Virgo Season Officially Arrives

The Leo party is starting to break up as the Sun enters Virgo on August 23^rd, joining Mercury and Jupiter already in Virgo.  But before the Sun leaves Leo, it makes some pretty intense aspects by squaring both Saturn and the moon.  On August 21^st, the Leo Sun squares Saturn in Scorpio, which is bound to bring on feelings of being restricted and delays in achieving our goals. It may feel impossible to make any headway or accomplish anything and I wouldn’t rule out conflicts with authority figures. Frankly, I regard it as Saturn in Scorpio’s swan song before it enters Sagittarius again on September 17^th.  Saturn in Scorpio is not going quietly into that good night; it will challenge our sense of self and will certainly not feel like a day at the beach.  August 21^st may not be the day to launch any bold new enterprises, but maybe we can embrace Saturn’s energy by paying attention to what it is trying to teach us.  Perhaps patience is the ultimate lesson in spite of the fact that we feel that our ambitions are being thwarted. 

On August 22^nd, the Sun’s last full day in Leo, it also faces off with the moon in Scorpio by squaring it.  This aspect will bring emotional tensions to a head as the conflict plays out between desires and emotions.

Even though Leo symbolizes the warmth of summer, I confess that I am looking forward to the sun entering Virgo and a time of more introspection.  Leo is the life of the party, but there comes a time when we must get back to work.  Every year I find that by the last week of the Sun in Leo, I start to feel impatient and irritable and berate myself for not accomplishing more.  It could just be the Leo Sun squaring my Sun, Venus, Ceres and Pallas Athena in Scorpio.  I definitely experience these challenging transits as a major tension between wanting to enjoy myself and engage in some major transformation because that Leo Sun is also conjuncting my Pluto.

Virgo is much more introspective, introverted and reflective than its extroverted astrological neighbor Leo.  The themes of Virgo involve health and work.  Service to others is a major focus of Virgo.  Opportunities for healing can abound when the Sun is in Virgo.  Research, analysis and organizing are also very Virgo oriented tasks.  Is it any wonder that the academic year resumes when the Sun is in Virgo?  Back to school is like a reality check and resumption of practicality, which is a strong Virgo trait.

Jupiter is already in the sign of Virgo and this indicates that we will draw the greatest benefit and luck if we engage in service to others.  Volunteering may be an option for some people with both Jupiter and the Sun in Virgo.  On August 26^th, the Sun and Jupiter conjunct in Virgo.  This is literally the best day of the month to make something happen, so don’t waste this precious energy!  I always say that if you snooze with Jupiter, you lose.  You have to grab its brass ring or the opportunity will slip away.  It literally is the polar opposite of Saturn, which is slower moving and manages to stick around to get inside your head. You can’t ignore Saturn successfully, but you can fritter away Jupiter’s benevolence if you relax too much and neglect its presence.

There are some pitfalls involved with the Sun in Virgo.  Virgo is renowned for being a perfectionist and a control freak.  And Virgo really needs to embrace the mantra of change taking time to curb its natural impatience.  We also have a solar eclipse coming up in 20 degrees of Virgo on September 13^th, so we need to prepare for that.  If we want new beginnings, and that seems to be the case with most folks these days, we need to contemplate what we want to manifest.

As a practicing psychic, I love the Hermit tarot card that is associated with the sign of Virgo.  The Hermit symbolizes wisdom, solitude, detachment, and observation.  Take a look at it.

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The star in the Hermit card represents the balancing of male and female energies working together for spiritual advancement.  It is a beacon of light for us if we choose to do the work of traveling that path.

We still have Venus in Leo until October 8^th due to the retrograde. If you are curious as to how this extended Venus retrograde in Leo period will affect you, please consider getting an astrological reading with me.  A little insight is always a powerful tool.  Just ask for the Venus Retrograde Special, which will be $25 through the month of September 2015. Contact me directly at lindasim54@gmail.com.

