Sun conjunct Mercury

Planetary news this week: Magical Neptune and the heart/mind connection

Astrological update for the week of June 26-July 3, 2023

art by Stephanie Menard

Retrograde Neptune. As most of you know, planets don’t actually travel backwards but from time to time they will appear to reverse their travels through the sky as we observe them from Earth. These periods when planets are retrograde are times of reconsideration and reversals, times when we sometimes feel we are swimming against the tide.

The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are each retrograde for about half the year: This week, on June 30th, Neptune will turn retrograde, deepening our awareness of the transcendent. Neptune’s influence is transformational rather than personal.  It inspires us to experience a Self that lies beyond our individual personalities – to experience divinely inspired creativity, to merge with the Soul in meditation, to experience the Godhead in all of its myriad forms.  It also sometimes tempts us with fantasy and illusion, fooling us with subterfuge and undermining our ideals.

During this time the Neptune influence becomes more profoundly personal.  You may feel like you are wading through a thick fog in your life, unable to make a clear decision.  You may find yourself succumbing to strange illnesses for which there are no names.  You may be more susceptible to lies and deception and less able to discriminate clearly.

This is a time to turn within with a greater focus on the inner world than the outer.  Meditation and rest is important during this time as our physical energy may be diminished, especially if Neptune is transiting planets in your own chart.  You may be more sensitive to psychic energies than other times, especially if you tend to be hyper-sensitive, so plan accordingly.

Mercury enters Cancer. Mercury, […]

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By |2023-06-26T07:39:36-04:00June 26th, 2023|Planetary news this week|0 Comments
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Planetary news this week: All about Pluto retrograde

Astrological update for the week of April 24 – May 1, 2023

artist unknown?

The big news this week is the fact that Pluto turns retrograde on May 1st. (Geeky astrological detail: Pluto will retrograde at zero degrees Aquarius where it has been for the past month, and it will remain at the same degree point until June 11th when it retrogrades back into Capricorn.)  As you may know, when a planet appears to change direction it seems to be at a standstill in the sky from our perspective, and its influence can seem more intense. This is especially true if the planet is affecting your own astrological chart.

Pluto is the planet of intensity and creative destruction, and tends to be felt as a sledgehammer of transformation. Sometimes the evolution comes from within, but sometimes we meet that force from the outside in the form of employers, friends, coworkers or loved ones who challenge our very sense of who we are. The potency of Pluto right now is particularly acute as it has just dipped a toe into Aquarius to preside over a maelstrom of change, and now it goes back into Capricorn. Any areas where the structures or infrastructure on which we build our lives are weak could be under threat one final time.  This is a time to shore up defenses, and be practical as well build a strong foundation from which to spring into action.

It will be early July before Pluto, traveling retrograde, begins to pick up speed and Pluto won’t re-enter Aquarius until next January, so this is a fairly long-term influence that requires us to learn to surrender when the force of the power of change and transformation becomes too great to […]

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By |2023-04-24T08:16:12-04:00April 24th, 2023|Planetary news this week|0 Comments
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Planetary news this week: Total eclipse at the Taurus Full Moon

Astrological update for the week of November 7-14, 2022

art by Keith Spangle

As you probably know, we are in eclipse season and the one on Tuesday November 8th really dominates the airwaves this week. First of all, it’s a total eclipse which means that the lunar nodes of fate are very tightly conjunct the lunation (the Sun and Moon in opposition).  We have a powerful see-saw (remember those?) of the eclipsed Moon (feelings)  in tight conjunction to Uranus (rebellion and change), but in the sign of Taurus which craves security and stability. So already we are set up for a lack of balance. The Moon conjoins the North Node which points to the future, suggesting that a change that comes about in this lunar eclipse will change the trajectory of destiny. (Quite a big deal considering it falls on Election Day in the U.S.)

On the other end of the see-saw we have a tight stellium (grouping) of planets in intense Scorpio, including a conjunction of Mercury to the Sun, illuminating the realm of reason and information, and Venus for power in relationships and personal interactions. The Sun, Mercury and Venus all oppose Uranus suggesting a burst of energy for something new. The role of Uranus is to inspire the breaking free of old routines and patterns which no longer serve us. The Sun conjoins the South Node of the past, suggesting that there is quite a lot that has been holding us back which needs to be released in order for the future to unfold as it should.

I’d like to also point out that the eclipse takes place just one degree from astrological Samhain, the midpoint between the Equinox and the Solstice known […]

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By |2022-11-06T18:20:50-05:00November 7th, 2022|Planetary news this week|5 Comments
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Planetary news this week: Capricorn SuperMoon and a lot of Mercury

Astrological update for the week of July 11-18, 2022

 

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As many of you know, a Full Moon becomes a SuperMoon (™ astrologer Richard Nolle) when the Moon is closest to Earth than at other times. Full Moons are known to affect ocean tides and sea creatures (including humans who are made up of 60% water), and water is the element of feeling and emotion. Under the influence of the Moon emotions are heightened and the realm of feelings dominates the landscape.

Capricorn Full Moon. When the Full Moon SuperMoon is in the earthy sign of Capricorn, there is a need to balance the moodiness of the Cancerian Sun, with all its watery splendor, against the Capricornian need to do the responsible things that will provide and enhance the structures of our lives. Under this Full Moon we need to strike that balance between the emotions and feelings that drive us and enrich our world and the hard reality of life in a material world of accomplishment and production.

This week the Full Moon occurs on Wednesday the 13th at 2:38 pm EDT and the Full Moon chart is full of potent energies. The Moon trines the North Node of the future and the Sun trines the South Node of the past, suggesting an easy release of something which has held us back in order to release us towards a better future. But before that release can occur, the square of Chiron to the lunation may force a soul or psychological wound to break and release its infection so that healing can occur. Fortunately, harmonious Uranus aspects assist in this process by facilitating an eagerness and excitement for the new Capricornian structures to […]

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By |2022-07-11T08:58:30-04:00July 11th, 2022|Planetary news this week|0 Comments
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Astrological news this week: Mars/Neptune and Gemini season

Astrological update for the week of May 16-23, 2022

art by Myriams Bay

How did everyone fare during the eclipse Sunday night? I was knocked so off kilter (the eclipse squared my natal Pluto which and a bunch of progressed planets) that I forgot what day it was yesterday! So this forecast is late, but hopefully better late than never as they say.

This week is a bit quieter astrologically, although Mars, planet of action teams up with Neptune, planet of transcendence, in the sign of Pisces (culminating around 2:30 am on Wednesday). At its best this planetary combination can release a torrent of creative energies and unbridled compassion; at its worst, it can bring confusion and the kind of passive aggression that Mars in Pisces is known for. Mars needs to express itself forcefully, and in Pisces that force is watered down and sometimes disappears, so the aggression of Mars can be quite leaky and come out in unexpected places.

The Moon will have moved from Scorpio after the eclipse into Sagittarius which can be a  mixed blessing: Sagittarius is certainly hopeful and optimistic, but if the wrong thing is expanded under the Sagittarius influence it can cause problems. Tread carefully in the evening of the 17th (Tuesday) when the Sagittarius Moon will face off against Mars and Neptune.

On the heels of a powerful eclipse this can be somewhat destabilizing so in the early part of the week we may want to try to avoid open conflict where possible and wait for the fog to clear. It shouldn’t take long for that to happen since the Moon enters Capricorn on the 18th around 8 am which helps to ground and stabilize. Then a harmonious trine […]

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