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). 

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...)

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. 

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.

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

(All Art of My Heart articles)

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.

 

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.

Ladies of the Zodiac: It's Showtime. (A Re-Post)

The following article appeared in the first issue of Hexagon Astrology Magazine in Summer 2015. In light of current world events (sexual misconduct fan turned President of the United States of America, Eetos-Chay Itler-Hay), along with current astrological events (Saturn in the last leg of Sagittarius trine Uranus in Aries), a re-post seems appropriate:

Astrology is a lens through which we can view life on this planet, and this lens reflects back to us certain insights that would be much more difficult to glean without it. 

As a reflection of the patriarchal constructs of current human society, we deal in an astrological zodiac that is masculine-heavy, illustrating certain reinforced dynamics on the planet. Seven of the 10 major planets used in astrological analysis are considered masculine (the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) with one (Mercury) considered neutral. Only the Moon and Venus are considered feminine. Important as those bodies are, this is still a whole lot of imbalance. 

Women and the feminine influence are far more multi-dimensional and diverse than the loving, pleasing, and supportive mate (Venus), the mothering nurturer (Moon), or the vindictive, vixen/seductress version of the dark feminine.

We pick up some of the slack as far as the feminine influence in the zodiac with the feminine asteroids and dwarf planets.

The four major “secondary” bodies most often used in astrological charts – asteroids Juno, Pallas Athene, and Vesta, along with dwarf planet Ceres - are considered feminine, though these bodies most often play second fiddle to the planets, doing their thing with little recognition or fanfare in mainstream astrology.

An invisible feminine force doing its work from a disempowered position for much less than its due share of recognition, respect, and reward. Sound familiar?

As with the planets, these four bodies have ties to Greek and Roman mythology, which color their themes in astrological analysis.

Unfortunately, the men who created and furthered the mythology that is used in current-day astrology have missed about 50% of the story. They missed the herstory of the history, as they say.

This missing feminine/female influence is apparent in Greek and Roman mythology as well as in much of the standard religious and spiritual imagery of the current day. We're working with partial archetypal truth at best and straight up patriarchy-approved fabrication at worst, and we have to understand how detrimental these power-imbalanced units of cultural transmission can be.

The feminine bodies used in astrology have been saddled with an Old Boys Club mythology. There is widespread sexual violence, control, and misconduct toward women, among many other offenses, in the stories of those old Greek and Roman dudes. Women are most often in secondary roles with their stories told for them by males, through the male lens.

Saturn in Late Sagittarius in 2017: Solidifying and Settling In To Positions of Natural Authority

We are entering this new year with guarded (Saturn) optimism (Sagittarius) about the next leg of the journey as Saturn settles in to the final decan (ten-degree chunk) of Sagittarius.

We've put the messiness and difficulty of 2016 - coloured strongly by the Saturn-Neptune square - in our rear view mirrors at least symbolically, and we now move, older and wiser and maybe a little more wary, into the next chapter of things.

As Saturn moves into the final decan of Sagittarius and crosses the retrograde shadow threshold, we are digging in for some advancement in life that was perhaps on hold, thwarted, or just generally refused by the universe in 2016. It was challenging to make concrete progress with Saturn rubbing up against the Great Dissolver Neptune throughout most of 2016. But as of the beginning of 2017, this aspect is officially out of orb.

(For those feeling especially sorry for themselves, just remember: some people have Saturn square Neptune natally. Just imagine being a baby born in 2016 under this aspect, and it may help to put things in perspective!)

*I should clarify that by "natural authority," I don't mean a control-based or coercive position. I mean a natural position of leadership, an area of expertise or talent where people are deferred to because it benefits the society around them that they have a certain amount of authority entrusted to them. This would often not be an overt position of authority. 


This is an excerpt from the article, "Saturn in Late Sagittarius in 2017: Solidifying and Settling In To Positions of Natural Authority." It is available in its entirety to Willow's Web Astrology patrons.

