Monday, January 27, 2014

Pouring the Coal to It with the North Node in Earliest Scorpio

 "Petunia & Pearls" by Saskatchewan artist Karlie King


We're currently in the Dark of the Moon period ahead of the Aquarius New Moon on January 30 (3:39 p.m. CST), when the Moon will conjunct the Sun at 10 degrees Aquarius.

The Aquarius New Moon draws to a close a very challenging and tiring lunar cycle which began at the beginning of the year with the New Moon in Capricorn conjunct Mercury and Pluto. That one went deep, and it hasn't let go yet.

As January ends and February begins, we have some complex and potentially-challenging manoeuvres to make, especially involving money, relationships, and career advancement. These manoeuvres are going to require all the emotional and psychological sophistication we can muster, as well as all the "stiff upper lip" grit and restraint.

As we move through the Aquarius New Moon portal, we are stepping into a whole new atmosphere for relationships - personal and professional. The current Venus retrograde in Capricorn - the first Venus retrograde following the historic Venus Transit in Gemini in spring 2012 - has structured and re-structured our relationships according to new era rules. We have drawn some new relational lines in the sand. We've set some new standards. We've held out for full respect. We've determined to partner only with those who can and will meet us half way. We've determined to partner only with those who bring as much to the table as we do, who can bring about mutual advancement and success through association.

We are no longer content to live on potential, promise, hope, wishes, or fantasy. We are no longer content to support and feed and prop up partners and relationships that our rational mind tells us will not get us where we wish to go over the long term.

Although Mercury stationing retrograde conjunct Neptune in Pisces (February 6) could be tempting us with some pretty-sounding siren songs and some pretty-looking karmic loops, in Capricorn, we're only interested in real deal, concrete, and "show me the money upfront, honey."

As we move through the Aquarius New Moon into this new relating reality, Venus is stationing direct at 13 degrees Capricorn (January 31 at 2:48 p.m. CST) in a close conjunction to Pluto in Capricorn and opposition to Jupiter Rx in Cancer.

This Venus direct station spins off the last of the relational detritus, the last of the old relating patterns that need to go as we move forward into new personal and professional relationship frameworks. This could create some relational friction, meltdowns, power struggles, or abrupt endings during the last week of January and first half of February – but generally, only if this has been in the works for a while and only if people are still relating according to old rules.

Venus will station within a degree of Pluto in Capricorn, but it will not form an exact conjunction. There's a slow burn underway but no excessive flames.

If the Venus station does kick up some relational angst or air-clearing exchanges in your life, stand back, let it happen, and let it go.

The themes related to the house where Venus is stationing in your natal chart will likely be a strong focus now, if not an obsession. Break that focus, and divert the energy into other channels whenever you can.

Old relationships could appear to be mighty tantalizing territory right about now, as well. Use the energy of this Venus station conjunct Pluto to reinforce to yourself why those relationships broke down in the first place.

We could be tempted (Pluto) to go down some dark and unsuccessful avenues by this station, goaded by our lesser qualities. Don't allow the influence of these lesser qualities to gain traction. Don't succumb to moth-to-flame.

As Venus stations direct conjunct Pluto and opposite Jupiter, readying itself to move onward and upward, we need to make some intuitively-guided moves related to social positioning while holding fast to our own emotional truth.

We have a fabulous opportunity to clear our slates here. This Venus station can have a clean sweep effect, clearing relationships or relationship dynamics that have outlived their usefulness.

Again, though, this is going to require some concentration and some nose-to-grindstone from us at a time when we are just about spent!

We are currently in the process of completing the North Node transit of Scorpio and the South Node transit of Taurus. In February, the North Node will traverse 1 and 0 degrees Scorpio after having spent a year-and-a-half in the sign of all things deep, dark, buried, and difficult. The nodes will shift signs - to Libra/Aries - on February 18. So we're on the home stretch with this Scorpio North Node/Taurus South Node, but the home stretch is also where we get tired. So very tired. We've been pouring the coal to it in Scorpio for a year-and-a-half now, not to mention navigating Saturn in Scorpio since October 2012, and we're starting to wonder how much longer we can keep it up.

