Mystical imagineering: Romancing the Pisces New Moon

This week’s mystical New Moon in Pisces on (Saturday March 13 at 7:33pm AEDT) is accentuated by a conjunction between exalted Venus, the goddess of love, and Neptune, the modern ruler of Pisces. The two interpersonal and mystical love planets lend beauty and mystery to the seeding of this New Moon, just as we finally move out of the shadow of Mercury’s (seemingly eternal) retrograde motion, which has been a doozy this time around. 

There’s a powerful quantity of healing energy accompanying this lunation, with Pisces-Virgo situated on the physical-spiritual healing axis, and Saturn and Mars both sextiling Chiron the healer. They offer courageous opportunities to take action via communication in order to heal the wounds of relationship, and help us to bring discipline and maturity to rituals of healing that are necessary for our communities. Pluto is also sextile good this New Moon, suggesting major chthonic transformations that shift the karma of longstanding situations that have caused trauma in the context of our social and political structures. This moon is a seeding that will take time to fruit of course, but the intentions we plant now have powerful potential to unfold in unimaginable ways. 

On Tuesday Mercury moves into 0 degrees of Pisces making communication more nebulous and meandering but also potentially more visionary and poetic. With Mars in Gemini, Mercury’s ingress into Pisces could provoke frustration and difficulties articulating what we mean but it’s excellent for journaling, songwriting, poetry, mystical and artistic thinking. Thursday may feel extra emotional with Mars sextiling Chiron and highlighting the wounds that heal us; Mercury squaring Mars and giving rise to challenges and reactivity in communication, and Jupiter squaring the Moon in Taurus, which further exaggerates the potential for emotional reactivity. Keep in mind that any emotions that do surface now will be powerful vehicles for healing and integration as we move towards the Autumnal Equinox next weekend.

In the meantime, may you plant beautiful intentions and find the space to dream on this watery, introspective, romantic, soul soothing and emotionally rich New Moon my friends 🌘🌊🐋🌞♥️ For a fuller overview of the energies and New Moon readings for all signs check out the video below 🌟 (Time-stamps for all signs in the description)

#piscesnewmoon #neptune #venus #chiron #saturn #mars #mercury #jupiter #pluto #pisces #gemini #taurus #healing #whale #art #evolution #mysticism #magic #astrology

Fiery, fortuitous tidings?

Feisty Mars moves into Gemini today firing up communications and bringing energy, motivation and desire as well as possible aggression, competition and conflict to matters pertaining to news, short distance travel, ideas, business, technology, vehicles, information, colleagues, siblings, neighbours and communications in general. 

As Mars moves into Gemini, its ruler Mercury makes an exact conjunction with the Greater Benefic Jupiter, aka the luckiest planet, a wonderful omen generally speaking, as Mercury receives some of Jupiter’s good fortune in this seeding. But Jupiter is also capable of blowing things up and its conjunction to Mercury intensifies and expands the influence of Mars in the sign of communication, information, ideas and vehicles (I saw two car accidents yesterday, heard of two intense interpersonal confrontations - Gemini rules doubles - and have been watching the shit-show of sexual misconduct allegations against two men in the Australian Federal Government being played out in the media like everyone else.

Generally speaking, Jupiter brings positive, optimistic, forward-looking expansion, and with Mercury ruling facts and information and Aquarius focusing their attention on justice and equality, it seems something has to blow up before justice can be achieved. One thing’s for sure: we haven’t seen the end of the story yet. Mercury-Jupiter conjunctions can also give rise to exaggerated (Jupiter) and deceitful mistruths (Mercury as trickster and thief). Mars is also trining Pluto, planet of power dynamics, sexual trauma and transformation, in Capricorn, sign of the patriarchal structures of power. The Attorney General Christian Porter’s statement on Wednesday that he would not step down in the context of historical rape accusations because it would mean he bears the burden of proof for ‘something that never happened’ and that by extension if he did so there would be no law in Australia, are good examples of these dynamics. 

We’re also seeing the influence of exalted Venus combust the Sun in these dynamics too I think. Venus rules all matters relating to women and combust planets are often thought of as being debilitated by too close a proximity to the Sun, which makes them invisible and burned by the Sun’s rays unless exalted. Venus has the full support of the Sun in this situation but the light’s still blinding. With Neptune, planet of obfuscation, confusion and deception also combust the Sun, it’s clear that we don’t have all the facts yet. 

But we’re definitely seeing the power of Venus expressed this week. Former One Nation minister David Leyonhjelm lost his appeal in a defamation suit against Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young this week with the Federal court describing his attack as “crass, offensive and obviously sexist” and awarding Hanson-Young $120,000. (Venus also rules money.) The Defence Chief was under fire for advising young female cadets against going out in public looking attractive lest they attract sexual predators, and Australian of the Year and sexual assault survivor Grace Tame called for national reform in policy and education to consistently support sexual assault survivors and establish a uniform national standard of sexual consent. Abortion was even decriminalised in South Australia.

In the US Biden’s pick for Director of the Office of Budget and Management, financial conservative Neera Tanden stepped down after failing to be endorsed by key Democratic and Republican senators. Her dubious relationship with corporate donors and support for welfare cuts made her a frightening prospect in the position. Governor Andrew Cuomo too is finally facing the consequences of his cover up of nursing home deaths and multiple sexual harassment allegations, and Senator Bernie Sanders has declared he’ll force a vote on an amendment to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour as part of the Coronavirus Relief Bill. It’s all happening.

Stay tuned for good news this week and be mindful while driving and communicating in tricky scenarios. Consider what you’re ready to relinquish in the lead up to next weekend’s beautiful New Moon in Pisces, which marks the Autumn/Spring Equinox, and let go....

#astrology #art #politics #mars #mercury #jupiter #venus #sun #neptune #sexualassault #justice #aquarius #gemini #pisces #sarahhansonyoung #davidleyonhjelm #neeratanden #berniesanders #joebiden

Seismic change: Saturn square Uranus, Act 1

Today’s stand-off between Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus is the first of three exact squares that will define the major themes of 2021 at both a personal and historical scale. The dynamic set in motion by this transit, which will last all year and into 2022, brings into focus the most important work that each of us will be compelled to accomplish this year. Over the course of 2021 we’ll be challenged to overcome our fears and change calcified patterns of behaviour that prevent us from experiencing liberation in specific areas of our lives. 

The intensity of this transit, and the areas of life affected will depend on each individual’s natal chart but the possibilities for profound change are high. These two outer, slow-moving planets are also the ancient (Saturn) and modern (Uranus) rulers of Aquarius, however they couldn’t be more different. Saturn represents the need for personal and collective responsibility and creates opportunity through painful limitations that trigger our fears and require hard work, leading us eventually to mastery and maturity. Uranus is the planet of radical, shocking, instantaneous change and disruption that awakens and liberates by ripping away the things we’ve clinging to that have been weighing us down and preventing us from moving forward. 

In Taurus, Uranus brings such change in the realm of resources and the things we value. At a global scale, we’re likely to see innovative technological advances (Uranus) over the next two years that allow us to take better care and make more efficient use of the Earth’s resources (Taurus). With Saturn in Aquarius - the sign of social equality, decentralised networks of power, and the self-actualised individual who serves society through the expression of their unique gifts - the focus is on restructuring society and greater individual freedoms. But with Uranus, planet of chaos and rebellion, and Saturn, planet of control and domination as the main players, this process of liberation through structural change will involve periods of both turbulence and restriction. 

