Pushing Through Barriers: Full Moon in Libra 2019

Dave Robinson / Sunrise over the fields by Post Office Lane

Full Moon @ 0 Libra 09’

March 20, 2019

6:43 PM Los Angeles

10:43 PM New York

March 21, 2019

1:43 AM London

9:43 AM Beijing

12:43 PM Sydney

This month's Full Moon coincides with the equinox. For northern hemispheric dwellers, spring has begun, while autumn begins in the southern hemisphere. Of course, these transition points are mostly arbitrary. The signs of spring or autumn have already emerged, though equinox points roughly coincide with the phenomena of greater equality between night and day.

In the western astrological tradition, the Sun's ingress into tropical Aries is a symbolic fresh start. Indeed, at least for the northern hemisphere, this feeling is reinforced by the natural world. Around this time, there is often an innate sense of emerging from hibernation. Aries season is a time to take bold, proactive steps, and rush head first into new beginnings. The firey, cardinal archetype of Aries reinforces and sustains existant momentum.

Mercury is retrograde, and a Full Moon is an archetypal culmination, breakthrough, crisis, or resolution. You will feel more empowered to dive deeper into processes that already have some traction. However, critical launches, initiations, or executions may encounter some setbacks or snags, so stay flexible or give yourself more time. Occurring in Libra, this Full Moon can highlight culminations within the context of relational interactions.

While Chiron's opposition to the Full Moon (and conjunction with the Sun) can aggravate, inflame, or magnify sensitive areas within our closest bonds, Chiron can also to transform our perceptions of others. The Full Moon ruler, Venus makes a sextile to Jupiter and square to Mars in Taurus. Mars' square can be a point of conflict or tension, emotionally or sexually, but Jupiter's sextile offers a helpful path for resolution, optimism, and outreach.

Mercury's retrograde conjunction with Neptune, exact on March 24, suggests careful handling of facts, information, or communications the next several days. The risk of obfuscating an understanding or message is particularly substantial. But also, take notice of the synchronistic webs surrounding your interactions and experiences, helping to break down barriers to inspiration, insight, or creativity.

Fresh Start Ahead: New Moon in Aquarius 2019

Gorupka from Slovenia [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 15 Aquarius 45’

February 4. 2019

1:04 PM Los Angeles

4:04 PM New York

9:04 PM London

February 5, 2019

5:04 AM Beijing

8:04 AM Sydney

Every year, the Aquarian New Moon coincides with the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. And this year's Aquarian New Moon also closely coincides with Imbolc, the pagan holiday celebrating the first signs of spring and longer days. Since every New Moon is a natural beginning point in the monthly lunar cycle, we get the sense of pronounced fresh start with this lunation, a reset point for various narratives.

Aquarius is the archetype of the "outsider," the placement of the Sun's detriment or place of exile in the traditional rulership scheme. In modern astrology, Aquarius' association with Uranus gives it a progressive, radical, or revolutionary edge. However you look at it, Aquarius has a flair for genius and original thought. Outsiders, while suffering from rejection and social isolation, have the advantage of seeing what the herd doesn't see, or cannot imagine.

The outsider has a unique vantage point and thus a gift to offer the world. With this New Moon's close conjunction with Mercury, look around for the seeds of fresh and original thoughts, ideas, information, and perceptions. With the New Moon closely following Mercury's superior conjunction with the Sun and combined with the Aquarian archetype, this is a forward thinking lunation, a moment to pause and contemplate a new path ahead.

While the dark of the New Moon strongly correlates with a lower energy vibe, a time to rest and recharge, Mars and Jupiter's sextiles to the New Moon create a conduit of stimulation, optimism, and assertiveness, helping to facilitate mindful and directed actions. Mars' approaching conjunction with Uranus (exact Feb. 12) also brings a building tendency toward impulsive actions or unanticipated outbursts or triggers.

But with all planets currently direct, this New Moon is a supportive start and firm foundation. Consider the momentum you've been building the past two weeks. This lunation can help you keep up the pace. This isn't a particularly introspective or deep New Moon, but sometimes, tending more to the surface is necessary and vital. Consider also a chance to renew your intentions, goals, or strategies. This is an energizing push further up the road ahead.

Beyond the Hype: Supermoon/Total Lunar Eclipse in Leo 2019

Robert Jay GaBany [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Supermoon/Lunar Eclipse @ 0 Leo 52’

January 20, 2019

9:16 PM Los Angeles

January 21, 2019

12:16 AM New York

5:16 AM London

1:16 PM Beijing

4:16 PM Sydney

This month, the lunar cycle culminates in a Supermoon/total lunar eclipse in tropical Leo. A Supermoon is a Full Moon that occurs at perigee, the Moon's closest approach to Earth. Supermoons are notably larger and brighter than an average Full Moon. During a Supermoon, moonlight can shine up to 30% brighter, and the Moon can appear 14% larger than usual. However, don't believe the hype surrounding this Supermoon/eclipse.

The size difference is notable, but not as spectacular as some fake news articles might lead you to believe. A total lunar eclipse is when the Moon moves entirely into the Earth's shadow or umbra, taking on an ominous red-orange color. If you live in North or South America, Europe, or North or West Africa, you're in for a rare event. Supermoon/total lunar eclipses are unique, and something you should get out and see if you reside in these regions. Click here for eclipse times in your area.

A total lunar eclipse is an extra-potent Full Moon, which can correlate with significant culminations, breakthroughs, or endings. A total lunar eclipse can bring about a final resolution to a continuing conflict or negotiation. It can also correlate with the emergence of a crisis or breaking point. Occurring in tropical Leo and square Uranus in Aries, this is a highly dramatic, and unpredictable eclipse.

And occurring close to the Cancer north node, the Moon's power is greatly enhanced. Erratic emotionality, rapid mood fluctuations, and quick decision making can accompany this lunation. The Uranian energies triggering this eclipse can generate rebellious tendencies and less tolerance for oppressive restraints. Leo's positive qualities stimulate the desire for self-expression, applause, and visibility.

This Leo lunar eclipse invites us to be seen and recognized for our uniqueness and abilities. Spontaneous creativity and playfulness can flow from this lunation, adding excitement and wildness into the collective vibes. The Sun's ingress into Aquarius and opposition to the lunar eclipse adds another unique spin. With the Sun now free of Capricorn, where Saturn and Pluto are currently transiting, this eclipse can help to break up some of the heavy and challenging energies of the past few weeks.

Look out for enhanced confidence and the need for independence. Used positively, this eclipse can bring about a breakthrough in stepping up and receiving acknowledgment or recognition. Expressed negatively, this eclipse can hyperinflate arrogance, excessive dramatization, or childish egocentricity. As this lunar cycle climaxes, Venus is approaching a conjunction with Jupiter in Sagittarius.

The fusion of these two benefic planets in Jupiter's home sign has a positive, optimistic, and uplifting feel. New relational opportunities can manifest in the days surrounding this lunation, as well as the desire to go overboard on seduction and self-gratification. Jupiter and Venus' trine to Mars in Aries equally adds a sexual and vigorous quality to this eclipse, stimulating assertiveness to get what you want. Sudden, lucky breaks can manifest alongside this potent lunar eclipse too, so be mindful of good opportunities as well as the pitfalls of falling for the hype.

Feeling Heavy: Sun/Pluto & Mercury/Saturn

Image by Volker Gringmuth via Wikimedia Commons.

If things are feeling unusually heavy lately, you're probably not alone. The Sun in Capricorn is aligning with the underworld ruler, Pluto, while Mercury conjoins taskmaster Saturn this weekend. In the backdrop of it all, is the building Saturn/Pluto conjunction, whose energies we notably felt around the New Moon/solar eclipse last weekend.

As mentioned in the New Moon reading, Saturn and Pluto will reach their exact conjunction in 2020, though they designate a period from late 2017-2021ish. Global conservative empowerment, looming crises, the rise of power hungry dictators, it can feel like we've stepped into a dystopian novel and can't quite find a way out. If you want to know more, read my article here (classic dystopian novels are written under Saturn/Pluto periods, by the way).

But for the next few days, the dreariness of the Saturn/Pluto vibes can feel especially intense. Sun/Pluto conjunctions can force us to look at things with more glaring honesty. The dark side and underbelly make themselves known. For focusing or contemplating imperfections, the next several days offers up an incredible opportunity. But no, it won't feel great, and you'll likely notice that candy coating doesn't stick for a bit.

Mercury's conjunction with Saturn this weekend is a classic aspect of mental and communicative blocks, restrictions, and pauses. Feeling depressed or experiencing a general, gloomy outlook is likely, however, don't forget the incredible productivity available right now. As challenging as this weekend can feel emotionally, there's a positive side if we can embrace our responsibilities, or even hunker down on some task in solitude.

It just might be that you need a break from external distractions or meaningless activity, and to sink into some work or task, you love. If you're unsure, think about what that could be for you, or begin planning a path toward discovery. Remember, we're between eclipses, so this is an uncomfortable, yet fertile moment for personal transformation. Trust the changes you're being called to make, and then step boldly forth and do your great work.

