Winds of Change

May brings a head spinning number of cosmic gear shifts:  3 retrogrades, 4 sign changes, and the lunar node shift bearing changes of mind, focused communication and connections.  Where April found us making small steps forward, May offers completely new perspectives as we adjust to living with Covid-19.   This is exactly the point:  we need all the help we can get.

To be direct, Covid-19 is not going anywhere.  It may morph and shape shift but it will be with us for some time.  It is we, human beings individually and collectively that must change and change now.  This is no small task as humanity resists change small and large, with all its might.  We tend to go kicking and screaming into any new routine or system. 

Since our refusal to save the Earth from humanity’s destruction, we are now being given no alternative via global pandemic.  The Earth is alive and well and has bounced back remarkably fast with cleaner air and water since the onset of the virus.  Now, this very month, we will have no choice but to shift how we think and approach our lives going forward from the simplest tasks and beyond. 

Leading the charge to change is a lunar node shift on May 5^th.  Every 18-20 months, the nodes of the moon (which draws our attention toward our true north directional calling) shifts from one astrology sign to another.  On Tuesday the 5^th, the north and south lunar nodes move out of Cancer the Crab and Capricorn and into Gemini and Sagittarius, from water and earth to air and fire; from nurturing, home and practicality to communication, flexibility and adventure. 

Think of this as a pivot point – reaching the end of one road and picking up the thread of another, totally different one.  With it, our attention switches direction, from emotional to cerebral.  The North Node that calls your name through the end of 2021 is mental energy:  thought, language, connection.  You will also notice a decided uptick in areas ruled by Gemini:  siblings, neighbors, community, cars, car rides, conversations in cars, and your conscious, present mind.  In other words:   what is on your mind right now.

Gemini is the “salesman of the zodiac” known for its powers of persuasion.  Talkative, versatile, adaptable, Gemini gathers and shares information.  Over the next year and a half, watch for a deluge of information, overload perhaps, coming your way.  Gemini connects the dots and serves as a link by disseminating the knowledge it gathers.  As we begin this energetic shift in our attention, we may find it challenging to discern between what is essential, necessary, information, and what is not.  Remember:  less is more and KISS:  Keep It Simple Stupid.  This is particularly true all month long as Venus in Gemini challenges Neptune in Pisces.   How will you know if someone is pulling the wool over your eyes or full of mullarkey?  Ask questions.  Trust your gut.  Speak up if you are uncertain.  Question to discern fact from fiction, truth vs. illusion.

The intensity of both the lunar node shift combined with the smoke and mirrors effect at the start of May is amplified by the Full Moon on Thursday, May 7^th.  Intense is the word, too, as the Full Moon occurs in Scorpio opposite the Sun in Taurus.  I call this the money and magic axis.  Scorpio and Taurus rule the money houses:  Taurus (2^nd house) our daily bread, how you earn it through applied skills and talents opposite Scorpio (8^th house):  inherited/found money, death and realms beyond the veil, power, regeneration/sex.   May 7^th is the show-me-the-money Full Moon.   Watch for power plays especially regarding economics, bread and butter kitchen table issues of how to make ends meet while states and nations debate when to “re-open” businesses.

A few days later marks a series of planetary gear shifts:  the first of the two titans turns retrograde.  Taskmaster Saturn reverses on Sunday, May 10^th followed by Jupiter on Thursday, May 14^th.  In between, Venus, goddess of love, money and relationships turns retrograde on Tuesday, May 12^th.  What does all of this retrograde activity mean, especially in such close proximity? Let’s unpack it one by one:

Saturn:  Planet of dharma and karma, taskmaster Saturn first dipped its toe into Aquarius earlier this year; now, for the remainder of 2020, it will back into its own sign to finish some lessons we may be failing to learn, namely, austerity, personal responsibility, integrity, sound structure, honor.  Saturn and its sign Capricorn rule the bare bones (literally the skeletal system), the basics and basic functions of life. In its last, final sweep through its home sign, we are pushed (or given the opportunity, depending on your point of view) to get it together and focus on what really matters.  If you haven’t gotten the message by now, or by the end of 2020, chances are you will not and there will be a price to pay.

Venus:  from May 12^th to June 25^th, for 40 days and nights (sound familiar?), the planet of love turns retrograde motion.  An interior planet closest to the earth, we feel Venus’ reverse motion the most of these three planetary reversals.  Forty days is the period of Lent, marking the same time frame that Jesus wandered in the desert where he was tempted by Satan.   Not coincidentally, similar lessons apply to us over during these six weeks:  our shadow side emerges for reckoning, old relationships resurface, seduction and temptation, both financially and inter personally come into play. 

The best use of this energy is to take stock of yourself.  Conduct relationship and financial review; assess your values, skills and talents and how best to make use of them to earn a living going forward; evaluate your spending and saving habits and how to bring your financial house in order; discern whom and what you value in yourself, others, and in life.  As Venus retrogrades back through Gemini:  watch your tongue and limit gossip; siblings, neighbors, community and automobile concerns emerge; watch your stream of consciousness and thought process; practice awareness of your thought spirals and how to steer the direction of your mind.

