Turning Point

November is an in-between month, neither marked by pretty autumn leaves nor festive holiday lights and steep snows.  It serves as a pivotal turning point, though, a month of preparation for the darkest months ahead.  This energy can feel ominous to some; while for others is a natural reminder that the time to turn within is nigh upon us.

We only need to look to woodland creatures burrowing into the ground, storing nuts and securing their underground dens sheltering them from fierce weather to come.  November’s ruling planet Pluto leads the charge. I call it the bulldozer of the zodiac.  Like the sign it rules, Scorpio, it digs beneath the surface, turning over both treasure and trash, bringing everything up to be seen in the light of day.

Scorpio is not fun, glamorous energy.  But it is mysterious.  It is an instigator and investigator, stirring the pot, seeking to get to the bottom of the matter, our lives to assess exactly what we have in the way of resources and what makes us tick.  Scorpio’s key phrase is:  I Desire.  It rules the big guns in life:  power, sex, death, secrecy, transformation, shared resources, taxes and joint finances, psychology, metaphysics and the realm beyond the veil.

Good luck trying to pull the wool over a Scorpio.  Its intuitive spidey senses and X Ray vision are legendary.  It sees straight through all, scanning, sifting, assessing. If a Scorpio determines your motives are less than what you claim, its backlash depends on how big a scam you tried getting away with.  Scorpio is no fool.  Like a stealth bomber, you might never see its sledgehammer coming, but you will certainly feel every inch of the impact.

Likewise, the beginning of November holds pristine insight.  Most likely it may take the form of pure, clear feeling about a person or situation.  Alliances between four planets in water signs show us with unparalleled clarity what is actually happening, even deep beneath the surface where the bodies are buried.  Watch for missing pieces, clues in long-unsolved mysterious cases to surface.  This is a time of revelations.  

And with Messenger Mercury now in Sagittarius, we tell the truth about our findings.  Adding fuel to the fire, Motivating Mars joins Mercury in Sagittarius on November 4th, turning up the flames of honesty.  In fact, there is no possible way to shade the truth now.  Sagittarius rules the law; so grifters, con artists and scammers will get away with nothing, especially under the spot light of the Full Moon the very next day on Wednesday, November 5th.

If you’ve been awaiting justice, whether legal or karmic, now is your time.  But for anyone trying to pull something underhanded, the first week of November is nothing short of lethal.  So don’t, just do not try to game the system now.  It will backfire bigtime and you will be shown for what you are.

The very next day, Valuable Venus joins the melee scrutinizing and deep diving as she moves into Scorpio on Thursday, November 6^th.  Here, Venus brings home the bacon, keeps a secret or a few, and let’s be honest:  is very, very sexy.  Her intuition shines in Scorpio; she really knows what’s up despite the appearances of things, most notably indicated by Pluto in Aquarius. 

Venus and Pluto are dug in hard, refusing to budge during this second week of November.  Neither want to give any ground.  Look to where you might be resisting change or adaptation in your own life.  The world at large is certainly showing us ample examples of unwillingness to budge an inch let alone meet opposing parties halfway.

Take heart, by Thanksgiving time, however, when Venus will align to the Saturn-Neptune duo in Pisces and Jupiter in Cancer the Crab.  This planetary magic wand forms a tidal wave sweeping us along a very strong current.  You will have little choice but to surrender to where it takes you.  So be careful how hard you resist at the beginning of November.  Ask:  is this the hill you really want to die on?

Before the end of the month rolls around, Messenger Mercury has a few tricks up its sleeves.  On Saturday, November 8^th the communication planet turns retrograde motion until the day after Thanksgiving, November 28^th.  This Mercury retrograde phase comes with some distinct advantages and also some downsides.

The upside is holiday shopping.  Mercury is the connector planet and rules transactions, all of them, including transportation and commerce.  So it is more than ok to delay your holiday shopping until the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Use November to make your list and check it twice.  Then hit the stores or computer keyboard for Cyber Monday for retail sales and deals.   Take advantage of the timing to really enjoy your turkey and stuffing!

The flip side of Mercury retrograde timing is travel.  Allow for plenty of extra time when traveling, either by car or plane.  Mercury retrograde is notorious for travel delays and communication snafus.  If you are traveling by car, choose off peak hours to get ahead of the pack.  When traveling by plane, arrive at the airport extra early to check in, check baggage and move through security.  For any travel mode, watch for unavoidable weather delays. 

The day after Mercury’s reverse motion, Generous Jupiter shifts gear.  This makes for the fourth sequential cosmic movement in as many days.  Should you feel disoriented or out of sorts during the first ten days of November, there is good reason.   We typically do not feel Jupiter’s directional movement; however, in combination with Messenger Mercury’s reversal, the inclination to slow down, take care and deliberate a bit longer than usual will feel natural.  Follow your gut.  There is no need to race ahead.  Those trying to do so now will have to redo their work later on at the beginning of December.

We enter a relative period of quiet during mid-month as the planets settle down until late on Tuesday, November 18^th when Mercury backs into Scorpio.  Here, the messenger planet reviews our finances, taxes, gender matters, power dynamics and estate plans.  The next month can be a highly revelatory time until Mercury re-enters Sagittarius in mid-December.  Talk about digging up ghosts from the past!  This is not necessarily a negative thing.

Yes, you may hear from your ex again; the tax man might come calling; but they might be reaching out to make amends, or let you know there’s extra money owed to you.  This is an incredibly karmic phase.  Mercury is scouring the depths, diving to the bottom, the back drawers and hidden closets reviewing situations long left for dead.  What it finds now will unlock answers and information intentionally hidden.  No more.

