Posts tagged "Taurus"
Karmic Evolution’s Astro News You Can Use! October 15, 2018

This Week’s Astro News You Can Use!

Libra New Moon October 8
The Moment I Step Outside,
So Many Reasons For Me To Run & Hide…
New Moons are seed planting times, and this Libra New Moon at 15-degrees, 48-minutes of the sign of balance, harmony, & partnership on October 8 at 8:47 p.m. PT & 11:47 p.m. ET, calls us to make peace between ourselves & our most important partnership.
Which one is that?
Duh, girl–the one with YOURSELF!
Not what you were expecting to hear? You thought you’d get all that mamby-pamby BS about Libra & love & perfect relationships, &–dare I say it–soulmates here? Gag me with a spoon, as some of us used to say in our earlier years…
This Libra New Moon’s unifying message now—especially in the aftermath of the “we’re not gonna take it anymore!” Aries Full Moon September 24 (read full message here)—is that we must stop looking for that “perfect” soulmate outside of ourselves!
The Libra archetype can represent inner harmony that, when balanced, we project out and manifest in the form of people and circumstances we draw to us. This is the positive side of projection. When imbalanced, we’ll draw to us those who reflect back to us our own lack of inner balance.
In the currently fraught “hesaid, she said” political environment where we can’t help but witness gender & sexual battles both to the right and to the left of us, it’s especially important for us to try to find a healthy balance between the conscious and unconscious portions of our psyches.
We can do this by recognizing that any external battles of this sort represent the internal war between our two inner “animus” & “anima” archetypal energies, which ultimately boils down to an internal split manifested externally.
“Animus” represents the unconscious masculine part of a woman’s personality, while “anima” reflects the unconscious feminine side of a man’s personality, according to Carl Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious.
While a man’s task in assimilating the effects of the anima involves discovering his true feelings, a woman becomes familiar with the nature of the animus by constantly questioning her ideas and opinions.
One can be male and possess a high degree of “anima,” and vice versa. The more a male owns his “anima” and a woman becomes conscious of her “animus,” the greater the chance that a healthy internal energetic balance will prevail…
“You are a slave of what you need in your soul,” Jung said. “The acceptance [by a male] of femininity leads to completion…the same is valid for the woman who accepts her masculinity.”
“One Side Is Standing On Evidence,
The Other On Intuition And Sentiment.”
~ Noah Rothman
While the quote above by its conservative writer is meant to be derogatory of “intuition and sentiment” & to laud empirical “evidence,” it goes right to the heart of the split between anima & animus playing out on the world stage now.
Our current dilemma at this Libra New Moon revolves around reconciling any internally-driven perception that evidence is described only as “provable” fact, while a portion of our psyche is relegated to the dark corner to which our ego has banished “intuition and sentiment.”
The most important thing to realize is that these two energies are not at odds, or certainly don’t have to be! What we’re all called to do now is integrate the male and female portions of our psyches—however unconscious they may be. Only then can we bring this integrated, fair, & more balanced energy into our ego-oriented conscious mundane empirically-oriented daily lives & stop projecting onto others our own reluctance to “go there” intuitively.
“Is is in the nature of political bodies always to see the evil in the opposite group, just as the individual has an ineradicable tendency to get rid of everything he does not know and does not want to know about himself by foisting it off on somebody else.
Nothing has a more divers and alienating effect upon society than this moral complacency and lack of responsibility, and nothing promotes understanding and rapprochement more than the mutual withdrawal of projections.” ~ Carl Jung
I’ve Had It Up To Here…
The Libra Sun, Moon, & Ceres form a waxing cardinal square to Pluto in Capricorn at this Libra New Moon, indicating that evolutionary change is at hand if we can muster up the energy to see it through.
Dwarf planet Ceres represents—like the Moon—a mother archetype. In Greek mythology, she’s the mother of Persephone (kidnapped & raped by Hades/Pluto & eventually made the queen of the underworld.) Ceres, the goddess of the grain, also held the secret to fertilization, called the Eleusinian rites. Without her, nothing could procreate.
Her grief, despair, and anger become palpable when separated from her beloved daughter and–unable to convince the gods to rescue & return Persephone–she starves the earth, and therefore mankind, by no longer allowing crops to grow.
In astrological interpretation, Ceres represents sustenance, or that which nourishes us both literally & figuratively, mind, body, spirit, & soul. Her inclusion in this Libra New Moon’s square to Pluto makes very clear one particular dynamic: that in order to evolve (square) our partnerships (Libra) we must experience DEATH (Pluto) to the inequality (Libra square Capricorn) in our relationships!
So, if we no longer submerge our need to be internally whole, we can incorporate both male & female archetypal energy into our psyches and release our shadow projections. Then we can create something new, because anytime we experience death, we know it opens a space for something new to be born.
And what would that something new be?
A world in which—as our own best partner BECAUSE we nourish our inner need for partnership and wholeness—we project out both individually and collectively harmony, peace, balance, & happiness.
How Do I Love Me?
These squares to Pluto in Capricorn virtually cry out for us to understand that once we value ourselves as our own best partner & nurturer, we forge such a relationship in steel. And when we have that kind of solidarity to self & knowledge that we ARE our own best mother, father, child, & partner, we can’t help but manifest others who’ll reflect back to us that same sense of trust, loyalty, and deep bondedness.
This becomes particularly important because on October 5, three days before the Libra New Moon, Venus stationed retrograde in Scorpio. The queen of beauty, harmony, & balance meets the king of the underworld and all things hidden.
Louise Hay, author of “How to Heal Your Life,” recommends that we look ourselves in the eye in the mirror and say “I love you,” and discusses how difficult this can be for so many of us.
In a sense, this Libra New Moon provides us the opportunity to be born again, to wipe the slate clean, to wash away our old mirror’s reflection–based on whatever it was we were told, taught, or forced to believe about our own sense of self-value–that doesn’t ring true with our soul’s inner wisdom.
Jungian astrologer Erin Sullivan writes in “Retrograde Planets”: “The transit of Venus retrograde exposes the need to see aspects of oneself which are normally hidden from view. Those values are often diametrically opposed to the ones consciously espoused and can create some of the most profound emotional disturbances…The degree of discord that arises within one’s personal life during the retrogression signals the distance that one is from one’s core values and higher creative inspirations.”
Sullivan continues: “Ideally, it is a time to contemplate what one’s deeper, more personal creative needs are and from what wellspring those needs originate. It is a time to explore one’s own needs for love and nourishment and to examine one’s capacity to receive both of those life-sustaining forces.”
The time is clearly ripe for examining our core values to determine what our soul truly needs to achieve happiness—physically, mentally, emotionally, & spiritually–because we are truly valuable, each and every one of us. Where we don’t see our value is where we can be become lost or mired in the tangle of conflicting viewpoints. Viewpoints which represent–at their best–not the objective truth, but others’ perceptions of what they deem to be the objective truth.
