Are You Looking After Your Moon?

How are you feeling at the moment? Are your emotional needs being met? The Moon in astrology is the ruler of the crab Cancer and represents the maternal archetype and so, in order to understand how we must best nurture ourselves we turn our attention to the Moon.

Having been increasingly cranky, restless, irritable and fighting the urge to quit my job and run away to join the circus I realised just in the nick of time that I had been neglecting my poor Sagittarian Moon. My poor Moon had spent the last month or so locked up in a cage with no fun, he had been sadly neglected, and I had not been taking him out for his regular exercise!

I often think of a person’s Moon representing their animal nature, some may call it the Id, whatever way you want to look at it the messy fact remains that the emotional side of our nature is ever present and not always rational. To think that we can ignore it, repress it or simply beat and/or starve it in to submission is mere folly.

I like to look upon my Sagittarius Moon as a playful mostly benign beast who demands constant attention, play, exercise and the occasional live kill in order to keep him happy. He is also a 5th house Moon, so, as Leo is associated with the 5th house, again, he demands attention and an outlet for his creativity and really does believe that the world revolves around him. Why am I referring to my Sagittarian 5th house Moon as a male entity and in the third person – simply because these astrological shenanigans are symbolic archetypes and this seems to fit.

In order to feel ok with life I need to look after my Moon, Sagittarius loves exercise and the outdoors, so getting out for regular runs around the forest trails where I live is a top priority. He is a sociable Moon, so he needs to get out and see old friends and meet new people. He is also a restless Moon, so gets bored very easily so he needs me to shake things up for him once in a while.

When his needs are not being met he gets short tempered, fidgety and however hard I try to lock him in the naughty closet in the back of my subconscious mind he will find a way out and start causing trouble of some sort!

So, the lesson here is to honour your Moon sign and indulge them with what makes them feel good, because, guess what – this also what feels good to you! How do you look after your Moon?

Saturn Vs Uranus - Alchemical Synthesis

The Saturn Uranus opposition is continuing today. Have felt an almost electrical current pass through your body? Due to transiting Uranus forming a conjunction with my Sun in Pisces. I was prepared for the worst, I am pleasantly surprised and I want you all to take advantage of this time to creatively reflect on what areas of your life need changing, be open to all the novel and more left field ideas that fill your mind.

At the same time, realise the value of structure and be prepared to commit yourself to putting your money where your mouth is and turning your genius ideas in to reality, this is what both Saturn and Uranus want for you. I cannot stress how exciting this is and what a great window of astrological opportunity we have at our disposal for the next day or so. I would just like to add that I make no apologies for writing more about this current astrological event.

Saturn Is Not So Bad

Saturn Rules authority figures, discipline, limitations, responsibility, restrictions and this can all seem just too dull, stifling and depressing for words. There is also an association between Saturn and our teeth and bones. If we did not have a skeletal structure we would be nothing more that jelly like lumps with no backbone or hint of character which is a rather disturbing notion.

It is often true that nothing of value in life comes easily and the structure that Saturn provides should be looked on as a form of security; it is comforting and reassuring. Obviously we never want to be told no. We don’t want to work long and hard before we realise our dreams, but that's merely a reflection of our dumbed down, materialistic “got to have it now” Western culture. The good news is that we are free to change our perception at any time and view our lives afresh.

Watch Out For Uranus!

Uranus is a planet that can grant us brilliant flashes of intuition when we are properly attuned to its energy. It stands for individuality, progress and Uranus is also known by some as “the awakener”, it is an unpredictable influence to say the least.

But this is all good no? Well actually it isn’t; when it comes to excitement, be careful what you wish for, because you might actually get it - not all excitement is good excitement! So be warned, not all surprises are nice. If we unable to ground ourselves, take responsibility for ourselves and we have no structure in our lives the influence of Uranus is just as likely to be upsetting, disturbing, very wrong and very weird.

