Weekly Astrology: New Moon in Gemini, Venus enters Taurs

Harbor on the River                                                                         Catherine Al-Meten

At each New Moon, we come to a threshold where we are reminded of starting fresh, beginning anew, and setting off in a new direction. We are also faced with the knowledge that with all beginnings come endings. We experience this as part of our lives living within the constructs of limited time and space.  How we acknowledge endings and beginnings, is part of our life process and journey. “Perhaps that is where our choice lies -- in determining how we will meet the inevitable end of things, and how we will greet each new beginning.” ― Elana K. Arnold, Burning

New Moon on Wednesday, May 28 at 11:40 A.M. PDT/2:40 P.M. EDT. The New Moon in Gemini begins a new lunar cycle, as the Taurus lunar cycle comes to an end. With the Gemini New Moon, emphasis is on improving our communication skills, learning to listen better, and being more discerning. The New Moon in Gemini at 7/21 degrees forms a nice trine with Mars at 9/30 Libra ushering in some news, information, or intuitive awareness to enhance the start of this lunar month. This New Moon affects the mutable signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces, and everyone who has planets, the Sun, or the Moon between 2-12 degrees (5 degrees on either side of an aspect) of any of the mutable signs.  

Mutable signs are those energies that prepare us for change. People strongly influenced by mutable signs are growing or excel in being flexible, adaptable, and communicative. Gemini, being both mutable and an air sign, triggers our need for change, stimulation, and intellectual exchange. Wherever Gemini is in our chart/life, we may have an overwhelming need to learn, take in new ideas, or somehow immerse ourselves deep into new ideas, plans, and deeper forms of communication. Gemini energy revs up our awareness, making us overly sensitive to sounds, noises, and whatever is spoken or transmitted to us on some level. We crave understanding at this time, and are more receptive to hearing the songs of the Universe, the Divine Voice within and around us. 

Virgo, reflects mutable earth energy, energy that stimulates us to put ideas into some type of concrete form. Notice where Virgo is in your chart/life, and see if this may be an area where you might be needing to bring something into shape, form, or some type of full physical expression. Virgo energy is expressed by honing one’s art, and putting the finishing touches on a project with grace and full attention. Whereas Gemini energy may never be able to get to the point or bring something to a conclusion (for new ideas are always interfering with the ability to create wholeness), Virgo’s mutable pragmatism feeds the need and desire to reach the conclusion, and see one’s art framed, exhibited, and enjoyed. Whether or no you are an artist, notice the place in your life where you enjoy conclusions and displaying the finished product.

Sagittarius, a mutable fire energy, expresses its energy through philosophical and spiritual ideals, acted upon through adventure, travels, and exploring through hands on experience or debate. Taking ideas to their logical conclusion, and back again, Sagittarius mutability is expressed through stimulating conversation and the desire to bring about change in very proactive ways. Notice what area of your chart/life is in the realm of Sagittarius, and notice how this energy affects that area of your life. What kinds of communication is stimulating you to debate, discussion, or action? How are you able to reconcile the past, present, and future now through insightful, intellectual conversation?

Pisces, a Mutable water sign, is concerned with sensing and being receptive to all levels of communication going on around them. For Pisces, the desire is to adapt to whatever situation is at hand, and to be sympathetic and compassionate, is the strongest expression of this energy. Whatever advice, suggestions, or observations made by a Pisces attuned to your needs, is usually accurate and sound. In this area of your life, notice where you are sensitive to the needs of others, and when you are given support from Pisces, be aware that they are so attuned to you, that they will hold the connection, being concerned and mulling over the obstacles and direction you are taking. If you are a Pisces, learn to let go of what others ask of you; if you are supported by a Pisces, let them know when you have made your changes or are out of danger. While Pisces intuition is strong, their intellectual capacity is great, and they will continue working to help you even when you no longer require it. For Pisces, this stressful and anxiety-producing. Wherever this energy informs you, learn to release yourself from whatever is holding you. This New Moon in Gemini may be a time when we are testing our abilities to set boundaries, learn to protect ourselves, and find a way to channel our psychic energy in more healthy ways. 

One of the main points about the New Moon in Gemini is the need to discern what is really necessary from the host of ideas, thoughts, opportunities, projects, relationships, or directions we may be able to see or may be drawn toward. Discernment is a large part of understanding how we communicate.  If we only talk about ideas, but never listen, we fail to find what we need to understand. If we only try to form others in our own image around our own ideas, we are failing to honor and acknowledge the rights and uniqueness of those in your life.  While Gemini time may make us feel that our minds are on overload, it is not necessarily the time to talk non-stop, letting every idea try to escape the confines of our minds. We may do better to allow ourselves to spend more time in stillness, less time trying to act on every idea. We may learn more if we stop trying to figure out why something happens, and spend more time simply being more present with what we are doing right where we are. When we are able to put our full attention on what we are doing right now, we tend to plant deeper seeds of meaning, memory, and purpose.  

While the Sun continues its journey through Gemini, we tend to be drawn into areas that stimulate our need to learn, activate our desire to connect with others, and awaken our curiosity. We find we have more ideas and desires than we have time to act on them. Again, discernment is important when we are in such an intellectually active time. People around you may promise more than they can deliver simply because of this period of active stimulation.  The growing edge for using this energy is determining what needs to be done, and what may just be a good idea that’s time has not yet come. 

One way to handle this energy, is to use this time to write down ideas. Put your ideas and desires in some kind of form so that you can capture the ideas now for pondering and working on later. This is often a time when we can do some good planning, designing, brainstorming, but not necessarily the best time to jump into a project with the hopes of getting it done right away. The energy is too jumpy, and there is too much going on. Slow down and notice how your time is being allocated, and instead of adding more to your plate, consider cutting back a bit, so that something more beautiful, more meaningful will have room to grow in your life. When we fill up every second of the day and night with plans, activities, obligations, and commitments, we leave no time or space in our lives for anything new to grow.  

Take some advice from the ancient sacred Wisdom literature of Ecclesiastes 3:1: 

To Everything There is a Season

1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

With the Sun, the Moon, and Mercury all in Gemini, we are being called upon to reign in our energy, and to bring diversity to wholeness. The unhealed Gemini energy is scattered, unreliable, and scattered all over the place. Healing and coming into wholeness allows us to walk on the path of harmony, constantly reflecting between what pulls us in one direction, and then the other. Making the choices to keep in balance, require that we let go of some options and focus more intently on others.  The disquiet this will cause those of us who have fewer planets in Gemini, is not a signal to act on every idea or jump into yet another action plan for the future. For everyone, it can be a time of discernment, observation, reflection, and practices that ground our energy. 

For the first part of this week, Mercury is transiting the last few degrees of its orbit through Gemini. This may be a time when we receive the news we have been waiting for, and it may also be the time when we put to rest some of the ideas that have been taking up space in our psyches, distracting us from details that need attending to.

On May 29, Mercury enters Cancer, where it will stay until June 17. Mercury in Cancer focuses more on the quality of our communication, and allows us a period of time to experience greater peace of mind. We focus now on whatever we need to make us feel more at home, more secure, and more creative. We connect to those around us now, and seek to enjoy and communicate with those who bring us the most personal pleasure and fulfillment. Our home and all that defines that concept, is now crucial to us. We communicate on a deeper, more intimate level, and seek to find stronger connections and deeper meaning in our own lives, families, friendships, and personal happiness and purpose. 

Venus has been in Aries since May 2, and will also change signs this week, moving into Taurus on May 28. In Aries for a few more days, any strong desires, unexpressed feelings, or thoughts that have been in any way repressed, are likely to be expressed with some intensity as Venus finishes this transit through Aries. Acting on impulses and desires, putting oneself on the line, and letting your feelings be known, are all ways that Venus in Aries seeks to connect. Whether or not this is your usual manner, in whatever area Venus has been transiting in your chart/life, you might notice the urge to express yourself as if it were “now or never”.  Reign in any impulses that may not be ready for full expression. The lesson of Venus in Aries is to learn to temper thoughts, feelings, desires with some discretion and reflection. Everything you think does not need to be expressed. 