Watch what Scorpion Mercury brings up to the light now. Take careful notes, especially as we approach the New Moon in the wee hours of Thursday, November 20^th.  Sun, Moon and Mercury, representing our will, emotions and mind, are virtually enmeshed, on top of one another.  In Scorpio, they point to a big purge, a massive excavation and revelation of what must be dealt with and transformed once and for all.  

For many, it will not be pretty.  The trio aligns to Jupiter in Cancer the Crab and Taskmaster Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, cleansing and clearing out for good any remnants of what will not hold going forward.  It can feel like a one large rinse cycle, big flush, or tsunami washing away the irrelevant bits and constructs we or society has clung to so tightly, resisted letting go of.  A word to the wise:  these will not stand any longer.  So do yourself a favor and just release your grip.

Carefully set your intentions.  Hand write 3-5 goals you seek to manifest over the next month or season.  Then safely set a light.

Then, just like that, the Thanksgiving holiday is upon us.  As Mercury finishes the final days of its retrograde cycle, take the opportunity to tune in and turn inward.  What does your heart want you to hear?  There are plenty of days ahead to get your task list done; but for now, use the cozy family time to refresh and reset yourself.

Both Messenger Mercury and Taskmaster Saturn, lord of dharma and karma turn direct motion over the Thanksgiving weekend, November 28^th and 29^th.  By Monday, December 1^st we are full steam ahead.  Time to buy holiday gifts, book travel, purchase large ticket items such as cars, homes and appliances, sign significant documents.  And oh yes, do not forget the most important thing:  to live life fully and unapologetically as yourself!

Of Special Note:

The 3 Wise Women is off and running!  Our community is about to celebrate its first anniversary. Join us!  We are three veteran metaphysical practitioners offering community, conversation and connection via zoom every first Tuesday of the month @6 pm eastern.  For just $10/session, feel safe among like-minded seekers to ask your wildest woo questions and learn from each other.  To enroll:  www.cathyripleygreene.com

Mystical Messages features my monthly astrology forecasts if you prefer listening via podcast.  Also featured are cutting edge healing arts practitioners.  Tune in and listen through Youtube, Apple or Spotify or hear previous episodes:  www.hilaryharley.com

Are you in search of a healer?  Don't know where to look to find excellent, vetted alternative and metaphysical practitioners?  Check out The Seekers Field Guide!! I am so thrilled to now be a guide and offer my services with this groundbreaking resource offering a directory of the best healers in the business. Visit:  www.seekersfieldguide.com to learn more!

 

The Ripple Effect

October might be the calm after September’s cosmic storm. A little crispy chill to the air and pumpkin treats would be most welcome in the wake of last month.  But this month isn’t quite the breath of fresh air that we hoped for.

Yes, the double eclipses are behind us now; our boats were rocked and hard; the ether that was stirred up leaves work for us to tackle. Such work rests upon bringing our life into balance via decisions to be made.  October is Libra season, a time of choices that shape our future.  Libra does not relish choosing between one or more options.  She sees value and downsides in any direction. 

I call Libra “the great fence sitter”, deliberating until the cows come home should I or shouldn’t I?  Yes or no, black, white or grey, to go or to stay.

It is not the act of choosing Libra demurs from; it is the consequences of choosing.  She learns early on that once a selection is made, there is very likely no going back.  It is done and she must move forward from that spot. Libra knows her decisions most likely affect others; the bigger the decision, the greater the impact.  And if anything, Libra is deeply concerned about those around her, what they think and how they will respond, to her act of choosing.

The ripple effect of Libra’s decisions loom in front of her.  What if she comes to regret her choice and it haunts her for all of time?  And so Libra hesitates.  She sits good and long on that fence, facing the abyss of consequences, weighing potential outcomes like a pendulum swinging back and forth, back and forth.

With both Sun and Messenger Mercury in lovely Libra as October begins, we find ourselves walking through torrential selections.  Spicing up our decision making process, Valuable Venus is cycling through Virgo, tied to the lunar south node.  In Virgo, Venus the ruler of Libra, strives for perfection, adheres to the rules and accounts for every last detail.  She shrinks from making a single mistake.

The combination of how her decisions will affect others and worrying about putting a foot wrong can immobilize some of us..  Watch for this.  Do the choices you face feel like bad or worse, choosing between two (or more) evils?  That there is no way out, in, up, but only down?  In such moments we can freeze, petrified of taking a stand, taking a step forward.

It may not be the worst thing to pause momentarily to reflect.  As long as your reflection does not turn into an excuse for a lifetime of stagnation.

We do have help in this pivotal moment.  Rely on this cosmic assistance.

Generous Jupiter in compassionate Cancer the crab now aligns to both the lunar north node and Saturn in Pisces.  Self-care, nurturing and soul nourishment are abundantly flowing.  Where does this energy envelope you?  Dive into its warmth.  Would it hurt you to take a day off or relax over a long weekend?  

Equally helping out is Pluto aligning to Uranus and Neptune.  The outer planetary trio prompts us to change our environment, the groups and individuals we surround ourselves with and how we communicate, all for the better.  Step off of the treadmill of what you know does not work and step out of your comfort zone to try something or someone new.

No better time than the first Monday, October 6^th.  Under the bright spotlight of the Full Moon in Aries, our initiative sparkles. Feeling eager and edgy?  Leap and the net will appear.  Only hours earlier Messenger Mercury turned into Scorpio, joining Mars. Transform your thinking and efforts, the duo prods.  As the saying goes:  Change your thoughts, change your life.  After all, what you think, you become.

