On April 19th, the sun moved into Taurus. Time for gardening and growth.
On a personal level, the trait most stereotypically associated with Taurus is stubbornness. Taurus’s symbol is a bull, and Taurus is a fixed earth sign, so it’s got the most immovable combo of modality and element in the zodiac. The stubbornness is real, but it’s just one of the many facets of a Taurus. Taurean placements are sensible and sensual. There’s a pragmatism with Taurus and an ability to assess people and situations with a level head. A Taurus seeks stability. Taurus is also about a love of pleasure and an enjoyment of the sensory: food that tastes good, clothes and bedding that feel good, design that appeals to the eye. High thread-count sheets. Fancy cocktails. Vibrant bouquets. Good books.
Transit-wise, when we move into Taurus season every year, we feel a cooling of the fire that comes with Aries season. Aries season is usually combustible; then Taurus season brings a welcome groundedness. At the start of this year’s Taurus season, however, there are a few significant and volatile transits to watch out for. Despite the groundedness Taurus offers us, the season starts off rocky because of the current Mars and Pluto placements.
The sun is in a tense square to Mars as soon as the sun moves into Taurus, then within a couple days, the sun makes the same aspect to Pluto. This is taking place right ahead of the final Mars-Pluto opposition of this cycle, so this is giving off a very intense energy. With the sun in Taurus, the sign of stubbornness, the most fixed of the fixed signs, squaring both Mars and Pluto, expect power struggles. There will be conflict between a reluctance to change and the need for movement, all against a backdrop of aggression and transformation. The first Mars-Pluto opposition of this cycle occurred last November 4th, the second the first week of January, and now this final one on April 26th. Stay safe out there.
The next day, though, we get the highlight of this Taurus season, the new moon in Taurus on April 27th. We are finally out of eclipse season, and Mercury, Venus, and Mars are all finally direct after one or more of them all being retrograde this entire year so far. The energy feels renewed, and things are finally moving. It’s appropriate for springtime. Things are blooming after a long, hard, nightmarish winter.
This is the time to plant your seeds and sow. We had a lot of time to reflect on what motivates us and what we value, now let’s make the plans to set those ambitions and value-driven actions into motion. And Uranus, the planet of innovation, is still transiting through Taurus, so with the sun and moon co-present in the sign, it’s a fertile time for creativity and coming up with new ways to dream. (I saw Sunset Blvd. on Broadway earlier this week with one of my Taurus buddies, and I loved it. Could Norma Desmond have been a Taurus? My guess is she’s a Leo with a Scorpio moon.)
Tap into this new moon, and lean into the lushness of Taurus during this time. Keep your eyes and ears open because attunement to the sensory will help foster creativity. This is the time of 2025 where things are going to start to shift, and we all need to be both grounded and innovative to meet the moment.
There’s a blood moon lunar eclipse in Virgo overnight on Thursday, March 13th, going into the morning of Friday, March 14th. It will be exact at 2:54 am Eastern Time.
The month of March is always a little chaotic, in my opinion, and I chalk that up to the transition from Pisces season to Aries season. Pisces is associated with a lack of structure; it’s about universality. Whereas Aries is the beginning of a new cycle, Pisces is the conclusion and the transcendence of the cycle. And in what is usually a roiling month anyway, this year we have two eclipses in March, one on the 13th/14th, and another one, the final one in the years-long Aries-Libra cycle, on the 29th.
I’ve been watching Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth (where my Joseph Campbell heads at?), the landmark PBS series from 1988. Campbell talks about the belief in many non-Western cultures that nature is divine, and what we call “God,” which is the great unknown, is in everything—in every plant, every animal, (somehow) in every person. This is Pisces. Pisces is the all-encompassing spirit. And then after we transcend, we move back into Aries season, which arrives on March 20th, for a new beginning. The transition from Pisces to Aries can feel disjointed and disorienting because the vibes are so different. Aries is about the singular. It’s the hero part of the hero’s journey. Pisces is the state of the sublime that the hero achieves at the end.
So that’s March in general. Now let’s look at the March 14th lunar eclipse in Virgo, a full moon opposite the Pisces sun. I wrote about the Pisces-Virgo eclipses here (reread to see where they fall in your chart). Events and themes of a Piscean nature will continue to play out during these eclipses, and because of the nodal placements, we’ll see a release or draining of Virgo themes and a swell and expansion of Pisces themes.
Virgo is health and service. Pisces is emotions and creativity. Virgo is order, Pisces is confusion. Virgo is perfection, Pisces is messy. Virgo is an earth sign, Pisces is water.