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2020: In the Shadow of Saturn and Pluto

By Jamie Kern, via Wikimedia Commons

Astrology's primary theoretical suggestion is that life reflects the cosmos, as above so below. Anything born at a specific moment develops, culminates, decays, and dies in synch with the persistent motion of the planets. Not just human life, but the life of humanity's creations--its ideas, innovations, and civilizations, all endure and expire beside the churning of the sky. The most primordial and easily observed of these cycles is that of the Moon, which begins and ends its cycle within roughly one month.

The New Moon begins the cycle at the conjunction of Sun and Moon, culminates at the opposition (the Full Moon), ending and starting again at the following conjunction/New Moon. And between these new and full phases, exist symbolic points of tension, struggle, and crisis--the waxing square (between new and full) and the waning square (between full and new). These four primary aspects are known technically as quadrature axial alignments, and they occur between all planets and objects in the sky.

In our theory of astrology, the dynamic aspects of planets correlate with specific archetypal themes which emerge in both personal and cultural shifts. These four quadrature axial alignments became the focus of astrologer and historian Richard Tarnas' monumental work, Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View. Before the accessibility of personal astrological software, Tarnus painstakingly studied the cycles of the outer planets and their correlation with history.

In Cosmos and Psyche, Tarnas observed that peaks within cycles involving Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto correlated with poignant sociopolitical shifts and changes. He noted, for example, how the counter-cultural revolution and the American/Russian space race of the late 1960s (culminating in the Moon landing in 1969), correlated with the rare conjunction of Uranus and Pluto, occurring once every 100 some years. That same Uranus/Pluto cycle, Tarnas noted, correlated with the birth of the scientific revolution through the publication of mathematician/astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus' De Revolutionibus under a Uranus/Pluto opposition in 1543.

Another dynamic cycle featured in Tarnas' book was that of Saturn and Pluto, two planets set to conjoin in tropical Capricorn in early 2020. It's been over 500 years since Saturn and Pluto last conjoined in Capricorn, but their conjunctions occur every 31 to 37 years in different zodiac signs. Much like the New Moon in the lunar cycle, Saturn and Pluto will begin a new development in 2020, bringing an end to the previous cycle which opened at the conjunction in the early 1980s.

In Cosmos and Psyche, Tarnas stresses that astrology is archetypally but not concretely predictive. In other words, astrology cannot explicitly predict the future, but it can predict the future's archetypal resonance. I won't be making those kinds of concrete predictions that you might imagine when you think of astrology. We're going to explore the current moment from an archetypal vantage point drawing on some notable historical correlations.

Astrology is not very good for telling you exactly what will happen in definitive, concrete terms. Archetypes, as Tarnas also beautifully demonstrated in his book, have an inherent multivalency. Archetypes can manifest within a varied range of possibilities. So while it's possible to look at past cycles and find similarities to the present, it's impossible to know which of those previous manifestations will occur for certain.

I highly suggest reading Tarnas' Cosmos and Psyche if you're interested in this topic. I can only cover in a general manner what is an incredibly complex subject. I'm going to explore how this aspect might show up, especially in the United States which is approaching its 2022 Pluto return alongside the exact Saturn/Pluto conjunction in early 2020. And we'll also consider the Saturn/Jupiter conjunction in late 2020.

Tarnas suggests using an orb of 15 degrees on either side of an aspect when looking at historical correlations. In using this wider orb, the approaching Saturn/Pluto conjunction encompasses the time between January 2018 through December 2021.

The aftermath of the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in New York City, Photo credit: 9/11 photos on Visual Hunt, via Wikimedia Commons.

As mentioned, the conjunction phase is one point within the various quadrature axial alignments of Saturn and Pluto. Dynamic Saturn/Pluto periods also occur at the square and opposition phases. While the last conjunction occurred in the early 1980s, the most recent Saturn/Pluto periods occurred at the opposition (June 2000-April 2004) and the waning square (Nov. 2008-August 2011). Several notable events occurred within these time bands. Under the opposition period from 2000-2004 were the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, as well as the subsequent US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Under the next square, the global financial crisis erupted in the years 2007-2008 at the brink of the Saturn/Pluto square (2008-2011). In Cosmos and Psyche, Tarnas describes quadrature axial alignments of Saturn and Pluto as "cycles of crisis and contraction." Throughout history, we see evidence of the Saturn/Pluto cycle correlating with periods of economic austerity, conservative empowerment (on a global scale), disease pandemics, the start of wars, and sometimes the rise of fascist/totalitarian powers and ideologies.

Saturn and Pluto also correlate with these same themes emerging in culturally significant art and literature, such as several famous works of dystopian fiction. It was at the tail end of the previous Saturn/Pluto conjunction, in the spring of 1984, when author Margaret Atwood wrote The Handmaid's Tale while residing in West Berlin, seven years before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Atwood's novel takes place in a near-future New England when environmental ruin and a pandemic of infertility spawns a conservative revolution which effectively suspends the US constitution. The empowerment of a brutal totalitarian regime, resembling a theonomy (a hypothetical Christian government, ruled by divine law), forces the sparingly fertile women to serve as handmaids for the elite, bearing children in service for humanities' preservation. Women are forbidden from reading and writing, and stripped of their rights to hold property and handle money.

Gay men, dissidents, and those refusing conversion to the state religion are executed, their bodies hung along public walls. Those considered “non-persons” such as sterile, unmarried women, feminists, and lesbians are sent to the "colonies" to clean up radioactive waste until their death. Atwood's dire vision depicted a post-American, totalitarian government to osmose both Christian and puritanical overtones, true to the dominating ideologies which helped shape the construction of the American empire.

Interestingly, the Handmaid's Tale has reached its first Saturn return since its publication in 1985, regaining popularity over thirty years later as a Hulu original series with two seasons and a third currently in production. In the midst of the Trump administration, Atwood’s novel feels chillingly pertinent to our current times, a compelling warning of how in moments of crisis or collective frustration, extremely conservative ideologies can rapidly gain dominance.

George Orwell's dystopian, sci-fi classic, 1984 (the year Atwood wrote The Handmaid's Tale), was written under the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in 1948, the same cycle that correlated with the initiation of the Cold War. Aldous Huxley wrote A Brave New World from May to August 1931 under a Saturn/Pluto opposition. Based in a futuristic "negative utopia," as Huxley described it, A Brave New World also presented a frightening vision of the future, written as a parody of H.G. Wells' more optimistic, utopian novels of the early 1900s.

The original Guy Fawkes mask used in the film adaptation of V for Vendetta; photo by Enrique Dans from Madrid, Spain

V for Vendetta, a British graphic novel written by Alan Moore, was originally published as a multi-part series starting in 1982, under the last Saturn/Pluto conjunction. The iconic "Guy Fawkes mask," worn by the novel's protagonist, V, has become a global symbol of revolt against tyranny, mostly through its ubiquitous use within the hacktivist community, Annonymous. The story depicts a dystopian, near-future United Kingdom set in the 1990s, where a fascist, police state takes control proceeding a nuclear war. It gained global popularity after the release of its film adaptation in 2006.

Saturn, Pluto, and Capricorn Archetypes

Untitled, known as Saturn Devouring His Son, Devoration or Saturn Eats His Child by Francisco Goya

In astrology, an essential archetypal quality of Saturn is that of preservation, as well as endurance within the midst of extreme hardship or austerity. Pluto, the God of the underworld, invokes the darkest depths of the planets it contacts, revealing the underbelly and repressed, unconscious motivations. Pluto appears to empower the planets it touches, morphing their expression into sometimes inflated caricatures beyond normal bounds.

Pluto also relates to the principle of entropy and regeneration. Pluto brings about transformation, sometimes through a descent into the unconscious, or through the volcanic eruption of repressed psychic contents. When Pluto is active in collective or personal events, an old order dies and falls away, and a new way of life emerges from the debris. In this sense, Pluto's archetype is destructive, but sometimes, destruction is necessary for the seeding of new life.

Saturn represents the archetype of time which derives from its earlier Greek title, Kronos (or Cronus/Cronos), the God who devoured his children to prevent his dethronement. For both the Greeks and Romans, the Saturn/Kronos association with time reflected the observation that time eventually devours all things, and thus Saturn's archaic associations with the passing of seasons and agriculture. Saturn invokes the qualities of restraint, maturity, and death, just as the flow of time leads to the inevitable transitions of each stage of life.

Saturn, Internet Archive Book Images, via Wikimedia Commons

Saturn presents limitations, challenges, and necessities; it seeks to preserve authority, traditions, structures, and conventions. Saturn can actively work against progress; it is the impulse for control of instinct and chaos, seeking to provide strict or harsh securities, boundaries, and divisions. It can present us with seemingly insurmountable barriers, yet also the opportunity to fortify strength, willpower, persistence, and autonomy.

As Pluto conjoins Saturn in the coming few years, we will experience a dramatic amplification of the above-mentioned Saturnian archetypes within the collective psyche, as well as a glance into their darkest or most terrifying manifestations. This current period is thus a moment of a leviathan-like Saturn, a time when we will witness an extreme boost of conservative dominance and the collective need to strengthen and solidify boundaries physically, culturally, and politically.