The trick might be how.  How do we change our thoughts, our communication patterns?  Rubbing against Powerful Pluto in Aquarius, Mercury might dig its heels in:  make me.  In Scorpio, Messenger Mercury is the ultimate sleuth, comfortable working behind the scenes, diving undercover beneath the surface to reveal what is hidden.

Butting heads with Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio, Mercury is reluctant to share what it finds with others.  Not so fast, it says to Pluto.  In Aquarius, Pluto transforms the collective, group consciousness.  In other words, our ideas and how we relate these are changing.  We are entering a new age of enlightenment spearheaded by Pluto, Uranus and Neptune.  This does not come without upheaval as many want to preserve the status quo.

Mercury and Mars in Scorpio are busy dredging through the muck for most of October.  They sift through all of the dirt searching for treasure, conjoined through mid-month, from October 15th-21^st.  The wheat is separated from the chaff now. If you didn’t sufficiently purge what you needed to be rid of last month during the Virgo eclipse season, you will be made to now.  Scorpio deals with life’s heavy hitters, anything deeply transformative:  sex, death, joint finances, shared resources, the metaphysical realm beyond the veil and power. 

Mercury-Mars invite us to step into our power, be it our talents, influence, or finances.  How do you use your power?  Make sure to use it wisely now.  Especially as Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio turns direct motion on Monday, October 13^th.  Trust me, this is one potent stretch and you do not want any karmic blowback going forward.  Mind your Ps and Qs.  In fact, you may have the sense that you are being observed or watched.

And, well, you are.  The cosmic ledger is keeping score.  It keeps track of what you are doing even when you think no one is watching.

If all of this sounds a little too creepy, it is wise to remember how thin the veil is now as we round the bend to the second half of October.  It is no accident that All Hallows Eve (Halloween), All Saints Day and All Souls Day occur within three days of each other, October 31-November 2^nd.

Off-setting and balancing out the weight of this scorpion energy, Valuable Venus enters her own sign of Libra on October 12^th.  Here, Venus comfortably designs her own life, choosing relationships that feel centered and reciprocal.  Aligning helpfully to Pluto and Uranus to form a grand air trine, a holy trinity of ideas, thoughts and words, Venus hands us a Harry Potter magic wand to conduct our lives as we desire. 

Desire is the operative word now.  What we create in the world unfolds from our desires and thus how we express our power.

The power of this mid-month moment cannot be overstated.  Venus aligns precisely to Pluto just as it turns direct motion.  Meanwhile Mercury and Mars (signifying our minds and our actions) are tightly conjoined in Scorpio, Pluto’s home sign.  We hold the power, the keys to the kingdom, in our mind and in our hands.  What will you wield your magic wand?  Where will you point it?  Just make sure you have given due consideration to the direction; for where you point your intentions, you will manifest your desires.

Enter the New Moon.  Occurring on Tuesday, October 21^st in Libra, this New Moon invites us to design our lives as we desire. It is particularly potent.  A planetary grand water trine, or hyper strong intuitive flow, at the exact time of the New Moon, yields results.  The Scorpio Mars-Mercury duo align to the lunar north node and Saturn in Pisces, all of which align to Generous Jupiter in Cancer.  Can you say power?  Use it wisely.  Carefully craft language, hand-writing 3-5 intentions that you seek to manifest over the next month or season.  Plant in the earth or set safely alight.

The Sun turns into Scorpio on Thursday, October 23^rd, challenging Pluto now as Messenger Mercury did earlier in the month.  The more things change, the more we are required to adjust to these changes. How can you transform your will to meet this moment?  This is the question facing each one of us. 

Best to move with the flow of life offered to us now rather than dig your heels in. Remember:  Insistence is resistance.  After all, where did my way or the highway get anyone?

The light dawns with new ideas, connections and solutions when Messenger Mercury shifts into Sagittarius on Wednesday, October 29^th.  Our minds turn toward learning, education, travel and wandering, seeking simply out of curiosity.  October unearthed only more questions for us to answer.  Follow your questions and see where they lead.  For it is only through the quest, the journey to learn and our willingness to be taught that we may begin to understand.

Of Special Note:

The 3 Wise Women is off and running!  Our community is about to celebrate its first anniversary. Join us!  We are three veteran metaphysical practitioners offering community, conversation and connection via zoom every first Tuesday of the month @6 pm eastern.  For just $10/session, feel safe among like-minded seekers to ask your wildest woo questions and learn from each other.  To enroll:  www.cathyripleygreene.com

Mystical Messages features my monthly astrology forecasts if you prefer listening via podcast.  Also featured are cutting edge healing arts practitioners.  Tune in and listen through Youtube, Apple or Spotify or hear previous episodes:  www.hilaryharley.com

Are you in search of a healer?  Don't know where to look to find excellent, vetted alternative and metaphysical practitioners?  Check out The Seekers Field Guide!! I am so thrilled to now be a guide and offer my services with this groundbreaking resource offering a directory of the best healers in the business. Visit:  www.seekersfieldguide.com to learn more!

 

 

 

 

 

Dutiful Drudgery or Divine Dance: September 2025 Eclipses

It is not often I feel called to expound upon eclipse energy beyond covering them in my monthly astrology forecasts.  The eclipses of September 2025, however, are an exception.  They are part of a remarkable lunar cycle.  How we move forward now is vital to our future experience.  Any progress we make or goals we achieve are rooted in the mundane:  the simple practices and routines that we establish and adhere to going forward.

