Evolutionary Sparks: The Astrology of November 2018 and Onward

Hello everyone! 

November is a very big month of planetary movements.  My working life has been quite busy lately with teaching and some new projects underway, so I have not been able to write as often.  However, this month is so eventful with many significant shifts that I wanted make the time to share a bit about them and their longer-term impact.

Here is a short list of important astrological events in November:

November 6 - Uranus Rx returns to Aries
November 6 – The Nodes of Fate move into Cancer/Capricorn (precisely square Uranus for the past few weeks, and at the time of ingress)
November 7 – New Moon in Scorpio
November 8 – Jupiter Enters Sagittarius
November 15 – Mars enters Pisces (after many months retrograding in Aquarius/Capricorn)
November 16 – Venus goes Direct (Libra/Scorpio, Rx since October 5)
November 16 – Mercury goes Retrograde (Sagittarius)
November 23 – Full Moon in Gemini
November 24 – Neptune goes Direct

And here are a few notes, elaborations and explanations of the above events, what they mean, and how they influence the energetic currents of this month and the coming months…

Long Term Influences: 

• Uranus Returns to Aries:  Uranus moved into Taurus for the first time in 84 years back in May and will return to this sign in March.  This brief dip back into Aries (now through March) triggers resurgence in the Aries-Uranus issues (2011-2018) and reignites a spark of inspiration and revolutionary zeal around issues of individuality, self expression and independence.  Identity, human rights, and the sovereignty of the individual voice were all major themes of the Uranus-Aries transit.  We have a chance to revisit what might have been left undone in this area and become re-motivated as to the deeper purpose of the Uranus-Taurus projects/ideas that have come up in the collective consciousness over the course of the last few months.  Now that we’ve had a chance to experience Uranus in its new sign, we can assimilate more of what the experience of Uranus in Aries was for, and bring it more deeply into the foundation-breaking / awakening embodiment of Uranus-Taurus energy.   (For a full analysis of the Uranus-Taurus transit, please check out my article here: Breaking Ground:  Uranus in Taurus)

• The North Node moves into Cancer for 18 months, and crosses this threshold precisely square to Uranus.  For the past several weeks the planet of Uranus has been traveling in precise square to the axis of fate, known as the North & South nodes – a very intense aspect implicating important choices and sudden shifts in the direction of the collective soul.  To have these two travel together through a sign change is quite unusual and powerful.  The chart at the moment of a planetary ingress (sign change) describes the essence of how the transit will play out – and so aspects to the planet/point in question are particularly important.  In this case with the nodes of Cancer & Capricorn square to Uranus the awakener/revolutionary, who is changing signs simultaneously, suggests immense change, instability, and breaking from tradition on many levels over the course of the next 18 months.  Uranus still was in the sign of Taurus during the nodes’ precise ingress, emphasizing that the nature of this change is foundation shaking at the soul level.  It feels as if there is a strong sense of cause & effect at play… Because of the embodiment process suggested by Uranus in Taurus (people becoming more aware of their bodies, health, the earth’s health, feminine roles/health, spiritual engagement with the body, etc), it forces us to fundamentally review, re-envision, and remake the pillars of family (Cancer) and Societal/Governmental Structure (Capricorn).  At the same time the outmoded ideas held by the Cancer/Capricorn archetypes can be experienced as limitations, triggering an even more profound desire to break free from them.  We can expect this to be a big source of inner & outer conflict as comfort zones are severely tested and questioned. 

• The Nodes in Cancer/Capricorn also means that the points of fate will be involved in a significant configuration of Capricorn planets from now through 2020.  The South Node traveling through the sign of Capricorn means that it will be joining Saturn and Pluto over the course of the next few years.  By 2020, the South Node, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto will all be together in the sign of Capricorn where Saturn/Pluto & Jupiter will make a grand conjunction.  This is an extremely significant and rare configuration that marks tremendous instability, change, and revolution.  In addition this alignment is occurring in the lead up to the USA Pluto return (an event that happens once every 248 years) making it significant to US politics and government especially.  The South Node traveling through this configuration is sure to bring up the immense shadow side of government systems (Capricorn), institutions and the way power and authority play out in our lives in general (personal & world).   This is a force to be reckoned with and through this energetic alignment the world is guaranteed to go through a huge metamorphosis.
  
  We experienced the energy of the South Node transiting an outer planet (South Node in Pisces conjunct Neptune) back in 2016, and the results in that case were quite chaotic, however it did trigger a deeper collective impulse towards clarity, participation, and tangible truth/practical solutions (Virgo North Node) in light of the intangible, emotional and confusing illusions & deceptions brought out by Pisces (easy example being the way social media algorithms influenced public division during the 2016 election – this was an insidious & hidden thing which affected the subconscious, very Pisces).  I feel that we can expect some similar “Wake Up” moments over the course of these next few years as the nodes cross Pluto, Saturn & Jupiter in Capricorn.  The echo effects will be far reaching, but significant progress can emerge from these as collective lessons are assimilated and understood.
  
