at all possible, sometimes it is best to just go with the flow.  You will have more of a sense of direction and motivation after the 16th.  Until then, take care of accumulated responsibilities that have been piling up, and take care of them one by one, making your life both cleaner and simpler in the process.  You might want to do this now, before things get hectic later on in the month.  But if you don’t, that’s okay too.  This Eclipse period is about discarding what is outworn, what is cluttering up your life, or preventing you from growing and moving on to the next stage of your life.  Sometimes that simply means cleaning out the trash and remnants of a former life.  But also explore how you undermine your own growth through your attachments, addictions, habits and self-limiting behavior.  Even small changes can make all the difference right now.

Taurus

With your ruler Venus strong and dignified this week, this could be lucky for both money and love... but with Jupiter retrograde for the next few months, it is also a time to explore priorities, and figure out those things that are truly important and meaningful to you, and then make those things your priority.  This could be a remarkable Eclipse for change and transformation in your relationships, as you see certain alliances changing and people either needing to move on, or away to a new phase of their lives.  Also explore what you have been holding on to out of habit or familiarity. These could be keeping you from exploring new options.  There are new people out there to be met, and new options to unfold.  This is a particularly potent Eclipse for those Taurus’s born between May 10th and the 15th, or who have 20-24° of Taurus Rising.

Gemini

When Jupiter is retrograde, as it is now in your sign, it is a time to look within, rather than to judge others.  It is a time to connect with your own understanding of what is truly meaningful and valuable to you, what relationships, what things you love.  What brings you joy.  When Mercury is square Neptune it may seem like so much time is flitting away spent in unproductive daydreaming, and leaves you wondering where all the time went. If there are things that must get finished this week, make a list in advance, and tick each thing off as you go along.  But also make time and space for some silence in your life.  It beckons, and is needed.  Just sit, and allow the voice to speak through you.  Then write down what it says.  It could be quite revealing.  

Cancer

Sometimes it is better to put aside self-interest in the name of a cause, or to help someone else.  As Mars, the image of dynamic energy, approaches the sign of Capricorn, it can bring people into your life this week that can prove to be inspiring because of their energy and their courage.  As a result you could be motivated to pursue a worthwhile cause helping others. Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”  The Eclipse falls in your house of love, romance, creative self-expression and children.  Remove the sorrows from your heart, so that something better can grow there.

Leo

The Eclipse this week falls in a sign that Leo associates with home, family and security.  It also symbolizes “the end of the matter”.  By coming to the conclusion of a situation, you are now able to begin anew, reborn and refreshed.  But before doing so, pause in the subdued darkness of the Eclipse, and take some time to meditate, withdraw, and succumb to stillness.  It is within this pause that true awareness, connection and creativity takes place.  Some wonderful beginning can begin to unfold from the ashes of the past.  

Virgo

Messages from people that you hadn’t heard from in quite a while leave you both confused and bewildered.  It may be wise not to make any critical decisions until your ruler Mercury is out of the fog and in a better state of clarity.  Right now you’ll be receiving mixed messages at best.  What people are saying and what you are hearing could be very different things.  This is one of those times when it’s better to just absorb, contemplate, reflect and ruminate, rather than act on any grand ideas.  At least, not yet.  Through the process of dreaming, meditation and reflection, some sort of awakening could occur.

Libra

A sense of joy, and that everything is right in the world, carries you through the weekend on the wings of fulfillment.  Don’t expect to have very much energy though.  You’d prefer to lounge on those wings.  It will be all you can do to get up in the morning.  What is important this week, is the Eclipse, which falling in Scorpio has much to do with embracing and respecting your own self worth.  If you feel that you can’t or don’t deserve abundance, then you create inner barriers.  These are often based on feelings of fearfulness, guilt or low self-esteem.  Release this negative thinking.  There is grace in the ability to receive as well as give to others.  Tell yourself: “I am open and receptive to all the good that the Universe has to offer.  Thank you Life.”

Scorpio

The Eclipse falls in your sign of Scorpio this week, accompanied by the North Node of the Moon.  Those people most sensitive to this Eclipse are people who have their birthdays around November 11 thru the 16th, or have 20-24° of Scorpio rising, but all Scorpios are going to be feeling the necessity to release, in order to rebuild.  It is time to move on and move out, to rid yourself of those things that are cluttering, burdening, or perhaps even poisoning your life, in order to grow, evolve and live a cleaner, simpler, happier and healthier life.  Explore what is interfering with your capacity to grow, and to have a more meaningful life, and then see what steps you need to take to fulfill these.  

