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

 "Petunia & Pearls" by Saskatchewan artist Karlie King

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

The Sun Enters Aquarius and Black Moon Lilith Opposes in Leo

Photo: Willow

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

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

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

It's all a bit much.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This could get ugly if we aren't careful.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Sun-Venus Interior Conjunction in Capricorn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Juno in Pisces and the Soul Mate Flow

Sunset over Main Street
Photo: Willow

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Psychic connections are strong during this transit.

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

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

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

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

From a previous post:

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

Juno knows this one first hand.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

New Moon in Capricorn: Fukushima, Gatekeepers, and the Big Responsibility of Thinking For Yourself

Stay on the trail...

Photos: Willow

We open into 2014 with a Plutonic-Mercurial New Moon in Capricorn on January 1.

The Sun and Moon come together in New Moon conjunction at 10 degrees Capricorn at 5:14 a.m. CST, taking us on a trip through the deep, dark, thorny underworld as we start the new year.

This New Moon falls closely conjunct both Mercury (mind, communication, information) and Pluto (hidden, power, poison), indicating that a major theme for the new year involves breaking the hold of mainstream media and its "official sources" in order to get to a clearer understanding of our reality on the planet.

As we start the new year, information (Mercury) is power (Pluto), and we have to take a much closer look at the power dynamics hidden amongst the messages coming to the populace through media and corporate communications. 

With the planet in its current state of ongoing orchestrated collapse, many people are looking to "authority figures" to tell them what to think. A good, old, strong and stern and responsible Daddy Dearest to tell them what to do and what to pay attention to.

And this practice could not be more dangerous to the future of life on this planet.

The problem is, the "authority figures" are playing the game within rotten-to-the-core Pluto in Capricorn hierarchies. The "official sources" are mostly bought and paid for at this point, looking to cover their own asses and protect their own  positions within the rotten power hierarchies. These authority figures are passing bad information around on heavy rotation, looking to further their own interests while manipulating and placating the public. 

This practice is deadly (Pluto), make no bones about it, and nowhere is this more so the case than with the information, analysis, and discourse surrounding the ongoing Fukushima nuclear disaster. 

In Canada, we have a go-to scientist for the masses by the name of David Suzuki. Suzuki travels around Canada and the world via carbon-spewing airplane to paid speaking gigs (usually on climate change) where he pockets up to $40,000 a pop.

You'll see him in a photo to the left (Holger Motzkau 2010, Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons) accepting his "Right Livelihood Award" in 2009. (barf) In 2004, a poll taken by the state broadcaster here named him the Greatest Living Canadian. (barf again)

I noticed some previously uninterested ears started perking up in late 2013 when Suzuki released information on Fukushima. All of a sudden, with David Suzuki weighing in, people started to take a bit of notice.

Suzuki really got people's attention when he said that we could potentially be facing the evacuation of the West Coast of Canada and the United States due to the radioactive fallout from the Daiichi nuclear reactors at Fukushima, Japan.

The problem there is that we've known what Suzuki was stating - and much more - for almost three years now. He was not producing any new information or analysis (though it may have been news to most of the mainstream public). He was not producing any crucial research of his own - though he has the means and resources to produce it.

Instead, he was using an "old news," sensationalized angle on Fukushima to get the public's attention - and to hold it.

And here we have an illustration of the "gatekeeper" effect. 

A Peaceful and Contented Solstice to You from Willow's Web Astrology

Cactus plant flowers signal a time to draw back in, to relax, to ease your pace.

Photos: Willow

Winter solstice is just ahead in the northern hemisphere, and the daylight hours are getting short. The Sun enters Capricorn on December 21 (11:11 a.m. Central Standard Time), marking the shortest day in the wintry northern hemisphere and the longest day in the summery southern.

In the northern hemisphere, this is a time of year to draw back into ourselves, to relax our pace, and to let go of some of the usual demands on ourselves so that the mysterious dark half of the year can weave its magic.

