Mid-October will definitely bring new opportunity for acting on your recent insights.
This is because in the second week Mercury will square off against Pluto and oppose the Aries Point.
The Aries Point = where what's personal meets the public --or vise versa.
If the AP is new to you, here's a basic introduction. What happens on an Aries Point event is usually something "out
there" that comes home to you. Usually this meeting isn't a collision, but there's always a possibility of hard adjustments. No, usually the Aries Point works more like a ripple effect in play. Something out there rolls it's way back into your personal life, or back into your head. Think Micheal Jackson's death this
summer --an Aries Point event, sure as sure. Or legislation passing that will affect your personal life (health care, fer'insance). On a far great scale of impact and importance (at least in political and social terms) was the September 11th Aries Point events.
Does an Aries Point event always point to death and destruction? No, no, no. However, we can never forget that AP events always carry the seed of wider influence. In other words, whatever you choose to think or do does not stay in Vegas. This could be the birth of an idea that positively transforms your company's whole culture, or it could be the revelation of your shoddy bookkeeping that brings down the whole company. Positive or negative, AP events always connect us by merging the public with the private.
So here's my thematic take on the upcoming AP aspect in Mid-October: What is the power within your mind?
How do you want your ideas to utterly transform your world?
How are messages you tell yourself creating the environment you find yourself in?
Or the people you want to be with?
You will be thinking about your relationship to the people around you. You will be thinking (or reacting) to the power or authority you perceive in the people around you. (This is the Pluto part.)
What ideas (assumptions) do you bring to these people?
And where are these assumptions leading you?
Got any ideas about how you'd like to lay a better foundation for yourself in these relationships?
If you've been doing your homework during the Mercury Retrograde (and shadow) phase, I bet you'll have clearer answers to this questions. Just a head's up.
Here's Mystic Medusa's take, which has some wise and fun advice:
Merry Mercury Direct & now, well, things go faster and there should
be heaps less of that mixed-messaging style confusion but as I say,
Mercury Retrograde purists don’t count it as DONE until Mercury gets
back to six degrees of Libra, the point at where it went Retro in the
first place. How I Think This Works: The contracts signing being a bad
idea, shit breaking down, crazy Freudian slippage and all that stuff is
done once Mercury is Direct. But dialogue from as far back as
mid-August still has a while to play out. There will be further
developments on any important dialogue in that time. Or reversals.
Weirdings. Revelations. Secrets. You get the idea. Particularly when
Mercury Squares Pluto again for the third time in a row on October 11.
Mercury's turn direct is next door to Saturn, both planets still in the sign of Virgo. So steady on, folks. Saturn doesn't reward fluffery, and Mercury is still working out the details. So still a good time to lay down solid tracks for your next project/venture/personal development scheme. In fact, not much else will work these days.
The Moon entered Capricorn today. As I write this, it's just crossed Pluto, so if you're wondering why the obssessions and fixations today, wonder no longer. With Pluto at 0+ degrees Capricorn and the Moon crossing it's path, it's natural to feel like someone pulled your large intestine into your mouth. It's that deep.
Compounding this gut-twisting scene is the Sun in Libra at a sharp angle to both Pluto and the Moon. I've been writing a lot about Libra lately (and will continue to do so as Saturn heads into this sign), so you probably already know Libra's penchant for balancing ideas through balanced relationships. But Libra's dynamic is hardly as tidy as that sentence suggests.
As Micheal Lutin puts its, Libra's dilemma is the eternal "who's on top and who's on bottom?" question. In other words, Libra's dilemma is about power. In our culture, it's usually expressed this way: who you're gonna screw, or who's gonna screw you? Libra runs the gamut from one end to the other, trying strategy after strategy, skipping from glittering ideal solution to glittering ideal solution, attempting to work this out in his head, and thus missing the whole point.
And that point is? Find the fulcrum of that mental see-saw. Find the meeting place. Find the cooperative vision, the consensus that balances. Libra searches always for the ideal, hoping that with just a little tweak here or there, they'll find it. But it's not to be found in some outward bound adventure; it's always to be found in the mundane meeting of common ground.
Enter a Capricorn Moon alongside Pluto, hauling Reality in on a caravan of 18-wheel Peterbuilts. You want relationship? You want compromise? You want to find that balance that helps us all cooperating and get on with the work of recovering this crazy financial mess? You got it.