Sagittarius

One thing that should be appreciated this week, are the ways in which you are loved, and have the glory to share your life with others.  With your ruler, Jupiter, retrograde for the next few months, this is time for you to explore what is most meaningful to you, and often it is not those things that you can buy, so much as what you already have.. such as love, and the support of a good friend.  You may not get very much done this week.  This is a week for silent prayer, meditation and introspection rather than action.  Sometimes the most important work to be done is on the inner planes.  

Capricorn

Let the motive for action be in altruistic works, through service, and charity to others.  Help out a neighbor, or stop to simply listen to someone else’s story.  These are the things that make our lives more meaningful and enriching in the end.  The eclipse falls in the sign of Scorpio, a sign that Capricorn associates with your circle and network of friends and associates, as well as your hopes and dreams for the future.  In some respects, this is new and untrodden territory.  You have reached a new plateau in your life, where you’re beginning to think about the future, in a new light... it’s like, where do you go from here?  And what are those things and people that you have outgrown?  This is a powerful wishing Moon for Capricorn, so spend some time visualizing the future that you would like to see fulfilled.

Aquarius

In the shadowy light of this powerful Scorpio Eclipse, explore what needs to be released from the past, in order for you to embrace your future.  See where either fear of power and responsibility, or self-doubts may interfere with your ability to see clearly where your true path lies.  Often it’s right there in front of you, before your very eyes.  You just need to open up your eyes to see, and accept with an open heart, what and where your destiny truly lies.  And then explore what needs to be released, in order for you to grow.

Pisces

The more you try to control, the more you try to schedule, the more you will become undone this week.  These Mercury retrograde periods are times for assimilation and introspection, but unfortunately the world needs to go on, we need to work, and to get up in the morning.  Try to keep lists of activities that need to be accomplished, but don’t be too surprised or hard on yourself, if you find yourself ceaselessly distracted.  Space and time are different when Mercury is retrograde, especially when it’s engaged with Neptune, and sometimes you just need to respect that.  So schedule in time for silence as well on that list.  And pay a visit with the god(dess) within, entertaining her for a cup of tea.  Give her your ear.  She has much to say.  Of this I am sure. 

We spoke about a firestorm brewing a few weeks back.  This is it.  This week is rife with astro weather and activity.  On Friday Uranus stations Retrograde in Aries while square Pluto.  This is a long-term aspect that will continue to affect us in greater and lesser intensity for years, bringing all sorts of revolutionary changes.  But when it is triggered, as it is this week by Mars in Libra forming a cardinal t-square, we will see the flames being fanned.  And when planets station, such as both Mercury and Uranus are this week, it’s like a period of intensity, when the things represented by the stationing planet come to a head or reach a point of overwhelming consequences.  Uranus is associated with energy: electricity, technology, computers.  With the Summer heat blazing in the Northern Hemisphere with record high temperatures, it would not be unusual to see power overloads, or more blackouts, as out-moded systems become overloaded and strained.  

Uranus is also associated with freedom: civil rights, rebellion against the status quo, alternatives and the freedom to change.   And certainly in the sign of Aries, the need for energy independence, the need for reforming our way of doing things comes home to roost.  It’s no longer a matter of stuff happening to other people... it’s happening to everyone.  Even the CEO’s of the fossil fuel companies are being affected.   Yet despite knowing the moral consequences of their profit, they continue to create excuses, or promote lies and subterfuge in order to continue to reap their short-term gains.  

This smokescreen of lies that is being promoted, this ring of invisibility is a keynote of Neptune in Pisces, which is currently exactly square the Nodes of the Moon in Gemini/Sagittarius, the signs associated with the media.  This cloak of invisibility and obfuscation has been thrown over the very real issue of climate change, over the way interest rates have been manipulated by the financial industry, and even over the recent protests, which have been virtually blacked out by the media.  But if you can’t see something or don’t know about it, does it stop you from being affected by it?  

