Celestial Chatter

by Jeff Peters | May 30, 2020 | Astrology

Celestial Chatter Personal thoughts:

Each week I spend between two and four hours crafting these posts. Many may ponder just why anyone would do this. Back along the way I was gifted with access into this astrological tool in a way that moved my soul. Thru the years, since that first glimpse in 1969, there have been moments when I sensed many universal downloads of substance being offered thru me to share with others. I never really took it to heart that they were just for me alone. This led to multiple astrological consultations with individuals and groups as a way of tuning us together into an energy-enfold we were all participating within. These posts are a paying forward of this gift to any who wish to embrace them. I have archived the last couple years of these posts and you can find them here.

If any of you are so inspired to go a bit deeper into the celestial patterns you came to bring out into your worlds, I would be glad to assist you in astrological considerations that focus more on you. While the time frame for an astrological consultation is about the same as for each week’s Celestial Chatter, it can cover a much longer span of life and, I guarantee it will be an experience you will carry for the rest of your earth walk…

Celestial Chatter Dec 20 through 26 – Capricorn Season

A Gathering of the Tribe

Celestial Chatter Dec 13 through 19 – Venus Stations

Celestial Chatter Dec 6 through 12 Out-Of-Bounds

Celestial Chatter Nov 29 through Dec 5 Solar Eclipse

Celestial Chatter 11 – 22 to 28

Two tunes drift upon the sea of possibility this morning as the muses stir my consciousness. The first includes the phrase “Ooo, ooo it’s the magic bus”. The other is “This is major Tom to ground control”. The realm of Sagittarius invites that portion within each of us to consider the “Quest”. While this is not necessarily a bells and whistles fanfare event, it might turn out that way.

In the layout of the astrological matrix pattern there are certain planets that share axis factors or the signs opposed to one another. I would clear the air first by saying that there are reasons for opposites that are not all about competition and conflict. Perspective is the healthier path to consider for the opposing pairs. Mars and Venus have affinity to the Aries/Libra axis (Cardinal) and the Taurus/Scorpio axis (Fixed). We are just now moving beyond these two planetary couplings. Jupiter and Mercury rule a couple other axis pairs. Sagittarius/Gemini and Virgo/Pisces bring the four mutable zodiac signs under their domain. Each of the mutable signs has as part of its function the task of grappling with change as the final sign of each quadrant prepares for the next cardinal launch to get under way. The Mercury part of each pair tunes in more to the detail side of the equation while Jupiter aims more toward the big picture and they are both required.

As the planets wander the celestial surround they carry with them the essence of their respective sign rulership no matter where in their arching path they are. Let us take a wander into the realm of Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter. I made mention last week of this next step along the celestial path from Scorpio as a critical juncture in the life, death, rebirth process. Sagittarius is the gypsy, explorer, pilgrim, and philosopher among other things. As mentioned above this is the realm of the quest for more and that is definitely part of the Jupitarian function as our largest neighbor planet representing expansion. Once our sojourn in the nether worlds is complete we have hopefully lightened our load enough to accelerate in true fire fashion on a Sagittarian quest for what is next.

Just taking a quick glance at the planetary movement for this upcoming week, other than a lingering sextile between Venus and Mars, Mercury seems to be the most likely planet to form aspects and focus on. On Wednesday Mercury enters the realm of Sagittarius and our thoughts are likely to receive a boost. In the words of Dr. Seuss “Oh the things we could think if we could think things”. Oh, the muses are really kicking it up this morning.

What does Jupiter have to add to our consideration while currently traveling in the field of Aquarius? Well, the limitation of our thoughts is only constrained by our own imaginations. In the waning month of its yearlong journey thru Aquarius there is still time to tap into our use of invention. With Sagittarius at the helm currently, aspiring for what is next awaits our input. While there are many mundane paths that may be considered along the Sagittarian path (higher education, religion, courts of justice, lawyers, etc.), I am more inclined to embrace the trajectory of soul and ask, have I allowed for its expansion to be inclusive enough?

When we arrive at Sunday Mercury in once again playing a pivotal role as it passes on the far side of the Sun and forms a Casimi aspect there. Casimi is when a planet is within a very tight aspect with the solar orb (within part of a degree). While some tune into the potential strength of the Sun, as obscuring any relevance to that other planet this is a very powerful placement where the Sun/King allows the other planet many of the kingly benefits, as well as responsibilities, of leadership. Perhaps it is time to don the appropriate gear in order to soar well beyond any semblance of limitation while we assimilate as expansive a perspective as possible to carry forward with.

I will keep this post short as we have the whole month ahead to allow for the lotus blossom of Sagittarius to bloom.

Celestial Chatter 11 – 8 to 14

Other than the Moon, Mercury is the fastest mover for the week ahead. Leaving the trail of retrograde as a distant memory Mercury has accelerated into the field of Scorpio. What do you suppose that our thoughts and words may engender as our trickster, storyteller wanders the halls of this netherworld? According to mythology Mercury as Hermes, of all the gods was given permission to freely pass between the upper worlds and the realms of the underworld. As the messenger of the gods, these capacities can prove to be very useful when dealing with the many virtuous to questionable chosen paths that we humans attempt to negotiate. This, of course, is somewhat more relevant to those who choose to participate in this larger level of conversation with life’s muses. One Webster definition of muse: “a state of deep thought or dreamy abstractions”. I would add that our seemingly purposeful trajectories can often appear to veer off course for no apparent reason that upon later reflection we are thankful for the nudge that caused us to follow along just the right path we may not even have been aware was an option. Synchronicity (the muse realm) is often an apparent tool bringing together appropriate factors to accomplish extraordinary scenarios that alter our awareness at just the right time.

The Mercurial muse is afoot this week stirring up the potential for more penetrating and intense (Scorpio) levels of conversation that may or may not actually breech the verbal level. Life’s mysteries might appear closer to the surface. Interactions with others might either flare up into confrontation or just as easily awaken levels of awareness that deepen our connection with others and our surroundings. So-called hidden factors might surface that set you off on a road you were not aware of previously. The trick this week will be to embrace what may appear to be overt challenges that appear to block the direction you thought you needed to follow, so as to discover deeper resources of your core being that might have been trying to get your attention for an extended time.

The week begins with the Mercury/Venus sextile waning but still reminding us of the necessity of engaging others in our quest for truth that can stand along side integrity. Yes, we all have rights, but along with these come responsibility to more than just ourselves.

Wednesday arrives with, in true Mercurial fashion, an air of potential edginess to our conversations as Mercury conjoins with Mars in Scorpio while simultaneously forming an exact square to Saturn and the Moon in Aquarius. The passion of deeply intense interaction is challenged by some level of limitation requiring adherence to a set of rules that require inclusion often of more others than we might have cared to deal with. It would not be surprising to see the upheaval of personalities in this configuration if limitation or the curtailment of one’s field of resonance is accepted as confined. As I write this I am getting a vision of Mercury astride a Mars chariot racing between the closing gates of Saturn and just making it thru the gap before it shuts. Then jumping off the chariot and reopening the gates to the flow of spirit beings that envelop Saturn’s arena with options for more inclusion. And the Moon bathes this whole scene in waves of collaboration as the ancestors make their appearance.

Here are the Sabian symbol interpretations from Dane Rudhyar’s “An Astrological Mandala” to meditate upon as you consider this square aspect in action:

Mercury and Mars (SCORPIO 8°): A CALM LAKE BATHED IN MOON-LIGHT.

KEYNOTE: A quiet openness to higher inspiration.

One could stress the romantic suggestions such an image evokes, but even at the level of a love relationship what is implied is a surrender of two personal egos to the inspiration of transcendent feelings which are essentially impersonal. Love expresses itself through the lovers, for real Love is a cosmic undifferentiated principle or power which simply focuses itself within the “souls” of human beings who reflect its light. The same is true of the mystic’s love for God. Man strives hard to achieve great things through daring adventures, but a moment comes when all that really matters is to present a calm mind upon which a supernal light may be reflected.

This is the third stage of the forty-fourth five-fold sequence. It tells us that beyond all efforts lies the need for peace and the readiness to accept the illumination from above. The Keyword is QUIESCENCE.

Saturn and Moon (AQUARIUS 8°): BEAUTIFULLY GOWNED WAX FIGURES ON DISPLAY.

KEYNOTE: The inspiration one may derive from the appearance of exemplars who present to us the archetypes of a new culture.

We are dealing here with the fixed symbols upon which a culture is based, with mental archetypes. They are kept and made available as patterns to imitate, or at least from which to draw new motives for inspiration. We are at the stage of vision: new forms are revealed to the consciousness, as well as new ways of meeting other people in social relationships.

This is the third stage in the sixty-second sequence of five symbols. In a sense the generic human past and the future are implied here. The wax figures are impersonal forms. The gowns constitute a static presentation of ideal patterns; yet they are the PREFORMATION of what will be experienced in the culture being born. They herald new collective developments.

I must include the next Aquarius degree Sabian symbol as a potential for this outworking to consider and is the degree of my astrological Sun:

(AQUARIUS 9°): A FLAG IS SEEN TURNING INTO AN EAGLE.

KEYNOTE:            The dynamic incorporation of new social values in individuals who exemplify the spiritual potential and greatest significance of these values.

This symbol nearly duplicates the one for Sagittarius 12°, but in this fivefold sequence it has a somewhat different meaning, especially since the last term of the mysterious transformation (i.e. the crowing of the eagle in chanticleer’s fashion) is omitted. All that is implied here is the vitalization of a powerful symbol, its embodiment in a living reality, i.e. in a person able to fly in consciousness to the highest spiritual realm. The archetype is given living substance and wings. The Image has become a Power.

This fourth stage symbol, as usual, gives us a technical suggestion. To “see” the new archetype, to perceive the new standard of value with one’s mind is not enough. The seer must become the doer. The impersonal is dynamized and brought into focus. We have here the ACTING OUT of the vision.

