Pluto Stationed with Venus in Scorpio: Looking Within

Inside, Outside, and Beyond. © Pat Paquette, 2010.

Officially it’s not yet fall in the Northern Hemisphere, but that feeling is in the air of being between worlds.

Typically, the end of October is when we feel the veil between the worlds lift, but it seems early this year. I attribute it to the simultaneous stationing of Pluto and Mercury, plus the entry of Venus in Scorpio today.

Pluto is the mythological lord of the underworld, where transformation of energy takes place. Mercury was the only god who could freely travel between the world of the living and the world of the dead, so he has an indirect connection with Pluto.

In non-astrological terms, we can see the symbolism in our thoughts, represented by Mercury, which exist whether we’re asleep, awake, or in between. Indeed, that in-between state is often when we get visions, inspiration, and messages from our deep psyche.

Venus, mythological goddess of desire, is in her detriment in Scorpio, and yet Venus in Scorpio holds a powerful fascination. Sexual desire can be obsessive, perhaps because we don’t fully understand it. When we’re in its throes, we fall under the spell of a primal urge that temporarily overpowers all reason.

Venus in Scorpio reminds me of the ancient Sumerian myth of the descent of the goddess Inanna to the underworld, where she must submit to the dark, primal powers of her sister.

I went out this morning to shoot a photo of the fog blanketing the ravine, but instead ended up with this image of three worlds in one. It’s fitting for the current astrological climate.

We’ve got four more days of Mercury retrograde to go. Meanwhile, happy New Moon in Virgo.

Pat

Weekly Forecast September 6: Virgo New Moon, Mercury Direct

Begonias on a Chair. Beauty is its own reason to exist.
© Pat Paquette, 2010.

This promises to be another fairly quiet week, although there will be some movement and more than a few hints of what’s coming next.

Mercury is retrograde for another week, keeping us in analytical mode, especially regarding what took place over the summer. We can’t move forward until we resolve certain dilemmas and reconcile conflicting goals and desires. At the very least, we need to accept that we’re conflicted. It’s part of the complexity of the human mind.

I urge you to focus in particular on what seeds you might have planted over the summer … or, as a dear friend of mine says, what roots may be growing under you. It’s a fitting image, given the position of the planets in the cardinal T-square. As I’ve written so many times, the “out” is the point opposite Pluto at the apex, and that would be in Cancer, the sign of home, family, and roots. What tribe do you belong to?

I had two very moving consultations this week, both of which put me into deep contemplation of exactly what we’re evolving toward. With so much going on, sometimes we need to stop and remind ourselves of the obvious. Simply put, we are strengthening our creative muscle and learning to be co-creators with the universal mind – the Mind of God, if you will. We are all a spark of that flame, and the relationship is two-way. We download from the energetic realm, but what we upload is incredibly significant, too.

The result is nothing less than the material world we’re living in, both individually and as a collective. Our thoughts and actions do matter.

Looking at the week chronologically, the Moon enters helpful Virgo on Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday’s New Moon. I wrote a complete analysis on Saturday so won’t go into any more detail here, except to repeat that thoughts you put out into the universe at the New Moon do take root. Be sure what you plant is something you want in your garden. Also, I’d just like to remind you not to start anything new, no matter how tempting it might be, until after Mercury returns direct.

Later on the same day, Venus enters Scorpio, and then retrograde Jupiter returns to Pisces on Thursday. These transits won’t be felt immediately, but they contain those “hints” I mentioned above.

Venus and Mars, symbols of the divine feminine and masculine, have been moving together through Libra, her sign. Now the tables are going to be turned, and very powerfully, as they move through his sign, which he co-rules with Pluto (in traditional astrology, Mars is ruler of Scorpio). This will all take place as Pluto returns direct next week, so we can expect some significant shifting in relationships as well as the overall balance between masculine and feminine energies on the planet.

