Tag Archives: astrology

Mercury Direct, Aries New Moon, and What’s Next

By Amanda Painter

If you’re feeling a little on edge this week, you won’t be surprised that astrological events are offering a picture of why that might be. Topping the list are Mercury moving through its ‘storm’ phase prior to stationing direct on Sunday; the Aries New Moon Sunday night; and Chiron in the last degree of Pisces (it enters Aries two days later, on April 17).

Faux fire in Grand Cayman; photo by Amanda Painter.

Faux fire in Grand Cayman; photo by Amanda Painter.

Although New Moons generally are not considered ‘edgy’ astrology, this one is special, as the Sun and Moon make their conjunction nestled between the disruptive, chaotic influences of Uranus and Eris.

With a waning Moon often indicating a sense of lower personal energy, it would not be surprising if you’re feeling a little less able to deal with the onslaughts of modern life in the digital age right now. That said, there’s still intriguing potential in the current astrology. For one thing, hopefully this Mercury retrograde phase through Aries has offered you a fruitful review of certain decisions, actions, desires and ways of seeing yourself (what you think of as your identity).

Recognizing those openings for insight sometimes asks for a higher level of awareness than what we’re able to muster, however — especially if one is in the thick of a communication crisis, car breakdown, financial mess or other stressful, complex situation. That’s okay. Hindsight is often when we’re able to get some perspective, not when we’re in the middle of things (though sometimes that happens, and it can save a lot of angst).

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Small, Meaningful Moves

By Amanda Painter

We’re moving into the last half of Mercury’s current retrograde in Aries — and the contacts Mercury is making this week seem to be stirring things up for many people. If you’ve been feeling a sense of pressure lately, this astrology could be why.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

A combined square between Mercury in Aries and Mars and Saturn in Capricorn continues to be in effect today. Mercury square Mars was exact on Wednesday, and Mercury square Saturn is exact today — though they are really one event.

This aspect pattern is an image of tension — especially with Mercury in a hot, fiery, action-oriented sign, and its retrograde motion describing an inward direction (for at least some of that energy). If you’re feeling frustrated, you might notice how much of that energy is directed at yourself, versus how much of it you’re projecting (or unleashing) onto others.

Lots of people fall into negative thought loops when they have trouble expressing their anger and annoyance; that said, it’s also becoming more common for people to seek an outlet on social media. If that tends to be your go-to, you might notice whether people’s comments in response actually help you to transmute your frustration, or whether it serves to amplify it. There are reasons why social media is often referred to as an ‘echo chamber’ — though sometimes we do truly just need to say what we have to say and know that we’ve been heard and empathized with.

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Tropical flora on Grand Cayman; photo by Amanda Painter.

Working and Communicating with the Libra Full Moon

By Amanda Painter

Are you feeling both determined and frustrated this week? The sky is not only building to a Full Moon in Libra on Saturday, there’s some additional astrology that may be testing the balance between what you desire, what you feel obligated to do, and what’s actually reasonable to try to accomplish.

Tropical flora on Grand Cayman; photo by Amanda Painter.

Tropical flora on Grand Cayman; photo by Amanda Painter.

The good thing about this kind of setup is that when there is friction or opposition from others, it can actually help you get clear on your priorities.

When everything is easy and everyone is mellow, it can be harder to get focused or fired up for what needs to happen. That said, even if you think you know what you want, current aspects suggest it’s wise to try on different perspectives, to listen closely to what others are expressing (including reading between the lines), and to move ahead with a measured pace.

The chart for this week’s Full Moon speaks to all of these factors, in multiple ways. Exact at 8:37 am EDT on March 31 (12:37 UTC), it has the Moon in early-mid Libra opposite the Sun and retrograde Mercury in Aries.

Straight away, Mercury both retrograde and so close to the Sun (they form a conjunction on Sunday, marking the midpoint of the retrograde), signals that checking one’s perspective is wise. Particularly in Aries, are you sure you are seeing beyond yourself and what you want?

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Chiron and the Pisces New Moon: What Have You Learned?

By Amanda Painter

Saturday is the Pisces New Moon; it happens at 9:12 am EDT (13:12 UTC), conjunct the centaur Chiron and also square the Galactic Core in Sagittarius. This will be the last Pisces New Moon with Chiron also in Pisces; as such, it calls for a deeper or more focused level of review and introspection as you prepare yourself for a new phase of growth.

Students in the Granada Hills area of Los Angeles spelled out a message to lawmakers during a Wednesday walkout in response to gun violence, lying silently in the formation of "ENOUGH," with 17 chairs lined up representing the 17 students killed in Parkland, FL, one month ago. Photo by NBC Los Angeles.

