Thursday, December 21, 2017

Moderating The Urge to Let Fly As Mercury Stations Direct in Sagittarius


Communication and intelligence planet Mercury is about to go direct (December 22 at 5:51 p.m. PST) in the sign of its detriment (Sagittarius) in square aspect to foggy Neptune in Pisces, and oh goodness, people are going to want to let fly. 

There are some pent-up things on our minds, being held (for now) on the tips of our tongues. There are some blazing truths we're just itching to lay down in the most dramatic and effective ways possible. We're pretty well ready to give the whole damned planet a piece of our mind.

Pow! 

This urge is exacerbated by an applying conjunction between war planet Mars and truth-related Jupiter, both transiting Scorpio. The exact Mars-Jupiter conjunction occurs January 6, 2018 at 17 degrees, and there is pressure building as far as ripping the lid off the underlying (and often intolerable) reality of things.

But with Mercury conjunctions to moderate Saturn still fresh in our minds - exact November 27 and December 6, moving to a final one January 12 - we might just think better of this. We might decide to take some time before speaking or communicating. We might express our fiery-potent truth in a more moderate, responsible, or purposeful way. We might find new places to apply our powerful perspectives, ones that will provide more substantial public positioning for long-term success and influence.

Basically, it's a marathon, not a sprint. 

Sagittarius isn't known as the most patient sign, however, and Mercury isn't known as the most patient planet. 

With Mercury stationing direct in Sagittarius, a sign the messenger isn't very comfortable in, there's a higher likelihood that we will be a little unintentionally blundering in our communication styles. Verbally stepping on a few toes. Inadvertently insulting people with an innocent, offhand comment or observation. General foot-in-mouth tendencies. Potentially a little obtuse as far as the effect our words and perspectives have on others.

Consciously reining things in a little and working to say things as precisely as possible are helpful tactics. 

The Mercury in Sagittarius square to Neptune in Pisces indicates some collectively-karmic conversation, exchanges, and information flow. Mercurial connections and interactions have an element of "divine dispersion" involved now that is somewhat out of our control. Certain words/ideas/concepts/information are going to be dispersed through us and through our exchanges in order to reach their targets. It's up to us to lay it down as succinctly as possible and then to let it go.

Remember: with the energy of an extended Mercury-Black Moon Lilith conjunction in Sagittarius still in strong effect, conversations and written or verbal exchanges can be quite loaded. Words are more powerful (and potentially inflammatory) than usual and can hang in the air.

Certain subjects are like quicksand. Crystallized rhetoric combined with charged emotions could drag us into exhausting back-and-forth and round-and-round exchanges that get us nowhere. 

We don't want any "I wish I could take that back" scenarios unfolding here because, under these energies, the fallout from certain exchanges letting people know how you really think about it all! could literally last for years. (So no ugly holiday scenes, even if your tongue has teeth marks in it from biting it so much...)

With Mercury somewhat frustrated in Sagittarius until entering Capricorn on January 10 (combined with that Mars-Jupiter conjunction in Scorpio), many will be looking to unload verbally and will take pretty much any excuse to do so. We're going to have to duck and weave a little to avoid becoming verbal dumping grounds. Don't inadvertently provide a soapbox. Manage your emotional reactions so that you don't get drawn into a big old waste of time and energy masquerading as a conversation or discussion.

Understand, as Mercury makes this uncomfortable station in this uncomfortable sign in this uncomfortable square to Neptune, that we're all a bit mentally raw. We're all a little overwhelmed. We're all sick of the bullshit we see going on all around us, every day. 

Hold people accountable for their stuff, but ultimately, keep your gaze where it belongs - on the corrupt and hierarchical power structures and the power players pulling strings within those structures. Don't blame each other or humanity as a whole for the socially-engineered Hell being intentionally brought down upon us by the inhumane power web that has taken hold on Planet Earth.

Each truth plays its part in the greater whole. Say what you need to say, but don't get hung up on the results or the effects of that expression. That's not up to you. The universe will pick up your words and give them the wings they need, mysteriously and miraculously ensuring that your blazing arrows of truth reach their rightful targets. 

Mercury enters Capricorn on January 10 at 9:09 p.m.

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Become a WWA Patron; Get Good Stuff.

I'm not trying to sell you on this, but now is a really banging time to become a Willow's Web Astrology patron.

All new patrons will receive the most recent patron article, "The Saturn in Capricorn Transit is Kicked Off With a Six-Planet Stellium," a super juicy number covering themes for the upcoming Capricorn stellium, as well as a stellium in Aquarius in 2021.

Until December 31, 2017, new patrons will also receive the main Saturn in Capricorn article, "Saturn in Capricorn: An Astrological Overview for Long-Term Strategic Planning," as a bonus. This article is 7,000+ words and intensively covers the aspects and challenges of the three-year Saturn in Capricorn transit.

So until the end of 2017, new patrons receive two very substantial patron articles right off the bat ($22.50 purchased separately), both of which provide an astrological view that carries us forward over the next few years on Planet Earth. 

I'm also coming up on the 10-year anniversary for this site in February, and there will likely be a fun draw or two for the patrons in celebration of that and to thank them for their support. New patrons would have a chance to enter draws for nice WWA products, also.  

Please understand that nothing on this blog is free. It all takes time, energy, and effort to craft. It draws on tens of thousands of hours of education, study, experience, and observation over 20 years in the fields of sociology, journalism, media, astrology, metaphysics, activism, natural health, and others.

Writing is work. Journalism is work. Astrology is work. Activism is work. 

It's all work. Not a hobby. Not a charity. Not a fun and entertaining past-time. 

Patronage allows me to post more "free" content on the blog throughout the year, and it also allows me to continue with activist/journalist efforts, which, while unpaid, are important and very energy-consuming.

As newspapers are closed and mainstream media becomes consolidated by and filtered through fewer and fewer people/corporations, independent sites like Willow's Web Astrology are important for the type of soulful reporting and laying-bare-of-truth via the astrological framework that you will not find elsewhere.

As mentioned, I'm coming up on my 10-year anniversary for this site in February 2018. If you've been reading here over the years and finding valuable insight and perspective, please consider becoming a patron. You will not only have access to highly juicy patron articles (I had to go rogue to get the photographs for the last article!), you will be providing value in return for value you have received. A fair exchange.

I can't guarantee how much work I will be able to offer for "free" on the blog in this new year, but patronage does help me to continue doing this work amidst the challenging conditions of the times. 

You can become a patron for as little as 35 bucks per year. This is in Canuck funds, so that will be around $28 US. (I'm not sure of currency conversion rates for other currencies, but let's hope the Canadian dollar is weak in the face of your own towering currency!)




Happy Solstice 2017, WWA readers, patrons, and customers! Keep on keeping on with your fine selves. 