So while what we will see unfold in the world over this eclipse cycle, which started last fall and goes into 2026, may be unsettling for those of us who love order and boundaries, with drains on health and service, there is the opportunity to let go of the need for perfection, the nitpickiness of Virgo, and the judgment that inhibits us, and embrace some of that flowy boundarylessness of Pisces, helping us level up in our empathy, our passion and compassion, and our acceptance. The devil’s in the details; the sublime is in the mess.
There will likely be big changes coming (yes, more), and I wouldn’t be surprised if this eclipse carries with it some major news, but of course, when isn’t there major news these days, so it seems absurd to even say that as if that’s unexpected. But the Virgo-Pisces axis represents a tension between earth and water, between realism and delusion, between discrimination and broad acceptance, so watch for that. Water overtaking earth? It’s giving tsunami—hopefully a metaphorical one.
We also get Mercury retrograde on March 14th, just to add another layer of WTFness to the mix of eclipse season and the current Venus retrograde. Love that for us. Mercury stations in Aries and works its way back into—you guessed it—Pisces! Time for the communication to get emo and nebulous.
Hang in there. Ride the wave. Work toward accepting that the divine universal intelligence flows through every living thing. April is a little less nuts.
The new moon of Aquarius season will occur on January 29th. It will be exact at 7:35 am EST at nearly 10 degrees of Aquarius.
Except for the pesky Mars retrograde, this new moon has a lot going for it. Pluto, Mercury, and the sun and moon are all in Aquarius, and the sun and moon are in a supportive aspect with Jupiter, the planet of growth and expansion, which is still in Gemini, the Mercury-ruled sign that is associated with words and information. This is an innovative, informative lunation that takes us out of our isolation and offers us a chance to connect.
We are coming down from some major Capricorn vibes right now. Capricorn and Aquarius are both Saturn-ruled signs, but Cap is more about traditions, whereas Aquarius is more forward-thinking. Aquarius season and the new moon in Aquarius offer us an opportunity to plan the creation of structures that will help society and our communities. Aquarius is about the collective, being tapped into the needs of the people, and innovating to solve those problems.
January 26th would have been Paul Newman‘s 100th birthday. The most beautiful man of all time was also an Aquarius. His legacy is such a contrast to those currently on display in the zeitgeist. Many of the most powerful people in the world right now are projecting and applauding an intense Capricornian, authoritative, punishing energy. Maybe they weren’t loved enough by their fathers, weren’t shown empathy as children, and are now inflicting these wounds onto the rest of the world.
Aquarius, in its evolved form, focuses on the needs of the “we” over those of the individual ego. It’s about finding new ways to transform hurt and lack into support and care for others. Paul Newman built a camp for sick children. He created a line of food products expressly to donate the proceeds to charity. His name and face were on the label, but all the post-tax proceeds were donated to help others. What a mensch. Paul Newman, Aquarius. Be like Paul Newman.
This new moon is an opportunity to align our own plans and structure with the collective needs. Selfishness isn’t always a bad thing, but as we forge ahead into what is already shaping up to be an insane year, if you are so inclined, it’s an auspicious time to think about the needs of your community and how you can play a role in taking care of some of those. Solution time, innovation time. What’s he building in there?
With Jupiter in Gemini supporting the new moon, as well as its proximity to Mercury, you may want to verbalize and write down your plans and intentions. The Mars retrograde means it’s still not a great time for taking definitive action, but this is where you formulate, you set up calendar reminders, you jot down the list, you make the plan. Even though Aquarius is associated with rebellion, it’s still Saturn-ruled, so deliberate and disciplined preparation go a long way now.
Or you may just find that this new moon presents opportunities for connecting with your friends, and that’s good too.
As always, take all astrology with a grain of salt; it’s based on human interpretation of what’s going on in the sky, and as we well know, humans are extraordinarily flawed.
Venus traveled into Pisces on the evening of January 2nd, and it will spend quite a bit of time in Pisces this year, due to an upcoming Venus retrograde, which begins on March 1st.
Venus in Pisces, Aries, and retrograde cycle dates:
Venus direct in Pisces: Jan 2nd – Feb 4th (very early AM EST)
Venus direct in Aries: Feb 4th – Feb 28th
Venus stations in Aries: March 1st
Venus retrograde in Aries: March 2nd – March 27th
Venus retrograde in Pisces: March 27th – April 12th
Venus stations in Pisces: April 13th
Venus direct in Pisces: April 13th – April 30th (early AM)
Venus direct in Aries: April 30th – June 5th
Venus goes into Taurus: June 6th
So Venus will be back and forth between Pisces and Aries for a big chunk of time. I want to focus on the Pisces part, because Venus is exalted in Pisces, meaning that it really loves being there, and when Venus is in Pisces, we can make the most of its charms.