As an added layer, Saturn and Pluto will conjoin in Capricorn, where the Sun initiates the winter solstice each year in the northern hemisphere. Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn resonate with the archetypal dark, cold, and precarious winter. In the traditional, western astrological system, Saturn is the ruler (or lord) of Capricorn, and its placement here technically empowers Saturn's power and expression.

15th century depiction of Capricorn, from Medieval book of astrology, via Wikimedia Commons.

Capricorn, much like Saturn, is the archetype of authority and elderhood, and in its darkest face, what astrologer Steven Forrest calls the "crushing patriarch." Both Capricorn and Saturn symbolize systems and structures which seek to preserve their dominance at any cost, just as Kronos ate his children to avoid being deposed. The shadow of Capricorn is the oppressive autocrat or controller who exploits crisis and breakdown to acquire leadership.

Indeed, throughout history, it is in times of crisis, hardship, and uncertainty, that autocrats have gained control by enticing the desperate and fearful populace with the promise of restoring convention and offering protection from the unknown. And the contracting aspect of Saturn/Pluto alignments so often manifest as a collective yearning for regression, to restore society to an idealized, past era of simplicity, stability, and control.

Such was the case in 1930's Germany with the rapid ascendency of Nazism and the start of Hitler's dictatorship under the Saturn/Pluto opposition of 1930-1933. Or in Italy, under the fascist dictatorship of Mussolini during the Saturn/Pluto square 1921-1923. That same cycle correlated with Stalin's seizure of the Communist party in Russia, and Hitler's momentary prison time in which he began writing Mein Kampf, the ideological vision which would, at the following Saturn/Pluto alignment, enrapture the nation of Germany.

Jupiter/Saturn Conjunction 2020

While there's a unique archetypal quality to the peaks within the Saturn/Pluto cycle, it does not occur in a vacuum. The ever-changing sky correlates with the uniqueness of every moment. However, many cycles overlap which can create similarities within specific historical periods.

A unique feature of the previous conjunction of Saturn/Pluto in the 1980s was its correlation with Jupiter's conjunction with Saturn in air sign Libra. In 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will conjoin in Aquarius, another air sign, drawing a parallel to the early 1980s. The Jupiter/Saturn conjunction is a complex topic unto itself; however, it's important to mention because of its historical correlations with economic and social upheaval.

The Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions occur in the same element for roughly two centuries. From 1802-2020, the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction occurred in earth signs. The 1980s saw the first shift of Jupiter/Saturn into air sign Libra. But the following conjunction went back to earth, with Jupiter/Saturn conjoining in Taurus in May 2000. The transition of the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction from one element to another is called a Grand Mutation which has been underway from late 1980-late 2020.

Many astrologers point to the development of the internet and accompanying technologies within this period as meaningful correlations with the Jupiter/Saturn Grand Mutation into air signs. Indeed the air archetype relates symbolically to the mind, communication, and connection. The internet explosion of the 1990s led the way to a rapid acceleration of communicative technologies that connected the world in ways hardly imaginable at the brink of the 1980s.

We are likely to see the genesis of another major socioeconomic shift under Saturn's conjunction with Jupiter in 2020. Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions represent a fusion of tradition and innovation, the melding of antagonistic desires--to maintain the status quo and yet to seek freedom from it simultaneously. These are periods where traditional systems, methods, and approaches are forced into reformation.

Similar even to the backdrop of WWII, during the Saturn/Pluto opposition and Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in earth sign Virgo, the 2020s is likely to be a highly precarious and uncertain period which paves the way for a new social and economic order. With Jupiter and Saturn conjoining in Saturn's domicile sign of Aquarius, we still get a powerful Saturn dominating over Jupiter. Symbolically, the expansiveness of Jupiter must contend with Saturn's limiting nature.

However, Aquarius is symbolic of the "outsider's perspective" and the desire to achieve independence and autonomy. This conjunction is likely to correlate with economic and political policies emerging from previously alienated voices and minds, as well as the desire for liberation from the constraints of the past. It may be the outsider's perspective as well as the collective yearning for independence, that drastically changes the social and economic landscape over the next 20 years. So, what might crumble in the wake of this socioeconomic revolution?

The last two centuries of Saturn/Jupiter conjunctions in earth signs correlated with the industrial revolution and its ramifications. The shift from earth to air has dramatically shifted the collective focus from the shaping of material empires to those of the mind--an elevation of systems and structures from the land to sky.

The internet revolution unleashed several social and economic structures from the limitations of physical space. Consider the storage of mass amounts of data and information onto "cloud networks," or how much of our daily life revolves around smartphones and wifi signals. Jupiter and Saturn's conjunction in Aquarius begins the next two centuries of conjunctions solely in the air element and in a sign associated with innovation, ingenuity, and independence, this is likely to begin a revolutionary social and economic shift.

The Aquarian archetype represents the other face of Saturn since it is Saturn's second ruling sign. While Saturn in Capricorn is the conservative face, Aquarius is more progressive and freedom-seeking. It is indeed a critical requirement of growing up that we claim independence and freedom from the structures, beliefs, and dependencies of the past. One cannot become an adult without a necessary phase of individuation, often through defiance or rejection of the formative life.

In true Saturnian fashion, that process of differentiating ourselves from the past is often painful and scary. It suggests willingly abandoning familiarity for the acquiescence of autonomy. Usually, there is a need to dissociate or even alienate oneself from family, society, and culture to find one's unique way in the world. The developments spawned under the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in Aquarius are likely to carry this theme of strengthening independence and throwing out old beliefs, ideologies, and theories that no longer work.

On the economic level, we could witness the crumbling of the individual's dependency on physical institutions and constraints. While the 2020 period of Saturn/Pluto's conjunction will likely be constraining, Jupiter and Saturn's conjunction beyond it will help to offer up new solutions which can lead to fresh approaches to managing the economic, social, and political challenges. In that sense, the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction provides a bit of hope in a moment of darkness.

If we look back at the early 80s, we note the rise of a little-known, economic and ideological development that came to dominate the world, Neoliberalism or economic liberalism. We also see a similar wave of conservatism and greater appeal for populist, political leaders. As mentioned, the simultaneous occurrence of Saturn/Pluto and Jupiter/Saturn in the 80s creates an interesting parallel to the approaching time-period, and thus we are likely to see some similar themes and trends emerge.

Neoliberalism & Corporate Dominance

Ronald Reagan at the Arrival Ceremony for State Visit of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom, by Jack Kightlinger (Official White House photographer), via Wikimedia Commons.

As Saturn and Pluto were approaching notable orb of conjunction in 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected president of the United States. As is often the case with Saturn/Pluto alignments, Reagan rode a wave of rising conservatism within the nation. The same was true in the United Kingdom, with Margaret Thatcher, leader of the UK Conservative Party, winning the United Kingdom general election in May 1979.

Both Reagan and Thatcher heavily glorified the free market, and equally promoted the idea that businesses, instead of the government, could better serve the needs of the people. The 1980s saw the rise of the corporate world and its dominance over many facets of society. The injection of advertising and product placement in editorials became standard practice. It was a decade when corporate interests would begin their tacit manipulation of the free press. Today, we can connect the enmeshment of corporate lobbyists and elected representatives directly to the policy changes of the 80s era.

It was Reagan and Thatcher, along with libertarian economist, Milton Freidman, who significantly popularized Neoliberalism, which has since become the predominant economic and political ideology across the world. During this time, with the help of corporate advertising, market research, and rampant polling, US and UK culture were suddenly bewitched to prioritize the satiation of public desire above anything else. Proponents of Neoliberalism suggested that excessive government involvement promoted enormous waste, stagnation, and inefficiency, and thus welfare was shunned in favor of empowering privatized corporate dominance.

By Alejandro Alvarez, via Wikimedia Commons

The 1980s saw a building rejection of government regulations and high taxation, resulting in deep tax cuts for the rich and corporations, under the belief that the wealth would "trickle down" and thereby boost the economy. This lead to a massive wealth transfer from the poor to the rich that surged wealth inequality not just in the United States, but across the globe. By the mid-1990s, the wealthiest 1% of the American population held 40% of the nation's wealth, double the share from twenty years prior. Today, as we approach the next Saturn/Pluto conjunction, the top 1% own more wealth than the bottom 90%. And working wages haven't increased since.

The 1980's Saturn/Pluto conjunction was, economically speaking, a great time for big businesses and the wealthy (the Saturnian structures themselves), but not so much for the working class. Do we see any parallels today? In the United States, the new GOP tax plan has continued the same Neoliberal ideology that was given a boost under Reagan and Thatcher, resulting in the most significant corporate tax cut in US history.

But Neoliberalism isn't solely a right-wing ideology. It first took root under US president Jimmy Carter and UK Prime Minister John Callahan and has since become the dominant policy on both sides of the political spectrum. US president Bill Clinton effectively destroyed America's cash assistance programs through his welfare reform bill, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Clinton's Neoliberal "welfare to work" rhetoric has been appropriated and rebranded today by the Republican party. In early 2018, Trump announced his plan to, “lift our citizens from welfare to work," echoing the Clinton era position against the welfare dependent.