The interesting thing about Mars as ruler of Scorpio and Venus as ruler of Libra is that their genders are switched, so to speak. Scorpio is a feminine sign, and Libra is a masculine sign, and yet Mars is in his detriment in Libra and Venus is in her detriment in Scorpio. There is a lot of give and take implied here, as well as the message that we all contain both masculine and feminine energies. How can these energies be balanced on the planet if we can’t balance them within ourselves? Many of us are working on this task now, and it’s reflected in society at large. Women got “liberated” and began working in traditionally male fields. Now men are working on finding their feminine side and developing their intuition.

With Jupiter and Uranus back in Pisces, we’re back to cleaning up some remnants of our “old” selves before moving back into new territory. When that happens, next spring, there will be no turning back. In the meantime, note that Neptune and Uranus and back in mutual reception, with Jupiter as amplifier. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the weather. So far, we’ve had a pretty mild hurricane season. Will that change? We’re about to find out…

Just as Jupiter turns to Pisces, Mars in late Libra trines Neptune in late Aquarius. This aspect nicely supports the New Moon in Virgo by encouraging us to help each other and put others before ourselves, in the most positive way. I’m not always an advocate of thinking of others first, because there are too many ways that can devolve into dysfunctional behavior. But when done in the right spirit, it’s uplifting to everyone concerned.

Also on Thursday, the Moon in Libra activates cardinal T-square points, even though the T-square itself has dissipated. Still, certain degrees are now “sensitized,” including the degree of the lunar eclipse on June 26. The Moon will conjoin Saturn on Thursday at that sensitive degree, so be prepared for a flashback to that time period, with a road sign directing you to your next destination.

On Sunday, Mercury returns direct. Enjoy one last lazy day of solitude and contemplation, because everything changes again next week. By the way, if you’ve been having some vivid and strange dreams lately, you can chalk that up to the trine between Mercury and Pluto, just as both are stationed and ready to return direct. Some of mine have been real whoppers!

Wishing you all much love and abundant blessings,
Pat

New Moon in Virgo, September 8

Luna, by Evelyn De Morgan, 1885

The New Moon in Virgo on September 8 is a quiet, thoughtful time in which we can view old problems in a new light and perhaps see important details that we overlooked in the past.

Sometimes all it takes to make big changes is a new perspective, and those little details can make all the difference in the world.

There are two stand-out features of the chart for this New Moon. First, Mercury, ruler of Virgo, is retrograde until September 12. Traditionally, the New Moon is a powerful time to begin new ventures, but that will not be the case this month. With Mercury retrograde, we’ll have to wait for results, and anything we attempt to start anew before he returns direct will be less likely to succeed. If you do manage to pull it off, you could get some unwanted side effects in the bargain.

Second, the New Moon makes no aspects to any planets other than Mercury, and even that conjunction, at 7 degrees, is a bit too wide to have much of an influence.

Together, these two features reinforce the theme of taking quiet time to analyze your situations and relationships in an attempt to get a different point of view. If someone offers you one, listen … even though you’re not obligated to take all you hear as the goddess-given truth.

Virgo is known for being very practical and efficient, so at the very least, any advice you get – including what you may hear by listening to your own internal voice – is likely to be valid. Write it down and ponder it, and examine all the different ways you could put it to use for your benefit and the benefit of others.

That may sound kind of boring, especially after a summer of intense activity and stress. Personally, I’d welcome a little boredom right now. Others I know who could use a rest probably would agree.

As for all that intense activity, you’re likely still dealing with the fallout, as the cardinal T-square is still active as of this New Moon. It’s far less potent than it was over the summer and will wind down even further once Jupiter returns to Pisces on Thursday, the day after the New Moon. Nevertheless, certain issues remain, making it all the more necessary to look back and rethink your circumstances.

The other big change on the way is Pluto’s imminent return direct on September 14, right after Mercury resumes forward motion. Whether or not the grand cross is in the cardinal signs, Pluto is at the apex of an extremely stressful configuration. Wherever he’s transiting your natal chart, that’s where you’re feeling pressured the most.