Venus enters Taurus on May 28 and transits that sign until June 23. Venus in Taurus is in no mood to wait or to talk about love and beauty. It must express love in actions and concrete behavior. Beauty is a necessity of life, as is the sound, solid commitment and full, physical expression of love for Taurus puts love into action. Our desires for commitment and security take the front seat now, and we are willing, in whatever area of our life we find aspected now, to be that place where we desire and actively work to bring those needs and desires into harmony with how we live, relate,  and work. The unhealed aspect of Taurus, stubbornness, possessiveness, and jealousy, are the negative expressions of Venus in Taurus, so reign in the tendencies in yourself, and be on guard for this tendency in others. Possession and love are not the same thing. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, May 27-28 of this week, Venus sextile Mercury finds us caught up in the language of charm and seduction. This is a time when we may make overtures of love, speak oaths of love at the altar, swear our allegiance, or make vows of fidelity and love.  On May 30-31, Venus forms a semi-square to Chiron, the Wounded Healer. Chiron in the depths of Pisces, may feel a deep-seated sense of insecurity or something may be said or felt that triggers a sore spot that needs healing. Notice any inner sense of insecurity, pain, hurt, or some other negative suppressed feeling that might be calling for healing. If you can connect to what it was from the past (experiences, memories) or some dread or fear of the future (anxiety), you are capable of naming the hurt and finding ways to heal and repair your perspective.

Forecast for the Week:

Sunday. On Sunday, we begin the day with the Moon in Aries, and then it shifts into Taurus in the afternoon (5:28 P.M. EDT/2:28 P.M. PDT). We may feel more grounded and relaxed as the Moon in Taurus seeks some emotional rest and centeredness. Perhaps a relaxing hike or picnic, a gathering to listen or play music, all revolving out of our emotional need for finding pleasure to help balance us out. 

Early in the morning the Sun in Gemini was semi-square Jupiter in Cancer. This may have caused some rising waters or perhaps brought up some deep emotional trauma to the surface of consciousness (dreams, inner movement) during the night. Sometimes this aspect brings up the insecurities that fuel our unconscious drives. We may try to reason our way out of inner conflicts or resolve things ‘once and for all’ simply as a means of meeting the Gemini Sun’s urge to act. This is not necessarily desirable, or even useful. Recognize that moods are stimulated, and energy is tense. Use the influence of the Moon in Taurus later in the day to settle your feelings, channel your energy, and find practical ways to calm your emotions (exercise, meditation, creativity, gardening, music, dancing). 

On Monday and Tuesday, the Moon remains in Taurus, and you may find this a good time to settle into a nice routine of enjoying the basic pleasures of life as experienced through the ordinary. Spend more time being present with simple tasks, basic pleasures, and greater freedom of thought and need. On Wednesday the Moon moves into Gemini early on, and then the New Moon peaks at 11:40 A.M. (PDT)/ 2:40 P.M (EDT). The Mercury-Venus sextile in the morning, makes the first stress aspect leading up to the New Moon. 

New moons are times of new beginnings, of starting over or anew, and of setting new intentions and assessing one’s direction. Shortly after the peak of the New Moon, the Moon squares Neptune (illusions, dreams, consciousness) then trines Mars in the late afternoon/early evening. What may seem like a bad sign or disturbing emotional situation, may turn into an action that was not only necessary but also perfectly timed for eliminating unnecessary baggage, behavior, relationships, or thought processes. Later in the early evening, the Sun in Gemini squares Neptune in Pisces, again sending us into the watery realms of the consciousness including the subconscious. We are awakening to ideas, memories, fears and visions of what we most fear and our ability to deal with our fears, or not.  

At this point, this is a mental game, but it can cause us undue levels of stress if we fail to see how these feelings are simply making their way into our awareness so we know what we are dealing with and how we might cope with things in a healthier manner. What works best during times like these, is to channel our energy into concrete, pragmatic activities. Where we may just have opened a can of worms in our minds, we have opened a channel to allow our ideas to flow into creativity. Without worrying about the artistic quality of your actions, use your energy to paint, draw, mold, shape, bake, design, plot out, or imagine. Use concrete ways of expressing positive expressions of what you are grateful for, or what you count as a blessing in your life. Whatever you do with the energy of the square, that aspect that urges movement or action, is up to you. Avoid, however, wasting it in undue mind games, rationalizations, worry, or feeling sorry for yourself.  Squares call us to act according to our highest good. Avoid doing anything during this time that demands perfection, precision, or pin point accuracy, for there seems to be an element of haziness, deception, or delusion, and some actions can cause more harm than good.

The New Moon in Gemini forms a tight square to Neptune in watery Pisces.While we may feel deeply compassionate and understanding under this aspect (carried over from the Full Moon), we need to exercise caution. Be aware that letting ourselves be carried away with compassion and sensitivity requires that we still take care of the details of living. We are no doubt living with a very active imagination, full of fantasies as well as highly attuned perceptions. A thought alone, does not cause an action. There is more to cause-effect than the idea. Use your mind, imagination, senses, and sensitivity to awaken you to potential. Be prepared for the unexpected, and for reality not going according to plan.

On Thursday, May 29, Mercury enters Cancer in the night/early morning. The influence of the New Moon in Gemini is making its first aspects, and semi-square Venus before squaring Chiron.  Again, issues related to healing, relationships, our sense of what love is and isn’t, are awakening us both consciously and unconsciously. Semi-squares indicates challenges, obstacles, and blocks, and are helpful to us when we notice them and take heed. We look for signs, but often don’t want to accept the signs we get, especially if we perceive those signs as not such good news. Does a sign, opportunity, or relationship meet our desires and expectations—what we think life should be for us?  Does a sign, opportunity, or relationship serve our highest good, or even any basic need, or would we be better off if something did not happen that we so desire?  Allowing our connection and faith  in a Source beyond our own limited knowledge, understanding, or power, to be the guiding force in our lives, means surrendering our need to have absolute certainty or knowledge about anything, anyone, or any situation.  

Gemini energy is about exploring the vast swaths of ideas, thought, intellect, and possibilities— that is its gift. The challenge of the Gemini lunar cycle is to corral some of those thoughts and using the energy and gifts of all the muted signs, channel thought into solid action or loosen the grip on thoughts that are not meant to be more than a passing idea. On Saturday, March 31, the Sun in Gemini trines Mars in Libra. The Sun now lends it powerful energy to Mars—sending deep waves of energy into those areas that Mars has been so systematically and slowly defining within the transit of Libra. This is definitely a time to act as whatever you act on at this point is sure to have been tested and found ready to go. Decisions, actions, and activities undertaken under this influence are to be greeted favorably, and will mark a strong turning point in the area of your life where Mars has been making its way over and over for much of the last year. The challenge, in some cases, has been met. The groundwork has been laid, and the time has now come for moving ahead. 

This is actually a time when we swim free of the wake of any major upsets we’ve experienced lately. With so much activity in the first decan of Gemini, this Jupiter-ruled area of our life/chart, we need to be aware that this area of the transits of the Sun, Mercury, and the Moon are in the territory of the famous star cluster-the Hyades. The Hyades, part of the constellation of Taurus, include: the Hyades, the Pleiades, Alderbaran, Perseus. This particular area of the constellation has a fearsome reputation in mythology. Ruled by Jupiter, it heightens the idealism, fanaticism, and activism of those with militant religious and spiritual missions. That, of course is the negative use of this type of energy. The same energy can also be used to promote higher ideals and the individual brilliance, intellect, and power of those with a message.  

It is also a time when some in power will use their position and their words to push their ideas into public view. Exercise caution with those whose words are sweeter than honey, but contain the bitterness of poison.  Use your own power wisely. If you find yourself taken in by someones’ wit and charm, you may be caught up in the spell of a 1 Decan warrior—out to save the damsels in distress, and to shine like his shining armor to catch your attention.  This is all metaphoric, so don’t scour the streets looking for men in suits of armor. Instead, notice how this energy plays out in both extremes—the negative militant using violence as it weapon and anger as its shield or the schmaltzy salesperson who wants to hand your keys to your new shiny chariot.  Also note your own tendencies and feelings associated to  the 1st decan of Gemini in your life/chart. This is your point of vulnerability—to both act and respond.