 

 


Individual articles:

Jupiter in Scorpio: Wisdom Drawn from the Still Depths of the Soul 
- this 5,000+-word article delineates and interprets the year-long Jupiter in Scorpio transit
$10.50 

- this 7,000+-word article delineates and interprets the three-year Saturn in Capricorn transit and includes information about the Chiron ingress of Aries and the Uranus ingress of Taurus
$11.25

- this 4,500+-word article interprets the January 2017 stellium in Capricorn, as well as an upcoming stellium in Aquarius in 2021.  
$11.25

Saturday, December 9, 2017

That Black, Black, Black Moon Truth

Bringing more beauty to this world and to my life!

I was part of an art market recently, and the brilliant awesomeness of Aryelle Attridge-Weeks from two tables away was near-blinding! Lucky for me, she is not as scared of other humans as I am (or she fakes it nicely). She suggested an art trade, and she also enjoys cow photos! Perfect. I'm delighted to have her gorgeous watercolour print on my wall. She worked previously as a tattoo apprentice and I love the combination of tattoo culture and fine art.




Yesterday was the eight-year anniversary of me being poisoned by the fluoroquinolone antibiotic Cipro. There's not a day that goes by that I do not experience some sort of pain, dysfunction, discomfort, or emotional/psychological horror directly caused by this drug.

I was mis-prescribed the terribly dangerous Ciprofloxacin in late 2009 for a very minor urinary tract infection and was never given any warning about the potential side effects, despite a Black Box Warning about tendon rupture that already existed on the drug. The Black Box Warnings did not trickle down to prescribing physicians, and most of the people describing the damage done to us by fluoroquinolone antibiotics have not been believed by the medical establishment.

In light of the current "dark truth-telling" themes with Mercury retrograde conjunct Saturn, Venus, Sun, and Black Moon Lilith in Sagittarius, I thought I would interject a little Black Moon-style truth into the following articles, pulled from mainstream media sites. (Bold All Caps, just to be uber punk rock/stereotypical internet activisty...heh)

"The Fascists Got Me With Fluoride Pills" would make a good folk-punk song...

From a July 26, 2016 article by Maggie Fox, "FDA Strengthens Warning on Powerful Antibiotics":

"The Food and Drug Administration strengthened the warnings about one type of antibiotic Tuesday, saying they’re too strong (STRONG = "POTENTIALLY DEADLY OR PERMANENTLY DEBILITATING") to be used for sinus infections, bronchitis and simple urinary tract infections.

(EXCEPT HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PERMANENTLY DAMAGED, DEBILITATED, OR DISABLED EVEN SINCE THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BECAUSE FLUOROQUINOLONE ANTIBIOTICS WERE PRESCRIBED AND DISPENSED AS JUST THAT - FIRST LINE ANTIBIOTICS FOR MINOR INFECTIONS? THEY'VE BEEN PRESCRIBED AND DISPENSED LIKE THIS FOR DECADES NOW WITH DOCTORS DENYING OUR STORIES ABOUT THE DEBILITATION. THIS DAMAGE WAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR DECADES, AND THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT KEPT DOLING THESE DRUGS OUT WITHOUT WARNING!)

The drugs are in a class called fluoroquinolones and include levofloxacin (as known as Levaquin) and ciprofloxacin (Cipro). They can cause serious and sometimes permanent side-effects. (A LAUNDRY LIST OF MORE THAN 50 SYMPTOMS, SOME EXTREME/TERRIFYING, MANY LIFE-THREATENING. THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THESE DRUGS WILL SHORTEN THE LIVES OF MANY OF THEIR VICTIMS.)

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius: Know What You Believe, and Believe in What You Know

Look at that face! 
Photos: Willow


Mercury retrograde December 2 - 22, 2017, from 29 degrees to 13 degrees Sagittarius

Communication planet Mercury has just stationed retrograde (December 2) on the potent anaretic (29th) degree of truth-telling Sagittarius in close conjunction to Saturn and Black Moon Lilith.

This indicates that we're receiving some mental processing time, some final integration of truth and understanding we've been gathering throughout the entire Saturn in Sagittarius transit (December 2014 - December 2017). 

With the strong influence of Black Moon Lilith on the Mercury retrograde process, this truth and understanding may have some dark elements or difficult angles.

Certain truths - about ourselves, about our world, and about our places in that world - are sinking in here, and we'll ultimately be shored up, supported, and validated (Saturn) in that truth.

With the strong influence of Black Moon Lilith in Sagittarius, some of the truth requiring full integration now is a little difficult to swallow. Some of the truth and understanding we carry - and that we are being called on to share in the world - may be difficult for others (or ourselves) to accept. Sharing what we know may bring us into frictional contact with others and with the society around us. It may put us at odds with accepted consensus reality. So there is an element of drawing on our deepest faith and also on our sense of duty and responsibility. These are things that can fortify us in challenging messenger roles. 

The information and perspective we are being called on to share may involve truth that the mainstream society refuses or even violently rejects. This may be truth - deep, dark, and concentrated - that society will do almost anything to deny, silence, or stuff down.

Under these placements, our voices, our words, may unintentionally trigger others, especially those of a more establishment-friendly perspective (even alternative-establishment). 

Sunday, November 26, 2017

The Saturn in Capricorn Transit is Kicked Off With a Six-Planet Stellium



This article is available to Willow's Web Astrology patrons, or it can be purchased for $11.25 by PayPal or email money transfer. It includes information about an upcoming six-planet stellium in Capricorn, as well as themes surrounding the Saturn in Aquarius transit and six-planet stellium in Aquarius in 2021.

A companion YouTube video for this article can be viewed here.

A previous article with similar themes from December 31, 2011: "Sun Conjunct Pluto in Capricorn: The Awareness of How Deep it Really Goes Is Lit Up This NYE"

Until the end of 2017, all new Willow's Web Astrology patrons will receive the main Saturn in Capricorn article (7,000+ words) as a bonus.   


 Individual Articles:

Jupiter in Scorpio: Wisdom Drawn from the Still Depths of the Soul 
- this 5,000+-word article delineates and interprets the year-long Jupiter in Scorpio transit
$10.50 

Saturn in Capricorn: An Astrological Overview for Long-Term Strategic Planning 
- this 7,000+-word article delineates and interprets the three-year Saturn in Capricorn transit and includes information about the Chiron ingress of Aries and the Uranus ingress of Taurus
$11.25

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Saturn in Late Sage Squares the Wounded Healer: We Shall Exhibit Reckless Glee About the Hardness of This Life!


As Saturn completes its transit of the sign of the centaur in a loosening square (as of November 2) to wounded healer Chiron in Pisces, we're channeling the buoyant and insouciant spirit of Sagittarius in the face of all difficulties. 

We shall exhibit reckless glee about the hardness of this life!

How hilariously difficult this human existence can be! How humourously impossible the collective conditions in which we find ourselves! You want us to untie which knots? And they have been knotted tight for how long now?

You really do have to laugh a little about it all, don't you? 

Illuminati Hollywood itself couldn't have come up with a grander or more complex collective clusterfuck for us to navigate!