My cactus plant (inherited from my sweet Sagittarius Grandma, born today) is blooming beautifully now, and we can take our cues from it and from the rest of the natural world.

When the days start to get shorter and the sunlight weaker, the cactus plant takes it as an opportunity to produce its beautiful flowers. The plant draws back into itself for a while, slowing its overall growth, and the gorgeous blooms are a result.

To experience the beauty and mystery of this time of year, rather than the depression and low energy, it's necessary that we regulate our lives according to a slower pace. It's necessary that we ease up on ourselves. Just as the plants and animals are not pushing full speed ahead now, we must check in with our bodies and with how we feel. We must check in with our energy levels, first and foremost, rather than deferring to the never-ending To Do lists of things we "have to" complete.

One of the major problems with the corporate model of living and working, particularly under Pluto transiting Capricorn, is that it does not take into account the natural ebb and flow of energy in biological life forms.

People are put on the clock, on standard schedules year-round, and this sets them up for dysfunction, ill health, anxiety, depression, and a sense of failure if they cannot complete the usual list of tasks in the usual timeframes.

There is very little "letting up" in the current structures according to the cycles of nature.

The standard schedules, the demanding routines, and the lists of action items are relentless, and this is a big part of what puts people's systems off course. They will often then blame themselves for a "lack of productivity," asking why they can't just be "normal," and this increases the bad feelings.

Our Sagittarian Beacons of Light

Your friendly anarchist astro-reporter, Willow, in the cottonwoods

Photo: Willow's Mama

The Sun entered Sagittarius November 21, and we've officially broken the surface of our difficult and disturbing subterranean travels through Scorpio.

This Scorpio season was particularly challenging with the planet that rules challenges, Saturn, in the sign, colouring a seemingly never-ending Mercury retrograde through Scorpio (October 21 - November 10) that kept some of the darkest and most fearful subjects stuck on our minds. We were dealing with all the challenging aspects of the Scorpionic mind: paranoia, depression, dread, darkness, triggering conversations and information, detrimental thinking, intrusive and obsessive thoughts that gave us little rest, worst-fear subjects preying upon us, emotional and psychological difficulty that took us down for a death roll or two.

For those stuck under Saturn's thumb in Scorpio, there were some bleak Mercury retrograde moments, indeed.

To add to the challenge, we experienced Neptune and Chiron stationing direct in tandem (November 13 and November 19), stirring up painful confusion, illusion, over-sensitivity, disappointment, devastation, sadness, free-floating anxiety with no discernible cause, feelings of isolation, psychic overwhelm, exhaustion, disturbed sleep, and a strong desire for escape.

The Chiron in Pisces station was a particularly painful release point - and a time when many souls went on to the afterlife.

November has not been the easiest of months.

But now, layer-by-bleak-and-scary-layer, we re-surface from the subterranean Scorpionic depths.

Mercury completes its final challenge - the last conjunction to Saturn in Scorpio - on November 25 at 7:54 p.m. Central Standard Time. It will take a few days to move out of the reach of this dreaded conjunction to Saturn, but we've officially made it out of the most disturbing mental and emotional depths as we hit Hump Day this week.

In the wee hours of November 27, Mercury leaves its retrograde shadow at 18 Scorpio, clearing old, dreaded subjects from our minds. As we start our days on November 27, our minds are officially in new territory, on the other side of all the retrograde heinousness.

At the very same time as Mercury is moving on, Saturn cracks into its next retrograde shadow (the degrees to which it will return during its next retrograde) at 16 degrees Scorpio.

See that?

We have over half the Saturn transit through Scorpio under our belts now. We're not going back. And we've also completed the entire transit of Saturn through the often-difficult Via Combusta, an area of the zodiac associated with karma, misfortune, and unfortunate events.

Scorpio is a dense, complex, complicated sign. It's the sign most people fear. It's the sign where we hide everything we're scared of, everything we're uncomfortable with, everything left unsaid.

