The Astrologer Says

Astrological Weather for Week of October 18th

If there is one lesson to be learned this week it is that we are far more powerful than it appears on the surface.

But the power - and the energy - plays out in different ways as the week progresses.

This is especially true at the beginning of the week as the moon is in deceptively soft Pisces. 

Pisces,like its sister water signs Cancer and Scorpio, is often underestimated. But its ruler Neptune is King of the Seas and the force of water can eat away at the strongest stone.

Neptune will be making a series of powerful aspects early in the week, a trine to Mercury as we begin the workweek on Monday morning, and another trine to the Sun on Tuesday.

The power of the first part of the workweek, Monday and Tuesday, is the power of vision. When there is a clear vision, it is easy to take action that will support it and bring it into fruition. 

As the Sun, Saturn and Mercury continue to highlight Libra's energy it becomes increasingly clear that our goals require the cooperation of others. 

But from Wednesday on, power is found in taking action when the moon enters Aries and takes on its do-it-now energy. Aries and Libra are on opposite ends of the horoscope circle. 

Libra's strong desire for harmony and balance make it tempting to give in just to keep the peace. The Aries moon energy adds a healthy dose of selfishness; a reminder that a lasting balance must take care of your own needs also.

Aries is action-oriented and people are ready to take action, especially as the moon nears its point of fullness on Friday evening at 9:37 pm ET.

Thinking and fact finding is culminating into decision-making.

But with Libra's ruler, Venus swimming through the depths of Scorpio, we can sure that there is much more than what appears on the surface. 

What is percolating below the surface becomes more clear when Mercury followed by the Sun enter Scorpio. By the time the weekend is in full gear, the astrological and emotional climate will have shifted. 

The Cardinal T-Square Peaks This Weekend

The moon is void of course in Pisces as the day begins. Don't worry about accomplishing much of anything today, just take it easy and be sure to get some meditation in.

Because later, at 4:42 pm Eastern, the moon enters Aries. 

And that's when the fun starts.

This weekend we reach a crossroads in a summer that can be itself be described as a crossroads... we come to a point of peak tension in the cardinal T-square formation that has been dominating the skies in the past couple months.

Mars has joined Saturn in Libra. Mars, the warrior planet, the planet of desire, action, assertion and anger joins with Saturn, the planet of 'no.' It's like putting your foot in the accelerator and brake pedal at the same time--you wear out the engine but get nowhere fast.

But in gracious Libra, the frustration is masked under a layer of charm, at least until 4:42 pm when the Moon enters hotheaded Aries to join 'don't give a damn, just tear it all down' Uranus and 'let's make a molehill into a mountain' Jupiter. 

And the whole shooting match is squared by compulsive Pluto.

Let's just say this isn't the best weekend for a quarreling family to hold its family reunion, unless you like fireworks. On the other hand, if tensions have been smoldering under a blanket of forced civility and you want to force them to the surface to clear the air, then this is your weekend.

Nonetheless, if you can harness this extremely powerful energy constructively, you can move a mountain or two.

Jupiter, Uranus in Aries and the Celestial Tides

With Saturn entering Libra on Wednesday and Jupiter turning retrograde in early Aries, we begin another phase in the hot summer transits of 2010. 

The message of the entrance of Uranus and Jupiter into Aries six weeks ago announced a time for bold new ideas and initiatives. Aries, the first sign of the zodiac is the sign of the pioneer and the entrepreneur. Uranus is the planet of break through and innovation while Jupiter is the planet of expansion and the seeking of higher knowledge.

New ground was being broken and despite the strong opposition from conservative forces,the forces for change were in the ascendancy. 

But now both Uranus and Jupiter are retreating. Given the normal ebb and flow of the celestial tides, a step back is to be expected. This is the way of the Universe, to work in rhythm. In approximately three weeks, Uranus will retreat back into Pisces to be followed by Jupiter in early September.

Both planets are still highly potent in their Aries positions, but now the direction of the celestial tides points to a time of integration. 

The full flowering of the seeds planted in the early summer of 2010 will take place in 2011 when the two planets reenter Aries for a longer stay.

Happy Independence Day - Uranus Throws a Fireworks Display

Happy Independence Day.

If you live in the US, today, July 4th is the day we celebrate our declaration of independence from Great Britain.

