Boom, Boom, BANG!

It is safe to say that many if not most of us are glad to bid farewell to 2018.  If you weren’t challenged personally this year with a crisis or pivotal life event or crossroads, then you were stuck and mired when trying to move forward.

We were bombarded by cosmic activity this past year.   The outlook for 2019 certainly appears smoother, with far less planetary gear shifts.  HOORAY!  So we will feel less bumps in our path as we progress.  That said, our feet will be held to the truth during 2019 and honesty, ethical dealing and gratitude are the keys to success.  Good ol’ hard work and diligence.  Yup.  It isn’t sexy or glamorous but you know what is?  Staying power.  And January provides the solid building blocks to create what we desire:  joy, happiness, love.

If we haven’t learned yet that there aren’t any quick fixes by now, you can guess what your lesson for this year will be:  do over til you get it right.   I’m not talking about perfectionism but rather taking pride and satisfaction in work well done.  Deep contentment arises from the knowledge that you have done your very best.

On Day 1 of 2019 our actions ignite.  Motivating Mars enters its own sign of Aries just before midnight on New Year’s Eve.  You can fairly hear the roar:  Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines.  BOOM!  Mars and the sign it rules Aries are fire.  We are on fire to do, to be.  Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and it’s rarin’ to go:  initiate, blaze new trails, pioneer, be brave, a warrior.  Action-packed and catalytic are the watch words for January and portends how 2019 will follow.  Whatever your aim to accomplish, there is an immense body of energy supporting all efforts now.

Meanwhile the lunar north node, our directional calling, aligns beautifully with Venus (love and money) and the Moon (our feelings) are in psychic Scorpio.  While Mars doesn’t take no for an answer, Venus-Moon leave no stone unturned.  They dig deep to find answers; and both aligned to the lunar North Node in Cancer point us to the most beneficial outcome for ourselves, families and yes, our nation (no matter where you live).

Combined, this is sensational energy to start the New Year!  It tees us up wonderfully for the upcoming New Moon on January 5^th.  And what a New Moon!  BANG.  If ever there was a time to lay the groundwork for what you seek to accomplish, this New Moon cycle is it.  First, it is a solar eclipse, a marker of significant passages in our lives if it connects to your astrological chart. 

The message of this eclipse is about getting clear:  get clear in your mind about anything in your life. Its strength should not be underestimated.  Both the Sun (our will) and the Moon (our emotions) are sandwiched between planetary heavy hitters Saturn (karma/dharma) and transformer Pluto, all in businesslike Capricorn.  This is stark, black and white energy:  what works and what does not work in our lives.  Capricorn is the veritable architect of the zodiac, the building block energy.

Imagine and visualize that you are at the base of a mountain you’re about to climb.  Now apply that to anything you want to build or accomplish.  One foot in front of the other.  That’s Capricorn.  It isn’t festive Leo or talkative Gemini.  But guess what?  It gets the job done.  It builds to last…forever.  Capricorn is focused, pointed energy.  Cold, yes; calculating, you bet.  Its watchword is:  I use.   Not exactly warm and fuzzy but terrific for tackling goals.

Capricorn rules business, big or small.  Where its energy is focused, Capricorn gets down to brass tacks:  what makes your life function?  What is it you want to achieve?  With four planets concentrated in Capricorn at this eclipse, you will meet and perhaps exceed your goals. Harness this power!  Mars in fiery Aries aligned to Venus (our motivation plus our love/money/relationships) supports our efforts now.  Set your intention by handwriting 3-5 goals or wishes you aim to get done in January or in 2019.  Then plant these in the ground or release into a moving body of water. 

Emphasizing the power of this eclipse, both Messenger Mercury and Radical Uranus shift on the very same day.  A potent message will be delivered on or around January 5^th.   Mercury enters realistic Capricorn just as change agent Uranus turns direct motion.

Awake yet?  If not, these two will kick your pants out of bed.  Great Awakener Uranus switches forward, triggering us into motion while Messenger Mercury makes sure our thoughts, ideas and voice are all put to good use.   Seven out of ten planets, plus the lunar nodes, are in catalytic signs on this eclipse.  AND all planets are now forward motion.  Drive, drive and more drive.   There is no hanging around waiting anymore for the bus, for others (or yourself) to show up.  BOOM!  Action is upon us.  We are called to act like never before.  Stand aside, this pattern commands.  Because if you are not clear about where you want to go, what you want to be or accomplish, you will get pushed aside by those who are clear in their direction.  Simple:  if you don’t act, another will.  

So the first few days of January, focus.  Get clear about what you want.  Then do it.

Two days later, on January 7^th, Venus shifts into adventurous Sagittarius, gradually joining Generous Jupiter over the next weeks.   Both Venus (love/money) and Jupiter (abundance) are beneficent energies.  The magnificence of this pairing is gorgeous.  First, Jupiter is in its own sign of Sagittarius.  Both rule adventure, education, seeking, spirituality, life experience, travel.  Jupiter is the Titan of Abundance and invites us to grow and expand our world.  Venus, on the other hand rules love, money and relationships.  In fiery Sagittarius, she seeks people who will broaden our lives and opportunities to line our wallets.  Traveling together from mid-January thru the rest of the month, Venus-Jupiter deliver joy, opportunity, love, knowledge, adventure and money in ample supply, depending on where they fall in your chart.

What is most remarkable about this duo is that the very day of the Full Moon, the lunar eclipse on January 21^st, Venus and Jupiter are tightly conjoined and helpfully aligned to Mars.  Wow. Wow. Wow.  For those seeking your true path, you will find your way.  For those seeking justice, it will be granted.  For those looking for awareness (education, teaching, enrolling as a student) you will be guided.  For those seeking love, you will meet your match.