So as Mercury went picking through this sign, back and forth, we were touching on some of the most difficult subjects in existence (including the possibility of the annihilation of much of humanity via the Fukushima nuclear disaster). Not only that, but Saturn held our noses in these subjects until we got a good, old whiff. Until we got a full handle on every dark and disturbing angle, making the unconscious, conscious. We couldn't squirm our way out of any of it - not if we wanted to be fully responsible and on top of our games moving into the second half of Saturn in Scorpio.

Mercury went direct November 10 at 2 degrees Scorpio, exactly trine stationing Neptune in Pisces.

And now, as Mercury in Scorpio conjuncts Saturn for the last time until November 2014, we start to get some perspective on our hard-won mental, emotional, and psychological progress. We start to see the first fruits of our labours, the first bits of gold that come out of our pain.

As the Sun is shining down on us from jovial, humourous, gregarious, and optimistic Sagittarius, have faith that you will come through this. Have faith that relief is up ahead. Because it is.

Our Sagittarian beacons of light are in the window, guiding us home, guiding us to safety:

As stated, Mercury conjuncts Saturn in Scorpio November 25 and then cracks into new territory early on November 27.

Mercury in Scorpio will form a grounding and productive sextile to Venus in Capricorn (which is preparing for its own retrograde) on November 27, as well (8:45 p.m. CST). This Mercury-Venus sextile provides an earthy outlet and release for our hot and over-taxed Third Eyes, coming out of the extended transit of Mercury through intuitive, alchemical Scorpio. It's likely that we will be able to concretely apply the things we've seen and the things we've uncovered to maximum success here. Every last bit of difficult Mercury in Scorpio perspective is useful and usable now and will be through the upcoming Venus retrograde (December 21, 2013 to January 30, 2014), particularly for advancement in partnership, both personal and professional.

Mercury forms another nice, easy, flowing aspect on November 28 - a trine to Jupiter in Cancer (1:23 a.m.). This trine is some healing balm for our shredded psyches, as the raw Scorpionic intelligence finds a caring home and an accepting place. The meaning and reason for our deep, dark, painful examinations during Mercury's retrograde may become more fully known to us here, and we may have renewed faith that we are on the right track.

The Sagittarius Sun trines Uranus in Aries on November 30 (12:25 p.m.), providing another day of flowing energetics. This trine shines a light on our progress into the new astrological era, providing lightning-flash insight and renewed faith on our weird and wild path forward.

The Moon enters Scorpio November 29 (10:03 p.m. CST) in its Balsamic phase, indicating one last emotional/psychological hurdle as we close out the month of November.

This Dark of the Moon phase in Scorpio closes out a difficult lunar cycle that began November 3 with the New Moon Scorpio eclipse conjunct Saturn. That New Moon eclipse took some of us into very difficult emotional and psychological territory, and we've been kept there ever since.

This Dark of the Moon phase (November 29 - December 2) can stir up some difficult emotions related to this lunar cycle and to any associated events that occurred.

But we are folding it all into the alchemical soup, preparing for new emotional territory. Allow yourself to feel it, but don't get stuck. We're moving on.

The Sagittarius New Moon occurs December 2 at 10 degrees (6:22 p.m. CST), releasing us from the last grips of this very difficult Scorpio season.

Mercury in Scorpio will form another grounding and productive sextile to Mars in Virgo on December 3 (10:35 a.m.), indicating a time when we can practically apply our new intelligence to great effect. An awareness of the details right down to the X-Ray examination level assists us greatly here as we close out the Mercury transit of Scorpio.

Mercury leaves Scorpio (finally) for Sagittarius December 4 at 8:42 p.m., and a cheer goes up across the land!

The aspects as we close out November and begin December are highly supportive to our zippy little messenger planet Mercury (Mercury-Venus sextile, Mercury-Jupiter trine, Mercury-Mars sextile), which has been under such stress over the past six weeks. These aspects indicate that we now have mental support in areas where we have felt isolated, shredded, and under pressure over the past month.

