Mutable Moving Planets - Focus on Sagittarius and Pisces

This has been a rather difficult transitional week as the Sun winds up its last days in deep watery, fixed Scorpio before it enters the mutable fire sign of Sagittarius on November 22nd combining with a new moon in Sagittarius that also conjuncts Venus in Sagittarius. The emotional heaviness of Scorpio will give way to a lighter, more cheerful tone for the next month and a more carefree attitude will prevail, but beware of Neptune in Pisces. Neptune went direct in 4 degrees of Pisces on November 16th. Neptune direct has the ability to dissolve old structures that are no longer viable, but the lower manifestations of Neptunian energy include confusion, depression, victimhood and anxiety. We need to remember that the higher manifestations of Neptune's energy include imagination, compassion and empathy. I mention Neptune because while this new moon in 0 degrees of Sagittarius offers fresh perspective on the path ahead and infuses us with faith for the future (and who couldn't use that right about now), both the Sun and Moon in Sagittarius are squaring Neptune in Pisces. This can manifest as our dreams proving to be bigger than we can handle because Sagittarius is prone to exaggeration and doing things in a big way.

Transiting Saturn in Scorpio has not exactly been contributing to a life of the party feel this week, either. On November 18th, Saturn conjuncted the Sun in 25 degrees of Scorpio, inspiring me to tweet:

"Reality check today as Saturn in Scorpio conjuncts Sun for last time in 2 1\2 years. Last call for unfinished business."

Most people that I have talked to this week experienced this aspect as creating frustrations, irritations and delays in their lives. I was in the same boat myself. I rose early on that morning to attend an important meeting, but encountered delays on public transit, a store opening late requiring me to make a second trip and the water in my apartment being shut off for most of the day. Call me a control freak, but I like to be able to decide when I want to leave my dishes in the sink!

On the following day, November 19th, the moon in Libra was squaring Mars in Capricorn, so there was still a residue of irritation and tempers flaring. I tried to focus on the positive aspect of that day with the Libra moon sextiling Jupiter in Leo. On that day I tweeted:

"Libra moon sextiling Jupiter in Leo today is nice energy for enjoying the arts and social activities but don't overindulge."

How did that day play out for me? Well, a friend and I attended the Goya Order and Disorder exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts and then she treated me to a scrumptious, leisurely lunch at the museum's restaurant. Goya lived in a time of tumultuous social and political change and struggled with illness, dizzy spells and deafness. His work highlighted some very dark themes of war, death, illness, aging, violence and fantasies and nightmares of the insane. Hunting and bullfighting were also featured predominantly in his work. Over lunch my friend and I agreed that the show was very intense. I wouldn't exactly call it uplifting, but after my weekly meditation group that evening, I realized that for me personally the Goya exhibit was a metaphor for what the last days of the Sun in Scorpio felt like. So the universe had a plan in having me see that show on that particular day.

On November 20th Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio were at it again. On that day I tweeted:

"Venus in Sagittarius squaring Neptune in Pisces today can add tones of deception, escapism and delusion to relationships today."

I was also blown away by Michael Lutin's quote "Don't be Afraid of the Dark" on his site, www.michaellutin.com that day. He went on to say:

“When Saturn lies between the balsamic Moon and Sun, it can seem pretty scary. You can get the all too real experience of being cut off from your own core. There's a stone lying between you and your emotions and it can seem empty. Actually it is only during this day or two when you need the most patience and quiet to recharge your very drained battery. Some people love this period, because they can finally get away from everybody. Others panic and feel trapped, and freeze, and that can be dangerous. Actually, it is only within this kind of darkness that intimacy and creativity are born. So hunker down, go inward and wait for the magic to happen. It always does."

This really hit home for me because transiting Saturn in Scorpio is currently squaring my natal Pluto in Leo. This transit manifests as a very difficult time with many obstacles on my path. I know that I need to detach (I swear that is the hardest lesson of my life) and conserve resources as I strive to eliminate the unnecessary elements in my life.

Saturn will give us one last hit of its rather depressive energy when it conjuncts Mercury in 25 degrees of Scorpio on November 25th.  But as a special Thanksgiving treat on the 27th, Mercury enters the sign of Sagittarius. And don't forget that Chiron goes direct in 13 degrees of Pisces on November 23rd, so healing is indeed possible. It's time to go with the flow of these mutable Sagittarian and Piscean planets.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

If you are feeling confused during these challenging times, please consider getting an astrological reading to obtain more insight and assistance. I have also added a one question astrology reading to my list of services for $40 that is an even more intuitive approach based on your natal and progressed charts with transits to both.