Students in the Granada Hills area of Los Angeles spelled out a message to lawmakers during a Wednesday walkout in response to gun violence, lying silently in the formation of “ENOUGH,” with 17 chairs lined up representing the 17 students killed in Parkland, FL, one month ago. Photo by NBC Los Angeles.

With Chiron having to do with raising awareness to facilitate healing, and Pisces relating strongly to the emotional-spiritual-creative nexus, and the Galactic Core often described as our ‘cosmic homing signal’, this configuration seems to pose some questions.

For example, what have you learned and how have you grown since 2010 (when Chiron entered Pisces)? You could also think in terms of your position within society and ask: Are we any closer to spirit/source/god/soul?

You might find that your answers to those two angles of questioning seem different. That is, you might feel like you have covered tremendous ground along your path of personal growth, and have worked hard to heal persistent emotional and psychological hang-ups and patterns; but then, when you look around you at the national and global news, it seems like the same chaos and pain is emanating from the same sources as usual. Maybe some (or many) situations feel even worse off than they did several years ago.

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Mars in Sagittarius — and a Few Other Adjustments

By Amanda Painter

You know that feeling when you’ve been incredibly busy, or very focused on a project, and then those activities wind down but you feel momentarily adrift, or not sure where to channel your energy next? But then, almost as soon as you’ve thought that, the next thing comes along to keep your energy level up and engaged?

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

That might be one way to think of Mars entering Sagittarius tomorrow, just six days after centaur planet Pholus left that sign. Mars leaves Scorpio, a sign it rules, and brings its fiery energy to fiery Sagittarius at 7:56 am EST on Friday (12:56 UTC).

The influence of Pholus in Sagg was something we kind of got used to for many years. In terms of the ‘runaway reaction’ Pholus signifies, we’ve witnessed it in the way the world seems to be spinning out of control. Long before Trump as president, before Uranus made its signature aspects to Pluto and Eris, we had Pholus adding some rocket fuel to life — in a segment of the zodiac that can already feel a little ‘out there’.

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jan21-2018

A Penetrating Mind, and Mars Changes Sign

What do you need to dig into, investigate or persuade someone about? Astrology this week offers support in those realms, though with a caveat: empathy and a goal of mutual benefit need to be guiding principles — along with an awareness of the potential for obsession and self-righteousness.

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Dragon-horse sculpture by Taiwanese artist Hung Yin in Manhattan. Photo by Amanda Painter.

In this era of binge-watching shows online and falling down Google rabbit holes, it seems we’re becoming acclimated to a certain level of obsessive behavior.

That can be problematic when it comes to getting distracted when you’re on a work deadline; or when an inability to avoid the pull of obsessive diversions undermines personal goals. When it becomes a habit, self-esteem can suffer.

Yet there’s a time and a place for hyper-focusing. Many kinds of research and high-stakes tasks require it for brief stretches. If you’re investigating a mystery, engaging in intense, penetrating thought could be the key to solving it — as long as you don’t fixate on one detail to the exclusion of others that might, in fact, lead you to the solution.

As Mercury nears its conjunction to Pluto in Capricorn this week (exact Wednesday), these are some of the themes to watch for. You may find your mind is predisposed to getting under the surface of something; perhaps what you say to someone will strike at the heart of a matter, or persuade them of your point of view. If so, being considerate of others’ feelings, and not misrepresenting yourself, are important.

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Liberation and Responsibility with the Sun in Aquarius

By Amanda Painter

Tomorrow night (early Saturday in some time zones) the Sun leaves Capricorn and ingresses Aquarius. That this sign change happens each year within a few days of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday feels fascinatingly appropriate, even though King was a Capricorn.

Photo by Amanda Painter

Photo by Amanda Painter

I say this because of the two planets that rule Aquarius: Saturn (which also rules Capricorn) and Uranus. Saturn represents (in part) responsibility and containment; Uranus represents (in part) liberation and unbridled life force.

We need both concepts, both forms of energy, to live in balance. What I find most striking about King’s life and work in this context was the way he integrated and championed these concepts: calling, from a place of deeply held social and personal responsibility, for liberation; finding the most effective outlet for his considerable life force by focusing it into a clear and singular purpose — one that took as its container the principle of non-violent protest.

By embodying one clear structure of action and philosophy, he sought to dismantle and revolutionize another social and political structure, in pursuit of freedom for a repressed group. And he did so by inspiring individuals to use their freedom to take personal responsibility — whether they were among the repressed group, or among the elite group doing the oppressing.

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Some Year-End Astrology and a Saturn-in-Capricorn Inquiry

By Amanda Painter

This last week of December always feels rather like it’s in limbo, doesn’t it? There’s a sense of winding down, review and setting intentions for the next year, but that happens between major celebrations. Fittingly this year, the astrology as we head into the weekend is noticeably calmer compared to last week, which may come as a relief — though we are building to a Full Moon on New Year’s Day.

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