One Last Eff You From 2014. Happy New Year!

Well, we've had some fairly tense aspects to navigate this holiday season with Venus conjunct Pluto and square Uranus (December 21) followed by Mercury conjunct Pluto and square Uranus (December 24/25). If you got through the family gatherings and social occasions relatively unscathed without any verbal throwdowns or major mishaps, consider yourselves fortunate.

Now, we have a fairly charged fixed t-square forming for New Year's Eve, so if you thought 2014 would let up on us long enough for us to usher it out...surprise! Not exactly.

The Moon enters Taurus on December 30 (4:56 a.m. CST) and is in fixed t-square territory with Jupiter Rx in Leo and Mars in Aquarius by early afternoon on December 31.

The t-square formation is exact between 6:50 and 8:04 p.m., indicating that New Years Eve plans could be a little stickier and trickier and harder to bring together than hoped.

People with bodies or points between 20 and 22 degrees of the fixed signs are right in the cross-hairs of this one. 

Fixed t-square formations generally indicate the potential for frustration and thwarted will, and with anger planet Mars involved, we may just have to breathe and let a whole lot go, including any and all expectations for the night.

There is some potential personality friction and some social drama wrapped up in this formation, and the fixed energy will have people digging their heels in, squaring off. People who have a bone to pick with each other could cross paths in a somewhat incendiary fashion under these aspects.

The fixed t-square formation directs energy into the fourth leg at 20/21 degrees Scorpio. This is territory that karmic taskmaster Saturn has just left, so if there is any unfinished business there (especially emotional, psychological and/or sexual), you can expect it to be stirred. 

There's alllllways some sort of drama on New Year's Eve, and this year is no exception.

The potential for fixed angst continues into New Year's Day with the exact opposition between Mars in Aquarius and Jupiter Rx in Leo at 21 degrees of the signs at 1:49 p.m.

One good thing about this formation is that if we experience some sort of progress, resolution, or advancement as we close out 2014 and ring in 2015, it is progress that should last. We're grinding out some final issues as we say goodbye to the past year, and there are a few "dam break" moments possible. This is the type of progress we're grateful for right down to our bones because it has been so stubborn and so long in coming.

There is also a fated quality to this fixed t-square formation. Whatever happens (or doesn't happen) this New Year's Eve, it is sanctioned by the universe and "meant to be," as they say. The wheels are in motion, and we are just along for the ride.

Under the tension and potential frustration of this formation, if your New Year's Eve plans don't come together and you find yourself ringing in the New Year alone at home, cozy with a good book or watching the boob tube...I'd consider yourself lucky!

Under this formation, there will be people out there having a far worse time than you! You can bet on it.

Happy 2015, Willow's Web readers! I'll catch you in the new year.

Easy Peasy Post-Holiday Recipes to Alkalize Your System

The holidays are upon us, and for those who participate in holiday gatherings and parties, there are many opportunities to indulge in drinks and rich food.

But sugar, alcohol, processed foods, white flour, meats, and cheeses are all acid-forming and can throw the body's pH level off. Digestive problems, aches and pains, grumpiness, and low energy can result.

Even for those who do not participate in the holiday hub-bub, the change of seasons is a good time to do a little cleansing and re-balancing. Winter solstice, in particular, is a good time to be gentle on our bodies, as we are adjusting to less daylight (in the northern hemisphere) and often decreased physical energy levels.

These are two very easy recipes I whipped up for alkalizing purposes. I'm not a big fan of cooking, and even I can handle these! I don't include specific measurements for the most part, and you can add or eliminate ingredients to your own taste. 

Alkalizing Spicy Coconut Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

4 or 5 no-salt organic vegetable boullion cubes (to make either 8 or 10 cups of broth)
chopped green cabbage
chopped red/purple cabbage
chopped carrot
1/2 cup pearl barley
diced onion
fresh garlic, minced
turmeric
cumin
cayenne pepper
sea salt
1 or 2 cans of organic coconut milk (can be left out if you don't enjoy coconut)

Directions:

Dissolve the vegetable boullion cubes in a pot of boiling water according to directions.

In a separate large pot, cook the onion in coconut oil or olive oil until transparent. Add the chopped carrot, green cabbage, and red/purple cabbage and cook until slightly tender. Add a bit of water to keep the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Add the minced garlic.

