Category Archives: About astrology

Weekly Forecast November 9: Saturn Square Pluto

Transition If you think Friday the 13th is scary, try it while Saturn is squaring Pluto. I’m shaking in my boots.

OK, not really. But this isn’t going to be an easy week. It’s not that I think anything terrible is going to happen, just that we’re shifting into the cardinal energies now, and that means big changes are on the way. For a heavily fixed-sign person like me, it means more stumbling over the rearranged furniture. Some people are just better at adapting than others.

The cardinal signs — Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn — mark the beginning of a new season, at least in Western thought. In astrology, they are traditionally associated with the four chart angles. When transiting planets cross these angles in our natal charts, we typically experience major life events, changes, and breakthroughs.

Likewise, with four out of the five outer planets heading into cardinal signs, we can expect these changes to happen on a planetary scale. Since several of these planets will be in conflicting squares with each other, we also know that powerful forces will be working at cross purposes, each trying to dominate and gain the advantage over the others. It is going to be tense, chaotic, and maybe scary.

This week, we get an advance glimpse of this trend, when Saturn in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn. The square is exact on Sunday, but we’ll feel it all week and into next week, too. The Moon in Libra on Thursday and Friday will activate this energy, so watch for clues on those two days. Who are you with? What are you doing? What news do you receive? Even if it doesn’t seem that significant, take note, because this may be part of a growing trend in your personal life. Keep an eye on the news headlines, too, because we may catch a glimpse of the global trends.

Taking the week day by day, we start with a sextile between Venus and Pluto overnight on Sunday (just after midnight Monday morning on the East Coast of the United States). We all know that Venus and Pluto make a sexy pair, although there can be obsession and jealousy, too. This is all the more likely with Venus in Scorpio. If you’re willing to go into some dark places in your psyche, you can use this aspect to grow, and this could be the seed of personal transformation.

For most of the day Monday, the Moon is in Leo, and she opposes Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune. Jupiter is gaining speed now and soon will make a last exact conjunction with Chiron and Neptune. Our healing has been slow and painful, but now we’re beginning to see results. I know quite a few people (myself included) whose lives are starting to turn around.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Mercury in Scorpio squares Chiron and Neptune, making this a good time to talk about our healing process. Some wounds may never heal, but if we at least are aware of them and accept them as part of who we are, we can move forward lighter and less encumbered. For better or for worse, the Sun further illuminates our healing process this week when it squares Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune.

Mercury and the Sun also trine Uranus this week — Wednesday for Mercury and Saturday for the Sun. If you’re willing to shine the light into the dark corners of your heart and mind, you’ll probably find that what’s lurking in there isn’t so scary after all. If you’ve been going through a difficult time, remember that none of it is outside the human experience. Your responses are normal and understandable, including any discomfort you may have for feeling that way to begin with.

Sunday is the Saturn-Pluto square. Since the normal work week is Monday to Friday, I’m guessing that most of you will feel this more acutely next week. Just be aware of the buildup this week, though.

As usual, if you experience any noteworthy events that you believe are linked to any of these broad energy trends, leave a comment. Those of you who are part of the Real Astrologers community know that you’re not alone. Even though others aren’t experiencing exactly what you are, we’re on parallel paths, and often the emotions are the same, even if the names and places are different.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Image: A patron is reflected in a sculpture entitled “Transition,” by Satu Bushell. The work is part of the Sculpture By The Sea exhibition in Sydney, Australia. Photo by Daniel Munoz of REUTERS.

Saturday Extra! So Are We In Scorpio, Or What?

Scorpio is the sign of mysteries, secrets, and hidden things, so it’s no surprise that among its hidden attributes is an entire “lost sign” of the zodiac.

I wrote about this last year in the second half of Scorpio, so many of you already are aware that there’s a thirteenth constellation of the zodiac, Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, sometimes called the Snake Handler. There is so much rich symbolism in this sign, including its hidden nature.

