Tag Archives: Uranus-Pluto square

Weekly Forecast November 12: Solar Eclipse in Scorpio, Mars Enters Capricorn

Total eclipse of the sun on July 11, 1991. Image credit: Steve Albers, Boulder, CO; Dennis DiCicco, Sky and Telescope; Gary Emerson, E. E. Barnard Observatory.

It really does feel like something has shifted, even before Tuesday’s eclipse. Eclipses can be like that. We can feel the really powerful ones up to six months before and after.

The elections are over in the United States, with surprisingly few complications, given Mercury’s station retrograde just as the polls were closing on the East Coast (then, delayed effects are always possible). President Obama’s re-election wasn’t a surprise, but other results were: more women than ever in the Senate, the defeat of candidates with outdated views about women, initiatives to legalize gay marriage, and the legalization of pot in Colorado and Washington. This isn’t small change.

We’re in a period of intense change, with the Uranus-Pluto square, recently amplified by Saturn in Scorpio, the mutual reception between Saturn and Pluto, and now the new series of eclipses in Scorpio and Taurus. The keywords for Scorpio are death, transformation, and rebirth. I have to think that the grand trine between Saturn, Neptune, and Ceres also has been a major influence in the 2012 elections. Neptune rules mind-altering substances, Ceres seems to have an association with plant life, and Saturn is the planet of rules and regulations. There you have it.

While it’s possible that our “big eclipse event” is already behind us, it’s hard to imagine that there won’t be more to come, especially as the Scorpio-Taurus series unfolds over the next two years. A lot can be accomplished in this time, if we put our minds to it, and given the intense nature of Saturn and Pluto, all of our courage and ingenuity will be needed to meet the tests still to come. This applies individually and collectively.

As I wrote in last week’s forecast, “For years, astrologers have spoken of this time period as a critical point in human development, during which we go through a collective transformation. The time of testing is here, with Saturn, lord of time and karma, and the lunar North Node, symbol of destiny, both in Scorpio. We’re in the thick of it now. Lessons we learned over the past two years – since the cardinal T-square of 2010 – will be invaluable as we go through this dark and confusing rebirthing process.”

Looking at the details of this New Moon Eclipse, both Sun and Moon are at 21°57′ Scorpio, not far from the lunar North Node at 26 degrees Scorpio, which gives us a total eclipse. The Sun and Moon make no close aspects with other planets. Of course, the ongoing Uranus-Pluto features prominently in the eclipse chart. Other aspects are a near-exact square from Mercury to Neptune and inconjunct between Saturn and Uranus. We’re still in a period with a high risk of lies, confusion, and distortion. Certainly, the losing party is in serious confusion. According to some press reports, Republicans were so sure of a big victory that they couldn’t believe the results. It’s not unreasonable, given these aspects, that we eventually could learn of some election fraud. The Saturn-Uranus aspect highlights the vast gulf between those who want to preserve the status quo and forces for change.

Solar Eclipse in Scorpio

Click on image to enlarge

Astrologers disagree on the meaning of eclipses. It gets a bit tricky when you’re dealing with unseen forces we don’t yet understand – or with symbolism. Some astrologers say eclipses are a sort of collective reboot. According to others, they are like supercharged New Moons and Full Moons, representing endings and radical new beginnings. Some say an eclipse has no effect at all if you can’t see it from your location. This eclipse will be at its maximum over the Pacific Ocean and will be most visible in northern Australia.

In my observation, eclipses have a great deal of meaning in your personal life, whether or not you can see them. The house position of the eclipses indicates which areas of your life are most subject to fast change. When doing consultations, one of the first things I look for is where the eclipses are falling in a client’s chart. Nine times out of then, the issues causing them the most stress are associated with the houses where the eclipses fall. Incidentally, we have two eclipses left in the Sagittarius-Gemini sign pair. One will be a lunar eclipse on November 28, and the last will be a dramatic lunar eclipse on May 25, 2013 – not a total eclipse, but with a powerful planetary alignment.

Looking at the rest of the week, Mercury re-enters Scorpio on Wednesday. I have a feeling that things will calm down a bit afterwards, as Mercury no longer will be in mutual reception with retrograde Jupiter in Gemini. The Sun and Mercury conjoin on Saturday, which could manifest as light being shed on deep secrets.

On a personal note, since retrograde Mercury didn’t wreak the predicted havoc on the U.S. elections, I guess that means I can take personally all the havoc he wreaked in my life over the past week. It started before he even officially went retrograde, which is often the case, according to the feedback I’ve received over the years from readers and clients. There’s a pre-retrograde “shadow” period in which Mercury passes through the degrees that will be activated during his retrograde phase, and often this can feel like the retrograde itself. For me, it has been classic, with frustrating delays, miscommunications, and no communications at all. The producer who was considering taking on my documentary project has fallen off the face of the earth. To top it all off, the county elections board rejected the signature on my ballot, a snafu that took three days to correct. As a result, I’m way behind on reports.

Aside from the eclipse and Mercury retrograde, the other big news this week is Friday’s ingress of Mars in Capricorn, sign of his exaltation. As long as Uranus is in Mars-ruled Aries – another six years or so – the position of Mars takes on additional significance. In Capricorn, Mars deposits to Saturn, “feeding” the mutual reception between Saturn and Pluto. It will be interesting to watch this relationship unfold. The square between Uranus and Pluto represents conflict between forces for revolutionary change and resistance by authoritarian control. With Mars in Capricorn, rebel forces could be co-opted rather than confronted by military might. Likewise, rebel leaders might seek backroom deals with those in power. There might even be a discreet back door into the halls of power for those seeking major change. Mars in Capricorn represents the military, so watch the headlines for unusual developments in war and military spending. The proverbial dirt hits the fan when Mars and Pluto conjoin at the lunar eclipse on November 28.

On Saturday, Mars sextiles Neptune. Among other things, this seems to be a perfect planetary configuration for severe winter storms. I write that with the caveat that I’m not schooled in astrological weather forecasting, so you can take that with a grain of salt … or a truckload for icy roads.

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

Weekly Forecast October 29: Full Moon in Taurus, Venus Square Pluto

© Liudmila Gridina for Dreamstime.com

At this time of year, the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. It’s not hard to imagine how this phenomenon gave rise to All Hollow’s Eve, the Day of the Dead, All-Saints Day, and other traditions involving ghosts and goblins.