Bridging the gap between the intuitive, but less consciously-aware wisdom of our soul that we ARE perfectly beautiful, with our perception of what we deem to be the external world’s seemingly contradictory “facts,” is the Herculean task we’re asked to face right now…
It isn’t easy to smash through major evolutionary barriers. However, by digging under the layers of crust formed by the outer world’s values, we may recognize that submerged deeply under this veneer lies our soul’s hidden gold. Like the veins of precious metals and gems that run beneath the earth’s surface, this is where we find our true treasure.
When we discover this treasure, we realize that it’s really been there all along, waiting to be brought into consciousness…
…and therein lies the salvation of the collective. For if we can project out this great sense of self-love & self-acceptance, we can see that returned to us tenfold…
Don’t You Think I Know Exactly Where I Stand?
Meanwhile, Uranus in Taurus is still square to the transiting nodal axis—and will be off and on into the new year—telling us that perhaps successful evolution won’t come without revolutionary changes to our current value system.
Venus opposes Uranus and squares Mars (still conjunct the Aquarius South Node) and together they all form a fixed grand square to the karmic nodal axis at this Libra Full Moon. It’s clear that the degree to which Uranus will shock us into conscious awareness about our true value is the degree to which we’ve resisted honoring ourselves as worthy over the long term. In other words, the greater the shock, the more profoundly we needed it to jolt us into consciousness.
This fixed grand square to the nodal axis all but ensures that any impetus for change will meet with resistance, which makes the fight even harder. We’re tasked now to look at where we desire change but because of ingrained beliefs entrenched in our psyches (i.e., as my mother used to say “any man is better than no man”), we are unable to make such change happen…
It’s interesting to note that at this Libra New Moon there are no major planets transiting through a fire sign. This makes the collective energy—for reasons I won’t delve into right now—an uber-fiery one, which represents both action and inspiration, impatience and impetuosity, all born of our instinctual and intuitive natures.
Combined with the initiative of the cardinal square by both luminaries and Ceres to Pluto, along with the group-oriented nature of Uranus, Mars, & the Aquarius South Node—it’s easy to see why people are rising up all around us now…
What could be better than using the group to get out the message that EVERY individual has VALUE? It’s through the power of group action that a change in core values can occur, regardless of how long it takes for that change to manifest in the collective…
I’m Just A Girl, Oh Little Old Me
Don’t Let Me Out Of Your Sight
I’m Just A Girl, All Pretty & Petite,
So Don’t Let Me Have Any Rights
Mercury in Libra also opposes Uranus in Taurus and squares the nodal axis at this Libra Full Moon, further proving that not only is it time for a change in our internal value systems, but that the time to speak out is NOW.
This Libra New Moon asks us to ponder what adjustments need to be made as we engage in this evolutionary process, as the messenger god forms quincunxes (150-degree aspect) to both Hygeia (symbol of the female healer) & wounded healer Chiron in Pisces.
Quincunxes are known to be aspects that require adjustments. It’s possible to realize now—as the Libra New Moon calls us to balance our inner perceptions with our outer ones— that speaking about old wounds honors our ability to become whole. And in that way, we heal…
The Libra Sun/Moon/Ceres pairing quincunx Neptune in Pisces speaks of the necessary adjustments that may need to be made to allow our intuition to take up as much space in our brains & decision-making as our cerebral rational function. How can we allow our intuition to influence our ability to speak out about what we may have allowed to lie hidden or dormant out of fear that giving it a voice would prove dis-empowering rather than empowering?
Mercury moves into Scorpio October 9, just after the Libra Moon squares Pluto exact, & the messenger god will exact oppose Uranus on October 10. On that same day, Venus retrograde squares Mars in Aquarius, & I’d say we’re looking at—between now and then—some hidden energy or information coming to light.
On October 11, the Libra Sun exact squares Pluto in Capricorn, potentially fulfilling the promise of the October 9 Libra New Moon’s evolutionary thrust. On October 15, Mercury & Venus will huddle together to create an opportunity for further empowerment, although this may not happen in full view of us all.
Scorpio’s a secretive sign, after all, and the Mercury/Venus sextile to the Capricorn Moon/Pluto at that time may create the opportunity to hatch a plan not yet ready for prime time because this plotting pair involves retrograde Venus & will also quincunx Neptune. That’s a recipe for keeping it all on the QT, as they say, or not yet reacting to the hand that’s been dealt thus far…
Either way, however, what’s in play is unexpected information that could ultimately result in a rapid, or unexpected, change of values within the collective. While Venus’s square to Mars at the Libra New Moon still pits the matriarchy against the patriarchy, we’ll all be tasked to figure out how to rise to that challenge in our individual lives.
Simply put, Venus retrograde in Scorpio may well provide the match that lights the torch that beams the message to the world that she can no longer value peace if it comes at the cost of stifling her own healthy sense of self-worth…
It pays to focus on the positive now & not the negative because it’s the only way we’ll clearly see that being our own best partner means we must stand up for ourselves now, because if we don’t do it no one else will…
Eager for more Conversations About Consciousness? Sign up for Karmic Evolution’s bi-monthly New & Full Moon newsletter here!
Gwen Stefan’s a Libra Sun, born October 3, 1969 @2:09 p.m. in Fullerton, CA. I always suspected she had an Aquarian bent, and sure enough when I looked up her chart, she’s a Libra Sun conjunct Uranus!
In addition, she lacks any planets in fire and is uber-cardinal–a combination that makes her the perfect spokesperson for the strength needed at this Libra New Moon’s square to Pluto, which asks us: How can we evolve is we don’t even try?
Watch I’M JUST A GIRL here
(If you don’t want to watch the whole long video, check out
from 4:45 to 8:10–you won’t be disappointed, I promise!)
“Take this pink ribbon off my eyes
I’m exposed, and it’s no big surprise
Don’t you think I know exactly where I stand?
This world is forcing me to hold your hand
Cause I’m just a girl, oh little old me
Don’t let me out of your sight
I’m just a girl, all pretty and petite
So don’t let me have any rights
Oh, I’ve had it up to here…
The moment that I step outside
So many reasons for me to run and hide
I can’t do the little things I hold so dear
Cause it’s all those little things that I fear
Cause I’m just a girl, I’d rather not be
Cause they won’t let me drive late at night
I’m just a girl, guess I’m some kind of freak
Cause they all sit and stare with their eyes
I’m just a girl, take a good look at me
Just your typical prototype
Oh, I’ve had it up to here
Oh, am I making myself clear?
I’m just a girl
I’m just a girl in the world
That’s all that you’ll let me be
I’m just a girl, living in captivity
Your rule of thumb makes me worrisome
I’m just a girl, what’s my destiny
What I’ve succumbed to is making me numb
I’m just a girl, my apologies
What I’ve become is so burdensome
I’m just a girl, lucky me
Twiddle-dum, there’s no comparison
Oh, I’ve had it up to
Oh, I’ve had it up to
Oh, I’ve had it up to here…”
~Gwen Stefani, Thomas Dumont
#balance, #karmic, #NewMoon, evolution, Libra, Mars, partnerships, relationships, retrograde, revolution, Scorpio, South Node, Taurus, Uranus, Venus
Astro News You Can Use! September 10, 2018

Karmic Evolution’s Astro News You Can Use!