Ophiuchus

As I explained previously, the zodiac is comprised of twelve constellations Continue reading →

Ask Real Astrologers: What Can We Tell from Outer Planet Transits?

This week’s question comes from Adina from Montreal, Quebec:

How will Saturn’s transit through Libra affect me (personally, professionally), taking into consideration the position of Pluto until 2024, of Neptune and Uranus and Jupiter – the slower moving planets?

Neith’s response:

Adina, I believe you will find Saturn in Libra much, much easier to live with than when he was in Virgo for many reasons, the most important being Saturn is far more at home in thoughtful, equitable Libra.

When Saturn entered Virgo in September 2007, he started right out by conjoining your Jupiter, making you feel like you had to earn every bit of luck that came your way. Also, just before he moved into Libra, Saturn conjoined your Uranus, a transit that almost always feels extremely confining. Since this transit was through your eleventh house, those with whom you have chosen to ally yourself are probably a much smaller group than before.

The good news is that you will not be directly impacted by Saturn until he enters the second half of Libra in 2011, because he will be tucked away behind the scenes in your twelfth house. None of the other outer planets will be strongly affecting your chart for quite some time, either. So relax for now and take advantage of this time to consolidate gains and restore balance to your life – something Libras everywhere will be doing!

One note of caution that applies to you and all of the rest of us with Mercury in Scorpio: Transiting Mars in Leo will be squaring our Mercury on and off for the next several months, and we’ll be quicker to take offense than usual. This can come as quite a surprise to friends, co-workers and family members if you are generally seen as a peace-loving Libra!

If you can, Adina, take time to refresh yourself in beautiful surroundings, always important for the Venus-ruled. Best of luck to you!

Pat’s response:

Adina, I concur wholeheartedly with Neith regarding Saturn in your twelfth house. It’s not inconsequential, but it’s a more subtle influence that doesn’t manifest outright as other house transits of Saturn tend to do.

This is a time for finishing what you started, not a good time for starting new projects, relationships, careers, etc. This would be true regardless of what aspects transiting Saturn and the other outer planets are making to one another. If a new job does come along — a real possibility after Uranus moves into your sixth house in late March — then of course you shouldn’t reject it out of hand. But in general, you should be focused on completing what you’ve already started rather than looking for something new.

Beyond that, understanding how the complex energies create by the T-square (Saturn in Libra, Pluto in Capricorn, Uranus and Jupiter in Aries) will affect you personally exceeds the scope of this column. You’d need to have a complete reading by a professional astrologer to explore all the ins and outs. In general, I think it’s safe to say that all of us are going to experience sudden shifts and sweeping changes. How much depends on our individual charts and unique circumstances.

Thanks for writing, and I hope you’ll join the discussion on our blog. Our readers often leave comments about how astrological aspects are affecting their lives. It’s all information we can use to better understand how these complicate transits involving multiple planets work.

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. You must use this form to contact us, or we don’t get your question. Be sure to fill out all the fields, and please spell out the month of your birthday. If you don’t know your time of birth, indicate “time unknown.” Thanks!

Real Astrologer’s Poll: Any Effects Of Neptune Going Direct?

Neptune stations today in preparation for returning direct. Typically, when Neptune changes directions or forms significant aspects with other planets, we dream more vividly and have more psychic experiences, premonitions, synchronicities, and so forth.

In this week’s poll, we’d like to know whether you are feeling any effects, courtesy of the planet of dreams and illusions.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Pat

Weekly Forecast November 2: Full Moon in Taurus, Neptune Direct

We’re heading into dreamtime now. With the Sun in Scorpio and Neptune at a standstill, preparing to go direct, we’re all more open to psychic phenomena and “downloads” from the universe.