  The North Node traveling opposed to these giant planetary influences in the sign of Governments and Institutions suggest that despite all of the trouble coming from this area of life, the answers we need stem from something more direct and basic. Family values, loving acceptance, protection of those we care about, nurturance of people in need, improvements to the home environment, tackling the domestic/local/internal issues first, basic necessities as priority — These are the priorities of the Cancer archetype and these are all things that the higher governing structures and other controlling bodies (such as media, etc) have totally lost touch with. So the collective soul lesson of this time is about recognizing the importance of reconnecting and repairing the intimacy of home, family and community, and using that as the rooted place from which we make changes in the outer world.  As a society we have placed so much importance on ambition, fame, “the hustle” etc that we have come to neglect and even shun the fundamentals of life in favor of money or power. This next 18 months will likely bring some major reality checks to this area, to remind us that at the end of the day if we don’t value the real and tangible connections we have with others, we lose out on what truly nourishes us as beings.  When false ambition, power, and ego fail us, what is left?  Did we care for others – or did we only care about ourselves?
  
  We can expect considerable stripping away of what we currently hold true regarding the dynamic of Work & Family (Cap/Cancer), reflections on what has evolved over time with regards to these two basic realms of life, and where to go next.  The image that comes to mind for this transit is a beautiful home (Capricorn) on a weak foundation (Cancer).  Remembering our humanness and returning to our roots, we can progress further with less effort.  This is a secret that we’ve forgotten.

• Jupiter moves into Sagittarius only a few days after the Node/Uranus transition, amplifying its energy.  As I mentioned earlier, the planetary configurations at the time of a planetary ingress describe a lot about how the transit as a whole will play out.  Now, think about all I have discussed this far and add Jupiter, the planet of expansion to the mix.  A big energy grows even larger!  However, there is a bright side: In Sagittarius, Jupiter is quite a bit more optimistic than in Scorpio – so it gives a buoyant, more hopeful influence that allows us to see the positive side of change.  Jupiter in Scorpio, where we spent the last 12 months, is a difficult energy because wherever Jupiter travels, it increases the energy and asks us to expand our perspective in order to see MORE.   Scorpio is a dimension of reality that contains many things that most people find unpleasant – sexuality issues, power issues, trust issues, money dramas, abuse, death – so when Jupiter transits here it brings up a lot in the collective consciousness that is highly charged and emotional.  After a very challenging year around these issues (the most prominent Jupiter-Scorpio topic being the “Me Too” movement), Jupiter moving into Sagittarius will help us take action, achieve justice, and see with greater vision what has occurred, what is coming, and how we can influence the issues toward positive growth.  This also amplifies the sense of exploration and discovery that is essential to arriving at unique solutions to collective issues.  Jupiter in Sag will also expand and carry forward the energy of breaking tradition/social norms as it occurs the day after a new moon (always a symbol of a new path/uncharted territory) and with the Uranus/Node aspect strong in the chart.

Short Term Influences:

• The New Moon in Scorpio occurs in close relationship to the above planetary movements is a particularly potent one occurring amidst so much change.  The changes and alignments echo each other… suggesting mystery, transformation, and deep discovery in the years coming.  This is a time to embrace that walk into darkness, as winter approaches, and as the cycles unfold.  The collective shifts of this time are not comparable to the past… they are distinct, and in a way, unpredictable.  So I feel this is a call to be in the present moment with everything, in the moment it is occurring.  As that is the nature of the dark moon, of Scorpio, and of the time in general.

• Echoing this, Mars’ exceptionally long transit in Aquarius this year comes to an end on November 15, bringing us into a space of the unknown – Pisces.  Coinciding with all I just mentioned plus Venus & Mercury Retrograde – from now until the end of the year Mars will transit Pisces.  After we spent the summer in a doozy of a Mars Retrograde that was accompanied & aligned with 3 eclipses and 5 other retrograding planets, Mars’ shift into Pisces is a fascinating end to an elaborated reevaluation of our use of will and considerations of the collective direction. The transition reads to me like a period of integration, as well as an opportunity to practice intentional openness with the sea change we are about to dive more deeply into.  Mars is the principle of action and in Pisces, its direction is vague.  In this moment, the directions feel most appropriately guided towards listening inwardly to the new ways of being that are waiting to be discovered.