Saturn has the upper hand in this dynamic all year, which means that progress will be slow and possibly hard to see but although he is conservative, parental and controlling, Saturn in Aquarius is still forward looking, and intent on securing a better deal for the greatest number of people.  It’s also worth remembering that the last time Uranus was in Taurus, Franklin D Roosevelt introduced the most comprehensive social protections for ordinary Americans in the history of the US. With Saturn in Aquarius rewarding sober, mature hard work that benefits the greater good, Bernie Sanders’ suggestion that Biden could become the most progressive US President since FDR, an idea widely mocked by political commentators, may even turn out to be true. I won’t be surprised to see progressive representatives like Sanders and a growing number of others who embody the sober maturity of Saturn and Uranian radicalism with a focus on Aquarian justice continue to gain power and influence during this period. 

The Saturn-Uranus dynamic operates within a 45 year synodic cycle and each time the two planets come into powerful aspect with one another, they continue to unfold a process of change and reconstruction that has its roots in previous chapters of the story. This particular cycle began in 1988 with the conjunction of Saturn and Uranus in Sagittarius, a couple of degrees from the galactic centre. The catchphrase ‘structural upheaval’ describes the seeding of this cycle, which was followed by major processes of restructuring within the USSR; the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of Germany and the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1989; and the active dismantling of apartheid, the fall of the Soviet Union and the introduction of the World Wide Web in 1991. These events brought radical liberation (Uranus), often through the dismantling of oppressive structures (Saturn) which changed the world and brought liberation to millions. 

Saturn and Uranus met again in 1999 and 2000 in an opening square when they were in the opposite signs (Saturn in Taurus and Uranus in Aquarius) to the ones they’re currently occupying. The Y2K panic, the bursting of the dot.com bubble, the collapse of Enron and the merging of AOL and Time Warner, which laid the foundations for the tech industry as we know it today, all accompanied that transit. Most recently the two planets met in an opposition in 2008. Barack Obama was elected on the first day of the opposition and soon after we experienced a global financial collapse as well as the emergence of digital platforms like Uber, Instagram and Netflix that have become ubiquitous tools in everyday life. 

In 2021 Saturn and Uranus are coming together in a closing square, an aspect that astrologer Dane Rudhyar described as a ‘crisis in consciousness’. The issues that are surfacing now in our lives may feel shocking, confronting, frightening and overwhelming, but they’re the very experiences that will allow us to find liberation and the expansion in consciousness necessary to level up in our lives and in society at large. The first of these squares today sets the stage for the work needing to be done. But if the obstacles are feeling insurmountable right now, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. What starts out looking dire is likely to end up working out much better than expected. And we have three more passes to understand, overcome and build something radically liberating and new from the challenges we’re being presented with in this dynamic between the old way and the new. Saturn will square Uranus again on June 17 and on Christmas Day, and then finally again on October 12 2022. 

Uranus is pushing us out of our comfort zones but Saturn has control of the brakes. With Saturn all powerful in the skies for now, pushing forward against the restrictions we’re experiencing will only cause more frustration and potentially even accidents. We’ve got some more work to do before Saturn gives us the green light to move forward but the scenarios that continue to unfold for each of us in 2021 are like tailor-made training programs designed to increase our mental, emotional, material & spiritual fitness for the big adventures to come.

For more on the personal implications of this transit & other aspects playing out this week, feel free to check out this week’s video overview below.

Earth changes, 2021

Gouache & iridescent watercolour on paper

111 x 75cm

#earthchanges #seismicchange #socialequality #environment #energy #liberation #saturn #uranus #venus #mars #mercury #february2021 #taurus #aquarius #astrology

Dreaming the World: Aquarius New Moon 2021

I’m no expert in astrology but even my favourite masters consider today’s auspicious New Moon in Aquarius one of the most powerful lunations of 2021. It’s a day for ritualising intentions for a cycle that is likely to bear rich fruit, with some enormously supportive planetary influences assisting this growth over the next 18 months.

Not only is this New Moon occurring in the midst of a massive alignment of planets in Aquarius - the first time since 1962 that so many have gathered together there at once - initiating a supercharged cycle of forward thinking energy, it’s also amplified by the magnificent influence of a conjunction between Jupiter and Venus - the two luckiest planets - who are exact when the New Moon forms at 6:06am AEDT. Pretty epic. This lunation also begins the New Chinese Lunar Year of the Ox - 恭喜发财 🌞🌑🐂 and interestingly, its slow, disciplined, dependable hard work that promises eventual prosperity, is also reflected (in my thinking) in the strong Saturnian and Taurean influences of 2021.

The lead up this week has been charged with both tensions and grace. Mercury retrograded into the heart of the Sun and the Aquarian planets continued their square to Uranus, Mars and Black Moon Lilith in Taurus. But now Mercury emerges as the Morning Star with more vitality and vigour and continues into a conjunction with Venus on Saturday Feb 13 and with Jupiter on Valentine’s Day. He stops, auspiciously, before running into Saturn, still the most powerful planet in our skies, and the one to whom all planets with the exception of Neptune currently answer. Mercury will eventually cross back over Jupiter and Venus again in forward motion, further stimulating the growth of whatever we choose to plant on this Moon.

So plant courageous seeds of intention today beautiful friends with faith in the possibilities unfolding. If you’re interested to know more about the specific opportunities available to us in this powerful lunation check out the ‘Dreaming the world’ overview and ‘Readings for All Signs’ videos below. I hope they’re helpful 🙏🏽

Wishing you love & good fortune on this auspicious Lunar New Year my friends

🌞🌑🌱🌿🌳🌸🍑

 恭喜发财

🧧🐂🌙

Dreaming the World, 2020

Gouache and Japanese iridescent watercolour on paper

21 x 29cm

 #aquariusnewmoon2021 #dreamingtheworld #jupiter #venus #saturn #mercury #uranus #mars  #neptune #february2021 #lunarnewyear #chinesenewyear #yearoftheox #taurus #aquarius #astrology

Making honey: The astrology of 5-11February 2021

The other morning I was lying in bed trying to dream up an idea for a painting that I could use as mnemonic device to remind me to work smarter not harder, and the image that came was of a beehive and fat bees, drunk on scent, nuzzling luscious blossoms for nectar.

Over the last couple of days, I’ve realised that it’s actually a magical and auspicious metaphor for this week’s astrology. Venus, the goddess of love and abundance meets Saturn, the god of discipline and hard work at 5 degrees of Aquarius on Saturday February 6. Aquarius is the sign of the self-actualised individual serving society and of decentralised structures of power that serve the greater good. 

Venus-Saturn conjunctions tend to make Venus more serious and hard working than usual, which fits the metaphor of the beehive, and of the Queen Bee as Venus, the creative dimension of our psyche, who directs the work. Saturn in his rulership in Aquarius is more powerful than the Goddess of love in this dynamic, compelling her to work hard and to overcome the obstacles that will both inform and strengthen the structures she is attempting to build for the abundance and well-being of her community.

She reminds us of the importance of sweetening the work, of following our senses and our curiosity, of knowing that we each have a role to play and that we’re not being asked to contribute more than we’re capable of giving because epic results are derived from collective contributions. It reminds us of the mutual importance of seeking out beauty in our lives and drinking it in in order to nourish ourselves and each other, as well as patiently and painstakingly building structures, which are both practical and beautiful, that will nourish and protect ourselves and others. 