Venus rules relationships, love, money, resources, and values. Pisces is a mutable water sign, known for dreaminess, creativity, passion, illusion (and delusion), and empathy. In Pisces, the things ruled by Venus can take on fluidity and depth.
For those with Venus in Pisces in their birth charts, there’s an inherent romanticism. That can manifest in love and relationships, as well as how the person sees themself.
Boundaries can be difficult for those born with Venus in Pisces. Drew Barrymore’s natal Venus is at 29 degrees of Pisces, and the way she interviews people on her show, sitting really close to them on the couch, even begging our serious and formidable Vice President to be “Momala” to all of us, gushes Venus in Pisces to me. (Drew has a lot going on in Pisces, not surprisingly.)
People with this placement can also struggle with seeing their loved ones through rose-colored glasses and may fall in love with the idea of someone or the illusion of what they want them to be, rather than recognizing someone for who they actually are, warts and all.
But let’s talk about the good stuff. Venus in Pisces is compassionate and exudes warmth. There’s a magnetism to those with Venus in Pisces, and they often will find themselves as many people’s confidants and therapists. Venus in Pisces folks love love and can be incredibly thoughtful and giving partners. The Springsteen song “Drive All Night” is SO Venus in Pisces to me: romantic, tortured, and long, with the lyrics “I swear I’ll drive all night again just to buy you some shoes…” In fact, The River is a pretty Venus in Pisces album.
An evolved Venus in Pisces also relishes being alone and finds peace and balance in being with others and then being by themself. Maybe the protagonist in “Drive All Night” loves his paramour so much that he’d go to great lengths for her, but he also loves a long solo drive, listening to whatever he wants on the radio.
Venus in Pisces, depending on other placements in the chart, can also have an easy relationship with money. It flows to those with that natal placement, as long as they are willing to harness their energy and put in the hard work to make it happen. The arts, especially music, are important to people with Venus in Pisces, and they usually like to dance, especially if their Venus is aspected favorably by Mars.
With Venus’s transit through Pisces, it’s a good time for Venusian things, like beautifying your home or yourself (although I’d avoid cosmetic surgery involving needles while Mars is retrograde). It’s a good time to be social and get together with the people you care about. Romance is easier when Venus is in Pisces, and you may feel a little braver about wearing your heart on your sleeve and/or making your feelings known to someone.
If you are thinking about making a big purchase for something you truly desire, with Venus in Pisces, you’ve got some extra Venusian vibes on your side. That new coffee table or that new bag will look really great and you’ll probably be admiring it long after the transit is over. If you take in some art or go see live music or dance while Venus is in Pisces, you’re more likely to feel moved and inspired at this time.
Now, Venus in Aries, on the other hand, gets more intense and provocative and is a vibe all its own. Venus in Pisces is good for the ballet and for getting a facial and buying a bouquet of flowers; Venus in Aries is about signing up for pole-dancing classes and quitting your job.
The sun moved into Sagittarius on November 21st. Prior to that, we had Pluto making its final entrance into Aquarius on November 19th. It made a couple visits to Aquarius in the last couple years but went back into Capricorn (and very tellingly was at the final degree of Capricorn on Election Day in the U.S.). I’ve written about Pluto in Aquarius and what that could possibly bring previously. Pluto will be in Aquarius for almost 20 years now.
One of the first global shifts Pluto in Aquarius has produced is the end of Vanderpump Rules as we know it, with the original cast not returning for next season. VPR is a prime example of a Pluto in Capricorn show, with a Saturnian authority figure overseeing a bunch of messy employees, trying to encourage maturation and structure in their lives (but, actually, stoking the show drama to make big money).
When it premiered in the early 2010s, it was an examination of waitresses and bartenders aspiring to achieve the sort of capitalist and patriarchal hallmarks of success that were so emblematic of the era (e.g., getting married, traveling on private planes, launching businesses) but usually being undone by their own tendencies toward chaos and stupidity. You gave us everything, VPR. I’ll miss you terribly but also am ready to move on.
Now, back to Sagittarius season. We’ve lost Vanderpump Rules and it gets dark at 4pm. Usually, once the sun moves to Sagittarius, the vibe gets a little livelier and lighter, like a breath of fresh air after Scorpio season. Scorpio season is moody and intense, but by Sag season, we’re already accustomed to the shorter days and longer nights, and we’re in holiday mode, in end-of-year mode. It’s a time for socializing and starting to dream big about what the next year will bring. This year, though, feels a little different due to a couple current and upcoming retrogrades (and, of course, the state of the world we live in).
