Weekly insights into the stars
The second half of the week is much brighter as we have the annual beautiful Venus – Jupiter conjunction. These are the two “benefics” – Venus is known as the Lesser Benefic Jupiter as the Greater Benefic – so in other words they’re good for us. Between them they rule all the things that make life sweet, joyful or easier such as love and money (Venus), good luck, fun and optimism (Jupiter) – and this year’s conjunction also coincides with the New Moon – fresh starts, opportunities, new cycles, new faces.
Mercury is retrograde three times a year for three weeks at a time. The real meaning of retrograde in the astronomical sense is a planet appearing to make a backward loop as watched from our place here on Earth. As any planet starts (stationary retrograde) or stops (stationary direct) making these loops they appear to be at a standstill. These are therefore the moments to watch for turning points in our own lives.
The crucial part of the Ascendant in terms of predictive astrology is that it points us to the chart ruler. In other words, which planet is you in particular? Once you have the answer to that question you can then move on to a full “who’s who” and you can locate everyone else in your life, and those coming into your life, in your personal horoscope. Such is the magic of astrology.
New Moons are the moment in each month when the Moon is exactly conjunct the Sun. In themselves they carry the symbolism of sowing seeds and new cycles, but they can tell a bigger picture story if they fall in aspect to other planets. See the end of this blog for the table of all lunations for the rest of this year. In this case we have the Moon and Sun both conjunct Pluto.
Far more effective from the exponential point of view is to look at where your thoughts, beliefs or habits have historically not produced the results you wanted or have even worked against you. Taking that first step in the new direction may not feel that powerful to begin with but science tells us that it’s the way to propel ourselves forwards. In other words, good things can snowball as well as bad!