September 10, 2018
We’re still under the auspices of September 9’s Virgo New Moon, so plant seeds of self-love & self-care, institute daily rituals such as meditation, and use the grounding nature of the current planetary energies to move forward with your plans to be of service not only to others but to YOURSELF now that Saturn’s direct!
September 10th Mars re-enters Aquarius and the pace quickens but watch out for any surprises on September 12 when Venus in Scorpio opposes Uranus in Taurus, which itself is squaring the karmic nodes right now.
This represents the first of three Venus oppositions to Uranus, since Venus will retrograde in Scorpio (& back into Libra) from October 5 through November 16.
The second Venus opposition to Uranus occurs late on October 30 or early on the 31st, depending on your time zone, between retrograde Venus in Scorpio & retrograde Uranus in Taurus. The third perfects when Venus is once again direct, but still in Libra, opposite Uranus retrograde in Aries on November 30.
Change is in the air, so pay heed to what needs to be REEVALUATED in life during this upcoming Venus retrograde period, about which we’ll glimpse our first sign on September 12. To help you begin to get unstuck now, recognize that change is part of the soul’s evolutionary process, especially since Mars is headed once again to square Uranus on September 18 & conjoin with the transiting Aquarius South Node September 22..
The Virgo Sun’s trine to Pluto in Capricorn on September 11 empowers us, so try not to succumb to any shell shock due to unexpected surprises born of the Venus/Uranus opposition on the 12th, OR to confusion when Mercury opposes Neptune on the 13th.
Rather, tune into messages from your unconscious & the divine realm, and rely on the fact that the messenger god should bring more clarity to your situation when he trines Pluto on the 15th.
Meanwhile, the lunar cycle continues to wax into a first quarter square September 16 when the Sagittarius Moon squares the Virgo Sun & we’ll begin to see whatever seeds we planted at the Virgo New Moon start to sprout.
Join me for more conversations about consciousness @ https://karmicevolution.com/astrologically-speaking/ & to learn about financial astrology from expert professional astrologer & author Georgia Stathis Thursday, September 13 @11 a.m. PT & 2 p.m. ET!
See you then, namaste…
Leo New Moon Solar Eclipse

“How People Treat You Is Their Karma; How You React Is Yours.” ~ Wayne Dyer
Let’s consider what the heavens are trying to tell us at this Leo New Moon solar eclipse at 18-degree 42-minutes, which occurred at 2:58 a.m. PT & 5:58 a.m. ET on August 11.
We astrologers know that no heavenly occurrence happens in a vacuum, and that it’s the faster moving planets that trigger the energies of slower moving ones into action at precisely the right time for each of us.
Such events—be they internal or external–are triggered into action depending on our ast karma. Our reactions to these events help us to move forward and create new, more positive karma through our decision to allow the heavens to assist us to symbiotically co-create our own futures as we move forward in this lifetime.
It’s important to remember there’s nothing we can do to change past karma, whether we trace such karma to this lifetime, past ones, or both. However, we must not let that keep us stuck in any mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual loops that serve only to reinforce self-blame, self-criticism, or self-judgment.
Rather, just as they are finding in the scientific world of neurobiology, we may create new mental grooves that help free us from past ideas, beliefs, assumptions, rationales–or anything else that no longer serves our greatest good moving forward.
When we remain stuck, we usually find outselves with one of two choices:
1) deciding we are the helpless, hapless, victim who blames everyone else for our own misfortune without taking responsibility for our own role in the energetic dynamic of our life; 2) continuing to move forward with externally-imposed beliefs, judgments, and criticisms that come not from our inner higher self (or soul) but rather from people and events that convinced us that such beliefs, etc., are right for us.
This Leo New Moon solar eclipse calls us all to look deep within our hearts (Leo=HEART!) and find the courage to discover what makes us uniquely special–regardless of what we were told, taught, or forced to believe by others or through our circumstances growing up.
It asks us also to look beyond our fixed world and to imagine a future free from such negative internal dialogues–be they conscious or unconscious–and to fill our lives with greater reverence for our own true light. Doing so allows us greater perspective on the fact that’s neither all our fault or the fault of others, but rather that we bear responsibility for hiding ourselves away out of fear of being noticed and thus drawing to ourselves additional victimization OR criticism & judgment…
“The Past Is The Present, Isn’t It? The Future, Too.”
~ Eugene O’Neill
All new and full Moon lunations may act as triggers, though they also set the tone for the remaining approximate 14-day period of the waxing lunar cycle (in the case of a new Moon) or waning lunar cycle (in the case of a full Moon.)
To best understand the energies of this August 11 Leo New Moon solar eclipse, let’s look back before we try to peer ahead…
Here’s what we already know:
- The July 12 Cancer New Moon solar eclipse called us to recognize our deepest emotional vulnerabilities, & to plant seeds of self-compassion that allow us to come out of emotional hibernation
- The July 27 Aquarius Full Moon lunar eclipse reminded us that we’re part of a greater whole—yes–but one that needs our individual, unique, creative, solar talents to help humankind survive & thrive
We also know that, according to astrologer Bernadette Brady in her bookPredictive Astrology, The Eagle & the Lark, the theme of both these eclipses was “action concerning relationships.” Brady points out that these eclipses may have brought about unfortunate news concerning separations or endings of friendships or relationships…however, due to quick action the final outcome may well be positive.
July 12’s Cancer New Moon solar eclipse asked to plant seeds that will grow into the healthy, strong desire to reveal to the world our emotional vulnerabilities without shame, blame, self-criticism or judgment.
Here are some questions we might ask ourselves since this eclipse:
- Where have I been forced to acknowledge my most vulnerable self?
- How did I deal with this and can I now be honest with both myself and others about what really hurts me most?’
- Can I feel the self-compassion necessary to recognize I am only human and that my capacity to feel hurt is something I share with every human being, regardless of the circumstances that created the hurt?
“Turn Your Face To The Sun And The Shadows
Fall Behind You.” ~ Maori Proverb
The July 27 Aquarius Full Moon lunar eclipse asked us to apply our growing sense of self compassion and ability to withstand hurts, slights, and emotional pain without resorting to negative past karma that drives us underground or back into hiding in our emotionally protective shell.
At a full Moon, the Sun’s light is reflected back to it.This serves as a reminder of both the positive and negative archetypal range of energies inherent in any given zodiacal Sun sign. At the same time, it reminds us that no archetypal energy exists in a vacuum because there’s always an archetypal polar opposite, in this case Aquarius.
