Now What?

My oh, my, oh my.   As my mom used to day, “what a difference a day can make.”  In this case, what a difference a month can make.  Certainly looking back over this past month of August.  Whew. That was a doozy!  

I truly hope you and yours, all of my readers are faring well despite the drama and upheaval of the last few weeks.  The great news is that celestially, September is an infinitely calmer month.  That said, now the work begins in earnest, to do the real clean up wrought by August's chaos.

In the United States, we now find ourselves in the aftermath of the most damaging hurricane on record. Hurricane Harvey occurred just days after the total solar eclipse and during Mercury Retrograde.  For nearly one week, this storm just sat over South Texas spinning and dumping rainwater, as if to say, “You won't forget this one!”  It made landfall not just once but twice on the Texas coast.  Nothing will make you slow down like the record setting 40-50 inches of rain this area received. Wow.

Imagine complete disruption to approximately 12 million lives and the ripple effect that causes to the rest of the country and world.  A massive humanitarian effort is now underway and it is debatable how long it will take to bring order to this region.  All this on the heels of a horrific racial event in Charlottesville, Virginia.  In these days of complete polarization, nature has forced people to join together to help one another.  To cooperate.  To get along.  And there is nothing like an act of God to inspire people to reach across self-imposed (and illusory) barriers and join together.

As one woman recently observed, “I truly don’t understand America.  One week we have Nazis running people over in cars [August 12th] and the next we have people coming out of the woodwork with their boats to save lives of people and animals.  And I am sure some of those people will save the lives of people they once thought they hated and I am sure some who once hated will get saved by the people that they claim to hate.  It just goes to show you that hate is learned and can be unlearned.  Love your fellow human.  Get to know someone different than you.”'

It is a key message for the coming months. 

With this natural disaster greatly in mind, we push forward with our lives.  September opens with three planets in Leo, two of which conjoin our directional point, the Lunar North Node, and all aligning to change agent Uranus in Aries.  A whole new order is at play here.  What is going on for you?  Uranus says change and change now.  No excuses.  The creative power of this alliance is hard to overstate.  Motivating Mars is sandwiched between the North Node and Messenger Mercury.  We are called to take a chance, throw caution to the wind, break out of what keeps us down and holds us back.

More vitally, we are being given key messages now, strong ones, heart-centered, soulful messages.  Please listen.  Messenger Mercury is at the August 21^st eclipse degree (SUPER STRONG!) as it stations, comes to a complete halt, before turning direct motion on September 5^th.  Pay attention now.  Stop and listen.  What are you hearing?  No really.  Through the frenzy of our lives, carefully tune in.    Mars hammers Mercury’s point home between September 1^st and 10^th.  That is a significant stretch of time.  What are you being told now?  Who and what information is trying to reach you, teach you?  We are never too old to learn anything!   What are you supposed to hear?  Listen to children (out of the mouths of babes pours forth the truth), the cashier at the checkout counter, your subordinate at work.  Often the most vital information arrives when we least expect it from the most surprising voices, from those we often do not pay heed to. 

With all of this Leo energy, please watch for drama.  Don’t be afraid to roar yourself.  Let your self- expression fly. Just make sure you truly have something valuable to say.  Try not to take up prime air space.  The first ten days of September can also be very romantic and surprising on many fronts.  Remember, Uranus, the ultimate game changer, is at work here.  When Mercury turns direct motion on Tuesday, September 5^th at last month’s eclipse degree, life really kicks into overdrive.  School begins in earnest; big purchases are made, contracts signed, deals sealed.  Leo is courageous.  Be brave.  You are being called to step up and step out now.  Where and how?

Mercury’s push forward in all shades of flagrant Leo bravado occurs on the eve of the September 6^th Full Moon.   In marked contrast, another aspect of this picture is the gentle, highly sensitive pairing of watery Neptune and the nurturing Moon in mystical Pisces.  If we allow, this Full Moon is deeply cleansing and healing.  Listening to music, meditating, journaling, walking near water or being in water will work wonders on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 5^th and 6^th.   The Pisces Moon and Neptune pair are profoundly intuitive.  As part of this Full Moon picture, we truly have a key opportunity to receive messages, information for our highest and best purpose. 