Perhaps because Gemini rules my 8th house predominantly, the idea that endings and beginnings are fated experiences that call us each to search life for answers to , I am touched by Pema Chandra’s thoughts: 

“Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there's a big disappointment, we don't know if that's the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. We don't know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don't know.” 

― Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

Let yourself be okay with all the unanswered questions that seem to rise up from within now, and seem to be reflected in what we see happening around us. Search for the Truth that grounds you solidly in your best qualities, expresses your highest ideals, and allows you to do and be the most compassionate, creative, and loving person  you can be.

Shifts of Energy: Mars in Libra goes direct, Sun enters Gemini this week

Bleeding Hearts in Sunlight and Shadow                                                Catherine Al-Meten

“The world we are experiencing today is the result of our collective consciousness, and if we want a new world, each of us must start taking responsibility for helping create it.” —Rosemary Fillmore Rhea

Rosemary Fillmore Rhea, was the granddaughter of the founders of Unity, and the former editor of Unity magazine. She was also the author of a book, That’s How My Spirit Travels. When asked her favorite word, she said “peace”, for 

“Peace, the word, brings to mind thoughts of tranquility, a feeling of being in unity and harmony with the energy of life. ..The word peace always reminds me that no matter what I experience, I have a choice of how I react. I can strike out with anger and fear or I can choose peace. When I choose peace, I not only help myself, but also I help make our world a little more peaceful.”

Her words set the tone for how this week and all the shifts of energy that have been happening this month, may be affecting us. It is in times of greatest trial, crisis, or uncertainty, that we are tempered and honed like fine gold. This last year may have been quite a trial for many, and certainly when we look at all that has transpired in the world, we know that we are living in times of  great change, transformation, and transition. How are we handling ourselves, and what kinds of choices are we making, not so much about what we do, but more about how we respond to the shifts of energy. If we are still grasping and holding on for dear life, we may be missing something very important about giving up the struggle and letting go of trying to fix, control, or reason things out. 

Since March 1 when Mars entered its retrograde phase in its orbit around the Sun, it has been going back over territory in that area of our lives between 27/9 degrees to 9/2 degrees where it is today.  Wherever Mars is transiting the sign of Libra between 27/9 and 9 degrees, is the area of your life where you have been meeting the challenges, discoveries, and all things related to your right-brain perspectives. Because Mars has been transiting Libra, its normal rapid fire, impulsive tendencies have been muted. 

Most of what has been going on, at least in its inception, has been experienced as a cyclic pattern that has brought us face to face with issues that we might have thought were resolved. Mars has been acting like a shovel, digging up old issues, worn out patterns of thought and behavior, and pushing us to change and grow by forcing issues we have tried to suppress or gloss over. Anything that poses a threat to our becoming more conscious of unconscious and subconscious desires and needs, has been pushed closer to the surface of our awareness. 

Mars in Libra has given us ample opportunity to come out from behind our masks to express the truth of who we are. Hiding true feelings and attitudes has been difficult during this time. Whatever had been hidden beneath pleasant facades or suppressed with the thought of ‘forgetting’ have been stirred up by Mars retrograde phase.  Instead of acting dashing and impulsively as Mars tends to do, we have held back, looked deeper, and reflected more cautiously on how we are going to respond to what has become evident.  Libra seeks to weigh the advantages and the disadvantages of whatever area of life it represents to you. While initiating or completing a deal are usually best done after a retrograde phase, this has not been the case during this phase. 

If what you have been starting or completing is based on honorable and sound judgment, the reflective nature of the Libra retrograde  of Mars can have a positive outcome on whatever area of your life this deals with. You may find answers within yourself and from a growing depth of understanding you derive during this time. I found it interesting that Mars’ retrograde phase in my own life has brought some things to the forefront of my attention, and caused me to become aware of some very positive areas where both completing projects and initiating others has been possible and beneficial.  In an attempt to purge what is no longer necessary in my life, I discovered what I had already created. Without taking time to reflect on, reevaluate, and discern what is both necessary and essential, and what is not,  it would not have been possible for me to initiate and complete some things. I have been able to finish a book. I changed the venue of an art exhibit, and in the process, became open to more offers and working partnerships. It is probably very evident to you what area of life this Mars transit through Libra has been working its way through—what have you noticed breaking down below the surface, and rising up into awareness? What that appeared as a disaster, major obstacle, or challenge, has become the source of pleasure, benefit, or opportunity? What have you been learning about the cyclic nature of this area of your life, and of how you have learned to renegotiate and resolves conflicts? 

Since December 8, 2013, Mars has been transiting Libra, the sign of its detriment or fall. That means that this is the least favorable place for Mars. However, the adage, “when given lemons, make lemonade” applies for this Mars cycle. If we have been willing to pay attention to what is breaking up, rising to our awareness, and driving our choices and behavior, shaping our attitudes and beliefs, then we have had a wonderful opportunity to think before we act, and to slowly, carefully, and discretely handle our lives with greater aplomb and grace. 

On the very day that the Grand Cardinal Cross earlier this month, reached its peak, the retrograde Mars formed a conjunction with the star, Algorab. Algorab is part of the constellation Corvus (the Crow). Algorab (algoruub also means ‘crow’ in Arabic) is a third magnitude star that lies 86.9 light years from Earth. According to Astrologer, Jamie Partridge, Algorab “has a Saturn-Mars nature” and it can hinder or delay.  It also suggests an element of  treachery, deception  or secret diplomacy and negotiations. Mars being in retrograde, muted the effects, of this aspect and/or drove it underground where it lies waiting to rise up and burst through the surface once Mars goes direct.  Pay attention to any areas where duplicity or under-the-table deals may have been active. 

Algorab, and indeed, all of the stars in the constellation of Corvus, fall into the 2nd decan of Libra (between 11-20 degrees), the same area that Mars has been in retrograde motion. Whatever is brewing beneath the surface has been disguised or hidden. Astrologer, Marina Macario’s excellent article “Libra Decan 2” describes the symbolic meaning of the Crow, Algorab  beautifully..

During May, Jupiter and Saturn have been forming a beneficent trine (120 degree angle) and Mars in Libra, has been retrograde. The former aspect has been shining a light on whatever areas of your life have needed to be refined, corrected, and make essential alterations to your life now. Whatever seeds you have been planting, weeding out, and nurturing during this period of time, are growing beneath the surface. This upcoming week provides us with the wonderful opportunities.  On Monday, May 19, Mars stations to turn direct in Libra as Saturn and Jupiter’s trine becomes exact. This week concludes one 12-year cycle and ushers in a new one, that lasts for the next 12 years. This is the week to become more mindful of where your efforts, focus, and plans are energized and clear.  Understand that whatever you have been dwelling on, discerning, or planning will begin to take shape.  Wherever you may have experienced blocks, obstacles, slow downs, disappointments, or rejection, you will now begin to feel release, open doors, and a big push forward.  Be receptive to guidance. Notice where energy has been released, and where doors that were closed, now begin to open. I had a dream last night that I was waiting in the lobby of a school that had been closed down. Someone appeared and called me to follow him through an open door, and we found ourselves walking up stairs and into a building that had been closed but now was open to us. This is one segment of a dream that follows a series of dreams about locks, keys, and closed doors. Hard to miss the symbolism here, and interesting timing to have such a dream—just before a portal to the future opens for us all. 

How we set our sails for the journey ahead, how we prepare and clarify our goals will in part, determine the nature of our journey and our receptiveness to learn whatever it is we are meant to learn. Now is the time to recognize our gifts and to rely on discernment that allows us to receive the guidance we need, and the willingness to accept both that guidance and the way our path unfolds. If we get too caught up in ego-needs and the need to control outcomes, we may be blocking our good.  “Say yes to what you really desire, and then get out of the way.”  Rely on the Universal Truth and Source to provide and open the path before you. 

Transits and Aspects for the Week of May 18-24.