• Venus moves Direct and Mercury goes Retrograde on November 16.  Venus will move forward in Libra and return to Scorpio on December 2 where it remains until January.  Mercury goes Retrograde in Sagittarius.  Both influences are active until the end of the year, adding to the evaluative, reflective, deep nature of this time period.  Venus & Mercury in the realms of Scorpio & Sag also seems to echo the transit of Jupiter across these two signs, showing deeper evaluation of the issues that Jupiter has brought forth in Scorpio and will spark in Sag.  Sex, money, power dynamics, control issues (Scorpio) – dogmas, creeds, philosophies, meaning, and ideals (Sag). Venus will also pass through the space of Uranus and the Nodes at the end of November, triggering the message of change in relationships/finances that has been active throughout this time in a new way, adding another dimension to what we’ve working with since September, because both Uranus and the nodes are in different signs than they were when Venus first crossed them during this retrograde period.

In short, November kicks off a wide array astrological events, while also calling us deeply inward for integration, presence and perspective on a variety of different issues we face in our lives. As I anticipated when reading the chart for the Lunar New Year, 2018 has been very intense, karmic, and evolutionary year. Incredibly challenging, but deeply transformative on so many levels it is truly amazing. It is a change so involving that it calls every part of us to the table, and we cannot ignore it — but yet this is what we are here for. To become present, whole, and healed.

I really hope that these notes are helpful to you in navigating the remainder of the year.  The most essential message that I can distill from ALL that is coming through right now is to not be afraid of change, and to remember that it’s the little things that matter.  Change starts with the individual – with the dreams that call you, with the visions that inspire you, with your way of being in the world, and the people whom you love and attend to.  Harmony within the self, within the family, within the community, within the country, and then within the world.  This is the way we can grow as a collective at this time.

Peace and blessings.

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Retrograde City: Some Food For Thought on April's Astrology

I shared this a few weeks ago on Facebook with full intention of also posting it here, but it turns out my progressed moon in the 12th house is more powerful than previously imagined (to put it simply, life is just very fluid right now), so it took me a minute to actually post it.

I wanted to share these insights and timelines to help put April's Astrology into the bigger picture.  Today as I write this particular post Venus is now going direct after a long retrograde through Pisces & Aries -- so we now begin the process of wrapping up the Venus story which has been running since January 30th.  This is a NEW BEGINNING and a conclusion to cycle started 8 years ago, when Venus last went retrograde in Aries :)

But Venus is not the only planet to change directions this month.  Mercury also just recently went Retrograde in Taurus/Aries -- covering issues of self worth, value, being in the body, and also leadership & autonomy.  This Mercury/Venus Retrograde confluence is and has been an excellent time to make significant shifts in matters of love & money, and because Mercury happens to be in a stubborn sign like Taurus, it's a great time to work on some of those habits that just don't seem to die -- particularly if they pertain to Taurus' dark side... food, inertia, miserliness and laziness (And Aries:  Selfishness, egotism, impulsiveness, and anger).

Anyhow -- here is the timeline of all of the big retrograde cycles that are happening this month plus some of my notations about them.  Jupiter is also retrograde right now but I did not include it as my thoughts were primarily connected to the "stop and go" vibes of many planets changing directions at once.  However the Jupiter retrograde does have significance here because it is in one of Venus' signs:  Libra -- which is already creating an need to evaluate the role of relationships in our lives -- expanding our potential to make new and interesting connections, while also making us aware of dead and uninspired energy that needs to be released.  Jupiter will go direct in June and finish its transit in Libra by the fall.

OK, now continuing on...

TIMELINE OF CYCLES CONVERGING IN APRIL'S ASTROLOGY...

Venus Retrograde -- Aries/Pisces concludes (or moves towards conclusion)
JAN 30 -- Venux Rx Shadow
MAR 4 -- Stationing Retrograde
APR 15 -- Stationing Direct
MAY 18 -- Clears shadow

Saturn Retrograde -- Sagittarius begins
DEC 30 -- Saturn Rx Shadow
APR 5 -- Stationing Retrograde
AUG 25 -- Stationing Direct
DEC 1 2017 -- Clears shadow

Mercury Retrograde -- Taurus/Aries begins
MAR 27 -- Mercury Rx Shadow
APR 9 -- Stationing Retrograde
MAY 3 -- Stationing Direct
May 20 -- Clears Shadow

Pluto Retrograde -- Capricorn begins
DEC 29 -- Pluto Rx Shadow
APR 20 -- Stationing Retrograde
SEPT 28 -- Stationing direct
JAN 19, 2018 -- Clears shadow

QUICK NOTATIONS...

Venus & Saturn are square to each other when they both station which extends the length of the square substantially.  There is a feeling here of important and permanent shifts in relationship dynamics.  It will likely be spurred on by a conflict -- something is outgrown in favor of a more mature/responsible or serious undertaking.

The Sun travels through Pluto/Uranus/Jupiter T-Square so everything feels extra big.

Mercury & Venus cycles overlapping makes changes very immediate and pressing ... Saturn & Pluto stations add to tension as it irritates everyone's natal Saturn & Pluto stuff (power and control, whee!) ... but there is a lot of important stuff at the guts of it -- worth, value, boundaries, secrets revealed, deep purging, discovery, stubborn and volatile issues coming to the surface -- so try to see it for the lessons, solutions and resolutions, rather than getting roped in to the same old loops.

