Category: Star Guidance

November starts with another Pluto-Uranus square. Wait, it’s October! Yes, but since that lovely square happens on November 1 I didn’t want you to be blindsided as October 1 starts with an exact square from the Sun to Pluto and an opposition to Uranus on the 3^rd.

If you look at the images of the 1950s and then the 1960s you wonder how the world changed so much in seemingly overnight. Even the Beatles sounded wholesome in 1963 with Please Please Me and practically the next day were bizarre beyond belief with the white album… Revolution Number 9. Does anyone understand it? This music was born during the Pluto-Uranus conjunction in the mid-60s. Now during the series of Pluto-Uranus squares, we may finally come to understand what “Revolution Number 9” means.

John Lennon felt connected to the number with his birthday on the 9^th and even changed his name to John Ono Lennon so that his name would add up to nine in numerology. But nine is not an easy path; it is the path of the humanitarian, which is sometimes fraught with conflict if one is to achieve real and lasting change. Those on the path of the nine have a responsibility to mankind. Some true number nines are Elvis, Mother Theresa, Bob Marley, Gandhi, Kurt Cobain. Because it’s such a hard path, it’s easy to crash and burn. Elvis and Kurt had trouble with it, but look at the impact of those who embraced it; Mother Theresa, Bob and Gandhi.

John was not a real nine; actually, he was a real jerk. Yoko Ono, his wife, was a nine however; and how she handled John may just be an example of the number nine approach. She loved him through his jerkiness. Though she loved him, she always did what she needed to do for herself.  And though it may not make sense to most, she even sent him packing at one point with a hall pass and her blessings. He spent 18 months in L.A., which he referred to his “lost weekend”. Through that relationship, John went from hitting women (old machismo) to writing Woman, a song for Yoko and a genuine apology to women and Jealous Guy (new machismo). She even found him crying one day while reading The First Sex
by Elizabeth Gould Davis after realizing the pain he (meaning men) had caused women. And once reunited, she got him to be a house husband and stay-at-home dad.

I thought we were talking about astrology here? Well, I believe these are number nine times. And the Sun square Pluto on the 1^st will highlight the faults in the cracks. If the structure is not solid or working, it will bring up situations that force change. We can embrace that change in service to what is seeking to emerge or we can hold on tight.  Holding on tight can look like Elvis or Kurt, both of whom checked out in painful ways! Or we can choose the path of Bob! (And I don’t mean marijuana.) With Uranus in the mix on the 3^rd, expect the unexpected. My best advice right now is to allow the unconscious to be conscious. Sit in meditation and ask your heart “What am I really feeling?” and let the truth of it emerge. The Sun is in Libra, so not only is finding balance is the key, but loving yourself and all involved through it.

Mercury will also be trine Neptune on October 1, so any heart-to-heart with yourself has the potential to be highly intuitive and spiritual. If you have ever tried to go into a meditative state and visualize and found that nothing emerged, today would be a good day to give it a second try. Whatever the case, if you try to address things with your logical mind, you may get lost.  If you are feeling rebellious or need to be free from obligation, meditate on what your cause really is. If you are feeling internal tension, meditate on what your ideas or beliefs are related to your responsibilities. Maybe your world view needs some revision. Are you harbouring a false belief about the world that is causing you to act in self-sabotaging ways? These questions are answered with your heart, not your mind. Saturn is sextile Vesta, so we can feel strong devotion to duties and obligations. One word of caution however; keep your own counsel on the first as Mercury is squaring Juno, attracting us to people and conversations that will keep us in our minds. This is also all happening around the New Moon on October 4, a tense New Moon.

A couple of days later it’s way better for having a dialogue about what’s going on. Mercury is sextile Pluto on October 6, making it a good time to pierce further into the issue with a coach, psychologist, tarot reader or astrologer.   Good decisions are made when using the head and the heart together. The Sun is sextile Pallas on that day, so recognition of patterns within ourselves can be aided when they are reflected back to us through the mirroring that may occur in these types of interactions.