Remember, Full Moons are about fruition and culmination.  Its bright light shines on all we do and are, are yet to be.  The same day of the lunar eclipse, the Sun shifts into inventive Aquarius, opposite the Moon in festive Leo.  Our attention turns to alternatives and creativity for unusual solutions to problems we may have carried for a long time.  As part of this eclipse, Venus-Jupiter in Sagittarius say it is time to break free, completely, for whatever has kept you down, confined…perhaps imprisoned.  For those who have avoided the truth or shaded it with deception, illusion or darkness, your time is up.  (This eclipse does not bode well for Donald Trump). 

With three planets still in Capricorn, our message is crystal clear and cuts like a sharp knife:  time’s up.  Capricorn and its planet Saturn rule time.  Tell us there is no time to spare let alone waste.  If you are not here to do the work (whatever you decide and designate the work to be) then get out of the way so another can.

Part of this eclipse pattern includes Jupiter-Venus challenging Neptune in Pisces.  Truth vs. illusion.  Freedom versus escapism.  If you don’t understand the distinction, the spotlight of this Full Moon will make sure you do.  Think about it.  The truth sets you free; illusion eventually winds into disillusionment.  On one hand is knowledge, education, learning and understanding;  on the other is pretending and delusion leading you down the garden path, avoiding true work to be done.  The difference is a steep contrast that stays with us the rest of the month.

The question before us boils down to worthiness:  Are you worth it?  Are you worth investing in, following your true path (no matter what others or that voice in your head say)?  Are you willing to do the work over the long-haul?  Or, would you rather delve into and dance with seduction, give way to temptation, delay with your choice of distraction?

Yes, one path definitely requires focus.  The truth always does.  But if you follow its light, you will be guided along your way.  You are in the driver’s seat of your life.  The decision is yours.

A Reprieve

Feel like 2018 had you running the gauntlet?  You are far from alone.  For most it has been a savage year.  The exceptional number of retrograde planets on top of multiple eclipses has left us betwixt and between. 

Focusing on your own goals and life continues to be the best use of energy. 

While difficult, this year has also offered us several breaks from the intense celestial gear shifts: notably, May-June, September and now December.  Thank Goddess!   December is substantially calmer than the past two months with only 3 regular planetary sign changes beginning with Venus shifting into Scorpio on December 3^rd.

 Venus cycled back into Libra during her recent retrograde period.   Now the planet of love, money and relationships has moved forward again into transformational Scorpio.  This autumn water sign rules joint finances and shared resources, sex and regeneration.  So beneficent Venus brings blessings and good news to this realm of our lives.  She remains in Scorpio all month long, lining our wallets (sometimes unexpectedly), revealing what has been hidden, adding extra touches of magic to the holiday season.

Venus begins casting her glow in mysterious Scorpio just as Messenger Mercury turns direct motion on December 7^th exactly on the same day as the New Moon!  Can you say power packed messages?  Use this energy to your advantage.  Be sure to hand write 3-5 goals, wishes or prayers and cast them into a moving body of water or plant into the ground on December 7-8.  The New Moon in adventurous Sagittarius will be sure to deliver your soul messages.  And it is always worth remembering that our prayers are often answered through silver linings or the opposite of what we hoped might occur…which turns out to be a good thing!

Sagittarius rules spirituality (and yes religion too).  In this Season of Light, we are reminded that Spirit is alive and well on Earth and we don’t need to have ALL the answers all of the time.  Put down the burden of needing to know or control everything.  Instead, use the fiery Sagittarius energy to aim your focus on what you can manage and release the rest.   As wise yogis tell us:  if we do nothing about 90 per cent of what concerns us, it works out (or goes away) on its own.   Instead, take joy in what gives you purpose.  Do what fulfills you.

From the New Moon on December 7^th to December 15^th, Motivating Mars conjoins dreamy Neptune in Pisces, both challenging the Sun.   I call this the “Look under the hood” aspect.  Pisces and its ruler Neptune govern dreams, fantasy…and also illusion, deception and delusion.   With the agitating energy of Mars paired tightly to Neptune, make sure to ask ALL of your questions before buying anything, signing major contracts, sealing big deals.  Trust your intuition now as Mars-Neptune in Pisces tells you that your hunches are correct. 

The Sagittarius New Moon urges us to live large.  That’s fine if you are not spending beyond your means.  And up against Mars-Neptune we can be tricked (or trick ourselves) into believing something or someone that may not have our best interests at heart.  Watch for an internal tug of war around a need for freedom.  Sagittarius rules freedom while Pisces rules escapism.  There is a BIG difference.  Notice what is happening for you.   You don’t want to be fenced in; but in your quest for freedom are you merely pressing the escape hatch, seeking a quick fix by getting away, running from something?  Check your motives the first half of December.   Have a good long look in the mirror.  Are you afraid of what you see?  Are you chasing light for the sake of it?   You don’t want to rush into or away from a situation only to regret it later.

So take your time.  There is really no rush.  If it seems too good to be true, it probably is, the adage goes.  Do look under the hood of the proverbial car/product/relationship before committing.  The Sagittarian Sun rules the Truth. Wants the honest story.  Questions now reveal the truth.  So ask.  If someone or something is pushing you, can’t wait a day or two for you to sleep/think on a situation:  that tells you a whole lot about what you may be getting in to.  Ask about return policies, escape clauses, warranties.  Can you get out of the prospective relationship/deal/contract if it breaks, doesn’t live up to its promise or doing its share?  This pertains to business, legal, education, spiritual and travel arenas.  Make sure you know your legal (Sagittarian) rights before signing a thing.