Some astrologers lean toward dire predictions about eclipses.  I am not one of these.  Eclipses are doorways, portals to possibilities and opportunities.  Certainly, if you are off track in any facet of your life, an eclipse impacting a point in your astrology chart can be painful and feel like a setback.  But if you are in alignment with your soul contract and path, eclipses emphasize and magnify where you are headed.

September 7^th and 21^st mark the final eclipses of 2025.  They are rooted in the New Moon of August 23^rd at the starting point 00 degrees Virgo; while the following New Moon on September 21^st occurs at 29 degrees of Virgo, the final degree of this earthy sign.  Symbolically, then, both Alpha and Omega are represented in this lunar cycle.  The August 23^rd New Moon gives us a blank slate and the next New Moon on September 21 seals our fate being the final eclipse of the year.

 Virgo is the ninth and middle earth sign of the zodiac.  She is the work horse, logical, dutiful, regimented, and committed to service.  Her key phrase is:  I analyze. She rules the future through grounded work, health and wellness practices, systematic planning and preparation.  Virgo is a mutable sign, meaning adaptable, flexible and versatile.  She doesn’t shrink from tailoring or changing up habits to be more useful.

In ancient lore, Virgo the Virgin derived from the vestal virgins keepers of the eternal flame.  This sign is rooted in ceremony and ritual.  These are not lofty but humble, workaday routines moving us from dawn to dusk.  Hygiene, exercise, eating, work, service, rest and sacred schedules are her wheelhouse.  Line by line, step after step, Virgo yields practice into perfection.  There is no harder worker. Think of a master in any field, art or industry. Virgo knows the very fabric of our lives is woven from the daily habits that turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

It is important to mention animals here and the role they play in our lives.  Virgo governs animals and the animal kingdom.  Why?  Because Virgo rules service and animals are in service to humanity, whether actually or modeling how to live in accord with nature. Pay close attention to how animals figure into your life through eclipse season.  Are you adopting a new pet? Saying goodbye to a much-beloved pet?  Taking care of an animal, yours, another’s, or adjusting the regimen of an animal friend? 

With our blank slate, the August 23^rd New Moon at 00 degrees Virgo asks us to look at our daily habits.  Are they healthy?  If not, we cannot be of optimal service to ourselves, let alone others.  Healthy routines begin with our mental and spiritual wellbeing.   Ruled by Messenger Mercury, Virgo says:  You become what you think.  The New Moon starting point of Virgo offers a fresh page to create practices charting a brand new future. 

To make sure we change up the regimens of lives, Radical Uranus figures largely in this lunar cycle from August 23^rd to September 21^st.  The great change agent insists life won’t become stale by running rote around a hamster wheel.  Uranus precisely challenges the August 23^rd New Moon.  In communicative Gemini, Uranus asks us to be flexible with our words and thoughts, to speak and write differently…

Dueling with the Virgo Sun and Moon, we are tasked with changing how we think, speak and write, beginning with how we talk to ourselves.  Watch your inner monologue.  What are you saying to yourself?  Now is the time to use affirmations, or try new and different ones.   

Practice makes perfect and Virgo IS practice, dedication, commitment, rehearsal.  Your dreams and desires are great and all that.  But how will you achieve them?  Virgo is the how of the zodiac, the through line from beginning efforts to end results. 

Uranus persists on flipping the narrative.  As we enter September, the month of back to school and work, fresh from vacation, we are invited to create new lives born out of fresh routines.  Only days into the month, Radical Uranus turns retrograde on Friday, September 5^th.  This happens to be just two days before the Full Moon eclipse on the 7^th.  A Full Moon is energetically laden to begin with.  A Full Moon Lunar eclipse even more so.  Add quake-and-shake Uranus shifting directions to the mix, and we have quite a combustible situation.

Uranus is known as the Great Awakener, aka, the great pot stirrer of the zodiac.  It is the older sibling, or higher octave of Messenger Mercury, ruler of Virgo, tied very closely to the Sun at the time of the eclipse.  Hear ye, hear ye: Get your house in order, no excuses, clean up your own life and back yard  before you worry about or criticize another.  Instead of issuing purity tests, this eclipse demands you scour and purge your own imperfections. 

No one, not a single one of us is perfect.  Yet all of us are divine. With the Sun in Virgo and Moon in Pisces, eclipse themes are control vs. surrender, detail vs. unified whole, analysis vs. belief, service vs. suffering.  Virgo is the epitome of efficiency and optimal system function.  She keeps the trains running on time; while Pisces is transcendent, completely immersing with the divine, and flowing with the unknowable.

In short:  we are commanded to control what we can about our lives and surrender the rest. Give it up.

Do you get the message now?   If you refuse to heed the call, Radical Uranus has other plans for you, otherwise known as a cosmic two-by-four.  Surprise, shock, sudden and striking events that seemingly occur out-of-the-blue to wake you up (hence Uranus’ moniker, the Great Awakener).  Our soul is a segment of the Divine, a slice of the Spiritual pie so to speak.  It knows best.  When we deviate too far from our soul path, the contract that we co-created prior to incarnation, Uranus is tasked with bringing us back to our soul commitment.

And no, this is not always fun. Think of your car getting out of alignment.  You bring it to the mechanic to have the steering straightened out.  Uranus is the mechanic in this case. Humanity always has free will. So if you choose to drive away from the shop and revert to your old habits, expect a bigger wake-up call next time around. 

Between eclipses is a notoriously energetic black hole.  As I mentioned in my September astrology forecast that dropped last week, a plethora of planets shift from one sign to another.  This makes for an unsettled two week stretch leading into the final eclipse of this year on Sunday, September 21^st.

