Venus in Gemini 2012

Venus normally stays in a sign for three to four weeks, but due to its retrograde motion, it is to remain in Gemini for three months - from 3rd April to 7th August.

With Mercury ruling Venus for three months, the Venusian qualities are being expressed through the spoken word and the objective mind, particularly that Mercury finally goes direct on 4th April, ending the period of introspection of the mind.  Mercury in Pisces may inspire you to utter loving words, but if you're not feeling brave enough, perhaps with Mercury re-entering Aries on 16/17th April, it may provide you with the much needed push to boldly serenade to your object of affection.

Besides love and relationships, Venus also rules money and sensory pleasures.  With the Sun and Mercury ingressing into Taurus (a sign ruled by Venus) on 19th April and 9 May respectively, practical concerns move to the fore with this energy shift  into the earth element.  Spend money on beautifying your living space, titillate your palate on exotic cuisines, unwind at a spa with an aromatherapy massage, admire paintings by your favourite artist in an art gallery, or simple take a walk in the local park - just stimulate and indulge your five senses.

By 15th May, Venus goes retrograde at 23 degrees 59.9 minutes and turns direct again on 27th June at 7 degrees 29.3 minutes.  Look in your natal chart for planets in Gemini between these degrees, and any mutable signs too (Sagittarius, Virgo and Pisces).  Planets in retrograde allow us to slow down and turn within.  In Venus, we are encouraged to introspect in relation to our values and beliefs during this six-week period.  What do you value the most?  What are your beliefs?  This is also a time to review the state of your current relationships.  Are you happy where you are or do you want to take things to a different level?  Concerning finances, this may be the time to evaluate your assets and shop around for the best deals on offer, but remember this is a time of review and evaluation rather than action.

Venus in Gemini will form a T-Square with my natal Sun-Saturn opposition by mid-April and in mid-June.  Interesting times ahead concerning my self-esteem and belief system - be kind to me, Goddess!

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Mercury in Aries 2012

Maybe I'm biased, but I'm looking forward to having Mercury transiting in Aries from Friday 2nd March (11.40 GMT).  Natally, I have Mercury in Aries, but in the 8th, so the Arian energy rarely gets unleashed without having lots of strings attached.  Luckily, with transiting Uranus in Aries, which conjunct my Mercury, I'm beginning to feel those 'strings' loosening under the pressure of that Arian energy.

In Aries, Mercury is ruled by Mars, which is currently retrograding in Virgo, so the two planets are in mutual reception.  We have a theme of communicating fearlessly - but not bluntly, because let's not forget we have Saturn and Mars in retrograde (Mercury will join the 'Retrograde Party' on 12th March).  Uranus in Aries, though, is likely to inject unconventionality wherever possible, balancing out the 'retrograde quality'.  It is interesting to note that during this period, retrograding Mars will physically be the closest to Earth on 3rd March, as if to say, 'Look at me!  Look at me!  Be assertive, not aggressive!'

Astrologically, there are 2 grand trines on the day when Mercury enters bold Aries.  Both of which contain a retrograde planet: an air/water grand trine with Saturn in Libra, Moon in Gemini, and Neptune-Chiron in Pisces (out-of-sign aspect) and an earth grand trine with Mars in Virgo, Pluto in Capricorn and Jupiter in Taurus.  Each grand trine is like a circuit of positive, enclosed energy.  In the air/water 'circuit', we have Saturn retrograding in Libra linking up to the Moon (the past) and Neptune-Chiron (healing) so the past may be catching-up with us,  either as a fleeting thought or an physical re-encounter, urging us to let something go. In the other earth closed circuit, we have Mars retrograding in Virgo (repeating the 'thoughts and ideas' theme from the other grand trine with the Mercury-ruled Moon).  With Pluto and Jupiter,  again, we have the theme of bringing up something from the past, this time, from the depths of our psyche (Pluto, ruled by Saturn - the other retrograding planet from the air/water grand trine), but instead of being forced to come out into the light, we have Jupiter, gently coaxing the junk out.

Then, moving away from the grand trines, we have Mars (in retrograde) oppose the Sun and Saturn (in retrograde) oppose Venus.  Are you ready to face up to your life mission and re-set your belief system?  External stimuli, in the forms of male authority figures, may challenge your present beliefs and if you have been sitting around, feeling confused, it's time to get up and get moving - even if only mentally, don't let procrastination get the better of you.

Mercury begins its retrograde motion from 12th March.  Mercury retrograde is not just about miscommunications and computers going haywire.  It's a time for us to wake-up from our groggy states and introspect the goings-on in our lives - slow down and look carefully at where you are going.  What needs to stay, what needs to go?  In Aries, the focus is on ourselves.  It is not about being selfish, but about being proud of who we are, being honest with who we are and what we want to achieve in life.  It is about getting in touch with the warrior inside of us.  Be bold.  Be brave.  A turning point will be reached on 21st March, when we have a tight Sun-Mercury conjunction in Aries.  Look out for any messages/insights we may receive around this date.  I'm particularly fond of the work of an intuitive archetypal astrologer, Robert Ohotto, whose interpretation on retrograde cycles are rather insightful and pioneering.  You can find out more about his work and listen to his radio shows on www.ohotto.com.