As it so happens, Mercury will return direct in a fairly close sextile to Pluto, which I suspect will increase your insight by orders of magnitude. Not everything you discover will thrill you, and some of it might be downright uncomfortable. But I guarantee you that the information will be useful.

Mars, meanwhile, makes a trine to Neptune and Chiron, helping us heal by restoring balance. That could mean anything from eating a more balanced diet to finding more balance between work and play, activity and rest, socializing and solitude, and other areas of your life that may have a lopsided focus. Venus, in the final degree of Libra, also adds her voice to the notion of balance and harmony. If you don’t already do some form of meditation or yoga, give it a try.

Although Ceres makes no aspects to any planets in the New Moon chart, I should mention her. As you may know, I’m a proponent of giving her co-rulership status of Virgo with Mercury. If we make that presumption, then she rules this New Moon, too, and that changes the picture a bit.

At 23 degrees Sagittarius, Ceres is moving toward a third and final conjunction with the Galactic Core since March of this year, and then she’ll make another alignment with Pluto. The energy of the GC funneled through Ceres has a deep message for us regarding our environment and the fragility of all life on the planet. It doesn’t take much to disrupt entire ecosystems, as we’re becoming more and more aware.

In terms of our personal circumstances, Ceres reminds us that all life is cyclical. If we’re at a peak now, we must plan for the valleys that inevitably will follow. If we’re in a valley – as many of us seem to be right now – then we must have faith that it won’t last.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Sun and Moon at 15°41′ Virgo is an orangutan, with the keyword DEXTERITY. This image contains the symbolism of evolution and the development of the human mind. Marc Edmond Jones, in his interpretation of this symbol, talks of a “primitive power” inherent in everyone, which we must refine through the powers of the mind in order to meet the demands of stressful situations.

As I’ve written before, sometimes the way out is up.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

P.S. Don’t forget to write your abundance check!

** From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmond Jones. The author, an astrologer, channeled this work in the early 1920s. There’s one symbol one for each degree of the zodiac, and we can use them to gain insight into charts.

Ask Real Astrologers: Will I Be a Famous Musician?

This week’s question comes from Chris in Vancouver, British Columbia:

Am I destined to be a famous musician or should I stick to being a nurse? Healthcare pays good, but I want more in life. What is your expert opinion? What career should I focus on and strive for? Literature, music, film, art, or just a conventional RN? Help!

P.S. I went to an astrologer and he told me I should not have a career because it will get in the way of my sex life!

Chris, you didn’t say whether you are male or female, but it’s hard to imagine an astrologer – or anyone, for that matter – telling a man that a career would get in the way of his sex life, especially a career as a musician! Everyone knows that musicians are chick magnets (you’re too young to remember that Dire Straits song, “Money for Nothing”).

All kidding aside, you definitely need to follow your heart. You have what’s known as a locomotive chart, with the Moon in your first house as the driver. You are drawn to the arts, music, and literature, no doubt about it. Combined with Sun, Mercury, and Mars all in Aquarius, your Gemini Moon needs lot of mental stimulation, action, and variety.

At the same time, you have Saturn conjunct your lunar North Node in Virgo in the fourth house, which strongly suggests that nursing or some other service-oriented career isn’t a bad choice for you. So you do have a dilemma.

The good news is that Moon in Gemini is well-adapted to more than one career, and that would be good for you. Why not stick with nursing for awhile and write a novel in your free time or moonlight as a musician? Almost no one gets to be famous overnight. Even the artists we think of as “overnight sensations” had to pay their dues. Many did gigs while working other jobs. You can, too.

Rather than striving to be famous, for now just work at being an accomplished artist and networking with others. And, by the way, I don’t think an empty eleventh house means that you won’t find others to work with.