Al Gore and Newt Gingrich applaud to US President Clinton during the State of the Union address in 1997, from White House Official Site, via Wikimedia Commons

Under the Neoliberal ideology, the economic plight of the homeless lies solely in their laziness or inability to take the initiative and better themselves. Negligent banking practices, privatization of social services, the complexities of human development, or institutionalized racism and violence are never to blame.

The Saturn/Pluto square of 2008-2011, under the US Obama administration, correlated with the shameful bailouts of the big banks and Wall Street, the very institutions responsible for creating the collapse through their reckless affair with stock derivatives and subprime mortgages. Working Americans were left with the burden of cleaning up the mess, costing taxpayers $21 billion in bailouts.

The US Financial Inquiry Commission, in its Jan. 2011 report, concluded that, "the crisis was avoidable and was caused by: Widespread failures in financial regulation, including the Federal Reserve's failure to stem the tide of toxic mortgages; Dramatic breakdowns in corporate governance including too many financial firms acting recklessly and taking on too much risk; An explosive mix of excessive borrowing and risk by households and Wall Street that put the financial system on a collision course with crisis; Key policy makers ill prepared for the crisis, lacking a full understanding of the financial system they oversaw; and systemic breaches in accountability and ethics at all levels."

Occupy Bank of America March 15, 2012, Occupy Wall Street targets BofA with a rally and march, by Mike Fleshman, via Wikimedia Commons

A recent report from the environmental non-profit group, the CDP, in collaboration with the Climate Accountability Institute, found that just 100 companies are responsible for 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Chevron, BP, Exxon Mobile, and Shell were implicated as the highest emitting companies since 1988. In the current crisis of global climate change, the blame unsurprisingly falls in the hands of corporate entities empowered by the tax cuts and subsidies from the nascent Neoliberal period.

At a moderated discussion at Rice University in Houston, former president Barack Obama boasted that his presidency was responsible for making America the largest oil producer in the world, stating that, "And you know that whole suddenly America’s like the biggest oil producer.…that was me, people."

Unregulated corporate power lies at the root of Neoliberalism, which has fueled globalization and the current environmental crisis. It's an ideology that has infected both sides of the political aisle, promoting the strangely skewed belief that the right of a company to make a profit is a higher priority than the needs of the people.

The 2008 global recession resulted in 1.2 million American households lost due to foreclosures and millions left unemployed. And yet, not a single Wall Street executive was prosecuted for their witting sale of toxic mortgages. It was the same unregulated corporate power that initiated the Great Depression in 1929, a result of laissez-faire economics, much the predecessor to Neoliberalism, just as Saturn and Pluto reached orb of opposition the following year.

Photo by Chopper Dave, via Wikimedia Commons

While Ronald Reagan was considered rather moderate when it came to his conservative politics, preserving Medicaid and Social Security as two examples, it was under his administration when homelessness would rapidly increase across the US. The closing of mental institutions throughout the country forced the mentally ill onto the streets. Today, with ever-increasing wealth inequality, the gentrification of major cities is spawning preternaturally, pristine corporate landscapes which push and displace the lower classes further to the margins of society.

With an ideology that promotes maximizing economic freedom no matter the cost, many find themselves beleaguered by a cold, harsh world where profits are placed over human compassion and welfare. Such is the nature of Saturn/Kronos when brought to its darkest and most frightening expression in the shadow of underworld ruler, Pluto. Under the approaching Saturn/Pluto and Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions, we can anticipate another significant chapter change in the evolution of Neoliberalism.

This moment in history represents the closing of the previous cycle, and yet the beginning of a new step. In contemplating the current situation, the next few years looks to be an extremely challenging period, especially for the poor, working class, and the economy. Saturn/Pluto alignments have shown to embolden corporations, the elite, and authoritarian leadership. The Trump administration is continuing the same Neoliberal ideology just as all administrations have since the late 1970s, and in that sense, it's business as usual.

We are likely to see, not just in the US, but across the world, political powers which seek to minimize government regulation and embolden private interests. It's now clear, after 30 plus years of Neoliberal dominance, that its effects are not working out for those at the lower rung of the economic ladder. Therefore, this period is likely to result in increasing civil unrest and frustration, as we've recently seen in France and spreading elsewhere, and the rise of populist leaders who attempt to empathize with the struggles of the 99 percent of non-elites.

By Umar Shahid, via Wikimedia Commons

The backlash from the struggling lower classes is bound to result in a tightening of oppression, control, and retaliation from governmental and corporate powers. As we look beyond the Saturn/Pluto conjunction and consider Saturn's conjunction with Jupiter, a new order will emerge from the outsiders--many geniuses, rebels, and the marginalized are likely to gain power and help shape new structures, and incredible technological innovations will help to catalyze that.

However, the dark side of this cycle, as I've discussed, is that so often, leaders exploit the suffering of the struggling to embolden their nationalistic and sometimes fascist movements. This appears to be a significant risk here in the United States especially, with the Saturn/Pluto conjunction touching the US Pluto alongside its Pluto return. The underworld is now emerging, forcing us to acknowledge the most unsettling and frightening aspects of American culture and its political/economic structures. Neoliberalism is likely to play a major role, reaching a demise or further elaboration. Astrology doesn't tell us which.

But the rising tide of nationalism and conservatism at this current juncture is something we should be wary of as the US approaches its presidential elections in 2020. Saturn/Pluto cycles are often periods of widespread, global backlash against progressive, social changes. Under US president, Ronald Reagan, there was a strong racially driven opposition against the effects of the civil rights movements of the late 60s. Many believed that blacks entering the workforce were jeopardizing job prospects for the white, working class.

Today, under the Trump presidency, similar rhetoric is heard, as many white, right-wing voters blame their economic hardships on immigrants and welfare programs, seemingly ignorant of the effects of Neoliberalism over the past three decades. Donald Trump's blatantly racist and misogynistic comments, his obsession with the construction of a border wall between the US and Mexico, appears to echo many of the trends which built momentum in the early 80s, though far more dangerous and extreme.

Crisis and Contraction

Reagan addressing the Annual Convention of the National Association of Evangelicals ("Evil Empire" speech), Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Another risk with this current Saturn/Pluto cycle is the synchronistic emergence of crisis. The 1980s saw the height of the Cold War, a time when Reagan declared the Soviet Union "the evil empire," similar to George W. Bush's "axis of evil" speech (under the Saturn/Pluto opposition of 2001-2004). Fortunately, the Cold War came to an end after the 80s era Saturn/Pluto conjunction and did not result in nuclear war.

As mentioned, the attacks on the World Trade Center occurred during the previous Saturn/Pluto opposition (2000-2004). It's clear that the events on 9/11 forever changed the political and economic landscape of the US, as well as the entire world, symbolic of the Saturn/Pluto archetypes, a transformation of the world order. In the midst of the 9/11 crisis, airport security checks hugely expanded, and many freedoms and liberties were restricted.

The implementation of the Patriot Act after 9/11 led to the construction of the behemoth surveillance state which has since collected mass amounts of private phone and internet data. The National Security Agency (NSA) spying campaign took on enormous and complex proportions, gathering not just the private data of Americans, but that of citizens abroad. The extent of the NSA spying program was leaked in June 2013 by Edward Snowden, under the Uranus/Pluto square, which as briefly discussed earlier, is much the antithesis of the Saturn/Pluto archetype.

Photo by Amada44, via Wikimedia Commons

But as was the case with the Cold War, the Saturn/Pluto conjunction can bring both beginnings and endings. As the current cycle has correlated with the vast spread of Neoliberalism across the world, we're likely to witness its failure and decline. However, as was the case with modern terrorism, said to have begun in 1946 under another conjunction of Saturn/Pluto, that crisis has worsened, inflamed and supported by corrupt, US foreign policies. The global AIDS crisis, which began under the last Saturn/Pluto conjunction in the 1980s, reached pandemic proportions in Africa under the Saturn/Pluto opposition in 2000-2004.

Promising new HIV treatments and preventions have recently become accessible, and so perhaps, we could see a decisive turning point in the AIDS narrative soon. However, a new disease pandemic is another possibility under the next wave of Saturn/Pluto, as was equally the case with the bubonic plague under the Saturn/Pluto conjunction of 1348-1351. But let us remember, astrology is archetypally but not concretely predictive.

We cannot, in looking at the conjunction alone, predict precisely what kind of crisis will erupt. Astrologer Robert Hand, writing in 2001 about the approaching Saturn/Pluto opposition, admitted that, "I would like to be able to give a definitive judgment about the likelihood or unlikelihood of war, but I cannot. I don’t think that astrology is capable of that." Based on the historical data alone, we can only speculate on the possibilities, such as Hand did in early 2001.

I would suggest, however, that given the past conjunction's correlation with the rise of Neoliberalism and the corporate world, there will be a dramatic change in our corporate and economic structures. And a crisis involving those structures is a high probability. Pluto igniting the US Pluto return in Capricorn in 2022, adds another layer of symbolic significance about an encroaching breakdown and transformation of US economic structures. How exactly this will play out, or what specific factors will lead to it, we cannot say. But the signs are already looming, and the shadow is erupting on the world stage.

