By Amanda Painter

Although the Scorpio Full Moon came and went last night and there’s other astrology brewing, you might still be feeling some ripples (or navigating some rapids). Sometimes a little framing after the fact can be very helpful in getting grounded enough to meet what’s next on the horizon.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

I’m writing this just a couple of short hours after receiving a surprise email that has thrown me a little off-balance — and just one day after the White House’s announcement Tuesday that it had fired FBI director James Comey, in the midst of the investigation into Trump’s ties with Russia. All of it fits bizarrely with the theme of secrets and “something coming to a head” that last night’s Scorpio Full Moon suggested. It also fits amazingly well with the themes of “expect the unexpected,” “digital communication,” and “chaos/subversion” that go with Mercury — slow and powerful — still in close proximity to the Uranus-Eris conjunction.

Have you experienced your own personal “surprise news” this week? Is your head spinning from each newly revealed detail of Comey’s firing, or from other TV news?

Hopefully you’re finding ways to get your bearings and proceed forward. Yet the astrology from today into tomorrow is a mix of “challenging” and “supportive” aspects that ask you to stay fully aware of your choices and your motives.

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Shortly before 6 pm EDT (21:42:25 UTC) tomorrow, the Scorpio Full Moon will be in precise opposition to the Taurus Sun. By that time, Mercury will have separated from the last of three Aries conjunctions with Uranus for the year. Combine a lunar culmination concurrent with a milestone in Mercury’s recent resumption of forward progress, and digging comes to mind.

There is more than one reason to dig into the ground. Like archaeologists and other treasure hunters, you can can excavate to uncover or discover something hidden. As with gardeners, you can turn the soil over either to cultivate or harvest a crop.

Furthermore, it is common to create a cavity in the available alluvium to hold a building’s foundation in place. Carving depressions or ditches in the earth also serves to channel or store accumulations of surface water. What’s more, tunnels constructed beneath the ground can (among other things) serve to convey anything from fluid to traffic from one place to another.

Then, there are more abstract applications of the word “dig.” Sometime during the 20th century, people of alternative cultural persuasions began to speak of digging colloquially to express understanding or appreciation. A much older phrasing presents a somewhat contrasting picture: “digging in” for purposes of either traction or resistance to movement. All of these definitions and more are something you might want to be aware of in order to more fully grasp you place under tomorrow’s Full Moon.

For astrologers, the Moon itself is at least partially indicative of what lies beneath the surface of your personality. Things like your emotional needs (along with related issues having to do with safety and comfort) tend to correspond with the Moon’s symbolism. Especially in a social setting, what you see (and show) upon first acquaintance with somebody is more likely to do with a natal Sun and solar derivatives, such as a rising sign. Only after getting to know know a person better is the lunar component likely to be revealed.

Interestingly, a lot of correlations associated with both Taurus and the opposing sign Scorpio also include a significant component relating to that which is beneath the surface. The longer you know nearly anybody born with the Sun in Taurus, for example, the greater your understanding and appreciation of them is likely to be. When it comes to the Moon taking on Scorpio’s raiment, however, the resulting scenario is more complex and less certain.

Because the Moon is exalted in Taurus, most things lunar are implicitly less than than celebrated on the other side of the zodiac in Scorpio. Combine the implied theme of an expatriate Moon with the intensity usual to a Full Moon, and things could go one of two ways. That’s where Mercury comes in.

Ever since Mercury ended its retrograde on May 3, it has been doing a bit of “digging in” and “digging for.” The “digging in” part has to do with how this most recent case of temporary retreat constituted the slowest extended period of motion of the year for what is normally the fleetest of planets.

As one would expect, Mercury remains sluggish upon emergence from its recent retrograde passage, and is still gradually regaining its figurative traction. At its peak speed, Mercury flies around the zodiac at about two degrees a day — farther than it has traveled over the last six days.