“So far, we have 20 victims recorded with names and 60 bodies at a mosque.  There are more bodies in the fields, bodies in the rivers and in houses... People were trying to flee from the time the shelling started and whole families were killed trying to escape.” witness in Tremseh, Syria (7/12/12)

Mars turns up the heat, and adds a sense of urgency.  And where the heat is going to be turned up depends on where the friction is to begin with.  More mass killings occurred yesterday in Syria where militias and the army continue to execute civilians.. and then deny it despite numerous witnesses to the contrary of tanks and artillery descending.  Some 16,000 people are thought to have been killed since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime began in March 2011.  There have also been massive protests over the past week in Saudi Arabia, in Kabul, Afghanistan, in Spain, in the West Bank, in Cairo, Egypt, and in Mexico City where tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the city last weekend protesting the recent election, accusing Enrique Pena Nieto of buying votes and the media.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. ~ the Buddha

If there is no friction, then there will be no fire.  But Mars can ignite even the most benign-seeming of sparks.  So in our own lives, we would be wise to pay heed this week.  Do not engage in or aggravate the friction and fireworks, but do observe.  Things will and can move quickly in this weather, so know when to move out of the way of flying objects and potential wrath.  These aspects require a great deal of patience, and a willingness to adapt to changes as they arise.  The more resistant, angry or resentful you feel, the more difficult this time will be.  What this time is good for is being motivated and taking the initiative to implement much needed changes that are probably long overdue.  Mars just increases the urgency of needing to implement that change.

The station of Mercury on the 14th, immediately after Uranus’ station, may or may not add to the mayhem.  Misunderstandings and confusion, and things needing to be repaired, can just make things even more complicated.  However, what Mercury retrograde can be excellent for are periods of down time, and creative reflection and introspection.  This station of Mercury shines benevolently on Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus indicating that these 3 weeks (through August 8th) can be a personally creative and illuminating period of time.  But in order for this to happen, you will need to create the space that allows you to access that.  Kind of like the magic trick of staying in the eye of the storm.

the above photo of “Hurricane on Earth” is by Photokanok of freedigitalphotos.net

the photo of the woman with tears, is from Syria News; the other two protest photos are from Spain and Ramallah

For the week of July 13th thru the 20th, be sure to read your rising sign as well:

Aries

Uranus stations in your sign of Aries today, and is doing so in the arms of a Cardinal t-square and your ruler Mars in Libra.  So if you find yourself locking horns, or in a heated debate that totally distracts you from your original intention, you can thank your ruler Mars for dragging you into this arena.  Avoid allowing other people to draw you into their battles, or to take the bait.  You will be particularly sensitive to issues of injustice and inequality.  However, do observe, and be nimble enough to parry when necessary, but also know when to refrain, be patient, and stay out of the line of fire.  Even the smallest of sparks have the capacity this week of being fanned into a major conflagration.  Keep it cool.

Taurus

With Venus still in Gemini, Taurus could well be inclined to want to spend money.  And though usually when Mercury stations retrograde it is not advised to make large scale purchases that you could later regret, this relationship between Mercury and Venus is one to pay attention to.  It’s not so much about spending, buying, owning... as it is about understanding what makes you happy.  What pleases you.  What makes you smile.  It may be a certain color, a fabric, a scent, a book.  Something for the kitchen that has endless possibilities.  And as Mercury stations in Leo this week allow your mind to wander into the past, to reminisce on earlier happier times, and things you used to like to do.

Gemini

Your ruler Mercury stations retrograde this week, and although this may cause some eye-rolling in anticipation of the usual delays and miscommunications, this Mercury retrograde has some hidden gems.  With its exact sextile to Venus at its station, and the aspects to follow, this can be a particularly creative and enlightening period.  Mercury retrograde periods are good for taking time out.  We’re so busy doing stuff all the time, that we rarely stop to appreciate and assess what we have accomplished and where we are.  Nor do we allow ourselves to make space for creative inspiration.  And the introspective, wool-gathering of the retrograde Mercury is just such an opportunity.  

Cancer

In the area of your life where you expect and need the most stability and tranquility: your home, family and personal life, things could be somewhat challenging this week.  This may be because of a responsibility that is weighing on you, or even a sense of temporary isolation that leaves you feeling disconnected.  It’s also getting to the point that you realize that some sort of change is inevitable and can no longer be avoided.  Perhaps you’ve been conforming to a role or obligation that you don’t really feel that comfortable with.  Changes and/or compromises are well in order. And even though change is not necessarily something you dive into too easily, you may well feel like you are being compelled to do so by circumstances beyond your control.  

Leo

Saturn in Libra, the Saturn of civil disobedience, comes up against your ruler, the Sun, this week.     Some of your core beliefs could be challenged this week, and it becomes apparent that you can no longer ignore the truth when it is staring at you so blatantly.  Another way of demonstrating this is through realizing that sometimes Conscience transcends all, especially if circumstances are obviously unfair or unjust.  As Mercury stations in your sign this week, allow yourself to also make some space in your life for creative flow and self-expression.  It will be those moments of personal introspection that bring enlightenment and realization.  