Just take a look at today's news. Talk about finally accepting reality: the G8 finally acknowledges a decade old truth and becomes the G20, bringing China, India and other huge developing economies on board; and Iran's bad-faith relationship with the rest of world worsened with the revelation of an underground nuclear development facility. Get real. (I would talk about the UN, but the closest thing to real going on there are the Survivaballs protests. Check out Planet Waves for this truly sharp and funny protest.)
On the other hand, Libra and Capricorn can pull out some really elegant moments together. There's nothing untoward or ugly about these two; they vibe with the need for elegant and functional design in all that they do.
Capricorn Moon is also not just about getting in the office for a weekend work jag. Cap Moons have a soulfulness that's not usually acknowledged: they remind us to work out our "salvation" brick by brick. Salvation has little to do with someone plucking your burning butt from the fires of your own bad decisions, and a lot to do with acknowledging why you built those fires in the first place. The rest is learning to love yourself. Pluto, wherever it is, gives us profound transformative power to do that. The engine is there, folks. And the will is available, too, if you want to grab it.
Consider this weekend a reminder it can be done. If Survivaballs can float down the Hudson River and get a chuckle from CNN; if the G8 can consent to letting some dark skinned folk into their club, then it can be done... It can be done.
Just for fun, here are the dates when Pluto was last at 0 degrees Capricorn. If you've been paying attention, you may see them as milemarkers along the route of your current personal evolution:
May 2008
November 2008
August/September 2009 (turned direct September 12th)
Pluto will square off against some Libran themes for the rest of '09 and into '10, but it won't pass by this exact degree again until 2254. Thus, this is the end of the preliminary push into your new life. What are you slowly letting go of these days? What are you inviting (or thinking of inviting) into your life?
But..we've got less than a week left of Mercury in retrograde (plus another week or so of a lingering shadow phase), so you're still free to rethink your new self and play around with what you'd like that self to be.
Just remember, getting "real" is the key. No giving out blue ribbons to every runner just because it makes us all feel better about ourselves. If you really work for your good vibes, Pluto is totally on your side now.
Moon is now in Saggitarius, and I'm loosening up after that spell in Scorpio. Time to move on.
But hold up! Saturn and Mercury are still in their tight huddle in Virgo territory, and Venus has just walked in the door as well. So not much Saggi-bouncy fun out there. It feels more like someone (the Sagg) opened a window to let out the incense left behind by Scorp.
The Virgo folk are still hammering out the details of relationship development. To that end, Sagg offered up this useful visual guide to contemporary intimacy. It's pretty high-level, but that's Sagg. The Virgos will have to work out the checklists for distribution to the masses, just so we know what it really means.
Don't forget Libra. He's may have just arrived, but this week he's definitely the BMOC. "Fair and balanced," he reminds everyone, but the Virgos can't agree if he means in a Fox News kind of way, or a "do unto others" kind of way. Somebody mentioned "scruples" but no one will admit to it. Still, the thought hangs in the air like a vague threat --or a promise. Scruples.
We get the Moon in Scorpio until the 23rd. Scorpio Moons always have an edge of mystery to them, but with the Sun, Mercury, Saturn and now Venus in analytical Virgo the Virgin, the mystery might be more mental than metaphysical for the next two days. Think depth-psychology, not psycho-ology. This would be a great couple of days to dig even deeper into your motives and get clear(er?) about a few mysteries that keep you from relating to yourself better.
The Moon is also currently novile to the group of planets in Virgo. The novile aspect is associated with spiritual breakthrough and the nine muses of classical mythology. So there's a subtle element of grace and inspiration in the novile. If you're willing to play with this potential, do. Scorpio does love to explore the mysteries of life, and if you're open to let a little of the woo-woo in today, you might find a pocket of pleasant surprise.
However, as we're in the hot zone of yet another Saturn (authority, duty, yesterday, history, constriction and doubt) opposed Uranus (anti-authority, freedom, tomorrow, sci-fi, expansion, and innovation), copping the grace and mystery of life will take real effort. This is because most people are running from one end of this see-saw to the other, not knowing whether they want to stay on the safe side of what they always knew about the past or if they want to sling-shot themselves into the stratosphere.
The end is not near. Okay, some end is near. Everything comes to some sort of ending some time. But every ending is a new beginning. You and I are looking at beginnings. Everyone is looking at a new beginning. The best way to work this Saturn-Uranus dichotomy is like this: pack up the best of your past and write your ideal ticket to the future. Then work it out --oh, and pray.
