Tag Archives: Mercury

The Day of the Builder: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Sept. 4
The Day of the Builder The 2019-20 Virgo Astrology Studio can now be pre-ordered | All Other Signs

You may feel you want to pursue a particular set of goals, though unsure as to how some people might respond. Where possible, you could seek clarification; there’s certainly nothing wrong with taking other people’s viewpoints into account. However, ultimately you are the arbiter of your own life, and everyone else is in a peripheral role. Therefore, start by being clear within yourself, and prioritize what you feel and know to be right for you in any decision. — 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 will lay it all out in your 2019-2020 Virgo Astrology Studio.

Written in the Planets

Thinking, communicating and feeling could all feel rather fuzzy today, and for a good several days more. Venus is exactly opposite Neptune, and Mercury is moving into the same position. This is classic ‘wait and see’ astrology. As in, wait and see if the person turns out to be who you think they are; or, wait to make permanent decisions and commitments based on your current perceptions.

This does not mean you must cease all activity and cocoon yourself. More like, go about your business and relationships, and appreciate everything about them, but with the understanding that you might need to adapt to further information down the road. The Scorpio Moon could be intensifying emotions, making them especially compelling. This Moon could also describe greater ability to read between the lines. Even so, you might consider holding in confidence what you think you’re intuiting until late in the month.
— by Amanda Painter


It is difficult to feel good these days; it’s challenging to focus on your growth and self-care, or even to relax. We are pulled out of ourselves constantly, and often distracted from our core purposes. IN THESE TIMES, the Planet Waves autumn reading, will help.

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Read more here.

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The Day of the Mold Breaker: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Sept. 3
The Day of the Mold Breaker | The 2019-20 Virgo Astrology Studio can now be pre-ordered | All Other Signs

Perhaps more than anything else, the truth of your word is the foundation of your honor and character. This year’s astrology seems to be calling on you not merely to practice honesty, but to keep it at the forefront of all you say and do. Be especially wary when you feel absolute certainty on any point that isn’t as obvious as 1+1=2. That’s a signal you may need to slow down and examine your understanding. In many cases there’s more to a situation than what we think we know.
— 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 will lay it all out in your 2019-2020 Virgo Astrology Studio.

Written in the Planets

Today’s sky describes a high degree of mental energy. It will be up to you to direct it toward productive tasks, constructive communication, and other ways of expressing the ideas that are most important to you, and with which you identify most strongly. We’re currently experiencing a triple conjunction in Virgo of the Sun, Mercury and Mars. This could bode very well for engaging any kind of intellectual work that requires stamina or confidence.

Yet you’ll want to give all this energy a clear job to do, ideally in the service of some larger good (that is, not just for your own satisfaction, or to prove to someone that you were right after all). This could also be a good time to fulfill any outstanding promises you’ve made to others. Without these kinds of clear focus, it’s possible to take yourself and what you have to say a tad too seriously. If you feel like debating for fun, choose your sparring partners carefully — for example, someone who’s already used to playing with this side of you.

Also, notice if you begin feeling like your very existence is on the line, or a similarly high-stakes level of urgency. Step away, literally or figuratively. See if you can get some perspective on what — if anything — you really need to defend here.

With these Virgo planets opposite Neptune and the centaur planet Nessus, there may be a degree of mirage or displaced emotion involved. That is, you might not be arguing about what you think you are; or your emotions might relate to a situation or person from your past more than to the person at hand. If you feel like you’re on the receiving end of someone’s defensiveness, see if you can draw them out with questions to help clarify what’s up. Chances are that process will benefit all involved.
— by Amanda Painter


It is difficult to feel good these days; it’s challenging to focus on your growth and self-care, or even to relax. We are pulled out of ourselves constantly, and often distracted from our core purposes. IN THESE TIMES, the Planet Waves autumn reading, will help.

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Read more here.

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The Day of the Public Appearance: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Aug. 31
The Day of the Public Appearance | The 2019-20 Virgo Astrology Studio can now be pre-ordered | All Other Signs

Have patience with yourself when it comes to fulfilling your aims. You may be progressing faster than you realize, and to some extent at least this is a slow and steady kind of game. Gradually, you’re bringing to life a concept that is unique and meaningful, from within the fundamental depths of your being, and thus a part of you. Be careful not to underestimate its significance, and grant yourself whatever time, resources or permissions you feel are needed.
— 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 will lay it all out in your 2019-2020 Virgo Astrology Studio.

Written in the Planets

This weekend ends with the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. But no matter what country you live in, you’ll likely find that getting down to business on a project and getting physically active — rather than lounging around idly — will feel better. The Sun is currently conjunct Mars in Virgo (exact Monday). In any sign, a Sun-Mars conjunction describes a need to occupy yourself with creative and constructive pursuits. In Virgo, however, the potential increases for un-channeled energy to manifest as irritability, or as mental restlessness and insecurity. So get busy.