Pour the vegetable boullion into the large pot with the other ingredients.

Bring to a low boil and add the pearl barley. Allow to boil for about 20 minutes.

Add turmeric. I would start with 1 heaping TBSP and add to your taste.

Add cumin. I would start with 1 TSP and add to your taste.

Add cayenne pepper. I would start with 1/2 TSP and add to your taste. A little cayenne pepper goes a long way, so err on the side of using less, and add tiny amounts until it has the spice level you like.

Add a bit of sea salt to your taste.

Allow to boil for about 20 more minutes. You can add some extra water, if necessary, to create the right flavour and consistency.

When the vegetables and barley are soft, turn the heat down to below boiling.

Add 1 or 2 cans of coconut milk and stir into the broth. (optional)

Easy Alkalizing Stir-Fry Sauce

Ingredients

1 can organic coconut milk
turmeric
cumin
cayenne pepper
chili garlic sauce (optional)
tiny pinch of sea salt
dried or fresh basil

Directions:

Melt the can of coconut milk in a pot over low-medium heat while stirring. Do not boil.

Add turmeric. I would start with 1/2 TBSP and add to your taste.

Add cumin. I would start with 1/2 TSP and add to your taste.

Add cayenne pepper. I would start with 1/8 TSP and add to your taste.

Add a tiny pinch of sea salt. 

Add dried basil or chopped fresh basil.

If you like spice, you can add a small amount of chili garlic sauce to add to the flavour.

Add the sauce to stir-fried vegetables, and serve over quinoa (alkaline) or brown rice (slightly acidic).


Both recipes keep well in the refrigerator and can be reheated. 

Remember to drink plenty of lemon juice in water to add to the alkalizing effects.

The optimum pH level for the human body is around 7.365. pH testing strips can be purchased at health food stores or most drug stores.

Happy Holidays and Happy Alkalizing!

The Uranus in Aries - Pluto in Capricorn Square and Survival Via Reclamation and Re-Direction of the Feminine Force

Radical rabble rouser Uranus in Aries moves into the sixth exact square to Pluto in Capricorn on December 14, 2014 (11:14 p.m. CST), kicking off a powerful "direction change" point at winter solstice in the northern hemisphere/summer solstice in the southern.

We're surging into new position - but maybe only because we have to.

This direction change and surge into new position particularly involves relationships, money, and values, all Venus subjects... 

We're fighting for the survival of our selves right now, the survival of our identities, of who we are. We're fighting for the right to live, freely, as we truly are, squaring off with the structural hierarchies that would deny us our right to do so...

The water part of Capricorn is saying, enough is enough. Enough with the way you brutally downplay and whitewash the feminine force in your so-called success stories. The way you deny emotion, intuition, and human caring when playing out your Grand Plans. Enough with the way you keep the feminine in a subordinate position in your hierarchies. You deny her, use and abuse her, manipulate her, laugh at her, ostracize her, push her down. You keep her vital, crucial influence hidden because the patriarchal masculine takes her as such a threat. It's insecure and would prefer to live under the delusion that it alone runs the world.

Ha!


These are excerpts from the article "The Uranus in Aries - Pluto in Capricorn Square and Survival Via Reclamation and Re-Direction of the Feminine Force." It is available in its entirety to Willow's Web Astrology patrons, or it can be purchased for $6.25 by PayPal or by email money transfer. 

Please Note: I send these articles out myself (no automatic service), so there may be a short delay after paying before you receive your article. This is especially the case if the article is purchased over the weekend. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.

Sagittarius Season Storytime and the Insanity of the Fascist Police State

One night in March 2000, I was driving to my job as a waitress in a pool hall in Regina, Saskatchewan. I had a green light, and as I went through an intersection driving north on Wascana Parkway, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked to the left and simultaneously lifted my foot off the gas pedal. That probably saved my life.

The next thing I remember, I was being helped out of my totaled car by a crying teenager and her male companion. She hadn't seen the red light and T-boned me at a fairly high rate of speed, hitting me at the left driver's side wheel. This then propelled my car head-on into a light post.

I was blacking out but remember mumbling to her that it was OK, that it was just an accident.

The next thing I remember was sitting in the back seat of a police car along with the girl and her companion. The girl was sniffling and calling someone on her cell phone. Then everything went white. I have no idea what, if anything, I said to the officers.