Intense Social Transformation with Survival-Based Subcultures and Fringe-Dweller Associations Emerging

 Photo: Willow

In many cases, common sense and common human decency cannot be applied within the current structural set-ups. This goes against protocol, you see. It's just not how things are done.

Ultimately, there are people sitting at the top of pyramid scheme hierarchies who have not truly earned their positions of power and leadership. These people are afforded a certain leniency and a certain level of freedom that are not offered to those struggling on the lower echelons of the power structures. Their lives are relatively easy and luxurious simply because they are living off the sweat, labour, talent, and intelligence of those beneath them on the rungs of power. Their ease is supported by the discomfort, struggle, and misery of those forced into disadvantaged positions out of economic necessity. And these unjust dynamics are built into most of the institutions, businesses, and structural set-ups in existence. 

If Lord of the Underworld Pluto transiting Capricorn has taught us one thing, it's that the structural hierarchies of Planet Earth are illegitimate to the point of criminality in many cases (moral if not legal).

Jupiter in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn throws a spotlight on all this illegitimacy and unfairness. With the first square intensifying into late November, we can't just put a happy face on it anymore. We're all out of happy faces.  


This is an excerpt from the patron article, "Intense Social Transformation with Survival-Based Subcultures and Fringe-Dweller Associations Emerging." It is available in its entirety to Willow's Web Astrology patrons, or it is available for $10.25 by PayPal or email money transfer for non-patrons.

Jupiter in Libra: Bringing it All to the Table

Photos: Willow

Relationship-related planet Venus is acting as a scout at the moment as it transits its home turf of Libra. 

Venus is currently out front of Jupiter, which enters Libra September 9 for a transit that lasts until October 17, 2017. 

As it transits the sign of the scales, Venus is forming the same aspects to the outer planets that Jupiter will form during its own year-long transit. 

This gives us a taste of the social and relationship growth on the near horizon, and friends, this taste could be a little spicier than we were expecting from such a balanced and peace-seeking sign. 

Just as we clear the final exact Saturn-Neptune square on September 10, Venus will square transiting Pluto in Capricorn (September 11) and oppose transiting Uranus in Aries (September 18). 

Sandwiched between those two Venus aspects, we have a number of dominant squares to navigate, and the flavour of these squares gives us an indicator of the sometimes-frictional growth opportunities that lie ahead. 

The Sun and Mercury retrograde will form their interior conjunction at 20 degrees Virgo on September 12, and both bodies will be in exact square to Mars in Sagittarius September 12/13. 

We will also experience a 24-degree Pisces Full Moon conjunct wounded healer Chiron on September 16 opposite the Sun and Mercury Rx in Virgo and with all bodies squaring Mars in Sagittarius. This Full Moon has a definite "getting it all on the table" quality, and the things being shared could be inflammatory (Mars). *ahem* 

As mentioned in the recent Jupiter in Libra patron article, Jupiter's transit of Libra will put a spotlight on social justice issues and the ongoing work toward a more just society.  *hoo boy* 

The main theme I see here - with Venus scouting for us in Libra and the Sun-Mercury in Virgo square to Mars in Sagittarius - is a requirement for some of the finer points on social justice issues to come forth in order to puncture and "reality check" some partial-truth rhetoric being put forth by academic circles, media, and various organized groups. 

Saturn Direct Brings Us Into a Period of Structural Transition

Saturn is currently grinding to a halt in the zodiac as it prepares to station direct at 9 degrees Sagittarius on August 13 (2:50 a.m. PDT).

Saturn slowing to a crawl can bring up our "Saturn lessons" in a concentrated way. We may experience temporarily heightened bouts of fear, frustration, depression, self-doubt, and insecurity (especially financial), as well as feelings of inadequacy or inferiority. All the fun stuff. We may also become aware of areas where we need to get stronger.

Saturn stations can weigh us down a bit, making responsibilities seem heavier and more difficult than they may ordinarily seem. We may feel a little trapped within the walls of our own lives, particularly in the areas related to the house where transiting Saturn is stationing in the natal chart. It may seem that progress has stopped entirely - and for a short period of time, it pretty much has!

