Is your business Idea “Fools Gold”? Astrology tips for money making success.

GoldNever a dull moment in my family, I had been trying to get hold of my Dad for a couple of days. Finally I got a text. “Sorry, I was in Guyana panning for gold”.

Panning for Gold!?

Most Dads go fishing or hunting and yes my Dad has done those things too. But I have to admire my Dad; a successful business man, enterprising and daring, if there is a chance to make money and be adventurous, he is all over it. So with Guyana experiencing a Gold Rush, my Dad and his friend decided to go check it out.

The fact that there is a gold rush happening does not surprise me. Neptune is currently transiting in Pisces. The last time Neptune was in Pisces was in 1848 when the “Gold Rush” in California occurred. The gold rush promised a chance at making money. There was low barrier to entry. Just find a river and start panning. This was the “California Dream”, and everyone believed that money could be earned quickly. The promise was new beginnings and fast wealth!

The gold rush didn’t just happen in California, it happened all over the world and at different periods beyond the Neptune in Pisces transit, but what really stood out about the California gold rush was just how many people went in search of riches (300,000 plus) from North America and around the world. Not only that, the idealism of the ‘California Dream’ rush kept on even after the rush was over! Yes, there were some who profited from panning gold, but most returned home with little more than what they came with – most only found ‘fool’s gold’ and many of the successful ones, were not successful from prospecting gold. In fact, the big profit winner’s were the suppliers – those who sold the pans and shovels or the entertainment.

This brings me to 2014 and the current gold rush. Yes there is a gold rush in Guyana, and Neptune is in Pisces and will be until 2026. Neptune went into Pisces in 2011, retrograded and entered again in 2012 – about the time when the gold rush in Guyana really heated up. Neptune rules mining. It also rules all that it nebulous, vague, and hard to pin down. It is always in the mix when there is deception or when we find ourselves in a fog. It’s certainly in the mix when our idealism peaks!

So, you may ask, did my Dad score any gold? Well I heard lots of stuff about government permit requirements and other precious stones, but I didn’t hear that they had struck it rich! Not from Gold. But my dad is a very smart business guy, so if he wanted to make money from this, he would have sat back and figured out where the real money was. He would likely be the one supplying the shovels as unglamorous as that sounds. I have no doubt that he would have been the one making the money. How do I know? Because I have seen him build up several successful enterprises over my life and I also see it in his Natal chart!

There is another “gold rush” that is happening right now. Well it’s not exactly Gold.. ..But it is ruled by Neptune…. it’s the Internet entrepreneur. Much like the gold miners during the gold rush of the 1840’s, becoming an internet entrepreneur these days is easy. Barrier to entry is low. Anyone can set up an internet site. Plugins to make your site do anything, commerce, graphics and low cost support are for the taking. There is low over overhead the potential to make lots of money. Its new beginnings and the potential for fast wealth exists… And you guessed it, the internet with it’s hard to see, hard to explain, “Just where does the internet live”? Quality is ruled by Pisces.

So the question is will you be successful? Well there are a couple of things to consider before you quit your job to pan for gold or to start your internet business.

#1 Where is the money? Is the money really in prospecting gold or the internet business? Yes, there will be those who make money from panning for gold or from an internet business teaching the ropes on how to make a successful internet business. But I believe making money is about finding what you are good at, passionate about and have a sense of purpose about. Yes some will find their purpose in mining and other in running a business, but not everyone. In astrology, look to the second house planets and second house ruler to give hints on what you will make money from. For example if you have mercury in the second house or ruling the second house, perhaps you make money from writing or speaking.

#2 Do you have what it takes to be a prospector or an entrepreneur? Mary struck it rich and she had it in her natal chart read here! I would put Mary’s chart here, but she doesn’t reveal her last name or her chart. But you can be sure that if you are to find treasure it will show up in your chart. The Sabian symbol for 6 degree’s Scorpio is to be lured by gold. At this degree is “A keen intellect, mainly reserved for work and material gain, deep emotions reserved for family and inner needs. Adventurous but makes wise use of resources. In business, a competitive opportunist” So maybe Mary had a planet at that degree? As for the successful entrepreneur; successful entrepreneurs can come from any sign, but those who are really successful often have planets in Aries which is enterprising, Scorpio which is shrewd or Capricorn which is ambitious. They most certainly have planets in money houses (the 2nd house and the 8th house) or planets in the 10th house of career and fame.

