Venus square Saturn

Astrological update for the week of September 13-20, 2021: Full Moon Rising

art from Astrosignum

Retrograde update:  We currently have five planets (including Chiron) in retrograde motion: Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Chiron.  Mercury, in preparation for its retrograde turn on September 27th, has slowed down and we are in the “shadow phase” of the Mercury retrograde cycle, where communication becomes more personal and therefore more important.  Mercury is retrograde when it is closest to Earth, and its influence becomes more critical.  Once Mercury is retrograde there will be seven planets retrograde for a short time, the peak of the 2021 retrograde season.  During these periods our world seems to be at a standstill, making it difficult sometimes to make new plans until the old situations are resolved.

Full Moon on Monday September 20:  The energies will begin building this week for next Monday’s Pisces Full Moon which follows last week’s Virgo New Moon, taking us from the details of life which is Virgo’s domain into the Piscean realm of fantasy and spiritual transcendence.  I’ll be writing more about this later in the week so stay tuned.  Full Moons are times of potential peak experiences, and in Pisces there are opportunities for moments of intuitive breakthrough and surges of creativity.  Not, however, the best times for dealing with important details especially with Mercury preparing to retrograde so just use the best common sense you can muster in those situations.

And now, the week ahead… (dates and times are given in EDT and UTC, please adjust for your own locality)

Monday, September 13.  We begin the week with the Moon in Sagittarius, and around 10:30 am EDT/2:30 pm UTC it makes a pleasant sextile to Mercury, helping to instill positive thoughts and optimistic viewpoints.  The Moon is active all afternoon, forging […]

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By |2021-09-13T21:18:08-04:00September 13th, 2021|Planetary news this week|0 Comments

11.19.20 More on Venus square Saturn, adding Black Moon Lilith

art by Linuron on Deviant Art

There are so many new feminine archetypes in the astrological pantheon. We’ve had Venus and the Moon for millenia, of course, and more recently the four major asteroids (Ceres, Pallas, Vesta and Juno).  Black Moon Lilith has become a favorite of mine – she sits on my natal Pluto which explains a lot about my past history, and has been instrumental in the MeToo movement.  She represents a primal rage against oppression, most particularly the oppression of the patriarchy.

Today Venus (relating, connection) is just separating from a challenging square to Saturn (restriction and deprivation), and as predicted the enthusiasm in the stock market took a hit.  Saturn after all requires that we face the hard cold truths, where Venus (especially in Libra, its own sign) prefers to find equilibrium in peace and happiness. Venus will soon move into Scorpio which will intensify and bring added drama into our personal relationships, and today it opposes Lilith to bring in a hint of that dark intensity.  Lilith will osculate back and forth opposite Venus until mid-December, and in the northern hemisphere we are in the time when the darkness predominates over light. For the next few weeks the wisdom of the darkness can penetrate any illusion and bring us into closer contact with our own inner Truth.


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By |2020-11-19T07:56:13-05:00November 19th, 2020|Planetary cycles|1 Comment

11.18.20 A Saturnian day with Venus square Saturn and the Moon in Capricorn

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For the past week Venus, in Libra where we seek more harmonious interactions and a refined sensibility has been challenging the Capricorn planets in a square first to Pluto on the 15th, then to Jupiter, and over the next day the final square to Saturn will culminate. Venus is also connected to money and values, and these challenging aspects have brought about a contraction in investment markets as the realities and cold hard facts of Capricorn begin to prevail.  When the planet of connection (Venus) meets the planet of restriction (Saturn), we tend to feel more pulled into ourselves and less like socializing.

Today is a day of serious focus, and even in normal non-lockdown times we would likely feel more like spending time alone in structured activities that will help us to achieve our goals.  Saturn sometimes brings out our fear of failure, in which case a disciplined approach to a situation will help us to overcome these fears and find a real sense of accomplishment.


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By |2020-11-18T07:52:55-05:00November 18th, 2020|Planetary cycles|3 Comments

Capricorn Full Moon! July 14-15, 2011

Full Moon Capricorn July 15 2011 Image by Donovan Zimmerman

The Capricorn Full Moon the 15th occurs with the Moon in Capricorn opposite the Cancerian Sun. Signs in opposition are like the Yin/Yang symbol – each sign contains what the other lacks, and the Full Moon requires that we integrate those opposing forces. The Cancerian Sun is concerned with family and feeling – a connection to our tribe and our ancestors. There is an emotional focus that personalizes everything we see. The Capricorn Moon is all about responsibilities and prefers to put emotions aside until our responsibilities and tasks are behind us.

The Cancer/Capricorn polarity also describes the relationship between the parent and the child – the outer world  and the inner one.  We begin as a child, and then become a parent, and then sometimes a parent to our own parents.  All polarities contain a balance and requires an integration of the two ends of the axis. In order to achieve in the outer world we must have a balanced inner life.  We cannot truly find that inner place of home until we resolve our place in the world.

The Venus/Saturn square will still be in effect at the time of the Full Moon which suggests that this focus on Capricornian accomplishment could stand in the way of harmony in our relationships (since Saturn rules Capricorn it provides support in this case for the need to build structure and put aside our personal feelings for the tasks at hand. Capricorn’s purpose is to master the material world. and personal feelings (both our own and those of our loved ones) are not always considered as part of the master plan.

The square of Uranus and Pluto, which is within a degree […]

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By |2011-07-14T05:57:32-04:00July 14th, 2011|Moon|1 Comment

A week of Venus

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Venus rules the skies this week.

Venus is the goddess of love and beauty, and her namesake planet presides over all things relating to interpersonal relationships, the force of attraction, aesthetics, values, sensuality, self-indulgence, harmony and balance. As Venus transits through the sky it is barely noticeable to us because it moves so quickly and its effect is so mild.

In its role in the governance of attraction, Venus is involved in matters of wealth and prosperity. Last week Venus made a square to Saturn (exact on the 6th) and the stock market plummeted as investors lost confidence in fears that the recession (Saturn in Virgo/Pluto in Capricorn) had arrived. Still, Venus is in Sagittarius where it bestows confidence, and Pluto is still going through the last degrees of Sagittarius as well.

Yesterday’s sextile of Venus to Chiron was a sweet harmonizing influence that is very beneficial to relationships, but today Venus makes a square to Uranus that is likely to bring about a fierce need for autonomy in relationships and could create disruptions in the financial markets. Ben Bernanke’s speech to the Fed last Thursday is widely supposed to be a harbinger of bad financial news next week. Short-term interest rates are expected to be slashed which will bolster the stock market but create inflation risks that cannot be supported under Saturn in Virgo.

Just as things calm down from the excitement of the Venus/Uranus square, Venus makes a lovely sextile to Neptune on the 16th. Neptune is often referred to (by me, anyway) as the “higher octave of Venus.” Where Venus is associated with personal relationships and affection, Neptune is divine love and compassion. When Venus and Neptune dance together, a flood of creativity and […]

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By |2008-01-12T11:56:00-05:00January 12th, 2008|Astrology|Comments Off on A week of Venus