The first lunation we get is a new moon in Sagittarius overnight on November 30th / December 1st, depending on where you live. Our last new moon was in Scorpio, on November 1st, at the same time as the Mars-Pluto opposition. It was volatile, to say the least. This one is a little more low-key. There aren’t any tight, difficult configurations at the same time as this new moon, which is a nice change, but it does mark a time of effort.
Mercury is in Sag close by, and Mercury is currently retrograde. It’s loosely opposite Jupiter in Gemini, also retrograde. Now, because Jupiter and Mercury are in each other’s home signs, they are helping each other out, giving them a little more ease than they’d otherwise have, but when they are retrograde, this is not a time for making big grandiose plans; it’s more about a thoughtful review of goals.
Not only are Mercury and Jupiter retrograde, but Mars is moving very slowly right now, preparing to station on December 6th and then go retrograde, moving from Leo back to Cancer, all the way back to 17 degrees, where it will station on February 23rd. Mars retrograde is generally not great for starting new endeavors. Obviously, if you have an agreement to start a new job or move or whatever, you have to live your life, but generally, projects that start under a Mars retrograde can sap energy and have trouble gaining forward momentum.
With Mars going retrograde, then direct again in the last half of Cancer and the early degrees of Leo, you can expect to see some call backs to stories, especially ones relating to masculinity, aggression, war, and ambition, that have been unfolding over the last couple months come up again, first between December and February, and then again in March and early May next year. You can also expect to see stories from your own life, especially relating to the topics that are associated with the houses where you have Cancer and Leo in your own birth chart, popping back up.
This period of reflection, recalibrating, stopping and starting, and potential malaise lasts for a few months until the spring, when there are big changes afoot and it will feel like all systems go. The advice I’m trying to give myself is to not fight it. Especially with an Aries moon, I have a deep need to always be moving forward, doing something, creating some sort of action plan, but the next few months represent a wait-and-see period, as much as it practically can be. Let’s spend the winter reassessing our desires, plans, and goals, and watching old episodes of VPR, salving our souls.
It’s Scorpio season, a time of darkening. The sun moved into Scorpio on October 22nd. Scorpio season is one of transformation. In the Northern Hemisphere, the leaves are changing and falling, the air (for some) is getting colder, and there’s a holiday smack in the middle of it when people dress as ghosts and focus on death.
This Scorpio season, the big astrological story is an appropriately timed opposition between Mars and Pluto. You want it darker? Mars will be at the very last degree of Cancer, and Pluto at the very last degree of Capricorn. This will be exact on November 3rd, but we’re already feeling this, and this energy will be very present during the new moon in Scorpio on November 1st.
An opposition is like a culmination point, often with difficulty surrounding it, like the agonizing climb up last terrain to scale before arriving at the apex (I mean, I assume, I’ve never rock-climbed). Mars is the planet of action and drive, and Pluto is the planet of power. Cancer is a sign that’s about nurturing and the familial but also about tribalism. Pluto’s at the last degree of Capricorn for the very last time (finally) for hundreds of years, and Capricorn is a sign that is about power and structure, especially deeply entrenched structures, like capitalism and patriarchy.
So this opposition, which occurs right before Election Day in the U.S., signifies a struggle and ultimate culmination between actions and entrenched power. And with Cancer’s significations encompassing both family and motherhood one on hand and tribalism and nativism on the other, we’re seeing two strands of aggression and activity. For many, this time is about trying to chip away at the patriarchal structures and people that have been and are currently trying to stymie the power of women in myriad ways, the most prominent being limiting bodily autonomy; for another bloc, it’s a fight to hang on to power, what they see as preserving their ideal version of this country, based on identification with whiteness, maleness, and wealth.
No big deal, right?
Here’s where we need to pull the focus in. A lot of astrologers have been pretty freaked out by the Mars-Pluto opposition and rightfully so (I started writing this before the Tr**p r*lly at the Garden, but that level of darkness feels very Mars opp Pluto). When we talk about the themes, we’re talking big picture, 40,000 feet type stuff. But in your own individual life, this really just could mean that you vote, in the way you plan to, and for a few weeks, you have to deal with some frustrating, disgusting, and anxiety-evoking news in the zeitgeist. It’s probably going to feel scary at its worst and mostly infuriating. It’s a good time to remember to set screen time limits and not doom scroll even though it’s going to be really tempting, with the Sun in Scorpio, a sign that is associated with obsession and compulsion. The shadow side of Scorpio wants you to allow yourself to dive deeper into a pit of rage and disgust. The more enlightened side wants you to trust your inner knowing and recognize others for exactly who they are, with crystalline precision and with no rose-colored illusions.