Virgo

Your ruler, Mercury, stations retrograde this week.  This can bring some of the usual denizens along the lines of misunderstanding, and things not working.  But this retrograde period has some special perks too, if you will only allow it some space.  Think of the next several weeks as something of a time out.  We spend so much time doing things, sometimes you just need a little time to assess.  Allow your mind and imagination to wander, to daydream and reminisce.  This is a good time for quiet study and inward reflection.  Your intuition, and sensitivity to those things that are hidden and unspoken are heightened as well.  Find your own inner peace in the eye of the storm.

Libra

Between Venus’ retrograde last month, and Mercury’s for the next three weeks, you may notice people reappearing from out of the past.  In a good way.  These are people with whom some special bond was forged in the past.  And are welcome guests in your present as well.  You will need all this support as you could be feeling a little pressured this week to perform, even though you’re not necessarily feeling up to it.  You can’t be all things to all people, without running yourself into the ground, and becoming resentful in the process.  Use the Martian energy to motivate yourself to make much overdo changes, but also pace yourself and prioritize all your conflicting obligations between career, partners, home and personal needs.  There are only so many hours in the day, and so many places you can be at once.  Pace yourself.

Scorpio

Those things that you’ve been shoving inside the closet, or keep putting aside for a better time, may just come back and haunt you this week, as necessary and inevitable changes can no longer be avoided.  However, pace yourself. You can work so hard this week, or take on so much that you can become utterly physically exhausted.  This applies to both physical work, as well as taking a stand over an issue, an organization or with an individual, who can present as extremely willful and domineering.  This is a good week to remember that even the smallest of sparks can ignite into a pretty wild fire.  It’s all about moderation, and not engaging when you don’t need to.  Remove yourself from the line of fire, and find your own eye of the storm in which to wait it out.  

Sagittarius

One of the advantages of these progressive times of change, is being able to hitch a ride on that wave when it comes and go with it.  For Sagittarius, the wave of change brings all sorts of opportunities and potential if you can just ride that wild bronco.  It appears as if all systems are go for Sagittarius, if you can manage this.  So take a chance.  Step out of your comfort zone, and be willing to explore what the world has to offer you.  You’ve got the energy, the excitement, and the right people in your life who are supporting you.  So go out and grab that ring.  The world continues to unfold.  

Capricorn

Conflicts between what you have to do, and what you would rather be doing arise.  Resentment can build up from having to do certain things that you feel take away from who you want to be with, and what you really want to be doing.  Perhaps you are torn between wanting to achieve some goal, maybe at the expense of a relationship, or at the expense of your own health and emotional well-being.  There is an internal battle raging that could be projected outside of yourself.  Could be you are just being way too hard on yourself.  Yes, there is room for change, but sometimes you just need to sit with things, allow them to unfold and see what that looks like, instead of impulsively jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Aquarius

Caught between the shackles of responsibility and an urge to be free, it feels like the universe is trying to tell you something.  Although Aquarians are known for taking the path less traveled, they can also be amazingly entrenched and stubborn.  Therefore what the universe is saying, could feel somewhat scary as well, for it has something to do with the necessity for change and transformation.  This requires a certain willingness to step out of your usual comfort zone, if you really want to be true to yourself.  But in order to be truly free requires the very difficult task of being willing to clear out all the old psychic and psychological baggage.  Then the freedom that comes can be simply exhilarating.

Pisces

You have more energy, and it seems more resources to be able to do more and take on more challenges.  Actions taken to move toward achieving a cherished goal goes well this week, even as you are leaping gracefully over hurdles that may temporarily be in your way.  Think freedom, exploration, and possibility.  With Uranus stationing and sextile your ruler Jupiter this week, some sense of enlightenment can descend upon you, some realization, some wonderful opportunity.  A sudden inspiration arises, or perhaps an unexpected solution presents itself.  Go with the serendipity of it all.  It can take you places.

Mercury retrograde in Pisces is like wandering in a foreign country, a country where you do not know the language.  Like the Sofia Coppola movie “Lost in Translation” where two foreigners meet in Tokyo, bewildered and befuddled by the complexities of language and custom.  The words sort of make sense on some level, you think you can grasp the intent by the expressions on people’s faces, by their actions and whether or not they are smiling or frowning.  But without all the words, what they are saying and what you are understanding gets lost in translation.  

Then when Mercury stations direct again, as it will on the 4th of April, you begin to understand the symbols, the metaphors, the true meaning behind the words that are only relatively important any way.  In the world of Pisces, it truly is poetry that helps to bridge those gaps between experience and comprehension.  As Robert Frost said: “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.”