When I came into consciousness again, I was being told to get out of the police car. I was injured, blacking out, and confused.

I asked the two male police officers what I was supposed to do.

One of them answered, "Go find a phone."

I got out of the car and stood on the median. The cops drove away.

I was a young female at least two miles from the nearest public telephone or even the nearest home or store. It was dark. It was cold. I had no money with me. I had no cell phone with me. 

I had been abandoned - injured, going in and out of conscious awareness, and confused - by two members of the Regina City Police force in the middle of Wascana Parkway, far from assistance.

I don't like to think about what could have happened to me that night. I could have been beaten up or raped. I could have, in my blacking out state, stepped into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

What did happen that night involved a stroke of luck, a happy coincidence, or some sort of divine intervention.

A Refresher on Saturn in Scorpio

We are now in the final month of the first pass of Saturn through the sign of Scorpio. This article provides a valuable refresher on the themes, which will be re-visited June - September 2015 when Saturn retrogrades back into the sign. 

"Saturn in Scorpio" - $10

 

  Two thousand seven hundred sixty eight of the finest words you will find on the transit of Saturn through Scorpio.

 

Please note: This is not a new article. It was originally published September 20, 2012, and many readers already have a copy.

If there are any patrons who do not already have a copy, please contact me, and I will send one out.

A Zero-Degree New Moon in Sagittarius and the Dawning of New (and Hard-Won) Emotional Truth

We are currently moving through the Dark of the Moon lunar phase in Scorpio into a zero-degree Sagittarius New Moon on November 22 (6:32 a.m. CST). A New Moon in Sagittarius indicates renewed optimism and inspiration, new understanding and realization of truth, and a broadening of emotional horizons. We're getting ready to move on to our next adventure - as long as we have earned the right to pass.

This is the second in a series of zero-degree New Moons indicating an emotional clean sweep effect that brings us into new emotional territory and new-era dynamics as we enter the New Year and complete the historic Uranus-Pluto square series around March equinox 2015.

From a previous post:

"We can leave a lot of old emotional detritus behind us over the next months, as long as we are willing to resolve it and make the move into something different. We're actively seeking openings to emotional breakthroughs, rather than sitting under old, festering emotional issues and sticking points."


This is an excerpt from the article "A Zero-Degree New Moon in Sagittarius and the Dawning of New (and Hard-Won) Emotional Truth." It is available in its entirety to Willow's Web Astrology patrons, or it can be purchased for $4.50 from PayPal or by email money transfer.

Please Note: I send these articles out myself (no automatic service), so there may be a short delay after paying before you receive your article. This is especially the case if the article is purchased over the weekend. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.

Wildflowers and Weedflowers

"Wildflowers and Weedflowers"

Original photographs by Willow

This grouping of prints makes a beautiful and dynamic art piece for your wall or to give as a gift.

Six prints (6 X 8 or 5 X 7 inches) - $38

Includes shipping in Canada and the U.S. Please contact me for other international shipping rates.

There are stickers on the back corners of each print so they can be hung on the wall with Sticky Tac, or they can be framed.

Please contact me for other sizes or for framing options.

All photographs are au naturel, no Photoshopping, filters, or effects. 

More prints can be seen here. Mix and match to create your own grouping: 

Renegade Heifer Photography

Neptune and Chiron Station Direct in Pisces

 Image: www.rebelcircus.com

Pisces is the sign of the most sublime spiritual bliss and also of the harshest disappointments, loss, and devastation known to humankind. It's the idea of the lotus flower, blossoming beautifully out of some of the dankest and most difficult muck this planet has to offer. It is the idea of being invisibly bound together by the trials and tribulations of the human condition but also by the love, sweet love, that brings us through it all.

All this is woven into our reality this November as we have two bodies stationing direct in Pisces - Neptune (in its home sign) stations direct at 4 degrees Pisces on November 16, while wounded healer Chiron stations direct at 13 degrees Pisces on November 23.

The dual stations in the sign of Pisces can bring some grogginess, some dreaminess, and some general mind fog. Everything is a bit weirder and a bit more surreal under the energy of these stations. The veil between the material and the immaterial is just a bit thinner. Taps on the shoulder from the universe are a bit stronger. We perceive the other side communicating with us a bit more clearly.
 