These days, though, when we talk about the thinning of the veil, it’s not just about Halloween but often is in the context of what some people refer to as past lives. I call them “other lives,” in acknowledgement that “past” depends on the illusion of linear time. As more people have these memories, we begin to understand how everything is connected and how relationships can survive across many lifetimes. However, it’s one thing to say we’re all connected, but quite another to feel it deeply in our bones.

If you’re having these memories or thinking along these lines, this week’s Full Moon in Taurus may bring up new and important information. The popular notion of “karma” is that we did something terrible in a past life and have to pay for it this one. Given the violent history of humankind, it’s possible and even likely that many of us did do something horrendous, and as we begin accessing these other lifetimes, we may recall situations that are hard to face.

However, it’s also possible that what bubbles up into our consciousness, while distressing, isn’t our fault. I recently had a client who was freaking out because he thought he murdered his girlfriend in a previous lifetime. With some digging, I uncovered an alternative explanation in which both of them contributed to her demise by having an illicit romance in an era when adulterous wives of nobility were put to death. Did he kill her? We can imagine that, at the time, a man in those circumstances would have thought so and felt crushing guilt in addition to the grief of losing his beloved.

These kinds of memories are so powerful that they can survive physical death. Another theory is that trauma registers in our DNA, and the memories are from ancestors. We don’t know exactly how this recall works, but it’s my theory that when we have a traumatic experience, it registers in our energy field and ripples across dimensions of time and space to other incarnations – and not necessarily in a one-way direction. The psychic underworld, where these events are registered, falls within the realm of Pluto and Scorpio. There are many ways of looking at Saturn and Pluto in mutual reception, not the least of which is collective financial reckoning. However, it’s also a perfect setup for karmic reckoning, and there’s no more fitting time for full disclosure than the Full Moon.

Full Moon in Taurus

Click on image to enlarge

The chart for this Full Moon isn’t an easy one, with Saturn closely conjunct the Sun in Scorpio and opposite the Moon in Taurus. Painful endings and being forced to let go will be themes for many. The good news is that both Sun and Moon are in favorable aspect with Pluto, Scorpio’s ruler and planet of transformation and rebirth. The old cliché “an ending is but a new beginning” definitely applies. With Pluto in favorable aspect, there’s also a good possibility that accessing other dimensions will help access and release negative karma. The close trine from the Sun and Saturn to Neptune and Ceres provides additional support for recognizing the cyclical nature of life and for approaching difficult memories with compassion and acceptance.

There are several oppositions and squares in the Full Moon chart, including the Uranus-Pluto square, the defining aspect of our time. Ceres opposes Pluto and forms a cardinal T-square (you can’t see it in the chart, because I’m not able to isolate aspects to Ceres in Kepler software). Once again, we may revisit issues that dominated our lives in the summer of 2010. From Wednesday to Friday, Venus in early Libra forms a fourth leg, turning the T-square into a grand cross. At the peak of the cardinal T-square in August 2010, Mars and Saturn were conjunct in early Libra. Venus rules Libra and is a much gentler energy, so it’s possible that we can make further progress in the new directions that many of us began taking back then, especially within our closest relationships. With Uranus in the mix, there’s still an element of volatility and unpredictability, but that also means the door is wide open to revolutionary change.

The fourth opposition in the Full Moon chart involves Mars in Sagittarius and Jupiter retrograde in Gemini. This is not an inherently “bad” opposition and can represent a burning quest for knowledge. The downside is that it’s a classic setup for war and aggression, with a tendency to overreach.

We also have a square between Neptune and Mercury, who enters Sagittarius earlier on Monday. Blurting out the truth and confused thinking – not a good combination, especially if you happen to be running for political office. Then, who knows? Maybe one of the candidates in their sleep-deprived end-of-campaign state will accidentally tell the truth. This is the first of three squares between Mercury and Neptune between now and the middle of December, due to the Messenger’s retrograde phase. Mercury is moving in slow motion this week as he approaches retrograde on November 6. We’re well into the pre-retrograde shadow period, so be sure to wrap up projects, sign important contracts, and back up computer data early this week. Don’t wait!

So, here we are, heading into the darkest days of winter, with a stressful Full Moon and, on top of that, a potentially catastrophic storm heading for the East Coast of the United States. Meteorologists have commented that the gravitational force of the Full Moon threatens to make the storm worse. With the addition of a difficult astrological chart, it does look like a perfect storm. To all of my dear friends and clients in harm’s way, please take measures to stay safe.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast October 22: Sun Enters Scorpio, Venus Enters Libra

Holotropic States. © Pat Paquette, 2012.

What is transformation? We talk about it a lot, but what does it mean to transform? How does it happen?

Many of us will have transformational experiences in the next few weeks as we move deeper into the realm of Scorpio, the sign of death, transformation, and rebirth. Saturn entered Scorpio on October 5 for the first time in nearly 30 years, and for the first time in more than 230 years is in mutual reception with Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio in modern Western astrology. When the Sun enters Scorpio on Monday, the individual and collective transformation process intensifies (after all, what is the collective but a “collection” of individuals?).

As part of the research for my documentary, I’ve been familiarizing myself with the work of Stan Grof, a psychiatrist best known for his experiments with LSD in the 1970s, when medical use was legal. A friend lent me Grof’s latest book, When the Impossible Happens: Adventures in Non-Ordinary Realities. It’s the first time I’ve read accounts of Grof’s own sessions with LSD. In some of these sessions, he had past-life memories, and in some cases, these memories triggered deep healing in his personal relationships. His accounts validated my own experiences, which I had without the use of psychedelics.

In fact, in my astrology work, I’ve observed that an increasing number of people are having such memories, which I prefer to call “other lives,” because I believe they aren’t happening in chronological succession according to human perception of time. Grof came to the same conclusion – and he’s a Ph.D. psychiatrist who never believed in past lives. Incidentally, as he ventured further into non-ordinary states of consciousness, he also came to accept the validity of astrology.

In his work, Grof observed time and again the transformation that occurred in patients as a result of entering what he calls the “holotropic state of consciousness” – a state of mind in which we can heal past wounds, whether from early childhood, the birth process itself, or events prior to birth in this incarnation. While in this state, some patients had other-life experiences that explained fears and anxieties that previously had no name and no known source. Some of them also discovered karmic relationships that helped explain their current relationship difficulties. Once LSD was outlawed, he worked with breathing techniques to achieve an altered state of consciousness. Of course there are other ways to do it, too, which he readily acknowledges.

