Cosmic Support amidst Shakedown City

February offers us a bit of a break.   It feels so nice after the push and pull of planets in January and the hustle-bustle of December’s holidays.   This month, not a single planet turns retrograde or direct motion out of retrograde which affirms our sense of where we are going.  With the exception of Jupiter, all planets are moving forward in February.   So we feel less struggle and more directed.  YAY!  Not that there isn’t work to be done (there always is…); but we will feel as though we are actually getting somewhere, making tracks, accomplishing our goals. 

Underscoring this are some really helpful configurations.   For starters, Generous Jupiter and the Lunar North Node (our true calling) continue to travel together in Virgo, focusing and delivering our goals in the health and work sectors of our lives.  This power couple finishes details to an astonishing level of perfection and will not skip over a single item of note. 

Forming a gorgeous alliance to Jupiter-North Node are Messenger Mercury tightly conjoined to Transformer Pluto in constructive Capricorn, matching our minds, messages and desires.  Messages will be really strong now, both those you receive and deliver.  Pay attention to what is said and what you say.  Capricorn is all about solid foundations, creating that which lasts the test of time.  What are you trying to create and manifest to sustain yourself and loved ones?  Envision. By the end of the first week (Feb. 7^th) beneficent Venus joins this pair complimenting and cheering on our efforts; all three align with Jupiter-North Node to plan and execute to the final detail.  Build baby build!   

The trick is managing the unexpected.  The curveball.  Because challenging the Capricorn planetary trio is Radical Uranus.  This is the game changer.  All of us find we must reinvent ourselves, our methods and routines to accomplish what we seek.  No exceptions.  What used to work no longer does.  This can be a break through period for those willing to go out on a limb and take chances (see below).  You will be rewarded.  For those clinging to worn out ways, little movement occurs.  An example of this out-of-the-box climate is the highly tumultuous political scene in the USA.  On both the Right and the Left, the Capricorn Establishment is facing complete upheaval.   Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are shaking down the traditional system and offering something totally different. Keep an eye on the Iowa Caucuses as an indicator of how much change voters demand.

So while we have a tremendous amount of cosmic support this month to get where we want to go, do make allowances for surprises.   When we aren’t caught off guard and staying on track, February is a time to roll up your sleeves and really nail down the format and details of your desires.  Mars accentuates the messages from the Mercury-Pluto duo:  trust what you are hearing and seeing.  As February begins, Motivating Mars is at a critical degree of Scorpio telling us to dig deep.  Keep looking, searching and hunting to leave no stone unturned and each detail accounted for. 

(A cautionary note about Mars at such a notable degree in Scorpio:  watch your wallet.  Fortunately it is aligning helpfully with Mercury-Pluto in practical Capricorn.  So balance and settle accounts. Ask:  do you really need that extra such and such?  It is always a good idea to pay debt off first.)

Scorpio is the master intuitive so trust your gut, your instincts and your hunches in all cases.  The greatest art has been produced by artists following their intuition.  Some of the most profound and significant scientific breakthroughs have occurred by scientists following their hunches.  The trick is stamina.  To persist and keep at it even when you think you have no energy or ideas left.  Try not to let failure or disappointment dissuade you.  You have gut instincts and hunches for a reason.  Make like a Scorpio detective and put your nose to the grindstone.  Hard work now will indeed pay off.  It just isn’t always for us to know when or how.  Trust the flow and allow.  Take a break when needed. Just when you believe all paths have been exhausted, that’s when Mighty Uranus and Saturn step in by offering an Awakening, a Surprise, a breakthrough. 

Because the engines of invention and innovation are working overtime now, firing on all cylinders.  Wow.  We can hardly ask for more!  Radical Uranus in fiery Aries beautifully aligns with Saturn in adventurous Sagittarius fueling our mind, body and soul through the entire month.  Working late to solve a problem?  Feeling like you are on the edge of landing that job, healing old psychological or physical wounds but just don’t know if you have steam left to pull it off or are overwhelmed by the task ahead?  The Uranus-Saturn alliance is your friend for sure.  It’s like having an endless supply of gasoline to keep the car running.   Turned into yet another dead end?  Uranus-Saturn delivers miraculous ways of looking at something, a fresh round of resources you never knew you had.  It is very cool indeed.  Saturn in Sagittarius is all about trust:  believing even though you can’t yet see results.   Like agreeing to something or someone with a handshake and a whole lot of blind faith and just knowing it will all work out.  Uranus-Saturn say go ahead and make the deal, try something new: you have nothing to lose.