Timeline of transiting Mercury in Aries:

2nd March - Mercury enters Aries

12th March - Mercury retrograde begins

23rd-24th March - Mercury re-enters Pisces

4th April - Mercury goes direct

17th April - Mercury re-enters Aries

8th May - Mercury leaves Aries

Transiting Mercury in Aries will traverse my 8th and 9th houses, conjunct my Mercury for most of March due to its retrograde motion and will conjunct my Mercury for a second time in the latter half of April, so I will get plenty of opportunities to unleash my thoughts and ideas and not be afraid to speak my mind,  but without being impulsive and hurting others with my words.

Happy Mercury tracking!

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Saturn in Libra retrograde 2012

Saturn, the planet of boundaries, restrictions and limitations, goes retrograde in peace-loving Libra on 7th February (14.03 GMT), which is closely followed by the Leo Full Moon in less than 8 hours away.  

Tracking its ingress in Libra, I have found that Saturn, asking us to learn through our relationships with others, is not merely giving us a second, but a third chance to grasp the lessons in Libra. 

Saturn first stepped over the threshold of vain and indecisive Libra back on 30th October 2009.  By the time it reached 4 degrees 39 minutes on 13th January 2010, it began to retrograde in Libra and entered back into the territory of Virgo on 7th April 2010.  So between 30th October 2009 and 7th April, Saturn was travelling in Libra between 0 to 4 degrees 39 minutes, but in retrograde motion from 13th January 2010.

By 30th May 2010, Saturn began to move direct again, reaching Libra on 22nd July 2010 and will stay in this urbane sign until 5th October 2012.

The 2nd retrograde period of Saturn in Libra began on 26th January 2011 at 17 degrees 13.6 Libra, reaching 10 degrees 26.7 minutes Libra on 13th June 2011, thus revisiting the degrees already covered between 22nd October 2010 and 25th January 2011. 

The 3rd retrograde period of Saturn in Libra is from 7th February 2012 at 29 degrees 30.5 minutes Libra, reaching 22 degrees 45.8 minutes on 24/25th June 2012, thus revisiting the degrees already covered between 4th November 2011 and 6th February 2012.

The best way to learn astrology is by analysing your own chart and transits.  I got my diaries out, focusing on those periods stated above and boiled down to the conclusion that Saturn in Libra, during its sojourn in my 2nd/3rd houses, sextile/trine my ASC/DES axis, oppose my Mercury and conjunct my Pluto, has been forcing me to learn new ways of relating to people, and through those interactions, I re-developed my own self-confidence and re-organised my belief system.  Transiting Saturn is currently square my natal Jupiter and natal Venus, further pushing me to ruminate my true beliefs and values.  It is a time to discard what is no longer needed and to make room for the new.

Saturn is the strict disciplinarian, but in Libra, dressed in refined attire, oozing grace and charm.

What have you learned/refused to learn/still need to learn?

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Astro Dialoguing or Multiple Personalities?

Beep beep beep beep!  Beep beep beep beep!

'Time to get up.  Rise and shine!'  announced Saturn in Virgo, throwing back the covers and preparing to get ready for the day ahead.

'10 more minutes, please!' groaned Pisces Sun, groggily.

'Yeah, we set the alarm to go off 10 minutes early so we can have a snooze, remember?' complained Mars in Pisces.  'Isn't that right, Taurus Moon?'

Silence

'She's still dreaming,' observed Jupiter in Cancer. 'Look, all this arguing is making me wide awake so we might as well skip the snoozing session this morning...I can't stand it when you guys argue all the time......'

'Knock it off, all of you!' shouted Mercury in Aries, threatening to whip those who are still in Slumberland.......

Every waking moment, we face the challenge of integrating the different aspects of our personality.  Most of us can achieve it well enough to lead a relatively 'normal' life, while others end up getting severely out of balance mentally.

Astrology is no magic tool but it can help us identify different facets of ourselves.  It is akin to putting all the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together, except there is no guarantee that all the pieces will fit together perfectly.  The key is to understand each aspect, and to find ways to 'live' with them all simultaneously and as peacefully as possible.

I often swing between being a procrastinator, where I leave work lying around half finished, to a complete martinet, where I force myself to tick off everything on my 'to do' list at record time.  Knowing that it's my Virgo Saturn and Pisces Sun in opposition helps me to understand that both sides belong to me.  When I'm being a workaholic, I purposefully give my Pisces Sun a kick to help me negotiate a rest, and when laziness is getting the better of me, I invite Virgo Saturn to sort it all out.

When I know I'm being overcautious and is on the verge of passing up a fantastic opportunity, I tell my Scorpio Uranus to counsel its opposition buddy, Taurus Moon and come to a mutual agreement.

I used to find it hard to comprehend times when I would crave recognition, but when I do get it, I would squirm and push the compliment away - all thanks to my Leo Ascendant and Pisces Sun-Mars-SN chasing after different dreams.

Blending all the different planetary energies harmoniously together is an art in itself - a lifelong task.

Which aspects of your chart do you find it the hardest to harmonise?

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