The July 27 Aquarius Full Moon lunar eclipse highlighted back to the Leo Sun that we must jettison whatever it is about the Leo archetype that no longer serves our highest and best interest. At the same time, it reminded us that if we let go of any negative Leo traits (arrogance, excessive pride, selfishness, etc.), we may find it easier to integrate our own unique creative specialness into the collective.
Since this eclipse was about relationships as well, we might now ask ourselves these questions:
- Where do I still need to let go of friends, groups, associations, whose ideological beliefs I don’t truly share?
- How I can both honor AND integrate my own creative unique talents & abilities into my community, tribe, family, groups, etc., without losing a strong sense of myself?
- What will it take to allow me to see myself more clearly and objectively, without feeling either too small or too large a part of this world?
In short, the Aquarius Full Moon lunar eclipse reminded the Leo Sun to individuate. Yet how can we individuate without knowing and fully appreciating who we truly are, and by possessing true Cancerian self-compassion for that true soul within us?
Releasing that which keeps us tied to society, the collective, personal groups, tribes, associations, and/or friends who don’t allow us to express our solar gifts–or worse yet, denigrate or ignore such talents—will not serve us as we create more positive future karma…
By the same token, we’re not necessarily to demand being treated like a star, but rather accept our place as a cog in the wheel of a society that needs our talents and gifts to help promote the betterment of humankind.
“It’s During Our Darkest Moments That We Must Focus
To See The Light.” ~Aristotle
The third eclipse in this series, the August 11 Leo New Moon solar eclipse, returns once again to the seed planting theme. Now that we’ve received the message that we must develop true self-compassion to release our fears around being part of any group in a meaningful way, we can work on developing & expressing our unique creative identity.
Bernadette Brady reveals that this eclipse may well result in the collapse of “plans or life-styles,” and that this may result in confusion. However, “the long-term effects are those of rebuilding and transformation,” which can result in long-lasting consequences. “This eclipse family changes a person’s direction through the sudden collapse of an existing structure,” Brady concludes
As the Sun and the Moon come together in the Sun’s dignified sign of Leo, we’re reminded it’s always darkest before the dawn. It takes faith to hang on to the hope that we’ll be able to glimpse that miraculous first sliver of light as the Moon begins to pull ahead of the Sun.
Meanwhile, Uranus in Taurus, newly retrograde as of August 7, squares the transiting Nodes, and is squared by retrograde Mars in Uranus-ruled Aquarius at this eclipse, a strong signal that change is in the air, like it or not…
Uranus remains in retrograde motion until January 6, 2019 & brings to a total 7 planets appearing to move backward through the heavens right now. Together with Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, & Chiron, Uranus asks us to withdraw inward and do a bit of soul searching.
With so many planets retrograde, we know it’s not a time for action, but rather one to plan, strategize, think, analyze, and generally plot our future instead of simply stumbling forward aimlessly. As noted, Mars’ retrograde through Aquarius–the sign ruled by Uranus—since June 26 placed emphasis on the message not to fly off the handle right now, but rather to take everything as slowly as possible to allow mental revelations to happen.
The symbiosis between these two planets and their movements tells us we’ve been reviewing the ideological basis upon which we formulate both our values and our actions.
Mars moves back into the sign of Capricorn on August 12, where the warrior god should be far less impetuous, anxious, or accident prone, & more capable of planning for future security. However, we must remember that he’s still square Uranus in the sky right now, which may make us yearn for some type of action, and in the absence of our ability to act, cause us irritation and annoyance.
I Forgot I Had A Choice…
The Leo Sun, Moon, & Mercury (now retrograde) waxed into frictional quincunxes with evolutionary Pluto retrograde in Capricorn at this Leo New Moon solar eclipse, confirming that this lunation is indeed a part of our evolutionary process.
To me this energy feels a bit like the Nine of Wands in the tarot, which depictsthat we may feel depleted, exhausted, depressed, discouraged, or weary at this stage of our evolutionary journey. However, if we can muster jut one more ounce of energy, simply make one final push forward, we can meet successfully whatever challenges life has thrown at us thus far.
Though irritated, annoyed, or aggravated, we must remember that the only alternative to evolution is extinction.
Meanwhile, this lunation also squares a Juno/Jupiter opposition, confirming again the theme of a possible break in relationships. Juno=Hera, the wife of Jupiter=Zeus in Roman & Greek mythologies respectively, and they enter the limelight now since both square the transiting Nodes we well…
Jupiter trines Neptune, however, signaling that it’s possible altruism can win the day, especially if we focus our efforts on sharing those gifts of ours with those to whom we are connected by virtue of being human.
Venus in Libra, her own sign, squared Saturn in Capricorn at this lunation & eclipse, highlighting that obligatory issues in our partnerships may factor heavily at this time.
Where do we do what we what we think we must in our relationships vs. doing what we truly desire? The answer to this question is bound to allow us to proceed further along our evolutionary journey by allowing us to express our true desires vis-à-vis relationships, rather than simply follow an arbitrarily decided upon set of “rules.”
When Mercury stations direct August 18, Mars does the same August 27, and Saturn moves forward again on September 6, we should begin to see the momentum pick up in terms of our outward actions and expression…at least until Venus stations retrograde in Scorpio October 5…
The good news? Venus will join only Uranus, Neptune, & Chiron retrograde then, though Juno will join the backward parade October 12 as well, so be sure to stay tuned!
Here’s Katy Perry’s ROAR, which seems an appropriate example of how to move away from hiding one’s light under a bushel, whether that opportunity is granted us
by choiceor by circumstance…
Katy Perry
“I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly
Agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing
So I fell for everything
You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter,
dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and
You’re gonna hear me ROAR
Louder, louder than a lion
Cause I am a champion and
You’re gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar
Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero
You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter,
dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and
You’re gonna hear me ROAR
Louder, louder than a lion
Cause I am a champion and
You’re gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar
Roar-or, roar-or, roar-or…”
Aquarius Full Moon Lunar Eclipse July 27

Shock To The System
All full Moons are about release, and this Aquarius Full Moon is no different. However, this one is also a lunar eclipse, occurring at 4-degrees 45-minutes of Aquarius–at 1:20 pm PT & 4:20 pm ET–whereby the Moon teams up with Mars & the South Node in Aquarius to oppose the Leo Sun conjunct the North Node.
To top it all off, the planet Uranus—modern ruler of Aquarius—is squared by both luminaries, the Nodes, and Mars…
So, when the Moon meets Mars, which has been retrograde in Aquarius sinceJune 26 & traveling off and on with the Aquarius South Node, there is the likelihood some sparks may fly.
Aquarius=air; Leo=fire. Together these two elements represent a potentiallycombustible or explosive energetic combination that can cause events to move swiftly. Often the fast-moving Moon (the Moon moves one degree every two hours) triggers events into action and, since Mars won’t exact square Uranus until August 1, the likelihood for such action is ongoing for the short term.
So, if it turns out the that the world remains calm at this lunation, chalk it up to a close call. However, it’s more likely we may see fireworks somewhere in the world between now and August 1 that set into motion change of some kind.