On Sunday February 7 Venus in Aquarius makes a square to Uranus, planet of change, disruption and innovation in her own sign of fecund, slow-growing Taurus. We could think of this tension between the two planets, who are in mutual reception, as generating an opportunity in which a desire for change that leads to greater love, beauty, abundance, creativity and freedom meets the need for discipline, strategy, hard work and maturity. It helps us to get very clear about the intentions we want to plant on the immensely powerful New Moon in Aquarius on Friday 12 February. This New Moon promises the fertilisation and expansion of any intention we plant and cultivate this year, with both of the benefic planets - Venus and Jupiter - exactly conjunct at the moment of the New Moon, and the major planetary transits of 2021 providing continuing opportunities to build towards their realisation.

This week’s homework is to get clear about your intentions. What do you want to build, create, change, expand and nourish this year? What do you want to innovate in the context of your communities, creativity, connections and resources? What structures would you need to build? And what beliefs and psychic limitations would you need to relinquish in order to make it happen? This week is a powerful one for letting go of old stories and ideas, for cultivating fertile soil from the refuse of our psychic lives in preparation for seeding. It’s part of a bigger cycle that we’ll be undergoing throughout 2021 and 2022, so dream big and magnificent dreams my beautiful friends.... 

For a little more on this week’s magic check out the video below 🐥🐝🌞🌸🌒

#workinprogress #iranoutoftimetopaintbees #venus #saturn #jupiter #chiron #bees #beehive #queenbee #magic #aquarius #taurus #uranus #mars #newmoonaquarius2021 #astrology

Leo Full Moon January 2021

Happy Full Moon in Leo beautiful friends 🌞🌕🦁🧡

The Sun is exactly conjunct Jupiter at 9 degrees of fixed sign Aquarius as it illuminates today’s Full Moon in fixed sign Leo at 9 degrees. And at the same time Venus and Pluto are exactly conjunct next door in Capricorn at 25 degrees.

The energies are amplified and enlarged and there are opportunities for revelation and transformation as well as triggers in relationships. This is immensely powerful energy and it sets the tone for a challenging and powerful week to come.

You may already have been working incredibly hard over the last week while feeling overwhelmed and worrying that you’re falling short. The pressure continues to build next week. This Leo Moon reminds us to have confidence in ourselves whilst remaining humble, knowing that it’s ok to be wrong, and not quite good enough at the things that are important to us, because that motivates us to get better.

The Full Moon is opposing Mercury, Sun, Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius as well as Pluto and Venus in Capricorn so it’s incredibly important that we take care of ourselves and create opportunities where we can for pleasure, connection, play and romance - even if it’s with ourselves - to balance out the enormous responsibilities that are on our shoulders, which are reflected in these planetary dynamics.

Things are likely to go wrong left, right and centre this week if they haven’t been already as Mercury goes retrograde on Sunday January 31. We need to be patient and kind to ourselves and others, knowing that the mistakes, mishaps and breakdowns we’re experiencing are helping to attune us to what’s important so that we can continue improving towards our heartfelt goals. The Saturn-Sun square Uranus-Mars energy may well generate shocks but Jupiter will likely protect us form the worst this week.

If you’re interested beautiful friends, you can find the full forecast for this powerful and challenging week on my YouTube channel. I’ve posted the link separately 🌟

Much love and best of luck this week lovelies 🌞🌕🌟💗🔥

Reverse warrior, 2020

Gouache & Japanese watercolour on paper

21 x 30cm

#leofullmoon #fullmoon #leo #sun #jupiter #venus #pluto #uranus #mars #mercury #neptune #nodesofthemoon #art #painting #astrology

Airy and earthy change-making tensions: January 20-26 2021

This week’s astrology reaches a peak today, which as we all know, is Inauguration Day in the US. Mars, planet of war, aggression and ‘what we want’ is exactly conjunct Uranus, planet of rebellion, chaos and the shocks that liberate at 6 degrees of Taurus. No one will be surprised to learn that conflict and disruption could be on the cards over the coming days under this astrology.

This potential is further exacerbated by the Moon’s placement in Aries, which can express as a tendency to provoke reactions in order to release emotional energy. The best medicine for neutralising conflict-prone emotional tendencies is to find physical outlets for agitation. With Uranus involved you’ll be rewarded by trying something different: dance to eccentric music that you love, try a new yoga class on YouTube, play crazy physical games with your kids…

The Moon in Aries is also squaring Pluto at 24 degrees of Capricorn today, which makes it an extremely cathartic and volatile energy of potentially painful endings and the beginnings that emerge from their ashes. Saturn at 3 degrees and Jupiter at 7 degrees of Aquarius are also closely squaring the Mars-Uranus conjunction, making them a pivotal part of this unfolding story.

Saturn represents repression and forces of domination, Uranus, rebellion and chaos. Mars is aggressive reactivity and Jupiter makes all of it bigger. Having said this, there’s also the potential to experience the higher expression of these planetary energies both in the world and in our own lives. Jupiter in Aquarius is also better able to exert a positive influence on potentially explosive situations compared to 2020. In Aquarius, he wants justice and is better able to achieve it.

Saturn may also exert influence through restrictions and limitations that force us to face reality and mature. Uranus governs innovative solutions and flashes of brilliance that inspire us to pursue radically new and liberating courses of action. Mars wants us to pursue what we truly want in our lives rather than the poor proxies of it that make us prone to anger and reactivity...

These dynamics play out differently for everyone so for an idea of the kinds of themes you might be working with personally through these dynamics, as well as the opportunities available within them, the full version of this forecast for ALL RISING SIGNS can be found on my YouTube channel!

If you don’t know your rising sign or Ascendant (AC), you can find it by going to astro.com, clicking on ‘extended chart selection’ on the right hand panel, and entering your birth details and time of birth. In ‘chart selection’ click ‘whole sign houses’ then click ‘Show chart’. The sign where your AC is located is your rising sign!

If you don’t know your time of birth you can also use these forecasts for your Sun sign, which is a very popular divinatory method we’re all familiar with as Sun Sign astrology.

Take care of yourself this week beautiful friends, and keep an eye out for the magic amongst the chaos!

All signs time-stamped in description box.

#mars #uranus #jupiter #saturn #pluto #moon #venus #mercury #taurus #aquarius #aries #january2021 #inauguration #astrology #2021

Revolutions in future abundance…

13 January 2021

Saturn, the Titan ruler of the Golden Age, and Uranus, primordial sky god, square all year in 2021. All this week we get a taste of what Uranus is up to in the story of our lives as he approaches a square from Jupiter, planet of expansion. This week may introduce some themes that will continue to unfold for each of us over the course of the Saturn-Uranus dynamic this year, with the first square occurring on February 18. This week’s square may amplify unexpected disruptions or create a strong urge to break free of traditions and routines to try something new that feels immensely liberating.

Under this influence we’re likely to experience a profound tension between the old way and the new. Squares propel us to take action, and Saturn in Aquarius wants us to mature, to build new structures that give form to forward-thinking ideas. Saturn promises hard work and obstacles, Uranus promises the unexpected removal of constraints through radical, innovative change that awakens and liberates.

Because they’re both slow moving, outer planets, their influence affects the course of events at a global scale as well as for each of us individually and because of the longevity of this square, which lasts a whole year with three exact conjunctions in February, June and December) it will affect us for much longer than the average planetary aspect and its effects will be MUCH longer lasting.