Once Grof began working with LSD, it didn’t take long for him to realize that conventional “modern” psychiatry and psychology was inadequate. It couldn’t address spiritual experiences, and it completely ignored human consciousness. In the mid-60s – right around the time of the Uranus-Pluto conjunction – Grof got together with some colleagues and laid the foundation for transpersonal psychology. It’s still not entirely in the mainstream, but with Uranus and Pluto now in a square, it’s making inroads in one form or another and is the way of the future for psychology. The profession is being transformed, and that means people who seek therapy for mental health issues also have an increased chance of being transformed.

In the meantime, though, many people are going through spontaneous transformation, and from what I’m seeing, a lot of it is related to a growing awareness of other lives – in particular, of relationships that exist beyond this incarnation. Often, meeting another person with whom one has karmic ties is the trigger for those memories. I don’t believe it’s any coincidence that the increase in the number of people having these experiences is happening now. This is quite possibly the Apocalypse – not doom and destruction, but a lifting of the veil to higher consciousness and the resulting transformation of society that by definition must happen when enough people understand that the energy patterns underlying the material world are inextricably linked to physical reality.

Anyone who has had Pluto transit their Ascendant has a good idea of what transformation is and how it works. It’s usually a slow process, even if a sudden event triggers it, and that’s good. For transformation to take place, a part of us must die, and that part usually is the ego – the structures that your mind has developed to survive in your environment and circumstances. Breaking down isn’t pretty. For some people, it might even mean a literal mental breakdown that has to occur before their body/mind can be reassembled in wholeness. Sometimes, other-life memories or sudden realizations can be so foreign to what they “know” that the breakdown happens all by itself. That said, with Saturn in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn, it’s time to take responsibility for our healing and transformation.

The human race as a whole is going through a major change, and we’re seeing it as breakdowns in whole societies. These changes are well under way, so whether we’ll see more of them during this intensive Scorpio period or whether more people will just become aware of what’s happening, I can’t say – maybe some of both.

Part of what makes transformation so hard is that it usually requires going back to the source of a wound. That in itself has been hard, because until we recognize that some wounds are in our energy field and may have been imprinted before our birth in this incarnation, we can’t address the source, even if we want to. Past-life regression therapy has been around for a while, and although there weren’t a lot of controls in the early days, the field is attempting to police itself and weed out unqualified and unethical practitioners.

Looking at this week, the Sun enters Scorpio at 8:14 p.m. EDT on Monday, and immediately trines Neptune on Tuesday and conjoins Saturn on Thursday. Sun-Saturn aspects can be intimidating, but I see this three-way aspect between the Sun and Saturn in Scorpio and Neptune in Pisces as a huge opening for taking responsibility for your own transformation. With Neptune in Pisces, we don’t even need the LSD but can go into altered states through meditation and occult practices such as working with the Tarot. Of course, sex is always an avenue, too, as long as you’re aware of what you’re doing. As with all things Scorpio, the portal is your own fear. What are you most afraid of? And how is that fear self-limiting? Do you even know? I’d suggest that if you’re in therapy already, you might want to do some extra work with your therapist. If you’re not in therapy but think you could benefit, this is a great time to do the heavy lifting. As an added bonus (um, right) there’s a trine from the Sun to Chiron on Saturday. I know, opening an old wound may be incredibly uncomfortable, but the pain is temporary, and with Saturn in Scorpio, we can bite the bullet.

Also on Thursday, Mercury in Scorpio sextiles Venus in Virgo – a great time to get to the bottom of issues in your love life. Do take some care in how you approach the subject. Finding fault or being overly critical isn’t the way to get heard. Better still, wait a couple of days, until Venus enters her own sign of Libra. This is much better energy for give-and-take, compromise, and accommodation. Just don’t be so willing to avoid conflict at any cost that you don’t say what you’ve got to say.

Ten minutes before Venus enters Libra on Sunday, Mars in Sagittarius opposes Jupiter in Gemini. This is about big ideas and adventurous thinking, to hell with the details for now. It’s time for back-of-the-envelope calculations and taking phone numbers to get together for further discussion.

Speaking of big ideas, if you’d like to know more about Stan Grof’s work, he has a substantial article archive on his website.

Wishing you all much love and the courage to heal,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast October 15: New Moon in Libra

New Moon Over the Sea. © Algol for Dreamstime.com

Generally speaking, this week should be more serene, with plenty of opportunities to get new and existing projects off the ground.

Monday starts right out with the New Moon at 22 degrees Libra, the sign of balance and harmony. For many of us, finding balance has been a struggle for the better part of the past two years as our lives took unexpected new directions. For me and for many clients, it has felt like being carried along on a current that’s way too fast and too turbulent for comfort. All we’ve been able to do is to hang on and do our best to remain open to new possibilities. It has been exhausting.

This New Moon is a reminder to try to restore some semblance of balance, even if it’s brief. If you allow yourself a little time for rest, relaxation, or fun activities, your body/mind will suck it right up and nourish the parts of you most in need of care. With Saturn and the lunar North Node in Scorpio, we’re heavy into the transformation process, where breakdowns are accelerating to provide energy for new growth. I’ve been through this process several times in my life, including the breakdown that had to occur to transform me from a reporter into an astrologer. If you’ve never been through this before, it can be a terrifying process. But I’m here to tell you that the cycle is just that – a cycle. And it has been written about ever since writing was first invented. The difference now is that we’re going through it together as a collective.

In the chart for the New Moon, Saturn is still in a close trine with Neptune, which I see as a positive sign that we can turn dreams to reality. The key here is to find the balance between these very different energies. Neptunian dreams can be empty fantasy, but they also can be so creative and imaginative that they only seem impossible to people with no vision. Saturn’s influence helps supply the discipline to turn the vision into a solid plan to make it happen. Filmmaking is an excellent example, and there couldn’t be a better sign of the times than Cloud Atlas, the new Wachowski blockbuster about to hit theaters. This was a film the industry said could never be made. Not only did they make it happen, but the film got a ten-minute standing ovation last month at the Toronto Film Festival … and Larry Wachowski is now Lana.

As with filmmaking, millions of people have great ideas, but making them happen takes planning, hard work, skill, and collaboration (a nice Libra word). Saturn and Neptune are great for combining vision with discipline, and the New Moon in Libra is a good time to start.

Yet another reason I feel so optimistic about this week is the trine on Monday from Uranus to Mars in Sagittarius, which provides an outlet from the stress of the Uranus-Pluto square. This is an action-oriented aspect, an energetic combination favoring taking risks and doing something unconventional. This can apply (and likely will) to revolutionary movements and to individuals, as well, and the definition of “revolutionary” is broad. One bold move can produce a radical change in your life. Thursday is a particularly good day for action, when the Moon conjoins Mars.

