The Astrology Blog 30 November 2015
Apologies again that the blog is much briefer than usual, life still on overload here, but am working on the basis of something is better than nothing!
We start the week by shaking off the difficult Solar aspects to Neptune and Saturn, a tough combination that I wrote about in last week’s blog. This pattern was created as the Sun and Saturn reached 7 degrees of Sagittarius, squaring Neptune who is currently “stuck” on 7 degrees of Pisces. This is the stuff of the sad, misguided or baffling (Neptune by difficult aspect) meeting with the restraints of time, barriers and reality checks (Saturn by difficult aspect). These aspects are now separating (have now happened) but only just, the Sun – Saturn conjunction being exact at 00.17 this morning. If you have been dealing with any situation that smacks of this “in a nutshell” description then this past few days are likely to have brought up some crunch points for you.
This is especially applicable if you have planets or angles at or close to 7 degrees of Sag or Pisces – or the other mutable signs of Gemini and Virgo. With my and Sue’s Sun at 9 Sag the situation here has inevitably been tough to deal with, Mike still in hospital 6 hours drive away from home, Sue with him, and me holding the fort at home and trying not to drive myself demented with anxiety… desperate to get up there but am tied to the house at the moment because of looking after their two dogs as well as my own dog, and any fellow dog owner out there will know how big a commitment they are! Unfortunately there are no kennels on the island…
Back to the astrology, here are the usual links for checking the position of your own planets and angles:
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
You can also try this calculator, which lists all your planets and angles rather than bringing up the visual of the horoscope, so for non astrologers it’s easier to use.
http://astro.cafeastrology.com/cgi-bin/astro/natal
Back to the Sun/Saturn/Neptune – even if you haven’t got planets positioned around these critical degrees you may well have been witness to those struggling, felt saddened by world events or been caught up in events that you feel powerless to change. However, as I wrote last week, “once the Sun struggles through the Saturn – Neptune square, everything will start to look a lot brighter and clearer”, and the Mercury aspects this week support the theme of moving on, solution finding and thinking ahead –
• Tuesday Mercury trine Uranus (14.01)
• Friday Mercury square Jupiter (12.54)
These are Mercury’s last aspects before he changes sign (moving from Sag into Capricorn next Thursday 10th December). The first aspect is Mercury at 16 Sag in good aspect to Uranus at 16 Aries, the second is Mercury at 21 Sag square Jupiter at 21 Virgo. In particular look out for the arrival of the unexpected or for flashes of inspiration (Uranus by good aspect) and also befriend the internet as Uranus is closely linked to technology. From information to Christmas shopping, whatever you can do with the touch of a button will make life easier.
These Mercury aspects also signal busyness – I personally feel as if I ‘m spinning a lot of plates at the moment – and in particular squares to Jupiter signal an “over the top” quality, too much to do, too much to cover, feeling overwhelmed, dealing with things that require too much time or money … clock when your shoulders are hunched up around your ears! Mercury square Jupiter is classic for issues getting out of control or for being blown up out of all proportion, so also remember to check your facts, bite your tongue rather than getting into “not worth it” arguments and say no to unreasonable requests.
The end of the week brings another undeniably testing picture starting with Venus changing sign –
Saturday Venus ingress Scorpio (04.16)
This is one of Venus’ signs of detriment but that doesn’t mean that all Venusian issues are necessarily in trouble. Here’s a take on this combination when Venus is in Scorpio in the natal chart, from Be Your Own Astrologer –
Venus in Mars’s feminine sign is intense and deeply emotional, although you would be forgiven for not thinking so on first impressions. These Venus people do not wear their hearts on their sleeves, to put it mildly. Co-ruled by Pluto there is a secretive streak and a need to stay in control of their feelings. This belies a passionate nature and they may even come across as cold or indifferent. Often there is some disturbing experience in their childhood or adolescent life that taught them to give nothing away. Abuse stories are tragically common. Having suffered from powerlessness they instinctively or consciously protect their vulnerability and nobody gets through the security gates without careful screening.
These Venus individuals usually ooze sex appeal, mystery and look drop dead gorgeous in black. They admire strength and bravery, and need a partner who is bold and gutsy. Passivity bores them. They know all about the power of sex but are prone to jealousy or possessiveness. However, when secure or truly put to the test, they make awesome partners. Their all or nothing nature means that they can do for better or worse, in sickness or in health, till death us do part better than anyone. Former First Lady Hillary Clinton survived the sexual scandals of her husband and went on to excel in her own political career. She is especially known for encouraging the empowerment (Pluto) of women (Venus) on a global scale.
So, heavy stuff in some ways, but powerful in others. The underlying message is it’s ok and probably necessary to get intense and emotional about the things that matter dearly to you, to recognize that you have deep resources within you that can be called upon in moments of need, but to stop short of acting in any way that is overly controlling. Try to base your actions and decisions on what loved ones need, ie real love is when you make it about them and not about you.
This coming weekend also brings a tangled mix of Sun, Mars and Pluto – here’s the sequence –
Sunday
• Sun sextile Mars (10.15)
• Sun semi-sextile Pluto (16.11)
• Mars square Pluto (20.48)
None of these planets are in Scorpio, but both Mars and Pluto are Scorpio’s ruling planets, so the same themes are in this mix. The picture is contradictory as the first two aspects are harmonious, but the Mars – Pluto square is extremely challenging. Pluto is the rebirth planet and is so often about endings, bringing a matter to a close in readiness for the opening of a new chapter, but it may be very difficult to spot any kind of silver lining at this time. Or what may be great for one person may not be that brilliant for another. With Mars still also in one of his signs of detriment – Libra, the sign of the Scales, ruling partnership, compromise and cooperation – finding solutions that work for both sides may prove impossible. The good side to Mars in Libra is the desire to keep the peace, but the flip side is that doing so for the wrong reasons can come with a heavy price tag. We can only trust that whatever comes to a finale is doing so for a reason, so don’t try to force any square pegs into round holes, and try to be aware of that extremely delicate line between genuine and loving self sacrifice /avoidance through fear of the unknown or victim role. Pluto actually works better for us when we don’t try to dress things up in glamorous clothing.
Next week we’ll be travelling towards a New Moon in optimistic Sagittarius and I’ll be talking more about the opening of this new cycle next week.
With love from Greece until then
Joanna