#3 It the timing right? Timing is everything! Those who were in on the action early in the gold rush where the ones to make the money. Are you late to the market? Is the market saturated? If it’s saturated, what is the next big thing? We can look at Jupiter, which expands everything it touches and whom transits through a sign every 12 months or so for tips on this. Jupiter is currently in Cancer, so the big markets right now are related to home and food. Jupiter will move into Leo in July and stay there for a year, so if you’re thinking ahead of the curve, you have likely put together a business plan for the arts or entertainment. Oh and by the way, Leo also rules gold! Two years from now Jupiter will be in Virgo. Maybe the markets to plan for at that time are drugs or healthcare.

Are there any markets or businesses that you are seeing lately that look like “fools gold” to you? Which look like they might be emerging? Leave a comment in the comment section and let me know what you think.

June Horoscope 2014

As June is the sixth month, we are now entering the second part of the year! So much was going on in the first part of the year, most of which was happening below the surface due to so many retrogrades. Just about every planet went retrograde, asking us to look inward, soul search, and realign.  Slowly all the planets moved forward with Mars, making the final forward motion on May 19th. Mars is the action planet, so during the retrograde we may have felt that we were getting nowhere or that we had a lot of nervous energy. As the week progressed, you may have felt the gas hit the accelerator but thought to yourself, “I need a little more horse power here!” Things are really starting to move in June, but before they really get moving, we have one more retrograde (which actually happens 3-4 times a year) with Mercury going retrograde on June 7th.

The first week of June is all about our connections. Strategy meets love when Venus and Pallas trine at the beginning of the month. We are starting to see new patterns in how we network and connect with others. Venus is also about money, so our connections will influence our money-making ability. I recently read a post on google+ in which a google expert explained why he does not use business card any more.  He just simply tells people to google him and swears that this creates better, higher quality business connections.  A financial coach also talked about ditching business cards during lean financial times and said that she hadn’t used cards in two years.  I wasn’t sure what to think, but this energy at the beginning of the month will give us all a new perspective on our connections and how we make them. Venus is sextile spiritual planet Neptune on June 4th, so we may crave more of a spiritual connection – connection just for connection sake won’t work.  On the 6th, the Sun is sextile Uranus, so we might be able to come up with some inventive ways of expressing ourselves and putting ourselves out there.  Venus will then trine Pluto on June 8th connecting us with deep and transformative type people.

Mercury goes retrograde on June 7th. Everything you’ve been preparing during the beginning of the year will hit a two and a half week period where you might realize that you’ve overlooked something. It may also manifest as hiccups in something you’ve just launched. Just trust that any hiccups are there for a reason and will give you some solid information to realign and sync. Recently I was masterminding with my power group of awesome entrepreneurs when a brilliant insight came through: one of my fellow business sisters had put a lot of work into transferring her business onto a new web domain and felt huge frustration when she saw no change to all of the work she had put out.  After hours on the help desk and countless redoes she suddenly had an insight… maybe I need to clear my cache.  This is exactly what we might experience as Mercury will start its retrograde in Cancer. Communication mess ups may be of an emotional nature at the start of it, but it then slips back in to Gemini, the sign that Mercury rules, so you can expect some straight up communication (text message, email, computer, etc.) mess ups. It could even be your car giving your trouble. My advice during the Mercury retrograde from June 7th to July 1st is if nothing seems to be working out, take a deep breath, calm your emotions and clear your personal cache.  The Sun trines Ceres, the planet of nurturing, on June 9th which ensures that we have at least a day of nurture our inner child during this process.

