jupiter in libra

The Astrology of November 2016 – Scorpio/Taurus Moon Cycle & Reflections on October

Hello everyone, and welcome to my analysis of the 2016 Scorpio/Taurus lunar cycle & astrological overview of themes for both October and November.

Last month in October I did not have the chance to write a full article due to hosting the Star Spirit Movement Retreat (which was awesome, by the way!!!)  But October was a super-charged month – brimming with much change and action!  The Libra/Aries lunar cycle that encompassed the New Moon on September 30 and the Full Moon on October 16 was highly social, transformative, and a powerful initiatory point for the year-long transit of Jupiter in Libra.  In October we saw the arrival of many long-awaited but nonetheless quick shifts and an abundance of social-connection oriented activity.

In the energy of October, we got a full dose of Jupiter in Libra’s influence and primary message for 2016 & 2017:  To honor our RELATIONSHIPS and CONNECTIONS as the measure of truth.

In the whirlwind of October, no matter what was happening in any interaction I was having -- positive, negative or neutral -- the message from spirit kept going back to “the relationship.”  Remember the relationship, was the whispering.  The situation doesn’t matter.  It’s about the relationship.

This came up again and again when considering the one-to-one relationships in my life -- from business partnerships, to family, to students, clients, visitors, and beyond.  It was a consistent, gentle reminder that at the central core of all that we do and all that we exchange of others (money, knowledge, love, etc) the thing that holds it together in the end is not the transaction of goods, time, or even kindness – but the quality of the bond between two people.  And in that, we each have a responsibility as individuals to recognize the value of harmonious interactions with others in our life as GREATER than momentary quibbles or grudges.  It is the RELATIONSHIPS and our efforts to harmonize with and care for one another that determine positive outcomes and govern the genuine health and happiness of daily life.

To succeed in relationship is to recognize fluctuations and work with them – knowing when a boundary might need to be set, yet in the same moment, when to back off and allow.  So often in our current cultural paradigm we are hung up on the policing and commanding of other people in our lives and we lose sight of the necessity to let things rest & reset.  Without intending it, we add fuel to the fire and get lost in a war we didn’t mean to start fighting due to our impatience and desire for instant gratification.

There are many things that can be resolved through peaceful allowing.  Every negative emotion that is directed towards us by another person is not necessarily a call to arms.  Sometimes, it is a time when we need to be still and allow the other to ventilate.  Sometimes, harsh behavior is a hidden call for attention and help, a veiled concern, a defense mechanism, an expression of isolation or frustration, etc… I feel that the energies of the times are asking us to become more sensitive to the true emotion underneath our day-to-day interactions.  What rises to the surface is only one layer of truth, and often the most superficial.  What people show first are usually responses that arise from conditioning, past experience, and expectations.  Dig deeper.  Feel what is really being said.  Respond to what lies beneath, not just what you hear with your ears.

Harmony in relationships from a Libran perspective is truly an art form.  It requires the ability to perceive and work from a nuanced space.  It is knowing that every action need not evoke a response – and that a response need not be direct to be effective. 

Consider this example:  Let’s say someone in your life approaches you in an intense way – they might even be putting you in the line of their fire whether or not you are the culprit for this upset energy.  If we respond from Libra’s opposite archetype, Aries -- the warrior energy – we might be inclined to immediately demolish this person out of impulsive anger and irritation.  If we respond from Libra’s shadow – where we feel at odds with ourselves and uncertain how to choose sides – we might even take a passive-aggressive approach – smiling on the outside while crafting a devious revenge plot on this inside.  Wearing the façade of being “cool” while internally seething.

But there is something to be gleaned from the fact that the planet that is in its exaltation in Libra – meaning a planet which has special strength in a sign – is Saturn.  Yes, Libra’s ruling planet is Venus – the planet of relationship, romance, refinement & luxury – but with the subtle connection of Saturn here, we can understand that inherent to the archetype of Libra is also a sense of wisdom, control and dignity.  Libra, in its most pure quality, teaches us how to receive, redirect, diffuse and dissolve adversity with loving kindness.

We might ask ourselves:  Why is this person upset?  Am I really the one they are upset with?  If so, what offering of peace can I make?  If not, can I remain calm enough to offer reflection?  Can I step aside and dodge the force of their attack while remaining unaltered in my own integrity of truth?  Can I suggest another perspective in a non-forceful manner, with no expectations?  Can I allow myself to relinquish the any need to control others – their reactions, behaviors, etc… and seek a peaceful solution?  And the absolute key to it all – Can I be controlled enough in myself to understand and respect the value of grace & good timing – Waiting for the right moment to act or speak.  In the meantime holding no emotion (allowing them to pass through … not encouraging their festering) or negative expectation?