Synthesis

You can have all the sudden insights, flashes of genius and inspiration you like, but unless you are willing to put in the man hours to turn these ideas in to something tangible and physical they remain just that. Abstract concepts floating about in the ether serving no purpose whatsoever. Which a shame really.

Some of our most fruitful and creative ideas are borne out of the sort of inner tension that the Saturn Uranus opposition brings. If we have been good boys and girls and done our homework like diligent students, Saturn will let us out to play. Mean while Uranus is forcing us to think outside the box and is able to fill our little craniums with ideas for re-thinking the old ways of doing things; not simply just for the sake of it, but to give us more tools for building the life that we want for ourselves. We then can synthesize these two energies in to something more harmonious, creative and truly productive. This should be considered a somewhat alchemical process for growth in a spiritual as well as psychological sense.

As Above So Below

So, now that we are armed with the knowledge to proceed with the realisation of our Uranian ideas integrated with self discipline we can build them in to something tangible for ourselves. So let’s have a peek at the news. I think I may have identified a Saturnian vs Uranian theme.

Swine Flu Shock Tactics Mask a Crippled Economy?

When it comes to swine flu I suspect that this is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt by the pharmaceutical industry to sell plenty of anti viral drugs and vaccines to bump up their profits during a recession. We could view Big Pharma as representing a Saturnian archetype, and authority figure. We are told of the dangers of this flu by the so called experts, but common sense tells me that this just another flu virus and besides, regular seasonal flu can kill. We are being shocked in to accepting this in order to line the pockets of rich corporate fat cats who will stop at nothing to acquire yet more sickening amounts of money.

Perhaps even more interesting is the notion that this could all be a nice little media circus style distraction to divert our attention from a crippled world economy which could well be an expression of the very worst aspects of the Saturnian archetype. This system is intrinsically unfair and restricts and enslaves many around the globe in to a life of hardship. From the Uranian perspective it the United Nations are further promoting the World Bank and there have even been calls for a single currency.

One thing’s for sure, these are interesting times and the current economic model is simply not based on a solid foundation and is in need of radical change, which as we know is an expression of the Uranian archetype. People need to be freed and liberated in an economic sense, and I’m sure when Pluto (who is residing in Capricorn) joins in the fun it will be time to strip away outmoded capitalist ways – we can but hope! As I mentioned in my last post, we saw the first news of the financial appeared last autumn during the first exact Saturn Uranus opposition so I am certain that the story is far from over. You input on these matters is greatly appreciated!

Tales from Uranus II - watch out Pisces & Virgo!

As if the Mercury retrograde isn’t fun and games enough, the trickster is hell bent on causing yet more of his Mercurial shenanigans as he passes through Virgo getting caught in the cross fire of the current Saturn in Virgo versus Uranus in Pisces showdown. As some of you already know the Sun is also enjoying his annual sojourn in the sign of the Virgin at this very moment. So, this is interesting astro babble indeed for those with planets and points in Pisces, Virgo, Gemini or Sagittarius!

But of course, you need dates, you need times; so let’s break this down in to a nice little timeline in a dates for your diary type semi-orderly fashion!

Uranus Saturn Opposition

Set to occur on the 15th September, these two heavy weights are caught up in a face off and if you can imagine this in the context of immovable masculine, authoritarian traditionalist meets innovative, eccentric liberator then you will have a basic grasp of this dichotomy! This really is a tug of war; do we continue with what we are doing? Is it flogging the proverbial deceased horse or will it eventually yield the results that we are intending? However, maybe a good old two finger salute to the tried and tested way of doing things is the order of the day.

Seeing as I am a Pisces born 11th March this is a little too close to home for me and I am already feeling the tension, on the verge of some sort of eruption I would not care to give advice to anyone at present. Suffice to say that I shall be happy if I make it to Sept 23rd with my sanity intact!

