Monthly Archives: March 2009

Saturday Extra: Living in Uncertain Times

Keeping an eye on the sky godsMany of us are feeling jittery these days and wonder what we may be picking up. A lot of people are asking me to look at charts to see if I can figure out what’s going to happen.

It’s understandable that in times of great uncertainty, people want to know the future. Those who think astrology is a bunch of bunk turn to economic indicators, global political forecasts, and other “expert” advice. I have a feeling, though, that many of those same people are secretly taking a peek at what reputable astrologers are saying.

I’ve heard from several people over the past week that they feel like something big is about to go down, to the point that planning for the future is almost futile. We have to plan; we can’t just sit around doing nothing, waiting for fate to take over. But we also know that these plans may be meaningless.

I’m encouraging those of you with highly evolved intuition to listen carefully to the messages you’re receiving. These messages will be more accurate if you can move out of fear. We’re in a heightened state of collective fear, and it’s not hard to get sucked into it. If you do, the messages coming in to you will be distorted. For the good of everyone, we need to stay calm in our center.

There is no doubt that 2009 is going to be a landmark year. Astrologically, we’re in a tumultuous period, with six eclipses, a tense Saturn-Uranus opposition, and a Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction. Venus is retrograde, and she’ll conjoin Mars twice more after a conjunction in Libra in September. Three Venus-Mars conjunctions in less than a year is extremely rare.

I’m collecting charts for these events, starting with the Aries ingress chart for next week, and will let you know what I see. This has got to be a collective effort, however, as it’s far too much for one person to do alone. Please let me know if you find interesting charts for particular dates, and feel free to offer your interpretation. Each one is a piece of the puzzle.

Much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Image: No, this isn’t a mushroom cloud! It’s a supercell over Amarillo, Texas, last year that meteorologists were watching as a possible tornado. Photo by Gene Blevins for REUTERS.

Ask Real Astrologers: Economic Worries

We received two questions recently about jobs, both from readers named Lisa:

I was laid off November 21, 2008. When will I have a job?
Lisa, Tallahassee

This year’s big aspect, the Saturn-Uranus opposition, is conjunct my MC (Uranus) and IC (Saturn). Consequently, I quit my job last year and have only just found something better, but I’m wondering if Uranus/Saturn has not quite finished with me yet and if I should be ready to move jobs again during the year.
Lisa, London, England

Libra ponders . . .

Neith’s response:

Lisa in Tallahassee, Jupiter is currently making his way through your sixth house along with Neptune, Chiron and Mars. It is possible as Jupiter moves closer to your Part of Fortune, conjoining it the second week in April, you will feel more positive about finding a position that suits you.

Neptune is no longer squaring your Moon, as it was for most of January and February, creating confusion between your dreams and reality. Take advantage of feeling increasingly clear about your goals to make plans for moving ahead.

I realize that Saturn transiting your first house is not the most upbeat transit, but you can effectively present yourself as a reliable person. This might really work in your favor in today’s tight job market, where competence and reliability are going to play well.

Good luck and do your best to stay positive, Lisa.

To Lisa in London, with your Aries stellium in the tenth house, you are very well suited to life as a professional mover and shaker. If you feel a little let down at the moment, it’s probably because Venus up and turned retrograde just before she made it to your Mars, Venus and Sun. However, after Venus turns direct on April 17, she will be back to sweeten your life by mid-May.

Currently, Uranus and the Sun are conjunct your Midheaven, and Saturn has moved back into your third house. When Saturn finally crosses your Nadir in August, just before the third exact opposition of Saturn and Uranus, I am willing to bet you will be very relieved. Saturn in Virgo pretty much demands we pay attention to the details, and in the third house, it’s all about finding the right words to get our point across.

If you do change jobs, it will likely be your choice and because you find a situation that offers you more creative options.

Hey, enjoy Venus extending her stay in Aries and in your tenth house. With your Saturn return coming next year, life is bound to get a bit more serious, as Saturn will be anchoring and grounding your Aries stellium even more than usual. No bad thing with Uranus electrifying your tenth house for quite some time to come!

Aquarius expounds . . .

Pat’s response:

With the economy the way it is, it’s hardly surprising that we’re seeing an increased number of questions concerning job security.

To Lisa in Tallahassee, you were laid off in an astrologically tumultuous period. This was right after the Full Moon in Taurus/Scorpio, which marked a halfway point between eclipses in February 2008 and January 2009 and also fell close to your natal Moon in Scorpio.