Pisces rules water and Sagittarius rules adventure, travel and freedom.  The best use of this challenging combo is travel involving water (beach, lake, ski vacations).  Be sure you to allow plenty of time for travel as ice/snow/fog can foil plans at mid-month.  Pay up your insurances and make repairs on roofs, gutters, or water-based appliances.  You don’t want the hot water heater or pipes to burst while you are in vacationing in Florida…

Our quest for the truth surges along with our interest in learning around December 13-17 when Messenger Mercury joins Sun-Jupiter in Sagittarius.   The final fire sign is the seeker of light and knowledge.  It is universally agreed that the more we learn, the more we grow.  That knowledge truly is power.  The Sagittarius Sun (our will), Jupiter (abundance) and Mercury (communication) push our quest for answers.   Look at life, says Sagittarius, as a giant game of hide and seek:  knowledge is “out there” (and also in there, in you);  how will you go about finding it? And more to the point, what will you do with what you learn? 

Sagittarius delivers lessons now both in formal classroom settings yet also real life situations.  You don’t need to have a Ph.D. to learn life’s most important lessons in:  love, power, grace, forgiveness.  Again, the caution here is chasing light and learning as an escape method.  Best to have a goal in mind.  Map your ideas out on paper if need be.  “All those who wander are not lost” goes the saying.  While this applies to some of us, just make sure you have a back-up plan so you don’t end up going around in circles out in the wilderness.

Keeping it real for everyone are transformer Pluto and taskmaster Saturn in Capricorn. Rely on and use this earth energy to plan pragmatically and prepare accordingly.  Yes it’s great to dream big, but you also have to eat and pay your bills.  How’s all that real-life stuff going to work while you chase your dreams?

The good news is that from mid-December to New Years, planetary titans Jupiter and Saturn are making a helpful angle to each other.  They work harmoniously to bring about the best life circumstances.  Jupiter in Sagittarius dreams big while taskmaster Saturn gets the job done.  Whatever you are aiming to accomplish right now – no matter how large – lay the ground work for it. 

This energy builds beautifully toward the Full Moon on December 22^nd.  Most Full Moons are laden with challenges.  This particular Full Moon is, simply put, enchanting.  First, it falls ON the Winter Solstice!  How cool is that?!  Jupiter conjoins Mercury aiming our spirit arrows at what ignites our souls.  Beneficent Venus aligns beautifully with inspirational Neptune, granting our wishes.  Even the challenging planets Mars and Pluto align while Saturn and Neptune manifest our dreams.  If you have been working so hard for so long putting one foot in front of another, this Full Moon delivers.  All Full Moons are a time of culmination and fruition.  For those on their rightful soul paths, rewards are yours now.  Enjoy and revel.  For those questioning their path, off path or lost:   ask now and you shall find.  Take advantage of this amazing energy to ask questions and learn.  The Full Moon always shines light on where you need to go and how best to get there.   What do you want your life to look like?  Trust the answers you receive.

The Sun shifts into practical Capricorn on December 22, joining heavyweights Pluto and Saturn.  More than most year ends, you will feel your resolve for 2019 take shape between Christmas and the New Year.  We are really ready to put that past behind us and focus on building our future like never before.   The Solstice Full Moon and Sun catalyze us into action. 

The holidays are a time of proposals and committing to life changes.  From the Full Moon on the 22^nd through New Years, we are afforded an incredible and potent supply of inspiring, realistic and knowledgeable resources.  Quite an amazing mix that tees us up beautifully for 2019.  Create a list of two or three key goals you intend to accomplish during the next year.  Outline how you plan to manifest the goals (ie, weight loss:  join a fitness class, reduce your carbohydrate intake, and steps to stick to your goal).  On January 1:  go to it!

Of Special Note:  Looking for a present for that hard-to-buy-for person?  Consider the gift of an astrology reading or Reiki session for the holidays.  Please visit www.hilaryharley.com to purchase a gift certificate.  Have a warm and wonderful holiday season.  

Practicing Faith over Fear: Jupiter into Sagittarius and Lunar Node Shift

November is rarely an easy month.  We are full-on in the calendar year end, with school and work functioning at its peak and gearing up for the holidays.  As the Sun (our will) moved into Scorpio during the final week of October, we all certainly felt the Scorpion’s sting reverberating through every level of our lives.  

The intensity continues for the next four weeks.  November may very well outdo October.  Human beings want certainty and reliability.  This month promises the opposite, unless we are willing to make some very strong decisions and changes to our lives and culture.  Deeply perceptive Scorpio rules power, joint finances, death, rebirth and regeneration.  November finds our plates full with heaping portions of each; as fall turns into winter, we are asked to let go of what is dead on the vine of our lives and transform.

The month opens with a grand challenge between Radical Uranus, Relationship Venus and the North and South lunar nodes.   Picture four figures squaring off in a boxing ring vying for a prize.  There you have the energy on November 1.  It remains with us for all of November.  At first, immovable and stubborn, then later on catalytic and provocative.  Perhaps this sounds familiar?  A personal situation you find yourself in or the national political scene in the United States.  Stubborn with clenched fists, each side so sure they are right, leading up to Election Day on November 6^th, then reeling into activity afterward.

This boxing ring energy pushes us to face and make changes in all of our relationships, including to ourselves, others and to money, how we earn it and use it.  Great Awakener Uranus acts like a lightning rod; in an instant, what we know to be certain, tried and true, took to be a given in our lives may change on a dime.  (The recent mass shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue comes to mind). The opening week of November is not for the faint of heart.  Brace yourself.  The rug may be pulled out from under you at a moment’s notice.  The flip side of this is that there may be surprises of unexpected, life-changing joy and abundance for some.