After basking in the unconscious, intuition and your heart in the first week of October, Mercury will conjunct Saturn on October 8, making it a good day to pull out a spreadsheet and assess the pros and cons in a logical manner. This is when some pessimism can seep in, but there is no need to make any moves just yet. Just let it all swim around and mix together. Jupiter sextile Ceres on the 9^th will make sure that you are covering all state of affairs and viewpoints. Maybe this is related to your children or something else you are nurturing, even if it’s only your own inner child. Solid insight will come later in the month, so hold tight.

In the meantime, on October 10 Venus will be square to Neptune, making it a great day to just forget all that’s been going on and spend the day dreaming. It’s a great day to let yourself be creative. Write a poem or do some painting. If you don’t feel that you are the creative type, you can lose yourself in a great movie. Not in front of the TV or your tablet… make a production of it and go to the movie theatre. Venus will be trine Uranus on October 16, another day to go out and have some fun. This time try to find something unusual or exciting to do. It’s October, so finding a fun house or haunted theme park shouldn’t be too hard. If you have the guts, there is always The Stanley Hotel in Colorado, where the Shining was filmed and where they have actual ghost tours! I don’t really like to be scared, but I do like the part where you get to scream and find an excuse for jumping in your lover’s arms. This is the perfect day for that!

The Sun is square Jupiter on the 12^th giving us a boost of energy. If you have been stagnating on a project get working on it. Keep the momentum by throwing yourself into work on the 13^th when Mercury will sextile Vesta, providing laser-like focus. It’s a day that you may put your head down to work only to lift it at 3:30 p.m. and realize you’ve missed lunch.

On the 19^th, Mars will oppose Neptune. This will be a day when it feels as though someone has pulled out the plug. Energies will be low and we may all feel like withdrawing. There has been so much going on in the world and likely in your life that this is understandable. Let yourself catch your breath. Better days are ahead.

We have a lunar eclipse on October 18 at 25 degrees Aries. Astrologer Bernadette Brady calls this a gentile eclipse with a sense of inspiration, which allows a sudden release from the unconscious that brings with it deep insight. She calls them good insights and wise to act on. If you have been allowing yourself to dream and to meditate all month, this will be a productive eclipse. Jupiter sextile Vesta on October 19 will give you the vision and dedication to follow through. Finally, some action!

Mercury goes retrograde on October 21 in Scorpio. Students taking chemistry beware. Mess-ups can happen at this time by misreading directions and causing small explosions. Research done at this time may need to be revised. Decisions in big business may fall through later on or be fraught with hiccups. Mercury retrograde will again touch Saturn in a conjunction on the 29^th bringing some pessimism into the mix. Don’t get too down on yourself if things are not going well. Just remember there are always valuable lesson in our failures and mix-ups.

Gemstone that will help with the energy this month is Cobaltoan Calcite. This gemstone works with the heart, aligning us with the feminine, balancing our emotions and promoting positive thinking. It opens the heart centre and would be a good one to meditate on decisions to come from the heart.

 