I've written about Neptune stations in the past, and I will include it here for your perusal. The themes are similar for the Chiron in Pisces station November 23:

From "Neptune Stations Direct and Brings the Foggy, the Floaty, the Wispy, and the Surreal," November 9, 2012:

"When a planet appears to slow in the zodiac to station either retrograde or direct, we often experience a palpable concentration of that planet's energy and themes.

Neptune is the planet associated with, among other things, dreams; illusions; spiritual communion and guidance; psychic connection; the unconscious; sublime artistic ability; surreality; escapism; oceans; fluids; flooding; permeation; blind spots; smokescreens; fraud; deception; and addictions...

With stationing Neptune permeating the astro atmosphere, we can expect a few of the following symptoms to be kicked up... 

- Dreams can be much more vivid and involved. They can have a "journeying" quality, as if we have traveled through many other worlds, and we can wake up feeling more tired than when we went to bed. Prophetic or foreshadowing dreams are more common.

- Sleep can be deeper, as if we're falling off into utter abyss and have to drag ourselves out and back into waking life. We may sleep longer or more often than usual, and people can continue to have a sleepy, dreamy quality throughout the waking hours. The standard afternoon coffee just doesn't cut it!

- We can experience disrupted sleep with odd periods of wakefulness in the night.

- "Cosmic winks" and communication from the universe are more apparent. It can sometimes feel as if the radio or TV is communicating directly to you. A stronger than usual feeling that you are not alone.

- Daydreaming increases. Imagery from the mind's eye is clearer and more active than usual and can be distracting in day-to-day life.

- Our psychic space is more permeable when Neptune is strong, and we have to carefully filter the heightened impressions we're receiving.

- People can be more impressionable, easily swayed, and prone to wishful thinking, particularly with love relationships. We can be convinced of things when Neptune is strong that we could not be convinced of at other times. The standard, "What was I thinking?" In the same way that we can believe a dream we've had is real, it's possible to believe things are one way when all logical conclusions (and later, hindsight) would indicate otherwise.

- We can be more easily deceived by people, missing major character flaws because we're blinded by the good in them, by their "spiritual auras," or by their potential.

- Plumbing problems are more likely. A low water level for flushing toilets, in particular, is common during Neptune stations.

- Personal plumbing issues are also more likely. Urinating more than usual or having to use a (hopefully natural) diuretic to assist urination. (Uva Ursi works well.) Urinary tract irritation is more common when Neptune is strong, so avoid soft drinks, caffeine, and alcohol, and increase intake of water and real cranberry juice.

- There can be a strong jonesing for drugs and/or alcohol.

- But we are also more easily altered and affected by drugs and alcohol.

- Food allergies and sensitivities can be heightened. We're craving "fun and easy" foods, but they can have ill effects.

- We can be more sensitive to perfumes and scents.

- There can be a giddy, giggly, intoxicating quality in the air. Neptunian whiffs of ether. This effect is currently mitigated quite strongly by a trine to stern and grounding Saturn in Scorpio.

- People can be more sensitive than usual and their feelings more easily hurt. There is stronger sensitivity to the suffering in the world, and people are more easily brought to tears when Neptune is strong. The Neptunian waterworks. People may choose more isolation than usual to offset this heightened sensitivity.

- We can spend money on things, particularly on frivolous things, that we wouldn't ordinarily spend money on. When Neptune is strong, we crave escapism, entertainment, and ease from the daily grind. Pizza delivery and Chinese take-out must see an increase in business!

- The simplest daily tasks can seem irritating and overwhelming. Multi-tasking is more difficult.

- People may embrace their inner dirty hippie and skip a few showers. Personal hygiene is one of those daily tasks that can seem impossibly arduous when Neptune is strong.

- It can be difficult to make ourselves fully understood..., as if we are yelling underwater. People may pick up on one layer of what we're saying without grasping the full meaning.

- Generally, a lot of projection is flying around. People could be interacting with their own fabricated versions of who you are, rather than anything based in reality.

- Strongly Neptunian/Piscean people can usually be spotted by a sort of dreamy, shrouded, faraway look around the eyes. The area around the eyes can appear a little shadowed and hollowed-out.

Neptune goes retrograde once per year for about five months.

Until 2021, Neptune goes retrograde in the month of June and direct in the month of November. You can expect the Neptune station symptoms to be kicked up at those times."