New Moon in Libra

Click on image to enlarge

Libra’s ruler is Venus, who is in aspect with Mercury and Jupiter in the New Moon chart, with Mercury and Jupiter in an edgy quincunx. Venus is in Virgo so not quite “herself,” and Jupiter is in his detriment as well. This combination is sort of like going into a big housecleaning job and suddenly becoming obsessed with polishing the silver. There’s no harm in it, and details do matter. But if a job needs to be done, you might have to keep kicking yourself in the behind to stay focused on the big picture and take care of the details in order of priority.

Mercury, meanwhile, is in deeply intuitive Scorpio, where he turns up small details like where the bodies are buried. Mercury and Venus in soft aspect suggest that criticism can be useful and should be encouraged. Put another way, identifying flaws and weaknesses in a project or relationship can save you headaches and heartaches further down the road. If you need a competent critique to help strengthen your work, ask for it this week from someone you can trust. You might need a double-rum punch or a brownie sundae afterwards, but go ahead. Then get to work.

If you’d like to know where all the action is happening in your chart, check out the StarGuide Fall 2012 forecast, now 20 percent off.

Next week, life gets even more intense with the Sun’s entry into Scorpio – all the more reason to enjoy this week, count your blessings, and take advantage of new opportunities, however great or small, that come your way.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast October 8: Saturn Trine Neptune

Preparing to sail. © Tom D for Dreamstime.com

This week, we’re in the last-quarter Moon, coming off a difficult Full Moon on September 29. What’s no longer serving us continues to break down, fall apart, or fade away, with circumstances that may relate in some way to major life events during the summer of 2010.

That’s not necessarily bad news, although letting go is hard, and some people – especially those with a lot of fixed energy in their charts – have a tough time making wholesale changes. The good news is that this week’s aspects are for the most part favorable as we head into a promising New Moon in Libra on October 15.

Last week, Saturn entered Scorpio, one of the biggest astrological events of 2012. His first aspect in Scorpio (other than fleeting lunar transits) is a trine with Neptune, which occurs on Wednesday. This heavyweight pair came within a hair of forming a trine in February, but then Saturn turned retrograde and Neptune moved into Pisces. They’ll meet again next June and July, so we’ve got more than six months of a constructive outer planetary cycle occurring simultaneously with the destructive Uranus-Pluto square.

This week’s trine is part of a cycle that began when Saturn and Neptune conjoined in Capricorn in 1989. The Berlin Wall fell four days before the conjunction was exact, with Uranus also in a wide conjunction in Capricorn. The first trine of this cycle occurred in 2001. However, rather than dissecting that aspect, I went back to the previous cycle, which began in 1952 with Saturn and Neptune in Libra. The first trine in that cycle occurred in 1965, which also coincided with the Uranus-Pluto conjunction – the beginning of the cycle of our current Uranus-Pluto square. So, that is the trine I want to explore for clues about what this one might bring.

In 1965, the United States was embroiled in the Vietnam War, and society was going through a complete cultural breakdown, with protests against the war, civil rights marches, and the counterculture movement. But in the middle of all this chaos, space exploration expanded, and President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the “War on Poverty.” New legislation established the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Dreams for a better future were alive and well, but so was escape through turning on and tuning out – all the hallmarks of Neptune, which was the astrological “out” of the harder aspects via the trine from Saturn. I can just hear the 5th Dimension singing “Up, Up and Away” …

The 2012-2013 Saturn-Neptune trine doesn’t connect to the Uranus-Pluto square by angle, but it does connect via mutual reception between Saturn and Pluto. So I think we’re going to see many similarities between this era and 1965-66, not only in terms of popular culture – a trend astrologers have been talking about for some time – but also in repeating world events. For example, in 1965, there was Medicare. Now there’s Obamacare. And if these astrological similarities are any indication, it won’t be repealed. That said, I think there will be a parallel social and political backlash at the next Saturn-Neptune conjunction in 2025, when more conservative, monolithic forces take over.

Saturn and Neptune are very different energies. Saturn is about structure, while Neptune is about a total lack of structure and boundaries. Combined, they can represent efforts that fail to get off the ground, in part due to unrealistic ambition. But when the best of both worlds are put together, you get the discipline and sacrifice necessary to turn big dreams into a reality. Neptune offers the imagination and creativity that Saturn lacks, while Saturn supplies the structure and practical application that evades Neptune. Have a look at where these two fall in your chart to get some idea of how these energies might apply to you. (How do I know where Saturn and Neptune fall in my chart?)

Taking the week chronologically, the Sun trines Jupiter on Tuesday. Even though Jupiter is now retrograde, these are positive, optimistic energies that combine well for advancing your personal goals. Less than an hour later, Mercury trines Chiron. With Mercury in penetrating Scorpio, it’s possible to see through to the source of hurt feelings and old wounds, whether in this lifetime or on another plane of existence. You can’t begin to release old karma until you know what you’re dealing with. Take some time late Monday or early Tuesday to write in your journal or just stare out the window and see what bubbles to the surface of your consciousness. Mercury also forms a quincunx with Uranus, so some of what comes up could surprise or shock you. This process continues into Wednesday, when Mercury sextiles Pluto. At the collective level, secrets may be revealed that allow healing to take place on a broader scale.

Also on Tuesday, Venus trines Pluto in earthy Virgo and Capricorn. The conventional interpretation of this pair is usually about sex. With the trine, wild desires can lead to passion that transforms and cleanses, rather than the more obsessive side of this combination. Still, obsession and compulsion may be lurking in the shadows and barely under control, so don’t discount their influence. You’ll feel this aspect more acutely than others if you have either of these planets in the first, fifth, seventh, or eighth houses.

On Sunday, Mars squares Chiron. This is where wounds get cut out by the knife. With Mars in Sagittarius and Chiron in Pisces, the wounds we’re talking about are most likely in the collective psyche, and they have to do with religious and philosophical beliefs and the organizations founded upon them.

Next week is the New Moon in Libra, which will bring in a breath of fresh air. So hang in there this week and count the blessings that do come your way.

Wishing much love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast October 1: Saturn Enters Scorpio

Washington Crossing the Delaware, by Emanuel Leutze, 1851.

Several shifts take place this week, with four planets changing signs and one stationing retrograde.

