Mercury Stations Retrograde

On Angels

Short is you stay here:
now and then at a matinal hour, if the sky is clear
in a melody, repeated by a bird,
or in the smell of apples at the close of day
when the light makes the orchards magic…

I have heard your voice many a time when asleep
and, what is strange, I understood more or less
an order or an appeal in an unearthly tongue:
day draws near
another one
do what you can.” Czeslaw Milosc

Mercury stations retrograde Tuesday August 30 EDT. The Mercury retrograde period will last through Sept. 22. Do double check that correspondences of any kind – emails/texts/ phone messages sent or received during this time were read or heard before jumping to conclusions. The Trickster is about! Mercury stations at 29 degrees of Virgo and one of the Sabian symbols for that placement is,”A man is gaining secret knowledge from an ancient scroll he is reading.” We are living in a time of fast paced events and it is wise to use this retrograde period – through 9/22- to retrace your steps – and review any information that may have surfaced recently that may been overlooked or not factored in appropriately in your plans.

There is a New Moon Solar Eclipse on Sept 1 at 9 degrees of Virgo. The effect of eclipses is evolutionary and can be felt before and after the eclipse itself. This eclipse involves the ongoing aspect between Mars, Saturn, Neptune and the Lunar Nodes. I can be a difficult time in general to separate truth from fiction and reality from illusion. In general it is best to keep your personal aspirations and intentions high at this time and during the time of the Solar Eclipse. Do keep a positive and harmonious vision for the Earth’s evolution as well as we are living in a time of great change on our small and beautiful planet.

One of the Sabian symbols for the degree of this eclipse is,”An expressionist painter making a futuristic drawing.”

Quotes from Lynda Hill’s 360 Degrees of Wisdom

 

Mars and Neptune

“Without our dreams we would not be able to step outside ourselves and transform our limitations.” Diane Ackerman

I love the lyrics from the Frank Sinatra song,
“Pick yourself up
Brush yourself off
And start all over again”

Mars is conjunct Neptune now making this a good time to look at how you handle the aftermath of disillusionment or confusion- now or at other times in your life.  The remarkable Venus/Jupiter/Mercury alignment in Virgo provides good timing to factor in what you have learned and to bring hope, wisdom and expansion to the way you view your life and its possibilities. The Sun in Virgo can help parse where illusions may have held sway and help to put dreams back on their path with a more pragmatic – but not overly limited – orientation. Explore opportunities and options.

Mars, Saturn, Neptune and the Eclipses

“Hope is a memory of the future.” Gabriel Marcel

We are in an active eclipse season now – with this week’s Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius and two more on the way – a Solar Eclipse on Sept 1 and another Full Moon Eclipse on September 16. During active eclipse periods time can seem distorted and information or perceptions of an evolutionary nature can surface.

Astrologer and writer Eric Francis calls the Mars/Saturn/Neptune configuration now in play  a”challenge to beliefs.” Long held beliefs can appear to dissolve or shown to be false. The nature of these beliefs can be highly personal (such as beliefs about the past and who you are or what you can do or beliefs about religion, politics and the government.)  It can bring anger, disillusionment and confusion. We see this playing out on the national and global stages.

It is as if  a substance that was clear was stirred up and all the sediment arose from the bottom making the water very murky. Revelations appear daily in the news that seem to confuse things more and this process can seem to be going on in personal lives as well.

During an eclipse period information can surface on the conscious level that was not known or seen as significant before. And now under the current influences -it is calling for a review and revision of perspective. With Chiron’s presence do factor in patience, tolerance and forgiveness. More clarity is  likely to emerge under the upcoming Mercury retrograde period which starts on 8/30 – right before the second Eclipse.

It is a good time to process any old anger that gets triggered now and see where illusions might lie. It is also a good time to be aware of what you are contributing energetically now – and try to make it calm and positive as it is a volatile time and easy to engage conflict. Better to stay clear of ramping it up. As Anne Morrow Lindburgh so eloquently wrote, “Only with winter-patience can we bring the deep desired, long awaited spring.”

One of the Sabian Symbols for the degree of the Mars/Saturn alignment is,”In the left section of an archaic temple, a lamp burns in a container shaped like a human body.”

Lunar Eclipse Thursday

“Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” Roald Dahl

We are entering an eclipse season now – with the first – a Lunar Eclipse at 25 Aquarius on Thursday. Eclipses are evolutionary portals. It is a good time to pay attention to where they are occurring in your chart and to be in tune with what areas of your life are changing.*

The Moon in Aquarius will oppose the Sun in Leo. The sign of Aquarius governs friends, community and the collective. It is an innovative and future oriented sign. The sign of Leo  is more individual in nature – it is about leadership rather than co-operation and about expressing one’s uniqueness and warmth in the world.
Collaboration can be impaired by an overly egocentric orientation and a sense of individual mission or individual authenticity can be lost in the process of catering too much to the needs of the group or to the desires and wishes of others. It bodes well to see if a better balance can be struck in these areas of your life.
One of the Sabian symbols for this Eclipse is,”An ancient pottery bowl filled with fresh violets.”

*If you are curious about where the eclipses are hitting your chart and what this eclipse cycle means for you do get in touch. I do not need your birth time if you do not have it. The Eclipse Readings have special rates – $60 for a half hour, $120 for an hour.
 
An Astrologer or Tarot Card Reader should be a trusted ally on your life’s path.