Additionally, Mercury in Virgo is in aspect to Uranus in Taurus and Ceres in Sagittarius. This also describes stimulation and activity. Maybe try tackling a problem with a new solution; consciously step out of routines (including mental habits) and explore new interests and locations. If you find yourself becoming bored, whether with an activity or whoever’s in your company, seek out those with unusual opinions and new insights.

There will be a day to stick with the tried and true, but this might not be it. That said, there is a difference between adventurousness and recklessness. Sometimes that difference is a matter of the role your ego is playing in your urges and responses. Are you really in disagreement with someone, or do you just want them to recognize who you are and what you’re doing?
— by Amanda Painter


It is difficult to feel good these days; it’s challenging to focus on your growth and self-care, or even to relax. We are pulled out of ourselves constantly, and often distracted from our core purposes. IN THESE TIMES, the Planet Waves autumn reading, will help.

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Read more here.

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The Day of Structured Action: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Aug. 29
The Day of Structured Action | The 2019-20 Virgo Astrology Studio can now be pre-ordered | All Other Signs

It would appear you’re approaching a turning point in your personal journey, which involves you learning to understand yourself possibly more thoroughly than ever before. Part of this might relate to accepting facets of yourself you’ve potentially avoided acknowledging in the past. The experience may feel like an initiation, or a moment of sudden enlightenment; regardless, it’s thanks to groundwork you’ve laid assiduously paying off. Don’t forget to honor yourself duly for your efforts.
— 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 will lay it all out in your 2019-2020 Virgo Astrology Studio.

Written in the Planets

Early in the day, Mercury joins the throng of points in Virgo — one of the two signs it rules (the other being Gemini). Mercury in this sign is said to describe stability of mind, and thinking that’s practical and logical. Yet that tends to work best when you have something tangibly productive, creative or analytical to focus on; this type of mental energy needs a job to do beyond idle daydreaming. So what projects have you had on the back burner, and what would be the first steps to reviving them?

With Mercury in Virgo also indicating strong communication and critical faculties, it’s also not a bad idea to watch out that ‘constructive criticism’ actually includes the constructive part. Or, you know, lean more toward asking questions about how and why something is the way it is, rather than offering unsolicited opinions.

On a somewhat related note, Venus is making aspects from Virgo that suggest the usefulness of learning to recognize the guilt trips others may try to lay on you. When it comes to prior agreements, there’s a difference between honoring your word and subjecting yourself to co-dependent or other unhealthy treatment. Abuse does not require your loyalty; your most sacred promise is to your own healing and wellbeing, from which place you can support that of others. Later this evening, the Moon enters Virgo on its way to tomorrow’s New Moon conjunction with the Sun. What smaller parts of your life’s whole could stand some reorganizing, realigning or integration?
— by Amanda Painter


It is difficult to feel good these days; it’s challenging to focus on your growth and self-care, or even to relax. We are pulled out of ourselves constantly, and often distracted from our core purposes. IN THESE TIMES, the Planet Waves autumn reading, will help.

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Read more here.

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Welcome to the Movie Theater of Your Mind

By Amanda Painter

I was meditating this morning on the chart for Friday’s Virgo New Moon (which is exact at 6:37 am EDT / 10:37:01 UTC) to see if a new angle on it might emerge. And an image did come to me: people collected together in a movie theater, watching a film being projected onto a screen.

Cropped still from Alfonso Cuaron's 2018 film Roma.

Cropped still from Alfonso Cuaron’s 2018 film Roma.

It surprised me how tangibly the scene came through, and how appropriate it was, with an unusual collection of Virgo points clustered together opposite Neptune in Pisces.

For example, all of the ‘personal planets’ — the ones that describe our most basic traits and urges — are in early Virgo: Mercury (the mind, communication), the Sun (ego, conscious self-expression), the Moon (emotions, the unconscious), Mars (drive, ‘masculine’), Venus (receptivity, ‘feminine’). Along with them are the asteroid Juno (relationship needs), a hypothetical point called Transpluto (narrow focus, learning wholeness and integration) and a few other minor objects named for ancient deities with all-too-human characteristics.

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The Day of the Supportive Partner: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Aug. 26
The Day of the Supportive Partner | The 2019-20 Virgo Astrology Studio can now be pre-ordered | All Other Signs

What do you think of when you imagine your ideal social group? It’s true that you have certain goals in mind, and would most likely benefit from support among your peers. Without forming a comic-style superhero troupe, is there anything you feel you specifically need from your friendships? If so, this could be found by venturing into some unfamiliar places, where you’re likely to find new people. Alternatively, perhaps the qualities you seek are actually within yourself.
— 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 will lay it all out in your 2019-2020 Virgo Astrology Studio.

Written in the Planets

Your ability to see through issues and beneath surfaces appears to get a boost today, as the asteroid Pallas enters Scorpio. If there’s something you need to get to the root of — especially about yourself, given other current aspects — you could get some real traction with it if you make the effort. When it comes to workplace dynamics, think in terms of strategy and understanding the psychology of any puzzling situations.