Check out my services page on this site at:

http://phoenixscorpio.blogspot.com/p/services-offered.html

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for my daily astrological insights at:

https://twitter.com/danceofphoenix

Super Full Sturgeon Moon in Aquarius

We have a super full moon in 18 degrees of Aquarius at 2:09 p.m. on Sunday, August 10th but I would wager that many people have been feeling the effects of this one for several days due to Saturn in Scorpio and Chiron in Pisces. A super full moon occurs when the moon's closest approach to the earth coincides with the phase of the full moon, making the moon appear to be bigger and brighter. This is the biggest, brightest one of the year. The Native Americans called this full moon the Sturgeon Full Moon due to the abundant catches of large fish available in the Great Lakes. It can also cause stronger and fuller ocean tides with increased potential for flooding. Is anyone else tired of watching the news of floods across the country? 

Anyway, back to Saturn in Scorpio. No, folks, we can't escape its effects until December 23rd, when it FINALLY moves into Sagittarius. Can you tell that I am an impatient Scorpio who is growing weary of its testing and delays? On Monday, August 4^th the moon in Scorpio trined Chiron in Pisces and set the stage for healing. Chiron is in Pisces until 2019. Saturn followed suit with a trine to Chiron in Pisces on Tuesday, which prompted me to tweet:

"Deep healing is a major theme today as Saturn in Scorpio trines Chiron in Pisces."

This super full moon will form a T-square to Saturn in Scorpio. It is very fixed energy with lots of tension and the need for restructuring. Don't be surprised if some stuck energies wind up begging to see the light of day and be healed! The themes with this aspect are closure and completion because Saturn in Scorpio deals with karma and endings.

The pace of the prelude to this full moon intensifies on August 8th when Mercury in Leo squares Saturn in Scorpio and inconjuncts Chiron in Pisces. Granted, we do have a lovely conjunction between the Sun and Mercury in Leo on the 8th, but it doesn't totally mitigate the tension caused by these aspects. On August 9th the Sun follows suit and squares Saturn and inconjuncts Chiron. The bottom line with these inconjuncts to Chiron is that adjustments need to be made between the ego and spirituality.

This full moon in Aquarius can be a wake-up call that delivers insight like the proverbial Uranus ruled bolt of lightning. We have the opportunity to break through our own self-imposed blockages and breathe some fresh air. Aquarius is, after all, an air sign. We also need to be mindful that the full moon opposing Mercury and squaring Saturn can cause unreasonable demands, impatience and tension.

It is a time for radical thinking and the full moon in Aquarius squaring Saturn in Scorpio forces us to ground that electrical radical charge of energy to have it manifest in our lives. It is definitely time to think outside of the box. Freedom is a major theme, but don't hesitate to reach out to friends and groups with like-minded ideas to pursue alternative methods of healing. Anyone need some Reiki? I have some openings next week!

As for me this full moon falls at the very end of my 4th house conjunct my Mars. So I have no doubt that this one will affect me in a big way and I need to heed my own advice about being mindful of the tensions and impatience that will undoubtedly occur. But that full moon is literally seconds away from the cusp of my 5th house, so I prefer to focus on its ability to remove any blockages to my creativity.

If you are feeling confused during these challenging times and curious as to how Saturn and Uranus are affecting you, please consider getting an astrological reading to obtain more insight and assistance in the healing process. Check out my services page on this site at:

http://phoenixscorpio.blogspot.com/p/services-offered.html

 I am also getting into the spirit of Jupiter in Leo’s boost to my creativity by offering a special introductory rate for my newest astrological reading on Chiron, the Key to Healing Your Deepest Wound.   This is very timely now considering that Chiron is playing such a major role once again with its trine to Saturn this week.  Check it out at:

http://phoenixscorpio.blogspot.com/p/chiron-report-special-offer.html

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for my daily astrological insights at:

https://twitter.com/danceofphoenix

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

 

Saturn in Scorpio - Take Two

I am a Scorpio experiencing my second Saturn Return, so this subject is very timely and intensely personal for me.  I am also in a place where I feel like I am finally finding my tribe through various group associations with like-minded people who share my struggles and goals and with Jupiter in 20 degrees of Cancer in my 10th house, I am sensing that this is an ideal time to share my second Saturn Return as part of my Phoenix experience.  My life is still in a major transitory phase and at times it feels like it is collapsing as I seek to establish a new career as an astrologer.  I need to keep sight of the fact that my foundations of the last twenty two years were no longer solid and it is time to build a new solid foundation.  It is very much a part of the dance of the phoenix as I set a clear intention and surrender to the process of creativity. Saturn’s nickname is the “Great Teacher” because it rules responsibility, structure, commitment, discipline and authority.  It is currently at 12 degrees of Scorpio conjunct my natal Saturn. This is it for me—do or die! 