The slightly scary part is that the meeting of the Aquarius Moon/Mars/South Node consolidates energy around past karma, confirming not only that change MUST happen, but also that change may arrive with quite a jolt.
The more impactful the shock, the greater we know is our need for change. But, the more we’ve clung to our past, the harder change will be to handle. This is particularly true for those of us with planets, angles, or sensitive points in early fixed signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, & Aquarius.
To fixity—and this Aquarius Full Moon lunar eclipse is undoubtedly fixed in nature–change is anathema. This means the more we deny, sublimate, project, procrastinate, or otherwise defend against change, the harder it will be to consciously acknowledge that change is the only constant.
And, in such denial, we reinforce our own resistance to progressing into a more productive, co-created karma in this lifetime—future karma that sets us up for an easier time both during the remainder of our life now, and in our next incarnation.
You Say You Want A Revolution
The Aquarius Full Moon lunar eclipse takes the Leo Sun to task as it reflects back to it its own light, a reminder that the Leo archetype cannot live in isolation because each of us comprises part of the greater whole of humankind.
Whatever talents, creativity, generosity, and pride we have deep in our hearts that make us individual entities is supposed to be shared and not hoarded or hidden, so we may contribute to the greater good of all wo/mankind.
At the same time, however, this lunation reminds us also–because we are part of a greater whole—not lose ourselves in “groupthink,” but rather to stay true to our own solar identities for the same reason: so we may contribute our talents to the group.
Some of us may keep our lights hidden under a bushel for a variety of reasons, not the least of which may be fear. Fear of not being accepted, fear of being perceived as eccentric or different, fear of being excluded, exiled, shunned, or cast out from a particular group or groups…
However, by not sharing our individual creativity with the collective we avoid doing our part as a member of society. Individuation is a huge part of our soul’s mission in this lifetime so first we mustbelieve that simply by being alive we have creative worth!
Next, we may release our fears around exposing our true creative selves to the rest of the world. Only then may we claim our individual gifts and utilize them to make life better, not just for ourselves, but for everyone.
The battle royal—or revolution, if you will–at this lunation and eclipse occurs between our ability to honor ourselves as creative, unique, special, solar, divinely-inspired individuals AND yet remain part of a larger group without losing our individual identity.
Without such an individual identity, or solar consciousness, we may fall into the grip of “groupthink,” an energy that leaves little room for honoring the individual solar self.
In her book The Art of Stealing Fire, Jungian astrologer Liz Greene writes: “…the special brand of suffering that Uranus can reflect springs from the fact that the person cannot express a sense of individuality. He or she may be dominated or driven by a revelation or world-view that is collective.”
It may be a revolutionary or transformative perspective on life, but it is collective nonetheless…if someone is trapped in such receptivity to the collective, without any individual sense of self to monitor, sift, or shape the revelation, he or she may lose touch with what is nourishing and creative on an inner level, and many important aspects of personal life may be unwittingly crushed,” according to Greene.
“In its most negative form, these are the polemics of the terrorist, or the polemics of any mass movement…aimed at destroying institutions or structures…deemed in need of radical change,” Greene continues. “Recognizing the need for change may be right and appropriate—although sometimes, like beauty, it may be in the eye of the beholder.”
A Word About Trauma…
It’s the work of evolutionary astrologer of Mark Jones that enlightened me about the significance of both Uranian and Aquarian archetypes as potential trauma signatures in our charts. His work around trauma is brilliant, imo, and some of it can be found on youtube.
His significant work includes providing those of us interested in using astrology as a metaphysical tool an understanding of how trauma can hold us back fromexperiencing joy in our lives–on either a mental, physical, emotional or spiritual level, or perhaps even all of the above…
Jones notes that an Aquarius South Node in an individual’s chart, or Uranus square the Nodes, may indicate traumatic experiences either from this lifetime or past lives.
“Such experiences of trauma are the basis for splitting off parts of the psyche in order to protect the integrity of the whole,” he writes in Healing The Soul, Pluto, Uranus, and the Lunar Nodes.
“The traumatic component of past experience can exaggerate the necessary detachment that arises in this placement, leading instead to dissociated states and psychological dissolution,” Jones adds.
Again, to return to this Aquarius Full Moon lunar eclipse where the Moon & Mars band together to pull us back toward the Aquarius South Node’s potentially traumatized karmic past, the Leo Sun & North Node beckon us forward toward a more cohesive, less fractured ego identity.
It will pay now to look at where we’ve been traumatized in the past. The irony is that Uranus/Aquarius energy often gets interpreted as “alternative” or “different,” but as Liz Greene points out it’s often far more difficult for an individual to march to the beat of her own drummer than it is easy to join in with the crowd.
Past wounding or trauma may center around our ideological beliefs, since the rational, fixed, air sign Aquarius bears the negative connotation of group think and the inability to break away from friends, groups, or association that carry philosophies they believe to be right & true to the exclusion of all others.
It’s these negative past experiences that may make us afraid now to move toward the Leo Sun & North Node at this lunation, and to remain safely back in the comfort and habitual realm of the Aquarius Moon & South Node. After all, when the Moon’s concerned we’re always looking for security. The trouble is that what makes us feel secure because it’s part of the past is not always what makes us strongest, healthiest, or most conscious.
It’s this lunation that may trigger an internal revolt in all of us to move away from safety in numbers and find greater value in our individual selves…
The Only Way Out Is Through
Still, reliving past trauma is by no means fun!
My work as a past life regressionist has proven to me that we can learn uncanny information about our soul’s journey thus far in its travels, and often such information proves reveletory to us.
Trauma centers around feelings, thoughts, & beliefs that our soul has adopted through its past experiences. Often, history has shown that these experiences may not have been pleasant ones. In fact, they may have traumatized us to such a degree that we’ve buried them deep within so that we do not have to relive them EVER–not now, not in the future!
But astrology is the study of cycles, and what goes around comes around. This make it difficult to bury or hide any kind of trauma for too long. And if that’s true, then we know that sometime in our current life’s journey through this physical incarnation that some trauma will resurface from time to time.
This Aquarius Full Moon lunar eclipse provides us one of those times now. We may well see it through the collective, an excellent way to watch the current energy of the heavens reflect back to us both the energy of the collective and our individual lives.
Here are some questions you might ask yourself now:
· What battle have I been too afraid to fight?
· Where does my alignment with groups or the collective (read: beliefs or philosophies) impede expression of my own true, solar, creative, individual self?
· How can I step out from behind the bushel and shine more brightly without anxiety, fear, shame, blame, or the need to play the victim?
The Home Of The Brave
Mercury stationed retrograde in Leo on July 26. This makes six planets appearing to swim backwards in the heavens right now.
The significance of this is that it’s not time for action. It’s a time to review, re-analyze, re-strategize, continue to plan but not to act, and just to generally allow yourself to receive rather than make waves, either in your personal life or within society in general.