As the weekdays conclude, Friday finds the Sun forming a trine from Scorpio to Neptune in Pisces. Using this opportunity to allow for the potentially calming waters of truth (Neptune in trine) to be allowed to pour over any overtly intense arenas of contention from the perspective of a more inclusive level of awareness we are invited to recognize as something we are enfolded by.

Hold onto your hats, as on Saturday, Mercury once again is stimulated as an opposition with Uranus in Taurus transpires. Uranus can provide a couple different options depending on how willing one is to being entrenched in their own opinions vs. willing to expand perspective. One side of the Uranus coin can appear disruptive, as it seems to shake things up substantially. This is a facet of the Uranus archetype that has the task of unseating us from stances and opinions we are anchored to and less than willing to alter. If one can relax enough to tune into alternatives, the other aspect of Uranus is to awaken us to options that can expand the borders of our tents. Both Scorpio and Taurus are fixed signs so I can’t promise that the letting go of long held opinions is going to be easy. Mercury the shape-shifter when invited to the dance floor might inspire some lively tunes to move to, assisting us in shaking loose stuck places within but only if we are willing.

Next week will be the full Moon partial lunar eclipse visible throughout most of the U.S. that might already be sensed. I will discuss some of the ramifications in the next Chatter.

Celestial Chatter 11-1 to 7

The headless horseman has ridden the nightscape, the dead have hopefully been honored, our fetish with costumes, treats and festivities has been satiated for the moment and yet, there is still the potential for a restlessness to be in the air. All of this is transpiring as we dive deeper into the season of Scorpio and the mysteries of life and death. Closer to the surface there may be a sensing that the veils between worlds is thinner. The potential interaction with others has taken on a level of intensity that it is not easy to put a finger on things afoot. The potential for intimacy, not just sexual, can allow for shared space to stretch our comfort zones as awareness seems to be more inclusive with others thoughts and motivations.

Speaking of thoughts, on Monday into Tuesday Mercury in Libra is forming a square, from its trajectory thru the field of partnership and, diplomatic endeavors, with Pluto in the Capricorn realm of authoritative executive action. There are many elections that have today as their voter sanctification. Across this country (U.S.) there are quite a few contentious issues being voiced that may or may not be perceived clearly for their ramifications. As in any election the loudest voices often arise from very small factions that can sway the popular vote to shift in unpredictable ways. Common sense, a rare commodity, recognizes that gravity will pull things toward the earth below our feet, but beyond that everything else seems to be up for grabs.

Thursday will be the beginning of the next lunar cycle as the brief moment of the Moon joining hands with the Sun slides on by. Each of these moments can set in motion a new thread of options to embrace. Here is the Sabian symbol interpretation from Dane Rudhyar’s “An Astrological Mandala” for this lunar/solar beginning:

(SCORPIO 13°): AN INVENTOR PERFORMS A LABORATORY EXPERIMENT.

KEYNOTE:            The driving urge toward achievement, which is at the root of civilization.

At whatever level, the development of more complete and efficient forms of social interplay, the essence of the process of civilization demands ingenuity, inventiveness and the willingness to experiment within relatively secure test conditions. One must try to go to the roots of problems of interpersonal or international relations, as well as to discover the principles controlling the interaction between material particles and larger bodies. Modern technology is only one approach to an immensely complex problem. Intuition is as necessary to success as intellectual analysis.

This is the third stage of the forty-fifth sequence of five symbols. The symbol stresses the value of individual initiative, perseverance and caution in any attempt to understand how everything is related to everything else. What is most needed is the ABILITY TO RELATE SEEMINGLY UNRELATED FACTS.

It has been often suggested, and this is appropriate, that each new Moon is an excellent opportunity to set in motion an intention to accomplish during the lunar cycle related to where this takes place within your astrological chart matrix. The options each of us must consider are beyond the scope of these weekly reports, but I can point to certain energy signatures at work for all of us. Uranus will be exactly opposing this new Moon. This can in some fashion either throw a sudden monkey wrench into situations. It is how we handle abrupt changes in direction that will be the key. In other words one must consider how stable is your foundation to you? Uranus can be the disruptor by shaking things up just as easily as it can awaken you to opportunity. Usually it is a combination of these factors that can leave us unbalanced or set on a new trajectory. As the Sabian symbol indicates it may be time to embrace the saying “mother is the necessity for invention”. A more down to earth perspective may be that Uranus is in Taurus, or Mother Earth, and she is beckoning us to awaken to her plight in satiating human greed.

“Modern technology is only one approach to an immensely complex problem. Intuition is as necessary to success as intellectual analysis.”

The very next day, Friday, Venus shifts from Sagittarius into Capricorn and Mercury shifts from Libra into Scorpio. The Sagittarius position of Venus at the new Moon as the ruler of Taurus and Libra, was beseeching us (Libra version of human interaction) to see the potential for a larger vision (Sagittarius) as we set forth on our new lunar trajectory.

As Venus moves into Capricorn. What are the new shoes that may be required to bring an effective level of partnership between those in positions of authority and the common citizen? The only real difference between these two versions of society is where along the food chain one rests? The benefit to society of meaningful leadership is the enhancement for everyone involved and not aimed at a select few. We currently are in a contentious position in our western version of capitalism. The accumulated wealth within the hands of a few is finding less and less options of finding its way into the shared hands of the masses as less seems to be available to go around on the street level of life. For some reason a version of reality, that many accept, puts the owning upon the many to struggle for the little that is left out of the coffers of the few. We must remember that the orbit of Venus (value) is traveling out-of-bounds (oob) and is tuning into the beat of a different drummer than the societal dictates have deemed acceptable. It wanders this realm until early December.

As Mercury moves into Scorpio. Now that the issue of getting along effectively with others has been placed on the table, what might be the ramifications of intensifying our interactive capacities? The pleasantries of interaction have been discussed and now the kid gloves are off. It is time for some brutal honesty to become relevant if we are to coexist.

The simultaneous shifts of Venus and Mercury into their new respective signs has them traveling in a tandem sextile aspect for a couple days that begins on Friday. Sextiles work thru empowerment and synthesis as their elemental containers (Water and Earth) can work well with each other. Both planets are infusing each other with new ideas and energy. Might this inspire more in-depth (Scorpio) communication (Mercury) capacities of honesty to translate corporate (Capricorn) partnership factors (Venus) into language that might ruffle some feathers of those in positions of control? Time will tell.

Scorpio can definitely represent a pressure pattern that if applied correctly will create a container within which the old is given permission to pass away so that more energy is available for a rebirthing function to take place.

I trust that the intentions set at this new Moon time will merit the responsibility they can carry.

Celestial Chatter 10 – 25 to 31

There are deep within each of us hidden spaces where things often remain buried for a multitude of reasons not the least of which is we may be unaware of their presence. There is a region of the celestial surround whose energy frequency can provide opportunity for accessing some of these nether regions. This is the realm of Scorpio where the edginess of interaction with parts of us and that of others is often met with resistance. Part of the reticence we experience here may be related to trust. Trust in, not just ourselves, but also the envelope of energy within which we dwell. Might I suggest a short vision journey here? Let your thoughts drift backwards to a thousands of years ago. Your survival depended on your wits as the mentality of the time was eat or be eaten which was very close to the surface of each moment. As time drifted toward the life we currently enjoy we humans developed techniques to assure our survival from much of the surrounding challenges attempting to devour us. The residuals still lurk within the deep recesses of our consciousness. While that image you catch out of the corner of your eye is no longer a saber tooth tiger, our imagination still can be startled with ghostly apparitions that defy simple explanation. I think it is a form of race memory of times that may not have played out so well for us. Somewhere along the way we agreed to harbor somewhat negative versions of what may transpire as we interact with one another. These have taken up residence often in those dark corners within us. In the Scorpio season they rise a bit closer to the surface and are more easily triggered.

It is for this reason that during Scorpio related circumstances we encounter discomfort when these hidden aspects we each have arrive within shared spaces with others that are far more intimate than casual acquaintance dictates. Mars the god of war from its Arian perspective is ready to lead a charge into enemy territory often for the shear adrenaline created. As Mars takes on the Scorpio cloak we can become a bit more tuned into the potential for death to be made more conscious as a result of danger stimulated by any Aries/Mars attack. Scorpio is the realm of the life, death, and rebirth formula that unfortunately in the common marketplace has the death factor trump the other two scenarios. We in the western culture have sought to bury as far away as possible that matter of death, because it has been portrayed as finality, or the termination point to everything. The trick in living more completely is located in the longer footprint of the evolutionary process. 14+ billion years ago our solar system emerged. As the elements coalesced into planets and grew by continuing to collect substance from the surrounding space zone, eventually most of these particles had become present in what we now refer to as the earth. All the physical ingredients of life began, or should I say continued, to interact and eventually led to the mobility we humans enjoy in varying degrees today. To die is nothing new, but our western version has defined this within narrow parameters.

Left out of most equations in this process is the animating spark that can provide reasons for incarnating. One of the, both challenging and enlightening, factors that the Scorpio quest is on has to do with locating that seemingly lost spark. It is for this reason that penetrating questions surface as this realm is broached. My suspicion is that simple answers do very little justice to this level of probing aimed at our soul connections. At the core of most religious and spiritual practices and underlying their doctrines is a common foundational premise recognizing that inherent flame that is the animating essence of life that courses thru absolutely everything, from the grains of sand on a beach or desert to the humming tone of distant planetary songs. Many dogmatic doctrines lost sight of this. To curtail one’s living experience to the simple material plane of separation from the majesty of the cosmos cuts off a level of connection we are meant to share with every aspect of creation we are an intimate part of. Death is an opportunity for the recycling of aspects of the material plane we have temporarily borrowed, as a spark of infinity, for a season as our soul continues on its journey of learning. Our connection to the ancestors can bring about an awareness of this shared energy pattern brought down thru the ages to our present living reality as we prepare space and opportunity for the descendants to prosper. Death is transition as our energy core or soul spark releases into a larger format of reconfiguration into something new to be born. Rebirth is a vital part of the equation mentioned above. This is and has been under way forever.