Both Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus are about forward moving, realistic change. In Aquarius Saturn is concerned with architecting fairer realities that benefit everyone; Uranus in Taurus is concerned with setting us free from foundational beliefs that have prevented us from experiencing true self-worth and emotional and material security. Both Saturn and Uranus rule Aquarius, the sign of the self-actualised individual.

Uranus is also in Venus’ sign and he receives a superior trine from her this week also, which suggests that the goddess of love has the ability to positively influence events. In Capricorn she asks us to be ambitious in working towards an outcome that enhances love, creativity, material security, pleasure and self-worth, and which harnesses Uranian innovation, experimentation, and eccentricity as a means of doing so.

Saturn occupies the superior position to Uranus in 2021 so it may be hard to believe that the kind of change we dream of is actually possible. But Uranus is capable of achieving impossible things. In the words of love Rick Levine, Uranus is responsible for “the instantaneous resolution of irreconcilable opposites”.

By choosing what we want to change, grow and innovate this year (particularly in the area of our chart where Uranus is transiting) and then applying the necessary discipline and maturity to give these new possibilities form, we can optimise the potential of this hugely significant transit and orchestrate a personal revolution in our own lives, that sets us free from ancient, ancestral burdens and helps to propel the collective forward...

Lovely friends, this month anyone who posts a comment on any of my January 2021 YouTube videos responding to the question “What does personal revolution mean for you in 2021?” have the chance to win an hour-long Tarot and natal chart reading with me ♠️♦️♣️♥️🌟🌞🌙 Maybe it’s too much to ask... but I do give good Tarot! And I would really really REALLY love to read your answers...

#tarot #giveaway #personalrevolution #whatdoespersonalrevolutionmeantoyou #golden age #uranus #saturn #jupiter #venus #ricklevine #taurus #aquarius #2021 #astrology

Feeling in… Cancer Full Moon Culminates 2020

30 December 2020

Welcome to the 2nd Cancer Full Moon of 2020 beautiful friends 🌕 🦀 I hope this potent moment of reflection and feeling offers you all a precious window to review all that 2020 has been, and all the ways in which we’ve been subtly and profoundly changed in the process of enduring these once in a lifetime experiences🌟⚡️

This is my last astro post for 2020 and there hasn’t been enough time to write so it’s also my first video! Thank you all SO much for coming on this incredibly unexpected journey with me, it’s been deeply inspiring and rewarding and I’ve learned so much in the process, thank you 💗🌞

I’m wishing you all SO much love and magic at the culmination of this epic and world-changing year. Feel in, dream the visionary dreams, and honour yourselves for all that you’ve achieved in 2020 my darling friends, both internally and externally, we’ve all done so well 💪🏾🔥🌞

May your transition into 2021 feel sacred and nurturing, however that looks for you...

Until 2021!

🌱🌿🌳🌸🍑🌞

#cancerfullmoon #venus #neptune #saturn #uranus #2020 #cancer #capricorn #newyear #blackmoonlilith #eris #pallasathena #astrology #december2020

The Great Mutation 2020

This evening, dearest friends, we experience the subtle but profound shift in cosmic energies that occurs when the largest and most distant visible planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, come together in a close conjunction in our skies. If the weather’s clear at twilight we’ll see this rare occurrence above the Western horizon. Sadly, it’s likely to be hidden by cloud cover here in Naarm but perhaps it offers us a deeper opportunity to feel into the unique signature of these energies. The two planets will be as close as we’ll get to see them at around 11pm AEDT.

Although the Great Conjunction occurs every 20 years, this year the two socially influential planets leave the element in which they’ve been meeting for the previous 200 years, shifting us out of Earth and into a new 200 year Age of Air. The sign in which Great Conjunctions occur determines the shape of collective events over the ensuing 20 year period and the element they meet in describes the overall character and concerns of the era. Air is the element of the mind, of consciousness, information, justice, perception, curiosity and creative intelligence. Aquarius rules the internet, innovation, technology, astrology, social equality, social distancing, de-centralised networks of power, expansions in consciousness, the cosmos, outsiders, eccentrics, trailblazing individuals who shine in our collective firmament and the potential for each of us to serve the greater good through the authentic expression of our gifts.

This year’s meeting of Saturn and Jupiter is also one of their seven closest conjunctions in 3000 years. The last visible alignment this close was in March 1226 and it won’t be this close again until 2080 and then 2400. The Great Mutation of 2020 also occurs on the Summer/Winter Solstice, a highly unusual event in itself. The Solstice marks the Sun’s maximum/minimum declination along the ecliptic, the transition into Cardinal Capricorn and the beginning of Summer/Winter. 

On this Solstice, the Great Mutation situates us on the cusp of a major new phase in our lives. The house where it occurs in our natal charts indicates the areas of life that will be defining for us over the next two decades. Although much about this unfolding era is unknown and turbulence and tumult may surround the changes ahead, our vision will act as our guiding star. This is an immensely powerful time to focus on the nature of this vision, to articulate intentions for the coming era that feel authentically aligned with the truth in our own souls. Ask for what serves the highest good. 

This week’s potent astrology extends these era-defining events. Today we also experience the third of 2020’s Mars-Pluto squares, and this is big, and not necessarily easy energy. Mars is the planet of action, ambition and aggression. Pluto’s the planet of power, destruction, hidden material, trauma, renewal and riches. This transit may trigger challenging issues, competitive tensions, struggles for dominance, anger and reactivity relating to themes that have been unfolding throughout 2020 but it also gives us access to enormous reserves of power and energy to achieve and transform. There’s a spiritually potent dimension to this energy. If we can relinquish our need to be right, to prove ourselves, to win, and courageously face the surfacing subterranean material in order to simply experience its power, we surrender to god, to the higher frequencies within the cosmos through which we experience grace.

Just as Saturn and Jupiter form the Great Conjunction at 0 degrees Aquarius tonight, the Sun and Mercury also meet at 0 degrees of Capricorn amplifying the initiating energy. Yesterday, Mercury was cazimi - within minutes of an exact conjunction with the sun - and we may have experienced some beautiful communications with the Messenger planet at the throne of the Sun. With Mercury combust today, it’s rendered invisible by the Sun’s rays and the influence of our egos or our souls may be intensified in Mercurial matters. External communications may be more challenging but we’re determined behind the scenes. Combustion can further assist us to tune into what is true in our hearts, to burn off old stories that no longer serve the path of our soul’s growth.

The ‘Father of Astronomy’ Johannes Kepler developed the mathematical tools to identify the position of the planets over time following the laws of planetary motion. He employed these tools to study the Great Conjunction cycles in depth in 1603 and proposed that the Star of Bethlehem, which the Three Wise Men, Zoroastrian priests and astrologers, used to predict the birth of Christ, was a similarly close Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter and a Great Mutation into the sign of Pisces. This unfolding moment in our own collective history feels similarly defining. Under the influence of Aquarius, however, there’s potential for each of us find our own unique way to god and through the expression of our unique gifts, ensure the betterment of our world. 

#astrology #2020 #thegreatmutation #greatconjunction #saturn #jupiter #aquarius #kepler #mars #mercury #capricorn

Airborne Saturn

After an enormously dense year of gravity in Capricorn, Saturn finally becomes airborne today in Aquarius. Saturn rules both signs, so we’re not entirely free of his restrictive impulses but he’s far happier in Aquarius giving form to new ideas. There are other cosmic influences still at play, which make this energetic shift more complex, however, and we should be wary of overly idealistic thinking. 