(Sun in Aries with Mercury in Pisces) Robert Frost  wrote about ordinary people in ordinary situations through the lens of deeply understood emotions.  Emotions that he was familiar with on an intimate level.  He knew grief at a young age.  His father died when he was 11, leaving his family destitute, his younger sister who was mentally ill, was institutionalized, his mother suffered from depression, and later on, his daughter, also mentally ill, was institutionalized as well.  He was one who was so eloquently Acquainted with the Night,  when he wrote: “I have looked down the saddest city lane.  I have passed by the watchman on his beat, And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.”  And in his poem, The Ghost House, he wrote:

I Dwell in a lonely house I know

 That vanished many a summer ago,

And left no trace but the cellar walls,

And a cellar in which the daylight falls,

And the purple-stemmed wild raspberries grow.

Robert Frost also had Mars (action, that which inspires and motivates us) conjunct Neptune (dreams, mysticism, dissipation, music, poetry, loss and surrender)... another theme we will be greeting this week, and that will continue throughout the month of April: Mars stationing (slowing down to turn direct again on the 14th) in Virgo while opposing Neptune in Pisces.  

As Venus enters the sign of Gemini this week, it will highlight this opposition, by creating a t-square in the mutable signs of Gemini, Virgo and Pisces.  During these Mars/Neptune periods it does no good to push and fight and struggle.. it’s like shadow boxing with a phantom that doesn’t actually exist, or keeps morphing.  It may prove to be that what we think we are resisting or fighting for, or desiring with all our heart, is actually only an illusion, something that no longer really matters, or  is so much smoke and mirrors.  Not what we really think it is.  And we are caught between wondering what is real, and which is the phantom.  We can dwell in the mire of despair, loss, helplessness and grief, or we can choose acceptance.  When we are willing to surrender to the moment, and cease to resist... experience the beauty as it merely is... within those moments perhaps we will recognize that which is love, which is beauty, which is intrinsic truth, in the moment, which is...  

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid-air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reversed for God above

To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which it only needs that we fulfill.

~ Robert Frost (A Prayer in Spring)

For the week of March 30th thru April 6th, be sure to read your rising sign as well:

Aries

With Mars retrograde in Virgo, sometimes it is difficult to see the forest for the trees.  You can get bogged down in details, or single chores that keep you distracted, or incidentals that keep you from your usual routine.  Or simply indulge in ennui and fatigue. And it certainly doesn’t help to have Neptune sapping you of that last bit of incentive and drive... perhaps it is best to (gasp) surrender.  A foreign term to Aries, but one with whom you shall become acquainted over the next several weeks.  Sometimes you need to just let go and let “God”, whatever that means to you, and stop trying to ‘control’.  What Mars/Neptune is ideal for is meditation; walks in nature; gardening; yoga; pilates; dance; creative inspiration; and those things that challenge you to add greater meaning to your life.  Stop fighting it, it will exhaust you.  Just let it be.

Taurus

As your ruler, Venus, moves into Gemini this week, you are brought to consider how you value who you are, what your talents are and what you have to contribute.  As well as what you can or cannot afford.  However, as Venus comes up against first Neptune, then later Mars... the first feelings are those of despair, and loss.  One thing for Taurus to be mindful of... is that how you value yourself is some how being distorted by your current circumstances and perceptions.  You are seeing yourself through a distorted mirror.  How others value you, or what you have, is probably much greater than you think.  You may feel like you  have to relinquish something, or let someone go because it has become too burdensome, but make sure you have all the facts first.  Do not assume anything.

Gemini

Even though everyone is still speaking in tongues, it’s as if all of a sudden, all those words and ideas are beginning to make some sort of sense.  Or do they?  Yes, you will begin to create some sort of schedule and order in your daily life over the next several weeks, after Mercury turns direct again on Wednesday... but when Venus enters your sign, which is normally a wonderfully pleasant and lovely social experience for Gemini, you are brought up against Neptune... and the question arises: what is it that you really want?  What will give your life that much more meaning?  Don’t make any drastic decisions just yet.  Just sit with the moment.  Clarity will come in due time.

Cancer

Neither dwell on the past, nor fear the future.  Stay in the moment.  The passions are trying to rear their head.  If negative events, frustration or anger arise, see how these are seeded in the past.  See what things or people you are still attached to and cling to, although they are merely ghosts and phantoms lingering behind.  Not having those things or people that you imagine or believe to be yours, will only lead to frustration when it becomes apparent that these are merely pipe dreams and phantoms, and are preventing you from discovering true happiness.. which is not in external things, it is in you.  