This eclipse series is strongly affecting your sixth house, the area of the chart that rules your job (although not necessarily your career; that’s a tenth-house issue). Throughout this eclipse series, we’ve had Neptune and Chiron closely conjunct in Aquarius, just as you are going through your Chiron return, which happens to everyone around your age.

I see a great opportunity here for you to get a job that is more in line with who you are and the direction you wish to go in life. If you are in the healing professions, so much the better, but if not, you may find the experience to be very healing.

Currently, Jupiter is moving through your sixth house, and this typically is a good time to find a new or better job. You’ll have the benefit of this favorable transit well into next year, and at the same time, the eclipse series I mentioned above ends in early August 2008. That’s the latest date I see for you to find a new position, but we have every reason to be optimistic that it will happen before that.

Lisa in London, I don’t think Saturn-Uranus is “done” with you – not by a long shot – and I’m very excited for you!

When Saturn approaches the IC, we are “bottomed” out, so to speak, in our career. The good news is that once you hit bottom, there’s no place to go but up. You are entering a 14-year phase in which you will be climbing steadily toward the pinnacle of your career.

At the same time, for the next several years, you will have Uranus in your tenth house, the area of the chart that rules your career. Uranus is known for surprises and sudden change, so I think we can expect many more, and all toward the end of furthering your career.

What I see as most challenging for you right now is to be sure that you are on the path you wish to be on, because whatever you put your energy into, that’s what you’re going to get. Saturn will make sure you pay attention to the details and don’t overlook important factors in your drive to get ahead.

To both Lisas, I’d like to thank you for including all of your data, including your current location. We’re getting a lot of questions these days and, although we’re sorry to say so, we’ll have to start skipping those with missing data.

To everyone who is being rocked by hard economic times, we’re there with you, so hang in there!

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. Reminder: Please include your chart data, with MONTH SPELLED OUT, and tell us where you’re currently located!

Weekly Poll: Any Side Effects From The Full Moon In Virgo?

 The Full Moon is officially past but is still affecting our lives in part because while Saturn conjoined the Moon in Virgo yesterday, today is the exact conjunction between the Sun and Uranus in Pisces. We have a couple of days of diminishing fallout from this lunation to get through yet.

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Please feel free to comment on your experiences – or lack of them – we love hearing what you have to say!

Yes, Libra is an air signposted by Neith . . .

Weekly Forecast March 9: Full Moon in Virgo, Mars Enters Pisces

Photo by Carl de Souza for Agence France-Presse.

I found this photo some time ago in the news headlines and immediately thought, "Mars in Pisces!" I've been saving it, just for you. The man in this photo is walking by a poster in London's financial district — an optical illusion, specialty of Neptune, ruler of Pisces. Photo by Carl de Souza for Agence France-Presse.

Push comes to shove this week as the Full Moon activates the opposition between play-by-the-rules Saturn and freedom-at-all costs Uranus.

We begin the week with Mercury newly in Pisces and Venus retrograde in Aries. Whereas Mercury in Aquarius may have brought flashes of inspiration at lightning speed, Mercury in Pisces connects to the group subconscious and broadcasts information that may not make immediate sense to you. Alternatively, you may tap into a source of knowledge that is so vast that it’s too much to contemplate all at once. Pay attention to your dreams and visions, especially on Tuesday, when Mercury sextiles Pluto and opposes Ceres.

Retrograde Venus is turning up in various forms in my life and the lives of my friends. A check arrived for far less than expected, while a bill arrived for more than expected and earlier than anticipated. One friend got a disheartening letter of rejection but then received a glowing and totally unexpected acceptance letter from a different organization. Still, I think that in the weeks to come, the most noticeable effects will be on our close relationships. Please keep us posted on activities you think may be related to retrograde Venus. (Thanks to our readers who left comments on Neith’s Venus retrograde post on Wednesday.)

The Full Moon is on Tuesday, but if you’re like me, you’re already feeling it. The stage was set on Sunday, when the Sun opposed Saturn. Events will continue to unfold until Thursday, when the Sun conjoins Uranus. If you haven’t read Neith’s Full Moon report, check it out.

Those of us with strong Uranus in our charts bristle at the thought of restrictions and limits, which are the hallmarks of Saturn. We’d love to go off on our eccentric research marathons, investigating the secrets of the universe and searching for the thread that connects all the seemingly unrelated events in our lives.

However, at this Full Moon, we’re going to have to think of the collective good first. Most of us would love to be in circumstances that allow us truly to be ourselves and express our creativity to its fullest, but what we would like to contribute to the world may not be what the world wants or needs at this time. Moreover, Saturn in Virgo says we have to think about the bills that are piling up, the car that needs to be taken to the shop, and the project at work we’ve been putting off.