Hope in Hard Times

Photo by MateeKhan, via Wikimedia Commons

Is there a positive side to the Saturn/Pluto cycle? First, we can look at challenges and even suffering as forces which sculpt formidable strength within individuals. Such experiences catalyze growth, action, and change. There is no life without pain. Indeed, pain is a requirement of being alive. We can reframe our view of the Saturn/Pluto cycle from a victim's perspective to a courageous acceptance of difficulty to add dimension to our experiences, or to provide the incentive for action and thus change.

From an evolutionary astrological view, life isn't all the product of chaos or chance. There is an intelligence guiding the flow of life, a fate to which we are in some way meandering our way through. With that said, are there not periods when we need to step back, conserve, even question previous advances? Is contraction always a bad thing? Can excessive liberalism at times become a problem, or can things progress too soon and too fast? While yes, the world stage appears to depict a hyper-inflated, cartoon version of astrological archetypes, often disconnected from the more profound wisdom or teachings of the planets, there is still perhaps a greater purpose to any difficult moment of life, even a purpose to a collective backlash against progress.

It is to that greater purpose I would encourage us to seek to embrace or understand, if only just to hold that intention with a sense of humility, of surrender to what we don't yet know or understand. In our personal lives, as it is in the collective, we can, through the acquisition of expanded consciousness, align ourselves with the mysterious, cosmic agenda, whatever that is. While we cannot control what happens on the political or cultural stage, we can be inspired by it, motivated to action in our uniquely personal way.

With Saturn empowered in Capricorn by Pluto, and set to align Jupiter in air sign Aquarius, a new structural order is on the verge of its birth. Revolutionary, technological innovations, ideas, and realities will come forth at this time. What can you do to help shape it? How can you implement a new order in your own life? What will you construct from this foundation of solidity? Saturn's more positive face is construed by the virtues of tenacity, relentless commitment, accountability, and self-discipline. And perhaps, if we each embraced responsibility for not just our physical selves, but our darkness, the collective could resist the tempting hypnosis of authoritarian sway.

The peaks of the Saturn/Pluto cycle are indeed difficult times, but they can also reveal the deeper, unconscious underpinnings of our cultural, economic, and political structures. It seems a compelling phenomena that these periods bring to the surface quite literal manifestations of these archetypes, in the form of political leaders and external crises. But we can hold on to the hope that this cycle will pass, and new themes will emerge in the near future.

Let us hope that we've learned from history, that humanity has the wisdom to step back from the edge of the abyss when the signs emerge. Let us hope that we can transcend the dangerous pitfalls of fear, prejudice, the rapid breakdown of critical thought, and the external projection of self-hatred. With that said, Pluto empowering Saturn can correlate, on the individual level, with the empowerment of individual purpose or destiny, a time when we can rise to some daunting challenge and consistently forge our way to victory. Always, as above so below, and so within so without. The planets, an indeed life itself, always have something to say. May we be so blessed to receive the message.

Toughening Up: New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse in Capricorn 2019

Near the Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska; Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia

New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse @ 15 Capricorn 25’

January 5, 2019

5:26 PM Los Angeles

8:26 PM New York

January 6, 2019

1:26 AM London

9:26 AM Beijing

12:26 PM Sydney

As we enter the new year, we're greeted by the first eclipse season of 2019. In general, eclipse season is a period of accelerated internal, external, and perceptual changes. The sequence of events can appear to move more quickly during eclipse season, with a higher level of awareness and clarity surrounding present matters. This first eclipse of 2019 is a partial solar eclipse in tropical Capricorn, visible from northeastern China, Mongolia, Japan, eastern Russia, northern Micronesia, and western Alaska.

Occurring in Capricorn and conjunct the Saturn/Pluto midpoint, this eclipse brings with it a dense and conservative vibe. And with both Saturn and Pluto within orb of conjoining the eclipse itself, the ominous, even dystopian feel of this eclipse gets dramatically magnified. Saturn and Pluto are set to conjoin in early 2020, the effects of which we've been feeling since early 2018. Historically, the Saturn and Pluto cycle correlates with notable changes in the world order often through various crises.

Both world wars, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and the Global Recession in 2007-2008 (as just a few examples), all occurred within various stages of the Saturn/Pluto cycle. The whole of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction encompasses roughly 2017-2021, so we are nearing its peak. This eclipse appears to trigger its energy into the collective psyche. However, eclipses are surreptitious. Correlated events often take time to manifest. Saturn will trigger the eclipse in early Feb., again in early Aug., and will make a final pass in early Nov.

Thus, many of the themes and situations tied into this eclipse will linger for some time, climaxing and culminating at the Capricorn lunar eclipse July 16. The heaviness of this eclipse can be experienced as a dramatic confrontation with limitation, hardship, or obstacles. Yes, a crisis is a manifestation of the synthesis of Saturn/Pluto, but so is the sense of having reached the "end of the rope" where hope and possibilities are seemingly less abundant. For most of us, we'll pass through this eclipse feeling the weight of things more than usual.

There are always places within our lives or ourselves that we've avoided dealing with fully. No one is perfect. Saturn/Pluto energies can pressure or force us to examine those places that we've neglected to be fully responsible for, those places that seriously need us to step up and take accountability and action. One's perceptual outlook can dramatically change under this eclipse, correlating with a period of awakening to some uncomfortable reality or realization.

Imagine stripping away the tinsel, candy coating, and gilding, and looking deeply into the cold, harsh truth. Yes, this eclipse can certainly feel like that. But also, a solar eclipse is a New Moon, and thus a new start. It can symbolize an extra potent starting point for things which require tremendous effort, determination, willpower, and sacrifice. Sometimes a difficulty, limitation, or even crisis is precisely what's needed to catalyze movement and change.

Combined with Mars now in Aries, we experience a powerful surge of cardinal energy, which emphasizes the taking of initiative and making things happen. Utilize the strengths of this eclipse to get better organized, strengthen and solidify a plan of action or procedure. Look around your life at the systems and structures which need reinforcement so you'll be ready to withstand the obstacles life can so quickly throw our way at such times.

Collectively, as we approach the peak trajectory of Saturn/Pluto, things are going to get tough as many systems and structures collapse around us. However, we can always find the strength within ourselves or stoically prepare for the worst case scenarios. For now, under this eclipse, heed the call to take the initiative and bolster your base. Utilize this moment for intense introspection, reflection, and scrutiny. Allow yourself to feel the call to turn inward and get more honest, real, and upfront. And if you feel like giving up, consider taking a rest, and then picking up the pace again. Great achievements are only possible through sustained determination.

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Mars in Aries & Sun/Saturn Conjunction

K Danko [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

As we say farewell to 2018, the warrior planet Mars enters its home sign, Aries, just as the Sun conjoins Saturn in Capricorn. While the Gregorian calendar is somewhat arbitrary and disconnected from the natural world, the Gregorian New Year is a thing we westerners all celebrate (even if it begins in the dead cold of winter for the northern hemisphere). So, Happy New Year!

As 2019 begins, Mars in Aries seems like a good start. And combined with the Sun's conjunction with Saturn, we get an influx of high motivation and ambition. 2019 begins in the waning Moon phase heading into an eclipse. So hold off on your significant initiations, launches, and promotions until the second week of January (at least). The waning Moon, especially in the eclipse zone, favors release, not acquisition.

But, while the Sun/Saturn connection could make for more oppressive than usual New Years hangovers, it is a prime aspect for prioritization. Saturn is currently not visible in the sky. It's conjunction with the Sun, actually, diminishes its strength and power. But, the Sun's cyclic alignment with Saturn is an opportunity to renew your long-term goals, strategies, and desired achievements. That fits well with New Year resolution making.

Negative consequences won't hit so hard under the Sun/Saturn conjunction, but Saturn's rule of karma promises they WILL hit eventually, like three to six months from now. So stick to your good behavior. Mars will be in Aries until Feb. 14. Mars in Aries is extra bold, passionate, and assertive, but also more volatile and potentially bombastic. Be wary of triggering anyone or anything on the edge of an outburst, or else you'll likely meet fury.

However, on the positive side, Mars in Aries is full of firey, cardinal energy, which combined with Jupiter in Sagittarius, can provide extraneous enthusiasm for setting off on an adventure. If you plan your journey post-eclipse (after Jan. 5), you'll be on less shaky ground. This month, featuring Mars in Aries and two eclipses, is incredibly conducive to rapid-fire changes and transitions, especially changes we catalyze ourselves. Mars in Aries can empower willfulness and help us all tackle our New Years' objectives.

For the next month and a half, anticipate extra courageousness, bravery, and sexual robustness. Mars in Aries dares us to seek new challenges, healthy stressors, and to face fears head-on. In the midst of eclipse season, our initiations have more impact and profundity. But consider if you'll be able to maintain this momentum for the long-haul. Mars can quickly get us up the mountain, but not always back down. This acceleration of change helps us to confidently head into the New Year while leaving 2018 in the stardust.