The full moon on June 13th will be in Sagittarius,  culminating in something that has been churning around in our belief systems. Just before the full moon on the 12th, Neptune is opposite Pallas. Something in our perceptions or belief system may be dissolving. This might be the final dissolution of a false belief or a negative limiting belief that we’ve been fighting for a while. The full moon the next day will bring to consciousness in a concrete way what exactly has changed. Mercury`s retrograde motion still in Cancer will also make us a bit nostalgic and we might feel like calling up an old friend – or an old friend may reach out to us. It’s possible that this person may also be a love interest from the past.  Maybe it was unrequited love, a love relationship for which you never felt full closure or one that never got off the ground. Venus, the planet of love sextile Chiron the wounded healer will bring an opportunity to heal old wounds and also align us with the right relationships: those that are good and healthy for us though it may not happen immediately. Saturn tests all that stands the test of time and will oppose love planet venus on the same day challenging us to a serious and thorough relationship assessment/reassessment. Saturn is also the god of karma, so this might just be some karmic debt through which we are working.

The next day Mars squares Pluto on June 14th. Mars is now direct so all of that tension that was boiling inwardly at the Grand Cross when they last met up in April of this year may come bubbling to the surface as these two start rumbling. If everything gets a little messy, the planets have our back. The Sun will trine the north node a couple of days later allowing us to find just the right support. The north node always connects us to the people, places, and things that help us along the way. It’s like a guide that pulls us in the right direction.

Venus sextile Jupiter on June 18th  might bring you together with a lover or friend (or a lover and a friend) for a nice enjoyable time. However Mercury retrograde conjuncts the Sun on June 19th can be a day of emotional and confused communications. Here`s how it might go: on the 18th, you were hanging out with your friend, you guys were having a great time, but you didn`t realize how much complaining you were doing or how much you complain in general, so he decides (out of love) to record the conversation which he then shares with you. At first you’re annoyed and think he`s a complete jerk, but then you hear yourself and realize, horror of horror, exactly how you sound. The whole situation might throw you off kilter and your first reaction might be to not know what to say or how to say it anymore. That`s okay, you have the rest of Mercury retrograde to think through how you want to come across now.

The Sun moves into Cancer on June 21st putting us in the mood for family and BBQ’s for the next month, and Venus will move into Gemini on June 23rd making us curious and wanting to explore ideas or just text message a lot. We may also feel like dating but not getting too serious… it`s the summer after all! This is a great time to hit as many BBQ’s as you can. Jupiter squares the north node on June 23rd might put us in the right place at the right time to make some interesting connections or meet new friends.

Mars will oppose Uranus on June 25th. Mars is still in Libra and has been for quite some time. Libra is the sign of relationships and some surprising information or actions regarding relationships might come to the surface at this time.

The new moon in June is on June 27th at 5 degrees of Cancer.  On the same day Mercury will trine the north node. If you connected with some cool people during the beginning of the month, this new moon might be a good time to reach out and deepen those relationships. The Cancer new moon will make us kind and trusting – plus with a trine to selfless and imaginative Neptune, we feel even more giving. This new moon energy is great for allowing our artistic creations to spring forth so spend a day helping those in need or creating longer term intentions to do those things.

Close to the new moon, Venus will square Neptune and Juno which are conjunct in Gemini. Venus conjuncts Juno in Gemini are chatty together with constant loving words (“I love you… I love you more.”) gets ping-ponged back and forth all day long.  This is definitely a time where we feel incredibly inspired, loving and, with that square to Neptune, impressionable.  We might find ourselves over committing or failing to see an important detail.

What’s happening this month with each sign:

ARIES: Mars moving forward in your 7th house of partnerships and you may witness things getting heated. Saturn might have you dividing assets at this time or working through an inheritance, which will bring up some unconscious stuff at the beginning of the month. Mercury retrogrades in your 4th house of real estate/family and then back in to the 3rd house. Communication mess ups can happen at home. This is not a good time for property transactions.

TAURUS: You might want to stay away from large internet banking transactions while Mercury retrogrades in your third and then back into your second house of money.  Mars moves forward in your 6th house of work, possibly bringing some surprises to light with coworkers. Also, you’re doing a serious assessment of your relationships… maybe it’s about the wedding and what to say to those friends you’re not inviting so as not to hurt them.