A dynamic week ahead, begins with a series squares on Sunday, May 18. The Moon in Capricorn forms a square to Uranus in Aries in the middle of the night (about the time I was having my door dream). The Moon tunes us in emotionally to changes, surprises, shocking revelations that are coming to our awareness. The Moon also forms a square to Venus in Aries in the early morning (PDT) mid-morning (EDT).  Squares activate areas where we need to take or respond to activity, events, actions, and the ideas of others.  In this case, we are feeling compelled to take action on our desire for romance, beauty, balance, and connection. While the Moon (emotions) in Capricorn may remind us of the practicalities, Venus (our hearts and desires) urge us to act anyway.  The Moon also opposes Jupiter in Cancer in the morning. The polarities between the Moon and Jupiter are calling us to find a happy medium between our need for emotional security and harmony and our desire to express ourselves with the full force of our joy and happiness. We feel so full of love, and need to find ways to express this (art, music, dance, sharing time with those we love, communicating or expressing our feelings of abundance, good fortune, and joy. Just before noon (EDT) and midmorning (PDT) Venus squares Jupiter, again calling us to action.This aspect may also remind us of where romance and pleasure are lacking in our lives. Tap into the beauty within you and the in the world around you. Seek connection with what and who brings you pleasure and meaning.

The Moon moves into Aquarius in the middle of the night (3:03 A.M. EDT/12:03, just past midnight, PDT) on Monday, May 19. Mercury at 19/27 Gemini forms a quincunx to Saturn in Scorpio, bring some delays or some ambiguity around different forms of communication. May be hard to pay attention to details due to scattered thoughts or forgetfulness.

In the middle of the night (PDT) or close to dawn (EDT)  as the Sun in Taurus makes a seisquiquadrate aspect to Neptune in Pisces, you may find yourself wrestling with the sense that someone or something is trying to control you. It may be a pattern of behavior in which you feel trapped, or a person/relationship where you feel used or manipulated. In any case, you may discover that you can sprout warrior angel wings, and come to your own defense. The message of this aspect is to come to greater awareness that you can fight against all odds and make positive changes in any area—particularly in the way you view and respond to what is happening. Standing on your own two feet, and trusting yourself are key elements of the Sun in Taurus and Neptune in Pisces—I know myself, know who I am, and am strong and resolute in that knowledge. Knowing myself means knowing where I need to change or improve as well as where I excel and have mastered a skill or talent. Because Neptune is involved, this is a highly personal and internal epiphany. Not only are we able to see ourselves more clearly, we are more tolerant and understanding of who we are. Only when we can be so with ourselves can we hope to extend that to other relationships. It is okay to make mistakes, to fail, and to fall down. What matters most is that we try and that we pic ourselves up with greater awareness and keep on going. The warrior is tested in battle, not in training or in moments of glory.

The big news of the week is Mars in Libra stationing direct at 6:00 P.M. PDT/9:00 P.M. EDT. At 9:30 P.M. EDT/6:30 P.M. PDT, Mars in Libra at 9/2 degrees stations direct. Mars has been slowing down for the turn back to direct as Mars begins to turn its orbit around the Sun back in the direction of the Earth. The changes will be noted not by a blinding flash but by the slow lifting of the heaviness, the oppression, and the strong sense of obligation, duty, and in some cases, drudgery and toil, that has marked this retrograde period. Relief will come like the lifting of the clouds after a storm. During the next few days and weeks, the pace of life, the level of enthusiasm, and the sense of pleasure and enjoyment will begin to return along with greater energy and stamina. Mars direct in Libra will still be somewhat more muted than it is in other signs, however, it will be a great time to see some of the first signs of movement, action, and interaction—all of which have been under the heavy weight of this retrograde phase. The Moon in Aquarius trines Mars in Libra just before Mars stations to turn direct. We may feel a moment or two of light and lightness as this occurs. The air sign energy promotes positive thinking, releases creative ideas, and sparks the imagination

Tuesday, the Moon remains in Aquarius all day. Energetically, the shift has begun, and you might want to pay attention to what that looks like in your life, feels in your body, and releases or pulls in mentally.  The Moon square Saturn in Scorpio at midday or in the early afternoon, and may find us wrestling with some of the lessons that we have recently been learning. Saturn in Scorpio wakes us up, stirs up the unconsciousness, and makes us more aware of our subconscious drives and needs. Combine this with the connection between our emotional health (the Moon) and our minds and imagination (Aquarius),and we probably feel we have a lot to sort through. 

The Moon trines Mercury in Gemini later (favoring emotionally satisfying communication) and forms a seisquiquadrate with Mars in Libra, striking a sharp note with the awareness that what has been learned now has to be processed and integrated into daily life and the overall perspective we hold. Many people seem to think that learning something or having a breakthrough, victory, or success automatically precludes them from having any more issues, conflicts, or problems to deal with.  If asked, I’m sure no one would think this is necessarily true, however, we all seem to operate on the idea that ‘if only we learn this lesson, we won’t have to go through this again”—not true. It simply means we are better equipped to deal with similar issues in the future, and perhaps, even head some problems in the future.

At 10:58 P.M. EDT/8:59 P.M. PDT, the Sun begins its month-long transit of Gemini.  When the Sun begins its transit of Gemini, the traditional ruler of the third house, it begins a swing through untethered territory. Gemini is all about communication and mental stimulation. Not bound to limitations nor to traditional rubrics of design, the Sun in Gemini draws out of the lines, reads three or four books at once, and carries on two or three conversations simultaneously (one in the head, another with whoever is in front of the Gemini, and the third in some task at hand (writing an email, composing a song, or jotting down notations for a new piece of music. The creator, if there was one, of the concept of multitasking, had to have been  Gemini. The growing edge for Gemini is bringing diversity into unity. Taking diverse concepts, visions, and elements, and putting them together in a way that forms new substance. The difficulty of Gemini, in whatever area it reigns in your life is in having too many ideas, projects, interests, conversations, and relationships running counter to one another. Also having your energy drained and depleted before you even begin something, is a Gemini experience.  We all have Gemini ruling some area of our chart/life.  

Gemini Sun Issues:

 First house, you may find during this time that you get your masks mixed up. The tendency to want to be ‘all things to all people’ may become even more evident when the Sun is lighting up your Ascendent.  

Second house, self worth, value, personal resources and finances is involved, you may be called upon to deal with whatever areas of your self concept are at odds. If we are still operating on false ideas of who you are based on negative programing or past experiences that have not been addressed, the Sun in Gemini will bring this to light. 

Third house, Gemini’s natural home,  all areas of communication, publishing neighbors, brothers and sisters, local community, and your own process of communication are highlighted. How are you using the benefits of this Gemini placement to overcome the negative aspects of all forms of communication, including how you talk to and about yourself. Many people know all the right words, but don’t apply them to themselves, particularly when talking, thinking and forming new concepts or when telling their own stories. Notice what you say to yourself. And notice how you present and talk about who you are. Ahimsa—do no harm. If you don’t know what Ahimsa is, look it up. All spiritual traditions and religions delineate boundaries for doing no harm, and that includes to yourself. The beneficence  of Gemini in its natural home only is helpful if you are maintaining and using this gift properly.

Fourth house. Our home and our sense of feeling and being at home with ourselves. This house also pertains to our Mother, and of how we have or have not resolved any issues tied to our upbringing. We have to face whatever was hurtful, disappointing, or sad, deal with it, and redefine home for ourselves. Even those of us who had wonderful homes and upbringings, need to remember, life if dynamic. Everything is always changing, and we have to continually redefine what makes us feel at home and comfortable in our own skin. 

Fifth house. Pleasure, children, romance, art and creativity, and discovery of our talents.  This area of our lives is essential to our lives. It is one of the first areas of our lives that we discovered and that helped define who we are. If we lose our ability to enjoy life, find pleasure, experience and allow ourselves romance, and create and bring forth life and beauty, we miss an essential part of our nature. By bringing forth life, I am not just referring to giving birth; I refer to finding ways of creating and bring ideas, art, service, or whatever passions you have, to life. Many of us have become almost puritanical  in denying our need or right to enjoy life. If Gemini is in your 5th house this next month, you will  be called to pay attention to how this affects this area of your life.