Leo

Today someone wished me many happy transits for the year.  I answered: “Now if only I could teach Pluto to dance.”  However after having said that, I realized that that’s going to be Uranus’ job this year.  Over the past week, and this coming weekend Leo has been drawn into the world of the approaching Uranus/Pluto square.  As the Sun passed over Uranus, certain alternative ways of perceiving the world have been revealed, and through these revelations, nothing less than a whole new transformation can and will result.  Kind of like a rebirth.  And once you have experienced Paris, whatever Paris may mean to you, once you have seen the light, once you have experienced truth, you can never go back again.  You have new eyes.  

Virgo

If you can’t fully understand something or someone... sit with it for a while, and perhaps as your ruler stations and turns direct this week, things will begin to unfold and unravel, like a metaphor, whose truths are gradually being revealed.  It may be that which you are trying to cling to, that which you hold on to, is merely a delusion or an unwelcome diversion.  You are being beckoned to surrender.  So let it go, and stop trying to control those things or situations over which you have no control.  The past cannot be changed.  The future is still unknown.  All you have right now, is the present.  See how you can make it divine. “Keep us here all simply in the springing of the year.”

Libra

Let go of your expectations, and look for beauty in the way things simply are.  Schedules have a way of organizing themselves, work may or may not get done as planned.  Sometimes it’s just in the divine order of things to let some things go.  And find serenity in being willing to just surrender.  Your viewpoint is going to be affected over the coming weeks, through a close relationship, through friends, perhaps a trip taken overseas, where you find yourself negotiating customs and languages.  You will find this week, that even in strange and uncomfortable, perhaps even disappointing situations, there are things to be learned.  

Scorpio

Be willing to stop and smell the flowers, and relish the good things that you already have instead of looking in someone else’s yard.  If you push yourself too hard running after illusions or fantasies, you will only exhaust yourself.  Any way, sometimes what you desire, what you think you want, is not all that you had thought it would be.  Usually, the things that we long for, that we think we want, are right there under our nose, or in our own backyard.  Conserve your energy. “Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today; And give us not to think so far away As the uncertain harvest; keep us here All simply in the springing of the year.”

Sagittarius

If you are feeling like a stranger in a strange land, even though that foreign land is your own back yard, it may have something to do with the fact that you had fantasized how great it was in the first place.  Tone down your expectations, and just accept people and circumstances for who or what they are, where they are without making any judgments.  Over the next several weeks, with Venus moving into your opposite sign of Gemini, look at ways that you can work on making relationships closer, and in a more meaningful way.  If you have each other, it doesn’t matter where you are.

Capricorn

It could be that you don’t know what to believe any more. When it comes to your own health and well being, listen to your intuition and your own body.  It may be time to address some negative habits, or change your lifestyle in order to detox.  Often the things that you think you need, or habits that you have come to rely on in the past, are actually undermining you.  So pay attention.  May also be confronted with some sort of ethical conflict this week.  Could be some sort of deception taking place.  Keep your head as clear as possible.  You’re going to need it, in order to sort everything out.    

Aquarius

If you want to connect with other people, then a good place to start is by keeping things in perspective.  Clinging to past relationships, or fantasizing about future ones, could cause you to miss the wonderful things and people that are right there in front of you. As Venus, the planet of love and relationships, moves into Gemini this week, there will be many opportunities to socialize over the next several weeks.  Just be aware, that the person you fantasize about, is probably not available in the way that you would hope, or the things that you think would make all the difference, probably won’t.  Fantasies have this way of taking over this week.  Keep it simple.  And keep it present.  And relish the joy that you do have.   

Pisces

The world and its expectations has found you frightfully busy lately.  And there’s only so much energy, so much that you can give before your gas tank is empty.  You want to spend more time at home, or to do things at home, that will make it more livable, more comfortable... perhaps prettier.  But the demands of the outside world  continue to encroach for a bit, at least until Mars turns direct on the 14th.  So pace yourself.  Feed your soul with moments of silent meditation, poetry, music... it’s so easy to get distracted.  Therefore if you must, then be distracted by beautiful things in nature.  It will undermine the chaos and chatter that leaves you frustrated and yearning for deliverance.  

The photograph of Robert Frost is by Fred Palumbo, World Telegram staff photographer; Library of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection.

