Tag Archives: Mercury retrograde

Weekly Forecast December 13:Mars Conjunct Pluto, Sun Square Uranus

Detail from The Birth of Athena, monotype print by Brian Fisher, 2010.

Get your latte early Monday and make it a double. It’s going to be a wild ride this week.

We’re all on overwhelm and faced with too much work, too much shopping, too much interference, too many hassles, and too many things slowing us down when we’re under pressure to speed up.

Still, I remain optimistic that we’ll be able to address issues that had us totally frustrated and paralyzed into inaction over the summer, and that movement will be possible. Just prepare yourself for a lot of turbulence.

For this week’s image, I chose another monotype print by Brian Fisher, my favorite Vashon artist. This work, entitled “The Birth of Athena,” depicts the myth of goddess Athena springing fully formed from the head of Zeus, the Roman Jupiter. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, military intelligence, and crafts. Among other things, her birth symbolizes the manifestation of thoughts into reality. But you can bet that Zeus had one hell of a headache afterwards!

It’s a good metaphor for this week.

Throughout the week, the apex of the cardinal T-square is activated by Mars and retrograde Mercury, who conjoin on Monday with each other and with Pluto. The Mars-Pluto conjunction is especially potent, and its effects will last for most of the week. Again, I do have some optimism about this aspect, in that Mars is setting off T-square events and propelling us into movement. One of the biggest complaints I heard all summer was that everyone was stuck. Chances are, you will not be stuck after this week.

On Tuesday, the Moon enters Aries and squares the cardinal points of the previous day, adding more fuel to our rockets. Speaking of the Moon, we’re counting down to the lunar eclipse in Gemini on Tuesday, December 21. I’ll have a complete report in a day or two.

Uranus and Jupiter, who formed one leg of the T-square, are both direct in late Pisces. From Thursday through Saturday, the Sun in late Sagittarius squares Jupiter and Uranus, and he also forms a sextile with Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius. Once again, I see these aspects entirely within the context of the T-square. The jarring aspect from the Sun to Jupiter and Uranus will nudge them into action, so wherever they are in your chart – and however they’ve been playing out for the better part of a year – is what you’ll get.

Also on Saturday, Mercury retrogrades back into Sagittarius, and he conjoins the Sun on Sunday. Next week, he’ll pass over Uranus and Jupiter. It’s like he’s replaying the entire summer, right before our eyes. Yes, we may cringe at the thought, but it’s also our opportunity to get the movement we couldn’t get while Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter were in a standoff with Pluto.

As for Saturn, he’s exalted in Libra and “receiving” from all the Capricorn planets. Best of all, he’s out of the way of the T-square and so can do his job. Saturn is strict and not always fun, but when you’re manifesting new thoughts into reality, Saturn is the go-to planet.

Just don’t be surprised if you have a screaming headache come next Monday morning.

Wishing you all much love, joy, and abundance in this holiday season,
Pat

Weekly Forecast September 13: Pluto Direct, Mars Enters Scorpio

Gearing up for movement. © Christian Lagereek Fahraeus for Dreamstime.com

Mercury is direct, and we’re ready to roll!

I thought things would stay fairly quiet last week with both Mercury and Pluto sitting still. However, I underestimated the effects of Jupiter’s return to Pisces. Right on cue, there was an explosion in San Bruno, Calif., which apparently had been waiting for just such a trigger. I’ll discuss this more below. First, let’s have a look at this week’s aspects.

I emphatically don’t expect this week to be quiet, although Monday and Tuesday could be slow and frustrating. Often, the worst traffic jams, Internet delays, and communications snafus occur when Mercury is shifting phase. When the Messenger is stopped (that’s what it looks like from our perspective), everything he rules stops, too. You can plan ahead by leaving a few minutes early for your Monday morning commute and not expecting meetings to go as planned.

Pluto returns direct in early Capricorn on Tuesday, with Mars entering Scorpio later in the day. These two events could deliver a one-two punch. In modern astrology, Pluto rules Scorpio, and so the powerful thrust of Mars will add to Pluto’s return direct. Pluto, remember, has been at the apex of the cardinal T-square all summer, and he has been under plenty of pressure. When that kind of power is blocked and suddenly gets released, who knows what might happen? Powerful earth events would not be a big surprise.

Mars is the traditional ruler of Scorpio, so he’ll be in his own sign after languishing in Libra. Mars doesn’t really like to play nice, and when he’s forced to do so, he tends to take out his frustration in passive-aggressive ways. Enough of that! Mars in Scorpio has tremendous power, and he’s not afraid to show it. Wherever you have early Scorpio in your chart is where you will feel this transit the most.