One thing is for sure – how you spend your time during this period will either be filled with relief or regret on the other side of it.  This is NOT the time to make major purchases (car, boat, house, etc) luxury items or otherwise, gamble or invest in the stock market or business ventures.  Romances begun in this window will likewise fizzle over the summer and fall.

Jupiter:   turns retrograde motion on May 14^th.  Generous Jupiter, the titan of abundance, rolls back into the sign of Capricorn for the next several months.  The planet of education and expansion, taking chances and adventure, is not at its best in restrictive Capricorn.  Our life experiences continue to be limited.  Boundaries are strictly enforced and our growth potential curbed.  Jupiter will join Pluto a total of three times over the course of 2020.  This intense pairing pretty much sums up our year:  back to basics, fun and travel curtailed, bolstering or creating fundamental foundations.  If we concentrate on getting the structures right, we will have solid basis on which to stand and progress from in the future.

In the midst of these major planetary shifts, Messenger Mercury and Motivating Mars change signs.  Mercury moves into Gemini on May 11^th and Mars into Pisces 13^th.  While Mercury will be in its home sign, Mars is not at its best in spiritual, fluid Pisces.  During the major cosmic gear shifts between May 10-14, these two interior planets will clash, prompting overthinking, spin doctoring and deception.  This stretch of May is dicey indeed!  Really use caution with your words (Mercury in Gemini) and managing your expectations (Mars in pisces).  The best use of energy this week is to focus intentionally on what you DO want to happen, not what you don’t want.   Water, creative endeavors, music, yoga, meditation are KEY positive outlets at this time.   Avoid distractions such as negative mental spirals, binging on food, substances, TV or video games. 

This continues to be vitally important through the following week as Venus prolongs challenging Neptune through May 22^nd.  At the same time, the Sun turns into Gemini on May 21^st right before the New Moon on Friday, May 22^nd.   Take care during this very slick and slippery passage.  Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury and the North Node square off with Neptune or Mars in Pisces.  Really watch for relationship and financial delusions, fantasies, deals sounding too good to be true.   Be cautious of those wheeling and dealing, proclaiming to have cure-all solutions, or easy and quick fixes.  Remember to ask questions to learn more, especially if you have doubts or are uncertain.  One thing is for sure:  your word is your bond.  If you make a promise, nothing less than your good name is at stake.  The heavy hitting planets in Capricorn (Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn) remind us now:  reputation is everything. 

If you are uncertain about a direction to take, hit the pause button.  Take time to contemplate, meditate or pray about your dilemma or intentions (Mars/Neptune in Pisces).  Draw or write your musings with pen and paper.  Look beneath the surface of matters at hand, what is easily seen.  There will be more to something than meets the eye.  Once you discern your needs, focus precisely on what you want to manifest in the coming weeks and months.  Hand write 3-5 intentions and plant them in the Earth.  The power of FOUR planets and the North Node in communicative Gemini offers us a tremendous magnetic force.  Use this energy wisely as it is highly potent.

In the final few days of the month, Messenger Mercury changes signs again, for the second time this month.  On Thursday, May 28^th, Mercury moves into nurturing Cancer, mindful of family, home, food and devoted self-care.   Mercury in Cancer focuses on essentials, what is of utmost importance during this time of steep, radical shifts:  your personal health and well-being – body, mind and soul, as well as those you love.  It is the core of our existence. 

Here is a mantra I find very helpful when my mind jumps to a negative track: 

All will be well 

And all will be well

And all manner of things will be well.  – Dame Julian of Norwich

Of Special Note:   Consider the unique gift of an astrology reading for Mother’s Day.  Gift certificates are available by contacting me at:  hilary@hilaryharley.com or www.hilaryharley.com.

Wrecking Ball

How I wish I had gentle and encouraging words to share in this forecast!  However, April opens fraught with energy hungover from March.  Jupiter and Pluto are virtually neck and neck now for the next several months.  Jupiter magnifies and teaches us Pluto’s intense and harsh lessons in cold, calculating Capricorn.

Together they are taking a gigantic wrecking ball to our routines, customs, and established systems.  With humanity so deeply divided, a single solution settled upon us to completely deconstruct what is in order to start over from scratch: the coronavirus.  Like death or divorce, nothing will ever be the same afterward.  What unfolds next from the rubble will inevitably be an improvement. In bringing us face to face with unrelenting facts of Biblical proportion:  who shall live and who shall die, and the realities of Social Darwinism, the virus prioritizes our lives. 

In the reality of life or death, the virus shows us in stark terms, classic Capricorn black and white no nonsense, what actually matters.  Some may remember grandparents talking of equally difficult times in days past; the wise listened and took their stories to heart to recall in the present moment.  No, this is not fire, flood or famine.  Yes, we have electricity and technology to connect and entertain us.  But self- isolation reveals how health, love and personal human connection are indeed all that matters.

In taking us down to ground zero, Capricorn planetary heavy weights ask:  So how does the pursuit of power help you out now?  Ego has no place here in the land of life and death. 

I am not one to sugar coat anything and there are surely brighter days ahead; but first we must wade through the slog before us.  April begins with Taskmaster Saturn distancing itself from the intensity of Jupiter-Pluto, having moved into Aquarius.  Here, it is joined by Motivating Mars.  Both challenge Uranus in Taurus.  You may very well feel the chafing, something like gears grinding against one another caused by the uncomfortable friction of this troika. 