Everything and everyone is in a profound state of flux right now.  Life rarely stagnates; this month it is good to remember that the only way to grow often occurs in the wake of radical or abrupt events. Unpredictable is the watchword of the month.  What has been roiling and bubbling under the surface all through 2018 is now coming to a gigantic head.  Change agent Uranus rules volcanoes and earthquakes.  You will feel these in your life.

Election Day in the United States on November 6^th occurs during the darkest phase of the moon.  The very next day, a different world dawns with the New Moon on November 7^th.  More than most New Moons, this one holds particularly strong energy.  Both Sun and Moon are at 15 degrees Scorpio, an especially intense marker.  Powerful, yes. Psychic and intuitive, indeed.  Noteworthy and attention-getting:  you bet.  This New Moon is here to make a statement.

Which is:

What is not and has not worked to date is now done and over.  Dead and gone. 

Conjoined to Generous Jupiter at the final 29^th degree of Scorpio, you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is time to let go of a relationship or habit; to walk away from a job or lifestyle. 

It is time to close the door on what was.  If you don’t close the door, it will be closed for you. Believing that something might continue in its old form, somehow be restored to what once was, the person or situation will be removed from you altogether.  This New Moon means business.  It may not be direct but it surely isn’t subtle in terms of bringing what is finished in your life to a complete and utter finish, so you may begin anew, start over fresh, accessing your true nature in all its power and vitality.

New Moons typically are not explosive (that’s usually reserved for Full Moons). Yet this November 6^th New Moon is embedded with tremendous power.  Be sure to hand write 3-5 wishes, goals or prayers and either plant them in the earth or cast into a moving body of water.   On the very same day, retrograde Uranus re-enters fiery Aries AND the lunar nodes change signs as well.  The significance of this cannot be emphasized enough.  Uranus and the lunar nodes shift from resistant, fixed signs to catalytic ones.  Change and change now or you will be forced to change by circumstances beyond your control. 

The message is clear:  be the master of your new life or one will be created for you.

In a cosmically packed month, the shift of the Lunar Nodes is the most significant event.  The North Node is what calls our name and draws our attention.  It now moves from festive, creative Leo to nurturing Cancer.  This sensitive water sign rules home, mom, family, and food.  It also rules the homeland, your country of birth or origin.  And patriotism.  Think about the steep importance of the Nodes changing signs ON Election Day November 6^th!  Wow. 

The next 18 months will have an utterly different feel.  Cancer is touchy-feely, so unlike dramatic Leo.  Overnight, we are drawn to what gives quiet, homey comfort.  Where Leo is brash, bold and bombastic, Cancer moves steadfastly, if not directly, toward its goals. 

Meanwhile, the Lunar South Node shifts into sturdy Capricorn.  The point of release, the South Node thrives in earthy Capricorn.  Its motto:  if it doesn’t work, it’s done.  Out with it!  Capricorn is black and white energy.  What works and what doesn’t work? it asks.  Incredibly incisive and discerning, the lunar South Node will purge anything that does not function well or serve our highest potential.

The very next day, November 7^th, Jupiter enters its own sign Sagittarius for the next year.  HOORAY!  Sagittarius rules the Law (earthly and cosmic), truth and honesty, spirituality and religion, travel and freedom, education, adventure and life lessons.  Conjoined to the New Moon and Messenger Mercury, Jupiter has some announcements to make, starting with the Mueller investigation in the United States.

For the past year, Jupiter cycled through Scorpio, the detective, uncovering Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.  With Jupiter’s passage into Sagittarius, Mueller will bring his findings to a court of law, prosecuting and indicting what his team has unearthed during the past year.  Mueller has been extremely careful to not reveal the cards in his hand and has only played those he holds with masterful direction.  By November’s Full Moon, Mueller will reveal the case he’s been building over the past two years.

The waxing moon gradually reveals the truth.  Everyone is called to answer now:   take responsibility for what is yours.  Jupiter in Sagittarius guarantees it.  So if you have been less than honest in one or more areas of your life, you will rectify and correct that now.  It is the law.

Mid-month sees a major gear shift.  Venus, planet of love, money and relationships, finally turns direct motion while the very same day, Messenger Mercury turns retrograde.  This is the equivalent of a planetary baton pass in a relay race.  Over the last six weeks, we did a lot of work reviewing and mending relationships and our finances.  Messenger Mercury now extends yet more RE-flection, to RE-view plans.  This way, by year’s end, you will know exactly how to tackle 2019.  Mercury is retrograde November 16-December 7^th; so a gentle reminder to hold off on buying holiday gifts until after December 7^th lest they be RE-turned.  RE-frain from signing any contracts or investing in major purchases until December 7^th. 

Part of the major mid-month gear shift is Motivating Mar’s movement into Pisces also on November 16^th.  For longer than usual, Mars cycled through the ingenious and inventive sign of Aquarius, due to its retrograde cycle all summer.  Finally Mars is entering the inspirational and artistic sign of Pisces.  Over the next six weeks, Mars gradually joins Neptune, ruler of Pisces.  Pay particular attention during the last two weeks of November to opportunities for significant reflection, deep healing and cleansing.  In the hustle and bustle around Thanksgiving, take a woods walk or get a massage. 

Pisces teaches us to have faith over fear. With multitudes of uncertainties in our world right now, the easier path is to allow fear to drive our decisions.  Yet if we do not master fear with faith, through practices of faith, then fear will drive our decisions.   As we approach the New Year, it is vital to watch what steers our decisions.  Act with faith.  Act based on faith.