Honor that honing the skills of peacekeeping in our personal lives is important right now.  The influence of discord, upheaval, and anger is strong and it is easy to allow ourselves to be triggered.  But we must always ask ourselves – is it worth it?  What is gained (and lost) through angry exchanges, emotional dramas, etc?  It’s high time we start acknowledging our desire to fall into these snake pits for what they are:  distractions from what it is we know deep down we should be doing with our mind energy – which is to be creative, evolutionary, and inclusive.  We do not need permission, or even the “on-board”ness of others to achieve this.  In fact, to the contrary – those that walk in the path of their truth will find true partners.  It need not be a fight, or a demand.  And so the irony of the Libra archetype is that in order to harmonize with others we must first recognize our individuality.  Our interdependence is one that stems from individuals in their strength operating together.  The need to “agree” is not the first step or always necessary.  If we can let go of that, we might find a greater capacity for compromise and our needs more fully met by others.  True partnership is the authentic union of two whole individuals in freedom and trust.

Anyhow – that was a pretty long reflection on the October energy, but it was a reflection that I feel is of perennial importance and will be relevant for the year as our journey with Jupiter in Libra continues to unfold.  This is a time to strengthen ourselves through CONNECTION and LOVE.

Now -- diving into the realm of the Scorpio phase, the energy of the autumnal release and drift into darkness is upon us.  What I see/feel is that this is a time to consolidate the forces that drive us, to move forward with the plans we hold dear, and let go of our grievances in the process.  We must look forward towards the health of our lives with foresight -- going beyond primal impulse urges and striving toward a deeper evolution.  We actually have a great opportunity in this moment to work positively with the subconscious, and untangle the roots of our addictive behavior patterns, no matter how they manifest.  This is the season that is celebrated in Western esoteric traditions as the time when the veils between the spirit world and the human world are the thinnest, thus this is also a time when we can receive great insight from the spiritual realms regarding our forward progress.

I write over and over in this blog about how letting go is the key to productive development at this time.  Scorpio is a sign that, at its highest level, embodies the concept of letting what is destined to be, to be.  Scorpio is empowered by the killing of the ego’s control-oriented survival urge – which is often the most difficult thing for the Scorpio aspect of ourselves to grok.  Scorpio archetype grips, and controls, and strives for power over something in order to ensure its life-force… but in this gripping and controlling, we also limit our capacity.  The Scorpio well is actually bottomless… which is frightening if we’re concerned about falling into it.  But if there is no ground to hit at the bottom, what is there to fear, really?  Must we always know everything to be secure? Can we embrace the mystery of life?  And accept the possibility that if we surrender, we may have the chance to experience life in a new way?  That a narrow tunnel is not our only destiny?

When we open to the broader vision of our life – we might later have the opportunity to understand the structure we desire to put around things.  But if we obsess over every detail of the planning, and attempt to micromanage every outcome, we may be undermining the greatness that is trying to come towards us!  This is the time of visioning and building… but it is a process that ebbs and flows.  It does not arrive all at once.  There are steps, detours, and rest stops.

What we are doing this month of November is assimilating meaning and applying the knowledge that we have gained to the situation.  The dynamics of control vs. no control underlie our present perspective and subconsciously direct us if we are not careful.  I am feeling it is important to remember that the master is within us – and to consciously seek the higher wisdom that is available to us.  If we open ourselves to hear, we are in a position to create deep and lasting change – and develop a more personal relationship with the nature of spirit and our true self.

We live in a time of restructuring and repatterning.  This is very much visible in the chaos of the outer world – but the true work of repatterning begins with us as individuals.  During this time we vacillate between feeling like “we got this” and feeling like everything is completely out of our hands -- and many people, in my observation, are subconsciously leaning towards the latter.  A hidden quality of Scorpio is highlighted by its opposite sign, Taurus – and that is a deeply felt need for security and reassurance.  Taurus finds these things through the physical world (am I fed?  Do I have shelter?  Do I have enough money?  Am I comfortable?) – but for a Scorpio this must be found through trust in self on a primal, pure instinctual level.  What I am sensing is that the consciousness of people has not fully embraced that a repatterning/restructuring is possible.  There is a great deal of uncertainty and hesitation, though the desire for change has been well established.  What I feel is that November is an opportunity to go full on into divine trust and see what we are made of.