More on Neptune stations from Willow's Web Astrology

More on Chiron in Pisces from Willow's Web Astrology

Reality Checking

 All it would take is a stiff breeze...

Photo: Willow

Just a reminder, pretty babies, that the personal planets are on the march toward conjunctions to Saturn in Scorpio, indicating that we receive waves of "reality check" this month. 

People are over-extended - emotionally, energetically, financially, time-wise - and the conjunctions of the personal planets to Saturn are going to reel things back in. These conjunctions also provide us with a status report on our Saturn in Scorpio progress so far.

Energy is at a premium this month, so be careful what you commit yourself to or how full you fill your schedule. Leave some wiggle room. 

Venus conjunct Saturn - November 12 (7:02 p.m. CST)
Sun conjunct Saturn - November 18 (2:50 a.m.)
Mercury conjunct Saturn - November 25 (8:37 p.m.)

We've been slogging it out in the down-and-dirty subtext for just over two years now, becoming painfully aware of the crumbling emotional and psychological foundations in relationships, businesses, and societal institutions alike.

The underlying emotional and psychological realities we're privy to are not always pretty. Quite often, they're full-on stinky and corrupt, and Saturn has been holding our noses in it, ensuring that the whiff we get is potent enough to motivate us toward change, no matter how difficult.

There are certain secrets, certain suppressed realities, that can no longer be contained - though many will try to keep a lid on this to the point that their own psyches become shredded by it.

We've gone as far as we can with certain structural frameworks and with certain power hierarchies, no matter how dressed up, "successful," or "prestigious" they may appear.

Whether it's the institution of traditional marriage, the nuclear family unit, or the grasping tentacles of the Global Government, we simply cannot uphold the shitshow any longer. Those who attempt it, still striving for the perceived rewards for doing so, face a slow-motion emotional, psychological, and psychic collapse.

People are still clinging to the old structures and to their perceived power within those structures, but make no bones about it:

The businesses and institutions cannot go on as they exist. The positions within those businesses and institutions cannot go on as they exist. Personal relationships set up according to old-era rules cannot be sustained. Change is required almost across the board.

Make this your reality, make this necessary change your goal, and these personal planet conjunctions to Saturn in Scorpio will put you in better, stronger, and wiser position.

Now is the Time. This is the Place. So You'd Better Bring it This Scorpio Season...

 Illustration: Willow by Ricardo Mira, gatomorfo.com
Thank-you, Ricardo!

 
We are currently in the thick of a very powerful and transformational Scorpio season, kicked off by the Scorpio New Moon solar eclipse at zero degrees conjunct Venus on October 23. That zero-degree New Moon was the first in a series of zero-degree New Moons, indicating an "emotional clean sweep" effect that continues into the first months of 2015. We're going deep here in order to move into new emotional territory, and no stone is left unturned.

Currently, there is a concentration of bodies in Scorpio - warrior woman Pallas Athene, the Sun, Venus, Saturn, and as of November 8, Mercury. This brings the deep, dark Scorpionic themes to the forefront in a big way with many highly-charged, previously hidden, and potentially uncomfortable subjects rising to the surface.

Today, we experience the Taurus Full Moon (4:23 p.m. CST), the yearly Blood Moon or Hunter's Moon, and all that has occurred since the Scorpio New Moon is pushed to a head...

Mars and Pluto are the co-rulers of Scorpio, the bodies that most strongly influence and drive that sign. And these two bodies are forming a catalytic conjunction (exact at 11 degrees Capricorn on November 10 at 5:06 p.m.) right in the midst of Scorpio season. The movement of Mars in Capricorn is activating the Uranus in Aries - Pluto in Capricorn square, indicating that major structural changes and major breaks from the way things have been done previously are being initiated via our own personal directions and applications of will. This is societal transformation, structural transformation, institutional transformation, and it's driven by individual actions and decisions.

Mars moves from the November 10 conjunction to Pluto into a November 12 square to Uranus Rx at 13 degrees Aries (7:29 p.m.).

Productive and alchemical earth-water sextiles are also being formed between Mars in Capricorn and the bodies transiting Scorpio.

There's a new direction being initiated here. Help it to dig in. 

Mars is a personal planet, relating to personal desire, will, goals, sex drive, anger, and actions. Pluto is a transpersonal planet, relating to a process of transformation and change on a collective level, brought about by exposing various unsatisfactory elements - corruption, abuse, violence, murder, dishonesty, hidden manipulation, unjust power dynamics. With Pluto now transiting Capricorn, we are exposing those unsatisfactory elements within the institutions of our societies and the associated power hierarchies.

