Author: Amelia Shea

“Socrates had it wrong; it is not the unexamined but finally the uncommitted life that is not worth living.” William Sloane Coffin

“Genuine commitment is a journey into the unknown.” Madonna Kolbenschlag

The Moon waxes full at 20 degrees of Scorpio on May 10 in the US. One of the important themes of this time is commitment. With the Sun and the Moon harmoniously aspecting Pluto – the powerful god of transformation and rebirth- it bodes well to take some time out to consider what commitments you need to walk away from as well as which which ones need to be prioritised and supported in order to grow and flourish.

Pluto is conjunct Juno at this time as well – in the sign of Capricorn. In mythology Juno – who took her vows  seriously – was married to Jupiter who was notorious for his romantic liasons outside of marriage. Juno could become bitter as a result but when she threatened to leave, Jupiter
would become distraught – life threateningly so – at the idea of a life without her.

In terms of the ancient history of astrology, the asteroid goddesses – Juno being one of them- are relative newcomers on the scene and are associated with the re-emergence of the feminine in the psyche – for both men and women –  and in society. Up to this point in western astrology, the Moon and Venus were the only symbols for the feminine roles in society – representing the young girl, daughter and the mother.

The asteroid goddesses embody many of the roles women can play – such as Juno with her own commitments – regardless of those defined by society or a tradition or Pallas Athene – the goddess of compassionate justice, a shrewd and renowned diplomat known for her invincibility in battle – if it came to that.

Mercury is still conjunct Uranus – a bit hard on the nervous system- but a harbinger of new innovative ideas and perceptions as well as some occaisionally  surprising and disruptive ones. Do take some time out to replenish your nervous system if needed. and do guard against impulsive speech and be prepared for it on the part of others.

Juno presides over the timing of the inception of relationships as well of the times of separation and divorce. With Juno so strong in the sky now it can be a powerful time for these types of situations as well as beginnings/endings/separations related to commitments in general.

People keep asking me when things will calm down. I think most likely things will improve a bit in a few weeks when  Mars moves out of Gemini as well as when Venus moves into the more calm and stabilizing sign of Taurus. Venus in Aries and Mars in Gemini are contributing to  a time when people can want what they want NOW – a sense of urgency- with a bit of insistence on having it their own way.

The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon is, “Obeying his conscience, a soldier disobeys orders.”

An Astrologer or Tarot Card reader should be a trusted ally on your life’s path.

Sabian symbol reference from Lynda Hill

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” Anais Nin

“The plum is for courage because the plum puts forth blossoms while the snow is still on the ground.” Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Mercury stations direct May  3 at 24 degrees of Aries. At the time of the station Mercury is conjunct Uranus the planet of the future while making a favorable aspect to the Moon,  North Node and Saturn – all in the fiery signs.

The fire signs are correlated to passion, enthusiasm, drive and inspiration.
For the days leading up to the station and for a few days after, do heighten awareness and take note of any ideas or perceptions which seem to represent a culmination of information

The station represents a threshold time when it bodes well to clarify your visions for the future and fire them with this powerful energy. Do avoid framing them with discouraging overlays of  interpretations of past events.  Be open to seeing expanded opportunities with fresh eyes.

Help can come in unexpected ways if you commit to courage and perseverance and are willing to leave baggage and burdens behind.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A person possessed of more gifts than she can hold.”

Sabian symbol reference from Lynda Hill

“Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.” William Plamer

“Faith is building on what you know is here, so  you can reach what you know  is there.” Cullen Hightower

The Moon waxes new Wednesday  April 26 at 6 degrees of Taurus. Taurus is a grounded, rooted sign of the earth element.  New Moons open a new cycle and this is the cycle of an embodied earthy nature. With a trine to the North Node it is a good time to get in touch with the next steps on  your evolutionary journey and to be in touch with what you need to do to get there – simple, well planned steps accompanied by the intention to nurture them so that your aspirations can grow and prosper.

One of the Sabian symbols for this degree is,” A bridge being built across a high narrow gorge.”

Sabian symbol quotes from Lynda Hill

“Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” e.e. cummings

“The human self is not a finished thing, it is constantly unfolding. Experience is, essentially creative.” John O’Donahue

The Sun enters Taurus today joining Mercury. The sign of the bull should bring a stabilizing influence. It is a good time to think about  how to build stability and security to your life. It is also about values and what you value – what is important to you on a deep level.

Venus is in late Pisces now conjunct Chiron, the asteroid of the Wounded Healer  Through the end of the month Venus will be squaring Saturn – the Lord of Time. The recent retrograde period of Venus – among other things – provided a good time to revisit issues related to self esteem. If you have come upon a deeper or new awareness of that area life and are aspiring to new ways of being, the square to Saturn is likely to bring up challenges. If so it is a good time to strengthen your resolve and take life slowly and step by step. Venus will be squaring Saturn through the end of the month.

One of the Sabian symbols for the Sun and Mercury’s ingress into Taurus is,” A Clear Mountain Stream Flows Steadily Downstream.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

“Mercury presides over all times of transition, all crossroads.” Caroline W. Casey

Mercury stations retrograde on Sunday April 9 at 7:15 PM and the retrograde period will last through May 2. Mercury will station at 4 degrees of Taurus and retrograde back to 24 Aries. It is a good idea to heighten awareness around any information that surfaces in your life now before the station and for two or three days after as it can represent a time of a culmination of knowledge. Realizations can come that bring clarity to situations which may seem have seemed unclear up to this point. Mercury retrograde periods provide good timing to reflect, recharge and review before the direct station in early May. Do back up important information and be aware that technical snafus dealing with communication and travel can occur now.
The Moon waxes full on Tuesday April 11 at 21 degrees of Libra. This is very much a relationship moon – governing relationships of all kinds- personal and professional.  There continue to be aspects which indicate volatility and unexpected events and often new things come to light under the light of the Full Moon. Although things can get heated and there is a strong tendency to impulsive behavior, it is best to follow the advice of Mars in Taurus – slow down, calm down and take your time reacting.
Venus stations direct next week also and although this transit can be associated with relationships too – the bottom line is what relationships have taught you about personal growth, evolution and self knowledge. The Sabian symbol associated with the Full Moon is.”A child giving birds a drink at a fountain.”