Just as the September 7^th eclipse was remarkable, laden with unpredictability of Uranus’ change in direction, the September 21^st eclipse at the very last degree of Virgo is unusually pronounced as the Sun enters Libra the very next day, marking the Autumnal Equinox.  Virgo rules health and regimens; Libra rules balance.  Through healthy regimens, we are called to bring into balance the various facets of our lives: health, work, social, play, service, family and rest.

The caution is the drive for perfectionism and forgetting our own needs in the quest to please others. Balance what pleases you in equal measure to being of service. If we get lost in life’s minutiae and details, Virgo’s dutiful drudgery, we neglect the divine dance awaiting us.

Walking with Destiny

 No ordinary time now.  We know this intuitively; but the cosmos confirms our feelings repeatedly during September.  The fairly relaxed, calm respite that August afforded us gets left in the dust as the planets shift into overdrive this month.  Prominently featured are two eclipses with Radical Uranus turning retrograde on the eve of the Full Moon lunar eclipse on September 7^th.   Expect the unexpected. You may feel the very ground beneath your feet shake.

Take a breath, two or three.  For that matter, any work and wellness practices that you routinely rely on will be crucial in September to regulate your mind, body and spirit.  It is no accident that the Sun is cycling in practical, health-conscious Virgo as the month begins, helping us manage what unfolds. Now is the time to create healthy practices if you haven’t already.

The Divine knows how best to support us; and is arguably working overtime now with essential help.  During September, it is very important to remember that the Universe does not say no; it says, not now or there is something better in store for you. When something does not work out or is not happening as fast as we would like it to, Divine timing is at play.  It always is; we just tend to forget that. 

While the superpowers of the Virgo Sun are efficiency, practicality, healthy habits, routines and systems for our optimal functioning, the cautionary side of Virgo is perfectionism, worry, guilt, micromanaging aka, excessive control.

Drilling down these traits is Messenger Mercury’s entrance into Virgo straight away on Tuesday, September 2^nd.  Keep a firm grip on your inner control freak this month.  Pay particular attention to your mental hygiene because: what you think, you become.

Better to lean into Virgo’s polarity sign Pisces.  These two signs are 180 degrees opposite for good reason:  Virgo plans and prepares where Pisces dreams. Virgo controls where Pisces surrenders. Virgo is systematically detailed while Pisces is sublimely immersive.  One is earthly, the other divine.

Practical versus illusory: we’ve been dancing on this push-pull axis most of 2025 since the lunar nodes shifted into Virgo-Pisces in January. Now as we move toward the final lunar eclipse of this year, our lesson is to dream, plan, prepare, practice and surrender.  Repeat. There is no mistaking the clear planetary message.

The Yiddish phrase:  we plan, God laughs will come in very handy during September.

As the waxing moon builds toward the Full Moon lunar eclipse on Sunday, September 7^th there is a particular feeling that something’s gotta give.  In fact, many have felt cracks in the dam leaking, energetically so to speak.  Mother Earth has been warning us for a while now sounding the alarm through earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity and epic flooding.  Lest we forget, humanity is not separate, above or beyond Planet Earth.  We are of and from Her. Remember? Dust to dust.  To believe otherwise is foolhardy.

The cosmic alarm bell rings at full blast when just two days before the eclipse, Radical Uranus, the Great Awakener and change agent extraordinaire turns retrograde.  Shock and surprise are its calling card, how it rises up to greet us.  Aligned to Powerful Pluto, god of the underworld, Uranus in Gemini may unleash a tsunami of information; particularly as Messenger Mercury is tightly conjoined to the Virgo Sun and opposite the Pisces Moon on this Full Moon lunar eclipse. 

Everything waits for the Moon.  And no one will be able to out run the gigantic spotlight she shines on Sunday, September 7^th.  The nitty-gritty appears for everyone to see.  The recent Coldplay concert kiss-cam incident comes to mind.  Turn away, duck and cover as you might, you will be seen. If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about.

The devil is in details so beloved by Virgo, especially the Virgo Sun-Mercury duo.  They wield their scalpel to cut away anything unessential; while Taskmaster Saturn in Pisces washes clean any residual debris.  At the final degree of Pisces at the time of the eclipse, Saturn churns up our emotional sea.  29 degrees Pisces (big water) is the end of the line astrologically.

Here, Saturn calls the karmic shots; what is not meant to be is washed away completely.  Talk about a tsunami.  Don’t even bother trying to control or cling to anything not divinely intended for you. Mother Earth is integral to this clearing.  She is purging and shaking off what is no longer relevant for our future. Watch for hurricanes and flooding.

Our home Planet Earth along with her cosmic counterparts are setting the example, modeling for us with clear messages taking the form of sweeping emotions, immense earth and water activity, fear and its counterpart faith, strong intuition, significant dreams, prisons, hospitals, health and mental wellness matters, daily work routines and practices, imagery via social media, film, photography, and spiritual callings. 

In the wake of the eclipse, as in the aftermath of any storm, is a calm, in this case, a stunned silence. We sit with what has happened and grapple to re-group.

The period between eclipses is a notorious energetic black hole.  You may feel ungrounded, walking between timelines, a surreal time out of time.  This is actually a good thing.  Humanity is indeed shifting from mind to heart-centered, led by the soul rather than logic. We’re not dispensing with the mind and its gifts; but rather putting these to work as instruments to be used by our soul, rather than the other way around.

During this time frame between September 7^th and the second eclipse on the 21^st, be sure to drink plenty of purified water, walk in nature, and practice steep self-care.