Luckily for us, Sagittarius is a highly humourous sign. It can find the amusing zest and zeal in almost any situation. So as no-nonsense Saturn has been transiting the sign (since December 24, 2014), we have been challenged to apply this Sagittarian humour and zest for life within even the most sombre and trying of circumstances.

(And I hope, wonderful readers, that you always perceive the (dark) humour running through this writing, as well as the inspirational and empowering intent as I cut a swath through muck and mire and nefarious shenanigans a-plenty...)

Friday, October 27, 2017

The Most Terrifying Ghouls and Goblins on Planet Earth Wear Suits and Ties

 At my neighbours' house. Should I call someone???

As Jupiter sets up shop in Scorpio and we enter the dark half of the year in the northern hemisphere, we're under some fairly intense astrology. The ugly truth is being exposed under a Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Scorpio combined with a Venus in Libra square to Pluto in Capricorn - or at least, it's starting to make the overall emotional climate a little uneasy, a little anxious, a little agitated.

As the veil between this world and the spirit world thins, we have a particular challenge related to the truth (Sagittarius) about our material circumstances (Saturn) on this planet.

Sagittarius relates to freedom, and Saturn relates to constriction and limitation. As Saturn in Sagittarius closes in on its final exact square to Chiron in Pisces (November 2) at 24 degrees of the signs, we are uncomfortably aware of the ways in which our freedom is being inhibited or hindered and the effects this has on our psychic and spiritual health (Chiron/Pisces).

We are now nearing the end of the Chiron in Pisces transit. The wounded healer has been transiting the sign of spirituality and collective psychic space since February 2011. Chiron will enter Aries in April 2018, retrograding back into late Pisces September 2018 to February 2019, before entering Aries again for the duration of its transit, until April 2027. 

So the truth we are being confronted with as Saturn in Sagittarius forms this final square to Chiron in Pisces (under an 11-degree Taurus Full Moon opposite Sun-Jupiter in Scorpio November 3) is something we've been chewing on for a while now. It's those big issues, those big problems, that seem to have no answers - certainly no easy answers. It's the causes of difficulty or pain we can't quite put our fingers on. It's the bouts of despair or overwhelm or hopelessness that often can't be linked back to a single, specific source. 

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Jupiter in Scorpio and Successfully Updating the Expression of Scorpio For the Aquarian Era






 
This article is available to Willow's Web Astrology patrons.

Until the end of 2017, all new WWA patrons will receive the Saturn in Capricorn article (and it's a beast!) as a bonus. After that, there will be a charge of $11.25 for the article. 


Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Jupiter in Scorpio: Going Beyond the Tip of the Plutonic Iceberg to Get to the Full Truth of the Matter



As mentioned in the Jupiter in Scorpio patron article, one theme we can expect during this transit is the blowing up (Jupiter) of sex scandals (Scorpio), particularly involving webs of power. 

One of the stories blowing up in mainstream media just as Jupiter entered Scorpio (October 10) involves a group of women, including multiple well-known actresses, accusing powerful Hollywood film producer and Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein of sex-based crimes ranging from sexual harassment to rape. According to accusations, it seems Ole Harv expected more than just a standard screen test to get hired on his films. 

At the time of the Jupiter ingress, the Sun and Mercury were conjunct in Libra (arts, beauty, justice), forming frictional squares to Pluto in Capricorn (toxic business/corporate hierarchy, toxic power dynamics). 

Further developments stemming from the time around the ingress can be expected when Mercury catches up to Jupiter in early Scorpio October 18, as Venus in Libra squares Pluto October 27, and then as Mars in Libra squares Pluto November 19. 

Now, one could see this as a simple Jupiter in Scorpio theme - the spectacular (Jupiter) outing of one nasty character misusing his power and prestige in heinous and sexually-based ways (Scorpio). 

The truth is, though (and with Jupiter, we're going for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth), this is just the tip of the Plutonic iceberg as far as the corrupt-to-the-core Hollywood machine.

Where Pluto or Scorpio is involved, if anything does manage to surface in the mainstream psyche (including through mainstream media coverage), it is just the beginning of the uncovering process, the initial catalyst. In order to bring about real, grand-scale change from what is exposed, we have to pick up that single thread, follow it, and keep following it: unraveling things, deconstructing things, digging, digging, digging, and seeing where it ultimately leads.

There's a relentlessness required - not often found within the glossy facades of Hollywood. 

We have to be looking at all elements of corrupt power, at how the entire machine works, rather than focusing on individual scenarios as isolated events. 

Friday, October 6, 2017

A Quick Shift in Social/Relational Tone As Jupiter Enters Scorpio

We have a final burst of social and relational development/expansion underway as Jupiter completes its transit of cardinal (leadership, initiatory) Libra before entering fixed (steady course, set conditions) Scorpio for a yearlong transit starting October 10.

With Venus and Mars conjunct in Virgo until mid-month, squaring Saturn in Sagittarius and opposing Chiron in Pisces, we're seeking to set just the right tone, addressing any nagging details in our relations with others that may require some attention or polishing. There's a particular focus on the way we interact/the way others interact with us in a work setting. 

Practical adjustments and actions, along with pointed conversations, could alleviate some of the building mental and psychic stress indicated by these aspects.

We're working hard in a hands-on way to make things just right in the physical realm (Virgo) so that things are hunky dory in the psychic/metaphysical realms (Pisces), as well. 

We're bringing the skills of the master craftsperson (Virgo) to our relationships and interpersonal dynamics (Venus/Mars). We're looking to apply our personal truth (Sagittarius) in practical, daily ways (Virgo), particularly in our relations with others. We're looking to walk our talk in relationships and social settings in a precise and straight-forward manner, fulfilling the social and work-related functions that feel right for us - nothing more, nothing less. We're looking to remove the influence of detrimental self-sacrifice, unfair projected expectations, illusions, blind spots, and inflated ideals from our relationships and interactions.

As the Sun and Mercury come together in interior conjunction at 15 degrees Libra in square aspect to Pluto in Capricorn (October 8/9), there may be some interpersonal friction or complexity urging us into our full social positions. There is a "taking charge" impetus, extending throughout the fall season, which must be balanced with the conciliatory and harmony-seeking nature of Libra. Like sand in our underwear, social irritations and points of friction can produce the impetus and motivation to propel us forward that last little bit as Jupiter completes its transit in the sign of the scales.

Conversation, information flow, the written word, and our own thoughts and perspectives (Mercury) can be particularly motivational as far as any changes that have to be made with that last bit of cardinal sign juice.

It's in our best interests - even if it's a little uncomfortable or scary - to address any nagging details or issues in our relations with others because the social and relational conditions we're in the final stages of creating now will be with us strongly over the next year as Jupiter settles in to its transit of fixed Scorpio. The social/relational course has been set, to a great extent, as Jupiter leaves Libra and enters Scorpio. The cardinal sign (Libra) initiates; the fixed sign (Scorpio) follows through with what was initiated.