This gorgeous, fiery energy is in place on February 8^th for the New Moon at 19 degrees Aquarius.  Talk about the Mother of Invention and out of the box creativity…Wow!   Smack in between both planets, the New Moon forms a very helpful angle to both Uranus and Saturn, aligning our emotions, will, effort and creative intent.  There is a “your wish is my command” expression to this New Moon.  The caution here is the challenging angle between the Moon/Sun in Aquarius and Motivating Mars in Scorpio.

We must reach far deeper than we expected, re-examine exactly what we’ve gotten ourselves into to achieve our goal.   In fact, we must ask if our goal is in line with our soul purpose.  In other words, are we really certain our goal is what we need for our best and highest good?   Have you thought about what you will do when you attain that goal?  Then what?  We definitely have an endless supply of energy to get us across the finish line now. It is within reach:  you can see it just in the distance.   If your mark is in fact soul-aligned, you will attain it.  Keep moving toward it with everything you have. 

On Valentine’s day, Messenger Mercury moves into group-oriented and detached Aquarius.  And the Messenger planet in this airy sign loves springing surprises; with Venus in status-conscious Capricorn, expect the rather large and unexpected ­­­­­­­­_________ fill in the blank.  The moon is exalted (super honored) in earthy Taurus all weekend forming a gorgeous angle to Transformer Pluto and Jupiter-North Node.  What may seem to begin as an ordinary date night on February 13-14 could very well carry particular, positive and weighty significance.  Ahem.  Any proposal will be most heartfelt.  The ring accompanying it, BIG. 

Three days later beneficent Venus joins Messenger Mercury in Aquarius helping us to detach emotionally from any difficult relationships we may be ensnared in.  Incline toward folks who are new to you, can help you see through a different lens and/or enjoy group activities and networking for the rest of the month.  Aquarian Venus is humanitarian by nature and reminds us that we are all one, with souls and beating hearts.   Through detached interaction, we can more easily bridge the differences among us for better understanding of our fellow man.  This connectivity increases as Mercury-Venus travel together to the end of February.

On the 19^th, the Sun moves into self-sacrificing Pisces.  Known as the Mystic, Pisces directs our will (Sun) to believe.  Believe in our ideas, our fellow man, our loved ones, ourselves, what we create, increasing as the Sun joins Neptune, the ruler of Pisces.  It is an excellent time for creativity of any kind…to day dream and let your imagination run wild, to listen to music and enjoy any kind of water activities (from a soak in the tub to swimming in the ocean).  Have fun and see where the flow takes you…just remember to come back to earth!  Because the polar opposite of focused belief is escapism.   This is the caution with Pisces.  While Pisces imbues us with faith and imagination, it is best to strike a balance between reality and our fanstasies.  Fortunately, the earthy and ever-pragmatic Pluto in Capricorn and Jupiter-North Node in Virgo trio keeps our feet on the ground even while our head wanders through the clouds. 

This effect is highlighted on the Full Moon, February 22 with the Sun in dreamy Pisces while the Moon is realistic, analytical Virgo.  What we have sown blossoms into fruition now.  With Messenger Mercury exalted (specially honored) in Aquarius, it is a particularly great time for announcements of significance.  All Full Moons are key periods to make a splash and get noticed.  But the Full Moon on the 22^nd is a particularly ripe time.

The final week of February (and we get an extra day due to leap year!)  both Messenger Mercury and beneficent Venus move through a very noticeable degree of Aquarius.  So the spotlight you garnered on the Full Moon will carry over until the end of the month.  It is an excellent time to share news, build a network, grow the work force and expand building on all that hard work you have accomplished to date.  Mercury-Venus in Aquarius have a magical connectivity power.  So what you unleash and release to the masses can spread like wildfire.  Conversely, any information you are not prepared to share is best kept to yourself since Aquarius loves a surprise and can catch you off guard.  Whatever the case, may the Force be with you!

Of Special Note:

I recently completed my Level IV Reiki Training and am now a certified Reiki Master.  I offer both in-person and distance Reiki sessions which last about 45 minutes.  To schedule either a Reiki session or astrology reading, please email me at hilary@hilaryharley.com or visit my website www.hilaryharley.com

Tried and True: It isn't Sexy but it Works!

We all like a little glamour in our lives.  Who doesn’t?  Yet as 2015 rolls into 2016 we will find ourselves relying increasingly and steadily on that ever-so-boring quality:  function.  What works efficiently and effectively in our lives.