Mercury’s backward motion between July 26 & August 18/19, combined with Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, & Chiron currently retrograde, always asks us to chill so that we may recognize that our brain is attempting to bring information that’s been embedded in our subconscious into consciousness.
This lends greater validity to the conclusion that this lunation’s revolutionary energy is meant to be internal! We’re called toward thought, contemplation, review, etc., in order to decipher and plan how to move forward–eventually.
Mercury retrograde in Leo, a fire sign, asks us to go deep about the source ofour inspiration. Fire is life, the spark necessary to sustain us, it gives us our creative ideas which we may take and run with.
While you’re slowing down during these hazy, lazy, crazy days of summer you might meditate upon from where you draw the greatest inspiration in your life and see where your passion truly lies. Passion and purpose go hand in hand, and through greater identification with both, we can all progress on our path toward individuation, or the freedom to be exactly who we came here to be!
The more we work on this now, the less impactful any shocks will be, especially at the August 1 Mars retrograde exact square to Uranus—so no time to waste!
The revolution in which we’re asked to participate at this Aquarius Full Moon lunar eclipse involves releasing any fears around either not being special enough, or thinking we’re SO special that we’re better than everyone else.
This requires bravery, but the good news is that courage is the Leo Sun’s mission! We’re all here to develop the kind of courage it takes to allow our individual Suns (regardless of zodiacal sign) to shine.
It’s now we are to rethink, review, re-strategize how we communicate our specialness to the world. If we’ve fallen into the pit of Leo’s dark side archetypal energy, we may be too proud, too selfish, too arrogant, or too unaware that we’re connected to the whole of mankind.
If we believe we deserve more attention than anyone else, hog the spotlight, think we our specialness is greater than anyone else’s, then we defy our divine right to create and express in order to SHARE our gifts willingly and generously with the world.
We must remember, however, that it’s this connection to our Sun that gives us our purpose for being! We cannot live in a microcosm—we can be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but if there’s no one there to appreciate us, to notice us, what’s it all for?
We have to fight now for our right to consider ourselves unique, special, divinely-inspired individuals, but the fight for the moment is an internal one–a heart-centered one, because that is where we truly find out home of the brave…
The Summer of Love
Appropriate to personifying this lunation’s energy is natal Aquarius South Node Jimi Hendrix, the famed rock guitarist who gave us his famed electric version of The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock in the summer of 1969.
According to Wikipedia: “Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.”
Hendrix’s performance [at Woodstock] featured a rendition of the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, during which he used copious amounts of amplifier feedback, distortion, and sustain to replicate the sounds made by rockets and bombs.”
Although contemporary political pundits described his interpretation as a statement against the Vietnam War, three weeks laterHendrix explained its meaning: ‘We’re all Americans … it was like ‘Go America!’… We play it the way the air is in America today. The air is slightly static, see.'”
Immortalized in the 1970 documentary film, Woodstock, his guitar-driven version would become part of the sixties Zeitgeist. Pop critic Al Aronowitz of the New York Post wrote: “It was the most electrifying moment of Woodstock, and it was probably the single greatest moment of the sixties.”
Images of the performance showing Hendrix wearing a blue-beaded white leather jacket with fringe, a red head-scarf, and blue jeans are widely regarded as iconic pictures that capture a defining moment of the era.”
Please note: I choose a video version of this song that includes footage of both the historical U.S. civil rights movement of the 1950’s & 1960’s & scenes from the Viet Nam war. Please be forewarned that some of the images may be upsetting so please watch at your own discretion!
The Star Spangled Banner
Jimi Hendrix
In addition, lest you doubt Hendrix’s influence upon future generations (Aquarius South Node!) of guitar players, here’s another clip of musicians inspired by his electric rendition of
The Star Spangled Banner
Enjoy!
Taurus New Moon May 6 — Rock Steady!

This Taurus New Moon energy sets the tone this month…
…for us to plant seeds of peace and calm in order to bring an unfluster-able serenity into our lives.
Think Ferdinand the bull who, in the children’s story, refused to engage in the bullfight ring—even the swinging of the red cape and taunting cries of “Toro! Toro! Toro!” left him unwilling to fight.
Ultimately they retired him to a patch of land where he rested peacefully under a shady tree, calmly munching some grass and happily watching the world go by…
At this Taurus New Moon, we are called to entertain thoughts about whether it’s more about action for action’s sake, and machismo and glory, or the serenity of knowing who we are and what we value most.
The interesting thing about Taurus energy is that it’s monumentally strong. When the bull in us puts her shoulder to the wheel, she can move just about anything. However, without motivation, it’s often tough for those who carry this archetypal energy–and who value pleasure in life most–to get up and get moving…
The danger around Taurus energy is that we may stubbornly remain peacefully otherwise occupied and resist the call to move or change. But this Taurus New Moon offers us the same kind of fixity we just might need in order to stabilize our lives…
Plant Seeds With 5 Retrograde Planets?
Let’s face it, with so much celestial energy retrograde right now it seems unlikely we can do much: Mercury calls us to review, rethink, revise, as our left brain logical function is subdued at least until May 22 and communication snafus abound. Meanwhile Mars—retrograde until June 29–until asks us to take a more reactive than proactive stance right now.
Saturn, too, says “take it slow” (until he stations direct on August 13) in order to release anything in your life that’s no longer instrumental to your future growth.
And Pluto’s base note resounds with a “let go of anything in your life that doesn’t allow you to transform at the deepest core level of your soul.” (Pluto, the slowest moving of all the planets, won’t station direct again until September 26.)
Jupiter, due to station direct on May 9, has been busy backstroking through the heavens since January 8, helping us to discover whether what we think we want is what our soul truly needs…
That said, it’s fairly easy to see how feeling like planting a seed at this Taurus New Moon to eventually birth something new may not be seriously in the cards right now.
Make Space For Future Growth
Does this mean you can’t forge ahead during this time? Does life stop because of all this retrograde planetary energy?
No! Life is always about growth and growth is always about change!
Think of it this way: this Taurus New Moon asks us all to dig down deep—just as you would with your trowel in the garden in order to plant those annually recurring perennials—and to unearth from below your deepest and truest values…
At the same time, you may implant into the earth these newer, or readjusted, values, once you have—with all of this planetary retrograde energy now—used your introspective faculties to discern what it is you want to grow in your garden.
What this Taurus New Moon means is that you can move ahead more easily by checking in with where your real values lie, and reviewing (and possibly jettisoning) any beliefs about current values that no longer fit who you are now or who you want to be in the future!
For Taurus energy, which archetypally resists change and loves to repose peacefully in her garden of choice, this Taurus New Moon provides us with the opportunity NOT to put our shoulder to the wheel. Rather, we may use this time to sit back and physically relax, but to do our harder, more lasting, psychological work.
Visualize Your Blooming Garden
Providing this Taurus New Moon with a helping hand is the Taurus Sun & Moon’s tie into a grand earth trine, which to me is a sign of “manifestation.”