Jupiter will be throwing an immediate (and I mean immediate) spotlight on the emotional and psychological subtext as it enters Scorpio. The social facade that brought us benefit during Jupiter in Libra is going to slip a little, and how people really feel underneath it all will become more apparent, especially as we move through October and November (Scorpio season). Teeth may be bared a little. Backs may get up a little.

So quickly, practically, and proactively addressing any problematic areas is in our best interests before they get blown up under Jupiter in Scorpio. Clear the slate as much as you can, even if it means gathering your courage to do so.

We have an extra layer of challenge now as far as eking out our precise social/relational positioning, as Mars in Virgo forms a square to Saturn in Sagittarius October 11 and an opposition to Chiron in Pisces October 15.

Venus in Virgo will square Saturn in Sagittarius October 8 and oppose Chiron in Pisces October 11.

As Jupiter moves from Libra to Scorpio, the dispositors (key influences) over its expansive proceedings shift from lovely Lesser Benefic Venus to hardcore mofos Mars and Pluto. So things immediately take a more Martian/Plutonic tone, and the social graces that brought us favour under Jupiter in Libra will fall flat if they are not fully authentic and honest, if they are designed to gloss over sticking points or beefs.

The Mars-Saturn square (along with the Mars opposition to Chiron) lays out an initial challenge for the Jupiter transit of Scorpio.

We may feel as if our forward-ho motion is stalled in despair-inducing ways under these aspects. We may feel as if our will is thwarted and our motion painfully restricted. There can be a feeling that any action taken is pointless or that it will not bring desired results. There can be fear related to taking any action at all, creating a feeling of being stuck in the current circumstances or problems. In my observation, the Mars-Saturn square is particularly harsh for men, unfortunately coinciding with an increased possibility of suicide, as Saturn can convince us (erroneously) that our problems will be this tough forever and that there is no way out. The Mars-Saturn square indicates "between a rock and a hard place" frustrations, but remember: any acute challenges are temporary, and things generally seem more difficult than they really are. 

With Mars transiting Virgo, there are small changes, improvements, and adjustments that can move things in the right direction - albeit in a slower fashion than may be desired. Remember that there is wiggle room here - even if it doesn't feel like it. We have to keep trying.

Any wet blanket effects should ease up as we move into the second half of October.



 A more Scorpionic view of the proceedings is wise...


So yes, things are taking a bit of a deeper, darker tone here as we move into the dark half of the year in the northern hemisphere. This more serious tone will then be reinforced as Saturn leaves Sagittarius for Capricorn at December solstice, followed by a six-planet stellium in Capricorn in January 2018.

This is nothing to fret over - just be aware of the quick shift in tone, and adjust accordingly, especially in your relations with others. A little more wariness, a little more space given around potential sticking points, playing your cards a little closer to your chest. Foreknowledge can help us to stay out of the interpersonal frictions (or even straight-up meltdowns) that may be stirred up as Jupiter gets its footing in Scorpio. 


For a full treatment of the Jupiter in Scorpio transit: Jupiter in Scorpio: Wisdom Drawn from the Still Depths of the Soul

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Applying the Venus-Mars in Virgo "Relational Editor" Energy and a Reminder of Mars in Virgo Hot or Nots

As mentioned in a previous article, relationship planets Venus and Mars are currently traveling through the zodiac in a conjunction in Virgo (exact October 5 at 19 degrees). This indicates that a little editing, fine-tuning, or tightening up may be required in our relations with others. 

The application of heightened discernment, stronger filters, and higher standards (Virgo) in relationships of all kinds (Venus-Mars) is a theme.

Transiting Venus and Mars in Virgo are currently forming oppositions to Neptune in Pisces, and both bodies form oppositions to wounded healer Chiron in Pisces next month (exact October 10 -  15).

This brings up the possibility for some direct contact with "Neptunian shitbag" behaviours with a requirement to filter these out, making them fully unacceptable in our lives and in our relationships. 

As we are now hurtling headlong into the astrological era of Aquarius, these behaviours may be less prevalent or at least, a little harder to pinpoint than when we were in full-on tail-end Piscean era. 

At the same time, the slippery flakiness, charm, and shitbaggery that can be associated with Neptune/Pisces do rear their ugly heads, and Venus-Mars in Virgo is a great time to out this stuff, outsmart it, and quietly demand better.

As stated in the previous article, "Mars relates to desire, and in Virgo, only those with shit together - and with a history of having shit together - need apply."

(Again, this involves relationships of all kinds, not just romantic ones.)

As a little humourous yet reality-based reminder of the Neptunian shitbaggery to be on the lookout for, I will re-post an excerpt from an article from December 1, 2011, titled "Mars in Virgo Hot or Nots." This article was written just prior to the last Mars retrograde in Virgo (January to April 2012):

"Warning: This article contains an extraordinary number of occurrences of the word "shit" as well as derivatives of the word "shit." Proceed only if scatological references in relation to human behaviour do not offend...

I saw the 2008 film The Wrestler a few weeks ago, and the main character in the film illustrated the Piscean/Neptunian shitbag quite well. You know the kind.

It's a person who, on one hand, is deeply wonderful, gentle, compassionate, loving, sensitive, human, spiritually-aware - a person who can feel oh-so-good to be around, who has so much potential! This is a person who seems to know you on a special level, who can touch your heart in profound ways.

And then, on the other hand, the person's a shitbag.

The guy in the movie was an aging professional wrestler who was in many respects a lovely man. He was funny, giving, compassionate, a real mentor for up-and-coming wrestlers. He was exciting, sexy, interesting, and he could waltz.

He was also a shitbag. He abandoned his daughter when she was little, preferring to immerse himself in the cheering crowds and artificial (highly Neptunian) world of professional wrestling. He spent his money on alcohol, drugs, and lap dances, screwing random women still hot for his fading star. He lived in past glory, trying to outrun the requirements of the present. He made promises he didn't keep. He let people down. When the going got tough, he cut and ran, taking the easy way out and slipping out of his responsibilities.

The reality didn't live up to the hype - a big Neptune theme.

We've all seen or experienced Neptune at work in relationship. ("But I loooove him!") Neptune glosses over all the shitbag behaviours, leaving only the wonderful. If Neptune is strong enough, it's as if the shitbag behaviours don't even exist. They're invisible, dimmed dramatically by the shining, glowing, rosy light of the wonderful qualities Neptune insists are the whole story.

The shitbag behaviours are skimmed over and forgiven almost immediately, without holding the individual accountable, and nothing changes. It's the same cycle over and over again: shitbag behaviour, disappointment and hurt, forgiveness, being awash with Neptunian love; shitbag behaviour, disappointment and hurt, forgiveness, being awash with Neptunian love...

The damage keeps being done, keeps accumulating, and Neptune keeps covering it all over, focusing only on the lovey dovey goodness.

Until the point comes where enough is enough, and the cycle absolutely has to be broken. It takes a while to get there, but this is where we are now.

There are many deeply-ingrained Piscean era cycles to be, once and for all, broken, cleaned up, and transitioned out of as Mars moves through...Virgo, and they're holding on with a great deal of subtlety and tenacity.