Be still for a moment and tune into yourself.  What are you feeling emotionally?  What are you being urged to release, cleanse, purge?  This Moon’s healing potential derives from its opposition to the Sun in health conscious Virgo.  Emphasizing this is Motivating Mars entrance into Virgo just hours before this Full Moon.  What needs to be healed in your life?

Mars spearheads the shift of planets from Leo to Virgo.  This will be of tremendous assistance in the massive clean up of South Texas.   We don our thinking caps on September 10^th when Mercury joins Mars and the Sun (our energy and will) in Virgo.  Great for planning, analytical detail, maximum efficiency, health efforts and plain old hard work, Virgo energy compels us to roll up our sleeves and get to it.  Virgo is a numbers gal.  The Information Queen.  She will have all of the statistics and data you could ever want.   She shows us where to target our efforts and how best to accomplish our goals.

The caution with three planets now in Virgo is overthinking.  Losing the forest for the trees.  Overthinking leads to worry and anxiety.  Remember, worrying is like praying for something you do not want to happen.  Messenger Mercury, Motivating Mars conjoined in perfectionist Virgo can easily lose sight of the big picture, the grand goal(s) Leo had in mind.  When trying to accomplish your vision, keep an image nearby, a written phrase in a spot you see every day.  Use mentally wound Virgo Mercury and Mars for positive mantras, to plan the actual steps to execute and accomplish your goal.

At mid-month, planet of love and money Venus conjoins the North Node in Leo aligning with Uranus in Aries.  This pairing underscores precisely the above.  Here we are pointed toward, called to a larger vision than ourselves (Venus/North Node in Leo) to change (Uranus in Aries) our lives for the better.  While Mercury, Mars and the Sun in Virgo efficiently find exactly how to accomplish that.

The Virgo New Moon on September 20^th invokes precision and commitment to healthier routines and habits, work-life balance, service devoted to others.   The very same day, Venus joins the New Moon in this quest with her entrance into Virgo.  Messenger Mercury’s direct opposition to mystical Neptune at the New Moon heightens our awareness of illusion vs. fact, what is real and what is not, hyperbole versus the real deal. The large emphasis on Virgo now begs a “just the facts ma’am” attitude.  We are urged to streamline our thoughts, forget any extraneous ideas, eliminate what does not serve, what muddles the work to be done.

The Sun enters Libra on Saturday, September 23^rd, urging peace, harmony, reaching out to our fellow man and woman, encouraging the pursuit of art, beauty and an orderly life.  Already in Libra, Jupiter now opposes Radical Uranus in fiery Aries during the last week of the month.  You will feel this aspect.  Uranus in Aries breaks down boundaries and pushes everyone and everything aside regardless of consequence.  Meanwhile, Generous Jupiter in Libra says not so fast.  There is an order to be considered, relationships to self and others to be honored.  These are both tricky and delicate days.  At such a time it is good to have three planets (Venus, Mars and Mercury) in Virgo to ground us, our words and actions, to think before we speak.

Titanic planets such as Jupiter and Uranus in opposition heighten our awareness.  Push forward as Uranus demands but always with a strong eye and mind not to throw the baby out with the bath water.   Libra’s dilemma is to decide.   It sees both sides of the fence so very clearly and often, causes us to sit on the fence not choosing one way or the other.   So when facing your decisions to be made, ask:  does this (fill in the blank…job, project, relationship, prospect…) bring peace?   Ask, what leads you to calm?

Peace be with you.

  

August 2017: Fully Loaded

I will come straight to the point:  August 2017 is simply a fully loaded month.  Rarely do we have the volume of significant celestial events in such a short time frame as this August bears.  It is actually breathtaking. Amid all of the sturm and drang, you will feel these gear shifts now. Remember to breathe.

I’m not a doom and gloom astrologer.  When describing the push and pull of cosmic forces, I try to strike a balance between the positive and negative energies at play, brought to bear on each of us:  how best to deal with the light and dark.   Yes, we must go about our daily lives to make the most of each day.  However, this next four week stretch is so incredibly bumpy that if there is any way you can lay low, hold off on major decisions, take a stay-cation or leave on holiday, even if only for a few days, that is the best option.