The most debilitating weight of the world is being lifted off our shoulders and off our minds. Allow this process to do its work, layer-by-layer, and have faith that an acute dark period is now behind us.

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Neptune and Chiron Station Direct Trine Mercury in Scorpio: Cutting Through End-of-Era Backwash

Both Neptune and Chiron station direct in Pisces over the next ten days - Neptune at 2 degrees Pisces on November 13, Chiron at 9 degrees Pisces on November 19.

The wounding Piscean era themes are nip, nip, nipping at us through the end of November, and we're going to have to stay awake and alert in order to navigate our way through.

This is tricky because with these stations, things are a little sleepy, a little dopey, and a little...any of the other applicable Seven Dwarves.

The Moon enters Pisces tonight (8:36 p.m. CST) until early morning Wednesday, and this can exacerbate the effects of these stations.

I would sum the vibe of the next ten days up like this:

"Why bother changing into pajamas? I'm just going to have to get dressed again when I wake up in the morning."

These stations can have the effect of softening sharp edges, putting a warm glow over the proceedings. But things can also be slipped by us through these stations, and we can find ourselves doing things or allowing things that are not in our usual characters. You can read about some common Neptune stationing effects here: Neptune Stations Direct and Brings the Foggy, the Floaty, the Wispy, and the Surreal

Neptune went retrograde at 5 degrees Pisces on June 7, 2013. It has now completed that retrograde period and stations direct at 2 degrees Pisces November 13. This is an article from that retrograde station. The themes are kicked up again as Neptune and Chiron station direct in tandem:

"Hollow-gut disappointments hang around us like stale fumes. End-of-era love relationships are a confusing, disorienting mess. The idea that our dreams are not special, that we're not special under egalitarian Aquarius, can erode us at the heart. The discrepancy between where we hoped we'd be at this point versus where we really are is staggering at times - both personally and on a broader societal or collective level.

Anyone aware of the circumstances of humanity on Planet Earth at this time will find them humbling, to say the least...

Some lingering depression, disappointment, disillusionment, despondency, or a sense of utter futility about carrying on from here can be expected for the next couple weeks...There's an unfulfilled sadness in the air, in the collective psyche, so watch to make sure you or your loved ones don't tip too far into the psychic bleak.

The new guy wasn't who you hoped he was. The new job that seemed so interesting turned out to be more of the same. The daily grind seems increasingly dull, painful, pointless, hopeless. Reaching for the bottle, for the bong, for junk food, or for the credit card are all possibilities to dull the pain, to desensitize.

This is standard end-of-era backwash, however. More end-of-Pisces clearing. Fool me once, shame on you, Neptune. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Keep moving, keep flowing, and keep laughing at the insanity of the situations with which we are faced in this foul year of our Lord two thousand and thirteen.

It's the sensitives, the creatives, the Piscean/Neptunians who hold the true weight of where we are right now. They're the ones holding the energy of Pisces, the energy of the spiritual whole, where every last detail matters and nothing can be conveniently amputated or ignored without problematic future repercussions. They're the ones potentially being crushed under the cruelty, the inhumanity, and the dysfunction of the current scenes. Yes, it's that serious.

But it's also funny.

Isn't it?

To be set up with these seemingly impossible clusterfuck scenarios during our lifetimes on Planet Earth?

It didn't start with us, and it doesn't end with us.

But we do have a prime and shining opportunity to direct things now.

Neptune stationing, like prominent Neptune in the natal chart, can create a sort of stoner effect on even the most sober among us. Air-headed and flaky. Forgetful. Dreamy. Wistful. Pie-in-sky. Avoiding. Self-pitying. Indulgent. La La Land-living.