FURTHER WORDS...

Everything in life is an opportunity to return more truly and more deeply to wholeness and completeness within self.

Venus and Mercury retrograde overlapping is a very personal / interpersonal type of review process. What do we really desire? Who are our true friends? What do I value? Think? Feel? And want at this time of my life? If things have been revealed about your relationships of various kinds, how do you move forward towards a better, more actualized you, and better harmony within those relationships? What have been the blind spots, the failures, the expectations? If old news has reappeared how can you bring that old energy back to the wholeness that is you? How do we bring the errant elements of our being into harmony, truth and integrity with what we really feel inside?

Always returning. Always becoming more singular, more whole... Sometimes by letting go of the things that are binding us without us realizing they are.

Saturn and Pluto both going retrograde and thus amplified really brings issues of power and control into the mix as well. Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to fix and manage that we make the process harder for ourselves. But the key with both of these planets is ultimately inner strength and clarity -- not outward perfection. If you do not have clarity right now, inner strength also is a state of surrender and faith that the processes are still playing themselves out and have not yet reached completion.

The realizations have many levels... So being open to what comes, you can discover more and more layers. No matter how stressful or painful on initial impact, we find that we can learn something greater about ourselves.

I do not personally feel conflict is inherently negative when it shows up cosmically and in life. I see my life as about evolving and becoming myself more completely and better, not maintaining perfect mundane stability at all times... so for me it's all fodder for growth and I embrace that. True freedom and stability comes from within. It's real trying sometimes but when I rise above and really transmute something, I'm better for it always. That is the beauty of working with astrology. It's understanding that consciousness is always evolving. It never stops. Ever.

So let yourself grow. And don't be afraid of it when it knocks on your door. Know yourself better in life's reflection. Find peace there.

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September 2015: The Grand Balancing Act Between Simplicity and Complexity // Eclipses, Mercury Retrograde and the Mutable T-Square

Somehow, some way – it’s here! September has arrived and we have entered one of the most important months astrologically for the year of 2015. This is the threshold we have been preparing for all year long. September is a cosmic stew of energetic confluences, and many are feeling the changeable energies quite tangibly in their lives already. The easiest way to summarize September is to say that it is the beginning of forward movement towards the realization of the visions and goals we’ve been discovering, discerning, working on, playing with, and struggling with since 2008 when Pluto first crossed into Capricorn and issued its profound reverberation through the systems and structures the world’s societies are built upon. This month, we enter a phase of malleability. It’s a shifty, fuzzy, wavy ocean of complexity. We are confronted with the undeniable impulse to take action on our spiritual dreams, and the completely overwhelming task that lies before us in order to do so. It’s a long road between there and here and the path is not straight. In fact, it is confusing as heck. But, at least, we’ve arrived at the path. Starting in August, we had several important shifts and departures in the heavens – Saturn moved direct and is finishing its journey in Scorpio, Jupiter moved from Leo to Virgo, and Venus went retrograde in Leo. I’ve written quite a lot recently about how the energy of the past few years has been a process of whittling who we are and what we truly want down to its core. Saturn in Scorpio has caused us to brush through the cobwebs in our mind in order to discover just how much of our behavior is dictated by fear and other hidden psychological factors. It has also been about committing ourselves to the thing we most want and being willing to endure loss and discomfort in the name of growth and evolution. As Saturn moves out of Scorpio at last, we might be receiving its final lesson on the self-responsibility of empowerment very intensely. Saturn in Scorpio seems to be reminding us that no matter what happens in life, it’s still up to the individual to strengthen and embolden themselves towards the light.

Meanwhile, the vibrations of the recent Leo transits have been directing us to reevaluate and re-receive our heart’s desire. We’re really SEEING it, and those situations that still exist for us that we DON’T want are feeling rather intolerable. Ongoing relationship dramas, people that you just don’t jive with anymore, the job that pays well but makes you unhappy -- each and every one of these things is getting the proverbial ax. With Jupiter now in Virgo, the ways in which our mental state affects our physical being is felt with greater acuity. A need to move in a direction that is both fulfilling and healthy on all levels of our being is something we may be finding more valuable at this time. As we begin September, the invisible influences in our lives seem more present and active. Virgo’s call for purity, discipline, and devotion might be motivating us to work towards organizing our lives in a manner that is more holistically minded. If health has been neglected we might be feeling it’s time to get around to that exercise routine and invest some in healing ongoing ailments. The feeling behind it is that by not taking care of ourselves first, we are impeding the flow of creativity and happiness that we have been working so hard to find. Jupiter in Virgo also implies that the realm of service and work is about to get really busy in some fashion, and the need to be in optimum health is tantamount to accomplishing what needs to be accomplished. As Venus moves direct on September 6, tying up its retrograde story for the remainder of September, I expect many of the heart’s impediments will be clarified and released. The things within ourselves and our environment that block our enjoyment and ability to receive love and money – as well as what it is we really want to create, what makes us happy and brings us joy – are recognized. There is a sense of finality around situations that cause frustration – a feeling that there’s just better ways to spend one’s time.