But as Saturn shifts forward again August 13 and slowly regains speed direct throughout the rest of the month, we also get a feeling that the show is once again on the road. We've had a period of inner restructuring and sober second thought throughout the retrograde (March 25 - August 13, 2016) and are preparing to once again dig in and make some concrete progress.

After action planet Mars forms its conjunction to Saturn at 9 degrees Sagittarius on August 24, we are officially on our way. We're freer to make decisions and commitments that launch us on a new trajectory.

There may be a feeling of the torch being passed from older members of the planet (Saturn) to younger members (Mars). Or in the best case scenarios, there are new collaborations coming among the older and more experienced and the younger and more energetic.

We're all struggling out of the tail-end dregs of the astrological Piscean era together, friends.


This is an excerpt from the patron article, "Saturn Direct Brings Us Into a Period of Structural Transition." It is available in its entirety to Willow's Web Astrology patrons, or it can be purchased for $6.25 by PayPal or email money transfer. 

Uranian Guerilla Warfare to Combat Pluto in Capricorn Economic Violence

Revolutionary rabble-rouser planet Uranus is almost stopped in the zodiac, preparing for a retrograde station July 29 (2:07 p.m. PDT) at 24 degrees Aries. This retrograde period will last until December 29 when Uranus will once again go direct at 20 degrees Aries, bringing it to within 3 degrees of an exact square to Pluto in Capricorn in early 2017.

That will be the closest Uranus and Pluto get to another exact square.

The series of seven exact squares between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn (2012 - 2015) officially came to an end in March 2015.

So we are now post-Uranus-Pluto square series (as well as post-slow-motion-apocalypse in some pretty fundamental ways), and continued survival of the intentionally-created economic violence of the Pluto in Capricorn years requires some wily and radical guerilla techniques.

With Uranus in Aries, we have to take matters into our own hands. 

Since Pluto first entered Capricorn in 2008, inflation has been absolutely scorching. Rents and real estate prices are mind-bogglingly high in many areas, even for the simplest and most basic of dwellings. Wide-scale gentrification (the Pluto in Capricorn bulldozer) has pushed independent businesses and organizations out of long-term homes, including my own beloved Art of My Heart in Calgary, Alberta in 2009, while gentrification in residential areas has forced long-term tenants to migrate out of beloved neighbourhoods, breaking down the fabric of local societies that have existed for decades or even a century.

Food prices are sob-worthy. Utility prices are cringe-worthy. And a lot of work is drying up as we shift into a "new economy" with next-to-no human-centred leadership within the crystallized, old-era positions of power still being clung to by the dinosaurs (aliens?) on this planet.

We have a money system that works against most human beings, rather than for them, and this creates soul-erosion, wasted energy, and degrading economic violence.

So we're all looking to shave the budget down a little these days, to say the least. It's pretty much a necessity for most people. This is not to say that we should not spend money if we have it to spend - especially locally. This is what keeps people in work and businesses functioning! But a few cost-saving tips certainly can't hurt considering the current circumstances.

With Pluto in Capricorn's dispositor Saturn (institutions) stationing direct in Sagittarius (knowledge, books) on August 13, one of the easiest and best ways to save money on entertainment and intellectual stimulation is by utilizing public libraries.

Libraries seem to have gone out of favour to a great extent in the days of social media saturation, YouTube, Netflix, and Kindle. But I'm here to remind you of the absolute fabulousness of the public library! I can only speak for the Canadian library system, but they are a vast (and free) resource, as well as a desperately needed public gathering place, a solid fulcrum for local culture.

Libraries have heaps of books on every imaginable subject - and if your local library doesn't have a title you're looking for, it can often bring it in from another library.

Entering a Period of Beneficial and Inspirational Re-Structuring

** Happy Equinox, and Happy Astrological New Year! **

We're now entering a period of time when both malefic planets - Mars and Saturn – will put on the brakes and turn retrograde within a loose conjunction to each other.