Welcome to the land of Scorpio where the solar engine is now burning. How willing are you to experience transformation? Is your awareness large enough to embrace a complete reconfiguration of your life trajectory? Is the luggage of life you are carrying light enough to effectively run the gauntlet of Hades or might you be packing too much extra weight (things) that will hinder the journey toward rebirth? The Plutonic/Scorpio dance requires a clearing of the decks of excess cargo we think we are responsible for carrying. We are invited to experience this many times in each earth-walk we participate in so that our current incarnation can be released at the appropriate moment gracefully.

That dynamic solar engine is bringing to focus, for us earth inhabitants, particular scenarios that our planetary neighbors might be discussing in ways it might be helpful to tune into. On Tuesday this week Venus, currently in Jupiter’s Sagittarius territory forms a square with Neptune retrograde in the land of Pisces. I must include Jupiter, as the ruler of both Sagittarius and Pisces will be gathered with Venus in two days by sextile from Venus. I am going to briefly allow the background Scorpio factors to not fade but coexist with this aspectual consideration. Venus has among its functions allowing us to figure out effective ways of interacting with one another. While traversing the Sagittarius zone we may encounter folks representing alternate cultural background as we each quest to discover expanded versions of our understanding of life. The contact with Neptune in Pisces could affect the land of dreams and imagination. Perhaps some of the Scorpio penetrating questions may discover answers that arrive thru the portals of our dreamscape. Pisces can provide a connection to Source that often defies description within materialistic venues. Jupiter always aims to expand whatever it is involved with, and this current square could provide elemental pressure (Fire & Water) to an effective resolution of our higher perspective that Source may be requesting us to ponder. Jupiter in Aquarius could insist that we include true humanitarian perspectives into this unfolding consideration. The square can indicate certain restlessness in the air in these matters. Take solace in that this aspect is fleeting as a direct aspect and lingers for only a week. We must remember that tweaky factor of Venus being oob (out-of-bounds) for a long cycle currently and this means that cultural rules of partnership may not carry so much weight to her. In Sagittarius currently the inclination to hang with quite unique individuals might be assailing our creative juices. Thursday of this week finds Venus forming that sextile with Jupiter and this is a more harmonious set of parameters as to how they are going to be conversing. The elements (Fire & Air) can act as drinking buddies or share in some other source of common inspiration. I would expect to see an enhancement of seeking audience with some rather unique others. The outcome of these interchanges can spark in infusion of each other’s larger perspectives of life meaning. Not a time to be thinking small.

On Saturday the 30^th the Sun is holding court with Saturn in a square aspect between Scorpio and Aquarius. This is the exact aspect so you have to expand its parameters by about half a week on either side with increasing and decreasing intensity depending on approaching or waning movement. Just to make sure that we are not forgetting the overt influence of Scorpio, on this very same day Mars enters into the Scorpio field of experience to, definitely, kick the energy up. It is just how Mars happens to touch things. The Saturn factor in this equation could spell some level of conflict present in the formulation of questions that solar presence may be testing the airwaves with. Saturn is in Aquarius, and as such may attempt to insist on regulations and rules, though on a less than strict fashion, to be inclusive of, perhaps scientific validation or humanitarian leanings. In any case there is likely to be re-evaluation of said rules as to their effectiveness when pondering the more soul orienting queries.

Sunday arrives and a reminder of the Jupiter influence is once again enhanced as Mercury forms a trine to it from Libra. Picture if you will a conversation that is being enhanced by lofty thought processes. Mercury having just completed its recent 3-week retrograde cycle, likely as it gains forward moment may desire to share some of its contemplations mulled over during its retreat. What do you suppose Jupiter might want to add to this scenario? Perhaps a “Go for it and don’t hold back”. As with all aspects this is just a focal point for a relatively quick energy signature that might last a few days. Just for a little added spice to this I want you to picture Mercury the messenger filling the shoes of the Sabian symbol for the Zodiacal degree it will occupy as it rises just a bit before the Sun on the Sun’s day. This is from Dane Rudhyar’s “An Astrological Mandala”:

(LIBRA 23°): CHANTICLEER’S VOICE HERALDS SUNRISE.

KEYNOTE. A creative and joyous response to life processes.

The cock that crows as the first coloring of dawn appears at the eastern horizon is a beautiful symbol of the ability, demonstrated by all pioneers and cosmically attuned individuals, to give voice to what is as yet un-manifested, but is on the way to manifestation. At the ego level, chanticleer may feel that he makes the sun rise; but someday he will learn through painful experiences that to create is only to reveal what essentially is. It is the vivid recognition of the as-yet-unknown in the known.

This third stage symbol should make us think afresh about issues we too often take for granted. At every “sunrise” there are a few isolated witnesses that herald the coming of a new day. What is at stake here is the individual’s capacity of RESPONSE TO LIFE’S RENEWALS – renewals which are cyclic, predictable, yet always new, always creative.

With these thoughts swirling around in your head and hopefully heart, I leave you to enjoy another delightful week ahead.

Celestial Chatter 10 – 18 to 24

Change is in the air, or more precisely our planetary neighbors are quite busy this week asking us to shift our awareness protocol. As we draw near the end of the Libra solar cycle, the potential for artistic endeavors does not wane. That Venus, currently wandering the Sagittarian skies, left the theoretical containment barriers attributed to being in bounds (it is a latitude thing) or under the rules and control of both the Sun and Saturn dictating what is acceptable behavior. This transpired around October 9^th and will be the case until early December in the zone referred to as out-of-bounds (oob). Being released from a regulating structure, any planet oob has the capacity to hear things not usually tuned into and experience opportunities to stretch in ways often seemingly not allowed. Venus being in the arena of Sagittarius already is in a zone that has as its modus operands expansion into realms unexplored previously. Might there be avenues opening where we may exchange energy with folks we don’t usually mingle with? Could it be that your inspirations into artistic endeavors stretch beyond what you have always considered acceptable? Venus as the ruler of Libra is stirring the cauldron within which all levels of partnership are up for intermixing.

On Monday this week Jupiter in Aquarius begins its forward motion and Mercury in Libra ends it retrograde cycle. From Jupiter’s perspective as ruler of both Sagittarius and Pisces, both mutable signs, changes that may have been on hold can once again be instigated and not immediately run into roadblocks. Hopefully you have utilized your last few months of Jupiter retrograde to refine just exactly what you consider to be the BIG picture. Mercury’s 3-week retrograde cycle in the land of partnerships may have spun alternate scenarios in how you interact with others, and perhaps there have been things said that now need to be re-authored. Here is an excerpt from Dane Rudhyar’s “An Astrological Mandala” of a Sabian interpretation on the degree of this Mercury station to include in this shift:

(LIBRA 11°): A PROFESSOR PEERING OVER HIS GLASSES AT HIS STUDENTS.

KEYNOTE: Problems attending the transmission of knowledge in a special cultural setup.

It deals at the intellectual level with the teaching of accumulated collective knowledge, and the problem posed by the acquisition of that knowledge. This is what INSTRUCTION means – a process not to be confused with “education.”

For the first couple days of this stationary Jupiter trajectory correction Mars will be sitting in exact trine from the Libra zone. Mars is always about kicking the energy level up and a trine means these two signs are more successful in blending perspectives. Thus the planets involved are harmonizing with one another to accomplish something. Partnership and humanitarian perspectives are seeking to find common ground and this can be accomplished with minimal challenges.

Wednesday will be the next full Moon to, with any luck, gain an expanded vision of what was set in motion back on the new Moon of 10-6. This is the maximum reflected solar light moment or the epitomal moment of insight one has sought in an outward aimed direction. Both the Sun and Moon are nearing the end of their respective signs so change is in the air. I just participated in a presentation over the weekend with regard to the Sabian symbols that considered the perspective gleaned by considering the symbol for the degrees prior to (setting something in motion) and next (potential step forward) from the degree one is considering. For this Full Moon I am going to include this process. Since it is the Moon this will transpire over a 6-hour window.

(ARIES 27°): THROUGH IMAGINATION A LOST OPPORTUNITY IS REGAINED.

KEYNOTE: Revision of attitude and inner revaluation.

At this stage it may be difficult to distinguish success from failure. Nothing may fail like success, people say. What counts is the development Of UNDAUNTED FAITH in the pursuit of one’s ideals.

(Full Moon) (ARIES 28°): A LARGE AUDIENCE CONFRONTS THE PERFORMER WHO DISAPPOINTED ITS EXPECTATIONS.

KEYNOTE:            The necessity for mature preparation and self-criticism.

What is implied here is the need to be more than “obsessed by potentiality” and subjectively involved in the use of the new powers. The objective results have to be considered, i.e. what this use will do. The individual is not alone concerned, for in a sense mankind as a whole will be affected. What is required, therefore, is an objective inclusiveness of the whole environment; thus a sense Of RESPONSIBILITY for what one’s actions will produce in people who have been made to expect significant results.

(ARIES 29°): THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES.

KEYNOTE: Attunement to cosmic order.

The message to the seeker for meaning which is implied in this symbol is TO LISTEN TO THE INNER VOICE; to listen without personalizing this Voice in a glamour-producing manner. It is the Voice of the Whole, of which one begins to realize that one is a tiny little part yet a significant part, for every note of the universal Chord has its place and its ineradicable meaning.

Just for an added level of input the Sun’s Sabian symbol should be a part of their consideration.

(LIBRA 28°): A MAN BECOMING AWARE OF SPIRITUAL FORCES SURROUNDING AND ASSISTING HIM.

KEYNOTE: The realization, at any level of existence, that one is never alone, and that the “community’ — visible or invisible-is sustaining one’s efforts.

To the man who has ever so little transcended the world of conflicts, and, for a moment at least, experienced the oneness of all existence, this stage should bring the realization of “belonging” to a greater whole. This produces a state Of INNER ASSURANCE.