 

Jupiter Opposes Chiron

“There are experiences we have as children, each and every one of us, that find a place deep inside us where neither time nor wounds can either reach or damage them. And those experiences? They light our way through the world for the rest of our lives. Many of us forget them as we grow older, yet they remain shaping who we are at a level too deep for words… They shape and they wait. They wait to be remembered, wait for the time we need to remember them, when we need a particular kind of light to find our way in the darkness.”  Stephen Harrod Buhner 

Jupiter, the god of wisdom is opposing Chiron the asteroid of the Wounded Healer now. In addition to the Perseid meteor showers this influence provides an excellent time for musing and for being in the realm of mystery or as Albert Einstein would say a time to “pause in wonder and stand rapt in awe.”

The asteroid Chiron is about healing fragmentation. It is a good time to be in touch with the interconnectedness of life that underlies duality and fragmentation. Remembering the transcendental experiences of childhood is one way to do this. Some occult traditions teach that you see your destiny most clearly as a child.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,” The tiny island seems lost in the broad ocean, but its happy inhabitants have created a world all their own.”

Sabian Symbol quote from Lynda Hill

Perseid Meteor Showers Tonight!

If you live where the sky is clear and there isn’t too much street lighting the Perseid meteor showers should be visible between midnight and dawn tonight and tomorrow. It should be easiest to see them after the Moon sets in the early morning Friday. Normally there are 80 – 100 meteors an hour but this year there will be 160 – 200. According to NASA the meteors become visible ” When Earth ventures through trails of debris left by an ancient comet. ” It is a good time to pay attention to intuition and information coming from your dreams.

First Quarter Moon

The First Quarter Moon is Wednesday August 10 with the Sun in Leo and the Moon in Scorpio. This is a time in the lunar cycle when obstacles may appear that can present a challenge to your plans or intentions. With the signs of Leo and Scorpio involved it bodes well- if this happens – to strengthen your resolve and bolster your courage if necessary, Also do heed any information that surfaces during this time that you may have overlooked in your planning.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, “A woman drawing aside two dark curtains that closed the entrance to a sacred pathway.”

Sabian symbol reference from Lynda Hill

Weekend Astrology

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

WIth Venus moving into Virgo now and joining the other planets in the mutable signs it bodes well to bring any aspirations or ideas along with you which surfaced recently under the influence of the planets in fiery Leo. Look to what gives a greater sense of joy and interconnectedness in your life. Also any ideas about new ways to connect with and manifest your reincarnational purpose in new, evolved or more meaningful forms.

The planets in Virgo can help with incremental and pragmatic planning for this process. One caveat – with the revolutionary influences at play in general on the planet now it is good to remember that this influence applies to the way you customarily think about  things. It bodes well to open the door to new ideas and ways of thinking that are more expansive and then put the puzzle together piece by piece with as much information as you have at the time.

It is a good time in general this year to commit to maintaining a healthy balance between dreams and pragmatics going forward. Again the revolutionary influence applies here as well so if customary thinking needs to be adjusted it bodes well to do so.

Although at times the events which swirl around us seem unfathomable or frightening it is good to remember we all chose to incarnate on the planet at this time and be part of the evolution which is underway.

One of the Sabian symbols for the ingress of Venus into Virgo is,”Guardian angels bringing protection.”

Sabian symbol quote from Lynda Hill’s 360 Degrees of Wisdom

 

Neptune and the South Node

“In each life the human spirit appears as a repetition of itself, with the fruits of its experiences in earlier lifetimes. Rudolph Steiner

Neptune is transiting near the South Node now. Latent gifts and talents of a creative, psychic or spiritual nature may surface under this influence. Also talents or abilities that were highly developed in past lives or that were inherited down through the bloodlines may become more apparent.

Habitual ways of thinking and acting that are unproductive can be more visible as well- offering an opportunity for more clarity and a better path forward,

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New Moon in Leo

“The creative mind plays with the object it loves.” Carl Jung

The Moon waxes new Tuesday August 2 at 4:44 pm EDT. The Sun and the Moon are at 10 degrees of Leo making this a good time for re-creation (getting in touch with a renewed sense of self) through fun, romance and creativity. It is a good time to play and to -like a child – be open and curious about what opportunities may lie ahead.

The Sun and Moon are supporting new or evolved intentions and ideas with a stabilizing trine to Saturn. Use this fiery energy to summon your courage for making your aspirations concrete – step by step. Do heed new ideas about how to do this.

Mercury is in Virgo now – lending the ability to think more precisely and pragmatically. It is moving up to a square to Saturn and  Neptune – adding the potential for a more grounded,  inspired and creative perception of your life.

The sign of Leo is ruled by the Sun. The Tarot Card of The Sun shows an innocent child on horseback riding away from a tall stone wall. This symbolizes the joyous process of moving away from things that are too limiting and constricting into the direction of freedom and joy. The sense of limitation can apply to the way you think of things as well as situations in your life now. There are sunflowers on the card  as well – representing happiness.

The Sun is also about clarity – when it enters a dark room it penetrates the darkness and shadows. It is a good time to think about where you would like to shine in your life and to set intentions to move in that direction.

Two of the Sabian symbols for this time are,” An evening garden party of adults” and “An old sea captain rocking on the porch of his cottage.”

Sabian Symbol quote from Lynda Hill’s 360 Degrees of Wisdom