The purpose is to awaken us through fluctuating resources, alternative allocations of our supplies, and applying our talents differently to earn income.  Restaurant workers and those on health care’s front lines now are feeling this deeply.  The troika squeezes us to find new sources of money as well as inventive ways to connect.  How many of us sequestered in our homes are using FaceTime and Zoom like never before?  Even the good old fashioned telephone is getting a workout.

The challenge to innovate and come up with other means to survive, work, exercise, and yes, play is strong through April 8^th.  Helping us problem solve, Venus shifts into Gemini on Friday, April 3^rd, helpfully aligning with Saturn-Mars in Aquarius.   Wide open communication, versatility and flexibility rule all month long.  This alignment evokes Darwin’s Survival of the Fittest:  it is those who are most adaptable who survive hard times, not necessarily the smartest and strongest. 

We feel this reality more intensely building toward the Full Moon on Tuesday, April 7^th.  The Aries Sun barrels onward, all guns blazing opposing the Full Moon in gracious Libra which seeks appeasement and peace.  Balance is key now:  finding common ground somewhere between economic disaster versus keeping the public healthy and safe and reducing the viral spread.  The struggle is real indeed.

The scales may very well tip in favor of putting the economy ahead of public health concerns as Messenger Mercury shifts into fiery Aries joining the Sun on Saturday, April 11^th.  Our will aligns with our mind; our thoughts jump forward regardless of the results.  Aries is I AM energy, focused on self rather than others.  The caution here is making impulsive decisions that you will later regret or cannot get out of.  If ever there was a time to heed the consequences, this would be it. 

While Mercury, Sun and healer Chiron in Aries are terrific for courageous advances on the healing front in the battle against the virus, it is also critical that we continue using safe health practices until the spread diminishes.

The days to really watch out for occur at mid-month:  April 12-15.  You will feel the conflict between exercising caution and throwing caution to the wind.  This will be magnified on a collective level as the Moon joins Pluto-Jupiter in Capricorn challenging the Aries Sun.  Our will chafes against the forces that be.  It is essential to balance your personal well-being and pressing on with the work at hand.

Violence will be an option for some as friction erupts, so expect it this week.  For the rest of us, when used well, this can be an incredibly productive time.  You’d do well to find the in-between mindset of Aries I AM and Capricorn I USE.  The possibilities are endless.

Cooler heads will prevail on or after April 20^th as the Sun enters Taurus and joins change agent Uranus.  With all great shifts such as this period now, key opportunities abound for the savvy and ready.  Taurus offers us a time to plant, sowing seeds waiting to grow.  The New Moon in Taurus wedged between the Sun and Uranus on Wednesday, April 22^nd invites us to till the soil of our lives.  This is not a time to rest but rather invest, to dig deep and develop.  What do you want to grow?

Three days later, Transformer Pluto turns retrograde.  An outer planet, we may not immediately feel the effects of Pluto’s reverse gear.  However, it affords us an opportunity to review our desires, what we want and want to accomplish.  In Capricorn, Pluto steers our desires back to basics – meeting the rent or mortgage, putting more effective systems in place, refurbishing fundamental structures from which to operate.  This isn’t sexy or glamorous work; rather, it is akin to repairing a leaky roof or replacing the hot water heater in our homes rather than redecorating the living room or building on a new addition.

As Bill Gates recently said, “Whereas some see the Covid-19 virus as a great disaster, I prefer to see it as a *great corrector*.  It is sent to remind us of the important lessons that we have seemed to have forgotten and it is up to us if we will learn them or not.”

We are guided that much further to realign with elementary pieces of our lives on Monday, April 27^th as Messenger Mercury turns into earthy Taurus.  Over the final few days of the month, the messenger planet joins Uranus and the Sun.  Communicate, awaken and identity are three words associated with Mercury, Uranus and the Sun.  In Taurus, simplicity, authenticity and resources rule.  Combined together they form our guideposts:  communicate simply, awaken authentically, resourceful identity, to usher us into May and more peaceful, healthy days.

Of Special Note:

I am again offering mini readings at Soni Masur’s Spring Show, April 30, May 1 and 2, in Dover, MA.   If you are interested in a mini reading, please contact Soni at Sonyamasur@gmail.com with your birth data:  exact time, date and location of your birth.  Soni will confirm whether her event is on or not given public health recommendations.

Help if you need it

To my dear clients near and far:

This is a defining and challenging time we are moving through.  For those of you who may feel the need for extra counsel, I offer options for as-needed guidance.  Beyond regular natal/birth chart, solar return and current forecast readings, I am also available to clients for as-needed sessions by phone, FaceTime or Zoom via draw down account or fee for service.

If you prefer the draw down account, the amount of time used will be drawn against advance payment by either Venmo, Paypal or check.  

The second option is fee for service; the minutes used for a session are then charged accordingly.

My rate for as-needed guidance is $2 per minute, so $30 minutes is $60, etc.

Please know that I am here to help you navigate through this time.

Blessings be,

Hilary

Reward or Ruin?

Very few of us believe that current times are ordinary.  We suffer no such illusions.  To say that monumental shifts in our national, global and personal landscapes are underway is far from an understatement.