There is a lot of Mars signature to this week. On Thursday he will form a square to Pluto in Capricorn. It might be appropriate to use caution when seemingly inspired to rush ahead with something. Both these planets have energetic connection to the realm of Scorpio. This is the region of the zodiac most tuned into the life, death, and rebirth cycle we are all on board of participating with. The square aspect can bring about certain conflict and restriction. Other terms for this might be revolt and re-evaluation, friction and restlessness, or outward or inward action to resolve outer crisis. While there are no planets in Scorpio, these two planets carry archetypal perspectives bringing to bear the mystery protocol seeking investigation. Perhaps Mars in Libra is bringing aspects of partnership matters up for Pluto in Capricorn to turn over and investigate if there are long hidden aspects that are surfacing and seeking some level of honesty.

As we go into the weekend the Sun shifts into Scorpio and the depths of the recent Mars/Pluto query are brought nearer the surface. This is edgy stuff. There may be aspects of us that we want to hang onto and at the same time are being offered opportunity to let go of. This is an age old issue we humans face. Standing on the precipice of an alternate trajectory we may know that our backpack contains more than required to venture forward and yet, are we willing to release what we suspect will hold us back from successfully completing the path ahead in healthy fashion?

Scorpio is deep territory in one sense because it can represent a stroll thru the underworld. Stroll may have been a bit casual a description of potential intimate interaction with others and a zone of often beneath the surface interface with aspects of ourselves we intentionally attempt to keep buried. For brevity sake I will save diving into the depths of this Scorpio dance until next week. Suffice it to say that soul searching comes a bit closer to the surface as we encounter the often hidden side of our human journey.

Celestial Chatter 10 – 11 to 17

In the pantheon of planetary dance moves the transition from retrograde to direct and vise versa carries a bit more weight as far as planetary influence goes. In digesting the movement of the planets against the backdrop of the entire celestial surround the Moon and the Sun are the only bodies that do not appear to make retrograde motion. When considering how much influence a particular planet has, it is the amount of time it takes for motion to occur thru any particular location that will give the necessary time to build up a focus of energy to the point ignoring it is not wise. When a planet changes from retrograde to direct it will dwell at the degree of this motion change for varying amounts of time. Mercury will hang at the same degree for about a week in the transitional shift of phase. Saturn when it shifts direction can stay at the same degree for months. This is related to their relative distance from the Sun that creates their arch of travel. Looking at the regular movement of the planets, the personal ones, Mercury, Venus, Mars plus Sun and Moon move right along considerably faster than when you approach the outer planets from Jupiter on. For this reason one must appreciate as significant these outer planets having the time to develop signatures in a particular region of the sky, where it would be wise to pay attention to.

The shifts from retrograde to direct, for the inner (personal) planets, use these moments to bring something to focus in their respective trajectory, in relation to the earth, that allows for their particular energy signature to linger longer for our chance to hone in on what that particular section of the zodiac may bring to focus. Instead of Mercury moving thru up to 2° per day and not taking the time to develop band width the retrograde slows this process down so there is something to dwell upon.

Saturn, on Monday, completes its annual retrograde cycle. It has been hovering at the 8^th degree of Aquarius since early September and will skirt the 7^th degree for ¾ of October before moving forward back into the 8^th degree. This is because the completion of the retrograde movement only brushes the last few minutes of the 7^th degree for about 3 weeks. There is a book by Dane Rudhyar “An Astrological Mandala” in which he interprets a meaning for each of the zodiacal degrees. This I utilize as a divination tool to offer a perspective to any particular planetary moment to be added to other significations. These are called Sabian interpretations and here is the 7^th degree of Aquarius:

(AQUARIUS 7°): A CHILD IS SEEN BEING BORN OUT OF AN EGG.

KEYNOTE:            The emergence of new Mutations according to the great rhythms of the cosmos.

The ancient symbolism of the Cosmic Egg (Hiranyagharba in Sanskrit) out of which a new universe is born can be interpreted at several levels. Here we see the appearance of a new type of human being who is not born from “Ancestors” and who therefore is free from the inertia of mankind’s past. He is a new product of evolution, a mutant. He constitutes a fresh projection of the creative Spirit that emanates from the cosmic or planetary Whole, and not from any local culture and racial tradition.

This second stage symbol is in contrast with the preceding one. It can be said to announce the EMERGENCE OF GLOBAL MAN for the New Age. The power of the whole is focused within him in perfect freedom from ancient standards of value based on local conditions.

Saturn traditionally was considered as the final limits of the solar system and assumed the flavor of limitation. It as well is related to structure and has affinity to the skeleton of the body. In the matrix of Cold/Hot, Wet and Dry Saturn is considered to be Cold and Dry. Cold slows things down and Dry hardens and separates things and breaks connections. There are two other factors Saturn resonates with. Capricorn and Aquarius are the two signs Saturn is said to have rulership over. The Capricorn flavor is that of maturity, wise elder-hood, integrity, and father time or the past. Capricorn is the realm of leadership and control in both governmental and business formats. Aquarius is a very different archetype that brings on board visions that lean more toward the future. There is the potential for a scientific leaning and the use of electricity and invention to accelerate things. The integration of group energy must be considered. Humanitarian leanings ride shotgun on the life journey. As Saturn rules both these signs there is some overlap of energy exchange between them. Structure in Capricorn can be a bit more restrictive than in the Aquarius archetype of mutation for the good of the many. Aquarius leans more on the community vs. just the ideas of government, business and control.

The Monday Saturn station emphasizes that unique Aquarian flavor and as the Sabian symbol alluded to the potential for a new type of birth. Saturn takes about 2.5 years to travel thru an astrological sign so currently has opportunity to work on resonating the Aquarian version of unity in diversity.

Just in case you think that I may have forgotten we are in Libra season, Venus the ruler of Libra is always offering perspectives for the scales to balance. Currently in Sagittarius the harmonious aspects of this Venusian quest for always more, might tickle the fancy toward interchange with different cultural types of folks. Saturn is in this mix as well this week as Venus on Wednesday forms a sextile to it. Sextiles apply a synthesis of the sign/planetary energies involved. This works because air and fire signs work well together and water and earth signs do the same. So, Venus carrying partnership perspectives, in Sagittarius form, want to continue to expand and grow. Combine this with the Aquarius Saturn attempting to formulate a method for more inclusivity of structure and form and you might envision quite an eclectic gathering forming. The new ideas Aquarius comes up with are expanded in true Sagittarian fashion and not outside of the hopefully more than human perspective.

On Thursday this week the Sun forms a trine with Jupiter on the last days of its retrograde cycle. The Sun is vitality or the spiritual fuel required to move forward on the path to self-realization. It gives us purpose. From the Libra field of exchanges with others we are again brought together with the realm of Aquarius and this time with Jupiter. Jupiter, largest planet in our solar system, is, as its size infers, always about growth and expansion of everything it is involved with. It has been at the degree it will station to direct at on Sunday, so I am going to add the Sabian interpretation to our consideration:

(AQUARIUS 23°): A BIG BEAR SITTING DOWN AND WAVING ALL ITS PAWS.

KEYNOTE:            The self-discipline which results from an intelligent development of individual faculties under proper training.

What constitutes the proper training of children or animals is a complex and much disputed problem. The symbol seems to state simply that powerful life energies can be trained adequately, the implication or extension of the idea being that no training is really successful unless it leads to the realization of the value and power of self-discipline. We are constantly faced with situations which, whether we are aware of it or not, are in fact training situations; God or the Soul is the trainer. Much depends on the attitudes we assume in these situations.

This is the third symbol in the sixty-fifth sequence. We see in it the outcome of what is suggested in the two preceding ones. Character and a warm “understanding” of what is involved in the process of growth and overcoming of emotional heaviness can be taught. We can learn to discipline our natural impulses and to use them for a more than personal purpose. This is DISCIPLESHIP in the true sense of the term.

Perhaps this brief solar infusion can be carried into how we engage with one another in the field of partnership. In any case Jupiter has been hanging at this degree since the last week of September and will be there thru the first week of November. There is time to allow for this flavor to sink in.

There is one last aspect on Sunday this week that exists in the realm of potential challenges as the Sun moves into square with Pluto in Capricorn. Squares represent tension, and potential crisis and this is more pronounced when we do not figure out a structure that can contain the energies of both planets involved. Pluto is our slowest moving planet and so has a lot of time to develop matters in the arena where it is traveling. It has been in Capricorn since 2008 and will move on in 2025. Pluto is not really into taking prisoners and as the ruler of the underworld carries a heavy footprint in the minds of most. This is correct but is more relevant for those unwilling to change out of a system or technique that either no longer works or is founded on misinformation. Pluto has the responsibility of excavating buried information (underworld) and exposing it. Pluto as well represents the transition of the life, death and rebirth cycle. The death of what has been is a required step in any cycle so that a next step can happen. What might be an appropriate structure to include both a solar harmonious seeking Libra and Pluto, the purveyor of the most intense level of change possible? We might also ask, are you willing to let go of any hard edged factors constraining the field of any of your relationships and not allowing them to grow, even if that requires releasing them? I will throw one more question out here. Since Capricorn can signify corporate/governmental control are there any business partnership factors that might do with some overhaul? These are essay questions that I will let you dwell upon.

ps: next week Mercury will station to direct and, once again our thoughts may smooth out and, attempts to effectively communicate with one another will be potentially less stressful. Your mileage may vary.

Celestial Chatter 10 – 4 to 10

The multivalent path ahead will be perceived from different perspectives and each may or may not recognize the ramifications to the larger whole or even the portion of it they are living in. Each week as I sit down to converse with the celestial messages, I wrestle with my capacity to make some level of interpretation of a process we are all involved in, at least remotely understandable. The rub is that from the shotgun approach of general astrological unfolding there is only so much each will glean from these words. The reality is that until one actually sits down and has a consultation with a competent astrologer they will be skirting along the surface of the potential depth of who and what their changing mission is seeking for them to embrace in the current incarnation. This may be a bit longer than usual but I would like to walk you thru a couple scenarios in the vast sea of astrological considerations that surface in the celestial matrix.