This isn't just straight-up, easily identifiable Neptunian shitbag we're dealing with here, as in The Wrestler. This is immersed into the scene, woven into the energetic fabric. This is a multitude of subtle variations. This is even just the energetic impression of shitbag with little to no identifiable behaviour.

The Neptunian gloss is potent stuff, crystallized and unquestioned in many cases. People have been getting away with this stuff for a good long while...

If we assist it, Mars in Virgo will cut through the gloss in a valiant attempt to address fatal character flaws and make things right through and through. Virgo relates to personal development, and Mars does battle on the fine points here...

For a little helpful guidance on this front, here are some Mars in Virgo HOT or NOTS:

HOT: A person who will defer sex until the right time and the right conditions out of respect for the health and well-being of both parties.

NOT HOT: Someone slobbering in your ear and getting all hot and bothered when you're basically still at handshake stage.

HOT: A person who puts effort into learning the details about you, what you like and don't like, and then applies it precisely.

NOT HOT: Discovering someone you've been dating for weeks can't pronounce your last name correctly.

HOT: People who run their lives like well-oiled machines who would be scandalized if they bounced a cheque.

NOT HOT: Flaky, floaty, space cadets who routinely bounce cheques (if they even have a bank account) and live in a state of constant chaos that spills over into the lives of other people.

HOT: Finding a new boyfriend or girlfriend with carefully cultivated associations and influences who has no problem weeding out detrimental ones. This person has been anticipating you and has created a place that is just right for you in his/her life.

NOT HOT: Discovering your new boyfriend comes with a string of: old exes who call regularly in some variety of life crisis, hard-up buddies looking for a place to crash, down-and-out family members asking for money, slightly obsessive old flames who still have a thing for him, and various shady types always involved in some type of not-quite-above-board situation, bringing you into contact with people you would choose not to be around otherwise. Discovering the place he has created for you is a dirty mattress on the unwashed floor that you have to share with the sleeping-it-off ex-girlfriend of his high school best friend.

HOT: Someone who shows his desire for you by keeping bills up to date, dishes washed, floors vacuumed, and laundry folded, thereby removing stressors so energy can be directed into more *ahem* extracurricular-type activities.

NOT HOT: Someone who forgets his wallet at home, leaves dirty dishes strewn around, and thinks the hamper is wherever his clothes happen to fall. I know a few slobs, and I love them, but I'm here to advise that slobbing is NOT HOT under Mars in Virgo.

HOT: Moderation, temperance, practicality, humility, modesty, earthiness, focused drive and self-direction, attention to detail, awareness of the fine points.

NOT HOT:
Escapism, substance abuse, chaos, pie-in-the-sky ideas, ineffectiveness, weak will, scattered energies, being excessively impressionable and easily led astray, allowing oneself to be tossed around by the circumstances of the day.

HOT: Living simply and within one's means.

NOT HOT: Financial over-extension, frivolity, living on (bad) credit.

HOT: A person who has developed a level of self-control and self-mastery.

NOT HOT:
Someone looking to be taken care of.

HOT: Taking full responsibility for half-assed behaviour, rectifying it immediately.

NOT HOT: Making vague, weaselly excuses for half-assed behaviour and then continuing it.

HOT: Saying you're going to do something and doing it, on time.

NOT HOT:
Saying you're going to do something but then consulting your psychic who tells you not to do it unless six particular signs as well as a white eagle's feather show up within fourteen days. Staying in a state of "tortured" limbo for months, hashing it over ad nauseum with every person you know to the point that people start avoiding your ass."

Venus will be in Virgo until October 14, 2017 and Mars will be in Virgo until October 22. The Venus-Mars conjunction occurs at 19 degrees Virgo on October 5. So if you recognize yourself on the NOT HOT list, you have some time to move yourself onto the HOT list. And if you recognize yourself on the HOT list, congratulations on being a hot commodity!

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Jupiter in Tail-End Libra and a Final Propulsion into New-Era Dynamics of Relating

We've just passed through fall equinox in the northern hemisphere as the Sun entered Libra (September 22), the sign of the scales, indicating equal hours of day and night. 

There is a momentary pause in the action and busyness for us to take a breath and see where we stand, particularly in relation to others and to the world around us. 

Greater Benefic Jupiter is completing its transit of relationship and justice-oriented Libra at this time and forms a final exact opposition to Uranus in Aries on September 27 (9:25 p.m. PDT), just as Pluto stations direct at 16 degrees Capricorn September 28 (12:36 p.m.) and Venus in Virgo opposes Neptune in Pisces September 29 (5:11 p.m.). (Mars in Virgo opposes Neptune in Pisces September 25 at 12:49 p.m.)

This astrological context indicates a final propulsion into new-era dynamics and rules for relationships and social scenes, one final surge past the sticky, tricky tendrils of karmically-loaded Piscean-era relating that will not bring us desired results as we move forward.

The current astrological context indicates that there is some stuff to clear in our relationships and in our dynamics of relating now - some old Piscean-era stuff that, if continued, will not create the healthy and loving relations and connections we desire. 

As Pluto stations direct, we're doing the big purge, shedding skins, moving through a process of energetic moulting and streamlining. As we move to the dark half of the year, we're dropping the non-essentials. We're dropping the drama. We're dropping the excess charge. (Ain't nobody got time for that!) We're dropping the weight of things that we do not have the strength or energy to continue carrying or dealing with or putting up with.  

We may have to reality check ourselves a little on this front, being brutally honest about any areas of emotional or energetic over-extension. With Pluto so strong in the zodiac, we may be tempted by "moth-to-flame" scenarios that have burned us in the past, and we're battling our own inner fascinations, compulsions, and desires at this time as much as anything.

With the combination of the Jupiter-Uranus and Venus-Neptune oppositions occurring at the time of the Pluto direct station, we're dropping the dead carcasses of Piscean-era ideals, fantasies, and dreams, as well as old rules around what other people "should" do in relation to us and how love and relationships "should" be.

From a previous article:

"Pisces is known for the heroic lengths it will go to in order to long and pine and sigh and hurt and torture itself over ideas and ideals of love and over the projected object of its affection.

Old school Pisces wants complete immersion in love and in a loved one. Always. And forever. It wants to be wrapped up in a cocoon of unending love, adoration, and support from the universe and from other people. It wants to do a continual backstroke in the auric field of the one it desires. Blissful communion and spiritual ecstasy with nothing reality-based that might burst its bubble.

But we're moving on from that as the dominant ideal for love. Those things exist in love, certainly, but they are no longer the singular ideal for which we are holding out.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Jupiter in Scorpio: Wisdom Drawn from the Still Depths of the Soul






Jupiter in Scorpio: October 10, 2017 to November 8, 2018 

This 5,000+-word article delineates and interprets the year-long Jupiter in Scorpio transit. It is available to Willow's Web Astrology patrons, or it can be purchased for $10.50 by PayPal or email money transfer.

Until the end of 2017, all new patrons will receive the Saturn in Capricorn article as a bonus ($11.25 value).