The sense of "security" that is found within the Scorpio archetype is the unflinching knowledge that no matter where we are and what is happening, we are, at our deepest core, unshakeable and undamageable.  In order to arrive at this space we must be willing to unhinge ourselves from the many subtle grips of fear and sink into a deep trust and knowing that all is well and all will work out as it should.  We can have control of ourselves and our lives without needing to BE IN CONTROL.  There is a subtle but important distinction between the two.  The dance of November will be finding that delicate balancing point between determining where change and structure is needed while still remaining free.   Know where you are, and respect the sovereignty of the dynamic wheel of fortune that surrounds each of us in collective and individual ways.  Do what is necessary, and also heed the greater governing intelligence of mystery.  This energy is about anchoring INWARD in order to direct & manage (not control or try to drive) the outward.

The Full Moon in Taurus is to occur at 22 Taurus, the degree of the master builder.  The energy of this moon has an unrelenting and somewhat confrontational feel.  Alliances have strong relevance and will speak a great deal into the processes underway at this time.  Heed the input of October’s flow and maintain dignity, composure, and acumen.  This is the time to APPLY all the philosophy, compassion, and beliefs that are passed around and spoken about, in a steadfast, even, and determined manner.

I can’t seem to emphasize enough that it is all going to come back to our personal integrity and self development.  What I feel very strongly from this particular cycle through Scorpio is that we must empower ourselves through self discipline when it comes to how we respond to the world around us – recognizing the subtle differences between emotions rising up from hidden doubts or conditioned expectations – and those that are truly “straight from the gut.”  This is a time to really work on crystal clarity in alignment between mind & spirit, because when we are in integrity here, our consciousness has much more power of focus to create the substantive shifts that we are making at this time.  So, if nothing else, it is a good time to get to know your psychological distraction patterns really well and aspire towards greater clarity of thought and action.  Really explore the possibilities of the inner will…  With it, you might find yourself able to move previously immovable mountains.  This is the true power of our integrity, as it is integrity alone that can cause true transformation.

We are in for a very interesting time this coming month, and I am curious to see how it all plays out in the worlds inner and outer, and look forward to the opportunity to go in and go deep.

Much love.


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Astrology of September 2016 : Stepping in & Becoming // Eclipses, Mercury Retrograde and Jupiter’s Transition into Libra

Hello friends and welcome to my Astrological analysis for the month of September 2016.  This is an incredibly important and eventful month as we will be experiencing two eclipses, a Mercury retrograde in Virgo, and Jupiter’s ingress into Libra all within a short time period.  This is the point that we’ve been running towards all summer and really, for the past several years.  Now is the time to step in, choose the path of truth in your life, and don’t look back!  As we traverse this space, no matter where we are in the process, keep reminding yourself and remember that now is about BECOMING.  And in becoming, there is growth, change, and sometimes growing pains.  But stay with the momentum – because the wind at your back is strong should you choose to run with it.

As a part of this month’s analysis I feel it might be helpful to review the timing process of the current & upcoming cycles to give us a sense of orientation with regards to the events of this month.  (Note:  I strongly encourage you also read or re-read articles from August, July, June & last November if you are interested in further depth because I discuss many elements relevant now in those posts)

 

Mercury Retrograde:

August 10: Mercury enters its shadow
August 30: Mercury Stations to go Retrograde
September 22: Mercury Stations to go Direct
October 6 Mercury leaves retrograde zone.

This Mercury Retrograde is in Virgo between 14 Virgo and 29 Virgo.  This is an excellent Mercury Retrograde for reforming health, reorganizing your schedule, reviewing your life plans and making adjustments/developing new plans, connecting with mentors, and developing/deepening your own services.  This is the perfect time to ask the question, how can I be of greater service?  And to look at places where you have chosen selfishness, fear, or a pattern of belief over service.

This Mercury retrograde is powerful because it is in it’s home sign of Virgo and because it is happening during an eclipse period in the same sign of Virgo – meaning the review process is important, and the past issues that come up will be weighty.  Take it ALL seriously and keep the big picture of the larger process in mind – there is a reason for everything.

 

The Recent Mars Retrograde & Saturn Relationship:

February 17:Mars Enters Retrograde Zone (23 Scorpio)
April 17:Mars went Retrograde (8 Sag)
June 29:Mars Stations to go Direct (23 Scorpio)
August 22:Mars leaves Retrograde zone
August 24:Mars-Saturn Conjunction (9 Sag)

Throughout this summer, Mars retraced the steps of Saturn’s last arduous years in Scorpio, forcing us to have to review that drudgery yet again (this is specifically a review of 2014-2015, but it weighed in as far back as 2012). The Saturn in Scorpio process and subsequent Mars in Scorpio process was about clearing away all of the emotional and psychological gunk that prevents us from being truly powerful.  Saturn has been in Sagittarius since 2015 and in this sign we have been developing our new vision.  However, this dance with the Scorpio energy for the past 2 summers has kept us a bit in limbo between all of our stubborn emotional problems and where we are actually desiring to go.  Mars finally cleared its Retrograde path and crossed Saturn’s current position in Sagittarrius at the end of August -- meaning that we are now OFFICIALLY moving forward at high speed with our inspiring visions & dreams for the future.