As for the other astrologer’s prediction, he probably was looking at Venus in Capricorn in your seventh house. I don’t know how he arrived at that conclusion, if that’s indeed what he meant. Truly, it’s hard to imagine anyone making such a statement, so I’m wondering if perhaps you misunderstood. Astrologers sometimes forget to speak in lay terms, and all that astro-speak can get very confusing.

Best of luck to you, Chris, and thanks for writing.

Pat

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. You must use this form to contact me, or I won’t get your question. I do read all of your questions, although I am sorry that I can’t answer them all. If you need immediate guidance or in-depth advice, please contact me for a private consultation. THANKS!

Today: Gemini Moon Square Mercury Retrograde

Stuck in Traffic. © Zubasti, Dreamstime.com

OK, now I’m starting to feel Mercury retrograde. It took awhile, but there’s no mistaking it now.

This wouldn’t be the first time I started feeling the effects of retrograde Mercury when he was halfway through his retrograde phase. Often, the first week is a breeze, and I start thinking I won’t get slammed this time. One can always wish.

Since yesterday, my Internet connection has been so slow that I’ve wondered if there’s a problem with my computer. That’s unlikely, and anyway, I’m getting all kinds of weird messages, lost passwords, and other strange stuff. A friend of mine reports that webmasters everywhere are vexed with issues large and small. That certainly would be typical of Mercury retrograde in detail-oriented Virgo. By the way, have you ever noticed that people with strong Virgo in their charts wind up in programming or engineering?

I have to go into the city today, which is always difficult, due to the lack of coordination between the ferries and bus service. Given today’s square between retrograde Mercury and the Moon in Mercury ruled Gemini, I’m expecting serious delays. For once, I’m going to follow my own advice and leave early so that I’m not late for my appointment!

Anyone else experiencing the usual effects? What about unusual effects? How are you coping? Or not?

Hang in there! After today, there’s only ten days left to go … and the one thing that doesn’t seem to be slowing down is time.

Pat

Weekly Forecast August 30: A Brief Cardinal Cross

Quiet above, quiet below. © Pat Paquette, 2010.

There’s not a whole lot going on this week, astrologically speaking.

The cardinal T-square is winding down, and Mercury retrograde has a lot of our activities on hold. And, for once, there are no major planetary aspects. That’s right – all week!

The week begins almost in slow motion, with the Moon in Taurus on Monday and Tuesday. If you don’t feel like going into the shop or office, you’re definitely not alone. For those still on vacation, savor the chance to be lazy and do nothing.

Wednesday and Thursday are a bit busier, with the Moon in Gemini. Try to give yourself a little extra time to get from one place to another, and expect some little glitches in communications and travel. It will be hard not to get frustrated, so take a few deep breaths and don’t take things personally.

Friday is our trouble spot of the week, when the Moon in Cancer squares Jupiter, opposes Pluto, and squares Saturn, all within a few hours. This means we’ll temporarily experience a cardinal cross. It also happened last time the Moon was in Cancer, on August 6.

So what’s the difference, you may ask, between a cardinal cross and a T-square? Well, it’s all pressure. But with the grand cross, there can be a lot of movement but no real progress – in other words, a lot of wasted energy – unless there’s an outlet. As it so happens, the Moon moves into a tight sextile with the Sun and Mercury before the end of the day, providing a perfect outlet for our pent-up urge to do something, anything, just to get out of the same old rut. The Sun and Mercury are exactly conjunct on Friday as well, and both in a wide trine with Pluto.

The problem is, with an outlet to Mercury in “reverse,” we could end up spinning our wheels and getting ourselves even deeper in the hole unless we’re mindful of exactly what we’re trying to do. I suggest planning ahead for Friday by making a list of things you want to re-do. Review, repair, revise, reconsider … go back and revisit ideas you had a few weeks or even several years ago. If it didn’t work the first time, try it again – perhaps a bit differently, but not necessarily. Pay special attention to details you may have overlooked before.

The key to successfully negotiate this tricky energy is to resist starting any new projects or ventures. That includes upgrades to your computer – even if you’ve been putting it off all summer. What will work this time is to give serious attention to an old project.