Just after mid-month all four interior planets change signs, like dominoes, one right after the other.  On Thursday, September 18^th, Messenger Mercury enters lovely Libra, aligning helpfully to Radical Uranus and Powerful Pluto.  Our wish is our command.  Thoughts, words and intentions are extremely powerful now.  You are what you think you are.  This could not come at a better time as we approach the New Moon. 

The very next day, Valuable Venus turns into practical Virgo.  Grounded, humble and reality-based in Virgo, Venus streamlines our relationships to suit our future needs.  Anyone not integral to our future health and well-being will be sidelined.

Enter the final eclipse of 2025:  the New Moon solar eclipse on Sunday, September 21^st.  At the final degree of Virgo, both Sun and Moon underscore the aforementioned clearing out of what does not serve our future selves. This eclipse means business and cleans house down to the studs, our very roots.  The definition of efficient, the Virgo sun and moon (our will and emotions) join forces here to cleanse and purify us of anything unhealthy whether body, mind, or soul.

Thus, a great time presents itself to set your intentions accordingly.  Squeaky clean and feeling fresh, what do you want to accomplish over the next month, season or year? Hand-write 3-5 intentions to manifest and then plant safely in the softening earth; just in time for Fall Equinox

Monday, September 22^nd, both the Sun and Motivating Mars change signs.  The Sun marks the Fall Equinox by turning into Libra, beckoning us to bring balance to our lives.  What brings you into alignment? Makes you feel beautiful?  Incites peace and harmony? Remember your own self, your needs, wants and desires over the coming month; as Libra tends to be so focused on others that it can forget herself.

The very same day, Mars enters Scorpio, sign of transformation.  Our intuition and spidey senses tingle.  Trust yours as it is 100% correct.  What the New Moon eclipse in Virgo purified and cleansed, Mars now digests and regenerates what is yet to be.  Mars challenges Aquarian Pluto through the end of September, prodding us to transform aspects of ourselves through non-mainstream, alternative modalities.  In short, try a different approach or strategy because the same old tactics just will not work in the new frontier.

The Mars-Pluto conflict may have some burying their heads in the sand.  Wake me up when it is over, some say.  While others say, never give an inch or some may take the whole mile.  Instead of stubbornness or distrust, this catalytic duo invites us to look at what we are resisting or refusing.  During this Libra season, we are invited to balance our lives through mediation, compromise and negotiation.  Where can you give a bit without giving away everything? 

Where can you open up and engage willingly?

Where can you begin again?

Where can you balance your needs with those of others?

That is the place to start.

Of Special Note:

ZENATHON!  is ON!!! Join me on Sunday, September 14th in Sharon, MA for a day of peace, learning and incredible vendors!  I am offering a class on the current astrology influences including a forecast for 2026.  For more information and tickets, please visit:  www.zenathon.org

Are you in search of a healer?  Don't know where to look to find excellent, vetted alternative and metaphysical practitioners?  Check out The Seekers Field Guide!! I am so thrilled to now be a guide and offer my services with this groundbreaking resource offering a directory of the best healers in the business. Visit:  www.seekersfieldguide.com to learn more!

The 3 Wise Women is off and running!  Our community is about to celebrate its first anniversary. Join us!  We are three veteran metaphysical practitioners offering community, conversation and connection via zoom every first Tuesday of the month @6 pm eastern.  For just $10/session, feel safe among like-minded seekers to ask your wildest woo questions and learn from each other.  To enroll:  www.cathyripleygreene.com

Mystical Messages features my monthly astrology forecasts if you prefer listening via podcast.  Also featured are cutting edge healing arts practitioners.  Tune in and listen through Youtube, Apple or Spotify or hear previous episodes:  www.hilaryharley.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Great Shift

Exhausted and wired at the same time is a complaint shared often with me; and I must confess, not a feeling unknown to me.  It is the result of overwhelming energetic bombardment we are currently enduring in this time known as The Great Shift.  We are experiencing far, far more than planetary passages now.  Solar flares, geomagnetic storms, Schumann Resonance (the earth’s pulse) changes and much more than I am aware.

The sheer volume of energetic waves to navigate is both exhausting and energizing.  I feel that there is both never enough time for adequate sleep, (and when I do wake up, I am still exhausted), and yet weirdly eager and ready to get going.  There is so much to do! This massive energetic push and pull reminds us that there are forces much greater than ourselves at work; and that all we can do is show up and do the work.  Our work is a call and response with the Universe, playing the cards we’re dealt to the best of our ability.

Due to the very strong energies at play, allowing time for integration and development is essential. Fortunately as August begins, we are afforded the perfect time to do just that!  Messenger Mercury has already been retrograde for two weeks and has another ten days until it turns forward motion.

Cosmically, we are let off the hook so to speak, to play hookey, go on vacation for the next ten ten days until Monday, August 11^th.  Rest, restore and renew now.  Valuable Venus has just entered compassionate Cancer the Crab slowly joining Generous Jupiter.  Both align to the Moon in intuitive Scorpio on August 1^st inviting us to flow.  Allow. Swim with the current, what carries us.  It is a time to soak in self-care. Choose what is most soothing and what feels relaxing. You will be very glad you did.  Further, you might not have much choice now anyway as trying to push forward on projects and pursuits yield little if any traction. The more you push, the more pushback you will get during the first ten days of August.

Magic is afoot as we move toward a waxing Moon. 

First, on Thursday, August 7^th, Motivating Mars enters lovely Libra.  The rough and tumble planet of action is not especially comfortable in graceful, relationship oriented Libra.  However, any awkward edge is enormously softened by Mars’ flowing alignment to Powerful Pluto in Aquarius and Change Agent Uranus in Gemini, forming what is known as a grand air trine.  These planets are the movers and shakers of the solar system. With such powerful planets in connective and communicative energies, our thoughts, words, and technology are extremely potent now through mid-August.  Ideas flow, connections are seamless, groups and teamwork are effortless, communications are well-received.