I forgot to mention in last week’s forecast that Sunday was the Celtic cross-quarter day of Samhain. In earlier times, Samhain was the beginning of the new year. In the industrialized West, we tend to view night and the dark part of the year as negative and undesirable, but to the nature-centered Celts, light grows out of darkness, so their days began at sunset, not sunrise, and their year began with the descent into winter. The seeds have all been planted for what will be born again in spring.

This also is a time of year when many people feel the veil thinning between the worlds of the visible and the unmanifest. So the tradition goes, the veil lifts very briefly on Samhain, which evolved into our modern Halloween. Still, as with many of our traditional holidays, we’ve retained the rich symbolism, even if we’ve lost touch with its meaning.

Because of this week’s Full Moon and Neptune’s change of direction, the window will remain open a little longer this year for us to travel into unseen realms. Your dreams may be very vivid this week, and they may contain important messages. Keep a journal by your bed, and don’t let those images get away!

We begin the week with the Full Moon in Taurus. Most of you probably have read Neith’s post from Saturday, but if not, don’t miss it. She has a lot of interesting insights, especially for us change-averse fixed-sign types (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius).

Even if you don’t have a lot of fixed energy in your chart, it’s human nature to fight change, and the changes are going to come fast and furious as we head into next year’s cardinal cross. Now is the time for us to take inventory, keep what serves us, and get rid of everything else. We’re going to need to travel light in the times ahead, both materially and spiritually. In my experience, it’s always best to make the necessary sacrifices, rather than waiting for someone or something to take away the things you’re attached to.

Neptune turns direct on Wednesday. We may feel sleepy and slow for much of this week, and concentration will be more difficult than usual. If you don’t have a mentally demanding job, or if you have a lull and can turn off your thought processes for a few days, you can get some amazing insights. Because Neptune is in Aquarius, the sign of the collective, the messages that come to us now may be about how we fit into the unfolding story of our time. We may get glimpses of the future, too. If a booming voice tells you to build an ark and gather the animals two by two, let me know!

The Sun and Mercury conjoin on Thursday, and it’s another day for profound insights and deeper understanding of how the universe works. New ideas may come into our minds as images or even feelings rather than thoughts, and they may need time to process before you understand them. It could take days or even months.

Venus enters Scorpio on Saturday, intensifying Scorpio themes of money, sex, and power. To the undeveloped mind, this translates to greed, lust, and the need to control. But the evolved mind knows that desire is a means to an end and that there is real power in being able to desire with an intensity that could kill us, and then releasing attachment to those desires. That kind of power is a bit scary to think of, and maybe that’s why we have a simultaneous fear and fascination with Pluto and Scorpio.

On Sunday, Mercury sextiles Pluto. The downloads just keep on coming, and we stumble on information that opens our eyes and may even be scandalous. If you need to talk to someone about your deepest feelings, this is a good time for it.

With all this intensity, it’s not going to be an easy week. But with some effort on your part, it will be an amazingly productive week. Be sure to leave comments and let us know what’s going on with you!

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Image: Wet dawn in the Pacific Northwest. Off daylight saving time, with the days shortening, and rain, rain, rain. It’s weather for going inward, and so very Scorpio. Photo by Pat Paquette, all rights reserved.

Real Astrologer’s Poll: Saturn in Libra’s Effect On Relationships.

Saturn enters Libra tomorrow, the first time since September 1980. Some of you weren’t even born yet!

Since Libra is the sign of relationships, and among Saturn’s attributes is commitment, we think there will be a renewed emphasis on commitment in all kinds of relationships, from domestic and business partnerships to relationships between citizens and governments, and governments and the rest of the world.

In this week’s poll, we’d like to know whether you are thinking about relationships any differently lately as a result of Saturn’s imminent shift into Libra.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Pat

Weekly Forecast October 26: Saturn Enters Libra

This could be a fairly intense week on several fronts as we continue to feel major shifts, welcome new developments into our lives, and heal old wounds. I should say upfront that this is not going to be a week for the faint-hearted!