Sixth house. Physical body and health, jobs, daily living, and how you spend your daily life. How we spend our time day to day directly affects our health. Gemini in the sixth house shines it slight on your health and well being, on what you do with your time and how you use your skills, talents, abilities, and mind.  All of this affects your physical health, and is vital to your essence.

Seventh house. Depending what other aspects and planetary/lunar placements you have in the 7th house, this are relates to your close, committed partnerships and to marriage.  Gemini transiting the 7th house can catch us up in flights of fancy and  of acting impulsively on unfulfilled desires or needs. We may question or experiment with ideas that relate to how we partner and participate in marriage. If we are whole and healed, we may find a true sense of integration as the Sun transits this house, bringing us to a deeper level of wholeness, feeling both independent and interdependent in relationships.  Good time to do some healthy healing and redefining of what it means for us to be in relationship.

Eighth house. Our value and reputation in community. Interest and involvement with the goods of the dead. Transformation, transition, and seeking deeper knowledge of the essence of life, spirituality, and the deeper meaning and purpose of life.  This house pertains to healing, other people’s monies and resources, inheritance, and taxes and finances.  Interest in psychology and the esoteric and mystical understanding of religion and spirituality. This is a time when we may have mystical experiences and see how what lies beneath the surface rises up to our awareness to call us to pay closer attention to how we connect and relate to those who count on us, seek our advice, or expect us to handle their business or dealings.

Ninth house.  Seeking knowledge, higher education and learning, and other cultures and countries highlight the areas governed by the ninth house. Long distance travel, overseas connections, and ideas that go beyond the limitations of the conventional and local wisdom. Wisdom, religious ideals, academic learning, and the search for Truth are all highlighted while the Sun is in this realm of your life. A great time to seek a new adventure.

Tenth house.  Life purpose, career path, higher mind.  The Sun, in transiting the 10 house, highlights that which calls you. What is it that you are in search of, and what do you need to do, be, learn, understand? This is a time when you will become more aware of what your life purpose is, and will have experiences, opportunities, and insight that will help you feel more connected to purpose and meaning, and will give you a deeper sense of what the journey is and might be for you.

Eleventh house. How you relate in groups. I call it the Sociology house. This is the realm of yourself in relationship with others: friendships, work and play groups, colleagues, institutional settings and relationships. The groups that fire you up or drain your essence, as the case may be. Notice in your life, as the Sun Gemini moves through your 11th house, what your current relationships are fueling and firing up in you. How are they sparking your imagination, encouraging your well being and ideas, and supporting your visions and intuitive imagination? 

Twelfth house.  The unconscious, the hidden depths of self, memory, private thoughts and secrets, secret enemies (those whom we fear and those whom we threaten) and fears, and the shadow aspects of ourselves. Karmic and intuitive energy.  This house is all that is hidden below the purvey of others and represents the most private, intimate aspect of who we are. When the Sun in Gemini, an air sign, transits this house, we may get a much deeper level of communication, and may be able to tap into our intuitive gifts more easily than at other times. 

One of the wonderful opportunities we have with learning something about astrology, is that it fits into the models that enable us to better understand ourselves, others, and the world in which we live.  A simple way to follow the way the Sun affects you, is to observe just one area of your life during each month of the Sun’s transit through a sign. Learn from your own experience and observations, what validity or lack thereof there is in how the energy of the Sun’s position  in the heavens affects a particular area of life. Do this for a year, and you will be wiser by 12 of at least one solar year’s worth of observations and experiences. 

The Sun entering Gemini, joins Mercury already in Gemini, and this lifts our energy and spirits. It also releases us from a prolonged period of challenges, hard work, struggles, and some delays.  With Mars turning direct in Libra, more energy has also been released, and movement picks up in all areas. We move out of the heavy aspect of the Sun and Mercury in Taurus being in direct opposition to Saturn in Scorpio. We find much needed relief and release from the heavy oppositional energy and conflicts this brought on. With the pressure eased, we now can use the energy of Jupiter’s benevolence and abundance of resources to bolster and support the plans that Saturn in Scorpio have been dreaming up. Whatever issues we have death with and put to be, are now resolved and won’t be presenting as much of a problem as in the recent past. With Mars’ usual transit cycle shifting form its normal 7-week cycle to a heavy duty 8-month one, we are now also relieved of the endless mind shifts and soul-searching that has marked so  much of most of the last year. It’s okay to let things be for a while. Everything doesn’t need your constant attention and focus. It’s okay and even desirable to take a break, get away on vacation, or simply lighten up your load (and your attitude about things) a bit. 

Timing is perfect of breaks. Graduations and end-of-the school year celebrations are underway. Seasons are changing, and we have more hours to enjoy during each day. Get outside and walk on the land. Plant a garden, or fill a pot with seeds on your balcony or porch. Read something light or start a major summer read (I’ll never forget the summer I read Uris’ The Source and another when I read Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov. A little bit every day, adds a deeper pleasure to life during a time when you can enjoy digesting it more. 

And from one of those beautiful pieces of literature, this quote about our responsibility to enjoy and make the most of the life we have been given. 

"There is only one salvation for you: take yourself up, and make yourself responsible for all the sins of men. For indeed it is so, my friend, and the moment you make yourself sincerely responsible for everything and everyone, you will see at once that it is really so, that it is you who are guilty on behalf of all and for all. Whereas by shifting your own laziness and powerlessness onto others, you will end by sharing in Satan's pride and murmuring against God."

- Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

Full Moon in Scorpio Rising

May Full Moon Waxing                                                 Catherine Al-Meten

“Anticipation is sometimes more exciting than actual events.” 

― Ana Monnar

The anticipation leading up to the Full Moon in Scorpio in 23/56 degrees on Wednesday, May 14, 2014, may be very intense. Some may think of anticipation as something akin to anxiety or dread, but this time of anticipation is full of promise, creative inspiration, and desire for the full expression of one's feelings expressed into action. Full Moons express the coming together of all experience into unity, oneness, and completion. What was set into motion in the past has weathered the storms and overcome the obstacles that rose up along the way. Now we witness what it is that we have helped create in and around us.

This Full Moon highlights the spectrum of experiences and responses between the two spectrums -Taurus' earthy groundedness in opposition to the Moon in Scorpio's depths of mystery, inner turmoil and longings- rising up within our own being. The Sun, represents the actions we express whatever area of our lives it has been transiting.

With the polarities of Taurus-Scorpio at work here, the questions, issues, conflicts, and attractions occur over how well we balance our needs for personal freedom, full expression, and personal autonomy with our desire to plumb the depths of our own psyche, the mysteries of our personal and collective consciousness, in whatever areas of our lives this Full Scorpio Moon and Taurus Sun highlight and activate.
Here are the possibilities:

First-Seventh House Polarity.  First House represents how we express ourselves in the world, how others perceive us, and the mask/role we project through our personality, character, and soul expression. Seventh House represents that area of our lives that where we express ourselves and seek fulfillment, though our most intimate relationships, parnerships, and marriages (hopefully, a marriage includes the other qualities as well).

Second-Eighth House Polarity. The Second House represents how we have come to value ourselves. What do we say our worth is based upon? How have we accepted the programming that we are to behave in a certain way, and not in another? Most of us face the conflicts inherent in living according to our own sense of identity or living according to what someone else expects us to be. Now is the time to pay attention to how we define ourselves, how we tell ourselves and others who we are, and how we are using our resources. Eighth house issues pertain to how we use our power, sexual and creative energies, and how are valued in community. Eighth house issues also pertain to the deeper exploration of spiritual energy, traditions, and esoteric knowledge.

Third-Ninth House Polarity. The Third House represents communications, our immediate community, brothers and sisters, and how we express ourselves.  Ninth House dealings include higher education and advanced forms of thought. It represents all connection to and dealings with people and ideas of a foreign nature. International travel, cross cultural connections, and  movement across time and space. For the individual it represents that area of life that feeds in, trains you for, or helps you bring to fullness, the creative power of your mind, intellect, and philosophical/spiritual identity.

