Tag Archives: Mercury

The Day of the Incorrigibles: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Oct. 4
The Day of the Incorrigibles | Order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

Now is your moment to step into the next phase of your journey, or to kick-start that project you wanted to get underway. You’re likely to be busy. This year’s astrology isn’t just on skates; it’s driving a Ferrari. You’ll want to stay alert, and be prepared to steer the energy in a productive direction — in particular, toward your personal growth and healing. If what you’re doing now isn’t contributing to that, you may want to consider doing something different. Check in regularly with your inner guidance system.
— by Amy Elliott

Do you have your Sun, Moon or rising sign in Libra? If so, your sign is directly aligned with the single most significant astrological event beginning 2020. Eric will walk you through the most effective ways to approach your year in the 2019-2020 Libra Astrology Studio, now available for instant access.

Written in the Planets

Mars enters Libra at 12:22 am EDT (4:21:50 UTC) today. This is one of those ‘funny’ Mars placements, in that signs ruled by Venus are not easy places for Mars to be. It can describe enthusiasm and an active approach to relationships, but also can express as less self-directed than in other signs. People with this natal placement can swing between mild-mannered and hot under the collar.

That is a signal to stay conscious of your unexpressed desires and frustrations: usually it’s the things we have not figured out how to express or act on — or which we’re afraid might rock the boat — that trip us up eventually. Awareness in this realm could be especially useful this afternoon. The Moon enters Capricorn at 1:43 pm EDT (17:43:07 UTC) and immediately squares Mars. Although Moon transits do not last long, they can have impact.

In this case, that could mean emotions getting the better of people (including you), irritability, or acting rashly. Notice if you’re letting small annoyances rile you up, when really there’s some larger grievance you’re trying to avoid facing. That’s the kind of set-up that can lead to unnecessary misunderstandings. And really, who needs that on a Friday? If you’re willing to lean on Mercury, newly in Scorpio, to think a little deeper into your feelings, you may be able to get beneath the petty stuff and deal appropriately with what’s really bugging you.
— by Amanda Painter

My readings offer a place of refuge, an opportunity to suspend self-judgment, and my careful reading of the charts. I offer you reasons to be motivated, and strategies for handling the strange complexity of society at this time. To this work, I bring all of what I have learned as a journalist, editor, astrologer, spiritual student and man of the world; and I offer it to you for an affordable price. Read more here.

Now available for instant access!

The Day of the Trendsetters: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is Oct. 3
The Day of the Trendsetters | Order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

In the deepest regions of your mind, in the very core of your soul, resides a truth that is both powerful and fundamental. This is the essence of who you are, and its pulse is the music you need to listen for assiduously. When you dance to that internal beat, you are not rejecting the objective reality of the outside world. You’re falling in step with it, because you are working from the perspective of total honesty. In this time of pervasive illusion, there can surely be no approach more helpful.
— by Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

You might want to watch out for crazy-makers in your immediate environment today. That is, people who can’t seem to be direct about what they want, or who act out primarily to get attention (or seem to). There are more productive ways to be included, and to feel like one has some power, importance and presence in a relationship, whether it’s professional, intimate, creative or some combination. But not everyone grows up with healthy models of how that works, and we all tend to act out our hurts from time to time.

With Venus in Libra opposite Eris in Aries today, you’re on alert that your elegantly balanced apple cart might get upset. You may need to negotiate how to right it (negotiation being a two-way, cooperative process). This aspect is also a reminder to notice if you start to slide into the Eris role — meaning, even if your buttons get pushed, it’s your job to remember how to use your words to describe how you feel and why. Getting passive aggressive won’t fly, and does not count as diplomacy.

Note also that Pluto stations direct in Capricorn today, heralding the final phase of movement on our way to the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in January. Things may start feeling increasingly real from here on out, especially as compared to the previous ten months.

At 4:14 am EDT (8:14:07 UTC), Mercury entered Scorpio. This suggests sharp thinking — and often even sharper tongues. Yet the depth of thought and enquiry possible with Mercury in Scorpio may be most useful, if you can harness the intellectual and intuitive power of this sign. Your new mantra for the foreseeable future: not every situation requires getting the final word at all costs.
— by Amanda Painter

Now available for instant access!

Action and Resolution at the Quarter Moon

6 Replies

By Amanda Painter

Full Moons and New Moons tend to carry more weight in astrology writing. Yet this weekend’s first quarter Moon happens to connect with one of the more important aspects we’re building up to, as does another event this week.

What’s in the dark under that rock? Mercury in Scorpio wants to find out. Photo by Amanda Painter.

On Saturday, the Capricorn Moon squares off against the Libra Sun. That’s the quarter Moon, traditionally describing an opportunity to lean into projects and processes you can build some early momentum with.

