Tag Archives: Relationships

The Day of the Top Dog: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Oct. 1
The Day of the Top Dog | Order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

Regardless of your current forms of relationship, it generally helps to view yourself as a whole entity, independent of needing anyone else to ‘complete’ you. The human brain is a magnificent organ, full of wonders that even neuroscientists are still discovering. As a thinking person, you contain a rich, plentiful world of complex ideas, feelings and senses. Celebrate and honor all of that, and remember that loving yourself enhances, rather than diminishes, the love you exchange with others.
— 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

Notice the areas of your life where you’re craving some kind of deeper experience. It could come through as tension and frustration, or more like desire and curiosity — though the former appears more likely. What kind of emotional experience are you looking for — sexual or romantic intensity? Creative and artistic edge pushing? A deeper or more well balanced level to a relationship of some other kind? Any of these urges or sensations of discontent signal subterranean changes that you’re being called to acknowledge and respond to. This situation is described by Venus in Libra squaring Pluto in Capricorn, which indicates a phase of new growth is at hand.

With the asteroid Juno in Virgo opposing Neptune in Pisces, there’s another layer to the relationship dynamics at play today. How specific are you being with a partner about your needs and expectations, and are you seeing the reality of the situation? There’s a suggestion here of jealousy, but it may be based on an illusion, exaggeration or flat-out fantasy. It could also be that you’re responding to a partner’s focus on details (or even their nit-picking) with your own rosy insistence that everything’s just fine. Is it, really? Remember that seeing where things could improve is not an admission of failure; it’s an opportunity to negotiate a clearer agreement, and a way forward that better meets everyone’s needs.
— 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.

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The Day of Glaring Truth: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Sept. 30
The Day of Glaring Truth | Pre-order pre-order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

You are something of a natural in terms of mental exploration, and presently you may be experiencing more curiosity than usual. Yet there is only so much you can grasp from theoretical knowledge. If you want to understand how something operates, interact with it on a practical level, as far as is safe. Along the way, there may be an opening for you to bring your inventive abilities into play: that is, to fix a problem you see, or improve on a working model. This is likely to be useful all round.
— 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 pre-order.

Written in the Planets

If you’ve been wanting to ‘go deep’ in some way, especially with another person, this could be a good day for it. For one thing, the Moon enters Scorpio this morning at 5:42 am EDT (9:41:37 UTC). That automatically signals a potentially immersive or compelling emotional tone, and describes an affinity for getting under the surface. With the Scorpio Moon briefly opposing Uranus in Taurus, this could translate into emotional responses to the unexpected that are a little more intense than usual.

Venus in Libra is exactly square the centaur planet Chariklo in Capricorn, and squares Pluto exactly tomorrow. On one level, this describes a need to seek emotionally or sexually heightened interactions. On another level, this may suggest that it’s time to acknowledge changes in a relationship. Can you hold space for your own mix of emotions and needs, and for those of the other person? Both are real, and both are valid. You may be able to avoid sliding into co-dependent behavior by using tools like active listening (paraphrasing what is said to be sure you’ve understood clearly) and “I” statements. Discerning true needs from strong desires and idealized expectations is also key.

Assistance with that process is described by a trine between Mars in Virgo and Vesta in Taurus. This looks like support for a less personal, truly service-oriented way of approaching some matter of desire, sex, healing or teaching. If you’re finding it easy to connect the details of a situation with some hands-on mental or physical effort and a sense of emotionally grounded purpose, this aspect may be what you’re tapping into.
— 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.

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The Day of the Charged Reactor: Birthdays and Planet News

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

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 pre-order.

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


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!

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The Day of the Heartbreakers: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Sept. 28
The Day of the Heartbreakers | Pre-order pre-order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

The New Moon on your birthday signals opportunities to initiate a significant new cycle in your quest to realize ambitions. This leg of your journey may require adjustments related to financial interests or partnership issues of some kind. Express yourself with as much conscious awareness as possible. You can further your interests or instigate unnecessary conflict, depending on your agenda. Creative expression can open important doors, yet to maximize that potential will require your focused discipline. Social engagements likewise should work in your favor, and certain relationships with those in your immediate network could move to a whole new level.
— by Victoria Emory

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 pre-order.

Written in the Planets

Today the Sun and Moon meet for the Libra New Moon, early in that sign (exact at 2:26 pm EDT / 18:26:14 UTC). The closest other object is the asteroid Isis — about as close as you can get. Named after a primary Egyptian goddess, one of the major Isis myths involves how she had to put the body of her husband Osiris back together. From this, we get astrological themes for Isis such as re-unifying, recombining, reconstructing, reconciling, synthesizing, and also feminine strength.

Cozied up in the same degree of Libra with the Sun, Moon and Isis are the objects Makemake and Logos. One possible delineation for Makemake is, β€œthe mystery of how things came to be the way they are.” Logos not only relates to words, but to logic and reason.

So there appears to be something in this New Moon β€” the dark, inward-looking lunar phase β€” about finding the tipping point (or the sweet spot) between the mystery of how things came to be the way they are, and the logic of how they have become this way, and using that space between to reconcile or synthesize the two. In other words, today could signal an opportunity for you to seek balance in your life through a new approach.