Saturn (structure, long-term progress, delays) stations retrograde at 16 degrees Sagittarius on March 25 for a retrograde period that lasts until the direct station August 13 at 9 degrees Sagittarius.

Mars (action planet) stations retrograde on April 17 at 8 degrees Sagittarius for a retrograde period that lasts until the direct station June 29 at 23 degrees Scorpio.

As stated, Mars and Saturn will station retrograde within a loose conjunction to each other, and this fusion of energy and themes colours the next few months.

Mars is not too happy about this traveling companion through the zodiac, however. Saturn often brings with it blocks, delays, and obstacles - albeit necessary ones - while Mars likes quick, unfettered movement and direct action toward goals. Saturn can be a bit of a damper on the blazing will and activity of Mars, and because of the potential frustration associated with this, we may be looking for any sort of movement that we feel will bring temporary relief.  


This is an excerpt from the article, "Entering a Period of Beneficial and Inspirational Re-Structuring." It is available in its entirety to Willow's Web Astrology patrons. 

A Couple Welcome Shifts With a Side of Mutual Reception Relational Angst as We Close Out 2015

Fall Colours

Photos: Willow

We have a couple energetic shifts on the horizon, which should provide an interesting change, if not relief, exactly.

Taskmaster planet Saturn is currently moving through the tail-end of its retrograde shadow at 3 and 4 degrees Sagittarius and will move into fresh degrees of the zodiac on November 8. As of November 8, Saturn will be in a sort of "clear progress zone," moving through most of the rest of the first decan of Sagittarius in one pass only (from November 8 to December 19, 2015).

This indicates that we are coming into a period of time when we can accomplish some very big things and set down some very important stepping stones - if we are willing to work for our progress. This is as unencumbered as Saturn's movement gets, so let's make good use of it.

This also indicates that there could be some powerful completion and resolution events occurring (internally and/or externally) during the first week of November as Saturn finishes up in the retrograde shadow. Watch for opportunities to lay certain themes to rest - especially as we head into the 19-degree Scorpio New Moon on November 11 - cementing your footing and progress as you do so.

Saturn in early Sagittarius has been a bit tough. We've had a lot to chew on as we came to a point of truth, understanding, and ultimate meaning related to the dark and difficult experiences we've encountered over the past three years of Saturn in Scorpio in mutual reception with Pluto in Capricorn.

But now, as Saturn grinds out the last of the retrograde degrees, we're ready to move on. We're ready for new challenges and structure to take our minds off the sucking black holes we've dug ourselves out of. We've established that first foothold on the other side of Scorpio, on the other side of hell, and we're damn sure going to use it.

We can drop a great deal of the emotional and psychological load now if we can only set our sights on the new and more inspiring territory up ahead. We can move out of the sticky, suffocating tendrils of pitch black emotion and we can drop ties to people and scenarios that have hurt us. But we have to work for it (Saturn). We have to work for brighter skies and for more inspiring and optimistic times in our lives.

Saturn Re-Enters Sagittarius

Saturn is now completing its last couple days in inky-potent late Scorpio, re-entering Sagittarius on September 17 at 8:49 p.m. CST, where it will remain until December 20, 2017.

Saturn is still moving through its retrograde shadow at this time, meaning the challenges on our plates are somewhat familiar to us. We've been working on them for a while. 

Saturn will now move through the first four degrees of Sagittarius, bringing challenge, progress, and/or resolution related to events and situations that first gained prominence in our lives from late December 2014 to mid-March 2015. 

Saturn clears its retrograde shadow on November 7, 2015, entering the next leg of its journey in the sign of the sage. 

I will take the opportunity to re-post an excerpt from my article on the Saturn in Sagittarius transit. Please note: this is not a new article. It was originally released at the beginning of January 2015. For readers who are not patrons, the article is available in its entirety for $12 by PayPal or by email money transfer.