I am also offering a Summer Solstice Special for only $25 at this link:

http://phoenixscorpio.blogspot.com/p/summer-solstice-special.html

This special is literally being offered through the entire summer season and features a two question tarot telephone reading with a look at your astrological chart to see how the summer planetary action is affecting you.  This is a great little reading if you just have a couple of questions and are curious about your astrological chart, but are a little hesitant to committing to a full astrological reading.

  

You can learn more about my menu of astrological services at:

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Mercury on the Move and Health News

 

Mercury changed signs this week and moved into Gemini on May 7^th, prompting me to tweet that “Mercury enters Gemini today and words could literally be flying out of our mouths before we know it.” 

I was surprised to see the reaction on Twitter-272 views, six retweets and three favorites.  There was definitely a shift in the energy and obviously people were feeling it.

Mercury has been doing some pretty strange things this week and it almost feels like a Mercury retrograde.  On May 6^th I had difficulty accessing my hotmail account on Outlook when Mercury was ending its run in Taurus.  I was forced to change my password, and my cell phone took on a life of its own by incessantly beeping that sign-in failed whenever a new message arrived.  I finally had to remove the account on my cell phone and tablet and then reinstate it on both.  In the meantime I wasted precious hours chatting with both Microsoft and Samsung, both of whom blamed each other for the problem.  Microsoft said it was a problem with my phone and Samsung said it was a server problem.  A friend told me that she also experienced difficulties accessing the Internet on May 7^th.  On May 8^th I received an email from astrologer Pam Younghans apologizing for the URL about a teleclass she was holding on June 12^th not showing up.  Even she said that “And Mercury isn’t even retrograde…” 

Mercury doesn’t go retrograde until June 7^th in 3 degrees of Cancer, but by now we all know that Mercury’s entrance into the shadow period can really be felt strongly.  Mark your calendars, folks, because Mercury enters the shadow period on May 23^rd at 24 degrees of Gemini.  Mercury resumes direct motion on July 1^st at 24 degrees of Gemini.  All I can say is that if we are feeling these effects now, this could be a very intense Mercury retrograde in June.

It seems that Mercury in Gemini has been delivering lots of news about health related issues.  The eclipses that we had on April 15^th and 29^th certainly did their part to bring health problems to light.  Astrologer Susan Miller became ill on April 10^th from an intestinal illness that required Cipro and two biopsies.  Trooper that she is, she still managed to get out her May monthly forecasts.  Best wishes to her for a full and speedy recovery.

On May 7^th Valerie Harper was in the news again when she testified before the Senate urging them to commit more funding to lung cancer research and treatments.  She argued that the stigma of lung cancer being associated with smoking should be abolished.  Valerie was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago and she never even smoked.  Many people who get lung cancer never smoked.  Dana Reeve, Christopher Reeve’s widow comes to mind.  She died in 2006 from lung cancer.

Last year Valerie Harper was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer and given three months to live.  Today she talks to her cancer, engages in visualization exercises, has acupuncture regularly and takes traditional Chinese medicine tea.  She is determined to see her 75^th birthday on August 22^nd.  She is really an inspiration and has taught us all a valuable lesson about living in the moment.

Saturn in Scorpio also has a lot to do with health issues.  I am still feeling the effects of Saturn on my Sun and I can vouch that it is not a fun transit.  It makes you tired, work hard and prone to depression.  Thank God you get only get this transit every 29 years!  I recall having some health issues 29 years ago with an abnormal pap smear, so this is not a fluke.  On May 8^th I received a much appreciated email from a friend with a helpful article on breast cancer detection which reinforced my feeling that mammograms are not that safe due to the radiation involved (not to mention the pain) and that digital infrared thermography might be safer and more effective.  Of course ultrasounds and other digital techniques cost more than mammograms.  Naturally, I attribute this welcome news to Mercury in Gemini.

Saturn is by no means through with us, however.  On May 10^th, Saturn in Scorpio will be opposing the Sun in Taurus, so it can bring up some intense relationship issues and feel quite heavy.  The moon does enter Libra on May 10^th, but on Mother’s Day, May 11^th, the moon in Libra will be opposing Venus in Aries, conjuncting Mars in Libra, opposing Uranus in Aries, and squaring Pluto in Capricorn.  Mars in Libra will also be opposing Venus that day, so it may not be the most peaceful, loving Mother’s Day.  Some stress is to be expected thanks to Saturn and all of this cardinal action.