By far the biggest shift is Saturn’s entry into Scorpio, where he’ll remain until September 2015. He got within half a degree in February but then turned retrograde and spent another eight months in Libra. Now, after revisiting difficult relationship issues and feeling like we’ve gotten as far as we can, the floodgates of transformation are about to open. Life is going to look a lot different around this time next week.

Just before Saturn enters Scorpio on Friday, Mercury and Saturn conjoin in the final degree of Libra. I have a feeling something will click for a lot of us at that point – like, “Oh, OK, now I get it.” What was all the waiting, returning, and soul-searching for? Since Libra is the sign of diplomacy, this may also apply to international relations, although we likely won’t be privy to whatever “enlightenment” our governments may gain. With both Mercury and Saturn in Scorpio, the likelihood increases that wheeling and dealing will go on behind closed doors. For now. I expect the cover will be blown eventually. I also think that whatever comes to light is going to spark public outrage, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Saturn and Pluto will be in mutual reception for the duration of Saturn in Scorpio. Mutual reception occurs when each of two planets is in the sign ruled by the other. The last time Saturn and Pluto were in mutual reception was at the end of 1776. The colonies already had declared their independence from the British Empire and were at war. Within a few weeks of Saturn’s entry into Scorpio, Washington crossed the Delaware, and Thomas Paine wrote the famous words, “These are the times that try men’s souls … Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered.”

Like the painting of Washington crossing the Delaware (stupidly standing in an overloaded boat), history is romanticized, and anyone today who takes up arms against tyranny is a “terrorist.” Well, then, I guess we’re going to see a lot more terrorism in the next three years, perhaps with renewed support for the Second Amendment. Combined with the Uranus-Pluto square, we can count on there being more bloodshed. Further, the combination of Scorpio and Capricorn strongly suggests economic conflict and scarcity of resources. Regardless of who’s elected in November, the 99 percent is going to see more belt-tightening.

It’s interesting to note the current fascination with the 1960s, which is when this Uranus-Pluto cycle began. The energy definitely is seeping into the collective. An article in the The Guardian today contemplates when the 1960s “officially” began and cites the revolution in music started by the Beatles. And whether or not they’re aware of the astrological correlations, writers in the media are making the connection between the turbulent 60s and the new wave of turmoil. You don’t need to be an astrologer to see that more upheaval is imminent.

Ray Merriman has an interesting prediction in his column this week about how these volatile astrological energies could affect the presidential elections in the United States. He mentions the possibility of a war in the Middle East, too.

As this week begins, we’re still in the wake of the Full Moon in Aries. I’ve been watching the news headlines, and so far the only story that really jumps out at me as a possible correlation to the Full Moon involves the austerity riots in Spain. Riots in bankrupt European countries have been going on for some time, but what’s particularly disturbing about this situation is the violent manner in which the police responded. We’re not out of the woods yet with this Full Moon. I normally don’t get too freaked out by astrological predictions, but I will admit that I’m on edge this week. I’m hoping it’s just a false alarm.

On Wednesday, Venus enters Virgo, the sign of her fall, and immediately opposes Neptune. Please let’s try to keep in mind the service-oriented side of Virgo, the friend who listens and offers help, not criticism about what you could have/should have done and how you brought it all on yourself. Fantasies can run both ways: putting someone on a pedestal is as deluded as believing they’re Satan. Be especially kind on Sunday, when Venus opposes Chiron. If you truly want to help someone, try to put yourself in his or her shoes before you open your mouth.

Jupiter turns retrograde on Thursday at 16 degrees Gemini. He’ll return to 6 degrees Gemini before returning direct in late January. Retrogrades of Jupiter on the whole aren’t too troublesome; it’s just that we don’t get the benefit of his expansiveness. The exception may be while Mercury is retrograde next month. Even retrograde, Jupiter in Gemini could amplify glitches related to retrograde Mercury. Also, if you’ve got Jupiter transiting a personal planet or chart angle, you may experience a reversal of luck or, at least, a delay in the payoff. If you don’t know where Jupiter is transiting your chart, there’s still time to order your StarGuide Fall forecast.

On Friday, Mercury and Saturn conjoin, then both enter Scorpio and form a grand trine with Neptune in Pisces and Ceres in Cancer. Dreams can come true, but it won’t happen by sitting in a lotus position and visualizing world peace. You have to get out there, roll up your sleeves, and get dirt under your fingernails. You might have to do other things you consider beneath you, too. Just keep your eye on the prize.

Mars leaves Scorpio on Saturday and enters adventurous Sagittarius, where his first order of business is to square Neptune. For an idea of how this might manifest, we may need to think all the way back to the first week of November 2011, when Mars opposed Neptune. Because of his retrograde cycle earlier this year, it took Mars all this time to arrive at the final square. This is not an optimistic transit, and we may feel a certain sense of hopelessness. Goddess knows, we’d be justified, but Sagittarius is the can-do pioneer that carries on in the face of adversity. Seek a reality check, and if you know you’re headed in the right direction, then push through the doubt. The bigger danger with Mars-Neptune is some form of deceit – in this case, likely due to a huge exaggeration. The presidential debates will be over by then, but there’s no time limit on the whoppers. My advice is to take care what you believe and in whom you put your trust.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast September 24: Venus Square Mars, Full Moon in Aries

Shadows of a fallen empire. © Claudio Balducelli for Dreamstime.com

This week is all about the build-up to the Full Moon on Saturday (Sunday if you’re in Europe). There’s no question that it’s worrisome, if not a little scary.

At 7 degrees Aries, the Moon is in a very close conjunction with Uranus. Yeah, OK, he’s the “Awakener,” and maybe the big surprise is that we’ll all wake up with lotus flowers springing out of our third eye. However, Uranus is still in a close square with Pluto – which means that the Full Moon itself is square Pluto, and that’s why astrologers are looking at this one with some concern. What we have is a cardinal T-square (very easy to see in the chart, below), not too different from the one we experienced over the summer of 2010. And, actually, we might get some idea of what to expect with this Full Moon by looking back to that time.

The correlations of the Uranus-Pluto square are plain to see, and astrologers actually did foresee the coming social upheaval and government backlash. No one was able to predict exactly how or where, but the proverbial handwriting was on the wall for those who could read the language of the sky. My read is that we’ve barely seen the beginning. The protest and rebellion is going to get worse, and that means the backlash will get worse, too.

This past week, police in riot gear were waiting for the Occupy protesters on Wall Street. According to some reports, there were so many cops that they were blocking traffic. Protesters who never left the sidewalk were arrested, handcuffed, and thrown in jail. Their offense? Blocking traffic. The authorities know that people are getting restless, and they’re ready. This is just one manifestation of the Uranus-Pluto square, but it’s definitely one of the most visible.