Tuesday, September 5, 2017

The Diminishing and Marginalization of "Those Types" of Astrologers Within the Astrology Establishment

A couple days ago, I was urged to share a link to my recent article, "Hurricane Harvey, the Total Solar Eclipse, and This Era of Unnatural Disaster," on a Reddit.com astrology board. Reddit, as most people know, is a public message board site. 

This is not something I normally do. I've actually never posted a link to my articles on Reddit, and I don't frequent the site. Another astrologer kindly posted some of my articles there a few years ago, and I believe I made two comments in total at the site before now.

The link to my article stayed up at the Reddit astrology page for a couple hours. I could see on my StatCounter that people were navigating to my site from the link.

But soon after, the link I posted disappeared from the page.

So I posted it again.

Again, it was deleted.

I thought maybe it was stationing Mercury that was messing with me and asked a friend to check the site for my link. She couldn't find it, either. 

I wanted to know if this was censorship based on the subject matter of the article (which was certainly astrological in nature, involving a fair amount of transit and astrological research) or whether this was a general blackballing of me as an astrologer.

So I tested the waters, posting a link to this other recent article, "The Push for Standardized Astrological Education As a Pluto in Capricorn-Era Control Mechanism." 

In it, I outlined a level of discrimination I've experienced and felt against self-taught intuitive astrology (the type of astrology I practise) coming from the astrological establishment. 

The experience I had after posting this link amusingly (and aggravatingly) illustrates exactly what I'm talking about, which I will share here.

Posting the second article had an immediate large and backlash-y reaction with a few people shit-swarming me in the comments section. This included a couple of the more establishment-friendly astrologers trying to dominate my perspective out of existence.

"Your experience is not your experience because I say it's not and because I haven't experienced that myself, so that means it's not happening." 

(Is this what they call gaslighting?)

I was called "hostile," "skewed," "dogmatic," "objectively incorrect," and was said to be promoting a "narrative that is garbage," among other pleasantries. 

All this because I refused to be brainwashed out of my own 15+ years of experience, and I refused to be bullied into accepting their more establishment-friendly reality in place of my own.

One commenter seemed to be particularly incensed by my article and perspective, launching into paragraphs-long commentary trying to dominate my viewpoint out of existence. In his mind, his experience as a more establishment-accepted astrologer negated my (very different) experience. The classic, "I haven't experienced that, so it doesn't exist" thing. 

It's common for the dominant paradigm to insist that it is the only paradigm - or the only paradigm that really matters. 

This commenter said full-on that he believed it was correct that astrologers whose work involves conspiracy research should be censored from that message board. That was fairly mind-boggling to me. Then in the second breath, he demanded to know what made me think he was more establishment-friendly than I am. (You can't make this stuff up, folks.)

Another commenter turned his nose up at sociopolitical astrology ("exhausting!") and stated his preference that astrology be just a "fun personal interest." (This view, depressingly, probably represents 90% of all astrology enthusiasts these days...)

Excessively-long comment section shitstorm short, it turns out that the guy who was so obsessively trying to force his establishment-friendly views down my throat was the moderator who censored my article in the first place! Ah, it all makes sense now.

Except, he claims it's not censorship and that, again, I am pretty well a wingnut if I think that is the case.

The stated reason for my article being deleted (twice) from the Reddit astrology board:

"Resources that discuss conspiracy theories are discouraged in much the same way we discourage palmistry, numerology, and general occult things like that."

So in a fit of absolute and utter cosmic perfection and beauty, we see a clear example of the type of marginalization of "certain astrologers" within the astrology establishment that I wrote about in the article and that I then reiterated in the comments section of that article. 

As this guy is so vehemently insisting that I'm making all this up and this discrimination/experience/perspective does not exist, he is illustrating the very dynamics about which I'm writing.

The reason the article had such a huge and backlash-y response from these people is that it hit the nail squarely on the head. 

Now, none of the astrologers I know are opposed to palmistry, numerology, tarot, psychic abilities, conspiracy research, etc. It would actually seem insane to us, as astrologers, to be opposed to these things. If we aren't into them ourselves, we're certainly not going to make it our mission to discredit them and stamp them out - so long as they're being legitimately practised by ethical people. And opposing "general occult things?" Astrology itself is considered an occult subject!  

If this is the policy of that Reddit astrology page, they need to make that bias known up front by stating it as a rule on the front of the page. 

As I said in the article on forced standardized education/certification, I don't mind being treated like a second class citizen. What I mind is not knowing why I'm being treated that way. What I mind is everyone pretending it's not going on, pretending everything is so inclusive and evolved, when the reality of how things function is far from that.

This Reddit moderator is taking his cues from the astrology establishment, which believes that it has to distance itself from "those types" of astrologers in order to gain mainstream acceptance (and salaries). 

This type of discrimination against and marginalization of intuitive astrology and astrologers (which, yes, could also involve things like palmistry, numerology, psychic abilities, divination tools, conspiracy research, etc.) is unfortunately far from uncommon within the astrological establishment. 

Well, I'm one of "those types" of astrologers. The astrologers I roll with are "those types" of astrologers. The astrologers I respect are "those types" of astrologers. And we're one potent motherfucking crew. We exist. We practise astrology; we do readings; we write; we teach; we speak; all from that potent motherfucking perspective that only we can bring.

And the astrology establishment is just going to have to get over it. Pretending we don't exist or pretending that we're just "secondary astrologers," marginalizing and shutting out our practise of astrology while pretending this is not going on - it's all so very, very last era.

And it's all very clearly a Pluto in Capricorn-era control mechanism, a power move designed to create prestige and financial reward (Capricorn) for those who play the game while diminishing and shutting out those who do not.

Let's bring it all out into the open, friends. Jupiter in Scorpio is on its way. 

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Hurricane Harvey, the Total Solar Eclipse, and This Era of Unnatural Disaster

Considering what we know about weather warfare and geoengineering, we have to seriously question whether Hurricane Harvey was an intentionally-created or -enhanced storm. Harvey devastated Houston, Texas and many other areas of the state as Saturn stationed direct at 21 degrees Sagittarius on August 25, following the total solar eclipse at 28 degrees Leo on August 21. 

[The next total solar eclipse that will be fully visible in North America occurs on April 8, 2024 at 19 degrees Aries. This is being referred to as the Great North American Eclipse, visible in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and we can expect more orchestrated events around this time.] 

The related flooding is something that has never been seen before in U.S. history. It is being called a 1,000-year flood, with an estimated 100,000 homes and 1 million vehicles destroyed. People's lives have been detrimentally disrupted for years and potentially decades to come.

Houston is the home of former U.S. President and known member of ruling elite secret societies, George Bush, and this fact sticks out to me like a sore thumb.

We're in an era when the powers-that-be are creating "biblical" unnatural catastrophes that are then blamed purely on climate change or other factors. ("Revelations is coming true!")

Unprecedented rainfall and flooding, as well as extremely violent storms, have been experienced around the world with increasing intensity over the past decade. Even before Harvey, the United States had been hard hit with recent massive floods. 