As we are in the midst of Mercury Retrograde in mystical Pisces when March opens, with the Sun gradually joining dreamy Neptune, the ruler of Pisces, reflection about our lives and the current state of affairs is apropos. 

The balance of March finds FOUR heavyweight planets in bare bones and businesslike Capricorn.  Thus our reflections take into account the structure of our lives:  what works and what does not work. Capricorn is deadly serious; its planet Saturn rules dharma and karma.  Both work to eliminate anything or anyone that does not fit into the emerging framework on which our lives will operate going forward.  What and who does not fit into this framework becomes more glaringly obvious as we move through the final ten days of Mercury’s retrograde review.  We cannot help but perceive essential changes to be made if we are to pursue healthy, and ideally peaceful, meaningful lives.

As Saturn begins its final tour through sign of Capricorn in 2020, the first few weeks of March it tightly conjoins transformer Pluto, Generous Jupiter and Motivating Mars, in a crescendo of energetic emphasis.  You would have to be dead not to feel this cosmic power play.  WOW.   Wherever these 4 planets cycle through your chart Responsibility is the name of the game.

Game?  Who said anything about games?  Saturn and Capricorn limit our fun, ability to play, times infinity conjoined to the above mentioned planetary trio.  Responsibility, honor, duty, integrity:  we rarely if ever associate these words with fun and games.  The fearsome foursome in Capricorn underscore the gravity and gravitas of our Times.  Serious Saturn leads the charge; Pluto intensifies while Jupiter magnifies and Mars drives the seriousness of our work ahead. Wherever your life is out of whack or alignment, if you are not actively working to bring order to that sector, life circumstances will force your hand.

Capricorn and Saturn do not mess around:  you either get it or you don’t.  The current Coronavirus epidemic and possible burgeoning pandemic is a key example of how this energy works.  Health is based on science which is based on data and facts.  With disease, there is no room for illusion or spin.  Either take precautions or get sick.  Governments take heed.

The great news is that for those who are ON path, keeping their intentions focused on soul lessons and doing the work, this same planetary foursome in Capricorn brings rewards and honors.  At a minimum, if you are working responsibly, expect a smoother road with resources available to you. Capricorn is an earth energy and is master manifesting energy.  For those living and working honorably, Saturn delivers.   In short:  do the work and be rewarded; avoid the work/game the system and face the consequence.  Reward or Ruin.  Life doesn’t allow for much room to game the system.

A few days into March, Venus shifts out of feisty and fiery Aries and into her home sign of Taurus on March 5^th.  Our focus sharpens on what we value:  in ourselves and others, our skills and talents to earn income.  Over the next few weeks, gracious Venus, planet of love, money and relationships gradually aligns with the powerhouse planets in Capricorn.   As this strengthens, practical solutions overflow to grow viable opportunities.  Venus takes the harsh edges off of the Capricorn foursome and points out our gifts and potential, how best to apply our existing resources and multiply them.  Under the waxing moon, Venus asks, “do you see your blessings?  Here’s yet another way to use them.”

The Full Moon on Monday, March 9^th occurs in efficient Virgo opposite the Sun-Neptune in inspirational Pisces.  This is one highly industrious Moon as it aligns with Mars and Jupiter in Capricorn, keeping our feet on the ground while we set our dreams in motion.  The timing is especially key as the very next day on March 10^th, Messenger Mercury turns direct.  Take complete advantage of this robust energy!  For the next six weeks (until April 24^th) all ten planets are pushing forward in direct motion.  I cannot emphasize how helpful this six week phase will be.  Truly, it is time to seize the day as winter gives way to spring.  While you crawl out of the darkness and into the light, roll out all of those plans and preparations you’ve stored up over the last few months. 

Sign the documents and contracts, book the travel plans, and invest in major purchases.

The stretch between March 11 and the end of the month gains momentum.  We feel it build like a steam engine until the Spring Equinox on Friday March 20^th.  The Sun enters fiery Aries.  As it does so, it challenges the lunar north and south nodes, catalyzing our push forward.  The Cancer-Capricorn lunar nodes caution the impulsive Aries Sun:  make sure to cover all your bases.  Know your projected costs, both in your home budget and at work; ask questions to fully understand possible outcomes; gather the necessary people and resources to tackle your vision and plans.

Two days later, on March 22^nd, Saturn shifts into avant garde Aquarius, giving us a taste of this non-mainstream and inventive energy.   For the next three months, our focus turns toward groups, networks, alternative ideas, concepts, as well as what connects our lives together, what goals serve a broad spectrum and a greater good.  An air sign, Aquarius seeks to advance our world, often by breaking barriers and existing thresholds.

The Equinox tees us up beautifully for the New Moon on Tuesday, March 24^th in warrior Aries.  Ladies and gentlemen:  start your engines.  With both Sun and Moon in fearless Aries, you may feel on fire as both our will and emotions are galvanized by this self-starting energy.  Winter is done and over.  The reflection and introspection of Mercury retrograde has finished.  What do you want you 2020 to look like?  Outline 3-5 goals or wishes you seek to accomplish and cast in a moving body of water with an outlet, plant in the softening spring earth or gently burn. 