If nothing like that comes immediately to mind, then use this week to relax, recharge, and regroup.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat

Saturday Extra! A Little Retrograde Mercury Mischief

I predicted that this Mercury retrograde period would be fairly quiet until the first week in September. I guess I spoke too soon.

As I was cruising the headlines this morning, I found this article:

Scary gaffe adds to week of airline mishaps
By Liz Goodwin.

In the middle of an otherwise-peaceful British Airways flight from London to Hong Kong on Tuesday, a terrifying announcement blasted over the speakers. The automated message warned the 275 passengers to brace themselves, because the plane was about to crash into the sea.

“We all thought we were going to die,” one passenger said.

Flight attendants quickly reassured the traumatized passengers that the message was a mistake, and British Airways say they are investigating how the incident could have happened. (A similar incident happened in 1999, when a “mischievous passenger” pushed the automated crash message as a joke on a flight from San Francisco to London.)

This is just the latest mishap to come to light in a wild week for airlines.

(Read the rest here.)

Of course, I wanted to know whether the 1999 incident occurred during Mercury retrograde. It didn’t. In that case, however, the error wasn’t an accident, but intentional mischief. During Mercury retrograde, events are more on the order of, “Oops, hit the wrong button.” Big “oops,” in this case. The airline is investigating whether the cause was a computer glitch or human error. Either way, it sounds like retrograde Mercury mischief to me.

We had our own bit of Mercury retrograde drama here on Vashon, which normally is so peaceful that a drunken bar patron swinging at a cop is front-page news. On Wednesday, our all-volunteer substitute for a city council (since we’re in an unincorporated part of the county), all resigned at once after King County communicated a legal opinion that it had to comply with open government rules, like any other political body. Council members said they couldn’t afford the amount of time it would take to meet all document requests, since they’re unpaid volunteers and already sacrifice a lot of their free time.

I have a feeling this decision will be revisited … say, right around the time Mercury returns direct, or shortly after.

Let’s hope this is the worst we get this time around. Goddess knows we’ve had a rough summer and could use some time to slow down, catch up on unfinished tasks, and attempt to put our lives back together.

Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: No Sex, No Money – What’s Going On?

This week’s question comes from Brigitte in Cannes, France:

I have no certainty in any area of my life. Nothing’s working. My career is at a standstill, which has put me in a financial bind. All of my other projects have stopped since April 2005, when I started living in two apartments. As for my love life … ugh. My partner and I aren’t having sex anymore. What’s with that? Is it boredom, or was this relationship a mistake to begin with? Thanks for clarifying my future.

Brigitte, I think it’s charming that you wrote to me in French. As it turns out, I do speak French, as I lived in France for eight years. It’s been awhile, though, and my French is rusty, so I might have made some mistakes in translating your e-mail. Still, I’m pretty sure I got the gist of it.

As I’ve mentioned before, I can’t address “my whole life sucks” questions in this column, as there just isn’t enough space. But I decided to take a look at your chart, because I had a feeling you might be getting blasted by the cardinal T-square. Sure enough, it’s hitting your chart quite heavily.

Your natal Moon at 4 degrees Libra in the first house is square your Mars in Capricorn in the fourth house, which means that you have transiting Saturn on your Moon and transiting Pluto coming up on Mars (he’s still a few degrees away). It’s no wonder you feel like you’re under some kind of evil spell.

The complication with your partner is no surprise, either. He has a T-square in the mid-degrees of the cardinal signs in his natal chart, and also an opposition of Mars at 4 degrees Libra – that’s right, exactly conjunct your Moon – and Jupiter at 4 degrees Aries. Between the two of you, I’d say you’ve got plenty of shared “bad luck,” and it could explain the dip in intimacy, too.

The good news is that Saturn is now moving on, so he’ll be off that sensitive Moon-Mars conjunction in your synastry chart. He’ll also be leaving your first house shortly. That may not be so good for your financial situation, but at least you’ll get some relief emotionally. If you’ve been feeling depressed, that should lighten up some, too.