The Moon is currently travelling through Capricorn, which is one of her more challenging transits. Yesterday as she eclipsed Pluto, we may have felt the triggering of more difficult feelings. Today at 4:35pm AEST she crosses Jupiter, and at 5:27 pm she’ll eclipse Saturn at the exact moment he enters Aquarius at 0 degrees 0 minutes. The cosmic poetry of celestial events continues to blow me away this year. The Moon in Capricorn can produce overwhelming feelings and it can help to channel our energies into projects that allow us to process our emotions whilst we work towards achievable goals.  

Also yesterday, Venus moved out of her fall in Scorpio and into Sagittarius. Her host Jupiter is still in his fall in Capricorn until midnight December 20 however, and today Venus forms an antiscia, or secret conjunction, with him. This could lead to a feeling of intensification in relationships and more challenges in communication and around concepts of belief. With Mercury combust the sun until the Solstice, listening becomes more difficult. And yet combust Mercurial energy can be powerfully channelled into spiritual processes. As Mercury approaches the Heart of the Sun on the Solstice, we burn off dross. We could practice listening as a form of spiritual devotion. 

Pay attention too to what’s happening in your own world and to how the energies feel this afternoon and over coming days. What’s changing, ending or shifting? What feels new? There’s an orb of influence around these events, which means that we can feel their waves reaching us at different times before and after they’re exactly triggered. And by paying attention to the ways in which these celestial events are reflected in the patterns of our personal lives, as well as in the collective, we can learn how best to use these energies and opportunities to our advantage. We’re learning how to surf the cosmic tides to achieve maximum ride. 

All year astrologers have been looking towards Monday’s Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, an event that occurs once every 20 years and influences the trajectory of society for that period in significant ways. This year the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction occurs at 0 degrees of Aquarius, an incredibly potent degree, for the first time in 800 years and on the Solstice itself, which is an extraordinary confluence of events. However, it’s more significant still. After meeting in Earth signs for 200 years, Saturn and Jupiter shift on the Solstice into a 200 year Age of Air. This elemental shift, referred to as the Great Mutation, will focus society’s attention towards airy ideals and concerns for the next 200 years: the relationship between community and individual freedom, social equality, technology, innovation and consciousness, and the expansion of our understanding about our place within the cosmos. 

Most astrologers with an astronomical understanding of the Earth’s axial precession suggest that the famed Age of Aquarius isn’t likely to begin for another 100 or so years. However, if this is the case, it begins within this Age of Air, which means that everything we do, think, achieve, intend towards and act upon from now on establishes the foundations for the world we all hope to leave for our great great grandchildren. This is one of the most profound epochs in human history. The coming years will not be easy but they will be extraordinary and transformative. And we’re blessed to be incarnated at a time when we have greater power than ever before as individuals and communities to shape the world we wish to leave behind us.

#astrology #2020 #saturn #aquarius #greatconjunction #greatmutation #bridgetothegoldenage

Crowning: Total Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius

How are you all faring my friends? If you’ve been feeling the intense vibes like me (it’s been one of my toughest weeks of 2020) I hope it helps to know that you’re not alone and that you’re doing some epic, karmic, cathartic work here.

We can thank tomorrow’s enormously powerful total Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius for the intensity (December 15 @ 3:15am AEST). Solar eclipses amplify the power of ordinary New Moons, and as with all eclipses, they have a mysterious way of unfolding long before they actually occur and continuing to influence the character of events for a similarly long period afterwards. They can sometimes feel so subtle that we barely notice them or so dramatic that our lives are changed forever. This eclipse occurs close to the nodes of the moon, which makes it more powerful than usual.

It’s a highly mental eclipse in Sagittarius with Mercury closely conjunct the karmic south node and combust the Sun (so close that it was considered by ancient astrologers to be scorched by the Sun’s rays and unable to function in its usual capacity). Mercury‘s also transitioning to his Evening Star position, taking on the qualities of Hermes the trickster and psychopomp. It may feel more difficult to perceive the true nature of events, easier to fool ourselves or seek escapist strategies for coping. We may feel burdened by the demands we place on ourselves or even feel covertly attacked. Conversely, these very same conditions profoundly amplify the potential for spiritual growth if we focus on eradicating ideas, assumptions and beliefs that have been causing chaos and suffering in our lives.

This eclipse combines the feeling of both a final exam & the graduation. There’s a mounting pressure in having to make decisions that we have one chance to get right, which makes us feel exhausted and overwhelmed. But it gets easier when we realise that we’re being tested on our courage to move past toxic, outdated dogma and belief in order to be true to ourselves.

Mars, the god of action, also makes a positive trine to this eclipse propelling us forward fueled by our desires. Sagittarius is Jupiter’s sign, but the Great Benefic and god of expansion has been unlucky in Capricorn all year, making the difficult aspects of our lives bigger whilst thankfully still being able to minimise the potential for total catastrophe. The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Aquarius occurs a week after this eclipse and Jupiter gains a significant improvement in status with this shift. Situations that may have looked dire during this eclipse period are also likely to take a significant, surprising and swift turn for the better.

If 2020 is the labour that births a new era, tomorrow’s Solar Eclipse is like the crowning. Which is to say that our labour isn’t done yet. It leads us to the Great Conjunction on the Solstice, when the metaphorical baby meets the air. As anyone who’s given birth knows, January will involve major adjustments and challenges but we could also fall in love with the emerging possibilities and changes in our lives.

#astrology2020 #solareclipse #sagittarius #southnode #jupiter #greatconjunction #crowning #astrology

Emotional landscapes: Gemini Lunar Eclipse November 2020

Full Moon Penumbral Eclipse in Gemini, 8:29pm November 30, 2020 AEST

Today’s Gemini Full Moon Eclipse is the second last of the year, and although it’s a more subtle event than the coming Sagittarius Full Solar Eclipse of December 15, it’s another of the critical gateways of the year.

Astrologers consider eclipses to be amongst the most powerful of celestial aspects. Their impact unfolds over long periods of time, influencing the course of events for up to a year, and frequently alter the trajectory of people’s lives. Lunar eclipses tend to be internal and emotional and correlate with family and home issues, the past, culminations and endings, while solar eclipses are associated with external events and the beginnings of new cycles. All eclipses tend to reveal truths that have been hidden before our eyes.

Today’s Gemini Lunar Eclipse is ruled by Mercury in Scorpio, the sign of transformation through deep psychic work and the tending of unhealed wounds. Difficult issues being triggered now ask for a re-examination of our beliefs in order to correct possible errors of perception. With the Moon quinqunx to Venus in Scorpio, our beliefs about relationships are specifically requiring transformation here. And with the Sun quincunx Uranus the dynamic between what we value and what we’re willing to sacrifice in order to achieve it is illuminated. Quinqunxes reveal our vulnerabilities, push us out of our comfort zone but inspire us to explore new possibilities.

This eclipse asks us to pay attention to and be conscious of subtle emotional realities. Gemini governs the transmission of intuition and insight into consciousness, and tuning in to percipient signals now could lead to epiphanies that allow us to draw more liberating and empowering conclusions. Today’s eclipse asks us to consider how we’re interpreting the emotional situations of our lives. Gemini is the data, Sagittarius the interpretation. Gemini north node energy expresses as a curiosity to understand vastly divergent perspectives without judgement whilst shadow Sagittarius expresses as an inability to listen to others and a blind assurance that one’s own views are right.

