Sun conjunct Uranus; Moon in Sagittarius; Moon square Neptune; sextile Jupiter

The Cosmic Weather for the last day of April 2021

Sun conjunct Uranus - surprises, surprises, surprises, personal breakthroughs, jump outside the box

Moon in Sagittarius - freedom, fun-loving, gallop into the distance (in spirit at least)

Moon square Neptune - overly sensitive, feeling hurt, misled,  misunderstood

Moon sextile Jupiter - exuberant, positive, warm, sociable, happiness, feeling abundant and confident

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Solar Eclipse in Pisces 2016

On 9th March 01:54 (GMT) we have a solar eclipse in Pisces at 18 degrees 55 minutes.  

What does it all mean?

Solar eclipses are super new moons depicting new beginnings, but their effects are more potent than a standard new moon.  The orb of influence is wider too.  The house where the eclipse falls is the area of life which is getting a nudge; to dissolve (Pisces) what no longer works; to transcend beyond the present limits.  

Celeste Teal in her book 'Eclipses' mentions that 'An eclipse involves a process of transformation and shows where change is necessary [...] it acts are a cosmic regulator that maintains balance on earth, though often producing a crisis to bring attention to a situation [...] Eclipses reveal our individual ties to these universal processes, where we fit in the big picture and where and when we make links with others......'

Events related to a solar eclipse tend to have an element of surprise, it's like an alarm clock, waking us up from our slumber, for example, one year, a friend of mine was made redundant on the spot when his questionable behaviour was discovered by the company.  On the surface, it appeared that he lost a job but in actual fact, he knew in his heart that his talents lie elsewhere and so the Universe merely gave him one massive kick up the backside (because he refused to do it himself earlier!)

However, recently, I have noticed charts of friends and family members where the eclipse degree tightly conjunct an important planet/point natally but no changes were evident at all.  

Having discussed this with my more experienced counterparts, I come to the conclusion that as spectacular as eclipses may sound, they can come and go with no overt or covert changes in a native.  Further support may be needed by transits, in particular, solar return degrees.  I know solar returns aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm loving it more and more, especially that in the past 6 months, I'm been tracking a few close friends' charts.  Just by looking at their transits, I didn't notice anything peculiar, but when looking at their solar return charts, it's uncanny to see that the solar return luminaries/planets/angles were triggered by transits instead.  

What are your views on this?

Qigong - an appealing solution for my Mars in Pisces

With natal Mars in Pisces, I'm forever on the lookout for suitable ways to strengthen my physical body.  I tend to run away (or collapse!) from anything that is too strenuous and dynamic.  Yoga is a fantastic option,  and I was involved in kundalini yoga for a while, however, living in the far east, I thought I would involve myself in some authentic qigong (or chi kung).  It is an ancient Chinese practice which seeks to integrate physical movements, breathing techniques and concentrated mental intentions.  I see it as a Chinese form of yoga, as 'qi' (or chi) is akin to 'prana', the life force.  'Gong' (or kung) can be translated as 'skill' or 'work', so putting it together, it is the skill of disciplining your life energy to improve your vitality.  It is also an active form of meditation to cultivate mindfulness.

My first qigong class was back in April this year.  Looking back at the ephemeris, I noticed many tight aspects to my natal Piscean Sun.

Triggers from inner planets:

t. Venus conjunct n. Sun  (I like the idea of qigong and I get to go with my dear friends)
t. Mars quincunx n. Sun   (Do I really want to spend 2 whole days on it?  Would it be tiring?)

Aspects from outer planets:

t. Pluto Capricorn sextile n. Sun  (An opportunity to shed a layer and to move closer to my solar goals)
t. Jupiter Cancer trine n. Sun  (It's a form of nourishment to my core self)

I've been going back every 2 months to work with the charismatic qigong master (our initial prediction of him being a Leo was correct, as he readily displays his playful child persona on every occasion - even though he is in his 80s!  He loves standing on the mini stage, under the spotlight, with students taking videos on their smartphones to record all the postures.)