This is a great illustration, by the way, of how difficult transits such as the cardinal T-square can get complicated by orders of magnitude when they hit sensitive points in our synastry chart. If anyone else is in this bind, I offer a special report for transits for couples. Please note that I have to do a complete synastry reading first.

Je vous souhaite de bonne chance, Brigitte. Merci bien de m’avoir écrit.

Pat

Two Weddings and a Divorce

Celebrity weddings, infidelities, and divorces happen all the time, but it sure seems like they’re more extreme lately. Could the cardinal T-square have anything to do with it?

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, co-stars in the acclaimed HBO series True Blood, were married on Saturday. Just as they managed to keep their relationship secret until they announced their engagement last year, they kept their wedding plans out of the public view and opted for a low-key ceremony. It sure was big-time celebrity news after the fact, though.

No matter what they did, it would have been impossible to top the wedding of Chelsea Clinton, who married long-time boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky on July 31 in a gala affair that cost anywhere from $2 million to $5 million. The true cost was a closely guarded secret, but suffice it to say that it was one of the most expensive celebrity weddings in history, inviting the inevitable comparisons to the $2 million that Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren spent on their Barbados bash in October 2004.

Tiger and Elin on Monday announced their divorce, although reports of their separation began circulating in December 2009. Let’s see … October 2004 to December 2009 is just over five years. Divided into $2 million, that comes out to well over $1,000 per day of marriage. Make a note of that, Chelsea.

In June, I wrote about Harrison Ford and Callista Flockhart, who finally tied the knot after eight years together. The same month, Al and Tipper Gore announced they were separating after 40 years of marriage. Each in their own way was impacted by the T-square.

So what about these latest unions and separations? Is the T-square a function or not?

In the case of Al Gore and Harrison Ford, I had a birth time to work with, so it was easier to see the evidence of the T-square at work in their charts. We have a birth time for Chelsea and Tiger, but not the others. Still, we can look at their natal charts for transits to key planets.

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer have a concentration of planets in Virgo and Libra, with a lot of conjunctions to draw them – and keep them – together. Diane wrote a great post on their synastry back when they announced their engagement. Most of their Libra planets are in the mid-degrees, including Anna’s Saturn. So she is coming up on her first Saturn return, which is a time that many people “settle down” in love and in life overall.

Nevertheless, it does appear that the T-square is in effect here, as it is forming a precise aspect to Anna’s Venus at 4 degrees Cancer. I’ve advised all summer that the “out” for any T-square challenges you may be facing is the spot in your chart opposite transiting Pluto. For Anna, that’s Venus, the planet of love! Moreover, the lunar eclipse of June 26, which connected directly into the T-square, was right on her natal Venus, too. Eclipses often deliver their results at 30, 60, or 90 days. She was married 60 days after the T-square eclipse on her natal Venus.

Chelsea and Marc simply have great synastry, especially in terms of durability. They have a few challenges, too, but what would marriage be without them? The T-square doesn’t seem to be heavily impacting Chelsea’s chart, and without a birth time for Marc, we don’t know which of his houses are being affected. He does have Jupiter at 2 degrees Cancer, which may account for the extravagance of the wedding, but not necessarily the timing.

The T-square definitely is implicated in the fall of Tiger Woods. Although his Ascendant is in Virgo, the T-square is taking place in all four of his cardinal houses, with transiting Saturn now in his first house. For many people, Saturn crossing into the first house is a time when their life falls apart and they start going downhill professionally. Under the T-square, the pressure has been unbearable … and very public.

Tiger and Elin both have Sun in Capricorn – he at 8 degrees and she at 10 degrees. The lunar eclipse on Dec. 31, 2009, fell directly on Elin’s Sun and not far from Tiger’s. A Full Moon lunar eclipse represents endings that are final and irrevocable. According to press reports, Elin moved out for good right before the eclipse, and the divorce was filed on the grounds that the marriage was “irretrievably broken.” Those are fitting words for a lunar eclipse.