With the South Node in the last gasp of Taurus (detrimental focus on money and security), many are feeling financial tightness and fear that are overblown. Things are tight, but in most cases, they aren't that tight. Money fears are triggered yet again with Venus (money) stationing direct conjunct Pluto (terror, hell, worst fears). And Saturn stationing retrograde in Scorpio (March 2) only intensifies the emotional and psychological pressure. This financial strain and anxiety can tempt us to make the wrong moves at the wrong times, and this must be guarded against now.

All this said, don't let up now! Chase down every last twisted gnarl in your life and make it right. Don't soften on the new standards and rules for the people in your life for even a second. Be a hard ass now, setting your relationships straight as Venus goes direct, and you'll thank yourself for it later.

Our new relational positions are in the process of being alchemically set. There are a few more steps to take, a few more adjustments to make, as Venus changes direction, and we will find ourselves being placed and secured into position throughout the month of February. We will also see others coming into new social position and authority. All this will be anchored into place by the final Venus in Capricorn sextile to Saturn in Scorpio on February 24, just after the nodes shift signs.


This is an excerpt from the article "Pouring the Coal to It with the North Node in Earliest Scorpio." The full article is available to Willow's Web Astrology patrons

Monday, January 20, 2014

The Sun Enters Aquarius and Black Moon Lilith Opposes in Leo

Photo: Willow

The Sun entered icy cool Aquarius, the sign of its detriment, on January 19, providing us all with some much-needed  s  p  a  c  e.

The Aquarius Sun is squaring the nodal axis, which completes the transit of Scorpio/Taurus on February 18. At the end of this transit, this is a pretty hot and overloaded little axis.

With the North Node of the Moon in early Scorpio and Saturn in late Scorpio, we're focused very intently and very intensely on some deep-down drama and intrigue - personally, on a planetary level, or both. We're not sure how much longer we can hold this intensity, this X-Ray vision making us aware of every last hidden angle, every last suppressed raw point that could trip us up over the long run.

It's all a bit much.

So we get this objective and coolly-detached Aquarian infusion just in time. The Sun will spend the next month in Aquarius (also until February 18), and we will also experience a Mercury retrograde in the sign of the water-bearer.

The space, distance, and emotional detachment of Aquarius come into sharp contrast with the intensity, intimacy, and dog-on-bone conviction we find with Scorpio. You may recall that our last Mercury retrograde period - highly challenging - occurred in Scorpio (October 21 to November 10, 2013) with Mercury making a series of conjunctions to tough cookie Saturn. During the upcoming Mercury retrograde in early Pisces/Aquarius (February 6 to 28, 2014), Mercury will form a series of tense and dynamic square aspects to Saturn in Scorpio. Over the next couple months, we will have the opportunity - whether we like it or not - to employ an extreme level of mental and emotional detachment with a wide-ranging bird's eye view of the very intense proceedings before us now.

This breezy Aquarian infusion is even more important for "even keel" maintenance now, as the wild and raw true calculation of Black Moon Lilith has just started dipping into Leo.

Black Moon Lilith (BML), the astrological symbol representing the lunar apogee, spends about nine months in each of the signs of the zodiac. There are two calculations for Black Moon Lilith - a true calculation and a mean calculation, which is an averaged daily calculation of the movement of the lunar apogee. Both true and mean points can be used in astrological analysis.

The true Black Moon Lilith point is considered the more raw point, the more erratic, unpredictable, and volatile point, moving quickly back and forth, back and forth in the zodiac. It is this true Black Moon Lilith calculation that has now started dipping into Leo, and this is going to start to bring the diva in a big way.

The mean (averaged) calculation of Black Moon Lilith is currently finishing its transit of Cancer and will enter Leo on March 6 for a transit that lasts until December 3, 2014.

The influence of BML in Leo will be felt into March 2015.

So for most of 2014, dark feminine Black Moon Lilith will be transiting Leo, the sign of artistry, creativity, presence, drama, fun, play, children, personality, ego, celebrity, and star power. 