Curiosity is the magic we’re being encouraged to cultivate now, both for the mysteries of our own lives and those of others. The work we do in these areas between now and December 15 will determine the tone of the new cycle being initiated with that immensely powerful Sagittarius Solar Eclipse and could prevent issues from escalating to an intense climax around that time.

Nature will be a balm for intensely over-stimulated minds during this lunation. This is NOT a time for conducting rituals, signing contracts or making dramatic changes, although fast and unexpected changes often occur spontaneously during eclipse periods. It IS a time to focus our awareness inward, to allow the river of life to carry us forward as we pay close and curious attention to the extraordinary emotional landscapes, alert and responsive to what the journey asks of us.

#gemini #sagittarius #lunareclipse #2020 #astrology

Awakening to love

All week Venus, the goddess of love, art, beauty and abundance, has been inching towards an opposition to Uranus, the Great Awakener. Venus is in Scorpio, sign of secrets, psychology and passion, and Uranus, planet of freedom, disruption, rebellion and revolution is in Taurus, ironically, the sign most resistant to change. 

The Venus-Uranus opposition is intensified by the Moon who joins Uranus tomorrow at 6:09am (November 28 AEST) when all three celestial bodies are exact at 7 degrees. With Monday’s Full Moon Eclipse in Gemini drawing close, this weekend’s opposition/conjunction becomes more powerful than it ordinarily would be. Venus-Uranus oppositions can bring about unexpected shifts that generate greater freedom in relationships. Although these can sometimes feel shocking, with Venus in Scorpio we can cultivate the desired shifts in gentler ways: by examining our psyches for unconscious motivations and transformative insights that deepen our understanding of love and engender emotional and material stability, which is the domain of Taurus. 

This conversation between the planet of interpersonal love (Venus) in the sign of transformation (Scorpio) and the planet of radical change (Uranus) in the sign nourishment and stability (Taurus) asks us to consider what we need to alter, innovate and transform in our lives in order to find more peace, beauty, abundance and security. Monday’s lunar eclipse brings about a culmination of some kind, and the radical shifts that could occur this weekend thanks to Uranus, offer us powerful opportunities to resolve outstanding issues and to reorient our vision towards what we love most deeply, what we value most profoundly and what we most desire to transform. The Moon not only heightens the rich emotional quality of this dynamic but encourages greater emotional risk taking as well as greater self care. 

What’s more, on Saturday, Mercury in Scorpio, ruler of Monday’s eclipse, sextiles the planet of power and transformation, Pluto. This is extremely powerful energy and in addition to the Venus-Uranus opposition, has the potential to radically reorient dynamics in relationships, facilitating opportunities to speak truth to power that level the playing field or to communicate deeply at the crystalline levels of the soul. Mercury will go on to sextile Jupiter on Sunday and then Saturn on the evening of the eclipse. In the final major aspect for tomorrow, the Sun in Sagittarius trines Chiron the healer, illuminating an old belief we’ve held about ourselves, which has robbed us of our power and caused us untold suffering. With Venus receiving power from Mercury’s conversation with Pluto, and Uranus so powerfully activated by both the Moon and Monday’s eclipse (eclipses are active for 10 days before and after), the potential for instantaneous liberation from this toxic idea once and for all is magnified tenfold.

This weekend’s astrology also generates fabulous opportunities for art, innovation, creative risk-taking and electrifying insights, and for magic, sensuality and self-love. Avoid any beauty decisions and expensive fashion purchases that radically alter your appearance under these celestial aspects as well as any risky financial investments but keep an eye out for welcome surprises that enhance abundance!

#november2020astrology #venus #uranus #mercury #pluto #chiron #scorpio #taurus #gemini #sagittarius #astrology

Neptunian creativity primer

On Sunday November 22 AEST the Sun shimmied its way into Sagittarius just as Venus slipped into the passionate, deep waters of Scorpio, orientating our thoughts towards impending celebratory social interactions with those to whom we feel most meaningfully connected.

Today, November 24 AEST, the astrology is mystical, emotional and potentially revelatory. It stars Neptune, the planet of visionary thinking, intuition, mystical experiences, music, imagination, forgiveness and compassion, but also of indecision, confusion, illusion, deception, delusion and intolerance. Thankfully, today’s potent Neptunian energy is influenced mostly by positive aspects. Our emotional responses, intuitive insights, creative inspirations and psychological urges towards understanding are being sensitized and magnetized as the Moon conjoins Neptune in Pisces, Mercury in Scorpio trines Neptune, and Saturn, Jupiter & Pluto sextile the Moon-Neptune conjunction. 

At the same time, Neptune is squaring the Moon’s nodes. Although this square has been loose since September, it becomes more intense as we approach next week’s lunar eclipse in Gemini. The Moon’s nodes determine both the sign of eclipses and the lessons of our collective karma and social destiny and describe the steps we need to take in order to collectively evolve (north node) as well as the aspects of our collective karma that must be resolved in order for us to achieve that goal (south node). With the north node currently in Gemini, our evolutionary potential depends upon clear and unbiased perception and appraisal of facts and an ability to assess the information we’re receiving objectively in order to understand its significance within a bigger and more complex picture that we may be habitually inclined to perceive. 

With Neptune squaring the nodes until March 2021, our ability to discern facts from fiction will continue to be tested, particularly as Neptune rules media. Consciously attuning to north node Gemini energy by approaching those whose ideas differ radically from our own with genuine curiosity and subjecting our own beliefs to rigorous scrutiny accelerates maximum growth. Judgements based on old, unconscious or inherited beliefs engage the shadow side of Sagittarius, and for as long as the nodes remain on the Gemini/Sagittarius axis (until Jan 2022) those we cling to dogmatically are guaranteed to be faulty. On the other hand, however, the Sagittarian south node thrives on spiritual practice, and this week’s Neptunian energy provides the perfect environment.

On Wednesday as the Moon meets Chiron the Healer in Aries & trines the Sun in Sagittarius, there’s a possibility for emotional healing in the context of our own self-limiting beliefs.  We’re being primed to recognise the richness and viability of our most cherished aspirations this week and to understand that as we do the work that’s required of us to become whole as individuals and to realise those aspirations, we simultaneously progress the course of humanity.

#neptune #chiron #venus #moon #nodes #mercury #saturn #jupiter #pluto #sagittarius #scorpio #november2020 #astrology

New Moon in Scorpio

Mars, the planet of action, confidence, drive and desire has been slowing down to a standstill this week and you may have felt, as I have, the exhaustion in your bones and soul. As Jupiter separates from its final conjunction with Pluto today, November 13 AEST, moving towards Aquarius and freedom, it releases us from some of the psychological intensity we may have been experiencing. The Moon also comes together with Venus in a beautiful aspect that suggests pleasure and emotional harmony in relationships, opportunities for artistic expression and maybe even a chance to purchase something beautiful. 