The Full Moon amplifies these energies. As I mentioned in last week’s forecast, the Uranus-Pluto square is a long-term aspect, and so we don’t necessarily see immediately events on the days when the square is exact, as it was last week. However, outbursts can occur when the movement of another planet acts as a trigger. Often, the trigger is Mars – planet of action – and there will be a Mars-Pluto conjunction on November 27, the day after Mercury returns direct. Astrologers are eyeing the U.S. presidential election, which occurs the day Mercury turns retrograde. We can expect irregularity in polling – possibly something similar to the 2000 race in which former Vice President Al Gore won the popular vote, but George W. Bush won the election. If something like that were to happen in 2012, there could be rioting in the streets or worse.

Full Moon in Aries

Click on image to enlarge

In the meantime, we have this Full Moon, which falls on the Uranus side of the Uranus-Pluto square. With Uranus retrograde, we can expect to see a lot of repressed anger released, and explosively. There’s also an urge to be free of oppressive conditions … or just to be free of whatever. If you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of anger right now, and people are looking to blame anyone they can for it.

Now, despite my concern, I do believe this Full Moon could bring some positive developments, relatively speaking. In the second half of 2010, many of us suddenly switched gears and took a new direction, one more in line with who we are and what we’re here to accomplish. The “right path” nonetheless has been a bumpy road – hardly surprising, since we’re pioneering new territory. We’re making progress, but I don’t know of anyone who’s been having an easy time of it.

I can’t help thinking about the former Kate Middleton, now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. This is someone with predominantly cardinal energy in her chart. Her husband, Prince William, has both Sun and Moon in early Cancer. Their wedding spectacle took place during a cardinal T-square. She married into royalty and may be the queen of England some day, but last week, she had to suffer the indignation of topless photos splashed all over the tabloids. On top of that, many are blaming her for being stupid enough to remove her bikini top outside. Several clients have asked me how the Uranus-Pluto square might affect them personally. There’s an example, albeit with the caveat that we don’t know where Uranus and Pluto are transiting Kate’s chart, because her birth time is unknown. We do know where it’s falling in William’s chart, though. This can’t be easy for him, either.

Another possibility with the Full Moon is an environmental disaster or “earth event,” such as an earthquake, violent electrical storms, volcanic eruption, etc. I’ve never been good at predicting weather events through astrology, but I see the build-up of tectonic pressure as something akin to repressed emotions. The Earth needs her release, too. Interestingly, the “out” for this T-square is the early degrees of Cancer, and Ceres enters Cancer this week. Although her position is wide to the T-square, her presence likely will be felt. Astrologers are still working to understand the role of Ceres in personal and mundane astrology, but there does appear to be a strong correlation between Ceres and the environment, especially as it pertains to the food chain.

Another theme as this Full Moon is the wrap-up of relationship issues and the degree to which we will commit to working through challenges. With Saturn in the final degree of Libra, the relationship sign, we’re finally gaining some clarity. This week, Venus and Mars form a square (exact on Thursday), highlighting issues of sex and control. Issues may come to a head at the Full Moon, although I think it’s more likely that we’ll continue to waffle until after Saturn enters Scorpio on October 5.

Just as a reminder, my StarGuide Fall forecast is available and can help you determine where these aspects are falling in your chart. I’m happy to say that everyone who ordered before September 22 received their forecast in time for the new season. I’ve still got a backlog of other reports and have a longer-than-usual turnaround time (about a week), so if you order now, I probably won’t be able to get your report to you by September 29. But there’s a lot of other information in the forecast, including my interpretation of the eclipses coming up in November.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast September 17: Uranus Square Pluto, Sun Enters Libra

Pluto in Capricorn, 1776. Not far from where the Occupy Wall Street Movement was launched in 2011, protesters in 1776 responded to the Declaration of Independence by pulling down the statue of King George III. Painting by Johannes Adam Simon Oertel, c. 1859.

The pressure continues to mount this week as Uranus forms another square to Pluto – this time, right as the former planet comes out of his annual five-month retrograde.

This is a long-term aspect that will continue into 2015, so I don’t expect that we’re going to see sudden explosions and violence when the square is exact on Wednesday. Outer planetary cycles don’t work that way. Indeed, we’re already seeing possible manifestations, including the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi and the Chicago teacher’s strike. It’s worth noting that the Occupy movement is planning demonstrations on Wall Street this week to commemorate its first anniversary. Police already have made arrests, and it’s a safe bet that cops in riot gear – the quintessential image of Pluto in Capricorn – will be at the ready.

All of the above notwithstanding, we may see sudden “outbursts” of Uranus-Pluto energy on days when another aspect triggers an event – sort of like a dry field waiting for one errant driver to toss a cigarette out the window at just the right moment in just the right wind conditions. For astrologers and serious astrology students, there’s a valuable opportunity to learn how these aspects correlate to events – a study known as “mundane astrology.”

As it so happens, Mercury in Libra opposes Uranus and squares Pluto on Thursday, which means that we’ll have a temporary cardinal T-square. You’ll remember the T-square from the summer of 2010, when it dominated the astrological charts. Mercury in Libra represents justice (at least in theory), balanced thinking, and diplomacy, but the Messenger is up against two warring heavyweights, and his voice is likely to be drowned out by inflammatory rhetoric. Put another way, the tension is too great to be eased by soothing words and promises. There’s something visceral going on with Uranus in Aries conflicting with Pluto in Capricorn. Repressed anger can’t be talked out, especially when it has been accumulating for centuries.

The Sun enters Libra on Saturday, which is the fall equinox (spring in the Southern Hemisphere). Next week’s Full Moon will be in a close T-square with Uranus and Pluto. If there is to be any immediate fallout, I would expect it to happen within a few days of the Full Moon on September 29. Incidentally, this is a potentially challenging Full Moon for everyone. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to order your StarGuide Fall forecast. I’ve been getting a lot of orders for this report, so my turnaround time is now a week to ten days on new report orders. I’ve posted a notice on the order page indicating that I’ll give priority to Fall forecast orders, but there’s still a possibility that I won’t be able to get it to you before the September 22. Those of you who have ordered Starguide but still haven’t received it will get it before Friday.

The only other aspect of note this week is a sextile from Venus in Leo to retrograde Jupiter in Gemini. This could be helpful for finances, depending on where these two fall in your chart. Romance may get a little spark, too, but I wouldn’t expect major developments unless either of these planets is in a sensitive position in your chart.