Consider what has and has not been working; meditate on what is becoming clearer and more real as Jupiter and Neptune continue to separate from their square. If you’ve been focused more on someone else’s glow or glare, this could be a good time to sort through your own responses — to them, and to yourself. Today may not feel super high-energy, but you could have an urge to enact steps in a plan — particularly if it feels like a second chance to ‘get it right’. There may not be any such thing as ‘perfection’, but the Golden Rule and cosmic law do offer solid ethical guidelines.
— 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!

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The Day of the Ambiguous Hero: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Sept. 27
The Day of the Ambiguous Hero | Pre-order pre-order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

This is a year to clear the decks and wrap up old business related to your past, your family, or your base of operations. Future aspirations need an open floor-plan in which to unfold. There’s a lot going on just beneath your conscious threshold that may register as a subtle feeling of pressure, or vague anxiety. You should find that the more you clear out and bring closure to pending situations, the less oppressed you’ll feel. Old imprints around partnership history likely play a role in what calls for resolution. Your communication skills can serve you extremely well, and go a long way toward laying the groundwork for the new cycle that lies ahead.
— by Victoria Emory

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 pre-order.

Written in the Planets

With the Virgo Moon waning toward tomorrow’s New Moon, energy levels could be a little low. It’s a ‘tidy up loose ends’ kind of day, with a suggestion that attention to details and organizing could suit best. Same with helping someone else in such tasks if there’s nothing pressing that needs attention on your own agenda.

With the Moon briefly opposing Neptune in Pisces and squaring Jupiter in Sagittarius, notice if you feel any emotional, energetic or mental ripples reminiscent of the Full Moon two weeks ago. That was a highly charged event.

Full Moons and New Moons generally signify peaks and moments of closure on a unifying theme or cycle of activity anyway. Yet there may be a little something extra from two weeks ago that surfaces today — specifically so you can analyze it with a clearer head and emotional body, and then release it more fully. Venus in Libra making its own slightly itchy aspect to Neptune suggests that continual small adjustments still need to be made in a relationship situation. Think in terms of rebalancing a long-standing fantasy with a newly emerging (or freshly recognized) reality.
— 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!

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The Day of Patient Practice: Birthdays and Planet News

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

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 pre-order.

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


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!

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From the Sept. 20 Climate Strike; photo by Amanda Painter.

Libra New Moon: Tipping Points, Reconciliation and Relationships

By Amanda Painter

As I write this on Tuesday, the internet is blowing up over two things: 16-year-old Greta Thunberg’s impassioned speech to the UN, in which she spared nobody in her condemnation of leaders’ inaction to stem the climate catastrophe; and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that the U.S. House will open a formal impeachment inquiry against Pres. Trump. With the Sun on the Aries point — via the first degrees of Libra — and the Libra New Moon on Saturday still in that zone where personal and collective meet, this is fitting.

From the Sept. 20 Climate Strike; photo by Amanda Painter.

From the Sept. 20 Climate Strike; photo by Amanda Painter.

Libra’s hallmarks include balance, justice, initiative and — worth noting — the possibility for something to go either way. That’s the tricky thing about tipping points.

One would think that the tip would necessarily occur in the direction opposite to what has been experienced up until that moment. That might even be true for these two particular issues. Yet ‘the collective’ and the political machine seem to carry far more inertia than, say, personal tipping points.

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The Day of the Symbiotic Satirist: Birthdays and Planet News

If Your Birthday is Sept. 25
The Day of the Symbiotic Satirist | Pre-order pre-order the 2019-20 Libra Astrology Studio | All Other Signs

Some kind of re-appraisal of domestic situations, perhaps family history that weighs you down, may call for your attention this year. Whatever the specifics might be, keep sight of your own personal aspirations for the future. Old baggage may need to be unpacked and what you’ve outworn given away to Goodwill; free up the bandwidth necessary to actualize what matters most to you as an individual. Adjustments in relationships are often essential to personal growth. Strong friendships seem ready to step right up, so don’t hesitate to reach out. One door may close while another opens wide.
— by Victoria Emory

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 pre-order.

Written in the Planets

If you have felt some difficulty in relating to others this week, you may notice it peaking today. Close romantic or sexual partners are the most likely context for this, but any bonded, cooperative or creative dynamic with another person is worth attention. The aspect at hand is Venus in Libra square Saturn in Capricorn — though both those bodies are in contact with Juno in Virgo and a deep-space phenomenon in Sagittarius called the Great Attractor.

Re-evaluating what you’ve been putting into a relationship and what you’re getting out of it appears to be the main thrust of any tension here. There’s an additional layer that seems to describe the question of getting needs met, versus being of service in a relationship, versus feeling compelled or drawn along by someone. Notice whether you harbor conflicting thoughts and feelings about your situation, and whether certain fears are looming about the relationship.

Our loved ones are only human, as are we, and worries about whether or not expectations are being met rarely reflect the whole picture of a relationship. Yes, there are times when enough is enough (including when we’re not receiving enough in return for your energy input), and it’s time to move on. And if you’re newly emerging from some kind of Jupiter-Neptune themed optimism bubble, the gradual loss of that shimmer and glow could feel disappointing. Rather than score-keeping right now, however, it’s possible that a little introspection on how much you’ve learned about yourself through your partnerships is called for. Make an actual list, and recognize how you’re growing; those insights can only serve to enhance any relationship.
— 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!

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