I have just returned from another weekend workshop and found an obvious increase in my energy level this time.  Besides this, I appear to be more outspoken and not as affected by external opinions as I used to.  It seems that my natal Mercury in Aries received a little boost (trine) from the transiting Mercury-Jupiter conjunction in Leo. I can definitely see evidence of the release of my inner spokesperson.  I was able to express some hidden thoughts to my friends, which I had been harbouring for the past year.  In addition, I have been working on my inner child (Leo) which has exposed more hidden (12th) memories from childhood.

Gods of Change - outer planet transits

People tend to consult astrologers when something isn't going well in their lives. They want to have their problems eradicated, or at least, ameliorated somehow. Unfortunately, we, as astrologers, are unable to wave our imaginary magic wands and wish their troubles away. Transits are transits. They are here to stay. They mirror something in our mortal lives. However, what we can do is work with the individual to utilise their transits in creative ways.

For example, Uranus may seem to bring you an earthquake, shaking the ground below your feet, but on closer inspection, the things being broken are no longer serving you, so Uranus breaks them up for you.

Neptune may bring a wave of confusion, drowning you in sorrow, leaving you directionless. Again, it's washing away concepts and habits that have passed their expiry dates.

Pluto may bring deep agony and despair into your life.  With Pluto, the point is to re-shape your inner self, taking you closer to your solar goal, as depicted by your Sun. Unfortunately, Pluto isn’t considerate enough to think, 'That's too traumatic to put the person through!' It only thinks, 'It is necessary to undergo this traumatic yet transformative event for the sake of the soul's development'. 'Meaning' can help overcome the stress brought about by Pluto transits. Once it is understood why the trauma has occurred, the valuable lesson within can then be extracted, which can ultimately help with reaching your life purpose.

Transiting Venus in Aries 2012

There's not that much 'fire' in the sky lately, but following the Leo Full Moon on 7th February, the scale will tip slightly as Venus enters Aries on 8th February (6 a.m. GMT).  The planet of love then conjunct Uranus on 10th February (at 2.28am GMT), so by then, the Moon, Venus, Uranus and the North Node will all be in fire signs, giving us a little bit more passion and energy in the air.  However, don't forget we have Mars and Saturn (from 7th February) in retrograde, putting a damper on your motivation and encouraging you to slow down and introspect from the other side of the scale.

Venus is the planet of love, beauty and harmony, moving from the romantic and demure Pisces, to the bold and courageous Aries.  Pisces is about being selfless and immersing with the Universal source, whereas Aries is about the ego, the self, 'me'.  Venus seeks balance in interacting with others, but in Aries, the focus is likely to be more self-oriented and more willing to take risks, especially in the realm of love and pleasure-seeking.  Venus is also related to our values and belief system, so in Aries, we are less likely to be afraid to stand up for our own beliefs, but with Mars and Saturn in retrograde, the passion is more covert and relatively easier to control.

Be prepared to be surprised/shocked on 10th February when this love goddess conjunct Uranus, bringing something unpredictable, from sudden love attraction to excitement on the social front.

Traditionally, transits of Mars to Pluto are deemed to be more significant due to their slower orbits.  As transient as Mercury and Venus transits may be, I personally feel they are still worth looking at, especially for individuals with Mercury/Venus Sun and rising, where Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, and Venus rules Taurus and Libra.

For me, Venus conjunct my Mercury on its first day of ingress into Aries before moving into its conjunction with transiting Uranus.  My mind is on overdrive from its conjunction to transiting Uranus anyway, so having a slightly more mellow planet (albeit in a fiery sign) may bring a quick rest, but it will oppose my natal Pluto by the end of February, bringing possible power struggles in my relationship with others (or a compulsive attraction?!)

Can you feel Venus in your day to day life?

Image: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Living Astrologically: When a Pisces, who disowns her Piscean traits, has transiting Moon, Venus and Chiron in Pisces

With my Pisces Sun oppose my Virgo Saturn, I tend to focus on the negative quite heavily.  It's not that I completely dislike my Pisces Sun;  I like to have compassion, but I don't fancy having my kindness being taken advantage of.  I like to be intuitive but I need to be able to take a step back and not get overwhelmed by other people's problems.  One important point I have learned from reading tons of New Age books is that you cannot help others if you are unhappy.  When I'm confused and unfocused, I can't do anything constructive, hence, for the purpose of practicality, I like to identify with my Virgo Saturn, because it helps me to have order in my life.  