Even so, Mercury’s direction is now undeniably direct and its motion is unavoidably accelerating as it begins to move over the latter part of Aries one last time. That’s how Mercury can be said to be “digging for” as well.

When any planet retrogrades, it moves over the same part of the zodiac wheel’s edge three times. In Mercury’s case, the first trip over that arc started in late Aries on March 27, and ended in early Taurus on April 9. Then Mercury shifted into reverse. The slow backpedal implicitly reviewed the initial passage, eventually returning Mercury to Aries and one more turnabout. Now, well into the third traversal of that which has already been twice traced, the indicated theme is less review and more revelation — perhaps even integration.

All of which gives you something to think about, should you be fortunate enough to view the Moon’s final stage of waxing tonight. First, think about what forms of digging you have witnessed in the world during the past five or six weeks. Then, spend an at least equal time to review how you might be said to have been digging yourself. Finally, imagine being gifted with a chance to see and do it all one more time, and ask yourself what you would do with such an opportunity.

Second chances are rare. Third chances are scarcer still. Under the bright light of tomorrow’s Scorpio Full Moon you might find (or better yet, make) the additional chance you or somebody else needs. If you don’t see your way clear to do so now, try digging a little more. Or better yet, try digging differently.

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Earlier today, the Sun passed the midpoint of Taurus. The Moon is currently waxing in Virgo, and will enter Libra tomorrow. The Earth, for its part, is presently moving through a field of stardust left behind by Halley’s Comet.

The meteor shower resulting from Earth’s encounter with those comet fragments will be viewed best by our friends south of the equator in the hours just before dawn.

As we move towards the Scorpio Full Moon of 2017 on Wednesday, the inner planets of the solar system are in a transitional stage. Mercury is in direct motion once again through Aries, but taking its time getting up to speed after its slowest retrograde of the year. The scenario is reminiscent of one who speaks slowly and simply so as to emphasize a point.

A deliberate, pedantic speaking pattern is often a well-intended attempt at clear communication. Nonetheless, such an oral style will often try the patience of a listener who (rightly or wrongly) perceives a condescending tone. All of which presents a dilemma for the speaker during a period when Mercury’s sluggish turnaround implies the distinct possibility of being misheard unless extra pains are taken to prevent it.

With the Moon waxing towards fullness in the one and only fixed water sign, any potential to irritate should probably be taken into account before speaking your piece. This might be said to be particularly true in some areas north of the equator where atmospheric pollen is still thick enough to inflame the eyes, nose, throat and moods to excess.

Add to the scenario Venus still moving slower than its usual self through fiery Aries following its own retrograde. Then, include volatile Mars in Gemini’s field of influence (which, among other things, has to do with communication), and the challenge of getting a conversational point across might well seem to be more trouble than it’s worth. All of which points to a protocol that might come in handy for the handful of days to come: the practice of patient illumination.

If you think it vital to verbally persuade or otherwise influence another through midweek, try to do so in a way that represents a pleasant stimulation. Appeal to the curiosity of the person you are addressing. Should you be in the position of a listener, endeavor to see the light instead of feeling the heat. On either side of a conversation, allow time for a conclusion to be mutually drawn later rather than sooner.

From Jupiter on out to Pluto, planets that always move slowly are now positioned to indicate useful and substantial impressions gradually becoming available, regarding both what has recently come to pass, and what is yet to come. Your implicit role in the solar system at this time is to bridge inner and outer by emphasizing what they currently have in common.

Therefore, see if you can facilitate the eventual appreciation more than immediate apprehension of data. In order to do so most effectively, you would be well advised to support contemplation and minimize provocation, whatever it is you want to say — or hear.

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You may pre-order all 12 signs of INVOLUTION here. What we’re living through today is not written about in any book. We’re its pioneers in consciousness. For us, in our time, the revolution must be within. INVOLUTION will be your guide.