With the Virgo energy I feel comes a great desire for simplicity, because the paradox of this time is that it is incredibly complex in all ways imaginable. The primary reason for this is that September begins the mutable T-Square between Saturn in Sagittarius, Jupiter in Virgo, and Neptune in Pisces that is a predominant feature of the remaining months of this year. We feel that there is a LOT to do, no time to do it, and that the task itself is monumental. Simplifying our lives as much as possible is necessary but is in itself a task and discipline in circumstances that have no consistency. As Mercury moves Retrograde in Libra mid-month I sense the issue of balance will come prominently into the fore. Tip the scales the other way for a while and see what happens. Libra, of course, is also about relationships – and there is an echo here to Venus Retrograde – how are we relating with life? Do we enmesh ourselves with other people’s thoughts and feelings without realizing it? Are we closed or open to collaboration that could be helpful to us? Who do we want to collaborate with? How can we have more equality and fairness in our relationships with partners and clients? In business?

At the same time that Mercury goes retrograde Saturn moves into Sagittarius for the next 2-3 years. Saturn in Sag suggests that now it’s time to begin one’s own pattern of thinking and behavior and creating one’s own dogma and truth, rather than continuing to allow other people’s ideas take control. Saturn in Sagittarius is a truth telling energy and it is the apex of the T-square pattern. In an interplay that shows immense confusion, delusion and deception, Saturn will reveal false idols for what they are and prompt us to test and evaluate all truths for ourselves before accepting them. With the energy of Jupiter and Neptune alone, we are dealing with the struggle between the mundane and the mystic – knowing of course that there is a path to the mystic through the distractionless fulfillment of life’s practicalities – yet finding ourselves in a climate that supports anything but. Underneath this energy is a pulse of frustration that seems to emanate an almost fractal web of complexities that multiply times ten with each beat. Saturn in Sagittarius wants us to find the meaning of it all, to see the big picture and put some shape around it. The thing is, we live in a world that cannot give us peace -- it becomes more and more busy by the day. So how do we arrive at balance? How do we transcend distraction? How do we discern the master from the charlatan? How do we live in this world and practice our truth in real time, at all times? How do we structure our lives to allow for meaningful engagement with reality? How do we build a world in connection to our highest good, in greater health and heartfelt connection? How do we take lofty ideals and put them into a practical form, functional for the modern paradigm?

These are among the many questions I see being predominant in the coming years.

The T-Square itself could have it’s own article. Having been through this vibe by transit these past few years I can say Neptune Square Saturn is not an easy energy – it is highly confusing and anxiety inducing. Add the expanding force of Jupiter to the mix and you have a vortex of turbulent and muddy waters. Neptune erodes Saturn’s normally sober sense of reality and order. Being in Sagittarius our core beliefs are being attacked – all sense of truth is shifting dramatically. A lighthouse that once stood strong is washed away to sea, slowly declining and decrepit. The question of whom to believe becomes difficult – even one’s own intuition can seem untrustworthy if it is colored by subconscious attitudes. The truth is very fuzzy and must be searched for. However, it can be found. As with all of Neptune work there is a great potential for clarity. The ultimate purpose of this energy is the alignment of the soul to the soul’s dream… and the soul’s dream does not care at all about your beliefs, thinking patterns and social dogmas. In the end we are cleansed, but the process requires a lot of faith and patience. We cannot rely on the material or the ideological – as the answer lies somewhere beyond both.

To me, the beauty of this configuration is the tone of deep questing. The mutable signs’ purpose is to transform and this energy signifies a tremendous amount of fast-paced change emerging from inner turmoil surrounding the question of what truth really IS. If it wasn’t the lighthouse, then what is it? Is it the light itself? Or is it even beyond that? The mutable energy also presents a great deal of malleability that we have not had in recent years where the energy has been functioning more like a gridlock – with a lot of stop and go, stalemates and impasses. We had to go through the phase of irreconcilability to cross into the phase of action. We had to go through the phase of action and confrontation in order to cross into this new phase, which is the phase of transmutation. Things have freed up – we can now meld reality to better suit us – the challenge will be maintaining the proper direction. These are energies that can spiral out of control and create delusions, or they can bring the wisdom of positive habits, positive thinking, and pure spiritual flow. To stay ahead of it, we have to employ some discipline to our thinking and our lives. Discovering where we carry rigid, negative thinking, and subsconscious fears and learning to change these things is a major aspect of this process. We will learn that we can opt for pathways that allow us greater clarity and peace by remaining grounded, centered and aware or we can opt for pathways that feed the fear and confusion and fall for the illusions of the world. Everything we believe that is not universal law is subject to and likely to change. All that is unsteady already will grow more unsteady. It’s unsteady because it’s not honest. Let it fall apart. Keep the positive intention and the positive direction. The mind is powerful at this time as boundaries between the subtle and mundane reality are thinner than usual. Our dreams can be real. So can our fears. We’re responsible for whichever we create.