Engaging the Heart: Full Moon in Cancer 2018

By Richard Hurd from Madison, USA - Wingra moonrise {NAME}Uploaded by ComputerHotline, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19125086

Full Moon @ 0 degrees Cancer 49’

December 22, 2018

9:49 AM Los Angeles

12:49 PM New York

5:49 PM London

December 23, 2018

1:49 AM Beijing

4:49 AM Sydney

As it is with every Full Moon, this is a moment of completion, resolution, and endings. Occurring at the cusp of the new year, and in the cardinal, water sign of tropical Cancer, we rise into this Full Moon with the desire to release and let go of the past, perhaps through the necessity of surrendering accumulated emotional burdens. With the Moon in its domicile (ruling) sign of Cancer, this is indeed a powerful lunation that can deepen our access to feelings, healing, and emotional honesty.

The lunar nodes have recently moved into the Cancer/Capricorn axis, and thus the next series of eclipses will occur in these signs throughout 2019 and into mid-2020. The lunar north node in Cancer calls us collectively toward the opening of the heart as a spiritual necessity, to offset the burden of external challenges and responsibilities. With the Sun now in Capricorn, it shares space with Saturn and Pluto, two planets set to conjoin in early 2020.

The building Saturn/Pluto conjunction will occur within the field of eclipses, marking this encroaching period as a time of significant changes to social, political, economic, and domestic structures. The dominant Capricorn archetype opposing this sensitive and intuitive Full Moon presents us with the challenge of striking a balance between the relentless pursuit of goals or ambitions with the requirement of self-love, care, and nourishment.

The predominant (and yet failing) cultural ideology of the western, corporate-dominated world continually pressures us to ignore the inner life to prioritize productivity. Yes, tending to our material needs is essential for survival, but its overemphasis can leave many with an internal void and physical and emotional depletion. The Sun in Capricorn moving toward Saturn and Pluto represents a foreshadowing of the global challenges which lie ahead.

Thus, it is imperative that we learn to listen to the body, the inner self, our dreams, and feelings. And yes, this Full Moon can help create a safe space for us to acknowledge or identify what it is we need to both nurture and nourish. Mars and Chiron's vast square to the Full Moon axis add to the prodding nature of this cardinal lunation on the Aries point. For some of us, self-neglect or subjugation of the inner life can erupt as a crisis, where pain is used as a catalyst for change and action.

The t-square tension within this lunation makes it difficult to ignore those things which need our compassion, sensitivity, and kindness. And it would seem, that in the current moment, kindness can be a form of activism, a tool which can be used to fight against a cultural surge of apathy and cruelty. The negative face of this Full Moon can tempt us into complete withdrawal, avoidance, defensiveness, or obsessive worry.

Uranus' out of sign sextile to the Full Moon creates a desire to break free of the past, to shake something up, or embrace a new path. Under this Full Moon, anticipate less tolerance for stagnation in your inner life, and the sudden stimulation deep feelings, memories, and emotions. The Cancer archetype highlights a culmination or breakthrough in the psychic or domestic life, areas which will undergo profound changes and transformations in the coming year. Remain sensitive and engage your heart.

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Sun Trine Uranus & Mercury/Jupiter

Pavel.shyshkouski [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

After a relatively quiet cosmos the last two weeks, the Sun's trine to Uranus kicks off an eventful solstice weekend. Yes, the Full Moon is soon to climax in tropical Cancer. And before the Sun enters Capricorn, it makes a trine to Uranus in Aries. Combined with Mercury's conjunction with Jupiter (exact Dec. 21), the freedom-seeking vibes are acutely strong.

Sun trine Uranus can help us make a break with the daily narrative, or add some excitement. With Sun/Uranus stimulating the fire sign conduit, the flow of passion and enthusiasm leaps forth before the start of the Capricorn season. Sun/Uranus invite us to try something different, experiment, or innovate routines.

In the waxing lunar cycle, anticipate not only a quickening of events but the sudden emergence of unexpected variables. Uranus can throw us off our usual tangents, which can be a welcome distraction before the more sobering cycle of Sun through Capricorn. Still, look to your current projects, commitments, or developing situations, and see what changes can be infused without a total overhaul.

Mercury's third conjunction with Jupiter this year exacts on the solstice, so bold ideas, communicative openings, and ease of commerce/exchange will flow the next several days. Also, Mercury/Jupiter in Sagittarius is an expansive boost of optimism and augmentation of perception. Still, there's a risk of ditching vital details for the bigger picture. Try your best to stay on task without letting extreme idealism lead you astray.

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The Dark Moon & Mars Conjunct Neptune

Shortly after the New Moon, the planet Mars conjoins Neptune in Pisces. The Neptunian energy has been active all week via its square to the New Moon and exacting a square to the Sun just one day before. With hard Neptune aspects this week, things can get unusually hazy.

Yes, hazy thinking is one possibility, but another is the need to question various narratives, truths presented, or all presentations in general. It's easy to deceive on several fronts, but consider the karmic consequences before exploiting that insight. Instead, try to see past the various facades of the moment.

The Mars/Neptune conjunction (exact Dec. 7) has been building since the last week of Nov. and will be in notable orb until Dec. 17. It can be a challenging aspect for any decisive actions. The willful energy of Mars can quite literally evaporate, leaving us uncertain or dumbfounded about what to do or how to correctly handle a situation.

Over the next few days especially, be mindful of the risk of completely missing an intended target, or worse, going on the attack against the innocent. Further, Mars and Neptune meet up shortly after the New Moon and Mercury's direct station. A feeling of newness and possibilities opening up can tempt premature moves.

Mercury still needs to pick up some speed, and within a week, we'll be free of the retrograde shadow. This isn't a moment to completely freeze or indulge in rampant paranoia, but rather to take a moment to breathe and patiently plant the seeds you intend to nurture. The risk for apathy is exceptionally high, and for some, the enticement to give up could be a source of rumination.

Neptune to Mars can gift us with insight which comes when we choose to surrender to what we don't yet know. So, if in doubt, trust that and wait for the haze to clear. Question your desires the remainder of the week, and focus your courage on actively shifting your consciousness, perception, or current crusade. Mindfulness, meditation, and patience could be vital assets.

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Deflation or Inspiration: New Moon in Sagittarius 2018

Photo by Josh Lewis [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY-SA 2.5

New Moon @ 15 Sagittarius 07’

December 6, 2018

11:20 PM Los Angeles

December 7, 2018

3:20 AM New York

7:20 AM London

3:20 PM Beijing

6:20 PM Sydney

Every so often, the cosmic landscape synchronizes itself in quite astonishing ways. This month's New Moon is one of those moments, occurring alongside Mercury's direct station and Mars' conjunction with Neptune. Mercury direct is the end of the retrograde period; however, the glitchy, techno-disruptions and communicative failures often cluster around Mercury's stations.

We can anticipate that trend to continue at least a week or so beyond this lunation. But fortunately, solutions and forward progress will be more easily accessible soon enough. And vital new steps can now happen, but caution is still needed. The dark of the Moon is a natural rest and recharge moment, imbued with hesitation and uncertainty. With Mercury's station and Mars conjoining Neptune, there isn't a lot of momentum contained in this New Moon.

For some of us, it can feel like a drain of willfulness, force, or enthusiasm. Low energy, discouragement, and frustrations can emerge in this dark Moon. On the collective level, events which have been building and generating power can seem to have suddenly fallen into obscurity. Mars and Neptune conjoin several hours after this New Moon, adding an element of obfuscation with regards to necessary actions and decisions.

The energy of Sagittarius wants to leap into the unknown, begin planning for an adventure, or assert its vision and ideals onto the world. Neptune's active involvement in this New Moon, plus Mercury's station, can slow the flow of zeal or fury. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. One of the vital lessons that Neptune offers us is that of patience, but also revealing the limitations of the ego's needs and desires.

The darkest face of this New Moon can tempt us to leap into exciting yet fruitless endeavors. Falling victim to schemes, delusions, and lies are easy. So what can you trust under this lunation? Look beyond yourself, listen to your intuitive hunches, and feel out whether emerging situations align with your highest principles and integrity. Challenge yourself to let go and flow with signs, insights, and omens. Miraculous ideas and opportunities can emerge from the darkness.

The Mars/Neptune square can feel deflating, for sure. Second guess impulses, desires, and assumptions. This new start is likely beyond your control but has the power to enlarge a worldview or perspective, to open the heart to a higher reality beyond the self. Take it easy under these New Moon vibes. Inner frustrations will dissipate as quickly as they emerged, energy and passion will return. This is a fertile lunation for further reflection. Allow the moment to pass and dispense its wisdom and take action in a few days.

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Innovation Flow: Venus/Uranus Opposition

Lone cloud at Grand Canyon South Rim; photo by Chad Woodward, 2018

Venus and Uranus are nearing their final opposition of the year, both squaring the lunar nodes which recently ingressed into the Cancer/Capricorn axis. Whenever Uranus is active in the collective psyche, there's a surge of erratic instability, unexpected change, or a wild-card possibility.

With Uranus opposing Venus in Libra, such changes can be quite constructive, and they are likely to surface in the arena of relationships. Perhaps, toward the end of this week, there's merely a change in the social sphere or reality, a new connection for communication, or an electrifying new interest. Venus/Uranus can shake us out of a relational rut, which can be exciting or anxiety producing.

Venus in Libra seeks to build stable bridges and create rapport, dialogue, and support. Uranus, however, adds an element of the quirky and unusual. This can be a compelling moment of reaching toward a fresh and progressive perspective or opening another to a unique point of view. However it shows up for you, both planets invite a renovation in outlook or creative self-expression.