The final week of March, Generous Jupiter and transformer Pluto combine for a once- in-twelve years pairing.  The duo is joined by Mars now, all in Capricorn, intensifying and flexing our manifesting potential:  if you do the work, you will realize your goal.  Venus aligns with this powerful troika March 25^th into April.  This is premier construction and constructive, built-to-last energy.  Where do you want to lay a firm foundation?  How will you construct your platform and structure given your available resources?  Choose wisely.  For those who are willing, the world and reward await you.

Of Special Note:

*Please enjoy my recent interview with Michael Zildjian on his podcast Zilosophy as we discuss the benefits of astrology and reiki:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-zilosophy-podcast/id1450947099#episodeGuid=tag%3Aaudioboom.com%2C2020-02-12%3A%2Fposts%2F7502797

**Learn the basics of astrology in my on-line Astrology 101 course OR give the gift of my introductory course to another:  www.spirituallifepathinstitute.com  Enroll or gift my course $99 for three hours with complimentary follow up.

***April 30, May 1 and 2:  I am delighted to once again offer mini astrology readings at Soni Masur’s Big Spring Show in Dover, MA.   Please book your 20 minute reading for $25 in advance:  sonyamasur@gmail.com or hilary@hilaryharley.com

February Break

For countless years, the public schools in New England take a week long February vacation in the midst of the long, cold winter.   When I first moved here, I was skeptical about why.  However, when my children were school age I realized the week off accomplishes several things:  it breaks apart the winter to make it shorter; affords families the opportunity to actually enjoy the snow; and gives schools a chance to air out during cold and flu season.

After the December holiday hustle and tumultuous January, this February offers the same respite for all of the soul weary. 

Just three days in to the month, Messenger Mercury turns into dreamy sensitive Pisces.  Not the most comfortable fit for the incisive communication planet, mystical Pisces softens our words and may  cleanse and clarify our thoughts….or totally confuse them.  We feel drawn toward music, water elements and activities, to trust our intuition, to dream and, yes, to simply, purely believe again.  Piscean Mercury seeks to unify, wants us and our world to be whole, not fragmented, to include rather than exclude.  We may also fantasize about just chucking it all and running away…to a sunny south seas island, somewhere/anywhere to escape the madness of our world.  We imagine what that must feel like until we pause and ask, is that really a solution?

And that’s just it, isn’t it?  We learned over the past brutally honest year:  wherever we run, there we are.  You, me, us.  There is no escape.  But there are endless possibilities everywhere if we apply this energy well to visualize and set intentions.  Mercury in Pisces invites us to be still and silent in solitude, to hear the music of our own imagination, to let it intuitively guide and inspire us.  Will you?  Give yourself a gift, your very own February break:  step into tranquility this month by stopping, listening. 

What do you hear?

Our imagination is in full flow the first week of February as Mercury aligns to the lunar North Node in cozy Cancer the Crab.  Snuggle up with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book Friday night February 7 before Venus shifts into fiery Aries the next day, when she joins healer Chiron; together the duo seeks all new relationships and outlets for our inspirations, to kindle faith in new possibilities under the Leo Full Moon aligned to Mars in adventurous Sagittarius on the 9^th.  We feel there is absolutely nothing we cannot do – virtually no mountain high enough or obstacle too steep to climb over.  Stoke your Piscean dreams and see where they lead.  We are filled with robust energy and ready to explore.

And just how will you make that happen?  Ask three heavy hitting planets in pragmatic Capricorn?  Slow and steady win the race.  It’s fine to be filled with dreams of glory and all that, but how will you accomplish said venture?  Titans Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto want a plan.  What resources do you have to manifest and conquer?  These three keep us firmly on the ground even as our head and heart float up to the sky on lofty ideas.  The cosmic mixture makes for a viable Valentine’s Day with a new love or old, to propose…something more permanent?

Friday, February 14^th, Motivating Mars shifts into Capricorn joining the above mentioned Big Three.  Mars relishes its passage through business like Capricorn and our attention drives straight to the bottom line.  Empowered by the Power Planet Troika, Mars cuts to the chase:  does it (insert your body, relationship, job, work-life dynamic, etc) function…well or at all?  This powerful foursome demands quality over quantity, efficiency, and definition:  you are in or you are out.  While Piscean Mercury swerves and blurs our mind and thoughts, the Capricorn Combo insists on straight, linear lines.  Connect the dots in the most direct way.  Best to apply this planetary pattern by allowing your mind to wander and dream and our efforts to build that dream.

Because the very next day, February 17^th, Mercury turns retrograde in Pisces for the following three weeks. The engines of operation, doing and building are best directed toward the RE words.  Rest, research, review, reorganize, reset, relax, renovate, restore, renew, etc.  REmember that February break?  Now is about the time for it.  Especially as the Sun shifts into Pisces on February 19^th, joining Messenger Mercury and Soulful Neptune.  This trio draws us to dip our toes in the water, whether a luxurious, candlelit bath in your own home, a romantic get-away, or a more protracted adventure.

The sound of music, sirens of dance and concert call our names this third week of February.  Indulge.  REmember the joy of BEing, not doing.  The next three weeks offers intense clarifying and cleansing energy, to purge all that clogs our thoughts, finances, homes and more.  Surrender and surrender now what you cannot control.  You choose:   Flow do not fight, let go and let God.  This period is definitely not the time to push back; if anything, REsist the temptation to dig your heels in.  Doing so, you may find yourself sinking in a quagmire of quicksand, slipping backward and not gaining traction.  Progress?  No.  Not right now.  That will have to wait until March 10^th when Messenger Mercury turns direct motion.