August’s twists and turns are dramatic.  Here’s the skinny:

From the outset of the month comes the first event:  change agent Uranus turns retrograde motion on the 3^rd.  Radical and rebellious, Uranus rules earthquakes, lightning strikes, anything sudden, shocking, surprises both good and tricky.  When this major player shifts direction, it sends a message.  So pay attention.  Uranus’ nickname is the Great Awakener.  In retrograde motion, we are often abruptly found in unexpected situations.  Most often we have no idea why we are suddenly thrust into seemingly alternate realities.  Some of us will learn over time exactly why and how these steep shifts occurred in our lives.  The wisest among us learn to integrate the lessons taught by such changes.  However, many may feel victimized for months and perhaps years to come, refusing to adjust to altered circumstances. 

If you are in the midst of dramatically changing life landscapes my words are harsh at worst, and cold comfort at best.  But please know, try to remember, with time and effort, what seems impossibly difficult now will soften then grow into something perhaps infinitely better for you and your life path. 

Breathe. 

Human beings do not like change and will resist and fight against change with everything they have.  Uranus has other plans.  Especially for resisters.  The ultimate lesson it teaches is trust.  To trust what comes next, even if this is totally unplanned.  Have faith that there is a reason, a method behind the current chaos.  Believe. 

Trust, have faith, believe. 

What makes this particular Uranus gear shift especially dramatic is that it not only occurs just days before a Full Moon but this Full Moon is a powerful lunar eclipse.  The degree point is 15 Aquarius, a gigantic flashing light for astrologers.  Why?  Fifteen of any fixed sign (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) is STRONG.  A real attention getter.  Add to this that the lunar eclipse occurs with the Sun in Leo, the original drama queen.  Listen for whiners squealing to kingdom come this first week of August. 

A suggestion:  Grace.   Find it, practice it, use it, from August 1^st-9^th, every day in every way.  Give people the benefit of the doubt.  Try not to overthink.  Read between the lines.  Grace is the finest antidote we have to mediate all of that drama.  The world is in tremendously short supply of grace just now, a quality on the brink of extinction.

Where grace runs low, we do have some cosmic help underlying this otherwise tumultuous time.  The on-going grand fire alliance between the lunar North Node in Leo, Uranus in Aries and Saturn in Sagittarius.  This troika sources solutions to complex problems.  The very day Uranus turns retrograde, the Moon joins the mix pairing with Saturn in Sagittarius.  WATCH for:  emotional breakthroughs, the highest we can aspire to.  But be aware of:  emotional breakdowns, the most challenging we may experience.  Remember the old adage, we sometimes need to break down before we can break through.

The drama of the Lunar North Node in Leo with the on-coming eclipse at such a powerful degree point makes sure we get the message in no uncertain terms.  You will know without a doubt after this passage what needs to stop, change or continue growing in your life.

This said, bring on the lunar eclipse of August 7^th Full Moon on the Aquarius-Leo axis.  Aquarius is ruled by guess who?  Right!  URANUS!  The double message is:  change and change now.  Aquarius is the sign of invention, non-mainstream and alternative everything.  Ruled by Uranus, the earth may very well move beneath us now.  Watch for Eureka! moments this week.  Everything from little “Ah-hah! Now I get it!” to vivid astonishment, wow-holy-cow discoveries both personally and professionally rendering you speechless.  Uranus and Aquarius can really knock you off your feet.  So exercise some caution while driving, walking, exercising, using kitchen knives, etc.   Accidents may happen.

In the days that follow, guard your decision making.  Act when necessary, with a mind to Messenger planet Mercury about to turn retrograde motion as well on Saturday, August 12^th.  Now is a great time for vacations, holidays and taking breaks in general from the usual routine.   With all of the planetary upheaval this month, take heed of the RE words during Mercury’s inward turn:  RE lax, RE turn, RE view, RE generate, RE new, RE search, RE store, etc.  You get the picture.  So for the RE mainder of August, BEING rather than doing is the operative word.  Lay low.  Be still.  Plan.  Do your homework for prospective projects.  But acting now on major fronts will yield reversed or unpredictable results. 