Pluto is a dwarf planet associated with rage. Pluto is a dwarf planet associated with experiences of hell. It is considered a generational planet, meaning an entire generation of people will have Pluto in a particular sign. Thus, Pluto is an indicator of the generational change an individual is tasked with in the area that most needs transformation by that generation of people. Pluto is an indicator of the particular flavour of hell experienced by your generation, and it is also an engine providing the energy, awareness, rage, and strength needed to get out of it.

At it's best, Scorpio doesn't just want to get itself out of hell. It wants to liberate everyone experiencing that particular version of hell. Its personal liberation reaches the desired level of sweetness only when others cannot be tricked, manipulated, or trapped by the same hellacious dynamics and themes.

At it's best, the personal struggle for liberation from the intolerable that is experienced in the sign of Scorpio is fused with the broader, collective struggle for that same liberation. Liberation for all, forever, from the same intolerable circumstances or themes. Annihilation of that which oppresses us  unjustly, manipulatively, and violently, freeing us from those themes for good.

Entering the Dark Half...

Spoooooooky photos: Willow

Well, spooky spooks and witchy witches, the dark half is upon us in the northern hemisphere.

We have much to celebrate this All Hallow's Eve, as beastly Saturn in deep, dark Scorpio has now officially moved into new territory in the zodiac, relieving us of many constricting and oppressive layers of psychic and emotional sludge. We've fought our way through clinging cobwebs of fear and depression. We've confronted many of our deepest fears and worst nightmares on both personal and collective levels. And now, at All Hallow's Eve, we're making some serious progress as we move out of reach of some old emotional, psychological, and psychic yuck.

We are currently coming out of a Via Combusta Scorpio New Moon eclipse at zero degrees (conjunct Venus), which occurred October 23, and the themes of the burning path are with us for the following 28-day lunar cycle. The Via Combusta Scorpio New Moon eclipse busted things loose, giving us the velocity and power of a shooting star as we burn through old, unsatisfying scenarios, subjects, and relationships that have been taking us under. 

Things have lightened as we head to the dark half of the year in the northern hemisphere - perhaps almost imperceptibly in some cases - but they have lightened, indeed.

The planet of challenges, limitations, depression, and maturation, Saturn, now moves in one pass through 23 to 27 degrees Scorpio, putting another big chunk of the transit under our belts by December 8. Saturn will enter its next retrograde shadow (the degrees to which it will return during the next retrograde period) on December 8 before surfacing in lighter territory in Sagittarius on December 24. There's a light at the end of this tunnel, and we catch a glimpse of it as Saturn moves through tail-end Scorpio toward more buoyant Sagittarius by the end of the year.

We have the possibility of making big strides between now and the first part of December - but only if we accept our emotional, psychological, and energetic constraints and move through them one step at a time.

With Saturn moving in one pass through a meaty section of often-uncomfortable Scorpio, there is a tendency to want to push, to rush through into lighter and happier centaur territory in Sagittarius.

But the only way to truly lasting progress now is to accept the emotional and psychological weight of the times without shrugging off our responsibilities.

We are aware. We see. We feel. We sense. We understand.

And we know, in no uncertain terms, that things are not right on this planet. Things are not right here at all.

As Saturn relieves us of some of the old weight, we move into the later stages of Scorpio and a more mature outlook on the tough aspects of life on Planet Earth at this time.

We have been emotionally and psychologically challenged - intensely - during Saturn's transit of Scorpio by the bottom-line realities on this planet. We have been challenged by some of the darkest and most repugnant realities possible related to corrupt, violent, and vicious power structures on this planet and the miseries they create.

(If the New Agers want to talk about "creating reality," why don't we start with the miserable realities being created for billions of people by the violent power-holders and social engineers?)

There has been a lot of talk about depression since Saturn entered Scorpio in October 2012. This is a topic that has been worked up to the surface in media and social media, particularly after some high-profile celebrity suicides.

There has also been a lot of talk about how to alleviate or cure depression.

But here's where it gets a bit more tricky, complicated, Scorpionic.