Heightening awareness around fear vs. faith is the increasing challenge between Mars in Pisces and the planets in Sagittarius.  Pisces wants to believe while Sagittarius wants to understand.  Leading into Thanksgiving, the Sun (our will and identity) joins Generous Jupiter and Messenger Mercury in philosophical Sagittarius.  Emotions may run very high at Thanksgiving as it occurs the day before the Full Moon on November 23^rd.

Sagittarius isn’t known to mince words.  It shares opinions openly and honestly with everyone regardless of whose toes it steps on.  Sensitive folks with feelings stoked by Mars-Neptune will not appreciate challenges to their beliefs.  So a word of caution under this laden Full Moon:  watch your tongue.  Be mindful of others’ feelings.  Step away from drama, neither creating it nor feeding into it.  Speak your mind but curb your words, filter and tailor your thoughts to those present.  One of the best ways to manage this year’s Thanksgiving table conversation is to ask: 

how and where you can give more

how you can open your heart wider

how you can improve and grow service to your fellow man

Positive lines of conversation will only garner you more respect and esteem. 

Closing out Thanksgiving weekend, spiritual Neptune turns direct motion on Sunday, November 25^th.  The subtlest of energies, Neptune in its own sign of Pisces, harkens our soul to the greatest possible good:  how can we live/live up to our fullest potential?   Neptune rules dreams.  What is your dream?

With the holiday season upon us, feel the Neptune-Mars deep clean and cleanse, inspiration and joy-filled light and love.  Turn your gaze upward and out; align with the Sagitarrian archer Sun-Jupiter-Mercury and aim your bow and arrow high toward your dream.  Let loose your arrows fly.

Of Special Note:  

The holidays are approaching!  Thinking about gifts to give your loved ones?  Especially that “hard to buy” for guy or gal?  Consider a gift certificate for a Reiki session or an astrology consultation.  There is no better way to start the New Year than with clean, clear chakras and energy or a personalized map of where you are headed and how to make the most of 2019!   To purchase a gift certificate, please email e at hilary@hilaryharley.com.

                                                                                  

Venus Retrograde: Reclaiming Your Power

After a bit of a planetary reprieve last month, gear shifts kick in right at the outset of October.  I hope you made the most of September’s cosmic lull by moving forward where you needed to.   September is rarely a quiet month and the last few weeks lived up to its active status.

So rest for a bit on your accomplishments as October promises to be very revealing.  Literally at the outset of the month, on Day 1, Pluto, planet of power and transformation turns direct motion in earthy Capricorn.  As it digs up systems, traditions and customs that no longer work individually or collectively, turning over pieces of our lives we’d rather not see, planet Venus prepares to turn retrograde motion in Scorpio, ruled by Pluto.  Get ready for a full blown review of relationships, money and values.

Pluto and Scorpio are detectives with x-ray vision.  This is psychological energy determined to get to the bottom of whatever doesn’t function anymore.  Out with it!  Make way for the new, says Pluto and Scorpio.

When an inner planet (Mercury, Venus or Mars) is retrograde it is Big News as we feel the impact much more intensely than the outer planets.  Why?  They are closer to the earth!  On October 5^th, Venus turns retrograde motion for the next six weeks.  The period lasts 40 days so it is associated with Jesus’ Temptation in the Desert.   Since Venus rules vital sectors of our lives:  love, money, relationships and beauty, it is helpful to understand some Dos and Don’ts from October 5^th to November 14^th.

At a minimum, expect people from your past to re-emerge.  Venus rules the money you earn.  In the sign of Scorpio (joint finances, sex, death, taxes, power and transformation), expect all manner of resources to figure largely through mid-November.  Venus also rules art, beauty and design.  So watch your spending in these areas.  

Below is a how you can best manage the next six weeks:

EXPECT:

- emotional needs to surface/being needy, you and/or others

- all kinds of temptation

- the urge to buy large ticket items

- jealousy

- to be overly and overtly attached in relationships

-  shyness in expressing your emotional and relationship needs

- mourning and grief even if a loved one passed years ago

- past relationships to surface:  friendship, business and romantic.

DO’s during Venus Retrograde:

-         Express yourself, especially your emotional, sexual and romantic urges/needs

-         Pay off debt

-        Review old business ideas you have and prepare to re-launch after Venus goes direct

-        Do research on any expensive purchase you plan to make (art, appliances, car, home, jewelry)

-        Research any investment you plan to make

-         Revisit issues with current relationships to work through them

-         Reconnect to or rekindle old/prior relationships

-         Review relationships including to yourself/another/your spending habits.  Ask yourself before you      buy/invest in something or someone:  should you really do this?  What will be the long-term     consequences/implications if you do buy a luxury item/have an affair?  How will others be affected   by your action?  Partners, children, relatives, co-workers, etc? 

-        Wait until Venus Retrograde phase has passed before initiating romance

DON’TS during Venus Retrograde:

-         Buy luxury items

-         Go on a first date, get engaged, get married

-         Have an affair

-         Cling too much/too hard to any relationship

-         Return to anyone abusive (physical, mental, emotional).  There is a reason you left them behind…

-         Make expensive purchases (home, car, appliances, luxury items)

-         Make financial investments (including opening new bank accounts)

-         Launch a new business

Remember:  any retrograde period starts with an RE.  So apply any RE word to use this time effectively.  Take action with these words:  review, restore, renew, relax, revisit, etc.

Less than one week later, Messenger Mercury moves into Scorpio joining Venus and Jupiter.  Our thoughts and words now are focused on money, sex, power and…healing;  any regenerative process that transforms our relationships, work, home life.  The caution with three planets in Scorpio is addiction and obsession.  It is an excellent time to get help, enter REhab for addictions.  To conquer these is one of the most powerful acts a human being can accomplish.  To master ourselves is the equivalent of putting our hands on the steering wheel of our lives.  Scorpio is power.   

