Saraswati: Divine Wisdom, a February New Moon and an Aquarius Stellium

NEW MOON in AQUARIUS, the sign of the water bearer, at 23˚17’, on Thursday, February 11th at 11:05 am PST. Jupiter and Venus form a conjunction at 12˚ Aquarius, along with Saturn, Mercury retrograde, and Pallas Athena, also all in the same air sign.

---

“Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?”

“Dance when you’re perfectly free.”

— Rumi

In India, every year around this time of February, according to the Hindu calendar, people honor Saraswati. Here is the goddess on her chariot, her white swan, in an Indian miniature painting. She is a river goddess, and, a little like Pallas Athena, she embodies Divine wisdom. I am not from India nor do I claim to know much about such a rich and vibrant culture. But, for me, Saraswati seems to embody what we need under this Aquarian New Moon at the moment – with all the planetary energy in the air sign. I thought, well, why not share about her, what she manifests… Learning and wisdom, music, art and speech.

In the kind of astrology I practice, evolutionary astrology, we try to see such moments as an opportunity to grow and expand in consciousness, to find a part of ourselves we need to claim – how to take Saturn’s obstacles, hardships, and challenges, and make them rocket fuel, to make ourselves stronger, under Jupiter, to learn and to gain wisdom. Mercury retrograde, to ponder all of it, and Venus to seek understanding in the dance we do with others.

Ask where do all these transiting planets fall in my natal chart? What part of myself am I wrestling with now, where am I seeking to be free, to be uniquely me, to be the revolutionary genius I was born to be, and where, too, might I feel blockage? Am I fighting from seeing opportunities that are available to me? And that I can manifest for my own personal journey?

It helps to turn to the goddess Saraswati. Try to ask for a little bit of her wisdom – make it my wisdom of the moment. Listen to the cosmic music and dance. Somewhere in our life - look to the house location of Aquarius in your own birth chart - we have to want to try, to take a chance. And when things do fail, take it as a teaching, insight into how we can mature into who we are becoming.

I keep thinking about my friends I know born in early February, 1962, when seven planets came together in Aquarius. The planetary lineup resembled now, in 2021, except that Mars was also in Aquarius that month in ‘62. This year, these folks are going through their second “Saturn Return,” when Saturn returns to the same position in the zodiac the planet was when they were born. Think Saturn in Aquarius in transit now hitting each one, each planet, in their natal stellium. With Saturn, there is some challenge, some hardship, some inevitable limitations. Meanwhile, a door of opportunity for them, Jupiter, is present, too, but they have to step through it. How difficult that must be. To claim a leadership role in your life, to become the elder. In 2021, we have also the current transits of Mars and Uranus in Taurus, in a square to the celestial lineup in Aquarius: To know that maybe you have to leave some things behind to be authentically you. We so often define ourselves around what others need or what others consider is success, even when it really isn’t our legacy, our path…how tough that must be to process now.

Imagine having a Saturn Return with all this energy in Aquarius – air sign of the genius, the humanitarian, the one who breaks free from the status quo. And with Jupiter and Venus together in the sky now, opportunity is there to open our hearts and make the most of our lives together.

Maybe we all need to ask: What path do I truly seek to be authentic? Maybe plant an intention for the New Moon…Wishing everyone the best!

Solar Arcs: A Poet's Voice Becomes a Warrior's Path of Compassion and Justice

“For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it”

— Amanda Gorman

---

Presidential Inauguration, Poet Amanda Gorman reads her poem, January 20th, 2021.

I’ve been thinking about the young poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, and how timely and emotionally moving her poetry is…I especially like the work she has done on the theme of our lives under Covid – the compassion we feel for others at such a lonely and isolating time.

Several people have mentioned her birthchart online, the natal planets, such as Sun and Mercury, that she has in Pisces, her emotional Cancer Moon and her creative, visionary voice (Noon chart, time of birth unknown, degree of Moon unknown). But I was struck by her solar arcs now at play in her evolving sense of self and the strong expression of her will through her words. In evolutionary astrology, we look at solar arcs to get a sense of how the person’s changing core identity is playing out in biographical events. They can be very noticeable in the life.

 Amanda was born when Jupiter, at 7˚, formed a conjunction with the south node of the Moon, 10˚, in Pisces. She brings into this life (Jupiter ruler of south node conjunct south node) an innate wisdom about the Divine connections we all feel, the collective pain, along with joy, of being human, and the subtle and sometimes psychic ways we communicate with one another. Just read her poems…

At this critical stage in her life, in 2021, by solar arc, Amanda’s south node has moved to conjunct her natal Mars at 2˚ Aries, her Jupiter now sits at 0˚ Aries, between her natal Mars and Mercury at 29˚ Pisces. What a powerful expression of both signs! The warrior’s assertion of confidence and strength of the knowledge she is here now in this lifetime to give (south node). A poet’s insight that touches us all to see connection, to feel united, when pandemic and ideological barriers keep us apart.

And all this while Amanda also feels strong transits, in the current sky, with Neptune, planet of spiritual consciousness and creative vision, conjunct her natal Sun; her presence as she speaks stirs the collective heart. Saturn by transit forms a conjunction with her natal Venus and Neptune in Aquarius in early degrees of the sign, where she recently felt the union of Jupiter and Saturn, making real the struggles of separation and fear by rendering passionate poems about Aquarian justice and Neptunian love.

From Amanda Gorman’s poem,  "The Miracle of Morning," about grief under the pandemic,

“While we might feel small, separate, and all alone,
Our people have never been more closely tethered.
The question isn’t if we can weather this unknown,
But how we will weather this unknown together.

Do not ignore the pain. Give it purpose. Use it.” 

Jupiter in Aquarius: Charles Dickens, Scrooge and a Christmas Transit in 1843

““Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!” ”

— Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

---

Jupiter in Aquarius, 5:07 am, PST, December 19th, 2020 - May 13th, 2021, July 29th - December 28th, 2021.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, or happy holidays, to everyone!! Every year I watch ‘A Christmas Carol’, AKA ‘Scrooge,’ one of the many versions, on the night of Christmas Eve. I haven’t decided which one I want to watch tonight…

I was thinking how funny that Jupiter is now in Aquarius this year, just like it was during the months of extensive writing Charles Dickens did the fall of 1843. He published that famous novella that December. It sold out by Christmas Eve that year!

Last year, I shared the amazing story of the astrology at play when Dickens took the chance to work so hard on the book. It speaks a lot about Saturn and Jupiter. Given the planets are together now in the sky, I can’t help but ask, how can one best work with them in terms of evolutionary astrology, for personal growth and change in the New Year? I thought I’d post the story again:

Between October and December in 1843, when Dickens produced ‘A Christmas Carol,’ he threw himself into an intensive writing period of several weeks. Saturn happened to be in the sign Capricorn (like the planet was this past fall, 2020). During the 6-week period, the planet formed an exact conjunction with Charles Dickens’ natal Mercury on his 5th House cusp, house of creative expression, Mercury the writer. Faster moving Mars came through as well by conjunction, helping Dickens to focus his will and put into action creatively his ideas about moral and social reform, the higher octave of Capricorn.

Charles Dickens’ birthchart, A-rated

Charles Dickens

When the book sold the days before Christmas that same year, Venus by transit joined Saturn in the sky, again meeting Dicken’s natal Mercury. Jupiter and Neptune in Aquarius were also exactly in conjunction with his natal Sun, also in his 5th House, during November – the visionary writer as teacher of social justice and change.

It wasn’t an easy time for Dickens (Saturn conjunct his natal Mercury, Pluto in Aries by transit in an exact square) and he didn’t make much money despite the book’s popularity – he actually got into a legal scuffle over it - but in the long run…what a gift.

Set for noon. Note: This chart comes at the end of weeks of writing by Dickens and some of the transits mentioned above had passed.

Most cool I think is that Neptune seems to have this impact of moving the larger collective. And there the planet was sitting on his natal Sun, his solar self. When we consider the nodes of the Moon, we see a karmic pattern, like something needed to be said. The south node in the sky in the fall of 1843 exactly aligned by conjunction Dickens’ Jupiter in Gemini in his 10th House.

I often think about what a collective impact that story had and how its legacy is so enduring. Good ol’ Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounter with the three ghosts; everyone knows the story. Maybe now is the time for all of us to take such a chance, create a collective Aquarian change for the common good.  

This coming year, in 2021, Jupiter, with its 12-year orbit, will spend about one year, off and on, in the sign. In May, the planet briefly enters Pisces, returning under retrograde motion to Aquarius by the end of July, finally leaving Aquarius all together the end of December, 2021. Most people are a little familiar with the concept of retrograde motion, when a planet appears to move backward in the sky (most widely known today by the popularity, or lack thereof, of Mercury retrograde).

Because of this phenomenon, some people will experience the Jupiter transit through Aquarius impacting key areas of their chart more than once, and possibly more deeply, and with more opportunity to learn, through the transit later this coming year. Check to see where late degrees of the sign Aquarius, 22˚ and after, fall in your birthchart.

Those born under the sign Aquarius in late January and the start of February, or those who have planets in early or the middle of Aquarius, need to take advantage of this January, because it is one shot deal. Jupiter will have a strong punch for a brief period then and move on after. This is made especially so, because of Saturn present close by in Aquarius, and the planets will form a square to Uranus in Taurus, Saturn by February.

Saturn and Jupiter as seen through the Hubble Telescope, December, 2020

Some may want to check their own birthchart and be like Dickens next month. Dive in, do it, have faith and try hard. With the right intention, what do you have to lose? Effort can be a struggle, but always worth a try… 

Wishing the best for everyone in 2021 and many blessings for Jupiter’s passage through Aquarius!

December's Total Solar Eclipse: Reach for the Stars, Open Your Heart

HAPPY NEW MOON to you! A Total Solar ECLIPSE IN SAGITTARIUS, at 23˚08’, on Monday, December 14th, at 8:16 am PST.

---

The Maya have a glyph they use to represent “divination” – the practice of trying to see God and God’s works. It looks like a hand clutching a fish. If you think about it, it works pretty well. One can’t quite grasp “God” (with a capital “G”) like a slippery fish; the more your claim you have God in your understanding, the more God slips away.

Mayan glyph for “eclipse,” note serpent swallowing the Sun

The sign Sagittarius is like that. If you freeze your mind, close your fist and your heart, in your self-righteousness and arrogance, you’ll only feel a little bit of that fish and it will escape you. You’ll limit your world and what your soul can do. But if you cradle that fish, and let it breathe, you can reach into higher realms of understanding. You can seek adventure and find what lies beyond. Expand into Divination with a capital “D”. Or at least experience life in a fuller, more multifaceted way.

Now Sagittarius doesn’t always signify the desire to seek higher knowledge, wisdom and God. And the sign Pisces may more adequately reflect mystical arts, such as divination. There’s a wonderfully exuberant, festive, fun-loving and fiery side of Sagittarius, too. Jupiter, of course, rules the sign! But being held up in your own overly confident ego, attitudes and beliefs, refusing to accept alternative possibilities, is like clutching the fish to hard.

Take Donald Trump, born on a lunar eclipse, his Moon at 21˚ Sagittarius. The current total solar eclipse is conjunct the out-going President’s natal Moon, within two degrees. Most folks know about the ancient Mesopotamian use of the eclipse as a sign of “the fall of a king.” Donald, do us all a favor and let go of the fish.

IMHO, to seize opportunity, to embody the centaur archer’s faith, you need to have more than a fiery gumption; you need flexibility of spirit, mind and heart.

Look to see where this New Moon eclipse falls in your own birthchart. Here you might see a hand and a fish. Have wisdom enough to soften your hand, have confidence in what you can do, but also open your heart and your mind, and try to see things differently. Shoot an arrow to the stars, learn a new dance, experience a different way of being, and try to see a little further.

A total solar eclipse is most noticeable as a time of growth and change when it hits a key degree or location in your birthchart. Watch roughly six months before and six months after. 

Wishing you the best!

Chiron Wound, Chiron the Healer: Some Thoughts on the First Presidential Debate

How can we help?

---

Presidential Debate, September 29th, 2020

I was talking with a good friend – a fellow evolutionary astrologer – last night, following the previous night’s nightmare Presidential debate. I mentioned in passing the popular Hollywood film, “The King’s Speech”, when commenting upon Joe Biden’s obvious frustration over the obstacles to getting his words out on stage. King George VI, “Bertie,” you may recall, had a very difficult time working through an awful stutter, what in his birthchart is reflected, in part, by a Sagittarius 2nd house Mercury opposing his Neptune in Gemini, 8th.

King George VI

Now comparing the two charts of King George VI and Joe Biden is like comparing APPLES and ORANGES. The two men are VERY different and I have no intention of listing all the details of their respective birthcharts.

But, hear me out…there may just be something worth keeping in mind, and also perhaps of practical use, to what I wish to share here.

You see both men have planets in a square (90˚ aspect) to the nodes of the Moon and both involve the planet Mercury, communication and speech among other things. The south node brings us information about what a soul is bringing into this lifetime and what they are wrestling with, behaviors they tend to repeat, and ones they need to recognize and hopefully move beyond. The north node is the remedy; how we work to heal the past.

With King George’s south node in Virgo, its ruler is Mercury, while his Mars is in a tight square to his nodes, both planets in Sagittarius, 2nd house, suggesting Bertie felt trapped by his own words (square by south node ruler), causing him difficult blockage and a loss of self-confidence (2nd house) in fighting and presenting his views (Mars). King George’s chart has Jupiter, north node co-ruler, in Leo near the midheaven, the most public part of his chart; despite these challenges, he had the potential in this lifetime to shine as “King”, his soul’s intention was also to let go and heal his most inner self (his north node is in Pisces, 4th house, Neptune 8th).