Yet the Moon will also be conjunct its own South Node and the planet Saturn. The South Node can represent what is familiar, ‘comfortable’ and habitual in a way that does not help us to grow. You can also think of it as karma: repeated patterns that we’re trying to learn from, so we can move on toward a greater sense of lived purpose. Saturn, of course, holds the line of authority, responsibility, limits and restrictions. Its presence also connects this quarter Moon to the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in January.

Continue reading →

The Day of Verbal Acuity: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is Oct. 2
The Day of Verbal Acuity | Order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

There’s a somewhat edgy or liminal quality to your astrology at present, as if you’re gearing up for a big breakthrough in either your situation or your consciousness. You may need to employ patience, and focus on making the best use of the resources you currently have, of which there are plenty. Whatever change you’ve been working toward will likely happen at precisely the time it’s meant to. In the interim, support your inner growth as a continuous journey. Much progress can be made in these threshold moments.
— by Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

Diplomacy could get briefly challenging today. The Sun, Venus and Mercury are all in harmony-loving Libra, yet Mercury is moving into that sign’s last degree. Planets in the last degree of a sign can feel a little antsy; for Mercury in Libra, this could translate as indecisiveness.

Mars is also in the last degree of Virgo until Friday, describing a potential layer of physical/mental frustration around wanting to move forward in a very specific way. Indecision around what to say or how to say it could feed any edginess around wanting to do things ‘just right’. Pholus contacting these planets from Sagittarius suggests the effect could be exaggerated or feel exacerbated.

Even so, once the Moon enters Sagittarius at 7:44 am EDT (11:44:13 UTC), optimism, adventurousness and an urge to ‘just wing it’ could help you to glide over any snags or hesitation. Simply keep adjusting to whatever the day brings, bearing in mind that a series of continual small adaptations will likely bring more relief and forward movement than big decisions and actions might (even if only briefly each time). If you’re currently faced with a pattern you need to stop on the one hand, and a threshold you’d like to cross on the other, this approach could be especially effective.
— by Amanda Painter

Now available for instant access!

The Day of the Charged Reactor: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is Sept. 29
The Day of the Charged Reactor | Pre-order pre-order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

You’re well-positioned to tap your psychic reservoir, to activate the devotion necessary to further aspirations this year. You have direct access to both right and left brain intelligence, and the more you follow intuitive prompts, the easier you’ll navigate your way. A strong, yet subtle blend of rational strategy and spiritual commitment is a key resource now. Faith and discipline are necessary in equal measure. When in doubt, center your compass on the true north found in what can only be described as your heart. Therein lies wisdom. Your efforts have momentum behind them.
— by Victoria Emory

Written in the Planets

Your idea of diplomacy — or of what’s fair, balanced and ‘nice’ — could meet a challenge today. What is the other person really after, though? Are they itching for a fight (because other people’s reactions make them feel seen, heard and important)? Do they have needs you have not considered? Is it possible you just don’t know them as well as you thought you did?

Sometimes we all just need to have our egos stroked, or to know there really is space for us in the world just as we are. But if seemingly ‘crazy-making’ interactions are frequent with someone, it’s worth paying attention to the pattern. Track what it’s telling you about your energy, their power, and the feedback loop between the two. Also be sure to notice if this pattern is happening in reverse: that is, if you keep meeting someone’s carefully worded (perhaps excessively so) communications with reactivity, passive aggression, or some kind of ‘poor me’ routine. What is really bothering you? And what is the need you can’t seem to get filled, yet can’t seem to ask for directly?

Mercury in Libra opposing Eris in Aries is the aspect at play. With the Libra Sun conjunct Logos, you may get a boost in discerning the reasoning and logic behind what’s up; you might even be able to express what you’ve figured out. Tact matters. Yet so, too, the ability to just come right out and say what needs to be said. With the sky leaning more toward indecisiveness or a preference not to be confrontational, however, that might take extra determination.
— by Amanda Painter

Now available for instant access!

The Day of Patient Practice: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is Sept. 26
The Day of Patient Practice | Pre-order pre-order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

Opportunities to bring healing to old relationship patterns is a signature theme this year. The more willing you are to recognize your role, the more you’ll actualize this potential. Clues can be found in power dynamics, and any obsessive need you may feel to impress your point of view on others. It’s not always easy to observe your thoughts, but doing so is a key to unlocking facets of past imprinting that you’re ready to resolve. Your perception is particularly intense right now, and the more you turn that light inward, the freer you’ll feel.
— by Victoria Emory

Written in the Planets

Today’s opposition between the Sun in Libra and Chiron in Aries may offer you a mirror of some kind today. Notice who arrives in your immediate sphere to show you some of your unresolved issues, perceived weaknesses or insecurities. This stuff could relate to your sense of purpose, identity and ability to take action, and could further trace back to what your father did or did not teach you about such things.

Chiron’s conjunction to Salacia potentially brings in the element of sex — especially facets of sex you prefer to keep ‘secret’, but which still form part of your holistic identity. Even if nobody else knows all about your desires and activities, it’s still a part of who you are and how you perceive yourself.