Transiting Black Moon Lilith in Leo does bring the potential for some diva antics (in males and in females), and those diva antics can have a real edge to them, especially if people feel they have not been allowed to shine fully. People who feel passed over or as if they do not receive the full attention and appreciation their talents warrant will be feeling this one acutely, as will anyone with strong Leo natally or in the progressed chart.

Everyone is going to have to watch the ego antics in 2014, as well as any unconscious or underhanded ploys for attention.

Black Moon Lilith relates to the feminine experience that is generally denied, suppressed, marginalized, or otherwise not given its due.

With Black Moon Lilith in Leo, it is the people who do not generally get their full play that will be in the most powerful - yet volatile - positions now. This is empowerment for the people who are digging into the dark stuff, the suppressed stuff, the stuff that makes the mainstream most uncomfortable. This isn't about going for the easy attention, the easy laugh, the easy ego hit. This isn't about mainstream popularity, either.

This is some hard-core, deep-down, shouting it from the margins creative power, busting some shit wide open that desperately needs to be busted open.

With transiting Black Moon Lilith in Leo, we all need plenty of space to let our star power shine this year. If we come into contact with other Big Personalities in the wrong ways, we are certainly going to know it. Sparks! Sizzle! Snarl! This is not the year to crowd anyone on an ego, personality, or creative level. This is not the year to steal anyone else's sunshine.

In particular, Black Moon Lilith in Leo will have the suppressed female ego, female creativity, female personality, and female star power breaking out of some of the old confines.

This could get ugly if we aren't careful.

Some BML in Leo themes include: the toxic nature of celebrity, the alchemical arts, dark ploys of the ego, broken hearts, living from the depths of the heart, difficult and powerful personalities, stars in meltdown mode, inherent and radiating star power, triggers related to being or feeling special, seen, and appreciated, Queen (and King) Bee attitudes run amok, personality clashes, suppressed creativity coming to the surface in explosive and provocative ways, anarchist art, feminist art, art from the margins, art that makes the mainstream uncomfortable, the lineage of arts and crafts made by women, dark truths about children and childhood, coat-tail riding, attempts to undermine the artistry or star power of another, stealing another's thunder, being painfully passed over despite superiour skills and talent, popularity, raw nerves and extreme sensitivity related to our heartfelt creative output, including children.

This is not a placement that enjoys being head-patted in any way, shape, or form. Fair warning.

Black Moon Lilith in Leo has earned her star power. She knows who she is. And Goddess help anyone who steps on her starshine.  

The sometimes-painful Black Moon Lilith in Leo desires for recognition, praise, and attention could be especially stirred during Aquarius season. Leo is a sign ruled by the Sun - a big, bold, radiating presence. But the currently transiting Sun is in detriment in Aquarius, in a sign opposite the one it naturally rules, and this means it can be difficult to achieve the praise, attention, and "specialness" the Sun so craves.

An Aquarius Sun has a presence that is focused on the big picture, on concepts and ideas, on a future vision, on friendship, on the community as a whole, and on being a presence that is of benefit to that community. As a result, the orientation of the self-expression is often conceptual, group-focused, "beyond" the standard interpersonal relations and concerns, and this Sun placement can have difficulty shining fully as an individual at times.

This difficulty could be exacerbated with dispositor Uranus in competitive Aries, increasing the rebellious need for individuality, independence, and a strong sense of self.

The Sun in Aquarius and the extended stay of Mercury in Aquarius will certainly be a help with the intense and potentially volatile energies afoot over the next while, however.

Any fiery Black Moon Lilith in Leo diva action will be kept in check by these transits through Aquarius. After all, Aquarius thinks you're just as special as the next guy!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The Cancer Full Moon Forecast Conjunct Black Moon Lilith: Moody...With a Chance of Switchblade

The Moon is currently growing full in home sweet home Cancer opposite the Capricorn Sun at 25 degrees. The Full Moon will be exact tomorrow night at 10:52 p.m. CST.

This Full Moon falls at lunar apogee, conjunct the astrological symbol Black Moon Lilith, indicating that this sweet and pillowy-soft Cancer Full Moon has a distinct edge about it. The lunar apogee is the point at which the Moon is furthest from Earth in its orbit, so suffice it to say, this Full Moon is way, way out there.