By Amanda Painter

Yesterday at 12:33 pm EDT (16:33 UTC), Mercury stationed direct while tucked right in the middle of the Uranus-Eris conjunction in Aries. It’s an amazing opportunity to observe for yourself what Uranus-Eris means in terms of our collective consciousness: by noticing what makes the news this week, and by noticing where your own thoughts go.

Monica Lewinsky, delivering her 2015 TED talk.

What’s catching your attention right now (and for the last couple days), and how are you thinking about it?

I write this column a day before it publishes, which means I’m right in the station-direct zone as I type. I couldn’t be bothered with listening to James Comey defend the FBI on the Clinton email inquiry, significant as it might be. But what’s really captured my attention was something I heard on the radio Tuesday night while driving: a broadcast of the TED Radio Hour on NPR.

Specifically, I heard a segment of a program called “To Endure” — a segment featuring Monica Lewinsky being interviewed about surviving shame and trauma, and including clips from her previous TED talk about it. Lewinsky’s TED talk first aired in 2015; the TED Radio Hour episode aired in February of this year. But my mind (which Mercury represents) encountered it Tuesday night, and its themes and timing were not lost on me in terms of their relevance to Mercury stationing conjunct Uranus and Eris in Aries.

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Some parts of the sky are all but standing still. The same may be said of many situations here on Earth. Indicative of that stasis are Mercury and Saturn. Retrograde Saturn has been in the same degree of Sagittarius for nearly two months. Even though Mercury’s retrograde ends tomorrow, it will not leave the degree of Aries it occupies all this week until Sunday.

On Earth, politicians prattle on today much as they have for at least a decade. The same wars still wear on. Many are those hunching over the same tiny touchscreen, bodily passing each other like ships in the night. Yet, there are exceptions to every trend — whether celestial or terrestrial.

It would be fair to say such anomalies currently correlate with the Moon. Earlier today (or last night, depending on where you reside), the Moon entered Leo. Tomorrow, the Leo Moon will be half-lit in what is called its first quarter phase (90 degrees separated from the Sun in Taurus).

One week from tomorrow, the Moon will be full in Scorpio (opposing what will still be a Taurus Sun).

While all the rest of the sign-ruling objects are (to a greater or lesser extent) currently emulating the method of Mercury and Saturn, the Moon remains true to its own rhythms.

Robert Hand (one of the eminent astrologers of our time) once wrote that the Moon signified “the need to be human.” Given how most of the sky is presently moving so as to present an unusually stark contrast with the Moon, it would not be surprising if you and many others find your need to be human unrecognized in many public contexts. As result, you may not be getting a lot of support for being yourself — especially from a broader collective.

Influence to subsume your humanity has probably never been stronger. So long as you are within range of a cellular tower, the internal reality transmitted through a portable extension will be the same regardless of your external surroundings. Even at a grassroots level, politics tends to demand more from participants than it accepts of them. Simply making enough income to get by frequently requires behaving like the code one is often required to bear about as part of the job.

Consistent with how the Moon is contrasting with other sign-ruling objects right now is your place in the context of astrology. Nobody thinks something is wrong with the Moon, even though its movements represent a divergence from other celestial objects at this time. By the same token, it is not weird, or even contrary, to differ from what constitutes the background for nearly any life at this time.

While your need to be human may not be met with sympathy by institutions, you are in the good company of countless individuals very much like you. The need to be human is rarely evinced in nations, and even less often in corporations. What’s revealed on social media is dwarfed, and routinely contradicted, by the vast expanse of what’s concealed. Even the most vital political issues are but one facet of even the simplest lives.

In other words, being human for you most likely means honoring and taking care of what makes you stand out from the scenery — not what makes you blend in. Perhaps even more important is your being an example for others to do the same. It takes courage to find your own way. It takes something more to inspire the same bravery in others: a shine of sorts in which others can see themselves reflected.

The next seven nights will be prime Moon-watching time. Weather permitting, give yourself some of each night to watch Earth’s only natural satellite. If, by chance, you bring a few words of this missive with you, it might help some of the growing shine to rub off where it will do the most good — onto you.