A New Moon in Virgo conjunct the Sun and Saturn at the end of Virgo means WORK IT OUT. Turn off the idiot (fear) box and get crackin'! Your only salvation is good, old-fashioned elbow grease.
This has been a HUGE week,
astrologically. Big milestones. Pluto turned direct; Saturn and Uranus faced off again at exact degrees, as they did Election Day last November. Note any changes in your thinking and
admit something must evolve in your life. We've got an abundance of Earth signs at play, so stay basic and grounded with your thinking. No freak-outs allowed.
Diligence, reliability and good manners will get you everywhere right now.
Mercury is still retrograde, so if you've stressing over communications (or the lack thereof), follow up your emails and phone calls --and most of all withhold assumptions about the other party until all the facts are in. And the facts won't all be in until, oh, mid-October. Really.
In the seventh month, on the first of the month (New Moon), shall
be for you a day of rest, a remembrance of the sounding of the shofar."
--Leviticus 23:23-25.
The symbolism of the New Moon of the Seventh Month goes even deeper
considering the fact that Rosh Hashanah is celebrated precisely halfway
through the zodiac. With six signs before and six signs after, Rosh
Hashanah is a watershed of energies. According to astrology the year is
divided into two main parts. The first half stretches from spring to
the end of summer and is masculine and active, while the second half
stretches from fall to the end of winter and is feminine and receptive.
The borderline between these two halves is the Fall Equinox when the
day and night, the masculine and feminine, are equal and balanced. That
is the mythos-logic of having the Fall Equinox mark the beginning of
the sign Libra, the sign of the scales. This year the Equinox takes
place on September 22, a few days past Rosh Hashanah. Astrology asserts
that in the masculine extrovert part of the year, which is now coming
to a close, humanity is busy acting, doing, building, sawing, reaping,
working, collecting and creating. During the feminine introvert part of
the year, we are focused more on assessing, reevaluating, deepening,
editing, processing, dreaming, healing and assimilating everything we
have done in the active part of the year.
The story remembered at Rosh Hashahah is the biblical story of Abraham and Issac. It's a story of sacrifice and faith as well as a story of grace and doubt. Archetypally, these figures represent not only man's relationship to a God we cannot fully understand, but also our relationship to one another. Sacrifice and faith, grace and doubt: aren't these the very themes in each of our intimate relationships?
In this season of rethinking and renewing our relationships to one another and ourselves, these concepts might be useful to meditate upon.
In the Akedah, what is unspoken is as important or more so
than what is spoken. At key points in the action, like when God first
demands that Abraham sacrifice Issac, there is no recorded reaction or
comment from Abraham. When Issac poignantly asks his father were the
sheep is for the offering and his father responds vaguely: “God will
see to it, my son” one desperately wants to know what Issac was
thinking. But the author does not want to let us know. He wants to
withhold critical thoughts and emotions in order to increase the
suspense and discomfort we feel. The deepest emotion in the Akedah
story is within the ellipses of the characters’ actions.
What makes this story a great literary text is that it portrays a
deeply troubling story and while it resolves the tension in a way that
restores Abraham’s glory, it does not gloss over the difficult issues
it depicts. Our questions remain, unresolved and to a certain extent
unsatisfied. And that is as the author wishes. He wants the reader
never to cease pondering our relationship with God and the inhuman
tests of faith to which He periodically puts us. Our faith as Jews is
never supposed to come easy. It is meant to be a continual struggle.
The Moon will oppose Pluto all weekend, so take time to note the deep insights that can float to the surface of your thoughts and emotions this weekend.
I say "can" because this is totally possible, but not usually pleasurable. With Pluto in the mix we're likely to feel something discomforting about our insights.
Discomfort is something we tend to ignore or treat away, like a headache. But like a headache is usually the body's first signal that something is out of order, emotional discomfort is usually a signal that something within us needs an adjustment, too. It's not that our emotions are "wrong," but that they may point to a deeper discomfort hidden beneath the clutter of our daily to-dos and amusements/distractions. As a culture we are trained (and sometimes even rewarded) for ignoring this pain. Instead we pop the emo-aspirin and turn on Iron Chef or the Steelers game and fogettadboutit.