 

Three Eclipses:

August 18: Full Moon Lunar Eclipse at 25 Aquarius

This eclipse carried with it a beautiful energy of grace, friendship, acceptance, and openness.  It had a very optimistic and warm vibe, fueling our hopes and visions with a sense of positivity and possibility.  Community surrounds us.  We have a chance to embrace individuality and uniqueness within ourselves and within the other people in our lives without judgment or fear of these things.  Rather, a realization that our power is in what we give from the space of absolute freedom.

September 1:  New Moon Eclipse at 9 Virgo

A major call to action.  Eclipse on the North Node, opposed Neptune on the South Node (our addictions) and square to Mars & Saturn in Sag (The newly motivated force of change in our lives).  Mercury Rx is conjunct Jupiter in this chart also – extremely abundant and productive energy.  Do not underestimate the mind’s ability to create under this eclipse.  Stay with the positive and the constructive.  This is a major choice point about where you’re headed, so choose wisely.

September 16:  Full Moon Lunar Eclipse at 24 Pisces

Releasing, healing, sensitive energy.  We are at the apex of major change – here we will feel both sides of that change on a true heart level.  Nonetheless the cross-over has happened and we can’t avoid the lightning strikes to our self concept.  Go into the pain, shine a light in the dark.  Walk with the scepter of Compassion.  Both for yourself and for the others around you.  Do it because you need it.  Do it because other people need it.  Everyone is deserving of love and healing, and we have the capability of giving that energy to each other in times of trouble, confusion, and loss.  Embodying the unconditional compassion of higher form Pisces in a here and now, day-to-day, face-to-face way is the key to navigating this time period (and life!) in happiness and fulfillment.  Choose LOVE this time over frustration, anger or defensiveness – you will find it a lot more satisfying and there will be a positive return.

 

Jupiter’s Ingress into Libra on the 9/9/9 Portal

August 12, 2015 – September 9, 2016:  Jupiter’s transit in Virgo

The transit of Jupiter through detail-oriented Virgo played an important role in the past year in amplifying the incredible swirl and madness of mutable change energy that swept us under last fall and has been going strong all through 2016. With the nodes of fate in Virgo/Pisces, Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Sagittarius – this year has been an unpredictable, upsetting, constantly shifting wave of change.  Jupiter’s interaction with this whole combo ensured that the waves would be BIG, SCARY, and COMPLEX.

Jupiter in Virgo made us extra aware of the flaws and weaknesses inherent in the dissolving systems but also in the consciousness -- because Virgo has so much to do with body & mind, and its polarity, Pisces has so much to do with emotional consciousness.  Jupiter in the same sign as the north node was a call to check our physical, mental, and emotional health or else fall face first into the jaws of Pisces suffering.  Jupiter in Virgo in combination with Saturn in Sagittarius reminded us to get real and wake up from our illusions.  Jupiter in Virgo in combination with Neptune in Pisces encouraged grand deceptions – but also encouraged the expansion of grand dreams.

Jupiter is a big picture energy and in the sign of details we may have felt overloaded with WORK – there is just SO MUCH to do to fix up our lives and our world – how on earth are we going to do it all?  It feels to me that the importance of Jupiter here was not to solve everything at once, but to bring these to do & to fix lists to the forefront with clarity.  Keeping in mind the goal is to serve and use managerial capacities to reform the situation, we realized there is a lot that we can do to help each other.  It’s not all out of our hands.

Remember what I said last month about Virgos being expert renovators?  Well Jupiter is the one that says, “Here’s what it should look like in the end.  K.  Now figure out the rest.”  Needless to say, we all had to step it up some to keep up with the demand and in the process were able to learn a lot about function and application in a short period of time.

September 9, 2016 – October 10, 2017:  Jupiter will transit Libra

Accent on RELATIONSHIPS

The shift of Jupiter into Libra is actually going to be a pretty strong shift.  First of all, Libra is a much friendlier sign for Jupiter, and with Libra’s ruler Venus also ruling Jupiter and the majority of the other planets at the time of the Ingress, we should find ourselves feeling more pleasant, amorous, and financially supported almost immediately.  He’s out of the combat zone.  Officially.