Nodes of the Moon

Now VP Biden, on the other hand, has north node, what he is trying to reach in this lifetime, in Leo, ruled by the Sun, in his 9th house, with Chiron, the “wounded healer,” conjunct at 28˚ 53’ Leo. He’s here to heal his ability to take the stage in presenting his views and changing the current cultural and societal paradigms (9th h) we are facing now as a nation. In order to heal, he must grapple with his Scorpio, 12th house Sun along with Mercury, in a loose square to his nodes, Sun and Venus in a tight square. He is up against, in many ways, his own abilities to speak about the dark realities we so need to transform and face as we “rebirth” our country. These are Scorpionic truths of manmade destruction of our climate and planet, our need for radical lifestyle changes, along with fighting racism and white supremacy. For some, these are taboo, painful subjects, ones deeply embedded in the shadow work of America.

I don’t mean for this to be a political post. Obviously, in the case of the debate, the lack of any respect for rules or proper protocol on the part of the current President was the main issue. But I did notice that Joe stuttered at one point on stage. Then the day after, I heard him stutter again during a campaign speech.

“Vote!” That was the key point VP Joe Biden managed to deliver. Yes, let’s hope we all do. But maybe, too, just maybe, we need to help Joe be heard, to be that wounded healer – How can we give him a better voice?

October: So Much to Take On, To Process, We Need of a Little Peace and Calm

---

“One does not become enlightened by imaging figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious”

— Carl Jung

“You know it’s gonna get stranger...so let’s get on with the show ”

— John Barlow and Bob Weir

This is my first day back to the writing desk since the terrible CZU fire hit our local community and forest. I wish, with all my heart, that everyone receives the grace and hope they need to face the ongoing challenges, and to have the strength and optimism to rebuild anew in this trying time!

October begins with a Harvest Full Moon in Aries, 9˚08’at 2:05 PM, on the 1st. Most notable is the conjunction the Moon makes with Chiron, the “wounded healer,” at 7˚04’ Aries, retrograde. Chiron, a minor planet, also called a ‘centaur object,’ orbits between Saturn and Uranus, occasionally moving inside Saturn's orbit and at other times getting a little farther out in space than where Uranus lies when the planet is as close to the Sun as it can get. Now with Chiron in Aries, we are collectively wrestling with who we are authentically and how do we define our individual rights and roles within the larger collective, a larger humanity attempting to shift in consciousness.

Most, I believe, want to build a better sustainable culture and save our planet. With Chiron now located close to Uranus and away from conservative, patriarchal Saturn, we have a chance to finally heal and create revolution.

Chiron by transit (moving in the current sky) is in early Aries throughout 2020, and when combined, as in this case, with a Full Moon, we are asked to bring to fruition some self-awareness of where we need to take the initiative, assert our own power and claim our own needs. Most importantly, we need to have courage, be willing to take a risk and be the warrior. Look to see where roughly 5˚ to 11˚ Aries falls in your birthchart.

Meanwhile, Venus moves into Virgo beginning on the afternoon of October 2nd . Key is not to be too overly critical of ourselves, as well as our relationships with others and the part we play in those relationships. We may continually raise the bar to perfect our work to ever higher standards. Building upon the New Moon in Virgo back in mid-September, now is the time to push ourselves with our partners to make our projects and dreams solid and real.

Mars continues to move retrograde in late Aries, conjunct Eris, planet of discord, at 24˚. Mars is in a tight square again to Saturn and Pluto, loosely to Jupiter. This square follows an initial square, made back in the third week of August, to Saturn, when Mars was moving direct. We all remember how difficult late August was.  The planet has been in orb (close in degree) from mid-August and this lasts through mid- October, so we face a rough time in general, with tension and conflict in the air.

On October 9th, retrograde Mars in Aries will form an exact square to Pluto in Capricorn (second exact square of three – first was mid-August, last will be in late December, 2020). When the Sun opposes Mars, October 13th, the planet will also be closest to the Earth and fun to find in the night sky as Mars will appear big, bright and red.

The fiery red planet represents our will, our abilities to take action and to protect and fight. In Aries, it is a call for us to have courage, assert our rights and make sure our needs are respected and heard. Mars won’t go direct until November 13th, after the Presidential election.

This is also a powerful time to reflect upon the subconscious ways we behave. These ways may become more visible, bubble to surface of our consciousness and offer us insight. On a personal level, we need patience. Power struggles or frustration may be the result of what we are trying to bring up – can I say bodily expel? - in order to face the shadow, let go and move on.

Why is it we react the way we do? What really is behind the anger, the resentment, the fear? And what about the principles we hold true? Are they more about the expectations we have, our childhood or karmic wounds, or are they truly worth a fight?

October 13th, Mercury stations and turns retrograde at 11˚40’ Scorpio at 6:04 PM PDT, moving retrograde until November 3rd. More of the same Scorpionic themes of what needs to be dredged up, processed and purged will involve turning inward and reflecting upon our darkest shadows.

October 16th is a New Moon in Libra, 12:31 PM  23˚54’, just a few hours after the Moon first opposes Mars, then squares Pluto. Just after the New Moon, the Moon forms a square to Saturn. Mid-month is a perfect time to reassess how we bring beauty, art, music, pleasure and balance into our lives as we restructure our almost post-Covid reality. What relationships bring me calm, relaxation and the peace of mind I need?

In orb throughout October, Jupiter in Capricorn forms a sextile to Neptune, retrograde, in Pisces, 18˚45’exact very early morning on October 12th. This sextile is a time to reimagine where we might go, how to make a new beginning. A rare moment to dream and seek a vision!

Jupiter in a sextile to Neptune. Time to Dream.

By month’s end, early evening of October 27th, Mercury, still retrograde, and Venus both enter Libra, again stressing the harmony and peace we desire at the New Moon. Then, on the weekend of El Dia de Los Muertos, on Halloween itself, another Full Moon, early morning, 7:49 am in Taurus 8˚38’, will tightly conjunct Uranus. There may be some sudden upsets in what we thought we were building, what we thought we held dear! Expect yet another upheaval. Perhaps best to see this time as a reconnection to what we really need to feel secure, stable, and at peace with ourselves and our world.

Wishing everyone a GREAT Halloween!

Halloween Full Moon in Taurus conjunct Uranus

Summer Solstice Eclipse: New Moon in Cancer

“Blackbird singing in the dead of night. Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life...You were only waiting for this moment to arise.”

— Paul McCartney

---

Summer Solstice, 2:44 PM PDT, Sun and Moon at 0˚21’ Cancer, Saturn at 0˚40’ Aquarius, Mars at 25˚49’ Pisces, Pluto, 24˚19’, and Jupiter, 25˚07, conjunct in Capricorn, 11:41 PM PDT, June 20th.

HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE and New Moon eclipse everyone! Sun enters the sign of Cancer, June 20th, 2:44 PM PDT. Solstice is followed by an annular “ring of fire” eclipse that night, 11:41 PM. At 0˚21’ Cancer, the New Moon is asking what beginning do I see for myself that is nurturing and healing not only for me, but for my clan, my tribe, as summertime begins – a yummy meal in restaurant I love, a time of bonding with my family and friends, all while our collective voices call out for social justice and implementing REAL systemic change.

The Sun and Moon conjunction form a tight quincunx - 150˚ aspect – of creative tension with the reality check of task-master Saturn at 0˚40’ Aquarius. Saturn is retrograde and will reenter Capricorn soon for most of the remaining year. In fact, Jupiter and Saturn will be conjunct at the same 0˚ Aquarius in December, so what we are processing under retrograde planets at summer solstice will return.

But we all feel like we are at a threshold NOW, a taste of what is to come…learning how to be in a new world. The quincunx with Saturn in the air sign Aquarius, is helping us process these radical ways of being, new ways of relating, since the 2020 pandemic began. Activism of Black Lives Matter awakens in all of us a spirit of universal Aquarian love, duty and justice!

I love that this eclipse falls at 0˚ Cancer. It is like the cosmos is asking us how do we balance and honor the Cancerian needs of our home and hearth, our inner most sanctum, our own place within, while recognizing Saturn’s delays, frustrations, limitations and pure hard work in what feels like we are birthing anew. As always, it is critical to consider where in your birthchart early degrees of Cancer and Aquarius fall. Mercury now retrograde in Cancer underscores a time for reflection.

Meanwhile Mars, at 25˚49’ Pisces, is still in a waning sextile with Pluto, 24˚19’, and Jupiter, 25˚07 Capricorn, saying we CAN create a vision that will empower collective change. We can all be active players in building a just and compassionate new world – look to see where in your birthchart late Capricorn falls.

Wishing everyone a great Solstice eclipse and New Moon!

Full Moon in Sagittarius Square Mars in Pisces: "Divine Dissatisfaction" Walking in Light!

“Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

---

Full Moon in Sagittarius, 15˚34’, at 12:12 PM PDT, on June 5th, penumbral lunar eclipse. Sun, at 15˚34’, and Venus, 12˚18’retrograde, conjunct in Gemini, Mars in an exact square, at 15˚52’ Pisces. Mars conjunct Neptune in Pisces, at 20˚53’, on June 13th, 7:13 am. Mercury, out of bounds, at 9˚05’ Cancer, on June 5th, then turns retrograde mid-June at 14˚ Cancer.

I was struggling back on Memorial Day to express, in words, what I saw in the upcoming sky under the June Full Moon. Memorial Day, the day we remember the people who lost their lives for our country, for our “way of life.” The day ended, as you all know, with the news of the tragic murder of George Floyd, a 46-year old black man, at the knee of the white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin.

The late, great civil rights activist, Martin Luther King, Jr, used the phrase “Divine dissatisfaction” to describe ways in which we can address systemic racism and poverty, the social diseases of America, in his famous speech in 1967, ‘Where do we go from here?” In the speech, King declared,” Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.” With a natal Moon in Pisces in a square with his Gemini Mars in his birthchart, MLK took the personal power and initiative inherent in that square and put into action Gemini words and wisdom, a respect for black and brown, white and yellow – for all people – with the sensitivity, compassion and spiritual consciousness of a Pisces lunar soul.

We have a different square now in our current sky; one that equally challenges us.

We all know change has to happen in the spirit of non-violent activism. How can I be an ally in support of people of color and social justice, while doing what I can to keep my community safe and sane? 

You see I tend to see astrology as instructive, rather than predictive. The primary idea behind evolutionary astrology is that we can take the current moment, consider the position of the planets and the relationships between them, and try to grasp a higher potential – the best path forward – the sky offers us now.

Full Moon, June 5th, 12:12 PM PDT, Santa Cruz, Ca.

But try as I did, the Full Moon in early June looked ominous to me back on Memorial Day, back before the streets across America exploded. Both Full Moon and Sun form a tight square, 90˚, to the planet, Mars, at 15˚52’ Pisces. The Moon is in Sagittarius, 15˚34’, at 12:12 PM PDT, on June 5th; it is a penumbral lunar eclipse. Sun, at 15˚34’, and Venus, 12˚18’retrograde, conjunct in Gemini, follow the Venus Star point, the exact inferior conjunction June 3rd. The square between Sun and Mars began the last few days of May and will last until mid-June. The Full Moon triggers it at its strongest point.

The Moon in Sagittarius is a time of fiery passion and enthusiasm, whether fighting for justice in the streets or seeking a new adventure. We may desire travel and the joy of social interaction, with the need to see friends, and to experience all life grants us, especially now in springtime. A Gemini Sun and Venus wants to embrace life’s diversity, to have a curious mind open to all kinds of perspectives, to revel in the complexity of the human spirit.

So, I knew early June would be a time of letting down our guard, dropping our masks, and letting go, as Mars in Pisces allows us to do, losing our boundaries and freeing ourselves from shelter in place.

All this after the weeks of isolation and care we have taken. What can I say…it did look ominous!

The planet Neptune is a little further along in Pisces, at 20˚53’. Mars will conjunct exactly Neptune the following week on Saturday, June 13th, 7:13 am. Neptune can help manifest the highest of spiritual consciousness and self-sacrifice, but the planet is also eager to delude us, make us wish to escape and to perhaps seek solace in too much wine, too much pleasure, too much feasting in springtime bliss! Neptune and Mars in Pisces can also move us individually to join the masses in protest, to sweep us along and encourage us to let go of Covid-19 precautions with the collective wave for social change.

Neptune can sweep us under

During both weekends, the cosmic chemistry underscores the need to take the higher road of a Pisces Mars – act with caution, with compassion, not delusion. As King wrote, to walk in a spirit of light. What a relief to see many protestors wearing masks! It is important to keep in mind Neptune in Pisces is associated with the spread of disease and epidemics. Mars may trigger this now.

But I must say Mercury in Cancer gives me some hope too. Considered “out of bounds,” at extreme declination, Mercury is operating beyond the scope of the Sun, and can awaken in us radical new ways of relating and engaging the other; one that is emotional and protective. Think of the Cancer crab seeking protection in her shell or scurrying into her hole in the sand, finding comfort and safety in her nest, her home. By mid-June, no longer out of bounds, the trickster of communication and our guide to bringing in new perceptions, new ideas, will turn retrograde, at 14˚ Cancer.

Cancer, sign of the Moon, defends the vulnerable and feels the need to care for those close and in need. Following an out-of-bounds period of Mercury and retrograde in mid-June, how conducive a time to “think outside the box” in how we respond and care for those we love and how best to protect our community, our clan.

Despite all the tension, all the mayhem and uncertainty, we are in a season of rebirth. And it is such a fragile one. Most importantly, now is the time to reimagine our world and our part in it. All this while maintaining caution, finding connection despite isolation, and recognizing new spikes in the Covid-19 pandemic are likely. Whether in casual meetups with a few friends or in the streets marching for justice, the sky says - please, please - play it safe.

“Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.”  

Wishing you the best Full Moon.