We're being pushed to the furthest reaches of our emotional comfort zones today and tomorrow - and maybe beyond.

Black Moon Lilith relates to the dark, denied feminine/female experience on Planet Earth, so expect some generally denied or avoided emotions of the pitch black variety to be rising to the surface here.

The highly charged influence of Black Moon Lilith makes this a bit of a trigger-happy Full Moon, too. Things could get a little snarly. Raw nerves could be touched without our intention. Give everyone lots of emotional breathing room - including yourself.

Forecast for the next two days: moody...with a chance of switchblade.

(Metaphorical only, of course. Let's not get silly about it.)

The feminine has just about had it, see? The way things are being done on this planet surpassed the insanity point long ago, with the masculine-heavy Pluto in Capricorn bulldozers still razing away, destroying all in their paths for the sake of that mass delusion called fiat currency.

This Full Moon shines a full and uncompromising light on the soul damage done by ambition, greed, and patriarchy-run-amok. Don't look away.

The Moon will conjunct Jupiter (wisdom, truth, knowledge) in Cancer (feminine, mother, emotion) at 11:06 p.m. tonight, drawing its energy into this emotional culmination point. The unheeded feminine perspective, the downplayed women's wisdom, and long-suppressed emotional truths are all wrapped up in this Full Moon, as our emotions are filled to the brim and then spill over.

There is a long lineage being drawn into this Full Moon of feminine resistance, women speaking the truth in the face of tyranny, and the quiet, brilliant knowledge of our mothers. This lineage cannot be broken. It lives in the wind and in the water and in the trees and in the fire. It lives inside us where it's safe. Where it will always be safe. Where no one can touch it, no matter what they try.

Feel the power and strength of this feminine lineage that has supported us all for thousands of years. It's always present, always there, even when it is forced into the shadows. 

Stand in your own emotional truth now, raw bits and all, and protect your position, but give people plenty of space to do the same. Getting too involved in someone else's emotional state is not a wise idea over the next few days, and with the Jupiter-Black Moon Lilith flavour of this Full Moon, it's definitely in our best interests to be wise about it all.


For more on Jupiter and Black Moon Lilith in Cancer from Willow's Web Astrology: Jupiter Enters Cancer at Lunar Apogee: The Wisdom of Our Pitch Blackest Emotional Experiences

Friday, January 10, 2014

Sun-Venus Interior Conjunction in Capricorn

The Sun forms a conjunction with Venus retrograde tomorrow (6:24 a.m. CST) at 21 degrees Capricorn, and both bodies will exactly sextile Saturn in Scorpio.

The Sun and Venus form two conjunctions in their cycle - an interior conjunction while Venus is retrograde and an exterior conjunction while Venus is direct. This is the interior conjunction, and it marks the halfway point of the "relationship restructuring" process with Venus retrograde in Capricorn.

In general, a Sun-Venus conjunction is considered a beneficial aspect, with the Venusian love rays getting a nice boost from the presence of the Sun. The people who will be having trouble with this one are those who have been letting things slide with their Saturn in Scorpio lessons, avoiding uncomfortable emotions and suppressed psychological realities within their relationships - personal or professional.

Getting to the bottom of these things is necessary so that the energy can move and relationship progress can be made.

At this halfway Venus retrograde vantage point, the Sun is shining a light on some realizations we've had regarding relationships, career advancement, and money matters since November 2013. With 20 days of Venus retrograde under our belts, we now have an understanding of what needs to change, what needs to be restructured, and what needs to come under new rules altogether. We're setting ourselves up for long-term relationship success here, making some long-range plans and decisions, but that long-term success also requires that we end some detrimental relating patterns, especially how we use power and control in hidden ways in relationship. This includes allowing ourselves to be put in subjugated positions in relationship.

At the Sun-Venus interior conjunction, we're getting a glimpse of the overall relational game plan as it unfolds from here, as well as the strategic moves we need to make in order to get where we ultimately need to be - personally and professionally.