The Taurus New Moon’s trine to both Jupiter and the North Node in Virgo, and to Pluto in Capricorn, tells us it may not be as difficult as we think to allow this abundance of current retrograde energy to help us along…
We need not be running hither and yon to get this done, but rather allow ourselves to visualize, or dream, our beautiful gardens into full bloom. Since we manifest externally our internal energies as we go through life, this is an excellent way of utilizing all of the retrograde activity in the sky right now.
Once we’ve mentally, emotionally, and spiritually excavated from our metaphorical gardens that which we no longer find of value, and then plant our new values firmly in the ground, we’ll be set for more direct action in the future!
Of course, those who carry the Taurean archetype strongly in their energetic make up may begin the manifestation of their gardens now through literal planting!
Whether it means literally planting your garden, decluttering your living space, or reviewing your financial situation, your career, your relationships, your lifestyle, etc., you will make more progress now by concentrating on how to bring into more optimal alignment your inner energies with your outer ones…
Think of it as a way to illustrate to yourself your own internal processes and watching them manifest on the physical empirical plane!
(By the way, if clutter is your current issue or your long term nagging problem, I highly recommend “The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up,” which I just started reading last night!)
While a trine is usually indicative of an “easy” energy, sometimes it can be too easy and we may become lazy. Since this is a particular problem for us Taurean types, I’d recommend tending toward making your surroundings more beautiful now.
This Taurus New Moon is making a sextile to the transiting South Node as well, denoting that we have the opportunity to let go of anything that no longer serves our soul’s quest for true growth and consciousness. Again, this doesn’t have to mean action, as inner reflection is the name of the game right now…
Is All Of This Easy?
Hell no! But what’s Taurus energy best at? Like I said, putting her shoulder to the wheel, the rock, the obstacle, and pushing it with strong and firm persistence in order to move it where you want it ultimately to go…
The Taurus New Moon also makes a quincunx to Saturn, which suggests this is not going to be without its minor annoyances. If you pay attention, however, you may find that most of these annoyances revolve around your belief system.
Remember The Law of Circulation!
Taurus the bull doesn’t need to carry on her back all of the “stuff” she’s accumulated through her lifetime. Remember the law of circulation: when you remove from your life the “stuff” that no longer has value to you personally, you make room for new people, relationships, jobs, and LOVE to come into your life!
As always, love is an inside job—it begins at home, in your body, your immediate environment, and your outer trappings. Now is the time, under the auspices of the Taurus New Moon, to begin to bring into alignment your inner and your outer worlds…
Issues like “I hate that picture on the wall but I can’t throw it away, my mother gave it to me!” or “this belonged to my father and I’d be disrespecting his memory if I get rid of it!” may loom large right now…
However, if you desire your patch of land (either literal or metaphorical!) to eventually look like that beautiful garden you envision in your mind, you may need to think again about how to best manifest what it is you truly value.
Picture it now: roses of the most gorgeous colors, perennial tulips you know you’ll treasure the sight of for years to come, marigolds, hydrangeas, maple trees, cherry blossoms (assuming you have the land!), or any other personal favorite flowers, tree, or plants, all blooming in full glorious color!
Now that’s a Taurus New Moon meditation worth its weight in gold, lol…
Namaste…
beliefs, calm, garden, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury retrograde, new moon, plant, Pluto, retrogrades, Saturn, seeds, serenity, Taurus, ValuesMercury Stations Retrograde In Taurus April 28

Mercury Stations Retrograde: Fear Not!
While you may be thinking “uh, oh! When Mercury stations retrograde, he’s going under again, don’t worry! He’s only going there to retrieve your innate inherent subconscious knowledge and deliver it up and into your conscious mind where it can become embedded as true WISDOM.
This time, Mercury, the messenger & the courier of the gods, the trickster, the psychopomp (the spiritual guide of a living person’s soul), is backstroking through the sign of Taurus the bull until May 22.
Since Taurus energy centers around what we truly value in our lives, it behooves us to go deep about whether these values are our soul’s true, inherent ones, or whether they are adopted or adapted from others. No harm in the latter–the point is, as long as what you value is congruous with your deeper spiritual set of values, then it’s all good.
Now, while Mercury is retrograde in Taurus it’s time—as usual–to review, re-think, re-analyze, etc. Further, any disparity between what you value in your external life—be it material possessions, money, jobs, or love of another—and what your soul needs to be truly happy will surface (or resurface) now for review…
Body Check
Because Taurus is such a physical sign, Mercury’s retrograde period from now until May 22 asks us to check in with our body.
Taurus symbolizes archetypally that which we value, or that which pleases us in terms of our five senses—sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste.
How is your body feeling? Where does it need more attention?
This isn’t to say you must run off to the gym and exercise more—rather, it’s about going deep in your meditation, during your lucid dreaming moments, or perhaps into your dreams themselves, and paying attention to the signs and signals your body is trying to give you…
What is it trying to tell you? Is it time to pay attention to the pain in your foot? Is it time to go for the checkup, the mammogram, the gyn, have them check your prostate, your teeth, your heart?
After all, Saturn is retrograde, too. He represents your bones, skin, and teeth—the parts that hold your body together. Mars, also currently retrograde, can affect your head or anything to do with your face or your appearance in general…and Jupiter, though stationing direct shortly (on May 9), asks you always to contemplate whether what you think you want is the same as what your soul truly needs.
And Pluto? Pluto retrograde is the resounding base note to all of these other current retrograde energies. He’s like the outermost ripple in the pond from the stone you’ve thrown into the middle.
He’s the backdrop, the scenery, the overarching sky, the vastness of the ocean all rolled into one–into something we call SOUL, which is what is encased in the all-encompassing physical incarnate body.
Body & Soul
In order to tend to the soul, we must tend to the body; in order to tend to the body, we must tend to the soul…
The soul itself, like my description of Pluto, is the backdrop, the basis, or the baseline to much of the meaning of this lifetime. It goes beyond this lifetime, however, in terms of both before and after.
But the soul inhabits your body this lifetime…so keeping the body healthy is most important now, just as is taking a look at where your values match what your soul truly needs…
Taurus energy, which I know well as a Taurus Sun, is not particularly fond of running and jumping, cross country skiing, or marathon swimming–at least for the most part.
I know I’d much rather lie on the couch and eat bonbons, and when it’s cold drink hot chocolate with marshmallows, and when hot indulge in some nice chocolate or vanilla ice cream with yummy goodies piled on top (or not, for you purists!)
We who carry Taurus energy can certainly get stuck in a limited definition of what it is we value. What we’re really asked to do right now is to juxtapose these limited and habitual notions with what our body really needs to stay healthy and to be our own BFF.
For example, do you need a workout, to get those hamstrings more flexible, to strengthen your heart with some cardio, or to tighten the skin because you’ve lost some weight?
Then it will benefit you to do what’s necessary to enhance your body’s physical health, both internally and externally, so that the external YOU matches the internal YOU.