All the predictions for 2012 I've seen in newspapers, magazines and the internet gave Pisces a fantastic forecast, saying 2012 will be a great year for Pisces, which, I'm sure, is mainly based on the fact that Neptune enters Pisces this year.  As mentioned previously in another blog post, I'm dreading this move and don't really want to think about what this 'flood' will bring.  Neptune has not enter Pisces at the time of writing, but currently (26th January), we have the Moon, Venus and Chiron in Pisces.  On closer inspection, I find the transiting Moon and Venus conjunct my natal Sun and transiting Chiron (also t. Neptune in Aquarius) conjunct my natal Mars.  In addition, transiting Chiron also sextile my MC, transiting Jupiter conjunct my MC and tightening its conjunction with my natal Chiron (late afternoon of 26th January 2012) and transiting Neptune quincunx my natal Jupiter exactly.  There was an incident which highlighted this combination of aspects quite aptly.  In a nutshell, the Piscean energy heightened my already hypersensitive nature.  I felt my anger button being triggered, even though the speaker had no malicious intent of arousing my anger at all.  I felt incapable and pitiful but at the same time, those unintentionally hurtful words gave me an instant insight into a solution that I had been seeking for the past month.  So my Mars felt bruised, but my Sun was able to receive the message delivered by the Moon-Venus conjunction in Pisces, thanks for the objectivity I derived from Neptune in Aquarius.  So far so good.  I can cope with that....

I was comparing this to another incident that occurred to me the day before (25th January) where I was interrogated about my financial situation during a family reunion.  As a private person, I highly loathe that kind of talk, but with family members, one needs to deal with it as amicably as possible (at least, that's my philosophy, especially that it's culturally more acceptable in the part of the world I'm currently in to discuss such a topic).  In the end, I answered as much as I felt comfortable without giving everything away, then I quickly returned the gesture and asked about her finances.  Again she answered but without giving too much away.  I pretty much had the same aspect as 26th January, the only difference being the Moon in Aquarius, separating from a conjunction to my natal Venus, but transiting MC in Pisces conjunct transiting Chiron, both conjunct my natal Mars.  Besides having an objective and detached Moon, the other saving grace is the ASC, which was in Gemini at the time, so I was in a lighthearted, chatty mood.  Compare to the Cancer ASC the next day, where I wanted to crawl into a shell and have some privacy and was made to feel defensive instead.

Conclusion so far:  I can deal with the 'Pisces flood' so long as I can have some air to breath (preferably the Aquarian kind).

How's the Piscean energy treating you so far?

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mercury in Aquarius 2012

Having been thinking in a practical and prudent way, Mercury is due to leave the reserved and patient sign of Capricorn and enter unpredictable Aquarius from 27th January (18.11 GMT), where it will stay until 13th February.

Mercury in Aquarius continues the theme of connecting with the 'group mind'.  The New Moon in Aquarius on 23rd January provided the fertile ground to sow seeds of long-range goals, preferably ones with worthy causes, which can benefit the masses.  

The planetary energies are rather interesting.  On the one hand, we have the Aquarian energy, encouraging the need to think outside the box and be different (transiting Uranus sextile Mercury within 24 hours of its ingress into Aquarius), but on the other hand, we have the planet of action, Mars, retrograding in Virgo, discouraging overt actions and impulsive/sudden changes.  In addition, on the day of the Leo Full Moon on 7th February, Mercury will conjunct the Sun but oppose the Moon AND Saturn goes retrograde in Libra, repeating the 'let's shock the world and do it!  It's for the good of humanity!' versus 'Wait a minute, play safe.  Don't just think about your own needs but be aware of those around you too' message.  Full Moons tend to shed light on hidden issues, bringing awareness to anything you have not considered/seen before.  This is followed by the disseminating phase, or 'tweaking' time, where those unknown factors are taken into account and anything which no longer works will need to be released, so a new plan of action may need to be drafted again as we head towards the next New Moon.