The Sun represents vitality, for without it the forms of life on our planet would be quite different. As it hurtles thru space, at I don’t know how many millions of miles per hour, dragging its entourage of planets along with it, we should be beholding to its presence as we circle the galaxy. Many pre-Christian ideologies worshiped this glowing ball that rose and set every day and seemed to bring substance to everything that grows. As time went on some intrepid folks made observations related to the timing of this process, as well as the other moving stars in the night sky, and recorded coincidences correlating to these cycles that seemed to be related. That red ball in the sky (Mars) when it would seem to grow larger and more brilliant often there would be skirmishes or wars that would break out, or at least testiness was in the air. The Moon as the most moveable object would visually change the most and it was observed that the plant kingdom often would seem to tune into these cycles, as well as the female human cycle. This went on for thousands and thousands of years (some say hundreds of thousands) until in the last few hundred years before the current era commenced, western astrology was codified and the long battle between some of organized religion and this ancient celestial tool began. The irony was that astrology was simultaneously being utilized by many in leadership positions of ecclesiastical circles to bend the will of man in a controlling fashion. The challenge for the church was that it could not, though it tried to, corner the market on the use of this tool, as it was too powerful to be contained in the hands of a few. To this very day there are religious zealots still attempting to undermine the efficacy of this tool by trying to remove it from the realm of god, or the gods, that have always utilized it to send messages to us through it.

Venus one of the brightest celestial objects next to the Moon and Jupiter, for some reason seemed to enhance our capacities of love and art as tools designed to engage us with one another on so many levels. Currently the Sun is in the sign of Libra, one of the signs overtly enhanced by Venusian energies. From an astrological perspective wherever Libra was in your personal surround as the astrological wheel known as your zodiacal chart, when and where you were born, is and will always be influenced by the celestial dance of Venus around us. Venus, being so close to the Sun, will always be within two signs of where the Sun is. Example: if you were born with the Sun in Capricorn, Venus will be somewhere inclusive and between Scorpio and Pisces in your natal picture of the heavens or your astrological chart. The chart is a 24-hour clock representing the rotation of the earth on its axis. Every day as we role along we will have above us a representation of the celestial heaven as it seems to role on by. Right now the Sun working its way thru the sign of Libra rises each morning in the east and appears to sail across the sky but is always in Libra at this time of year. Midday, wherever you are on the planet now, is maximum Libra energy from the solar perspective beaming down on all of us. As the Sun is the vital energy that animates all of life here on planet earth we are currently being asked to embrace the many perspectives of the Libra archetype. Some of these character images include: lover, artist, diplomat, lawmaker, peacemaker, decorator and host.

Depending on just where Libra was in the surround of your birth moment it will be playing out thru one of the 12 house/archetypes of the zodiac (12signs and 12 houses). The houses are fields of energy that can be perceived as arenas where certain possible kinds of things come to focus. Example #1: 1^st house is in the east where the Sun approaches rising each morning. This is like a brand new beginning where one may strike out on a mission that has not been made clear as yet. There is a lot of energy seeking to do something or just to be. This is the realm of self-discovery just for the sake of discovering. The first steps on a journey begin here even if the destination is not known. Example #2: It is just after mid-day by an hour or so and the Libra archetype is in the 9^th house and still overhead. This is the arena of expanding ones awareness. Higher education of all sorts is stimulated and along with this is the arrival of investigating other cultural perspectives beyond what you have been presented so far in your birth culture. If you can you may be inclined to take trips abroad or at least to the library to discover these seemingly far away viewpoints. In either of these 2 cases Libra energy will be inclined to discover thru the archetype of a particular house substance. Libra in the 1^st house, since Libra has to do with how one discovers the realm of the “other” will want to adventure either with someone else or at least discuss possibilities with others for what might be instigated. Libra, if in the 9^th house, is similarly going on an explorative journey and will be enhanced by sharing the experience with others and not so much a solo process.

Each astrological arena/house has certain factors relevant to the unfolding life journey. One other factor that needs to be grasped is that wherever Venus is in your natal matrix it will offer from whatever zodiacal sign it occupies a version of Venusian interplay with what that sign represents. The current example: Venus is in Scorpio, though only for a short while more as it shifts into Sagittarius on October 7^th. The Scorpio flavor that Venus is inclined to offer into the Libra matrix has been a certain intensity to investigate beneath the surface as to the reasons for relationship of all sorts. Venus may accomplish this by use of a multitude of techniques to possibly diplomatically entice answers from you. It might, as well, test you with intimacy to see if you will let your guard down and reveal secrets you might be hiding. The shift on Thursday this week into Sagittarius is an invitation for Venus to step into new boots that may be ready to go on a quest, and like the 9^th house I brought up before, the invitation to others to come along could be milling around in the mix. This is the tricky part. For someone born with Libra in the 1^st house, that is where Libra will always surface when the Libra season is underway. That Venus in Scorpio has been tickling their 2^nd house Scorpio so is flavored by a penchant to tune into the natural world surrounding us. There may be inclinations to indulge in life including foods that are very rich to the pallet. There could as well be personal resources on the table that are entwined with those of others. The shift of Venus into Sagittarius for this person could very easily aim the journey into exploits around education (3^rd house) by seeking out classes to inspire ways they might employ what they learn and involve themselves with others.

In these weekly Celestial Chatters I post I am aware of the many varied potential versions that exist for each of you and can only skirt the surface of energy signatures at work from an archetypal level. This does not readily translate to something each of you will easily be able to grasp within your personal matrix of understanding. When I mention that this week is the second week of Mercury in retrograde in Libra that 1^st house Libra person will have a very different road to follow from what that 9^th house Libra version is going to be presented with. Archetypally each of us, no matter the birth pattern we chose, will have to re-consider aspects of the role partnership is currently playing and this will show up in our thoughts and communications (Mercury) with one another.

As this week unfolds the Moon will catch up with the Sun and this is referred to as the new Moon. This dark time of the lunar satellite happens each month and usually in the next sequential sign of the zodiac completing 13 lunar cycles per year. Whenever two celestial bodies conjoin in a conjunction something new is attempting to be born that is related in this case to the solar vitality with the nurturing presence of our lunar neighbor. The Moon can be seen as our inner needs for contentment, our instincts, reactions, attachments, and ancestral memory. It is cold and wet, with cold energy slowing things down and wet energy about facilitating connections. Moods may surface, our home may occupy our thoughts, and how one responds to life emotionally may be near the surface. An appropriate Moon question might be “how do you feel?” Feelings are mutable like the changing phases of the Moon. Each solar/lunar conjunction can be a time to reflect on what transpired in the preceding lunar cycle and set a tone to aim for in the upcoming cycle. This one being in Libra, the vitality of being inclusive of others is on the table. As in our 2 examples, is it a 1^st house new Moon that is asking how best to be inclusive of others as we strike out on a new adventure, or is it a 9^th house version that seeks not just anyone but persons with a wider worldly (or is that beyond worldly) perspective to be included on the quest? We set our intentions with the new Moon or adjust our rudders to aim toward a horizon we likely require input to realize.

Thursday arrives as Venus shifts into Sagittarius and new boots need to be fitted for the journey ahead as has already been discussed. The Sun on this same day catches up with and on its way past Mars. Both the Sun and Mars kick up the energy quotient for a few days of travel. An art project you have been considering may get new life, There could be some testiness on board negotiations you are involved in with others. Remember that Venus in Sagittarius is on a quest and seeking assistance from others. Perhaps the fine-tuning of this process may require some diplomacy as the travel gear is finalized before take-off.

The Sun and Mercury retrograde have been moving toward each other since the beginning of the retrograde cycle last week and on Saturday they conjoin as Mercury moves between the solar orb and Earth. Where might our thoughts be drawn in contemplation or action that have their underpinnings in previous interaction moments we shared with another? Might there be some clarity seeking audience in exchanges we encountered recently? Since Mars is still very much involved in this aspect who will step forward to calm the waves of interchange being stirred up in the mix?

While all this has been transpiring, in the background Pluto reaches the end of its retrograde cycle and stations in Capricorn. When a planet stations the location where this transpires is being focused upon at its most intense level and Pluto can be one of the most intense factors to embrace. One could compare this with the refinement in the milling process of flour as an analogy. With Pluto we are seeking to expose for removal as many of the impurities hidden in the process so that the truth can shine thru. This experience that began back in 2008, with Pluto’s entrance into the field of Capricorn, has been slowly grinding back and forth for many years to ferret appropriate versions of control and leadership on the world stage. These retrogrades that last for about one third of each year have been attempting to make sure we are not overlooking any hidden gems that those in charge may have deliberately or inadvertently failed to make us aware of. We still have a few more years of this potentially intense cycle ahead of us.

Those who have stuck with this week’s astro consideration, Thank you. Perhaps it is the Mercury retrograde cycle that has me re-thinking the effectiveness of the energy outlay each week to present these celestial messages and whether or not I should consider alternatives for my time. You see I was born with Libra occupying my natal 9^th house region, so the quest of this lifetime is on the front burner for me currently. Venus is in my 11^th house by transit so the arena of collective collaboration is near the surface. I rarely hear back from anyone about these posts and my aim for transcendent avenues increasingly beckons participation on a wider or perhaps more focused format that my so-called waning years speak to.

ps: I am still doing astrological chart readings if you should be so interested. My web site https://astroshapeshifting.com/ does not seem to work as effectively as I would hope, but I can as well be contacted by email: aquariusx3@gmail.com

Celestial Chatter 9-27 to 10-3

Across the Axis of Life (Aries/Libra) we are now in the realm Libra requiring our focus to be more inclusive of others. With Mercury having just entered the final retrograde motion of 2021 and remaining in Libra for its entire backward journey it is a time for reflection on matters of relationship of all kinds. We as humans are always keen to focus these types of considerations on each other, and that is not out of the question. It is just that our position in these considerations actually should expand to be more inclusive of the rest of creation, often painted as seemingly separate from ourselves, but we as a species maintain this illusion at our peril. I find it ironic to be aware that Libra, among other things, is the realm of the diplomat but as well the artist, lover and host. In considering the diplomat one has only to observe the national impasse currently under way in our congressional halls that are suppose to represent the average citizen and our best interests. POWER appears to be on the table and up for grabs as the backdrop for legislation. Power as strength is very much an Aries archetype. Power as authority, struggle and the people, is very much resting in the realm of the Capricorn. It is the attempt to weave successfully thru this maze that the Libra diplomat is called upon to determine some level of consensus amenable to all those involved. Libra stands opposed to and square from these two avenues of power that in the astrological tenure are the most challenging aspects to overcome.