Mercury in to Virgo & Mercury Pluto Square

Sept 17th is the day when Mercury slips back in to Virgo possibly bringing some troubling hitches of a pedantic detail orientated nature. It is also the day when the Pluto Mercury square occurs, this could force unresolved issues to the surface so be warned! This is a revisit of the same aspect made while Mercury was in direct motion, I see this a fortuitous time to re-evaluate and to finally get to the bottom of an uncomfortable matter. If you are not sure of what that is now, don’t worry, I am certain it will become clear enough!

Mercury Conjunct Saturn Opposite Uranus

Mercury will be in the midst of the Uranus and Saturn opposition on the 22nd and 23rd September, needless to say, those with planets and points in Pisces and Virgo and the other mutable signs should fasten their cosmic seatbelts.

On one hand this may be a rather sobering influence and one would hope that it would point to a reality check. Not always the most pleasant of things, but useful none the less. However, as intellectual thought processes are steadied with the Saturnine structure, limitations and rationality there is a pull from Uranus. No, I’m not trying to be funny! Uranus is the absolutely busting to blow the restrictions away and do something truly original and amazing. However, please don’t take that as carte blanche to do anything rash as Uranus is just as likely to want to do something that is just plain bizarre and reckless which will do you no favours at all.

When two planetary heavy weights are battling it out in such a way, and I say battling as their energies are so different, we all feel it. This is a theme that began in autumn 2008 and which will continue in to 2010. In fact this is the third of 5 oppostions, the first of which marked the financial collapse last autumn, so make of that what you will.

As I said, the next couple of weeks are especially trying for the mutable folks, including me. If I make it to the end of September without the aid of Prozac or some sort of chemical lobotomy then things will be ticking along nicely. Perhaps now is the time to adopt the three tried and tested can’t fail methods I mentioned in a previous Mercury related post:

1. The duck and cover method
2. Wear a tin foil hat
3. Run away and join the circus
   

If any people with planets and points affected by these events would like to share their experiences I am always excited to hear from people!

Astrology and the Art of Romance

Many folk seem to want to know about matters of astrology pertaining to romance, love and the exchange of bodily fluids; this is only natural of course, seeing as we are all in possession of bestial urges as well as a higher mind. It is totally fair to assume that a large proportion of you at any one time might be obsessed with getting your object d'amour in to some situation where:

- They cannot struggle too much

- Their cries for help cannot be heard

- They cannot run away

I like to peruse astrology sites and see what they have to say about astrological love matches. Most of these should be taken with more than a pinch of salt. These are based on the compatibility of two peoples Sun Signs and such a one dimensional interpretation simply doesn't give you any idea of the potential forces at play within a relationship.

If you know your time and date of birth you can look up your rising sign, Moon sign, Venus sign and Mars sign. You might then notice a pattern emerge. You might be a Taurus, but if you have the Moon in Leo and Venus in Gemini then Aquarians, Sagittarians or those of an Aries persuasion may rock your world and for good reason. Yet, if you were to read and believe some of the Sun Sign compatibility interpretations, a Sagittarian, Leo or Aries may be the devil in disguise for a sensual, stead fast Taurean.

A word of advice; collecting birth times and the like from people who catch your fancy is tantamount to stalking and if that’s your thing I can recommend an excellent site for that sort of malarkey and it’s called Facebook.

If you would like to learn more about your Venus, Moon and Mars sign then Cafe Astrology has some charts to look this up as well as lots of other useful information.

Caught Out by Trickster Mercury!

It is no fun for the Sagittarian Moon native to find themselves stuck in any rut-like situation and I am no exception, perhaps my glib jibes about the Mercury retrograde came back to haunt me and caught me by surprise yesterday! A sudden realisation hit me that when Mercury stationed it was conjunct my natal Pluto and is now re-tracing its step through Libra and back in to Virgo forcing m to re-examine the last few weeks. Much in the way one is forced to tweeze a bit of gravel from a nasy cut my old friend Pluto is forcing me to get real about promises I made to myself a couple of months ago, along with the coming Saturn, Mercury, Sun conjunction I am in for some good wholesome purging fun!

Always being one for the tried and tested kill or cure method I feel the influences will be more than favourable for cutting the crap and seeing a situation for what it is.