This all plays into the distorted symbolism being intentionally manifested and played out as we shift astrological eras. 

The deluge myths that are being played upon now with these man-made events are cross-cultural, not limited to Noah's Ark in the Christian Bible. From a January 16, 2011 article, "Jupiter at Tail-End Pisces, the Deluge Myths and the Implanting of the Serpent":

"Fragments of cross-cultural deluge myths are suddenly becoming (sur)reality as we traipse through fin-de-Pisces - set off as part of the long-term plan by a version of "God" that is strictly man-made and a version of life on Earth that is strictly symbolic...

If we hone in on North America and the Lenni-Lanapi or Delaware River Indians' version, after the deluge, a period of snake-worship is secretly brought to Earth. Under worship of the God of the snakes, Wakon, this period brings evil, crime, unhappiness, bad weather, death. Just what the doctor ordered for those looking to rid the Earth of 'excess' humanity while controlling the remainder."

If you think weather modification, control of the weather, and weather warfare are strictly wack job conspiracy theory, think again: John F. Kennedy, Jr. spoke about the ability to control the weather to the United Nations General Assembly in 1961. You can't get much more official than that.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Saturn Inches Forward in Publishing-Related Sagittarius

As Saturn (consolidation, concrete efforts) inches forward in publishing-related Sagittarius, I have a few interesting things to report.

First, the wonderful Jeremiah Moss, author of the fabulous Jeremiah's Vanishing New York blog, now has a book out titled, "Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost its Soul." You can check it out online here, but it is being widely distributed and sold, so check your local book shops. (Jeremiah would encourage local, independent book shop patronage!)

For the past ten years, Jeremiah has chronicled the horrifying gentrification of the Lower East Side of New York City, in particular the doubling and tripling of rents on retail spaces to make room for stores, restaurants, and pubs directed toward the rich and trendy. This practise has put hundreds (thousands?) of much-loved and much-patronized small businesses out of business or forced them to move out of their neighbourhoods. This practise has changed the entire landscape of New York City (not just in the Lower East Side), removing a lot of the heart and soul and quirky independence by which it was once characterized.

Jeremiah lovingly documents the vanishing businesses of the Lower East Side - that so many people patronize and love - before they disappear. And I love him for it!

(Aside: I also love Jeremiah's Vanishing New York blog because it's still a blogspot. Blogspots represent!)

The hyper-gentrification Jeremiah has so heartbreakingly and painstakingly chronicled in New York City for the past 10 years is a ubiquitous Pluto in Capricorn-era theme, displacing people from homes and businesses around the globe.

It's the abusive and coercive power of all mighty fiat currency  - a type of phony and corrupted power too often worshiped on Planet Earth and never so blatantly as during the Pluto in Capricorn years (2008 - 2024).

Entire cities are being re-made as playgrounds for the rich and trendy, driving rents and real estate prices up to the point that lower income people are forced out. Make no mistake about it - it's socioeconomic cleansing, a fundamental characteristic of the Pluto in Capricorn agenda.

My own beloved Art of My Heart store (seen to the left in its second - and more orderly - incarnation on the ground floor of the mall) was gentrified out of the TD Square Mall in Calgary, Alberta in 2009. This beautiful, soulful, independent, and utterly unique store was pushed out by the Pluto in Capricorn steamroller to make way for such thrilling and unique high-end chain stores as Brooks Brothers. 

The end of Art of My Heart broke my own heart into a million pieces and threw my life into a state of chaos. At the same time, I knew that what happened there was going on all over the place. The owner and I were far from alone in our unceremonious displacement. 

This article is from May 23, 2009, at the point when I realized Art of My Heart was dead and that it wouldn't be resurrecting in a new location due to sky-high rents all over the city. The article is full of grief and rage and Plutonic horror, and it's bang-on as far as what was going on (and is still going on) and what it was doing to the people involved.

"R.I.P. Art of My Heart":

"I'm just waiting. Inside the fortress that is me. The only place that feels good.

I'm waiting for this wave of hyper-gentrification to run out of steam, so that I can properly assess the situation. At the moment, even walking down the street feels like a blast from an overexposed dystopic imagery furnace. Fake light and happy, grinding its pointy high heel into my eye. A nouveau rich nightmare. Teenagers in brand new, sickeningly overpriced clothes designed to look "lived in." Street-tastic! Carrying Chanel purses (yes, high schoolers with Chanel), cell phones and iced coffees.

They look straight out of the pages of InStyle (Star/People/US Weekly) magazine, so I can see why they feel entitled. That takes a lot of effort. 

Mount Royal Starbucks where you'll get the snobby once-over just for going in to get a take-out coffee. They can sniff out non-upper-mid-class-yuppie status.

 It's a fucking wasteland. Sorry, but it is. 

The so-called alternative crowd drinking overpriced beer, eating overpriced breakfasts in pseudo-retro diners, sitting around in carefully chosen "styles" being all alternative and shit. Talking about how to market their band. Hoping to be noticed, to get famous. Even the indy crowd in this town has this marketing veneer lacquered over everything. 

No one just living their lives. It's all an agenda. Gotta be someone. Gotta get somewhere. Gotta play the game. 

Calgary, Alberta. Schlepping phony Western Canadiana for kicks, but the mean, mean underlying vibe is always there. Vicious millionaires bulldozing soulful establishments and people's livelihoods in favour of clean, cleansed luxury for its clean, cleansed luxury-deserving patrons. A city run by and for young souls. You can throw in a few newly-minted mature souls just to give it that fake "artsy/cultured" thing. Garbage. Trying to lure the people who don't know any better into dropping their money on overpriced drinks and food, clothing and accessories. Paying for fake experiences with fake money.

The downtown mall has kicked all the real stores out in favour of luxurification plans handed down by Torontonian property management overlords.

Brooks Brothers is coming to town! How thrilling. 

Spaces are empty all over town. All over the country. All over the world. Bulldozed livelihoods. Lost our lease. Lost our lease. We're closing shop. And in a way, the independents are relieved. Because trying to keep your head above water in this increasingly corporatized climate is bloody exhausting. They tighten the vice little by little. Priced out. Squeezed out. And when the death of the business finally comes, it's accepted with a sigh. 

And so I wait for the bulldozer to run out of gas. Or to at least take a fucking coffee break. 

I can see it starting. "Luxury" stores aren't lining up to fill those empty spaces. The spots are sitting empty. Stalled monster condo projects all over town. Massive, gaping holes left in the ground with fences all around. They got ahead of themselves, trying to build on phony foundations.

And here I sit. I'm not sure what things are going to look like or if there will ever be a place I can stand being in again. 

Art of My Heart is dead. And every fucking brainless weasel in this town can go to hell."

My little beading zone at the second incarnation of Art of My Heart, TD Square Mall, downtown Calgary, Alberta

The funny thing was that after the richy-rich gentrification of much of Calgary, the oil bust came along! They poured millions into renovating the TD Square mall, putting in fancy sky lights, and booting all the independent retailers in favour of high end chains. And then people couldn't afford to shop there anymore!