In a recent workshop with Michael Meade on the wounded healer, he offered a story song from the Dagoba region of Africa. It floods in that area and this song talks about the anguish the man feels as he see is wife and daughter being swept in the flood beside him with their hands up and knows he can only reach out and save one. He then sees is father and his son washing past him with their hands up and knows he can only save one. We are currently in a time when the decisions we make are not going to be able to assist everyone in need and must make hard decisions that we will carry the results of with us.

Chiron, often described as the wounded healer has affinity with both Sagittarius and Virgo. With Sagittarius for an expanded vision of possibility and Virgo for mentorship capacities. Currently in retrograde in Aries during this week will be opposed by both Mars and then the Sun. I bring this up only because it has surfaced for me and appears relevant for what is transpiring these days. We each have wounds that require our attention to heal for ourselves if we are to allow for the expression of the soul we have come to expand thru audience. There will naturally be some attrition within our worlds for we are not here to save everyone beyond ourselves. I say this not to exclude others but as a reflection on the vitality of releasing thru us the mission we each arrived in this incarnation to add to our collective journey. This week’s opposition speaks to the location of a balance between the self and the benefits gleaned by including others.

Into this the current Mercury retrograde factor can seem to be throwing a monkey wrench. This is the penchant folks seem perplexed with when the retreat of our thinking processes slide back into the importance of our own thoughts. While it is often pointed out that our communication capabilities seem to wane during the Mercury retrograde cycles, the aspect of listening to others is the fulcrum upon which this transpires. I would really like to hear what you are saying but my thoughts are drowning out my capacity to hear what you are attempting to share with me. What a unique time to tune into the diplomatic principles attuned to the Libra archetype.

As the week unfolds Venus the planet ruling Libra is currently in Scorpio, and that can instill a bit of intensity to how we engage with one another. On Wednesday she forms a trine with Neptune retrograde in Pisces and Thursday forms a square to Jupiter retrograde in Aquarius. Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces while Neptune is given a modern affinity to the same sign. Blend this together with the Mercury retrograde factors and we have some imaginal potential that may affect our dreams and as well spin our choices to wander beyond our normal comfort zones, or at least, send us traversing realms we may never have thought of before. If we were to overlay this with the Scorpio penchant of peering beneath the surface of what we are dealing with, while in the company of others, caution is required to be very judicious with what we may imagine is transpiring between us.

To add some intrigue to the mix, on Thursday Mercury retrogrades back across the square to Pluto retrograde in Capricorn. This remains in focus for a couple days as Mercury is barely moving. This places the field of relationship at odds with the desires of folks in positions of power and authority. The Pluto overlay is stirring a cauldron of material seemingly buried from us and finding avenues to surface into the open for us to ponder. It is a challenge to not see this in terms of politics, but I have minimal desire to go there. While this is all transpiring these last few days of September we also have the Moon (our feeling, nurturing capacity) wandering out-of-bounds (oob). A Moon oob senses things with minimal care as to what the appropriate rules say are the correct things to do or feel toward others. As well our personal nourishing may wander afield. As the Moon is traversing the realm of Cancer during this time home and family matters are in the spotlight. It is the last quarter Moon phase so a crisis in consciousness surfaces. The oob Moon will also oppose Pluto. Even though these last two factors are brief they carry weight that we must contemplate them in an envelope of mixed emotional and thought factors.

October arrives. Venus forms a sextile with Pluto on Saturday. Now a sextile is an aspect that can synthesize elements, or makes an attempt at finding common ground on which to focus their work together. So we take the mystery factor of life (Scorpio) and allow for some form of blending or pollination to transpire between Venus and Pluto, the planet having modern rulership or strong affinity with the sign Scorpio. I get the sensation of alchemy at work in this configuration. Like turning lead into gold, but in this case exposing relationship’s underpinnings as being required in the leadership roles way to handle the surfacing of information some felt best to hide from the majority.

On Sunday as the week closes Mercury re-forms a trine with Jupiter retrograde in Aquarius and we are once again seeking some expression of common ground to go forward with humanitarian agendas. Because of Mercury’s retrograde movement we are rethinking a matter we recently had brought before us a couple weeks ago. This is the second pass of this aspect of three but this time our thoughts will require some substantial reigning in so as not to tip the apple cart too drastically when working with others. I say this because the Sun moving thru Libra is chasing Mars and will catch up with him next week. Mars has the job of initiating and stirring things up with some form of action but not always well thought out. My gut tells me that the application of patience in the current cycle of planetary dance moves will go a long way toward curtailing misunderstandings that could arise.

Celestial Chatter 9-20 to 26

As we wind down the last couple days of the Virgo season there is a simultaneous slowing down of the Mercurial race between Earth and the Sun. At least that is what appears to be happening from our Earth perspective. The most pressing planetary conversation this week has to do with the Sun’s shift into Libra and Mercury going retrograde for the last time of 2021 in Libra.

Mercury the wing footed messenger of the gods, racing around the Sun at about three times the speed of Earth, it is easy to see why it was given the quality of thoughts or mental processes and have an affinity with Gemini and Virgo. These are both mutable signs, or the culmination of a quadrant of signs and have the responsibility of preparing to alter direction from what has been to what may be seeking audience at the next cardinal moment. Cardinal initiates things. Underlying the speech capacities, Mercury is said to represent our thinking capacities accelerating far faster than words are usually able to keep up with. There is no evidence that language can curtail the speed of thought. Gemini is the orator while Virgo attempts to organize the vast array of thoughts that may be seeking audience.

Even as Mercury is slowing down to retrograde by the end of this week the thinking processes rarely take a break. Where this is observed more readily is in the translation of thoughts into vocabulary. Each person has a plethora of mental directions vying for attention and when Mercury goes retrograde the challenge is that while we may have certain issues we would share with others there is a muddling transpiring to overcome our own thinking enough to listen to what another is offering. It is for this reason that during the Mercury retrograde cycle the communication arena is so fraught with misunderstanding.

As the Sun shifts into Libra, where Mercury has spent most of September, the field of relationship has been near the surface of what our thoughts and communication have been occupied with. The Sun’s arrival kicks up the energy quotient for related topics to move nearer the top of the pile. When you picture the symbol of the scales as the image of Libra, what do you think is being weighed on each side? It is relationship to things. On one side is the image of self and on the other is everything else that may be conceived as not self. The trick is to seek some level of common ground whereby each side of the scales may communicate effectively with one another. Libra is also the beginning of a zone of influence where the collective starts to make its presence known. You are no longer alone attempting to formulate a path forward.

I’m going to go out on a limb here but not a new tree appendage. We are energy beings, but so is everything else. As a human many of us have been taught to view anything that is not self as alien in some fashion, and this has been extrapolated upon the different races of humans as well. Energy can assume any form required, exist for a spell and then be reassumed into the energy matrix before being re-shaped again. We put so much of our effort into the physical aspects of our surroundings with minimal recognition of this ongoing sharing of energy resource underlying the formation of every aspect of life we are part of. When we incarnate we borrow aspects of the physical material, that there is just so much of, and has been recycled forever, but maintain some illusive (taught) perspective that we are separate from it all. The part of us that is the spark of animation for the physical material we have gathered to do the earth walk for a season has always existed and this terrestrial journey is just an aspect we assume to learn from. This pseudo separation syndrome we have been offered as reality is at the core of a system that has shaped the modern, so-called, prosperous bent of culture hell bent on consuming itself beyond the planet’s capacity to support this game. There is a uniqueness we each embody and it has been said that if you do not bring this out for sharing with others there is a hole in the world where this is suppose to fit in. We require one another, and this refers to more than just the human element of the life equation.

The week begins with a full Moon in Pisces and I think we can dive into the Sabian interpretation of this degree of the zodiac to ponder our place within the vision of a whole. From Dane Rudhyar’s “An Astrological Mandala”:

(PISCES 28°): A FERTILE GARDEN UNDER THE FULL MOON REVEALS A VARIETY OF FULL-GROWN VEGETABLES.

KEYNOTE:            The full satisfaction of the individual’s basic needs.

This symbol would seem a duplication of the preceding one, but if it is related to the first of this five-fold series (Pisces 26°) it’s meaning becomes clear. What is stressed now is not the full moon itself or its light, but the moon’s power to call forth the instinctive urge for growth; many things respond in many different ways. The symbol refers to a typical garden, not to a field. Such a garden contains a variety of plants, herbs and vegetables grown specifically to fill an equal variety of human needs and tastes.

In this sense the third symbol of this seventy-second sequence combines the meanings of the first two. It is a symbol of ABUNDANCE, an abundance fitted to individualized requirements and wants.

The first Sabian symbol of this set of degrees reads:

THIRD LEVEL: INDIVIDUAL-MENTAL

(PISCES 26°): WATCHING THE VERY THIN MOON CRESCENT APPEARING AT SUNSET, DIFFERENT PEOPLE REALIZE THAT THE TIME HAS COME TO GO AHEAD WITH THEIR DIFFERENT PROJECTS.

KEYNOTE:            A keen appreciation of the value of individualized responses to any challenge of life.

Can you sense in these Sabian messages certain aspects of uniqueness we each bring to the equation of life? Not necessarily for self-aggrandizement but as functional parts of a whole. The full Moon is a time of maximum reflected solar light on issues that are near fulfillment or at least the potential exists to lay one’s cards on the table to reflect upon.

