Sun square Neptune

Planetary news this week: Virgo Full Moon, and Saturn in Pisces

Astrological update for the week of March 6-13, 2023.

art by Verena Wild

Full Moon in Virgo March 7th. The Virgo Full Moon on Tuesday (EST) occurs with Saturn at the 29th degree of Aquarius, just about to spill into Pisces. The Virgo Moon is the only personal planet in an Earth sign, and with three planetary bodies in the mystical watery sign of Pisces it may be difficult to ground into the practical realm of life for the next few days. If that occurs, the best thing to do is to go with the flow.

The Pisces influence is wonderful for anything creative or magical, but with the Moon full in Virgo there is a strong emphasis on ritual and routine. Mars in Gemini is in a strong square to the Sun and Moon this week which suggests that we will likely find ourselves somewhat scattered under these energies, so this Full Moon will be better for planning and imagining than actually implementing something which requires a disciplined approach.

Saturn at the true cusp of Aquarius and Pisces is intensely idealistic – Aquarian idealism is intellectual and Piscean idealism is emotional – combining the two offers up a banquet of visionary longing for a world that offers greater perfection than the one we actually live in. The Virgo Moon resists this broadening of the scope of our experience and prefers to be grounded in the mundane details of life in physical form. It anchors us into a heart of practical reality where we are able to make the small changes that can ultimately result in the satisfaction of the larger Aquarius/Pisces vision. In any case, this lunation will impel us to seek more from our […]

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By |2023-03-06T08:45:50-05:00March 6th, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Astrological news this week: SuperMoon in Sagittarius! And Mercury in Gemini

art by Betty Albert

Astrological update for the week of June 13-20, 2022

There is a lot going on here, and the bigger influences tend to outshine the lunar aspects so we will put those on hold this week. 

Sagittarius SuperMoon. This week’s Full Moon in Sagittarius (June 14, 11:51 am EDT) is a SuperMoon (™ astrologer Richard Nolle), meaning it is closer to Earth than at other times. When planetary bodies are closer to Earth their influence is stronger, which is why Mercury retrograde periods are so critical for communication – that is the time when Mercury is closest to Earth.

Every Full Moon tends to amplify our feelings and emotional triggers, and the SuperMoon simply intensifies that tendency which is already at work. However, this Full Moon is in Sagittarius, with the Sun in Gemini – the two signs of knowledge and wisdom. There is a dearth of the water element in the sky right now, and water is the element through which we process feelings, intuition and emotion. This Full Moon encourages us to be curious (Gemini Sun) and seek a higher path to real knowledge (Sagittarius).  Under the Sagittarius Full Moon we know that growth and evolution is the goal, and that confidence is all we need to get there.

This Full Moon chart engages some powerful allies and teachers. Both the Gemini Sun and Sagittarius Moon have a tendency to be ungrounded and can lack focus, but Saturn lends its grounding realism to the mix to aid in forging practical plans to achieve the sense of growth and peak experience that Sagittarius craves. That will be a big help since Neptune squares the lunation, however, tempting us into fantastic […]

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By |2022-06-13T08:18:00-04:00June 13th, 2022|Planetary news this week|0 Comments

Weekend update June 12-13, 2021: The Venus effect, and a mystical Sunday

artist unknown?

Venus is very active all weekend which is a good thing because the energies are building, as they have been for the past few weeks, for the second phase of the challenging square from Saturn to Uranus. Venus governs all dimensions of attraction and pleasure, and even her challenging aspects are not that difficult.  On Saturday Venus, in Cancer where we tend to be more sensitive and emotional in our interactions with others, forms a square aspect to Chiron which can have an effect of bringing out our most noble intentions to create a healing space where there is stress.

Energies are also building on Saturday for a harmonious Venus/Uranus interaction which will help to breathe new life and space into all of our interactions as well as our own sensibilities.  With the Sun square dreamy Neptune on Sunday, we are less focused and the mundane details of life seem to fall away. This may seem confusing or frustrating, but it can also become magical as we begin to see with greater clarity a different reality, one with fewer rules and more of a sense of wonder. Obviously if something needs to be done then it must be, but don’t be surprised if it takes you through a circuitous route in which other experiences are waiting. ❤️


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By |2021-06-12T09:16:22-04:00June 12th, 2021|Planetary news this week|0 Comments

12.9.20. A day of dreaming and imagination with the Sun square Neptune

photo by Lee O’Neill

Today is not a day for organization, or for finally getting around to applying discipline to your day. Today is a day when we are less focused and the mundane details of life seem to fall away. This may seem confusing or frustrating, but it can also become magical as we begin to see with greater clarity a different reality, one with fewer rules and more of a sense of wonder. Obviously if something needs to be done then it must be, but don’t be surprised if it takes you through a circuitous route in which other experiences are waiting.

The Moon is in Libra now which will oppose Chiron, possibly provoking an emotional response to temporarily throw us off balance, but the peacefulness of the Libra Moon may help us to find that balance point in these crazy times.

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By |2020-12-08T18:04:02-05:00December 9th, 2020|Planetary cycles|0 Comments

The astrology of Marianne Williamson

Embed from Getty Images

My original plan was to continue profiling the candidates (see other posts in the series here) in their polling order, and I frankly didn’t think Marianne Williamson would stay in the race as long as she has.  But she continues to raise money and attract voters to her events and she has said that she will continue her run for the presidency.

Williamson is an unlikely presidential candidate, which is what makes her interesting.  After a youth spent, as she says,  “mired in a series of unhappy love affairs, alcohol and drug abuse, a nervous breakdown, and endless sessions with therapists,” she discovered the book A Course in Miracles and became a spiritual teacher.  She has written 13 books and was a favorite of Oprah.

Williamson’s chart shows a heavy emphasis in the sign of Cancer, with Sun, Venus and Uranus all conjunct in that sign which is focused on family and tribe.  Cancerians tend to feel the troubles of the world more deeply than most, and a strong desire to help others runs through the archetype of Cancer.  Her Cancer planets form a challenging square to Neptune, suggesting early challenges in forging an identity and a high level of creativity combined with a tendency to be more idealistic than realistic.

We are fortunate to have a birthtime for her which reveals an ascendant (rising sign) in Gemini.  The ascendant describes the way in which we move through the world, which is different from the Sun which tends to show instead the individual’s personal quest.  Those with Gemini rising (like me!)often find it difficult to focus on any one thing, and we can see this with Williamson’s personal history.  Her Wikipedia page includes over ten different vocations which she has […]

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By |2019-10-31T14:23:56-04:00October 16th, 2019|Politics|2 Comments