Word of warning: if you're ignoring your darker or more painful emotional side, you may just encounter that issue through another person this weekend. So heads up if you think someone else isn't handling their "business" well this weekend. It might be a clue about the way you handle your own emotions.
The Moon is also squaring Mercury retrograde in Libra and Uranus in Pisces. If you're a daring soul this is a dynamic set-up for revelation and compassionate/spiritual breakthrough about personal power in relationships.
I, for one, am having an abundance of thoughts on the subject of ambition. There's plenty of dark power in that topic. Lots about who's on top and who's on the bottom, and who has to give what to whom --for what? It's absolutely uncomfortable, but I'm rethinking many of my assumptions about ambition. And the first stage was simply acknowledging I even HAD assumptions.
If you feel a little like taking a retreat from the world for this deep thought Moon, by all means, do. Really. This is a feeling opportunity, and it's so difficult to sort our own feelings when we're entangled in the emotions of (even well-meaning) friends and family. Remember Pluto's in the mix, and the planet just turned direct. Pluto does have a habit of pulling up buried stuff. So if your psyche hands you that lump of coal in your heart, remember that lump that has all the potential of becoming a diamond of great beauty. That's also the power of Pluto in its current sign, Capricorn.
And if you happen to ponder all this alongside a slice of double dark chocolate cake and a cup of good coffee, do not feel ashamed. After all, this is a Cancer Moon. Enjoy.
Gemini, the sign of the twins, is known as a bit of a trickster. He likes games of wit and loves to tease, and well, if there's two sides to be found on any point, he'll advocate them both. It's not that he's incapable of discrimination it's just that he's constitutionally incapable of leaving any detail out of his toy box of ideas. And they key word here is toys. Ideas are playthings!
Occasionally he forgets the details and assigns them instead to his invisible friend --The Inner Twin. Watch now as the Gemini Inner Twin asks the corespondents at The Daily Show about the Trickster's favorite gimmick --lying.
From September 10-12 the moon will be in Gemini, which could keep your communications life lively while we motor through this Mercury Retrograde period. Inner Twins on the loose everywhere.
You want my advice? Double and triple read instructions; check your Target receipts twice for over-rings (always a good idea); don't believe the first thing someone tells you --fact check it; and don't assume all the details are in or all the facts are on the table. Have a talk with your own Inner Twin on the truthiness of your own motives. Play mind games extra responsibly.
If you're an ethical play pal now, Momma will let you have an extra big slice of chocolate cake when the Moon slips into Cancer Saturday afternoon. Promise.
A full moon at 12+ Pisces. In the Sabian system of symbols this degree (read as 13 degrees Pisces) is represented by the image of a sword in a museum.
This symbol speaks to the far-reaching effect of the lives and deeds of historic figures of the past. The image of the sword in a museum emphasizes courage, honor and will-power. But the sword here is a weapon laid to rest, and as such it can symbolize prior hostilities, bitterness and conflict.
At every critical turn of events in recorded history some one or more individuals rise to glory and shape the destiny of the race, and down through the years, their courage and achievements continue to influence the thinking and decisions of new leaders in similar situations.
...At its highest, this symbol represents personal power, decisiveness, and the ability to inspire others by living collective ideals in practical, everyday ways.
[Negative expression] Gross exaggeration of the difficulty and magnitude of the achievements.
How does this relate to you?
People who enjoy the Sabian symbols see the full moon image as a theme that will color the last half of the month's moon cycle. In other words, for the next two weeks, look for themes of arguments and battles put to rest in the name of compassion and faith.
In the sign of Pisces, especially, we've got ample opportunity to tune
into our most compassionate self OR have a fling down the wellhole of
self-delusion, fleeing monsters of our own making.
The opposite of faith is fear, so the folks around you running on the delusional/end-of-the-world side of Pisces will no doubt find lots of precedent in history to support their hysteria.
Of course, President Obama's planned address to a joint session of Congress will happen during this waning period of the moon, though I doubt his opponents have any intention to donate their swords to the Smithsonian just yet.
Photo: Sword, Japan. 1857. Victoria and Albert Museum. Detail of the hilt of a sword (tachi) mounted in an ivory scabbard.
Decorated with ornately detailed samurai & battle scenes with
mounts of the Meiji Period. This detail shows a battle scene with two
samurai in full armour, standing next to a tree on a battlefield, with
pike staffs belonging to other soldiers in the background.