One interesting note is that this transit is occurring on the 9/9/9 Portal (2016 is a numerological year 9).  Nine from a numerological standpoint is the end of the cycle and represents completion.  In the Greenwich mean time Ingress Chart for Jupiter in Libra, Scorpio also resides on the Ascendant of the chart – indicating even further that the energy of transformation is the underlying force of this transit.  We have completed a significant portion of our journey and are now ready to move into a new space -- a next level.

The Jupiter-Libra ingress powerfully emphasizes community, cooperative building, and harnesses the strong motivational energy that underlies all of September.  With Mars free of its retrograde phase, we have officially hit the ground running into the manifesting process and Jupiter in Libra will both assist and accelerate this process in a friendly way.  Because Jupiter in Libra has so much rulership dominance in the ingress chart, we should expect a substantial shift in discourse all around as Jupiter offers something of a Midas touch to the whole situation.  Where we are willing to join together we can build together.

I feel there is potential under these influences for a massive shift toward a more collaborative and uniting process than we have experienced for quite some time.  Libra energy emphasizes HARMONY, TACT, and CONSCIOUSNESS OF OTHERS.  These are highly important for the growth of our world in such a period of crisis and devastation.  When we can join together harmoniously, we can accomplish much.

 

The Dance of Saturn & Neptune

Exact Hits:  November 25, 2015, June 18 2016 & September 10 2016

Yep.  You heard right.

All through September:  Mercury Retrograde, Eclipses, Jupiter changing signs AND a big Saturn-Neptune aspect perfecting … all literally side-by-side?

I was not kidding when I said this is a big month.

This will be the last hit of Saturn & Neptune before the two start to part ways.  The collision of the two symbolizes a great clash of consciousness with the hard reality of embedded structures.  Neptune energies persistently erode Saturn’s idea of how it is, creating a lot of drama in the process as underneath the decay the truth is revealed and a new foundation awaits.

In the instance of Saturn & Neptune in this waning square pattern (a conflict energy) our struggles go down to our deepest internal core.  Saturn must prepare to release everything it holds in order to place a support under Neptune’s new truth.  Have things gotten worse, or have the ugly realities just come to light?  Is there so much that you see that you don’t like?  Why ARE things so crazy?  So emotionally extreme?  So bizarre?

Jupiter really made this transit larger than life this past year and as they meet for this final time in the midst of all of the energies of September, we may finally have some bearing on what has been uncovered, and what it is we’re supposed to do about it.  This involves SELF WORK as well as OUTER WORLD work.  We must never forget this fundamental element of transformation, particularly when it comes to the waning square.  Change is inward.  It is a release, a clearing away, a preparing for the new.  So in this case, we must look to history for the answers.  And at the same time, we must let go of that history.

 

And that is precisely the point that we are at this month.  The point where we let go of history in favor of the great adventure.  The possibilities on the horizon are incredible and the momentum is there for us to run right for them.  We must believe in our possibilities AND act upon them with absolute willingness to shed what is unnecessary.  No more drama, no more obligation without heart, no more excuses.  Virgo energy is all about SIMPLICITY, PURITY, and ROUTINE DISCIPLINE.  We are being asked to be absolutely, utterly REAL with ourselves -- our flaws, our weaknesses, our true desires, our real dreams.

How do we keep ourselves from freedom?  Who are you really?  What do you want really?

What is the discipline that helps us feel at ease -- and do we actually practice what we preach?  Whether or yes or no -- HOW can we be as we say we are MORE?  How can we be as we say we want to be MORE?  

How can we be models, helpers and students all at once?  

How can we embrace the ABSOLUTE FREEDOM of our unique, completely personal identity and life path without judgment towards it or towards the absolute freedom, identity and path of others?

Become the path.

Wholly.  Fully.  Really.


Super Cool Announcement!!!

Hello friends!  Thank you so much for reading my astrology blog.  I love to share this information as a part of my service here at MelaLuna Celestial Arts :)  As such, I am SO excited to share that I will be teaching an Astrology WORKSHOP as a part of a retreat I am hosting this October!!!

If you love my blog, and you want to learn more about how to understand astrology for yourself -- you will LOVE the workshop I am offering on Transformational Astrology -- A process to DEEPLY connect with and understand the planetary archetypes!

In addition to this, there is a FULL schedule of wonderful workshops taught by myself and two of my AMAZING intuitive friends.

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http://www.starspiritretreat.com

(& As always, you may find out more about personal readings here :))