The Aries Equinox which heralds in the Spring in the North, and Autumn in the Southern hemisphere is overlaid with myth, tradition and celebration, in which are woven themes of conception, birth, death and rebirth.  The Orphic legend of the origin of the Universe has the Earth being hatched out of an enormous egg.  Demeter ventures into Hades to escort her daughter Persephone back to the Earth, where the lands rejoice with fertile fields and flowers bloom once again.  Many of these symbols are endemic to the Northern Hemisphere where people celebrated the rebirth of the Earth after having survived the bleak Winter months.  If we visualize the Winter Capricorn Solstice as the midnight hour, the start of the new day, the Vernal Equinox is like the Dawn.  The Vernal Equinox is the time of Ostara, the natural Easter, when we begin to act on and implement the resolutions and intentions we set at the Winter Solstice, but with a re-newed conviction.

The Aries Equinox is seen by astrologers to set the tone for the year ahead.  This year, as last, the Equinox is accompanied by unpredictable yet revolutionary Uranus.  We saw his work last year with the Arab Spring, and demonstrations worldwide that evolved into Occupy movements in the West.  These were a direct response to the apparent inequality of wealth and power, a common theme in Uranus/Pluto cycles.  A cycle that will become exact later this Spring and Summer when Uranus and Pluto will be exactly square, and persist for another few years.  

This year the Equinox is also attended by a double retrograde of Mercury and Mars in each other’s signs, where Mars is also closely square the Nodes of the Moon, and Mercury is sandwiched between the Sun and Uranus.  And it is this mixed energy that we will be feeling this week: a blend of chaotic lethargy, angst mixed with truths that can no longer be ignored, and coming face to face with our own core beliefs.  If our inner barometer and sense of justice is ignited, it can explode as anger, or it can be greeted as a moment of illumination... a realization that you don’t always have to do things the way you have in the past.  Especially if they haven’t been working.  Or that your view is not necessarily the only view.

Be willing to be open to revelation.  Mercury makes its inferior conjunction to the Sun this week (by the 26th it will begin to rise as a morning star).  As truths unfold over the next several weeks, they can change your point of view in a remarkable way.    Key thoughts for this week: new ideas are germinating; voices from the past illuminate; defend what you  truly believe in; walk the walk as well as talk the talk; do not waste your time worrying about insignificant details; wait, watch and unravel; be inspired; follow your own path; and do not allow old resentments, criticisms and anger to distract you from your path; rather have it motivate you.

Conflict is the gadfly of thought.  It stirs us to observation and memory.  It instigates to invention.  It shocks us out of sheeplike passivity, and sets us at noting and contriving. ~ John Dewey

For the week of March 16th thru March 22nd, as we awaken to the Vernal Equinox, be sure to read your Rising Sign as well (if you know your birth time, you can use the Ascendant Calculator on the Home Page):

Aries

With your ruler Mars taking an extended vacation in Virgo, many Arians are becoming quite preoccupied with their health and well-being: trying out different exercise regimens, changing, or eliminating things from their diets, and seeking techniques that help to alleviate stress and anxiety.  However, it can also mean an accumulation of stress and anxiety, or even inflammation which could lead to health concerns, if not addressed.  Do not be concerned if you are otherwise unmotivated and lacking your usual oomph....  See the next four weeks as an opportunity to continue to improve and perfect body, health, mind and organizational skills, and you will reap the benefits when Mars stations direct again.  

Taurus

Allow yourself to believe that things are actually probably better than you think they are.  If you’re going to dwell on the past, and what you should have or could have done, you’re just going to drive yourself all kinds of whacko.  Instead, allow yourself to see the good fortune that comes when you allow it.  This is a Taurus gift.  Often Taurus has more in their Karmic bank than they allow themselves to withdraw.  And it may be that lately there have been some financial issues weighing on you over the past year... try opening your wallet as well as your heart to the universe and see what drops in.  

Gemini

One of the gifts of Gemini is the capacity to recognize the gifts and talents in others, and bring these to fruition.  But lately it’s all you can do to listen to other people without absolutely having to tune them out so that you can tune in.  It’s probably because you’ve got so much going on inside of your own head right now.  You’re distracted by your own mind.  This week, your mind is like one of those 1950’s science fiction brain machines with all of the electrodes buzzing all over.  Lots of inspiration.  Lots of ideas.  Now if only you could channel all that in some sort of meaningful way.  All in due time Gemini.  Things are still merely in conception.