And then… The eclipses. Yes, there’s more than this. On top of Mercury retrograde, Venus retrograde, Saturn changing signs, Jupiter changing signs, Pluto stationing to go direct (Which I haven’t even talked about it only adds to the feeling of evolutionary intensity), the Fall Equinox, and some very strong configurations – we have eclipses. Eclipses are a twice annual phenomenon that bring about major culminations, endings, new beginnings, and generally speaking – points of destiny and fate in our lives. This month’s eclipses occur at 20 Virgo (Solar eclipse on September 13) and 4 Aries (Total Lunar Eclipse, visible in the US, on September 27). So anyone with planets in mutable signs around 20 degrees or cardinal signs around 4 degrees will feel the eclipses most strongly – but all people will be passing through the energies of the eclipses.

The Solar Eclipse on September 13 is highly sensitive. Under this energy we will be very aware of what we lack. It is a good new moon to set intentions with regards to health routines – health and healing is a major highlight of the eclipse. Radical changes around work and health may occur out of necessity. The spirit of service and how we personally express it is an important motivation to changes we make under this energy. We’re more inclined to break bad habits and let go of spiritual burdens, especially if they’re holding us back from our sense of efficiency and simplicity. We are taking our Saturn in Scorpio lessons and applying them in every way we can. To not do so will cause us more pain and suffering than is necessary, and we intuitively know this. We need to evolve and work from our strengths, rather than stay in a Sisyphus-like cycle of never-ending burdens. We have the power to make our life what we want it to be, truly, we do! This a great new moon to make a plan of tangible actions and set goals towards making the soul dream come true. We’ve done the inner work, now it’s time to apply all we’ve learned, and then learn some more as we go. Know that it’s going to be complicated, busy and changeful – but not impossible. The world has changed, and it is opening as we are opening to be re-oriented and re-aligned to our naturalness and divinity. Be open to the possibilties. Refinement of the focus, I feel, can be considered the theme of this eclipse.

The Lunar eclipse feels much more about the balancing energies of the Mercury retrograde, which lingers nearby to the eclipse degree. In the period between eclipses, Saturn will have moved into Sagittarius. The first eclipse feels much like the ending of a cycle being put into practical action, while the second eclipse emphasizes the opening of a cycle and all of the complex processes involved with the new energy. It is a very powerful, evolutionary eclipse. Great frustration exploding into radical change. It doesn’t matter what the frustration is at – just that the forces involved are inhibiting and intolerable. We’re stepping into new terrain in our lives and are being faced with the duality and paradox of all that we have developed thus far. What we really want is to break free and step directly into joyful self realization (isn’t the work over yet?), but we must do so with awareness. The best action taken now is righteous action. This is a South Node eclipse, meaning it is a releasing energy. We are releasing Aries impulsiveness and dog-eat-dog survivalist attitudes. The energy of this eclipse shows us that impulsiveness will not only not serve us, it will cause all kinds of unforeseen problems. We are becoming aware of where we are blocked and frustrated, but learning the lesson that not all obstacles are meant to be “blasted through” – It’s important to do the work and negotiations necessary to arrive at clarity before taking action – and all actions are well served to be backed up with some kind of plan and forethought. We have plenty of time – and even though it seems the world is swirling around us without control – we do not need to hurry ourselves and get swept up in the madness. As we enter this mutable energy it is absolutely necessary to seek clarity with patience and yielding. Aries energy is neither of these things and it may feel difficult to quell the fire. If we have done our work of purification, and are willing to let go of expectation, we can be decisive – but it is a decisiveness that must arise from the true mind. We will know what the right decision is if it feels peaceful and freeing. Our decisions must not be made with shadows of uncertainty – investigate all unsettled feelings and see more deeply into choices. The period upcoming may be a chaotic and confusing time, but it can be a phase where we really learn to tap into the inner voice and work from our spiritual center, as this may be the best way to survive and the only way to thrive under these influences. It is a beautiful spiritual lesson in a “feminine” form of evolution. Release doing, return to being. Work from being, and find the truth without searching.

The energy of September is huge. This is a pivotal time for the world’s direction. People who choose to be assistants and servants to the world in one way or another will experience immense growth through this process – this is a time when spiritual energies are very high and many people will start experiencing mind-bending shifts in their perspectives and need grounded influences. It is important that we all become aware of balance in our lives and transparent with our truth – especially with ourselves. Simplify, clarify, wait until things settle. Your mind is a powerful creator…. Use it wisely.