Fourth-Tenth House Polarity.  The Fourth House represents where we came into life and the innate drives, desires, and destiny that we brought into this incarnation.  Home, self, that sense of feeling at home with one's self.  Home is  the place where you reside as well as how you define the entire sense of feeling at home with yourself.  Home is where you find time and space for rest, refreshment, healing, and nourishment. Connected to our base/root chakra needs for grounding, connection, and a physical sense of safety and security.  Tenth House issues relate to our life purpose or calling.  For some this includes career, but the entire pull of the 10th house is to discover and create that special purpose that you came into life with.  Using our talents, gifts, intellect, wits, and discernment to determine what feeds our purpose and what is drawing us away from that fulfillment.


Fifth-Eleventh House Polarity. Fifth house represents our creative energy, children, pleasure and enjoyment of life including romance and affairs of the heart. Fifth house is about personal pleasure while the Eleventh House is about our relationships with and within groups. Our institutional relationships and friendship circles, our community and connections with others. Friendships. The emphasis in the 11th house is on the good of the whole group.

Sixth-Twelfth House Polarity.  The Sixth House represents your physical being and health, your day-to-day activity, what you spend your time doing each day, and how well you are taking care of your total well being.  Twelfth house represents the hidden, the Unconscious, the mysteries, the shadow aspects of our being. Twelfth house represents our capacity and power to access and become more aware through intuition, dreams, visions, and all the intuitive senses.

Look at where the Sun in Taurus is transiting, and where the Moon in Scorpio will come to fullness on Wednesday. That area of your life should be lively, and will affect other areas of life as well. This Full Moon in Scorpio is reaching fullness after conjuncting Saturn during Saturn's slow transit into the unconscious realms of Scorpio.  Whatever has been churning up to the surface, now gets expressed in a big way. When we have failed to try to integrate the disparities, recognize the complexities, and deal with some of the ambiguities that keep us bound to decisions that are no longer viable or healthy, this Full Moon transit can bring everything to the surface for some kind of much-needed expression.

The Moon in Libra the three days before the Full Moon in Scorpio, takes us on a short trip through some of the areas of ambiguity and conflict that may still be lingering in the immediate area of your life.  Notice what seems to need attention, recognition, or acknowledgment from now until the Moon enters Scorpio. Libra continues to call us to harmonize our lives through relationships. Cooperation in partnerships, collective effort in relationships, and personal reflection and discernment are favored.

Moon in Scorpio, makes this a passionate Full Moon, full of intensity, emotional excess, and revelation. What we feel now, we feel deeply for we are discerning that most intimate part of ourselves that connects us to what we really love and desire. If we can use our personal power to act on our own behalf, for our personal best interests, we can develop a healthy way to break some old, worn out patterns of thinking, behaving, and relating.  Imagine the Moon is calling you to stand in your own truth and do just one or two things that are for your own good. It may be something simple like eating better, or something a bit more challenging, like listening to what old fear, habits, or thinking are rooted in. To disconnect from that which holds us bound to something or someone where our energy is trapped, blocked, or repressed, we need to take the first steps to recogniz and then pull our energy back into our own sphere of influence. Notice, for example, right now, one place where your thoughts are trapped. For example, perhaps you are unresolved about participating in some activitiy. What are the fears, thoughts, senses that inform you about that activity and lack of decision?  Identifying and bringing such thought to consciousness, are the first steps in the process of disconnecting. Next step would be to understand that my thinking about something carries the weight of my energy with it.  The more we focus on something, the more energy and power it gets. How can we release our connections from all the places where our energy is being carried?  The Full Moon will bring this fully into awareness.

This Week.

Sunday.  In the wee small hours of the morning, you might have been awakened, as I was, by the Venus opposition to Mars. Venus in Aries and Mars in Libra boil over into our lives with a sense of urgency to express meeting up with resistance from Mars in its last few days retrograde in Libra.  Our desires seem clear; our ability to act upon them continues to seem thwarted. Times like these often lead to impulsive or rash decisions or actions. Use your discretion, and channel this energy into journaling ideas to create  action plans, goals, or lists. Not a great time to create or feed into drama in any way. Practice mindfulness, exercise, or tackle a big chore (clean out the fridge or reorganize the closet).

Later in the morning, Mercury in Aries squares Neptune in Pisces creating steam heat or an explosion of some kind. Perhaps a brilliant burst of energy or a sudden idea that arises from some unconscious or mysterious part of your being.  Notice dreams, flashes of intuition, or prescient feelings urging you to pay attention to your inner knowledge. Awareness is crucial for using this energy. Otherwise it may just a appear as a sharp blast or wasted effort in an unnecessary area.

In the afternoon, the Moon in Libra first squares Pluto perhaps having us crying in our beer over some task we seem to have to repeat over and over, and, well you get the idea.   Then the Moon in Libra opposes Uranus in Aries, coming in on  a burst of news, a sudden event, or an incident that throws us for a loop. The Moon deals with our emotional responses as well as our body's reaction to the tidal floes (often connected to some of our moods).  Notice how you are feeling, and use the experience to become more mindful about how certain thoughts felt while under pressure from the unexpected  awareness, news, or event (Mercury squaring Neptune), lead you to feel, respond, or think later. Lastly, the Moon in Libra squares Jupiter. An emotional trigger may cause us to react to something that should be good news as if it were the end of the world. Thought is energy, and thoughts have power. Watch what your thoughts are doing to control, direct, and color your perspective on life right now.  Be mindful, patient, and discerning. Take in what is rising up, and let yourself be aware of but not drawn into negative thinking that is blocking or creating obstacles where none need be.  Release, observe what has passed, and be still where you are. No need to rush or fix, to hurry or do anything at all. Let things be.



Monday. The Moon moves into Scorpio on Monday, and the only major aspect is in the late-afternoon or early evening, when Mercury which just entered Gemini on May 7 trines Mars in Libra (retrograde). Since Mercury has been in Gemini, thinking as been speeded up, thoughts, ideas, and energetic loads of all kinds have been flying in all directions.  If you have felt a bit spacey or if signals seem confusing, you are probably picking up on the frenetic energy of Mercury in Gemini.  Deals are being made, decisions are confirmed, and whatever has been released over the last few weeks has created room for new life. While Mars is still in its retrograde phase for a bit longer, and in the sign of Libra (balancing and harmonizing), actions may not happen right away, but the momentum is moving forward, and the anticipation is building up even if we do not know much about outcomes.

Tuesday. The waxing Moon in Scorpio moves us through Tuesday with some minor aspects to Mercury(Gemini), Venus (Aries), Pluto(Capricorn), and finally, Uranus (Aries)-all areas where our emotional senses may be heightened.  Notice which areas of your life this waxing full moon is transiting prior to its fullness on Wednesday. These are areas of life that may need attention, focus, or some discernment.

Wednesday. The Full Moon in Scorpio-Full Flower Moon, the Milk Moon, Corn-Planting Moon in the Northern Hemisphere, the Hunter's Moon, Beaver Moon, or Frost Moon in the Southern Hemisphere. Reaching its fullness at 12:17 PDT/3:17 EDT, the Full Moon in Scorpio.

Before the Full Moon peaks, there are two powerful aspects. The first is Jupiter in Cancer trining Chiron in Pisces, is energized by the waxing fullness of this Moon.  Some type of healing and blessing comes to add its influence to the energy of this Full Moon. We read a point or receive the grace of a healing blessing that is activating and expressing itself in a powerful way throughout this lunar and solar cycle. This could be a day you look back on as key in a decision to reach, a new step you take, or a door you close and another you open. Be willing to release your focus on what has been released in your life, and be open and receptive to answers to your prayers. We may feel we are receiving the perfect message or being given the exact  sign we need to help us make a connection that leads to healing.