Speaking of relationships, we’re in the final countdown of Saturn in Libra, which I wrote about in last week’s forecast. I didn’t mention, however, that as he approaches the first degree of Scorpio, Saturn forms an applying trine to Neptune in Pisces. These two have very different energies, but combined in a positive way can be a real tour-de-force. I expect we will have more “past-life” revelations, some of which may help us grow past the stuck places we’ve been and finally attain some peace of mind regarding difficult relationships. Compassion and sacrifice also play a role. Ask yourself what you’re willing to do for true love.

Love and courage to all,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast September 10: New Moon in Virgo, Mercury Enters Libra

The pathway up. © Pat Paquette, 2012.

Relationships are in the transformation stage, no doubt about it. We’ve seen it coming, as Saturn approaches the final degree of Libra and is finally ready to move on.

Many of us are going to be finally ready to move on, too. Like, final finally. We’ve been ready. We’ve tried. But something has held us back for one more lesson, one more bit of convincing, and one last hope that maybe we were missing something, the golden bit of light that will wake us up to what’s really going so that we can remain more comfortably in an uncomfortable place. After all, we’re told that we can’t change others, only ourselves. So many of us have been busily working at changing ourselves, like burning the candle at both ends into the wee hours preparing for the final exam.

Four stories came to me last week about difficult relationships, how they’d been ended once or twice already only to be resurrected for another go. Until the Full Moon in Pisces on August 31, they were all doing pretty well, in a place that was more compassionate, accepting, and serene. And all four people, within a few days last week, experienced an unexpected event with their partners that threw them for a loop. One of them, a woman who after a year of struggling finally came to grips with her partner’s Asperger’s, was on her way home from work and saw him going out to dinner with another woman.

I wrote in last week’s forecast that the Full Moon would continue to unfold right up to Friday. Did it ever, and how. Last Tuesday, I came across Michael Lutin’s article on the Full Moon in Pisces, and it suddenly all made sense. We’re heading into the final three degrees of Saturn in Libra. Right. Mikey commented that something drastic will take place. I assume he’s talking about Saturn’s entry in Scorpio, which will place him in mutual reception with Pluto. Those of us who have been up all night studying will go through the final exam and emerge ready to transform. I say “ready to transform” rather than “transformed,” because I believe the process will continue. Evolution doesn’t stop.

I know, it sounds kind of scary, but we’ve known for some time that this wasn’t going to be a period of snuggling into our comfort zones. We’re out of the nest, learning to fly. This is what it feels like.

I’m going to spend the rest of the forecast looking at Saturday’s New Moon in Virgo, which begins unfolding on Monday and will continue to be felt through the weekend. The bigger event, of course, is the Uranus-Pluto square, which will be exact on September 18, the same day Pluto turns direct. Uranus says, “Evolution isn’t fast enough. Mutate!”

New Moon in Virgo

Click on image to enlarge

This New Moon is ruled by Mercury, who conjoins the Sun on Monday and then swiftly moves through the end of Virgo to enter Libra on Sunday. In my world, Virgo is co-ruled by Ceres, who is moving through the end of Gemini – in a near perfect square with Mercury and the New Moon and a perfect trine with Saturn.

Mercury in his own sign of Virgo wants to pay attention to the details – who did what to whom, when, who owes whom money, and so forth. This is fine for professional relationships, and directly addressing details may be just the solution for moving through issues with co-workers and supervisors. If this is your situation, make sure you have all your ducks in a row and that your arguments are based on sound logic. There’s still room for compromise (especially the following week, with Mercury in Libra), but concessions will be made on logic, not feelings.

Ceres has a different agenda. Feelings count, and so does the physical and emotional well-being of everyone involved. There may be a pecking order, but if someone lower down the food chain has the goods, they stand on equal footing with the higher-ups. Her method of compromise is more like Libra: you get half, I get half. If your relationship is ending, this may be a practical matter, and it’s where I see the possibility of a split that, while not necessarily amicable, at least will be civil. I think this is also where we may be able to release some karma, especially if you’ve got ties with someone over several incarnations.

Interestingly, in the New Moon chart, Juno is on the lunar North Node at 29 degrees Scorpio. In Roman mythology, Juno was the wife of Jupiter, the king of the gods. The Greek equivalents are Zeus and Hera. Greek mythology unfortunately stripped Hera of her power by making her the angry and vengeful wife of a philanderer. Her actual history is much older (like Nemesis, about whom I wrote last week). The evolution of the goddess might as well be a story about how male and female energies became imbalanced in the world. We’re on the threshold of righting the balance. In the last degree of Scorpio, Juno is drawing upon all of her power before entering Sagittarius, the sign ruled by Jupiter.

Lastly, Venus trines Uranus (the aspect is exact on Thursday). Here’s the big surprise, an event that causes a mutation of thought that leads to a transformation in your external world. This event may concern love or money, two domains ruled by Venus. Because the trine is harmonious, I’m hopeful that this will be a happy surprise. Goddess knows we’ve had enough of the other kind.

Mikey suggested reading the Robert Frost poem, commonly referred to as “The Road Less Travelled.” The actual title is “The Road Not Taken.” Think about that for a minute. Frost was writing about one road, but the collective perception was the opposite. There’s a lot to contemplate in the few weeks left of Saturn in Libra. Come to think of it, this is a perfect poem for Libra. Who else could stand so long at a fork in the road, trying to decide which way to go?

Regardless of which road you take, it’s going to be bumpy for the next several weeks. To help you on your way, I just set up the StarGuide Fall forecast, which is now available. I’ve taken some pre-orders already, so if you order now, expect it to take 3-4 days for delivery. I also highly recommend that if you want your report by the first day of fall (September 22) that you order this week. This is my most popular report, and I’m always swamped at the beginning of the new season.

Wishing you all much love and courage on your journey,
Aquarius, the sign of astrologyPat

Weekly Forecast September 3: Mars Sextile Pluto, Venus enters Leo

Angels with a vengeance. Double-teaming goddesses Themis and Nemesis work to keep the world free of scumbags. Pierre-Paul Prud’hon, 1806.

In many ways, this week continues themes of last Friday’s Full Moon in Pisces. So even though the normal period of influence for the Full Moon is plus or minus three days, events continue to unfold through the last quarter Moon on September 8.