The biggest news this week, of course, is Saturn’s entry into Libra. Saturn is far happier in Libra than he’s been in service-oriented, nitpicky Virgo. Commitments to social justice and restoring balance in government should be evident in the headlines soon.

In our individual lives, honoring our commitments in relationships will take on more importance as we come to understand that good relationship don’t happen by accident. They require diligence, compromise, and hard work.

Just so you know, Saturn turns retrograde in January and returns to Virgo from April to July. So whatever you’ve been grappling with will come back for review at that time. Likewise, societal trends might seem to change and then take a step back. It’s a given that we’ll be revisiting healthcare reform, a very Saturn-in-Virgo subject. I do believe that we’ll get a better deal next time around.

None of this is going to happen without a fight, either. As he moves back and forth through the early degrees of Libra, Saturn will square Pluto in Capricorn. There will be seemingly insurmountable obstacles to change, both in the collective and in our individual lives. Once Uranus gets in on the mix in the middle of next year, it could be a real free-for-all. But we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.

This week will be like college orientation, when we get a lay of the land and learn more about what will be required of us.

Although the other shifts this week aren’t nearly as radical, they will be noticeable, starting right out on Monday and Tuesday, when the Moon is in Aquarius. Jupiter turned direct in Aquarius on October 12, and this Tuesday, the Moon will conjoin the Big Guy for the first time since he began moving forward again. The Moon is often a trigger for releasing pent-up energies, so if you haven’t noticed any changes since Jupiter went direct, keep your antennae up this week.

Also on Tuesday, the Moon conjoins Chiron, which turns direct on Friday, and Neptune, which turns direct next week. With Wednesday’s trine between Venus and Jupiter and her trine to Chiron on Saturday, there will be no doubts after this week how the Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction is going to play out in your life. The handwriting is on the wall, in huge, black spray paint.

On Wednesday, Mercury enters Scorpio and sextiles Pluto, the Scorpion’s modern ruler. Typically, this combination turns up hidden motivations or activities, but since this is an easy sextile, I don’t expect that we’ll be overly shocked by the revelations. They may come via dreams or psychic flashes, even if you’re not normally prone to such insight (but especially if you are). If you need to pry information out of someone, this is a good aspect for doing so. Just make sure you’re using the information for the right reasons and not for your own power trip.

Overall, I see this week as holding a lot of potential for deep healing and higher growth. How much depends on whether you’re committed to doing the work.

Saturday’s square between Mercury and Mars is the big exception. Depending on where this aspect falls in your chart, you could end up in a stinging confrontation with someone. Since both planets are in fixed signs, neither side will want to budge, and what starts out as a trivial difference of opinion could escalate into a knock-down, drag-out fight. If someone is in your face, step to the side and wait until next week to call them on their behavior.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

Image: Justice, from the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot. Most of the Major Arcana have an astrological association. Justice corresponds to Libra.

Saturday Extra! Back in Business

I’d like to take this opportunity to announce that I have started taking new clients again.

As some of you know, I suffered a serious back injury in late January. It has been a traumatic ordeal, including a re-injury at the end of July. Throughout this time, I was unable to sit for very long in front of the computer, which meant I had to stop taking new clients and scale back my presence on the Web. Standing has been equally painful, if not more so.

I am still healing and will be for some time, but I feel ready to step back in, on a limited basis, to see how it goes. Many of you have written asking me to do reports, and I’ve had to refer you to Neith, who also had a backlog.

I’ll be updating my report pages over the next few days, so if you’re interested in a consultation, check out what I have to offer. The one thing I’ll have to discontinue, at least for the time being, is my comprehensive written report, which requires a minimum of two full days to prepare. I’m just not up to that amount of sitting yet, but hope to be at some point.

Thank you all for bearing with me. I look forward to being more involved in RealAstrologers in the months and years ahead.

Wishing you all much love and courage,

Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: Will Saturn in Libra Jumpstart My Career?