After the election in 2016, I felt totally untethered, as if I was waking up to an alternate reality. I could be a fool, or maybe it’s because I’ve since started taking Zoloft (shoutout to modern medicine!), but I don’t feel that way now. Will that change after November? Unclear. But even with all the absolutely horrific things happening in the world, I am hopeful. Is it because Pluto’s going to go into Aquarius, and we’ll all be able to upload our souls to the cloud and live eternally as part of some physics of the universe that we’re not even aware of yet? TBD!
This dark, fraught energy we’re experiencing now shifts in mid November, and late November gets easier, so hang in there and try to weather the current shitstorm until then.
The Aries full moon will be exact in the morning hours of October 17th, but we are already feeling it, and it will be especially potent tomorrow, October 16th. This moon is forming squares with Mars, the planet of action and aggression, and Pluto, the planet associated with power and compulsion. And when it’s in Aries, the moon is ruled by Mars, so the Martian energy is extra heavy.
What does this mean? Intensity! Even though this moon marks the end of eclipse season, this will still be intensely felt and give off eclipse-type vibes. Aries has many great qualities (leadership, pioneering, joie de vivre, spontaneity), but it is not known for restraint. You may already feel more punchy than normal. Have you had trouble sleeping? I woke up at 3:30am last night and didn’t fall back asleep until 5ish, and the whole time I was awake I was agitated. If you have sleep issues regularly or if you find yourself easily influenced by the moon cycles, tonight and tomorrow night you should try to wind down early and do whatever you can do to help you rest.
The Aries moon is opposite the sun in Libra. Mars is in Cancer, and Pluto is at the very last degree of Capricorn. These four planets are forming a grand cross in the four signs known as the cardinal signs. Cardinal signs are the initiating signs of the zodiac. Each one ushers in a new season and represents beginnings.
She’s startin’.
Dorinda, like yours truly, has an Aries moon. People with Aries moons can be impulsive, can be eruptive when pushed, and have an emotional need to be #1. Of course, the entire birth chart of a person influences how they react and respond to conflict, but Dorinda’s iconic explosiveness is a pretty good representation of the potential intensity of an Aries moon. Can’t wait to see her on Traitors!
Full moons are about culminations and releases, so you may find yourself with the impulse to release some pent up anger or resentment this week. This is especially possible because of the friction with Mars and Pluto. At the same time, Venus, the planet of diplomacy and relationships, is in a tense opposition to Uranus, the planet of disruption, which unfortunately doesn’t make things easier. This is divorce energy.
It’ll be tough, but whenever you can over the next few days, try to ground yourself. If you can feel yourself boiling into a rage, take a couple steps back. Walk away from your laptop. Put your phone on the charger and leave the room. Take a walk if you feel yourself about to throw your plate across the dinner table.
You’ll feel this more acutely if you have any personal planets or luminaries (the sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, or Mars) or angles (ascendant/rising, descendant, midheaven, or IC) at or around 24 degrees of any of the cardinal signs mentioned above. And if you ever want a complex look at how the transits could affect you based on your birth chart, book a reading with me!
As we go into Scorpio season, things won’t be less intense, but the mood will be a little less fiery, which I’m looking forward to. More on that in a couple weeks.
Since April 2023, we have been experiencing eclipses on the Aries–Libra axis, meaning that other than some residual eclipses in Taurus and Scorpio, the eclipses that have occurred during the past year and change have been in either Aries or Libra.
Now, on September 17th, we have a full moon in Pisces, which will also mark the first eclipse of the next cycle, on the Virgo-Pisces axis. A lunar eclipse is like an especially intense full moon. Be prepared for big emotional releases, and especially with it being Pisces, the most watery of the water signs, we may all be feeling extra sensitive and intuitive, with moodiness, crying jags, and circumvented boundaries abounding.
This eclipse in Pisces on the 17th will then be answered by a solar eclipse two weeks later, but that one will be back in Libra, so it will represent a continuation of the Aries-Libra stories that have been playing out for the past year and a half.
During the interim between eclipses, time blurs a little bit. To borrow evocative words from one of my very favorite writers of all time, Cookie Mueller, a Pisces queen herself, it’s like “walking through clear water in a pool painted black.”
In a semi-awake liminal dream state a couple nights ago, I had what I thought at the time was a crystalline, piercing realization: that the interim between eclipses is kind of like when Evie used to touch her fingers together and stop time in late 80s sitcom Out of this World. Do people remember that show? Another syndicated sitcom, Small Wonder, still gets some nostalgic online chatter every now and then for it’s true WTFness, as a show about a programmable robot daughter should. But Out of this World, which focused on a teenage girl who was half alien, had special powers, and who communicated with her alien father through a very 80s looking glass cube, doesn’t get remembered enough. The theme song was also a true banger.