Tomorrow Mars comes to a total stop before changing direction. Astronomically, it’s closest to the earth and the Super New Moon in Scorpio on November 15, which is ruled by Mars, receives some of this power. With Mars so close we may be feeling more emotional than usual, particularly as the New Moon makes an exact sextile to Jupiter, who turns everything up to 11. Scorpio is concerned with sex, death and the things we can’t control as well as the processes by which we achieve transformation. So the energy of this lunation presents a potent opportunity to review what’s changed for us this year at a deep and personal level, to consider deeply what we’ve lost and what’s in the process of transforming. It’s a powerful moment for intention setting. We may feel the need for deep emotional exchange and meaningful connection, for ritualizing intentions and honouring the sacred within the trials that have been changing us. 

All year we’ve been operating under the dominating influence of the two planets considered malefic in ancient astrology. Saturn restricts us by throwing heavy burdens in our path, and hotheaded Mars reacts by inflaming situations. The outer planets, Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter dictate the trajectory of societies more than individuals and in 2020 this stellium of planets in Capricorn has influenced the fates of people around the world in very similar ways: restrictions imposed from outside, financial upheaval and insecurity, a global pandemic, conflict between state forces and civilians, and inner turmoil that’s generated opportunities to rethink our priorities.

From November 15 Venus begins her short but epic journey to overcome the Capricorn planets, squaring first Pluto, then Jupiter and finally on November 19, Saturn. In Libra her Cardinal energy helps to initiate the powerful transition we’re moving towards at the end of the year. Circumstances that have made us feel oppressed and overwhelmed or which have brought about deep loss in 2020 begin to lose some of their enormous power. The goddess slays. Venusian love and beauty spice this weekend’s New Moon rituals.

#scorpionewmoon #mars #pluto #jupiter #saturn #scorpio #2020 #astrology

Untitled, 2020

`Ink, gouache & iridescent watercolour on paper

The goddess Venus overcomes

Today’s powerful astrology colours the whole week and provides us with opportunities for a final sweep of the areas of our lives that have been undergoing major transformation. The goddess Venus and her lover Mars meet today in an exact opposition. It may trigger arguments and intensely passionate encounters but also more auspicious opportunities for transformative conversation. Venus too is in her rulership and as she prepares to overcome Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn from November 15 AEST, her power now is formidable. 

Mars, the planet of action, has been hamstrung in retrograde motion since September. And although lockdown has afforded him time to reflect on the deeper causes of his anger and to rethink previous courses of action, he’s tired, frustrated and potentially explosive. As he slows down to station direct on November 14, this energy is most intense. Still at peak intensity on November 15, Mars rules the potent Scorpio New Moon. Today’s opposition with Venus marks a moment of cosmic grace. Benevolent Venus steps in to speak gentle, calming, wise words to beleaguered Mars and he is more receptive to her than ever.

Wherever Martian rage may be kindled this week, we have enhanced ability to tend to it with Venusian kindness and integrity. The goddess prepares Mars to channel his will into authentic, empowered, non-destructive action when he gathers momentum in forward motion. This week’s final conjunction between Pluto, the secondary ruler of Saturday’s Scorpio New Moon, and Jupiter reinforces the importance of this work. 

Pluto is pressing us to consider Jupitarian assumptions, beliefs, hopes and discontents. Which are rotten and require urgent overhaul? Which limit our ability to expand into greater fortune? What messages have we received over the course of our lifetimes about the workings of the world that no longer fit the paradigm we’re growing into? What does our discontent reveal to us about what we really want and what must change in order for us to achieve it? And what can we learn from our tragedies that could radically enrich us now? 

We’re likely to feel this influence all week. This final meeting indicates a possible reactivation of an issue we’ve been dealing with all through 2020, and its culmination now results from a clearer understanding of what needs to change and what stands to be gained from this transformation. The encounter between Venus and Mars fuels this dynamic, reminding us to centre ourselves in love because love is the most powerful driver of action.

We’re further assisted in this work today by a mystical trine between the Sun in Scorpio, who illuminates what lies underneath and Neptune in Pisces who wants us to connect the disparate threads of our lives into a spiritually unifying whole, which is informed by love. While Venus represents the planet of interpersonal love, Neptune is her higher octave and represents cosmic consciousness and universal love. 

Take time today to imagine, meditate and dream if you can, nourish kindness in moments of agitation and tune into the frequencies of cosmic love.

Untitled, 2020

Oil and coloured sharpie on plywood

30 x 30 cm

#venus #mars #pluto #jupiter #astrology #2020

Apollo the Evening star

Darling friends, we’ve embarked on one of the final legs of this wild ride and it’s triggering some surreal and contradictory sensations. The celestial variety-show looks set to carry us through the next two curly weeks and should stimulate a range of emotions and growth opportunities.

We experience the direct impact of this week’s second square between Mercury, now moving direct in Libra, and Saturn in Capricorn November 6-7. Squares motivate necessary change through the experience of deeply uncomfortable tensions, and often, the greater the intensity, the more inspired and powerful the action. Setbacks, disruptions, frustrations and delays, especially regarding Mercurial themes - the mind, information, communication, business, travel - are likely both personally and collectively. But Mercury encourages us to express the truth of who we are and what we’re striving to create in the world and Saturn demands that we take responsibility for our own lives.

Like all planets, Saturn has many guises and expressions, some seemingly contradictory. In Capricorn, he represents the rigidly conservative hierarchical structures of governance and commerce that define our current world. And yet he also signifies those who are powerless in society, the lower classes, and the elderly. On one hand, Saturn in Capricorn tends toward domination, resisting any change to the status quo while clinging to power and the past. On the other, he demands change of us, and thrusts upon us the lessons we need to learn in order to reach maturity. Like a wise, disciplinarian old uncle, Saturn demands hard work and expects the best of us, and if we do the job well he rewards us richly for it.

Channelling our energies into Saturnian work (find yours by reading the sign and house where Saturn lives in your natal chart) in ways that are inspiring and authentic to us, pays high dividends and transforms burdensome labour into passionate and productive skill. If we don’t develop these skills voluntarily, Saturn delivers the kinds of necessary unwanted constraints that lead us to personal and collective maturity. This is what Saturn demands of us in 2020.

Mercury also emerged as the Morning Star on US Election Day, November 3/4. In ancient astrology Mercury was thought of in this guise as Apollo the Sun god, god of music, prophecy, healing, justice and poetry; divine protector and educator of the young, and most dignified of gods. (Thanks to Rumen Kolev and @astrolada for this fantastic insight into the significance of Mercury as Apollo the Morning Star). As an infant fed on ambrosia, Apollo declared his divine mission to interpret the will of Zeus (Jupiter) for humanity via means of prophecy.

But in ancient astrology Mercury also took the form of Hermes as the Evening Star, and in mythology, Hermes’ first act as an infant was to steal Apollo’s cattle. Although Apollo was furious, the baby Hermes gave him a lyre that he’d made himself, an instrument for which Apollo became famous, and was thus able to avoid punishment. This is the other side of Mercury: the brilliant mind, trickster, and thief. As an Evening Star-Mercury-ruled Gemini, Trump seems to express these archetypal qualities of Hermes potently. And although we’re likely to see more of this clever, Mercurial trickery in action this week, the Evening Star no longer reigns in our skies. Apollo the Morning Star overcomes Saturn on November 8, suggesting some breakthrough in communication that favours justice. Moving direct in Libra, the sign of balance and fairness, Apollo speaks to power and for those who are powerless in this expression, and his way is seeming more clear.