By 9th February, Mercury will quincunx Mars, again, reinforcing the discomfort feeling of wanting to shock or do something for the good of others, but not forgetting the need to plan out all the steps in order to make it a reality.  Luckily, before Mercury is due to leave Aquarius, it will make a wonderful trine to Saturn, so after weeding out any unwanted/unrealistic parts, what's left should be sturdy enough to be taken to the next phase.  With Mercury entering romantic Pisces on Valentine's Day and a Pisces New Moon on 21st February (22.34 GMT), our minds can have a break from the high-voltaged energy of Aquarius (ruled by Uranus), and be massaged by the gentle yet vague Pisces.

This Aquarian Mercury will send a shock to my 7th house, oppose my Ascendant, square my MC, Chiron, Uranus and Moon, but sextile my Mercury.  I quite like getting zapped in the mind, it can numb the brain, but I would rather of think it as an invigorating experience, injecting some objectivity and originality into my system for just under 3 weeks.

Where will transiting Mercury in Aquarius visit in your chart?  

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Welcoming the Aquarius New Moon, T-Square and all, with open arms

This afternoon, I received the shocking news of the demise of a relative.  My heart goes out to her family at this time.  May you rest in peace.

Every time when I hear of such losses, particularly of people I had personally interacted with, however transient, it feels as if the Universe is giving me a hard slap on the face, saying 'Life is too short, ANYTHING can happen.  Do what you need to do before it's too late.'

Today, even before hearing this piece of sad news, I felt like I was being trapped in a pressure cooker.  Well, transiting Mercury is exactly square my Pluto and transiting Sun is now exactly oppose my Jupiter.  

My poor Jupiter in Cancer, hiding away in the 12th house.  It wants to stay there, but it's being pushed and shoved about by the current Jupiter-Saturn opposition and soon the Aquarius New Moon will march right across it, hands on hips.  This afternoon, I suddenly realised that one of the personal influences this opposition has on me is to balance the need to distribute my time.  With the Jupiter-Saturn opposition falling in my 3rd/4th house cusp and 9th/10th cusp, I want to retreat into the safety of my home but I need to be 'out there' as culturally expected of me during this festive season (imagine feeling the need to isolate oneself during Christmas!).  But to be fair, I do want to be out there too (it is an opposition after all, so one does tend to flit from one side to the other).   As they're both ruled by Venus, I should balance both sides as amicably as possible and not allow my fiery Mercury in Aries to run amok - it won't because it's trapped deep down in my 8th house, it'll just seethe with anger, keeping the irritation boiling at the bottom of my psyche.  Luckily, transiting Mars is slowing down, getting ready for its retrograde on Tuesday 24th.  That sounds great to me.  Switch down a gear, slowly does it...

How are you feeling as we approach the Aquarius New Moon?

Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Living Astrologically - Emotional Roller-Coaster

I don't normally keep a close check on how each transiting planet affects my own chart.  However, having experienced elation, frustration, offensiveness, sadness and shock, all within 24 hours, I thought I should take a look at what the planets were doing to my own chart.

I was surprised to find that yesterday (17th January 2012), all the transiting planets were in tight/exact aspect to many of my personal planets:

- transiting Sun trine my natal Moon

- transiting Moon trine my natal Sun

- transiting Mercury sextile my Sun

- transiting Venus conjunct my Mars

- transiting Jupiter conjunct my MC

- transiting Saturn square my Jupiter and quincunx my Mercury

- transiting Uranus conjunct my Mercury

- transiting Neptune quincunx my Jupiter

- transiting Pluto trine my Chiron

- transiting NN square my Sun

- transiting Chiron conjunct my Mars and sextile my MC

- transiting Mars sextile Uranus and square my Neptune (separating)

Do you ever get days like this?