Stay on track and stay focused on your own newly burgeoning Aquarian-era ideals, despite the Neptunian fog tempting us to go down maudlin back alleys or to take diversionary, wishful-thinking detours. We have plenty of assistance in keeping our feet on the ground with the Neptune trine to concrete and steady Saturn in Scorpio. Focus on dealing successfully with the full reality in front of you, and the rest will take care of itself."

Recall that we're moving through some tough transits, aspects, and dynamics this November, but also recall that we're tougher.

Do whatever you can to keep your spirits up. Keyword: buoyancy

Mercury, now direct at 2 degrees Scorpio, is exactly trine stationing Neptune in Pisces, and at the very least, we are assisted with whip-smart intuition, X-Ray vision, and whispers from the otherworldly guides in order to penetrate the potentially painful dynamics.

Maintain your black sense of humour about the current conditions, speak up when you need to about the things that are oppressing you, and, above all, just keep going.

The Seahags

To ease our suffering minds, here's a little homegrown flavour, The Seahags. "On the Rock Where Moses Stood" and "Barefeet" are particular gems!

Suicide Risk Alert Through December 2

Please Note: This alert is not meant to scare anyone. It does not mean people will be randomly committing suicide. It means that for people already at risk of suicide, this month is potentially very difficult.

We're moving through a time period when concentrated, complex, and multi-layered problems are surfacing from the depths. These problems often have no immediate solutions, and this can drive people to thoughts of suicide or to actual suicide attempts.

There are times when the universe heaps too much upon us, and this is one of those times.

As Mercury (the mind) stations direct November 10 in the sign of death (Scorpio), people are under a great deal of mental, emotional, psychological, and psychic pressure, and it may become impossible for them to see beyond their problems.

This Mercury station coincides with a very emotionally and psychically heavy day for the collective - Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the United States November 11. This is a time when the collective psyche is drawing up memories and realizations of mass death, war, pain, destruction, and unresolved trauma related to those things.

This exacerbates the difficulty for individuals, as they also have this heavy collective layer sitting on them at this time.

There is a great deal of collective denial at this time about the true state of things on the planet. This collective denial is always difficult for Scorpionic/Plutonic types who often do not have the luxury of turning a blind eye. The intense cognitive dissonance in the collective at this time can also break individual psyches down.

Currently, we are under the influence of multiple difficult transits and aspects:

We're opening out of a very challenging Scorpio New Moon eclipse, conjunct dreaded Saturn, on November 3, which brought many underlying issues to the surface. We don't fully come out from under the weight of these issues until the Sagittarius New Moon on December 2, just before Mercury leaves Scorpio for Sagittarius December 4.

The fourth Uranus in Aries - Pluto in Capricorn square is just past exact (Nov. 1).

We have a stellium of planets (Mercury, Sun, Saturn, along with the North Node of the Moon) in Scorpio, a sign associated with deep trauma, concentrated fear, and emotional and psychological hell.

Saturn is moving through an area of Scorpio in one pass, indicating a time of potentially intense challenge when we can be pushed out of our comfort zones in a big way, required to do heavy excavation in our lives related to multiple trigger subjects.

As stated, messenger planet Mercury is keeping all this difficulty on our minds as it slows to a stop in the zodiac November 10. All this can prey on people's minds in excruciating ways, and it's possible that they are seeing no way out at this time.

Wounded healer Chiron is stationing direct in Pisces November 19, stirring points of intense hopelessness and psychic overwhelm. Again, this is a "nowhere to run, nowhere to hide" type of theme, problems with seemingly no solutions, and people can simply give up under the difficulty of this.

Venus has just entered Capricorn and is activating the almost-exact Uranus-Pluto square. Venus squares Uranus in Aries exactly on November 14 and conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn November 15. The conjunction to Pluto November 15 is particularly harsh and can result in people feeling cut off from any love or social support. These conditions make it much easier for people to contemplate ending it all.

Chiron in Pisces will be at its most painful point in the direct station at the time of the Venus-Pluto conjunction, as well, indicating themes of isolation, grief, and a desire for escape.