Offered In Service

You may pre-order all 12 signs of INVOLUTION here. What we’re living through today is not written about in any book. We’re its pioneers in consciousness. For us, in our time, the revolution must be within. INVOLUTION will be your guide.

Mercury tends to initiate a retrograde three times a year. Every third Mercury retrograde is what you might call the “slow one” – when Mercury takes about three weeks to travel only about ten degrees in reverse. This is what Mercury is doing now. Because speed is a big part of Mercury’s astrological interpretation, that’s information you should be aware of.

Of all objects orbiting the Sun, none finishes a lap with more rapidity than Mercury. Of all things moving around the zodiac, only the Moon makes a complete circuit of the twelve signs faster. It would therefore be fair to say that Mercury is not its usual astrological self right now.

Then, throw in another factor. Every sign takes up exactly 30 degrees on the rim of the zodiac wheel. Therefore, any object moving forth and back (and forth again) within a range of only about ten degrees is quite likely to be doing so without crossing a sign cusp. Yet, this time, Mercury will have crossed the cusp between Aries and Taurus three times before it finally breaks out of the narrow corridor it’s now slowly oscillating within. That’s important data too.

Regardless of whether it’s a tangible object or calculated point, location matters. As shamanic astrologer Sheila Belanger puts it, the object or point in question is like an actor, and the sign is its costume. As anybody who has seen a theatrical production knows, a change of costume nearly always implies some sort of change in character.

Hence, during the entire forth-back-and forth process now taking place, Mercury will be implicitly changing character three times while being something other than its usual self during the whole time. When you consider how many correlations Mercury makes to your earthly reality, the unusual combination of a slowest retrograde and three sign changes probably (among other things) means you should keep your mind constantly in mind.

Among many other things (such as transportation, communication, electronics, media, data, digits, and maybe even your Swiss Army Knife), Mercury nearly always correlates to your mind and your mind’s means of expressing itself. Given that one correspondence, it would be prudent to examine your own thinking before making it known. Given what’s going on with the rest of the zodiac, you might want to take even greater precautions before acting on your thoughts.

The Sun is in solid Taurus. Even that location, however, cannot insure stability for the Sun’s earthly corollary of consciousness – especially if your mind is fixated on attachments. The Moon, for it’s part, is currently but a waxing crescent in Gemini until late Saturday (or early Sunday, depending on your time zone) – plausibly representing initial conditions which need careful tending over the next week or so to insure an intended fruition over the next month.

Then there is Venus. Just today, Venus (in direct motion once again) crossed the cusp between Pisces and Aries for the third time. In doing so, the previously retrograde Venus has implicitly anticipated the value of this particular Mercury retrograde for each and all of us.

Also significantly, there is Mars – a planet corresponding to action if ever there was one. With Mars presently traversing Gemini (ruled by Mercury) there is an indicated possibility of thought becoming action in what can only be called a thoughtless way.

Finally, there is the background. Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto are moving through very long retrogrades of their own – each essentially taking in recent experience according to their respective nature. Uranus is still keeping close company with Eris to make our times euphemistically (and perhaps even unprecedentedly) interesting enough to drive a mind to distraction. And Neptune in Pisces is at least as powerful in fact as young people drunk on tequila imagine themselves to be.

All told, all the sign ruling objects are making this perhaps the most salient weekend for what can only be called an uncharacteristic Mercury. Luckily, your mind is yours to look after. Even more fortunately, your basic process for doing so is not complicated. It starts with thinking consciously about your thoughts so that you will not draw a blank should somebody later ask you what you could possibly have been thinking.

Then, to reduce the possibility that somebody would question your thoughts, think again before speaking. Last, but not least, share your thoughts with at least one trusted and stable other (and listen to their thoughts in turn) before acting. The protocol herein described may indeed be a lot of work, but ultimately, thoughtless action and speech usually prove to be even more so.