Celebrations generally include hotdogs, bar-b-ques, and at night it is capped by beautiful fireworks displays.

And, the sky is going to put on its own fireworks display for all to see, or experience... Uranus is about to station. 

Technically the station takes place tomorrow, July 5th, but this is close enough.

The planet of lightning and fireworks is about to pivot and begin a four month move backward. 

All planets, except the Sun and Moon, spend part of their time moving retrograde or backwards in the sky. At least that is how it appears to us from earth-view, the perspective we have when looking out towards the heavens from our perch on Planet Earth.

If you understand the meaning of forward and retrograde motion, the reason for retrograde motion makes sense.

When planets advance, so do you. You are led into new experiences, new perception. At some point it is necessary to integrate all of the new material. And, so, planets retrograde.

It has a similar function as sleep to waking consciousness. Humans require sleep to integrate and assimilate their learnings of the day that just passed. It is also a time for bodies to recharge. 

Not only is sleep necessary, but various studies have shown that humans require adequate sleep to function, even to survive.

The slower moving planets, those whose energies bring the deepest impact and the most profound change, spend the greatest amount of time in retrograde motion.

Pluto, the outermost planet that mainstream astrologers work with, may move back and forth over a single degree as much as five times to really get its point across.

Nonetheless, at the time of its station, the time a planet pivots, its energy is felt strongly. And so, on this time Americans celebrate their independence, the planet that represents independence, rebellion, and awakening sends its own declaration of independence.

As always, when there are planetary events in the sky, keep your eyes on the headlines--where fireworks and surprises are in store. 

Uranus is currently at 0 degrees of Aries. So if you have planets or sensitive points on or near 0 degrees of any of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), you may feel the energy personally.

2010 Solstice Greetings and DNA in the Court

Continuing along my previous theme of noting what I am reading or listening to as an aspect becomes exact, here is my news story for 2010's Summer Solstice. 

The Solstice, which arrived just a few minutes ago at 7:28 am EDT, is also the Sun's entrance into Cancer. Cancer, of course, is associated with all things mother and mothering, roots, family, heritage, background, personal security, etc. 

But this Solstice begins with a bang. Just as the Sun enters Cancer, it sets off a square (conflict) to the Uranus (innovation, technology, breakthrough, shock, upset) and Jupiter (higher education, law and legal profession, academia, expansion, hope, optimism).

Tell me if this story doesn't hit on these themes. 

I glanced through this morning's Philadelphia Inquirer and was attracted to a story of pending litigation that is poised to reach the US Supreme Court. 

Two geneticists working at the University of Pennsylvania who had developed a test for genetic mutations that carry a high risk of breast cancer were ordered to stop offering it. They were accused of patent infringement by Myriad Genetics, Inc.

Myriad had not patented their test, but they owned the patent on the human genes that are the subject of the test. 

The ACLU along with various medical associations and breast cancer activists sued Myriad. They won round one in Federal Court. This past Wednesday, Myriad filed an appeal. 

A Supreme Court decision on the subject can have wide ramifications depending on how it is drafted. Companies need patent protection to fund their work and publish their findings. Yet, Myriad's patent is on the gene itself, not the tests or processes associated with it.

Stay tuned as the astrology--and the story--unfolds.

Details Count

You may be feeling impatient to move ahead today, but be sure you attend to a hanging detail or two that needs your attention. It's not that the detail is so important in and of itself. It's just that the powers that be as evidenced by Saturn in Virgo and Mars in Virgo squaring Mercury are paying close attention to minutia. 

The balance of today's chart is in the Mercury-ruled signs of Gemini and Virgo. It's about the numbers and objective evidence.

So details count.

Today, we are at the tail-end of a lunar cycle. Astrologers call this phase a 'balsamic moon.' The end of a cycle is a time for drawing things together rather than initiating a fresh start.

Today that is easier said than done. The lingering effects of the Aries Jupiter/Uranus conjunction are still in the air--the future beckons with possibilities just beginning to unfold.

But the new lunar cycle begins tomorrow am. That's the time to move forward. Your efforts will be more productive if you pay attention to details today and clean up any loose ends.

For another perspective, read my post on today's Tarot Card of the Day.

Lightness in Your Step and Magic in the Air

The lightness in your step that you have been feeling these past few days is the result of buoyant Jupiter meeting up with electric Uranus. There's magic in the air and something delicious is about to pop.