Work diligently, one step at a time, until your obligations are met. The fun will have to come later, but it will come.

Mars, the planet of action, is in Aquarius for this Full Moon, feeding the need for rebellion. However, he moves on into Pisces on Friday, which will help reduce the feeling of having one foot on the gas pedal and the other on the brakes. That said, Mars in Pisces has an icky side, as his ego nature is repressed. Direct confrontation isn’t always the right strategy, but avoiding it out of fear is rarely a solution.

Speaking of Mars, next week is the Spring Equinox, when the Sun enters Aries. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Love and blessings to all …
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Full Moon in Virgo, March 10-11, 2009

Moon and TreesThere is little doubt that the Full Moon on March 10 will focus our attention on the ongoing debate between the desire to retain the status quo and the yearning for meaningful reform, in both our personal lives and on a collective level.

The Moon will be full at 20°39′ Virgo, opposite the Sun at 20° 39′ Pisces, falling in close alignment with the Saturn-Uranus opposition. [Note that if you’re in the Eastern Hemisphere, the Full Moon falls on March 11.] It may help to keep in mind Virgo and Pisces are complements, and if we take the time to slow down and breathe, we stand a good chance of finding common ground. Yes, Saturn in Virgo is very anxious to make sure all the details are correct and prioritized, and Uranus in Pisces prefers to think in terms of universal good, ignoring the details, but both are service-oriented and are often willing to compromise as long as they feel the benefits will be spread around to all.

How you experience this opposition of course depends on where Saturn, Uranus, and the Full Moon fall in your chart. Generally speaking, however, what can paralyze Saturn is fear, creating the potential to fail out of sheer funk. Here is where Uranus in Pisces can come to the rescue by keeping faith alive and supplying innovative ways to work around existing shortcomings. By reaching out with compassion – a Pisces hallmark – we can do our part as individuals to help each other through the darker days.

Because the Sun and Moon both illuminate rather than obscure, I see this Full Moon as a great opportunity to evaluate what is really happening, gather the information we need to make informed decisions, and move forward with confidence.

It is always helpful to look to the rulers of the signs of the lunation. The planetary rulers of Virgo and Pisces are Mercury and Neptune, respectively. Neptune is still traveling in close conjunction with Chiron in Aquarius, calling attention to the wounds of the collective and the means to heal them.

Mars is pulling away from Neptune, having conjoined it on March 8, so we have received our marching orders and now need to implement them. There has seldom been greater urgency for being aware of the needs of humanity as a whole and viewing our friends and neighbors with kindness and compassion.

As of the Full Moon, Mercury is in Pisces and tightly sextile Pluto in Capricorn. I see this as a clear signal to clean up our communications and take the high road rather than pointing out the shortcomings of the system and those closest to us. Pluto gives words (Mercury) great power and clarity now.

Another interesting pattern in this chart is a Yod with Saturn in Virgo at the apex and retrograde Venus in Aries sextile Jupiter in Aquarius at the base. Although being retrograde subdues Venus in Aries, the sextile to Jupiter brightens her day. We still want to have some fun once in awhile. However, Saturn in Virgo is raining on the Venus-Jupiter parade, telling us we need to pay attention and not blow the entertainment budget out of the water.

Another way of looking at this Yod is to use the discipline and boundaries Saturn wishes to impose and draw on the creative potential of the Venus-Jupiter sextile to find healthy, inexpensive ways to enjoy ourselves. This pattern reminds me of going to a health food restaurant and biting into what appeared to be a beautiful dessert only to find out it was neither sweet nor a treat. Saturn in Virgo still has the upper hand here, so we may have no choice but to eat our veggies now.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 21 Pisces is, A little white lamb, a child and a Chinese servant, with the keyword WHITE HOPE. This image reminds us of the importance of maintaining a purity of vision and a childlike sense of wonder in our daily lives. Perhaps we can remember to supervise with a light touch rather than micro-managing everything and everyone in our lives, exhausting ourselves in the process.

For the Full Moon at 21 Virgo, the symbol is, A girls’ basketball team, with the keyword GROUP INTEGRATION. With the majority of the planets in the last quadrant of the zodiac, it is natural to focus on working together as a team for the good of the whole. By emphasizing fair play and teamwork, the possibility of achieving our mutual goals is much greater. This is not a good time to go it alone and ignore the needs of others.

There are major problems in the world-wide economy, and to my way of thinking, the need to be considerate of others and take time to truly listen is paramount. Both Virgo and Pisces represent the desire to take the health and well-being of others into account, and this is a wonderful time for all of us to do this. Perhaps the time has come to expand our concept of who belongs to our collective.