Aries	Transformations have been happening for a while in your career and ambitions. This month something will come up or you may act in ways that will throw a curve ball on your major relationship. There will be uncomfortable decisions with respect to your dedication to your workplace and your shared resources. Enjoying some time with friends might be a great idea mid-month, but this is not a good time to lend friends money.
Taurus	Unconscious material, the stuff you have locked away and prefer not to think about will rise to the surface in a positive way this month. The tension that arises with the responsibilities you feel to your partner and your children will help this to occur. I know you like to throw yourself into gardening or some other distraction, but talking it out at some point will help you. You connect best this month with traditional sources, like a priest or pastor.
Gemini	This month you will experience new beginnings and perhaps an aha moment when it comes to those things that you are seeking to create.  Your hopes and life expectations are in revolt and you are getting clear about the life you want to lead. Family and work pressures will only serve to make it crystal clear.  A chat with a coworker can have surprising insight. Getting out with a friend mid month will be fun and romantic sparks may even fly.
Cancer	Crazy things are happening in your career. You’re working it out with your family, which feels comfortable to you. You feel that sense of duty to your children and those in your immediate surroundings, but don’t ignore the real adjustments that might need to take place. Changing the way you do things may seem okay on paper, but you actually have to follow through and feel the discomfort of change. Going out with coworkers later in the month can be a blast!
Leo	You’re learning, you’re communicating; this may be having a huge effect on your long held beliefs. Higher education has a way of doing that. You are likely in the midst of higher learning or are planning a trip to a far off land for a transformative experience. You feel dedicated to doing this as you feel in some way down the line it will help provide for yourself and your family in important ways. The bank and the family might not agree with you. Think this one through. Ask mom or someone like her to pray for you. The answers will emerge.
Virgo	Work it out with the bank and you might find yourself in new surroundings. You might have some surprises when it comes to your romantic relationships and deeply intimate relationships. If you feel confused, have a chat with a sibling. Your brother or sister knows you and won’t let you lie to yourself.  You may feel deep exhaustion mid month when it comes to your partner. Mid month have some fun with a female in your life that feels like family – it could even be mom.
Libra	Whatever happens with your relationship… and it might be a something from left field, will help all of that stuff swimming around in your subconscious to emerge. The best part is that it has the potential to transform those family wounds that run deep. Healing family wounds can be a powerful way of completely transforming your life and all other relationships, so don’t avoid it. Dramatic results can be apparent in your self-worth and in turn the wealth and worth you manifest from it.
Scorpio	Work has been throwing you some curve balls lately. All kinds of secrets or things that have not been so apparent are rising to the surface. An exit due to health reasons or even a scandal might be some manifestations of this. You’re not sure how to express yourself in this circumstance and you’re not sure who your friends are either. You might find yourself venting with a neighbour over a cup of coffee. This might be amazingly helpful.  You might be surprised by a raise of change of position later in the month.
Sagittarius	You’re figuring out how you can express your creativity in line with your humanitarian efforts. Your passion and dedication is admirable. But if you’re keeping the lid on anything with the idea that you don’t want to hurt anyone, think first of all that it might not be a good idea and then that thing eventually will come to light. You have good intentions but sometimes the road to hell is paved with good intentions. A chat with your banker or accountant might be truly helpful. Blow off steam with children mid-month; it’s sure to be tons of fun.
Capricorn	Your foundations are going through major transformation. This is not easy. Remember the foundation is the most important part of the house and any mess up on a foundation renovation can be costly. Right now you are working it out with your boss or other authority figure in your life. The legalities seem to be working out in terms of manifesting your hopes and wishes but you must also consider how the house will settle. And when it does, what adjustments will need to be addressed? If you’re having a hard time assessing what you really feel, friends will act as good mirrors.
Aquarius	Something is going on on a very deep level with you. You may not be able to put your finger on it, others might not either. Whatever you’re doing seems to be making itself very public and is causing everyone around you including yourself to feel a little tense.  You may feel that these intense and public experiences are in service to the people and your usual humanitarian efforts. Perhaps perceptions have not caught up to you yet. Be patient with yourself as you do tend to be on the leading edge. Meditation to help name what’s going on can be helpful. Sometimes more social change needs to happen before your ideas are accepted but naming what’s happening will help your own comfort level.
Pisces	Miracle or debacle… it could go one way or another when it comes to your finances this month. I’m rooting for miracle. You might have some tremendous luck building international partnerships. The funding or the cash flow may not be so straight forward. You’re good at having faith in nebulous situations and that will serve you well this month. Advice from friends can be useful. Try not to dwell on partnerships that have not worked in the past or let those old voices or old and long gone situations of that past take hold in your mind in negative ways.

 

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It’s been a highly creative summer and one filled with both necessary and unnecessary conflict. I also had my birthday at the end of August. Paying close attention to what happens to you on your birthday can give you some clues on what to expect for the coming year. Here’s what happened to me when I went to the spa for the day. Upon arrival they signed me in and gave me a key to my locker where I would find my slippers and robe that I would float through the day in. I entered the locker room, with locker key number 99 in hand. But wait… The lockers only went up to 98. I scanned the room and noticed that they started at one on the other side and went all the way around until they stopped at 98. “Why,” I said out loud, “would they give me a key to a locker that doesn’t exist?” I stood perplexed for a moment and then aha!, I turned the key around and realized that it was 66! The lesson? It’s all about your perspective. Sometimes when things don’t seem to exist or be possible, taking that moment to be curious (rather than angry, disappointed, confused, indignant, etc., etc.) will make the impossible completely possible.