Due to his recent retrograde, Mercury is following the Sun until the two conjoin next week. In the meantime, the Messenger is revisiting the aspects in the Full Moon chart between the Sun, Uranus, and Pluto. Whereas the Sun’s aspects may have been related to new developments in your life, the same aspects with Mercury correspond to working out the details. Put another way, a deal isn’t done until the contract is signed and the check is in hand. Mars aspects the same set of planets on Monday, and then Mercury and Mars from a sextile on Wednesday.

I don’t think you’d find it useful for me to break these aspects down individually, since they all tie in together and act in synergy. And while it’s hard to say precisely how a multiple-planet configuration such as this will manifest, I do see some major themes.

Underlying the entire set of aspects is the Uranus-Pluto square. Uranus represents revolution, while Pluto represents evolution. Put them together, and you have chaos preceding a new order. Mars in Scorpio adds activating energy into the mix, while Mercury represents insight into the process and the emergence of new information and ideas, as if out of thin air.

We are indeed asking the “big questions” right now, as Pip noted in her second comment to last week’s forecast. How much is “fate,” and how much control do we have over the direction of our lives individually and as the collective human species on earth? These are questions that philosophers have been asking for millennia.

A couple of days ago, I decided to look at the lesser asteroids in my chart. I knew I had Hygeia at a critical point and that there was likely some significance to this placement, especially since I wrote about the mythological Hygeia in my long article on Ophiuchus that appeared in the December/January issue of The Mountain Astrologer. My astrology software has a listing of nearly 50 additional asteroids, few of which I’ve heard of and none of which I’ve ever worked with in a chart. In addition to Hygeia, I discovered that I have Nemesis within a degree of my lunar North Node, which itself is very close to the Ascendant.

Most people know the word “nemesis” and consider it to be a very bad thing. The few astrological references to Nemesis indeed consider it to be a bad omen of sorts. I don’t buy it. First, we haven’t had even remotely enough experience with any of these minor asteroids to start making proclamations of their significance in a chart. Second, the use of minor asteroids isn’t itself a technique that has been put to the test and validated. From what I’ve seen, most of the astrological work has been intuitive free-associating, and not with any standard interpretation of what these bodies represent. That alone is grounds for caution. That said, having one of the “scary” asteroids on the North Node was a bit disconcerting, so I set out to learn more about Nemesis.

Nemesis is commonly called the goddess of retribution or revenge. According to some of the Greek philosophers, she stepped in to check excessive pride, undeserved happiness, and unearned good fortune. Clearly, this was an attempt by the ancients to explain fate. Put in modern terms, why do bad things happen to good people, and vice versa?

Digging a little deeper, we find that Nemesis actually was the remnant of a much older goddess – older than Zeus and the Olympians – who dates back into prehistoric times (remember, history began when writing was invented around 3,000 B.C.), when people first began asking the big questions. One of the biggest mysteries concerned fate. What was it? How did it work? Could you escape it? The concept of fate was assigned to a goddess, who was neither good nor bad. She just apportioned lots.

When I did a search for Nemesis, I discovered that she often was paired with Themis, a goddess representing divine law – the natural order of things. When someone disturbed the natural order, thereby creating an imbalance, Nemesis restored the equilibrium. I suppose that if you were on the receiving end of such an action, you might consider it negative (ask Bernie Madoff). And to anyone else, it would have appeared as divine retribution for arrogance.

Themis and Nemesis were two sides of divine justice, and the Greeks also saw Themis as an oracle who could predict the future. According to some myths, Themis was Zeus’s wife before Hera. It’s not hard to understand how this story came about; it gave legitimacy to the Father God (that is what “Zeus” means). Zeus, ever the philanderer, also was said to have raped Nemesis. The child of the union was Helen of Troy. Talk about revenge!

I’m fascinated by how human thought over the millennia shaped and distorted fundamental truths. Once writing was invented, the distortions literally became “written in stone,” to the point that humanity has lost touch with natural law. Understanding natural law is a prerequisite to any meaningful discussion of fate and free will.

Now, here comes the really interesting part. After looking up the asteroids in my own chart, I did an asteroid chart for Friday’s Full Moon in Pisces. Asteroid Nemesis was at 12 degrees Sagittarius (conjunct my natal Saturn), directly opposite asteroid Themis at 11 degrees Gemini! Jupiter was at 14 Gemini. It’s hard not to jump to a conclusion that the minor asteroids just might have some significance in astrological analysis. It’s certainly something I’ll be looking at from now on.

Back to this week, the configuration of Mercury, Mars, and the outer planets also includes Chiron, who currently is sitting at about 7 degrees Pisces, putting him in a close sextile with Pluto. My take on this is that the breakdowns and breakthroughs occurring under the Uranus-Pluto square also have a healing element to them. Healing in and of itself can trigger major changes in one’s life. As you heal old wounds, your energy changes, which in turn may attract different kinds of people and experiences in to your life.

Also this week, Venus squares Saturn on Monday and then enters Leo on Thursday. On Friday, the Sun squares Jupiter, followed by a Mercury-Jupiter square on Saturday.

The most recent contact between Venus and Saturn was barely a month ago, when they formed a trine on July 31. In general, trines are easier than squares. The conventional interpretation of a Venus-Saturn square is a lack of connection, feelings of loneliness and isolation, or difficult commitments. Some or all of that could be true this week, but with Saturn still in Venus-ruled Libra, “difficult” may be relative, and it’s not “impossible.” If you run up against an inability to get through to someone or to make the connection you’re looking for, try not to be dismayed. This really is transitory.

Venus in Leo is the party girl with golden hair and loads of bling. She needs to be seen, and she thrives on compliments and positive strokes. Her first order of business is a quincunx on Friday with Neptune, her Higher Self. Friday dates may go awry when selfish desires get in the way of compassion and understanding. You’ll fare best if you can fight the urge for instant gratification.

The Sun-Jupiter square, with Mercury and Jupiter in a square the next day, could turn out to be quite helpful, as these energies can work well together even in a square, which we normally consider as conflict. This is a strong aspect for getting a lot of work done – indeed, for moving mountains. The pitfalls are biting off more than you can chew and getting bogged down in details. Here is one instance where free will definitely can come into play. Do your best to stay on task, and resist getting in a pissing contest. Arguing over details is a risk, especially if you’re negotiating a contract. It will help if you know in advance what you’re willing to compromise on and what’s non-negotiable.

I’ll be working this week on the StarGuide Fall 2012 forecasts and will post a notice when they’re available. I also owe some of you reports and follow-up e-mails. Rest assured that I haven’t forgotten you.

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