As each of us is pushed and pulled by the forces that be and drowned out in the cacophony of others seemingly more powerful, it is imperative to stay focused this coming year.  What are your goals?  Stick to them like glue and don’t be dissuaded.  Don’t have any goals?  Develop one or two manageable tasks that you believe can be accomplished. 

At our service helping us to get things done through the first three months of 2016 is the powerful pairing of Generous Jupiter and the Lunar North Node.  The latter is often called the North Node of Fate because it pulls us toward our destiny.  There is no mistaking when it calls our name.  How?  By resonating deeply with us.  Making us feel good, that we have done the right thing when we follow its lead.

Jupiter brings abundance wherever it cycles through the zodiac.  In combination with the Lunar North Node, these two underscore and emphasize where we are supposed to go, what we are doing, and how we spend our time.  If you are on the right path, you cannot help but feel it, that you are in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.

In functional Virgo, the Jupiter-North Node duo is highly discerning and analytical.  They will really help you get the job done, no matter what the job is.   Nothing says Let’s get Real like earthy Virgo.  Why?  Virgo rules health, work, animals, routines and habits, and service to others.  Virgo doesn’t mess around.  It makes a list, checks it five times, adjusts accordingly, and follows through with an unparalleled efficiency.  Depending on where this power couple falls in your chart, all the wholesome goodness of ethical, hardworking Virgo is brought to you in spades.  Stand back and behold!

January is often a time when we revisit diet and exercise, routines of all kinds.  Virgo is the Queen of Routines.  Since our lives are formed and based on habits, it is essential to make sure these are healthy and serving us well.  Rolling into the New Year, what habits and routines do you want to change, what have you outgrown and need to shed or improve upon?   Have you neglected your body?  Are you overworking and under-playing?   Want to volunteer but haven’t figured out how to squeeze it into your schedule? 

Optimally functioning and well-serving routines and habits are vital to our well-being.  But a word of caution:  they can be a trap like anything else where we get stuck in a rut.  Sticking to a routine simply because it is what you know, not because it serves you, greatly diminishes its value.   The New Year affords us a time to review what is working and what is not in our lives.  Virgo is a mutable sign, meaning it offers flexibility, variety and possibility to help us adjust our patterns to create the most effective life possible.  It is OK to embrace the new, untried path, to add variety; in short:  to be different.  Regardless of what others think or say.  No time like the New Year to take charge of your life!

So what a blessing to have Jupiter tied to the North Node all month long underscoring and reinforcing our quest to develop new patterns.  At every turn this pair supports our efforts for health and well-being, and work (but not overwork).   The caution here is that Virgo rules perfection and details.  Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew; try not to over-analyze or overthink the myriad details and lose sight of the big picture for all of the details.   Attempt small shifts first.  Give yourself a trial period.  Feel what works and what doesn’t.  Adjust.

Deepening our quest to Get Real in 2016, Motivating Mars enters Scorpio just after the New Year on Monday, January 4^th.   Mars is our drive, what gets us out of bed in the morning.  In Scorpio, the psychologist of the zodiac, Mars drives us to dive deep inside ourselves to thoroughly observe and examine what makes us tick.   Where the Jupiter-North Node pair analyzes how well parts of your life are functioning, Mars now pushes us to find out why, to get to the veritable bottom of the story.  This trio is potent and means business.   It wants answers.  Like the film, A Few Good Men, Mars directs us to get the truth, whether we can handle it or not. 

Uncovering the Truth, you may not like what you find.  And so of course the downside, flipside and dark side of Mars in Scorpio is a drive to escape into sex, drugs and overspending to avoid what must ultimately be faced:  reality.   If you choose avoidance instead of walking the Path, prepare to pony up.  Instead, why not do the hard, soul work now so you can enjoy life when the time is right.  So, watch your wallet for the next two months.  Ask:  do you really need that?  After all the holiday shopping and spending the bill comes due in January and February.  Pay it off as quickly as you can.  Otherwise the interest is guaranteed to build up in 2016 as Mars revisits Scorpio later this year.

The very next day after Mars enters Scorpio, Messenger Mercury turns retrograde motion for most of January.  This is a mixed blessing.  While we have the urge to get going in the New Year, to jump on the bandwagon to set a fresh course in 2016, it is also the deepest part of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.  A time for turning inward.  Snuggling with others and ourselves.  Our pets.  So while we set intentions for the New Year, Mercury asks us now to review those intentions until January 25^th, to be sure of our goals, that this is what we want, the path we seek to walk.  Is it?  For the next three weeks:  ponder.