 

Saturn in Sagittarius: Freeing Suppressed Truths With Our Blazing Arrows of Righteousness - originally posted on the blog January 2, 2015

Saturn in Sagittarius December 23, 2014 - December 20, 2017

Saturn retrograde March 14 – August 1, 2015
Saturn is back in Scorpio June 14 - September 17, 2015

Pallas Athene in Sagittarius December 28, 2014 - November 1, 2015
Pallas Athene retrograde period April 20 - August 11, 2015 


With Saturn transiting Sagittarius, there is certain knowledge we absolutely must have in order to navigate the times successfully. If we do not already have this knowledge securely under our belts, we must obtain it step-by-step over the next three years.

Over the next three years, we will be confronted - personally and collectively - with situations that bring us to a broader understanding of the truth. This will not always be pleasant. Contrary to what many may believe, we are not promised a walk-in-the-park Saturn transit just because the taskmaster planet has moved on from deep, dark Scorpio. There will be a lightening of emotional and psychological loads in some ways, but challenges certainly remain.

We are challenged to build on what we learned and saw and came to understand while Saturn in Scorpio was holding our noses in the corrupt power structures and difficult emotional/psychological subtext of Planet Earth.

We cannot just forget about it and go searching for greener pastures elsewhere - though many will try...

Fear Driving People to Regressive Belief Systems and Figureheads 

Coming through the sometimes bleak awareness of down-and-dirty reality on Planet Earth brought front and centre by the Saturn in Scorpio transit, people will be searching for meaning, for a candle in the window, for something to buoy their spirits. But we do not find these things without effort (Saturn). Strong caution is advised if new meaning and solace are found too quickly or seemingly too easily...

Animal and Nature Guides - What They're Showing Us Isn't Always Pretty  

The situation with sea life in the Pacific Ocean is another instance where the animals are telling us things that aren’t very pretty. In fact, they’re pretty horrifying. Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster began in March 2011, sea life has been disappearing from the Pacific, most visibly in the tidal pools. Not a single baby orca whale has survived off the West Coast since 2011. Multiple animals are showing up sick, convulsing, with lesions. Multiple populations are collapsing. The sea life in the Pacific is screaming for our attention, and this will continue throughout the Saturn in Sagittarius transit...

Being able to penetrate the rhetoric of establishment academics, scientists, physicians, and media with the cold, hard facts is an ability we will need if we are to be successful moving forward from here.

This is an excerpt from the article "Saturn in Sagittarius: Freeing Suppressed Truths With Our Blazing Arrows of Righteousness," originally sent out to patrons January 2, 2015. It is a 7,100+-word document of astrology magic describing themes and aspects associated with the three-year transit of Saturn through Sagittarius. 

Coming into Hard-Won Emotional Truth Under the Sagittarius Full Moon

 Photo: Willow

Renegade Heifer Photography

The Moon is currently in deep, dark, percolating Scorpio ahead of the 11-degree Sagittarius Full Moon on June 1/2. (The Sadge Full Moon will be exact at 10:19 a.m. CST on June 2.)

With the Moon now transiting Scorpio as it moves to its monthly peak, things are simmering and percolating internally, on the emotional plane, ahead of the Full Moon. We're processing, processing...

The Sagittarius Full Moon we're moving into illuminates hidden corners of hard-won emotional truth wherever we currently stand. This is hard-won emotional truth, truth we've earned the right to acknowledge and stand in, indicated by a Moon-Saturn conjunction at 1-degree Sagittarius (2:21 p.m. on June 1) as the Moon pushes to fullness. Don't let anyone talk you out of this truth. It's yours. Stand in it; own it; fill your whole being with it. It's powerful.

We've come a long way emotionally since Saturn first entered Sagittarius on December 23, 2014. Has it really only been five months? We've traveled through many horizon-expanding experiences and established new footholds as we came out of the dark and often-times nightmarish transit of Saturn through Scorpio, which began October 2012. 

You can read more about the Saturn in Sagittarius themes in this patron article from earlier this year: Saturn in Sagittarius: Freeing Suppressed Truths With Our Blazing Arrows of Righteousness.

Now, we are on the brink of dipping back into the tough-and-troubling Saturn in Scorpio domain.