September starts with the analytical Sun in Virgo trining Pluto, making these kind of aha moments possible. Don’t let Virgo’s perfectionism stop you from seeing even the oddest things as something potentially positive. On September 4 we are asked again to challenge our perceptions as tricky Neptune is opposite Ceres. Can we nurture ourselves, AND also transcend our own needs to nurture our world and the universe? Sometimes our ideas about perfection stop us in our tracks. But there is no need to be perfect. Eating just a square of chocolate rather than the entire 100g bar is the difference between nurturing yourself and being abusive. Don’t let a little slip-up (say eating two squares instead) send you down the rabbit hole toward eating that whole bar. Perhaps the answer lies in sharing.

On the same day, Mars is opposite Juno bringing about a competitive vs cooperative energy. Mars is in Leo and wants what it wants. Juno, the marriage asteroid is in cool and detached Aquarius. This is the thrill of the chase energy. That need to have what you can’t can be very alluring, but focusing on everyone’s needs rather than just getting for the sake of getting is the best approach.

The new moon on September 5 opposes Chiron making us again focused on being perfect about who we are and how we express ourselves. It has some help from Pluto and Jupiter, binging emotions to the surface and sharing them with others will be a really beneficial use of this new moon. Group therapy, a group of girlfriends sitting down for coffee, Sex in the City style, or some other deeply intimate group setting can be intense but rewarding. Also, if you need to stage an intervention for someone you love who is going down a dark and scary path, this might be the new moon to do it on.

On the 7th, Mercury sextile Pallas and the Sun sextile Jupiter make it an excellent day for group brainstorming. This is a great day for corporations to do team-building exercises (too bad it’s a Saturday) or for mastermind groups to get together and think-tank. The energy will be positive and the creativity through the roof!

But, keep your ideas to yourself until after the 8th/9th of September. Mars will square Saturn. Fear may get in the way and telling others will only deepen it as the likely response will be “it’ll never work”. Taking immediate action on ideas will also be an exercise in frustration and the disappointment can make you doubt your ideas. Since I am sure your ideas are good ones, it’s best to take a slow and methodical approach and let things incubate. Keep your own counsel and don’t allow frustration to discourage.

The 10th/11th will be a better day to start on projects. Venus square Pallas and sextile Vesta will allow you to sublimate your femininity into creative projects. All three planets will be moving from one sign to the next on these days, so the potential to birth a new and exciting project really exists. The challenge will be to keep your balance between being receptive and being decisive, which will determine your success.

On the 16th something may come up that seems like a good idea. But Neptune opposes Vesta, which could lead to disillusionment or dedicating to oneself causes that may not be what you expect. Take good care on this day to what you commit yourself to. On that day, Mercury is opposite Uranus, so words may float out of your mouth that may get you into trouble in this respect. Pluto is also trine Ceres, which stresses the idea of non attachment so if you do make a commitment, realize that you don’t own it, and at some point you may have to practice the idea of catch and release.

On the 19th when the moon is full in Pisces, we will be faced with following our instincts vs getting caught up in our “shoulds”. Saturn, Venus and the North Node will line up in Scorpio on that day. Globally, this could be a day when financial structures come into question. Governments and banks will be in the line of fire, which means we will all feel it. Saturn and the North Node are quite karmic, and Venus is all about relationships and money. Whatever had been seeded in the past will now sprout surprisingly to the surface. Let’s hope they were good seeds and it’s a good crop!

However, even if it is a not such a good crop, at the end of the month Uranus will send a flash of insight to Pallas, a creative solution can emerge to whatever situation that arose at the full moon on the 19th. Saturn is square Pallas though, and the need to be pragmatic and to have a strong foundation could shoot ideas down. The good news is that Pluto and Vesta also have a say and we may see spiritual or social ideals being reinforced by the powers that be.