Two days after this full Moon is the Fall Equinox on Wednesday. The day and night hours are equal and we begin the next phase of the journey, here in the northern hemisphere toward shorter and shorter days on our way to the Winter Solstice. It is now time to begin preparing for this seasonal shift. The gardens are bursting with resources to harvest and save for the leaner times. Our modern culture has slipped away from these natural processes with the shipping of food from around the globe all year round. Here in the USA we are seeing the costs of this modern system as the prices of everything are quickly outpacing our capacity to afford what we require to survive. Perhaps it is time to re-consider priorities and the effects of our footprint on the globe. The harvest used to be a time when neighbors would gather together for the work required to save as much of the produce as possible for surviving the long winter months. You might sense the Libra overlay to this seasonal shift where no one person’s relevance was more important than another’s. All were required to the benefit of the whole.

Mercury in its waning days of forward motion will trine Jupiter retrograde, and will square Pluto retrograde before going retrograde itself on Sunday the 26^th. Then it will proceed to share these aspects in reverse on its way back thru Libra. The Trine to Jupiter in Aquarius might mean a seeking for more of an inclusiveness in our groups as well as some insight our hopes shared with others might expand upon. The square with Pluto in Capricorn could apply tension to effective leadership vs. community exchanges and this might involve verbal language hurdles.

On Thursday Venus in Scorpio will oppose Uranus retrograde in Taurus. Venus, while not at its strongest in Scorpio is the ruler of Taurus so this energy exchange might bring up factors seeking to remain hidden but not effectively and with suddenness that requires some penetrating consideration. Brutal honesty is in the crosshairs as shared resources must be placed alongside individual ones to find a balance.

On Sunday, along with Mercury changing directions, Mars, not at its strongest, in Libra will still be energizing or stirring things up in how we interact with one another as it forms a trine with Saturn retrograde in Aquarius. A trine is a harmonious aspect but Saturn can be often seen to reflect limitation into situations. It should be noted that Saturn often has reasons for attempting to curtail or restrain things from transpiring. From the Aquarius perspective there might be future outworking requiring a steady pace that is more than Mars is often inclined toward.

Sorry for not completing last week’s Celestial consideration but the seasonal weather changes demanded a full force effort in making sure this place was winterized and buttoned down for the impending wind storms.

Celestial Chatter 9-6 to 12

Contemplation is an apt tool to endeavor with as we unwrap the field of our Virgo parts. There really are no limits as to how far down the rabbit hole this may take us, but there are certain energy signatures that come into play at any particular time frame we are dealing with. These in turn can allow our wandering thoughts to attempt fine tuning our focus along particular avenues. Rather than diving into the seemingly overt polarization that assails our senses at every turn of the social pages these days, perhaps there may be other markers along our path that speak to options attempting to awaken parts of our shared humanity. Even as I speak these words I am reminded of the larger context within which we dwell.

Please bear with me as my thoughts wander across the realm of relationship. This is well beyond, but not to the exclusion of, how we may be effective in our shared experience with one another. This will require putting aside the current discordant space we seem to be offering into the whole, and is actually a more inclusive format to just what wholeness is or could be.

Love, when expanded beyond the levels of media hype and social strictures can spawn awareness to connection that transcends truncated versions of simple human incarnation. Have you ever noticed when certain musical notes are fabricated in just particular patterns there is a welling up from deep resources within you that seem to beckon participation within a context exceeding what you have been taught? Might there, as well, be certain haunts within natural settings where the expanded parameters of awareness can almost, or actually, tune into sensations unlike any you commonly experience in you daily toils? I must ask you if you believe the 5 senses are all there is? Have you ever thought about what it means to be an incarnate being, or if maybe this is not your first go round here on planet earth? I bring up these meditations as stimulation to ponder as we consider this week’s celestial conversations to participate in or not.

On Monday this week there are a number of planetary factors that come into play simultaneously. Venus will square Pluto and trine Jupiter. The Sun will trine Uranus and Mars will trine Pluto. To make sure we are not too sedentary the new Moon will transpire on this same day. Okay, that is all astrological jargon to most. Let’s climb on board the astro train and unpack this into my version of layman’s language.

Venus in Libra (potential human harmonious action with all of life) square to Pluto in Capricorn can be a soul-searching process in just how and whom we trust enough to willingly bring into our soul-searching endeavors. You may ask who is providing thru their challenges to you meaningful questions that should be acted upon that can allow for the dissolution of things that are holding you back from discovering parts of yourself seeking to awaken? Add to this the trine from Venus to Jupiter in Aquarius and there might be endeavors you are seeking to expand upon with others sharing similar thoughts and having the willingness to radically change even if it means no longer being able to follow similar paths. Is there trust in this kind of process in yourself-awareness and that of others to release them on their own investigations?

Mars in Virgo is in a trine to Pluto and this may stimulate some life altering awakenings about how one processes their mental organizing capacities. Can you scrap a seemingly well thought out scenario to allow room for something radically different to put in an appearance? I can feel the Virgo part in you squirming at this thought. Just to add fuel to the fire the Sun trines Uranus and our energy center (the Sun) may be bombarded with versions of reality we had not considered up to this point. Something is appearing to be trying to awaken us to parts of ourselves we may not have even realized we had.

While all of this is transpiring on this Monday the new Moon is querying us to set in motion some kind of intent for this next lunar cycle. When the Sun and Moon come together each month the cauldron of potential is rigorously stirred as we are tasked to energetically feel our way into potentially new endeavors or at least bring a different light into our current progress. Since we are working our way thru the Virgo season much of what is transpiring can rest in the realms of appropriate service, requested of us, offered by us, or sensed as more of what we know to be correct. It would be advisable to keep your aim wide as the Uranus factor might be a stretch to your common sense. You might even ask why is common sense so seemingly rare?

To continue to expand upon our Virgo season this is the region of the zodiac that ill health issues may surface thru. If you consider the effects that our thoughts can have on our health it may be reasonable to grasp why it is that some folks can slough off impending health problems more easily than others. In following Virgo as a learning process, we are exposed to multiple options on how to record life issues we will encounter that we may have been exposed to early on in the current incarnate journey. These set in motion some of the abilities we assume to have control over as we proceed with the living experiment. This is not to proclaim that one is more correct than another, but just to awaken us to options we choose, or chose, to follow and can with some endeavor alter on our earth trajectory. Claiming positive, or at least not derogatory, examples to follow can go a long way toward not falling into negative health regimes.

I would like to spin this last thought into wider parameters related to the thoughts I began this week’s ponderings with. There are tonal energy qualities that surround us all the time and have been sounding throughout eternity. When you hear, or sense those moments that are expansive beyond any limitations you may have thought you knew, follow them. Love is a sensation that cannot be bottled or made into a pill or sold in any form. It has and always will exist and occasionally presents in a way that is beyond and infuses our other 5 senses. As we move thru the current incarnation we will discover, in some of our interactions with others, hints of this tonal quality seeping into the interchange we have, with any one of a myriad aspects of the natural surround as well, beckoning our participation in more connected ways than the conscious mind can grasp. If we were to expand this potential to include what it means to be healthy and whole this love energy extends throughout and beyond multiple incarnations in multiple formats as recognition of our soul beings always being in touch with the one spirit and by extension everything we interact with. By the way, consciousness does not solely exist in the mind. Far more potent is the energy field-reach of heart consciousness than the mind can ever fathom.

To round out this consideration Venus will change signs from Libra to Scorpio on Friday the 10^th. Carrying with it the surround of the Libran archetype Venus must endeavor to facilitate as effectively as possible the gauntlet presented by the Scorpio Life, Death, and Rebirth cycle. Intimacy with others is placed into the cauldron to be tested and purified thru a deliberate investigative process that may require the shamanic capacities to ferret an appropriate path toward being birthed anew. A hint: make sure to unburden yourself of too much luggage on this aspect of the incarnational journey.

I must include a traditional astrological perspective for this Friday energy shift. By the ancient techniques of astrology Venus is in detriment or opposed to a sign it rules (Taurus). This can challenge the effectiveness to facilitate Venusian endeavors. On this same day (10^th) the Moon will cross Venus and enter Scorpio where it is said to be in its “Fall”. This is a bit more challenged than being in detriment. It is more than just being challenged in its effectiveness but as well can be compared to being cast into a well where their message will not be heard. Use some care in planning for shared experience with others for this weekend. That smiling Cheshire cat of the Moon in the skies may not be as clear and honest as you might hope.

Celestial Chatter 8-30 to 9-5

While out tilling the garden this morning I had a Virgo thought surface. While Taurus is the first of the earth signs it is not until Virgo arrives that we are tasked with actually stirring things up in order to sift thru the options required in formatting any process we are considering. As I was doing this my wife was in the process of making jam/jelly from the Logan berries and plumbs we have ready to work with. The Moon has slipped into Gemini and will form the waning square with the Sun, so in some form we are all tasked with how effectively we are tuning into our conscience in the current Virgo cycle. One question that may surface is are we being lazy? Gemini, the other sign ruled by Mercury, is bringing us information to categorize in the formulation of our many headed options of correct protocol. You might picture the steadfast Virgo parts of us being about its process of organizing the information and techniques required to accomplish a task and this lunar Gemini energy throwing copious options into the pot. The square, while offering consideration from elements that generally don’t jibe too well with one another, in this case, brings a couple faces of the Mercurial tool up for consideration. This, while part of the Sunday flavor, is how the next week commences with the Moon making its way thru Gemini. To add a twist in the mix Mercury shifts from Virgo to Libra on this same Sunday (29^th).

Imagine this; you are sailing along on a magic carpet ride tuning your senses to efficient ways to engage with all that passes beneath and around you. There may be a comfort to this process that as a self you enjoy, even if a lot of effort is required. With Mercury shifting into Libra we are no longer on a solo journey. There are others entering the mix and possibly clamoring to climb on board the magic carpet with you. This process will exist for most of September in a forward motion until on the 27^th Mercury retrogrades for the last time this year in the Libra sector. Then for about 3 weeks travels all the way back to 10° of Libra to once again begin the trek back toward Scorpio.