Venus and Uranus in contact with each other describe seeking stimulation through love and friendships — or even just looking for after-work entertainment that’s different from what you usually go for. If the unexpected or unconventional arrives in your immediate environment (or is suggested to you by a partner), it might be worth exploring.

On a related note, Mercury in Leo and Vesta in Taurus are in a square to each other today. Are you just talking about sex, or are you truly making — and honoring — the time and space deserved for such a core part of being human? It might be time to put your body where your mouth is, so to speak (or where someone else’s mouth is, though you can adapt that idea for solo action just as well). In fact, since we’re really talking about the inner creative spark, the sense of tension in this square could relate to artistic desires, too. Ideas are great, but sometimes action not only speaks louder than words, it also gets more done.
— by Amanda Painter


It is difficult to feel good these days; it’s challenging to focus on your growth and self-care, or even to relax. We are pulled out of ourselves constantly, and often distracted from our core purposes. IN THESE TIMES, the Planet Waves autumn reading, will help.

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Read more here.

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The Day of Explosive Power: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Aug. 17
The Day of Explosive Power | The 2019-20 Virgo Astrology Studio can now be pre-ordered | 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for instant access | All Other Signs

You seem to be on the verge of completing a project or moving forward into the next phase of one, and at least part of the outcome may be uncertain, or subject to apparent chance. In some sense, however, this is true of all major decisions and actions we take; the future is unpredictable, and helping to create it takes courage. Focus on what you do know, the factors you can control for, and the strides you’ve already made. You are more than likely thoroughly prepared for whatever comes next.
— by Amy Elliott

Do you have a Leo Sun, rising sign or Moon? Your last couple years may have left you reeling trying to figure out which path forward is best. Hear Eric’s thoughts on expediting your post-eclipse process in your 2019-2020 Leo Astrology Studio reading.

Written in the Planets

The Pisces Moon moves through the ongoing square between Jupiter in Sagittarius and Neptune in Pisces today. This may lend an extra-dreamy, wistful or imaginative tone to visions for the future that might already be based more in fantasy than in reality. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; you may find your intuition is heightened, or that you’re able to feel your way toward a more nuanced or creative understanding of how you could move forward.

Saturn is in contact with Neptune as well, after all — though drawing on its discipline and structuring capabilities will require conscious choice and action on your part. Depending on your personal tendencies and circumstances, that could be too much a stretch today, but that’s okay. There will be time to harness Saturn when the Moon’s in a more action-oriented sign, and chances are you’ll feel the shift.

For now, keep tabs on unexpected ideas and insights (preferably by documenting them), and don’t be surprised if you and those you’re with change your minds randomly. If that impacts pre-set commitments and promises, you may need to renegotiate them. Doing so is only fair, though guilt need not play a role. Clear boundaries make for healthy relationships (and can also be renegotiated), and should actually help the ongoing good vibes of the Leo Sun and Venus find the space they need to flourish and warm all. Particularly artsy or playful pursuits could feel good today.
— by Amanda Painter


It is difficult to feel good these days; it’s challenging to focus on your growth and self-care, or even to relax. We are pulled out of ourselves constantly, and often distracted from our core purposes. IN THESE TIMES, the Planet Waves autumn reading, will help.

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Read more here.

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The Day of High Voltage: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Aug. 16
The Day of High Voltage | 2019-20 Leo Astrology Studio is available for instant access | All Other Signs

You’ve recently come a long way in terms of finding your feet in the world, and you may well go even further this year. Your charts suggest you’ll be able to tackle certain old challenges, which will help you release any situation in which you weren’t benefiting in a meaningful way, or were compromising too much. If some kind of collaboration is involved, you’ll either want to change the parameters or break away altogether. Make a rule that your autonomy and principles are not for sale.
— by Amy Elliott

Do you have a Leo Sun, rising sign or Moon? Your last couple years may have left you reeling trying to figure out which path forward is best. Hear Eric’s thoughts on expediting your post-eclipse process in your 2019-2020 Leo Astrology Studio reading.

Written in the Planets

If you’re sensing a need for excitement, new ideas or fresh stimulation, today’s square between Mercury in Leo and Uranus in Taurus describes that. It can also indicate feeling nervous or overwhelmed by surprises and disruptions, particularly if you have your mind set on your plans for the day going a certain way. Can you hang a little looser, and use the unexpected as sparks to your imagination instead? Either way, consider taking notes on your ideas the next couple days, since they may move quickly and might benefit from a careful review once your train of thought slows down some.

Mercury and Uranus are actually in a T-square formation with the minor planets Eros and Typhon in Scorpio. This looks like a reminder not to let your erotic urges — and any ‘darker’ emotions associated with them — scare you. Sexual energy is just life force energy, and is nothing to be ashamed of. You can use it playfully and creatively rather than simply feeling helplessly drawn into its intensity; today and the next couple days could offer unusual insights or ‘ah-ha’ moments about how to do this.
— by Amanda Painter


In These Times graphic