We can't sever ourselves or our emotional realities from the reality of the whole. We can't sever our personal psyches from the collective situation on Planet Earth. We can't sever ourselves from the misery intentionally being brought down on people as the powers-that-be steamroll their way to continued "success."

There is no pill or drug or psychiatrist that can make all that go away.

A Series of Zero-Degree New Moons Produces an Emotional Clean Sweep Effect

We are currently moving through a dense, at times arduous, yet ultimately dynamic period of time as we officially enter the dark half of the year in the northern hemisphere.

As we cross the threshold into the dark half, we experience multiple, piled-up planetary shifts heading into a zero-degree New Moon in Scorpio that is also a partial solar eclipse on October 23 (3:57 p.m. CST). We also move through some potentially angsty “old business” from the Saturn in Scorpio transit before moving into new territory during the last week of October. 

The upcoming zero-degree Scorpio New Moon eclipse is the first in a series of four zero-degree New Moons indicating a major push into new emotional territory and new-era dynamics. We can leave a lot of old emotional detritus behind us over the next months, as long as we are willing to resolve it and make the move into something different. We’re actively seeking openings to emotional breakthroughs, rather than sitting under old, festering emotional issues and sticking points.


This is an excerpt from the article, "A Series of Zero-Degree New Moons Produces an Emotional Clean Sweep Effect." This article is available in its entirety to Willow's Web Astrology patrons, or it can be purchased for $4.50 by PayPal or email money transfer. 

Please Note: I send these articles out myself (no automatic service), so there may be a short delay after paying before you receive your article. This is especially the case if the article is purchased over the weekend. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.

A Magical Relationship Portal Opens And Then Things Go Deeper...

 On the Art House steps, Calgary, Alberta

Photo: Willow

Love and relationship planet Venus, in its own sign of Libra, is currently chasing the Sun on its way to the Sun-Venus exterior conjunction at 1 degree Scorpio on October 25. 

This means we have a lovely conjunction of the Sun and Lesser Benefic planet Venus bringing the love and feel-good vibes to our current moment all through this month.

On their way to the exterior conjunction - which indicates an alchemical "coming together," deepening, or merging point in relationships of all kinds in late October - Venus, the Sun, and Mercury retrograde are forming a gorgeous pile-up of a conjunction with the transiting North Node of the Moon, currently at 19 degrees Libra.

There is a "social quickening" underway now with new mixes starting to interact, and this quickening reaches a peak between October 12 and 20. 

The Sun in Libra forms an exact conjunction to the North Node of the Moon on October 12; Venus in Libra conjuncts the North Node October 14/15; Mercury retrograde conjuncts the North Node October 20 and again on October 30 (direct). 

The strong influence in beauty and relationship-oriented Libra is well-supported by sextile aspects from both Jupiter in Leo and Mars in Sagittarius, which are participating in a Grand Fire Trine with Uranus in Aries. 

This air-fire influence indicates a bubbling social scene with strong elements of personal style, artistry, creativity, wisdom, knowledge, and fun that are brought together for the benefit and enjoyment of all. Personal creativity is finding new outlets within the broader social scene, and we're finding new ways to share our knowledge - a theme that becomes stronger when Saturn enters Sagittarius in late December. 

Fall gatherings and get-togethers are simply blessed under these energies, as long as we are following along with the unfolding social plot. 

This strongly-highlighted Libra North Node creates a truly magical relational portal - a window of time when a new social order is forming (and quickly), new connections are being made, old connections are being re-ignited, and relationships of all kinds are "moving to the next level."

As we move into a new social balance, the focus is on relating, socializing, and circulating - but only in the ways that are most necessary.

We aren't forcing anything here. We aren't stretching out of our comfort zones - beyond the initial North Node in Libra nudge we need to be social at all! We aren't extending ourselves to others in the wrong ways or at the wrong times. We're working with the connections and social opportunities that feel natural, interesting, necessary, sustaining, the next step. We're moving energy around in new ways as we form new webs of relationship.

With female warrior asteroid Pallas Athene also joining the massive grouping in Libra, we're working on strategic elements of the social fabric that will sustain us and others over the long-term. These are interpersonal connections that will ultimately benefit the collective in long-lasting ways. 

The social framework that comes together now is the framework that must come together. We need this social glue to hold us together and to sustain us in light of the very trying circumstances we face on Planet Earth. This is not frivolous or superficial - the social framework coming into being is necessary for our very survival and for the survival of our communities.