Blessings to all.

Libra hates Venus Rxposted by Neith . . .

**Please read Pat’s weekly forecast for this week, March 9, for her thoughts on this momentous Full Moon.

This photo of the Moon taken through the trees seemed appropriate for a Full Moon in tree loving Virgo.

Ask Real Astrologers: Grappling with Multiple Squares

This week’s question comes from Sabat in Plaza, North Dakota:

I’m an astro-newbie, just learning. It just hit me that I have six planets squaring my Scorpio Ascendant: Leo Sun, Mercury in Cancer, Venus in Cancer, Mars in Leo, Jupiter in Leo, and Uranus in Cancer. What does something like this do to or for a person and the interpretation of the overall chart, and should I be concerned about current or upcoming transits?

Aquarius expounds . . .

Pat’s response:

Sabat, squares in the natal chart represent challenges and matters that need our attention. In itself, this is not a bad thing. As much as we all might wish for an easy life, most of us would find it tiresome after awhile. Humans need challenges to learn, grow, and evolve, and we reach our full potential through tests and challenges. I know, I know…

With so many squares to the Ascendant in your chart, your challenge is to let the real you shine forth in the world. Scorpio in particular is good at hiding, so I’d say that you have felt pressure to keep your light under a bushel, as it were. The pressure may be coming from outside, but I’m betting that a lot of it is internal. For example, you may have tapes in your head telling you that you have to behave like a “responsible adult” and that engaging in certain activities that are pleasurable or personally rewarding is “selfish.”

That said, your Sun and other planets in Leo and late Cancer are on the Midheaven, which is the chart angle having to do with being in the public eye. For most of us, this means our career life. Perhaps you are most able to express yourself through your chosen career but find it harder to be yourself in personal relationships, family life, and so forth. Indeed, something about your job or your approach to it could be getting in the way of being yourself in private.

Current transits, in particular planets in Aquarius and the current eclipse cycle, are focusing your attention on this issue, and it’s no surprise that you’re asking about it now.

Thanks for writing, and good luck in your study of astrology!

Libra ponders . . .

Neith’s response:

Yes, Sabat, your Sun does square your Ascendant and what that means is your natural Leo flamboyance is at odds with the Scorpio rising’s inclination to play things close to the vest. However, with your Sun sitting at the top of your chart conjunct Jupiter in Leo, you shine brightly and fearlessly.

The conjunction of your Mercury, Venus and Uranus in Cancer are beautifully trine your Scorpio Moon offsetting the out-of-sign square between the Cancer planets and your Ascendant. In my experience, when planets are compatible by sign and element even though the numbers say they are square, the dissonance is toned down to a degree. It may feel like you have two distinct sides to your nature: the fiery side with all your Leo planets and the calm introspective side of all your water sign planets.

Please note you have a preponderance of fixed signs in your chart and that means you prefer to move through life at a measured pace with a predictable schedule. As a person with this same emphasis, I have found my preference is to make the necessary adjustments as quickly as possible, so I can find a new routine to settle into.

At this time, most of the planets in Aquarius are moving through your fourth house and are no longer opposing your Sun, Mars and Jupiter, though the lunar eclipse on January 26 may have caused some reverberations in your household. The ongoing Saturn-Uranus opposition will not have much impact this year on your chart except in the general sense it affects us all.

Astrology is a wonderful field of study, enjoy the journey, Sabat!

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. Reminder: Please tell us where you’re currently located!

Ask Our Readers: Venus Retrograde Time Again

Psyche at the Throne of VenusWe all know about Mercury retrograde. But what can we expect when Venus, planet of love and beauty, turns her back on us?

Fortunately, Venus only goes retrograde every couple of years like her partner Mars, instead of three times a year like Mercury or once a year like the rest of the gang. However, this time around she’ll be in Aries, not her happy place, for most of the retrograde period, March 6-April 17.

The impact of any given Venus retrograde varies widely from individual to individual. I’m betting if this retrograde is taking place in your first house, you will notice it! Those of us with a strong Venusian element in our charts — for example, Sun, Moon, Venus or Ascendant in Libra or Taurus — are more likely to catch the downdraft of Venus moving in reverse.

The two most important factors to consider in determining how Venus retrograde in Aries will affect you are where Aries falls in your chart and whether Venus is conjunct, square, or opposite any natal planets. For example, Venus will turn retrograde in my fifth house, exactly opposite my Libra Moon in my eleventh house. Since I’m a very married person, it will be creative projects that will need lots of “do overs” — such as dyeing some wool yarn to match color samples for a very particular client. Groan. You factor in the opposition to the Moon and, yes, my client is a woman!