GEMINI: Mars is moving forward in your fifth house, causing battles with your children. You are better off throwing that energy into a sports activity rather than taking it out on them. Mercury retrogrades in your 2nd house making you forget where you put that $20 dollar bill and then into your first house where your personal communication may suffer.  You might be working out a serious relationship issue at work during this month as well. Chances are if you do it right, it will bring healing to you reputation.

CANCER: Mercury retrogrades in your first house, throwing off yourself expression and then moves into your 12th house where communication gets foggy.  It is better for you to take extra time to think through what you really feel before you speak. Also, this month is a great month to start the exercises in the Artist Way by Julia Cameron. It will heal your beliefs and relationship you have related to your creativity.

LEO: Mars is direct in your third house, making words and communication bubble to the surface. The problem is that Mercury retrograde is affecting your communication. This is happening in your 12th house so you might not be making any sense until you connect with your deep unconscious. It then moves into your 11th house throwing communications off with your friends.  Your energy can best be spent working out a relationship with one of your parents – they might even spot you some cash and the gesture touches you so deeply that the rift might be healed.

VIRGO: Things might blow up in the cash department, with Mars direct in your second house of finances.  Mercury retrogrades in your eleventh house of friends and then into your tenth house of honors. Perhaps something you say affects your reputation. The trick is to stop while you’re ahead.  You’re doing a serious assessment of your communication in relationship which will challenge you beliefs around relating.  Do it right and you can expect healing in your relationship.

LIBRA: You’re doing a serious assessment of your relationship to money and shared resources. It’s causing you to start to see the relationship between being of service and the flow of money.  Mercury retrogrades in your tenth house of fame and then back into your ninth house of teaching, higher learning, and publishing. If you are planning to hand in a thesis or publish your latest eBook, I urge you to wait until July.  You will save yourself a lot of grief. Mars is direct in your first house, making you unusually insensitive. You’ve likely been holding a lot in. Don’t worry, you’re only trying to balance your scales.

SCORPIO: The best way to use Mars’ direct energy in your twelfth house is spend lots of time alone in reflection and to sleep. You can have amazing dreams that really help you access your unconscious at this time.  This month is also a great time to evaluate your relationship to yourself. You can do this with the help of a counselor or coach.  Doing so will help you get in touch with a spark within yourself and bring healing to your sense of fun.  Mercury retrogrades in your ninth house and then back into your eight house; Caution: don’t leave your journal lying around!

SAGITTARIUS: Your relationship with your boss comes into focus this month. Sometimes we act out our family dynamics with our intimate relationships – and sometimes it happens at work. This month brings you an opportunity to unlock a door to your past as a way to move forward.  Mercury is retrograde in your eighth house, causing messed up communications with insurance, taxes, or inheritances. It then moves into your seventh house where you might have some hiccups with your spouse.

CAPRICORN: Mars is moving forward in your tenth house, so things are heating up in your career. You feel ambitious now but you may clash with authority figures.  Also, you’re doing a serious assessment of the groups that you are a part of this month, the outcome of which may be a deeper connection with your community.  Mercury is retrograde in your seventh house moving back into your sixth house: communications with your partner and then your coworkers might suffer.

AQUARIUS: As your status has risen, your self-worth might have suffered. It doesn’t make sense – you should feel more self-confident, but sometimes you feel like a fraud. This is the chance for some healing this month as you work out your relationships with what is lying at your foundations. Is it a false belief? Now you have the chance to heal. Mercury retrogrades in your 6th house, in which a handshake might lead to a constant worry about getting a summer cold. It then moves into your 5th house where a prank might go awry. It seemed funny in the idea stage, but it doesn’t quite translate.

PISCES: Mars is now direct in your eighth house bring about deep transformation.  However, fights about shared resources are likely and, with Mercury retrograde in fifth house, it could be something as small as buying orchestra seats at the theatre when he said balcony seats. Mercury then moves back into your fourth house and the fights might erupt over misunderstanding from the past.  Relationships assessments might highlight how you may have been on your high horse, which is a hard pill to swallow, but this realization will bring healing to how you present yourself in the world.