This is like being given a Harry Potter magic wand.  

What will you do with your wand?  Where will you point it?

Just remember to control the wand and not allow it to control you.  Because your wish is its command. If ever there was a time to be careful for what you wish for, this is it!   To effectively control your wand, or the power of your thoughts, focus on what you do want (not what you do not want).   Visualize, write, then speak your desire.  Pause.  Then watch what you most desire manifest quickly.  Faster perhaps than you ever dreamt possible.   

Have you ever thought about someone only to receive an email or phone call from that person?  Thought about a song and then it comes on the radio?  Thought about an old, favorite movie then it appears on television?

These are small examples of the intentional communication energies at play from August 7-20^th.  We are all getting strong lessons now in the power of intention.

The stage is set.

Under the glaring spotlight of the Full Moon in revolutionary Aquarius on Saturday, August 9^th  Messenger Mercury, the planet ruling communication, turns direct motion the very next day on Sunday, August 10^th.   Everything is exposed now, all of it, the dirt and the blessings.  This is an incredibly auspicious and powerful Full Moon. 

Opposing the creative Leo sun, this innovative Full Moon knows no bounds.  It runs on information, takes ideas and invents what never existed before.  Radical, independent and non-comforming, this Moon could care less whose toes it steps on; rather, may step very intentionally on specific feet to make a point, be heard and seen.

Those seeking attention will indeed get it now, regardless of reason or purpose. To expect the unexpected during the second weekend in August is a major understatement.   If you thought 2025 was too much, too fast, this Full Moon says, hold my beer.

We have crossed the Rubicon, passed the tipping point of no return.  There is no going backward.  Resistance is futile, as is trying to hold on to what once was or re-creating the way life used to be.

Not only is Messenger Mercury now rolling forward, it aligns smoothly to Neptune and Saturn in Aries.  Feeling fierce and fearless?  Time to tackle your dream; for there is little but our own internal blocks and resistance to stop us now.  And need I emphasize:  This is no time to play small.  Leap and the net will appear.  The moment is upon us to take up space, to be heard and seen, to walk with destiny.

It is particularly safe to do so the week of August 11-17^th while Generous Jupiter and Valuable Venus travel together in maternal Cancer the Crab, aligning helpfully to the lunar North Node in Pisces.  This configuration has our back and acts as a guardian angel by heightening our intuition.  Silver linings appear.  You know.  You don’t why you know; you just do.  And you are correct.  

You might have some extra time on your calendar only to receive the call you’ve been waiting for to fill that gap.  You might get held up in traffic only to be spared a life-threatening car accident.  You get the idea.

With Mercury moving full steam ahead, sign the key documents, launch your projects, book your travel plans, or purchase the large ticket items you’ve had your eye on. 

Our grand designs will be called into sharp focus at the time of the New Moon on Saturday, August 23^rd.  In practical Virgo, both Sun and Moon ask us to get real, to make a plan, and to be prepared for what is to come.  All of our ideas are terrific but if they lack basic common sense or a plan to execute them, how will you see the results you desire, asks this New Moon?

Remember to hand write three to five intentions or goals you seek to manifest over the coming month or season.  Plant in the soft earth to be harvested at a future time.

A few days later, Valuable Venus emerges out of her Cancer the crab shell and moves into Look at me Leo.  Aligning to Neptune and Saturn in fiery Aries through the end of August, we are rarin' and ready to go.  Good thing we set those intentions on the New Moon last week! We have energy to burn.  Now, it’s time to bring your plans to life. 

Of Special Note:

ZENATHON!  is ON!!! Join me on Sunday, September 14th in Sharon, MA for a day of peace, learning and incredible vendors!  I am offering a class on the current astrology influences including a forecast for 2026.  For more information and tickets, please visit:  www.zenathon.org

Are you in search of a healer?  Don't know where to look to find excellent, vetted alternative and metaphysical practitioners?  Check out The Seekers Field Guide!! I am so thrilled to now be a guide and offer my services with this groundbreaking resource offering a directory of the best healers in the business. Visit:  www.seekersfieldguide.com to learn more!

The 3 Wise Women is off and running!  Our community is about to celebrate its first anniversary. Join us!  We are three veteran metaphysical practitioners offering community, conversation and connection via zoom every first Tuesday of the month @6 pm eastern.  For just $10/session, feel safe among like-minded seekers to ask your wildest woo questions and learn from each other.  To enroll:  www.cathyripleygreene.com

Mystical Messages features my monthly astrology forecasts if you prefer listening via podcast.  Also featured are cutting edge healing arts practitioners.  Tune in and listen through Youtube, Apple or Spotify or hear previous episodes:  www.hilaryharley.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up in the Air

As months go, July lends itself to jumping off the hamster wheel of life and into the road less traveled.  This is not only driven by gentler weather patterns in the Northern Hemisphere but school vacation schedules and yes, nurturing Cancer the Crab energy.  Warm, compassionate, nourishing Cancer rules the stomach, breasts and womb. The first water sign of the zodiac, Cancer focuses on family, house and home, food, ancestry and nation. 

The slow feel of July is particularly noticeable this month as three planets will turn retrograde.  It is a welcome change after the gangbuster action of May and June.  Cosmically, July is a busier month than the past few months; but we are downshifting out of overdrive in the fast lane and on to the lazy, winding scenic route in first gear.