Full Moon in Leo: The Venusian Dance with Chiron, Mercury in Pisces

““The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down,
You can’t let go and you can’t hold on,
You can’t go back and you can’t stand still,
If the thunder don’t get you, then the lightning will.”

”

— The Wheel, lyrics by Robert Hunter

---

Full Moon in Leo 20˚00’, Sun Aquarius 20˚00’, Mercury Pisces 8˚06’ trine north node of Moon, Cancer 7˚45’Rx, Venus 1˚44’ Aries conjunct Chiron 2˚53’ Aries.

Happy Full Moon weekend everyone! And what a lovely Full Moon it is in the fiery, generous, loving sign of Leo! I hope everyone takes time for a little play, some fun, some joy and release. It’s been such a hard week for all of us, especially my friends here in the States.

It may seem like an odd quote from a song I choose to describe this moment in time. But it really seems to tie into what I want to say about how to use the current sky, to be a part of the collective change our world so needs and to bring out the strengths of the moment. You see this quote is talking about our duty, our place in the larger scheme of things - how we all help to turn the wheel. How our unique gifts have a purpose and they need to be seen and cherished. Leo is first and foremost a noble sign – the sign of the King or Queen! – and why is this? Because Leo has something to give, Leo needs to be heard, Leo needs to be seen.

All of us have Leo somewhere in our birth charts. We all have some place where we need to be recognized and cherished, where we are allowed to shine. Look to see where 20˚ Leo falls in your own birth chart.

Full Moons often bring to light what we have been nurturing in ourselves in the weeks prior. But they really are just a quick passage in time. Fast moving, they are one small facet of a much bigger picture in how we are all evolving. We can look at this weekend, however, within the larger context of the weeks of early February to help see better the grace at play. Mercury’s trine to the north node of the Moon suggests a potential for a creative response or inspiration to contribute to collective change. And I don’t know about you – but God(dess) willing, we so need a collective vision, a change in consciousness.

Mercury – our planetary guide to thought, perception, communication – is in Pisces now. Mercury is considered to be “weak” in Pisces (what in formal astrology we call “debilitated”), however this is somewhat of a misjudgement. If we are trying to tap into the Divine, to the underlying messages of the universe that come to us in the form of synchronicity or through dreams, visions and our imagination, omens let’s say, Mercury in Pisces is perfect. I would argue it is just what we need in early 2020. In the larger world around us, the planet’s current position reflects the nebulous and deceptive nature of the media, the confusion over the Iowa caucuses, THAT damn trial (which will remain unnamed – all of this has been reinforced in recent weeks by the square between Mars in Sagittarius and the planet Neptune in Pisces ).

But on an individual level, Mercury is blessing us with visions of how to see our thoughts – our mental selves – in ways that perhaps are less about our selfish needs and more about collective, compassionate and spiritual change.

Mercury will enter a retrograde period February 16th (PST).The planet has already been in its “shadow” since early in the month. Please remember that Mercury retrograde is a common occurrence and really its strengths lie in introspection – allow the mind and heart to ponder the creative, visionary expression of Mercury in Pisces, rather than concerning oneself with minor delays or inconveniences – things that carry no meaning in the long run. The planet turns direct March 9th (PST). Due to the slowing down of the fast motion of Mercury in the middle of February, we may see a heightened confusion at that time in general. But more importantly, this is a great time to meditate, seek visions, and reassess how we structure and use our minds.

Venus

There are a number of other aspects happening under this weekend’s Full Moon, but I focus upon one here: the meeting of Venus and the minor planet Chiron in early Aries. This is in play during the Full Moon and the few days following. Those with planets or luminaries (Sun and/or Moon) between 1˚-5˚Aries, as well as in the other cardinal signs – early degrees of Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, may especially feel this dance. Venus is a relational planet – those one-on-one relationships we cherish such as our spouse or our lover, but also close intimate connections in general – for example, our close business partners or perhaps our bandmates.

Venus’s ingress into Aries is just days before the Full Moon and the planet will stay in the sign for about a month, until March 4th, bringing, in general, a kind of fiery passion to our love lives and blessing our creative expressions (nice for those who celebrate Valentine’s Day!) along with a possible competitive and defensive edge of the fire sign in our relationship encounters. (There are other current aspects in the sky that suggest power struggles between partners, and assertion of will potentially at the expense of the other, but for brevity’s sake, let’s just say they reinforce what I write here).

All of this plays into Venus forming a conjunction with the much slower Chiron (a 50-yr orbit). Chiron is working its way through early Aries this year. Chiron, the wounded healer, for some of us (those whose charts are being touched by the transit), may feel like a tête à tête of sorts between the power of one partner versus that of the other. Where and how to assert ourselves and how to have courage in the dance we do with others are questions worthy of reflection. What relationship counts the most for my own soul’s evolution? Passion comes through taking risks, loving the dialog and possibly heated exchange. Don’t be a coward. Listen and have patience as well. I can’t help but think of the old Motown song originally performed by The Supremes, You Can’t Hurry Love, “Love don’t come easy; it’s a game of give and take.”

Of course, not all of us are in “romantic” love. And despite the focus upon cupid’s arrow this month, I’d say all of us can benefit from reflecting in general about the intimate dance we do with others. Is there a wound in us that keeps us from jumping confidently in and acting with a spirit of the warrior? If we were born when Chiron was last in early Aries –most folks born between the years 1968 and 1971 –we may feel this most strongly. Folks past middle age may find more expressions of the healing energies as we have done our Chiron work in earlier years.

“Small wheel turn by the fire and rod

Big wheel turn by the grace of God,
Every time that wheel turn 'round,
Bound to cover just a little more ground.

Won't you try just a little bit harder,
Couldn't you try just a little bit more?”

Why mention Venus’s approach to Chiron? Why this Full Moon? I added a little more from the lyrics of the song I quote above. I believe that the dynamic play, the calling into question of how we relate one-on-one with each other, the ways we assert our personal power, help us with self-expression, with our own particular ways we shine. We make our small wheel turn and we cover a little more ground. Together, when we support each other, we bring – maybe, just maybe – some of that grace we need to make the big wheel turn – turn in ways collectively we sorely need.

Couldn’t you try just a little bit more?

 So, I think it is worth pondering: What visions do we see of our soul’s purpose? How do we shine under the light of this Full Moon in Leo? What requires defending with the other, what passions are worth fighting for? How best can we support our partners rather than wound them? How can we give them a voice and honor what they bring to the table?

And, yeah, let’s dance, let’s have some fun, let’s open our hearts to a good old dose of Leo’s generous wisdom – a wisdom of the heart!

Blessings on your Full Moon!

Saturn and Pluto Conjunction: An Historical Example - Making the Most of January, 2020!

When I was in London last August, I became curious about the biography of Queen Victoria and I fell in love with her birth chart – her astrological “horoscope.” I followed it through her life, her love for Albert, the various ups and downs of her reign, and I visited her monuments, palaces and gardens to get a feel for who she was.

Please – let me say this first: I am no historian of the Royal family! Nor do I know all the history about what really happened between Queen Victoria and the man she eventually called her “Munshi.” I also realize it was a relationship just begging to be deconstructed and analyzed within the context of colonial rule and all the nine yards of what that implies…But…

As synchronicity would have it, I noticed a similarity between the Queen’s story and the sky now in terms of evolutionary astrology. It just seems suggestive to me of what – maybe, just maybe - some folks might be experiencing, if their chart is being stimulated by the current sky – the middle of January, 2020.

Most of my astrology friends know that this week there is a rather rare conjunction, Saturn and Pluto, a phenomenon that happens about three times a century, happening now in the sign of Capricorn. Queen Victoria was born in 1819 during one of these rare occurrences; she has Saturn and Pluto conjunct in Pisces in her 11th House in her birth chart.

Now there is much one could say about Queen Victoria’s chart, yet alone about her long reign and what was happening in her life astrologically. Most telling is the fact the Queen was a “triple Gemini,” born on the New Moon in Gemini, when the luminaries (Sun and Moon) were just over the horizon, in the Queen’s 12th House.

Anyone who has ever been intrigued by the life of Queen Victoria knows she expressed many “Gemini” qualities; she loved to learn, wrote correspondence constantly during her entire reign, and had a natural curiosity (which she shared with Prince Albert) for facts and invention.

With a stellium (a bunch of planets) in the 12th House, and Pluto, Chiron and Saturn conjunct in the 11th along with Jupiter in the 10th, Victoria was clearly a lady defined by public duty that required a loss of self in her role within the institution of the monarchy.

Her Pluto, Chiron and Saturn together suggest a wound and blockage, a Piscean sensitivity, to her need to let go and abandon ‘self,’ due to her office and responsibilities, and with the difficulties she experienced with father figures (Saturn) early in her life. Given the conjunction is in the 11th House, perhaps, later in life, she might be able to claim that wound and make it part of her personal power.

Cut to 1887, the year of the Queen’s Jubilee (she was 68). Queen Victoria met an Indian servant, Abdul Karim, who eventually became her close confidant, advisor and teacher. Astrologers sometimes look at a technique called ‘solar arcs’ to help a person work with their evolving self – who they are becoming. The summer the Queen met Karim, whom she later called her “Munshi,” the Queen’s natal Pluto, Chiron, Saturn conjunction had reached - by solar arc, exact by degree in her chart – the Queen’s natal New Moon (Sun and Moon conjunction).

The Gemini heart and soul of Victoria were being given a chance by the universe to transform (Pluto) the wound (Chiron) and move her into a more mature voice of the elder monarch (Saturn), a Queen more openly accepting and respectful of India’s diverse and unique heritage.

The Munshi offered Victoria a chance to see the world differently, to embrace Indian culture, to try cuisine in the form of exotic curries, and to learn Urdu – a difficult task she apparently seemed to love. She was not only exploring what Indian culture had to offer, but was experiencing and growing into a new level of acceptance, an acceptance of a people very different from her own.

I must say my own Gemini Moon just loved seeing her lesson books filled with Urdu script – known as Hindustani at the time – in a special exhibition at Kensington Palace this past summer!

Needless to say, the Queen’s new understanding and open acceptance of what was seen as an “inferior” culture was not well received – by Royal family, staff, and essentially her whole household…

Eventually, a few years later, solar arc Saturn, Chiron and Pluto reached the Queen’s Gemini ascendant – her rising sign, how she “dawns on the world” - her close friendship with Karim Abdul created escalating tension, opposition, and stubborn resistance (Saturn) and power struggles (Pluto) from the Royal court. Even her own son, heir to the throne, questioned her sanity, refusing to see beyond the commonly-held perceptions of colonial subjects, the set notions due to the racism in British society at the time, of what most English people believed about the people of India.

Can we see such challenges faced by Queen Victoria as a lesson for our own times? Of course, the current Saturn / Pluto conjunction occurs in a very different sign – Capricorn – but perhaps we can take a look at these archetypes together as a moment of potential – approach it with a willingness to work hard and with discipline on personal transformation, despite the obstacles we may face.

Maybe it might help to consider how this conjunction hits our own birth chart. Because let’s face it; our friends and family so often don’t want to see us change. They like the picture of us they have come to know. The Queen met that power of resistance and she embraced Karim anyway. A relationship fraught with colonial overtones, certainly…But I sure do respect her courage.

Saturn and Pluto Together: Here's to Maya Lin's Story, Now Let's Take it On! January, 2020

Every year, at about this time of year, I teach about the great American sculptor, architect and designer Maya Lin – I’ve been doing it for twenty years. My students and I explore how she went up against formidable odds, first entering, and then winning, a national contest for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial commission in Washington, DC. in 1981-82. A Chinese American, Maya was only 21 years old when she won the competition as a Yale graduate student. Much of the difficulty Maya experienced occurred after she was granted the commission, when she was forced to deal with the anger of some of the veterans, the obstacles and the restrictions imposed by some of the opponents, who not only hated her design, but attacked her over her identity – her age, her gender and her Asian heritage.

As synchronicity would have it, it wasn’t until this year that I noticed Maya was responding to a Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter time in her life, and how she was learning (Jupiter) to grow and mature (Saturn) in her abilities to speak out and stand up for her beliefs (Her natal Mercury and Mars).

There is a lot of chatter on social media about these three planets and a current astrological event happening. Some of it is kind of scary or I guess I should say sensationalized too. I do think it looks to be a difficult time, but for each person a different journey, depending I suppose on how you respond to your birth chart. There is a conjunction coming up this winter of the planets Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn at 22˚. Jupiter will be in Capricorn too. The conjunction will be exact mid-January. The last time the two came together in the sky was in the early 1980s, in the sign of Libra.

I’d like to put a positive spin on it by sharing a realization I had this week about Maya – about this famous artist and her fight for her memorial – a story I find personally encouraging anyway.

Maya designed a simple, abstract site-specific artwork, one not quite like any other war memorial ever before. She envisioned two walls coming together at an angle, as they descend into the earth of the Washington Mall. Most moving, I feel, is to visit the monument and gaze upon the smooth, black granite, and see yourself reflected back on top of the names of those deceased. She transformed the collective’s notion of what a great war memorial could be. It has since inspired countless other examples of public art. Maya Lin’s work has left a lasting legacy, but it was her response to a challenging time – a time of Pluto and Saturn and Jupiter – that helped her evolve and transform into her soul’s journey as artist.

You see in 1981-82, during the height of the battles over the design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, all three planets were transiting Maya’s natal stellium in Libra. The day her design was chosen, April 30, 1981, Saturn and Jupiter were conjunct her natal north node of the Moon providing a time of grace in her life for both maturity and challenge along with opportunity to discover her soul’s path. Meanwhile, transiting Pluto was conjunct her natal Mars and Mercury. During the first major wave of criticism and outcry in October, 1981, Sun, Mercury, Jupiter and Pluto by transit formed a wide conjunction with her natal Mars at 19˚ Libra, Jupiter and Pluto both were at 24˚ Libra, exactly conjunct Maya’s natal 24˚ Mercury, while Saturn was at mid-Libra between Maya’s Sun at 11˚42’ and Mars at 19˚.