“All will come to those who keep to the one – for there lies rest, happiness and peace.”

- Tao Te Ching, Chapter 35

The truth we practice: Blue Moon in Aquarius, Venus & Uranus Retrograde, Saturn Direct in Scorpio

Life has felt up in the air lately. At the start of this year I had predicted it would be one for reevaluation and clearing the decks, and it has been that to a degree of intensity that I had no idea was even possible. We are in times of major internal change and revolution. The call to abandon activities, attitudes and persons that do not align with our spiritual process is growing louder by the day. As the invisible & subtle reality merges more acutely with the dense, physical reality our minds and our bodies are undergoing painful and confusing transitions. We are in a moment in life where everything matters. What we choose to do and be defines us now more than ever. Deep subconscious issues are arising at alarming rates, and with the right attitude and willingness we can shift our consciousness around a given situation nearly as quickly as it appeared. The key, no matter what, is to maintain the integrity of a positive direction and move towards that which makes us feel happier, lighter, and more free. The other night after working for several hours in the office, I went out to bathe in the moonlight and for the first time in some weeks, take a moment to reflect upon all of the recent changes and overall direction of situations in my life. The past few years in summertime, I have been so BUSY and this summer in particular, I’ve entered an unprecedented phase where the present is the only reality I have much time to worry about. Summer used to be my favorite season, but since moving south I find the intensity of the active yang energy a challenging contender. It is more difficult in the summertime to sink in to the lengthy periods of reflection and internal work that come so easily in the slower seasons and staying balanced in the midst of constant activity can be quite tricky. However, with so much shifting energy in the cosmos this past week and next, life seems to have put on the brakes to some degree. I feel we are all getting the opportunity to look more closely at the action taking place all around us and making determinations that could slightly or significantly alter our course from here on out.

In astrological terms, the major events that I am referencing are those in the title of this article: Venus Retrograde, Uranus Retrograde, and Saturn moving Direct and out of Scorpio, as well as today's Blue Moon in Aquarius. As an astrologer and intuitive, I very often feel and sense these types of cosmological shifts for a period of time before I write about them. Retrograde/Direct cycles especially of the outer planets like Uranus, are not highly unusual, but since they are happening together we feel these energies very acutely and perhaps more dramatically than usual. Uranus is the signifier of change and awakening. Venus relates to harmony, luxury, and relationships. While Saturn is the lord of karma & matter: the “work” of life. The feeling of this past week has been somewhat “strange” to me. There is a very intense sensation toward making, in some cases, unanticipated changes as immediately as possible in order to be in better alignment with our true spiritual direction and overall peace of mind. I find myself commanded to quickly shift gears and refocus in ways that I did not expect at this juncture, but am nonetheless grateful for. The clear message coming through the Uranian principle seems to be: “The time is now to live the life we wish!” Change now what demands to be changed – ESPECIALLY as it relates to Venusian aspects of our life: Creative pursuits, love relationships, and financial matters.

Venus is spending the majority of its Retrograde cycle in Leo the sign of fun, self expression, and creativity. Since Venus has entered its shadow (the area of the sky over which it is moving retrograde) in late June, I’ve been seeing the themes of the retrograde cycle – and in many ways am finding a direct correlation between this Venus Retrograde and the Saturn Cycle that has been so prominent throughout 2015. Saturn is in Scorpio for the very last time, demanding our final word on the Scorpionic lessons we’ve been working with since October 2012. Throughout this transit I have concluded that Saturn in Scorpio can be summed up as such: A firm, deep, and fearless commitment to our own path, our own evolution, and our own empowerment irregardless of all obstacles or realities that aim to take us down, don’t understand what we’re doing, or otherwise keep us from realizing our own true strength. And this very much includes our own inner psyche’s negative patterning. The lesson of Saturn in Scorpio has been to persevere through the depth of our fears around true power, true love, true strength, true intimacy, and true vulnerability in faith and trust that what we truly want and need will await us on the other side. It has been very much like a psychological “clean up.”

Saturn is stationing at the very final degrees of Scorpio, while Venus is moving through the same patch of sky in stressful, restructuring, reevaluting, releasing waning square to Saturn, along with Jupiter who is also in Leo in the final degrees. What I have been noticing about the themes of Venus retrograde that have thusfar arisen is that there is a sensation of finality. Many old and crusty characters and behaviors have been popping up all over the place – in dreams, in people on the street, in current relationships, you name it. All of these things relate to old psychological scars that we might be carrying from past relationships and around love in general.  With the Scorpio energy really pushing us to purge our fears and psychological hang ups, I feel this Venus Retrograde has a lot of energy around really finding what LOVE and FREEDOM IN LOVE means to us and how we want to shift our psychological patterning around partnership, friendship, and creative processes.  What do our past relationships show us about what we desire in love, and also what we feel is missing?  What are the projections we experience through others saying about how we relate to love and relationships – is it all roses and daisies, or are there some shadows there? What is happening in your current relationship that you no longer tolerate? What choices can we make around relationships of all kinds that will bring more fun, lightness, and joy into our lives?