This is the last week that I am offering a Mother’s Day Special promotion with a 20% discount on all of my astrological services.  If you are looking for a unique gift to give your mother this year, or to nurture yourself while the sun is still in Taurus, consider an astrology reading or a Reiki treatment, which is a wonderfully relaxing, stress relieving experience.   And with the planetary action we will be facing this weekend, stress relief is a welcome gift.

You will need to contact me directly by email at lindasim54@gmail.com or call me at 617-304-2205 to receive this special discount.

You can learn more about this promotion at this link:

http://phoenixscorpio.blogspot.com/p/mothers-day-promo.html

 

Mercury Square Saturn and Health

Mercury in Aquarius is still in the retrograde shadow period until March 21^st, and I felt it in a big way this week.  I would attribute the majority of its impact to the square between Mercury and retrograde Saturn in Scorpio on March 10^th and 11^th.  Mercury in 22 degrees of Aquarius squared Saturn in 23 degrees of Scorpio, and it was intense.  I know that a common description of this aspect can be problems on the home front, and this played out big time for me this week.  Saturn in Scorpio conjuncted my natal Venus, which is never a fun transit.  It also conjuncted my progressed Black Moon, which triggered all of my worst fears about losing someone to death when a loved one spent 5 ½ hours in the ER after experiencing shortness of breath.  I was with him for 4 ½ excruciating hours until we knew that he would be admitted to the hospital.  All they could tell us was that he had fluid in his lung and an enlarged heart that was only working at 15% capacity.  He would need further tests which would need to be performed at another hospital and medication, dietary changes and an outpatient rehabilitation program in the future.

What was happening with his chart that day?  I generally like the moon in Cancer, but not so much that day.  For starters, it squared his north node in Libra in his 6^th house of health  and the moon squaring Uranus aspect that day was right on his ascendant.  Transiting Mars in Libra was conjunct his moon in the 7^th house and lest we not forget Saturn, it was conjunct his Ceres in Scorpio in the 8^th house.  He really needed to be taken care of that day or he could have died.

I’m not through dissecting that moon in Cancer squaring Uranus in Aries quite yet. The moon in Cancer, which was also conjunct Jupiter that day, happened to be conjunct my south node in the 9^th house.  Was there ever a day that faith was required! 

Mercury and Saturn did not play well together this week.  On Tuesday I received an email from a friend who had sprained her ankle while running for a bus.  Her exact words to me were: “What’s up with the stars????”

While Mercury was still squaring Saturn on March 11^th at 2:14 a.m., the sun in Pisces trined the moon in Cancer, which also trined Saturn in Scorpio. That water trine brought some much needed emotional stability before the moon moved into the sign of Leo at 10:09 p.m.  I felt much calmer and more centered in spite of the emotional chaos in my life.  I actually managed to do a tarot reading for someone that proved to be a source of comfort and support.

On Wednesday, March 12^th the moon in Leo trined Uranus in Aries, which was a big improvement over the moon squaring Uranus on Monday.  I wound up running into an old friend by accident, which was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.  So there is some proof that unexpected things can be beneficial and pleasant.  On March 13th, the moon in Leo inconjunced Pluto, Chiron and the sun, not so good while squaring Saturn and opposing Mercury.  How did this play out?  Well, my loved one got the news that he has severe blockage in two arteries and may need bypass surgery.  So Saturn was in play once again, indicating that restructuring of his health habits and routines was in order.  Saturn loves to deliver wakeup calls which can appear harsh, to say the least, but sometimes it is necessary.  In the long run, this may turn out to the best thing that ever happened for him in terms of extending the quality and length of his life.

And this weekend we have the full moon in Virgo, the sign of health.  On Sunday, March 16^th, we have a full moon in 26 degrees of Virgo.  I love what the great astrologer Isabel Hickey said about the Pisces/Virgo polarity: “Serve or suffer.”   I don’t know about you, but I prefer serving to suffering any day of the week!