The most emotional and tense arguments over Maya’s design involved her now-famous public speech in defense of the memorial which occurred mid-February, 1982, with both Mars and Saturn conjunct her natal Mars, while Pluto continued to conjunct her natal Mercury. Phew! I like to watch an old news clip of Maya Lin as a young woman going up in front of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in a room filled with members of congress, veterans, journalists, and activists. I am always amazed by her courage and determination to defend her design.

All of this occurring in Libra – the sign so much about negotiation and balance with others as well as aesthetic appreciation and finding harmony and beauty in life. Maya’s intentions were so Libran; to create a memorial that would bring a sense of peace and healing over the losses of war, rather than a grand statement of military victory. It is like the universe was asking Maya to reconsider her thoughts not only about art, but also about how to mature and learn personal strength, and transform her own voice in defense of what she cherished in art and held true.

Of course, this January, 2020, the conjunction of Saturn and Pluto is in a very different sign, Capricorn. And to make the most of understanding the time for you is to consider where and in what house the conjunction lies in your birth chart.

On November 10, 1982, Saturn and Pluto met up for the exact conjunction at 27 ˚ Libra; both planets had moved just 3 degrees from Maya’s natal Mercury. That day marked the start of several days of official dedication ceremonies of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with much public fanfare and celebration.

Difficulties that truly transform. What can I say…I love Maya’s artwork and admire her artistic career, but most of all I respect her courage, along with the patience and endurance she had, to ride with Pluto and Saturn to get there.

Not everyone is a “Maya Lin,” but we all got our challenges and fears. Such transits bring them to the table for us to see, allowing us to work on ourselves so we can be stronger...nothing to be afraid of; more to accept and to claim, and, well, to try to make the most of.

A Full Moon Firing Squad!!!! Cancer and Capricorn in January 2020

Wishing everyone the best this FULL MOON in CANCER during the penumbral eclipse, January 10th, 11:21 AM PST. The eclipse will not be visible here in California. But this lunar time carries a lot of potential punch astrologically. It all depends upon where this particular area of the sky plays out in your own birth chart.

A Cancer Full Moon, in general, can be a sensitive, emotional time, a time to turn inward, heal, protect and nourish ourselves and our family; a good time to send healing thoughts to our Nation, to our world. Memories of what brought comfort or pain from years past can arise, allowing us to remember, so we can feel through the emotions, to restore or to release.

Somewhere in your life you have been wrestling with either a blockage or a necessity to work hard to mature, to grow through, and to transform into something new. Some people feel this quite strongly now if they have planets, Sun or Moon, or important degrees in their chart at 18-24˚, especially in the Cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn. Look to see where the current Saturn and Pluto conjunction, at 22˚Capricorn, falls in your birth chart for guidance.

At this Full Moon, things may become particularly challenging. Try to ride with compassion, try to greet others with kindness and a spirit of patience and understanding, rather than falling into the possibly whiny or needy, side of a Cancer Moon. Try to support others, because remember they may need it too. Pluto can bring power struggles.

Some structures, some ideas, somethings need to come forward and die now in order to build anew. What makes this Full Moon emotionally volatile is the lineup of planets accompanying the Sun at this moment in time. While the Moon is in Cancer, the Sun is in Capricorn, along with Mercury (perceptions, ideas, communication), Ceres (what nurtures us and how we nurture others, mother child bonds, loss and grief), Saturn and Pluto, all tightly together, lined up like a cosmic firing squad –Mercury, Sun and Moon act as potential “triggers,” faster moving bodies, align briefly, pushing the longer, slower Saturn and Pluto transformations, which have been in play since before the Holidays.

Why not take some time and find the Saturn / Pluto conjunction in your own birth chart and consciously try to address it?

Where is your soul work calling? Synchronicity will make it play out. Better you try to claim it, rather than let the universe claim you…

Maybe making them conscious will make us stronger, make us better players in the larger scheme of things.

Eclipses, of course, are common phenomenon. Astrologers seem to disagree as to the impact of different kinds of eclipses – some choosing only to place emphasis upon total eclipses. But I think this eclipse is worthy of note, even if it creates only a subtle, shadowy effect upon the Moon, simply because of the synchronistic alignment with such a powerhouse in Capricorn. Eclipses can have lasting influence in the months ahead.

The sign of Cancer, with its natural tendency to protect family and clan, can lend itself to patriotic fervor and a desire to withdrawal into national – and personal - boundaries. Meanwhile, Saturn and Pluto come together in the sky roughly three times a century; the last time it happened in Capricorn was in the early 16th century during the Protestant Reformation, a notable time of societal change, a paradigm shift. Let’s pray for PEACE and do what we can to discourage war. Capricorn, as a sign, is associated with political structures and government, among many things. Let’s work hard (Saturn) to truly make the slate clean and to build again (Pluto) ourselves and our Nation, so to make a new world less concerned with “us” and “them,” boundaries and walls, and more concerned with a living, breathing, beautiful planet.

Hope you have a good Full Moon meditation!

Mercury and Sun in Scorpio and the Full Moon in Taurus: A Picture of What Lies Underneath and a Time to Calm Down

“The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul”

— Oscar Wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

— Harriet Tubman

---

HAPPY FULL MOON IN TAURUS, 19˚52’, November 12, 5:34 AM PST, Mercury retrograde 17˚42’Scorpio, Mars 25˚34’ Libra, Jupiter 25˚39’ Sagittarius, Saturn 16˚18’ Capricorn, Neptune retrograde 15˚59’Pisces, Pluto 21˚02’ Capricorn.

I always get a kick out of comparing the writing of astronomers with that of astrologers. I can often see some common thread – how the two were once one. Then the vast difference becomes so evident, as the sky shifts from the spectacle I objectively observe to more of a personal reflection showing me how my soul fits in and connects with the cosmos. The Full Moon in Taurus in the early morning here in California, on November 12th, is less than 24 hours after the transit of Mercury crosses the Sun, the astronomical event set for Monday. The close conjunction of Sun and Mercury – the “transit” of Mercury in the terminology of astronomy – is called “cazimi” in astrology, referred to as “in the heart of the Sun.” Mercury and the Sun both will be at 18˚56’ of Scorpio.

NASA photo of the Mercury Transit, May 9th, 2016. The Transit this month occurs Monday morning, November 11th, 2019, PST.

 Mercury is also moving retrograde now, a necessary condition under the inferior conjunction, so in typical “mercury retrograde fashion,” I’ve been contemplating, reassessing, trying to reconsider what the sign Scorpio means in my birth chart – a good practice I suppose for anybody. What taboo events in my past, dark secrets I carry, undercurrents below the surface of my consciousness, influence my thoughts, my actions with others, and the perspectives I hold of myself in my mind and in my heart? Do they affect my assumptions about life? My abilities to trust others? Again, it would help to see where Mercury is traveling in your own birth chart to find the arena in your life where this plays out. Check planets and/or luminaries at 18˚ to 20˚of fixed signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius for insights as well.

I went to see the movie, Harriet, about the famous abolitionist Harriet Tubman, the other day. The director, Kasi Lemmons and co-screenwriter, Gregory Allen Howard, stressed the strong intuition Harriet possessed, the visions that accompanied her on her journeys along the underground railroad and how God spoke to her through this inner voice. The film is set during a time when Neptune was in Pisces in the mid-19th century. This seems to me oddly characteristic of our own times, with Neptune also currently in Pisces. It takes Neptune 165 years to orbit the Sun and to move through the zodiac. It is impossible to know Harriet Tubman’s birth chart. We don’t even know for certain the year she was born. But she had strong water signatures in her chart undoubtedly, along with a healthy dose of Aries probably, given the radical courage she demonstrated throughout her life. Water signs - Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces – are known for their deep emotions and abilities to feel.

Our current Mercury retrograde in Scorpio asks us to be more like Harriet, to be cognizant of our intuition and recognize psychic impressions. How does the Divine speak to us in personal ways? What directions are waiting there in the omens, messages, and signs that we just need to see? During cazimi, what aspects do the Sun and Mercury make to my own chart? What messages do I need to hear? If you miss cazimi, this Mercury retrograde period, in general, offerings us such intuitive moments; all we got to do is listen.

It may be helpful to consider the Mercury/Sun conjunction and the following Full Moon at 19˚52’ Taurus (Sun then, of course, at 19˚52’ Scorpio) as a time to awaken in us what psychological muck and guck lies below the surface of our consciousness that we might still need to process, how do we bring it to light and how do we face it? How do we then calm ourselves and find some peace? Acting as our own inner detectives might just allow us to do the work necessary to become better agents of change and fighters for our planet, to claim whatever part we play in the collective struggle for a better more viable, more compassionate world. I can imagine this would be especially relevant to folks who may be wrestling with the current passages of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, breaking down structures and wiping the slate clean, the Scorpio energy now in a soft sextile, 60˚ aspect, and the Full Moon at a trine, 120˚, to the planets now in Capricorn. What power struggles, hidden agendas, psychological problems do we still need to face? I know I have a closet full of mine.

 Or perhaps we encounter these through others?

Then, again, if you think all the money issues, sexual games, jealousies, power issues, are coming from somebody else, maybe it IS time to do your psychological work. Insert a smiley face emoji here! Now might be the time to flip the coin and see the other side. All of this boils down to good, old fashion detective work exposing the truth in a Scorpio manner…Hmmm. And House Democrats announced they'll be holding the first public hearings during the week ahead in their impeachment inquiry of President Trump. Ah, Mercury in Scorpio.

November 13th, the day after the Full Moon, Mercury retrograde in Scorpio forms a trine, 120˚, to Neptune (this aspect also occurred October 15th and happens again November 28th after the planet turns direct). These are quick Mercury transits that offer Piscean creative vision in combination with the penetrating insights of Mercury retrograde in Scorpio. I couldn’t help but think of the Irish poet and writer, Oscar Wilde, who was born with Mercury in Scorpio in a trine to Neptune in Pisces (Yup, the same passage of Neptune through Pisces as occurred when Tubman encountered her visions. Wilde was born in 1854). Ok, it might seem a bit odd to put Harriet Tubman and Oscar Wilde in the same post, but see if you can follow my logic here…

 Wilde had such a skill at bringing taboo topics to the table – through story-telling, imagery, creative metaphor and, at times, a dark humor, that seemed to push the audience over the edge. One of his most famous works, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), is as much about the darkness hidden in the soul of a man as it is about the vanity of wanting to hold onto youth and beauty. If you are not familiar with the famous story, the main character Dorian falls for every dirty deed, a hedonist who manages to stay young while his portrait, painted by a friend, grows hideously old and decrepit. Oscar Wilde led a troubled life, caused, in part, by his open writing about taboo subjects and a countercultural gay lifestyle a 19th-century audience refused to accept. But his writing was visionary and it revealed deeper truths – not unlike the visions of Harriet Tubman – a path to freedom, in this case a freedom from what keeps us from being whole.

There is something in the sky right now that suggests it is a good time to tap into that same penetrating psychological insight, the truths that make us fully human. It is about that gut feeling, the inner voice in you, suggesting to you what needs to be processed, what needs to be let go of, what fears need to be taken on, in order to be whole. Our intuition may tell us about our soul journey, just like the visions of Harriet Tubman.

What skeletons remain in our closet – the dark, scary portraits of ourselves - do we need to embrace, bring to light, expose – if only to ourselves – so we can be healed, made stronger, made more aware of our inner truths and the truths of others? Mercury retrograde in Scorpio and then direct may give us some clues. The planet goes direct November 20th and remains in its shadow until December 7th. In addition to our own inner detective work possible now, other people and other peoples’ resources, jealousies and power struggles all may surface, along with intimacy, trust and sexual issues – all to help us process our “stuff,” our “baggage.” As usual, it is best to avoid any firm commitments or to sign any contracts, rather use the time to reflect upon what truly lies below the surface and what needs release.

 On a lighter note, Mars in Libra, at 25˚, makes a nice sextile, 60˚ aspect, to Jupiter in Sagittarius, 25˚, several hours after the Full Moon. The aspect is within orb, within play we might say, between November 9th through the 16th. People with planets or critical degrees in late Libra and/or Sagittarius might want to take action in terms of the expansion, opportunities or growth this Jupiter time has been for some folks, again look to the houses in your chart for guidance. Part of the beauty of working through the transformations of the Scorpio processes I described above is the way such cleansing might strengthen what we can do with a flowing aspect of Mars giving a kick, some juice, to Jupiter. Next week, the week of the 18th, Mars’ ingress (entrance) into Scorpio, the planet’s natural comfort zone, puts into more overt action some of the inner psychological work we’ve been doing this month.

 It is a gift to be wounded; it leads to something else. It makes us stronger.

 In the meantime, we can return to the Full Moon in Taurus, a lunar time to help us feel grounded and to acknowledge our creature comforts. As evolutionary astrologer Steven Forrest likes to say, “The Great God Taurus and the Great God Scorpio are sitting on a hill. Scorpio turns to Taurus the Bull and says, “It is all so complicated,” and the Bull sighs and responds, “And it is all so simple.”  Take time for the deeper revelations, the psychological truths – we all got our “baggage”! - then find a beautiful moonrise, take a deep breath, and make it all a pleasure to behold.

Happy Full Moon in Taurus everyone!

Full Moon In Sagittarius: Making the Most of Our Jupiter Time

“Life’s a show and we all play a part. And when the music starts, we open our hearts.”

— Joss Whedon

“Once in a while we get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if you look at it right.”