The second aspect is Venus in Aries square Pluto, the Great Transformer, in Capricorn. A chaotic mess of emotions, mixed feelings, confusion, jealousy, and possessiveness rises up in passionate expression. The underlying motivation and causes of this emotional storm is unclear, hidden, and intentionally being kept in the shadows. When we feel our desires thwarted, our work and creativity undervalued, or our needs left unmet, there is a tendency for us to reach a point of overload. This is such a point, where if you have been seeking support, resources, and acknowledgment in some area of your life, you will now feel the full force of your met or unmet passions, and will feel the need to act out, speak out, or somehow express these feelings.  Be aware that your own expectations are what created the impasse. The path of transformation is already underway, and though we cannot see the end result, or control all that the process is about, we still feel the need to keep our hands on the wheel. Time to acknowledge that this life works best as a constant state of seeking grace, releasing the need to control, and to submitting to the power and will of Divine right and perfect action, regardless of what we do or don't do.  Such a huge lesson for us when we think we have to be or do or have just one more thing or idea to be enough. Acknowledge the conflicting energies at work in your life at this time, and seek a place of comfort, mindfulness, and presences to soak all this in. Be conscious and aware of what is motivating you. Be mindful and present, and avoid being manipulative, grasping, or disruptive. Pluto reminds us, "it's not just about 'me'" and Uranus in Aries is all about what makes 'me' happy. Therein lies the conflict. How do you best reconcile this conflict within yourself? How do you keep this clear when in relationship?

Mercury also forms a stress aspect to Pluto later in the evening.  This can raise issues through either an exchange or through a message, over some unresolved decision.  This aspect often signals a period of reassessing or second guessing our intentions or the motivations and intentions of others in light of our relationships. Avoid getting too wrapped up in depressing and unnecessary self flagellation. No decision needs to be made. If in doubt, don't.  At the very least, hold off on taking rash actions, or making poorly timed decisions.

The Sun in Taurus forms a seisquiquadrate to Mars in Libra later in the evening. Beware of acting out or engaging in conflicts. Aggression and acting on repressed feeling and pent up energy is likely but not advised. Conflicts may be on the surface at this time, highlighted by all the introspective churnings and the full force of the Moon's fullness at the peak of fullness. The battles over Taurean's need for practicality, beauty, trust, and need for a sense of grounded knowing fly in the face of Scorpio's deep, inner need to protect, savor, and find purpose and meaning in the hidden, mysterious, and deeper elements of consciousness and life.  The conflict between what we see, say, do and what we feel, know, and understand, particularly in relation to our own identity in and apart from relationships. Use the energy creatively, constructively, and much can be achieved.

Thursday.  During the early part of Thursday, we are heavily drenched in the energy of the Full Moon. Later Mercury in Gemini continues to make a beeline in its orbit, forming sextiles to both Venus in Aries and Uranus in Aries. Shortly afterward Venus in Aries forms an exact conjunction with Uranus. Something pretty powerful and eye and heart-opening may be revealed or understood at this time. Expect the unexpected, and be prepared for sudden, surprising, and perhaps shocking ideas and opportunities to arise.  Deep-seated desires are triggered and we feel and contemplate the need for change and desire for something different from what we usually seek.  We may feel the need to be more adventurous, to explore into the mysterious or hidden areas of our own or the lives of others.  Can be a creative time if using this energy for writing, solving problems, decoding or unraveling mysteries. Something significant is revealed on some level of our experience (we may hear something or dream something, feel/sense something, or receive information that clarifies).


Friday. The Moon has moved into Sagittarius, and our emotional energy is focused more on action and thought than expression and reflection. The Moon  makes a number of aspects throughout the day, trines to Uranus and Venus during the night (sweet, revealing dreams). Later, the Moon opposes Mercury (crossed signals or disagreements) and then squares Chiron in Pisces. When the Moon aspects the inner and outer planets after a powerful full moon, we can think of Luna spreading moon dust to trigger different responses, turn over new territory, uproot old patterns, thoughts, and habits, and remind us that we now act according to the energy created through previous thought. Notice what is being called to change in our thought and behavior patterns. Self reflection is a helpful tool for discovering the roots of some of the issues before us. Pulling up the issues by the roots enables us to make a fresh start. Whatever you carry forward with you, remains a part of your energy field, and continues to influence. Lighten up your load, release what has fallen apart or away. Enter into this third quarter of the lunar month with the fullness of what you have within you now, and an appreciation for the process and blessings that continue to pull you, engage you, and use you to fulfill your purpose and to connect with and to love and serve others.
Saturday morning, Mercury in Gemini squares Chiron, the Wounded  Healer, in Pisces. Something painful, revelatory, or vital to one's understanding, occurs when Mercury sets off action related to how we are healing through our woundedness.


Overall Observations. The Full May Moon in Scorpio is cleansing us of whatever has been broken, empty, or wounded. Wherever the Grand Cardinal Cross highlighted the areas of your life that have been wounded and are in need of healing, we find ourselves being purified through the elemental energies that now surround and fill us. The Mars retrograde cycle has turned over a number of unhealed areas of our lives where we need to heal. With the energy of the Moon and Saturn in Scorpio, we have been given an opportunity at this full moon to connect our conscious, emotions and awareness with deep-seated issues that have become manifest. Healing takes place when we no longer have repressed feelings, but have allowed them to rise to the fullness of expression....only then can we begin to integrate their meaning into life. So many of us seek the reasons why for everything. We might get some of those answers now, however, the real power is the power we have to change and move further in our development-body, mind, spirit, and all elements of our being.

The Full Moon in Scorpio is conjunct Saturn, and is acting as a piercing laser to cut into the deep woundedness that has been repressed within us. Notice also where Neptune at 7 degrees of Pisces is, as this points to the area of your life where energetic healing requires major cleansing and transformation.  This marks the point in your life where you need to seek release from all toxins, negativity, poisons, and unhealthy situations that may be causing you more harm than good. Healing comes after the full moon as we begin to slowly take simple steps to create a healthier body, mind, spirit, emotional and psychological energy.

This Full Moon puts us in diret contact with and provides us what we need to understand, exactly what it is, within our selves, that needs to be healed in order for the relationships, projects, external experiences we have to heal and develop in a way that enhances well being. Take an active role in cleansings, purifying, refining, and enhancing what serves us. What gifts, talents, tools, resources and knowledge are in your treasure chest? How do you need to care for and nourish yourself so you can continue your journey with fewer burdens and more energy and strength?  Spend some time taking care of the details that detur you from moving forth on projects, choices, and deicisions.

"God descends to earth like fresh spring rain, and at every level his grace is received differently. For some it feels like love, for others like salvation. It feels like safety and warmth at one level, like coming home at another.” 

― Deepak Chopra, Why Is God Laughing?: The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism

First Quarter Square and

Spirng Blooms                                                          Catherine Al-Meten

When we are not sure where the road will lead, we sometimes simply need to stop along the way, and get some perspective before we move forward. This week may be such a time for many of us. And no matter how complicated, busy, or overwhelming life may seem sometimes, remember the word from the childhood stories of Winnie the Pooh: 

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” 

 On Tuesday May 6, 2014 at 11:15 P.M. EDT/8:26 PDT. the first quarter square occurs with  the  Moon in Taurus and the Sun in Leo. In the aftermath of the Grand Cardinal Cross at the Full Moon in Taurus on April 29, this lunar aspect  finds us looking back over what has transpired.  First quarter squares are times when the first signs of what is happening with what we  set into motion at the New Moon a week ago. The New Moon in Taurus coincided with the Grand Cardinal Cross and the Solar eclipse, and this past couple of weeks may have  erupted like a tornado in our lives. 

We have all crossed over the threshold onto a new path, and for some, what happened last week brought the urgency for change full force upon us. Surprising, sometimes upsetting, and often shocking reminders of what needed to be eliminated in our lives in order for us to move forward. Over the last few years, we have been moving with surprising swiftness through unconscious material, and deep-seated issues that had been clouding judgment, controlling outcomes, and creating energy blocks in many areas of our lives. When we fail to heed the call to clear up, clean up, and walk away from stifling and unhealthy situations, we find we have to be removed from those situations or be  shocked into understanding why those  conditions, situations, relationships, or beliefs are no longer viable.  