And as mentioned, both Venus/Uranus squaring the nodes adds a karmic layer, a sense of having to resolve or complete something unfinished. Yes, it can feel like a crossroads in an ongoing dialogue or relational issue, or perhaps the wild-card has emerged, seeking to liberate the standard relationship/dating narrative. If creatively inclined, flow into an innovative approach on through the weekend. Experiment and see what happens. No commitments are needed just yet.

The Mutable Surge: Full Moon in Gemini 2018

Lavínya Silva [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 0 Gemini 52’

November 22, 2018

9:39 PM Los Angeles

November 23, 2018

12:39 AM New York

5:39 AM London

1:39 PM Beijing

4:39 PM Sydney

This month's lunar culmination occurs in the tropical sign of Gemini, just as the Sun enters the adventurous and broad-minded sign of Sagittarius. With Mars in Pisces, Mercury retrograde, and Jupiter in Sagittarius too, the mutable energy is particularly strong, emphasizing transition, change, and fluctuation. In typical Gemini style, this Full Moon can bring about an influx of information, stimulation, and heightened activity which has the capacity to help change a viewpoint or perspective.

Jupiter's opposition and conjunction with the Sun can inflame the Gemini qualities of curiosity, restlessness, and adaptability. Yes, narrowly focusing on a specific task or activity will be difficult with this lunation. And Gemini dominance can pull us in multiple directions. But after the more focused intensity of Scorpio season (Venus retro in Scorpio, too), this Full Moon can feel liberating and optimistic.

To effectively work with this Full Moon, you'll need to remain flexible. With Full Moon ruler, Mercury, now retrograde and in fall, unexpected variables and accommodations are likely to surface. Detours, delays, and glitches are always common under Mercury retrograde, so finalizing a decision under this Full Moon may not be ideal or even possible. The next two weeks of Mercury retrograde can help you make critical revisions to a viewpoint, belief, or ideology.

If confronted with an opportunity under this Full Moon, take your time in considering its full ramifications. Consider that there's likely more than one way to approach or deal with any situation which arises now. The possibilities can seem endless under this Gemini lunation. Mars' square from Pisces can stimulate intuitive action, but also thoughtless reactions which can lead to conflicts, recklessness, or accidents.

It may be wise to go with flow under this Full Moon, but be mindful of impulsive tendencies or getting caught in heated, ideological debates with no resolution. The dominant Full Moon archetypes can empower fanaticism and dogmatism, as much as the potential of expanding one's mind. The positive end of Gemini accepts what it doesn't know and seeks to understand it. The negative end defends its fragmented version of the truth.

Yet, Jupiter's involvement in this lunation stimulates the desire for expansion and growth. Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius pushes us to think outside the restrictive parameters of our preconditioned ways of seeing the world. To avoid the problems associated with this Full Moon, think before taking a leap. Jupiter in Sagittarius can lead to overconfidence or taking on too much too fast. Pace yourself with this lunation, and choose to listen and learn something new.

Mars in Pisces & Jupiter

Jessie Eastland [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Warrior planet Mars has moved on from Aquarius (where it spent the last six months). Now in Pisces, Mars enters into a square aspect with Jupiter in Sagittarius. Playing a dominant role in the upcoming Full Moon in Gemini (Nov. 22), the Mars/Jupiter square can inflame enthusiasm, but also recklessness.

Meandering through Pisces, Mars is prone to wanderlust. This week can be especially tricky in harnessing your passion or excitement towards a specific cause or target. The Full Moon in Gemini this Thursday will only exacerbate this tendency. But this surge of mutability can be helpful for shifting our focus to contemplate possibilities in the blindspots.

Also, consider the need this week to take more than one course of action. But utilize some Mercury retrograde wisdom, which suggests doing extra research and asking critical questions before leaping. If you desperately want a specific outcome or realization at the moment, you'll find this week incredibly frustrating.

However, consider this the season to discover your options, and the choices you didn't know you had. Be sensitive to your environment and cautious with utilizing willfulness and force. Jupiter's upper square to Mars can give some us the illusion of limitless strength or good luck. In reality, there are definite limitations, so don't push your luck too far.

Mars in Pisces & Mercury/Venus Stations

Point Lobos, Carmel, Ca; photo by Chad Woodward, November 2018.

Mars is moving into Pisces this week (Nov. 15) after transiting Capricorn/Aquarius since May of this year. Combined with both Mercury and Venus stations, this week can feel extra packed with activity and new potential. The only caveat: retrograde stations like that of both inner planets Mercury and Venus can create a crossfire of uncertainty and restlessness.

Venus in its home sign Libra dominates this week, and with a Mars/Uranus sextile (before Mars changes signs), all things seductive and alluring are more likely to capture our focus. Mars sextile Uranus, while fleeting, is enough to set off a sudden/spontaneous influx of Eros. Venus' retrograde station seems to overshadow Mercury's retrograde effect, though not entirely.

Yes, the usual techno/mechanical/communicative breakdowns and glitches are likely, and the data influx is incoming. Prepare to alter a plan or perception as you uncover new bits of data or encounter enlightening conversations, but Venus' station in Libra is most auspicious. Venus can shift any pending financial, creative, or relational issue. If you've been stuck on a heart-related matter, some resolution is possible this week.

The standard Mercury retro advice holds, but the benefics Venus and Jupiter in their home signs, seem to mitigate the need to hold back on the action. The reality is that while you may lack clarity about what a result will be or the final destination, vital first steps are possible this week. Mercury's retrograde backtrack through Sagittarius includes a conjunction with expansive Jupiter.

There is a newfound surge of excitement, and the next three weeks can help to reassess or discover some new potential within a pending opportunity. The six weeks of Mars in Pisces involves the paradox of active surrender to the cosmic flow. And at least the next three weeks, rid yourself of urgency and let the next mission reveal itself. Step back, meditate, and bend with life, and the logistics will show up in time.

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Lifting the World: Jupiter in Sagittarius 2018-2019

A raven soars overhead at Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Utah, September 2018; photo by Chad Woodward.

"The positive Sagittarian has....the inner conviction that he has it in him to give much. If others are less fortunate than he, it is his privilege to give to them out of his abundance. He gives not so much material things as the gifts of the spirit--leadership, moral courage, self-respect, sparks for flagging faith and waning energies, a lift to the whole world that comes from contact however fleeting with the warmth, and the verve, and the dash, and the directness, of the Sagittarian."-- Grant Lewi, Your Greatest Strength

Jupiter will transit its home sign, Sagittarius, from Nov. 2018 through Dec. 2019. Jupiter changes signs every year but reaches Sagittarius once every twelve years. Classically, Jupiter is the greater benefic with optimal dignity in the mutable, fire sign Sagittarius. We know Jupiter as the God/Goddess of abundance, growth/expansion, luck, success, optimism, hope, and altruism. Jupiter opens doors, inspires confidence, and paves the way to opportunities.

In its negative face, Jupiter can tempt us with glitzy yet empty promises of fame, happiness, and fortune. It can provoke laziness while opportunities glide past due to a misguided sense of satiation. And trickster Jupiter can inflame arrogance, dogmatism, and ego-aggrandizement. While Jupiter transits Sagittarius the next year, there will be a magnification of both its positive and negative qualities because Jupiter's home sign bolsters its power.

Sagittarius stimulates Jupiter's extroverted side. This is the most adventurous, audacious, and enthusiastic of all Jupiter cycles. But it might also be the most fanatical. Consider that Sagittarius correlates with the zealous pursuit of faith in oneself, an ideology, or a mission. We can imagine empowerment of radicalized followers of various faiths in synch with the restoration of hope or optimism about one's purpose.

Look to the house ruled by Sagittarius in your chart. You'll likely experience increased growth and newfound success in that area over the next year. However, as with anything in astrology, Jupiter needs your involvement to bring out its most auspicious blessings. Success almost always comes from consistent effort and hard work, and opportunities need to be acted upon. Discernment will be the key to optimally managing Jupiter's transit through Sagittarius.

Too much of a good thing can lead to ruin, and overextension can result in missing the target. Overconfidence in one's abilities or potential can inspire foolish leaps and downfalls. Jupiter in Sagittarius is a momentary cycle which can help us all increase faith, confidence, and expand into new areas of experience. But we'll need to be careful and remain realistic about how much we can handle and what we're capable of. When opportunities arrive, they won't last long. Staying where you are is sometimes a safe choice, but one you may later regret with Jupiter in Sagittarius.

Breaking With Routines

Routines can feel extra suffocating under Jupiter in Sagittarius. This is a cycle which inspires us to break free of predictability and expand our horizons more than ever. Reflect on the area in your chart affected by Jupiter's current transit. If you've been treading safely there, you'll begin to notice gradual dissatisfaction with the topics of the concerned house, and a growing sense that you need to take some risks and actively look for escape routes.

Jupiter in Sagittarius Archetypes

As archetypes, Jupiter in Sagittarius is the emigrant, vagabond, crusader, preacher, prophet, or philosopher taken to the extreme. We’ll likely see these archetypes as significant figures in major media events. And if we have strong placements in Sagittarius, or if Jupiter aspects planets in our chart from this sign, we can take on these archetypal qualities ourselves, or they may show up as significant people in our lives.