— Robert Hunter

---

HAPPY FULL MOON IN SAGITTARIUS everyone - very early Monday morning, June 17th, 1:31 AM PDT, in Sagittarius, 25˚ 53’. Jupiter, 18˚38’ retrograde in Sagittarius, square Neptune, 18˚43’ Pisces. Mars, 20˚41’, Mercury, 19˚52’ in Cancer, opposing south node 17˚39’, Saturn 18˚48’, and Pluto 22˚32 Capricorn.

There are a number of very strong – potentially difficult – aspects in the sky between planets at the moment, but I don’t want to stress what might be “bad” or “stuck” or “angry” in this post. I had a great night last night dancing with my local friends and community under the moonlight with big, bright Jupiter. So, instead of focusing upon the heavy Mars and Mercury in Cancer opposing the south node, Saturn and Pluto energy, I’m going to write about the Moon in Sagittarius for the hope it brings and for its suggestion of what the current passage of Jupiter in Sagittarius offers us in the months ahead.

Last month I wrote about the current Jupiter / Neptune square, exact this Sunday, June 16th , PDT – Happy Father’s Day! The higher road to take with this square is to allow our minds to observe and teach us how life is an ongoing “movie” of our perceptions – always unfolding around us  - and realize our minds create the reality we experience, what we believe. We can, and continue to be, power players for social change and justice, but it is our thoughts, attitudes and reactions to the “movie” surrounding us daily that can open us to synchronicity and positive change. Enter Jupiter in one of his favorite signs, Sagittarius, giving him strength and us faith and gumption to see “the glass half full” -look to see what House Jupiter is traveling by transit in your birth chart.

Jupiter is at 18˚ 38’ retrograde at the time of the Full Moon, allowing us to retread and reconsider where in life the universe is granting us a chance to see what we can make out of that “half a full glass,” to reevaluate “What do we really want?” – again, refer to your unique chart for the best scenarios for you. Back on April 10th, Jupiter stationed and turned retrograde at 24˚ Sagittarius, close but just shy of reaching where the Moon is full this coming Monday, at 25˚54. This Full Moon gives us a meditation to manifest the ideas, plans, aspirations we hope for as Jupiter again approaches that degree in the zodiac mid-November, this coming fall.

Meanwhile, those with planets in the Cardinal signs, especially Cancer and Capricorn between 15-24˚, try to feel through this time and don’t put too much weight on what appears stuck or blocked. Try to embrace the higher road with the current Jupiter/ Neptune square to see life for what it really is – a series of movie stills – and how we have the power and freedom to control our reactions, our joys, our journeys.

Winds of Jupiter

Here’s a quick illustration of how you can use Jupiter by transit to guide you. It is a personal story, but perhaps it may help. Six years ago, Jupiter was moving through the sign Gemini and traveling through my own 3rd House, house of communication, teaching and perception among other things. My natal Moon is in the 3rd House and I wanted to be close to my mother at the time, because she was close to passing away. Moon is often tied in with one’s mom. Gemini is often associated with siblings, local travel and, as it is a sign ruled by Mercury, mental perceptions and again communication. Knowing the glass was “half full” in these realms, I sought out my brother, Jeff, a filmmaker, to work with me on making a film about African art, to use as a teaching tool in art history, a project that involved a trip to Ireland, and a rare chance to work closely on a collaborative film project with my older bro.

Because, in part, I took the chance to engage my brother, in Gemini fashion, in making the movie, synchronicity opened another door; my brother, it turned out, had done a film already, a few years back, with the very same community who happened to own that very same African art collection – but this time in Tenafly, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from my mom’s home. This part of the film production with my brother gave me the gift of time and local travel to be near my family at such a critical moment. Synchronicity brought me closer to my mother when she needed me – she died the following fall in November, when the planet Saturn met my natal Neptune in the 8th House. I used the transit (movement of) Jupiter then and it worked for me. It was not “predictive,” so much as it was instructive and it was useful to know. The film, by the way, became part of a successful sabbatical time for me as an art history professor. I learned a lot by being involved with the film’s production. And all of this unfolded, well, just because I bothered to take a look at Jupiter in Gemini, in my 3rd House.

 What does it hurt to look?

Where does this Full Moon in Sagittarius fall in your birth chart? Where is Jupiter currently moving retrograde and what doors of synchronicity may open for you in the months ahead? Blessings on the Full Moon! Blessings on Father’s Day!

Full Moon In Scorpio, Upcoming Jupiter Square Neptune: It's Time We Stop, Hey, What's That Sound, Everybody Look What's Going Down

“I thought I heard a young man moan this mornin’
I thought I heard a young man moan today
I thought I heard a young man moan this mornin’
I can’t walk you out in the morning dew today”

— Morning Dew, folk song by Bonnie Dobson. Opening song by the Grateful Dead at the Human Be-In, January, 1967.

---

Full Moon, 27˚39’ Scorpio, Sun, 27˚39’ Taurus Conjunct Mercury, 24˚24’ Taurus, Jupiter retrograde, 22˚12’ Sagittarius, Neptune, 18˚25’ Pisces, 2:11 PM PDT, May 18, 2019. Upcoming: Jupiter, 18˚43’ Sagittarius Square Neptune, 18˚43’ Pisces, 8:18 AM PDT, June 16th, 2019.

I love this old photo of hippies in San Francisco. It fits well into what I want to write and say about our current astrological moment. The light in the image gives me a feeling of the surreal; a sunny day of fun and laughter, but something lies underneath, something in the realm of a passing mood, an intensity of feeling.

You might be thinking, “What does all this have to do with a Scorpio Moon? Where are the scorpions? Where is the telltale sign of the zodiac?” I promise I’ll connect back.

Sometimes I find it intriguing to look back in time and compare an historical moment, what was happening in the sky then, and follow up in my mind with a reflection upon the current moment in terms of astrology. This coming June we have the second in a series of three 90˚ squares between the faster moving planet Jupiter, in Sagittarius, and the slower moving Neptune now in Pisces. Jupiter forms a square with Neptune about roughly every six to seven years, so it has a certain cyclical rhythm to it, though the timing of the exact aspect varies and several can happen in one year, as we have this year, because of retrograde motion. The square first occurred this past January, about two weeks after the start of the New year. Then in April Jupiter turned retrograde (perceived backward motion) and, as I write, the planet is four degrees away from another exact square that will occur on June 16th, Father’s Day. The third hit will happen just before autumn equinox in September, after Jupiter swings direct in August.

I decided to write about this square now, on the Full Moon in Scorpio, rather than when it happens next month, just before the June Full Moon, in part because I believe the historical comparison I make speaks to the nature of Scorpio as a sign – to help us with the feeling of this current Full Moon. But I also hope it helps us contemplate Jupiter’s retrograde passage leading back to the square. Better to have the information now while the energy builds! The stationing, slowing and stopping before moving retrograde, of the planet Neptune at 18˚ the week following the square, strengthens the tension of these two archetypal energies, Sagittarius and Pisces, to the eventual separation of the aspect later in the September. Also during our current Full Moon, Mercury, right now in opposing Taurus, opens us up to ideas and perceptions we might feel on an intuitive level about what this longer phenomenon might mean for us both on an individual and on a collective level.

The time in history I chose is the Summer of Love and then the following fall of the year 1967. The square in the sky between Jupiter and Neptune then shared signs in common elements as the current square in 2019, though the signs, Leo and Scorpio respectively, were, of course, very different from today’s Sagittarius and Pisces. The exact square occurred in early September in ’67. Jupiter had entered Leo briefly in late 1966, turned retrograde, and then when the planet was at 0˚ Leo again, Jupiter graced the infamous San Francisco Human Be-in of January 14th, 1967. Jupiter in Leo – a fire sign that embraces the joie de vivre and celebration of self-expression so characteristic of the moment, all the folks who flocked to San Francisco and embraced hippie culture, the passions of the times, the psychedelic play and performance of the era. Those of that generation, especially those with natal planets in Leo, many with Pluto in the sign when they were born, or those with Leo in their 5th House – must have reveled in enjoying the ride.

Meanwhile Neptune – planet of shared consciousness and mass spiritual sensitivities in the intuitive water sign of Scorpio – brought the intense feelings and awareness always under the surface of the thoughts and memories of those being sent abroad, those killed and maimed in Vietnam, the horrors of war, the suffering and fear and reality that you or those you loved could be next. What a deep, true feeling – so Scorpionic – embodying Neptune’s compassion through its passage through the sign. Somewhere deep below the play and revelry of Jupiter in Leo, demonstrative and heartfelt, if at times ostentatious and loud, wasn’t there always the underlying fact of it all being so fragile? Both pain and pleasure were real.

About a month after the square was exact, when it was waning, on October 6, 1967, the Hippies staged the now famous “Death of a Hippie” – a mock funeral through Haight-Ashbury neighborhood – declaring the media had “sold out” the concept of the Hippie – now a product of mass culture, the Hippie had been appropriated into the mainstream and became an empty shell of the very symbol of the countercultural. The Moon in Scorpio that day, October 6th, triggered the larger Neptune in Scorpio and the sextile to Uranus and Pluto in Virgo; all underscored “death” and truth as radical steps in maintaining the very power for social change embedded in that fun-loving, but in some ways very serious, certainly impactful, self-expressive spirit of a Leo generation.

So how does this relate to 2019? To the passing months surrounding the square now between Jupiter and Neptune? Jupiter currently in Sagittarius – like Leo, a fire sign – brings a passionate enthusiasm, in this case for Sagittarian truths we seek, our philosophical views, our opinions, our quests to understand, while also, at times, a push to adamantly make our beliefs known. Neptune in Pisces, like Scorpio a water sign, feels deeply, but with no boundaries, dissolves our understanding, brings about delusion and confusion – while nurturing a collective desire to connect with what is larger than ourselves, to escape (whether through the current episode of Game of Thrones or, of a more serious concern, through opioid addiction), to find the Divine, the spiritual in a world desperately in need of healing. Passion is muddled with Neptunian confusion and lack of clarity and creates tension with our set notions of what is right, with our higher ideals, especially if we remain rigid to what those ideals and beliefs are.

The timing of this past March’s retrograde passage of Mercury in Pisces and the unfolding dramas of what we learned, or even more so what remained hidden, in the Mueller Report, suggest the difficulties inherent in Neptunian and Piscean communication. The very day, March 24th, that Mercury made a transit to Neptune in Pisces, Attorney General Bill Barr sent his summary to Congress, writing that while the Mueller report "does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." There seemed a shared frustration many of us felt over the lack of clarity around what is actually in the report. Deception seemed to abound. Donald Trump’s Natal Moon at 21˚ Sagittarius, opposing his Gemini Sun (the President was born on a lunar eclipse), ties him emotionally into proving “he is right” under this upcoming square. Now another critical issue angering so many Americans concerned in protecting a woman’s right to choose, we watch state after state rushing to pass radical anti-abortion laws that even some on the far right are claiming have “gone too far.”

There is such tension now in the world between what we hold to be true individually, among our closed networks of family, peers, neighbors, co-workers and colleagues, and what we need to feel and do collectively for true compassion and change in support of all beings “with a heartbeat” and for the survival of our planet.  

Thinking this way about the astrological moment, the Full Moon in Scorpio or the square between Jupiter and Neptune, in the realm of the collective, is mundane astrology. But I feel it is worth asking “How do we use this square productively in our own lives?” Consider where the square falls in your own natal chart. As Jupiter moves retrograde, can we wrestle with what this means for us individually? A Scorpio Full Moon may help us begin the process with a penetrating intuition into what our hearts hold true.

How do we dissolve ego and feel compassion for the many, while also holding onto our own truths and values? Does “my truth,” my “faith”, where in life I quest for understanding, need to be reevaluated? Or, even more relevant, where do I force my opinion or belief without honoring what others bring to the table?

In what arena have I been underestimating myself? Where do I need to question or expand upon my beliefs, my principles, and how can I act with compassion to make a lasting difference? To me, thinking of new paradigms and opening to ways more constructive to the common good sounds like a much higher road to take with Jupiter and Neptune!

Wishing everyone a great Full Moon!

Vernal Equinox, A Libra Full Moon, The Sun and Chiron: My Values and My Needs Are Part of The Balance!

---

“Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right”

— George Harrison

“Don’t compromise yourself. You’re all you’ve got. ”

— Janis Joplin

Full Moon in Libra 0˚09’, 6:43 PM PDT, Sun 0˚09’ Aries conjunct Chiron at 1˚45, March 20th. Moon quincunx Uranus at 0˚42’ Taurus.

Sometimes life just seems to be about navigating that fine balance we create with others, while we also defend what we hold true in ourselves and what we value in our world. There is a lot going on in the current sky to suggest we are dealing with the raw emotions behind this basic premise – we are all in this cosmic balancing act with those we encounter every day. How do we hold onto and defend our truth, be the enlightened warrior, be our authentic self? Claim our right to take up space?

March 20th is a packed day this year. Vernal Equinox, marking International Astrology Day, occurs a few hours before the Full Moon in Libra, here on the West Coast at 6:43 PM PDT. And, yes, we also have the last of this year’s ‘Super Moons’ when the Moon is at perigee and close to the Earth. Sun at 0˚09’ Aries, the first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere, is conjunct Chiron at 1˚45’. Spring Equinox every year – when light and dark are “Equi” – equal – between “nox” - night and day, also begins the “New year” in the astrological calendar – the first day of the Sun in Aries, the first sign of the zodiac.

 Aries says let’s take action with a passionate, fiery expression of the soul! The Sun is in opposition, like a seesaw, a balance, a scale, with the Moon in Libra, a sign that seeks beauty, peace, and harmony between bodies and souls. At this lunar time, we feel this polarity. Chiron, the wounded healer, also in Aries, further offers us a look to see our own insecurities or hesitancies to put our “self” forward, when some “thing,” some part of our “self,” something we cherish, needs defending.