We are building the preferable alternative, and we are making it accessible to anyone who needs it. 

With Saturn and dwarf planet Ceres currently locked in a conjunction in last-decan Scorpio, we are looking for deep social sustenance, nourishment, and support. We are looking for full, long-lasting returns on our social and energetic investments.

With the North Node transiting Libra, relating and relationships are the most fruitful areas of life, but they are not the easiest. The North Node generally requires a little effort, a little practise, and a little courage gathered. 

Human relations are in quite a state. We've been burned before - many times. 

So we're watching our boundaries closely - not giving too much, not compromising ourselves, not putting on a social facade that differs from our real personality or feelings. We're keeping a close watch on the limited energy and resources indicated by Saturn transiting Scorpio into the end of this year.

We aren't jumping in too far or too fast.  

But we're taking those social opportunities that we may have passed up previously. We're appreciating people and community in ways that we may have taken for granted previously. We're valuing the social fabric more highly, and we're seeing and valuing each contribution made by individuals to that social fabric. We're getting out there. We're taking a chance on the connections that feel inevitable in some way. 

Because yes, there is a social and relational inevitability here with the pile-up of personal planets on the Libra North Node, on our soul-guided path forward. There is a social and relational inevitability as we move to the New Moon eclipse at 0 degrees Scorpio on October 23, followed by the Sun-Venus exterior conjunction October 25. We're being drawn together in the ways that are necessary.

We provide support, and support is provided for us. We feed the social fabric, and the social fabric feeds us. 

Finding just the right balance of give-and-take is our challenge as we move through the alchemical relational magic of the next weeks.

Timed War Attacks at March Equinox and the Final Uranus-Pluto Square, March Equinox 2015

A transcript has recently surfaced from an interview between retired U.S. General Wesley Clark and Democracy Now's Amy Goodman from 2007.

In the interview, Clark describes the pre-planning by the United States Department of Defense of wars with seven nations - Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran. These plans were divulged to Clark just days after the collapse of the World Trade Centers in New York City in September 2001.

From the interview:

"CLARK: About 10 days after 9/11, I went to the Pentagon, and I saw [Defense] Secretary [Donald] Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary [Paul] Wolfowitz. I went downstairs to say hello to some of the people on the joint staff that used to work for me.

One of the generals called me in and said, “Sir, you gotta come in and talk to me.” I said, “Sir, you’re too busy.” And he said, “No, no! We’ve made the decision — we’re going to war with Iraq!” This is on or about the 28th of September. I said, “We’re going to war with Iraq? Why!?” He said, “I don’t know!” He said, “I guess they don’t know what else to do.” So I said, “Did they find some information connecting Saddam to al Qaeda?” He said, “No, no, there’s nothing new that way. They just made the decision to go to war with Iraq.” He said, “I guess its like we don’t know what to do about terrorists, but we’ve got a good military and we can take down governments.”

So I came back to see him a few weeks later, and by that time, we were bombing in Afghanistan. And I said, “Are we still going to war with Iraq?” And he said, “Oh, its worse than that.” He said– he reached over on his desk and he picked up a piece of paper, and he said, “I just got this from upstairs,” meaning the Secretary of Defense’s office. And he said, “This is a memo that describes how we’re going to take out seven countries in five years. Starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and finishing off Iran.”"

You can certainly see that the blueprints for the next 15+ years of United States-led war, death, and destruction worldwide were laid out immediately following that oh-so-murky event in September 2001. We have seen the war machine meet its stated goals with cruel brutality and precision ever since.

The felling of the Twin Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001 is considered by many to be a false flag event - an event that was either orchestrated or intentionally allowed by the United States government in order to create consent for intensified foreign war as well as war against its own citizens by way of spying, harassment, police brutality, and other erosion of civil liberties. 

The collapse of Building 7, a 47-storey skyscraper near the Twin Towers that was not hit by any airplane, has been a major sticking point for the official story (that terrorists flew airplanes into the towers, the towers started on fire and collapsed).

Families of 9/11 victims, architects, and engineers have all joined forces to say: the official story about what happened on September 11, 2001 is impossible. Buildings do not collapse like that either from fire or from an airplane flying into the side. There was no reason, according to the official story, for Building 7 to collapse, especially considering the buildings beside it suffered only minimal damage.