No wonder then that a re-occurrence of troublesome feelings and circumstances should crop up again. Now that is a Mercury Retrograde in action I am once again finding myself in a rather joyless work situation of late has made me feel increasingly restless, irritable and confined - hence my comment in a previous post about running away to join the circus. The circus is my favourite fantasy when the unbearable grind of mundane petty chores becomes too much to bear. Do they not understand that my Sagittarius moon does not do petty detail! The very act of dotting the crossing the i’s and dotting the t’s makes me that bored that I can’t even bring myself to write that sentence properly through utter disdain. There, I had to muddle it up to make it more interesting. In fact, I am currently waiting for something amazing to happen and I am so frustrated I feel as though I am about to burst! I am always nosey about other people’s charts and what might be going on for them that I seldom bother to look at my own.

This weekend will be different as I have been set a challenge by an Aries gentleman to calculate my current transits using the B.I.D.E technique of astrology, sounds exciting eh? If that tickles you fancy why not mosey on over to the Astrological Repair Manual blog and check it out for yourself!

Whenever I feel on the verge of following the circus dream I call my father, a Libran who can give advice that is so detached and objective that sometimes I get really wound up! He is perhaps the only person able to talk sense in to me in my irrational moments.

Signs that are of the air element are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius and these are said to be the most sociable, urbane, logical signs; able to be cool, analytical and detached. Of course, my father does his fair share of ranting and can be rather blunt at times, but as you would expect he is a sociable soul and is a keen blogger. You can see some excellent examples of my dads swearing and political commentary; it is most amusing. Simply visit Hundreds and Thousands on the Trifle of Life

Air sign people do have an excellent penchant for logic and a handle on their emotions, a trait which I am rather envious of. Having a large amount of fire and good amount of water in my natal chart makes for a somewhat highly strung volatile nature and a nervous disposition, I tend to feel my way through life and the concept of detaching from my emotions is completely alien to me. All nearest and dearest are air signs, I have two Libran parents, a Gemini partner and I am blessed with a beautiful Aquarius son!

Sometimes when you read descriptions of air signs with their aloofness and lack of emotional substance they sound rather like Mr Spock. This of course is a complete nonsense, my Aquarius son is a complete softy and is ever so sensitive. His theatrical and flamboyant Leo Moon is apparent as soon as you meet him, his Natal Sun, Uranus and Mercury conjunction means that he is a true individual. How many 10 year olds tell you that they want to join the mafia and change their name to Vinnie Fontaine. How many 10 year olds join their school council at their new school with the intention of bringing down the system from within? In fact, he got on the school council at his old school for that exact same reason, once he realised he had no power to change the status quo he became disillusioned and left the school council in disgust! Such is the way of politics.

It is times like this when I feel secretly proud that my son has such a strong sense of himself and his individuality, he will always march to the beat of his own drum. It is flashes of pure outlandish genius and a stubborn refusal to bow to convention that captures the essence of Aquarius for me, not emotional detachment or cool logic.

I will be returning to my home town next week to reconnect with some old friends this weekend, it will be good to catch up with some old pals and of course my two lovely Libran parents. I can't wait!

Mutable Appreciation

In case you haven't been enjoying the sunny Venus in Leo transit, I would like to once again reiterate that you should take advantage of the increased creativity and make the most of this favourable period for all artistic endeavours.

I was thrilled to find that I had not one - but two people comment on my Mercury and Law of attraction post which is about the Mercury "gatorade" and this is most synchronistic as one person was a Gemini and the other a Virgo. I am a Pisces and all I need now is for a wandering Sagittarian to comment and we will then be able to form some sort of cyber mutable appreciation society! Could things get any more Mercurial, all happening online in the bloggersphere too, if you have any doubts as to the validity of astrology, this must surely be evidence that it expresses a higher truth!

What made my day was the Gemini leaving their twitter id, and on a post about the planet Mercury too, does it get any better than that? Well, when I saw the comment from the Virgo gentleman about his tinfoil hat duck covering circus antics I thought it was Christmas, Easter and my birthday rolled in to one big glorious day!