Anyway, time doesn’t really stop between eclipses, but it can feel a little untethered to our usual reality. It’s a time where things happen to us, instead of us making things happen. It feels a little like the liminal half-awake dream state in which one taps into some dark recess of their brain and conjures thoughts of a long forgotten sitcom about being half-alien, as if it’s an epiphany. And with eclipses as harbingers of major beginnings and endings, we often come out of eclipse time feeling like, what the hell just happened?
How impactful an individual eclipse is on your own life largely depends on where it falls in your natal chart in relation to your planetary placements. So, if you have a personal planet (sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, or Mars) or angle (ascendant, descendant, midheaven, or IC), at or near 25/26 degrees of Pisces, Virgo, Gemini, or Sagittarius (the mutable signs), this week could be an especially be an eventful time for you. For those without one of the eclipses of a particular axis hitting something in their natal charts directly, the events tied to that eclipse cycle are usually slow burns.
This week you’ll start to see the seeds of the stories that will flower between now and February 2027. This will be the first eclipse in Pisces since 2017. If you think back to the period from March 2015 to March 2017 and recall the transitions and changes that occurred in your life during that time, you may get a preview of the themes to come. Read below for your rising sign to learn more about how the eclipses in Pisces & Virgo may show up for you over the next few years.
Pisces & Virgo risings: The eclipses occurring in Pisces and Virgo are in the parts of your chart that deal with the self and partnership. It’s about the balance between “me” and “us.” You may, over the course of the next few years, experience some profound changes that inform how you think about yourself or that cause you to grow up or evolve in a major way. It could be a change in your partnership status, whether that’s beginning a relationship with someone new or ending an existing relationship. Or it could be that some major happens in your partner’s life. And it’s not just about romantic relationships either; it can also be about best friendships, creative partnerships, or any kind of committed, two-person pairing.
Aries & Libra risings: Your health, both physical and mental, could be affected during this eclipse cycle. As an example, the most recent eclipses in these parts of my chart coincided with my decision to take concrete steps (through modern medicine) to improve my mental health after some intense bouts of anxiety. These zodiacal houses also represent work and labor, pets, and solitude, so it’s possible that you’ll see new beginnings and endings with regard to one of these areas of your life. Do you adopt a dog or cat that lifts you out of a depression? Very possible!
Taurus & Scorpio risings: These eclipses will be taking place across the areas of your chart that are associated with creativity, pleasure, and children, and friendships, social groups, and community. It can represent a push and pull between self-indulgent pursuits and focus on the collective. There may be changes in your life in one of these areas that lead to adjustments or complement the other. Maybe your desire to tap into your creative yearnings lead you to join an artist’s collective. Maybe you sacrifice your more leisurely free time pursuits to take on more responsibility in a community group. Maybe you have a child and find yourself withdrawing from one social circle and participating more heavily in another, parent-focused circle. These are just a few different ways eclipses in your 5th and 11th houses could manifest.
Gemini & Sagittarius risings: Changes in your home life, your family, or stories about your ancestry may unfold during these eclipses, counterbalanced by developments in your career or public facing life. This could mean that over the next couple years, there are needs in your family that take precedence, and your career focus shifts accordingly. Or it could be that due to a change in your career, your living situation evolves; maybe you move to pursue a job opportunity, or a new job allows you to upgrade your housing. From my own personal life, I’ve been experiencing the Aries-Libra eclipses in this part of my chart, and I’ve learned a lot about how to leverage my career to allow me the flexibility I need to spend more time with family that lives far away, and I’ve also been much more transient during this period, giving me a new way of thinking about the concept of “home.”
Cancer & Capricorn risings: This cycle will occur in your 3rd and 9th houses. Each house encompasses a few different areas of life, so there are a bunch of possibilities of how the beginnings and endings accompanying these eclipses could play out. The 3rd house signifies communication, your daily life, your neighborhood and neighbors, domestic travel, siblings, and education. The 9th is about higher ed, teaching, learning, philosophy, spirituality, religion, and long distance travel and journeys. So there’s a whole host of areas you could see evolution in during this cycle. Boiling it down simply, I think of this axis about the local and the global, so you may see endings in one area due to new beginnings or shifted focus in the other.