When you value your body, your appearance, your teeth, skin, and bones, you value the flesh into which your soul has chosen to incarnate. Doing so is part of what makes us all whole as human beings.
What kind of tender loving care we can show our bodies to demonstrate how much we value our physical encasement—the physical flesh and bones that encase our spirit and our soul?
Let’s not forget that Taurean values include the pleasure of touch, so sexual satisfaction is another avenue that may need attention now.
So, too, do any yearnings to express oneself creativity through the arts and the translation of your value system into color, sound, light, and smell (some freshly baked–healthy–goods anyone?) Now’s a good time to let your creative self have at that piano or guitar, dance floor, canvas, camera, song, etc., etc., etc…
The Usual Mercury Stations Retrograde Drill
Do snafus occur—especially around all things communication, i.e., phones, computers, cars, travel, the internet & world wide web, etc.—during Mercury retrograde?
Is it still suggested you don’t make any large purchases, sign any contracts (because the small print may do you in in the end!), launch your new business, or engage in any activities other than those already started?
Of course, and this Mercury retrograde in Taurus will be no exception!
Simply remember however, that it’s difficult for Mercury to perform his retrograde duties when he’s moving forward. He needs this “down time” to travel into the underworld recesses of our psyches in order to locate the gold nuggets buried therein and to haul them up and into our consciousness.
No easy task, wouldn’t you agree? So, while Mercury’s busy with this job, he’s gotta let some things slide…I don’t think you’d want the psychopomp messenger of the gods to multitask while he’s messin’ with your subconscious, do you ?
So, cut him some slack: take the phone off the hook, turn off the computer a tad more frequently than usual, try not to speed anywhere (regardless of whether or not you’re already late!), and just chill…and maybe let your conscious brain take a vacation…
Mercury will take care of the rest, as you take care of your physical body and the concrete world around you…
…and as you know from the frequency of Mercury retrograde periods (at least three times per year!), life will return to “normal” soon enough…
Namaste…
body, bull, knowledge, Mars, Mercury, messenger, physical, Pluto, psyche, psychopomp, retrograde, review, Saturn, soul, subconscious, Taurus, trickster, Values, wisdomVenus Enters Sagittarius December 30

Taurus Full Moon October 27

Can’t Buy Me Love…
Yesterday’s Taurus Full Moon reflected the Sun’s light back onto itself to highlight for us all the potential to bring transformation to that which we truly value.
While the Sun moves through the sign of Scorpio until November 22, its tells us it’s time for a change. In turn, the Taurus Moon’s heavenly glow casts its light on that which is ripe for such transformation.
This Taurus Full Moon–which occurs when the Moon opposes the Sun in the sky so that they may both “see” each other–reminds us that only when we can see clearly is it possible to be brought out of the dark in order to take conscious and direct action.
During this particular Full Moon period, we are asked to become aware of how these polar opposites of Taurus & Scorpio might best be reconciled & these energies utilized to transform what we value into something of even greater worth.
SAY YOU DON’T NEED NO DIAMOND RING
Full Moons are always about release. So what do we need to release in terms of our value system that allows us to grow with it (and thus achieve positive transformation?)
There is no higher form of VALUE or WORTH than SELF-WORTH.
In today’s world, whether or not we were told we were worthless as a child–or simply came to believe it on our own–there is no doubt that such sentiments (whether or not one is brave enough to utter them out loud) run rampant.
Seems to me there are two ways to deal with this situation: The first is to put into place what my mother used to call a “superiority complex,” which is to say a heightened–but feigned–sense of self-value that is not, in fact, a true reflection of one’s real emotional belief.
The second, simply put, is to feel worthless, whether one speaks of it or not…
This may be evidenced through numerous examples, from the striving for perfection (resulting in criticism of both oneself and others), to judging yourself (and sometimes others) harshly based on appearances rather than substance, to beating oneself up for not having the guts to value and express who you really are…
An over-inflated ego may lead to a distorted sense of one’s true value, whereas self-deprecating behavior gets you nowhere but stuck in your own myopic rut where nothing you do is of any value whatsoever…
BUT…IT’S ABOUT BALANCE, SILLY!
Deep down in the utter darkness of our solitary existential existence–during those moments when we realize we are TRULY alone–it’s our task to fill our own well from within in order to sustain ourselves through this journey we call life…
The first way to go about doing this–and, yes, it sounds SO very easy but really is quite difficult–is to seek balance about our beliefs.
Do we deem ourselves to be SO worthwhile that even ascending to the throne of king or queen (or better yet–to be anointed as a saint!) is beneath us?
Or do we feel stuck in the muck and mire of the realm of the lowliest creature on earth, not EVEN fit to eat the crumbs off of God’s table?
This Taurus Full Moon calls us to spend a little time in contemplation of these two extremes and in which direction lies our truest value…
Is it in what others told/tell us we were/are worth–and what we perhaps seemingly had NO CHOICE but to believe?
Or is it inherent in our right as human beings to consider that within each of us exists a spark of the divine?
The former mindset–even when it results in that superiority complex–does nothing but deflate, while the latter allows us to connect constantly and continuously to a higher realm…
And that higher realm is one in which we are each valued individually for the precious, loving, & creative humans we really truly are…
SO, WHAT’S IT WORTH TO YA?
It has struck me of late that ANYTHING we create–either individually or en masse–is beautiful.
Ah, the Scorpios amongst you are tittering now…”Really?” I hear you muttering, “is our SHIT beautiful?”
Truth be told, yes it is!
Taurus has connotations around holding on too tightly, not appreciating or accepting change, and moving too slow…
This fixity, while it does have a purpose–as Taurus is the archetypal energy that helps us to get things DONE–resists transformation like the plague!
However, when we look at Taurus energy as calm, constant, and creative (in its ability to manifest on the concrete physical plane), we can see how its higher side is capable of appreciating ALL of nature, be it in its glory or its decline…
So, even the things we normally discard have value…for example, without ridding ourselves of the toxins in our body, we become ill…
And without ridding ourselves of our false beliefs about what is the TRUTH of our own special creative nature and its ability to love and be loved, we may suffer greatly for having discarded out of hand the very best parts of ourselves…
Start by thinking about that which you need to discard and that which you need to keep. Perhaps your old ways of thinking are not based on CHOICE but rather habit. Perhaps you are ripe for change in this department now…
And starting slowly is always the Taurean way! Why not think of these Lennon & McCartney lyrics to “Can’t Buy Me Love” as a mantra through which you might introduce to yourself a whole new concept–but only if you apply them to the relationship with YOURSELF rather than with another:
“I’ll give you all I’ve got to give
If you say you love me too
I may not have a lot to give
But what I’ve got I’ll give to you
I don’t care too much for money
For money can’t buy me love…”
You gotta start somewhere, right?
As Shakespeare reminds us, self-love is NOT a sin…but self-neglect might as well be…
Namaste…
change, full moon, love, Scorpio, self-worth, Taurus, transformation, value, value system