Mars and Venus are together in Scorpio now, and they’ll meet for the second time this year in early October, right before Venus goes retrograde. When they met in Libra on August 20, many people I know began demanding more give and take in their relationships. That balance may tip again as the desire nature takes over rational considerations. This could be good or bad, but I strongly caution against making compromises that shouldn’t be made. In all things you do, maintain your integrity.

As the week progresses, situations that have been blocked or seemingly insurmountable over the past few weeks may move forward with a sudden start that could leave your head spinning. If you’ve been holding off on signing contracts or starting a new venture, now is your time to make a bold move!

On Wednesday, the Moon in Capricorn conjoins Pluto and then traces the degrees of the cardinal T-square. Even though its influence has temporarily subsided, Pluto stationed with the Moon in conjunction could unleash powerful emotions, at the very least, as we lurch forward.

Mars and Pluto formally align in a sextile on Saturday, so this is another day when we may experience a strong energy surge. As long as we’ve been waiting for a breakthrough, the force of this one may be intense. Unfortunately, that’s how it goes sometimes, so we’ll just have to ride out the turbulence. As I type these words, I’m reminded of the runaway train scene in The Fugitive, the 1993 thriller starring Harrison Ford.

Also on Saturday, Jupiter and Uranus conjoin in Pisces, the second pass of a three-part alignment. The first pass occurred on June 8 at 0 degrees Aries, forming a volatile end of the T-square. Then both planets went retrograde. They’ll meet this weekend at 28 degrees Pisces. This is a heavily charged degree, as it was where Saturn and Uranus opposed one another on April 26. You’ll recall that springs were popping all over the place back then. Among other things, that was about the time that BP’s oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.

With Jupiter and Uranus back in Pisces, any explosions that happen – literally or figuratively – will be bigger and noisier. Uranus also is back in mutual reception with Neptune in Aquarius, reinforcing themes of collective awakening and wild weather involving air and water.

Jennifer in Austin, Texas, left a comment yesterday asking me about Tropical Storm Hermine. It’s interesting to note that this weather system caused relatively few problems when it made landfall on Monday. It wasn’t until Wednesday that the flooding began to take a toll. Aside from Wednesday’s New Moon, Saturn crossed the degree of the June 26 lunar eclipse in Capricorn. And, of course, Jupiter was just hours from moving back into Pisces.

That said, it’s a tricky business associating earthly events with astrological alignments – especially these days, when the planets are in such a complicated configuration. It’s like saying that one gear causes the machine to move more than the others. And it makes predictions all the more difficult. At this point, we’re all making educated guesses. Some turn out to be amazingly right on, while others are just plain wrong.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

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.

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

Full Moon in Pisces, August 24

The Full Moon in Pisces on August 24 offers another portal or “way out” of obstacles we’ve been facing during the cardinal T-square.

The Full Moon typically indicates endings, and in the last sign of the zodiac, this lunation helps us clear out what is no longer working in order to make room for dramatic changes to come. The action may be stalled for a few weeks, no thanks to retrograde Mercury, but we nonetheless can explore the opportunities and prepare to let go of situations and relationships that are holding us back.

The limitations and challenges many of us are confronting are related to the
cardinal T-square, and they are tough indeed. Many seem to have no resolution. Words my clients use to describe their situations include stuck, overwhelmed, at a crossroad, caught in the crossfire. Even those who are having a positive experience have a sense of events unfolding too quickly.

At the apex of the T-square, Pluto is taking all the heat. Pluto symbolizes death, rebirth, and transformation, but this cycle has been blocked by the opposed energies of Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter, all of which are still in tight aspect at the Full Moon.

I’ve mentioned a few times that one way out of a stuck situation is to look at the space in your chart opposite transiting Pluto. That will remain true for the duration of the T-square. However, this Full Moon offers a powerful out via a lovely earth trine from Pluto to the Sun in practical Virgo and a sextile from Pluto to the Moon in otherworldly Pisces.

As we get nearer to the Full Moon, you suddenly may see the source of an obstacle, allowing you to more effectively free yourself of whatever or whoever has been holding you back. Or, those limiting circumstances simply may dissolve, leaving you free to transform or transcend. In some cases, the urgent need to let go of these things may stem from a new approach you began at the New Moon in Leo two weeks ago.

Neptune, ruler of this Full Moon, is at 27 degrees Aquarius, placing him in a moderately close, out-of-sign conjunction with the Moon at 1°26′ Pisces. He’s also closely conjunct Chiron at 28 degrees Aquarius. I’ve written a lot over the past several years about the collective healing effects of the Chiron-Neptune conjunction, especially where old wounds from our past are concerned. This alignment sends a powerful message of clearing “old stuff” in order to evolve under the pressure of the T-square.

