Category: Evolutionary Astrology

There is a correlation between our inner being and the vast universe. Evolutionary Astrology illuminates your current life Soul-intent while analyzing and reviewing past life gifts and blockages. Because the Soul is the most profound level of our being, it produces the widest and most meaningful context for direction in our lives. As the old saying goes, you can’t know where you are going if you don’t know where you have been. I provide the “a ha” moments as you uncover subconscious blockages and bring latent gifts to life. No matter how many times we reincarnate we are never the same person again – make the most of each life – live a life that is most in tuned with the universe and nourishes your soul most deeply.

Neptune Gone Backward

Astrologers seem to be rightfully focused on the Pluto retrograde we are experiencing. However, there is a strong retrograde of Neptune that has been in effect since June and will remain until Thanksgiving.

Neptune is the herald of our spiritual life and where, when we are stuck on the Earthly plane, we would like to escape. It represents illusions, dreams and the obfuscations we allow ourselves to accept.

For the United States, this retrograde is happening in the third house, that of community, close friends and siblings. You can see us searching for a sense of community – who is in our community – how do we react when communities are attacked or separated? We think we are a country that protects communities, allows people to grow and find opportunity but now that is under attack. We see the illusion of our belief.

Do we fight to make the illusion a reality or allow the dream to die?

That is one of many questions we face this year.

Mars Making One More Square to Uranus

Tuesday, September 18 sees Mars making one more exact square to Uranus. Mars happens to be in the sign that Uranus rules, Aquarius, while Uranus is in stable stubborn Taurus. This is a classic combination of a shake up – perhaps even an explosion. Uranus isn’t happy digging through Taurus – the stability and slowness of Taurus is opposite Uranus’ natural rebellious energy. During a retrograde Uranus is even slower and feeling more tied down with the heavy Earth energy of Taurus.

Then along comes angry, aggressive Mars feeling all of the change and upheaval energy so envied by Uranus making a disharmonious square.

You can feel unsettled during this time – especially if Mars/Aries, Uranus/Aquarius play important roles in your chart. Don’t try to fight it – the information coming out will point to an area that you need to investigate – think of stale energy that needs to be aired.

On a global scale – look for some disruption to a established organization…yes, we have been saying that a lot this year.

“Enemies” A History of the FBI” by Tim Weiner

I did not want to read this book. What kind of summer reading is a 470 page history of the FBI? However, since it was a selection of my book club, one that we picked especially because it is so long making it a good August book. We don’t meet in August so it would give us the necessary time to plow through it. To my delight, the book is so well written that reading was a pleasure!

What really struck me most about the book was just how much work Pluto has to dig out the secrets and detritus of our history. Remember, Pluto’s work is to bring secrets to the forefront so that the “sins’ can be aired and remedied. Pluto is now in Capricorn, bringing up the “junk” of large authoritarian operations.

Spying on citizens whose only “crime” was supporting a Communist leaning group or being linked to the civil rights movement with Communists and subversives were just some of the “sins” of the early FBI under J Edgar Hoover. Thousands of lives were damaged by his need to root out homosexuals and other “deviants” from the government. The Rule of Law was just a suggestion.

Times are bad now, no doubt. We have rarely had a President so willing to subvert American ideals. However, he is there for a reason, he is here for Pluto to allow us to remember who we should be – who we were which wasn’t always the “good guys” and what we should be striving for in the future.

This book reminds us that this time is not the only time when we lost our way and we should work to make our “sins” of the past unrepeatable. Or we are doomed to succumb to them.

Did I Say That Six Planets Were in Retrograde This Summer?

Yes, I did and the nature of retrogrades is to bring forth what we want to keep hidden. The faster ones, Mercury and Mars, have gone or will go direct soon but the, slower planets, karmic Pluto and Saturn included, are still “spinning backwards” digging through the secrets of authorities. Remember, both of them are in Capricorn, the sign that rules the ruling structures that keep society together.

More to come….

Lillith Moves into Aquarius

Lillith is an enigmatic spot on the orbit of the Moon that is often overlooked by astrologers. Named for the rebellious “anti-Eve” woman of pre-Biblical times, Lillith shows where we wish to kick off the chains of society and be our own person. She is the original “Nasty Woman.”

With this move into Aquarius, she stirs our deepest desire to form new allies and work for the collective good. This isn’t an easy shift – Lillith is one tough task master and she is coming up against the warrior energy of a retrograded Mars.

Don’t be surprised to see some new outrage rise soon, akin to the #metoo movement or Black Lives Matter. This is a clash that will be felt.

On a personal level, let Lillith stir you to new social action and enhance your sense of brother/sister hood.

A Great Time to Think and Assess Words: Past and Future.

Did you feel the energy of the wonderful blood Moon lunar eclipse? I did – it really did something to my Pisces Moon and I felt a deepening of awareness into who I am and SHOULD be!