Sabian symbols fro Lynda Hill

 

“Some say a squadron of horses, some, infantry,
Some ships, are the loveliest thing
on the black earth. But I say
It’s what you desire.” Sappho

Venus recently moved back into the sign of Pisces but not before forming an exact conjunction to the asteroid Pallas Athene at 0 degrees of Aries. This is a very powerful point of action and beginnings and Pallas Athene in mythology was known for her strategic mind, her leadership in the area of compassionate justice and for being victorious in battles of all kinds.

Throughout time occultists have written about the power of desire to motivate and attract. It is a good time to tune into this energy in your life and clarify thoughts and feelings about any new initiatives and aspirations.

Venus is now in Pisces and that is a good time to review and reconsider growth of a  spiritual, creative and emotional nature. It is a good time to consider how you interact with the world in terms of love and compassion in a general sense.

Mercury is in Taurus now and will have longer journey through this sign than usual due to the Mercury retrograde period which starts 4/9. Mercury in Taurus  is about the appropriate use of resources to create a life which is stable and secure in areas that are important to you. Taurus is an earth sign and understands the time in takes to cultivate and grow things. This can include growing aspirations into manifestations. It can be a stabilizing influence mentally.

One of the Sabian symbols for Mercury’s entrance into Taurus is,” A clear mountain stream flows steadily downstream” and for Venus in late Pisces, “A fertile garden under the full moon.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill

 

“The eternal feminine is thrusting her way into contemporary consciousness. Hers are the ways of peace, compassion, reverence for life and death in the oneness of nature. Knowing her has nothing to do with stumbling towards a fate we think we cannot avoid. It has everything to do with developing consciousness until it is strong enough to hold tension as creative energy.” Marion Woodman

“We can know the dark and dream it into a new image.” Starhawk

The Moon waxes New Monday EDT at 7 degrees of Aries. New Moons are traditionally the harbinger of a new cycle beginning and there is a lot of initiatory energy in the air now. The asteroid of the Dark Moon goddess Lilith is very strong at this time – making harmonious aspects to the Sun, the Moon and Venus.  In astrology Lilith has to do a sense of frustration, and limitation about living a life in tune with the soul’s yearnings and deeply held personal values and desires. It can also be be related to a sense of powerlessness which results in discouragement in areas of self esteem, autonomy and the ability to act freely.

Under this influence much may be revealed about why and how you can hold yourself back from things that are very important in your life. Normally unacknowledged limiting beliefs about what you are entitled to in terms of finances, love pleasure and abundance can be revealed, reviewed and changed if necessary. There is much supportive energy for this process of unveiling from the Sun, the Moon and Venus. It can lead to an evolved sense of wholeness, clarity and empowerment. With Mercury and Uranus together there can be surprising revelations, connections and communications.

And just a reminder that with Venus retrograde it is best to reflect on and review this area of life now and take any new action after April 15 when Venus goes direct.

One of the  Sabian symbol for this New Moon is, “A woman successfully expressing herself in two worlds at once.”

 

“There is a thread that you follow. It goes among
Things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder what you are pursuing
You have to explain about the thread.
But it’s hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.” William Stafford

“Intuition has ears that hear beyond the range of mundane human understanding.” Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Venus is retrograde now – the retrograde period started out in Aries and will end in Pisces. It bodes well for the next two weeks or so (through April 15) to take some time to step out of your normal framework of thinking about your aspirations/goals/life path as it is a good opportunity for hidden or missing information to emerge under this influence. The information is likely to emerge in an intuitive way rather than through a linear or directed thought process.

The Sun entered the fiery, dynamic sign of Aries on the Vernal Equinox and one of the Sabian that both the Venus station and the Equinox  share is, “Light breaking into many colors as it passes through a prism.”

“Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it.” Emily Dickenson

Friday March 17 the Sun will move up to an exact square to Saturn. We are living in fast paced and sometimes surprising times and this aspect indicates it is a good time to get clear on commitments in the present. It is very much a time of shifting tides when former commitments may seem to have less importance and new priorities may have evolved or surfaced.

One of the Sabian symbol for the Sun/Saturn square is, “A sculptor’s vision is slowly but surely taking form.”

Sabian symbol quote from Lynda Hill

“Women’s spirituality is wild and free, matured, earthy, relational. mystical, embodied, intuitive, sensuous, compassionate.” Joan Borysenko 

“We are volcanoes. When we women offer our experiences, our truth, all the maps change.” Ursula La Guin

The recent discovery of the asteroids in astrology is correlated to the re-emergence of the Feminine or the Divine Feminine in both men and women as well as in the world.  One of the asteroids that is a particularly powerful influence this week is The Dark Moon Lillith. Lillith was the first wife of Adam and came into conflict with him by insisting they were equals.  She then left him – choosing freedom and autonomy over domination. and control – and was labeled a trouble maker and known for her seething anger. She is one of the goddesses associated with anger over the repression of the Feminine.

This week Lillith squares the Nodes –  meaning that it is a karmic time and it is wise to heed information emerging now in general about issues of freedom and autonomy as well injustice and the abuse of power. It is wise to factor in a strategic approach with any related communication.

Lillith is at 3  degrees of Sagittarius and one of the Sabian symbols for that is,”A little child learning to walk with the encouragement of parents.”