Mercury opposite Neptune

Astrological news this week: Mars enters Gemini and the Uranus station

Astrological update for the week of August 15-22, 2022

artist unknown

What is the Uranus station? Every planet appears to travel retrograde at some time or another – the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are retrograde for about half the year. Saturn and Jupiter turn retrograde about once a year. Mars turns retrograde about every two years, Venus about every eighteen months, and Mercury about every three months. Obviously planets don’t really travel retrograde, but geocentric astrology observes the motion of the planets from Earth and we interpret the symbolism of this motion.

These cycles of normal movement alternating with retrogrades are like the ebb and flow of the ocean, and once we learn to let go to the flow of retrograde cycles they feel as natural as standing in the waves. When planets are in their normal orbital speed they are doing business as usual, and when their motion appears to be retrograde they are operating at a more personal level, and sometimes inspiring us to go back to review patterns of the past.

When a planet appears to change direction it will seem to stand still, remaining at the same degree of a sign for a period of days, weeks or sometimes even months. On August 24th, Uranus will turn retrograde at nearly 19 degrees of Taurus and will travel less than a degree until October, meaning the influence of Uranus to awaken and challenge our existing paradigms will be at its most powerful. Uranus has been within a degree of that point since June.

Those of us (me!) who have planets between about 15 and 23 degrees of the fixed signs (Taurus, Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius) will be most affected as Uranus forces us to break […]

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By |2022-08-15T07:51:04-04:00August 15th, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Astrological update for the week of August 23, 2021: Virgo season and Full Moon recovery

art by Carla Seaton

There was quite a discussion on my Facebook page Sunday about the sleeplessness of the Aquarius Full Moon!  With Uranus stationary in the sky and modern ruler of the lunation, the Uranian pressure to wake up can happen a bit too literally.  In any case, the Sun moved into Virgo shortly after the 29 degree Full Moon and joined Mercury and Mars which are already in Virgo, taking us fully into Virgo Season.

The sign that the Sun is in acts as a filter for our conscious experiences, and the Sun in Virgo is all about wrapping up the details.  We are nearly halfway through the zodiac, and it’s time to assimilate the experiences of the signs that came before before we make the shift at the Equinox into Libra and complete the passage around the wheel of time.  Transits of the Sun are typically pretty mild – they last only a day or so and simply serve to illuminate or call our attention to something which may have been hidden in the darkness of the subconscious.

This week is pretty quiet astrologically and offers a chance to regain our balance and hopefully get a good night’s sleep!  And now, the week ahead. (Dates and times are given in EDT and UTC, please adjust for your locality.)

Monday, August 23.  Our connections are strengthened all day through a harmonious trine from Venus, in Libra where it is at its strongest, urging us to pursue beauty and love in all things, to Saturn, planet of structure and control.  Venus/Saturn aspects promote responsible interactions and easier commitments, and facilitates greater balance and equality in relationships.  The Moon, in Pisces where we tend to feel more of […]

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By |2021-08-23T07:49:07-04:00August 23rd, 2021|Planetary news this week|2 Comments