 What principles or parts of ourselves seek healing and protection? The Moon forms a quincunx – a 150˚ aspect – to Uranus at 0˚42’ Taurus when the Moon is Full, so it helps to look to see where 0˚ Taurus falls in your natal chart. The sign Taurus likes creature comforts that bring pleasure, peace and stability into our lives. Uranus wants to rattle these up and awaken us. And with the Full Moon’s quincunx to the planet, there is a little bit of tension in us that seeks integration of our fixed ideas of what makes us feel secure, comfortable and grounded -  what we value – and what ideas or values jive with happiness in our closest relationships.

 Want to wear socks with sandals, but your partner hates the fashion? Want to go nude in the hot tub, but roommate says cover up? Peace and balance come through relationship, but they also come through honoring self and the basic actions of simply being “me”.

Planets or critical degrees in early Taurus (or in the early degrees of fixed signs - Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) may be up for release under the transit of Uranus this spring. For me, it helps to consider this part of my chart where Taurus lies and think: Where have I been stuck? Where do I need to be shaken and challenged? Then add the quick-moving Full Moon in Libra to wrestle with the dance we do with others – how is balancing the scales, the give and take with my close ones, feeding my individual needs? The “real” me? Or is it cutting or closing me down or avoiding the healing I need?

For example, with planets or the luminaries (Sun or Moon) in Taurus in the natal chart, one might revel in the pleasures of music. Taurus is ruled by the planet Venus and the sign often brings pure comfort and joy when creativity through music is part of the life. The Uranus transit may awaken a new passion or direction in musical expression, while the Full Moon in Libra adds to the mix the social dynamics we feel and encounter as we engage in innovation and work with our band mates to bring and embrace change - or failing to get our friends’ support, we feel wounded and stuck.

Recently, the slow-moving planet Uranus moved into the sign of Taurus. It changes signs about every 7 years. Last spring, Uranus entered Taurus for several months before appearing to move retrograde back into Aries, and then finally entered Taurus again March 6th of this year. This long, impactful shift in energy reflects a much-needed change of our personal and collective values. How in tune are we really to our physical needs, to our connection to nature, to our ability to just ‘be’? This shift also affects the way we see our resources and, hopefully, how we honor the Earth and approach our home planet’s gifts and blessings. How do we feel collectively about “material things” and what truly has meaning in creating the life we want?

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL ASTROLOGY DAY! Happy Full Moon in Libra –Wishing everyone a great SPRING EQUINOX!

Full Moon in Virgo, Pisces Season: RBG, the Divine in Becoming the Master Craftsperson

---

“There’s a sense that time is precious and you should enjoy and thrive in what you are doing to the hilt”

— Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Sun Enters Pisces, 3:04 PM, February 18th, Full Moon in Virgo, 0˚42’, 7:54 AM, February 19th, Mercury enters Pisces, February 10th, 2:51 AM, Chiron enters Aries, 4:00 AM, February 18th, New Moon, 15 47’ Pisces, 8:04 AM, March 6th, Moon conjunct Neptune, 8:48 AM, Sun conjunct Neptune, 5:01 PM, March 6th, 2019. PST.

Happy Full Moon in Virgo everyone…The Moon is full at 0˚42’ Virgo at 7:54 AM, February 19th, PST, with the Sun entering Pisces the day before, February 18th. Like some of you, perhaps, I have been thinking about the upcoming Oscar ceremony and the various nominated films. A favorite of mine, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, has been nominated for the Academy Award, Best documentary. I am rooting for Ruth!!! I thought I’d mention her now because her birth chart reflects our current Pisces season, just beginning, and the beauty of the polarity between Virgo and Pisces – two signs opposing one another in the zodiac.

How perfect for the current Full Moon! The very beginning of Virgo suggests an awakening, an emergence, a fresh and naïve initiation into where we want to serve, where we seek to master our abilities and become the “master craftsperson.” The Moon moves quickly so the Full Moon in early Virgo is a momentary meditation on where our heart says “develop your skills,” so to become what the universe is asking you to be.

The Sun is in Pisces now until the next Full Moon in March on the Vernal Equinox, March 20th. Accompanied by Mercury, in the sign since February 10th, both meet up with slow-moving Neptune, Mercury on February 18th, the Sun and New Moon on March 6th. Also on February 18th, slower moving Chiron leaves Pisces and enters Aries.

Let’s take a quick look at Justice Ginsburg, the “Notorious RBG,” hardly a typical Pisces! Ruth was born March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York; I don’t have the birth time. The last sign of the zodiac, Pisces, an emotional water sign, is about the dissolving a ‘self’ or ego, an opening to deep compassion and to visionary realms beyond boundaries, including a tapping into the larger collective consciousness. Justice Ginsburg’s Sun is in Pisces along with her natal Venus at mid-Pisces, where currently the planet Neptune is moving by transit. Neptune has such a way of connecting with the larger collective! Her popular appeal has never been greater – two films about her have recently been released (Neptune rules the artistry of film) and Venus attracts us to her – her compassionate gift of tireless dedication to hard work in support of justice, especially for women, but we could argue for all of those most vulnerable, and to her spirit as warrior. Enter Mars…

Why notorious RBG on a Full Moon in Virgo? Ruth has the planet Mars conjunct Neptune and her south node of the Moon, along with her Jupiter in Virgo, the sign opposing 180˚ to Pisces; this all resembles the mood we will experience this Full Moon. There is an old biblical story of Martha and Mary that so embodies the polarity of Virgo and Pisces. Martha, the ever-working spirit of service, in balance with her sister, Mary, who embodies the feeling heart of prayer; both equal devotees, both a worthy path.

When we have planets in the sign of Virgo, we strive for the best, we work hard with precision and develop analytical skill so, in the case of Justice Ginsburg, she is able to compose brilliant arguments with exactitude, that put into place laws in pursuit of what is truly just (RBG has a Scorpio natal Moon; she seeks truth with the heart of a passionate detective!). The writer, Malcolm Gladwell, coined the expression, “10,000 hours,” the effort it takes to master a craft. Like Martha, always servant to her Lord, Ginsburg hones in on the innate Virgonian-focused effort to put her will (Mars) and her visions (Neptune) for social change into action.

Jupiter, also in Virgo in her birth chart, allows RBG opportunities to question and wrestle with what we collectively value, our faith, in what is just and right. And Justice Ginsburg has Saturn in Aquarius – one of the co-rulers of Saturn, Aquarius strengthens the planet here – taking on obstacles earlier in her career (Saturn can be blockage), she claims the role of elder in radical social change (I would argue her Saturn falls close to her MC, her midheaven – the most public area of her chart - though I do not have her birth time). By the way, when she was appointed Supreme Court Justice in August, 1993, the planets Uranus and Neptune, together in Capricorn, formed a trine, 120˚ aspect, to RBG’s natal Jupiter, grounding her radical visions in a position of authority and power in the highest court in the country.

This February also marks Chiron’s entrance into Aries. RBG has her natal Mercury (conjunct Eris) and Uranus in Aries. The sign gives her the perceptions and voice (Mercury) of a revolutionary (Uranus) woman warrior (Aries) with the courage to fight on the frontlines. Collectively, now, we are all asked to combat our fears, move beyond wounds of doubt, and to be strong healing warriors (Chiron) in a world so in need of action and change. Those who are celebrating their 50th birthday this year may value especially this point most in their hearts.

Late February and early March grace us with a “Mary time,” a Piscean and Neptunian season of sorts, for our own meditations and reflections. But I say let’s use this Full Moon – seek how we all can “serve like Martha” or maybe, just maybe, with our 10,000 hours, be just a little bit of the “master craftswoman” of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Collectively, now and in the near future, we are confronted again with strong energies in Capricorn – as RBG encountered Uranus and Neptune in 1993, in 2020 it will be Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto  – time to hope, not fear, and create and transform ourselves so that each of us can be agents for change!

Many Blessings for the Full Moon!!!!

We Can Only Look Behind From Where We Came: Partial Solar Eclipse in Capricorn, January 5th, 2019

“And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game ”

— Joni Mitchell

New Moon in Capricorn, 15˚ 25’ 5:28 PM, PST, January 5th, 2019. Saturn, Capricorn, 11˚ 58’ and Pluto, Capricorn, 20˚ 46’. Partial Solar Eclipse.

---

Life is funny sometimes; how it brings back the past, reconfigures it and then touches us to move ahead into something new. There is a partial solar eclipse this Saturday, January 5th, at 5:28 PM PST, a New Moon in Capricorn, 15 degrees. It is part of a set or family of eclipses occurring in Cancer/Capricorn through 2020. It won’t be visible here in California nor will it make much of a splash as the Super Moon lunar eclipse probably will later in the month. But it is a very special one for me because of the particular degree and area in the zodiac it occurs. Synchronicity and an old photograph, a slide, gave me a chance to learn.

Many years ago, I was an art history professor at a university and I was putting together a lecture with slides. It was a time of pre-digital imagery; finding good, clear pictures with proper color of paintings was always a challenge, something we take for granted today. I had a few slides of very good quality that my father had taken and had gifted to me before he died. 

I was working on a talk about iconography, subject matter, that included this painting below. It is a famous one by Georges de La Tour, a 17th-century French painter, a master of capturing light. It shows Saint Joseph as a teacher, an intimate scene of “father” - stepfather, mentor - and Son, Jesus. I really loved the slide. My Dad had taken it in the Louvre in Paris, where the painting still lives today. Old Kodachrome slides have dates printed on them and on the cardboard was stamped, “July, 1963.” I realized then in my heart, as I stared at the slide, that I was there that day with my parents, so close in that museum, in front of that painting. You see I was in my mama’s womb, about 4 months old, that summer. I heard my father and mother discuss composition, light and the beauty of the art they saw together as he captured it on film. I was born in December later that year.

In July, 1963, the same month as my “in utero” visit to the Louvre, the lunar eclipse was at Capricorn 14 degrees, one degree off from where the solar eclipse is this coming weekend. Both eclipses conjunct my natal 11th House Mars at 17 Capricorn, Mercury at 20. Both also conjunct my south node of the Moon, at 11 Capricorn, and Sun, 6, in the 10th House. The solar eclipse occurred later that month at 27 degrees of Cancer, the one that preceded JFK’s assassination. Considered my “prenatal eclipse,” the one closest to the time of my birth, this one fell in my 5th House, house of joy and creative expression. The sign Cancer embodied the nurturing love I received from my parents, who encouraged me to think, write and embrace who I am. Prenatal eclipses seem to amplify the part of our birth chart that they touch. Current eclipses can bring into focus something new or something not previously seen.

I loved my father and I loved art history…and his words infused me then and moved me to create the life work that gave my soul meaning. When I reflect back upon the eclipses, it helps me to feel my family is still with me and that they give me strength and support in what I do. With this weekend’s solar eclipse, I feel I am changing. I am finding a new voice, a new direction, a Mars one. Where does the eclipse fall in your chart? A New Moon grants us a time to set intentions, have hope, new visions. With Saturn and Pluto in conjunction with the Sun and Moon this weekend, we can make intentions real with hard work, effort and perseverance. We may feel alone and our goals hard to reach. Just don’t give up; challenges lead us to transform and let us align with who we are becoming.

Astronomers and astrologers alike seem to love the Saros - the period or cycle of roughly 18 years that can be used to predict eclipses, solar and lunar. But I am always surprised by how most of the general public has no idea about them. Even the word “Saros” is a bit of a mystery to most I meet. The cycles of eclipses, how they repeat, not exactly, but so close to degree and in geometry, is very old sacred knowledge indeed. I’m pretty naive about it all and I don’t know a lot. There are plenty of folks online - astronomers and astrologers - who can tell you much more. My examples – lunar and solar in 1963 and just one solar in 2019 do not correspond to the same Saros cycle. But simply knowing about eclipses, how they appear to repeat, and how they can touch your birth chart, can be very meaningful and helpful. You just have to look…or have someone help you see them. Awareness of the past, and where we come from, just might open us to new paths now and in the future. Maybe your prenatal eclipse has something to say?

Sagittarius into Capricorn, Jupiter and Saturn: A Winter’s Tale for Solstice Time

“All I know is something like a bird within her sang, All I know she sang a little while and then flew off, Tell me all that you know, I’ll show you snow and rain. ”

— Robert Hunter

“I showed her where to find the gold, but the gold she finds is truly hers.”

— Auguste Rodin

“I have fallen into an abyss. I live in a world so curious, so strange. Of the dream that was my life, this is my nightmare. ”

— Camille Claudel

Winter Solstice: December 21st, 2018. Sun enters Capricorn 2:23 PM PST. Jupiter in Sagittarius, November 8th, 2018 through December 2nd, 2019. Saturn in Capricorn, December 19th, 2017 to December 16th, 2020, PST.

---

This is a love story as much as it is an astrological post. But isn’t that what life is really about? Human connection, soul connection; others in our life bring us the grace we need to be our most gifted self.  

 Everyone thinks of Winter solstice as that time of the year when night is at its longest and when light then begins to slowly return. How can we rise from the darkness, awaken to new life and light? Astrologers will immediately say “Pluto”! And as a gal who has felt the power of Pluto transits destroy and rebuild her life, who am I to argue? But I’d like to also point out a part so critical to evolutionary astrology: freewill in response to life’s challenges and turning points. I chose to discuss two charts of two well-known people, two lovers, to illustrate my points in this article, and, as you will see, the charts reflect the solstice season: Winter solstice (called “Winter” in the northern hemisphere) marks the Sun’s ingress (entrance) into Capricorn from Sagittarius.