Whether or not the sexual identity theme emerges, pay attention to how you’re responding to those you encounter, particularly if any of these issues crop up. Are you seeing yourself in another person’s behaviors or attitudes? Is someone triggering reactions in you that you’d rather blame on ‘their shit’, but which actually illuminate something you need to address within yourself?

This looks like an important moment to move strongly towards honest self-expression in healing something. Just be aware that a square today between Mercury in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn could describe getting rather obsessive about a single thought; and that obsession — though fleeting — could manifest as trying to coerce someone to your point of view. Think inwardly instead. New depths of self-awareness are possible now, if you’re willing to look beneath your own surface.
— by Amanda Painter

Now available for instant access!

The Day of Restless Drive: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is Sept. 22
The Day of Restless Drive | Order 2019-20 Virgo Astrology Studio | You can also pre-order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

There is a time for work, and a time for play. You can surely rely on your innate sense of responsibility to carry out what has to be done. The chances are you would benefit from erring on the side of pleasure, hobbies and social contact. Make a point of setting aside regular periods to relax and recharge. Spend lots of time with friends who get you laughing from your diaphragm upwards and, if you so desire, lovers who bring you delight in even more places than that.
— by Amy Elliott

If your Sun, Moon or rising sign is Virgo, you are heading into a most unusual solar year, set up to do the thing Virgo is designed for: integrate the elements of your being, find your direction and purpose, and act on it. Eric lays it all out in your 2019-2020 Virgo Astrology Studio, now available for instant access.

Written in the Planets

With the Sun in the last degree of Virgo (it enters Libra for the equinox tomorrow), notice whether there’s any sense of ‘edginess’ to the day. That can sometimes be a feature of the Sun in the last degree of a sign, especially at the end of a season. If you’ve been plotting and planning and trying to get some vision off the ground, know that we’re moving toward a time of initiative and enactment. But you might not be quite at the starting line yet.

Keep tying up loose ends, and checking your plan against what steps you’ve actually checked off your list so far. Small moves will likely count for a lot today and for the next couple days, as the Sun is square Pholus in Sagittarius. The Moon entering Cancer around midday EDT is another description of initiative — though it might actually be helpful for once to make like a crab and think in terms of lateral movement toward your goal. Often being indirect is an impediment, but it does have its uses — such as when you need to slide by your own resistance to fulfill a desire or responsibility, or when a clear move forward is not apparent yet.

With Mercury in Libra square Saturn and the lunar nodes in Capricorn, there might be some help in working out the practical details of your plan. You may have a choice between putting mental effort toward the unknown, or letting pessimism (or difficult communication) keep you in a holding pattern. Familiarity of that sort is rarely the entire picture. So why settle for it or let it bog you down?
— by Amanda Painter

Now available for instant access!

The Day of Perseverance: Birthdays and Planet News

Leave a reply

If Your Birthday is Sept. 17
The Day of Perseverance | Order 2019-20 Virgo Astrology Studio | You can also pre-order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

Something fundamental would seem to be shifting within you, relating to the way you think about yourself, and about what is possible. You may be opening up to potential within you, of which you were unaware before. If pursuing this takes you outside your comfort zone, that could well be helpful. Dare to trust yourself; and if you have an aspiration you want to follow, especially one that feels unlikely, you might begin with the assumption that you can achieve it.
— by Amy Elliott

Written in the Planets

The Moon moving through early Taurus today brings it into contact with Uranus — The Great Awakener. Something new or unexpected could emerge into your awareness today; for example, something that calls for a change to a routine. Your physical body, emotional body, and sense of what you value are all prime areas of focus for this, with the insight coming through subtle channels.

Yet, it’s hard to be receptive to new ideas and feelings if you hold a great deal of fear. The fear might not itself be related specifically to certain thoughts or emotions, but could be more generalized — such as fear about ‘change’ or ‘safety and security’ or about the state of the world. Many people harbor fears about sex in general and their own sexuality specifically — which can make it that much harder to allow and accept even the types of sexual energy you actually say you want. If you tend to fear change of all kinds, it’s going to be challenging to accept new insights about yourself — regardless whether those insights come through your own introspection, or through some kind of confrontation/mirroring with another person.

Thankfully, many ways to examine fear, specific or generalized, exist; usually this kind of process is great for work with a therapist or someone in a similar role who can hold a safe space for your exploration and reflections. Tools such as Byron Katie’s “Four Questions” can be useful for solo work or in dialogue with someone to examine thoughts and beliefs.

Today, perhaps just notice if anything provokes you, intrigues you, or seems to arrive in answer to a question you’ve had about yourself. Then trace whether any particular emotions come flooding in around it, clouding your ability to sit with it. Venus in Libra opposes Salacia and Chiron in Aries today. Stay alert for inconvenient teachers — either in the form of someone else, or your own responses. It would seem that something is being brought into focus for you this week.
— by Amanda Painter