This week’s question comes from Amanda in New York:

I’m a Libra Sun, and with Saturn soon to enter Libra, I’m concerned about my choice in career. I recently made a decision to leave my career as a speech language pathologist and try to enter the field of publishing. I’ve had no luck, and I’m resigned to go back to my previous career, but I’m having trouble finding a position that would truly make me happy. Will Saturn have any effect on my career?

Neith’s response:

With your natal Moon and Jupiter in your second house of values and personal income, Amanda, I would not be surprised to learn you are emotionally invested in utilizing your talents and determination to the best possible advantage.

Saturn’s journey through Virgo and your third house over the past couple of years has to have weighed heavily on you, coinciding as it did with your Saturn return. However, that is behind you now, and I believe you will find Saturn in Libra will bring very different challenges for you. In fact, as it draws closer to the cusp of your fourth house and your Pluto-Sun conjunction, you may find your home and family concerns looming larger. But that’s still two years away.

Pluto in Capricorn has been hovering around the cusp of your sixth house this past year – the second earth house (the second house and the tenth house are the others) and the most service-oriented. This may be another factor in your desire to revamp your career. Finding a way to serve others and your community may bring you more satisfaction, too.

Please keep in mind Mars in Leo is crossing your Ascendant about the same time as Saturn moves into Libra. This transit will be very helpful for encouraging you to put your best foot forward and increase your overall energy levels. You do know how to project confidence and warmth, with both your Ascendant and Midheaven in fire signs!

I have confidence in your ability to make your own luck, Amanda, and encourage you to believe in yourself. Good Luck!

Pat’s response:

Amanda, I don’t see that anything major is going to change in your career as a result of Saturn’s entrance into Libra. That said, Saturn is indeed playing a significant role in your life right now and especially in your career, and you will notice more developments the closer transiting Saturn gets to your IC and your Libra Sun. This will happen two years from now, in October 2011.

When assessing where clients are in their career and in life in general, I look at two aspects of the Saturn cycle. The first is where transiting Saturn is relative to natal Saturn, and the second is the house position of transiting Saturn. As a general rule, you’re in an upward cycle when Saturn crosses the IC and begins to move up in your chart, and in a downward cycle when he completes his tour of your tenth house and begins to move downward.

You just completed a Saturn return, when Saturn crossed the degree of your natal Saturn. The first Saturn return is a maturing process and does bring up questions such as you are asking. Sometimes the changes happen all by themselves, and they can be radical, but that depends on where Saturn is transiting the chart. In your case, you’re finishing up the tail end of your downward cycle, so you didn’t experience this effect.

The good news is that in two years’ time, you will begin climbing upward, and for a good 15 years after that, you’ll steadily move toward a new professional peak. The next two years would be a good time to decide what you want to do — or not do — so that you can begin laying the groundwork for your new career. Don’t try to rush this process. The more patient and disciplined you are, the more successful you’ll ultimately be.

As always, I highly recommend a complete reading with a professional astrologer, although I don’t think there’s any hurry for you to do this, as it won’t push things along any faster.

Best of luck to you, and thanks for a great question!

Ask Our Readers: Saturn At 29 Degrees Virgo – Painful!

Brilliant Aspens Saturn is now officially at 29° Virgo and taking what seems like forever to move into Libra on Friday, October 29, and I’m sure along with me, there are lots and lots of people ready for that to happen.

If you have any planets or Angles at 29° as I do, it feels like Saturn has made up a checklist of things that need to be taken care of and is insisting on going down the list one frikkin’ item at time. Admittedly I’m getting a slew of petty details resolved but with much grumbling because I’m feeling the seasonal cardinal push to move on to newer and potentially better things.

Anyone else have a bone to pick with Saturn’s last days in Virgo?

posted by Neith . . .

Image: I have been taking photos of these aspens almost every day, recording the changes in color and texture of the landscape. They seem to shine with their own light!