Until then, use the time to meditate on what you do want, REseach and plan where you want to go. REview why you want certain goals.  Prepare your intentions for the New Moon on Sunday, February 23rd by handwriting 3-5 wishes or dreams and casting these in a moving body of water with an outlet or plant in the ground to manifest in the coming weeks and months.  Focus inward now and breathe out the Light of your Being. 

Give me love, Give me love, give me Peace on Earth  -- George Harrison

Brace Yourself

Wow. Just wow.  January 2020:  a month astrologers have literally been talking about for years in advance and the rest of us will be talking about for years to come.  It is with much trepidation and consideration that I write this message.  I struggle to inform but not scare anyone.  What’s up?  A whole lot. 

There are three, yes 3, significant cosmic events occurring on the same weekend.  The veil is ripped from our eyes, and our lives.  It is a moment of stark, definitive endings to make way for the new.  We stand naked on the other side, stripped of all pretenses and defenses.  Sound dramatic, even melodramatic?  Perhaps.

I’m sure you’ve noticed what is happening in your own life and in those around you.  This is no accident.  There are no coincidences.  The weekend of January 10-11 is the point of no return.  After which, the die is cast.  So let’s break it down.

Leftover from December, a dominance of Capricorn energy crowds our plates:  five planets (plus Ceres if you, like the astronomers count it as a planet) cycle through authoritarian, cold-as-ice, diligent Capricorn.  Get the work done and don’t mess around doing it, Capricorn.  Yes, that one.  Generous Jupiter has now shifted out of its home sign, philosophical Sagittarius and joined heavy weights Pluto and Saturn.  The seriousness of our lives, what is at stake, is gargantuan.  The BIG THREE are joined this month by the Sun, our will, and Messenger Mercury:  we are laser focused on our goals; or for those who cannot afford goals, concerned with simply surviving. 

It is not an overstatement to say this month lays waste to everything unnecessary or non-essential in our lives, whether financially, psychologically, physically, etc.  Capricorn is black and white, or in many cases, black vs. white.  Color wars come to mind.  Definitive and defining, life or death, your team vs. my team:  here we are.

Capricorn takes us down to our most basic, rudimentary elements:  what we have and what we certainly do not have, what works and what does not work.  There is no more goofing off now says businesslike Capricorn.  If you’ve been playing fast and loose with life, ignoring the rules, cosmic laws are here to clamp down and clean house.  No more Mr. Nice guy.  The illusion and pipe dreams of 2018-19 are shattered.

Leading us into the heart of the matter, Motivating Mars shifts into truth telling Sagittarius on January 3^rd.  The Truth shall set you free…as long as you are willing to face the music.  There is no longer any place to run and surely no place to hide.  Increasing light from the waxing Moon now shines into the darkest corners of lives, what we’d rather keep hidden, closeted away from others.

A week later, the cosmic switch begins to flip, starry dominoes triggered one right after another.  Late on the evening of January 9^th, Radical Uranus turns direct motion in earthy Taurus.  Unpredictability is the hallmark of Uranus (the only planet in our galaxy that rotates vertically instead of horizontally).  When it changes gears, anything, and I mean ANYthing is possible:  the good, the bad and the curious.

As Uranus turns direct, it loosely aligns with Generous Jupiter which may be our saving grace as it affords silver linings in otherwise wildly unexpected circumstances born from its quirky angle to Mars in Sagittarius.  These two do not play nicely when at odds with each other.  An agitator, Mars in Sagittarius demands the truth no matter what the cost while Radical Uranus in Taurus breaks apart the status quo.  The question leading into the Full Moon is not can we handle the truth (because it’s there whether we like it or not); it is how do we best handle the truth in the bald face of it?  In short:  where do we go from here?

Uranus direct motion sets the stage for the next two cosmic tricks.  Stand back and behold.

Once every 36-37 years the two heavyweights Pluto and Saturn come together.  Pluto, the god of the underworld, titan of transformation, and taskmaster Saturn, lord of dharma and karma combined in any sign is enormously dense and intense.  The last time this occurred was November 1982 in Libra.  Where were you then and what were you doing?  Libra rules relationship, art and beauty.  The Pluto-Saturn conjunction of 1982 kick started the party that was the 80s.

37 years later, this is very different scene as the two join up in reserved Capricorn.  We can’t help but feel the weight of this moment, with fellow titan Jupiter tipping the scales of immensity.  These three make brutally clear:  if you do not have your house in order, you will be made to get it together, the content, the people, the day to day operation.  And when I say house:  I mean virtually any sector of your life that is out of whack:  your body, health, finances, home/dwelling, family, work, or connection to soul/spirit, and more.

Driving the message home on January 10^th, the actual day Pluto and Saturn meet, Messenger Mercury, the Sun and Ceres pile on top telling us to get real and get on with building your life, or rebuilding in many cases.  Step by step, one foot in front of the other is Capricorn’s superpower.  It may be serious but it gets the job done as the architect of the zodiac, the master builder.  What are you building in your life?  What goal do you desire?  Capricorn’s essence is achievement, plows through our task and to-do lists.  It stands at base camp, viewing the pinnacle of the mountain, then pragmatically gathers all essential resources to make the climb:  the people and supplies necessary to reach the top.