So now we have time to contemplate the Moon and Mercury because that fast mover has just retrograded in the hot sign of Leo. When we couple this with already retrograded Mercury and that Aquarian Moon, the best advice I can give is to think not only before you speak but think about words in past that may have been injudicious. It is never too late to ask forgiveness for words that hurt – even if the person is gone. With Jupiter trining Neptune – a very spiritual and expansive energy – adding to these retrogrades – review your past comments and set a course for more positive discourse, if need be.

Summer is great time to connect with both Earth and sky energy, don’t limit yourself!

The “Blood Lunar Eclipse” – July 27 – Find Your Inner Aquarius

Those of you who have been with me a long time know that I hate astrological hyperbole. I despise people who write about semi-sextiles and quincunxes and all of this nonsense instead of just using normal words everyone can understand. So you know that I am not too thrilled with all of the hype about the blood lunar eclipse.

First, during all lunar eclipses the Moon appears to turn red. The Moon has no light of its own and just reflects the Sun. When the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon it cuts off the “white” light of the Sun and appears reddish. This is nothing special to this eclipse regarding color.

This will be a longer than usual eclipse – starting on July 27 and ending the next day. The Moon, in astrology, rules our intuition and emotion. It is a very feminine energy of inward feeling and deep connection to the universe.

The Moon will be in the sign of Aquarius on July 27^th. I like to think of it as a good preparation for the next few years when first Saturn and then Pluto leave the authoritarian sign of Capricorn and move in Aquarius. Right now we are knee deep on these two karmic planets forcing us to face issues of patriarchy and authoritarianism. How is that going?

Aquarius forces us to face our compassion our humanitarianism. This is the sign that wants us to work together to make positive advances. I, for one, can’t wait until we move into a more Aquarian energy!

During this lunar eclipse, why not work on the deep intuitive ways you can bring the positive energy of Aquarius into your life now. Don’t we all need it?

Not An Easy Summer-

This is a summer of major planet retrogrades. Saturn and Pluto are retrograded in stern Saturn. In addition, Vesta, the asteroid ruler of Saturn’s fellow Earth sign of Virgo, is closely behind them retrograded in Sagittarius.

If you think this will be an easy, lazy summer the universe thinks otherwise. Pluto will be churning ever downward in almost a frenzied desire to root out the secrets of the rich and powerful. I can see Saturn metaphorically standing by with his ruler ready to slap the hands of those who have gone beyond the rules. It is indeed a day of reckoning for authority figures both in your life and on the world stage.

Vesta will be there telling us to make new rules – and reorder and reorganize our lives after this volcanic eruption.

On a personal level, look for where you are avoiding personal authority over issues and where have you allowed others to take away your power and direction. If you have a retrograded Pluto or Saturn in your chart you will feel this more than others. While this is not an easy time, it is a time to reorder and get control over your life again.

Mars Retrogrades Today

Mars goes retrograde today and stays there until August 27. It will be mostly in the sign of Aquarius but will retrograde back to Capricorn for a short stay.

Mars is the planet of action and motivation, so when in retrograde expect things to slow down and in many cases it feels as though we are walking through water. Even when we want to charge forward, something is pulling us back, making it harder to reach goals.

This is not always a bad thing. While frustrating, it can also give us a necessary pause. Are we charging off in the right direction? Is there a smarter way to reach our goals? This is a great time for plan evaluation. Many of us live always in reaction instead of in a place of conscious assessment and planning.

Mars retrograde says think, take a breath and then act. That can’t be a bad thing!

The Mars/Venus Dance on the Solstice

This was written by my friend and mentor Adam Gainsburg of Soulsign Astrology (www.soulsign.com.) It is such a beautiful description of the Mars/Venus dance this June solstice that I am copying in total.

Enjoy

Joan

Mars and Venus will be very close to an exact opposition on Summer/Winter Solstice in June (for northern and southern hemisphere people respectively) while also on the nodes of the Moon. They will also be close to their maximum brightness in our skies. Mars will rise while the Sun is setting and thus be MidnightStar, visible and brightest for the entire night. Venus will be at the end of her Remembering & Embodiment Phase, heading toward her Wholeness Phase — her brightest as an EveningStar. They’ll not be in the same part of our skies together, but for an hour or two, we will be blessed with bright, red Mars in the East rising, while bright, glowing Venus in the West will be slowly setting. This is a clear symbol of the Masculine and Feminine inside each of us at their most demonstrative – brightest and highest and longest in our skies – wanting what they each want. This can create quite a pull in opposite directions inside us. Generally, the one we are more comfortable with will win our attention to be acted upon. However, this is a fantastic opportunity to try on the ‘less familiar’ version of yourself, which may not be comfortable at first. Which do you default to when you don’t know how to proceed, your inner Masculine or Feminine?

A suggestion is to select the less familiar for you, while not excluding the other. See how you might make room for both in this new or different relationship to each other (by starting from the less familiar polarity). Is it meditating? running? are you alone or with another or lots of others? Remember, ‘making room for’ does not mean prescribing what will happen. It’s clearing out space to be spontaneous and freed up.

This summer’s alignments are invaluable opportunities to own, really own, as many of your facets, qualities and gifts as you’re safe to. You may just discover yourself as the Whole Living Sky itself that the planets are traversing through!!