Cancer

Health does have a lot to do with what you do or don’t eat, or whether or not you exercise, eliminating bad habits, but it also has to do with finding some sort of peace and serenity in your life.  Yes, it is important to defend yourself, or to defend a principle that you strongly believe in, but if you cling to the anger, and the words said or not said, and you carry that like a badge of honor, it prevents you from achieving the one thing you really need now, and that is peace.  See what you have to do to achieve that in your life right now.

Leo

With the Sun entering Aries on the 20th (or 19th, depending on where you live), you will begin to feel like a chick that has just cracked out of its shell.  Conversations, connections, ideas abound in a myriad of ways.  Mercury is going to cross in front of the Sun, your ruler, this week, marking the mid-point of his retrograde jaunt.  Just be aware that it’s not for nothing that he’s known as a trickster.  What you think you are understanding may not be at all what people are telling you, or even what you are hearing.  So take heed, and listen carefully, or you may miss something truly important that’s being said.  New ideas are trying to spawn in an exciting and illuminating way, but alas, they are just in their incipient phase.

Virgo

You might want to ask what Mars clumsily marching retrograde through your sign is good for... well, we can start with what it is not good for.  It is not good for holding on to resentments, or clinging to old habits just because they feel familiar, or nailing yourself to the altar of self-denial because you feel that it’s good for you.  Hair shirts are both itchy and distracting you from your true purpose.  Mars Retrograde in your sign is very good for self-improvement projects, whether it’s diet, exercise or stress management.  Also pay attention this week.  Listen to what is being said.  Some illuminating news could come your way.  Be willing to look at things from another perspective in order to get at what is really being said.  A new cycle of information is about to unfold but it’s only in its infancy stage.

Libra

Inspiration comes through your interactions with others.  Nothing less than illumination can be yours, if you are only willing to pay attention and listen to what others have to say.  Allow the seeds to germinate.  They are still in their primordial form, but they need fertile soil in which to take root.  That means being open to what may even seem like radically new or even crazy ideas.  Allow yourself to connect with others.  Something truly meaningful could evolve.

Scorpio

Wanting to be accepted by the group, and yet not being willing to give up your own integrity in order to be a part of that group leaves you feeling conflicted, and feeling somewhat adrift.  You are left with an incredible amount of to-do lists that never seem to get resolved, and seem to grow ever longer.  Which leaves you wistfully pining for several more hours a day just to get things a little organized.  Shift in consciousness is in order here.  With Venus and Jupiter in your opposite sign of Taurus, people are just more than willing to come and help you out.  All you have to do is say the word.  But say it clearly, and make sure the wires aren’t crossed.  Mercury is still retrograde after all.  

Sagittarius

Oftentimes circumstances will cause you to fall back on yourself, to examine the values, the ethics and the beliefs that you hold to be true.  And whether or not these are worth fighting for and defending. One thing to examine in your relationships: trust vs. the assumption that someone is going to betray you.  It could be that they’re just trying to find their own way. Being accepting of other people’s quirks could be key.  If you give people their freedom to be themselves, no matter how odd that may seem to you, they will respect your quirks as well.  No matter how normal you think you are.

Capricorn

This should be a generally peaceful week for Capricorn, as the Grand Trine in earth winds down, and the planets begin to disperse after the weekend, leaving a sense of peace, sort of like one feels after having returned from a nice respite or vacation.  Try to draw it out as far as it will go.  Seek beauty, peace, and tranquility in your life, even as things may be getting a little hectic and unpredictable on the home front.  Dig in the dirt a little.  Go for long walks.  Plan a creative project.  Find beauty in small things.  You can get to the bigger things later.

Aquarius

Peace and love prosper on the home front and with family.  But it’s what’s either going on with the neighbors, or through conversations, or some new idea or information, that has you asking... “Wait a minute, can you run that by me again?”  It could very well be, that what you had previously thought to be true, may not be exactly what you thought it was.  Allow yourself to look at life in a different way than you are usually accustomed.  This is the sort of thing that can happen when you learn a new skill that at first leaves you baffled.  Yet it is the very bafflement that prompts new brain cells to grow.

Pisces

Distractions from achieving your own sense of inner peace come in the guise of other people.  Other people who seem to be quite grumpy, defensive and even angry these days.  Being challenged is not necessarily a bad thing though, unless they’re just down right mean, critical or abusive.  Positively, what it can do is compel you to really think about your own position, and how much conviction you really do have in your own core beliefs.  A firm and correct idea will be able to stand up to even the strongest of arguments and situations.   

the above Easter Egg photo is by “Idea Go”.  Their portfolio can be seen here.