“You can do it, yes you can,” says Mother Moon in her home sign Cancer the Crab.  The same day of the great Pluto-Saturn conjunction, the Moon opposes the Capricorn Sun to create a full moon lunar eclipse, the 3^rd event of this cosmic trilogy. Eclipses are gateways and thresholds marking significant passages in our lives.  The Moon is our only cheerleader during this rather draconian time.  Yes, times may be severe, you may be surviving the harshest of conditions and working through the darkest days of your life, but I promise you, says Mother Moon, you can do this, yes you can.  You’ve got this and I’ve got you.

In nurturing and compassionate Cancer, the Moon empathizes:  “I know this isn’t easy, that it is actually impossibly hard, lonely work you are doing.  But I promise that your investment of time, energy and money will pay off.” Kind words and tough love.  We are in living in uncertain and uneven times, many surviving, not thriving.  Like a new colt getting its legs underneath itself for the first time, we are learning first to stand, then walk.  One day we will gallop.  It takes time, patience and perseverance.  All in very short supply these days.

The convergence of these three cosmic events within 24 hours is a striking pivot point.  A strong lunar eclipse occurring alongside Uranus’ direct motion and the Pluto-Saturn conjunction reminds us we have more character and backbone than we ever imagined.  That we each must stand alone and walk our path by ourselves, to learn for ourselves.  We are always supported in our endeavors.  And the full moon lunar eclipse in Cancer-Capricorn underscores that each of us can do the actual soul work we came here for.  No one can do it for us and there is no escape from the work at hand.  This tough love lunar eclipse says:  no pain, no gain.

The Moon aligns to dreamy Neptune now, so we feel in the flow of life, intuitively understanding the next steps to take.  A few days later, to soften the blow and provide a cushion to life, Venus shifts into Pisces on January 14^th.  A queen in a magnificent home, Venus is supremely self LESS in Pisces, like Mother Theresa and the Queen of England combined.  For the rest of the month, Venus jousts with Motivating Mars.  In Pisces, Venus liberally gives away itself and everything else including the kitchen sink (sharing you too) while Sagittarian Mars says Go Big or Go Home.  You may find yourself struggling to say no, to find the brake pedal to slow down.  Fortunately the three planets in Capricorn, Pluto/Saturn/Jupiter limits our spending and over-zealous commitments.

January 17^th, Mercury shifts into Aquarius where it is most comfortable, naturally networking, connecting and inventing.  Joined three days later by the Sun on the 20^th, we look at life through a humanitarian lens at month’s end.  What benefits the group also benefits each individual and vice versa. Aquarian Sun-Mercury breaks apart old stereotypes, out dated customs that no longer serve a purpose while connecting us to people, opportunities and lifestyle that suits our current and future interests.

The New Moon in Aquarius occurs on January 24^th with Mercury at an eye-popping degree.  Watch for strong messages, surprises, plot twists and particularly keen awareness.  At the same time, Venus, goddess of love, money and relationships makes her annual conjunction to big sister Neptune in Pisces.  The pairing lasts through the final week of January, gently inspiring, flowing around and within us, uniting us and reflecting that we are one, collective body; even as individuals from various origins and customs, a common thread of Light runs through us one and all, belying separateness as merely an illusion.

The Verdict

December opens as Generous Jupiter finishes its year-long tour through Sagittarius, the fire sign it rules.  Freedom, truth, spirituality, travel, education, the law. Each label points to the same thing:  The Quest.  And indeed, in 2009 we have individually and as a whole been on quite a journey, in many cases, life changing ventures.]

In the wake of the Thanksgiving holiday, Jupiter offers up its final lesson, an examination if you will.  It asks:  what have we learned over the last 12 months?  The end of academic semesters are near.  No coincidence there!  Now is the time to demonstrate your knowledge, apply the lessons and show the truth as we experienced it. 

When Jupiter enters Capricorn on December 3^rd, it gradually joins Pluto and Saturn, the verdict (our grades) will be delivered, next month in January 2020.  Will you pass or will you fail the tests of life posed to you now this month?  This is no game or trial run.  It’s nothing less than your life at stake.

How well you integrate learned experiences from the past year is on the line.  Prepare to deliver your defense.   Just after Jupiter turns into Capricorn, Messenger Mercury enters Sagittarius on December 9^th after its extended retrograde cycle through Scorpio in October and November, digging up information and bringing it to light.

The shift in energies is unmistakable now as truth seeking Jupiter turns into cold, calculating Capricorn, black and white energy, what works and what does not.  Check off all boxes that apply:  have you been honest in all of your dealings?  Have you honored yourself and your own path?  Have you practiced live-and-let-live with all others?   True or False:  You either did or did not.

This is not a multiple choice test.  Messenger Mercury in Sagittarius draws up the exam and outlines the questions while Jupiter in Capricorn is the presiding judge and jury.  You know the answers or you don’t.  Jupiter is not at its best in Capricorn, the sign ruled by fellow cosmic titan Saturn.  Jupiter expands while Saturn restricts with set limits and boundaries. In short, Jupiter feels hampered and hemmed in by this restrictive sign. For the next year while Jupiter cycles thru Capricorn, our ability to grow, develop and expand only occurs to the extent we obey the rules.