The planet of challenge, Saturn, will dip back into Scorpio, the sign of fear, nightmares, empowerment, death, and rebirth, beginning June 14 until September 17. Saturn's dip back into Scorpio will strongly colour the themes of the upcoming Venus in Leo retrograde. Love and money planet Venus enters Leo June 5 and remains in that creative and expressive fire sign until October 8. To a great extent, our success with the resolution and completion of the Saturn in Scorpio themes determines the long-term success of the new love, relationship, money, and values cycle we are opening into this summer. 

You can read more about these themes in this patron article: Saturn Retrograde Sets its Steely Gaze on Late Scorpio: the Final Resolution of Old Heartbreaks, Hurts, and Unfinished Business.

  

So we're coming into our full emotional truth, illuminated and undeniable, under this Sagittarius Full Moon, but it won't necessarily be easy or clear cut.

The Moon in Sagittarius will oppose Mercury retrograde, the Sun, and Mars in Gemini while forming a square to slippery-slidey Neptune in Pisces. This means the Sagittarius Full Moon occurs within Neptune-infused mutable t-square, and pretty much anything could happen. Expect increased lunar madness during the first half of the work week with constantly-changing emotional states creating a bit of chaos and frustration for more fixed types. 

Luckily, the conjunction of the Moon to Saturn, while potentially creating a bit of a "downer" vibe, also acts as an anchor as we move through the highly-changeable mutable t-square and Full Moon on June 1 and 2. We'll need it.

With the Sun, Mercury retrograde, and Mars in Gemini at the time of this Sagittarius Full Moon, there are lots of opinions, lots of perspectives, lots of angles, lots of ways of looking at things.

However, there is only one ultimate emotional truth.

Getting to this ultimate and over-reaching emotional truth, again, requires some effort and endurance (Saturn) on our parts. Holding to this truth with the slippery-slidey influence of Neptune and the "talking out both sides of its mouth" influence of Gemini will be a challenge.

This Sagittarius Full Moon within mutable t-square acts as an emotional update, an emotional check, ensuring that we are dealing with our emotional reality as it exists now, not as it existed back then, in a different era, under a different set of rules.

There's a bit of despair nipping at us here, but this is only the remnants of the old era and the emotion and dreams tied up within it.

Highly mutable Full Moons such as this one indicate the necessity for quick emotional adaptation to changing conditions, and the fast-change Piscean-to-Aquarian-era dynamics certainly require this of us now.  

Our current emotional truth under the astrological Aquarian umbrella is not the same as our emotional truth was under the astrological Piscean umbrella. Certain ideals we've held and truths we've lived by for so long now are dissolving right before our disbelieving eyes...

It is our challenge to adjust and update our emotional foundations in light of this. 

We are coming out of the Taurus New Moon May 17, and our values may have changed, just like that. Our efforts may have to be re-directed. 

Sagittarius is a sign that seeks freedom, and with the Moon in Sagittarius (square Neptune in Pisces), we're seeking emotional freedom above all: freedom from the past, freedom from old family dynamics, freedom from difficult feelings that linger and torment, freedom from illusions that keep us stuck and swinging on the vine.

We seek the sweet freedom that is brought by standing firmly in our own emotional truth.

The Moon enters Sagittarius at 12:39 p.m. on June 1 and forms an almost immediate conjunction to Saturn at 2:21 p.m. that day.

Stand in your own emotional truth at this Sagittarius Full Moon no matter how inconvenient it may be to yourself or others. Peel back the layers of outdated illusion as the Moon squares Neptune in Pisces (6:37 a.m. June 2). Check that this truth holds up under every Geminian angle as the Moon opposes Mercury Rx in Gemini (2:27 a.m. June 2), the Sun in Gemini (10:19 a.m.), and then Mars in Gemini (4:31 p.m.).

The final aspect the Sagittarius Moon makes on June 2 is a trine to Uranus in Aries (11:59 p.m.) before going void-of-course for most of June 3. The writing is on the wall. The new-era breeze is blowing.

Blaze on into a new era in your life and into new emotional freedom.

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