Leo & Aquarius risings: Financial changes could be afoot, either in the way you earn your living or the amount of income you are earning. It could also mean changes to a partner’s livelihood and/or earnings. Most of the significations of the 2nd and 8th houses have to do with finances, either our own or the way others’ finances affect us, via shared resources, debts, or inheritances. However, the eclipses could instead coincide with new perspectives on that which you value, which could come from confronting the inherited traumas or baggage that you carry.
These eclipse readings are based on my interpretation of the astrological significations of eclipses and the various houses of the zodiac, so as always, take them with a grain of salt. Astrology isn’t fortune telling. But it’s exciting to think about the changes that could come with this new set of eclipses. I hope the new eclipse cycle brings the best for those of you reading!
We’ve had kind of a break since the wild ride of mid-July. The Mercury retrograde we’re currently experiencing seems pretty mild compared with the astrology of last month. But now, we’re gearing up for some more interesting transits next week, and it looks like things are going to get turbulent again.
On Wednesday, August 14th, Mars, which is now in buzzy Gemini, is going to align with Jupiter, forming a conjunction. On its own, a Mars-Jupiter conjunction could signify an expansion (Jupiter) of aggression and assertiveness (Mars). Mars is also about passion, and with it and Jupiter both in Gemini, you could be feeling the urge to vision board and make grandiose plans. You may send rambling texts to your friends with big ideas for the future. It’s cocaine energy. Mars and Jupiter are about dreaming big, but not so much about the details. And in the news, we may see some big protests and/or some large-scale threats of violence.
With both Mars and Jupiter approaching squares (tense aspects) with Saturn in the days following their conjunction, there’s going to be conflict between the big, passionate, grandiose visions and movements and the harshness of reality. Saturn puts a damper on all that. It asks how you’re actually going to accomplish those pipe dreams of yours. I have both a Saturn-ruled sun and Mercury in my chart, and I feel like so much of my job is pressing my colleagues on how they are actually going to achieve those things that they are planning. I often ask, “OK, but what can you realistically do in this timeframe?” Saturn says no, which can be really frustrating, but sometimes we need the reality check!
The Mars-Saturn square will be exact on August 15th and the Jupiter-Saturn square is exact on August 19th. In the news, this coincides with the weekend leading up to and the beginning of the DNC. There’s been both astrological and non-astrological focus on how 2024 has paralleled 1968 in so many ways. The Astrology Podcast, the gold-standard of, well, astrology podcasts, had a really great breakdown of this in its August forecast episode. In the U.S., we’ve had student protests, an incumbent choosing not to run for re-election, an assassination attempt, RFK, this time Jr., and a planned DNC in Chicago of all places. Does that mean that the 2024 DNC is going to be the kind of chaotic shitshow that 1968’s was? TBD. But with the Mars-Jupiter-Saturn configuration, I could definitely see some large scale protests and demonstrative actions that are harshly suppressed by law enforcement.
Speaking of the sixties, I really love Mad Men. I want to go back and rewatch season 6, which felt super disjointed, but the point of the dissonant tone of that season was to show just how insane 1968 felt to those living it. There was a whole episode on the MLK assassination, and then in a subsequent episode, the RFK assassination appears merely as a last-couple-minute coda, as if to say, another one…when will this end? Megan weeping quietly on the bed, listening to the morning news, as Don numbly gets ready for work….how much of this year has felt that way? Then the credits roll to Friend & Lover’s bubbly “Reach Out in the Darkness”. The mindfuckery we’re experiencing now isn’t totally unprecedented, but that doesn’t make it less exhausting and anxiety producing.
One last potential manifestation of this transit: with both Mars and Jupiter in air sign Gemini and Saturn in Pisces, the most watery of the water signs, there’s big hurricane energy (i.e., big fierce wind up against water). Not a surprising parallel given this summer’s active hurricane season.
And the Mars-Jupiter-Saturn of it all is just one strand of the astrology of this upcoming week.
On August 18th, there’s a Mercury-Uranus square, so another tense aspect, this one between the messenger planet of communication and technology and the planet of disruptions and surprises. This is another transit that drums up anxiety. Our thinking during these few days may be less rational than usual. Just take a beat before acting on any quick thoughts or impulses you may have. This is also the second time we’ve had this transit because Mercury is retrograde now; the same configuration also occurred on July 21st and will happen again on September 6th & 7th. So if you think back to what stories occurred on July 21st, both personally and in the zeitgeist, there may be some revisions to narratives or further developments, with the conclusions coming in September.
And finally, on August 19th, there is a full moon in Aquarius at 27 degrees, opposite the sun in Leo, which is also aligned with Mercury. The moon and sun sidle up to that Mercury-Uranus configuration.