For much of December, four out of six planets keep us grounded in earthy Capricorn:  Pluto, Saturn, Venus and Jupiter, the two heavyweights and the two benefics.  Capricorn is practical and pragmatic energy, realistic and goal oriented.  At its best it is responsible, honorable and focused on doing the right thing.  At worst, Capricorn is status conscious and overly preoccupied with reputation:  what will the neighbors think? 

In our own lives, we can see how Capricorn draws lines in the sand and says, “you better stay on your side” or “do not cross that line, but if you do ___________ will happen.”  Fill in the blank.  Capricorn is playing its hand in the stark, raving divisiveness of the United States.  This is not warm and fuzzy energy and has a grim reaper quality.  Much like the winter season it governs, Capricorn is reserved and discriminating.  Creatures die out in the icy, raw elements unless they adequately prepared their homes with necessary food and protection.  If not, so be it.  “You get what you deserve,” says Capricorn.  “You had fair notice and warning.  Not my problem, not my job to save you.”  Capricorn and its ruler Saturn deal with the biggest guns of all: karma and dharma.  It is deadly serious.  A matter of life and death:  will you live or will you die?

Hamlet and For Whom the Bell Tolls come to mind.

For most, we are focused not on a physical death but rather the life or death of the spirit.  Your own spirit, not that of any particular religious order.  Have you honored your spirit within the boundaries life afforded?  Or have you tried to game or cheat the system?  It is OK to break the rules if you also do no harm to yourself or others.  So be honest:  have you?  If so, time is up.  It is time to face the consequences.  Capricorn rules both time and consequences:  The Verdict.

The Verdict rolls in on the Full Moon, December 11^th, glaringly obvious to all underneath its spotlight in talkative Gemini.  With Messenger Mercury now in wise Sagittarius, the truth is delivered and the law applied.  The prevailing Capricorn energy dominates this Full Moon with gentle Venus wedged tightly between taskmaster Saturn and powerful Pluto.  Venus rules love, money and relationships.  In the weighty position at Full Moon, she reminds us that time is money and money is power.  Capricorn is all business, all the time, efficient, with no time, money or energy to waste.  Get your facts straight or get out, or get on with it already. 

With Mars in Scorpio at a vital, world-attention getting degree aligning exactly to Neptune, our razor sharp intuition underscores what we know what is real and accurate beyond the shadow of a doubt.  We know what’s up.  BUT: this Gemini Full Moon does challenge Neptune, making a last gasp effort with slippery sleights of hand, smoke and mirror special effects to test our understanding of the lessons.  The test is this:  do you trust yourself more than another?    Or are you giving your power over to someone else to lead the way?  Will you fall for and be tricked by illusion, smooth words and bombastic claims, OR will you trust the facts and reason, based on all you have learned, what you know to be true and underscored by your own intuition?

The most beautiful, useful and effective angle of this December 11 Full Moon is the alliance between Generous Jupiter and Radical Uranus in earthy Capricorn and Taurus.  Jupiter is the Santa Claus of the zodiac, the titan of abundance and blessings while Uranus is the Great Awakener and cosmic Change Agent.  The two harmoniously align only for the month of December but do grant us a magic wand.  In grounded, realistic signs, Jupiter and Uranus afford myriad opportunities now.  Manifestation is nigh and breakthroughs abound.  Want to break through cultural barriers, psychological or tribal conditioning?  Want to break free from what has held you back or confined and say YES to what or whom is knocking on your door, or on your own heart?  Want to follow that PING that tantalizes and excites you? 

In short, this grand alliance invites us to follow our soul’s calling now despite the cost or what others think.  And we are granted abundant support at the same time, December 1- January 4^th.  Use this cosmic magic wand wisely and you will accomplish so much! 

The days leading into Christmas spy several planetary shifts.  Friday, December 20^th, Venus turns into inventive Aquarius.  We now feel inclined to include rather than exclude others, to be part of a group and network.  Aquarius connects us and is the Great Humanitarian.  As much as Aquarian Venus has us marching to our own drummer, it also values those who are a little bit different, those who do their own thing in their own way.  Venus’ placement in this sign is awesome for Christmas gatherings as we can detach from the fray yet still partake in the whole.

The next day, the Sun shifts into Capricorn joining Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter to mark the winter solstice.  This sets the stage for the New Moon solar eclipse the day after Christmas.  As legendary Irish poet wrote his epitaph, “Cast a cold eye, on life, on death,” we now feel every icy inch of this deadly serious Capricorn energy. 

We are heading into the Great Saturn-Pluto conjunction in a few weeks, later in January. These two meet up only once every 36 years.  There is no margin for error now.  The dye has been cast.  Closing out 2019, Messenger Mercury joins four other planets in Capricorn on December 29^th.  It renders the verdict we have been waiting for, or, trying to avoid.  There is still time to change course.  How do you want your verdict to read?

Of Special Note:
If you are looking for a gift for the hard to buy for relative or friend, consider giving a gift certificate for an astrological reading.  Please visit my website:  www.hilaryharley.com to purchase.  Happy Holidays!