This morning the two planets meet exactly and, like The Fool, you want to reach for a new adventure knowing in your heart that it will take you to a place of unimagined possibility.

But with Aries ruler now in Virgo and the Moon's entry into Taurus at 11:41am Eastern, both practical Earth signs, you are not about to emulate The Fool in stepping off a cliff.

The balance between adventure and practicality is right for today's energies.

For more about current astrological conditions and The Fool.

Click here for the today's Tarot Card of the Day.

Mars in Virgo, Bosses, Company Culture and Aries

At 2:11 am Eastern, this morning, Mars went into Virgo.

There have been many planetary shifts within the last week, Uranus, Jupiter and the Moon entered Aries and now, Aries ruler enters the introspective, detail-oriented sign of Virgo.

The planet that rules a sign adds a layer of nuance to the sign's expression.

Here is a useful analogy. Think of a sign as a company and the planets in that sign as its employees. The company's owner is the planetary ruler.

If you've ever collected a paycheck then you know that every company has a company culture and each business has its values. The 'company culture' in this case is the expression of the sign. But it is modified or layered by the sign of its ruler.

In this case, Aries is the company, Mars is the owner and the current planetary 'employees' are Uranus, Jupiter, and, until 11:41 am Eastern tomorrow, the Moon. As 'company employees,' they will express themselves through the lens of Aries. So their expression will be fiery, direct, impatient, and action-oriented. 

But when their company's owner or planetary ruler leaves Leo to enter Virgo it is as if the owner had a change of heart and decided to tone down his flamboyance and get serious and practical. He is now interested in looking at the numbers and other such niggling detail.

If you are an employee at such a company, then you, too, will probably soon be tasked with coming up with reports or being subjected to more exacting measurements.

You, too, may want to step back to check out the details and make appropriate adjustments.

The upshot is that Uranus and Jupiter, expressing themselves in typical in-your-face Aries fashion, become a little more critical and dispassionate. Virgo's exacting pragmatism and Aries' entrepreneurial, take-action-now styles do not mesh easily.

But, alas, that is what makes life so interesting.

Click here for today's Tarot Card of the Day for deeper meaning.

An Opportunity Out of the Blue? Moon/Jupiter/Uranus at 0 Aries

If yesterday felt like a languid torpor, then today is all action and get-up-and-go. In the wee hours of the morning (for those who live in the east coast), both Jupiter and the Moon entered Aries to join Uranus who is still at 0 degrees. 

0 degrees of Aries is the very first degree in the very first sign of the zodiac. It marks the beginning of the season of spring (if you live north of the Equator) and is the quintessential point of new beginning.

Look at where 0 degrees of Aries falls in your birth chart. This is where you are receiving a boost of energy. With Jupiter, planet of luck, and the Moon, a cosmic trigger, joining up with Uranus, planet of surprise. Between now and Tuesday, when Jupiter moves to conjoin Uranus exactly, an opportunity may pop out of seemingly nowhere. 

Enjoy the energy. Embrace it and go with it. 

By mid-morning, the moon moves on from conjoining Jupiter and Uranus to squaring Pluto. It is as if the moon were carrying the Jupiter/Uranus energy to Pluto, linking them.

Pay attention to your instincts and pay attention to what is going on around you. Pluto reveals what is below the surface. The connection between Uranus and Pluto is one that will be playing out over the next several years. It is when quick moving planets such as the Moon touch them off that we begin to get a sense of a larger transformation at hand.

For another take on the cosmic weather from a Tarot perspective read my corresponding post on my Card of the Day.

Relax, Let Go and Repose

A feeling of repose and letting go is the theme of today's transits. Both Mars and Jupiter are at 29 degrees of their respective signs, Leo and Pisces, while the moon completes its transit through Pisces as well today. Meanwhile we still feel the after effects of yesterday's Mars/Neptune opposition. A languid mood pervades. 

Don't force it--just go with the flow and let go. Pay attention to your dreams and the promptings in your gut.

Today is a good day to take a well deserved break so that your inner processes can do their work. Daydreaming isn't time wasting--it is merely moving your energy inward. 

Do this and you will feel refreshed when the cosmic mood picks up tomorrow when both the Moon and Jupiter enter kick-ass Aries.

In the meantime, enjoy:)