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” – Marianne Williamson

How you use your power is up to you.  Entirely and unequivocally.

The Libra Sun says CHOOSE.  Decide.  Do you want to be a slave to obsessions (negative thoughts, drugs, sex, harmful relationships, etc) or do you want to be the master and commander of your own life?  To live free?  You do have free will.  It is up to you how to exercise it. 

The New Moon on October 9^th is a great time to plant intentions to grow over the coming months.  Yes, even through winter.  Intentional seeds sown in autumn will blossom next spring.  Handwrite 3-5 goals or wishes you want to accomplish; then cast in a moving body of water or plant in the ground.

Meanwhile change agent Uranus continues challenging the lunar nodes, our directional True North and point of release.   Feel the ground shifting under your feet?  Sometimes literally.  Uranus is called the Great Awakener for good reason.  Often where we push too hard, bury our head under a rock ignoring solutions for our growth and potential, Uranus can bring on crises.  Surprise, shock, sudden events.  These are the hallmarks of Uranus.  Circumstances, situations, relationships professionally or personally may cave in now.  Shaking us up, down and sideways.  Jolting us like a bolt of lightning.  Breaking us wide open.  Are you awake now?  Are you paying attention, Uranus asks.  Good.   

The effect of this very stubborn angle is to keep us on our toes.  To continually think creatively, search for alternative solutions to resistant problems.  To push us out of our comfort zones.  Instead of bemoaning why me, poor me, direct your energy efficiently – how can I do ­x, be y, or approach z, more effectively, differently.  Very often the solutions we seek are simpler, rather than more complicated.  The definition of insanity is to repeat a process with the same result.  Uranus will keep life uncertain and uneven until we try new methods and lines of thinking.

Healer Chiron has now reversed back into Pisces for the next five months.   We are offered yet another opportunity to heal pieces of ourselves, our spirit.  Neptune is also in its own sign of Pisces.  Both represent the soul.  Any trauma (psychological, physical, spiritual, mental, sexual) we have endured in this lifetime may be healed if we stop, rest and allow time to attend our wounds.  Pisces rules water and music.  I cannot emphasize the power of both.  Being on, in or near water, listening to music, dancing, chanting, mantras, affirmations, rhythmic beats are sound therapy for the soul.  Pure cleansing and healing.  Take advantage.

Leading into the Full Moon on the 24^th, the Sun moves into Scorpio the day prior, October 23^rd.  It joins Venus, Mercury and Jupiter.  That’s a whole lotta power!  Our minds and words (Mercury), love/money/relationships (Venus), our ability to understand (Jupiter) and our identity and will (the Sun) are in full-on transformation mode.

What do you seek to change about your life?

Or perhaps, more to the point:  what are you resisting (maybe refusing) to change?  Scorpio rules death and regeneration.  Re-birth is upon us.  First, though, comes the crumbling down, destruction to make way for the new.  Death of the Old Order is now.  October 20^th-26^th could very well be the tipping point.  Scorpio is X-Ray vision and the Full Moon spotlights ALL.  What has been hidden will be shown under its unflinching glare. 

From utter chaos comes a New Order.  The Full Moon of October 24^th makes sure of that by forming an incredibly stressful angle.  The Taurus Full Moon conjoins Uranus, challenging the lunar nodes and Venus-Sun in Scorpio.  Sometimes, you must break down to break through.  It is breakthrough or bust time for sure.  And some of us very may well bust.  Uncomfortable?  Uncertain?  Venus retrograde says it is time to re-evaluate.  All the most important parts of our lives are on the table now:  love, money and relationships.  Nothing else really matter does it? 

What needs to be RE done, RE connected in your life?  To be healthier physically, spiritually, mentally?  The cosmos provides us with everything we need.  Taskmaster Saturn and Transformer Pluto in earthy Capricorn offer firm structure and practical tools to build anew from the ground up.  So clear a path, gather your resources, use your infinite power.  Create.

Coming Up for Air: Going the Distance

What a time we have had.  WHEW!  A most challenging summer.  One for the record books really.  Usually summer is a treasured time of vacations and being outside enjoying nature and warmer temperatures.  But for many, this summer felt like a grueling marathon.  Even if you didn’t experience a crisis or significant stress, you may have felt just “off”, mired in the sluggish and difficult mucky energy, spinning your wheels.  For most of us, “normal” has been redefined. 

For those of us who used our time well over the summer, we reflected on our journey:  how far we’ve come and mapped out where we want to go next and how to get there.  You can just about hear the voice from the film “Field of Dreams” echoing Go the distance....   However, during these past two months many of us were completely knocked off the path they traveled; for some, it is the only path they’ve ever known.  This is known as a course correction. 

No matter what your experience, this summer has indelibly shown us who we are.  What is real and what is illusion, what works and what is broken, what our reality is in stark black and white terms.  Our time has marked each of us like a stamp.  September, then, is a most welcome reprieve of back to routine and regularity.  Back to school and work; yes, a new grade or perhaps a new job to carry on with. 

This September more than most others is for releasing all that pent up energy built over the summer.  Now is the time to move on all those dreams you harbor.  Helpfully underscoring the start of the new month is a grand earth trine – an immensely supportive alliance between the Sun (our will), Saturn (the taskmaster) and Uranus (the change agent).  This troika enables us to find the right resources and people while maximizing our time very efficiently.  In equal measure, Generous Jupiter continues to align with Soulful Neptune, bolstering our faith in our plans and ourselves.