Some general rules for the time Venus is retrograde: avoid impulse buying, be prepared to take a second or third look at any new lovers, don’t schedule cosmetic procedures, and stay away from the Easter candy aisle ‘cause all that chocolate is sure to look extra delicious right now.

What is a Venus retrograde good for? In this instance, it may tone down the Aries desire to burn bridges as fast as they are crossed and allow more time to evaluate a person or situation. As with all retrograde periods, we can use the time to finish up projects, particularly artistic and creative endeavors under Venus’s aegis. This is a great time to go on retreat to someplace calm and beautiful to restore one’s inner being and get back in touch with what is truly valuable to us. Most of us live in a fast-paced world and need the occasional reminder to slow down and breathe; Venus moving slowly in reverse offers this opportunity.

What about you? Got any big plans for Venus retrograde? Tell us about it!

Libra with Scorpio risingposted by Neith . . .

Image: Psyche at the Throne of Venus, by Matthew Edward Hale, 1883. I selected this image because Venus looks so wonderfully bitchy — a perfect expression of Venus retrograde in Aries.

Weekly Forecast March 2: Venus Retrograde

Hey, Joe, another Maxfield Parrish illustration :-)Two major themes run concurrently through this week, which I’m sorry to say may be trying for many of you but productive as well, especially if you work with these energies instead of fighting them.

Venus slows to a station this week as she prepares to turn retrograde on Friday. Venus isn’t at her best in Aries to start with, and her power to attract will be impaired during her retrograde period, which lasts until April 17. Along her retrograde path, she’ll go back into Pisces for a bit, where she’ll meet up with Mars next month in what I hope will be a happy ending for all of us.

In the meantime, what (and who) you want may require some rethinking. How many times have you caught yourself striving blindly toward some goal or desire, not stopping to think about whether it’s good for you or even what you really want? As with so many other dilemmas, knowing yourself is key. Venus in Aries is perfect for focusing on yourself, so work it to the hilt for the next five weeks and watch for solutions to your thorny dilemmas to start presenting themselves.

Throughout the week, Mercury, Mars, Chiron, and Neptune fuse into a powerful current of healing energy. Mercury in Aquarius generates inspiration and innovative ideas. With Chiron in the mix, you may need a painful experience to call your attention to the source of a problem. As much as we might wish it weren’t so, we humans generally don’t stretch and grow when life is easy. It takes a challenge to get us to rise up to our potential.

Neptune’s role here is to bring out our highest ideals and to get us to think beyond ourselves. That doesn’t mean putting everyone before yourself, but to start practicing enlightened self-interest. A small example of this might be changing your food-buying habits to include more sustainably grown products. Action-oriented Mars provides the physical motivation.

Now, it’s true that Mars and Neptune generally don’t get along very well. That’s because Mars is all about ego — “me first” — whereas Neptune is about merging into the One, which requires losing the ego. This tug-of-war normally might be unproductive and even disruptive, but since Aquarius is the sign of the collective and humanitarian causes, I think Mars will come through as a defender of higher ideals.

Indeed I see a real possibility that this four-way conjunction will bring more people into the sphere of enlightened self-interest, and that in turn could have far-reaching implications for the planet. One way I see this energy manifesting is in the recent announcement that several labor unions (ruled by Aquarius) are in negotiations to heal a four-year rift and reunify into a potentially more powerful voice for workers. Of course, the corruption in trade unions is legendary, and this is a perfect expression of the dual nature of Neptune. The new organization can use its increased power either to improve the lives of working people or to consolidate more money and influence in the hands of the union bosses. Enlightened executives will know that their wealth and happiness depends on unerringly dedicating themselves to the good of the collective.

After he’s finished playing negotiator, Mercury leaves Aquarius on Sunday and enters dreamy Pisces. Depending on where you have Pisces in your chart, you might notice a sudden fogginess in your thinking. Shortly after that transit, the Sun in Pisces opposes Saturn in Virgo, pitting the need for creative self-expression against forces concerned only with whether the job gets done, in the fastest and cheapest way possible.

The Sun’s opposition to Saturn also is the opening salvo in a highly charged Full Moon on Tuesday, March 10 (March 11 in the Eastern Hemisphere). Neith will have more on Saturday, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Sunday is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time in the United States. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward!

Love and light to all …
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Image: A Study in March, by Maxfield Parrish. Spring is just around the corner!