Image: anat_tikker / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Transiting Venus in Pisces 2012

Venus, the planet of love, fun and values, leaves humanitarian Aquarius and into romantic Pisces on 14th January 2012.  Venus is due to stay in this dreamy sign for just over 3 weeks, until 7th February 2012. This coincides with Saturn going retrograde and a full moon in Leo.  In addition, 12 days into this ingress, Mars will go retrograde in Virgo.  So it looks as if we will be given ample opportunities to review (look for Libra and Leo in your chart) and refine our plans, paying special attention to the smaller details (look for Virgo in your chart).

Venus is exalted in Pisces, meaning that the gentle and romantic Piscean energy is comfortably expressed in this loving planet.  It is like feeling at home in someone else's house. (Venus' 'natural homes' are Libra and Taurus)

The effect of transiting Venus is rather transient as it moves 1 degree 15 minutes per day at its fastest.  During its 3-week sojourn, it will conjunct planets in the sign of Pisces.  Look for Pisces in your chart to see which area of your life will be visited by this Love Goddess.

Venus in Pisces is supposed to be romantic, making you feel attractive, caring and amicable.  For me, I have Pisces on my 8th house cusp.  Tracking Venus in Pisces for the last couple of years, I found that my experience of this transit is anything but lighthearted and romantic, thanks to my natal Sun-Saturn opposition.  When transiting Pisces conjunct my Sun (Mars and SN), making me feel utterly charming and gentle, I have Saturn in Virgo on the other side screaming out warnings, 'Don't let your guard down!  It's not as good as it looks!  You're not worth it!'  Currently, I feel more confident with keeping my Saturn in order.  However, my next task is to make peace with Neptune, as I have a natal Sun-Neptune square, of which I have ignored for the most part of my life.  It's screaming out for attention, especially with Neptune entering Pisces, its natural home, at the start of next month.  I'm working on it Neptune...

Where's Venus transiting in your chart?  Even though Venus in Pisces hasn't brought me any 'nice gifts' in the past, I'm sure it has given loads to others - are you one of those lucky souls?

Image: Dynamite Imagery / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Friday 13th - Love is in the air!

Yes, love is in the air on Friday the 13th January.

Venus, the planet of love, values and pleasure, conjunct Neptune, a higher octave of Venus, governing dreams, ideals and spirituality.  However, this conjunction at 29 degrees Aquarius may not necessarily bring the lovey dovey kind of love that you might expect, as Aquarius expresses itself with detachment and independence.  The 'love' is certainly there, but towards a bigger audience with a worthwhile cause, e.g, a charity, a community group.

This conjunction, along with Mercury conjunct Pluto, can help to unleash any creative ideas locked within you, ones which are likely to make deep and long lasting impressions on others.

With a number of planets in earth signs (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto), we want to get things done.  We don't want to merely dream and imagine but to capture those ideals and manifest them into reality.  Saturn in Libra (ruled by Venus) trine the Venus-Neptune conjunction, along with the Sun-Mars trine in the background further reinforce the theme of putting your passion into action.

So this Friday the 13th isn't all doom and gloom.  Here is a great blog entry on the history behind this dreaded day:  http://auntiemoon.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/friday-the-13th-exalt-the-feminine/

My Cancer Jupiter, tucked away in the 12th house is being quincunx by this Venus-Neptune conjunction and square by Saturn.  I may feel uncomfortable to come out of my hiding place, but Saturn is threatening me with a cane......

Where does this Venus-Neptune conjunction fall in your chart?

Image: Kookkai_nak / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Cosmic Tracking before the Cancer Full Moon

Transiting Uranus is conjunct my natal Mercury (since the end of October 2011 and is due to break out of the tight orb by the end of this month).

Transiting Saturn is square my natal Jupiter and quincunx my Moon.

Transiting Chiron and Jupiter are approaching a conjunction to my natal Mars and MC respectively, separating in the middle of next month.

Down here on earth, I'm feeling more bold and open about sharing my spiritual beliefs with the world and not being afraid of other people's reactions.  I had a brief trek down memory lane last night (around the time when there was a combination of configurations in the sky - a grand cross, a grand trine, a kite and a mystic rectangle) and ended up getting rather emotional (though at the time, I had no idea about the 'configuration party' in the sky)......

How are the planets treating you?

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net