Capricorn and Sagittarius are such very different signs, and they will become a part of this story. A Capricorn should never marry a Sagittarius! That is what we often see in “pop” astrology – don’t marry the sign immediately adjacent to your own Sun sign. Of course, we all know this is garbage. The birth chart is an intricate celestial map, much more complex and nuanced in meaning, than a simple Sun sign reading. If we think of the harmonics embedded in the “music of the spheres,” the music of the cosmos, two adjacent signs are like two keys back-to-back on a keyboard. Played together the noise is not right. But a chart is a symphony of sound, polyphonic and rich in character. As the night sky changes, the chart plays out, resonates with others near and dear to us, and we all move with the changing astrological rhythms – hopefully, but not always, in sync.

Throughout most of the current year ahead, 2019, Saturn continues to move through Capricorn, Jupiter through Sagittarius. Both planets are at home in these signs, strong placements reinforcing their respective energies. Time for us to expand into new dreams, new horizons and paradigms, open doors to opportunity for growth through faith in shooting that Sagittarian archer’s arrow. Look to see where Jupiter is transiting in your own natal chart to make the most of the coming year.  Meanwhile, in Capricorn, Saturn’s call is to reality, maturity, and discipline, in order to make those dreams of Jupiter, real. I will stress the nature of these two planets and these two signs in the synastry reading below, hopefully giving a flavor of each in the natal chart but also by transit (current movement in the sky) and by solar arc.

We begin with two birth charts, 19th-century artists, Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin. Most of us know them well through college art history surveys, popular films about their lives, or through seeing their art exhibited in museums. I include the charts of both below. Camille Claudel was born December 8th, 1864, at 5 AM in Fère en Tardenois, France, (AA Rodden rating suggests recording of accurate birth record or certificate) and Auguste Rodin, November 12th, 1840, at 12:00 Noon, Paris, France (Also AA Rodden rating). The rounded off birth time of both suggests they probably are not the exact birth time. In terms of learning astrology and the “ins and outs” of synastry, the two make an ideal choice for seeing connections as well as illustrating traits of Sagittarius and Capricorn helpful in our reflections about the current sky in 2019. Their birth charts read like a fairy-tale romance, with many classic conjunctions between the two charts. I want to teach a little bit about how we can look at synastry, two natal charts in comparison, along with the passage of time and potential for growth, through transits and solar arcs, diagnostic techniques used in astrology. For simplicity’s sake, I will use chart comparison only, though I recognize there are a number of useful techniques used in synastry analysis. Keeping Winter solstice and the year ahead in mind, this post will also comment upon the nature of the planets in both Sagittarius and Capricorn in the two birth charts.

If you are not that familiar with the two sculptors, let me explain. You have probably heard about the infamous “love affair” – a relationship which lasted about 15 years – between Camille and Auguste. There are even sketches in existence of their carnal and sensual play, and many at the time acknowledged the heat and shared passion between the two. They remain one of the  most well-known passionate lovers in the history of art. Although we have many sources about Rodin’s life and work, we know very little in detail regarding the life of Camille Claudel. Most of her letters and the archival resources about her life are gone. We do know both were critical catalysts for each other’s creative work, muses one could say, for the art they shared (most controversial is the probability that Claudel actually made some of Rodin’s most accomplished pieces – certainly we know her hand was at work modeling and carving, as well as posing for, many of his renowned commissions). Rodin was 43, Claudel 19, when they met. Some art historians have argued that, once separated, Rodin’s work was never the same. Most tragic was the more than 30 years following the end of the relationship, later in Camille’s life, when she suffered from mental illness, extreme poverty, and eventually life in an asylum where it seems she stopped creating art all together.

Let’s start with just a brief look at some of the basic insights into Camille’s birth chart. Her natal Sun is at 16˚ 25’ of Sagittarius, and falls in the 2nd House using the Placidus system. I find I am often drawn to charts by synchronicity because they help me reflect upon the current astrological moment. I decided to explore Camille’s biography, in part, because by chance, I discovered she has Jupiter in Sagittarius at 10˚ 11’, similar to Jupiter’s current location in the sky. (Jupiter is at 10˚ at Christmas time, 2018, this year. Jupiter has a 12-year orbit, so the planet is at this exact degree roughly every 12 years. Depending upon the particular passage, it may hit the degree more than once in a year due to retrograde motion – but not this year). The planet is in a wide conjunction to her natal Sun. Her ascendant is in Scorpio, 14 ° 51’ and her Moon sign in Aries, 11° 7’, 5th House, house of self-expression, joy, creativity, among other things. A fiery trine between Jupiter and her Moon gave Camille a lust for life and a passion for her art. The first quarter phase of Moon she was born under underscored her need to express a unique, potentially transforming, message through her art, one the world may not have been receptive to hear. The placement of 1st House Jupiter and 2nd House Sun, along with an Aries 5th House Moon, held possibilities for taking the risks needed in life to be a confident, successful woman artist at a time when the field of sculpture was dominated by men. Jupiter the “King”( or in this case, the “Queen”) in the 1st House of self, her unique identity, allowed her to approach life with a jovian (Jupiter-like) enthusiasm and confidence, though its tie with the 2nd House meant she needed to claim that confidence, step up and recognize her own abilities and talent.

Jupiter now in the sky in Sagittarius graces our own birth charts with such optimism, opportunity for growth or perhaps life lessons, depending upon how your natal Jupiter is positioned in your chart and where the planet is currently moving (by transit). For Camille, her Jupiter gave an outlook of life similar to seeing the glass half full rather than half empty. She was known for being quite arrogant about her talent early on in her career. Yet her ascendant is in the neighboring sign of Scorpio (remember the piano key analogy above), so as she encountered the world and others perceived her, she carried also an intensity, passion and depth of curiosity into the psychological forces that move people through life. Near the end of her life, while suffering from mental illness, her Scorpio nature sadly became one of compulsive suspicion, jealousy, and obsession. If we turn to her descendant, the sign ruling her 7th House of one-on-one relationship, we find Taurus, an earth sign, grounded in a need for stability, long-term commitment, and a desire to embrace the simple needs of the heart and body in partnership.

We can sense the fundamental difference between Sagittarius and Capricorn, the two music keys side-by-side, by balancing Camille’s Sagittarius Jupiter and Sun with a brief look at her Capricorn Venus and Mercury. The natal position of Camille’s Venus, 22°8’ Capricorn on the cusp of the 3rd House, reinforced the partnership needs of her Taurus descendant, giving Camille a basic drive for a stable partner, perhaps older and mature, one she could relate to on an intellectual, mental level, supporting her artistic ideas and work. This Venus gave a promise of hard work and discipline to bring about a “great work,” Capricorn, through her voice as an artist. Her 2nd House Capricorn Mercury made her great work a mission in her life deeply tied into her self-worth and confidence (2nd House) and her abilities to express and communicate through clay and marble. With Mercury’s sign, Gemini, ruling the 8th House of deep intimacy with a lover in Camille’s chart, her partner, Rodin, would need to offer that bond. The classical ruler of her chart, Mars, is in Gemini, 7th House; Camille needed a variety of experience in terms of partnership, but also a lover who could engage her intellectually in supportive dialogue and exchange. As we will see, Auguste Rodin, as her mentor and lover – and rightfully, one could argue, her partner for a time – held potential to awaken Camille to her own self-realization as an artist. Unfortunately, however, as many of my readers know, Rodin missed the boat in terms of fully mentoring Camille. Or perhaps he intentionally used her as a sex object, though I’d like to believe he truly cared for her. I applaud Camille because as we will see, she did take the chance, she did awaken to her own authentic self, yet cultural and societal roadblocks, along with the struggles of mental illness, made true success as an artist not possible until after her death.

I include Rodin’s birth chart here as well, but I’ll dive right into the synastry. Right away it is easy to see the classic signs of immediate compatibility and lust and joy Camille and Auguste found in each other. Yet also evident is the potential for upset and emotional turmoil. Her natal Venus falls on his Capricorn ascendant; she must have been attracted to his very presence as the older, successful gentleman, the ascendant is how one shines through to the world. His Venus, at 18°44’ of Sagittarius, is conjunct her natal 16°Sun; he was attracted to that fiery Sagittarian gypsy spirit, her jovian solar self. His Saturn is also conjunct her natal Sun, and with a Capricorn Venus, Camille most likely was attracted to the mature man, one that had the potential to either dampen her soul or to give it structure and support. His Mercury, at 12°44’ Sagittarius, conjunct both her Sun and Jupiter, gave her the thoughts, ideas, creative stimulation, that her 3rd House Venus so craved.

Meanwhile, in Rodin’s chart, Saturn is in close conjunction with his natal Venus (Saturn at 20°19’ Sagittarius, Venus at 18°44’) showing a need for serious commitment to both his art and to relationship, wrestling with possible blockage and frustrations in the discipline and challenges both require. Both planets in the 11th House suggest Rodin would need to mature in his approach to relationships and most likely encounter his deepest love and greatest intimacy later in life (Planets in the 11th House, according to evolutionary astrologer, Steven Forrest, are often on “a long fuse” – taking time for their potential to manifest in the life).

Saturn conjunct Venus in Rodin’s natal chart provided him with the discipline (Saturn) to complete his “10,000 hours” of practice as an artist, but it also gave him a need for long-term commitment in love and partnership (Venus). He achieved this with his common-law wife (whom he eventually married near his death), Rose Beuret, whom he must have felt a great sense of obligation and commitment to support and maintain, despite his passionate love for Camille Claudel. Why did Rodin insist on maintaining partnership with Rose when sources suggest it made all involved miserable? Enter cultural and societal expectations: a male artist was entitled to his muse (Camille’s south node of the Moon conjunct Pluto falls in her 6th House; she was drawn into patterns of subservient abuse by a “superior,” in this case, a mentor). With a Capricorn ascendant as well as the strong Saturnian influence on his natal Venus, Rodin was concerned with creating a respectful and dignified public persona, one that he could control. Tragically, this did not allow for the reality of committing to his muse, pupil, and assistant Camille – a strong, willful woman with her own power and artistic voice that challenged his – a woman twenty-four years younger than him and eccentric in her passion and countercultural in her practice and lifestyle. Camille Claudel never healed from this rejection.

Venus.

With natal revolutionary and rebel Uranus sitting on his 2nd House cusp and Camille’s natal Uranus in a conjunction to his natal 5th House Moon, Rodin needed Camille to awaken his self-confidence to “think outside the box” in his development of his artistic expression and style, which in turn would support his self-esteem and success as a sculptor (Note Camille’s natal Jupiter falls in Rodin’s 10th House of public mission and recognition, forming a conjunction with his natal Mercury). Uranus, planet of unpredictable, eccentric genius, gave a wealth of creative insight, but must have shocked and rattled Rodin’s emotional security.

It is hard looking back at the historic love narrative and not feel pity for poor Rose Beuret. Perhaps Rodin truly loved both, difficult to know. Rose must have felt the obvious bond between Auguste and Camille; she certainly knew of the ongoing affair. Funny Rodin never married Rose, until on the verge of death. Maybe he finally realized he truly loved Rose. Or, perhaps fearful to look and see what was really in his heart, Rodin left the door perpetually open. According to archival sources, Rose made a good cook, but they certainly did not share the same jovian passion and Saturnian commitment to art.

Camille appears never to have allowed herself to open to love with another, despite the honest intentions of other men. French composer, Claude Debussy (of ‘Clair de lune’ fame), also apparently tried to love her. One archival record claims Debussy and Claudel attended a concert together in July, 1899, when her progressed Sun formed a conjunction with her natal Venus - an event often heralding a time of finding one’s potential “right” partner. I describe this critical time for Camille in more depth below. But let us return to Claudel and Rodin!

One of the fascinating parts of exploring synastry between two souls is to study the moment they met. I can’t go into too much detail here, in part because we do not know the exact date or time of meeting between Rodin and Claudel. But if we look at the early years of their romance, solar arcs are particularly telling. Astrologers use a number of techniques to reveal the celestial spark or potential for evolutionary change in a person’s life, such as when they encounter a significant other. One technique is looking into solar arcs, which can be readily seen in a person’s outer life (I will allow you to explore what solar arcs are on your own if you are curious). Most scholars hold that Camille met Rodin sometime in 1882 or 1883, when solar arc Venus formed a sextile to her natal Jupiter. She developed her strong attachment to him in the years that followed. A critical time came when Rodin apprenticed Camille in his studio at 182 rue de l’Université, in 1884. Claudel’s biographer, Reine-Marie Paris, described this time, “The years when Claudel served as Rodin's studio assistant were the master sculptor's most productive; for Camille they were both the most instructive and, perhaps, the most destructive in terms of establishing a career independent from Rodin.” Keep in mind how this quote describes a kind of psychological limitation as well as artistic growth.

I include Camille’s birth chart above showing the solar arcs in the outer circle that were at play in her chart the year she became both intimate muse and collaborator with Auguste Rodin (set for January 1st, 1884). There are a number of solar arcs worthy of mention, but I’ll focus on only a few. Her progressed Sun at 5 Capricorn forms an exact square to natal 5th House Neptune at 5 Aries; her evolving self, needing self-reliance and hard work in Capricorn, was in tension with her artistic vision as well as her romantic fantasies and illusion (5th House Neptune) - and, we could add, a fiery, enthusiastic Aries passion. Solar arc Venus at 11˚ Aquarius formed a square with Camille’s natal Pluto at 11˚ Taurus (In the 6th House. It is important to note one could argue Pluto falls very close to her descendant and if the birth time is rectified to roughly 15 minutes earlier, it falls on her descendant, further stressing the need for honesty and trust in intimate partnership. Camille’s birth time is given as 5 AM, a time suggesting it was rounded off at birth). This solar arc suggests a time of meeting a potential partner who could help Camille process deep-seated psychological patterns or wounds in her psyche (Recall how I noted Pluto’s ability to transform us on a very deep level in the introduction above). Solar arc Mars is approaching a conjunction with Camille’s 8th House Uranus as well. The 8th House is house of deep intimacy with another, among other things. Such an encounter could help her face her shadows, bring them to the surface (with the square possibly forcing them into view) in a way that would free her to claim her own individual power as an artist.