Mutable signs are generally the curious, dexterous, flexible, flighty social signs. If there is an obstacle they simply change course, where a cardinal sign would seek to win the battle, or the fixed sign would spend the next 6 months climbing over it a mutable sign veers off on another course to pastures new. Pretty soon the obstacle that caused the radical departure is forgotten and there are new tangents ahead! It's good to be flexible and open to new possibilities. When you think about mutable signs think movement, change, flux, bending and flowing.

So far the Mercury retrograde is going well for me, as the planet of logic and reasoning moves backwards I feel rather oblivious to this. As a Piscean with my natal Mercury in Pisces I live in a constant woolly minded state of confusion, most days I leave the house without an essential item and I can't even remember what happened last Tuesday, I just go with the flow and trust that the universe is unfolding the way it should and I feel no concern about the possible miss-haps of a Mercury retrograde. My life is a never ending ebb and flow of losing things, being late for things, forgetting things, being late, things turning up, things being remembered, such is the way of the creative mind.

So, perhaps we could start collecting comments from the other signs of the zodiac on the current Mercury retrograde, has anyone else considered the tinfoil hat option or is it just our Virgo friend so far?

Mercury Retrograde and The Law of Attraction

In case you are wondering why this post comes with a picture of me and a cow it is because I was attempting to communicate and bond with this creature. Mercury is also a planet that rules all forms of communication as well as the mind, logic, short journeys, transportation, reasoning and education.

From tomorrow Mercury will appear to be retracing it’s steps, going backwards in its orbit if you are to observe it from Earth and this phenomena is called a retrograde period (all planets have them).

Perhaps the only thing to do during a Mercury retrograde is to go with the flow and not be too anal about it. Mercury retrograde always seem to create a bit of a buzz online and I can’t help thinking that there may be a degree of self fulfilling prophesy at play here. As the law of attraction states – what we think about most we attract.

Recently I have been reflecting upon the potential dangers of astrology, especially when people blindly follow traditional and accepted notions with no discernment or critical thinking, this kind of blind acceptance leads to fatalistic attitudes and superstition. Such superstitious thinking is extremely harmful to ourselves and others, next time you find yourself entertaining supersticious fancies I would suggest that you think back to the middle ages when nice old ladies that talked to their pet cats were burned at the stake for being witches – I’m sure you get the picture!

However, just in case you remain convinced that some sort of disaster may befall you during Mercury’s current retrograde period I have devised the following: strategies.

1. The duck and cover method
2. Wear a tin foil hat
3. Run away and join the circus

Let’s now take the time to look at how effective each of these strategies may be:

1. Duck and cover: This has proved to be ineffective in the event of a nuclear bomb exploding and I would not recommend this strategy for dealing with this month’s Mercury Retrograde cycle as it begins on September 7th and ends September 29th. This is far too long to hide underneath something!
2. Wear a tin foil hat: While making the tin foil hat may be a creatively rewarding pastime and will appeal to the more paranoid among you it could backfire on you. I shall explain; if you hope to protect your brain from any cosmic rays consider the following; antennae are also made of metal and you may end up attracting more cosmic rays thus amplifying the effects of the Mercury Retrograde.
3. Run away and join the circus: This is my personal favourite, however, as Mercury rules short journeys and travel is one of the things that is often affected during a Mercury Retrograde I'm afraid that you may never even reach the circus.

So, what we need to do is not panic, the trickster Mercury rules two mutable signs, Virgo and Gemini, both known for their dexterity and flexibility, and I think herein is where the solution lies. If we try not to be too rigid in our plans, expect the unexpected and we are prepared to go with the flow we can better deal with any setbacks that we encounter during this period.

Sure, computers misbehave, letters get lost and delays are possible and we might get to work late, but none of these are catastrophic happenings and remember, a Mercury Retrograde is great for going over the fine details of previous projects, you may come across a gem of information you missed first time round.