Bad Speller? Gifted Gabber? Blame it on Mercury…

1425729_sI can’t spell! I was an average student in high school but I decided to work really hard in my last year  in order to get into University. I wouldn’t say that school was difficult for me -I was smart, but my spelling and grammar were my downfall. My father tried to correct this in my youth by assigning extra homework from an English textbook he called English First Aid; not even first aid could help. I coasted through high school and university with average marks but it wasn’t until my third year of university that I really felt the sting of my difficulties: I handed in what I thought was an awesome paper – I mean, I thought it was a stroke of brilliance! When the marked paper came back, it had a big -D written across it accompanied by the words “you need to go back to grade 7 – atrocious spelling and grammar.” Really? I thought. Did he even read my paper? THAT was an awesome paper.

Then I got my very first “real” job in one of Canada’s top three law firms. In law firms, spelling and grammar are everything. But I was hired as the human resources assistant so it didn’t matter. Or so I thought! The very first all-staff email I sent out had a spelling mistake – and almost every single Legal Assistant, 53 or so of them, sent me an email to let me know. They cared about their reputation. They didn’t like costly mistakes. And a spelling or grammatical mistake could do it. I quickly learned to check and double check everything I sent out to the company. After all, they were paying me.

During those days I had trained myself to write so perfectly that  after I left and went to work for the government, I ended up thoroughly impressing my new General Manager. General Managers can be pretty intimidating, so when he called me into his office to speak to me about the briefing note I wrote, I was nervous.

“Did you write this?” he asked, holding up the paper. He was a serious ass dude and  I contemplated denying it for a half second.

“Yes I did,” I said. My hands trembled slightly as he opened his mouth again.

“There are no mistakes… very well done!” Then he invited me to play with his top collection on his desk – I was in!

The next several years, I will call ‘the assistant years’ as I had assistance. I worked with people whose job was to make my work look good so I got lazy – I didn’t have to think about it. It was taken care of and, more importantly, no longer a part of my job description. And, you guessed it, my spelling and grammar quickly took a downturn.

But what makes me so bad at spelling and grammar?

In astrology, communication is represented by Mercury. Mercury rules education, learning, speaking, writing, and singing. Great writers or communicator usually have Mercury elevated in their chart though a nice aspect to Jupiter or Venus might help, too. Mercury in aspect to Jupiter can give the ‘gift of the gab’ and the license to say almost anything. Oprah has Mercury in a trine to Jupiter and Neptune. She is the queen of talks show and Neptune ensures that her topics have a spiritual nature or spiritual agenda.

Challenges to Mercury in the birth chart can show up as learning differences or difficulties, an interrupted education, stuttering, or other communication difficulties. If these show up in your life, you likely have Mercury in aspect to Saturn or Chiron.

Though they may experience pain in association with communication or education, someone who has Mercury in aspect to Chiron may have the potential to heal. Khalil Gibran was not formally educated in his youth, but had Mercury in aspect to Saturn, Pluto, Uranus, and Chiron. His book The Prophet is considered by many to be a spiritual and healing inspiration.

It could also be that one of these two is situated in the third house (which is ruled by Mercury) which reflects my story: I have Saturn in the third. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t intelligent – I’m pretty smart if I do say so myself! Mercury says nothing about your level of intelligence. It only speaks of challenges. And where there are challenges, there are lessons. Saturn in my third house also promised problems with my education which definitely happened. I was studying for a Master’s of Science and life events ran interference. Luckily I had enough credits to be awarded me a graduate diploma, which is post graduate education in its own right, though not what I had intended. Pluto was squaring my Mercury at the time!

Just because there are challenges does not mean that you cannot overcome. I did briefly overcome my spelling and grammar issues. Erin Brockovich has Mercury square Mars and opposite Saturn. Despite hardship, challenge, and struggle, she was able to win a big insurance claim without a law degree – now she holds three honorary degrees!

What is your experience with your Mercury? Do you feel gifted or a challenged? Check your birth chart to see what’s going on with your Mercury. Sign up for the threemoongoddess.com newsletter and you’ll get a free one.