That’s the way it’s been in town / Ever since they tore the jukebox down.

Tonight at a bit past 8 pm EDT (just past midnight UTC), the Moon forms a conjunction to the Sun — this is the Libra New Moon. If you recall, it’s been two whole weeks since the total eclipse of the Moon in Aries; that was the corresponding Full Moon along the Aries/Libra axis.

Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina.

We’re still at the end of the storm phase of Mercury retrograde, so you may still be feeling some effects of that.

Some of this may be on the human plane; consider what you have to say to others and what you want from them. Resolve those issues one at a time, consciously, in human fashion; figure out where people are coming from. This is what makes you human — your ability to respond to the human condition. You might think you don’t owe people that; you might think you have “compassion fatigue.”

Asking for what you need and not expecting others to read your mind is also part of what makes you human. I recognize how uncomfortable we think this is — this bit about personhood. I know that word has not been popular for a while. I know it’s kept mostly in the dusty “self help” section in a used book store in Berkeley. But we need it here and now.

Then there are tech issues. Be meticulous so you don’t leave threads hanging. Try not to get frustrated; just keep the energy moving and when in doubt, ask for a customer service supervisor.

In today’s New Moon chart, the Moon and Sun are standing face to face with Uranus, an energetic, mischievous planet, which can give the sensation of something sudden and unexpected about to happen. In a sense that’s always true, at least in our era. Yet how we respond to that feeling deserves some self-observation.

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Use this link if you’re listening on an iOS or mobile device. Download MP3.

This past Thursday I hosted a live, call-in edition of Planet Waves FM. Our topic was listening to men speak up about their perception of gender roles and the impact of rape culture feminist theory. Listen or download the playback above.

And Now for Your Weekly Diary

Mercury stations direct this week, at about 10:57 am EDT on Friday, Oct. 9 (14:57 UTC). For the next five days or so we will move through what some astrologers describe the Mercury storm (a term popularized by Jim Shawvan, but he said he doesn’t remember where he first read about it, and this is apparently lost to history, at least for now).

Chart section for Mercury station direct on Friday. Mercury is represented by the green glyph with the 00 next to it. The North Node is the orange horseshoe. To the right is a grouping including Venus, Mars, the Moon and Jupiter — a complex setup that I’ll be speaking about in various formats as the week goes on. Check Planet Waves FM next.

The storm phase has a technical definition (Mercury moving fewer than so many degrees per day), but the practical or folk definition works — it’s about four days on either side of the station, increasing in intensity as the station occurs. So we’ll be moving through the Mercury storm for a little over a week.

The implication is that the retrograde effects will be more noticeable, though I would say that the use and theme of the retrograde comes into focus and is more accessible.

Remember, there are two primary ways to work with astrology: to see it either as something that happens to us, or as something we work with as a resource, tool or environmental factor.

This particular Mercury station direct has two extraordinary properties. One is that it happens in the first degree of Libra, opposite the Aries Point. That provides an amplifying effect, and an intersection between personal and interpersonal material.

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Despite Mercury’s recent station retrograde, there would seem to be a lot of energy flying about this week. Saturn’s change of signs has probably signaled the overflowing of a few emotional dams. Mars joins Saturn and Nessus in the early mutable degrees late Thursday (early Friday UT), and Sunday’s lunar eclipse is the icing on this particular astrological cake. As a result, toward the weekend you might be feeling more than a little edgy.

The Moon during a 2007 lunar eclipse. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis

There are several indicators that this tension could have something to do with early experiences — which happens more often than many will acknowledge — but in this case, you may find the task of locating the source unusually easy.

Consider it as being offered a strong, clarifying lens, which can skip right past the distracting details and align automatically with the core of the issue — if you decide to look.

Clarity is one of the best possible devices in your personal toolbox. Once you’ve reached an understanding with yourself, you may well find that the tension or frustration you’ve been grappling with changes. The resulting energy will be a purer, more neutral force — which you can then redirect into a deeply desired ambition or personal project.
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Venus has stationed direct in Leo after a six-week retrograde. It’s done so in the midst of a conjunction to Mars, a story that’s been brewing since much earlier in the year, and will continue into November — the Venus-Mars triple conjunction, first in Aries, then in Leo, and finally in Virgo.

Christina from Book of Blue. Photo by Eric Francis.

Leo is the sign of what you might call ‘affairs of the heart’. So as for how the station-direct manifests, you might be looking at various change-of-heart scenarios, including cultivating acceptance of a situation, or some variant on that (such as refusing to accept something).

In my observation humans strive for finality in their relationships, but tend to be restless and often dissatisfied beings all along the way. We are a society that swears its avowed fidelity to the concept of monogamy, with 37 million records in the Ashley Madison database.

The Venus-Mars conjunction is still in motion. Remember there are three of them, with one more yet to happen, the last being in early November.

Whatever story has moved with you through the year has a point of equilibrium at the third conjunction, in Virgo, the sign of healing and service. This may not involve just one person; it may be a much more complex gestalt. However, sex and the desire for sexual healing are involved. The idea of sex as a form of service is involved.

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Saturday’s Pisces Full Moon was aligned with a rare aspect that’s happening now, the Jupiter-Neptune opposition. That’s a lot of Pisces in the air — or is it in the water? — and the Full Moon was just the beginning. On Tuesday, the Sun forms an exact opposition to Neptune.

Jupiter and Neptune, for their part, form their one and only exact opposition for this 13-year cycle on Sept. 17, one of the busiest astrological weeks of the year. I’ll have more on that exciting, adventurous week for you in the coming days. For now, let’s look at the Sun-Neptune opposition.

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The other night I tuned into a woman named Whitney Cummings doing standup on cable, and found a full video of her routine here (meaning on the internet), called “I Love You.” She is funny; she knows how to push it and can really put her slightly disturbing ideas in your face.

She is a master of parodying the female inner dialog. She seems to know it well, and has been listening and taking notes. My take is that she’s a caricature artists rather than someone unconsciously stereotyping. Good comedy says what hardly anyone else has the guts to say. That’s why I pay special attention to comedians and, speaking as a devoted and accomplished writer, tip my hat to all of them.

As an astrologer, I’m always eager to test the validity of astrological theories. One that has validity is the association with self-criticism with Virgo. I don’t know if Virgos are any more or less analytical of themselves, aggressively so, though I have heard and learned about this from a diversity of Virgos with whom I’ve shared space.

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