However on November 8, Jupiter also makes his final conjunction to Pluto in Capricorn in a transit that lasts a full five days and signals the possible culmination of an explosive situation we’ve already faced twice this year in April and June. As mentioned in a previous post, the Jupiter Pluto conjunction is associated historically with peaks in pandemics but it can also signify explosive situations of civil unrest. The Russian Plague, which also coincided with a Pluto Jupiter conjunction in Capricorn, led to the Plague Riot of Moscow in 1771. It’s also associated with movements of large amounts of money, with the ballooning wealth of billionaires, as we’ve already seen during peak pandemic periods this year, as well as large scale financial assistance provided by governments.

It’s a time to be extra careful regarding contagion of all kinds. They Jupiter Pluto conjunction could also trigger traumatic energies in our personal lives, but it’s important to remember that if such experiences do surface it’s so they can be seen and transformed (Pluto). In the final weeks of the Age of Earth we decide what we wish to carry with us into the Age of Air. This incredibly powerful threshold involving the Saturn Jupiter conjunction in Aquarius, known as the Great Mutation, takes place every 240 years. This year it occurs on the Summer/Winter Solstice of December 21 and will truly be something to celebrate…

Untitled, 2020

30 x 30

Ink & gouache on ply

#uselections #mercury #morningstar #apollo #hermes #saturn #jupiter #pluto #astrology #2020

Mercurial energies

No-one will be surprised to hear that there are delays and troubled communications indicated in the week ahead from an astrological perspective. Mercury, planet of communication and information made its first square to Saturn, planet of delays and restrictions on November 1 while retrograding through Libra, sign of justice. It stations direct today, November 4 AEST, which is US election day, November 3, and tomorrow, the messenger god moves back into square with Saturn, moving in forward motion.

While Mercury strives for fairness and diplomacy in Libra, Saturn, who swallowed his children in mythology so as not to have to cede power to them, may resort to repressive measures. Control of data and information, problems with the tallying of votes, and issues of fairness and balance in reporting are possible under the influence of this square.

Astrologer Tara Nikita @tara.nikita suggests that with transiting Mercury triggering the natal Mercury/Pluto opposition in the USA’s Sibley chart, we could well see the underhanded manipulation (Pluto) of data (Mercury) and the control (Saturn) of information (Mercury) through nefarious means (Pluto). And of course, that’s what we’re all expecting. But there are also some potentially positive indications.

As astrologer Acyuta Bhava from @nightlifeastrology points out, Saturn finds his exaltation in Libra, which could make him more amenable to Mercury’s communications, especially as Saturn inches closer towards Aquarius, the sign associated with social justice. Mercury’s also receiving positive influence from Venus who’s gaining power in her ruling sign this week and set on establishing harmony and fairness in her dealings. Mercury’s also in a superior, overcoming position to Saturn, which indicates that truth and agreement could win out although given the enormous power that Saturn wields this year such a victory is unlikely to be quick.

Chris Brennan from @theastrologypodcast also refers to Mercury’s 20 year synodic cycle, which takes us back to the Bush/Gore election in 2000, the last time Mercury stationed direct on Election Day in the US. One of only four contested elections in US history, it was only resolved in the Supreme Court in December of that year. And as Kaypacha from @newparadigmastrology emphasises in this week’s Pele report, while Mercury in Libra signifies votes, Saturn in Capricorn represents the Supreme Court.

Mercury remains in shadow until November 19/20, by which time both the messenger god and the Sun will be in Scorpio, which suggests intensity, investigation, and a continued lack of clarity until then. I wonder whether it might not be until after the Gemini Lunar Eclipse on November 29/30 that an outcome becomes clear. Lunar eclipses correspond with endings, and the Gemini north node, which represents our collective destiny, is associated with perception of the facts as opposed to reliance on our beliefs (Sagittarius south node).

By nurturing Venus energy in our lives, cultivating kindness towards ourselves and others, looking for and enhancing beauty wherever we find it, and expressing our energies creatively wherever possible, we can assuage some of the fear, anxiety and tension of this strange, intense and momentous time.

Miracle Boyd, 2020, 30 x 30, Oil on ply

#miracleboyd #uselections #insightsofastrologicalluminaries #mercury #saturn #venus #pluto #libra #astrology #2020

The Full Blue Halloween Taurus Moon, 2020 🌕

The goddess of love finally left Virgo on Wednesday where she’s been doing the work she enjoys least under the leadership of the messenger god Mercury. He’s been investigating the underlying causes of some of the more challenging issues we’ve been dealing with in our lives as he’s retrograded through Scorpio, but as the two simultaneously entered Libra (Mercury crossed over just minutes before Venus) the tables have turned, and Mercury now seeks the counsel and influence of Venus. We may find a relationship issue that we were dealing with in September reactivated this week for fine tuning, and with Venus geared towards balance and harmony in relationships, and approaching an opposition to Chiron the healer, there’s the potential for an alchemically healing communication.

This weekend’s fully epic Full Moon in Taurus is also ruled by the goddess, and her influence softens and beautifies some of its potential volatility. It’s a Blue Moon (the second in a calendar month) and the first to coincide with Samhain/Halloween/All Hallow’s Eve across all timezones since World War II (1944) when things were about as freaky as they are right now. (Actually the Full Moon culminates at 1:49am November 1 AEST/ 14:49 October 31 Universal time but it’s close enough). In a year that’s pivoted on death, when so much has been stripped away, it seems apt that this Full Moon falls on a festival associated with shedding, when the veil between worlds was considered thinnest, and people dressed as monsters to ward off ghosts, and made offerings and entertainment to honour and appease the dead.

All Full Moons intensify, illuminate and culminate cycles, but this Blue Moon’s exact conjunction to retrograding Uranus, the Great Awakener, planet of rebellion, revolution, sudden shocks and disruptions, chaos, electricity, friendship, community, progress, and radical innovations that lead to greater freedom, means that it could be more chaotic, unpredictable and revealing than most. With the Sun directly opposed Uranus and the Moon conjunct, the planet’s full potentials are being triggered. There’s potential for sudden unexpected shifts and change in areas of our lives that we thought were immovable. Exciting flashes of inspiration, genius creative ideas and sudden insights about how we do the things we do, as well as the potential for chaotic events to reveal brilliant innovations or unexpected surprises in relation to money and business could also be possible.

Taurean Full Moons indicate a tendency for over-indulgence and under the influence of this wildly unpredictable Moon, which coincides with the first weekend Melburnians have been permitted to visit bars/drink with friends in public after one of the longest lockdowns in the world, it‘s worth avoiding reckless abandon. But if anything does go shockingly ‘wrong’ this week, remember that Uranian events tend to awaken us from patterns that have been unconsciously restricting our freedom whilst simultaneously providing us with the means to radically course correct.

And we have some power to influence the ways in which these energies unfold to some extent by choosing how we work with them. Actively seeking harmony and fairness in our communications, changing things up creatively in relationships that have begun to feel stagnant, making space for wild, inventive, imaginative, risk-taking creativity, and deciding to do things that have been feeling dull, depressing, disappointing or outdated differently represent a proactive intention to harness Uranian intentions for radical change in creative, harmonious Venusian ways.

This weekend’s Uranus in Taurus Full Blue Halloween Moon marks another of the thresholds in our year of epic transitions, and initiates the wildly unpredictable proceedings that are set to unfold on the world stage next week. The crucial underlying message is that it’s time to do things differently: with more love, more creativity & more fairness...

#fullmoon #bluemoon #fullmoonhalloween #taurusfullmoon #scorpioseason #uranus #thegreatawakener #2020 #astrology