Venus Square Uranus

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: Mars turns direct and the Moon sings

Astrological update for the week of January 9-16, 2023

art by Kristin Ashley

This week we are in the waning phase of the Moon, just after the fullness of last week’s Full Moon and heading towards the second of three Super New Moons in a row. This is an interesting time of letting go as the Moon wanes, but also building anticipation as we move into a Super New Moon, a time when the Moon is at its closest point to Earth.

Throughout the month of January there are no major planetary alignments, so the smaller planets have a bigger story and will have a say in what is released this week as the Moon continues to wane, and in what is created at the New Moon on the 21st.

Mars turns direct. Mars, planet of action and desire, has been particularly troublesome while retrograde in Mercury-ruled Gemini and the double whammy with Mercury retrograde has wreaked havoc on communication (the botched election for the U.S. House Speaker is a good example!).  Mars is stationary as it prepares to change direction, and Mercury will turn direct on the 18th so they are both prominent in the sky in anticipation of the direction change.

Let’s take a look at what else is in store for us this week. (Dates and times are for the Eastern time zone, here is a time zone converter to adjust for your locality.)

Monday January 9. As the week begins, the Moon is still in the sunny sign of Leo where we are motivated to look for bits of sunlight in the midst of any darkness or drama that we find ourselves in. A Mercury/Uranus aspect lingers from Sunday to help us […]

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By |2023-01-09T08:28:25-05:00January 9th, 2023|Planetary news this week|1 Comment
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Planetary news this week: Virgo season and the Venus influence

Astrological update for the week of August 22-29, 2022

Lilyas on Deviant Art

Virgo New Moon. This week we move into Virgo season with the Sun entering Virgo on Tuesday August 23rd EDT and the Virgo New Moon on Saturday the 27th. Virgo season shifts the energies from the fiery solar/Leo passions into the cooler sensations as we begin the transition to autumn and the days begin to wane in the northern hemisphere. Under the influence of Virgo we start paying more attention to the details of our lives, creating rituals and routines that will support the necessities of life in a body. Hygiene, exercise, proper nutrition – all of these things become more important now.

The Virgo New Moon is full of passion and a drive for change, something unexpected for Virgo which is often cautious and does not embrace new things easily. The Virgo Sun and Moon are in a challenging aspect to Mars in Gemini, suggesting choices to be made and a disruption of some sort. In addition, the square from Saturn to Uranus, the cycle of unrest that I called the Story of 2021, is tightening and will be as strong as it will be this year.

Virgo asks that we take care of the details, but at this New Moon the details are being pressured to change and realign for a new reality.

Mercury in Libra. Virgo’s ruler Mercury changes signs this week, leaving its own sign of Virgo for Libra where it will be until it retrogrades back into Virgo on September 23rd (Mercury will turn retrograde on September 9th). Mercury in Libra fosters a desire for greater equanimity and peaceful exchange, something we could all need right now.

Here’s what you […]

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By |2022-08-22T09:45:23-04:00August 22nd, 2022|Planetary news this week|0 Comments
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Balancing our individuality with intimacy in relationships

artist unknown

This theme is coming up quite a bit these days in client consultations and is an experience many of us share:  How do we integrate our personal needs into the need to compromise and give up some things in our relationships?  In fact, this theme is built into the astrological chart on the ascendant/descendant axis that marks the cusp of the first house of personal identity and the seventh house of partnership. It’s been a long time since I saw a seesaw in a park (too dangerous?) but the balance point of a seesaw is the aim of all of the opposing astrological forces.  Until we find that balance point we end up seesaw-ing from one end to the other.

Howard Sasportas and Liz Greene coined the term the “freedom/closeness” dilemma (source) to describe the conflict between the basic need to attach and feel safe with another human being and the need to differentiate the Self and become more comfortable as an autonomous individual.  This is a process that begins in infancy but it can become distorted and corrupted in certain family situations.  But really, those of us with this dynamic were born with a propensity towards this conflict, and this is evident in our birthcharts.

Certain signs and planetary placements crave closeness and security, and others indicate a push for greater autonomy and freedom.  The water and earth signs tend to crave attachment and safety; the air and fire signs yearn for freedom and space.  Neptune, Venus and the Moon are connectors – Mars, Uranus and Jupiter are detachers.

Often in this kind of chart we see an individual who may be completely unaware of their need for space, who longs for connection but who […]

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By |2021-10-08T13:51:53-04:00October 15th, 2021|Relationships|0 Comments
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7.8.21 – The Venus lesson of attraction

art by Phil Sadler

Mars and Venus are very personal planets, and where we were in Mars territory last week, this week Venus is the star of the show.  Mars desires and has needs which are obtained through demands, but Venus is more subtle – the desires are obtained through the sheer power of attraction.  Under a Venus influence such as we have now, the magnetic resonance of Venus draws the things which we value and desire to us without much effort.  We sometimes think that only certain people possess this power but we all have Venus present in our charts, and we all possess the ability to attract positive things that are in harmony with our values.

First, though, we have to know something about those values, and they don’t always get along. We may want to have adventures, but also need security.  We may desire a long-term partner, but cherish our freedom.  Jupiter, the greater benefic as it’s called, bestows the confidence and ability to recognize possibilities, but Venus is the star which draws experiences to us.  Today, with Venus in Leo in a strong square aspect to Uranus, planet of change, we can more easily imagine what will bring us that personal joy (Leo) that we crave.  Uranus breaks up patterns and stuck energies, and we can either co-create a new reality or pick up the pieces afterwards! ❤️

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