From what I hear, downtown Calgary has been pretty much a ghost town for the past number of years - compared to the oil boom days, anyway. That city really could have used the oasis of soul that Art of My Heart provided. They blew it!

Second of my publishing-related announcements: my recent article on Leslie Demeniuk and pharmaceuticals-caused violent crime has been published in the Ripe with Rage zine out of Nashville, Tennessee. You can check the 80-page zine out here. This is the second issue of the Ripe with Rage zine and has a theme of Asylum.  

My own self-published zines are also available in some interesting places at the moment. They can be found at Spartacus Books in Vancouver, B.C., at Camas Books in Victoria, B.C., or at the University of Victoria Zine Library. 

I have to say, I'm most excited about the zine library. When my own local library accepted Hexagon Astrology Magazine onto its shelves, I had a little 'squee' of delight, and when I noticed that someone had actually checked it out, that 'squee' was magnified even further.  

 WWA zines

My own zines are also available online through this blog or through my Etsy shop

My efforts will continue to be focused on writing articles for the blog and for WWA patrons, but it's nice to have a physical medium to work with like zines. They create some cross-pollination and get the writing to people who may not come across it otherwise.
 

Friday, August 25, 2017

Saturn Direct with Dispositor Jupiter in Some Juicy Territory

 Photos: Willow


The engine for concrete progress in the material world, Saturn, turned direct early this morning at 21 degrees Sagittarius, and we're ready to take on a new chunk of growth, development, and achievement in the public sphere. Plans slowly start to solidify and take form. Our positions have been fortified, and we're now setting our sights on the next leg up the mountain.

Saturn will now move through the last decan of Sagittarius in one sweep before entering its own sign of Capricorn at December solstice. More on the Saturn in Capricorn transit is available in this article, "Saturn in Capricorn: An Astrological Overview for Long-Term Strategic Planning."

We're ready for one final push toward achievement and greatness in the sign of scholarly Sagittarius, structuring our lives according to our own truth and guiding philosophies, making commitments and decisions under the ultimate authority of our own wisdom and knowledge.

Achievements in academia, medicine, law, or publishing are particularly highlighted, but again, the greatest Saturn in late Sagittarius achievement may be the commitment to living by our own truth, our own ethics, and our own philosophies, even when they are not aligned with those of the society or collective around us. 

There's a bit of a shake-up indicated in the status-quo-as-you-go as Saturn moves through the last leg of Sagittarius, and our wild-and-free spirits lead the way on this.

The dispositor (key influence) of Saturn in Sagittarius is Jupiter, currently transiting relationship, society, and justice-oriented Libra. 

Jupiter in Via Combusta Libra is heading into some mighty juicy territory as Saturn gets going direct again in Sagittarius, and this indicates some sparkle and flash in the social/relational realms this September.

You may recall from previous articles that Jupiter in Libra is currently in air-fire kite formation with Mars in Leo, Uranus in Aries, and Saturn in Sagittarius. This kite will be activated again by transiting Venus in Leo September 12 - 17.

Jupiter in Libra is also just about to form its final opposition to Goddess of Discord Eris at 22 degrees Aries (September 1 - 5), which brings Eris themes strongly into the kite formation party. This contact to Eris brings up the potential for some social discord and shuffling over the next month, and we have a re-triggering of themes from this February 15, 2017 article, "Necessary Discordant Notes as Uranus Makes Its Final Conjunction to Eris in Aries":

"The most well-known story about Eris involves a big social snub. Eris was not invited to a prominent wedding that was going on, despite the fact that all of Olympus had been invited. The social roster was not complete. Eris had been shut out of the proceedings. As a result, the big smiles and boisterous glad-handing were too phony for her to bear, and she stirred up some drama at their little party to make things seem more fair.

Queen Shit Disturber, that one is.

Monday, August 7, 2017

A Neptunian Mercury Retrograde in Virgo: Refining the Channel From the Spiritual to the Material








This article is available in its entirety to Willow's Web Astrology patrons. If you regularly find value in the writing and interpretations here, please consider becoming a patron. Patrons receive full articles to their email inboxes that are not available on the blog, as well as other fun offers throughout the year. Patronage ensures that WWA will continue through these bumpy and amazing times on Planet Earth. 







An excerpt from the article:

The friction I run into with most anarchist groups is that I consider anarchy a way of being, a way of life that naturally occurs, rather than a political movement or a scene. So right off the jump, there's a difference in the way I define and understand things.

There's much talk in anarchist circles about the supposed failure of the "anarchist movement," and I've never understood this. How can a way of life and a way of being inherent in most people (non-hierarchical, non-coercive free association; running our own lives; making our own decisions; helping those who need it; do-it-yourself problem-solving on individual and societal levels) be a failure?

There is also much talk in these circles about what people "should" do in order to be considered a "real anarchist."

"If you don't trainhop, shoplift, and live out of dumpsters, you're not a true anarchist."

"If you don't live in a squat, hop from summit to summit, and bust out Starbucks windows on the regular, you're not a true anarchist."

"If you pay rent and bills and have some sort of employment that pays you money, you're not a real anarchist."

"If you aren't involved in the ___________  issue/protests, you aren't a real anarchist."

I've even seen the question posed: "Can someone be called an anarchist if he/she doesn't interact with other anarchists?"

It's mind-boggling to me that that would even be called into question, that that would be yet another scene-imposed "requirement" to being a "real anarchist."

This type of posturing is bizarre to me (perhaps driven by teens and early twenty-somethings?) because there is no policing of behaviour/lifestyle/actions and there is no moulding of oneself to the dictates of the group with true anarchy/anarchism - not with my version, anyway. In my mind, trying to enforce a certain lifestyle or a certain set of political views on an entire group of people is antithetical to anarchy. (IE. non-coercive, non-controlling, non-authoritarian, each person is in charge of him or herself)

Recently, with Mercury in Virgo opposite spirity-weirdy Neptune in Pisces, I had an odd moment where my computer basically sent me, of its own volition, to an anarchist site that I'd had both rewarding and frictional interactions with in the past. I found the commentary of one particular individual interesting because it described the difference in definition that I've outlined above.

Long story Virgoan-short, I came to realize that my version of anarchist is more an adjective or adverb describing a way of being, while the other version, more often used in “the scene,” considers anarchist a noun, a definite thing, a concrete label, an identity that has come to be associated with these certain lifestyle markers (all the "shoulds") that I find so aggravating.

This may seem like a small distinction - and it is.

(The only real reason I declare myself an "anarchist astro-reporter" is to give people fair warning as far as what my writing/stance is going to be like. It heads off misunderstandings and social friction.)

But this small distinction removes me from much of what I find problematic with the "anarchist scene." We are working with different definitions, and understanding this small distinction saves me (and those I come into contact with) a lot of unnecessary frustration. 

These are the types of small distinctions and refinements that we can expect to make with Mercury retrograde in Virgo.