Venus Rx in Capricorn will form the first of two squares to Mars in Libra on January 16, indicating that our needs (advancement, concrete progress, career success) and our wants (relationships, sociability, loveliness) are at frictional odds, to a certain extent.

Venus Rx in Capricorn is requiring a business-like stiff upper lip in relationships, as well as a "nose to the grindstone" ethic in money and career matters. We have to do what we have to do, even if some in our social spheres don't like it. There is relational and sexual restraint required here, reinforced by transiting Saturn in Scorpio. There are trade-offs to be considered and implemented. There are standards to be met. There is strategy to be employed.

We are building a framework that will allow for our successful development over the following eight-year Venus cycle. This takes some diligence, some time, some effort, and some good, old-fashioned hard work.

All this hard work and "stiff upper lip-ping" for relationship planet Venus comes into frictional contact with our desire (Mars) for a social life, a relationship, or some enjoyment of the good life together (Libra). A new work-relationship balance is being eked out here, and this does have its frictional points.

At the same time, people who have been doing the hard slog Scorpio work - processing all the crap and the bullshit and the underhandedness in relationships for the collective - could be getting a helping hand from the universe now. The Sun-Venus conjunction in Capricorn sextile Saturn in Scorpio looks to be rewarding for those who have done the brutal, harsh, and hellish emotional/psychological work, who have looked at all the uncomfortable issues, and who have not shied away from the core matters.

Those who did not have the luxury of turning a blind eye to the more harsh dynamics of human relations can now be validated, sustained, and put in stronger and more concrete position under the influence of these productive aspects.


For more on Venus retrograde, Mars retrograde, and the Venus-Mars squares: Venus and Mars Retrograde: Cardinal Relationship Shifts and a Fight for Right Human Relations in 2014 - 6,900+ words for $15 or free this year to patrons

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Juno in Pisces and the Soul Mate Flow

Sunset over Main Street
Photo: Willow

Soul mate asteroid Juno entered Pisces on January 1 after spending more than nine months transiting Aquarius, including a retrograde period. Juno will now transit the sign of the fishies until March 4.

Juno is currently forming a conjunction to Neptune in Pisces, exact January 8, which adds a bit of a soft-lit, dreamy (and potentially spacey) vibe to the start of our new year. The Moon enters Pisces today at 10:58 a.m. CST, forming conjunctions to both Juno and Neptune, and this increases the "ethereal Piscean glow" effect for the next couple days.

With relationship planet Venus Rx in Capricorn currently restructuring our relationships into top "new era" form, Juno transiting Pisces is giving us a few hot tips on how to move on from the old Piscean-era traps, foibles, mirages, and energy drains.

Juno will conjunct wounded healer Chiron in Pisces on January 25, and we have to be willing to move out of reach of the end-of-Piscean-era siren songs. These lead nowhere. Or nowhere good.

Juno is showing us what we can count on, what we can draw on, and what we can accept into our hearts as the unchanging and unalterable love from the universe. But it's also showing us the ways in which we have been too naïve, too soft, too trusting, too open, too impressionable, too pie-in-sky, too denial-ridden, too giving, or too forgiving.

Over the next two months, Juno is attempting to bring it all back into the loved-up fold.

It is showing us the difference between "good energy" Neptune and Pisces and deceptive, illusory, disappointing, and painful Neptune and Pisces, working only to set us up for a fall.

Juno will form a potent and productive sextile to Venus in Capricorn just as Venus stations direct (January 29 - 31), and these two feminine forces are really getting the job done. One is focusing on the nuts and bolts, advancing through the concrete social and relational reality via earth sign Capricorn. The other is gleaning insight and impressions from the unseen realms in water sign Pisces in order to guide our steps.

In relationships and with money matters, we are either placing our feet on something solid, something that will sustain our long-term advancement, or we are trying to take a step out into thin air.

Spirit is guiding us in immediate ways now, but it is also testing us to determine real from fake.

The merger of Neptune with Juno in Pisces over the next couple weeks indicates that our connections and interactions have a bit of a fated and otherworldly flavour. The people we cross paths with are purposeful, and the universe is speaking through some seemingly chance encounters.

Psychic connections are strong during this transit.