For some, particularly those who had suffered great losses but had learned from the loss the gifts that were to come out of transformation, this period of time was somewhat anticlimactic. Had you made great changes in your life, relationships, attitudes, general sense of self regard, and intentions, you may not have noticed much outer change. Most of us, however, did feel a surging of new energy welling up in our lives, often experienced through creative and artistic expression. Those who were able to channel the energy of the Grand Cardinal Cross into life-affirming, creative ways, probably felt this was a very productive time.  Depending upon where the aspects manifested, it has been and will continue to be, a time when new doors open, new ways of approaching relationships, and innovative and artistic ways of viewing our life purpose have been released. 

Some may feel, as I have noticed, that it is far more difficult to hang onto old patterns, beliefs, rationales, excuses, or ‘the same old story’ stories. We can no longer even function on that level, and feel the immediate drain of energy if we enter into that realm or meet up with someone who is till circling the drain trying to hold onto some long gone reality.  It’s harder to see through that lens anymore. We can be compassionate, but feel less and less empathetic. We may struggle with tolerance and acceptance, or if we’re fortunate, find that we have accepted the new facts of life-we are not responsible for fixing anyone but ourselves. “This above all-To thine own self be true, and it follows as the night the day, thous canst then  be false to any man [anyone]” (Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonium’ advice to his son, Lertes upon leaving home to seek his fortune). Whether or not the changes have been drastic and marked, or subtle and just below the surface, something has changed that sets the tone for the future.

On May 2, Mercury’s opposition to Saturn, allowed us to process what has happened, and helped us integrate the lessons of this drastic change into our lives. We seem to have little time or energy to mourn what’s gone, but instead feel grounded where we are, gaining perspective and balance as we are poised on the edge of a new precipice of change. As I write this column, Venus is leaving the soothing, romantic, nebulous realm of Pisces and entering the fiery zone of Aries. Passions, love, lust, and action combine in new starts and in setting off powerful changes around how we express those passions. The Moon remains in Cancer until tomorrow (Monday, May 5) mid-morning to mid-day, when it enters Leo, the sign that rules this New Moon. 

Today, Sunday May 4,  lunar aspects set off some light transmissions. In the middle of the night/just past dawn, depending where you live, the Moon in Cancer squared off against Uranus in Aries. Emotional sparks may have been evident in the early hours of the day, perhaps a rude awakening or nightmare just before waking.  Later in the day, the Moon forms a conjunction with Jupiter in Cancer, then two trines with Chiron and then Saturn. The conjunction puts us emotionally in touch with the good fortune and the blessings around us-provided we are willing to acknowledge what blessings we have been given. Sometimes what we feared or lost, ended up to have opened a door for something better than we could have imagined. What kinds of blessings may you have been overlooking? This aspect awakens us to that sense of plenty. The trines open doors first for healing over and through past wounds, and second in understanding the lessons that have helped us grow.

The Moon in Cancer seisquiquadrate Neptune in Pisces late at night, may create a sense of tension or edginess-have we done what needed doing, completed a task correctly, or come to an understanding we need to heal? These question and others like them, may be triggered on an emotional level. Rather than allowing these thoughts to disturb our sleep and rest, write them down as issues to be examined, later. Then set them aside, knowing if they need to be answered, they will be. Over the course of the night your dreams, consciousness, or both may work to reveal what you need to know. 

On Monday, May 5, Mercury forms a seisquiquadrate to Mars bringing whatever questions we had to the surface and into conversations that fly and flow through all forms of communication. The energy from this aspect may make us feel edgy, disagreeable, or act or speak with a sense of urgency that is wholly inappropriate. Take your time, pace yourself, and be very selective and considerate with how you choose to  act, respond, handle tough situations, or make decisions. This is not a great time to be impulsive. Just before or after midday, the Moon enters Leo. The Moon is Void-of-Course from early morning until the afternoon, so this is a time to hold back, avoid confrontations and conflicts, and be careful and cautious if we need to be focusing on details. 

Tuesday, May 6. During the night/early morning hours, The Sun in Taurus sextile Jupiter in Cancer increases our sense of good will, hope, optimism, and receptiveness to our highest good. This is a good time for communications, negotiations, and decision making, particularly around the issues dealing with the houses/part of your life where the Sun and Jupiter are currently transiting. We are feeling more at home in our own skin, and seeing where our worth, intentions, values, and gifts fit into the larger scheme of life. We get a glimpse, if we hadn’t before, of where we are headed, and in  the potential for fulfillment, success, achievement, and the unravelling of mysteries of the mind and soul journey we are on.

Later, the Moon in Leo trines Uranus in Aries, setting off an emotional charge and connection that brings ideas, inspiration, communication, and meaning deep into our core being. 

Also on Tuesday, Mercury, the planet of the messenger and of communications, in Gemini forms a seisquiquadrate to Pluto, the Great Transformer. Doubts, fears, and untested and untried relationships may cause us to question and mistrust some of what we hear, see, and sense.  Levels of trust are at issue, and sometimes that simply means we are too tired to see what’s really happening. In order to fully comprehend an issue at this time, it is necessary to investigate thoroughly, pay attention to whatever is setting of stress, and listen to your intuition, gut reactions, and mental red flags. Avoid giving in to pressure, and get plenty of rest. Nothing is that urgent that it can’t wait for a clearer picture to emerge. When we are triggered by Saturn to slow down, let ideas sink in, and pay attention to what is beneath the surface, it is best to listen. The presence of Mercury means that though we feel a need to find out, we can moderate our responses now. 

On Wednesday, in the middle of the night, Mercury in the last degrees of Taurus forms a semi-square to Uranus in Aries.  The Sun in Taurus is also sextile Chiron in Pisces on Wednesday. We seek and find a connection to our greater purpose. We stop trying to figure out how to get ‘there’ and instead are able to connect how what we are doing where we are is leading us toward our mission. With this awareness, we are open to learn, grow, and heal. We are willing to put aside our need to be right or in charge, and allow ourselves to flow more freely in the boat we’re paddling. This frees energy to allow us to solve some problems that have been weighing us down, or unravel a mystery we couldn’t understand. When Mercury enters Gemini, our minds seem to become more active than ever, and the need to discern and ground our ideas is needed as well.

Thursday, Mercury semi-square Jupiter (late night Wednesday/early morning Thursday), we may be bombarded with what seems like insight. Because the energy is so scattered however, it may feel more like we’re being filled with too much information. This exhausting flow of energy may make it harder to focus or pay attention to details. It may also make us feel confused and consequently, frustrated in our efforts to think clearly. Since this restlessness may occur in the middle of the night, it might be good to do some stress-relieving practices to help yourself calm down and release the need to analyze or sort through all that is flowing into you now. 

On Saturday, the Sun in Taurus is in opposition to Saturn in Scorpio. Saturn’s wet blanket of reality-based reminders, may dampen our enthusiasm and zeal for life today. When the Sun (our desire to act and create) opposes Saturn, the Great Teacher, we are reminded of all we don’t know, and all that we need to learn. The heaviness of this aspect may make us feel somewhat like we are plodding through molasses-our confidence is shaken, our outlook is less than optimistic, and our perceptions are colored by Saturn’s big picture outlook. There’s always going to be more to do or handle or understand than we are capable of doing. Use your best spiritual practices and other healthy outlets to release yourself from the Saturn-based doubts, fears, obligations, loads, and burdens that you may feel you are carrying.  Get enough rest. Connect with the beauty of the earth. Take care of one tiny piece of life at a time, and live with the reality of the undone, unfinished, and unknown. Make some type of peace with uncertainty and any sense of doubt over your own capacity to live a fulfilling, creative, rich life. Avoid taking on all the issues of a lifetime in a single day! Find something constructive to do, take a nap, go out to dinner, walk along the beach or river, or mow the lawn. Do now what takes your mind off the big picture and puts it squarely in the mindful task before you. Bite into an apple and savor each taste. Life is better than you think it is. 

Sometimes the best advice we can give is that which a friend has shared with us at a hard place on the road. So here it is. In the immortal words of A.A. Milne’s conversation between Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh, “If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

For more about what is happening in the night sky, visit this National Geographic website.