Venus in Leo

An ex once said to me “it’s all about you isn’t it.” “I’m sorry, was that feeble attempt at sarcasm meant to be some form of insult, because actually I couldn’t agree more!” I thought!

Maybe you think that the writer of this blog is a rather self centred individual, well, what else would you expect from someone with Leo rising (not to mention Venus in Aries) and since when was a sense of self importance a bad thing anyway? Perhaps if we weren’t told from an early age not to blow our own trumpets, to put others first there wouldn’t be so many insecure, down trodden people.

The honest truth is that I have been feeling sorry for myself the last couple of weeks, what with extra work, being poorly and then the revelation hit me. I have Venus in Leo transiting my first house. And as soon as I have got the boring chores out of the way I shall enjoy being in this groove right up until the 17th of September. I strongly suggest that you do the same!

You see, as well as being somewhat pompous, arrogant and a bit of a show off, Leo is also ruled by the Sun and radiates a special sort of warmth. Leo is a fixed fire sign, and a friendship with a Leo is as warm and unrelenting as the hot Sun on a beautiful Summer’s day. Leo’s have creativity and depth that ensures they could never be accused of being superficial. In fact in those with a strong Leo influence emotions are as strong as the midday sun and despite the pomp and ceremony Leo’s are surprisingly vulnerable and they just need to be loved and appreciated.

In addition to the pussy cat there is the flip side to Leo and they make a formidable enemy, well, only an idiot would poke a lion with a big stick. Word of warning, you could well witness the darkest of their darker side if you should encroach in any way upon their home and family. The Lion is a regal creature and their home is their kingdom and they are fiercely loyal and protective.

Venus in Leo is a great time to reflect on your self-worth, give yourself some tlc and it is also a great time to reconnect with your creativity and think about how best to express yourself. Venus in Leo doesn’t want us to be shy, she wants us all to shine, even the wallflowers among us!

She would like to cordially invite us to thoroughly enjoy ourselves and engage in playful and fun filled activities, do things that make us happy and to fully appreciate that we are the centre of our own universes. Get creative and think about what you would most like to manifest in your life, realise the power and beauty of your own creativity!

As Venus is also gracing my first house I feel that I should express my individuality at this time, a tricky aspect with Uranus may put naughty notions in to my mind of streaking through my local Tesco’s but thankfully I have free will, so I am not about to get arrested for indecent exposure any time soon!

During this transit I shall revel in the self love and fully appreciate the more Leonine qualities of my nature and affirm that it is indeed all about me. After all, if I am happy, healthy and well, so are my loved ones – and that my friends, is a truly Leonine sentiment!

A Big Funky Jungian Awakening

Being the fickle creature that I am I have been absent from blogging as I have been on holiday and other such things and I have now returned to my somewhat neglected blog to address an issue that has been on my mind of late.

What does the Neptune, Chiron, Jupiter alignment mean to me and what does it mean to you?
I have been mulling this over between onerous tasks which include building a website, proof reading reviews general web nerdy-ness; while also having a rather nasy water infection much to my dismay. One thing is for sure, those with planets and points in the latter degrees of the fixed signs Tarus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius will feel the alignments personally.

Where Chiron is concerned you can be pretty certain that the healing of old wounds is going to be brought to ones attention. Is it any wonder that I have been forced to readdress the way in which I live my life and the physical problems I have encountered this year point at a deeper underlying spiritual malaise.

But enough about me! With Chiron being the wounded healer, Neptune being a planet of illusion, spirituality and effusiveness and Jupiter being a lovely expansive planet of good will I feel that some sort of spiritual awakening or transition is on the cards – or in the stars. In Aquarius a sign of universal brotherhood and fraternity this could be interpreted as taking place on the level of our collective subconscious in some sort of big, funky Jungian cosmic gathering.

This subject demands more scrutiny, but I must ease myself slowly back in to my blogging so as not to upset my finely tuned and delicate Piscean sensibilities.