Self care now is ours for the asking.  We are encouraged in the next few weeks by Venus (relationships, love and money) and Ceres (nurturing) in caring Cancer aligned with Neptune in Pisces.  Cancer and Pisces are water signs.  Water conducts and magnifies.  Think about that for a second.  An unwatered plant dies.  That same plant watered regularly grows.  What do you want to grow in your life now? For the next few weeks, keep in mind:  water and music; music and water.  Soothing yourself and loved ones on sun and sand will do wonders for the spirit.  Listening to music you enjoy, any tunes that feel right will go far to soothe the savage beast and change the energy and mood (yours, a group, a room), instantly.   We, each of us has much control now.  It is all about how you control, steer and direct your energy.  Worry now and you will get greater worry in return.   Laugh and the whole world laughs along.

Mid-month is a wonderful time to get away, love yourself, flow with what comes, dance and dream, escape.  Above all, follow your intuition.  Do what feels right for you.  Remember to BE rather than DO; but if you must do something, feel your way rather than think your way through.

And then, there is the August 21 solar eclipse.  The Great American Eclipse this event is so called.  Why?  The eclipse path will cut a swath from coast to coast across the United States, slicing the country virtually in half from Oregon to North Carolina.   Talk about metaphors in motion!  For a nation ideologically divided and a populace and culture so bitterly torn politically and socially, the eclipse speaks with gut-wrenching accuracy.  Hotels and inns 40 miles deep along the eclipse path have been sold out for months in advance as stargazers seek to catch a glimpse of this phenomenon striking the USA.  This is something else.    

Then there this vital fact:  the eclipse degree of 29 Leo exactly sits on the Ascendant/rising sign and Mars of Donald Trump. The effects of this astrological “hit” to the President’s chart cannot be overly stated.   The Ascendant rules the physical body, self and identity.  Mars rules motivation, energy and yes, war.  Clearly, Trump is already feeling the effects of this eclipse with the on-going investigation into his Russian ties dogging his administration.  Watch for dramatic (Leo) shifts to Trump and his administration now and well into the fall of 2017.  As of this writing, he has directed two key administrative changes (White House communications director --twice-- and chief of staff).  Expect more to come.

Two days later, the Sun (our will and identity) moves into Virgo.  Exacting, precise, efficient, Virgo rules health and work.  We find our energy steered toward work that is healthy for us, considering health-related choices, perfectionism and attention to detail in all things.  Virgo is the work horse of the zodiac so it is good to know that with the Sun’s departure from Leo, there is still plenty of festive and creative energy around.

Venus, planet of love, money and relationships moves into Leo on August 26^th, gradually joining Motivating Mars and the lunar North Node.   These latter two are tightly conjoined now the final week of August, inciting us to create, make life FUN, take a chance where we would otherwise refrain, and pursue our passions, even a little romance…

Underscoring the power of possibilities and our potential now is the alliance between Mars, North Node, Saturn and Uranus in fire signs.  That is a whole lotta fire going on.  In addition, Generous Jupiter is exactly aligning with Saturn now to help us all on the relationship and decision-making front.  We are afforded tremendous opportunities now.  Really focus on what you DO want, not what you DON’T want.  Formulate and make your plans; rev your engines, prepare like cra-a-zzzzy.  Because once Messenger Mercury turns direct motion on September 5^th, this incredibly helpful fire energy still abounds:  GO FOR IT.

The very same day Venus enters Leo, sagacious Saturn turns direct motion in Sagittarius.  The cosmic task master in the sign of The Law will see to it that justice is done, in your own life and the world at large.  With Saturn’s key alignment now to Jupiter in Libra, the scales of nature on all fronts will be balanced and how.

As we wind down summer and the final days of Mercury retrograde, take stock:  where are you out of alignment?  Not others, but you?  Assess and formulate steps to right your world, bring yourself to where you want to be with a specific action plan.  We have all the planetary forces working for us now through the fall to proactively create the world we need as well as want, to serve our highest and best potential.

August 2017 is truly a fully laden month.  Our souls and spirits are working over time, even if we may not be actively “doing”.  So breathe, allow for play time, fun, dreaming, and a petite holiday.  I’m not much of a “Star Wars” fan, but heading into the following weeks I feel compelled to say: 

May the Force be with you.