Whether we experience these archetypes within ourselves or as outside influencers, the Jupiter in Sagittarius energies motivates us to move beyond our usual boundaries, escape the trappings of safety and predictability, inspire us to take bold leaps of faith, boost our belief in a higher purpose, seek new adventures, and actively engage with opportunities to further success or understanding. With Jupiter in fire sign Sagittarius, it asks whether we have the courage to reach for greatness and if we're willing to take some chances to get there.

Jupiter Square Neptune

While Jupiter transits Sagittarius, it will make a square aspect to Neptune in Pisces. We can view this aspect as active throughout the entire cycle, though the peaks will be experienced Jan. 13, June 16, and Sept. 21, 2019. On the collective level, Jupiter's square relationship to Neptune can serve to puncture illusions, hope, faith, and beliefs. In other words, this is likely to be a cycle of severe disillusionment, especially for those who have fallen for false promises of greatness or abundance.

In considering this aspect, it's important to remain skeptical about anything hyped or overpromoted while Jupiter transits Sagittarius. Jumping into “get rich quick schemes” or alluring ideologies could lead to disappointment. Jupiter square Neptune certainly adds to the element of fanaticism and religious fervor, and during the peak squares, we're likely to witness the decline of a prescribed dogma or creed. Failed prophets, messiahs, and gurus are expected to make some headlines.

However, both personally and collectively, the square of Jupiter/Neptune is a severe test of our ideals and faith. If we can endure resistance to our convictions, and if our dreams can undergo significant reality testing, then we'll come out of this cycle with a greater sense of confidence in what we believe. Jupiter's square to Neptune suggests that the karma has ripened for a vision or dream, and whether or not it survives depends mostly on how much basis it has in reality. Many will fail, but some will learn to fly and lift the world.

The Great Mystery: New Moon in Scorpio 2018

By Juliancolton [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 15 Scorpio

November 7. 2018

8:02 AM Los Angeles

11:02 AM New York

4:02 PM London

November 8, 2018

12:02 AM Beijing

3:02 AM Sydney

We are sinking into the New Moon in tropical Scorpio, just before Jupiter enters Sagittarius Nov. 8. Occurring in a yin, water sign, this Scorpio New Moon draws us deep into the shadows to recharge, rest, and assimilate. With a trine aspect to Neptune and sextile to Pluto, this is a soulful and penetrating lunation, emphasizing inwardnes and reflection.

Jupiter has been transiting Scorpio since early October 2017. Since then, Jupiter has permeated barriers which have hidden and concealed vital truths, insights, and perspectives. Unveiling blind spots, secrets and repressions, Jupiter in Scorpio has helped to expand our awareness of dangers as well as hidden passions, desires, and potentials.

The Scorpio archetype represents the distant echoes of our primordial past and nature, those compulsions, reflexes, and desires which get conditioned out of us by the intrusion of modern culture. When we strip away the cultural accouterments, such as intense moments of terror or ecstasy, we're left with the experience of the authentic and uncensored inner animal.

Jupiter in Scorpio may have brought about such intense experiences, revealing the truth of what we are or what we want. For some, that may have been painful, or for others, a period of liberation from censorship or conformity. This New Moon is exceptionally fertile, and it invites us to step into our realness and plant the seeds for a fresh, authentic path.

Jupiter's transit through Sagittarius the next year will bolster confidence, optimism, hope, and faith. For those that need it, this transit will be helpful, but Jupiter in Sagittarius can inflame all believers, even the radicalized and deluded. The following year of Jupiter's next journey can help us transition into a more outwardly expansive and hopeful path.

Utilize this New Moon to gather strength and emotional stamina. Moodiness or a neurotic avoidance of the truth exemplify the negative face of this lunation. Neptune's trine to the New Moon can heighten sensitivity, creating ease of emotional osmosis. Be mindful of your boundaries in the days surrounding this New Moon, as it may be easy to confuse your internal state with those around you. However, Neptune’s trine can inspire and connect us with the numinous.

Overall, this New Moon in Scorpio can generate increased reverence for the great mystery. The Scorpio, Neptune, and Pluto archetypes impulse us to probe deeply into hidden and occult dimensions, as there is far less interest in cursory matters. Consider what you need to get to the heart of with this lunation, and where you need to dive deep and surrender to your passions. Take your time, sit in peace, and open yourself to the new possibilities currently unfolding.

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Samhain & Venus/Uranus Opposition

By Jonathan Thorne [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons

As always, October ends with Samhain (aka Halloween), but unlike usual, Venus is retrograde, in Scorpio, and in opposition to Uranus. This is an aspect that suggests breaking with normalcy, routine, or tradition and embracing newness. With Uranus opposing Venus, this is more likely to show up in the context of relationships. But also, it can represent a sudden, unexpected shift of values, attraction, or creative vision.

Venus retrograde brings up the topic of the past, such as perhaps a sudden re-emergence of a "past life" connection, memory, or passion. Considering that the barriers between realities become malleable on Samhain, we can more easily gain access to esoteric perceptions. Under this Venus/Uranus opposition, anticipate something unusual to show up and change the current narrative.

In romantic, platonic, or marriage type arrangements, Venus/Uranus can shake us out of a predictable mode of relating or engaging with life. Whatever shows up for you, however notable or subtle, embrace the wildcard possibilities and try something different. This is the second of three Venus/Uranus oppositions this year, the last occurring on Nov. 30. This opposition during Venus retrograde can represent the most radical, emotional shift.

Venus is currently closer to the Earth, the heart is louder than usual, and connecting with Uranus can emancipate repressed desires or creativity. For the next few days, reach beyond your comfort zone, seek an adventure, or meet up with new (or some familiar) souls. Relationships of all kinds will likely be the conduit of change. And just past Venus' inferior conjunction, something fresh is emerging from the heart, so take some time to listen.

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Mercury/Jupiter Conjunctions

Mercury and Jupiter are conjoining in the sky, the first of three conjunctions from late Oct. through Dec. due to Mercury's retrograde cycle beginning next month. This week's conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter occurs in Scorpio, emphasizing investigative prowess and perceptual attunement to the shadows.

The combination of Mercury and Jupiter correlates with an improvement in outlook, especially in regards to hard to digest truths. Honesty, realism, and bluntness have a more significant impact, emphasis, and efficaciousness right now. But considering that Mercury is now entering the shadow of its retrograde cycle, look to your overall future vision and how that might change over the coming weeks.

Mercury/Jupiter can stimulate excitement about a dream, mission, or ideal, which is likely to undergo some refinement, adjustment, and reconsideration from Nov. 16 through Dec. 6. Jupiter enters Sagittarius early next month, bolstering Jupiter's auspicious and expansive nature beyond the usual. Yes, this is a fortunate and enthusiastic Jupiter, promising new horizons, doorways, and hope.

But also, we can overdo it when Jupiter is in its ultimate power. And also, the next weeks cautions about overlooking critical details or getting caught up in too-good-to-be-true promises of limitless health, wealth, and glory. However, some new possibility is emerging and within reach, and we'll be given a chance to reimagine for ourselves just what that might look like. Think big, but stay grounded.

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Burning Love: New Venus in Scorpio 2018

Autumn in the elfin forest; photo by Chad Woodward, 2018.

Both the Sun and Venus are conjoining in tropical Scorpio, also known as Venus' inferior conjunction (aka New Venus). It is a pivotal or momentous opening, magnified by the Sun and Venus square the lunar nodes. In Scorpio, there's an edginess, intensity, and precariousness charging the atmosphere, as well as the sense of a relational, creative, or financial narrative reaching a crossroads.

Venus has hit the bottom, so to speak, the depths of the underworld. And Venus' retrograde conjunction with the Sun brings her closer to the Earth than usual, magnifying the heart's longing and desire for connection, purpose, and inclusion. At the moment, following the heart might require stepping outside of your comfort zone, or having to adjust to a dramatically changed environment.

Venus in Scorpio in opposition to Uranus can bring on sudden breaks with stuck or stagnant routines, or any structures which limit creative freedom or the heart's ability to speak. Relational or contractual upheavals are possible, and as always with Uranus, unforeseen variables permeate the landscape, offering wild yet innovative possibilities.

But from here on out, Venus will gradually return to its visibility in the sky, re-entering Libra at the end of the month. New values, attractions, perspectives, and purpose can emerge from the conjoining of Venus and Sun. Pay close attention to the shift deep inside of you and within the context of key relationships. There may be an incredible sense of uncertainty, hesitation, or fear. But this New Venus invites us on a pathway toward greater freedom, even if that hasn't fully materialized yet, or we can't yet envision it.

And death is always entwined within every birth. The remnants of decay fertilize for new life. Venus in Scorpio beckons us into the depths to find the beauty within the discarded, ignored, or subjugated. Increased lucidity can verge on paranoia, but also offers a more authentic glimpse of the world in which we live. No matter how frightening any emerging perspective might be, open your heart to it. It can change you. Love is seething, burning, and forever transforming.

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