Mercury as the ruler of Virgo, (not focusing on Gemini currently) carries a potentially well thought out trajectory that may not willingly be in a hurry to impart to others, but others will show up querying as to how that Virgo efficiency functions. Virgo is the sign of the mentor. There are so many versions of mentor technique to draw upon. I bring this up this week because with Mercury doing the Libra dance, it is likely others want to ferret if they may participate in their own fashion with what may be imparted to them will test our Virgo organizing capacities. Now let’s consider mentorship. Like any true learning process, jamming information into someone is a waste of time. The true mentor is about the stimulation of parts within someone else to potentially awaken them to themselves and their own uniqueness. The Stepford Wives club or cloning is about as hollow a promise for being human as can exist.

While this is a backdrop for most of the rest of the month there are other celestial conversations transpiring for us to tune into. There are only a couple significant ones the rest of this week offers us. Mars, energizing the Virgo process moves into opposition with Neptune retrograde in Pisces on the 2^nd. This might trigger some soul searching related to the arena of service. Mars in Virgo plows ahead with vigor in whatever task it hopes to accomplish. The Neptune in Pisces can tweak this process with questions about whether or not we are providing a service that is beneficial to the larger matrix or are we just following orders like a good servant? The Moon might offer a brief set of circumstances into the equation from Cancer as it forms both a trine to Neptune and a sextile to Mars. Family, or clan, home and our roots beg to be included in our pondering process. To possibly add some stress into this the lunar opposition to Pluto this same day could ask us to make some decisions as to our willingness to let some things go that have outlived their usefulness and that we may have recently become aware of as being hidden from us. Each of us will have a mileage factor unique to our own situation.

On Saturday (Saturn-day) Mercury forms a trine with Saturn in Aquarius. Here is where interpretation of the celestial conversation gets a bit tricky as we each tune into these energy beings from our unique perspectives. Some will shrink away from anything that has to do with Saturn as the taskmaster. Others may sense a certain vitality to be gleaned from accomplishing the tasks assigned us. This is a trine aspect so they are communicating from elementally similar wavelengths. With the air elements there are always mental processes in the mix. Let’s throw some key thoughts together to see just where we might adjust our attunement to this aspect. Mercury in Libra brings communication with others, or at least thoughts aiming in that direction, into the fold. Saturn in Aquarius may be seeking some harmonious outworking where there is meaningful projection into future outworking for humanity. This would be a beneficial time to make sure we are hanging out with others that could be on parallel trajectories with us. As I write this I get a vision of groups gathering to find common ground, that won’t necessarily be easy, but might be required with some substantial soul searching by those involved related to the issues that surface.

This is Labor-Day weekend and many will be attempting to carry out traditional celebrations with family and friends. I trust that those with some level of common sense (most often un-common) will heed the current virus factors in play so that by this time next year we can hug each other and not have to visit the graves of those who couldn’t wait. I know this sounds a bit cryptic but the global nature of the current pandemic is extremely serious and will be with us for years to come. It is up to us to create an environment not conducive to any lingering phases of this. Sorry to have to end on such a bummer of a note for this week. We should realize that the gun has a bullet in the clip, it is being spun and we are each placing it to our head as the trigger is pulled. The irony is that we may not be pulling the trigger ourselves, or are we?

Celestial Chatter 8-23 to 29

Virgo. Now, let’s think about this. The second of the signs ruled by Mercury, Virgo utilizes that informational tool in different ways than Gemini does. While Mercury from the Gemini perspective plays a bit more excited aspect to gathering information that it may or may not hang onto for any length of time, Virgo still gathering these bits of facts attempts to put them together kind of like a puzzle process. As this is accomplished I want you to picture what may be involved in the polishing of an item. There is the application of work in attempting to bring out the luster of something to a point where some level of satisfaction is attained by the one utilizing this process. There is a refinement sought in order to apply what is gleaned thru this investigation. The energies of the zodiacal fields (signs) unfold one into the next. Aries drives diligently to discover itself in impulsive experimentation and as the shift into Taurus transpires the need for toning down these impulses aims our perspectives more toward relaxation. The Leo season we have just been thru has as well stirred the pot vigorously attempting to stimulate the childish imagination into expressing as outwardly as possible everything around us. As we slip into Virgo the energy shift wants to take a breather from all that overt kind of expression.

If you consider the signs from Aries to Virgo this is a zone directed more to the discovery of self and then the signs of Libra to Pisces changes the playfield and our interaction with the collective comes more into play. We all have every one of these sign energies in the mix of who we are. Because these weekly chatters are aimed at the whole I cannot do justice to individual chart matrices that is best left for personal consultations. So, bear with me as we engulf the wider field we are all at play within and know this is the backdrop we each must find our ways thru. When looking at the personal discovery process we come to Virgo as the ultimate zone for consideration of just what may have been uncovered as we made our way thru the hoops and hurdles, the bumps and bruises, and finding just what we want to polish as our purpose of being a self. To say that Virgo polishes, actually glosses over the detailed organizational matrix at work within this energy signature. It doesn’t just appear on the scene all of a sudden and attempt to smooth out the wrinkles we have managed to gather around us. It has been at work since the beginning and has been choosing where to aim itself and what challenges it will ultimately choose to tackle. The testing has been under way all along and when brought to focus certain factors attempt to grab our attention as critical to the vision we seek.

Remember the first thought beginning this consideration, “Let’s think about this.” Virgo is an earth sign so practicality dictates the requirement of meaning in how we join one factor to another. Does this conjoin with that, or if I rub this in one particular direction will the sheen be more effective or not? Always questions arise in the mind of our Virgo parts seeking appropriate application to our quest. It is for this reason that often others will look for coming under the tutelage of someone tuning more effectively into this Virgo arena. Rarely will you see overt advertisement projecting out from the Virgo zone but there is a consistency that speaks volumes to confidence in what they have put together. It is for this reason others may come to them and ask for methodology for a quest they are on. Welcome the Mentor. Hard work has evolved their perspectives and they recognize that others are required to put in the effort themselves if they are to glean the most effective awakening to their own inner awareness. This is where true learning transpires and not from memory of what one has been told. A true Virgo part is not attempting to replicate itself but to stimulate investigation that any other requires to open up channels within themselves that represent their uniqueness. The true Mentor/teacher can learn as much from the interchange of energy and ideas shared with others as is imparted to stimulate the growth within the student.

We each bring a world of awareness into any situation. Some have lesson plans that would test the foundations of even the most stable of us and we are required to allow them space to investigate their paths. Part of the challenge in our modern culture is that in our current trajectory as a society we have attempted to narrow the options to what is acceptable or appropriate in order to be included. This has led to attempts at limiting “change” and that is the only constant within the natural cycle. Growth is not always comfortable. Ask any Virgo or tune into your own Virgo essence.

In this last full week of August there are several Virgo signatures at work to pay attention to. Mercury, at home in Virgo, is toying with some deep waters of contemplation as it slides thru the last part of this sign. As the waning Moon slides on thru the end of Pisces and across Neptune retrograde Mercury approaches and opposes this Neptune factor across the Virgo/Pisces axis. Each of these planets is at home or at least has strong affinity for where it is traveling. This brings up an expanded consideration (of course) of an astrological factor required in any sign consideration. The sign opposed to another always is in play for consideration of how effective one deals with matters of the axis. Service is one word that describes an aspect of the energy signature this axis represents. Virgo’s service often portrays images of a yoke around the neck, or of being under the pressure demand of others to accomplish their desires. Pisces can be represented as more like being of service to a larger cause. There actually is fluidity present in this matrix that can shift back and forth in any moment or situation with these two perspectives. The self in Virgo reaches a point where the requirement is to organize the self in order to meet the collective. In Pisces the collective is invited to relinquish its larger hold on the individual so that individuality as a factor inclusive of everything may be invited within the individual. This is a revolving cycle that we each participate in with the potential to each time around discover deeper resources of ourselves to investigate. Neptune, in this opposition of Tuesday this week, can stimulate levels of imagination for Mercury to utilize in expanding the avenues of investigation available to whatever cause is on the front burner. There are a couple days until the next aspect transpires to dwell on this.

Thursday Mercury forms a trine with Pluto retrograde in Capricorn. Pluto is the signature of life – death – rebirth and accomplishes this by accessing buried factors that may seem forgotten because for whatever reasons they intentionally were kept from us, or we disguised them in order to not face them at the time they first came to our awareness. So, life is humming along and one or more of these hidden things surfaces. What to do, what to do, what to do? Do we get out the shovel and attempt to bury it, deeper this time? It has been tried before. Do we face the music and deal with it? Know that no matter how deep one attempts to conceal these things they are going to surface again and again until we face them. This is an earth trine so practicality is demanded. Let us consider the death part of the equation. Death transpires all the time and our body dies incrementally and is completely reborn over every 7 years. Has death been stalking you? Did you know that when you face death you might discover that he has all along been attempting to teach you the meaning of being alive by not fleeing from him? It is part of the natural cycle of life. Did I hear someone say face the music? There are factors surfacing that are required to be included in the Virgo matrix equation of self-discovery. We may have to allow for part of our well-crafted version of ourselves to die so that there is space available for what has been attempting to be included for, likely, quite a while into our formula of organization. Welcome, Rebirth.

As Sunday arrives over the horizon Mercury once again steps up and makes the shift from Virgo into Libra. What do you say about that? There are words that may surface at this time that could surprise one. Maybe they were bottled up within one’s version of self that now find audience with other than self. Just remember we are still within the season of Virgo. The Sun and Mars, two fiery energies, are making their way within these parameters. This could enhance how one might play the communication tool tickling the Libra arena. Sunday will also be the waning quarter Moon phase (Gemini to Virgo) that can be seen as a crisis in consciousness. This comes more into play if one has not dealt well with the intentions set at the last new Moon (Leo). Perhaps some caution is required as these are the two Mercury ruled signs involved and our thoughts/words might reflect on the impression our Leo intentions set in motion.

So, welcome to the Virgo season. If we willingly invite the Pisces matrix to be included at this time the larger purpose we are attempting to format will have fertile ground to plow. Until next week – Ciao.