Mercury conjuncts the North Node in Scorpio and triggers the degree of the September 18 Venus-Saturn-North Node conjunction on November 18/19. (I was asked when this suicide risk period began, and I would say around this time - equinox, coming out of the Venus-Saturn-North Node conjunction in Scorpio sextile Pluto stationing direct in Capricorn.)

Mercury will then conjunct Saturn in Scorpio for the final time November 25.

November 18/19 and November 25 (the dreaded Mondays) are dates when things are potentially pushed to a head, reaching crisis points.

The Sun enters Sagittarius November 21, and there will be some relief from the deep and troubling themes of Scorpio starting at that time.

As stated, Mercury leaves Scorpio for Sagittarius December 4.

Understand the month of November as a month of potential emotional, psychological, and psychic crisis. Much of the disturbance is going on beneath the surface, as well, with collective roots, and we simply do not see or perceive everything people are dealing with at this time.

Keep an eye on the people in your circle and beyond. Extend your loving humanity to those who are struggling, and do not heap any more on people already at their breaking points.

The business structures and "business as usual" ethic have to come much lower on the list of priorities now. Maintaining emotional and psychological health, assisting those in crisis, and saving lives are most important at this difficult time on the planet.

Mercury Stations Direct in Scorpio: Yanking Detrimental Mental Patterns Out From the Root

Mercury retrograde has just started slowing to station direct on November 10 at 2 degrees Scorpio (3:12 p.m. CST), and we're picking through trigger-happy conversational minefields all week.

Even the lightest of comments can hit raw nerves now, setting off reactions we may not have intended. Watch your tongue carefully.

That said, there will also be plenty of people intentionally trying to get under our skins. Slough those buggers off right away, and back out of any exchanges that seem to be heading into the trigger-happy danger zone.

We have to police our own thoughts and communication this week, maintaining tight boundaries.

When messenger planet Mercury is in Scorpio, the messages we're receiving can be uncomfortable, traumatic, or even devastating - especially with Chiron stationing direct in Pisces November 19. But these potentially difficult messages are ultimately also empowering, liberating, and consciousness-raising.

The information we're picking up and picking through can consume our minds now, creating scenarios with intrusive or obsessive thoughts. Fixed sign Scorpio takes us under and then holds us there until things really sink in. Some highly irritating and oppressive thoughts have been preying on our minds during the transit of Mercury through deep, dark, emotionally-dense Scorpio, which began September 29 and ends December 4, and these thoughts can increase in intensity going into Sunday's direct station.

To offset the mental depths, reel your brain in, and bring it back from the brink. Meditation, exercise, and good, solid mental discipline all help our cause. We're drawn to intense and even painful subjects now, but we have to keep our minds out of the bottomless pits.

There are some potent exchanges and connections in the works this week and next. The energy of the Venus-Saturn-North Node conjunction of September 18 is being stirred yet again as we continue to wrap our minds around the intensity of that time and what it meant for us.

Connections and conversations over the next weeks hit release points, liberating our minds and our emotions from some long-term oppressiveness, but we have to stay with it right to the end and have those squirm-inducing conversations in order to reap the rewards and find relief. 

During this Saturn-infused Mercury transit through Scorpio, we're working to get out from under that which oppresses us, severing ties to it, but it's going to take all our awareness and courage to do so.

We have to speak up over the next weeks about hidden energy dynamics that aren't right in our lives. We need to extricate ourselves from scenarios that put us at a disadvantage. And we have to allow time for the full realizations to rise to the surface of the conscious mind. Be gentle with yourselves and others, but be ruthless in the areas being drawn to your attention.

What intrusive thoughts do you want to eliminate? Whose opinions do you want to delete? What media and information sources do you need to get rid of? Are there perspectives that have undue influence over you? Anyone's crappy comments that have stuck with you for far too long?

Merc Rx in Scorpio is asking us to take action on all these fronts.

This week is great for getting to the bottom of detrimental mental patterns and yanking them out at the roots.