 Read what’s in store for each sign:

Aries	You have a desire to have fun, experience a thrill and to express your uniqueness this month. You may question what your purpose is and if your work is meeting it. Give yourself time to see how things play out this month if you do start to feel disillusioned. Acting on it may be a bigger gamble then you anticipate.
Taurus	Your high ideals may hit a snag this month. Your intentions are good, but perfection and having it your way, especially in your home, can get in the way. This month you will see just how much it may also be affecting your primary relationships. The good news is that Jupiter in your 3rd house will help you to expand your perceptions. If others are unsuccessful at getting you to see this, your flash of insight might come from a good book.
Gemini	You might have some difficulty sleeping this month. Your mind is racing a mile a minute because you’ve got so much to say and share. You might be so inspired that you find yourself calling a friend at midnight without realizing the time. It’s a good time to listen and not push your ideas so adamantly. You will definitely have a platform or podium for your ideas, and as maestro, your best approach to influencing others may be with a basic Google search on followership.
Cancer	Your innate Cancerian values of mothering and taking care of others are becoming more mainstream. There are still some challenges and as you are asked to prove yourself, you might take it personally. Don’t let your self esteem suffer if your ideas are questioned. You are extremely community oriented this month, showing others how mothering is a transferable skill. Mothering has been the most underpaid, undervalued job, and has been a role that has longed for recognition. But as you start to get that recognition you may feel a little uncomfortable.
Leo	This month you are not sure what is going on with others. Maybe something does quite add up. However this won’t matter as long as you become clear about who you are, what your values are and are able to exert yourself in a way that is enrolling. You may have been putting up with something for a long time in your family of origin but you will now find a new approach that aligns with your newly clarified roots.
Virgo	It’s your birthday month Virgo, and good times can be had with friends. If you’re feeling social, it’s a great time to have that big birthday party. Other years you may have liked to be by yourself, but this year holding a party will open up a new social life for you. Your unconscious is warring with new ideas and perceptions that are emerging, but don’t let that hold you back. The practice of mindful meditation will help by putting some distance between what you think and who you are, to help you rise above it.
Libra	Libra, this is your month for some downtime. A review of the last three months or even the year will be highly beneficial. You may be having deep thoughts on your finances and how they help or hinder your hopes and dreams. If you’ve felt some disillusionment with your job, now is the time for behind the scenes ground work. Luck is on your side to make a big career change.
Scorpio	You are redesigning yourself, looking inward and making changes that to reflect who you really are. This may square off this month against the powers that be, maybe your boss or another authority figure. You may have recently connected with the more creative and idealistic side of yourself and you want to express it more. Don’t allow whoever is clashing with the new you emerging to bring you down or to make you question yourself. To any Scorpio now embarking on a university education, Happy Frosh week. This is definitely the time for higher education as you will really enjoy it.
Sagittarius	You have a strong creative, selfless and inspirational energy this month, especially in your career. However, you have been in a phase and extending yourself for some time. This month there may be some curve balls from parents or children. If you are in the “sandwich generation”, these curve balls will feel magnified. Your constant selflessness may feel rewarding right now, but will catch up with you. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself too.
Capricorn	Group participation is where your greatest learning lies right now and your sense of responsibility to a greater cause is increasing. You may however feel torn by conflict with others as you take actions that you believe benefit all and which you feel passionate about. Taking a real look at your strongly held belief systems and how your fraternization’s unconsciously inform your belief systems can lessen the conflict.
Aquarius	You may be so dedicated to your work and your sense of purpose that you idealize money. You know what the phrase “do what you love and the money will follow” really means. This month you may experience partnership problems especially if you are in business that will affect your career. Don’t let this throw you off. Keep that mantra, because even if there is a hiccup this month, you are still right. Doing what you love will make the money follow!
Pisces	Mars has you working hard this month. You have a strong base for your projects and know where they are headed, but leave some room for the possibility of learning something you didn’t know. You self-expression may be a little foggy as well. Others may challenge you only because they don’t seem to understand you.  Being more direct in your self-expression can help deepen other people’s trust level with you.