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. 

Clean Up and Start Fresh

Venus has been pummeled since it entered Libra this past Friday.

Immediately upon its entrance, it touched off the Cardinal T-square, that mess we've been living with all summer. Saturday it opposed Uranus, yesterday it conjoined Saturn, today it opposes Jupiter and squares Pluto. 

What do women want? asked Sigmund Freud. But that question could be applied to any troublesome individual or group with whom you are having some kind of relationship in your life right now and we're not just talking about lovers.

When the Universe sets things up like this, you have to look at the entire sequence of events. You are being asked to explore questions of freedom versus commitment, a temptation to overreach and underlying all of it, the necessity to get to the bottom of dynamics driving the troublesome interaction.

In a nutshell, quit messing around, it is time to get serious.

If the relationship has been limping along with no realistic prospects for resuscitation in sight, now is a good time to ditch it. Or at the very least insist on a top-to-bottom overhaul. 

And then let the chips fall where they may.

Pluto is heartless that way.

It is significant that these Venus transits are taking place just on the eve of the new moon. Every new moon is an opportunity for a fresh start. And this one is in the sign of creativity and romance.

So the message is clear. Clean house, get rid of the bum, and start over with a fresh slate. 

Venus, Saturn, and RadioTimes

If your emotions have been a rockin' and a rollin' in the past 24 hours or so, you can look to the current planetary activity for explanation--no, the planets don't "cause" events, but they sure do mark the ebb and flow of the Universe's energy. 

And with the moon in Cancer, you are going to feel especially sensitive to the ebb and flow of feeling and emotion.

Just take a look at the contretemps that our lady, Venus, has involved herself in the past 24 hours. Yesterday, probably around the time you woke up if you live in the longitudes that fall within Eastern Time Zone and work in an office, you looked at the wide possibilities presented by the week ahead with optimism and hope. 

Venus, our lady of resources and relationships, was making a sweet square to Jupiter, planet of optimism and expansion. 

But as Venus moved away from that aspect, she was feeling the constrictions of her coming square to Saturn, planet of limitation and reality checks. That square, exact at the moment I write this, emphasizes the need and desirability for you to be self-sufficient in terms of your resources and to carry your share of the emotional load in your one-to-one relationships.

And if I were looking for a deeper understanding of the Venus/Saturn energy, all I had to do was turn on the radio on my run to PetSmart to replenish my cat's food supply where, coincidentally enough, on NPR's RadioTimes, Chris Satullo was interviewing Tara Parker-Hope on the subject of what makes for happy marriages.

It was the particular snippet that I had tuned into that caused my ears to prick up. Parker-Hope was expounding on the role of debt and money issues in the demise of many issues. As she put it, "people don't realize that marriage is also a financial partnership."

In other words, if you and your partner can deal with the challenges and the reality of financial issues within your marriage you increase your chances of staying married. 

This small incident illustrates the truth that if you want to understand how astrological themes play themselves out, just look around your environment for clues. You'll find them in the headlines, on talk shows, in random conversations, not to mention the minutia of your everyday life.

Tie Up Money Matters Today

Venus is at 29 degrees of Taurus today. 

Whenever a planet reaches the last degrees of a sign, it is time to tie up loose ends for matters connected with that planet and its sign position. 

Venus deals with money matters, especially in Taurus. And Venus also deals with relationships.

Soooo, do you have any items laying around connected with banking or bills? Do you need to tie down any financial commitments? Are you up to date on your bookkeeping? With moon working its way through Virgo, you will find it easy to focus on these details.

Are there details you need to address in your partnerships or day-to-day relationships?

Venus enters Gemini at 1:05 am Eastern where the pace will pick up. Take advantage of today's grounded earth energy to get these items in order.

Venus in Taurus - Take a moment to Smell the Roses

This past Wednesday, Venus entered Taurus. The planet of love and attraction entered the sign of senses and sensuality. Venus is at home in Taurus. Astrologers call the planet Taurus's "ruler." 

The message of Venus in Taurus is to enjoy the senses. This time of year it's easy--I look out of my window and see the magnolia and the cherry trees sporting their respective blooms. The air is sweet with the perfume of tree blossoms and early blooming flowers. The grass, having been nourished with the snows of the recently passed winter, will never be so vibrantly green again--until next year at this time.

No matter how busy your schedule, take a moment to walk outside, breathe in the fresh air and feel the rays of the increasingly warm sunshine. 

This is nature's way of grounding you and reminding you that you are a physical beings and your physical side needs nourishment, too.

Astrology Update - T-Square with Saturn Uranus and Venus

For much of this week Venus, newly arrived in feisty Aries will be setting off the Saturn/Pluto square that is hanging in the background for much of the year. 

Longer, slower moving outer planets inch along quietly in the background until they bump up against a planet or sensitive point in your birth-chart or until they are set off by a quickly moving inner planet transit or eclipse.