The solar arc of Venus making a square to Pluto also suggests romantic passion and obsession, complementing the intensity of Rodin’s Scorpio Sun and Camille’s Scorpio ascendant in their natal charts, and certainly characteristic of their passionate, sexual obsession for each other. Pluto is the modern ruler of Camille’s Scorpio ascendant and one could argue with such an ascendant, Camille was here to self-actualize as a “shaman,” someone who could reveal psychological forces at play in human behavior for the collective to see. Her best artwork does just that; her gifts as a sculptress laid in her natural talent to express her subjects’ inner moods and psychological states of being, a talent Rodin admired and copied during their years of collaboration. In the year that followed, her solar arc Mercury formed a conjunction with her natal 3rd House Venus, her solar arc Jupiter, in turn, made a conjunction with her natal Mercury. Both provided a perfect time for her to develop her ideas (Mercury) about art (Venus) as well as cultivate a robust intellectual, artistic exchange with Rodin. It is worth mentioning that the composite chart of the two artists features a very close Sun and Jupiter conjunction. Jupiter as teacher or “guru”, we can see that each artist mentored and inspired the other.

I’d like to jump ahead in years to a later stage in the lives of both artists and consider how Camille worked through her own claiming of her personal power in response to the planet Uranus, known in the astrological world as the “great awakener.” Uranus crossed Camille’s ascendant in 1893 and 1894 (during her 1st Saturn return), continuing throughout the 1890s in her 1st House, following in 1899 and 1900 to conjunct her natal Jupiter. As early as 1896, Camille had asked Mathias Morhardt, a writer and friend, to contact Rodin to request that he not visit her anymore. The two artists permanently ended their romantic involvement by 1898, the year Uranus entered Sagittarius. One of the most important public exhibitions of Camille’s sculpture was the inclusion of her piece, Hamadryad, at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900. Her work appeared right next to Rodin’s, though her break with him both as an artist and lover had occurred two years earlier. Uranus by transit can bring about a sudden realization and liberation, helping a soul release old patterns, free the evolutionary path to individuation. Camille Claudel successfully navigated a pivotal Uranian period.

The chart of the opening date of the Exposition, April 14, 1900, shows Jupiter at 10˚ Sagittarius, an exact conjunction with Camille’s natal Jupiter, a time to have hope, take risks and have confidence in herself and her talent, while Uranus is at 12˚ Sagittarius, along with the mean north node of the Moon at 13˚, the node suggesting karmic destiny. All form a conjunction, the node at the midpoint, with her natal Jupiter and Sun. Transiting Saturn is at 5˚ Capricorn, a waning conjunction to her Mercury in the 2nd House, challenging her to make her own artistic voice heard. Once again, this story of Camille Claudel’s relationship with Rodin is telling in comparison to our current sky at Winter solstice and leading into next year, 2019. Recall how now both Jupiter is in Sagittarius, Saturn in Capricorn. Jupiter in Sagittarius offered Camille a moment to question “How can I bring out the best of myself?” in other words, in her 1st House, her willingness to have faith in and take a risk to be herself. Uranus, also by transit in her 1st House, between her Jupiter and Sun, awoke in Camille the urge to claim her independence from her mentor, Rodin, whose work, sadly, in this period became increasingly less experimental and more commercial. Uranus and Jupiter by transit in Rodin’s 10th House led to increased recognition and financial success for the artist, but the glory of his most creative period had past.

Camille Claudel’s Natal chart (inner circle) in comparison to the sky at the opening date of the Exposition Universelle, in Paris, April 14, 1900 (outer circle - Set for Noon, Pacific Standard Time - I am uncertain of actual time of the opening but I assume it was in the evening in Paris).

Why then did Camille Claudel fail so drastically in the later years of her life? By 1900, I believe, Camille had successfully separated from both the passionate sexual bond with Rodin and from the apprenticeship that kept her work tied so intimately to his. An evolutionary astrologer would recognize for her the radical potential the Uranus transits held to free her and awaken in her a true inner voice, one radical, independent and alive. Camille’s birth chart features Mercury out-of-bounds. Out-of-bounds refers to planets whose declination is beyond the maximum declination of the Sun, 23˚27’, either north or south. When a planet is out-of-bounds in a natal chart, it can manifest as extreme behavior in line with the nature of the planet. For example, Mercury out-of-bounds may bring a creative genius or it may bring eccentric thought processes in the extreme. It is challenging, in Camille’s case, to have Mercury out-of-bounds in her natal chart! Camille needed allies; people who would not only recognize her extraordinary gifts, but support, allow and encourage the countercultural creative mind, soul and heart of her artistic genius.

Those of you who may have seen the 2013 film about Camille’s later years, Camille Claudel 1915, directed by Bruno Dumont, with Juliette Binoche as Camille, know there is much more to the story involving her ongoing struggles with la différence she felt in comparison to the world at large and the frustrations she encountered as she lived among the mentally ill, as well as her tormented attempts to reach her brother, Paul. A comparison of the charts of Paul and Camille Claudel is yet another story in synastry! It is too much to wrestle with family astrological dynamics in this article, however it is important to mention Camille and her brother, Paul Claudel, had a very strong bond from childhood, recall her Gemini Mars in the 7th. He would be the one to eventually commit her to a psychiatric hospital. Her mother and sister never supported her creativity nor her eccentric lifestyle, though her father provided love and support throughout her life, until he died in 1913, the same year she was first committed to a mental asylum. Camille Claudel’s 4th House Pisces Chiron suggests a family wound to her visionary life as an artist, not to mention sacrifice at the family’s expense. Rodin must have “pushed buttons” for Camille in terms of her role as daughter and her ability to receive love and recognition within her family (Rodin’s natal Uranus is conjunct her natal 4th House Chiron and forms a square to her vibrant Jupiter and Sun, challenging her claim to her authentic self). Camille Claudel never healed from the broken heart of Rodin’s refusal to marry her, her bohemian lifestyle and sexual freedom always a source of scorn held by mother and sister. In 1913, she experienced her Chiron return (Chiron’s return to its natal position, roughly at age 50), a time that held such promise for her to heal the familial wound and step into role as healer. Once again, societal attitudes blocked her development as woman artist.

The years after Claudel and Rodin permanently separated, she struggled in poverty, not able to receive enough commissions. In part, I believe, this is because she was a strong-willed woman. Meanwhile, her past relationship with Rodin and the resentment she held for him continued to haunt her. Again, the synastry between Camille and Auguste played into this time, for both of them, as his natal Moon forms a conjunction to her 8th House Uranus. He undoubtedly played a part in her seeking her authentic self when eventually Uranus by transit opposed her natal Uranus, in 1903-1905, a transit that occurs for everyone in their early ‘40s, and formed a conjunction with her natal Mercury. Though he attempted to give her emotional and professional support in this period, Rodin’s love was erratic and volatile, upsetting and disrupting her needs for both deep intimacy and for financial support. Eventually, Camille Claudel was committed to a mental asylum, first in Ville-Évrard in 1913, then, in 1914, to Enghien, then finally Montdevergues, near Avignon, where she remained for 29 years until her death in 1943.

The cosmos gave Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin a chance for true, lasting intimacy and connection with shared work if they could process the shadows. But in 19th-century France, the reality of being an artist’s muse, apprentice and mistress is just that – one is a muse and pupil, nothing more. Rodin did try in earnest to give Claudel professional support and encouragement, but he lacked follow through on the most important of all forms of support – true, humble respect and recognition for her as lover, partner and equal. Solar arcs are windows in time that give circumstances to us for personal growth. Recall how in 1884, solar arc Venus moved into a square to Camille’s Pluto. If we read Camille’s natal Pluto on the descendant, and add in that Pluto is the modern ruler of her chart, we can imagine that she fell deeply in love in obsession with Rodin. Often Pluto in the Venus realm brings up psychological issues, unprocessed wounds ready to be released. I’ve heard of such relationships described as the potential partner serving as “coat rack” for the projections of the other. For Camille, much of her “coat rack” most likely stemmed from the limitations of a gifted, spirited, independent woman living in an age dominated by the power and privilege of men. By facing Pluto and taking Pluto head on, claiming the muck and guck, and rising from the ashes, Camille could then face Uranus and the potential to find authenticity. But we move in a human world, one limited by societal and cultural expectations, one very much at play in 19th-century France. Was the world not ready to receive Camille Claudel?

Camille Claudel’s birth chart, in comparison to that of Auguste Rodin, gives us insights into how chart comparisons can reveal times of potential change, times of awakening and self-realization. In 2019, Jupiter is in Sagittarius and Saturn in Capricorn. Like Camille, whose life held so much promise, so much passion (Jupiter), we have opportunities to see where we most need to expand, how we can do better, what gifts we can bring forth. And, like Camille, with her Capricorn Venus and Mercury, her hard work and her desire to have her artwork acknowledged (Saturn), we are asked to make our dreams real and last. We, too, have a chance to make our work endure. That is, if the world is ready to hear.

Wishing everyone a great Solstice yuletide season and a blessed 2019!

Harvest Full Moon in Aries, Followed by Moon Making a Square to Saturn.

“Human dignity demands courage to defend oneself.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

— M Gandhi

FULL MOON 2 degrees 0’ Aries, 7:52 PM PDT. Moon square Saturn at 2 degrees Capricorn, 9:27 PM PDT, September 24, 2018.

I wanted to send out good vibes for the upcoming Full Moon tomorrow, September 24, at 7:52 PM PDT. It might seem odd in a blog about a fiery, feisty Aries Full Moon to include a few photos I recently took in India of a memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, but I think if you read a little more, it might make sense…

This particular Full Moon in 2 degrees Aries will be followed about an hour and a half later by the Moon forming a square (90-degree) aspect to the planet Saturn in Capricorn. It might be helpful, if you know your birth chart, to look to see where Saturn has been transiting in recent weeks. Those folks with planets, the Sun or Moon, or other critical degrees in early Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn) might want to pay particular attention at this Full Moon, using the time to better understand the much slower moving Saturn transit in your life and evolutionary soul journey. I, myself, have my natal Sun at 6 degrees Capricorn, in the 10th House (House of “career” or “mission”). Saturn often calls us to work hard and mature in the area of your chart where the planet currently travels. I’m writing just a short reflection here, rather than a longer blog, because I am feeling the limitations of my own “solar self,” my core sense of who I am, what has value to me, what I need to be doing.

I suppose most of you know I have been traveling in India for the last month; my body is so exhausted and, frankly, my spirit feels weak. I am questioning my own abilities of what or where my “mission” is…what I am meant to pursue or even if I have the desire or energy to do so. All of this occurs while the college where I work goes through a major restructuring, the classes I teach are changing, and, meanwhile, I am questioning what I write, if evolutionary astrology is worth my time - or perhaps more real, if my writing is worthy of evolutionary astrology - if I have anything at all to contribute to astrology, a discipline gifted with so many worthy voices and talented writers, and yet so ignored by most of the larger world.

So this is where the three photos I add fit in: While I was in Delhi, I visited Birla House, the Gandhi Smriti, the place where the “great soul, “ Mahatma Gandhi lived later in life and where he was shot by a religious zealot in 1948. These pictures show a few of his personal objects and the walk he took to the place where he was shot. I didn’t share the photos with others at the time of my visit. In part I guess because I felt a deep, inner reflection that I wasn’t ready to put out there on social media. Instead, I spent some time sitting with Gandhi’s birth chart over the several weeks after as I traveled. I have a lot to write about it; no confidence or energy to put most of it down. But I would like to briefly share my thoughts about Gandhi’s natal Neptune, 18 degrees 25’ Aries in his 6th House, house of daily work, mentorship and service. I realize this is pulling out piecemeal just a little bit of a very complex natal chart, however a few words about Neptune in Gandhi’s birth chart allows me to make a loose connection to the current Full Moon in Aries for all of us when considering Saturn’s slower movement through Capricorn in our charts.

A few of Mahatma Gandhi’s personal items at Gandhi Smriti

Neptune, the spiritual planet, often represents the avenues, places or activities in our lives where we can best connect with the Divine, with a sense of universal love, and with compassion. Aries, ruled by Mars, is the sign of the one who initiates, takes action; the warrior who fights the battle. Neptune in Aries in the 6th, in a very loose opposition to Gandhi’s 12th House Libra Sun and a trine with Gandhi’s Leo Moon in the 10th House, infused Gandhi’s daily life, work and service with the love, commitment and humility of a Neptunian warrior, preaching passive resistance to lead a massive collective transformation in basic human rights and equity for the people of India (Again, there is so much to write about in Gandhi’s chart: it also features a strong opposition between a conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto in Taurus in his 7th House and a Venus, ruler of his chart, and Mars conjunction in Scorpio in his 1st House - he clearly was a leader of collective change in how people relate one-on-one, how we can learn to recognize the Divine in one another, and how a core part of his ‘self’ was revealing the deeper truths of how people treat each other unjustly and why).

So how does this help us with a Full Moon in Aries meditation in the hours that currently lay ahead?

Having the courage to be the warrior in the area of our birth chart where the Full Moon will be - look to see where 2 degrees Aries falls in your chart. And how might there be tension or a critical awakening to that part of our chart where Saturn now asks us to acknowledge our limits, have patience and endure, keep focused and work hard. We may not be Neptunian warriors in the sense of non-violent action of Gandhi’s great mission. But all of us have a part of ourselves where we need courage to use our inner warrior, where perhaps finding the spirit of the warrior will help bring into critical focus that area of life where Saturn is challenging us and where we need to mature, and where perhaps there just may be a worthy harvest.

Wishing you a great Harvest Full Moon!