In general, it seems that there is an increase this summer of break-ups and unions. It’s as though the whole universe is realigning itself, and we on earth are doing likewise. Stay tuned, because this series most definitely is to be continued.

Pat

Birth Data:
Anna Paquin – July 24, 1982, Winnipeg, Canada, time unknown
Stephen Moyer –Oct. 11, 1969, Brentwood, England, time unknown
Chelsea Clinton – Feb. 27, 1980, Little Rock, Ark., 11:24 p.m., per Astrodatabank
Marc Mezvinsky – Dec. 15, 1977, Philadelphia, Pa., time unknown
Tiger Woods – Dec. 30, 1975, Long Beach, Calif., 10:50 p.m., per Astrodatabank
Elin Nordegren – Jan. 1, 1980, Stockholm, Sweden, time unknown

Weekly Forecast August 23: Sun Enters Virgo, Full Moon in Pisces

It happens every year here in the northern latitudes. The Sun enters Virgo, and suddenly the air feels different, even though it’s “officially” not fall yet.

It’s a nice way to begin the week, with the Sun in a new sign. That feeling in the air is exhilarating, filled with anticipation of the fall harvest, baking, and preserving the bounty.

But the air also carries a whiff of the dark days ahead and a reminder that nothing lasts. It’s a good message to keep in mind as the cardinal T-square continues to push us into new and unfamiliar territory and strips our lives of anything that doesn’t feed growth and change.

The theme of letting go is reinforced by Tuesday’s Full Moon in Pisces (I posted a detailed interpretation on Saturday, in case you missed it). As the last sign of the zodiac, Pisces represents dissolution and endings. Sometimes we have to sit in those endings for awhile until the new cycle begins. It’s a hard place to be and painful, but letting go is necessary before we can make the radical changes that we’re being called to make in this time of awakening.

Those changes will be on hold for at least a few weeks, though, with Mercury retrograde until September 12. Indeed, this could be a very good thing, as it will allow us a break, a chance to slow down, and an opportunity to catch up on unfinished tasks at home and work. Don’t forget all those repairs that have to be done while the weather is still nice.

As I mentioned in my Full Moon post, this lunation holds possibilities for moving through the obstacles we’ve been bumping up against all spring and summer. The way out is via a sextile from Pluto to the Moon, which occurs on Tuesday, and a trine from Pluto to the Sun, which is exact on Thursday. Keep your eyes open for the hidden path to a breakthrough that may seem miraculous, but that has been in the works all along. Often what eludes us is right under our nose.

On Thursday, the Moon conjoins Uranus, newly back in Pisces, before entering Aries and activating the cardinal T-square on Friday. Throughout the day, the Moon aspects Jupiter in Aries, Pluto in Capricorn, and Saturn in Libra. Now that we’ve had our Full Moon breakthrough, we should be able to see some rhyme and reason to the challenges of the T-square.

It’s all about getting what we really want, but so many people don’t realize what deep changes are necessary to achieve those goals. As of Friday, you may be able to see with a whole new set of eyes.

I would be remiss not to mention the sextile between Venus and Ceres on Sunday. As symbol of the divine feminine, Venus represents beauty, desire, and creativity. Ceres, as the earth mother, symbolizes fertility and the bounty of nature, but she also holds the opposite symbolism of harvest, dormancy, death, and rebirth. There is a natural association between Ceres and Virgo. That’s why I advocate establishing her as the modern ruler of Virgo, or, at least, co-ruler with Mercury.

Admittedly, a sextile between Venus and Ceres doesn’t sound like a powerful influence on our daily lives, but it’s a fitting image to contemplate during the brief reprieve that retrograde Mercury is so kindly offering.

Wishing you all much love, courage, and abundance,
Pat

RealAstrologers

The astrology of world affairs, human evolution, the future, and the state of the universe.