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?

Planets in Gemini - Yay!

Venus is now in Gemini and Mars moved in to the sign of the twins on the 11th which I feel will be a great boost for people with their Natal Venus and Mars in fire or air signs.

After Mars has been plodding through Taurus in a slow and steady fashion it is a bit of a relief that he is finally more at home in the restless excitable Gemini. Taurus is, as you may or not know, ruled by Venus, the planet representing the feminine principal, I wonder if this may have had an emasculating effect on the God of War (Mars), who is now probably glad to be getting his freak on and moving freely once again.

You can see how this Mars transit may affect you by having a look at your natal chart (birth chart) and good free charts can be obtained from Astrodienst and the Venus Group and you will be able to see what house Mars is in at this present time. I will take the liberty of giving you all a quick breakdown of how Mars may shake up different areas of your life depending on what house he is now moving through. Bear in mind that Mars is a positive, masculine Yang energy and he will assert himself in such a manner.

1. In the first house this is the house of yourself, associated with the sign of Aries. The Martian energy will manifest in all areas that revolve around you! This is all very much in keeping with the red planet who is extremely happy as he rules this house and of course the sign of Aries - happy days!
2. In the second the focus will be on material possessions values and all things Taurean, you could find that you have a particularly strong drive to succeed or maybe spend money. The Martian energy will permeate your desire to acquire material security, possessions, but it could also manifest as rashness in this area, so keep that in check.
3. The third rules communication and is probably my favouite house (I have Pluto here in my natal chart), short journeys and siblings as it is the house we associate with Gemini the twins. This will no doubt give your mental faculties a real boost and you could find yourself busy flitting here and there on various errands and little jollies.
4. The fourth is the house of home and roots and this is linked to the sign of Cancer. When Mars has been transiting my fourth house I have found that I have been busier than usual at home, receiving guests (with Mars in Gemini at the moment this could be the most likely outcome) and more house proud than usual putting more energy in to organising my surroundings.
5. This is one of my favourite houses as it is the house of all the nice things such as creativity, kids, parties, romance, it is the house of all things Leonine, need I say more. What I will say is lucky you; you're in for a good time, and quite possibly a bit of a sexy time too!
6. When Mars is transiting the sixth house, all matters of a Virgoan nature are given the Martian treatment; the sixth house is concerned with day to day activities, health and diet, work and oddly enough pets. If you have been letting yourself go somewhat this is a great time to start exercising, improve your diet and be more organised and efficient, you will have the Martian energy working for you in these areas.
7. This house is the house of relationships and is associated with the air sign Libra, as Mars rules sex it could mean that things get a little steamy, and that is obviously great for most of us. It will bring the intense focus of Mars to close relationships and partnerships, but this can also signify tension and conflict as you might expect with the planet in question being Mars.
8. Moving on to House number eight and all things of a Scorpionic nature; this is the house of sex, transformation, death and joint finances. Mars is having a good time here, as he rules Scorpio, so he is feeling pretty comfortable. You may also find the Martian energies compel you to investigate hidden or occult matters in true Scorpio style, others people's money may also be brought to your attention. You could see the end of an old cycle in your life and the beginning of a new one.
9. And that brings us to house nine, another personal favourite, and things of a Sagittarian nature such as travelling, studying, adventure, meeting new and interesting people, religion and philosophy. The Martian energy may give you itchy feet and thoughts may turn to those of adventure, if you have been stuck in a rut and jaded of late take advantage of this period in time to broaden your horizons.
10. The tenth house is associated with Capricorn and rules your career, ambition and drive to succeed, Mars is exalted in this house, make the most of these energies to help you achieve your worldly goals, you know you deserve this and Mars will lend his energy in all matters of business and self promotion. You may find abrasive situations with people in authority, but that's only because you know you deserve better than to be bossed around by that joker!
11. Yet another one of my favourite houses, the eleventh is a house with an Aquarian nature and any sort of group efforts or co-operation is likely to become energised with the Martian get up and go. This will be great if you have networking to do and this is also the house that is traditionally associated with gifts from the king, so this is all good as far as I'm concerned. Embrace the feeling of humanitarianism and just go with it.
12. This mysterious house is the house of the unconscious, private and hidden things and it is also a house that is associated with all things Piscean. Traditionally this is also the house of secret enemies, and with Mars transiting this could get quite interesting, however, last time I had Mars transiting my Twelfth house there was no cloak and daggers type tomfoolery going on. I found instead that the Martian energy was channeled in to an examination of matters that I usually force to the back of my mind where they fester and end up causing seemingly unrelated problems. The confrontational Martian energy helped me examine this and start dealing with things in a different way.

Anyhow, Even more interesting is the Uranus and Saturn opposition that is going on right now, although that deserves another post all of its own which no doubt will arrive shortly. Another forthcoming noteworthy event will be the Mars and Uranus square lasting from the 11th to the 26th August - things could get a little interesting, more tales from Uranus.

Moon in Sagittarius

I am very sore and tired today after going for my first run in about 3 months. I have had health problems and now I am thankfully on the road to recovery and my Sagittarian Moon has grown extremely restless and bored of a sedentary lifestyle.

Think about one of the worst punishments you can imagine, that's how I feel when I am cooped up indoors, and unable to move freely and stretch my legs! In addition to a rather changeable Piscean Sun I am blessed with a Saggie Moon that nags me to get out, move about and enjoy being physical.

Being lucky enough to move to somewhere as beautiful as the Forest of Dean; looking forward (another Sagittarian trait) to going running in the forest has been one of the main things that has got me through dark times while I have been ill, and today I got out and ran through the trees in the rain and thought about how great it was to be blessed with a healthy, functioning body. I have always liked to run outside, I consider this a form of meditation and a way of raising my energy and chi if you like. It is also a way of putting energy back in to the Earth and showing my appreciation and thanks for the many gifts of Mother Nature.

What better for a Sagittarian passtime than the freedom of running through a beautiful wild place feeling the power of nature and my own physical being?

While I do have to admit that I get a certain shallow satisfaction from looking buff and bearing a passing resemblance to Lara Croft or Xena the Warrior Princess (well, I do have Leo on the Ascendant!), I also enjoy feeling fit and powerful.

I began training a couple of weeks ago for when I am fully recovered, so I can start kickboxing again, today was my first run, and I am tired, sore and hungry, I am having some good food, a long relaxing bath and a couple of glasses of red wine.