Coming up for air out of the stagnant summer energy, the time to act is now.  The next 35 days are ripe to give life to any dreams, ideas and plans you’ve been holding on to dear life waiting to breathe life into them. Go, go, go.

Just days after the Labor Day holiday, life really shifts into high gear as Messenger Mercury enters its own sign of Virgo on the 6^th, streamlining our thoughts and enhancing our efforts; while on the same day, Taskmaster Saturn turns direct motion.  BOOM!  You can fairly hear the cosmic choirs chant: activate, activate, activate!  Overnight, your to do list and time management seem to flow so much more smoothly.

What happened?

Within two weeks’ time, three of the six planets retrograde during August have now pushed forward, direct again.   The power of this gear shift cannot be emphasized enough.  Yes, of course, we still have our struggles, large and small; but the sheer battle of getting things done, signed, checked off and accomplished is greatly reduced now.

The New Moon on September 9^th is especially helpful.  It is a manifestation New Moon if ever there were one!  Hand write your goals and wishes for the coming harvest season.  What do you hope to reap now?  What do you want to create?  Beneficent Venus enters transforming Scorpio on the same day, encouraging our desires; while Generous Jupiter aligns perfectly with Powerful Pluto, the Sun and Moon, our will and emotions, turning our dreams into reality.  Pay no attention to those Naysayers!  Keep plugging away.  This cosmic combo says you will get there for sure.

Two days later, on the 11^th, Mars re-enters Aquarius.  Back in June, Mars turned retrograde and reversed into Capricorn.  Direct once more, Mars pushes into the avant garde Aquarius again and joins the Lunar South Node, a point of release.  This duo emphasizes purging.  What do you need to let go of now?  The Mars/South Node duo square off with Radical Uranus, Scorpio Venus and the Leo North node.  This giant stubborn celestial square pushes our buttons big time.  We need to dig remarkably deep the second week of September. 

Any long-festering issues are forced on to the table, out in the open, now.  These may be on the family/home front, work arena, with our health and wellness...wherever you are struggling.  We are pushed to make radical (and necessary) changes and/or activate long-harbored desires no matter how difficult the obstacles before us.  These may present as overcoming inner/internal beliefs instilled in us or external hurdles to leap across.  For example, a woman who dreams of starting her own business but must tune out naysayers squashing her ideas and/or overcoming fears of taking out a bank loan to get the business off the ground.

Hold tight to your dreams and desires and just do it.

Because fortunately, we continue to have a plethora of cosmic support as we confront obstacles. Eight, yes 8, out of ten planets are getting along famously at mid-month.  Use their harmony to your advantage.   Pluto aligns with the Sun and Messenger Mercury, Jupiter syncs with Neptune, and cooperating Venus-Saturn-Uranus tell us Carpe Diem:  Seize the day!   

Try not to sweat the small stuff or refuse to walk across the bridge these planets offer by clinging to stubborn ways.  Best not to give in to the negative Nancys in your life and stagnate, fill with resentment; instead, when you hear the word NO, take a breath, step back, re-group then figure out your next moves to create a new, manageable situation.  Excellent problem solving possibilities abound now.  The point is:  keep going.  Move forward.  Do not take no for an answer.  Remember:  FEAR stand for False Evidence Appearing Real.  Don’t fall for that illusory trap.

All the while, Messenger Mercury is tightly conjoined to the Sun which enters Lovely Libra on September 23^rd.  Aligning with Mars and the South Node in Aquarius, this pair helps us find inventive strategies to chart our future:  how to prioritize, what to keep and what to pitch.  Most critically, how to establish balance and order in our lives so we can honor our journey, selves and those relationships we treasure most.

This energy is in place for the Full Moon the very next day, September 24^th.  Under its spotlight, the Libra Sun-Mercury oppose the Moon, Hygeia (health and wellness) and Chiron (healing) in fiery Aries.  Brand new opportunities for healing, health and well-being are ripe.  Tied fortuitously to the Leo North Node, creative solutions surround us if we keep our minds and hearts open.  Take the blinders off and try alternative approaches.  Experiment.  That radical/crazy idea your mom/wife/child…or you, have may hold more than a kernel of truth.  It may be the key to all your answers.  Instead of dismissing and doubting, try it out. 

Especially if you keep getting the same message repeatedly.  Once is notable; twice is intended for you; three or more times:  you are being shown the way.  Backed into a corner?  Give that crazy idea a whirl.  Take it for a test drive.   Necessity is most often the mother of invention.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  The Universe says so.

Feeling the Heat? Take a Soul Vacation

The intensity is on as August opens, whether by actual temperature or from life itself.  For many it feels like we’re living inside of a pressure cooker.  Wow.  Five out of ten planets are retrograde motion on August 1^st, soon joined by Uranus turning retrograde at the end of the first week; meanwhile we also prepare for the third and final eclipse of the summer on August 11.

Spinning your wheels?  Life turned upside down?  Well…yes.  The first three weeks of August in particular may have you feeling stuck.  There is very little traction.  Our efforts to push ahead feel swallowed up by a black hole.  

Why?  We aren’t supposed to be moving forward right now.  If ever there was a time of reflection and introspection, this is it.  Two key interpersonal planets, Messenger Mercury and Motivating Mars are retrograde for the balance of August.  Mercury deals with communication while Mars sparks our actions.  In reverse gear, we can feel our work bouncing right back at us without any feedback or barely inching forward.

If you are trying to get anything accomplished other than routine details (and not even then in many cases), this can be a very frustrating three weeks.  With these planetary retrogrades comes the usual astrological cautions:  avoid signing significant contracts or making major purchases, especially anything mechanical during the Mars retro period.

