Sun square Pluto

Planetary news this week: Saturn direct and the Sun/Venus dance

Astrological update for the week of October 17-23, 2022

art by Carol Drury

Retrograde update. The retrograde forces that dominated August and September continue to fade, and after Saturn turns direct this week there will be three planets traveling in retrograde motion (Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus) as well as Chiron. This may seem like a lot, but this is a more normal number of retrogrades and the forces that pull us back into the past to review and reflect are beginning to lessen.

Saturn station. The challenging square from Saturn to Uranus which came very close to an exact alignment over the past few weeks is also starting to fade, and with it the forces of rebellion and conflict which dominated the story of 2021 will also start to retreat. Saturn, the planet that teaches endurance and the value of discipline and hard work, is stationary in the sky right now as it prepares to change direction. When a planet appears to “station” before a change of direction its influence intensifies, especially if you have sensitive planets between 15 and 20 degrees of the fixed signs (Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio, Taurus). Saturn will barely move between now and mid-November, meaning this wise teacher will dominate the planetary energies.

Saturn periods like this one are good times to focus on the hard things that need to be done, but are not the best times for speculation and over-idealistic thinking.

The Sun/Venus dance from Libra to Scorpio. The Sun and Venus meet in conjunction about every 9-1/2 months: once when Venus appears to be at its closest point to Earth when retrograde, and once (like now) when Venus is at its farthest point when traveling direct.  From our perspective, the Sun appears to […]

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By |2022-10-17T08:27:51-04:00October 17th, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Astrological news this week: Mars in Pisces and stationary Pluto

Astrological update for the week of April 18-25, 2022

art by Sangsoo Jeong

Mars in Pisces.

As I wrote in last week’s update, Mars entered Pisces on April 14th just before the Libra Full Moon on April 16th. That was a highly potent Full Moon, with the Sun and Moon both in a square aspect to powerful Pluto. Unfortunately it did not lead to a peaceful Easter weekend, with three mass shootings in the US, riots in Sweden and Jerusalem, and the bombing of the wonderful World Central Kitchen in Kharkiv Ukraine.

Astrology cannot prevent global disaster and war, but knowing where there might be land mines can help us in our own small ways to promote peace and healing. Mars will be in Pisces until May 24th, and when Mars is in Pisces all of that aggression tends to be driven into the underground of the psyche. In Pisces, the sign of the artist and the mystic, Mars can be compassionate and fueled by creativity and a yearning for spiritual connection. But the drive and motivation of Mars doesn’t do well when subsumed by the passivity of Pisces and it will take more effort and conscious intention to express and assert ourselves where necessary.

Repeating what I wrote last week, during this time Mars will conjoin Neptune and Jupiter, which may exacerbate the fuzziness of planetary energies. We can ameliorate this somewhat by enhancing our own physical energy through physical activity – always an excellent way to stimulate the chi and activate our intellectual energy as well as physical. But in the end we will just have to be patient and wait for the Piscean clouds to lift, utilizing this […]

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By |2022-04-24T13:14:55-04:00April 18th, 2022|Planetary news this week|0 Comments
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The power of Will at the Aries Full Moon

art by Christy Tortland

In lieu of the weekly forecast this week since I’m out of the country, this post on the Full Moon energies pretty much contains all of the energies for the week!

The Aries Full Moon occurs on October 20th, and it’s a potent one.  First of all, it’s in Aries so Mars is the planetary ruler and there is a fiery potency to all things at this time.  Mars, ruler of this Full Moon, is very closely conjunct the Libra Sun and approaching a challenging square to Pluto which will culminate on October 22nd and this challenging aspect is locked into the Full Moon chart.

Many of you know that I am kind of an ambassador for Mars.  Traditionally Mars is considered to be malefic, and even when well placed his attributes are not that attractive: contentious and a lover of warfare are not what you would call the most honorable traits in a planet. And his bad traits are worse: murder, thievery, promoter of sedition, perjurer, etc. etc.  But Mars is the planet of Will – the prime desire that inspires and motivates us to go after what we want, to defend ourselves and others, and fuels us with physical energy and desire.

click to enlarge

Still, when there is an overabundance of Mars energy it can be difficult, especially when there is a challenging square to Pluto involved as there is here.  Mars is in Libra where it can be polite and tactful but not really promote the Martian attributes that are so important for human psychological and physical health.  Power conflicts may arise, and if there is anger in the subconscious it may emerge here […]

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By |2021-10-29T14:53:08-04:00October 18th, 2021|Moon|2 Comments
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4.16.21 A potent day of focus and opportunity

art by Helena Nelson Reed

With a lack of major planetary cycles right now, the faster moving alignments have a chance to sing.  Today we have a strong square aspect from the Sun in Aries to Pluto in Capricorn, forcing us to realign any tendency towards impulsivity (Aries Sun) until it aligns more completely with our soul’s purpose (Pluto).  Pluto can be a powerful ally, forcing situations which we may not choose but which may end up with a result even better than we imagined.  Square aspects are said to be “bad,” and it’s true that they are not easy and the planets do not support each other.  But since we can’t change or resist the energy of a square we might as well utilize its potency, and use today to surrender when it appears that we are trying to force the river in the wrong direction.

Meanwhile a harmonious trine is building from Mars in Gemini to Jupiter in Aquarius.  In Gemini, the drive for action is curious about everything but can be somewhat unfocused and this is enhanced by the Moon also traveling through Gemini right now.  This trine to Jupiter, planet of possibilities, helps us to get the most out of each planet:  Mars delivers a nice dose of dynamic energy, and Jupiter bestows the confidence and optimism we need to move forward on all of our ideas.  ❤️

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By |2021-04-16T07:35:22-04:00April 16th, 2021|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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4.15.21 – The next few days are full of good vibes. 🌻

photo by Ondrej Pakan

Jupiter is known as the Greater Benefic because its positive influence is thought to bestow good luck and prosperity. Its light shines bright in the sky, and the confidence and optimism it bestows helps us to embrace a broader view that allows for increased abundance and positive energy.  Today Jupiter smiles on the Sun (sextile aspect) which is in Aries, expanding and directing the innocent and pure energies of Aries and helping us to gain a clear vision of what lies ahead.  There is one dark cloud though – a building square from the Aries Sun to Pluto which culminates early on April 16th. This can add a layer or two of intensity so it’s very important to try to channel the fiery energy at work right now (Aries) into something productive like physical activity or something that challenges us.

Fortunately, Jupiter and Mars are moving into a trine position – they are already very close to exact which will culminate in the wee hours (EDT) or early morning (GMT) on April 16th.  This is another very positive and happy planetary dance which will continue the good vibe for a few days.  Meanwhile the Moon is newly in Gemini which puts more focus on the mental realm and adds some urgency to the need to communicate and properly share information in order to bring about the best of Jupiter’s good fortune.

 

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By |2021-04-14T19:07:16-04:00April 15th, 2021|