Generally speaking, I’ve really noticed a sudden flourish in social connections, as people around me seem to be expressing a desire to connect more often and more meaningfully. In love relationships, I see partnerships departing, deepening, and most definitely reevaluating and shifting based off of what the two partners most deeply value in relationship, as well as what will bring the relationship to an overall happier and more harmonious place in the long term.  I also see people craving time for themselves to rejuvenate, relax, and take care of their relationship with self on a deeper level -- in a realization that this allows them to be more present in connection with work and others.  And all of this seems to be happening in a “now or never” sort of way. Venus is about what we DESIRE and the sense I am getting is that what we want can no longer be put off. What makes us happy is tantamount and those things that make us unhappy we are willing to shift completely sans the usual hemming and hawing. The reason being those parts of our relationship with life that make us unhappy are REALLY starting to feel old and burdensome, and we’re recognizing the extent to which many of these things are just reflections of our own self limiting beliefs and psychological fog. Our own disempowered behaviors.

The overall feeling is one of moving forward with the aim to improve. This might mean some significant changes in particular patterns that are pretty firmly embedded in our relationship to others, self, and even our work and creative life. There can be some frustration around this as so often lately it feels that every time something is settled or resolved, it’s quickly dismantled for rebuilding. This uprooting feeling can be disturbing, especially to those of us who sorely wish for reality to be more fixed and predictable.  However, it is my sense that we should get used to this to some degree and learn to create our lives from the consciousness that change not just a possibility but inevitable. In other words, what we create in our lives needs to have plenty of room for evolution – as the more walls we build, the more walls we’ll have to take down later. A firm foundation can still be established, but all other elements must be highly malleable. Simplify everything and be ready to be “on the move” so to speak.

In my contemplation of the times, of truth, and the messages of the Retrograde cycles and today’s Blue Moon in Aquarius -- I wondered about a certain phenomenon one encounters when walking a spiritual path and working on one’s internal growth – in the stages between major breakthroughs there are these phases where one can feel utterly out of sorts and look around at one’s life only to wonder if any progress has been made at all. I thought back to myself in earlier stages of my life and journey and how it seemed so much easier to grasp certain concepts that in times more present seem as if they are far away on some high mountain. Were they not even further from me then? The answer I got was this: The truth can be known in an instant – but to realize it, to practice it, to live it, takes years – a lifetime, many lifetimes.

The bottom line of the universe, of creation, of action, of being – is intent. We place our intention in the direction we want to go, and yield to the obstacles that fall in our path. We sometimes need to weed whack our way through some emotional crap but the pathway is still there and muck or no muck we still walk forward if it is our aim to do so.

In some fashion, at least on this earthly plane, there is no change without some sort of muck. Even if we manage to transcend some of our own, there is the junk of other people, of society, of consciousness in general that we all contribute to, experience, and are, in our own ways, responsible for. In this sense the path is always being realized – our journey upon it is eternal as there is no end to the possibilities of growth. If we master one or two elements of life, there is an infinity of others we know nothing about. And even upon mastery, we have to understand the inherent nature of change – the spiraling, cyclic nature of the universe, of cosmic influence, of life in general. For every culmination there is a decline, a reevaluation, a release, and a letting go, in order to make room for new levels.

I feel that this is what we’re enduring at this moment and in many ways, what we are also learning how to do. We are discovering how to process immense amounts of new information on all levels of consciousness and balance the most disparate aspects of ourselves, our environments, and the world at large as a community. In this moment, it doesn’t matter so much where and who we are, per se – what matters is our intention and our direction towards authenticity, freedom and humanity. Our intention towards gentleness, love, and respect.  The world needs this enlightened vibration. It needs people who are concerned with balance, who wish to deeply live and love, who are here to serve from the heart. These intentions, actions, and choices awaken the possibility of change and of balance on a much larger scale. We have the ability to create life more directly than ever before.  In the moment it doesn't always look as we envisioned, but the envisioning is so fundamental.  What we desire to be, we can be.  What we aim for, we can have.  What are soul craves can be realized.  Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but in time with perseverance.  And even then, the vision will take a new form.  The important part is now:  To be dedicated to the process of change, of growth.  To make wise choices, and to move forward with hope -- knowing that there is no end, and that it won't be linear, and that the results rarely look anything like the ideal, but somehow are ideal regardless.

What is it you're REALLY here to create?  What changes do you need to make to move in that direction?  See that, and go from there...