It is as if the outer planet configurations act as a store for energy. The longer they hang in the larger the amount of energy that is built up. So, the Saturn/Pluto square which has been in orb since last September when Saturn entered Libra, is still adding to its store of energy. 

If you are experiencing the effects personally, it will be in the form of a mental shift or a process that takes many months to complete. On the surface your shift may have been triggered by an event or series of events. 

Clients want to know when Pluto or Saturn is going to move off so that they can get back to normal life. But the real story behind outer planet transits is that you are changed in the process.

Venus in Aries acts as a catalyst to the Saturn/Pluto combination forming a 'T'-square configuration and adding to the pressure. Venus deals with values and resources, so questions about money, taxes, and limited resources are in the news. Saturn/Pluto's role is to reduce or constrict.

In Philadelphia, for example, the headlines are filled with the drama playing out as the mayor desperately searches for ways to balance the city's budget, decimated by reduced revenues arising out of the current economic downturn. Current proposals include taxing the sale of soft drinks and charging a fee for trash collection. Internationally two dramas playing out. One is the Iceland's public's refusal to pay for the debt of the private bank Icesave. The other is Greece's appeal for a bailout by Germany.

The public, already hard-hit by the economy, senses that they are being asked for more sacrifice and they are not pleased.

With Moon in Capricorn, the emotional energy reflects Saturn: serious, dour, and frugal. We are watching our pennies and remaining cautious as we sense turmoil boiling underneath.

Spending has to be constrained to pay back for past profligacy or cope with current circumstances.

The Venus-Saturn-Pluto T-square is a dynamic combo and one that is likely to catalyze events especially on Wednesday when Mars stations direct. 

Continue to keep you eye on the headlines. They are likely to presage some of the turmoil that will erupt this summer when Jupiter and Uranus replace Venus in the T-square. Except that in July and August, people will not be as polite.

An Astrological Cold Front Is Moving In

I pay close attention to the weather forecasts this time of year. In December the weather can be changeable and treacherous.

The forecasters have been watching a a large cold front that is ready to move in. You would not guess such a drastic change is imminent by venturing outdoors. By December standards and the standards of the severe temperatures we had last week it is rather mild. But tomorrow, the cold front will come in with high winds and push the warm front into the Atlantic.

The astrological weather is about to change just as dramatically. Tomorrow's New Moon in Sagittarius brings a seductive sense of Jupiterian warmth and well-being. It arrives flanked by charming Venus. Meanwhile Jupiter is closing in on Neptune, another merry combo. 

The effect is a sense of optimism and holiday good cheer. Saturn is still in a tight square with Pluto throwing some cold water on the love fest and warning us not to let excess go to our head.

But in less than a week, stationery Mars will begin its backward move, Jupiter will say good-by to Neptune, Mercury will begin its retrograde journey, and the Sun will reach its southernmost point on the ecliptic, an occasion we call the Winter Solstice and its ingress into Capricorn. It will be soon be joined by Venus, in that sign the day after Christmas. 

Phew!

Let's just say that the astrological temperature will drop like a rocket.

If you've been shirking your business, you will find yourself buckling down to put the ol' shoulder to the grindstone.

So, enjoy the balmy Sagittarian weather while it lasts. And then get ready to hunker down.

The Venus Station: More

An interesting take on today's Venus station is from Kathy Biehl who points out the timeliness of her retrograde motion when so much extensive restructuring is going on in the collective. Whether you are conscious of it or not, much internal clearing has occurs during these times.

Rob Tillett has interesting observations about the interaction of the current Venus cycle with fixed stars that add another layer of depth to the pattern.

It is my observation that astrological patterns function in a symbolic way on us as individuals and on the greater collective. Now that this phase of the Venus cycle is coming to an end, you may find it useful to reflect back on these six weeks and see where and how your values and your relationships have shifted.

With the Sun going into Venus' sign Taurus in the next day or so, coupled with Venus' now direct motion, ought to make it easier to sort out blocks in interpersonal relationship and financial issues.

Venus turns Direct

Anyone whose partnership dealings have been put on hold or who has been eagerly waiting for repayment will be happy to know that Venus is about to make its pivot and slowly begin its forward journey. 

Most people greet the news that a personal planet such as Venus or Mercury is about to go retrograde as something other than unmitigated joy. And yet, it is a positive thing that the Universe imposes a time out, a period of review.

I greet Venus' resumption of direct motion with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I became reacquainted with delicious old pleasures of viewing exquisite works by other artists and picking up a paintbrush myself--something that hasn't happened for far too long. 

But on the other hand, I welcome receiving funds long owed to me that had been tied up for one reason or another.

Reading textbooks and studying with teachers are excellent ways to learn astrology, but observing the effects of various transits in your own chart and in general conditions of those around you beings the symbols of Venus and the other planets to life.