And on this Saturday, October 26^th, I will be teaching my astrology workshop Knowledge is Power: Understanding Relationships Through Astrology at Unity Boston Church in Brookline.  Please see this link if you are interested in attending:

http://tinyurl.com/mrdb9zk

Saturn entered the sign of Scorpio on October 5, 2012 and will remain in the sign of Scorpio until December 24, 2014.  Fear of endings is a big theme with Saturn in Scorpio.   Many Scorpios will experience Saturn in Scorpio as cutting ties with the past and being honest about people and places that they have outgrown. This needs to happen in order to clear the decks to make room for new positive changes to occur.  Scorpio, ruled by Pluto, the planet of power and transformation, is in mutual reception now with Pluto in the sign of Capricorn, which rules Saturn.  Pluto in Capricorn can definitely indicate potential for abuses of power, but rest assured that Saturn in Scorpio will expose them.

I began my study of astrology during my first Saturn Return in 1983.  I am dealing with a lot of the same issues that I faced during my first Saturn Return—financial worries, job and health concerns, and relationship issues.  I couldn’t help wondering why I still have the same issues in my life with a slightly different cast of characters.  Hadn’t I learned anything in the last 29 years?  Then I read Elizabeth Spring’s book Saturn Returns: The Private Papers of a Reluctant Astrologer and was blown away by her explanation—that these issues are back because you have almost resolved them and that last straw can be the hardest.  So I have learned that if things happen more than once, it means that you are holding some energy that is creating the experience, even if you are determined not to have that experience. Elizabeth Spring said that the hallmark of the second Saturn Return is that if you deal maturely with the old pockets of unfinished business you can gain the gift that will last until the end—the gift of wisdom so that you become an elder.  It also requires surrender and humbleness, which is no small feat.  Saturn is known as the Teacher, and I couldn’t help but note the irony in my picking up that book during my second Saturn Return! Be open to the possibility teachers will “spring” up for us when we need it most.

Saturn transits are also known for giving us the choice of exhaustion or depression.  Either you can become exhausted by the hard work that Saturn demands of you or you can become depressed from procrastinating and doing nothing.  The bottom line is that Saturn transits indicate a time to take action and ultimately those actions can bring rewards.  The big BUT is that Saturn can also delay those rewards; we can’t control the timeframe in which the rewards will come.  Saturn, like the Lord, works in mysterious ways.  Things never happen quite how you expect them to and certainly not on our desired timetable.  Saturn controls time, not us.  And that may be a bitter pill for many of us to swallow.

Saturn is the Spirit of Father Time and we need to make peace with the transits of Saturn, especially the returns, as an opportunity to accomplish the goals that our soul set forth for this life.  Saturn doesn’t like quick fixes; Carl Jung advocated the need for holding the tension of the opposites and conflicts within yourself until you can see the birth of a new idea.  I love what Elizabeth Spring said about Saturn transits having a “bridge effect”-first there is insight, then action and finally change.  Waiting and patience are the hard work of Saturn.  You gotta hang in there until you can see what needs to be done and then expend the energy to do it.

I was born in 1954 when Saturn in Scorpio symbolized paranoia, a common Scorpio trait of those times, which the Cold War vividly represented.  I am repulsed by the repression that existed in that era, especially that unsavory chapter of McCarthyism.  It was definitely not the America that our founding fathers envisioned during the American Revolution, which was the last time that Pluto was in Capricorn.  

Does Saturn in Scorpio in mutual reception with Pluto in Capricorn mean that things will be easier for Scorpios than the last time Saturn was in Scorpio (1983-1985)? That was my first Saturn Return, and it was not pretty. I survived a health scare and averted cervical cancer (how Scorpionic can you get) thanks to early detection despite my lack of health insurance, but some other Scorpios were not so lucky.  Richard Burton died in 1984 of a brain hemorrhage during his second Saturn Return.  He also suffered from kidney and liver disease.  In 1985 Rock Hudson died of AIDS during his second Saturn Return and AIDS emerged as a major health concern.  Saturn in Scorpio in the 1980’s also uncovered many sex abuse scandals. Scorpio is known as the sex sign, so none of this is a huge surprise.

So, how will Saturn in Scorpio play out in the 21^st century?  Well, since Scorpio is the sign of transformation, it can definitely mean that things could indeed get worse before they get better.  Surrendering to the process of deep change will bring personal power and the strength to set boundaries.  But the sticky part is the potential for hitting bottom so that transformation (Scorpio) can occur by building new foundations (Saturn).  Saturn in Scorpio can teach us to be fully responsible for our power. New approaches to old problems are required.  For many of us, that may seem easier said than done. Trusting in the process is difficult, and Scorpio issues involve trust, betrayal, feeling guarded, intensity, resourcefulness and last, but definitely not least, vindictiveness.  Didn’t anybody ever tell you not to cross a Scorpio?  Scorpios are known for their loyalty and their memory.  They can be your best friend, but if you cross them, they can also be your worst enemy.  I recall a line in the movie Prizzi’s Honor: “A Prizzi never forgets.”  This was a movie about the Mafia (something Scorpio rules, by the way) that came out in 1985, the last time Saturn was in Scorpio.  Are we seeing a pattern here?  Saturn in Scorpio is associated with the Saturnian hard won Scorpio transformations.