Mercury retrograde in Virgo, the sign opposite Pisces, actually may be beneficial in this regard. Combined with the Full Moon in Pisces, it’s a great time to access your higher consciousness via daily chores, service to others, exercise and meditation, all with mindfulness. When we quiet our minds, a space opens up to receive answers. Likewise, a window opens for the images we hold of what we’d like to attract or create in our lives.

Mars and Venus are still in fairly close conjunction, which was exact on August 20, an hour before Mercury went retrograde. This suggests that issues of balance and cooperation in relationships will remain throughout Mercury’s retrograde phase and will need to be revisited. The conjunction took place in Libra, ruled by Venus, so it is the feminine energy that was strengthened.

In the Full Moon chart, Venus is approaching a sextile with Ceres, ruler of the cyclical nature of life. Some of us may need to “go under” temporarily in order to rebalance and heal. Ceres herself is approaching a third and final conjunction with Pluto at the apex of the T-square, an alignment deeply symbolic of transformation through delving inside ourselves and confronting all the scary things that lurk there.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Moon at 1°26′ Pisces is a squirrel hiding from hunters, with the keyword CAUTION. This is about self-preservation, but we’re not talking about the ego self. Your first duty is to your higher purpose, whatever that may be, and that requires acting in your own best interests.

For the Sun at 1°26′ Virgo, the Sabian Symbol is a large white cross upraised, with the keyword GLORIFICATION. At its best, this symbol represents offering your unique gift in service of humanity. You can’t do that if you allow yourself to be bound by what others want and expect of you.

Freeing yourself will not be without some risk, and it may entail some pain and sorrow, too. But it is part of our growth collectively and as individuals.

Love and courage to all,
Pat

Ask Real Astrologers: Will I Ever Have an Intimate Relationship?

This week’s question comes from Dee in Maryland:

Since my Sun is in Libra, I understand that a major focus in my life is on relationships. However, intimate and romantic relationships seem to be the most difficult thing for me. I have only had about two boyfriends ever and they were pretty much incompatible, thus short-lived.

So, being a pretty much independent (solitary) person for most of my life, I’ve been recently feeling a yearning to become more partnership orientated. I’m sure that some other aspects in my chart have something to do with this paradox. Do you see anything there that could shed some light? I feel that maybe I’ve been too idealistic in my search for partners and am a little guarded in general to the possibilities.

Beautifully stated, Dee – and so perfectly Libra. Incidentally, you not only have Sun in Libra, but it’s in the seventh house, traditionally associated with Libra, in conjunction with Mercury. That’s a lot of Libra!

Your chart is not so horribly relationship-challenged that you are destined to be alone forever, but I do see a couple of difficult aspects. Fortunately, you can overcome these challenges with a bit of work.

The first issue I see is that you have Saturn in your fifth house, which rules romance and pleasure. Saturn is a limiting influence, and his position in the birth chart indicates where we are the most insecure and fearful. Moreover, he’s in Cancer, which is the sign of his detriment. Cancer is emotionally sensitive and thus tends to be cautious and protective. All of this tells me that you may feel very vulnerable in love and afraid of being hurt.

Your Saturn also is “afflicted” by a square to Uranus, which is where you get that independent streak. Taken to the extreme, you may go to great lengths to let others know how much you don’t need them in an attempt to hide just how vulnerable you feel. In your mind, showing your soft underbelly would be akin to giving them the gun and ammo and showing them exactly where to shoot. And yet, to form deep, intimate relationships, we must let others see our most vulnerable places. If you could work on this area, I think you’d see some favorable results.

The second potential difficulty I see in your chart is that Mercury, ruler of your seventh house, is retrograde. Lots of people have Mercury retrograde in their birth chart, and this alone doesn’t mean you have difficulty with relationships. But when he’s retrograde in Libra and rules your seventh house, then there’s a potential stumbling block.

In addition to doing some work to overcome your fears regarding intimacy, you might also work on understanding where others are coming from. This would help you realize that they feel vulnerable, too. We all have a dual capacity for hurting others and being hurt. The need for balance in that regard should be easy to grasp for someone with all of your Libra!

As for why you’re delving into these issues now, I’d “blame” Saturn again. He’s currently transiting your seventh house, and so your attention is being focused on relationships and the fact that you’re not finding fulfillment in this area of life, which indeed is critical for Libra.

Since you’ve started studying astrology, you might use it as a tool to help you with these issues. I’d also recommend a complete reading to help you understand more about your birth charts and current transits. I do telephone consultations, but if you’d rather see someone in person, do a search to find out who’s available in your area.

I know you will find true love, Dee. Thanks for writing.

Pat

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