Whew. This is a very interesting full moon, compounding the energies described above. There are just a lot of things that are going to culminate, and the full moon, in the sign associated with innovation and the collective, is going to shed some light on our own roles in shaping our collective future. Leo is very much about ego, but the moon in Aquarius balancing it out encourages us to think less about the “me” and more about the “we.” What can we do for the betterment of our communities, for all? Reach out in the darkness, indeed.
Of course, take this all with a grain of salt. Manifestations of these themes may be big and loud, but they could be small and quiet, too. Ground yourself and don’t freak out–we have a long way to go.
The astrology of July was mostly smooth, except for one major transit, and that one major transit has pretty much just blown everything up. I’m talking about the Mars-Uranus conjunction that was exact on Monday, July 15th.
What a doozy, huh?
I had drafted a post that I ultimately didn’t publish, but the gist was this: Mars, the planet of action and aggression, was going to be aligned with Uranus, the planet of disruption and upheaval, and that was occurring in Taurus in alignment with a particular star (Algol) that is associated with beheaded Medusa and referred to as the “demon star.” So on the world stage, the news was likely going to be wild and tumultuous at best, violent and scary at worst. And on a personal level, some of us may feel particularly anxious, paranoid, and under threat.
I was definitely feeling the vibes of the Mars-Uranus conjunction a few days leading up to it and a few days after. The crackling energy has been palpable everywhere. As far back as last Friday, the 12th, it felt like tempers were short and people, men especially, were acting out. I mean, obviously. Besides the T***p rally, which was a very literal manifestation of the Mars-Uranus-Algol combination (he almost actually lost his head), there was also the scary, chaotic situation at the Copa America final.
Mercury is approaching a square to Uranus, meaning that on top of the Mars-Uranus effects, there are also communication disruptions. Cue Friday’s global technology outage. And Mercury is in fire sign Leo to boot, making our interpersonal communications more self-focused and more incendiary.
On the morning of Sunday, July 21st, there’s a full blue moon in Capricorn. A blue moon occurs when there’s a second full moon in the same sign within the month. The Capricorn full moon a few weeks ago was at 1 degree, and now we will get the second, this time at the last degree of Capricorn. In whatever story has been unfolding in your life since June 21st, the other shoe is now dropping. This full moon is conjunct Pluto, which signifies intensity and hidden things. Secrets will be illuminated, and there will likely be some high-profile denouements.
The full moon is also in a helpful relationship with Mars, so on a personal level, it’s a good time for taking actions to let go of unhealthy and unwelcome compulsions and to take a break from anything that’s been driving you crazy. If you are curious to know what topics this may touch on in your own life, look for 29 degrees of Capricorn in your birth chart and see what house it falls into and whether you have any personal planets (sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) or sensitive angles (ascendant, MC, IC, or descendant) at or close to 29 degrees of a cardinal sign (Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, Libra).
There are more intense moments to come in a few weeks. Mars and Jupiter come together, signifying the expansion of action, on August 14th. On August 15th/16th, Mars makes a tense aspect with Saturn; then on August 19th, Jupiter follows and makes the same tense aspect with Saturn, and we have a full moon in Aquarius (which is answering to Saturn). Saturn is like a stop sign. It represents structure and order, so it looks like we can expect to see conflict between proliferations of assertiveness and heightened emotions, and structures and systems.
Between the events this week and mid-August, Mercury goes into Virgo on July 25th. We don’t get much downtime, but look at this period as a little bit of a break. While in Virgo, Mercury will station and then go retrograde overnight on August 5th/6th. It gets to 4 degrees of Virgo before it starts to go back.
Virgo is an earth sign that is associated with pragmatism, discernment, and efficiency. Mercury retrograde is treated with fear and dread in the zeitgeist, but when Mercury goes retrograde, it’s a chance to reflect, reassess, and reconsider.
Last week, I attended an excellent webinar from Kepler College on the Solar Return of the United States, and the astrologer who presented, Dorothy Oja, pointed out that Mercury’s transit through practical, critical Virgo marks an auspicious time to reflect because this transit will aspect the moon (in Gemini) and Neptune (in Pisces) in the U.S.’s solar return chart. She referred to it as an “antidote to confusion,” which I loved. And while it’s particularly useful in that context, I think it’s also useful for us on a personal level as well. Our anxiety and emotions may be clouding our perspective, but Mercury going into Virgo and then the Mercury retrograde offer us the chance to re-see things in the world, in politics, and in our own lives, with more discernment and ultimately clarity.
There’s so much to unpack right now. We’re living through truly wild times, so we have to look for opportunities for calm reflection. More to come as we gear up for the August planetary alignments…stay tuned.