And: One of the most fortuitous aspects in all astrology welcomes us as July begins.  The Sun and Generous Jupiter are tightly paired offering comfortable familiarity and abundant security.  Think big comfy couch, a heartfelt hug, your favorite delicious home-cooked meal, or coming home after a long trip away. This is expansive Jupiter joining with the Sun in Cancer the Crab.

Their combined warmth stays with us through the July 4^th weekend, lending hope that despite appearances to the contrary, all will be will at home, whether local, national or global. In the best sense, Cancer offers reliable, time-tested wisdom.  She is the trusted counselor we turn to when the chips are down or we have an achievement to celebrate.

She reminds us to take deep comfort now, that there is so much more than meets the eye, so much more happening behind the scenes, divinely orchestrated, beyond our comprehension, working out for our highest potential and fullest well-being, if only we trust.  Will you?

Our call to trust is amplified by Spiritual Neptune turning retrograde on Friday, July 4^th.  We tend to feel the outer planetary gear shifts far less than those closer to the Earth, such as Mercury, Mars or Venus.  Still, it is worth noting Neptune’s reversal of motion, especially as it is so tightly joined to Taskmaster Saturn.  In fiery Aries, take care with matches, stoves, grills, engines, campfires, or fireworks, of course. 

In Neptune’s wake, Change Agent Uranus enters communicative Gemini on Monday, July 6^th.  It has been 76 years since we’ve experienced this planetary combination during Uranus’ last tour through Gemini from 1941-1949.  So most of us alive on the planet have not experienced this energy which will last until 2033. 

Infinitely more comfortable in Gemini than earthy Taurus, Uranus heralds breakthroughs and awakening en masse.  How we communicate and use technology will be seismically different in seven years when Uranus moves out of Gemini.  Television was a significant development of the last Uranus in Gemini cycle.

Fortunately, Uranus aligns seamlessly to Pluto in Aquarius for the next few years, easing our experience of this shift. How we gather, integrate, share and use ideas, language, and information will be dramatically altered over the next seven year Uranus cycle.

Think of how you communicated before cellular phone technology or the internet came along.  Whole generations cannot imagine life without these communication devices.  That gives us insight into how unimaginably we will exchange information by the mid-2030s when Uranus enters Cancer the Crab. 

Along with communication, Gemini also has to do with ground transportation, siblings, community, sales and marketing.  So expect developments on these fronts as well.  Helpful to remember now that in the name of progress, the only constant in life is change.  

Uranus enters Gemini under the waxing light of the Full Moon on Thursday, July 10^th.  In practical Capricorn, the Full Moon aligns to Motivating Mars and the South node in efficient Virgo, grounding us and offering reality based solutions.  These earth energies serve as a counterweight to the otherwise lofty, heady planetary placements in air and fire signs.

Just two days later, Task master Saturn turns retrograde.  Serving as a bookend to its counterpart Neptune, Saturn retrograde in Aries puts life on the backburner to simmer.  What was urgent or emergent now does not seem quite so immediate.  Instead, you might rather feel the urge to go to the beach.

Relaxation mode sweeps us up fully in its grasp on Thursday, July 17^th when Messenger Mercury turns retrograde.  The third of three planetary retrogrades in just two weeks, Mercury in Leo turns our minds toward vacation and play.  No matter your budget, now is the time to take a day, long weekend or extended time off to re-set and refresh.  Fertile and festive Leo beckons us to take a chance, to explore with childlike creativity on canvas, paper, day tripping down the road, making sand castles or mud pies.

Manage your expectations about how much will be accomplished the second half July and the first part of August.  People are out of the office now so do not expect prompt replies.  Best to wait until after August 11^th to make significant purchases, including houses, cars, appliances, booking vacations, or buying electronics, especially communication devices. As always, if an urgent large-ticket item must be replaced (such as a washing machine, cell phone, laptop, refrigerator), make sure you buy the extended warranty as you may need it down the line.

The Sun enters Leo on Wednesday, July 23^rd towing the Moon in its wake to deliver the New Moon in Leo on Thursday, July 24^th.  Opposite Pluto in Aquarius, the Leo Sun and Moon draw distinction between our individual needs versus the group and community. Where do you end and others begin?  The New Moon aligns helpfully to Saturn and Neptune in Aries, meaning that creatively, we are on fire.  For every problem, there is a solution if only we look around. Now is the time to experiment, to see what works and what does not.                                                                                                                     

Leo says:  No dream is too big; no ask is too great.  So hand write three to five wishes you seek to manifest over the following weeks, months and seasons.  Plant these intentions in the ripe earth or set safely alight.

Soon enough, your time is going to come.  Meanwhile, make some popcorn, put your feet up and enjoy the show.

Of Special Note:

Are you in search of a healer?  Don't know where to look to find excellent, vetted alternative and metaphysical practitioners?  Check out The Seekers Field Guide!! I am so thrilled to now be a guide and offer my services with this groundbreaking resource offering a directory of the best healers in the business. Visit:  www.seekersfieldguide.com to learn more!

The 3 Wise Women is off and running!  Our community is about to celebrate its first anniversary. Join us!  We are three veteran metaphysical practitioners offering community, conversation and connection via zoom every first Tuesday of the month @6 pm eastern.  For just $10/session, feel safe among like-minded seekers to ask your wildest woo questions and learn from each other.  To enroll:  www.cathyripleygreene.com

Mystical Messages features my monthly astrology forecasts if you prefer listening via podcast.  Also featured are cutting edge healing arts practitioners.  Tune in and listen through Youtube, Apple or Spotify or hear previous episodes:  www.hilaryharley.com