Three days later on Friday, January 8^th, Jupiter also turns Retrograde until early May.  Unlike some common perceptions, planetary retrogrades are not a bad thing.  It simply means the planet’s actions slow down and prompt us to search or act internally rather than outwardly.  With Jupiter conjoined to the Lunar North Node, we are invited to take to heart our quest for good health, efficient work habits and service to others.  Do as you say.  Follow through.  Be reliable.  Virgo isn’t sexy or fun, but oh man, where would we be without honesty, responsibility, punctuality and integrity? 

Introspection never hurt anyone; and prepares us beautifully for the New Moon on January 10^th in earthy, pragmatic Capricorn.  This New Moon is tied to Messenger Mercury, the Sun and transformer Pluto.   Pay attention to messages you receive now, literally anything that crosses your path, as Mercury forms a very helpful angle to Jupiter, creating one very powerful New Moon phase.  In practical, structured Capricorn, the stage is set for 2016.  Think of January as the platform and building block for the rest of the year.

A key note of this New Moon is its proximity of transformer Pluto challenging Uranus, which has shaped us over the past four years.  While these outer planets will not precisely challenge one another again for quite some time, their current razor’s edge prompts us to revisit the same the same themes we’ve worked through in 2014-15.  It is a highly appropriate time given Mercury and Jupiter’s retrograde status in January…to have us take one more thorough look at where we’ve been, how far we’ve come in order to establish where we want to go in 2016. 

Fasten your seatbelts then because during the third week of the month, cosmic activity picks up steam.  On January 21, the Sun says goodbye to Capricorn and enters inventive Aquarius, paving the way for strong individuality two days later when the Full Moon occurs in Leo on the 23^rd.    This is the culmination of a very potent lunar cycle involving Messenger Mercury which is tightly conjoined to Powerful Pluto.  Watch your words.  Listen, really listen, to what others are saying.  Pay attention.  With Mercury-Pluto in black and white Capricorn, people will take you at face value, closely observe whether you are hearing what they tell you and want you to know.  So be sure to say what you mean and mean what you say.  The Leo Full Moon can also be over the top dramatic.  It also wants to have FUN.  A good time, a really, really good time.  Just be sure to take a taxi if you’ve had too much to drink and filter your words.  Rely on Mercury-Pluto in practical Capricorn to help with both.

Exactly the same day as the Full Moon, Vivacious Venus shifts into high gear at an attention-getting degree of Capricorn.  Deals and relationships may take form now.  With the North Node of Fate still tied to Jupiter, very significant people may enter or make a mark on your life now.  FOCUS!  Do not ignore or dismiss anyone new to you now.  While you may not find them relevant in the current moment, hang on to their information as you may need to contact them at some point later on.  The Leo Full Moon is also highly romantic and creative as much as it is full of surprises with the Sun in Aquarius.  This is a great time to plan a proposal or creative venture as Mercury turns direction two days later on January 25^th.  So go ahead and ask/prepare to launch!

Heading into the final week of January, Savvy Saturn makes an increasingly helpful angle to Ingenious Uranus and will continue to do so through February.  With the Sun already cycling through Aquarius (ruled by Uranus) it is an excellent time to think, plan and act out of the box.  Saturn’s alliance with Uranus is the magician’s wand, a truly magical combination, as Saturn is hard work and Uranus is ingenuity.   Both are currently in fire signs bringing together pioneering, trailblazing inspiration (Uranus in Aries) and adventurous, philosophical search for meaning (Saturn in Sagittarius).   Uranus in Aries is full frontal can-do spirit while Saturn demands the Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth.  It is in an incredibly strong combination.  Whatever the energy is aimed at manifests, like literally having a magician’s wand in your hand.  It is terrific for accomplishing altruistic goals.  But use with care.  With Mercury now direct, still tied to Powerful Pluto in Capricorn, the Great Manifestor, the world will be yours for the asking in 2016.  So do be careful what you wish for.

Of special note:

I wish each and every one of you a healthy and joyous New Year!  I have now expanded my practice to include Reiki therapy.  Please see my newly updated website:  www.hilaryharley.com and linkedin page listed under Hilary Harley for more information on Harley Holistic Healing and how to schedule an astrology reading or Reiki treatment.

Blessings,

Hilary