So how do you make August work for you?

Pick up the cosmic cues.  We have a whole lot of heightened intuition.  Our instincts are super sharp thanks to Jupiter in Scorpio harmonizing with Neptune in Pisces.  Quiet your mind, pursue solitude so you can feel your natural internal guidance system, your soul’s GPS.   Scorpion Jupiter gives us expert x-ray vision while Piscean Neptune has an accurate finger on the pulse of life.  Your life.  These two lead us with pure certainty about what is actually happening in our lives.  Pay attention. 

Ask whether it is easier or more work to bury your head in layers of denial…just because “that is the way it is” or  ”that’s the way it’s always been done”.   Um, no, no, no, no, no….  Not anymore.

Maximize August by leaning into self-reflection.  Even if you can’t spare or afford a whole week off for vacation, taking a day or long weekend from your regular grind for radical self-care, pampering and healing will do a vast amount of good for your body, mind and spirit.  Let your mind off the hook for now.  Play.

The Lunar North Node in Leo is all about creativity, having fun, building a sand castle and mud pies for the sheer joy it gives, not for any status or how productive it makes you feel. This is not such a time.  This August is anything but a classically productive period.  Hard as this may be to digest:  we are supposed to putter right now.  Dilly dally. 

Puttering is actually very helpful.  It allows our minds and spirits to imagine possibilities even if we aren’t aware of it.  Gardening, washing and waxing your car, cooking a favorite dish come to mind.  Utilize this opportunity for a soul vacation.  For inspiration and imagination.  Puttering is productive in an altogether radical way…not the linear, Western hemisphere notion of productivity.  Being still and simply being this month is equal to getting a full night’s sleep.  You emerge on the other side awakened, refreshed and ready to go.

Feeding this great shift is Radical Uranus in earthy Taurus.  It turns retrograde motion on August 6^th and continues to square off with Mars in Aquarius.   The Great Awakener suddenly jolts our internal awareness.  Our ideas and ingenuity clash mightily with traditions, available resources, or other inhibitors if you are thinking along old lines.  These conflicting forces are pushing us to think and do in completely new ways.  Not just “out of the box” methods but perhaps by following unheard of, wildly different, alternative paths.  Many are being forced to break apart from what no longer functions anymore.  Expect abrupt announcements, course corrections, surprise and seemingly inexplicable events to throw curve balls at us.

Meanwhile, healer Chiron in fiery Aries catalyzes Capricorn Saturn to generate entirely new platforms on which to build our future.  Create a new, functional and efficient foundation to grow your life.  There is a tremendous physio-psychic push and pull occurring both internally and externally in our lives.  What are you being shown now?  Often repeatedly?  How and what are you asked to be in this world?  One thing is for sure:  once August has passed, we face an entirely new landscape.  The old is gone and with it, outdated modes of living.

On August 7^th, Venus enters Libra for the remainder of the month.  In her own sign, the planet of love, money and relationships smooths out ruffled feathers stirred up by the on-going cosmic tugs of war.  Try focusing your attention on art, beauty and extending an olive branch to those you disagree with.

If not now, when?  If not you, then whom?

You will be so glad you did.  Surprise yourself, surprise whomever you’re sparring with, to reach across what divides you to find common ground.  This will serve you in good stead heading into the third and final eclipse on Saturday, August 11^th.  This occurs on a New Moon and challenges Jupiter in Scorpio.  Our will and emotions pull us one way – big, brash and boldly, while Jupiter shows us what is really happening in vivid colors.

If there were ever a time to check your ego, this would be it!  Adding to the conflation, Messenger Mercury exactly squares off with Jupiter in Scorpio now too, playing tricks with our thoughts if we aren’t careful.  Watch for deception, grand illusions and grandiose notions in yourself and in others; you may encounter huge asks, your eyes being way too big for your stomach, biting off more than you can chew.  You get the idea.  It is great to think big and live large but Scorpio Jupiter will make you keep it real.  Do not get sucked into any smoke and mirror spin job…that you absolutely can’t live without ”X” or must believe “Y”, or else…  Rather, use this energy to step back from your life to look at the global picture you want to paint and vision forward.

Set aside what you hope might happen and ask the hard questions:   what is really going on?   With focus and attentive effort, this otherwise confusing energy can be harnessed to your benefit.  The August 11^th eclipse affords abundant creativity with the Sun, Moon, Mercury and North Node in passionate Leo.  Craft three to five intentions you hope to accomplish in the next month, season or year.  Hand write these and either plant them in the earth or cast in a moving body of water.

The following week, Messenger Mercury turns direct motion on August 20^th.  Feel the collective sigh of relief?  Technical glitches be gone!  Slowly we are inching forward again, where our efforts to get ahead will stick.  No sign appreciates this quite like Virgo, master of function and efficiency.  So when the Sun enters analytical and earthy Virgo on August 23^rd, we regain traction.   Proceed with major purchases and signing contracts.

A few days later, like layers of blindfolds being peeled off, Mars finally turns direction motion on August 27^th under the glow of the Full Moon the day prior.   What has been brewing all month now rises to a head, culminating.  You can feel the stagnating fog that permeated our energy lift away.  We can see clearly again.  We’ve waited so patiently (or perhaps not) to get going already, to get ready for fall.  Returning from vacation, literal, mental/emotional or otherwise, the Virgo Sun helps us plan and prepare.  Buy all those back-to-school supplies, new equipment, clothing, and so on.  After Labor Day, we feel a surge of energy.

A useful reframe of the old first day of school question, “what did you do over the summer” might be:  “what did you learn over the summer?" 

The promise of a new day and a new season await your response.