The universe is giving us a gentle nudge, tapping us on the shoulder, and speaking to us through our interactions with others (our soul mates) - even in the smallest of exchanges. Bits of conversation we overhear can provide needed guidance and insight. Dreams are rich with hints about the way forward from here, as well as the meaningful players involved. Songs on the radio can give us clues as far as the relational adjustments and changes required - including moving beyond the pining and maudlin end-of-Pisces influence on romance and love relationships.

For the next two months, we have to read these otherworldly clues, follow the meandering etheric breadcrumb trail, and make the necessary adjustments.

You know what? If things didn't go as you had hoped and dreamed with that last guy or gal, there's a very good reason for that. Those hopes and dreams belong to an era now past, and it's time to rejuvenate, re-invigorate, and rev yourself up for a whole new ball of wax.

In order to understand the complexity of Juno as an astrological symbol, we can delve into the mythology. Juno is associated with Hera, Queen Goddess and wife of philandering Zeus, King of the Gods.

From a previous post:

"What Juno knows is this: Soul mates are not often like the Hollywood or New Age versions. They're actually very hard work. Challenging from many angles. Being connected to someone at a soul level is not always pleasant. And in fact, if the person you're connected to isn't responsible with the power of the position, it can be a straight-up nightmare.

Juno knows this one first hand.

If Zeus was the King of the Gods, Hera was the Queen of the Goddesses - until, that is, she got roped into "little wifey" territory as Zeus' long-suffering bride. Hera was raped and tricked by Zeus into marrying him and was then dragged through the muck and mire as her loyal husband screwed and philandered and stuck it in anything in a skirt."

Juno relates to marriage, bonds, and soul mate relationships but also to the difficult emotional experiences and power dynamics those types of commitments can bring with them.

The "invisible" influence of these difficult, soul-bonded dynamics is particularly a theme as Juno transits Pisces. Being dragged along, being drained, being ignored, being sacrificed in this type of union.

Juno's placement in the birth chart relates to an area where there is a soul-level commitment. It is an area to which we are "married." However, contrary to what most people believe, soul mate relationships are not necessarily meant to be romantic, sexual, or long-term.

In other words, "soul mate" is not synonymous with "blissful true love/lifelong mate."

As I interpret it, the term soul mate refers broadly to a person brought into our lives in order to catalyze or further some type of soul-level work that could not be completed on our own. There is a soul contract there related to something you (and the individual) wish to achieve on a deep level, and it could last a minute, a month, a year, or a lifetime.

Pisces is considered one of the most karmic signs, and this Juno transit through Pisces with Venus retrograde in Capricorn indicates that our soul mate connections are helping us to "finish up" in certain ways, putting old cycles behind us, particularly as they relate to love, social life, and money.

With Juno in Pisces, we are also working with "soul mates" where the connection we have is almost entirely unseen, etheric, and non-tangible. These are individuals we feel some connection to (desired or not) that cannot be fully explained logically. Juno is a complex and often frictional symbol, and this indicates we are working our way out of energetic entanglements we have with people that are almost purely psychic or etheric.

Simultaneously, we are finding sometimes surprising moments of communion as we see evidence of the unbreakable love of the universe, and our spirits are shored up. As relationship planet Venus retrogrades in the sign of structure, we are building spirit right into our relational foundations, and we're doing it the right way.

This January and February, the people we come into contact with - especially spontaneously - have a spiritual connection to us of some sort. Likely, we are working on similar themes, being drawn into each other's orbits to catalyze further progress and insight.

Juno in Pisces forms a lovely trine to Saturn in Scorpio on February 18, providing some water magic for those who have listened and learned all along the way.

Allow the mystery of the Juno in Pisces soul mate connections to unfold on its own without attempting to control the course. View the people coming into your orbit now as soul mates bringing you guidance from spirit - even in the simplest and smallest of interactions. See the connections that draw you into the whole, despite feelings of isolation. And allow the universe to play you a new song for this new year.


Don't forget my offering for 2014: Venus and Mars Retrograde: Cardinal Relationship Shifts and a Fight for Right Human Relations in 2014 - 6,900+ words for $15 or free this year to patrons