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By Amanda Painter

What does it look like when the ‘universal lover’ becomes a ‘love warrior’ amidst the chaos of this world? As Venus moves from Pisces to the first degree of Aries tomorrow, we may find out.

Dawn at the East End cargo ferry launch. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Venus makes this transition — again — at 9:13 am EDT (13:13 UTC) on Friday.

It had previously crossed from the last sign of the zodiac (Pisces) to the first sign of the zodiac (Aries) back on Feb. 3, prior to stationing retrograde.

Venus is now in direct motion, having had a rendezvous with Chiron in Pisces earlier this month.

On the most personal level, Venus might be prompting you to notice what facets of your inner healing process — especially with regard to emotions or sexuality — you’re now ready to act upon. Another interpretation could be to notice how (or where, or whether) you locate ‘the divine feminine’ in your identity — keeping in mind that using the astrological model, people of all genders have a ‘female side’ and a ‘male side’.

Is it a hidden facet of you? Does this ‘divine feminine’ come through in your creativity, in your empathy, in your sexuality or in your natural receptivity?

Or is it present most strongly when you are taking action in some radical, paradigm-busting, patriarchy-inverting social or political event?

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Almost regardless of where you live, this a special part of the year. In many places, the season which initiated with the vernal equinox in March has now become clearly evident to the senses. Sometimes (such as with pollen allergies) the full manifestation of this time can be challenging. In other instances, it is comforting. In any case, the only practical response is adjustment.

One thing that recommends tropical astrology (the modality nearly always practiced here at Planet Waves) is that it is synchronized with the seasons. Even in this modern era of thermostats and even virtual reality, the Sun still matters. A change in the ratio of daylight to nighttime hours always provokes a response among us earthlings.

Along with either an expansion or contraction in the Sun’s temporal hegemony, plants and animals all around you are going with the flow. Undoubtedly, you are doing some of that as well. The clothing you are wearing today, for example, is likely to be somewhat different from only three or four months ago. So it is that the astrology corresponding to one half of tomorrow’s New Moon conjunction (the Taurus Sun) will be clearly expressed for anybody and everybody under the Sun.

The other part of tomorrow’s New Moon (the Moon itself, occupying the same degree of Taurus with the Sun) will be less obvious. In this particular case, however, there will some empirical clues of what’s gong on even though the New Moon is (by definition) basically invisible. That’s because the Moon is only a few days away from moving through the part of its orbit (known as the perigee) nearest the Earth.

When there is a Full Moon near its perigee, it looks a bit bigger. A New Moon near its perihelion (such as will be the case tomorrow) has other ways of making itself known. If you live near an ocean, for example, the tides will be somewhat more extreme than average. Another practical indicator will be within you.

All living things on Earth require at least some water to sustain themselves. What’s more, fluids within your cells chemically emulate the ancient tidal pools where life appears to have originated. Even though there is no detectable sloshing back and forth in the narrow confines of your body to compare with that of the expansive seas, a memory of (and hence connection with) tidal rhythms is still there to be physically felt – provided you make an effort to pay attention.

Combine your physical memory with the astrological fact that the Moon is strongly expressed (or “exalted”) in Taurus, and you will have the other fundamental component of tomorrow’s New Moon. Along with a solar-mediated season reaching its explicit midpoint, two significant components of the lunar cycle will be taking place at nearly the same time with implicit results. In both cases, the indicated response is basically the same: adjustment.

To go with the lunar part of the flow for tomorrow’s New Moon you must first of all acknowledge your body. To do so takes only a few moments every once in a while. While safe and healthy sex or exercise are just a few of many ways to get in touch with what your flesh is telling you, the main requisite is a little time

If all you do tonight and during the day tomorrow is put aside the external world for a few minutes, that should do the trick. By simply being fully present with your corporeal existence for just a little focused while, you should be able to “get” what’s most important to you about the Taurus New Moon of 2017.

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